Bangladesh
World No Tobacco Day tomorrow
World No Tobacco Day will be observed in the country on Tuesday as elsewhere in the globe.
The theme of the World No Tobacco Day for 2022 as set by the World Health Organization (WHO) is “Tobacco: Threat to our environment.”
This theme is particularly relevant for Bangladesh and other developing countries where 90 percent of all tobacco production is concentrated, said a press release from PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), an anti-tobacco platform.
The President and thePrime Minister have issued separate messages on the occasion.
Also read: 18 anti-tobacco groups want duty hike on tobacco products
President Abdul Hamid called upon the government as well as civil society members, professional organizations, non-governmental organizations and the media to make concerted efforts to save people, especially the younger generation, from the dangers of smoking and tobacco.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, “At the South Asian Speakers Summit 2018, I announced that Bangladesh will be tobacco free by 2040. Our government is working relentlessly towards that goal as we need healthy and strong population to build a developed and prosperous Bangladesh."
Tobacco causes over 84 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually and creates the world’s most littered item, cigarette butts.
Bangladesh ranks 14th in the world on the basis of area used for tobacco cultivation, 12th for tobacco production in quantity, and holds a share of 1.3% of global tobacco production.
According to Tobacco Atlas, tobacco cultivation accounts for 31 percent of deforestation in Bangladesh.
The use of tobacco causes around 161,000 deaths in Bangladesh a year. It has been ranked as the fourth major contributing factors behind premature deaths in the country.
Also read: Experts want THR in tobacco control plans
PROGGA suggests amending existing tobacco control law, hiking cigarette and tobacco product prices imposing specific excise taxes, divesting government’s investment from British American Tobacco, promoting alternative farming and livelihood options, expediting the adoption of a code of conduct in line with FCTC Article 5.3 for all government officials as necessary measures to curb the prevalence of tobacco use.
Momen: Dhaka seeks New Delhi's advice on Russian oil purchase despite sanctions
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said he sought suggestion from India on how they are managing their purchase of oil from Russia, noting that the energy issue has become a real problem for Bangladesh, too.
“We are dependent on energy (import). Russia offered us energy and wheat. It has become a real problem. We are afraid of it (energy crisis). We sought their (India) suggestions on how they are doing it. This is more of a friendly discussion,” he told reporters, apparently keeping the fear of sanctions in mind.
Momen attended the two-day NADI Conclave in Guwahati on May 28-29 together with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.
The Indian government has defended the move to buy Russian oil, saying what it buys from Russia in a month is less than what Europe buys from Russia in an afternoon, according to BBC.
Read: FM Momen rues long delay in Teesta deal with India
As calls continue for India to keep its distance from Moscow over the Ukraine issue, its oil purchases from Russia have more than doubled from last year, reports BBC.
India has taken advantage of discounted prices to ramp up oil imports from Russia at a time when global energy prices have been rising.
Without naming any country, Momen said, “You are seeing that they keep bossing us and you (journalists) also encourage them. Every day, they come up with new issues. We used to call them development partners. They don’t pay for the development but keep giving advice.”
Momen also claimed that to impede the development, they put forward many things and add various conditions to create instability. “These are not acceptable.”
Responding to a question, the foreign minister said Bangladesh, being a peace-loving country, always welcomes stability in the world.
“We are very inter-dependent,” he said, adding that Bangladesh will get affected if there is instability in the USA and Europe – two big markets for Bangladesh’s export.
At the same time, if there is instability in the Middle East, Bangladesh’s remittance earnings will get hurt, he said.
Read: Assam CM praises Sheikh Hasina's leadership
“We don’t want to get into any problem. We want peace in the world,” Momen said, adding that the rich countries will also be affected and it is good for all to end the war as soon as possible.
The foreign minister said he also discussed with Jaishankar how regional organizations are made stronger to resolve issues regionally to ensure stability and security.
He, however, said Bangladesh does not want to see that multilateralism gets weaker. “We are a big promoter of multilateralism."
Bangladesh sees rise in Dengue cases: 18 more cases confirmed
Bangladesh reported 18 new dengue cases in the 24 hours till Monday morning ahead of monsoon.
All 18 people were hospitalised with dengue' a viral infection, in Dhaka city, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Fifty-one dengue patients, including 50 in the capital, are receiving treatment at hospitals.
In 2022, the DGHS has recorded 338 dengue cases and 287 recoveries so far. However, it has not yet reported any death from the mosquito-borne viral disease.
Also read: 15 more dengue cases confirmed
A total of 105 dengue patients including 95 in Dhaka division alone died in 2021.
Dengue – a leading cause of serious illness and death in some Asian and Latin American countries – was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000 and claimed 93 lives. In three years, the fatality number almost fell to zero.
There is no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue. Early detection of disease progression associated with severe dengue, and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates of severe dengue to below 1 percent, according to World Health Organization.
Also read: 15 dengue cases reported in 24 hours: DGHS
"The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically, with about half of the world's population now at risk. Although an estimated 100-400 million infections occur each year, over 80 percent are generally mild and asymptomatic," it said.
Woman trampled to death by wild elephant
A 60-year-old woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Jibtoli in Sadar upazila of Rangamati district early Monday.
The deceased was identified as Taposhi Chakma, wife of Gopal Chandra Chakma of the area.
Read: Man accused of killing elephant dies in elephant attack in Cox’s Bazar
Dhan Chakma, member of Jibtoli Union Parishad, said a wild elephant attacked her while she went out of her home to respond to natural call around 4:30 am, leaving her dead on the spot.
6 kids drown in 3 districts
Six children drowned in Jashore, Chapainawabganj and Dinajpur districts on Monday.
In Jashore, three children drowned in a pond at Srirampur village in Bagharpara upazila around 12:30 pm when they were taking bath.
The deceased were identified as Toma,8, daughter of Harun Molla, Sumaiya, 8, daughter of Kamrul Islam, and Hosain,5, son of Syed Molla from Srirampur village.
Firoz Uddin, officer-in-Charge of Bagharpara police station, said locals rescued the bodies and took to upazila health complex where doctors announced them dead on arrival.
Also read: DU student drowns in dormitory pond
In Chapainawabganj, two children drowned in a pond in Tikrampur Madhyapara area of the municipality at noon.
The deceased were identified as Didar Ahmed,5, son of Delwar Hossain of the area and Tisha,4, daughter of Mohammad Hossain.
Didar and Tisha slipped into the pond near their house around 12pm while playing beside it, said Mozaffar Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Chapainawabganj Sadar police station.
Locals found the floating bodies of the two children and took them to Chapainawabganj Sadar hospital where doctors declared the duo dead, the OC added.
In Dinajpur, A minor child drowned in a pond in Nawabganj upazila of the district in the morning.
The deceased was Taslima, 2, daughter of Tara Mandal of Haripur Mandbachan village of Golapganj union.
According to the locals, Taslima was playing near a pond adjacent to her house around 10am and fell into the pond.
Also read: Cop drowns in Satkhira pond
Family members rescued her and took her to Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared her dead, said Ferdous Wahid, officer-in-charge, of Nawabganj police station.
Flood damages 552 km roads, 8 bridges in Sunamganj
A total of 552 kilometres of road and eight bridges and culverts have been damaged during the recent flash flood in parts of Sunamganj district, said officials at Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) on Monday.
According to the LGED office, of the damaged roads 500 km is under LGED while the rest 52 km is under Roads and Highways Department.
Read: Diarrhoea breaks out in flood-hit Sylhet
The worst affected were Noarabai-Banglabazar road, Chhatak-jauabazar road, Chhatak-Gobindaganj road, Koitak-Haidarpur road, Lama-Rasulganj road in Chhatak upazila, Tahirpur-Badaghat road, Garh-Kalagaon road in Tahirpur upaizla, Niamatpur-Fatehpur-Anwarpur road in Salukabad of Bishambharpur upazila and Doarabazar-Banglabazar road, Doarabazar-Sunamganj road, Doarabazar-Bogla road in Doarabazar upazila of the district.
A rubber dam and a number of embankments were also damaged during the flood.
Farmer hacked to death in Pabna
A farmer was stabbed allegedly by his rivals over a land dispute in front of Ataikula Swargram Government Primary School in Santhia upazila on Sunday night.
The victim has been identified as Ruhul Amin, 30, son of Akmal Hossain of Swargram village.
Read: Missing man found dead in Sylhet
Jalal Uddin, officer-in-charge of Ataikula Police Station, said some assailants attacked Ruhul with sharp weapons over an enmity around 11:30pm, leaving him severely wounded.
Ruhul was rushed to Pabna General Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
The body has been kept in the hospital morgue for autopsy, the OC added.
Teenage girl ‘kills self’ in Sylhet
A teenage girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan in her house in Bhadeswar area of Golapganj upazila on Sunday night, police said.
Ninth grader Ayesha Siddiqa was found hanging from the ceiling fan with a scarf tied around her neck, said Partho, sub-inspector (SI) of Golapganj Model Police Station.
Also read: 28-year-old farmer commits suicide in Barishal
When the family found her hanging, they took her down immediately and informed the police.
She was daughter of Abdul Ahad, an expatriate from Sheikhpur Gotargaon village of the upazila.
The body was sent to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Also read: Pregnant housewife tries to commit suicide
“The reason behind her suicide could not be known. We are investigating the matter,” the sub-inspector said.
PM: Padma Bridge brightens Bangladesh’s image as a bold nation
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said her government’s move to construct Padma Bridge with the country’s own money has brightened Bangladesh’s international image as a bold nation.
“Such a bold decision has also strengthened self-confidence and mental strength of the nation,” she said while addressing the Army Selection Board 2022 held at Multipurpose Complex at Army Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment.
PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim brief the media after the programme.
The premier said that the World Bank abruptly stopped financing the Padma Bridge construction without holding the board meeting and just on false accusations of corruption, which later proved baseless.
She said Bangladesh must go ahead and keep the momentum of economic development achieved over the last decade.
She lauded the significant role the Army members are playing in building infrastructures of the country.
Also read:PM: Peacekeepers brighten Bangladesh image abroad, ready to send more
States urged to redouble efforts to protect imperilled planet for current, future generations
Five decades after the world’s first conference to make the environment a major issue, UN human rights experts have called on States to redouble efforts to protect the imperilled planet for current and future generations amid unprecedented challenges.
“Some communities suffer from environmental injustices where the exposure to pollution and toxic substances is so extreme that they are described as ‘sacrifice zones’,” they said.
“Given humanity’s trajectory on toxics, climate change, and biodiversity loss, the planet is at risk of becoming a human sacrifice zone.”
Also read: Climate change threatens access to water, sanitation
David Boyd, the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, urged States to put the right to a healthy environment at the centre of all discussions and outcomes at the Stockholm+50 conference on 2 and 3 June, and to implement constitutional changes and stronger environmental laws, stemming from the recognition of the right to a healthy environment.
Marcos Orellana, UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, urged Stockholm+50 not to forget how human rights inspired key elements of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration.
“This is a key moment for international environmental law to change direction and embrace a human rights-based approach to environmental protection,” he said.
The concept of the right to a healthy environment is rooted in the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, according to a message received from Geneva.
“Today, 50 years later, the Stockholm+50 conference represents the ideal forum to enthusiastically welcome the recent UN recognition of this right whilst also identifying urgent actions necessary for its implementation,” the experts said.
“Putting human rights at the centre of environmental action will have positive implications for air quality, clean water, healthy soil, sustainably produced food, green energy, climate change, biodiversity and the elimination of toxic substances and protection of indigenous people’s rights. Doing so has the potential to spark transformative changes and save millions of lives every year.
“We live in a time of unprecedented environmental challenges. The multiple crises relating to climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pervasive pollution are impacting the enjoyment of human rights and jeopardizing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
In October 2021, in a landmark resolution, the Human Rights Council recognised for the first time the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The resolution marked the culmination of decades of efforts by a diverse array of civil society organisations, including youth groups, national human rights institutions and indigenous peoples.
Also read: Climate change costs poor women in Bangladesh up to 30pc of their outgoings
The Special Rapporteurs encouraged States to act upon Council’s invitation that ‘the General Assembly [...] consider the matter’ of the recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment at its earliest convenience. A General Assembly resolution on the right to a healthy environment would reinforce the urgency of actions to implement the right.
“We are all extraordinarily fortunate to live on this miraculous planet, and we must use the right to a healthy environment to ensure governments, businesses and people do a better job of taking care of the home that we all share.”