Bangladesh
Consider maximum cut in import VAT on edible oil: Cabinet directs NBR
The Cabinet on Monday directed the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to take immediate steps to curtail the VAT on edible oil import to the lowest ceiling in the wake of the rising price of the essential item.
The directive came from the Cabinet’s meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who joined it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.
Read: Man arrested by DMP for stockpiling Soybean oil
Other ministers were connected from the cabinet room of the Cabinet Division in Bangladesh Secretariat.
The government has already waived VAT at the retailer-level as the law minister told the meeting that he signed the paper (SRO) in this regard, said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told reporters after the meeting.
“There is now 15 per cent VAT on edible oil at the import level. The NBR was directed to consider slashing it as much as possible until further order and take immediate action in this regard,” he said.
Saudi FM due Tuesday; meetings with PM, FM Wednesday
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud will arrive in Dhaka on a brief visit Tuesday afternoon.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen is scheduled to receive his Saudi counterpart at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 5pm on Tuesday.
Minister Momen will host a dinner in honor of the Saudi Foreign Minister at a city hotel the same day.
Read: Dhaka, Ankara eye Turkish president's visit this year
In his less than 24-hour visit at the invitation of Momen, the Saudi Foreign Minister will also meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday, according to his programme schedule.
Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are looking for stronger political and investment relations as Dhaka is ready to welcome the Saudi Foreign Minister.
Foreign Minister Momen will hold a “tete-a-tete” with his Saudi counterpart at a city hotel on Wednesday morning which will be followed by bilateral “political consultation” between the two countries at the same venue, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB.
On Wednesday, the Saudi Foreign Minister and Dr Momen will join the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Arabic Language Institute after the political consultation between the two countries.
Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman will host lunch in honor of the Saudi Foreign Minister.
The Saudi Foreign Minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon wrapping up his visit that might see signing of a number of cooperation documents.
Foreign Minister Dr Momen will see him off at the airport.
Ahead of the visit, Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan said the "dynamic partnership" and long-standing relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia will further flourish and reach to a new height.
Read: Valentina Tereshkova's 85th birth anniversary celebrated at Russian House in Dhaka
The Saudi government says Bangladesh is a “remarkable country” and appreciates Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, noting that her capacity to make “swift decisions” is keeping the country's economy on track.
Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan, during a recent media briefing, shared Saudi investors’ desire to invest “extensively” in Bangladesh.
Engineering Dimensions, a Saudi Arabian Enterprise, has confirmed $1.8 billion investment in Bangladeshi, said the envoy.
Saudi Arabia is mulling establishing a special economic zone and considering scopes to invest in the construction of rail links connecting Dhaka and Payra port, including the development of Cox’s Bazar as an international tourist destination.
The ambassador said Saudi ACWA Power has already announced to invest $ 600 million to build a 700 MW power plant and proposed a total $ 3.5 billion investment in Bangladesh.
He said Saudi Red Sea Gateway Terminal wants to invest $ 1.2 billion in Bangladesh, said the envoy.
Why Babul Akter should not be granted bail: HC
The High Court on Monday issued a rule asking the government to explain why former Chattogram Superintendent of Police (SP) Babul Akter, arrested in a case over the murder of his wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu in 2016, will not be granted bail.
A divisional bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Kazi Ejarul Haque Akondo issued the rule after hearing the bail petition of Babul Akter.
Read:Mitu murder case: Babul Akter denied bail again
The respondents were asked to respond to the rule in the next two weeks.
Senior lawyer Mansurul Haque Chowdhury and lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir appeared for his bail while Deputy Attorney General Md Aminul Islam and Assistant Attorney General Md Jahangir Alam and Md Humayun Kabir represented the state.
Earlier on January 6, a Chattogram Court denied bail to Babul Akter in the case. He was shown arrested on January 9.
On June 5, 2016, unidentified assailants gunned down Babul's wife Mitu at the port city's GEC intersection while she was going to drop her son Mahir Akhter, 7, for a bus of Chittagong Cantonment Public School and College.
Soon after the crime, Babul filed a murder case at Panchlaish Police Station against three unidentified men.
The case was transferred to the Police Bureau Investigation (PBI) in 2019 after Mitu's father, himself a retired police officer, filed a complaint against the CMP's mishandling of the case.
Read: Ex-SP Babul shown arrested in case filed by him
On May 12, 2021, the PBI submitted its final report and arrested Babul Akter in another case filed by Mitu’s father and since then he has been in prison.
Babul Akhter also filed a ‘naraji petition’ against the PBI report on October 14.
On November 3 last year, a Chattogram Court rejected the final report of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) the murder case and ordered it to conduct further investigation.
PBI in an investigation found Babul’s involvement in his wife's murder.
PM congratulates Tigresses for maiden victory in World Cup
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday congratulated Bangladesh Women Cricket team for their first win in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup.
Read:Bangladesh women make history beating Pakistan in World Cup
Tigresses sealed their first ever victory in the Women's ODI World Cup by defeating Pakistan by nine runs at the Seddon Park in New Zealand.
Valentina Tereshkova's 85th birth anniversary celebrated at Russian House in Dhaka
Russian House in Dhaka has organized a weeklong programme to mark the 85th birth anniversary of Valentina Tereshkova in cooperation with the Serov Academy of Fine Arts.
The programme was designed with a seminar, an exhibition of remarkable documentary photos of V. Tereshkova, as well as painting workshops on space.
Cooking show for adolescents serves up ideas for healthy eating
Budding young chefs from across Bangladesh are flexing their cooking skills in Shorno Chef, a new television show jointly created by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and UNICEF.
The programme inspires healthy eating habits among adolescents and their families.
“Raising the level of nutrition in Bangladesh is enshrined in our country’s first constitution. The Government of Bangladesh has been working towards that goal ever since. It is commendable that in addition to the Government’s efforts on nutrition, development partners like UNICEF are teaching adolescents about the importance of nutrition and teaching them at an early age to cook not only filling meals but also nutritious ones,” said Dr. S M Mustafizur Rahman, Line Director, National Nutrition Services, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Read:Valentina Tereshkova's 85th birth anniversary celebrated at Russian House in Dhaka
The importance of good nutrition begins from the moment of conception and remains key to a person’s health and well-being through childhood and adolescence into adulthood, he said.
The consequences of not getting enough nutrients from a varied diet of vegetables, fruit, and protein such as eggs, fish, meat and pulses can be long-lasting.
It can lead to malnutrition in all its forms, where undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies can co-exist with overweight and obesity, he added.
“Shorno Chef is about helping adolescents make healthy and nutritious food choices by conveying the fun of cooking and joy of healthy eating. Sadly, many adolescents do not have the option to eat enough nutritious food, and others consume too much unhealthy food. In the end, it is a balanced diet that adolescents also enjoy eating that will help them grow to their full potential,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.
The Shorno Chef programme features adolescent chefs aged between 12 and 17 who compete in a different cooking challenge each week.
At the end of each episode their dishes are assessed for both nutritional value and taste by a panel of judges, who include a professional chef and a nutritionist.
The cooking show, which is projected to reach 6 million viewers, is a partnership between UNICEF Bangladesh, the Ministry of Health and the Clean Cooking Alliance.
The programme also encourages healthier cooking fuels such as electricity or cooking gas instead of firewood.
In Bangladesh, exposure to cooking smoke in the home is a health concern, particularly for children and adolescents.
Read:Dhaka, Ankara eye Turkish president's visit this year
“The Clean Cooking Alliance is happy to partner with UNICEF and the Government of Bangladesh to help youth learn more about the benefits of clean cooking, which can improve the health of millions of young people around the world,” said Asna Towfiq, Policy Manager with the Clean Cooking Alliance.
“Educating and empowering youth as changemakers and innovators is essential to advancing access to clean cooking. We wish the show and the amazing participants all the success in their journey.”
Hadisur’s body reaches Dhaka
The body of Md Hadisur Rahman, who was killed on March 3 in a rocket attack on a Bangladeshi vessel stranded at a Ukraine port, reached Dhaka on Monday.
A Turkish Airlines flight carrying the body landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 12.30 pm, said an intelligence agency official at the airport.
Read: Hadisur’s body won’t reach Dhaka today as flights suspended in Istanbul
The body of Hadisur was scheduled to reach Dhaka on Sunday from Romania via Istanbul but the flight carrying the body failed to take off timely due to heavy snow storm in Istanbul.
Youth dies after ‘drinking excessive liquor’ in Natore
A 25-year-old youth has died allegedly after drinking excessive liquor in Harishpur area of Natore town.
The deceased was identified as Sobuj, son of Jahangir Alam of the town.
Anwar Hossain, counselor of a private drug rehabilitation center in the area, said drunk Sabuj was brought to the rehab center by his friends around 9pm on Sunday.
Read: 3 die after drinking ‘toxic liquor’ in Pabna
He advised them to take Sobuj to Natore Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Monsur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Natore Police Station, said Sobuj might have died from excessive alcohol consumption.
“The cause of the death will be known once we get the autopsy report,” said the OC.
Air Quality Index: Dhaka ranks 2nd worst
Dhaka’s air was classified as ‘unhealthy’ as the Bangladesh capital ranked the 2nd worst in Air Quality Index (AQI) Monday morning .
Dhaka’s AQI score was recorded at 186 at 9 am while India’s Delhi and Kolkata occupied the first and the third spots, with AQI scores of 236 and 177, respectively.
An AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
Read: Dhaka’s air remains ‘unhealthy’
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka "are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and dust from construction sites".
With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
Read: Dhaka’s air quality remains ‘unhealthy’
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Global Covid cases near 457 million
The overall number of Covid cases is now rapidly approaching 457 million as the pandemic enters into its third year.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 456,908,767 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,041,077 Monday morning.
The US has recorded 79,517,492 cases so far and 967,552 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Read: Bangladesh logs 3 more Covid-19 deaths with 233 cases
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 42,990,991 on Sunday as 3,116 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 47 deaths from the pandemic since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 515,850.
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,361,024 cases as of Monday, while its Covid death toll rose to 655,234.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported three more Covid-linked deaths with 233 fresh cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
The daily positivity rate has increased to 1.88 per cent from Saturday’s 1.77 per cent after testing 12,348 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fatalities and cases on Sunday were higher than Friday that witnessed three more Covid-linked deaths with 198 fresh cases.
Read: How will COVID end? Experts look to past epidemics for clues
The latest numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 29,111 while the caseload to 19,49,486.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
The recovery rate rose to 95.46 per cent with the recovery of 1,417 more patients during the 24-hour period.