Bangladesh
Popular votes empowered us to end culture of injustice, PM says
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said that her government had been able to end the culture of injustice established by a military ruler in the country because of people’s mandate.
She said this while inaugurating the 12-storied building of Bangladesh Supreme Court Bijoy 71, joining it through video link. The programme was held at the Supreme Court premises.
She said military ruler Ziaur Rahman had established the culture of injustice in the country after the assassination of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
It was continued successfully by his wife Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister, she said.
The prime minister said that she could end this culture of impunity and injustice because her Awami League party got the popular mandate to run the country.
Read: PM seeks larger Saudi investment in Bangladesh
“We had been able to do it on the strength of the popular mandate,” she said.
The PM said she and her government had faced many obstacles in restoring the culture of justice in the country.
She mentioned that after August 15 tragedy the then- government promulgated the now-repealed Indemnity Ordinance to save the killers.
“By this, the killers were rewarded with jobs in the country’s missions abroad,” she recalled.
Missing father-daughter duo found dead in Jamalpur
Police Thursday fished out the bodies of a man and his five-year-old daughter from the Jhinai river in Sarishabari upazila of Jamalpur.
The deceased were identified as Abdul Aziz, 35, and his daughter Jannat, both residents of Boysing village in the upazila.
Read: Schoolboy’s throat-slit body found in Tangail
Locals spotted the bodies in the river near the Kristapur area around 10am and alerted cops, said Mir Rakibul Hoque, the officer-in-charge of Sarishabari police station.
The duo had been missing since Tuesday following a family feud, said the local residents.
Police suspect the two were killed. "However, the exact cause of the deaths will be determined only after post-mortem," said the OC.
Read: Carpenter’s decapitated body found in Chattogram
The bodies were sent to Jamalpur Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Police, meanwhile, detained four people, including three women, for questioning, he said. “Besides, the process is underway to file a case in this regard.”
Rains to drench six Bangladesh divisions
Rains or thunder showers are likely to drench six divisions of Bangladesh in the next 24 hours, the weather office said on Thursday morning.
According to a Met office bulletin, “Rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at a few places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Sylhet and Chattogram divisions and at one or two places over Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions.”
Read: Brace for showers in 24 hours!
Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country. Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country, it said.
Meanwhile, the trough of westerly low lies over the aub-Himalayan West Bengal and adjoining areas. The seasonal low lies over the South Bay, the weather bulletin added.
Hit by van, 2 bikers killed in Khulna, one hurt
Two sales executives died while another sustained injuries after a speeding courier firm van allegedly crashed into their bike in Khulna city on Wednesday night.
The deceased were identified as Md Alauddin Sheikh, 30, and Md Arzu Al Chayan, 28. A critically injured Md Hamidur Rahman, 28, is currently being treated at a city hospital.
Read: Three die in Dinajpur road crash
Police said the three sales executives of a mobile phone manufacturer in Khulna were returning home from work when the van hit their bike from behind at high speed around 11pm.
Md Kamal Hossain Khan, officer-in-charge of Khalishpur police station, said the three fell off the bike in the impact and sustained serious head injuries.
All of them were rushed to Khulna Medical College and Hospital, where Alauddin was declared dead on arrival. Chayan succumbed to his injuries a little later.
Read:2 killed in Chattogram road accidents
"Both the vehicles have been seized. But, the van driver managed to flee leaving the vehicle behind,” said the OC. "Efforts are on to nab him."
Three die in Dinajpur road crash
Three youths returning home died after a speeding vehicle hit their bike from behind in the district's Nawabganj upazila on Wednesday night, police said.
The deceased were identified as Rimon Islam, 22, son of Rabiul Islam, Sabbir Hossain, 23, son of Zahidul Islam and Kibria, 30, son of Yeasin Ali, all residents of Nababganj upazila.
Read: 2 killed in Chattogram road accidents
The accident occurred around 11pm when the three youths were returning home.
"The vehicle crashed into their bike from behind at high speed in the Kachdah Alam Bazar area," said Ferdous Wahid, inspector at Nawabganj Police Station.
The impact of the crash was such that the three fell off and dead on the spot, he said. "Efforts are on to identify and nab the errant driver."
Global Covid cases near 487 million
The overall number of Covid cases is fast approaching 487 million amid a rise in new infections in parts of the world.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 486,630,989 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,137,898 Thursday morning.
The US has recorded 80,057,295 cases so far and 979,849 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 2 deaths, 72 new cases
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 43,023,215 on Wednesday, as 1,233 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry's data.
Besides, 31 new deaths from the pandemic took the total death toll to 521,101.
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,920,604 infections as of Tuesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 659,769.
The number of people killed by the coronavirus surged by more than 40% last week, likely due to changes in how Covid-19 deaths were reported across the Americas and by newly adjusted figures from India, according to a World Health Organization report released Wednesday.
In its latest weekly report on the pandemic, the UN health agency said the number of new coronavirus cases fell everywhere, including in WHO’s Western Pacific region, where they had been rising since December, reports AP.
About 10 million new Covid-19 infections and more than 45,000 deaths were reported worldwide over the past week, following a 23% drop in fatalities the week before.
WHO has said repeatedly that Covid-19 case counts are likely a vast underestimate of the coronavirus’ prevalence. The agency cautioned countries in recent weeks against dropping their comprehensive testing and other surveillance measures, saying that doing so would cripple efforts to accurately track the spread of the virus.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged 72 fresh Covid cases with two more deaths in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total caseload to 19,51,504 and the death toll to 29,122.
On Tuesday, the number of infections was lower as 69 new cases were reported.
The daily positivity rate increased a bit to 0.89 per cent from Tuesday’s 0.75 per cent after 8,050 samples were tested during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The deaths of two people -- a man and a woman -- were reported from Rajshahi and Khulna divisions.
Besides, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
The recovery rate rose to 96.36 per cent with the recovery of 876 more patients during the 24-hour period.
Read:Govt urged to reject offer for Covid-19 vaccine from any tobacco company
The country reported its first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 infections, since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 per cent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
Jubo Dal leader dies in Ctg jail
A Jubo Dal leader died in Chattogram jail on Tuesday mid-night, jail authorities said.
The deceased was identified as Md Shahjahan, 43, co-sports secretary of Chattogram city Jubo Dal.
Prison authorities said that he had been ill for quite a long time and died on Tuesday midnight. His body would be handed over to his family after an autopsy, they said.
District Dewan of Chattogram Central Jail Md. Tariqul Islam said that a prisoner named Md Shahjahan died of illness. He had been suffering from tuberculosis. He was brought to the jail three months ago as a convict in a drug case under Bayezid police station.
He had been taking treatment at the jail hospital since March 26. When his condition worsened he was admitted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital around 1pm where he died at night, he said
It was learned that he was the personal assistant of the late Dastagir Chowdhury, former general secretary of Chattogram BNP.
Bus overturned in Bagerhat: 1 killed, 25 injured
A woman was killed and 25 others were injured as a bus fell into a roadside pond and overturned in Barakpur area of Bagerhat.
An unidentified woman, 55, died on the way to the hospital.
Fourteen of the injured were taken to Bagerhat Sadar Hospital for treatment.
The accident occurred on Bagerhat-Khulna highway around 7 pm on Wednesday.
Mizanur Rahman, sub-inspector of Katakhali Highway Police said a bus with about 50 passengers was heading towards Pirojpur from Khulna. The driver lost control as it reached Barakpur area and it fell into a roadside pond injuring several passengers and killing a woman.
Golam Sarwar, assistant deputy director of the Bagerhat Fire Brigade, said one-fifth of the bus had gone under water.
Attempts were being made to lift the bus with a raker. Whether there were more bodies or not, could be ascertained after the bus is lifted, he said.
Biman completes Dhaka-Toronto-Dhaka experiment
The national flag carrier's experimental commercial flight BG306 returned to Dhaka Wednesday after a test flight to Toronto.
Biman Bangladesh Airline's roundtrip flight left Toronto at 10:25am (local time) on March 29 and reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12:40pm on March 30.
The non-stop flight was operated by a Boeing 787-9, Tahera Khondoker, deputy general manager (public relations) of Biman, said.
Biman flew a trial flight on the Dhaka-Toronto route, one of the longest in the world, on March 26. This flight was launched on an experimental basis, marking Independence Day. Tickets went on sale on March 19.
The flight touched down in Toronto on March 27 after 18 hours and 35 minutes in the air.
Biman is likely to launch regular commercial flights on the Dhaka-Toronto route, three days a week, from next June, said State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali on March 24.
Dhaka-Toronto direct flight was a long-standing demand of Bangladeshi expatriates living in Canada, he added.
Canada is one of the prime markets for Bangladesh's readymade garments, agricultural food, jute, ceramic, leather and seafood.
Many Bangladeshi students study in Canada. Also, about one million Bangladeshi expatriates live in different parts of the country.
The people-to-people contact between the two countries will be further deepened and strengthened by enhancing relations in tourism and aviation, Mahbub said.
1,544 more Rohingyas leave for Bhasan Char
Fifteen hundred and forty-four more Rohingyas of 507 families, from the Ukhia Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar, have left for Bhasan Char in the 13th phase.
Superintendent of Police Naimul Haque, commander of APBN Battalion-14, confirmed this Wednesday.
The Rohingyas are scheduled to arrive at Bhasan Char Thursday.
He said 1,022 Rohingyas in the first phase and 522 in the second headed towards Bhasan Char island in Noakhali on the second day of the 13th phase.
Tuesday, 1,999 Rohingyas left Cox's Bazar for Bhasan Char on 39 buses from Ukhia Degree College ground, said Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Shamsud Douza Nayan.
So far, around 26,000 Rohingyas have been moved to Bhasan Char following the government's decision to relocate 1 lakh Rohingyas to the island, he added.
Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char.
Most of them came on August 25, 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive targeting the Muslim ethnic minorities.