Bangladesh
NCC polls see good voter turnout, says Returning Officer
Voter turnout in Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) election is good as 40% voters have exercised their franchise till noon, said returning officer Mahfuza Akter.
“The number of voters increased after noon. Some 40% people have cast their votes in the election till now,” she told UNB on Sunday.
However, she also said that the voting is going on peacefully.
There is no report of any unwanted incident till the filling of this report around 2:30 pm.
Balloting for the Narayanganj City Corporation election started at 8am and will continue till 4pm without any break.
READ: NCC polls: Voting underway amid tight security
The electioneering officially ended on Friday midnight.
Seven candidates are running for the post of the NCC mayor including AL nominated Selina Hayat Ivy and her principal rival Advocate Taimur Alam Khandaker, a veteran BNP who has been contesting as an independent candidate.
Taimur cast his vote at Masdair Islamia Fazil Madrasha center in the morning.
Besides, 148 candidates are contesting for 27 ward councilors post while 38 women are contesting for conserved seats for women in the NCC polls.
READ: NCC: An unprecedented hattrick, or the mother of all upsets?
This time the NCC elections have 517,357 voters – including 257,519 females.
However, there are some 42,418 first-time voters.
Govt exploring rooftop, floating solar power for scarcity of lands: Nasrul
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said that the government is exploring options like rooftop and floating solar power plants as alternatives to land-based ones due to scarcity of lands.
He said it is not possible to set up land-based large scale solar plants as lands are being used for agriculture and other necessary purposes.
The state minister made the remarks while presiding over the virtually held “Member Interventions” session of the 12th assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on Saturday evening.
READ: Solar power plant in Manikganj starts commercial operation
Stressing the need for international cooperation to address the global energy challenges in a credible manner, he said the regional and sub-regional cooperation are also essential in this regard.
He urged all to work together to keep the modern and innovative technologies open for all at an affordable cost.
Nasrul Hamid mentioned that Bangladesh has been making all its efforts with limited resources to promote renewable energy.
“Over 20 million people of the country have been brought under the electricity facilities through setting up over 6 million solar home systems,” he added.
Moreover people of the remote areas are being given electricity through installing 26 solar mini-grids while 2000 diesel-run irrigation pumps were converted into solar-run pumps to reduce the use of liquid fuels.
Nasrul said currently the country is generating 650 MW electricity from solar energy while 8 grid-tied solar parks, having 231 MW capacity, were set up across the country.
He said the government has introduced the net metering system to encourage rooftop solar while initiatives have been taken to use other sources of renewable energy like wind, waste to generate electricity.
Projects were undertaken to generate 245 MW of electricity from wind while Dhaka North City Corporation signed a contract to set up a 42.5 MW waste to energy plant.
READ: Sreda, BGMEA sign deal for rooftop solar power promotion in RMG sector
The conference were attended by representatives from Zimbabwe, Colombia, India, United States, el Salvador, Belgium, Norway, Uruguay, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore, Greece, Spain, China, Japan, Switzerland, Croatia, Turkmenistan, Serbia, Germany, France, Italy, Sun Marino and Saudi Arabia.
Amar Ekushey Book Fair postponed by two weeks
Amid the spike in Covid-19 cases in the country, Amar Ekushey Book Fair -2022, which was scheduled to begin on February 1, has been postponed by two weeks.
“State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid said the government has taken a decision to postpone the Amar Ekushey Book Fair considering the overall Covid situation,” Foysal Hasan, senior Public relations officer of the ministry told UNB.
Last year, the month-long fair, which usually begins on Fenruary1, was also postponed to avoid the risks of Covid-19 infections.
Later, the fair began on March 18 at the Bangla Academy premises and the adjacent venue at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital.
READ: Bangla Academy on war footing ahead of Amar Ekushey Book Fair
The book fair is arranged every year in February commemorating the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives on 21 February 1952 for establishing Bangla as the mother tongue.
The traditional Amar Ekushey Book Fair began informally in 1972 at the Bangla Academy premises.
However, the academy officially took the responsibility to arrange the fair regularly -- every year since 1978.
READ: Ekushey Book Fair: 3 publishing houses awarded for using bKash
It was then named as ‘Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela’ and a guideline was laid out in this regard in 1984.
22 held in Jhenaidah while entering India illegally
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members detained 22 people while they were trying to enter India through Maheshpur border in Jhenaidah district without valid documents on Saturday.
Maheshpur BGB-58 battalion members detained 13 men, 4 women and 5 children from a mahogany garden in Kanaidanga village under Jadavpur BOP, said Maheshpur BGB-58 battalion Additional Director Taslim Mohammad Tareq.
READ: Youth beaten dead by rivals in Jhenaidah
A case was filed against them at Maheshpur police station.
READ: 20-yr-old found dead in Jhenaidah
Govt wants to build knowledge-based society: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the government wants to build a developed and prosperous nation imbued with modern and technological knowledge.
“We want to build a nation imbued with modern and technological knowledge to make Bangladesh developed and prosperous,” she said while inaugurating newly constructed Rangpur Divisional Headquarters complex building.
The programme was held at the Multipurpose Hall of the building while the Prime Minister joined it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.
READ: Hasina stresses need for research in health sector
She mentioned that due to the pragmatic and time-befitting steps of the government the country has advanced in the last 12 years.
“We have to go more, we want to build hunger and poverty-free Bangladesh which was the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, our aim is the country will no longer see ‘monga’ and famine and people will never face sufferings, ” she said.
“Rural people will live in their villages and get all facilities of the urban areas, people will no longer need to rush to the capital as employment opportunities will be created in the villages,” she said.
She asked all concerned to implement the development programmes properly.
Sheikh Hasina said that the government is setting up one hundred economic zones across the country to expedite industrialisation for meeting local demand and boost export.
She also asked the owners of industries to set up agricultural products processing plants considering those products that grow in their respective areas.
She also said that the government has set up testing laboratory that is needed for exporting food items and gradually all divisional headquarters will get such laboratory so that products could be sent from there directly.
“Our aim is to make Bangladesh developed and prosperous one by 2041, InshAllah this will also be achieved, no one will not able to stop the forward march of Bangladesh,” she said.
She said that the future generation will get a congenial atmosphere for living.
Talking about the massive development of Rangpur Division in the last 12 years, the Prime Minister said that the government has taken numerous development programmes for this division.
“By the grace of Allah, no ‘Monga’ or famine was seen in this region after AL came to power,” she said.
READ: Schools must assign staff to help students cross roads safely: Hasina
She also mentioned that Rangpur region is now a food surplus area and employment opportunities have been created for its people.
Public Administration senior secretary KM Ali Azam and Rangpur Divisional Commissioner M Abdul Wahab Bhuiyan also spoke at the programme.
A video on the development of Rangpur division was screened at the programme.
Farmer stabbed over land dispute in Bagerhat
A farmer was stabbed by his rivals over land dispute in front of Mallikbari of Sharankhola upazila headquarters in Bagerhat district on Saturday night.
The victim is Sumon Hawladar, 35, son of Abdul Hawladar of the upazila.
Quoting local people Saidur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sharankhola Police Station, said Sumon and his cousins are at loggerheads over the ownership of a piece of land.
As a sequel to the enmity, Sumon’s cousin swooped on him around 9 pm while he was returning home and stabbed indiscriminately, leaving him injured.
READ: Bagerhat road crash leaves 4 dead
They also severed the tendons of Sumon’s hands and legs.
He was first taken to a local hospital from where he was shifted to Khulna Medical College and Hospital for better treatment.
READ: Shopkeeper killed in Bagerhat
Father, son killed in Thakurgaon road crash
A 45-year old man and his teenage son were killed in a road crash on Pirganj-Thakurgaon road in Pirganj upazila of Thakurgaon district Saturday. .
The deceased were identified as Karimul Islam, of Bhakura Bagmara village under Sadar union of Pirganj upazila and his son Arman Hossain, 14.
Witnesses said whn Karimul and Arman were coming to Pirganj from Thakurgaon on a motorcycle it collided with a Thakurgaon-bound pickup van at Chilachapa around 7:45 pm, leaving Karimul dead on the spot.
READ: 4 bikers killed in road crashes in Mymensingh, Rajshahi
Seriously injured Arman Hossain was taken to Pirganj Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Pirganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Jahangir Alam said the pickup van driver was arrested and the vehicle seized.
READ: 2 dead, 4 injured in Brahmanbaria road crash
‘Boat will surely win,’ says Ivy
Selina Hayat Ivy, the Awami League nominated mayoral candidate in Narayanganj City Corporation election, expressed her hope of winning the election saying she is cent percent sure over ‘Boat’s win.
Ivy came up with the remark while talking to reporters after casting her vote at Deobhog Shishu Bagh Government Primary School center Sunday morning.
“Till now balloting for the election is going on peacefully and I request the law enforcing agencies to provide their assistance so that people can cast their vote. If votes are cast neutrally then I am 100% sure of winning the election as I have a deep relation with the people of Narayanganj,” she said.
She said she is hopeful of the victory of ‘Boat’ and sought assistance from the law enforcing agencies to hold a free and fair election.
About the use of EVM, Ivy said “As the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is new so voters are taking a bit more time to cast their votes.”
Earlier, balloting for the Narayanganj City Corporation election started at 8am and will continue till 4pm without any break.
The electioneering officially ended on Friday midnight.
Six other candidates are also running for the post of the NCC mayor including Selina Hayat Ivy’s principal rival Advocate Taimur Alam Khandaker, a veteran BNP who has been contesting as an independent candidate.
Taimur cast his vote at Masdair Primary Government School around 10 am.
READ: NCC polls: Voting underway amid tight security
Besides, 148 candidates are contesting for 27 ward councilors post while 38 women are contesting for conserved seats for women in the NCC polls.
This time the NCC elections have 517,357 voters – including 257,519 females.
However, there are some 42,418 first-time voters.
Security tightened up
Around 5,000 law enforcing personnel have been deployed for 192 polling centers of NCC election each having 26 members.
READ: NCC: An unprecedented hattrick, or the mother of all upsets?
Striking joint force of police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) will immediately take actions if any unfavorable situation arises during the poll, said Mahfuza Akter, returning officer of NCC election on Friday evening.
Global Covid cases top 325 million
The overall number of Covid cases has surpassed 325 million, with a spike in cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across the world.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 325,725,055 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,534,775 Sunday morning.
The US has recorded 65,402,606 cases so far and 849,994 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
READ: Global Covid cases top 323 million
India reported 537,832 new Covid-19 cases Sunday, as the tally rose to 37,119,961 in 24 hours, as per the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 342 fatalities due to the pandemic since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 486,094
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since last January, registered 22,981,851 cases as of Saturday while its Covid death toll rose to 621,233.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged seven more Covid-linked deaths with 3,447 more infections in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
With the fresh cases reported after testing 24,028 samples, the daily positivity rate declined slightly to 14.35 per cent from Friday’s 14.66 per cent during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,136 while the caseload mounted to 1,612,489 on Saturday.
The mortality rate dropped a bit to 1.74 per cent from yesterday’s 1.75 per cent .
The recovery rate declined again to 96.29 per cent with the recovery of 274 more patients during the period.
READ: Global Covid cases near 320 million
Bangladesh’s total tally of Omicron cases reached 33 with detection of nine more cases till Wednesday, according to GISAID, a global initiative on sharing all influenza data.
Amid the growing concern over the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the government on January 13 came out with the restrictions on movement of people and public transport vehicles.
Fire at Postogola garment factory doused
A fire that broke out in an apparel factory near Lal Masjid at Shyampur of Postogola in the city was doused early Sunday.
The fire started on the third floor of the seven-storey building of Alam Garments at 11:45pm on Saturday, said Shahjahan Sikder, deputy assistant director (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters.
READ: Fire at apparel factory in Postogola; 8 Fire Service units fighting flames
"Firefighters rushed to the spot within 13 minutes. Eight firefighting units brought the flames under control," he added.
The fire was brought under control around 2.20 am and doused at 5.15 on Sunday.
READ: N'ganj godown fire under control
Duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters control room Nazma Begum said that a short circuit caused the fire.