Bangladesh
Film Artistes Association election concludes at BFDC
Voting in the much-hyped 17th Bangladesh Film Artistes Association election was held on Friday at Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) premises.
Starting at 9 am the voting in the biennale election were conducted under the strict security of police and Rab, along with added safety protocols due to the ongoing surge of COVID-19.
A total of 428 voters cast their votes to elect their desired candidates from the two competing panels of Ilias Kanchan-Nipun and Misha Sawdagor-Zayed Khan, while actors Don and Harbola participated as independent candidates. 184 artists were excluded from voting in this year’s election.
Read: ‘Koozhangal’ wins top award at 20th Dhaka Int’l Film Festival
Death row convict on the run for 20 yrs arrested in Ctg
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has arrested a death row convict in a murder case who had been on the run in disguise of different identity using fake NID cards for more than two decades.
The arrestee was identified as Syed Ahmed, who was sentenced to death along with 11 others in 2007 for killing a businessman Jaane Alam in March 2002.
Read: UP member arrested over harassing Barishal University female student
Nurul Absar, assistant director of Rab-7 of Chattogram, said, tipped off Rab members arrested the accused conducting a drive at Akbar Shah area of Chattogram city on Thursday night.
During interrogation, the convict confessed that he had been hiding in different places soon after killing Jaane Alam. He used to stay in the coastal areas, including Bashkhali, Anwara, Kutubdia, for some time and later in Sitakunda as a refugee, said the official.
Read: Killing of ex-DU teacher: Arrested mason remanded
At one point, he also worked as a security guard in the Akbar Shah area.
Rab members also seized two fake NID cards from Syed’s possession.
The arrestee was handed over to Lohagara police station, the official added.
1 killed, 2 injured in Jashore road accident
A man was killed and two others injured in a road crash in Sharsha of Jashore as a car hit a tree while trying to overtake a truck.
The deceased was identified as Ripon Hossain, 30, a passenger of the car and resident of Sharanpur village under Jhikargachha upazila.
The accident occurred at Jamtala on the Navaran-Satkhira highway in the upazila on Friday morning.
READ: Bogura road crash leaves 5 dead
Navaran Highway Police sub-inspector Amirul Islam said a private car heading towards Satkhira lost control while overtaking a truck and hit a tree by the road. Three people were seriously injured.
Locals rescued the injured and took them to Jessore General Hospital. Ripon Hossain died on the way to the hospital, he said.
READ: 2 bus drivers held over Moghbazar road crash
Elderly woman crushed under train in Chuadanga
A mentally ill old woman was crushed under the wheels of a running train at Amirpur level crossing in Sadar upazila of Chuadanga on Friday noon.
The deceased was identified as Nebaranesa, wife of Raham Mandal of Amirpur village of the upazila.
Police said the train hit the woman while she was crossing the rail track around 12pm, leaving her dead on spot.
READ: Man crushed under train in Dhaka
The body was sent to the Railway Police outpost, said Masud Rana, sub-inspector (SI) of Chuadanga Railway Police Outpost.
READ: Man crushed under train in Chattogram
70-year old woman dies in fire in Chandpur
A 70-year old woman died on Thursday night in a fire that broke out in her house at Paschim Santoshpur village in Chandpur.
The deceased was identified as Bely Begum, daughter of Lony Mia in Faridganj upazila.
Read: Fire at BSMMU doused
Her neighbour Jannat Aktar said hearing her cry for help at 9 pm they tried to control the fire but couldn’t rescue her alive as the door was locked from inside.
The neighbours suspect the fire started from the cooking gas cylinder blast.
Five fire fighters managed to douse the blaze later, said Ohidul Islam, station officer of Algi Fire Fire Service.
The exact cause of the fire could not be known immediately, he said.
Read: Rampura power distribution centre fire doused
Md Shahid Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Farid Ganj police station said the woman’s charred body was recovered.
Legal procedure is underway in this regard, he said.
Cold wave sweeps parts of Bangladesh
Parts of Bangladesh reeled under a cold wave on Friday, making life difficult for many people.
According to the weather department, the mild to moderate cold wave swept Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions, and the districts of Gopalgonj, Tangail, Jashore, Mymensingh, Moulvibazar and Kushtia.
The cold wave may continue and spread during the next two days, the weather office has predicted.
“Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country, with chances of moderate to thick fog over the river basins and light to moderate fog may occur elsewhere over the country during midnight to morning,” the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said in its bulletin.
READ: Brace for mild cold wave!
Night temperature may fall by 1-2 degrees. The day temperature may fall slightly over the country, according to the department.
According to the Met office, the ridge of sub-continental high extends up to West Bengal and adjoining northwestern part of Bangladesh. Seasonal low lies over the South Bay.
READ: Mild cold wave sweeps four districts
In the past 24 hours, the weather department recorded 1mm of rainfall in Srimangal and 9 mm in Maijdee court.
Khulna man sentenced in absentia to life for raping, killing minor
A court in Khulna on Friday sentenced a man in absentia to life in jail for raping a minor domestic help on the pretext of marriage and killing her in 2010.
Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 Judge Mahmuda Khatun handed down the punishment to Sheikh Khurshid Alam alias Rubel after holding him guilty of the crimes. The judge also imposed a fine of Tk 80,000 on the convict.
According to the prosecution, the minor girl started working as a domestic help in the house of Abdul Kuddus in the Arambagh area of Sonadanga upazila.
READ: Covid-19: Khulna shops and malls to shut by 8pm
Abdul’s son Rubel established sexual intimacy with the minor promising to marry her later. When the girl got pregnant, Rubel made her abort the baby with help of his sister-in-law, the court was told.
Following the abortion, the girl started putting pressure on Rubel to marry her. To get rid of her, Rubel set her on fire on June 16, 2010, following an argument and then left the house.
Hearing her screams, neighbours rushed her to Khulna Medical College and Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries during treatment.
However, the girl managed to give a dying declaration that was used by the police to implicate Rubel in the case, Tipu Lal Dash, sub-inspector at Sonadanga police station, told UNB.
READ: UNB's Khulna correspondent rewarded for performance
On October 4, 2010, the police submitted a chargesheet in the court against four people in the case, including Rubel.
The court, however, acquitted the other three accused in the case for lack of evidence.
Japan pledges USD 2 million for Rohingyas in Bangladesh
Japan will contribute a total of US$ 2 million in emergency grant aid for supporting the displaced Rohingya Muslims living on Bhasan Char.
This contribution includes US$ 1 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and US$ 1 million to World Food Programme (WFP), according to the Embassy of Japan in Dhaka.
This support will allow implementing humanitarian assistance activities for the displaced Rohingyas, who are in need of urgent assistance in Bhasan Char in areas such as food and health, the Embassy said in a press release on Friday.
“Resolving Rohingya issues is of utmost importance for the peace and stability of the region. I appreciate the Bangladesh government’s efforts to protect the Rohingya people and the dedicated work of the international organisations," Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki said.
READ: Japanese economic zone to go into production in 2023: Envoy
Japan supports the steady and smooth operations of the international organisations under the MoU signed between the Bangladesh government and the United Nations in October 2021, "which is a basic framework of assistance for Bhasan Char", the Embassy said.
"Japan expects the UN will respond to prevailing and increasing humanitarian and protection needs on the island, and strongly hopes that this assistance will contribute to better service delivery and improve living conditions of people living on Bhasan Char,” said Ambassador Naoki.
"While providing support to Bhasan Char, given the fact that the vast majority of the Rohingya population still live in Cox's Bazar, it is important to continue to support the people in the coastal district, including the host communities."
Japan will continue to cooperate with international organisations and NGOs at both locations along with the government of Bangladesh, the Embassy said in its statement.
"Japan will continue to stand by Bangladesh and work towards the early repatriation of displaced Rohingya to Myanmar."
READ: BB to release commemorative coin on 50th anniversary of Japan-Bangladesh diplomatic tie
Finding durable solutions to this crisis is significant not only to Bangladesh but also to the stability of the entire region, and thereby conducive to the realisation of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”, which is a vision to secure peace, stability and prosperity in the region, according to Japanese Embassy.
Malaysia for elevating ties with Bangladesh to 'strategic level'
Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah has stressed on elevating bilateral ties with Bangladesh to a "strategic level".
Saifuddin also asserted on expanding the cooperation in the area of digital economy between the two countries, during a telephonic conversation with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.
The Bangladeshi Foreign Minister dialled his Malaysian counterpart on Thursday to congratulate him on the occasion of the golden jubilee of diplomatic ties between the two friendly nations.
Both the Foreign Ministers agreed to celebrate the historic occasion in a befitting manner.
On his part, Dr Momen appreciated the Malaysian government’s decision on opening up recruitment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in all sectors.
Also read: Bangladesh, Myanmar agree to accelerate citizenship verification of Rohingya refugees
He also conveyed the Bangladesh government’s readiness to contribute to the economic growth and activities in Malaysia by sending more workforce through safe and regular migration channel.
Dr Momen requested the Malaysian Foreign Minister to consider recruiting skilled IT professionals from Bangladesh.
Appreciating the supportive role of Malaysia in all fora vis-à-vis the Rohingya crisis, Dr Momen urged his Malaysian counterpart’s continued support for starting the repatriation of the Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their motherland Myanmar on an expeditious basis.
He also thanked the Malaysian government for its donation of more than half a million of Covid-19 vaccines to Bangladesh.
Admiring the role of Bangladesh in sheltering the displaced Rohingyas, Saifuddin said that the whole world was grateful to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her enormous humanitarian gesture in hosting more than 1.1 million displaced people from Myanmar.
Both the Foreign Ministers also stressed the importance of accelerating the process for an early conclusion of the proposed Free Trade Agreement for facilitating more trade and commerce between the two countries.
Also read: National Election: EU lauds govt’s open approach to foreign observers
Dr Momen sought Malaysia's support in favour of Bangladesh's candidacy at various international and global fora, including the ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partnership.
The two Foreign Ministers also agreed to work for exchanging more high-level visits for infusing the bilateral relations with further dynamism and newer directions.
As Dr Momen invited Saifuddin for a visit to Bangladesh on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the diplomatic ties, the latter agreed to come to Bangladesh at a time of mutual convenience.
The two Foreign Ministers also exchanged New Year greetings during the call.
Global Covid cases surpass 366 million
The overall number of Covid infections is fast approaching 366 million, with a spike in cases of the Omicron variant across the world.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 366,694,242 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,656,642 Friday morning.
The US has recorded 74,695,333 cases so far and 902,140 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 40,620,197 on Thursday, as 248,697 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the South Asian country, according to the federal health ministry's latest data.
Also read: Global Covid cases near 362 million
Meanwhile, 627 deaths due to the pandemic reported since Tuesday morning took the total death toll to 492,357.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since last January, registered 24,782,922 cases as of Thursday, while its Covid death toll rose to 625,169.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported 15 more Covid-linked deaths with 15,807 fresh cases in 24 hours till Thursday morning.
The daily positivity rate rose again to 31.98% from Wednesday’s 31.64% after testing 49,425 samples, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country logged its highest daily positivity rate of 32.55% on July 24 last year, reporting 6,780 cases and 195 deaths.
On Wednesday, the country reported 17 more Covid-linked deaths and 15,527 fresh cases.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,288 while the caseload mounted to 1,747,311 on Thursday.
Among the new deceased, 10 were women and five women.
Eight cases were reported in Dhaka division, three in Chattogram, two in Rajshahi and one each in Barishal and Rangpur divisions.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate further declined to 1.62%.
Also read: Covid kills 15 more in Bangladesh as positivity rate stands at 31.98%
However, the recovery rate also kept declining to 89.34% with the recovery of 1,037 more patients during the 24-hour period.
Bangladesh’s total tally of Omicron cases reached 69 with the detection of five more cases till Sunday, according to GISAID, a global initiative on sharing all influenza data.
On December 9 last year, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic was apparently showing signs of easing.
The country reported this year’s 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.
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.