Bangladesh
Newborn’s body recovered in city
Police on Wednesday recovered the body of a newborn child from an alley at Kamrangichar in the city.
Md Saidul Islam, sub-inspector (SI) of Kamrangichar Police Station, said they recovered the body around 12pm.
Read: Bodies of 2 newborns recovered from a box in Sherpur
The newborn's left arm and the left knee were broken, he said.
The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) morgue for an autopsy, said the SI.
Shab-e-Meraj on February 28
The holy Shab-e-Meraj will be observed in the country on the night of February 28.
The National Moon Sighting Committee took the decision at a meeting held at the Islamic Foundation office at Baitul Mukarram Wednesday evening.
Read: Lailatul Qadr or Shab-e-Qadr observed
On the night of 26th Rajab every year, Muslims observe Shab-e-Meraj when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) embarked on a special journey to meet Allah.
In the journey, the Prophet travelled on the “Buraq” to Heaven where Allah gave him some instructions to take back to the faithful regarding the details of prayers.
Climate Smart Solar Irrigation to meet challenges of climate change: Researchers urged
Environment, Forest and Climate Change secretary Md. Mostafa Kamal has urged researchers to evolve technology to convert the conventional power tillers into solar operated power tillers.
“There are thousands of power tillers across the country, if we can introduce solar-power tillers, it will save huge liquid fuels as well as create big impact on environment through reducing carbon emission”, he said while addressing a virtual workshop tiled: Climate-Smart Solar Irrigation Technology in Bangladesh” on Wednesday.
The virtual function was organised by Curtin University, Australia, where a presentation was made on a research project titled “Innovating Nonmonetary Interventions for Climate-smart Agriculture: An ADOPT Model for Technology Diffusion” was introduced.
Read Solar power: The ultimate cap on costlier crude?
It was also addressed by Professor Dr. Therese Jefferson, Head, School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Curtin University, Australia, Mohammad Alauddin, Chairman of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda), Professor Dr. Mohammad Jahangir Alam, Department of Agribusiness and Marketing, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Aslam Perwaiz, Deputy Executive Director; Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), Bangkok, and Dr. Habib Rahman, Team Leader and Senior Lecturer, School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Curtin University, Australia.
Read:BREB to install 2,000 solar irrigation pumps; farmers can sell idle electricity to national grid
Professor Dr. A.S.M. Maksud Kamal, pro-vice chancellor of Dhaka University, presided over the workshop while Suddha Rafiq conducted the function.
Welcoming the idea of Nudge Technology, a nonmonetary intervention theory for popularising the climate-smart solar irrigation pump system, the environment secretary said, the researchers, in addition to solar pumps, should work for adopting this technology for solar power tiller as well.
He said the number of power tillers is much higher than the fuel-run pumps. “If we can use the solar system for the power tillers instead of diesel, it will give much more benefits to the farmers".
Read Govt exploring rooftop, floating solar power for scarcity of lands: Nasrul
He observed that where there is use of one pump, the farmers use 5-6 tillers for agriculture purposes. “We need to integrate the solar pumps with solar tillers”.
Mostafa Kamal also said there is no doubt that solar powered irrigation systems can meet the challenge of climate change.
He said it is less costly in comparison with the diesel-run irrigation pumps. But the farmers have to learn about its benefits. Otherwise they will not accept it instead of the conventional diesel-run pumps.
Read DU Solar Project: Tariff issue remains pending with Power Division for a final decision
He said small solar units, instead of grid-connected solar systems, is very effective in a situation when the rural areas are hit by natural calamities like cyclones.
“It takes a huge time to restore our electricity system when any disaster takes place”, he observed.
He said the government has a commitment to reducing emissions. “But we are far behind the western countries for clean energy.
Read: Govt plans to purchase unconsumed electricity from solar irrigation pumps
He also said the solar irrigation process will mitigate the greenhouse gas emission.
Sreda chairman Mohammad Alauddin said about 2000 irrigation pumps have been installed across the country.
But the biggest challenge is that these pumps are being operated for four months of a year while the rest of the time these pumps have to remain inoperative. The government is taking a policy to utilize the solar of the remaining months for the national grid.
Read Sreda launches training on solar power system
Making his presentation titled: A Climate Innovation Challenge Project on Innovating Nonmonetary Interventions for Climate-smart Agriculture: An ADOPT Model for Technology Diffusion, Habbur Rahman said his project has planned to conduct a survey on the farmers as why they are not accepting the solar irrigation pumps when it is least cost.
Ashok Kumar Biswas, deputy director of the Agriculture Extension Department, making a presentation on the solar irrigation project of his department, said that repair of solar irrigation pumps and accessories, running the pumps in dry season when surface water decreases have been the biggest challenge in the scheme’s implementation.
Read World's first partnership for transnational solar power grid launched in Glasgow
Court accept charges against 'Shishu Bokta' Rafiqul in DSA case
A Dhaka tribunal on Wednesday accepted charges against two people including Rafiqul Islam Madani who is popularly known as Shishu Bokta, in a case filed under the Digital Security Act for delivering ‘anti-state and provocative’ speeches.
The other accused is Mahmudul Hasan Murtuza.
Dhaka Cyber Tribunal Judge Ash Shams Jaglul Hossain took the charges into cognisance.
Read: ‘Shishu Bokta’ Rafiqul indicted in DSA case
The court also fixed February 22 for hearing on charge framing in the case, said the tribunal's counsel Shamim Al Mamun.
After hearing both sides, the court rejected Rafiqul's bail plea, who is currently in jail, and granted permanent bail to Mahmudul.
On January 26, a Dhaka court framed charges against Rafiqul Islam Madani in this case.
RAB members arrested Rafiqul from his home in Netrakona on April 7 last year on charges of making anti-state and provocative remarks and creating chaos.
Read: ‘Shishu Bokta’ Rafiqul sued under DSA; lands in jail
On April 8 last year, a case was filed against Rafiqul under the Digital Security Act at Gachha police station in Gazipur.
Later on April 11 of the year, another case was filed under the Digital Security Act at Basan Police Station in Gazipur.
However, Rafiqul Islam was granted bail by the High Court in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act at Kotwali Police Station in Mymensingh on September 30.
Earlier, Madadi was arrested on March 25 in 2021 from Motijheel area during a demonstration protesting the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Independence and later he was freed.
Rafiqul, also director of Saoatul Hera Madrasha at Paschim Bilashpur in Netrakona district, reportedly delivered ‘provocative’ speech in a Waj Mahfil at Gachha.
He is also assistant vice president of Jubo Jamiat, a wing of Jamiat-e-Ulama- Islam, of Netrakona.
Mamata re-elected Trinamool Congress chief
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was on Wednesday re-elected as the chairperson of her ruling Trinamool Congress party unopposed, 10 months after single-handedly pulling off a landslide victory in last year's assembly election.
Addressing party workers at the Trinamool Congress headquarters in state capital Kolkata, she stressed on the need for defeating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the next general elections.
Terming the BJP as her “main enemy”, Mamata said, "We want all the parties against the BJP to come together but if someone does not listen to us, stands away with their arrogance, then, in the words of Gurudev RabindranathTagore, we will walk alone."
READ: Mamata in the dock for 'disrespecting' national anthem
On May 2 last year, Mamata scripted history by winning the assembly election for the third time in a row, bucking anti-incumbency and staving off a massive challenge from the BJP.
Bengal had witnessed the most high-profile assembly polls last year. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and socio-economic development" after nearly 50 years of Communist and Trinamool Congress rule.
READ: Mamata blocks Bengal Governor on Twitter
Trawler capsize in Dakatia River: Murder case filed against 6
A murder case has been filed against six people including the owner of a bulkhead in connection with the trawler capsize in the Dakatia River that left five people dead.
The accused are – owner of the bulkhead Iqbal Hossain, captain Bahar, workers Jabed, Abul Bashar, Yunus and Didar.
Chandpur Naval Police Station OC Md Mujahidul Islam said Kaushar Mia, nephew of deceased worker Awal,filed the case on Monday night.
READ: Trawler capsize in Dakatia River: 4 detained
Four of the accused have been arrested while two others went into hiding, he said
On December 31, a trawler carrying 11 people capsized in the river after colliding with a bulkhead in the Dakatia river near Mominpur village area of Chandpur Sadar upazila.
Of the 11 workers in the trawler, six managed to swim ashore while five drowned.
READ: 5 die as trawler sinks in Dakatia River
The deceased were all residents of Muradnagar and Titash upazilas of Comilla.
Follow health guidelines; new Omicron to be more contagious: DGHS
The newly detected sub-variant of Omicron, the South African variant of coronavirus, can be even more contagious, warned the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
There is no alternative to abiding by the health protocols to stay safe, DGHS spokesperson Dr Md Nazmul Islam said at the daily briefing on Covid-19 situation on Wednesday.
Read: DGHS shortens isolation period for Covid patients to 10 days
Nazmul Islam said the sub-variant of Omicron has already been detected in 57 countries in the world.
Citing various studies, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that this sub-variant might be more contagious than before and if it is more infectious it may create greater risks, the official added.
Nazmul said it is necessary to act responsibly, including following the hygiene rules, so that the number of infected people cannot increase further.
The pressure on the ICU, HDU and oxygen supply in hospitals will increase with the rise in the number of patients. "We’re ready to tackle this pressure," said the official.
Central oxygen lines have already been set up in 119 hospitals and more than 29,000 oxygen cylinders, 2,000 high-flow nasal cannula and 2,300 Oxygen concentrators are being used, he said.
"If we look at Covid-linked deaths as per age, the highest number of deaths was reported among people of the 61-70 age group," he said.
Meanwhile, as per division-wise deaths, the highest 12,451 deaths were reported in Dhaka division which is more than 43.80 per cent of the total deaths.
Read: Omicron replacing Delta through community transmission: DGHS
Besides, Dr Nazmul added that efforts are on to find out how many people among the deceased were vaccinated and how many not.
In January, the country reported 322 Covid-linked deaths and 73% of them were unvaccinated, said Dr Nazmul.
Among the 322 deaths during the period, 234 were unvaccinated patients while 18 received the first dose, 68 the second dose and 2 the third dose, he added.
Mamata in the dock for 'disrespecting' national anthem
A court in the western Indian city of Mumbai on Wednesday summoned Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on March 2 in a case of alleged disrespect to the national anthem during her visit to the financial capital in December.
The summons came in the wake of a petition filed by a local leader of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party alleging that Mamata did not stand up when the country's national anthem was played at an event she was attending in Mumbai.
The court said that it found prima-facie evidence against Mamata and made it clear that she could be summoned "without any sanction" as she was not attending the event as the Chief Minister but as the head of Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress.
"Though the accused is the chief minister of West Bengal, she was not discharging her official duties (during the event in Mumbai). Therefore, a sanction is not required and there is no bar to proceed against the accused," the judge said.
READ: Mamata blocks Bengal Governor on Twitter
Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem of India, originally composed as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in Bengali by polymath Rabindranath Tagore. If found guilty under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, Mamata faces a jail term of up to three years.
The Bengal Chief Minister did not comment on the summons.
READ: Mamata thanks Momen, highlights Bengal's proximity to Bangladesh
Bangladesh made unprecedented development in last 10 years: Finance Minister
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said Bangladesh made unprecedented development in the last 10 years, especially in the fields of agriculture, industry, trade and services.
He thanked the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for its support to develop the rural economy including agriculture, rural infrastructure, climate change issue and women's empowerment.
Kamal’s remarks came a meeting of the finance ministry with the delegation of IFAD, an institution of the UN, on Wednesday at his Secretariat office.
The newly appointed country director of IFAD Arnoud Hameleers led its delegation and economic relation division (ERD) secretary Fatima Yasmin led Bangladesh side. Both IFAD and finance ministry officials were present in the meeting.
READ: Now people can afford to pay, claims Finance Minister
The finance minister requested IFAD to finance Bangladesh on easy terms for food processing like other development partners to address future climate change and SDG challenges.
The minister expressed hope that the 8th five year plan, SDG and Covid-19 would play a positive role of IFAD funding in Bangladesh to meet the challenges.
Finance minister said that when there were 1 billion people in the world, countless people were still starving, but today the population of the world is over 7 billion. Even then, it goes without saying that people do not go hungry.
He highly appreciated the contribution of various organizations and farmers of Bangladesh involved in agricultural development including international organizations like IFAD and FAO.
More awareness needed to ensure safe food: Minister
All, including the producers and consumers, will have to be more aware about safe and nutritious food as the foodstuff might be adulterated at any stage, said Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder on Wednesday.
“More awareness is essential to ensure food safety,” he said while addressing a programme arranged at the city’s BIAM Foundation Auditorium, marking the National Food Safety Day 2022.
Read: Food Safety Day: Checking trans-fat intake demanded
The minister said Bangladesh Food Safety Authority has relentlessly been working to ensure safe food for consumers. “Alongside conducting mobile court drives, it has been raising awareness among consumers by arranging meetings and seminars as well as sensitising the producers and businessmen about the issue,” he said.
“There’s no food crisis for 180 million people. Efforts are now being made to provide nutritious food to people,” Majumder said.
He hoped that united efforts of all concerned would help the government ensure food safety and thus build a healthy nation.