Bangladesh
UNGA adopts historic resolution on graduation of Bangladesh from LDC category
UN General Assembly (UNGA) has unanimously adopted the historic resolution on the graduation of Bangladesh from the LDC category, recognizing the country’s remarkable development journey.
With the adoption of this resolution, Bangladesh completes all the procedures to graduate from the LDC category.
This is a landmark achievement in Bangladesh’s development journey, which coincides with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence and the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Read: PM briefs President Hamid about her UNGA visit
"What better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our independence and birth centenary of Bangabandhu! Fulfillment of national aspiration and Prime Minister's vision 2021," Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Rabab Fatima tweeted on Wednesday.
Speaking after the adoption of this landmark resolution, she thanked all the Member States, especially the development partners, for their support to reach consensus for the adoption of this resolution.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina envisioned transforming Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041. She has led us from the front in this exciting journey despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic," said the Ambassador.
Bangladesh-S Korea to have more cultural exchanges in future: KM Khalid
State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid on Wednesday said the cultural ties between Bangladesh and South Korea will become stronger as the government has planned for more cultural exchanges between the two nations.
“One of the biggest development partners of Bangladesh, South Korea and its culture has a very harmonious connection with us and Bangladeshi people love the South Korean culture. In order to further strengthening the cultural exchanges between the two countries, we are planning a cultural exchange programme,” Khalid said. He inaugurated the Korean Film and Tourism Festival 2021 as the chief guest at the Main Auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh in the capital.
Further lauding South Korea’s role behind several development initiatives in the country, Khalid thanked South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-Keun at the event.
“Over 75,000 Bangladeshi and Korean people are currently working together in the Korean EPZ in Chattogram, while many Bangladeshi students are currently studying in Korea and vice-versa. They have honoured our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through establishing ‘Bangabandhu Corner’ in several universities in South Korea, as part of the Mujib Year celebration. The country has already preserved our ‘Baro Sardar Bari,’ one of the most significant heritage sites in Sonargaon, which was the first attempt to preserve a cultural heritage site in Bangladesh.”
Kushtia pre-poll violence: 2 suffer bullet wounds among 6 injured
At least six people were injured, including two with bullet wounds, in a clash between supporters of Awami League and independent chairman candidates for union parishad polls in Kushtia's Daulatpur upazila on Wednesday evening.
Selim Chowdhury, the chairman candidate (boat symbol) said that when the leaders and workers were discussing election issues at the campaign office in the evening BNP leaders and activists attacked and vandalized the office.
“When my leaders and activists resisted, they opened fire and set fire to the motorcycles of my activists and supporters”, he said.
Tariqul Islam Rocky, son of independent chairman candidate Billal Hossain, said the supporters of the AL candidate wanted to pick up Lavlu Master's nephew and their activist Masud. They vandalized the houses of Lavlu Master and Masud.
“But they are blaming us and even complained to the police,” he said
Meanwhile, Daulatpur police station officer-in-charge Nasir Uddin was suspended on Wednesday night.
Daulatpur OC (investigation) Md. Shafiq said the two sides are blaming each other. After investigating the matter legal action will be taken.
Union Porishad elections are set to be held on November 28.
Custodial death in Rangpur: HC orders police not to harass victim’s family, locals
The High Court on Wednesday ordered the Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner to take steps so that that the victim's family and local people are not harassed over the custodial death of Tajul Islam at Haragach police station in Rangpur.
The HC bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Khandaker Diliruzzaman passed the order.
The court also adjourned the hearing in the case for one week.
Advocate Jyotirmoy Barua read out a media report on November 2 alleging torture and murder of Tajul Islam under police custody.
The court then asked the state counsel to look into the matter. Following this, the matter came up for hearing on November 3.
On that day, the court passed an order with a rule. The report of the four-member probe committee, the autopsy report and the copy of the case of unnatural death were asked to be submitted by November 11.
Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta said the committee's report and information have already been submitted to the court. Time was sought from the court to submit the viscera report.
The court adjourned the hearing for a week until Wednesday, he said.
Amit Das Gupta further said that the lawyers of the victim’s side alleged that locals were being harassed. Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner was directed to ensure that no one from the victim’s family and the local people are harassed until the viscera report is received.
Tajul Islam, 55, a resident of Dalalhat village in Haragach union, was reportedly beaten to death by police at Haragach Natun Bazar around 6 pm on November 1.
Tajul was detained with some drugs during a police drive at Haragach Natun Bazar and he fell unconscious as police beat him up mercilessly. At one stage, police pushed him against a wall and he died on the spot.
Enraged by the incident, locals cordoned off Haragach police station, threw brick chips at police and vandalized some vehicles.
Police later fired rubber bullets and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the protesters.
Turkey attaches no political conditions in defence sales: Envoy
Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan on Wednesday said his country has no political conditions attached as it sells defence equipment to Bangladesh or other countries.
“Turkey always provides maintenance, spare parts and there are no political conditions attached…we see this as a long term partnership, we see this as reflection of our deep level of political relationship as well,” he said, mentioning that there is a long-term defence partnership with Bangladesh.
The Turkish envoy made the remarks during an interaction with the members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the Turkish Embassy.
DCAB Vice President Md Mahfuzur Rahman Mishu and General Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke at the event.
Ambassador Turan said Turkey has made big progress in defence industry in the last 15 years against the backdrop that the advanced economies always attached some political conditions when it came to defence purchase and that is something that prompted Turkey to be self-sufficient.
“We’re able to be self-sufficient in 75 percent of our defence industry. We can manufacture almost anything,” he said, adding that Bangladesh and Turkey have a comprehensive defence partnership.
The Ambassador said Turkey had delivered Multi-Launcher Rockets to Bangladesh and that it is keen to have joint ventures including in ship building.
Asked about specific defence equipment, the Ambassador said there are several conversations between various Turkish companies and Bangladesh counterparts. So I’m not able to give any specific details of the products.”
The Turkish chief of Naval Force will visit Bangladesh at the end of this month and Turkish President Erdogan is also likely to visit Bangladesh at a time convenient to both sides.
Ambassador Turan said the trade between the two countries was $850 million two years back but now it has risen to $1.2 billion. The two countries have a target to take the bilateral trade volume to $3 billion.
The Turkish envoy said Bangladesh has become an important player in Asia, with its rising economy and the geostrategic location.
Bangladesh can increase its exports to Turkey in the areas of IT services, pharmaceutical products, jute and even readymade garments, he said.
Hasina's strong solidarity message to Erdogan elevated ties: Envoy
Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan Wednesday listed two watershed moments of solidarity that elevated the relations between Bangladesh and Turkey to a new height and could make it stronger with the exchange of high-level visits in the coming days.
He said there are some circles that do not want to see Bangladesh and Turkey stay so close but Turkey will not fall into that trap if there is any attempt to spoil the "long-standing and deep-rooted" relations.
"There may be some disagreements, which are sometimes unfortunately misinterpreted, but we are too close," said the ambassador without naming the circles. "You can interpret it as you hear it. I am not here to name names."
Ambassador Turan made the remarks while interacting with the members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the embassy. DCAB Vice-President Md Mahfuzur Rahman Mishu and General Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke.
Referring to the two significant moments of solidarity, he said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was one of the first world leaders to send a strong message of solidarity to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the "very unfortunate coup attempt" in Turkey in 2016.
"No other countries, not even Turkey's allies in Europe, sent a message to the Turkish government but Bangladesh did. That shows how close the two countries are."
Referring to the second moment of solidarity between the two countries, the envoy said Turkey's First Lady Emine Erdogan visited Bangladesh immediately after the Rohingya crisis had begun in 2017.
"Probably Turkey is the country which understands Bangladesh the best when it comes to hosting over a million Rohingya refugees. We are hosting more than 4 million refugees," he mentioned.
The ambassador said they are very much present on the ground in Cox's Bazar to support the Rohingyas and the host communities. "However, repatriation of the Rohingyas should be the real solution to the crisis."
There was a strain on bilateral relations as Turkey reacted following the execution of war criminals and top Jamaat leaders who had assisted the Pakistan army and participated in genocide during the nine-month Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 and committed crimes against humanity.
About Turkey's current position on Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the ambassador said they do not have a position on political parties in Bangladesh. "We have a position on our bilateral relations."
Ambassador Turan said it is up to Bangladesh and its people how they will treat political parties and Turkey respects Bangladesh's position as a friendly country.
He said Turkey and Bangladesh enjoy long-standing and deep-rooted relations and nothing can change that.
Responding to a question on a high-level visit, the ambassador said President Erdogan will visit Bangladesh to take relations to the next stage. "We are working on it and trying to decide the best time to make that happen."
Also, he said they see no obstacles to further improving the relations between the two countries. "We should have some highest level bilateral visits at the level of the president and prime minister."
When such visits take place, the ambassador said, the relations will certainly become stronger with the signing of many bilateral and business deals. "Our relations are gradually growing."
Bangladeshi scientist awarded for developing machine to produce jute cellulose-based sanitary pads
A scientist at International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) has won a grand prize for her proposed innovation in developing a machine to produce jute cellulose-based sanitary pads for sustainable menstrual health.
According to a statement posted by icddr,b on its official Facebook page, Farhana Sultana, Assistant Scientist at icddr,b has won the prize at the 4th Annual Innovations Pitch Competition on ‘A Healthier Global Community Addressing the Twin Challenges of Pandemic Preparedness and Impact of Climate Change.’
Read UK abolishes 'sexist' tax on women's sanitary products
Farhana manually developed and piloted the jute cellulose-based disposable pad in collaboration with Dr Mubarak Ahmed Khan, scientific advisor at Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation.
This pad is an alternative solution for menstrual health and hygiene for women and girls in Bangladesh. However, jute cellulose is a new material and currently, there is no such machine available in the country to manufacture such pads which is a barrier to scalability.
Read CARE Bangladesh, P&G to distribute sanitary napkins
The competition organised by the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), has awarded US$5,000 to Farhana. Moreover, she will be a judge for the 5th Annual Innovations Pitch Competition to be held in 2022.
Scientist Farhana will conduct an industrial trial for mass production, develop a business plan, and explore options for further scale-up and waste management with the money won from the award, stated in the icddr,b Facebook post.
Read LatAm takes sanitary, economic measures against COVID-19
The industrial trial will also assess the compatibility, compressibility and stretchability of the pad, and conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis with other commercially available disposable sanitary pads, it added.
People’s interest in paying tax is growing in Bangladesh: Finance Minister
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday said that the awareness of people about responsibility of paying taxes has increased in recent years.
“In this case, I believe that the 'Best Taxpayer Honors and Tax Cards' programme organized by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) will make an important contribution towards increasing the revenue of the government,” he said.
Mustafa Kamal was addressing as the chief guest at the event to honour the toppers with tax cards for the best, highest and long term taxpayers in the country.
President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) Md Jasim Uddin, NBR chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem also spoke on the occasion at Officers Club in the capital.
The finance minister said that the Tax Card is a recognition, an encouragement and inspiration.
Kamal said that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established the NBR in 1972 and laid the foundation for economic growth and sustainable development of the country.
Bagabandhu realized that main source of development comes from the revenues that the government spends to keep the country's economy going.
“In the war-torn economy of 1972-73, the National Board of Revenue collected revenue of Tk 166 crore against the target of Tk 250 crore,” he added.
At present a taxpayer-friendly environment has been created in the country. The number of taxpayers is also increasing at the expected rate. As a result, the amount of revenue collection is also increasing, the finance minister said.
The NBR awarded Tax Cards to 141 individuals and organizations for the best taxpayer of the financial year 2020-21.
In addition, 525 high and long-term income tax payers have received the 'Honorable Taxpayer' award. For the Tax Card, 65 individuals were honoured in the individual category, 54 in the company category and 12 in other categories.
Court grants bail to Barrister Nazmul Huda in case involving ex-CJI Sk Sinha
A Dhaka court has granted bail to Barrister Nazmul Huda, former communications minister, in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) accusing him of bringing false allegations against then-Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.
Huda was granted bail after he surrendered before the court of Dhaka Senior Special Judge KM Imrul Kayes on Wednesday.
Despite opposition from the state counsel the court granted bail to Huda till December 13 on a bond of Tk 20,000.
Also the court accepted the charge sheet and ordered transfer of the case to Special Judge Court-9. At the same time, the date for charge formation was announced December 13.
Earlier, the commission had approved the charge sheet on October 7.
Huda filed a case against SK Sinha at Shahbagh Police Station on September 27, 2018, alleging that the verdict in a case settled against him during the tenure of the former caretaker government was changed and bribery demanded.
He claimed Sinha demanded a bribe of Tk 3.25 crore to dismiss the case. However, investigation for a year and a half the ACC did not find any evidence in Huda's allegation.
On February 20 last year, ACC director Syed Iqbal Hossain filed a counter case against Huda for making false allegations against SK Sinha .
On Nov ember 9 a Dhaka special court sentenced Sinha to 11 years in jail for laundering Tk. 4 crore borrowed from Farmers Bank, now Padma Bank. He now lives abroad.
DSCC forms probe committee over Notre Dame College student death
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) on Wednesday formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the Notre Dame College student's death in an accident involving a DSCC garbage-carrying truck at Gulistan.
The probe committee, led by chief waste management officer of DSCC Air Commodore Sitwat Naeem, was tasked to submit the report within seven working days.
Two other members of the committee are DSCC General Manager (transport) Bipul Chandro Biswas and Superintending Engineer (mechanical) Anishur Rahman.
The committee is also asked to find out the guilty persons and to provide recommendations to avoid such accident in future.
Earlier on the day, Naim Hasan, a 17-year-student of Notre Dame College, was killed when a garbage truck of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) hit him at Golchattar in the city’s Gulistan area while crossing road.
He was taken to DMCH where doctors declared him dead around 12:15 pm.
On information, police seized the vehicle and arrested the truck driver.