Bangladesh
Minority community platforms raise concerns about ‘interference from foreign powers emboldening communal forces’ in country
Bangladesh's largest minority community platforms have raised concerns about “an uncalled for interference from foreign powers which is emboldening communal and radical forces in the country.”
“A sense of panic has gripped the minority communities as foreign powers are increasingly trying to exert influence ahead of the next national election,” Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad General Secretary Advocate Rana Dasgupta said.
“We are particularly appalled and dejected that some global powers are emboldening forces that were against Bangladesh’s independence during the Liberation War, just as they did in 1971,” the minority community leader added.
Also read: Bangladesh-origin Hindus in UK laud PM Hasina's exemplary steps to establish secular, democratic Bangladesh
At a press conference held yesterday, minority community platforms also sought measures to ensure uninterrupted celebration during the upcoming Durga Puja (mid October), recalling the government’s support that ensured violence-free puja celebrations at a record number of pandals last year.
Days earlier, Dasgupta was among 190 eminent citizens, including rights activists, journalists, writers, anti-war crimes campaigners, and minority community leaders, who expressed disappointment over US Ambassador Peter Haas’ justification for visa restrictions on media and journalists, saying that it did not offer “substance” as the move contradicted core tenets of freedom of press.
“In our country, we found media taking up an instrumental role in creating awareness against radical forces, militants, and terrorist outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami that consists of war criminals and seeks to eliminate progressive and secular forces including religious and ethnic minorities and establish a Taliban style rule in Bangladesh,” the statement read.
Also read: Eminent citizens voice disappointment over US ambassador’s remarks on visa restrictions against media
The statement also noted that Haas’ remark on imposing visa restrictions on the media “has been glorified by radical outfits and anti-liberation quarters that publicly decry Western values, deems free thinkers as enemies of Islam, and vouches for impunity for war criminals who committed genocide and crimes against humanity in 1971.”
“Basherkella – a social media platform that acts as a mouthpiece for Jamaat-e-Islami, advocates for impunity of war criminals and reportedly stands exposed for running hate campaign against secular and liberal forces alongside minorities as well – has already hailed the US ambassador’s remark on inclusion of media under visa restrictions and called him ‘a true friend of Bangladesh’,” according to the statement.
“It sends a chilling message for every secular person,” the statement said.
Also read: US Ambassador Haas clarifies remarks on visa restrictions amid Editors’ Council’s concern
Discharge duties with honesty, devotion for the country: BGB DG
Director General (DG) of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Major General AKM Nazmul Hasan, has called upon the BGB members to perform their duties with honesty and devotion for the greater welfare of the country alongside protecting the borders of the country.
BGB is ready to deal with any situation centering national election: DG
At the same time, he gave instructions to always be ready to control the internal law and order situation of the country, focusing on the upcoming national parliament elections.
The BGB DG came up with the remarks during an exchange of views with all levels of BGB officers and soldiers at the Sylhet Sector Headquarters on Monday.
As part of the inspection of the operational, training, and administrative activities of various units of BGB on October 1–2, the DG inspected the Sylhet Sector Headquarters, Sylhet Battalion (48 BGB), and Pathar Quarry BOP.
BGB ready to maintain law and order during elections: DG Nazmul Hasan
Besides, he also inspected Sunamganj Battalion (28 BGB) and its under-remote Dulura BOP, Zakiganj Battalion (19 BGB) and its under-Amalshid BOP, and Rahimpur Canal during the period.
Meanwhile, the junction of the Rahimpur Canal with the Kushiara River at Zakiganj on India-Bangladesh border has been closed for a long time. As a result, Bangladeshi farmers are deprived of irrigation facilities. The issue was raised by the BGB at the last BGB-BSF director general-level border conference in June this year.
During the border talks, the BSF authorities assured BGB that they would resolve the matter quickly.
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In continuation of this, the DG BGB visited Rahimpur Canal on Monday to inspect the progress of the re-opening of the Rahimpur Canal junction. The India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission is actively working on the issue.
During the DG's visit, senior officers of BGB Headquarters, the Sarail Region commander, the Sylhet Sector commander, and other officers of the BGB were present.
Bangladesh Bank to form Escrow implementation committee soon as part of cleaning up e-commerce
Bangladesh Bank has taken the initiative to form an implementation committee under its Escrow policy, with the inclusion of stakeholders to regulate the country's e-commerce platforms.
This development was revealed at a meeting between the central bank and representatives from the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (ECAB) on Monday.
Also read: Bangladesh Bank to form Escrow implementation committee soon as part of cleaning up e-commerce
Escrow is a legal concept describing a financial agreement whereby an asset or money is held by a third party on behalf of two other parties that are in the process of completing a transaction.
It is expected to be helpful to get around the problem whereby many e-commerce firms, whether running deliberate scams or going bust in the heat of competition,end up making off with enormous amounts of money paid to them by customers, against which no goods have been delivered.
An escrow facility would see the money paid by the customer to set the transaction in motion, but the money would not go into the sellers' account till the buyer has received it satisfactorily.
In the meeting, Deputy Governor of BB Abu Farah Md Nasser said that the e-commerce sector is still new in the context of Bangladesh.
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“There is still a lot to do in this promising sector,” he added.
This initiative aims to enhance order and security within the e-commerce sector, Nasser said.
Bangladesh Bank also announced the inclusion of key industry players such as the FBCCI, the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (ECAB), and e-commerce entrepreneurs in the committee.
FBCCI Vice President and E-CAB President Shomi Kaiser led the delegation of the Private sector.
Spokesperson and executive director of BB Md. Mezbaul Haque, ICAB Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Online Shopping Platform 'Daraz' Khondoker Tasfin Alam, E-Cab Director Mohammad Ilmul Haque, Ananya Raihan, etc were also present at the meeting.
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FBCCI urged Bangladesh Bank to consider raising the credit card limit, a request to which Bangladesh Bank responded positively, promising to review and potentially increase the limit later if needed.
During the meeting, private sector representatives voiced concerns and limitations related to the implementation of the escrow system.
Bangladesh Bank said that the 'Merchant Acquiring and Escrow Service Policy 2023' had been enacted to encourage consumer confidence in e-commerce platforms and combat fraud. An initiative has been taken to further revise this initiative and form a committee for its implementation.
5.4 magnitude earthquake jolts Bangladesh
A 5.4 magnitude earthquake was felt in different parts of the country at around 6:45pm on Monday.
The epicentre of the earthquake was located around 24km south of Goalpara of India’s Assam, at a depth of 10km, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
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People took to social media to report the jolt all across the country.
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No damage was reported at the time of filing this report.
Besides India and Bangladesh, the earthquake was also felt in Bhutan.
Also read: Earthquake Safety Tips for Parents to Keep Children Safe
Woman dies as CC block collapses in Meghna River
A 38-year-old woman drowned and five others including children were injured after cc block on the Meghna River embankment collapsed at Launchghat area of Ilisha union of Bhola on Monday.
Bodies of 2 workers recovered from septic tank in Feni
The incident happened around 12:00 pm on Monday, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Touhidul Islam confirmed the matter.
The deceased was identified as Laiju, a beggar and she was speech impaired. Like every day, she went to collect fish from fishermen to eat, according to eyewitnesses.
Missing mother, 2 children’s bodies recovered from river in Thakurgaon
The body of the woman has been recovered. The injured were also being treated at the hospital, said the UNO.
According to locals, a 70-metre cc block of the bank protection of the Ilisha-Rajapur protection project collapsed near Taltali Launch Ghat south of Bhola-Laxmipur ferry ghat in September. Later, the Water Development Board dumped geo bags in the river to prevent landslides.
Bodies of woman, daughter recovered from house in Naogaon
Invest in children to develop good citizens: Speaker
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Monday stressed the need for investment for children in a bid to form the foundation of developing good citizens in the country.
“Investment for children would ultimately help form the foundation of developing good citizens,” she said.
The Speaker was addressing the opening ceremony of 'World Children's Day and Children's Rights Week-2023' organized by the Women and Child Affairs Ministry at Bangladesh Shishu Academy Auditorium in the city.
Read: Bangladesh to celebrate World Children’s Day on Monday
She stressed the need for ensuring necessary science and technology education for the children to build them as smart citizens.
The current government has formulated a child-friendly budget. Every ministry is working to eliminate the discrimination towards the disadvantaged children by allocating separate budget for the children, she said.
Dr Chaudhury said the Sheikh Hasina-led government has relentlessly working to eliminate the child labour.
Noting that the children should be given proper education to ensure a bright future, she said the children will have to be made competent and qualified to face the challenges of the coming world.
Read: President calls for creating scopes for children to engage themselves in sports
The Speaker emphasized on having balanced diets by pregnant women as it is critical for proper development of the children.
“Every mother should have balanced diets during pregnancy to ensure the mental development of children,” she said.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Fazilatunnesa Indira presided over the event, while Chairman of Bangladesh Shishu Academy Lucky Enam, Women and Children Affairs Secretary Nazma Mobarek, and two children Maisha Zaman and Fatima Ishrat spoke on the occasion, said a press release.
Read more: Youth participant from Save the Children in Bangladesh joins UN General Assembly-2023 in New York
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial Award 2022: President to confer awards on Tuesday
President Mohammed Shahabuddin will distribute Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial Award 2022 to 12 industrial units on Tuesday.
He will hand over the awards, crests , money and citations to the awardees-who own industrial units of heavy, medium, small, micro and cottage and high-tech type among the selected industrialists at gala ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.
A total of 12 industrial units are getting the ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial Award 2022’, under six categories for their outstanding contribution in respective sectors.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI) president Mahbubul Alam are expected to present in the ceremony.
Runner Automobiles Ltd secured the first place, followed by Zaber & Zubair Fabrics Ltd and BSRM Steels Ltd in the large industries category while in medium-scale industries category, Nita Company Ltd secured first position while Noman Terry Towel Mills Ltd ranked second position.
Hazrat Amanat Shah Spinning Mills Ltd secured first position, Basumati Distribution Ltd in second, and Techno Media Ltd in third position in the small-scale industries category.
Besides, Green Genesis Engineering Ltd has been selected in the micro-industries category and Shamsunnahar Textile Mills in the cottage industries category.
Walton Hi-Tech Industries Ltd gained the first place in the hi-tech industries category while Super Star Electrical Accessories Ltd secured the second place in the category.
Deaths from dengue now 1,017 as 11 more die in 24hrs
Eleven more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Monday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 1017 this year.
During the period, 2,595 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the DGHS.
Of the new patients, 607 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside the capital--indicating a worsening situation across the country, DGHS said.
Read: Dengue death toll crosses 1000-mark
A total of 9,283 dengue patients, including 3,120 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 208,884 dengue cases and 198,584 recoveries this year.
Read: Study on dengue vaccine shows promising result in Bangladesh
September has so far been the deadliest month for the dengue outbreak this year with 396 fatalities and 79,598 cases, according to DGHS data.
Read more: Deaths from dengue now 989 as 14 more die in 24 hrs
Calls for Bangladesh and India to collaborate in dealing with cyber threats
Speakers from Bangladesh and India emphasized for enhancing the skills and capabilities of individuals engaged in technology-related tasks to safeguard digital space in the face of fast-growing cyber-attacks and threats at a function today.
They stressed that more collaborative endeavors for sharing knowledge and experiences, along with offering exercises and training in cyber resilience, networks vulnerability, cyber risk assessment and awareness etc. can significantly strengthen capacity to effectively combat cyber-attacks and threats. The inaugural session of the three-day Cybersecurity Training and Exercise programme under Cyber-Maitree 2023 was held at the BCC auditorium on Monday.
3 sued under Cyber Security Act for propaganda against PM, her party in Sylhet The World Bank funded Enhancing Digital Government and Economy (EDGE) Project of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under ICT Division organized the function.
Chaired by BCC Executive Director Ranajit Kumar the function was addressed, among others by ICT Secretary Md. Shamsul Arefin, Senior Director of Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), India S. S. Sarma, Director General of Digital Security Agency (DSA) Abu Sayed Md. Kamruzzaman, EDGE Project Director Md. Shakhawat Hossain.
Shamsul Arefin said, “Cyber-Maitree 2023” has been a shining example of collaboration between the government of Bangladesh and India.
“In fact, Cyber-Maitree 2023 will serve as a collaborative platform for the exchange of knowledge, capacity building, and international collaboration in the field of cybersecurity,” he said adding that the participants will be enriched and build their capacity to deal with the cyber-attacks and threats.
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Ranajit Kumar said the training and exercise under Cyber-Maitree 2023 will help enrich the employees involved in safeguarding critical information infrastructure.
S. S. Sarma highlighted the escalating frequency of cyber-attacks in the context of the rapidly advancing digitized world and said that countries' dependence on cyberspace is increasing and critical information infrastructure (CII), such as power systems, civil aviation, national security, banks, and, utilities is connected with the internet.
He stressed the critical importance of enhancing the skills and capacity of individuals involved in IT-related tasks to effectively address and mitigate cyber threats.
No scope to make an arrest without warrant under Cyber Security Act: Law Minister
Shakhawat Hossain said the various services including government, banking, and finance are connected with the internet. So any incapacity or destruction would have a devastating impact on national security, economic and social well-being of citizens, he added.
When asked about Cyber-Maitree 2023, BGD-eGov CIRT Project Director Engineer Saiful Alam Khan, who is coordinating the programme, said this programme has been launched as a part of Bangladesh and India collaborative efforts to gain knowledge and build capacity of government officials to address cyber-attacks.
Parliament passes Cyber Security Bill 2023
Later in the training session, Senior Scientist of CERT-India Ashutosh Bahuguna presented keynote paper on `Cognitive Shifting: Security to Resilience’ that highlighted various cyber threats including cyber extortion and ransom, social engineering, advanced persistent threats, hybrid threats, false flag operations, networks manipulation occurring in the cyber space.
Bangladesh launches nationwide HPV vaccination campaign to protect girls, women against cervical cancer
The government of Bangladesh, supported by UNICEF, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), and WHO, has launched a ground-breaking Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign.
This initiative aims to protect the health and future of millions of girls across Bangladesh by safeguarding them against cervical cancer, a disease that claims the lives of thousands of women in the country annually.
The campaign will kick off in Dhaka and will be implemented in three phases, throughout the entire country, UNICEF said on Monday.
High uptake of HPV vaccine can lead to elimination of cervical cancer
Targeting over 10 million girls studying in grades V to IX, including those who are out of educational institutions aged between 10 to 14 years, the safe and highly effective vaccine will be provided free of cost.
The first phase in Dhaka, spanning 18 days, will see eligible girls receiving the vaccine at their educational institutes or designated vaccination centers after registering on the “Vaxepi” app or website. Subsequently, other divisions will be covered in 2024.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said the government of Bangladesh is committed to ensuring health services for all the people of the country.
"The government has already achieved remarkable success in preventing maternal and child death and disability by providing vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases," he said.
The Health Minister said Bangladesh has established itself as a role model around the world in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
"For the outstanding success of the immunization program in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been awarded the Vaccine Hero Award by Gavi in 2019. Today we have reached a milestone in the history of EPI program, as we are going to start the great journey of making the country free of cervical cancer by providing one dose of HPV vaccine against a deadly disease like cervical cancer,” he said.
Vaccine drive to prevent cervical cancer from September: Health Minister
With the support of Gavi, UNICEF has provided 2.3 million HPV vaccines for all girls in the Dhaka division.
The government has expressed its commitment to reach vulnerable communities, engaging with the Ministry of Education, and implementing special programs to include out-of-school girls, including those living on the streets.
“Congratulations to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for their commitment towards safeguarding the future of adolescent girls in Bangladesh by enhancing access to the life-saving HPV vaccine,” said Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director of Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
“Achieving widespread coverage will be integral to protect the health and potential of all girls, and to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in the country. Gavi is proud to collaborate on this critical vaccine introduction to help save lives.”
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Cervical cancer is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). However, a single dose of the HPV vaccine has the potential to prevent cervical cancer, making this campaign a crucial step toward eliminating this threat.
“It is a tragedy that millions of women die from cervical cancer in Bangladesh, a disease which can be prevented with a single dose of vaccine to girls at an early age. We are pleased to support the Government in introducing the HPV vaccine, a vaccine that will save millions of lives and will help protect the future of adolescent girls across the country,” saidSheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.
UNICEF and WHO are collaborating closely with the government to ensure the successful execution of the vaccination campaign.
Health workers have undergone extensive training, and orientation sessions have been convened to engage teachers, parents, and religious leaders, ensuring that no girl is left behind.
“Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Bangladesh and is responsible for the country’s highest number of cancer-related deaths. It is estimated that approximately 8,300 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in Bangladesh every year, resulting in 4,900 deaths. We can change these statistics if we act now and ensure that every girl, 10-14 years old, will get access to a single dose of the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine is among the most effective vaccines for preventing cervical cancer.
WHO Bangladesh thanks the Government of Bangladesh for initiating this vaccination campaign in the Dhaka Division, targeting all eligible girls. This initiative will significantly contribute to the well-being of our female population, both in the present and future. WHO takes pride in collaborating on this crucial vaccine introduction and encourages everyone to support eligible adolescent girls in getting the HPV vaccine,” said Dr. Bardan Jung Rana, WHO Representative to Bangladesh.
Upon the completion of all three phases, the HPV vaccine will be integrated into the routine immunization program for girls in grade V and 10-year-old girls who are out of the education system.
This approach underlines Bangladesh's commitment to the health and well-being of its young population, paving the way for a healthier and more prosperous future.