Bangladesh
Lighter vessel sinks near Chattogram port, 13 rescued
A goods-carrying lighter vessel -- Delwar Al Bahar -- capsized on Wednesday night in the outer anchorage Chattogram port with 13 crew due to inclement weather.
Staff Officer (Operations) of Coast Guard Headquarters Lt. Commander Md Ashikur Rahman said there were 13 crew in the vessel and all were rescued immediately by nearby lighter ships.
Read: 3 workers rescued in Rangamati after 2 days of abduction
He said cracks developed at the bottom of the lighter vessel amid inclement weather.
Coast Guard rescue ship ‘Metal Shark’ was sent to the spot after receiving a call from the National Emergency Service.
Read: Lightning kills farmer in Chuadanga
Port Authority Secretary Omar Faruk said that no casualties were reported from the incident and it caused no problem in ship movement at the port.
42.5 MW power to be generated from plant at Aminbazar landfill: LGRD Minister
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam on Thursday said 42.5 MW power will be generated from mixed waste at Aminbazar landfill once the project is completed.
Power generation from waste will usher a new era in Bangladesh, he said this while presiding over a preparatory meeting over laying the foundation stone of ‘Power Plant From Waste at Aminbazar landfill’ at the conference room of the local government division in the capital.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to lay the foundation stone of the plant.
Read: 26,620 mts of coal for Rampal Power plant arrives at Mongla
The LGRD minister said production of wastes has increased several times in both rural and urban areas and the country will face danger unless the increased waste is managed properly.
Tazul said that decision was taken to generate power through disposal of waste following the incineration system to keep the environment neat and clean.
The power plant will be built costing around $300 million and .Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will purchase power from the plant in next 25 years once the plant is implemented with the help of China Machinery Engineering Corporation, the minister said.
He said there is no alternative to such power plants for sustainable development and to cope with the increasing demand of power.
Read: Transmission from Adani’s Gadda power plant to national grid resumes
The minister hoped the plant will start production by October in 2025.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said the country’s power sector will strengthened through implementation of the project with foreign fund.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md Atiqul Islam, Local Government Division Secretary Muhammad Ibrahim and high officials of the ministry and DNCC were present at the meeting.
Read: Coal shortage forces Payra Power Plant to shut down operation
We need to make shift from linear to circular economy: Saber H Chy
Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Environment and Climate Change Saber Hossain Chowdhury on Thursday said they need to make the shift from linear to circular economy to keep resources in use for as long as possible, and extract and harvest the maximum value from the products whilst in use.
‘’In traditional economy which is linear, we produce, consume and throw away is not sustainable,” said Saber, also Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC) while speaking at the 1st Bangladesh Circular Economy Summit.
For that, he said, the business case for circularity has to be win-win for manufacturers and buyers.
Circularity will be the key for the next growth transition of Bangladesh’s economy, speakers said in the Summit.
Read: Not aware of six Congressmen’s letter to Biden on Bangladesh: US Spokesperson
The Bangladesh Circular Economy Summit was organised by Bangladesh Apparel Exchange in collaboration with Laudes Foundation and in partnership with P4G.
The summit was powered by GIZ, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh and H&M Group.
Mayor, Dhaka North City Corporation Md. Atiqul Islam, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh Anne Van Leeuwen, Country Director, Bangladesh Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank Edimon Ginting, Deputy Head of Delegation, Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Dr Bernd Spanier; Head of Sustainability, H&M Group Leyla Ertur and founder and CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange Mostafiz Uddin, among others, spoke at the opening plenary of the summit.
Atiqul Islam said ‘‘3R – reduce, recycle and reuse are the keys for sustainability. Moreover, extended product or producer responsibility as stipulated by the EU is going to be mandatory for apparel producers in Bangladesh. So, the importance of promoting circular fashion in the country cannot be overstated.’’
Ambassador Anne Van Leeuwen said the Netherlands and Bangladesh have many things in common and one of them is that both countries are big deltas, thus vulnerable to climate change.
“Bangladesh has made tremendous progress in economy and social development indexes. The country has the opportunity to be a leader in the circular economy too,” said the Ambassador.
Leyla Ertur said the fashion industry needs to accelerate its transformation towards circularity as the way forward to solve the biggest challenges we face, not only companies but societies in general, such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
Read: Chinese envoy lauds FAO’s role in Bangladesh’s agriculture development
“We need to join forces to build a circular fashion ecosystem and Bangladesh is unique as the country with the world’s largest share of pre-consumer textile waste readily available for recycling. Bangladesh has a great potential to attract investments from local and foreign investors to scale up the production of high-value recycled fibers from pre-consumer waste. However, we are well-aware the industry needs advancing policy to regulate the waste handling sector in order to move forward in this area.’’
Founder and CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange Mostafiz Uddin said Bangladesh Circular Economy Summit aims to find out the opportunities for the shift from the linear to circular business model and foster collaborations among the stakeholders to promote a circular economy in the country.
The summit consisted of four plenary sessions, three keynotes, three presentations, a roundtable and a fireside chat.
Not aware of six Congressmen’s letter to Biden on Bangladesh: US Spokesperson
The US Department of State has said they are not familiar with the letters sent by six Congressmen to US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken but noted that they usually respond back confidentially.
“I’m not familiar with the letter. We generally don’t comment on letters that we get from members of Congress,” said Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, at a regular briefing on June 14.
Also read: Around 200 prominent Bangladeshi Americans say 6 US congressmen’s letter ignores BNP-Jamaat persecution of Hindus in 2001
He said they respond to them back usually confidentially but they will continue to make known privately as well as publicly any concerns that they have.
A group of around 200 prominent Bangladeshi Americans have said the recent letter from six US congressmen to President Joe Biden – demanding stricter sanctions against the Bangladesh government – contains “false and misleading information.”
In particular, the letter ignores the October 2001 post-national election violence unleashed on the Hindu community by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition, the Bangladeshi Americans said.
Also read: Bangladesh's sovereign right to pursue independent policy must be respected by all: Foreign Ministry
Asked about BNP’s position to obstruct elections under the current government, spokesperson Miller said he does not want to speak to that specifically other than to say that the United States is committed to the promotion of democracy and fair elections all over the world.
“That of course includes Bangladesh. Democracy is the most enduring means to advance peace, prosperity, and security. Promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms is at the heart of our – the administration’s foreign policy, and we have made that clear as it pertains to Bangladesh,” he said.
Also read: Letters from 6 MEPs and 6 US congressmen: Netizens point out curious similarities, including misspelling Bangladesh PM’s name
Physically challenged people stage demonstration at Shahabagh
Physically challenged people from different districts staged a demonstration at Shahabagh to press home their 11- point demand including special quota in government service and an increase in monthly allowance.
They gathered at Shahbagh around 9 am under the banner of "Sangkhubdho Protibondhi Nagorik Samaj".
Read: What is life really like when five of a family are physically challenged?
Iftekhar Masud, one of the members of the organisation, said, "The budget placed on June 1 did have any guideline that can meet the needs and desires of disabled people.”
"To address this, we wanted to march towards the National Parliament today with our 11 point demands but the police obstructed us."
Demanding an increase in their allowance, he said “In 2005, allowance programme started with Tk 200. Now we are getting Tk 850 which is not enough for us."
Read: One held for raping physically challenged girl in Gaibandha
Raising monthly allowance to TK 5000, providing stipends of TK 2000, quota for them in govt job recruitment, setting up an entrepreneur fund of TK 1000 crores for disabled entrepreneurs, setting up Directorate of Development of Persons with Disabilities immediately, establishing Bengali Sign Language institutes and schools, ensuring free Bangla Sign Language interpreting services in all service institutions including courts are among their demands.
Read:Physically challenged girl ‘raped’ in Cumilla
One more dengue patient dies in 24hrs; 285 hospitalised
One more death was reported from dengue in 24 hours till Thursday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 29 this year.
During the period, 285 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Bangladesh reports one more dengue death, 201 new cases
Of the new patients, 237 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, DGHS said.
Nine hundred and thirty seven patients, including 766 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 4,087 dengue cases and 3,121 recoveries this year.
Read: Bangladesh reports one more dengue death, 211 new cases
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
Children aged 6-59 months to be given vitamin A plus capsules on June 18: Health Minister
Children between 6 and 59 months will be fed vitamin-A plus capsules at all government health centres and other designated places across the country from 8 am to 4 pm on June 18, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday.
Also read: Vitamin ‘A’ plus campaign begins
A target has been set to feed red and blue coloured vitamin A capsules to 25 lakh children aged 6-11 months, 1.95 crore children aged 12-59 months and 2.20 crore children aged 12-59 months, he said at a press briefing on the occasion of vitamin-A plus campaign at a city hotel in the capital.
Also read: Countrywide Vitamin A plus campaign for children held
To achieve this target, a total of 40,000 health workers will work at 1,20,000 centers, he said
The children should be brought to the centre in full stomach and also the capsules should not be given to children below 6 months and above 5 years of age and those who are sick, the minister also said.
Also read: Nationwide Vitamin 'A' Plus Campaign from Oct 4-17
Chinese envoy lauds FAO’s role in Bangladesh’s agriculture development
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has appreciated the important role played by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in promoting Bangladesh’s agricultural development.
He conveyed willingness to further strengthen the coordination and cooperation between the two sides in Bangladesh.
Ambassador Yao on Thursday met with Representative of the FAO in Bangladesh Robert Douglas Simpson and discussed issues of mutual interest.
Read: Chinese envoy meets Obaidul Quader, discusses BRT scheme
The two sides exchanged in-depth views on strengthening cooperation between China and FAO, and deepening bilateral cooperation in food security and agricultural development in Bangladesh.
Robert introduced the main work of FAO in Bangladesh, including promoting agricultural modernization, strengthening water resources management and carrying out capacity building, etc., and expressed his expectation to strengthen cooperation with China in Bangladesh under the framework of South-South cooperation to achieve poverty reduction and sustainable development in Bangladesh.
Read: New Chinese envoy presents credentials to President Hamid
The Chinese ambassador laid emphasis on exploring the potential of China-Bangladesh agricultural cooperation, and jointly helping Bangladesh cope with challenges such as climate change and graduation from the least developed countries, so as to enhance food security, achieve sustainable agricultural development and promote economic and social transformation of Bangladesh.
Read more: Chinese envoy promotes Beijing's brand of international relations
Bangladesh's sovereign right to pursue independent policy must be respected by all: Foreign Ministry
Bangladesh says it expects respect from all concerned towards the country's sovereign right to pursue independent domestic as well as foreign policy based on the motto “friendship to all, malice towards none”, as conceived by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday (June 15, 2023) noted the remarks made by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the context of some recent comments made by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
“In this connection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh would like to underscore that Bangladesh, like any self-respecting country, attaches highest importance to the values of sovereignty and freedom to decide its own course of action—both domestic and foreign—for the betterment of its people, to realise the dream of the Father of the Nation by implementing the visions laid by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” the ministry said.
Read: EMF seeks cooperation of MoFA for inviting foreign observers
On Wednesday, China said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's remarks against US sanctions were "not just the strong position of the Bangladeshi people, but also the mind of a large part of the international community, especially the developing world."
"We have noted the recent remarks by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Indeed, while turning a blind eye to its own racial discrimination, gun violence and drug proliferation problems, a certain country has long been interfering in the internal affairs of Bangladesh and many other developing countries under the pretext of democracy and human rights," said Spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Wenbin, commenting on sanctions on Bangladesh.
He said Bangladesh and China have been traditionally friendly neighbours.
Read:Russia a tested friend; no adverse impacts on existing relations: MoFA Spokesperson
"We firmly support Bangladesh in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, upholding independent domestic and foreign policies, and pursuing a development path that suits its national realities," said the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.
He said they stand ready to work together with Bangladesh and other countries to oppose all forms of hegemony and power politics, uphold the UN-centred international system, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Read more: Bangladesh plans to send medical, rescue teams to Türkiye: MoFA spokesperson
3 workers rescued in Rangamati after 2 days of abduction
Three workers who were abducted by unidentified miscreants from Langadupara area in Rajasthali upazila on Monday were rescued on Wednesday night, said police.The rescued workers were Sohagh, 20, Rupok, 18 and Biswajit, 22.A group of workers, numbering 14, have been constructing a wall along Rajhasthali-Bangalhalia road in Langapara. They live at the labour shed near the road.
2 BCL leaders arrested for abduction, robbery at Dhaka College On Monday, the workers except the three went out from the labour shed around 8 pm. At one stage, 5-6 miscreants swooped on the labour shed and abducted them at gunpoint.However, no written complaint was lodged from the contractor company.
Ctg boy killed after abduction for ransom; 2 arrestedAfter hearing the news from local people, police conducted a drive in the area on Tuesday and Wednesday and rescued them on Wednesday night, said Zakir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Rajasthali Police Station.