bangladesh
Farmer trampled to death by wild elephant in Sherpur
A 50-year-old farmer was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Sreebardi upazila of Sherpur district on Monday, officials said.
The incident occurred around 7pm on Monday in the Hatibor Tilapara area of the upazila.
The deceased was identified as Abdul Hamid, son of Samed Ali of the area.
Read: Govt working to protect people from elephant attacks: Environment Minister
According to the forest department and local sources, a herd of elephants have been coming down from the hills for some time, in search of food in the croplands.
Abdul was killed on the spot when local farmers tried to chase away the elephants to protect their paddy field.
“Abdul was attacked by a wild elephant when he, along with other farmers, tried to chase away the elephants,” said local UP member Nur Haque.
He was rushed to Sherpur Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Md. Rabiul Islam, Balijuri Range officer of the Forest Department, said they are trying to resolve the human-elephant conflict in the border town. There is a compensation system from the government for the victims of attacks by elephants and other wild animals. “Deaths could not be compensated, but it is a temporary initiative and relief on the part of the government,” he said.
Read: Sherpur farmer injured in attack by wild elephants dies
An awareness campaign is being conducted by the forest department in the hill town as well. For this, response teams have been formed in the areas.
According to forest officials and locals, three people have been killed in wild elephant attacks in Sherpur district in the last 15 days.
PM Hasina presents painting on Padma Bridge to WB president
Visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has presented a painting on Padma Multipurpose Bridge to the World Bank president David Malpass.
She handed over the painting after her informal interaction with the bank's Board of Executive Directors at Shihata Conference room at World Bank Headquarters here on Monday.
Read: Bangladesh, World Bank sign US$ 2.25 billion loan agreement comprising 5 projects
The programme was arranged to celebrate the 50 years of partnership between Bangladesh and the World Bank.
The prime minister and the World Bank president also inaugurated a photo exhibition on the occasion.
The World Bank had cancelled its $1.2 billion credit for the Padma Bridge project in 2012 citing corruption conspiracy involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and some individuals.
Read: External pressure behind World Bank's withdrawal from Padma Bridge, says PM Hasina urging it to look into future
But the WB could not place any proof in favour of their claim while Canadian court in 2017 found no evidence of Padma bridge bribery conspiracy.
PM Hasina has repeatedly denied the allegation as false and went ahead with self financing the iconic bridge and open it on June 25 last year.
Most areas of Rupganj left without gas after leak in pipeline
Most areas under Rupganj upazila of commercial hub Narayanganj have been left without gas supply since Monday afternoon following a leak in the pipeline.
Panic spread among dwellers when the leakage occurred with a big bang in Dhiborab area under Tarabo municipality of the upazila around 4:30pm, said witness Md Rajib, also a resident of the area, adding that the sound of the blast was heard from around one kilometer off.
Mejbah-ur-Rahman, manager of Sonargaon Regional Marketing Department at Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, said the leakage occurred around 4:30pm when the supply pipe burst inside their valve station.
On information, officials, technicians and others from Jatramura Marketing Department Office rushed to the spot and stopped the gas supply around 5pm which caused a suspension of the gas supply in most of the areas of the upazila, the Titas officer said.
Read more: 2 women among 9 burnt in gas line explosion in Dhaka
Urging people not to be panicked over the matter, he said it will take time to restore the gas supply as repair works are going on.
He assumed that the pipeline might have gone off due to over-flow of the gas as most of the industries stopped marking the International May Day on Monday.
Stay with us in implementing future physical & social mega projects: PM Hasina to WB
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday urged the World Bank and other development partners to find out viable alternatives to help economies like Bangladesh cope better with the stress, caused by the pandemic, armed conflicts and climate emergency.
“The ongoing global multiple crises, caused by the pandemic, armed conflicts and climate emergency, have put most developing economies under serious stress. Some of our development partners have chosen to increase their lending costs and interest rates, which detract from their core mandate,” she said
She made the suggestion with other fours while addressing the Plenary Session of the 50 Years Partnership between Bangladesh and the World Bank at the Preston Auditorium of World Bank Headquarters with its president David R. Malpass in the chair.
In the second suggestion, Hasina said that Bangladesh is preparing for smooth and sustainable graduation from the UN LDC status in 2026. In this regard, she requested the World Bank to support Bangladesh’s human capital and institutional capacity development programmes for a smooth transition.
“The critical IDA window needs to be preserved and continued,” she said.
In the rhird suggestion, she mentioned that Bangladesh has aligned UN SDGs with its national aspiration to become an upper middle-income country by 2031.
“There is an urgent expectation that the World Bank and other development partners deliver increased, concessional and innovative financing for SDG implementation,” she said.
The prime minister in her fourth suggestion said Bangladesh hopes that the World Bank’s enhanced engagement in climate action would help address the wide gaps in financing under the Paris Agreement.
“We would stress the importance of equal distribution of financing between climate mitigation and adaptation,” she added.
In her final point, she said Bangladesh will continue to invest in infrastructure and logistics for realising its vision to become a high-income economy by 2041.
“I would expect the World Bank to engage in both our physical and social mega-projects in the coming years,” she said.
Hasina said that Bangladesh will continue to move forward undeterred.
“My presence here signals that we maintain our trust in the World Bank.
Our success in the next two decades would depend on our collective ability and efforts to overcome the emerging challenges in a just and sustainable manner,” she said.
She also put emphasis on remaining united towards making millions of people still lagging behind live a happy life in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib’s ‘Sonar Bangla’.
In 2009, she said that after assuming the office her government pledged to build a ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by 2021.
“In the last one and a half decade, Bangladesh has gone through significant change, thanks to political stability and sound macro-economic fundamentals.”
She mentioned that In 2015, the World Bank classified Bangladesh as a lower-middle income country. In 2021, the UN declared it eligible for graduation from the LDC status for the second time.
“We successfully managed the COVID-19 pandemic through an economic stimulus package worth USD 26.9 billion, and free-of-cost mass vaccination.”
The PM said that the completion of the Padma Multi-Purpose Bridge with country’s own resources and its inauguration last year is perhaps the best example of Bangladesh’s resilience and achievement.
She said that Bangladesh has today emerged as the world’s 35th largest economy, with a nominal GDP of USD 460 billion while its economy has been growing at an average rate of 6 percent in the last one decade. It reached up to 8.15 percent just before the pandemic. This has led to notable increase in per capita income to the tune of USD 2,824 in 2022.
She also mentioned that the overall poverty rate has reduced to 18.7 percent in 2022 from 41.5 percent in 2006.
Read more: World Bank approves $1.25bn financing in 3 projects for Bangladesh
“During this time, we have increased our budget allocation for social protection by 40 times, constituting 2.5 percent of our GDP.”
Just last year, she said, our government announced the decision to launch a Universal Pension Scheme.
She mentioned that under her flagship Ashrayan project, the government has provided free-of-cost homes to nearly five million people along with income-generating skills and support.
She said, 99.7 percent of households have come under electricity coverage, while the power generation capacity has increased eight-times to over 25,000 MW between 2006 and 2022.
Motorcycle collision kills 3 in Jashore
Three people including a father and son were killed after two motorcycles collided in Jashore’s Keshabpur area on Monday, police said.
The accident took place at Bujtala on Keshabpur-Chuknagar highway around 8:45 pm on Monday.
The deceased were identified as Jahangir Joardar of Khulna’s Dumuria upazila and his son Mostain (15) and Golam Mostafa (22), son of Chuknagar’s Abdus Sattar.
Read more: 3 siblings dead in Sirajganj road mishap
Mofizul Islam, the officer-in-charge of Keshabpur police station, said two people died on the spot.
“Another person was taken to Keshabpur Upazila Health Complex after being seriously injured where he succumbed to his injuries.”
Astronomers reveal expected date of Eid-ul-Azha 2023
Eid-ul-Azha 2023 is expected to be observed on June 28 in the Middle East, according to astronomical calculations.
Eid-ul-Azha is a major Islamic holiday celebrated worldwide. During Eid-ul-Azha, Muslims worldwide gather for communal prayers, engage in acts of charity, and sacrifice animals, typically cows, goats or sheep.
Meanwhile, the calculations show Day of Arafat expected to be observed on June 27, Al Arabiya English reports.
On the Day of Arafat, Muslim pilgrims conducting the Hajj assemble on the Arafat plains, located outside Makkah.
While the holiday falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar, the exact date of the holiday varies from year to year and is determined by the sighting of the new moon.
Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, also takes place during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah.
The pilgrimage – which is expected to begin on June 26 – takes place from the 8th to the 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, with Eid-ul-Azha falling on the 10th day of the month.
The dates are subject to change pending an official announcement by Saudi Arabia’s moon sighting committee in the days leading up to the Hajj and Eid-ul-Azha.
3 siblings dead in Sirajganj road mishap
Two brothers and a sister were killed and two others were injured in a head-on collision between a bus and an ambulance on Dhaka-Bagura Highway in Raiganj upazila of Sirajganj on Monday evening, said police.
Mashiur Rahman, 40, his brother Abdul Baten, 38, and their sister Ranu Akter, 22, were offspring of Manik Uddin of Debiganj upazila of Panchagarh district.
Identities of the injured could not be known immediately.
SM Badrul Kabir, officer-in-charge of Hatikumrul Highway police station, said the accident occurred around 6pm when the Bagura-bound bus from Dhaka collided with the capital-bound ambulance carrying patients from Panchagarh on the highway in Ghurka area, leaving trio dead on the spot and two others including the ambulance driver injured.
Read more: 5 killed in Sirajganj road crash
The injured were rushed to the nearby Upazila Health Complex where they are undergoing treatment, he said.
The bodies were fetched to the police station and will be handed over to their family after legal procedure, the OC added.
External pressure behind World Bank's withdrawal from Padma Bridge, says PM Hasina urging it to look into future
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday blamed the external pressure for the cancellation of USD1.2 billion credit the World Bank had committed to financing the iconic Padma Bridge that Bangladesh finally constructed with its own money.
“I regret that the World Bank moved away from financing this most important project (Padma Multi-purpose Bridge) owing to external pressure,” she said.
The premier said this while addressing an informal interaction with the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank at the Shihata Conference room of its headquarters here.
Hasina, however, wished to look into the future of the partnership between Bangladesh and the World Bank.
“We now wish to look into the future of our partnership,” she said.
The PM is now in Washington DC on a week-long official visit to the US mainly to take part in the celebration of the 50 years of partnership between Bangladesh and the World Bank.
Though the bank's promised loan was scrapped in 2012, Bangladesh, under the strong leadership of Hasina, went ahead with self-financing the bridge and inaugurated it on June 25 last year.
The PM asked the World Bank to must remain focused on its core purpose of poverty alleviation and development financing.
She mentioned that the World Bank is now committed to 53 different projects in Bangladesh, involving USD 15 billion. This is part of the grants and loans of USD 39 billion so far offered by the Washington-based multilateral lender.
The prime minister said that the present situation gives an indication of Bangladesh economy’s growth opportunities and absorptive capacity.
“Bangladesh has never defaulted on its debt repayment, or fallen into a so-called ‘debt trap’,” she stated.
In this regard, she said that the strong performance of Bangladesh in human capital formation is matched by "our investment in infrastructure mega-projects."
“The construction of the 6.1 km Padma Multi-purpose Bridge with our own financial and technical resources is a sign of our economic maturity,” she proudly said.
Hasina said that the World Bank is actively engaged in digital transformation of Bangladesh as the government has kept its words to the people by building together a ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by 2021.
She mentioned that the government has set its next target to become a knowledge-based ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by 2041.
Read more: World Bank approves $1.25bn financing in 3 projects for Bangladesh
“I call upon our development partners like the World Bank to continue investing in our digital and physical infrastructure. We also seek international support for trade diversification, investment promotion and domestic resource generation,” she said.
She mentioned that the World Bank has extended grant support for the 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingya from Myanmar in Bangladesh while their prolonged presence is becoming a huge challenge for the country.
“We have created excellent facilities for one hundred thousand of them in the Bhashan Char island. Pending their return to Myanmar, we hope the World Bank will continue to support their humanitarian needs," she said.
The world must not forget these hapless people yet again, she reiterated.
PM Hasina said that Bangladesh has shown that it can deliver on its commitments.
“I am confident that our young people will take our nation forward in the right political environment. We wish to further expand our role as a responsible and contributing member of the comity of nations.”
She said that Bangladesh shall continue to pursue its economic diplomacy based on its foreign policy principle of “Friendship to All, Malice towards None”.
“I hope that our international partners will stay focused on the positive aspects of our march forward and join us in a promising development journey ahead," she said
Hasina asked the World Bank to make itself ready for the future as the world is witnessing some major shifts in geo-economics this year which have implications for Bangladesh as an economy in transition.
She said that Bangladesh is the world’s largest active delta situated on the world’s largest Bay – the Bay of Bengal. This is a location at the heart of what is termed as Indo-Pacific.
“We are now the world’s 35th largest economy with a GDP of USD 460 billion. In South Asia, we are the second biggest economy and an emerging growth engine. We are graduating from the UN Least Developed Country (LDC) status, having qualified in all three criteria.”
She mentioned that in 2022, the headcount poverty came down to 18.7 percent, with a sharp decline in extreme poverty to 5.6 percent.
“All this has happened despite the multi-dimensional challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Europe, and the deepening climate crisis.”
She mentioned that the biggest asset of Bangladesh is its resilience. In 1971, it achieved the independence following a genocide, and with an economy in ruins.
“Our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called upon the international community to stand by our people. The World Bank also responded and thus started our partnership," she noted.
She recalled that the development journey has been far from smooth. Bangladesh experienced repeated military takeovers, extremist threats, and deadly natural disasters. In the last one and a half decade, the nation finally started turning around by tackling these challenges, and ensuring political and economic stability.
Photo exhibition kicks off celebration of 50 years of BD-WB relation
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and World Bank president David Malpass on Monday jointly inaugurated a photo exhibition marking the 50-year partnership between Bangladesh and the WB.
The exhibition at the Atrium of the World Bank headquarters kicked off the dayling celebration of the 50 years of relation between Bangladesh and the WB
The PM went around the show and also witnessed a dance performance.
A video presentation on "Bangladesh-World Bank 50 Years of Partnership" was screened at the function.
Earlier, On her arrival in the WB headquarters in Washington DC, Sheikh Hasina was welcomed by WB Country Director for Bangladesh Abdoulaye Seck and its SAR VP Martin Raiser with a flower bouquet.
Read more: World Bank approves $1.25bn financing in 3 projects for Bangladesh
Later in the day she is due to attend an informal interaction with the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank, address the plenary session on "Reflection on 50 years of World Bank-Bangladesh Partnership" and attend a high-level business luncheon with WB president, MDs and VPs.
Talking at the programme after inaugurating it, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the Photo Exhibition at the World Bank premises is a reflection of value-driven partnership with the World Bank over the last five decades.
“It is a representation of a transformed and vibrant Bangladesh. It is a tribute to our hard working people who have made it possible for our nation to live up to its dreams,” she said.
She also extended her greetings to working people in Bangladesh and around the world on the occasion of Labour Day (May Day).
Sheikh Hasina mentioned that the photo exhibition shows that the development story in Bangladesh is about those lagging behind.
“I thank the World Bank and other development partners for sharing our vision of an inclusive growth. Our common enemies are poverty and hunger, and we must not rest our case till we have won over them,” she said.
She said that the exhibition is also about the importance of making the right political choices.
“It shows the kind of smile that our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman wished to see among our distressed people. It speaks of our government’s determination to turn Bangladesh into a resilient and prosperous land.”
She hoped the World Bank will continue to remain with Bangladesh on its exciting journey ahead to build a ‘Smart Bangladesh’.
“Let us work together in a spirit of shared trust for a brighter future!”
Municipality-level Jamaat secretary arrested in Gaibandha
Police arrested an absconding Jamaat-e-Islami leader in Palashbari municipality of Gaibandha district on Monday.
Tajul Islam alias Cocktail Tajul is general secretary of Palashbari unit Jamaat-e-Isami and a resident of Paschim Faridpur village under the upazila.
Masud Rana, officer-in-charge of Palashbari police station, said they arrested the Jamaat leader from the municipality after being tipped-off on Monday noon.
Tajul is an accused in several cases including subversive ones, the OC said, adding that the accused was involved with several subversive activities including burning.