bangladesh
PM mulls area-based specific time power cuts to save fuel
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said she is thinking of introducing area-based load shedding for a specific time to save the fuel that is used for power generation."Today, I think that I will tell (authority concerned) to reduce electricity production for some time (everyday) to save the fuel that is used for power generation," she said.The prime minister said this at a function at the PGR Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment to mark the President’s Guard Regiment’s (PGR) founding anniversary. She joined the programme from her official residence Ganobhaban.She said that the country witnessed 8-10 hours of power cuts in the past from where her government, taking over office in 2009, increased the electricity generation ensuring an uninterrupted power supply in the country.She mentioned that the government has accomplished a feat reaching electricity to every house. The PM said there won’t be any indiscriminate load shedding. It will be announced earlier for a specific area and for a specific time, she added."If we specify the time for load shedding for specific areas... If we take that step from now on... we will be able to save ourselves from the much harder days coming ahead," she said.Talking about the recent economic turmoil across the globe due to the impact of coronavirus pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war, she said that the prices of fuel oil have soared.
Read: PM calls for best use of domestic resources for national developmentAs a result that there is scarcity of power in many countries around the world, she said.She said that the prices of electricity-producing like diesel, fuel oil, LNG, have increased heavily.
Besides, transportation has been hampered due to the Russia-Ukraine war compounding the crisis, she said. She added that even coal is not available.Hasina reiterated her call to maintain austerity and increase savings which will be beneficial to face any type of crisis in the future."If every family resorts to pro-savings mentality and utilise their own lands for optimum productivity (of food grains), it will bring positive results,” she said.She reiterated her call not to leave single inch of land uncultivated and make sure no water body remains unutilised."All empty places have to be utilised for production, whatever it is. We have to try to produce our own food to reduce pressure on the market and make profit through selling the surplus foods,” the premier said.She said that every person, family and organisation have to take that step."I think, if we take this step then we will be able to save ourselves from the ongoing economic shock worldwide." Hasina said that many countries including America and Britain facing higher inflation amid scarcity of power."We have to remain alert from the very beginning, if we remain cautious inshallah we will not face any problem,’’ she asserted. “I can say that and I will request everyone to do so."Talking about the development of the armed forces following the Forces Goal 2030, the prime minister said, “We will not fight with any one, we want peace, the father of the nation gave us the defence policy which is friendship to all, malice to none. We follow that policy.”"But as an independent country we have to ensure all sorts of preparations, especially build up the organisations that are the symbols of the independence and sovereignty. We have taken steps for that and are implementing those,” she said.She also said that her life has always been in grave risk while repeated attempts were made after she came back in Bangladesh."Many leaders and activities sacrificed their lives to protect me forming human shield," she said.Turning to the opening of the Padma Bridge she said, Bangladesh constructed the much-cherished bridge with its own resources."Those who wanted to malign Bangladesh, or humiliate me and my family members, minister, advisor and secretary through corruption allegations have got a befitting reply after we built the bridge with our own fund,” she said.
Read: PM: Vested quarter conspiring to oust the AL governmentThe PM said "Padma Bridge is the expression of our independence, sovereignty and unique ethnicity."She mentioned that this one decision changed the attitude of the whole world regarding Bangladesh.
Referring to those who thought that Bangladesh means begging and grants, Hasina said “We have proven that Bangladesh is the country that got liberated under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangalee nation never bows to anyone.”"... it will not beg to anyone, we will advance on our own, we are trying to move forward like that way we have gained significant self-reliance economically,” said the premier.She said that the government has been able to reduce poverty, provide electricity to all houses. It is implementing projects to ensure no one remains homeless.Talking about flood in the Sylhet region, she said that the flood water is coming downstream and now it is in the middle region of the country."It will gradually flow down to the southern region where vast areas may be inundated. It takes time for flood water to recede while the water level of the sea rises one inch," she said.She said that any calamity can come anytime and the father of the nation taught the nation how to face that. "We are tackling that calamity following his footsteps,” she said.The PM called for going all out for staring cultivation of crops after the flood recedes. It must be ensured that no food shortage occurs."We have attained the status of a developing nation and we have to go farther. We have adopted plans like Delta Plan 2100 for a better future for the next generations,” she said.She urged all to follow the Covid-19 safety measures as the infections are increasing.
Quack held in Khulna
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has claimed to have detained a quack from Koyra upazila of Khulna.
Posing as a medical doctor, the accused, Mubarak Hossain, had been treating patients in the Orjunpur area of the upazila, according to a Rab release.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of Rab-6 conducted a drive in the area around 6pm on Monday and detained Mubarak.
Also read: Quack killed as truck runs over him in Munshiganj
The elite force also seized prescriptions, fake seals and pads from his possession.
Earlier, he was convicted for practicing without a medical degree by a mobile court in Barishal, the release added.
Govt hikes rawhide prices ahead of Eid
Ahead of this year's Eid-ul-Azha, the government has hiked the base price of raw cowhide by Tk 7.
Raw cowhide will now cost Tk 47-52 per sq ft in Dhaka and Tk 40-44 outside the capital.
This was announced by Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi after chairing a virtual meeting at the Ministry on Tuesday.
Also read: Benapole: BGB on high alert to prevent rawhide smuggling
Last year, the raw cowhide price was fixed at Tk 40-45 per sq ft in the capital and Tk 33-37 outside Dhaka.
Besides, the minister said, the price of goatskin has been fixed at Tk 18-20 per sq ft across the country, which was Tk 15-17 last year.
However, the price of female goatskin have remained the same at Tk 12-14 per sq ft.
Also read: Govt fixes rawhide prices ahead of Eid-ul-Azha
The Minister emphasised on applying salt on animal hides soon after their sacrifices. “It will be good if people are made aware about applying salt in sermons after the next Jumma prayer,” he said.
5 held for black marketing of train tickets at Dhaka railway station
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has detained five men from the city's Kamalapur Railway Station for alleged black marketing of train tickets ahead of Eid.
Acting on a tip-off that a group was selling tickets of different trains at inflated prices taking advantage of the Eid rush, a Rab-3 team conducted a drive at the railway station at 8.45 pm Monday and detained the men.
The detainees were identified as Md Liton Mia, 37, Md Shah Lam, 34, Md Imran, 20, Md Abu Taher, 26, and Md Zahidur Rahman Shakib, 40, Rab-3 said in a release Tuesday.
Also read: Two RNB members held for selling tickets in black market
Four train tickets and Tk 6,927 in cash were seized from the detainees, said Rab-3. During questioning, the accused admitted to the crime.
Legal action will be taken against the detainees, said the release.
Also read: Measures to be taken if complaints found over Eid online ticketing: Minister
One killed, 20 injured in Manikganj road crash
A 28-year-old man was killed and 20 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck on the busy Manikganj-Golra highway of Manikganj district on Tuesday, police said.
The deceased was identified as Sohag Gazi, a resident of Brakshandia village in Rajbari district. He was a passenger on the bus.
However, the identities of the injured could not be known immediately.
The accident occurred around 10.30am when the Paturiaghat-bound bus crashed into the truck coming from the opposite direction, said Mohammad Masud Khan, officer-in-charge of Manikganj Golra Highway Police Station.
"The impact of the crash was such that Gazi died on the spot. The injured are being treated at Manikganj District Hospital and Munnu General Hospital," he said, adding that the two vehicles were seized.
Road accidents in Bangladesh
Road accidents in Bangladesh continue to claim hundreds of lives every year.
As many as 524 people, including 73 children, were killed and 821 others injured in 467 road accidents across the country in June.
Of these, 204 people died in bike accidents alone during this period, which is 38.93% of the total fatalities, Road Safety Foundation said in its latest report released on Monday.
Dhaka’s air quality worsens again
Dhaka's air quality worsened again, as it turned ‘unhealthy’ on Tuesday after remaining in the ‘moderate’ zone for the last four days.
The metropolis, with an air quality index (AQI) score of 113 at 11.05am on Tuesday, ranked 14th in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
South Africa’s Johannesburg, Pakistan’s Lahore and Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh occupied the first three spots, with AQI scores of 166, 163, and 161, respectively.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Read: Global pollution kills 9 million people a year, study finds
Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka "are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and dust from construction sites".
Read: Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants
With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Kushtia man, who set himself on fire outside Press Club, dies
A 45-year-old man from Kushtia who set himself on fire in front of the National Press Club on Monday to protest a company’s alleged refusal to pay his dues, succumbed to his injuries early on Tuesday morning.
Kazi Anis, a vendor on contract from Kushtia's Kumarkhali upazila, who was kept on life support at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery died at 6am, said Bacchu Mia, inspector in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police outpost.
Also read: Kushtia man sets himself on fire in Dhaka
Kazi Anis took the extreme step at 5pm on Monday "out of frustration" after Henolux, the company, refused to settle his dues of Tk1.26 crore, according to some journalists.
Journalists and law enforcers present at the scene poured water on him and rushed him to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in a critical condition.
Also read: N’ganj factory fire under control
Anis had suffered 85 percent burns, according to doctors.
Bangladesh sends help to quake-hit Afghanistan
Bangladesh has sent humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, where a strong earthquake claimed over 1,000 lives last month.
A C130-J aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force took off with emergency relief materials, including medicines, blankets, dry food and tents, on Tuesday and will hand them over to the Afghan government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.
Also read: Destruction everywhere, help scarce after Afghanistan quake
The powerful earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan on June 22, killing over a thousand people and injuring more than 2,000 others. The quake flattened hundreds of homes, triggering food, water, housing and medicine crisis.
Sylhet flood situation improves as rivers recede
The flood situation in Sylhet district improved slightly on Tuesday morning, with most of the rivers except the Kushiyara showing a receding trend.
However, flood survivors across the northeastern district continue to suffer from the deluge. While many have taken refuge in makeshift shelters, others are staying in tents on the highway and roads.
The Surma river was receding very slowly. As on Monday 6pm, the river was flowing 34 cm above the danger level after its water level dropped 8 cm in 24 hours, according to the district Water Development Board (WDB).
Also read: Flood in Bangladesh: Death toll stands at 107
However, the Kushiyara river was still flowing 84 cm above the danger mark at Amalshid point after rising 18 cm in 24 hours. At Sheola point, the river was flowing 20 cm above the danger level at 3pm Monday after rising 12 cm in 24 hours.
Global Covid cases cross 555 million
The overall number of Covid cases has now surpassed 555 million amid a rise in new infections in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
According to the latest global data, the total case count mounted to 555,233,865 and the death toll from the virus reached 6,362,437 Tuesday morning.
The US has recorded 89,567,321 cases so far and 1,043,372 people have died from the virus in the country, the data shows.
Also read: Covid: Bangladesh logs 4 months’ highest 12 deaths with 2,285 cases
With 14,224 new cases in 24 hours, India recorded 43,532,788 new Covid cases, data released by the country's federal health ministry showed on Sunday.
Besides, 31 deaths due to Covid since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 525,223.
Covid in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered 12 more Covid-linked deaths with 2,285 cases in 24 hours till Monday morning amid a rapid surge in new infections.
The fresh numbers took the country's total caseload to 1,980,974 and fatalities to 29,174, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country last reported 13 Covid-linked deaths with 368 cases on March 5 this year.
The daily case positivity rate rose to 16.51% from Sunday’s 15.53% as 13,842 samples were tested during the period, said the DGHS.
Also read: Covid keeps surging: Bangladesh reports 2 more deaths with 1,902 cases
Of the deceased, nine were men and three were women. Of them, nine were from Dhaka and one each from Chattogram, Khulna and Mymensingh divisions.
Of the 22 deaths reported from June 27 to July 3, some 72.7% received vaccine doses against Covid-19.
On Sunday, the country recorded two Covid-linked deaths with 1,902 new cases.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.47%. The recovery rate declined to 96.36% from Sunday’s 96.44% as 482 patients recovered during this period.