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Man held with 23 gold bars at Ctg airport
Customs officials detained a man along with 23 gold bars, weighing 2.7 kg, from Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport today, officials said.
The arrestee was identified as Mohammad Ziauddin, from Hathazari upazila of Chattogram district.
Deputy Director of Chattogram Customs, Saifur Rahman, said a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG-148) from Dubai landed at the airport in the morning.
Also read: Man held with 13 kg gold bars at Benapole
During scanning, the customs officials suspected the existence of metal objects inside the body of the passenger and challenged him.
Later, they seized the gold bars from him.
Customs officials are scanning his body, suspecting that the passenger might be carrying more gold.
2 dead as truck hits three-wheeler in Mymensingh
Two people were killed and three were injured when a truck hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on Mymensingh-Netrakona road in Gouripur upazila of the former on Wednesday night.
The deceased were identified as Humayun Kabir, 20, driver of the CNG run auto-rickshaw from Beltoli Dakkhinpara area, and Rubel Mia, 32, son of Abdul Sattar of Beltoli Maddhyapara area of the upazila.
The accident occurred around 10:30 pm in Charpara Madrasa area when a sand-laden truck hit the Shyamganj-bound auto-rickshaw, leaving one dead on the spot and four others injured, said officer-in-charge of Gouripur Police Station Mahmudul Islam.
Also read: 2 killed in Mymensingh as bus crashes into motorcycle
The injured were taken to Mymensingh Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared Rubel dead.
Police seized the truck and recovered the bodies. The truck driver managed to flee the scene.
Police: Boy shoots 2 administrators at Denver high school
A 17-year-old student shot and wounded two administrators at his Denver high school Wednesday as they searched him for weapons, a daily requirement because of the boy’s behavioral issues, authorities said.
The student fled and his vehicle was later found in a remote mountain area about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Denver, but he remained at large. A shelter in place order was issued by authorities around the small town of Bailey, in Park County.
“He obviously is armed and dangerous and willing to use the weapon, as we’ve learned this morning,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock warned as law enforcement searched for the student, Austin Lyle.
The shooting occurred at a school shaken by frequent lockdowns and violence, including the killing of a classmate that prompted East High School students to march on the Colorado Capitol earlier this month. Parents who converged on the 2,500-student campus on Wednesday faulted officials for not doing enough to protect their children.
“I am sick of it,” said Jesse Haase, who planned to talk with her daughter about taking her out of classes for the rest of the school year.
Amid the flurry of criticism over lax security, Denver school officials said after the shooting that they would once again put armed officers into the city’s public high schools.
The shooting happened just before 10 a.m. in an office area as Lyle was undergoing a search as part of a “safety plan” that required him to be patted down daily, officials said.
The gun used in the shooting was not immediately recovered, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said.
Also read: 5 people shot at Michigan State University; suspect at large
One of the wounded administrators was released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon and the second remained in serious condition, said Heather Burke, a spokesperson for Denver Health hospital.
Hundreds of students on March 3 skipped class and marched in support of stricter gun laws following the death of Luis Garcia, 16, who was shot while sitting in a car near East High School.
There were no school resource officers on campus at the time of Wednesday’s shooting, Thomas said.
In June 2020, amid a summer of protests over racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd, Denver Public Schools became one of the districts around the US that decided to phase out its use of police officers in school buildings. That push was fueled by criticism that school resource officers disproportionately arrested Black students, sweeping them into the criminal justice system.
After Wednesday’s shooting, two armed officers will be posted at East High School through the end of the school year, and other city high schools also will each get an officer, said Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero.
In a Wednesday letter to the city’s Board of Education, Marrero said his decision violated district’s policies but added he “can no longer stand on the sidelines.”
“I am the leader of this district who is charged with keeping our scholars and staff safe every day,” he wrote. The school board said it supported the decision.
Gun violence at schools has become increasingly common in the U.S. with more than 1,300 shooting incidents recorded between 2000 and June 2022, according to government researchers. Those shootings killed 377 people and wounded 1,025, according to a database maintained by the researchers.
Students from East High School had been scheduled to testify Wednesday afternoon before the Colorado Legislature on gun safety bills.
“This is the reality of being young in America: sitting through a shooting and waiting for information just hours before you’re scheduled to testify in support of gun safety bills,” said Gracie Taub, a 16-year-old East High School sophomore and volunteer with Students Demand Action in Colorado.
Lyle transferred to East High School after being disciplined and removed from a high school in nearby Aurora last school year because of unspecified violations of school policies, said Cherry Creek School District spokesperson Lauren Snell.
Marrero said safety plans for students are enacted in response to “past educational and also behavioral experiences,” adding that it’s a common practice throughout Colorado’s public schools. Officials did not give further details on why Lyle was searched daily.
But daily pat downs are rare, said Franci Crepeau-Hobson, a University of Colorado Denver professor specializing in school violence prevention.
“Clearly they were concerned,” said Crepeau-Hobson. “I can’t imagine they’d do that if there wasn’t a history of the kid carrying a weapon.”
Safety plans often follow threatening or suicidal behavior from a student, said Christine Harms with the Colorado School Safety Resource Center.
East High School, not far from downtown, was locked down as police investigated the shooting, and hundreds of parents lined up along a road outside the school.
Some parents and students vented frustration over violence at the school as they surrounded the police chief. Thomas listened quietly, nodding and promising to engage with the school board.
At the edge of the crowd, a man said the city’s school board members should be recalled for getting rid of police in school, telling a nearby officer “I just want you to be able to do your job.”
In response to the shooting, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeated President Joe Biden’s called for stricter gun laws, including bans on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, and for Congress to “do something” on gun control.
Wednesday was also the second anniversary of 10 people being shot and killed at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.
Muslims in 40 Chandpur villages set to commence Ramadan with Saudi Arabia
As always, Muslims of 40 villages in Chandpur will begin fasting from tomorrow, in line with many Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia.
"Countless followers of this Darbar Sharif, since 1928, have been fasting in the month of Ramadan, following the moon sighting of Saudi Arabia and Middle Eastern countries,” Hafez Maulana Zakaria Chowdhury (Madani Huzur), son of late Maulana Ishaq (RA), pir of Sadra Darbar Sharif in Sadra village of Hajiganj upazila of Chandpur, told UNB.
Devotees of about 40 villages of the district also celebrate the two Eids following Saudi Arabia, he said.
The followers of this view are offering Taraweeh prayers in the mosque tonight and sehri in the early hours of Thursday, said Anwar Hossain Mamun Munshi of Faridganj Tora Munshirhat.
In addition to Hajiganj and Faridganj, about 40 other villages of Matlab North, Kachua and Shahrasti upazila will observe the holy Month of Ramadan and Eid following this schedule.
As it is a matter of faith, no one including the local administration ever objects. Unstead, police are present to avoid unpleasant incidents, said locals.
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Bus runs over motorcyclist in Hatirjheel
A motorcyclist died yesterday after being run over by a bus in Dhaka’s Hatirjheel.The deceased was identified as Anisul Huq Saki, 25, a lawyer.The incident took place around 7:30 pm on Wednesday.Hatirjheel Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Abdul Quader said, quoting the victim's brother-in-law Al Amin, that Saki was a trainee lawyer and he used to stay at a mess in Uttara area and came to visit his elder sister’s house at Sonalibagh in Hatirjheel.Saki was on his way to Uttara on his motorcycle when a bus hit him from behind on the Moghbazar wireless slope. He died at the scene, said Amin.SI Abdul Kader recovered the body from the spot. After the legal process, the body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Morgue for an autopsy.
No scope for reinstating caretaker government in the country: Quader to US Ambassador Haas
Ruling Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Wednesday reiterated that there is no scope for reinstating the so-called caretaker government in the electoral system of Bangladesh.
“Today I (Quader) told US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas that there is no chance for the so-called caretaker government to come back in the country,” he said.
Quader, also Road, Transport and Bridges minister, said this while addressing as the chief guest at a function organised by the AL’s student wing Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL) marking the 103rd birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children’s Day at conference room of TSC auditorium on Dhaka University campus.
Addressing the current stance of the opposition BNP, Quader observed that the BNP’s power got weakened and stuck in quicksand as they don’t have any way to escape.
Terming the BNP as an illegal party, he said the party was also formed by an illegal person.
“Mirza Fakkhul Islam Alamgir is also an illegal secretary general of that party who has been serving the party for the past two twelve years, though he demands the resignation of the government but he should resign himself from the post of the secretary general,” he said.
"Whatever they are talking about is absolutely bogus regarding their demands, movements, processions, protests and their leaders," he continued.
Hinting at the BCL and their activities, Quader, also former GS of the BCL, said threateningly, “I want to make it clear that there is no need for bad boys in the BCL committee. Those having bad mentality, intention, and allegation of extortion, seat business and drug addiction will have to be excluded from the full-fledged committee”.
He also said that the BCL followers who have criminal records are suspended but later the embargo will also be lifted after a few days.
“Their punishments should be permanent and strict disciplinary and administrative actions shall be taken against them,” he said.
AL Presidium Member Jahangir Kabir Nanak, party Member Tarana Halim, DU unit BCL President Majharul Kabir Soyon and General Secretary Tanvir Hasan Saikat were present among other.
BCL President Saddam Hussein chaired the function, which was conducted by its General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan.
Asia-Pacific needs 42 years to reach SDGs: UN
Asia-Pacific achieved 14.4 percent progress needed to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and it will take another 42 years for the region to reach the goalpost, said a United Nations (UN) report.
At the current pace, Asia-Pacific will miss 90 percent of the 118 measurable SDG targets by 2030 unless efforts are multiplied, the Asia and the Pacific Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report 2023 issued Wednesday by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) added.
"While there are impressive national accomplishments across the 17 goals, none of the countries in the region is on track to reach them and overall achievement is much lower than anticipated for the midpoint," said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations under-secretary-general and executive secretary of ESCAP.
"In developed and developing countries alike, persistent data gaps remain. Governments must renew their commitments to producing relevant, timely, granular, high-quality information to monitor and review the march towards the SDGs."
In 2022, the areas of greatest progress for Asia-Pacific were affordable and clean energy (Goal 7) and industry, innovation and infrastructure (Goal 9).
Progress towards achieving Goal 7 was largely driven by achievements in access to electricity and international support for clean and renewable energy, while there was little progress in the share of renewable energy consumption.
Progress towards achieving Goal 9 was driven by successes in mobile network coverage and total official flows for infrastructure development in the least developed countries.
However, progress towards climate action (Goal 13) is slipping away. The region is both a victim of the impact of climate change and a perpetrator of climate change, with a responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Countries are not on track to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. The region is also regressing on Goal 13 owing to the increase in deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters.
While there is enough data for countries to act with greater ambition on the implementation of the SDGs, data availability for evidence-based follow-up and review remains a significant hurdle in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The report notes significant data gaps in Goal 5 (gender equality), Goal 14 (life below water) and Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), each with less than 30 percent sufficient data available.
Chattogram: Coca-Cola Foundation awards grant to enhance water resilience for 40,000 low-income people
The Coca-Cola Foundation recently awarded a grant to Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) to enhance water resilience for 40,000 residents of low-income communities (LICs) in Chattogram.
The project aims to increase access to clean, safe water supply through upgraded infrastructure and services, and improve water usage behaviours in the communities.
The pilot project "Enhancing community water resilience for low-income communities" will demonstrate climate-resilient water facilities in LICs. It will also promote water stewardship, helping protect water supplies from exploitation, contamination, and wastage while reducing risks of water-related illnesses and supporting water conservation and security.
Coca-Cola Foundation President Saadia Madsbjerg said: "Sustainable access to safe water is a core priority area for The Coca-Cola Foundation and we are proud to support the work of WSUP in improving water access in Chattogram."
The framework of the project will be divided into three parts – communal water supply points, water management, conservation, and hygiene and institutional sustainability for greater impact and higher reach.
The communal water supply points will focus on improving and extending safely managed water supply facilities for 8,000 people in selected LICs. Water management, conservation and hygiene activities will try to improve water management and usage behaviours of LIC residents, reaching 40,000 people.
At the same time, the institutional sustainability part of the project will provide institutional training to local government bodies to strengthen and deliver sustainable water supply services.
Md Habibur Rahman, acting country manager of WSUP said, "A significant number of low-income communities reside in Chattogram. They are the backbone of society and their contribution to society is commendable. It gives me pleasure that with the support of The Coca-Cola Foundation, we will be able to bring a positive change in their life and help them develop their communities."
The announcement of this project was shared during World Water Day celebration organised by WSUP and Chattogram WASA.
Early pregnancy prevalent among lower income groups: Study
Pregnancy before the age of 18 is prevalent among the lower per capita household income groups, said a survey report published Wednesday.
"Monitoring the Implementation of SDGs for Ensuring Girls and Child Rights in Bangladesh" was shared at an event organised by Plan International Bangladesh, Aparajeyo Bangladesh, Yes Bangladesh and Youth for Change at a hotel in Dhaka.
The data collection was carried out in June 2021 and in January 2022. A total of 3,175 households were randomly chosen and interviewed, especially women of reproductive age (15-49 years) from 64 districts.
The prevalence of becoming pregnant before the age of 18 is the highest (46.3 percent) among the lowest per capita household income groups (Tk2,500 per month), said the report.
Among the participants, 35.8 percent of the women first became pregnant before the age of 18 years. The highest was observed in Rangpur division (48.9 percent).
Shamim Ahmed, executive director of Yes Bangladesh, said most women aged 14-49 years know family planning methods (93.9 percent) and 78.4 percent use such methods.
Decisions regarding the use of family planning (FP) methods are taken jointly by males and females in 69.3 percent of households. They mostly receive family planning information from television (53.7 percent), community workers (33.2 percent) and social media (29.5 percent).
About 18.0 percent of surveyed women faced physical violence over the last 12 months. About 21.9 percent (highest) of the women reported physical violence with less than Tk2,500 per capita monthly income and about 9.5 percent (lowest) of the women reported physical violence with more than Tk10,000 per capita monthly income.
Among the surveyed women 14.7 percent reported that they faced obstruction regarding studies or employment by male family members. The highest (20.1 percent) was found in Mymensingh division.
The survey results reveal that about 46.2 percent of the households have children who faced physical punishment and/or psychological aggression at home and outside (e.g. educational institutions, public places, and transport).
Preservation of the national heritage has been a top priority for the government: KM Khalid
State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid on Wednesday said that the country's history, heritage, and cultural preservation are top priorities for the current government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
As a part of this, the restoration and conservation work of the historical ‘Hammam Khana’ (Royal Bathhouse) of Lalbagh Fort, built during the Mughal period by Emperor Aurangzeb’s third son Prince Muhammad Azam Shah, has been completed recently with the funding of the US Embassy in Dhaka.
The State Minister expressed gratitude on behalf of the reigning government to the US Embassy on Wednesday at the closing ceremony of the project titled “Restoring, Retrofitting, and 3D Architectural Documentation of Historical Mughal-era Hammam Khana at Lalbagh Fort,” at Old Dhaka in the capital.
The event was joined by the State Minister as the chief guest, with special guests US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas and Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Abul Mansur. The ceremony was chaired by Chandan Kumar Dey, Director General, Department of Archaeology, while the adviser of the project Dr Abu Sayeed M Ahmed, Dean at the school of environmental Science and Design, University of Asia Pacific, briefly demonstrated the project.
Back in March 2021, the then-US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid officially inaugurated the US-funded Lalbagh Fort cultural preservation and architectural documentation project in Old Dhaka, marking the golden jubilee of the country’s independence, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth centenary and the golden jubilee of the diplomatic ties between the US government and Bangladesh.
The project was funded through the US government’s prestigious Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), which supported restoring the Mughal-era Hammam Khana, one of three primary structures at the Lalbagh Fort complex dating from the 17th century with an allotment of USD 185,933 (around BDT 2 crores).
At the closing ceremony of the project, special guest Ambassador Peter Haas said, “Promoting cultural diversity, supporting freedom of expression, and preserving cultural heritage around the world are priorities for the United States. All of us must work together and protect the richness of our cultural heritage for future generations.”
State Minister KM Khalid said that the Ministry of Cultural Affairs is working on the renovation and preservation of several historical and archaeological structures, including the Bara Sardar's house located on the premises of Sonargaon Folk and Crafts Foundation, which has been beautifully renovated.
“An initiative has been taken to restore and preserve the historic Panam City of Sonargaon through the Directorate of Archaeology. Survey activities have already been completed, documentation work is in progress. Its successful completion will mark a milestone in the archaeological restoration-preservation of the country,” Khalid said at the event.
Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Abul Mansur said, “Lalbagh Fort is an important monument built during the Mughal period, characterized for its archaeological and unique architecture with historical importance. The renovation and preservation work of Lalbagh Fort ‘Hammam Khana’ has been carried out following the proper rules of UNESCO guidelines and Heritage Impact Assessment.”
The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) is among the US government’s most significant cultural initiatives abroad. In the past 20 years, the United States has supported 11 AFCP projects in Bangladesh at a total value of over $576,000 (BDT 6 crores) to preserve and restore its cultural heritage and patrimony.