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Blast leaves 7 burnt in city warehouse
At least seven people were received burn injuries following an explosion in a hand sanitizer godown in Rajabari area of Kamarpara in the city on Saturday.
The injured were identified as rickshaw garage owner Gazi Mazharul Islam, 48, Md. Mizan,35, Md. Nur Hossain,60, Md. Alam Mia 20, Masum, 35, Md. Al-Amin,30 and Md. Shaheen, 25.
Read: Two suffer burn injuries in blast at S Alam Power Plant
Officer-in-Charge of Torag Police Station Mehedi Hasan told UNB that the blast occurred around 11:45 am in a godown of hand sanitizer, leaving the seven people wounded.
Local people rescued them and rushed to the emergency department of the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, he said.
Resident surgeon Dr. SM Ayub Hossain of the institute said most of the injured are in critical condition.
Dengue: 77 new patients hospitalised in 24 hrs
Another 77 dengue patients were hospitalised in 24 hours till Saturday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
All the new patients were hospitalised in Dhaka, it said.
As many as 380 dengue patients including 306 in the capital are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
Also read: Dengue numbers keep rising: 1 more death, 40 cases reported
On Friday, this year’s death toll from the mosquito-borne viral disease rose to 14 with one more death reported from Dhaka.
Among the total deaths, nine were reported from Cox’s Bazar while five from Dhaka.
On June 21, the DGHS reported the first death of the season from the viral disease.
In July, the country reported 1,571 dengue cases with nine deaths.
Also read: Another Dengue patient dies; 91 hospitalised in 24 hrs
This year, the DGHS has recorded 3,097 dengue cases and 2,703 recoveries so far.
Fuel price hike by govt just rubbing salt in wounds: BNP
Slamming the government for raising the fuel prices to get IMF’s loan, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday voiced concern that it will hit the common people hard as the prices of all essential items will go up further.
“The fuel prices were abruptly increased by almost 50 percent last night (Friday night). It’s just rubbing salt in the wounds,” he said.
The BNP leader came up with the remarks while addressing a rally in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan central office arranged by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, protesting the killing of its Bhola district unit president Noor-e-Alam and local Swechchasebak Dal leader Abdur Rahim in police firing on July 31.
Stating that the presence of vehicles on the roads has reduced significantly on Saturday, Fakhrul said the fuel price hike will have a terrible impact on the economy of the country and badly affect people.
“Because the transportation cost will go up which will ultimately push up the prices of all essential commodities, including rice, pulses, salt and edible oils. “The country will be affected and the common people, including the day-labourers, will be hit hard,” he feared.
The BNP leader alleged that the government has long been giving people false information about the country’s foreign exchange reserves. “But they’ve now sought a $4.5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the reserves shrunk.”
He said the IMF has given tough conditions for receiving its loan, including withdrawing the government’s subsidies from different products and sectors. “So, they (govt) are now doing that (to get the loan)."
The BNP leader said state minister for power and energy Nasrul Hamid on Friday hinted at a slight increase in the fuel prices keeping them at a tolerable level, but the prices were raised greatly at night.
He said the government has been repeatedly hiking the prices of power, gas, fuel and soybean oil, leaving the country’s people in serious suffering. “The prices of green chilli are now Tk300. People have got agitated and unnerved due to such repression."
Read: All avenues of justice for people shut: BNP
Stating that the current government has now become a ''dreadful ‘monster'', Fakhrul said it is now the only responsibility of the patriotic people to dislodge this regime to save the country from ruination.
Strongly condemning the police firing at their party’s peaceful programme in Bhola, he said this government has been staying in power by spreading fear, shooting people and killing and injuring them. “That’s why the incidents of killing have been taking place. The sacrifices of Noor-e-Alam and Abdur Rahim will make our movement for democracy stronger and intensify it.”
Fakhrul alleged that the Awami League government is not only attacking opposition parties and BNP but also indulging in widespread corruption to secure its illegal power.
He called upon all student bodies and political parties to wake up and defeat the current government through a united movement, paving the way for establishing a people’s parliament and government by holding a credible election under a non-party administration.
Not BNP, AL hatching plots
In an oblique reference to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s comment that a plot is going on again to oust her from power, the BNP leader said the ruling party used to treat any statement against its repression and misdeeds as a plot.
“It’s you (AL) who are conspiring. We don't do it. We are going to people to remove you from power with an open announcement and we'll resolve the problem on the streets,” he observed.
Fakhrul urged the BNP leaders and activists to organise people alongside strengthening the party’s organisational capacity to ensure the fall of the current 'fascist' regime. "If we can do that, only then we will be able to repay the debt of blood of Noor-e-Alam and Abdur Rahim.
739 lives lost on roads in July in Bangladesh: RSF
As many as 739 people including 109 children were killed and 2042 others injured in 632 road accidents across the country in July.
Of these, 251 people died in motorbike accidents alone, which is 33.96% of the total fatalities, Road Safety Foundation said in its latest report released on Saturday.
These road crashes left 118 pedestrians, 137 drivers and their assistants dead during the period.
On the other hand, 14 waterways accidents claimed at least 18 lives with seven injuries. Besides, 41 were killed and 33 others injured in 26 train accidents across Bangladesh last month.
Also read: Father-daughter die, 3 of family hurt as car falls into canal in Sylhet
Road Safety Foundation prepared the report based on the reports of nine national dailies, seven online news portals and electronic media.
Of the total accidents, 252 accidents occurred on the national highways, 199 on regional roads, 109 on rural roads, 64 on city roads and eight in other places, said the report.
According to the report, 31.48% accidents occurred in Dhaka division, 15.18 % in Rajshahi, 16.61% in Chattogram, 13.13% in Khulna, 5.69% in Barishal, 4.90 % in Sylhet, 6%in Rangpur and 6.69% in Mymensingh divisions.
The highest number of accidents was recorded in Dhaka division where 228 people were killed in 199 accidents. Forty-six people were killed in Barishal division, the lowest compared to other divisions, said the report.
The RSF pointed out several major reasons behind the rise in the number of road accidents.
Also read: Mirsharai tragedy: Death toll rises to 12 as another dies at Ctg hospital
The reasons include - faulty vehicles; reckless driving; desperate mentality, incompetence and illness of drivers; unsettled wages and working hours; prevalence of low-speed traffic on highways; reckless motorcycling by the youth; the tendency of flouting traffic rules, poor management of traffic; lack of efficiency of the BRTA; and extortion in the sector.
The RSF urged the authorities concerned to take necessary initiative to address the issues.
Fuel price hike: Passengers suffer as buses go off roads in capital
The hike in fuel prices by the government on Friday has resulted in an acute transport crisis in Dhaka, causing untold sufferings to commuters as a large number of buses stayed off the roads on Saturday morning.
In an abrupt move, the government increased the prices of diesel, octane and petrol by 42.5 percent, 51.7 percent and 51 percent respectively Friday night. Currently, diesel is being sold at Tk 114 per litre, octane at Tk 135 per litre and petrol at Tk 130 per litre.
Transport owners decided not to operate buses following the government’s announcement, triggering transport shortage in the capital.
Also read: Brace for bus & ferry fare hike
Masuma Nasrin Rimi, a private employee working at a multinational company at Gulshan-1, waited in front of Purobi Bus Stand in Mirpur-12 for two hours but couldn’t catch a bus. She had to share a CNG-run auto-rickshaw with another office goer to reach Mohakhali Wireless Gate area.
Brace for bus & ferry fare hike
Be ready to shell out more for a bus or a ferry ride in Bangladesh.
With the government raising fuel prices effective Saturday -- one of the steepest hikes to date, the fuel consumption cost of the transport sector, for both road and river routes, is likely to go up by 13.16-19.18%.
This is according to an analysis by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division.
The government has raised the prices of diesel and kerosene to Tk 114 per litre and that of petrol and octane to Tk 130 and Tk135 per litre, respectively.
This Tk 34 per litre rise in diesel price will push up the per passenger per kilometre bus fare by Tk 0.292 or 16.22% for a 52-seater long-distance bus and by Tk 0.283 or 13.60% for a 52-seater bus operating in the city areas, as per the analysis.
Similarly, the per passenger per kilometre fare of a diesel-run motor launch is likely to shoot up by Tk 0.42 or 19.18%, according to the Energy Division.
Read: Consumer slapped with largest ever hikes in fuel oil prices
So, the per passenger per kilometre long-distance bus fare is likely to go up to Tk 2.092 as against the existing Tk 1.80. For a city coach, it will go up to Tk 2.43 per passenger per kilometre from the existing Tk 2.15, as per the analysis.
Similarly, the per passenger per kilometre launch fare will go up to Tk 2.62 from the current Tk 2.19, said the Energy Division.
The prices of diesel and kerosene were last increased from Tk 65 to Tk 80 per litre on November 4, 2021.
The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL) have adjusted the petroleum prices as they are much higher in the international market as compared to this country, the Energy Division said on Friday.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said, "The government avoided increasing the prices of fuel for as long as it could. Now some adjustments have to be made taking stock of the current global situation."
He, however, offered some hope that the prices may come down if there is any improvement in the situation in the international energy market. "In April 2016, the government reduced the prices of fuel. If the situation normalises, the prices of fuel will be revised accordingly."
Read: Fuel Price hike: Now petrol pump, tank-lorry owners demand rise in commissions, transportation fares
Nasrul said due to the upward trend in fuel prices in the global market, many countries have been regularly making adjustments to prices. It would seem the government has chosen to gain parity with prices in the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal.
West Bengal government set the price of diesel at Rs 92.76 per litre and petrol at Rs 106.03 per litre in Kolkata on May 22, 2022 -- these prices remain in effect and work out to Tk114.09 (diesel) and Tk130.42 (petrol), at an exchange rate of Rs 1 to Tk 1.23.
Also, the BPC already incurred a loss of Tk 8,014.51crore in petroleum sales in the last six months, from February to July.
Osmaninagar tragedy: Another UK expat dies at Sylhet hospital
A British expatriate, who was found unconscious along with her four family members in their rented house in Osmaninagar upazila of Sylhet district on July 26, died at a hospital early Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Samira Islam, daughter of Rafiqul Islam.
Rafiqul, 50, a UK expatriate and his son Mahiqul Islam, 16, died at the same hospital on July 26 after they were found unconscious with three more family members.
SM Main Uddin, officer-in-charge of Osmaninagar Police Station, said Samira had been undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital (SOMCH), where she died around 1.20am early Thursday.
On July 25, the five -- Rafiqul, Mahiqul, Samira, Rafiqul’s wife Husnara Begum, 45, and son Sadiqul Islam, 25 -- were found unconscious inside the house in Tajpur of Osmaninagar upazila. All of them were taken to SOMCH that day.
Of them, Husnara and Sadiqul were discharged from the hospital after recovery on Wednesday (August 3).
Also read: 2 die after 5 members of UK expat family found unconscious in Sylhet
"Samira’s kidney and liver remained dysfunctional due to poisoning and she remained unconscious while undergoing treatment at the hospital," said Dr Gaffar, deputy director of SOMCH. "A medical board was formed for providing treatment to Samira."
Sajjad Ahmad, brother-in-law of Rafiqul, said Rafiqul had come to the country with his family on July 12 for the treatment of his son Sadiqul. After staying in Dhaka for six days, Rafiqul rented the house in Tajpur of the upazila on July 18.
Additional superintendent of Sylhet Police MD Lutfar Rahman said they rescued the five people in unconscious condition from the house on Mangalchandi road in Tajpur Bazar around 11.30 am after receiving a call from the National Emergency Service 999 the following day.
Police suspect that they fell unconscious due to suffocation as the generator was operational for the whole night.
'Banglar Rock Metal' reveals untold glory of 180 Bangladeshi bands
The first-ever Bangladeshi band encyclopedia -- 'Banglar Rock Metal’ -- was unveiled on Friday at Baatighar in Dhaka's Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, an event that reunited the country's music legends.
A visionary publication two decades in the making, the encyclopedia is authored by journalist Haque Faruk and writer Milu Aman, depicting a chronological history of the gradual development of the Bangladeshi band scene with the authentic inclusion of 180 bands with their discography.
Hosted by musician Joy Shahriar, also publisher of Aajob Prokash, the ceremony was joined by several legendary rockstars of the nation, including Naquib Khan from Renaissance, eminent lyricist Shahid Mahmud Jangi, Feedback's Labu Rahman, Maqsudul Haq from Maqsood O' Dhaka, Hamin Ahmed of Miles, Monirul Ahmed Tipu of Warfaze, and Arshad Amin of Rockstrata.
Lauding the book, Maqsudul Haque said, "History was made in the Bangladesh rock fraternity today (Friday) with the publication of ‘Banglar Rock Metal’ -- a comprehensive history book tracing bands and musicians from the early sixties until now. A tirelessly epochal work profiling a staggering 180 bands, kudos go out to the writers, Milu Aman and Haque Faruk Ahmed, together with the publishers for a commendable and beautifully packaged book."
Also read: Maiden book on Bangladeshi band music ‘Banglar Rock Metal’ launches on Friday
Regarding the event, Hamin Ahmed wrote on his Facebook page: "Full credit to Aman and Faruque for taking this 1st step in compiling a brief history in the book 'Banglar Rock Metal.' Was a pleasure to attend and be a part."
The book's co-author Haque Faruk said, "Through the publication of 'Banglar Rock Metal', the encyclopedia that fans of band music have been waiting for, will ensure the accurate presentation of every band’s history. We have cross-checked the information with all the existing and even the former members of the bands, and the book is the outcome of our combined dedication of 20 years, and nearly two years of unremitting work."
Expressing his feelings, the other co-author of the book Milu Aman said, "The history of our enriched band music has been properly documented in our 'Bangla Rock Metal.' It will serve as a complete encyclopedia of our talented band's glorious history."
Published by Aajob Prokash along with a special poster, the book cover is designed by Niaz Ahmed Aungshu. Mustafiz Karigar made the cover typography, while the essential graphics are done by Kousik Zaman.
The printed price of this 450-page hardbound book, band encyclopedia, is Tk 1,000 and also available online at Rokomari dot com.
Lightning kills farmer in Dinajpur
A 38-year-old farmer died after being struck by lightning in Krishtapur village of Dinajpur's Nababganj upazila on Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Robin Saren, son of Babu Ram Soren of the village.
Rashedul Kabir Raju, chairman of Golapganj union, said Robin was struck by lightning while working on his farmland this morning. He died on the way to a local hospital.
Read: Lightning kills two, injures 7 in Natore
Lightning strikes in Bangladesh
Lightning strikes have turned into one of the deadliest natural disasters in Bangladesh, claiming over 200 lives every year.
At least 216 people die every year on an average in lightning strikes, more than by floods, cyclones and other calamities.
More than 70% of the total lightning strikes occur between April and June, say experts.
Fire breaks out at jute warehouse in N’ganj
A fire broke out in a jute warehouse adjacent to Narayanganj Metro Cinema Hall on Saturday.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
The fire broke out in the warehouse around 11.15 am, said Shahjahan Shikder, deputy assistant director (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters.
Read: Child killed, 3 hurt in city fire
On information, four fire tenders were pressed into the service and it took them nearly one hour to bring the blaze under control around 12.10pm.