Dhaka, Mar 18 (UNB) – Students of Dhaka University on Monday demonstrated on the campus demanding reelection to Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu).

Several hundred students, including activists and followers of the different panels who boycotted the Ducsu polls, brought out a procession from the base of Raju Sculpture around 12:30pm and paraded through the campus shouting slogans for reelection.

Later, they took position in front of the vice-chancellor’s office and have been observing a ‘sit-in’ till filling of this report around 2pm.

The March 11 Ducsu polls, the first in 28 years, were marred by allegations of irregularities. All panels, except that of Awami League’s student front Bangladesh Chhatra League, boycotted the elections alleging vote fraud.

Chhatra League's panel dominated the polls but its VP candidate was defeated by quota reform movement leader Nurul Haq Nur.

Dhaka, Mar 18 (UNB) - Youthpreneur Network has recently organized the first episode of the fourth season of a series of talks, Menta Liberation. 

The talk was held at EMK Center in the city on 9th March, said a press release.

The topic of this episode was ‘Social Entrepreneurship: Career & Future’ where about 60 participants attended.

Shakil Ahmed, associate director (public affairs) of Teach for Bangladesh and Abdullah Chowdhury Robin, head of Centre for Emotional Intelligence and Innovation, BRAC University, conducted the talk as speaker and mentor respectively. 

They provided the proper guidelines to develop the social enterprises of the audience.

Founders from many social enterprises attended the talk for their development.

Menta Liberation is one of the prominent projects by Youthpreneur Network. 

Every year they arrange talks on various topics where prominent mentors of our country conduct the sessions every time.

At the end, Founder and President of Youthpreneur Network, Khandaker Abdullah Al Tahmid, handed over the crest of appreciation of the speakers. 

Besides, Md Faqrul Islam Fahad, senior officer of Save the Children and Bivor Faruque Adrito, vice president of Youthpreneur Network were also present at the talk. 

Participants were given participation certificates. 

United News of Bangladesh (UNB) was the media partner of this talk which was sponsored by Desire Glance Events and EMK Center. Academus, Eduber, Imagination – these three social enterprises played their role as the knowledge partner of this talk.
 

Dhaka, Mar 17 (UNB) - Children painted the beautiful landscape of Bangladesh, wrote essays about their dreams, told stories and recited poems in the celebrations of the 99th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the National Children’s Day.

The joyful celebrations of the day by Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi were entirely conducted and participated by the children of the mission’s diplomats and staff.

The children joined High Commissioner Syed Muazzem Ali in placing flower petals at a makeshift portrait of the Father of the Nation and in cutting a cake, while singing in chorus, Happy Birthday to Bangabandhu, Long Live Bangladesh.

They read out birthday messages from President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shariar Alam, said the High Commission.

Speaking briefly on the occasion, Syed Muazzem urged the children to read and learn more about the great leader and the founder of Bangladesh. 

Bangalees owe their independence to Bangabandhu and it will be “our duty to work for building” a Sonar Bangla, the dream of the Father of the Nation, he said.

The programme was rounded off with the screening of a documentary on the life and work of Bangabandhu.
 

Dhaka, Mar 17 (UNB) – Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said Bangabandhu’s “comprehensive understanding” of people and the country and his pro-people policy brought many achievements for the country through its engagement internationally.

“Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had brought much pride for the country wherever he went anywhere,” said the Foreign Minister.

He made the remarks while addressing a seminar titled ‘Bangabandhu in the International Arena’ arranged by Bangladesh Study Trust at the Jatiya Press Club marking Bangabandhu’s 99th birth anniversary. 

State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Murad Hasan spoke at the seminar as a special guest while former Ambassador AKM Atiqur Rahman presented the keynote paper. 

Dr Mamun Al Mahtab Shapnil, Dr Nuzhat Choudhury, DCAB general secretary Nurul Islam Hasib, among others, spoke at the programme with Prof Dr Uttam Kumar Barua in the chair.

Recalling Bangabandhu’s profound wisdom and strong personality, the Foreign Minister said, “We’re lucky that we had a statesman like Bangabandhu.”     

He highlighted Bangabandhu’s foreign policy - 'friendship to all, malice to none'- and cited Bangabandhu’s notion that he was neither a pro-Indian nor a pro-American. “Rather, Bangabandhu was pro-people.” 

Dr Momen said Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also follows her father who has deep understanding about the country and its people.

He said Bangladesh is in a better position today by materialising its each development goal under the leadership of Prime Minister Hasina.

Dhaka, Mar 17 (UNB) – Election to 116 upazila parishads will be held on Monday in the second phase of the local body polls.

The voting will kick off at 8am and continue till 4pm without any break.

Some 377 chairman, 548 vice-chairman and 400 woman vice-chairman candidates are contesting the election in the 116 upazilas where there are some 17,909,006 voters under 7,039 polling stations.

Besides, 23 chairman, 13 vice-chairman and 12 woman vice-chairman contestants have already been elected uncontested in the absence of any valid candidate to oppose them.

The Election Commission has completed all necessary preparations to arrange the election to 116 upazilas in 16 districts including Thakurgaon, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Dinajpur, Bogura, Naogaon, Pabna, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Gopalganj, Faridpur, Chattogram, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar.

“The EC has taken all necessary preparations to hold this election in a peaceful manner,” EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed said at pre-election briefing at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city.

Considering the situation in the Chittagong Hill Tract area, army members were deployed for three days in 25 upazilas in Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts to maintain the law and order during the polls, he said.   

“We sought assistance of the army in the CHT districts. The army members are performing the election duty on March 17-19 there,” said the EC secretary.

A large number of security members, including police, Rab, BGB and Coast Guard, have been deployed in the election areas since Saturday. They are slated to remain so till Wednesday.

Besides, a judicial magistrate was deployed in each upazila and an executive magistrate for every three union parishads for the five days to punish any violations of the polls code.

A security team comprising of 14-16 members drawn from police, Ansar and VDP will guard each polling station on the day.

The Public Administration announced a public holiday in the 116 upazilas for Monday.

On February 7, the Election Commission announced the election schedule for 129 upazilas in phase-II of the 5th countrywide upazila elections.

Later, the polls to seven upazila parishads were postponed on different grounds. 

Besides, the candidates against all the upazila parishad posts of six upazilas have already been elected uncontested.

The first phase of the election was held on March 10.

The 5th upazila election will be completed in five phases holding polls to some 480 upazilas out of the country's 492 ones. The EC has so far announced the election schedule for the first four phases.

The third phase election is scheduled to be held on March 24 and the fourth phase on March 31.

The first upazila election was held in 1985, while the following three were held in 1990, 2009 and 2014. The 4th upazila election was arranged in six phases after the 10th parliamentary elections were held in January 2014.