bangladesh
Woman found dead in Chattogram water tank
The body of a 21-year-old woman was recovered from a water tank of a house at Bandartila in Chattogram city on Saturday night.
The deceased was identified as Marjina Akter, daughter of Wahidul Gazi of Bauphal upazila in Patuakhali district.
Abdul Karim, officer-in-charge of Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Police Station, said Marjina along with her husband Md. Hasan and seven-month-old baby used to live on the 4th floor of a building.
Read more: Two unidentified bodies recovered from Dhaka streets
Marjina remained missing since Thursday afternoon. Getting no whereabouts, Hasan lodged a general diary with EPZ Police Station on Friday.
On Saturday night, the residents of the building complained to the house owner about bad odor from the water tank of the building.
On information, police went to the spot and recovered the decomposed body of Marjina.
Police suspected that Hasan might have killed his wife and dumped the body into the water tank.
Hasan went into hiding after the recovery of her body.
Dhaka's air quality 'unhealthy' as winter approaches
Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone Sunday morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 186 at 8:26 am, the metropolis ranked second in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
India’s Delhi and China’s Beijing occupied the first and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 226 and 170, respectively.
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.
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.
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 a 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.
HSC, equivalent exams starting today
Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams for the academic session 2021-22 are being held from today.
The exams will be held from 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm.
This year, a total of 12,03,407 examinees are sitting for the exams. Of them, 6,22,769 are boys and 5,80,611 are girls.
Read more: HSC exams to be held with shortened syllabus, question paper
HSC, equivalent exams are being held in 2,649 centers and 9,181 institutions.
Examinees will not be allowed to carry mobile phones or any other devices.
According to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, written HSC exams will continue till December 13. Practical exams will be held from December 15 to 22.
Examinees will have to sit for the HSC exams for three hours — for 100 marks — in all subjects.
Students will have two hours to finish the exams — 20 minutes for multiple-choice questions (MCQs), and 1 hour and 40 minutes for creative questions (CQs).
HSC exams are kicking off with Bangla first paper.
All coaching centres across Bangladesh are closed from November 3 to December 14 as per the directives of the government.
Read more: Over 12 lakh students expected to sit for HSC exams from Sunday
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has imposed a ban on the movement of anyone except Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) candidates and exam officials, within 200 yards of test centres in the capital.
The DMP announced the new step in a statement Thursday. The public will be completely barred from travelling within 200 yards of test centres to ensure "proper and lawful" exams, according to DMP Commissioner Khandker Gulam Faruq.
Bangladesh ambassador presents credentials to Chilean president
Bangladesh Ambassador Sadia Faizunnesa has presented her credentials to Chilean president Gabriel Boric Font at Palacio de La Moneda in Chile's capital Santiago.
Sadia assumed the charge of ambassador of Bangladesh to Brazil on October 17, 2021. She will also serve as Bangladesh's non-resident ambassador to Chile and Bolivia.
Following the presentation of her credentials Friday, the Bangladesh ambassador had a meeting with Gabriel Boric.
Sadia spoke about the friendship between legendary Latin American leader Fidel Castro and Bangladesh's Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Boric said he was touched when he learned what Fidel Castro said about Bangabandhu in 1973: "I have not seen the Himalayas. But I have seen Sheikh Mujib. In personality and in courage, this man is the Himalayas. I have thus had the experience of witnessing the Himalayas."
The Chilean president lauded the rapid, unprecedented socio-economic progress of Bangladesh, calling the country a role model for developing countries.
Boric also gladly accepted the invitation to visit Bangladesh.
Read more: New Zealand's new envoy presents his credentials to President Hamid
HSC examinees decline under Jashore Board
The number of students taking the Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent examinations in Jashore Board has declined this year, scheduled to begin on Sunday.
As the pass rate was high in the last year, the number of irregular candidates declined, said Prof. Madhav Chandra Rudra, controller of Examination of Jashore Board.
Besides, due to Covid-19, many may have shifted to other places, or have stopped their studies and engaged in some other work, resulting in a downward trend, he added.
Last year, 1,28,167 candidates (1 lakh 28 thousand 167) participated in the HSC examination from Jashore Board while 1,00,709 (1 lakh 709) candidates are participating this year, he added.
Farmer killed in wild elephant attack in Sherpur
A 61-year-old farmer was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Jhenaigati upazila of Sherpur district on Saturday night.
The deceased was identified as Rabijal Mia, son of Samar Sheikh of Tilapara village.
The tragedy occurred around 8pm in Tawakucha area of the upazila, said Monirul Alam Bhuiya, officer-in-charge of Jhenaigati police station.
Rabijal was attacked by the wild elephant when he, along with villagers, went to chase a herd of elephants, said the OC. "He was killed on the spot."
An unnatural death case will be filed in this regard, added the OC.
"It will depend on the deceased's family whether the body will be autopsied or not," the officer said.
Over 12 lakh students expected to sit for HSC exams from Sunday
The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations for the academic session 2021-2022 will begin across the country Sunday (November 06, 2022) with the Bangla first paper.
More than 12.03 lakh students are expected to take the tests at 2,649 centres, from 9,181 institutions under 11 education boards; among them, there are 622,796 male students and 580,611 female students.
According to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, written HSC exams will begin on November 6 and will continue till December 13. Practical exams will be held from December 15 to 22.
Read more: SSC, HSC for 2023 will be held on all subjects
The exams will be held from 11 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 4 pm.
All coaching centres across Bangladesh will remain closed till December 14 during the exams.
Also, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has imposed a ban on the movement of anyone except HSC examinees and exam officials, within 200 yards of test centres in the capital.
The DMP announced the new step in a statement Thursday.
Read more: SSC, HSC Certificate Information Change or Correction Process in Bangladesh
The public will be completely barred from travelling within 200 yards of test centres to ensure "proper and lawful" exams, according to DMP Commissioner Khandker Gulam Faruq.
The order will remain in force until the end of the HSC and equivalent exams in Bangladesh.
‘Intense, fragile, powerful’: Forbes effusively lauds Paris exhibit on Bangladesh’s birth, Bangabandhu
“So intense, so fragile, and so powerful”. This is how a Forbes feature describes the Paris exhibit showcasing Anne de Henning’s photos capturing the tumultuous days of Bangladesh’s independence struggle and its founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In reference to the ongoing exhibition that brings to life never seen before photos from the battlefield and of the architect behind the country’s birth Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Alexandra Fein, Executive Director of Asia Now, Paris Asian Art Fair was all praises and delivered the above-mentioned quote.
Forbes, an influential and acclaimed global magazine, published the in depth feature on the photo exhibition “Witnessing History in the Making: Photographs by Anne de Henning” that would remain on display until January 23, 2023 at Guimet Museum of Asian Art in Paris. The museum holds the largest collection of Asian art outside of Asia.
Pointing to the systematic manipulation of history following the gruesome assassination of Mujib along with most of his family members, the Forbes article found incredibly rare images of the Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as a key highlight of the show.
“Most images of Mujib were destroyed during the coup of 1975,” the article reads.
“Especially uncommon” is how the article describes those images of the young country’s founder.
“These images were taken by de Henning upon her return to Bangladesh in 1972 when she went to witness Rahman’s address to the nation after the United States officially recognized Bangladesh as sovereign,” reads the write up.
Importantly, with focus on every aspect of the exhibition, the feature attributed the initiative as a marker of the country’s culture.
Reminding Bangladesh’s heroic battle against Pakistani Army in 1971 and the finest hours of the founding father Mujib in an independent nation, the article reads: “Tragic events certainly deserve all the attention they can get but a country cannot be defined without taking into account its cultural scene”.
Interacting with Forbes, de Henning commented, “I think it is important that in looking at the images the viewers feel the extent of the courage and determination with which the Bengali people were ready to fight to achieve independence for their country”.
The exhibition was earlier held in Dhaka and has been produced by Samdani Art Foundation and Centre for Research and Information(CRI).
Radwan Mujib Siddiq, grandson of Bangabandhu and a trustee of CRI, alongside others made a visit to the museum. A graduate from London School and Economics, Radwan is the publisher and architect behind ‘Mujib’, an autobiographical graphic novel on the Father of the Nation for young readers. He also played a key role in the making of “Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale”, a docudrama on his aunt Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and mother Sheikh Rehana.
Read more: Radwan Mujib visits Paris photo exhibit on Bangladesh’s birth, Bangabandhu
Importantly, the French photographer captured Bangabandhu giving a speech at the first Council Meeting of Awami League after the independence of Bangladesh. “I came specifically from Calcutta to photograph the event,” de Henning said. Although at the time she favoured shooting in black and white, de Henning chose to capture this event in colour because of the vibrant blue, white and red stripes of the shamiyana — ceremonial tent — that housed the event.
Rajeeb Samdani, who is a Co-Founder and Trustee of the Samdani Art Foundation, told Forbes, “We have failed to tell the story of our genocide. We have failed to tell the story of our long history of art and literature. We have failed to tell our history which involves a lot of sacrifice and trauma. Through all of this struggle we have become one of the top three largest garment exporters in the world and the second fastest growing economy in the world. So, our story today is one of growth, culture, and perseverance and this is the story we want to tell.”
Read more: Dhaka edition of World Press Photo Exhibition 2022 opens at Drik Gallery
FM condemns attack on ex-judge Manik
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has strongly condemned the ‘barbaric attack’ on ex-Supreme Court Judge AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik.
"Manik was a strong voice during the Liberation War. The attack on him is highly condemnable," Momen said in a media statement on Saturday.
With this heinous attack by the anti-liberation group on the distinguished citizen, their terrorist face has been exposed once again in front of the people, he said.
Read: 7 years in condemn cell despite acquittal: HC orders judicial inquiry
He expressed shock and anguish over the attack and hope that those involved will be brought to justice soon.
The retired Supreme Court judge claimed to have come under attack while on his way to attend a TV talk show on Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 4:15 pm when he was crossing Nayapaltan area near Rajarbagh Central police Hospital, where the BNP’s city unit was holding a rally.
CRB saved: Ctg residents end movement
Concerned citizens of Port City Chittagong on Saturday announced the end of their movement to save the Chattogram Railway Building (CRB) premises after getting assurances from the government that no hospital will be built there.
According to civic group Nagarik Samaj, the Chattogram residents had been protesting for 483 days to save CRB, also called the lungs of the city for the green space it provides amid all the concrete and pollution.
Public representatives of the ruling party on Saturday attended a rally arranged by Nagarik Samaj at CRB and said all the parliament members from Chattogram had signed an application seeking to stop construction of a hospital there and handed it to the Prime Minister.
MP Mosharraf Hossain, Awami League presidium member, said, “We have sent our application to the Railway Minister and he took it to the Prime Minister. She is also against the construction of a hospital destroying a natural and historical place like CRB.”
Read: 7 injured, 2 missing after collision between two water vehicles in Kaptai Lake
”We held a meeting with Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan and he said he had discussed the matter with the Prime Minister. She said no hospital will be built, destroying the environment and nature. Sometimes such projects are taken mistakenly,” said Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud, who joined the rally over a phone call.
MP Mosharraf Hossain said soon the Prime Minister will make an announcement herself that no hospital will be built at CRB.
Leaders of Nagarik Samaj, which has been leading the protests against the plans to build a hospital in the CRB area, demanded to convert it into a national park.
The idea to build a hospital under Private Public Partnership in CRB was first broached at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on August 14, 2013.
But the project was finally approved in February 2020.
However, residents of the Port City got a rude shock when they came to learn about it on a signboard that appeared at the intended site around July last year
By mid-July, the shock turned into a movement against the hospital planned at CRB, and it kept gaining momentum.
On July 17, 2021, they held rallies, a tree plantation program, formed a human chain and even engaged in other forms of protests all day against the planned hospital.
Read: 2 journos injured after stage broken in BNP's Barishal rally
A legal notice was sent to concerned individuals including the Cabinet Secretary, Secretary of the Ministry of Railways, Director General of Bangladesh Railways and a few others by the Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation’ on behalf of the protestors to move the hospital site elsewhere.
Built by the British colonial administration in 1872 as the headquarters of the Assam-Bengal Railway , CRB is a scenic, hilly quarter of the Port City known for its Shireesh trees. Surrounded by centuries-old trees, hills, hills and valleys, this area is home to a variety of species of birds and animals.
Chattogram residents celebrate the Bengali New Year on April 14 every year on an open stage called "Shireeshtala" at CRB area. CRB also hosts the famed "Boli Khela", an annual freehand wrestling challenge that draws competitors from far and wide.
Besides, ordinary citizens of all ages and backgrounds gather in the area every day to catch the fresh air.