bangladesh
US lauds Bangladesh’s role in UN peacekeeping
The US Embassy in Dhaka has applauded Bangladesh for the sacrifices it has made in being one of the world’s top contributors to UN peacekeeping operations.
"It’s an opportunity to honor the thousands of Bangladeshis, who have for more than 30 years,helped maintain global peace," said the Embassy in a message marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
Also read:PM: Peacekeepers brighten Bangladesh image abroad, ready to send more
The US Embassy also shared a photo of Squadron Leader Nayma Haque who is one of Bangladesh’s first two female military helicopter pilots.
She also served in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in DR Congo.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, 29 May, offers a chance to pay tribute to the uniformed and civilian personnel’s invaluable contribution to the work of the Organization and to honour nearly 4,200 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving under the UN flag since 1948, including 135 last year.
Also read:International Day of UN Peacekeepers on Sunday
The theme for this year’s Day is "People. Peace. Progress. The Power of Partnerships.”
PM: Peacekeepers brighten Bangladesh image abroad, ready to send more
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said Bangladesh is ready to send more members to the UN peacekeeping missions as the country is committed to playing a stronger role in the establishment of world peace.
“If needed further, we’re ready to send the required number of peacekeepers in response to the call of the United Nations,” she said.
The prime minister was addressing a programme of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2022, held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here, through a videoconference from her official residence Ganobhaban.
“We are committed to playing a stronger role in the establishment of world peace, keeping in view ‘People Peace Progress: the Power of Partnership,’ the theme of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers-2022,” she said.
Hasina called upon all Bangladeshi peacekeepers, including ones of the Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force and Police, to carry out their respective responsibilities with sincerity while maintaining professionalism and integrity in the global peacekeeping operations.
She also asked them to try to keep their lives protected in the missions and brighten the image of the country on the world stage.
“Keep it in mind always that self-confidence is the most important thing in performing any duty. So, you all should carry out your respective duty with confidence. If so, you will be successful,” she said.
Noting that a war following the Coronavirus pandemic is now badly affecting the world economy, she said, “We don’t want any conflict or war. We want peace to be established throughout the world.”
The premier said Bangladesh currently has 6,825 members in UN peacekeeping missions. They account for 9.2 per cent of a total of 75,516 peacekeepers from 121 countries deployed in establishing world peace.
At present, 519 women peacekeepers from Bangladesh are engaged in world peacekeeping operations, she said, adding that the participation of women peacekeepers from Bangladesh armed forces and police is on a gradual rise.
She said Bangladeshi peacekeepers have successfully completed 55 missions in different countries in the world. Now Bangladeshi peacekeepers are engaged in 13 missions around the world.
READ: CAR landmine blast injures 3 Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers
Grassroots dev is our focus, says Hasina on receiving CIRDAP award
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government is developing the country in a planned manner from the grassroots.
“My party Awami League has given priority for the development of rural areas of the country as desired development is not possible leaving the grass root people behind,” she said.
The premier said this while receiving “Azizul Haque Polli Unnayan Padak-2021” (Azizul Haque Rural Development Award-2021) from CIRDAP Director General Dr Cherdsak Virapat at a ceremony at her official residence Ganobhaban.
The Bangladesh-based Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) has honoured the prime minister with the prestigious award in recognition of her contribution to rural development.
Hasina said that the country would achieve desired development and prosperity once rural development is ensured.
READ: Proud to contribute to Bangladesh's impressive development journey: Nordic envoys
She said the Awami League had undertaken necessary plan even when it was outside the state power and that is why after coming to power, it has been able to take the country ahead by working as per its plan.
Pointing out “Amar Bari Amar Khamar” (My Home, My Farm) project, the PM said, her brain child project helped create employment opportunities for the unemployed poor people and there by ensured their socio-economic development.
She mentioned about the digital centre that stated from a remote area named Char Kukri Mukri.
She also said that her government is now implementing the programme My Home, My Farm to ensure the rural people could stand on their own feet and create employment opportunities for others.
She mentioned about the community clinics for providing healthcare facilities to the doorsteps of the rural people.
Truck driver killed in Lalmonirhat road crash
A truck driver was killed in a road crash in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat district Sunday morning.
The deceased was identified as Makej Ali, 34, a resident of Mirzapur village in Sherpur district.
Police said a Burimari-bound truck collided head-on with a Narayanganj-bound truck in Kakina Chapartal area of Lalmonirhat-Burimari road, leaving a driver dead on the spot and three others injured.
READ: Two cops among 4 stabbed by drug peddlers in Lalmonirhat
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kaliganj Police Station Golam Rasul said that the truck driver's body was recovered from the spot.
The injured people were sent to a local hospital first and then one of them was sent to Rangpur Medical College Hospital as his condition deteriorated.
Freedom fighters demand expulsion of a newly inducted AL leader in Gaibandha
Enraged over threats to a fellow war hero, a group of senior freedom fighters took to the streets calling for expulsion of a newly inducted AL leader who stand accused of forcing a freedom fighter to speak in favour of the former’s father, a known Jamaat sympathizer.
Holding a human chain, under the banner of “War Heroes of Palashbari”, they demanded removal of the controversial leader Mohibul Hasan Mukit, organizing secretary of the newly announced Palasbari Upazial AL unit, from his rank and file with immediate effect.
With banners and placards like “no impunity for threating war heroes of losing their certificates and allowances”, they, quoting the victim Nasir Uddin, alleged that “scare tactics were put in display by Mukit, who to extract confession glorifying his father’s contribution in the Liberation War. But in reality his father always stood beside local Jamaat leaders and activists”.
READ: Gaibandha AL leader allegedly threatens freedom fighter
In reference to the seizure of jihadi books from his house back in 2013 by local administration, they claimed “Shibir activists always found sheltered in their houses”, seeking intervention from AL central leadership in this matter.
Based on the complaint, a probe body has been formed to dig out facts against Mukit with the committee reportedly submitted its report to the central authority having interviewed as many as 28 local AL leaders and freedom fighters with none spoke in favour of Mukit.
Bangladesh-India train connectivity resumes after 2 years
After a long break due to COVID-19, cross-border Bandhan Express train service between Khulna and Kolkata resumed on Sunday, with the train being flagged off from Kolkata.
Resumption of this critical cross-border service will greatly ease passengers’ movement, Indian High Commission in Dhaka tweeted.
After nearly two years of suspension due to COVID-19, Maitri Express train service between Dhaka and Kolkata resumed on Sunday with the train being flagged off from Dhaka Cantonment station, it added.
The Mitali Express Service between Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri will be launched on June 1 from New Jalpaiguri after a virtual launch by the Railway Ministers of Bangladesh and India.
Also read: Frequency of Maitree Express, Bandhan Express increased
Trader stabbed dead in Faridpur
A 35-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly by some miscreants in Nagarkanda upazila of Faridpur district, police said on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Babu Molla, son of Zilu Molla of Kodalia Shahidnagar area of the upazila.
READ: Air Force member killed in Faridpur road crash
Habil Hossain, officer-in-charge of Nagarkanda Police Station, said a group of miscreants swooped on Babu around 9:30 pm and stabbed him indiscriminately, leaving him critically injured.
Later, he died on the way to Nagarkanda Upazila Health Complex.
330MW Power Plant in Habiganj catches fire
A fire broke out at Shahjibazar 330 MW Power Plant in Habiganj district on Sunday, said officials.
The fire broke out around 9:25 am at the power plant and spread soon, said Chief Engineer of the Power Plant Mizanur Rahman.
Three fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames.
READ: 10 workers injured in Gazipur factory fire
Dhaka's air quality deteriorates again
The air quality in Dhaka has deteriorated again.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 155 at 10.33am on Sunday, the metropolis ranked third in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
India’s Delhi and Chili’s Santiago occupied the first and the second spots, with AQI scores of 196 and 172, respectively, in the list.
An AQI between 151and 200 is considered 'unhealthy' for everyone and members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
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.
READ: Dhaka's air quality deteriorates
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".
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 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.
Bus crashes into tree in Barishal; 10 killed
Ten people including a child and a woman were killed and 20 others injured after a bus crashed into a tree at Bamrail in Wazirpur upazila on Barishal-Dhaka highway Sunday morning.
Seven of the deceased were identified as Arafat Hossain Hawlader, 9, Anwara Begum, 20, Nazrul Islam Akon, 35, Halim Mia, 31, Sentu Mollah, 50, Ramzan Hawladar,38, and Madhab Shil, 45.
Officer-in-charge (OC) of Wazirpur Police Station Ali Arshad said the bus of Jamuna Line Paribahan was heading towards Bhandaria upazila from Dhaka.
The driver lost control over the steering when it reached Bamrail in Wazirpur upazila and hit a tree around 5.30 am, leaving eight people dead on the spot and 20 others wounded.
READ: 5 killed in Sirajganj road crash
Two of the injured succumbed to their injuries when they were taken to a hospital, he said.
Md. Jahangir, unit leader of Barishal Fire Service, said firefighting units from Gournadi and Wazirpur fire stations rushed to the spot and were conducting rescue operations.
Firefighting units retrieved the bodies after cutting the bus as it got twisted after the fatal accident, said witnesses.
The accurate number of the deceased and injured will be known once the rescue operation is completed, they said.
The injured were sent to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital and Wazirpur Upazila Health Complex.
Dr. Pranab Roy Shuvo, Resident Medical Officer of Wazirpur Upazila Health Complex, said that the bodies of seven people have been brought to the health complex. Besides, five injured victims are undergoing treatment there.