bangladesh
HC orders judicial probe into attacks on Hindus in 6 districts
The High Court on Thursday ordered a judicial inquiry into the vandalism, arson attacks on Hindu community people during their Durga Puja in six districts of the country.
The six districts are Cumilla, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Chattogram and Rangpur.
The court directed the judicial magistrates of the six districts to submit a report within 60 days.
The HC bench of Md Mojibur Rahman Miah and Md Kamrul Hossain Molla passed the order with a rule during the hearing on a writ filed in this regard.
also read: Communal attacks: Writ petition seeks judicial inquiry
On October 21, Supreme Court lawyers Anup Kumar Shaha and Mintu Chandra Das filed the writ petition.
The court issued the rule seeking explanation why the inactivity and failure of the authorities concerned in protecting puja pandals, temples, houses, lives and property of the Hindu community during those attacks will not be considered illegal and why a directive should not be given to ensure the safety of the Hindu community members.
Twenty-one people, including secretaries to the Home, Law, Religious Affairs Ministries , Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Chairman, Deputy Commissioners and Police Superintendents of the six districts were made respondents to the rule.
Barrister Jyotiromoy Barua appeared for the petitioner’s side during the hearing while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed stood for the state.
Also read: Communal violence: Citizens demand exemplary punishment for perpetrators
During the hearing, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin said in the writ petition the state and local administrations have been directly blamed for failure during the attacks on Hindu community.
“We demand the removal of those words from the petition as the state is not sitting idle. Some miscreants involved in the attacks in Cumilla and Rangpur have been arrested,” he said.
Meanwhile, barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said as per the Constitution, citizens have the right to life, property, free movement and freedom of practicing religious rituals but the victims did not get any support from the local administrations during these communal attacks.
The failure of the local administrations has been proved with the vandalism and arson attacks on the houses and temples of Hindus, he said.
Bangladesh an attractive investment destination: Korean envoy
South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-Keun on Thursday said Bangladesh is an attractive investment destination for Korea.
Korean companies will find more opportunities as the Government of Bangladesh makes strenuous efforts to improve business environment by removing obstacles, he said at a country lecture webinar titled “Exploring Korea- Bangladesh Relations in the Last Five Decades and Beyond.”
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) organized the event where the Ambassador delivered his lecture as guest speaker.
Also read: Korea to provide $700m in soft loans between 2021-25
He said the future of Bangladesh- Korea relations looks very bright and it will get brighter with diversified success stories.
Director General of BIISS Major General Md. Emdadul Bari delivered the welcome address and Chairman of BIISS Ambassador M. Fazlul Karim presided over the session and delivered the concluding remarks.
Ambassador Lee highlighted that Bangladesh and Republic of Korea enjoy friendly relations since the establishment of their diplomatic relations when the Republic of Korea recognized newly independent Bangladesh on 12th May 1972.
Also read: S Korea for diversifying areas of cooperation, elevating ties with Bangladesh
The year 2021 marks the 49th anniversary of Korea’s recognition of Bangladesh.
He mentioned that during the past five decades, the relationship between two countries has expanded and developed on every field of cooperation.
Since the early 1980s, Korea has been the leading foreign investor in the RMG sector of Bangladesh. Korea continued to hold its position as a major foreign investor in Bangladesh.
“Slow but steadily, more and more Korean companies started investing in different potential areas like electronics, automobiles, and ICTs,” said the Ambassador.
BIISS Chairman Fazlul Karim said the year 2021 marks the 49th anniversary of Korea-Bangladesh relations and during the past five decades the two countries have developed and enjoyed strong ties and partnership in every aspect and every field of cooperation.
Aside from the conventional areas of cooperation, he said, both nations are enhancing their efforts to diversify relations. “People-to-people contacts are one of them.”
BIISS DG Emdadul Bari said Bangladesh and Korea have a cultural affinity that can be tapped into to nurture further cultural exchange and people-to-people contact.
Besides, he said, with the rise of Korean film industry, Korean culture is earning a soft corner amongst our teens and youth, many of whom already were avid fans of K-Pop.
Senior officials from different ministries, ambassadors and high commissioners, senior civil and military officials, media, academia, teachers and students from different universities participated in the webinar and shared their opinions in the open discussion session.
Tenure of DMP Commissioner extends for another year
The tenure of incumbent Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam has been extended for another year, according to the public administration ministry.
In a notification issued on Thursday the ministry said Md Shafiqul’s one-year contractual appointment will be effective from October 30 or the date of joining.
Also read: DMP Commissioner, Rab DG promoted to grade-1 supernumerary positions
He began his career in 1989 as Assistant Superintendent of Police as the 8th Bangladesh Civil Service cadre (police).
On September 13, 2019 he took the responsibility as 34th Commissioner of DMP.
Earlier he served as Additional Inspector General of Police in the Crime Investigation Bureau of Bangladesh police.
Also read: Taliban victory may encourage militants in Bangladesh, says DMP chief
60,000 Yaba pills seized in Cox's Bazar
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Thursday seized 60,000 Yaba pills during a drive at Palangkhali UP No. 5 in Ukhia upazila of Cox's Bazar district.
Tipped-off, a team of BGB Battalion-34 of Cox’s Bazar conducted a drive in the area in the early hours of Thursday while some Yaba traders were entering Bangladesh from Myanmar, said a press release.
Also read: Man held with Yaba pills in stomach at Dhaka airport
When the BGB men challenged the Yaba traders, they fled the scene abandoning a bag containing the contraband pills on the spot.
Later, the BGB men recovered 60,000 Yaba pills worth TK 1.80 crore from the bag.
Also read: 3 arrested in city with 40,000 pcs of yaba
Vaccination campaign for school students to begin on Nov 1
A new campaign to vaccinate school students, aged 12-17, against Covid-19 will kick off at 12 centers in Dhaka on November 1.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque disclosed this while talking to reporters after the cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Some 40,000 students will be vaccinated every day under the campaign, the minister said.
However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the officials concerned to increase the number of centres across the country under this campaign. “And so far 21 AC centres have been selected at the district level for this purpose,” said Zahid Maleque.
Also read: Trial run for school vaccination to begin Thursday with 100 Manikganj students
“Soon, school children across the country will be brought under the vaccination drive,” he said.
The school students will be vaccinated with US-made Pfizer vaccine as it is suitable for them, he said, adding that 35 lakh more Pfizer jabs will arrive in November.
The Health Ministry has already received some lists of eligible students from the Education Ministry and sent those to the ICT Division for registration, he added.
On October 14, some 112 students of four government schools in Manikganj were vaccinated with Pfizer jabs as part of a test run of the government for vaccinating school students against Covid-19.
On October 11, Zahid Maleque said the World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the vaccination of those who are under 18 years of age in Bangladesh.
Also read: Bangladesh kicks off second phase of mass vaccination drive
Currently, the second phase of the special nationwide mass vaccination drive is going on Thursday (today), aiming to vaccinate 80 lakh people with the second shot in a day.
So far, some 4,12,68,810 people have got their first Covid shots, while 2,13,32,289 were administered the second ones as of October 28, according to the Health Ministry.
E-commerce firms must get registered within 2 months: Cabinet
All the e-commerce firms will have to be registered with the Commerce Ministry within the next two months, according to a directive of the Cabinet.
The directive came from a Cabinet meeting held virtually with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. She joined the meeting from her official residence Ganobhaban.
Read:Registration is a must for E-commerce firms: Committee
Other cabinet members attended the meeting from the Bangladesh Secretariat.
'Address climate change as child rights issue'
Bangladeshi children have urged the country's leaders to address the climate change crisis urgently as a child rights issue and demanded they be involved more in finding solutions to the issue, ahead of the global COP26 meet in Glasgow.
The children’s calls were captured in the Bangladeshi Children’s Climate Declaration that a group of children handed over to Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shahab Uddin, Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and other leaders at an event in Parliament on Wednesday.
The children’s message to the government’s official COP26 delegation was clear: “Bring our appeal with you when you travel to Glasgow. Climate change is a child rights issue.”
Read:Extinct dinosaur lectures world leaders about climate change
The declaration was prepared in November 2020 at the first-ever Children’s Climate Summit by engaging over one million Bangladeshi children involved with the UNICEF-supported Generation Parliament initiative by Bangladesh Debate Federation (BDF).
The Bangladeshi Children’s Climate Declaration calls on the government to protect children against the impacts of climate change, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, increase investments in education, training and a green economy, and consult children on policies and decisions that impact their future.
“Climate change is threatening our survival, well-being and future. We are asking you to stand up for the children of this country and do more to fight climate change,” said 13-year-old Kaba Kaushin Arisha, who handed over the declaration on behalf of the children who participated in the 2020 Summit.
“Unless we act now and we act together, we will reach a point of no return. This is our call to you, and to COP26.”
Dr. Shirin Sharmin thanked the over one million children who united behind this Declaration, and UNICEF for bringing them – children and decision-makers – together. "It is only by listening to our children that we can shape a better future for all,” she said.
The government of Bangladesh is committed to upholding the rights of children and addressing climate change as a child rights issue.
"We will continue working -- with and for children -- for a better, safer, greener Bangladesh,” said Shahab Uddin, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, who is part of the official Bangladesh delegation to COP26.
Although Bangladesh is among the lowest per-capita greenhouse gas emitting countries in the world (bottom 20 percent), it is one of the countries that is most affected by climate change.
UNICEF’s first-ever Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI 2021) found that children in Bangladesh are among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change.
The Index ranked Bangladesh as the 15th country globally in terms of climate change risks and impacts on children.
UNICEF estimates that one in three children in Bangladesh, nearly 20 million children, bear the brunt of climate change every day.
Read: EU lauds Bangladesh’s leadership on climate front
Children are victims of extreme weather, floods, river erosion, sea level rise, and other environmental shocks driven by climate change.
Many end up adrift in city slums, their lives and prospects shattered. Millions of children are trapped in exploitive child labour, child marriage and trafficking.
“Children in Bangladesh are not responsible for the climate crisis, yet they face its most severe impacts, paying the highest price,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.
"UNICEF stands with children in Bangladesh in their appeal for intergenerational solidarity. The needs of children must be at the centre of the climate change response.”
Extinct dinosaur lectures world leaders about climate change
World leaders at the UN headquarters got a discourse from a talking dinosaur -- an extinct species -- in a creative video launched by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to help create awareness about climate change.
The short film, launched as the centerpiece of the UN agency's new ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ campaign, has also been tweeted by the United Nations.
Bursting into the iconic General Assembly Hall, famous for history-making speeches by leaders from around the world, the imposing dinosaur tells an audience of shocked and bewildered diplomats and dignitaries that “it’s time humans stopped making excuses and started making changes” to address the climate crisis.
“At least we had an asteroid,” the dinosaur warns, referring to the popular theory explaining dinosaurs’ extinction 70 million years ago. “What’s your excuse?”
Read: EU lauds Bangladesh’s leadership on climate front
This first-ever film to be made inside the UN General Assembly using computer-generated imagery (CGI) features global celebrities voicing the dinosaur in numerous languages, including actors Eiza González (Spanish), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Danish), and Aïssa Maïga (French).
The dinosaur goes on to highlight how financial support for fossil fuels through subsidies -- taxpayers’ money that helps keep the cost of coal, oil and gas low for consumers -- is irrational and illogical in the face of a changing climate.
“Think of all the other things you could do with that money. Around the world people are living in poverty. Don’t you think that helping them would make more sense than… paying for the demise of your entire species?” the dinosaur says.
"The film is fun and engaging, but the issues it speaks to could not be more serious,” said Ulrika Modéer, Head of UNDP’s Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy.
“The UN Secretary-General has called the climate crisis a ‘code red for humanity'. We want the film to entertain, but we also want to raise awareness of just how critical the situation is. The world must step up on climate action if we are to succeed in keeping our planet safe for future generations.”
Read: Australia to keep supporting Bangladesh in combating climate change: Envoy
UNDP’s ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ campaign and film aim to shine a spotlight on fossil fuel subsidies and how they are cancelling out significant progress towards ending climate change and are driving inequality by benefitting the rich, the agency said in a statement released Thursday.
UNDP research released as part of the campaign shows that the world spends an astounding USD 423 billion annually to subsidise fossil fuels for consumers -- oil, electricity generated by the burning of other fossil fuels, gas, and coal.
This could cover the cost of Covid-19 vaccinations for every person in the world, or pay for three times the annual amount needed to eradicate global extreme poverty.
The ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ film was created in partnership with Activista Los Angeles (a multiple award-winning creative agency), David Litt (US President Barack Obama’s speechwriter) and Framestore (the creative studio behind James Bond, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers End Game).
DU student found dead at Dhaka hotel
A 25-year-old Dhaka University (DU) student was found dead at a hotel in the capital's Segunbagicha area in the early hours of Thursday.
Adnan Sakib, a student of DU's international relations department (2014-15), lived at the varsity's Shaheed Sgt Zahurul Haque Hall.
Read:Medical student’s hanging body found in Dhaka
Police said the victim's wife lodged a missing person's complaint at the Shahbag police station on Wednesday night after his husband went missing.
Cops soon put Adnan's phone number on surveillance and tracked him down.
Palash Saha, sub-inspector at the Shahbagh police station, said that they scanned the register of Karnaphuli Hotel and went to the room in which Adnan had put up.
Cops broke open the door around 1.30am after getting no response from inside. Inside, they found his body hanging from the ceiling fan. A suicide note has been found in the hotel room, Palash said.
Read: Hanging body of young woman recovered from Cox’s Bazar hotel
The body was sent to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy.
Adnan had identified himself as a DU admission seeker at the time of check-in, police said.
"We suspect he ended his life over some personal problems. However, exact details will emerge only after further investigation," the SI added.
Train hits truck stranded on tracks in Pabna
An inter-city train bound for Rajshahi hit a truck stranded on the railway tracks at the Mahendrapur level crossing in Pabna Sadar upazila in the early hours of Thursday, officials said.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Read: Dhaka-Chattogram rail services hit as freight train derails in Gazipur
The accident occurred around 5am within minutes of the iron rods-laden truck getting stranded on the Pabna-Rajshahi track after crashing into the island of the crossing. The truck driver fortunately managed to get off the vehicle moments before the collision.
Western Railway Pakshi Divisional Transport Officer (DTO) Anwar Hossain said that rail communication on the Pabna-Rajshahi route was suspended for nearly three hours because of the accident.
Read:Derailment: Rail communication between Khulna and rest of the country suspended
Road communication was also suspended on the busy Pabna-Dhaka highway for about three hours, officials said.
"Train communication resumed only after the damaged engine of the ill-fated train was replaced with one brought from the Ishwardi locomotive factory, the DTO said.