bangladesh
Muslims in Bangladesh celebrating another Eid-ul-Azha amid pandemic
Muslims throughout the country are celebrating their second largest religious festival, Eid-ul-Azha, in the shadow of Covid-19 pandemic sacrificing animals and distributing the meat among neighbours and the poor.
This year’s celebration had a pandemic written all over its festivities with Covid-19’s Delta variant wreaking havoc across the country, shattering death records almost every day.
Meanwhile, the government has taken various safety measures to make sure that the celebration does not help the pandemic worsens further.
Also read: President Hamid offers Eid prayers at Bangabhaban
Global Covid cases top 191 million
The global Covid-19 caseload has now surpassed the grim milestone of 191 million as the highly contagious Delta variant is spreading like wildfire in several countries even with mass inoculations underway.
The total caseload and fatalities stand at 191,389,727 and 4,114,267, respectively, as of Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 3,894,980,287 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
Also read: France: Thousands protest against vaccination, COVID passes
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 34,174,682 cases. Besides, 609, 529 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Brazil on Tuesday registered 1,452 more Covid deaths in 24 hours, that pushed up its national fatality toll to 544,302, according to the country's health ministry.
As many as 27,896 new cases were detected during the period, taking the total caseload to 19,419,741, the ministry said.
Brazil currently has the world's second-highest pandemic death toll after the United States, and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.
The third worst-hit country, India's Covid tally rose to 31,215,142 after 42,123 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours, as per the federal health ministry's latest corona data.
Besides, 489 deaths due to the pandemic since Monday morning has taken the total death toll to 418,511.
Also read: Little new evidence emerges in US probe of Covid-19 origins
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported 200 more deaths linked to Covid-19 in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, plunging the country into uncertainty.
The virus also infected 11,579 others during the period as Bangladesh stepped into a three-day Eid holiday with relaxation in the lockdown rules.
With the fresh figures, the total Covid caseload stands at 11,28,889 and the death toll at 18,325, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country has been seeing 200-plus Covid-related deaths for the past two weeks on an average.
Bangladesh reported its highest daily Covid-19 fatality of 231 on Monday.
The new cases were reported after testing 39,510 samples. The case positivity rate slightly declined to 29.31% from Monday’s 29.59%, said the DGHS.
Also read: Covid’s frightening peak in Bangladesh; record 231 more die
Meanwhile, the country’s fatality rate remained static at 1.62%. So far, 9,51,340 people have recovered from the disease, taking the recovery rate to 84.27%.
Dhaka division reported 51 of the deaths while Khulna saw 50 and Chattogram 49 deaths. Besides, 12 people died in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions each, 11 in Sylhet, eight in Mymensingh and seven in Barishal divisions.
With 3,822 deaths so far, July looks to be the most fatal month since the country saw its fast Covid cases in March 2020.
Earlier, the country saw 2,404 Covid deaths in April, 1,169 in May and 1,884 in June.
Also, July was the most fatal month in 2020, reporting 1,264 deaths followed by 1,197 deaths in June that year.
Hospitals are now overwhelmed with patients and struggling to cope with the country’s devastating second wave of Covid infections, driven by the Delta variant.
President Hamid offers Eid prayers at Bangabhaban
President Abdul Hamid on Wednesday offered the Eid-ul-Azha prayers at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban.
The Eid jamaat (congregation) was held in the morning with Pesh Imam of Bangabhaban Jame Mosque Mufti Maulana Saiful Kabir conducting the prayers, President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told UNB.
He said a special munajat was offered seeking divine blessings for the continued peace and progress of Bangladesh.
Also read: Muslims in Bangladesh ready to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha Wednesday amid Covid spike
The President offered the prayers with his family members and senior officials.
The President usually offers Eid prayers at the National Eidgah. But there was no Eid prayers at the National Eidgah in the capital due to the worsening Covid-19 situation.
Also read: Several villages celebrate Eid in line with Saudi Arabia
Bye Simon, time for a spell of rest
So there, at 77 years, the man who could never find a home to live in for long finally has found some rest in the earth and dust.
A man who ran away 17 just to be on the road as his book title says has run out of places to see. For those of us who have had the pleasure of working with him as a colleague, it's the pain of a friend lost, a person who had tried to give something special to Bangladesh and succeeded, simply because he cared.
His most famous role is that of a journalist in Dhaka in the March 1971 days, hiding from the Pak army eyes and reporting the genocide.
He and another journo escaped the security clutches of Pak army and went underground and gave eyewitness accounts of the crackdown covering Shankhari patti and other areas.
They are his greatest contributors to Bangladesh’s liberation war. It destroyed the army’s claim of a peaceful order restoration campaign. Suddenly, the army became the demon in the world’s eyes. And this campaign never stopped making it not just a war of soldiers but media as well. And in that, Simon will remain one of the most revered names.
Read: PM mourns death of noted journalist Simon Dring
ETV days
Yet, in my opinion, Simon’s greatest contribution to Bangladesh was not the reports that drew global attention to the Bangladesh cause but his role in setting up Ekushey TV(ETV) as the model of modern TV journalism. Many in Bangladesh’s TV media world were part of the ETV world working under him. He didn’t just lead the staff team that he personally recruited but gave them a role model which everyone could follow.
I was part of the planning team and Simon got a set of trainers from the BBC to work with the young journos. He introduced new projects and laid the foundation for a model that was fundamentally different from the prevailing BTV model. He assembled a young team and gave them a sense of camaraderie which creativity took forward.
Simon not only loved Bangladesh, he loved Bangla kacchi too and everyday had it at the office along with a bottle of new defunct brand RC Cola. He declared it was the best office lunch in the world. That is always the best test of being a Bangladeshi.
Simon didn’t just deliver modern TV to Bangladesh, he delivered many of its best stars as well, be it Mishuk Munier, G. I. Mamun, Munni Shaha, Samia Zaman and so on. In every TV station in Dhaka there will be someone who will say, “I worked with Simon.”
So farewell Simon, no matter who forgets you, we Bangladeshis shall always keep you in the most precious niche of our heart.
Read: FM mourns death of renowned journalist Simon Dring
Born on January 11, 1945, Dring grew up in Fakenham, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. He was expelled from boarding school in Woodbridge for midnight swimming in the River Deben. He later studied at King's Lynn Technical College.
In 1962, at the age of 17, he left home and hitch-hiked overland across Europe and the Middle East, out to India and South-East Asia.
In 1964, at the age of 19, Dring was a freelance reporter for the London Daily Mail and The New York Times in Laos, before moving to Vietnam at the end of 1964, where he covered the war for two years for Reuters as their youngest staff correspondent at the time.
His journalistic career continued through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s as a staff correspondent for Reuters, The Daily Telegraph, and BBC TV News, as well as a freelance reporter and producer for, among others, The Sunday Times, Newsweek, and BBC Radio News.
During this time Dring covered major stories and events throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Nigeria, Angola, Uganda, Eritrea, Cyprus, Israel, Brazil, Croatia, Bosnia, and Georgia.
PM mourns death of noted journalist Simon Dring
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of true friend of Bangladesh and British journalist Simon Dring.
In a condolence message, she recalled the courageous role of Simon Dring in the Great Liberation War.
“He revealed the information and report of the devastating genocide of the occupational Pakistani forces on March 25, 1971 in front of the world community,” she said.
Read: FM mourns death of renowned journalist Simon Dring
Sheikh Hasina said that he played a role to create public opinion in the world arena in favour of the Liberation War.
She said that he also contributed in flourishing mass media in the independent Bangladesh and in operating the first ever private TV channel of the country, Ekushey Television.
She prayed for the eternal salvation of the departed soul and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family.
Muslims in Bangladesh ready to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha Wednesday amid Covid spike
Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of Muslims, will be celebrated in Bangladesh on Wednesday with Covid-19’s Delta variant wreaking havoc across the country, shattering death records almost every day.
Bangladesh is now battling the deadlier 2nd wave of Covid-19 with over 200 deaths on average over the last two weeks.
Concerns are growing among people over possible hike in Covid deaths and cases after the celebrations of Eid-ul-Azha as the movement of people increased remarkably after the withdrawal of the strict lockdown ahead of Eid. A large number of people left the capital in crowded vehicles ignoring the Covid transmission risk.
Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated on the 10th of Zilhaj to commemorate the true spirit of sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim (AS). On this day, Prophet Ibrahim had offered to sacrifice his son, Ismail, who willingly submitted to the will of his father to please Allah.
But the Almighty in His benign mercy spared Hazrat Ismail (AS) and instead sent a ram to be sacrificed.
Also read: Bangladesh loses 200 more lives amid its grim battle with Covid
Meanwhile, the government has taken various safety measures to make that the celebration does not help the pandemic worsens further.
This year, Eid jamaats in different areas across the country would be held as per decisions taken by local administrations in consultation with public representatives and local dignitaries depending upon the Covid situation in their respective areas and maintaining recommended health guidelines.
The Religious Affairs Ministry issued some guidelines on offering Eid-ul-Azha prayer on Tuesday.
As per the guidelines, no carpet will be allowed at mosques while mosques will be disinfected before prayers.
The devotees have been asked to bring prayer mats from home.
The devotees must wear masks inside mosques and avoid using prayer mats and caps that were stored earlier there.
Also read: Gazipur gridlocked amid pandemic as hundreds head home for Eid
It also suggested devotees go to mosques with ablution and wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap.
Soaps, hand sanitizers and water should be available at the place where people make ablution at the entrance of mosques or Eidgahs.
Devotees should maintain distance from each other following health guidelines.
Children, elderly people, people with physical ailment, and those involved in taking care of patients will not be allowed to attend Eid prayer.
All have to abide by the directives of the Health Service Division, local administrations and law enforcement agencies.
Besides, the devotees were advised to shun handshaking and hugging after the Eid prayer which has been a common practice throughout the world.
The Religious Affairs Ministry urged the imams and managing committees of mosques to ensure proper implementation of the directives.
Also read: Five Eid jamaats to be held at National Mosque
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock issued specific guidelines over sacrificing animals.
Local administrations, law enforcement agencies, public representatives, staffers of the Islamic Foundation and managing committees of mosques would be implementing the directives.
Eid jamaats at national mosque
Five Eid jamaats will be held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque from 7 am on the day of Eid-ul-Azha.
The Islamic Foundation, Bangladesh revealed the schedules in a media release on Sunday.
The first Eid jamaat will be held at 7am and the next at 8am, 9am, 10 am and 10:45 am.
FM mourns death of renowned journalist Simon Dring
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday expressed deep shock at the sad demise of renowned journalist Simon Dring.
In a condolence message, Dr Momen said Simon Dring was a man of commitment, an upright man of high moral and ethical standard and values that reported the massacre of Dhaka in 1971 with objectivity and courage.
Read: FM mourns loss of lives in Japan’s Atami
"We salute him again and again. He trained up a group of young journalists of Bangladesh at ETV that dynamically changed the TV journalism in Bangladesh." Foreign Minister added.
Simon Dring died on Friday while undergoing an abdominal surgery at a London hospital.
Read: FM mourns ex-VOA newscaster Kaffey Khan's death
Bangladesh loses 200 more lives amid its grim battle with Covid
Bangladesh reported 200 more deaths linked to Covid-19 in 24 hours until Tuesday morning, plunging the country into uncertainty.
The virus also infected 11,579 others during the period as Bangladesh stepped into a three-day Eid holiday with the lockdown rules relaxed.
With the fresh figures, the total caseload from Covid stands at 11,28,889 while the death toll rose to 18,325, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country has been seeing 200+ Covid-related deaths for the last two weeks on average.
Bangladesh reported its highest daily Covid-19 fatality of 231 on Monday.
Also read: Chattogram records highest single-day Covid deaths at 15
The new cases were reported after testing 39, 510 samples. The case positivity rate slightly declined to 29.31% from Monday’s 29.59 %, said the DGHS.
Meanwhile, the country’s fatality rate remained static at 1.62%.
So far, 9,51,340 people have recovered from the disease, taking the recovery rate to 84.27%.
Dhaka division reported 51 of the deaths while Khulna saw 50 and Chattogram 49 deaths. Besides, 12 people died in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions each, 11 in Sylhet, eight in Mymensingh and seven in Barishal divisions.
Of the deaths, one was within 11-20 years of age; six were within 21-30; 12 between 31-40, 27 between 41-50; 48 between 51-60; 62 were between 61-70 years; 35 were between 71-80 years; eight between 81-90, and one was between 91-100 years of age.
Also read: Khulna division logs 43 new Covid deaths
With 3822 deaths so far, July looks to be the most fatal month since the country saw its fast Covid cases in March, 2020.
Earlier, the country saw 2,404 Covid deaths in April, 1,169 in May and 1,884 in June.
Also, July was the most fatal month in 2020, reporting 1,264 deaths followed by 1,197 deaths in June that year.
Hospitals are now overwhelmed with patients and struggling to cope with the country’s devastating second wave of Covid infections, driven by the Delta variant.
BGMEA donates high flow nasal cannulas to DNCC Covid-19 Hospital
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has donated emergency Covid-19 medical equipment and face masks to Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Dedicated Covid-19 Hospital to meet the health needs of patients and help save lives.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan handed over 15 German-made high flow nasal cannula with BiPAP and 50,000 masks to DNCC Mayor Md. Atiqul Islam at a programme held at the hospital on Tuesday.
BGMEA Vice President Md. Shahidullah Azim, Vice President (Finance) Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Directors Md. Mohiuddin Rubel, Rajiv Chowdhury and Director of DNCC Covid-19 Hospital Brigadier General AKM Nasiruddin were present at the handover ceremony.
READ: BGMEA wants end of RMG goods theft on highways
Several villages celebrate Eid in line with Saudi Arabia
In keeping with Saudi Arabia, residents of a number of villages in Satkhira, Barisal and Panchagarh are celebrating Eid-ul-Azha on Tuesday, the second largest festival of the Muslims.
Saudi Arabia and a number of countries across the world are celebrating the festival of sacrifice on Tuesday. But Bangladesh is scheduled to celebrate Eid on Wednesday.
In Satkhira, hundreds of people at seven places in the district, including Baukhola of Satkhira district, Upalor Islamkathi of Tala upazila, and Kashimari of Shyamnagar upazila have started the Eid celebrations.
Read: Five Eid jamaats to be held at National Mosque
The main congregation was held at Satkhira Sadar's Bhar-Khali market at 8am.
Imam Md Mahbubur Rahman conducted the congregation with a small number of Muslim devotees.
Imam Mahbubur said that all Muslims in the world should perform Eid prayers in line with Saudi Arabia. The devotees offered sacrifices of cattle after the prayers.
In Barisal, the holy Eid-ul-Azha is being celebrated in advance in some villages of six upazilas of the district.
Around 10,000 devotees of Babuganj, Hijla, Mehendiganj, Muladi, Bakerganj, Sadar upazila and metropolis of Barisal offered Eid prayers in the congregations from 8 am to 10 am on Tuesday.
Amir Hossain Mithu, president of Haji Bari Jame Mosque in the Tajkathi area of the city, said they offered their Eid jamaat following the government's directives and maintaining all Covid-safety protocols.
Read:Govt fixes rawhide prices ahead of Eid-ul-Azha
Meanwhile, in Panchagarh, seven devotees of four families gathered for Eid congregation under police protection as a clash broke out over celebrating Eid a day ahead.
This year, the local authorities in consultation with public representatives and local dignitaries will take a decision whether Eid prayers would be held at mosques, Eidgahs or open fields considering the Covid situation in their respective areas.
The Religious Affairs Ministry issued some guidelines on offering Eid-ul-Azha prayers.
As per the guidelines, no carpets will be allowed at mosques that will be disinfected before prayers. The devotees have been asked to bring prayer mats from home.
Soaps, hand sanitizers and water should be made available at the place where people make Wadu or at the entrances of mosques or Eidgahs.
Read:Gazipur gridlocked amid pandemic as hundreds head home for Eid
Devotees should maintain social distance following health guidelines. Children, the elderly, disabled people and those involved in taking care of patients will not be allowed to attend Eid prayers.
All have to abide by the directives of the Health Service Division, local administration and law enforcement agencies.
The Religious Affairs Ministry have already urged Imams and managing committees of mosques to ensure proper implementation of the directives.