NEWS ON DATE - 15-03-2024
Rationalisation of tax expenditures on card for maximum benefits: Official document
The government has opted for rationalising tax expenditures which will play a useful role in collecting more revenue and ensuring forgone revenue (indirect public expenditure) is made to good use, according to an official document.
According the Medium Term Macroeconomic Policy Statement (2023-24 to 2025-26) of the Finance Division of the Finance Ministry, the collection of sufficient and accurate data would be the next step for which interagency cooperation would be essential.
“To initiate tax expenditure analysis the first step would be to clearly define the benchmark tax rate and base for income tax and VAT,” said the paper made available to UNB this week.
It is also necessary to create an exhaustive list of all different types of benefits and preferences given in VAT, income tax and customs.
The statement said that given Bangladesh’s low tax-GDP ratio, how much revenue is collected or lost and whether revenue collection growth is in tandem with GDP growth are important considerations to financing development and investment plans of the government.
The government allows various tax benefits to meet social or economic objectives, to spur growth in certain sectors or to attract investment.
“One tool that can be used to estimate forgone revenue is tax expenditure assessment,” it said.
Tax expenditures are estimates of amounts of revenue not collected due to preferential tax treatment relative to a benchmark (or reference) tax system, which is supposed to be developed on principles of neutrality, efficiency, and equity. Coverage of tax expenditures is wider than tax exemptions and includes tax exemptions, reduced tax rates, tax credits, tax holidays, tax allowances, tax deferrals etc.
Tax expenditure estimates help to identify potential avenues to ramp up revenue collection and increase transparency in the tax system by analysing the cost-benefit analysis of different special tax treatments.
Many countries have made tax expenditure assessments a part of their yearly budgetary exercise, it added.
Although Bangladesh is yet to formally start making tax expenditure estimates, the National Board of Revenue made a modest start in 2021 by conducting a tax expenditure analysis for the personal and corporate income taxes on a pilot basis. Despite a small sample size and methodological limitations, the findings of that analysis were significant: about 36 percent of GDP in 2018-19 FY was excluded from direct taxes, which translated to roughly Tk 58,000 crore worth of forgone taxes.
If one adds tax expenditure on the transfer of land, a major item under capital gains which is not covered in GDP calculation, another Tk 8,000 crore is lost as forgone revenue.
The figures added up to approximately 2.6 percent of GDP for FY2018-19.
Although tax expenditures are granted to meet certain desired social and economic objectives such as employment generation, greater access to health and education, reduced inequality, tax expenditure assessments shed light on the need to understand the tradeoff between accrued benefits and loss of revenue.
In the case of VAT, the Medium Term Macroeconomic Policy Statement (2023-24 to 2025-26) said that several sectors such as agriculture, livestock, fisheries, education, public administration, defence, and social work activities (total 21.2 percent of GDP) are outside the purview of value-added tax.
In the case of manufacturing, many industries including light engineering, household electrical goods & consumables, medicine, computer items and peripherals, export-oriented industries etc. are given preferential treatment to promote local industries, export growth and to attract investment. That’s another 23 percent of GDP.
At the retail and wholesale stage (15 percent of GDP) a substantial part is VAT exempt. A significant part of transportation services (7.5 percent of GDP) has been kept intentionally outside the VAT net to make transport costs affordable to the common masses.
At the Revenue Conference of the National Board of Revenue last year, a presentation estimated that no VAT is collected on goods and services on almost 50 percent of Bangladesh’s GDP.
Although Customs’ contribution to revenue collection may decrease in the future, it still contributes a significant portion to the government exchequer.
A closer look at the composition of Bangladesh’s imports in FY 2020-21 reveal that 15 percent of all imports were done by 100 percent export-oriented bonded factories, 7.4 percent by factories in Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and 19.8 percent of all imports benefitted from special tax treatment under SROs/orders.
In total, no customs duty was collected on 42.3 percent of total imports during FY 2020-21.
Over 80% of neurological deaths, health loss occur in low- and middle-income countries: Study
Dhaka, Mar 15 (UNB) - Over 80% of neurological deaths and health loss occur in low- and middle-income countries, and access to treatment varies widely, says a new report released on Friday.
High-income countries have up to 70 times more neurological professionals per 100 000 people than low- and middle-income countries.
Global child deaths reached historic low in 2022: UN Report
A major new study released from Geneva by The Lancet Neurology shows that, in 2021, more than 3 billion people worldwide were living with a neurological condition.
The World Health Organization (WHO) contributed to the analysis of the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study (GBD) 2021 data.
RSF's accident deaths figure for 2023 is out. And it is right down the middle of BRTA and Jatri Kalyan Samity's numbers
Neurological conditions are now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. The overall amount of disability, illness and premature death (known as disability-adjusted life years, DALYs) caused by neurological conditions has increased by 18% since 1990.
“Neurological conditions cause great suffering to the individuals and families they affect, and rob communities and economies of human capital,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
Speakers call for urgent reform of laws to prevent tobacco-related deaths
This study, he said, should serve as an urgent call to action to scale up targeted interventions to allow the growing number of people living with neurological conditions to access the quality care, treatment and rehabilitation they need.
"It is more important than ever to ensure brain health is better understood, valued and protected, from early childhood to later life," said the WHO chief.
The top ten neurological conditions contributing to loss of health in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy (brain injury), migraine, dementia, diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications from preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancers.
Overall, neurological conditions cause more disability and health loss in men compared to women, but there are some conditions like migraine or dementia where women are disproportionately affected.
Since 1990, the absolute number of individuals living with, or dying from, neurological conditions has increased, while age-standardized DALY rates have dropped.
This means that increases in absolute numbers are mainly driven by demographic change and people living longer.
Diabetic neuropathy was the fastest growing neurological condition.
The number of people with diabetic neuropathy has more than tripled globally since 1990, rising to 206 million cases in 2021.
This increase is in line with the worldwide increase in diabetes.
Other conditions such as neurological complications from COVID-19 (for example, cognitive impairment and Guillain-Barré syndrome) did previously not exist and now account for over 23 million cases.
At the same time, neurological burden and health loss due to other conditions decreased by 25% or more since 1990 as a result of improved prevention (including vaccines), care and research: tetanus, rabies, meningitis, neural tube defects, stroke, neurocysticercosis (parasitic infection that affects the central nervous system), encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and neonatal encephalopathy (brain injury).
The study also examined 20 modifiable risk factors for potentially preventable neurological conditions such as stroke, dementia and idiopathic intellectual disability.
Eliminating key risk factors – most importantly, high systolic blood pressure and ambient and household air pollution – could prevent up to 84% of stroke DALYs.
Similarly, preventing exposure to lead could reduce the burden of idiopathic intellectual disability by 63.1%, and reducing high fasting plasma glucose levels could reduce the burden of dementia by 14.6%. Smoking significantly contributed to stroke, dementia and multiple sclerosis risk.
More investments needed to improve treatment, care and quality of lifeAt the World Health Assembly in 2022, Member States adopted the Intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders 2022–2031 (IGAP) with an ambitious scope to address the long standing neglect of neurological disorders.
“The Intersectoral Global Action Plan 2022–2031 sets out a roadmap for countries to improve prevention, early identification, treatment and rehabilitation of neurological disorders. To achieve equity and access to quality care, we also need to invest in more research on risks to brain health, improved support for the healthcare workforce and adequate services,” said Dévora Kestel, Director, WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use.
IGAP sets out strategic objectives and targets to improve access to treatment, care and support for people with neurological disorders; implement strategies for brain health promotion and disease prevention; strengthen research and data; and emphasise a public health approach to epilepsy and other neurological disorders.
Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace: US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called on Israel to hold new elections, saying he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Schumer, the first Jewish majority leader in the Senate and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S., strongly criticized Netanyahu in a 40-minute speech Thursday morning on the Senate floor. Schumer said the prime minister has put himself in a coalition of far-right extremists and “as a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.”
Egypt appeals for more aid deliveries by land to Gaza as Israel warns of Rafah push
“Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah,” Schumer said.
The high-level warning comes as an increasing number of Democrats have pushed back against Israel and as President Joe Biden has stepped up public pressure on Netanyahu's government, arguing that he needs to pay more attention to the civilian death toll in Gaza amid the Israeli bombardment. The U.S. this month began airdrops of badly needed humanitarian aid and announced it will establish a temporary pier to get more assistance into Gaza via sea.
Australia resumes funding for UNRWA and pledges more Gaza aid
Schumer has so far positioned himself as a strong ally of the Israeli government, visiting the country just days after the brutal Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and giving a lengthy speech on the Senate floor in December decrying ”brazen and widespread antisemitism the likes of which we haven’t seen in generations in this country, if ever."
But he said on the Senate floor Thursday that the ”Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.”
Palestinian leader appoints longtime adviser as prime minister in the face of calls for reform
Schumer says Netanyahu, who has long opposed Palestinian statehood, is one of several obstacles in the way of the two-state solution pushed by the United States. Netanyahu “has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” Schumer said.
The majority leader is also blaming right-wing Israelis, Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Until they are all removed from the equation, Schumer said, “there will never be peace in Israel and Gaza and the West Bank.”
The United States cannot dictate the outcome of an election in Israel, Schumer said, but “a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.”
At the White House, national security spokesman John Kirby declined to weigh in on Schumer’s remarks, saying the White House is most focused on getting a temporary cease-fire in place.
“We know Leader Schumer feels strongly about this and we’ll certainly let him speak to it and to his comments,” Kirby said. “We’re going to stay focused on making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself while doing everything that they can to avoid civilian casualties.”
Israeli ambassador Michael Herzog called the speech “counterproductive to our common goals.”
“Israel is a sovereign democracy,” Herzog posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It is unhelpful, all the more so as Israel is at war against the genocidal terror organization Hamas, to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally.”
The speech also drew a swift reprisal from Republicans. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor immediately after Schumer's speech that “Israel deserves an ally that acts like one” and that foreign observers “ought to refrain from weighing in.”
The Democratic Party has an anti-Israel problem, McConnell said. “Either we respect their decisions or we disrespect their democracy," he said.
And at a House GOP retreat in West Virginia, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called Schumer’s speech “inappropriate.”
“It’s just plain wrong for an American leader to play such a divisive role in Israeli politics while our closest ally in the region is in an existential battle for its very survival,” the Republican speaker said.
Netanyahu has long had a cozy relationship with Republicans in the United States, most notably speaking at a joint session of Congress in 2015 at the invitation of GOP lawmakers to try to torpedo former President Barack Obama’s nuclear negotiations with Iran. The move infuriated Obama administration officials, who saw it as an end run around Obama’s presidential authority and unacceptably deep interference in U.S. politics and foreign policy.
Just this week, Netanyahu was invited to speak to Republican senators at a party retreat. But Herzog took his place due to last minute scheduling issues, according to a person familiar with the closed-door meeting.
It is unclear how Schumer’s unusually direct call will be received in Israel, where the next parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 2026. Many Israelis hold Netanyahu responsible for failing to stop the Oct. 7 cross-border raid by Hamas, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and his popularity appears to have taken a hit as a result.
Protesters in Israel calling for early elections have charged that Netanyahu is making decisions based on keeping his right-wing coalition intact rather than Israel’s interests at a time of war. And they say he is endangering Israel’s strategic alliance with the United States by rejecting U.S. proposals for a post-war vision for Gaza in order to appease the far-right members of his government.
U.S. priorities in the region have increasingly been hampered by those far-right members of his Cabinet, who share Netanyahu’s opposition to Palestinian statehood and other aims that successive U.S. administrations have seen as essential to resolving Palestinian-Israeli conflicts long-term.
In a hot-mic moment while speaking to lawmakers after his State of the Union address, Biden promised a “come to Jesus” moment with Netanyahu.
And Vice President Kamala Harris, Schumer and other lawmakers met last week in Washington with Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet and a far more popular rival of Netanyahu — a visit that drew a rebuke from the Israeli prime minister.
Gantz joined Netanyahu’s government in the War Cabinet soon after the Hamas attacks. But he is expected to leave the government once the heaviest fighting subsides, signaling the period of national unity has ended. A return to mass demonstrations could ramp up pressure on Netanyahu’s deeply unpopular coalition to hold early elections.
Schumer said that as the highest ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, he feels an obligation to speak out. He said his last name derives from the Hebrew word Shomer, or “guardian.”
"I also feel very keenly my responsibility as Shomer Yisroel — a guardian of the People of Israel," he said.
Schumer said that if Israel tightens its control over Gaza and the West Bank and creates a “de facto single state,” then there should be no reasonable expectation that Hamas and their allies will lay down arms. It could mean constant war, he said.
“As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may,” Schumer said. “But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice.”
Palestinian leader appoints longtime adviser as prime minister in the face of calls for reform
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed his longtime economic adviser to be the next prime minister in the face of U.S. pressure to reform the Palestinian Authority as part of Washington's postwar vision for Gaza.
Mohammad Mustafa, a U.S.-educated economist and political independent, will head a technocratic government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that could potentially administer Gaza ahead of eventual statehood. But those plans face major obstacles, including strong opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israel-Hamas war that is still grinding on with no end in sight.
Australia resumes funding for UNRWA and pledges more Gaza aid
It’s unclear whether the appointment of a new Cabinet led by a close Abbas ally would be sufficient to meet U.S. demands for reform, as the 88-year-old president would remain in overall control.
“The change that the United States of America and the countries of the region want is not necessarily the change that the Palestinian citizen wants,” said Hani al-Masri, a Palestinian political analyst. “People want a real change in politics, not a change in names ... They want elections.”
Egypt appeals for more aid deliveries by land to Gaza as Israel warns of Rafah push
He said Mustafa is “a respected and educated man” but will struggle to meet public demands to improve conditions in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli restrictions imposed since the start of the war have caused an economic crisis.
In a statement announcing the appointment, Abbas asked Mustafa to put together plans to re-unify adminstration in the West Bank and Gaza, lead reforms in the government, security services and economy and fight corruption.
UN chief calls for Ramadan truce in Gaza, Sudan
Washington welcomed his appointment but urged that Mostafa quickly form a Cabinet to implement changes.
"The United States will be looking for this new government to deliver on policies and implementation of credible and far-reaching reforms. A reformed Palestinian Authority is essential to delivering results for the Palestinian people and establishing the conditions for stability in both the West Bank and Gaza," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.
Mustafa was born in the West Bank town of Tulkarem in 1954 and earned a doctorate in business administration and economics from George Washington University. He has held senior positions at the World Bank and previously served as deputy prime minister and economy minister. He is currently the chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund.
The previous prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, resigned along with his government last month, saying different arrangements were needed because of the “new reality in the Gaza Strip.”
The Palestinian Authority was established in the 1990s through interim peace agreements and was envisioned as a stepping-stone to eventual statehood.
But the peace talks repeatedly collapsed, most recently with Netanayahu’s return to power in 2009. Hamas seized power in Gaza from forces loyal to Abbas in 2007, confining his limited authority to major population centers that account for around 40% of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Abbas is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, many of whom view the PA as little more than a subcontractor of the occupation because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. His mandate ended in 2009 but he has refused to hold elections, blaming Israeli restrictions. Hamas won a landslide victory in the last parliamentary elections, in 2006. Although it is considered a terrorist group by Israel and Western countries, Hamas would likely perform well in any free and fair vote.
Abbas, unlike his Hamas rivals, recognizes Israel, has renounced armed struggle and is committed to a negotiated solution that would create an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. That goal is shared by the international community.
Israel has long criticized the PA over payments it makes to the families of Palestinians who have been killed or imprisoned by Israel, including top militants who killed Israelis. The PA defends such payments as a form of social welfare for families harmed by the decades-old conflict.
The dispute has led Israel to suspend some of the taxes and customs duties it collects on behalf of the PA, contributing to years of budget shortfalls. The PA pays the salaries of tens of thousands of teachers, health workers and other civil servants.
The United States has called for a reformed PA to expand its writ to postwar Gaza ahead of the eventual creation of a Palestinian state in both territories. Netanyahu has ruled out any role for the PA in Gaza, and his government is opposed to Palestinian statehood.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their future state.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and considers the entire city — including major holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims — to be its undivided capital. Israel has built scores of settlements across the West Bank, where over 500,000 Jewish settlers live in close proximity to some 3 million Palestinians.
Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, but along with Egypt imposed a blockade on the territory when Hamas seized power two years later.
Netanyahu has vowed to dismantle Hamas and maintain open-ended security control over Gaza in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
The Palestinian Authority has said it will not return to Gaza on the back of an Israeli tank, and that it would only assume control of the territory as part of a comprehensive solution to the conflict that includes statehood.
Egypt appeals for more aid deliveries by land to Gaza as Israel warns of Rafah push
Egypt’s top diplomat on Thursday made an emotional appeal for an urgent increase in humanitarian aid going into Gaza by land, even as an aid ship loaded with some 200 tons of food was on its way to the enclave, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been driven to the brink of starvation.
The push to get food in by sea — along with a recent campaign of airdrops into isolated northern Gaza — highlighted the international community’s frustration with the growing humanitarian crisis and with Israel's restrictions that have prevented more aid getting in by land.
Israel wants Rafah civilians to go to Gaza's center ahead of southern offensive
On Wednesday, Israel said it plans to tell 1.4 million Palestinians displaced in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to seek shelter “humanitarian islands” in central Gaza ahead of a planned military offensive into the south. Israel says Hamas maintains four battalions in Rafah that it wants to destroy.
Humanitarian groups fear a military offensive into the densely crowded area would be a catastrophe. Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been forced from their homes, with many driven into sprawling tent camps. A quarter of Gaza’s population is starving, the United Nations has warned. The border crossing at Rafah is Gaza’s main entry point for aid.
Bangladesh demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza, full access to humanitarian assistance
More than 31,314 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the territory's Health Ministry said. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
Some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in southern Israel during the Hamas-led incursion on Oct. 7 that sparked the war. Around 250 people were abducted, and Hamas is believed to still be holding about 100 hostages.
UN chief calls for Ramadan truce in Gaza, Sudan
Australia resumes funding for UNRWA and pledges more Gaza aid
Australia will restore funding to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, weeks after the agency lost hundreds of millions of dollars in support following Israeli allegations that some of its Gaza-based staff participated in the Oct. 7 attack.
The Australian government also pledged Friday to increase aid for the besieged enclave, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressing horror at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Israel wants Rafah civilians to go to Gaza's center ahead of southern offensive
Australia's move follows Sweden, the European Commission and Canada in reinstating funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which had seen its international funding frozen while the allegations were investigated.
“The best available current advice from agencies and the Australian government lawyers is that UNRWA is not a terrorist organization,” Wong told reporters Friday in Adelaide while she announced the aid package.
Bangladesh demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza, full access to humanitarian assistance
"(We have) been working with a group of donor countries and with UNRWA on the shared objective of ensuring the integrity of UNRWA’s operations, rebuilding confidence, and so importantly, ensuring aid flows to Gazans in desperate need.”
Australia, alongside 15 international partners, froze funding to UNRWA in January, leaving the agency — which employs roughly 13,000 people in Gaza and is the main supplier of food, water and shelter there — on the brink of financial collapse.
A small number of the agency’s staff were fired following the accusations.
Israel has claimed that 450 UNRWA employees were members of militant groups in Gaza, though it has provided no evidence.
Wong also pledged an additional 4 million Australian dollars ($2.6 million) to UNICEF to provide urgent services in Gaza, and a C17 Globemaster plane will also deliver defense force parachutes to help with the U.S. led airdropping of humanitarian supplies into the enclave, which is on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
UN chief calls for Ramadan truce in Gaza, Sudan
The U.S. is also scrambling to open a new humanitarian aid corridor by building a floating dock off the coast of Gaza so aid can flow by sea.
Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, in which about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 taken hostage, sparked Israel’s retaliatory invasion of Gaza that has killed more than 31,000, according to local health officials, left much of the enclave in ruins and displaced some 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people.
Weather forecast: Scattered thunderstorms in four divisions, BMD says
Scattered rain or thunderstorms with temporary gusty winds are expected to affect one or two places within Khulna, Barishal, Dhaka, and Sylhet divisions, including the regions of Cumilla and Noakhali, according to BMD latest weather bulletin.
Rain or thunder showers likely in parts of country: Met office
The weather is expected to remain mostly dry with occasional partly cloudy skies elsewhere in the country.
Rain likely in Dhaka, 2 other divisions this week: BMD
There may be a slight increase in daytime temperatures, while nighttime temperatures are expected to remain relatively unchanged, it said.
Weather forecast: Rain, thunder showers over 8 divisions, BMD says
Dhaka’s air quality 5th worst in the world this morning
Dhaka's air quality was categorised as “very unhealthy this morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 166 at 9:37 am, Dhaka ranked fifth on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
Dhaka air unhealthy for sensitive groups this morning
Thailand’s Chiang Mai, Nepal’s Kathmandu, China’s Beijing and Myanmar’s Yangon occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 210, 183, 171 and 166, respectively.
An AQI between 150 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
Dhaka air seventh most polluted this morning
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.
Dhaka air world’s worst on Friday morning
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.
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.
US to host Bangladesh and Canada ahead of T20I World Cup
In the lead-up to the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup, the United States will host the Canadian and Bangladeshi cricket teams, the Cricket (USAC) announced on Thursday.
The series will see the US playing against Canada in a five-match T20I series beginning on April 7, followed by a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh starting from May 21. All matches will take place at the Prairie View Cricket Complex (PVCC) in Houston, Texas.
The confirmation of the matches comes after successful discussions between USAC, Cricket Canada, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“The Bangladesh Team's upcoming tour of the USA marks a historic occasion in the realm of cricket. This T20I series signifies a momentous opportunity for the cricketers of both nations to showcase their talent and passion for the sport,” as Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, the CEO of the BCB, was quoted as saying in a press release sent by the BCB.
He also said that the series would serve the Bangladesh team as the ideal platform to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the World Cup.
“There is a massive Bangladesh community in the USA and North America, and I am sure the fans will come in numbers to enjoy the matches, adding to the vibrant atmosphere and fervor of the games,” he added.
The matches between Bangladesh and the USA will take place on May 21, 23 and 25 respectively.
7 colleagues landed in jail over death of journo in Barguna
A Barguna court on Thursday sent seven members of Barguna Press Club to jail upon surrender in a case filed over the death of another journalist following an attack on Barguna Press Club on February 19.
Barguna Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Harun-Or-Rashid passed the order after rejecting a prayer for bail submitted by the defendants.
Those who landed in jail are Sohel Hafiz, Ariful Islam Murad, Md. Kashem Hawlader, Saiful Islam Miraz, Oliullah Imran, Sohag Hawlader and Sagir Hossain Titu.
Though a total of eight accused surrendered before the court with the bail prayer, the court only granted bail to Press Club General Secretary Jafar Hossain Hawlader, who had been in India during the attack.
Press Club’s seven members including its acting President Sohel Hafiz, members Ferdous Khan Emon and Saiful Islam Miraj were injured during the attack allegedly by deceased journo and also local Union Parishad member Masud Talukdar, his cohort Mushfiq Arif and others.
On February 29, the press club authorities filed a case naming 17 individuals and 50 unidentified individuals with the concerned police station.
In the case, the press club claimed so-called journalists Masud, Arif and their cohorts attacked the press club when most of its members had been in India on a tour.
Though journalist Masud had been hospitalised at Barishal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital since the attack, he breathed his last while undergoing treatment on March 2.
On March 2, Masud’s wife Sajeda Saju filed a murder case accusing 12 journalists and another man in this connection.
Masud was the prime accused in the press club attack case.