United News of Bangladesh

A total of 513 students have committed suicide across the country in 2023, which is 19 incidents less than previous year when 532 students reportedly committed suicide.  Though the suicidal figure is a slight decrease in 2023 compared to previous year but not as expected, says Aachol Foundation, a youth-led social organisation dedicated to promoting mental health and well-being in Bangladesh. As cold weather continues, Dhaka’s air quality still ‘unhealthy’ Aachol Foundation released the statistics of suicidal  from the data collected by a group of researchers of the organisation at virtual press conference on Saturday. Among the suicide cases, 227 were school students, which is 44.2 percent of the total number of incidents, 140 were college students, which is 27.2 percent, 98 were university students, which is 19.1 percent, and 48 are madrasa students, which is 9.4 percent of the total students. Good educational institutions can make smart citizens: Saber Hossain Among 513 students, there were 204 male students which is 39.8 percent. On the other hand, there were 309 female students which is 60.2 percent.  Reviewing its research data of 2023, Aachol Foundation found frustration was the biggest reason behind student suicide, which accounted for 165 students or 32.2 percent of the total incidents. After that, 14.8 percent committed suicide due to love affair, 9.9 percent students chose to commit suicide due to mental problems, 6.2 percent due to family dispute, 1.4 percent students committed suicide due to family violence while, 4.5 percent of the students committed suicide due to academic stress, 3.5 percent failed in exams and 1.8 percent failed to achieve desired results in public exams and 2.5 percent committed suicide due to sexual harassment and 0.8 percent committed suicide due to humiliation. Bhola can be 2nd biggest port in Bangladesh: Industries Minister

As cold weather continues to impact daily life, Dhaka’s air quality remains ‘unhealthy’. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 191 at 9:02 am this morning, Dhaka ranked 6th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality. Bosnia Herzegovina’s Sarajevo, India’s Delhi and Ghana’s Accra occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 323, 241 and 227, respectively. Dhaka’s air quality 2nd worst in the world this morning An AQI between 101 and 150 is considered 'unhealthy' for sensitive groups, while AQI between 150 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy' and 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. 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. Worst Air Quality: Along with Dhaka, South Asian cities in top 5 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.    

Bangladesh needs  skilled and educated manpower to face various challenges and good educational institutions can make smart citizens, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury on Friday. “A smart society is needed to build a smart Bangladesh.  Smart citizens are needed to build a smart society.  And good educational institutions can make smart citizens,” he said . Bhola can be 2nd biggest port in Bangladesh: Industries Minister The environment minister said these things while addressing as the chief guest at an event on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Notre Dame College. He also said that ideal educational institutions like Notre Dame College can play an important role in building a smart Bangladesh as per the vision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. NBR  recognises BAT Bangladesh as top taxpayer Such types of educational institutions create the leadership of the society, the leadership of the country. “We have to work for the economic emancipation  of the people of our country.  Everyone should work together to build a developed, prosperous non-communal welfare state dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” Chowdhury added. 9 more wells to be drilled in Bhola to expedite local gas production: Nasrul Hamid The minister said this traditional institution has been playing an important role in the field of education and culture for 75 years. He assured the support of the government for the overall development of Notre Dame College.

Considering the location of Bhola, it can be the second biggest port in Bangladesh after Chittagong, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said on Friday. "Since there is gas in Bhola, our main aim is to create entrepreneurship and employment there by utilizing that resources," the minister said at the inauguration ceremony of the construction of a gas connection line in the BSCIC Industrial area of Bhola Sadar. 9 more wells to be drilled in Bhola to expedite local gas production: Nasrul Hamid He also said that the small cottage industry is playing a vital role in our rural economy. “Specially during the Covid pandemic, we have seen that small entrepreneurs saved the lifeline of the rural economy. They kept running markets providing their products.” The industries minister also said that Bhola's BSIC is currently running in small scale and its areas can be expanded  in future, he mentioned. Rare olive ridley turtle rescued in Bhola Nurul Majid said Bhola is rich in gas, big companies have already started coming here. “Big companies like Celltech are producing ceramics here. Others are also showing interest in the industry. All in all, Bhola is a very promising place to invest, “the minister added. Presided over by Deputy Commissioner Arifuzzaman, Senior Secretary Zakia Sultana, BCIC director Akhil Chandra Poddar, District Parishad Chairman Abdul Momin Tulu, Additional Superintendent of Police Asaduzzaman, District Awami League General Secretary Mainul Hossain Biplab, Bhola BCIC also spoke. 12th national election: Awami League bags all four seats in Bhola

The body of a 19-year-old youth was recovered from a space between two buildings in Jatrabari area of Dhaka on Friday morning. The deceased was identified as Md Hasan, son of Shamsuddin of Alinagar Madrasa Bazar under Sadar upazila of Bhola. He used to live with relatives in Mirhazaribagh area under Jatrabari police station. Youth’s beheaded body recovered from Lalmonirhat’s maize field Sub-Inspector Md Sabbir Hossain of the police station said locals spotted the body lying in the space between the buildings around 10:45 am. Being informed, they recovered the body and sent it to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy, he said, adding that the victim might fell from one of the buildings. Security guard’s body recovered after missing for 5 day in Sirajganj There were marks of injuries on his head and other organs of the body, he said, adding that the victim might be a drug addict. An unnatural death case was filed in this connection, he added. 58-year-old woman’s body recovered in Narail

BAT Bangladesh has been recognised as the top taxpayer for the 2022-2023 fiscal year by the Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR). The company, contributing an amount of Tk 1,352 crore as Corporate Tax to the national exchequer, received recognition for being the highest taxpayer for the fiscal year 2022-23,said a press release. Bhumi-Pedia will be a reliable digital tool for landowners: Land Secretary On Wednesday, the LTU organised a ceremony at the NBR office, Agargaon, where the chief guest was  Syed Mohammad Abu Daud, Member - Tax Administration and Human Resource Management, NBR. The function was presided over by Md. Iqbal Bahar, Tax Commissioner, LTU, Dhaka. BAT Bangladesh’s Company Secretary - Mr Azizur Rahman FCS, Area Head of Corporate Finance - Nashva Bint Hamid and Assistant Manager, Fiscal Affairs - Baizid Haque Joarder received the accolade on behalf of the company. ‘Upstream countries avoid downstream nations in South Asia for fairer water sharing’ After receiving the recognition as the top taxpayer, Md. Azizur Rahman said, “BAT Bangladesh fully complies with the laws and regulations of the Country, maintains complete transparency and pays taxes on time. In order to build a Smart Bangladesh, we strongly believe we can play a pivotal role as a significant partner in the country's development in the coming years." 9 more wells to be drilled in Bhola to expedite local gas production: Nasrul Hamid BAT Bangladesh contributed approximately Tk 31,507 crore in the forms of Value Added Tax (VAT), Supplementary duty (SD), Corporate Tax, Import Duty and other duties during the said fiscal year.

Land Secretary Md. Khalilur Rahman said on Thursday that the Bhumi-Pedia is being developed as a reliable digital tool for the landowners. The secretary expressed this optimism while presiding over a training event on 'Intelligent Land Knowledge Management System' or 'Smart Bhumi-Pedia' (Land-Pedia or Bhumipedia) at the conference room of the Ministry of Land at the Secretariat on Thursday, said a media release. Officials of different levels of the Ministry of Land participated in the training. On March 29 last year, the prime minister inaugurated the Land Ministry's artificial intelligence-based (AI-enabled) land encyclopedia 'Smart Bhumi Pedia'. Now, the second version of this system is being implemented by making improvements to it. Secretary Khalilur said that the purpose of Bhumi-Pedia is to ensure that the people can get necessary information and advice on land through conversation. Moreover, this system will also contribute to the 'institutional memory' of the land, an important element of ensuring good governance in land management, he hoped. He said the Bhumi-Pedia will also play a role in establishing efficient, transparent, and people-friendly land management, as well as implementing the open data governance policy of the Ministry of Land and the government's right to information policy. The secretary said that the artificial intelligence-based independent model Bhumi-Pedia is undergoing training (AI Model Training). Land service officials and land service recipients will be encouraged to use Bhumi-Pedia for its active learning. Mentioning that it is multifaceted and time-consuming to train artificial intelligence-based systems in the initial stage, the secretary hoped that once stable, Bhumi-Pedia would serve as a reliable assistant for all land affairs. Bhumi-Pedia's artificial intelligence-based chatbot 'Bhumi Advisor' with the features of writing and speaking in Bangla is one of the cornerstones of the Smart Land Service Initiative of the Ministry of Land, the land secretary added. Laws, ordinances, presidential orders, rules, policies, guidelines, circulars, notifications, manuals, gazettes, and all other types of land-related documents are accessible in Bhumi-Pedia. Additionally, forums and blogs for further discussion will be available. Users can also learn from real-life problems related to land and discover ways to overcome the problems from Bhumi-Pedia.

The two-day 9th International Water Conference took place at a hotel in Dhaka under the theme ‘Water, River and Climate Change: Creating Space for Resilience’ ended on Thursday. While moderating a session titled “Rights of the River: Integrated Basin Management” Dr Asif Nazrul, Professor, Department of Law, University of Dhaka, said, “In South Asia, major upstream countries do not want to sit with downstream countries.” Fair election needed to restore confidence in Constitution: Asif Nazrul “Most agreements are reactive agreements made in order to accommodate unilateral projects by upstream or powerful countries. They usually go bilateral to resolve any water and river related disputes. If we look into the South Asian Water sharing treaties, we see that most of them are periodical treaties for a selective timeframe, which we do not see in other parts of the world,”   he added. He also stated that all the basin states must find a fair way of water allocation to avoid disagreement. Also, there must be a regional framework for comprehensive data sharing regarding water resource management. Police complaint filed against Prof Asif Nazrul over controversial Facebook post Nayoka Martinez-Bäckström, First Secretary and Deputy Head of Development Cooperation, Embassy of Sweden stressed the inclusion of young people in water-related discussion and the climate justice movement. She also emphasised on the youth-led enterprise for sustainable water management. Dr Ainun Nishat, professor emeritus, Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University, said, “In climate and water negotiations, it’s imperative to understand the politics at play. Climate change significantly impacts food security, and water is essential for ensuring this security. By understanding climate politics well, we can strongly stand for climate justice.” Dr. Khairul Islam, Regional Director, WaterAid, South Asia Region, in the River, Resilience, and People session said, “Most of the civilisations started on the bank of the rivers. What we are seeing now is that the condition of the river is deteriorating. The majority of climate change is human-made or caused by the people. Water is the lifeline of the people, and we are polluting it. If we become conscious and more responsible, we can revert and improve this situation. We should find ways to save water bodies.” New Metro Rail Station at Dhaka University: A milestone in student connectivity Remarks by Special Guest, M. Riaz Hamidullah, Ambassador, Embassy of Bangladesh in the Netherlands said, “If we are to look for a solution-driven approach, we have to understand Delta plan is not a guideline. A plan has to marry with the future of the economy and urbanization of the country. I do not see the knowledge institutions to inform projects.” This year the conference emphasised on 10 thematic areas- Understanding the nexus of climate change and rights of rivers; Climate change and rivers: Risk and vulnerabilities; Development, inclusion and resilience; Water, river, and urban resilience: Infrastructure and ecosystem; River, resilience, and people; Rights of the river: Integrated basin management; Multilateral water cooperation and governance; Living museums and community resilience; Water and river: Engagement young people; Sustainable Future: Crafting technical solutions.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said that nine more wells will be drilled in Bhola as part of the government’s plan to expedite the drive for local gas production. He made the remarks while visiting Shahbazpur gas field in Bhola on Thursday. He told reporters that so far nine wells were drilled in the southern district of Bhola and after completion of the planned drilling of nine more wells, the total number of gas wells will go up to 18. He said the government wants to ensure highest utilisation of local gas to meet the domestic demands. The state minister also visited the 220 MW and 225 MW combined cycle power plants at Borhanuddin island. He said the Petrobangla officials were directed to conduct 2D and 3D seismic surveys in the entire Bhola including its river and adjoining areas. He said that gas fields in Bhola need one more process plant to supply the gas through pipeline to Patuakhali and other areas. “This will take about 3 years” he said, adding that gas from Bhola will be supplied to household consumers alongside the industries. He said a feasibility study was conducted to construct the pipeline from Bhola to other areas. He said there is a plan to supply the gas from Bhola to its other municipal areas as well so that more industries could be set up utilising this gas. Nasrul Hamid mentioned that the government had drilled some 46 wells across the country from which 612 million cubic feet of gas is now being produced and supplied to the national grid. Of this, some 112 mmcfd gas was supplied to the national gas network alone in 2023. He said currently 5 mmcfd gas is being transported to Dhaka through CNG form and the amount will be improved to 25 mmcfd soon. Energy and Mineral Resources Secretary Md. Nurul Alam was present during the visit.

The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Narayanganj River Port Authority on Thursday jointly conducted a drive and demolished 35 structures erected illegally on the banks of the Dhaleshwari River in Narayanganj. A mobile court led by BIWTA’s Executive Magistrate Hasan Maruf also fined two boats for not having necessary documents. The drive was conducted from Fatullah’s Boktaballi to Dicreechar stretching several kilometres. During the drive, a total of 35 illegal structures, including guide walls of brick kilns, bamboo pilings, sand mattresses and temporary houses built on the banks of the river were demolished. After the drive, Magistrate Hasan Maruf said the river banks were occupied by constructing guide walls of brick kilns and bamboo pilings. The drive will continue until the river is freed from illegal grabbing following a High Court order, he said. The river port authority’s Joint Director Shahid Ullah and Deputy Director Mobarak Hossain Majumder, other officials and members of thana police, river police and Ansar were present during the eviction drive.