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Bangladesh reports two more dengue cases
Two more people were hospitalised with dengue in the 24 hours to Friday morning.
The new patients were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Fifty dengue patients, including 32 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 525 dengue cases, 469 recoveries, and six deaths this year.
Read more:Bangladesh reports 8 more dengue cases
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
446 school, high school students ended their lives in 2022: Study
At least 446 school and high school students in the country killed themselves in 2022.
Among them, 340 were school students and 106 high school students, according to the latest study of Anchal Foundation revealed Friday. The study is based on the reports of more than 150 national, local newspapers and online portals.
Read more: Nursing College student commits ‘suicide’ in Barishal
Dhaka division saw the highest number of school and high school students, 23.77 percent, ending their lives. It was followed by Chattogram (17.27 percent) and Rajshahi (16.81 percent), Khulna (14.13 percent), Rangpur (8.74 percent), Barishal (8.53 percent), Mymensingh (6.27 percent), and Sylhet (4.48 percent).
Also, 85 university and 54 madrasa students killed themselves.
On average, 37 school and high school students tried to commit suicide every month.
A gender analysis of the suicide data of high school students found that girls showed more suicidal tendencies (60.15 percent) than boys.
Among school students who committed suicide, 63.90 percent were girls. And 59.44 percent of the high school students who killed themselves were girls.
Read more: Polytechnic student commits suicide in Dhaka
School and high school students, who committed suicide, faced different issues, including being emotionally hurt (27.36 percent), troubled romantic attachment (23.32 percent), family conflict (3.14 percent), depression (2.01 percent), psychological problems (1.79 percent), financial problems (1.79 percent), harassment (1.79 percent), and rape or sexual harassment (1.34 percent).
Anchal Foundation General Secretary Samira Akhter Siam said what is "very fretful for us" is that the suicide rate is highest among students aged 13 to 19 years. "From an early age, mental health and emotion management techniques should be taught in the home by families, social settings, and at educational institutions."
IEB protests DCs' proposal on design, implementation of projects
The Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) has protested the proposal presented by the deputy commissioners (DCs) at their annual conference, asking for the power to oversee the design and implementation of projects in their districts.
"The DCs proposal is unrealistic and illogical. By raising such a proposal, the DCs are seeking to violate existing procurement rules," IEB General Secretary Shahadat Hossain Shiblu said in a statement Thursday.
Following Rule 12 of the Public Procurement Rules 2008, the public works of the land and public administration ministries are implemented by engineering firms with technical expertise, he added.
Read more: Stay away from corruption, serve people, President asks DCs
The DCs' comment that "estimate, design, and monitoring done by engineers create bottlenecks in the implementation of the projects while maintaining quality," is audacious, The IEB said.
If the DCs can coordinate their work properly, it will be possible to implement the projects on time, it added.
The IEB strongly demanded that the government not consider the DCs' proposal.
Light to moderate fog expect across much of Bangladesh
A light to moderate fog may occur at places over the country from late night till morning, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said Friday.
Night and day temperatures may remain nearly unchanged, it added.
Read more: Govt may provide loans for producing eco-friendly bricks: Environment Ministe
The lowest temperature in the country settled at 10.4 degrees Celsius in Tetulia of Panchagarh in the 24 hours to 6am today. The highest temperature was recorded at 31.2 degrees Celsius in Jashore.
The weather may remain dry with a temporary partly cloudy sky, the BMD said.
Sixth-grader dies falling off rooftop while playing cricket in Lalbagh
A sixth-grader died after falling off the rooftop of the five-storey building while playing cricket in the Lalbagh area of the capital on Thursday afternoon, police said.
The 12-year-old Tusar Ahmed Kayes was the lone offspring of private jobholder Md Delwar Hossain and housewife Happy Akter.
Md Bachhu Mia, inspector of police outpost at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said quoting one Md Liton, who brought the victim at hospital, Tusar fell off the ground while jumping into another roof from their rooftop to bring back the cricket ball in the afternoon in Boro Bhat Masjid area, leaving him critically injured.
He was rushed to the DMCH where physicians declared him dead around 5pm, he said, adding that the body has been kept at the hospital morgue for autopsy.
Read more: Child falls to death from roller coaster in Dhaka
Unidentified man's body recovered from Jatrabari pavement
The body of an unidentified man was recovered from a pavement of the capital's Jatrabari Thursday, police said.
The identity of the deceased could not immediately be confirmed.
The man was found lying on the pavement on Kutubkhali Bridge around 7:30am.
On information, police went to the spot and took the man to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where he was declared dead around 12:30pm, Mehbah Uddin, sub-inspector of Jatrabari Police Station, said.
Police assumed that the man had been living on the streets and suffering from a long illness. However, the exact cause of his death is pending autopsy and has not been confirmed.
Read more: Two unidentified bodies recovered from Dhaka streets
CRAB denounces police’s misconduct with journo
The Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) on Thursday denounced the incident of a police officer's misconduct with a journalist while performing duty.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hayatul Islam of Motijheel Division of Police has been uncooperative and discourteous with Mahbub Momtazi, a member of CRAB and Staff Reporter of Bangladesh Pratidin, according to a press release.
Read more: CRAB expresses concern over a series of mugging incident
CRAB president Mirza Mehdi Tamal and general secretary Mamunur Rashid along with the leaders of the executive committee strongly condemned the behavior of the police officer.
Besides, the leaders requested to strengthen the cordial relationship between the police and the crime reporters.
They also demanded a divisional step against the officer after investigation.
Preparations taken as hajj pilgrims don’t face trouble for dollar crisis: State Minister
The government has taken preparations so that the intending Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims do not face dollar crisis, said State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan on Thursday.
He was talking to reporters after attending the Deputy Commissioners Conference 2023 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.
Read more: 1918 pilgrims perform hajj at government's cost since 2014: State Minister
Asked whether there is enough dollars in reserve for 27,000 pilgrims this season, the state minister said no such situation has been created in Bangladesh yet. “Bangladesh’s condition is still stable.”
Regarding the propaganda over religion in textbooks, he said if there is anything controversial about religion in the textbooks, it must be removed.
Read more: No increase in Hajj package this year, says minister
The Ministry of Education has already formed two committees to investigate the matter. After the work of this committees, there remains an opportunity to do what are need to be done, he added.
“It's a way to destroy communal harmony by spreading huge propaganda about a trivial matter. These are spread before the elections. There is no time to allow such things,” said the state minister.
Cop dead in C’ nawabganj road crash
A police officer was killed in a collision between two motorbikes in Sadar upazila of the district on Thursday noon.
The deceased was identified as Nurul Islam, a sub-inspector of district Special Branch of police and hailed from Sirajganj district.
AKM Alamgir Jahan, officer-in-charge of Chapainawabganj Model Police Station, said the accident occurred around 1pm when the two vehicles collided head-on in Islampur area, leaving the motorcyclists critically injured.
Read more: Cop killed in Naogaon road crash
They were rushed to Sadar Hospital where SI Nurul was declared dead upon arrival, he added.
Return of Russian vessel carrying consignment for Rooppur won’t delay project work: Minister
Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman on Thursday said that the work of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project will not be delayed for turning away sanctioned Russian vessel ‘Ursa Major’.
The incident involving Russian vessel ‘Ursa Major’ is not good for anyone, he told reporters after the Deputy Commissioners’ Conference, 2023 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.
However, the work of the project will not be delayed due to the incident, he said. “It will be completed within the stipulated time, they (Russia) assured us.”
Read more: Rooppur consignment on sanctioned Russian ship may come by road from India
Russia’s contract with Bangladesh is that there will be no relationship with them (Russia) until the consignments reach the river port of Ruppoor, Yeafesh Osman said.
He said, “We are informed only when those reach our river port. Still, I will say that the incident that happened is not good for anyone. We have told them (Russia) that such incidents should not happen in future.”
Sanctioned Russian ship Sparta III (Ursa Major) was scheduled to dock at Mongla port in the southwestern part of the country at the end of December last year and unload cargo destined for the Rooppur NPP in Pabna.
Read more: Bangladesh won’t accept those Russian ships which are under sanctions: FM
But the authorities denied the ship permission to dock at the port after officials got a letter from the US Embassy in Dhaka saying that the ship was on a list of Russian ships sanctioned by the US.
On January 22, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh will not accept those Russian ships which are under sanctions, noting that Bangladesh has developed a good relationship with the United States of America (USA).
Bangladesh has conveyed to the Russian side that they can send any ship except the sanctioned 69 ships carrying equipment for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. Momen hoped that Russia would now send non-sanctioned ships carrying required materials.