United News of Bangladesh

A fire which broke out at a yarn factory at Dharmikpara of Konapara in Dhaka’s Demra area was doused after an hour efforts of the firefighters on Thursday, said fire service authorities. The fire broke out at the tin-shed jute yarn factory around 7:20 am and spread soon, said Md Shahjahan Shikdar, Deputy assistant director (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence. On information, two firefighting units rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze around 8:28 am. Mirpur’s Jhilpar slum catches fire However, there were no immediate reports of casualty and the origin of the fire could not be known immediately. Fire damages foam factory on Char Patharghata

Highlighting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s pivotal role in advancing the Bangla language, acting High Commissioner to Canada Dewan Hossne Ayub urged collective efforts to make Bangladesh a developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041, drawing inspiration from the spirit of the Language Movement and the Liberation War. He acknowledged the role of two Bangladeshi expatriates in Canada in the recognition of International Mother Language Day and attributed its success to the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. EWU marks International Mother Language Day 2024 The envoy also thanked the people and government of Canada for enacting the 'International Mother Language Day Act' by the House of Commons in March 2023, recognizing February 21 as International Mother Language Day, said a media release issued by Bangladesh High Commission, Ottawa on Thursday. On February 21, 2024, Bangladesh High Commission in Ottawa observed 'Shaheed Dibosh' and 'International Mother Language Day' in a dignified and solemn manner through a day-long program. Language Martyrs’ Day, International Mother Language Day observed in New Delhi The day commenced with hoisting the national flag at half-mast, accompanied by the national anthem, by Minister and acting High Commissioner Dewan in presence of other officers and officials, at Bangladesh House. Following the flag hoisting, a special prayer was offered for the salvation of the souls of the language martyrs of 1952. A special discussion, chaired by the Minister and acting High Commissioner, was held at the High Commission's Auditorium. The event was attended by members of the High Commission as well as Bangladeshi expatriates residing in various provinces of Canada. The ceremony began with the laying of a floral wreath on the portrait of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, followed by a minute of silence to honor all language martyrs and the martyrs of Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971. At the beginning, special messages from the President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister were read out by the officers of the High Commission. Following this, a documentary on the language movement was screened. Then the invited guests shed light on the significance of the day. They emphasized on the importance of promotion of Bengali culture and language. In his address, Dewan paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, all martyrs of the language movement who sacrificed their lives for establishing Bangla as a state language of the then East Pakistan. He recounted Bangabandhu's significant involvement in the language movement, describing him as a main driving force, even enduring imprisonment for his leadership.  

In a coordinated operation on Wednesday at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, members of the Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and National Security Intelligence (NSI) successfully apprehended four individuals. These suspects were found in possession of 2.104 kilograms of gold, including bars, powder, and jewelry, valued at approximately Tk 1.74 crore. The individuals caught in this high-stakes operation were identified as Abdul Kadir, 41, and Ibrahim Khalil, 40, from Munshiganj district; Jewel Hossain, 34, from Patuakhali district; and Khorshed Alam, 42, from Gazipur district. Mohammad Ziaul Haque, the Additional Superintendent of Police for the APBn, provided these details in a press briefing following the arrests. Dubai returnee arrested with over 1.6Kg gold at Ctg airport According to Haque, the operation was triggered by a tip-off, leading to the arrest of the suspects who had just disembarked from a US Bangla flight arriving from Dubai at approximately 4:55 am. The joint team of APBn and NSI intercepted the suspects at around 6 am as they attempted to pass through the green channel. He further elaborated that the smuggled gold was ingeniously concealed on the suspects’ bodies, indicating a sophisticated attempt to bypass airport security measures. 7.5 kg gold recovered from Oman Air flight at Ctg Airport 

With an air quality index (AQI) score of 165 at 9:30 am on Thursday, Dhaka ranked 4th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality. India’s Delhi, Uzbekistan’s Tashkent and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first three spots, with AQI scores of 190, 168 and 168, respectively. An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’ while between 201–300 is ‘’very unhealthy’, and 301–400 is 'hazardous', posing severe health risks to residents. Dhaka’s air quality ‘unhealthy’, 5th worst in the world this morning The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. Dhaka’s air quality 4th worst in the world this morning Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.    

The government has made it mandatory for rice millers to display their name, location, production date, price, and variety prominently on all rice sacks prior to distribution. Such information must be printed from April 14, according to an order issued by the Ministry of Food on Wednesday. Md. Ismail Hossain, secretary of the ministry, told UNB that after visiting some of the rice-producing districts of the country recently, the ministry officials have confirmed that rice produced from the same variety of rice is being sold in the market under different names and prices. “Millers, wholesalers, and retailers are blaming each other when the price of rice goes up to unreasonable levels or increases suddenly. Due to this, consumers are facing difficulty in buying desired varieties of paddy and rice at fair prices and in many cases they are suffering financially,” he said. In order to overcome this situation, to keep the market price of rice at a stable and reasonable level, and to facilitate the rice market monitoring instructions have been given, he said. According to the circular, the rice-producing millers must mention the name of the producing mill, district and Upazila, date of production, mill gate price and variety of paddy/rice on the sacks of rice, and net weight before supplying rice from the warehouse to the market. The information mentioned on the sack/bag cannot be written by hand, rather it must be printed. All types of rice sacks/packets (50/25/10/5/2/1 kg etc.) supplied from all rice-producing mill owners (auto/husking) should have the above information printed on them. The same guidelines should be followed in the case of any corporate company. In this case, the company can specify the maximum retail price along with the mill gate price. As per instruction of this circular, all District Administrators/ Upazila Nirbahi/Executive Officers/ Regional Food Controllers/ District Food Controllers/ Upazila Food Controllers. Food inspectors will confirm this during the inspection. In case of violation, necessary measures will be taken as per Section 6 and Section 7 of the Food Production, Storage, Transfer, Transport, Supply, Distribution, Marketing (Prevention of Harmful Activities) Act-2023.  

In a profound reflection on the significance of Language Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day, ICT Adviser to the Prime Minister, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, honored the valor and sacrifice of the 1952 Language Movement martyrs. Through a message shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, he recounted the historic struggle that not only fought for the Bangla language's recognition as the state language but also symbolized a broader fight for national cultural identity. From a national tragedy to technological triumph: Sajeeb Wazed’s journey in Bangladesh’s transformation "Every year, we take a step back to commemorate our gallant heroes who sacrificed their lives on the fateful day of #21February, 1952 in a bid to defend and uphold our mother tongue and secure it as #StateLanguage," Sajeeb Wazed stated. He highlighted the courage displayed against the powerful state apparatus of Pakistan, where young individuals stood firm for the right of every Bengali citizen to speak their own language. He emphasized that the Language Movement transcended a mere linguistic battle; it was an effort to safeguard the essence of national cultural identity. "In many respects, the language movement was more than a movement to defend the Bengali #language; it was an endeavour to defend all that we hold dear in terms of national cultural identity," he remarked. A prosperous and smart future is a fitting tribute to our war heroes: Sajeeb Wazed The global recognition of 'Amar Ekushey' as International Mother Language Day is a testament to the enduring legacy of the Language Movement martyrs. This day is not only a moment of national remembrance but also an international celebration of linguistic diversity and cultural identity. The struggle in 1952, initiated by students and activists in Dhaka, marked a pivotal moment in the history of Bangladesh. It set the stage for the subsequent movements leading to independence in 1971. Today, as Bangladesh and the world observe International Mother Language Day, the message from Sajeeb Wazed serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made for linguistic freedom and the ongoing importance of preserving linguistic diversity.

The country’s largest chain super shop ‘Shwapno’ will distribute awards and certificates on Thursday among the winners of a drawing competition --'Shwapno Anko Barnomalaya'   Children aged 4-12 years, recently started submitting their drawings on a specific artpaper collected from a nearby Shwapno outlet. The collection of children's drawings was completed on February 17. Among the winners’ certificates and attractive prizes will be awarded at the 'Shwapno Anko Shishu Utsav' at Bangladesh Shishu Academy on Thursday, said a press release. Eminent persons will be attending the child festival to inaugurate the exhibition and spend quality time with the children. The day-long festival features dance, music, stage plays, cartoon shows, games, book stalls, photo booths, and much more. Children will be able to join the event with their families. 

Sightsavers Bangladesh has been awarded for improving the accessibility and quality of primary education for children with disabilities. The prestigious accolade was presented at the United Nations Office in Vienna on February 21 by the Zero Project, a global organisation that brings together policymakers, corporate houses and other disability experts and recognises innovative disability initiatives, said a press release. It recognised Sightsavers’ meaningful engagement with organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs) and role in strengthening systems in Bangladesh for enrolling, retaining, and ensuring quality primary education for children with disabilities. Through the Inclusive Futures programme, (funded by UK Aid’s flagship disability-inclusive development programme) the international NGO supported children aged between 4-14, who are living with disabilities in Bangladesh. Amrita Rejina Rozario, Country Director of Sightsavers Bangladesh said “We are immensely proud to receive the Zero Project award for our inclusive education work and strong partnerships with organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs) such as Spondon. Together we can achieve our goal of ensuring that no child is left behind in education”. Inclusive Futures programme director Johannes Trimmel said, “It means so much to have our work recognised on a global stage by the Zero Project awards. People with disabilities and their representative organisations need to be included in development programmes to shape and transform the societies that we live in." The Zero Project awards recognise organisations that have removed barriers for people with disabilities through their innovative and scalable solutions. Around 1,000 people from 100 countries attended the annual conference at the United Nations’ Offices in Vienna, where Sightsavers received the Zero Project award. Sightsavers won the award in partnership with the International Disability Alliance (IDA), a consortium of more than 20 organisations working together to ensure people with disabilities are included in development and humanitarian programmes. Its education projects which integrate children with disabilities into mainstream schools operate in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria and Tanzania. The programmes have resulted in increased enrolment and retention rates of children with disabilities in mainstream schools, so far supporting nearly 1,700 children with disabilities to access education. 

Commemorating the International Mother Language Day, artificial intelligence-based Bangla language software ‘Bangla Text to Speech –Uchcharon’, ‘Bangla Speech to Text –Kotha’ and Bengali OCR ‘Borna’ were launched on Wednesday. A new Bangla font ‘Purno’ began its journey during the occasion. State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak launched them on Wednesday. He also launched e-SIM for Teltalk in the event held at the BCC Auditorium in Dhaka. The ICT state minister said that the launch of the software is a historic event for Bangla and for the 35 crore Bangla-speaking people across the world. He said that a new dimension has been added to the development of the Bangla language under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina using smart technology. The state minister said that February 21 is a proud segment of the national history and also for the development of art, literature and culture. Bengali text-to-speech “Uchcharon” is a TTS software. The technology used to convert text into spoken words by a machine is called TTS or text-to-speech applications. TTS can read text in documents, websites, and screen windows. At the same time, it can read aloud to the visually impaired people. The software has both male and female voices. Currently, the software can be used from the address read.bangla.gov.bd. “Katha” is Bengali voice typing software. Voice typing or “speech to text” is the technique of writing words into a computer. It can convert spoken Bengali words to text in standard clear and quiet environments. The final version of the software can record Bengali major punctuation marks. The software can be used as a web application from the browser by entering the address voice.bangla.gov.bd. Also, there is an opportunity to use this voice typing service through the Keyboard Android app developed by the project. The name of Bengali OCR is “Barno”. OCR is used to convert un-editable text in computer documents into editable text. OCR is converting text in PDF or JPEG files to editable text. This character OCRT converts Bangla text into text similar to composed text.

Bangladesh reported 36 more COVID-19 cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total COVID-19 caseload rose to 2,048,043, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,486 as no new fatalities were reported during this period. The daily case test positivity rate stood at 8.93 percent as 403 samples were tested, said the DGHS. The recovery and death rates remained unchanged at 98.39 per cent and 1.44 percent, respectively.