United News of Bangladesh

Battery-powered and electric rickshaws will not be allowed to operate on Dhaka’s main roads, while registered e-rickshaws carrying up to four passengers will be permitted to run on internal roads, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam said on Sunday. Six-passenger e-rickshaws will not be eligible for registration with either of the two Dhaka city corporations, he said while speaking to reporters after a meeting between Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohd Shuhada Othman and LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan at the Secretariat. Shahe Alam said the policy for regulating auto-rickshaws is at the final stage and will soon be sent to the Ministry of Law for vetting. “Once it comes back after vetting, we will issue it within a week or the following week, as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that once the policy is issued, battery-powered rickshaws and e-rickshaws will come under a regulatory framework. The proposed policy will make certification from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), and engineering universities and automobile departments of government polytechnic institutes at the district level mandatory for registration of e-rickshaws, the state minister said. He said a traffic department fitness certificate will also be required before any e-rickshaw can be registered. “We will not provide registration without certification from BUET, and engineering universities and the automobile departments of government polytechnic institutes at the district level, as well as fitness certification from the traffic department,” Shahe Alam said. Registration will be issued by city corporations and municipalities, he said. The policy will also have provisions on charging points for e-rickshaws, the state minister said. “The government plans to gradually introduce solar-powered charging facilities and eventually make solar charging mandatory.” Charging points will also require licences from the relevant city corporation or municipality, depending on their location, he added. Shahe Alam said e-rickshaws are being manufactured indiscriminately at different locations, including Dhaka, while the government has no specific data on the number of such factories. Under the proposed policy, manufacturers will also be brought under a regulatory framework, he said. Factories producing e-rickshaws according to designs certified by BUET or engineering universities will have to be registered and obtain licences from the relevant city corporation or municipality, the state minister said. Besides, the government is considering dividing Dhaka into eight zones — four in the north and four in the south — based on a proposal from the traffic department, he said. Each zone will have a separate colour code, and e-rickshaws registered in one zone cannot operate in another, Shahe Alam said. He said city corporations and the traffic department will jointly determine the routes on which e-rickshaws can operate. “Geofencing technology will also be introduced for the vehicles.” The state minister said e-rickshaws will not be allowed on major roads in the capital but will be permitted to operate on internal roads within designated zones. He said introducing separate rickshaw lanes on major roads and ensuring orderly passenger boarding and drop-offs will be difficult and time-consuming. “We will not allow e-rickshaws on the main roads. We will create eight zones so that they can operate on internal roads,” he said. About the categories of e-rickshaws, Shahe Alam said, “We will divide them into three categories. In Dhaka, e-rickshaws will have a passenger capacity of two or four. We will not bring any six-passenger vehicle or e-rickshaw under the registration system of the Dhaka city corporations.” However, e-rickshaws carrying two, four or six passengers will be eligible for registration for operation in rural areas and rural roads in district towns, he said. 

The body of one of the two Bangladeshi doctoral students missing from the University of South Florida was found on a bridge over Tampa Bay, and his roommate has been taken into custody, law enforcement authorities said Friday. Zamil Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland bridge Friday morning, but Nahida Bristy is still missing, Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said. Limon’s roommate in an off-campus apartment, Hisham Saleh Abugharbeih, 26, was taken into custody at his family’s home nearby on preliminary charges that include unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment and battery. “We are still actively searching for Nahida,” Maurer said, appealing to the public to share any useful information. Officers encountered Abugharbeih as they responded to a report of domestic violence at his family’s home, just north of the campus, and were able to remove his relatives to safety. But then he barricaded himself inside and refused to come out. A SWAT team responded, along with a drone, a robot and crisis negotiators, before Abugarbeih came out with his hands up, apparently wearing nothing but a blue towel. “This is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “While the discovery of Zamil Limon’s remains is heartbreaking, I want the public to know that our detectives worked and are working tirelessly and relentlessly to uncover the truth.” Limon and Bristy, both 27, were a couple, considering marriage, a relative said. They disappeared from campus on April 16. Limon, who was studying geography, environmental science and policy, was last seen at his home in an apartment complex where he lived with Abugharbeih. Bristy, who was studying chemical engineering and lived on campus, was last seen an hour later at a campus science building. A family friend contacted authorities last Friday after being unable to contact either one, USF police said. Investigators interviewed Abugharbeih, who is a native-born U.S. citizen, on Thursday, Maurer said, but Abugharbeih ended the interview after a bit. He said Abugharbeih was speaking with detectives again after his arrest Friday morning. There are no other suspects in the investigation at this time, Maurer said. An autopsy is being done on the remains to determine the manner and cause of Limon’s death, and those results are expected Saturday morning, he said. Abugharbeih had been a USF student but was not currently enrolled. University records showed he had attended the school from Spring 2021 through Spring 2023, and had pursued a BS in Management, a university spokeswoman said. Abugharbeih also had several previous arrests, the sheriff’s office said. He was charged with battery and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling in September 2023, and with battery that May — both classified in court records as misdemeanors. Court records show Abugharbeih may have entered into a diversion program. A phone call to his lawyer in that case was not immediately returned. Hillsborough County Court records also showed two domestic violence petitions filed by a family member in 2023. A judge granted an injunction in one case and denied the other petition. He also was accused of traffic violations. “While the discovery of Zamil Limon’s remains is heartbreaking, I want the public to know that our detectives worked and are working tirelessly and relentlessly to uncover the truth,” Chronister said in the sheriff’s office statement. “We will continue to follow every fact, pursue every lead, and use every tool available to hold those responsible fully accountable. Our thoughts remain with the families of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy during this time.”

“Food coma” can occur in both people and animals. After having a large meal, you may feel the urgency to rest and find a corner or bed to relax. This is referred to as a “food coma”. The experience feels lethargic, and people struggle to get the necessary energy. However, by being aware of a few steps, food coma can be prevented. What is a Food Coma? A food coma is when you feel sleepy and tired after having a heavy meal. It's not like being in a deep sleep or a medical coma. After a large meal, your body sends a lot of blood to your stomach to digest the food, which can make you feel tired because it takes blood away from other parts of your body, like your brain.  Foods high in carbohydrates and fats can also make your blood sugar spike and then crash, leaving you feeling super tired. Additionally, hormones released after eating fatty foods can slow down digestion and make you feel sluggish. When you eat carbs and fats together, it can lead to a release of insulin, which increases the production of a chemical called tryptophan in your brain. Tryptophan boosts serotonin levels, making you feel relaxed and sleepy, leading to what's known as a food coma. Read more: Reasons Why Ramadan Fasting is More Beneficial Than Dieting Causes of Food Coma The reasons for a food coma lie in the intake of certain kinds and amounts of ingredients and the workload the stomach feels while metabolizing foods. To understand more deeply, reading a little explanation will help. Foods Containing Tryptophan People often get sleepy after eating certain types of foods. Some experts say it's because foods like whole grain, beef, lamb, poultry, dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes, etc contain a lot of a substance called tryptophan. When someone eats such foods, along with foods high in carbs, like rice or mashed potatoes, it can make them feel even sleepier.  It happens because tryptophan helps the brain make serotonin which makes a person feel calm and relaxed. Serotonin also helps the body produce melatonin, which is a hormone that gets people ready for sleep. So, eating tryptophan-enriched foods and carb-heavy foods can make people feel exhausted after a big meal. Read more: Colon Cancer: Everything You Need to Know Anomaly in Blood Supply to Brain Away from the brain to the digestive organs, a slight shift in blood flow can cause postprandial somnolence. Again, eating pumps up the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which is liable to regulate different body functions like blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion. When the stomach fills with enough food, the PNS gets triggered, causing more blood flow to the digestive organs and less to the brain. This lack of blood flow to the brain will cause a person to feel tired and sleepy. High-Calorie Meals Some experts propose that high-fat meals like dairy products, eggs, fatty fish, meat, nuts, seeds, etc which are low in carbohydrates can also create drowsiness.  Scientists also propose the idea of satiety signals, a rather complex combination sent to crucial sleep centers in the brain when such a meal with high fat or high calories is taken. The signal theoretically decreases hunger and arousal signals in the brain and increases sleepiness. Read more: How Does Physical Activity and Exercise Affect Testosterone Levels? Cytokines Increase Cytokines, a molecule from the Interlekin-1 family, is a signaling substance, involved in processes like inflammatory response, and is believed by experts to be responsible for augmented post-meal fatigue.  To draw an example of the use case, experts refer to any incident that involves a person taking medications to reduce inflammatory responses when the postprandial somnolence effect gets less intense and less common. Cytokines can affect the central nervous system and increase one’s perception of fatigue.