Bangladesh
Dengue numbers keep rising: 92 new cases reported
Ninety-two more people were hospitalised with dengue – a viral infection – in the 24 hours to Saturday morning as cases have continued to increase in Bangladesh.
Eighty-nine new patients were admitted to the hospitals of Dhaka and three outside it, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Three hundred and fifty-five dengue patients, including 284 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
This year's death toll from the mosquito-borne viral disease rose to 16 Thursday with one more death reported from Dhaka.
Read: Dengue: 24 new patients hospitalised
On June 21, the DGHS reported the first death of the season from the viral disease. In July, it recorded 1,571 dengue cases and nine deaths.
This year, the DGHS has recorded 3,643 dengue cases and 3,272 recoveries so far.
Implement Teesta management and restoration master plan: IFC
International Farakka Committee on Saturday demanded the implementation of the Teesta Master Plan to protect three crore people living in its basin in Bangladesh from heavy flood and river banks erosion.
Atiqur Rahman Salu, chairman of IFC, voiced the demand in an opinion exchange meeting at the Abdus Salam Hall of the National Press Club.
The IFC chairman said this while the promise for signing a treaty on the Teesta is lingering on for 12 years, in the dry season flow of the river is being diverted unilaterally from the Gazal Doba Barrage in West Bengal, India for more than two decades.
No change to this unfortunate plight of the Teesta is in sight, he said adding, “We therefore believe that the government of Bangladesh should urgently take sustainable measures to minimize the adverse effects of drought-flood vagaries to the people of Teesta Basin in Bangladesh’.
Dr. S.I. Khan, senior vice-president, IFC Bangladesh, Mostafa Kamal Majumder, coordinator and Ataur Rahman Ata, joint secretary of IFC and Rafiqul Islam Azad, former president of Dhaka Reporters’ Unity were present at the opinion exchange and answered questions of journalists.
Atiqur Rahman Salu said no treaty has been signed on the Teesta although the two countries were supposed to do so in 2011. The Irony is that even in this rainy season Nilphamari, Kurigram and Gaibandha districts have experienced several waves of flood and riverbank erosion.
Read: FM Momen rues long delay in Teesta deal with India
He said devastating floods in the rainy season and dry rivers and drought in the dry season have brought environmental disasters to Bangladesh.
“Our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to go on a visit to India soon. It is our belief that she would discuss with the Indian Prime Minister in clear terms the plight of world’s largest delta Bangladesh that has originated from the common rivers,” he said.
He also said this is urgent because being cut off from the common rivers the lush green environment of the country is getting destroyed day by day, damaging agriculture, breeding and feeding grounds of indigenous fish, and industry. People are losing livelihoods and becoming displaced.
The IFC chairman noted that China has come up with an idea to implement a Teesta management and restoration master plan with nearly $1 billion in loan (about 10,000 crore Taka). The Power Construction Corporation or Power China wants to implement the master plan. Work on this project was supposed to begin in 2021, but has not started yet.
He said, “ If water was available there was no need of alternative thinking. Given the present uncertain situation it’s not wise to sit idle. When the urge to restore the flow of the river from upstream will come under the dictates of nature the Bangladesh part of the Teesta will get a new lease of life.”
IFC recommended that the Teesta Master plan can be expanded to cover Karatoa, Punarbhaba, and Atrai in the old Teesta basin. This will ensure overall development of the Northwestern part of Bangladesh.
This master plan is no substitute for basin-based integrated management of the river to keep it alive, he said adding that it can help improve the lot of the people of the Teesta basin by protecting them from the annual floods and bank erosions.
Bangladesh reports zero Covid death, 144 new cases
Bangladesh reported zero Covid death and 144 new cases in the 24 hours to Saturday morning.
The country last reported zero Covid-linked death on August 7.
While Bangladesh's total fatalities remained unchanged at 29,332, the new number took its caseload to 2,008,644, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case test positivity rate dropped to 4.29 percent from Friday's 4.75 percent as 3,357 samples were tested.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.46 percent. The recovery rate rose to 97.12 from Friday's 97.13 percent.
In July, the country reported 142 Covid-linked deaths and 31,422 cases, the highest monthly death toll and caseload since March this year.
Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 43 cases, zero death
Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 in the same year.
Although the current pandemic phase may be characterised by relatively low incidence and risk for hospitalisation and death, the Omicron variant remains highly transmissible.
The potential for surges highlights that "countries cannot afford to ease up" on vaccinating their populations against Covid, "especially their health care workers, the elderly and those with comorbidities," according to the World Health Organization.
BFIU sought illegal money information from Swiss banks repeatedly: BB
Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) repeatedly sought information from different countries including Switzerland about money laundered by Bangladeshis, said Bangladesh Bank (BB).
In response to a query on Saturday regarding the recent statement of the Swiss Ambassador, Md Serajul Islam, executive director and spokesperson of BB, said, “I have nothing to say anything about the statement of the Swiss Ambassador. But the BFIU repeatedly sought information from different countries on various issues, including illegal money transactions from Bangladesh.”
All kinds of initiatives were taken to collect information about money laundering from the country, he said adding that the BFIU, the country's financial intelligence agency, has also sent several letters to the Swiss banks.
Sirajul Islam said, “Whenever we need to collect information, the BFIU collects information from everywhere as the BFIU is a member of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), an international network of FIUs.”
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said Bangladesh sought information on the deposits of Bangladeshi money in the Swiss banks but the Swiss side did not respond to the query.
Read: Dhaka approached Swiss banks about deposit of Bangladeshi money: Momen
Momen said this after his conversation on the issue with Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder and Finance Secretary Fatima Yasmin on Thursday.
The foreign minister said he advised the governor and the finance ministry to come up with the statements as confusion arose following some media reports quoting Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard.
Momen said it is not true that Bangladesh did not seek information from Switzerland.
The Swiss envoy at the DCAB Talk on Wednesday said any estimate on deposits of Bangladeshi money in the Swiss banks is “purely speculative” and no conclusion can be drawn on the basis of media and other reports.
Responding to a question on information exchange on the issue, she said Switzerland is really committed to implementing international standards. In accordance with these international standards they can have some specific regulations and agreements also with the country to exchange this type of information, she said.
“So that is something should be developed,” said the ambassador, adding that they have been providing to the government all the information regarding how to reach an agreement on these matters but no request has been submitted regarding any particular funding.
It's a joke with people, says BNP about Momen's comment on living in heaven
Taking a swipe at Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen for his comment that the people of Bangladesh are living in heaven compared to other countries, BNP on Saturday said it is nothing but a joke with people when they are struggling to survive.
“At a time, when the people of the country are suffering every moment and finding it difficult to survive amid miseries, then the foreign minister said we’re living in heaven. It’s ridiculous,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
Speaking at a press conference, he also said it is unjustified for AK Momen to ridicule people at a time of their anguish.
Fakhrul said the Foreign Minister has made such somewhat ridiculous remarks in the past. “But he has no right to make such a mockery."
“I am sorry to speak on a personal level. Lately, what has emerged in his (Momen’s) appearance is that he has become puffed up. What has happened to most of the ministers--let me say in our local language that--their fat has increased, because of widespread plundering,” he observed.
Read: Momen accuses BNP of destroying caretaker government system for lust of power
The BNP leader said the ministers are ridiculing people only for justifying their plundering. “They have started joking with people about this (power) crisis.”
BNP Standing Committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Ismail Zabihullah were present at the press conference.
Earlier on Friday, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen reportedly told journalists in Sylhet that people in Bangladesh are happier than those in many other countries as if they are living in heaven amid the global recession.
Tk 73000 cr being laundered through gold smuggling annually: BAJUS
Bangladesh Jewellers’ Association (BAJUS) on Saturday said that around Tk73000 crore is laundered from Bangladesh every year through gold smuggling.
They have sought the government’s tough action and cooperation of intelligence agencies and law enforcers to stop gold smuggling through Bangladesh.
BAJUS leaders said this at a press conference held at the association’s office in Bashundhara city complex in the capital on Saturday.
Enmaul Haque Khan, Chairman of BAJUS standing committee on Ant-Smuggling and Legal Enforcement, gave the speech at the press conference.
Among others, Vice-chairman Bidhan Malakar, members Ikbal Uddin, Swapon Chandra Karmakar, Bikash Ghosh, Babul Rahman, were present at the function.
Read: 10 gold bars seized at Sylhet airport
They claimed that Bangladesh is used as a transit of gold smuggling to neighboring countries by influential syndicates which should be stopped .
Gold worth around Tk200 crore is smuggled daily on average through Bangladesh airways, roads, and waterways, they said.
The jewellers’ association leaders said that they have prepared the report on gold smuggling and money laundering based on law enforcers’ information and newspaper reports regarding gold smuggling.
Replying to a query, BAJUS leaders said 15000 to 20000 bhoris of gold are being imported in Bangladesh through baggage of travellers which is legal.
Dakshin Surma library will enlighten locals: Momen
Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said that the new public library in Dakshin Surma upazila of Sylhet will act as a learning centre that will help enlighten people.
“There is a dearth of libraries in our country. Amid this shortage, Dakshin Surma Public Library will contribute in creating an environment of practicing knowledge in the area,” Momen said at the inauguration ceremony of the library on Friday.
The Minister advised the library authorities to maintain it properly and also preserve the books and documents in digital formats. He also assured of necessary assistance in this regard.
In his address, Momen lauded the initiatives of late Nurul Islam, the library's founder and writer of ‘Probashir Kotha’, who's also known for his role in the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
“Nurul has worked for the development of Sylhet in particular and Bangladesh in general throughout his life. Nurul and late Abul Maal Abdul Muhit had jointly protested the killing of Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members. Nurul had also worked for solving the problems and meeting the demands of expatriate Bangladeshis,” the Foreign Minister said.
Also read: Dhaka approached Swiss banks about deposit of Bangladeshi money: Momen
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Nurul Islam’s wife Nargis Islam. His daughter Munzereen Rashid, local MP Habibur Rahman Habib, and Nusrat Laila Nira, upazila nirbahi officer of Dakshin Surma, spoke at the event.
Sylhet City Corporation councillor Azadur Rahman Azad, among others, attended the event.
Human chain for potable water in coastal Satkhira
Residents of the coastal areas of Satkhira formed a human chain in front of the press club on Saturday, demanding supply of pure drinking water in the district.
Despite repeated requests, the protesters claimed, the authorities turned a blind eye to the issue.
Highlighting the sufferings of the residents, the protesters vowed to intensify their stir if "our demand for clean drinking water in the coastal areas is ignored".
Read: Farmers’ suicide ‘for irrigation water’: Human chain demands justice
"Women are forced to walk 4-5 kms daily to fetch safe drinking water. Salinity in water is damaging crops in the coastal areas as well," said a protester.
The protest was held under the aegis of NGO ‘Swadesh’.
Low-lying areas of coastal districts face flood risk
Several low-lying areas of coastal districts and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by tidal surges, the weather department said on Saturday.
The districts are Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar.
According to the weather department, a steep pressure gradient (pressure changing rapidly between two areas) persists over the North Bay and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh.
Read: Caution for maritime ports: Low pressure over Bay intensifies
Squally weather may affect the maritime ports, the North Bay and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh.
Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla, Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal No 3.
All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice.
Dhaka warehouse blast: Death toll rises to 8
The death toll from the Rajabari scrap godown explosion rose to eight, with another injured succumbing at a city hospital on Friday night.
The deceased was identified as Shahin Mia, 25.
Shahin, who sustained 40% burns, breathed his last at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery at 10pm, said Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) police outpost in-charge Md Bacchu Mia.
Earlier, Shafiqul, 32, who sustained 80% burns, died at the hospital on August 9.
Al-Amin, 30, another victim, who suffered 70% burns, died in the small hours of August 9.
On August 8 , Masum Ali, 35, son of Rahad Ali, who received 80% burns, succumbed to his injuries around 7.35pm at the hospital, Bacchu Mia said.
Earlier, on the same day, around 1.30am, Mizan, who suffered 95% burns, succumbed to his injuries.
Also read: Dhaka warehouse blast: Death toll rises to 6
On August 7, three injured -- Gazi Mazharul Islam, 48, Md Alam Mia, 20, and Md Nur Hossain, 60 -- died at the same hospital.
Eight people suffered burn injuries in the blast that occurred around 11.45am on August 6 in the godown, said officer-in-charge of Turag Police Station, Mehedi Hasan.