Bangladesh
“Coordinated approach needed among UN Police, agencies and national authorities”
Bangladesh has urged the United Nations (UN) to address the root causes and drivers of fragility in the conflict affected countries and extend support to the national actors in developing their capacities to deliver basic services, create economic opportunities and implement necessary governance reforms.
“A coherent and coordinated approach is needed between all actors including UN Police, UN country team, agencies and relevant national authorities,” said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.
He was speaking at the high-level meeting on “Fostering sustainable peace and development through United Nations policing” held during the third UN Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2022) at the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday (September 1, 2022).
Read:UN lauds Bangladesh's good practices in countering terrorism, preventing violent extremism
"As a proud member of the UN Police since 1989, we reiterate our commitment to contribute to any UNPOL initiative for the promotion of sustainable peace and development” he said.
Mentioning that security and development are interdependent and mutually reinforcing, he said UN peace operations should strive for a balanced and coherent approach for maintaining peace and security in order to facilitate development activities.
The Home Minister emphasized on the role of UN policing in the security sector reform and strengthening rule of law as per mandate.
He underscored the importance of Specialized Police Teams (SPTs).
The minister appreciated the efforts to increase the number of women in police deployments and senior positions in UN peacekeeping.
He also expressed Bangladesh’s readiness to contribute competent female police officers and well-equipped police units for furthering this goal.
US Embassy to host virtual university fairs for promising Bangladeshi students
The U.S. Embassy, through its EducationUSA Bangladesh platform, will host the EducationUSA South Asia Fall Virtual Tour on September 3 and 10.
The tour aims to provide prospective students, teachers, and college counselors with a unique opportunity to learn about the U.S. higher education application process from admissions officers representing over 60 accredited American colleges and universities.
This free regional fair will be open to participants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, said the US Embassy on Friday.
The virtual tour entails two university fairs—a graduate admissions (masters and doctoral programs) fair on September 3 and an undergraduate admissions (associates and bachelor’s degree programs) fair on September 10.
UPDF leader shot dead in Khagrachhari
A leader of a Chittagong Hill Tracts-based political group was shot dead allegedly by his rivals in Guimara upazila of Khagrachhari on Friday.
The deceased was identified as Angthoi Marma alias Agun, 52, of the Guimara unit of United People's Democratic Front (UPDF).
The crime occurred around 10am near the Dewan Para area of the upazila, said Md Rashid Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Guimara police station.
Also read: Youth killed in gunfight between 2 UPDF factions in Khagrachhari
According to locals, Marma was gunned down by a group of armed men while he was on his way to carry out the group's work.
The body has been sent for an autopsy and the matter is under investigation, said OC Rashid.
Also read: UPDF man shot dead in JSS-UPDF ‘gunfight’ in Rangamati
Malaysia offering premium visa to draw wealthy investors
According to Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin, Malaysia has established a premium visa program (PVIP) to entice wealthy foreigners to invest in the nation and live there for 20 years.
The Malaysian home minister declared that applications would be accepted starting from October 1, 2022, for the government’s groundbreaking “Residency Through Investment” program, which is intended to spur economic growth in the nation, Malaysian National News Agency Bernama reported on September 1, 2022.
Business tycoons from all countries, with the exception of Israel and those without diplomatic connections with Malaysia, are welcome to apply for PVIP, according to Hamzah.
Read: US embassy holds “Super Friday” to help meet huge demand for student visa interviews
Participants in the scheme, according to him, would receive advantages such as visa approval for up to 20 years, permission to study, permission to buy real estate for residential, commercial, or industrial use, and permission to make active investments in industries that are allowed, the Bernama report said.
At a news conference in Putrajaya yesterday, the minister said, “Program participants are also allowed to work and carry out lawful commercial activities in compliance with the rules of the country.” Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud was also present at the event.
Participants from all age groups who can show documentation of an offshore income of at least RM40,000 (USD 8,920) per month or RM480,000 (USD 107,047) yearly are eligible for the scheme, Bernama quoted Hamzah as saying.
Also read: Dhaka seeks greater trade, investment with visa-free Commonwealth regime
Other requirements include a fixed savings account with a deposit of at least RM1 million and a one-year restriction on principle withdrawals. After that, one may withdraw up to 50% of the principle amount for home purchases, medical expenses, or educational pursuits.
Hamzah stated that his ministry was aiming for at least 1,000 participants in the program’s first year, which would bring in an estimated RM200 million in revenue and RM1 billion in fixed savings for Malaysia, the Bernama report added.
The Malaysian ringgit’s value will be strengthened by rising demand, he predicted.
Read Visa Free Country List for Bangladeshi Passport Holders in 2021
He further guaranteed that the Malaysian police and the immigration department would monitor and enforce the Malaysia premium visa program’s adherence to its policies and objectives.
Rains likely to quell heat in Bangladesh
Expect some reprieve from the high heat and humidity, as the weatherman has predicted showers in Bangladesh in the next 24 hours.
“Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds is likely to occur at many places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at a few places over Khulna division with moderately heavy to heavy falls at places over the country,” the Met department said in its weather bulletin on Friday.
Also read: Rains likely to quell heat in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said a mild heatwave that is sweeping through the districts of Jashore and Satkhira may abate during the same time.
Day temperature may fall slightly and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, according to the bulletin.
Also read: Met office forecasts rain across Bangladesh
The maximum temperature was recorded at 36 degree Celsius in both Satkhira and Jashore in the last 24 hours till 6am Friday.
Meanwhile, the maximum rainfall was recorded at 67 mm in Syedpur.
Jashore: 'Gold smuggler' killed in clash with cops, 2 others held
An alleged gold smuggler was killed in a clash with police while his two accomplices were held with 30 gold bars in Jashore early on Friday.
The detainees have been identified as Rabin Sarkar,32, son of Abul Sarkar, and Abul Kashem, 34, son of Kabir Hossain from Cumilla.
During a drive by detectives in the Jamtala area of Jashore's Sharsha upazila, the gold smugglers attacked the sleuths, said Jewel Imran, assistant SP (Nabharan circle).
Also read: CAAB trolleyman held with Tk32 lakh gold at Chattogram airport
A clash ensued when the cops retaliated, leaving one of the smugglers dead on the spot and three detectives injured, he said.
The body has been sent for an autopsy.
Also read: Gold smuggling case: 3 get life terms in Ctg court
“The gold bars worth around Tk 7 crore were seized from Rabin and Kashem. They had been handed over to Sharsha police,” said the ASP.
Dhaka’s air quality remains 'good'
Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the 'good' zone on Friday.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 25 at 9am, the densely populated metropolis ranked 64th in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
An air quality between 0 and 50 is considered 'good'.
Pakistan’s Lahore, Brazil’s Sao Paulo and Chile’s Santiago occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 162, 153, and 144, respectively.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Also read: Dhaka's air quality remains 'good'
Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
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.
With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
Also read: Dhaka’s air quality is ‘good’
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
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.
Global Covid cases surge past 608 million
The overall number of global Covid cases has surged past 608 million amid a rise in new infections in parts of the world.
According to the latest global data, the total case count mounted to 608,700,634 while the death toll reached 6,498,459 on Friday morning.
The US has recorded 96,465,126 cases so far and 1,072,125 people have died from the virus in the country, both highest counts around the world.
India's federal health ministry reported 3,928 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours on Thursday morning, taking the total tally to 44,440,267 in the country.
Also read: Onset of northern winter could see spike in Covid hospitalisations, deaths: WHO
With the reporting of the fresh cases, India's active caseload currently stands at 66,676.
The country logged 37 more related deaths, pushing the overall toll to 527,911 since the beginning of the pandemic, the ministry said.
Covid in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported two more Covid-linked deaths and 216 cases in 24 hours till Thursday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the new numbers, the country's total fatalities rose to 29,325 and the caseload to 2,012,162, it added.
The daily case test positivity rate rose to 5.46% from Wednesday’s 4.20% as 3,955 samples were tested.
Also read: Bangladesh reports 2 more Covid deaths, 216 cases
The deceased included a man and woman from Dhaka and Sylhet divisions, respectively.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.46%. The recovery rate remained static at 97.24% as 232 patients recovered during this period.
HC reconstitutes Destiny board of directors
The High Court has reconstituted the board of directors to administer scam-ridden Destiny Multipurpose Co-Operative Society Ltd.
Retired Justice of the High Court Mainul Islam Chowdhury has been made the chairman of the board.
Bench of Justice Mhummad Khurshid Alam Sarkar passed the order on Thursday during a hearing on the petition filed by 16 shareholders of the company including director Bikash Shil.
Former district judge Hasan Shahed Ferdous, barrister Margub Kabir, FCA Fakhruddin Ahmed and former MPO trader Md Iqbal Zaman has been made members of the new board of directors.
On May 31, 16 shareholders of the company appealed seeking permission to hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) to the High Court.
The petition said, from 2012 to 2021 no AGM of the company was held as several directors including Managing Director of Destiny Rafiqul Amin remained in jail in criminal cases.
In 2018, an appeal was made seeking to liquidate the company at the High Court but an order in this regard was stayed by the appellate division of the Supreme Court later, said the petition.
However, the order did not ask to refrain from holding AGM or directing the company.
Barrister Mainul Hossain represented the petitioner’s side while advocate Ujjwal Kumar Bhowmik represented the opposition on behalf of Destiny MD Rafiqul Amin during the hearing today.
Barrister Mainul Hossain said the High Court has asked to keep five members in the new board and it will take decisions considering the interests of the shareholders.
Also read: Issue red alerts for arrest of 39 fugitives in Destiny scam case: HC
Shinzo Abe was a true friend of Bangladesh: Momen
Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, was a true friend of Bangladesh, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said Thursday.
Abe will forever be remembered for his contribution to regional and global peace, he added.
Momen was speaking at a condolence programme organised by the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh and Dhaka University (DU).
The Department of Japanese Studies of DU and the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka in association with the Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Japanese Universities Alumni Association of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Ikebana Association and Kazuko Bhuiyan Welfare Trust arranged the condolence programme "Tribute to Abe Shinzo" in Dhaka.
Professor Md Akhtaruzzaman, vice-chancellor of DU, and Japanese Ambassador to Bangladeshi Ito Naoki also joined the event to pay tribute to Abe, Japan's best-known politician and longest-serving prime minister, who was gunned down while speaking at a political campaign event in the city of Nara.
They conveyed their condolences to Abe and his family.
Also read: Japan police chief to resign over Abe shooting death