Bangladesh
PM condoles death of Enamul Haque
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of prominent archaeologist, history and art expert and former director general of Bangladesh National Museum Professor Dr. Enamul Haque.
In a condolence message, Sheikh Hasina said, Swadhinata Padak and Ekushey Padak recipient Enamul Haque had a deep love and deep respect for Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
He was the founding editor of Sahitya Patrika Uttaran while studying at Dhaka University, she said.
“During the Great War of Liberation, he visited London and New York and played an important role in creating world opinion for the independence of Bangladesh.“
The Prime Minister mentioned that Dr. Enamul Haque’s efforts in establishing the Bangladesh National Museum and introducing Rabindra and Nazrul Jayanti celebrations at the national level are highly commendable.
The Government of India also awarded him the Padmashri in 2020 for his special contribution to archaeology, she said.
The Prime Minister prayed for the eternal salvation of the departed soul and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family.
Eid-ul-Azha: DNCC claims to have removed 80pc animal waste
Eighty percent of the waste of sacrificial animals on the holy Eid-ul-Azha were removed from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) on Sunday, said a media statement signed by Makbul Hossain.
However, 11 wards of the city corporation managed to remove 100 per cent of its waste, it said.
Earlier, DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam said that the waste of sacrificial animals will be removed from the streets of Dhaka city within 12 hours.
Read: Bangladesh celebrates Eid-ul-Azha amid religious fervour
“The city corporation workers are cleaning waste every day and I think 12 hours are enough to remove waste of sacrificial animals,” he said.
"We have enough manpower and the Eid vacation of the staff and employees has been cancelled for removing waste soon", added the Mayor.
2 killed in Bangabandhu Expressway road crash
Two people killed and three others were injured in a road accident on the Rajendrapur flyover of Keraniganj.
All the deceased were residents of Shariatpur, police said, but were not immediately identified.
The accident occurred on the Rajendrapur flyover of Dhaka-Bhanga Bangabandhu Expressway at around 10.30 pm on Saturday night.
Afzal Hossain, in-charge of Hasara Highway Police Outpost, said that a Dhaka-bound pickup van, carrying sacrificial cows, lost control and rammed into the highway divider leaving two of its passengers dead on the spot.
Seriously injured three were rushed to Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital in Dhaka.
The bodies of the deceased were sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy, he said.
Chuadanga: Two killed in separate road accidents
Two persons were killed in two separate road accidents in Chuadanga's Sadar and Damurhuda upazila on Eid day.
In Sadar, an elderly man was killed after being hit by an unidentified vehicle near Zafarpur BGB camp on Sunday morning.
The deceased were identified as Faraz Ali, 70, son of late Khoka Ali of Jafarpur village of the upazila.
The accident occurred around 11am when an identified vehicle hit Faraz Ali, leaving him injured, said Sanjay Chakraborty, Sub-Inspector (SI) of Chuadanga Sadar Police Station.
Locals rushed him to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Legal action will be taken in this regard, added the SI.
In another incident, a motorcyclist was killed and his pillion rider suffered injuries after their motorcycle hit a roadside tree at Sarabaria New village in Damurhuda upazila.
The deceased Enamul Haque, 32, was from Sarabaria village of Damurhuda upazila.
AHM Lutful Kabir, officer-in-Charge (OC) of Darshana Police Station said, the driver of the motorcycle hit a roadside tree after losing control of his bike around 1pm, leaving its driver critically injured.
Later, the injured was rushed to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital where on duty doctors declared him dead on arrival, the OC added.
The bodies have been kept in the hospital.
Road accidents are common in Bangladesh. At least 2,329 people, including 291 women and 381 children, were killed and 4,361 others injured in 2,159 road accidents across the country in the first half of the current year, says a new report by the Road Safety Foundation.
The road accidents took place on highways, national, inter-district and regional roads between January 1 and June 30 across the country.
Tk 10.97cr toll collected from Padma Bridge in 3 days
The government has earned Tk 10.97 crore in revenue from tolls collected from vehicles that crossed the Padma Bridge in a total of 72/ssk hours.
Tk 10.97 crore was collected from 12am on Thursday to 11:59am on Saturday, according to Bangladesh Bridges Authority.
A total of 74,222 vehicles crossed the Padma Bridge during this period.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the bridge on June 25 and it was opened to traffic the next morning.
Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 2 more deaths, 814 new cases
Two more people died from Covid, and 814 tested positive for the virus in the 24 hours till Sunday amid a surge of cases again in Bangladesh.
While the country's total fatalities reached 29,200, the new number took its caseload to 1,989,854, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
As Covid is spreading fast, the daily case positivity rate slightly increased to 17.47 from Saturday's 15.59 per cent as 4,659 samples were tested during the period.
Of the deceased, Both of them were men; one from Dhaka and another one from Mymensingh division.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.47 percent. The recovery rate rose to 96.15 percent as 1009 patients recovered during the period.
In June, the country reported 18 Covid-linked deaths and 20,201 new cases, according to the DGHS.
Bangladesh reported its first zero Covid death on November 20 last year since the pandemic broke out here in March 2020.
The country 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.
Motorcyclist without helmet killed in Khulna road crash
A 26-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a road crash in Hogladanga main road under Harintana of Khulna Sadar.
The accident occurred on Saturday night, police said.
The deceased was identified as Md Raju, resident of Alimpur village in Rupsha upazila, Emdadul Haque, officer-in-charge (OC) of Harintana Police Station said.
According to locals Raju was coming to Khulna from Koiya Bazar. He lost control of his motorcycle and hit an autorickshaw. Falling on the road he sustained serious head injury at the spot.
Locals rushed him to Khulna Medical College Hospital where the on-duty doctor declared him dead at around 10:30 pm.
OC Emdadul said Raju was not using a helmet and he died of a severe head injury.
Showers likely in parts of Bangladesh
Light or moderate rains are likely to drench Bangladesh in the next 24 hours, as monsoon is less active over Bangladesh and moderate over the North Bay, the weather department said Sunday.
“Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at a few places over Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions with moderately heavy falls at isolated places over the country,” the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said in its forecast.
Read: Covid-19 and economic crisis will end soon, hopes Hasan Mahmud
Mild heat wave is sweeping over the districts of Rajshahi, Rangpur and Nilphamari and it may continue.
However, the day and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, it said.
Covid-19 and economic crisis will end soon, hopes Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday expressed the hope that the world will soon return to its usual shape beating the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing global economic crisis.
Also, instead of a politics of acrimony and lies, a politics of cohesion will be established in the country, said the minister, also the joint general secretary of the ruling Awami League.
The minister was talking to journalists after offering Eid prayer at Sukhbilash village under Chattogram’s Rangunia upazila, his constituency.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is making a comeback, while the Russia-Ukraine war has created an economic crisis worldwide. On this Eid day, I pray that we may get rid of these pandemics and economic crises and a mentality to face the crises may grow within us,” said Hasan.
Read: Dengue: 4 patients hospitalised in Dhaka in 24hrs
Hasan added that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ensured welfare of the people despite critical situation at home and abroad.
“I pray that she may lead the nation with an iron hand during this turbulent time,” Hasan added.
The minister exchanged greetings with people from all walks of life, including party activists and relatives, at his village home.
Dengue: 4 patients hospitalised in Dhaka in 24hrs
Another four dengue patients were hospitalised in 24 hours till Sunday morning amid a rise in the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh, authorities said.
All the new patients were hospitalised in Dhaka division, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
As many as 109 dengue patients, including 105 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
The dengue cases are rising in the capital allegedly due to insufficient measures taken by the two Dhaka city corporations for preventing mosquito-borne diseases like dengue.
On June 21, the DGHS reported the first death of the season from the mosquito-borne viral disease.
This year, the DGHS has recorded 1,397 dengue cases and 1,287 recoveries so far.
Although dengue – a leading cause of serious illness and death in some Asian and Latin American countries – was first reported in Bangladesh in 1964, the first epidemic occurred in 2000, claiming 93 lives that year. It has since become endemic in the country, with outbreaks recorded every year since. Although for a three-year period at one point, the number of deaths from the virus fell almost near zero, its most fatal year yet was in 2019, when 179 died experiencing the severe form of the disease.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, it seemed to take a backseat, as only three deaths were reported from dengue that year.
However, 105 dengue patients, including 95 in Dhaka division, died in 2021.
Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.
About 4 billion people, almost half of the world's population, live in areas with a risk of dengue, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Each year, up to 400 million people get infected with dengue while approximately 100 million get sick from infection, and 40,000 die from severe dengue, it says.
"There is no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue. Early detection of disease progression associated with severe dengue, and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates of severe dengue to below 1 per cent," according to the World Health Organization.