bangladesh
Dengue outbreak: Death toll surpasses 200 with 16 more deaths in 24 hours
The death toll from Dengue in Bangladesh reached 201 as sixteen more deaths were reported from the mosquito-borne disease in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
During the period, a record 2,418 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Also read: This year’s dengue death toll rises to 185 with nine more deaths in 24 hours
Of the new patients, 1,162 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to DGHS.
A total of 7,927 dengue patients, including 4,646 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
Also read: This year's highest 2,292 hospitalised for dengue in a day; death toll reaches 176
So far, the DGHS has recorded 37,688 dengue cases, 29,560 recoveries.
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
Also read: Senior Asst Sec of Commerce Ministry Nazia Sultana dies of dengue
Banshkhali-Meghnaghat 400 kV power transmission line comes into operation
The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) has commissioned its 400 kV power transmission line from Banshkhali in Chattogram via Madunaghat to Meghnaghat in Narayanganj.
The 276 km long transmission line was commissioned at 5:16 pm on Tuesday, the PGCB said, adding that it was made operational from the Meghnaghat end.
The line will supply electricity from the under construction SS Power Plant at Banshkhali via Madunaghat of Chattagram city to the newly constructed 400/230 KV grid substation at Meghnaghat.
Earlier, a 400 kV transmission line from Meghnaghat to Dhaka's Aminbazar was commissioned at full capacity on July 23.
As both the lines are connected through Dhaka-Chittagong 400 KV line, the high voltage power transmission infrastructure has now become more intensified.
The longest 400 kV line will serve as the backbone in power transmission between Dhaka and Chattogram.
Adani Group offers to export another 1,600 MW of electricity to Bangladesh: Sources
India’s Adani Group has placed a fresh proposal to export another 1,600 MW of electricity to Bangladesh, according to highly placed sources here.
"The entire amount of electricity will be from renewable sources. Of this, 1,000 MW is solar power while the remaining 600 MW is from hydropower," a highly placed source in the Power Division recently told UNB.
Currently, Adani Group, the Indian conglomerate, is exporting 1,600 MW of electricity from its Godda power plant in eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, exclusively built for Bangladesh under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
Also read: Adani Power claims COD achieved on second unit of Godda Power Plant
The new proposal came from Adani Group very recently when its head Gautam Adani visited Dhaka and paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to official sources who requested anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media.
The sources said that 600 MW of the proposed hydropower will be coming from Nepal where Adani Group will set up a plant.
On the other hand, the proposed 1,000 MW solar power will be coming from India where Adani is now setting up renewable energy plants.
Also read: Adani Power starts commercial electricity supply to Bangladesh keeping tariff issue unsettled
"We heard Adani Group was given a green signal on its proposal", another highly placed source told UNB.
He also mentioned that the initiative to respond to the Adani Group's proposal is part of the government's plan to raise its share of renewable energy to 40 percent in the total power generation by 2041 when the country plans to increase its generation capacity to 60,000 MW.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid recently said that the generation of 9930 MW of electricity from renewable sources is in the pipeline in Bangladesh.
He also informed that Bangladesh is in process to import electricity to be generated from renewable sources from neighbouring countries as the government has given special importance to renewable energy.
Also read: Adani's Godda plant commissioned with issues over coal tariff unresolved
He said that 1194 MW of electricity is now generated from renewable sources, but only 825.23 MW is coming to the national grid.
Another 1262 MW power generation projects are underway through 30 projects from renewable energy and 8668 MW power generation projects are under process, he added.
Nasrul said this when the outgoing Danish Ambassador Winnie Estrup Peterson called on him at his ministry office in the Bangladesh Secretariat last week.
Do Adani's woes matter for India's clean energy transition?
A joint venture of two Danish renewable energy firms have submitted an investment proposal to the government of Bangladesh to develop a commercial, utility-scale offshore wind project with an initial capacity of 500 MW, valued at USD 1.3 billion off the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
The proposal came from the world’s leading dedicated greenfield renewable energy investor and developers, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Copenhagen Offshore Partners (COP).
India's Rahul Gandhi accuses PM Modi of favoring Adani Group
DSA case: Ex-SP Babul, his father relieved of charges brought by PBI chief
A Dhaka court on Tuesday relieved former Superintendent of Police Babul Akhter and his father Abdul Wadud Mia of the charges in a case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for spreading false information over the murder of Babul’s wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu.
Dhaka Metropolitan Cyber Tribunal Judge AM Zulficker Hayat exempted them from the case filed by Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) Chief Banaj Kumar Majumdar.
The court also accepted the chargesheet against journalist Elias Hossain and Habibur Rahman, brother of Babul, in the case. It also issued an arrest warrant against Elias as he remained absconding for long.
The court fixed August 31 about the two accused.
On April 9, Rabiul Islam, inspector of Dhanmondi Police Station and also the investigating officer of the case submitted chargesheet against four people including former SP Babul in the case.
On May 11, the case was transferred to the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal.
On June 5, 2016, Mitu was stabbed and shot dead when she was walking her son to his school bus stop at the port city's GEC intersection.
Mitu Murder: HC dismisses writ challenging charge framing against ex-SP Babul
According to the case statement, Elias in association with Babul Aktar leaked an audio on his Facebook page and Youtube channel from the US about Babul’s wife Mitu murder. In the video, he alleged that Police Bureau of Investigation Chief (PBI) chief had intentionally implicated Babul in the case and the latter was tortured in custody.
Chargesheets submitted against ex-SP Babul, Youtuber Elias in DSA case
On September 27 in 2022, Banaj Kumar Majumdar filed the case bringing the allegations under the DSA and the Special Power Act at Dhanmondi police station.
Mitu murder case: Trial begins against Babul Akter, 6 others
Later, Babul was shown arrested in the case on November 10 in the same year.
DNCC's Anti-Aedes drive: Tk 1.28 crore fine imposed in 16 days
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has imposed a total fine of 1.28 crore in 16 days of a month-long special mosquito eradication drive.
DNCC imposed fine of Tk 2.21 lakh in 7 cases after finding Aedes larvae in several establishments on the 16th day, according to a press release.
18 establishments fined out of 280 inspected during DSCC’s anti-Aedes drive
Regional executive officers and executive magistrates conducted simultaneous drives in all 10 areas of DNCC.
The drive will be carried out throughout July.
23 establishments fined Tk 3.66 lakh in DSCC's anti-Aedes drive
The country has been experiencing a massive rise in Dengue cases in the past few days. Since January of this year, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has recorded 35, 270 dengue cases and 185 deaths across the country.
Bangladesh reports 83 more Covid-19 cases
Bangladesh reported 83 more Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,044,131, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case test positivity rate rose to 4.60 per cent from Monday’s 3.2 per cent as 1,803 samples were tested.
Bangladesh sees one more Covid death, 77 cases in 24hrs
The recovery rate remained unchanged at 98.38 per cent. The death rate also remained unchanged at 1.44 per cent.
Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 in 2021 and highest number of fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.
Covid-19: Bangladesh sees one more death, 36 cases in 24hrs
Submit list of railway land grabbers within 30 days: HC
The High Court on Tuesday ordered the authorities concerned to submit within 30 days a list of those who have occupied the land of Bangladesh Railway in different parts of the country.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order after hearing a petition filed by a human rights organisation.
Senior Advocate Manzill Murshid stood for the petitioner while deputy attorney general Md Saifuddin Khaled represented the state.
High Court orders submission of list of top drug traffickers
The HC also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the inaction of the respondents to free the land of railway should not be declared unlawful and directives should not be given to evict the land grabbers.
Secretary to the Railway Ministry , Director of Bangladesh Railway and assistant land officers have been made respondents to the rule which is returnable in two weeks.
High Court orders investigation into alleged money laundering by Biopharma
It also wanted to know how much land of Bangladesh Railway has been occupied by the land grabbers.
Advocate Manzill Murshid, said in 2016, a writ petition was filed seeking directives to evict the encroachers from the land of railway land in Narayanganj. Later, a number of reports were published over encroachment of railway land in Sirajganj, Bogura, Pabna and other districts.
High Court questions hike in price of performing hajj
Hundreds of acres of land of Bangladesh Railway have been occupied due to involvement of some unscrupulous railway officials and these lands needed to be free from occupation, he said. It is possible only through the intervention of the court, he added.
Biker dead, pillion rider injured after bus hit them in Dhaka’s Jatrabari
A biker was dead and the female pillion rider was injured when a bus hit the motorcycle in Dhaka’s Jatrabari area today.
The deceased was identified as Jasim Uddin, 46, and the injured was Sathi Akhtar, 33.
3 policemen injured in bus-covered van collision in Chattogram
Quoting witnesses, police said the incident occurred when Sathi and her cousin Jasim were on a motorbike behind Rayerbagh bus stand in Jatrabari at around 11:20 am.
A bus of Lovely Paribahan hit the motorbike and fled the scene. Sathi and Jasim fell on the road and the latter died on the spot.
Siblings crushed by bus on Bhanga Express Highway
Being informed, their relatives went to the spot and rushed Sathi to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in a critical condition, said Inspector Bachhu Mia, in-charge of DMCH police outpost.
3 killed in Feni road accidents
2 students drown in Dharla River in Lalmonirhat
Two students drowned while taking bath in the Dharla River of Patgram upazila in Lalmonirhat district on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Miskat Hossain, 13, son of Nurul Hossain and Rafsan Hossain, 15, son of Rashed Ali of GMC Para in Lalmonirhat municipality area.
Quoting local people, Ferdous Wahid, officer-in-charge of Patgram Police Station, said Miskat and Rafsan along with another friend went to the Rubber Dam area of the Dharla River to take a bath at noon.
At one stage, Miskat and Rafsan drowned due to strong current in the river.
On information, divers from a local firefighting unit rushed to the spot and rescued them in an unconscious condition.
Later, they were taken to Patgram Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead.
EU welcomes Dhaka's move to further develop human rights: Official sources
The European Union (EU) on Tuesday welcomed Bangladesh's initiative for development of the human rights further, official sources said.
The remarks came from a meeting between a delegation of the European Union led by it's Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Principal Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
EU's special representative for human rights due in Bangladeash
During an over one hour meeting starting at 10.00am, Gilmore also expressed satisfaction over the Awami League government's move to amend the Digital Security Act and the country's labour law.
When contacted, PM's Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher confirmed holding of the meeting, but he declined to say anything more.
EU Special Representative for Human Rights in Dhaka with ‘wide-ranging’ agenda
However, official sources said that issues of development of human rights in Bangladesh, sending EU observers ahead of the next general election, Digital Security Act and labour law have prominently came for discussion, among other issues, in the meeting,
PM's Principal Secretary has assured the special representatives of providing the EU all sorts of cooperation from the government of Bangladesh they required.
He also called upon the EU to make sure that Bangladesh's exports to EU member countries will increase further after its complete graduation from a Least Developed Country (LDC) to a developning nation.
European External Action Service (EEAS) Political Adviser Viktor Velek, Ambassador Charles Whiteley and First Secretary (Political) Sebastian Riger-Brown, among others, were present at the meeting.
Gilmore, who arrived in Dhaka on Monday on a six-day visit, will hold meetings with government officials and other stakeholders to discuss human rights issues.
He will also discuss with government officials concerned the Rohingya issue and will visit refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Gilmore is likely to hold meetings with Law Minister Anisul Haq, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam, according to official sources.