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Bangladesh delegation visits nuclear equipment manufacturing facilities in Russia
A high-level Bangladesh delegation headed by Science and Technology Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman Minister has recently visited the Petrozavodskmash facility in Russia, which has been manufacturing equipment for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
The delegation visited the assembly and welding section to witness the manufacturing process of equipment for both units of Rooppur NPP.
They saw for themselves the vessel equipment, steam generator collectors, and main coolant pipeline production. Anatolii Smirnov, Petrozavodskmash Branch Director accompanied the delegation.
“Construction of Rooppur NPP is an impetus for the development of Bangladesh’s economy. Today, we have managed to see that the equipment for the plant is being manufactured following state-of-the-art procedures,” said Yeafesh.
“The Russian side has been demonstrating the required perfectionism, and we are confident that all of the contractual obligations will be fulfilled, “ he said.
Another dies of dengue, 99 new patients hospitalised in 24hrs
Dengue claimed another life and 99 new patients were hospitalised with the viral infection in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With these, the authorities recorded eight deaths from the viral infection this year.
The latest death was reported from Cox’s Bazar district.
Among the deaths, five were reported from Cox’s Bazar while three from Dhaka.
Read: Bangladesh sees upswing in dengue: 1 more death, 60 cases reported
Of the new patients, 74 new patients were admitted to the hospitals of Dhaka and 25 outside it.
As many as 301 dengue patients, including 227 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
On June 21, the DGHS reported the first death of the season from the mosquito-borne viral disease.
This year, the DGHS has recorded 2,305 dengue cases and 1,996 recoveries so far.
Last year, 105 dengue patients, including 95 in Dhaka division, died.
Two more deaths push up flood toll to 131
The death toll from floods in the country rose to 131 with two more deaths in Lalmonirhat district in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
The deaths were recorded from May 17 to July 26, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The latest victims drowned in floodwater, it added.
Of the deceased, 73 were from Sylhet, 43 from Mymensingh, 14 from Rangpur and one from Dhaka division.
Read: Flood damages property, crops worth over Tk 86811 crore: Enamur
One hundred and three people drowned in floodwaters, 16 died by lightning strikes, two from snake bites, one from diarrhoea, and nine others due to other reasons.
Around 24,838 people were hit by floods during the same period.
One hundred and eighty-five upazilas were affected by floods, including 33 in Sylhet, three in Rangpur, seven in Mymensingh and one in Chattogram divisions.
Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona and Moulvibazar were the worst-hit districts, with 13, 11, seven and five upazilas affected by floods respectively.
CEC calls for all-party participation in next national election
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Tuesday said that the commission wants all political parties to take part in the next parliamentary election, even though it does not always guarantee a free and fair voting.
“If the National election is participatory, it does not mean that there will not be vote stealing. But participation of all parties creates a balance,” he told a delegation of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh at the EC building.
He said holding an election is difficult task in the context of Bangladesh. This will require everyone's sincere cooperation, he added.
“We have repeatedly talked about participatory elections. When elections are participatory, there is a change in people's perception. But participation does not mean that there will be no injustice or vote theft,” he said.
He said the EC wants to hold free, fair, participatory and peaceful elections. “This is certainly what we want from the Election Commission,” he said.
“You have to keep a watch on the duties that the Election Commission will perform. If we have done something wrong, we sincerely hope you will feel free to find it out immediately,” he added.
He said that politics will disappear if the elections cannot be kept alive.
“We will definitely consider your comments. Our aim is to make the elections as peaceful as possible. We are sincerely trying. Active participation of stakeholders is required. We want everyone's cooperation and support,” he said.
An 11-member delegation of Bikalpa Dhara Bnagladesh, led by Secretary General Major (retd) Abdul Mannan, participated in the dialogue.
Four election commissioners and senior officials of the EC were present also present.
Covid-19: 4 more die, 621 new cases reported in 24hrs
Bangladesh recorded four more Covid-19-linked deaths with 621 new cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the latest figures, the country's total fatalities reached 29,275 while the caseload 2,002,944, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case positivity rate dropped to 6.14 per cent from Monday's 7.84 per cent as 10,053 samples were tested.
Read: 70% of Covid deaths among unvaccinated: DGHS DG
The deceased included two men and two women. Two of them were from Chattogram, and one each from Dhaka and Sylhet divisions.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.46 percent. The recovery rate rose to 96.78 per cent from Monday's 96.75 per cent.
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.
National University expels two students over CU female student's assault
National University has expelled two students of Hathazari Government College in connection with the sexual harassment of a female student at Chittagong University.
The decision was taken at a syndicate meeting held on Monday night, chaired by National University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Mashiur Rahman.
“The expulsion is temporary. The students have been asked to show reason why it should not be made permanent. They have been asked to respond to the notice within 10 days,” said Md Ataur Rahman, director of the university's public relations office.
A decision to form a committee to investigate the incident has also been taken at the meeting, he added.
Read: CU student assault: 5 BCL activists remanded
Hathazari Government College is affiliated with National University.
On July 17, a female student was physically assaulted by five youths while she was going to Botanical Garden from Pritilata Hall of the Chittagong University campus with her friend around 10pm.
The miscreants had also captured the incident on video and threatened to make it viral. Later, they fled with the mobile phones and wallets of the two students.
A five-member body was initially formed to investigate the assault in the wake of the female student's written complaint to the proctor.
A case was also filed under the Women and Children Repression Act against them.
Police later arrested five Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists for their involvement in the incident.
From Dec, only Covid booster dose will be available in Bangladesh
A wake-up call for those who are yet to receive their first or second Covid shots -- from December, only the booster dose will be administered in Bangladesh.
“The first or the second dose of Covid vaccines will not be available in Bangladesh after November, as by then the existing stock will expire. Also, the possibility of purchasing more vaccines is little," Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the vaccine management committee of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) told UNB.
Also read: 70% of Covid deaths among unvaccinated: DGHS DG
“From August, we will start the campaign to vaccinate children aged between five and 11 years against Covid-19,” he added.
The high-ranking DGHS official said the booster dose campaign would continue across the country, "but people are still showing reluctance to get vaccinated".
According to the directorate, a significant number of people, 70 percent, who have died of Covid so far in the country were not vaccinated against the disease.
Also read: Bangladesh gets another 4 mn doses of COVID-19 vaccine from US
Rains to drench Bangladesh in 24 hours
More rains are likely to drench Bangladesh in the next 24 hours, with monsoon being fairly active over the country, according to the weather department.
According to the regular weather bulletin, “Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds is likely to occur at many places over
Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at isolated places over the country."
However, day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country.
The monsoon axis runs through Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal to Assam across the central part of Bangladesh.
Read: Sylhet records highest rainfall in June in 62 years
One of its associated troughs extends up to the Northwest Bay. Monsoon is fairly active over Bangladesh and weak elsewhere over the North Bay.
The Met Office recorded the highest 82mm rainfall in Rangpur's Dimla in the last 24 hours till 9 am.
The mercury reached 33.8 degrees Celsius – the highest – in Rajshahi, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 24 degrees Celsius in Chattogram division.
PM mourns death of ex-MP Abbas Ali
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of former lawmaker Abbas Ali Mandal.In a condolence message, Hasina said Abbas Ali Mandal , who served as general secretary of Joypurhat unit of Awami League, was a devoted worker of the ideology of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Also read: President Hamid mourns Fazle Rabbi's demise
Abbas was a pro-people political leader, said the PM.She prayed for the eternal salvation of the departed soul and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family.
The former AL lawmaker breathed his last Tuesday around 4:30 am at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital.
Global Covid cases near 576 million
The overall number of Covid cases has now surged past 576 million amid a rise in new infections in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
According to the latest global data, the total case count mounted to 576,192,266 and the death toll reached 6,405,163 on Tuesday morning.
The US has recorded 92,339,925 cases so far and 1,052,467people have died from the virus in the country, the data shows.
Also read: Covid numbers rising in Bangladesh: 5 more deaths, 548 cases reported
After reporting over 20,000 daily cases for four straight days, India's daily Covid-19 caseload came down to 12,000, Monday, officials said.
According to federal health ministry data released on Monday morning, the 12,781 new cases reported during the past 24 hours took the total tally to 43,920,451 in the country.
The country also logged 36 Covid-related deaths during this period, which has pushed the overall death toll to 526,110 since the beginning of the pandemic, the ministry said.
Covid situation in Bangladesh
Five more people died from Covid and 548 tested positive for the virus in 24 hours till Monday morning, as cases creep up again in Bangladesh.
While the country's total fatalities reached 29,271, the new numbers took its caseload to 2,002,323, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Also read: 70% of Covid deaths among unvaccinated: DGHS DG
As Covid is spreading fast, the daily case positivity rate rose to 7.84 percent from Sunday's 7.04 percent as 6,987 samples were tested.
Of the deceased, two were men and three women; two were from Rajshahi, and one each was from Chattogram, Khulna and Rangpur divisions.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.46 percent. The recovery rate rose to 96.75 percent from Sunday's 96.71 percent.