Dhaka, Oct 3 (UNB)—Four people were killed and 11 others injured in 1,577 fire incidents that occurred across the country in September this year, Fire Service and Civil Defence has said. Of them, 155 fire incidents occurred in Dhaka city where seven persons were injured but no one was killed, according to a press release issued by the Fire Service on Tuesday. Fire at Gazipur warehouse under control The number of fire incidents in Dhaka city increased by 27 in September from 128 in August, reads the release. However, monthly statistics showed that the number of fire incidents across the country decreased by 90 in September from 1,667 in August. According to the press release, 603 fire incidents occurred in Dhaka Division, 63 in Mymensingh, 189 in Chattogram, 225 in Rajshahi, 132 in Khulna, 57 in Sylhet, 60 in Barishal, and 248 in Rangpur divisions last month. Woman with intellectual disability dies in Natore fire As many as 777 people were injured and 184 people were killed in some other accidents and fire service participated in rescue operations in 590 road accidents, it said. Apart from this, there were 10 accidents caused by kitchen gas cylinder explosions, 13 due to fault in gas lines, 15 elevator accidents, 19 lightning , and 115 drowning accidents. Seventy-four people drowned in rivers, ponds and other water bodies across the country last month. Among these accidents, 49 occurred in Dhaka City Corporation area alone, killing 11. The Fire Service also said their offices across the country provided services responding to 4,354 calls over different incidents of fire and accidents in September. Mohammadpur Krishi Market fire doused nearly after 28 hrs Besides, the Fire Service also provided ambulance services in response to 1,152 calls. In the month of September, 1,098 patients were transported and provided services across the country.

A local leader of Awami League was stabbed by some unidentified criminals at Brahmandi union of Araihazar upazila of Narayanganj on Monday night.   The victim was identified as Delwar Hossain, 42,labour affairs secretary of Awami League upazila unit. Police and locals said Delwar Hossain was on his way home from Baliapara Bazar around 9:45pm. Suddenly, some miscreants stabbed him indiscriminately, leaving Delwar seriously injured. Passenger arrested with 3,500 yaba pills in stomach at Dhaka airport Hearing his screams, locals rescued him and took him to Araihazar Upazila Health Complex. Later, he was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for better treatment, but his relatives admitted him to a private hospital in Dhaka.   Zakir Hossain, younger brother of the injured, said, "My brother's condition is very serious. He was stabbed in various parts of his body. Now, he is being treated in the ICU."   According to locals, Delwar had a long-standing dispute with the incumbent UP member Md. Sohel over establishing dominance in the area. JCD leader dies, 3 hurt in Chandpur road crash The attack might have been carried out as a result of the dispute, locals suspected. Police visited the spot and are investigating the incident, said Emdadul HaqueTayyab, officer-in-charge (OC) of Araihazar police station. “Efforts are on to identify and arrest those involved in the attack,” added the OC.  

The 24th conference of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators' Council (SATRC-24) is scheduled to take place from October 3-5 in Dhaka. About 100 delegates from telecom and information technology regulatory bodies, telecom operators, government and non-governmental organizations, as well as telecom and information technology experts from nine South Asian countries, including the host country Bangladesh, as well as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives, and Iran, are expected to participate in the event, according to a press release. Also read: Khalil-ur-Rahman appointed BTRC DG Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) are jointly coordinating the conference under the supervision of the Posts and Telecommunications Division, it said. Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will be present as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the conference on October 3. Also read: Genex Infosys to operate BTRC helpline, provide AI chatbot services Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar will be present as the special guest while Posts and Telecommunications Secretary Abu Hena Morshed Zaman will be present as the guest of honour. BTRC Chairman (Senior Secretary) Shyam Sunder Sikder and Secretary General of Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Masanori Kondo will deliver welcome speeches at the event. A total of nine sessions, two roundtables and two dialogues will be held at the three-day conference, the release said. Discussions will be held on regulatory frameworks and strategies in the areas of sustainable digital future, digital transformation, access and quality of broadband networks, digital inclusion, and wave management for social and economic development, use of waves in satellite and terrestrial services and 5G technologies, it added. Also read: Mobile operators must pay their dues: BTRC chairman

Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn) have arrested a passenger with 3,500 yaba pills in his stomach at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The arrestee is Md Zahed Hossain (25) of Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar, confirmed Additional Superintendent of Airport APBn Mohammad Ziaul Haque on Monday. Zahed was arrested after he landed at the airport on US Bangla Airlines flight BS156 from Cox’s Bazar at 6:00 pm yesterday, said the police official. Also read: APBn detains Biman staff with 68 gold bars at Dhaka airport "During primary interrogation, he confessed to carrying a minimum of 3,500 pieces of yaba pills in his stomach," he added. Later, the arrestee was sent to Holylab Diagnostic Centre at Uttara, where he underwent an X-ray examination. Approximately 72 small packets were found in the passenger's stomach, said the Addl SP. Also read: Man detained with gold bars at Dhaka airport: APBn During the interrogation, Zahed disclosed that he had been contracted for Tk 10,000 for the delivery of every 1,000 pieces of yaba pills. If he had successfully delivered the consignment, he would have earned approximately Tk 40,000, said Ziaul. Zahed had previously been arrested in a similar case and was out on bail. Also read: APBn arrests fraudster endorsing dollars at HSIA Shahjalal Airport

A roundtable meeting has been held between the Medical Value Travel Alliance and the Krishna Institute Of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital, located in Hyderabad, India, at a city hotel regarding mutual cooperation and technology transfer in the medical field. EC member of MVT Alliance Feroz Ul Islam presided over the meeting while general manager of International Marketing and Development of KIMS  Mr. Patra was present on behalf of KIMS Hospital. In the discussion,  Nirmal Patra shed light on various specialized treatments including heart, lung, kidney, liver, bone marrow transplantation including minimal invasive and various state-of-the-art robotic surgeries at KIMS Hospital. On behalf of MVT Alliance, Mohammad Shahdat Rashid demanded that Bangladeshi patients who want to go for advanced medical treatment should be given various privileges including ease of obtaining visa, reduced treatment cost. In the round table meeting MVT Alliance EC member Md. Rafiq -Ul - Alam emphasized mutual knowledge transfer, technology exchange and hands-on training, short and long training courses, fellowship, observership for Bangladeshi doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals at KIMS Institute. Both sides agreed to sign an MOU soon on mutual cooperation. At the end of the meeting, Nirmal Patra handed over the commemorative crest to everyone. Among others notables of MVT Alliance on the occasion. Dr.  Rashedul Hasan, Robin Lal, Engr. Miraj Hossain, Ayub Ali, Aleef Chowdhury, md. Ferdous ul Islam, Md Towfiq Imam and others were present.

Agriculture Minister Dr Md Abdur Razzaque on Monday lauded the agricultural scientists, who have contributed to high-yielding rice variety innovation, resulting in the country present surplus in rice production. He said India banned rice exports, the Ukraine-Russia war is prolonged and people are concerned globally over their food security; in such a time Bangladesh is producing surplus food which is great news for the nation. The minister said this in the inauguration of the two-day BAJF National Conference styled 'Transformation of Bangladesh’s Agriculture: Role of Kazi M Badruddoza,' held at the CIRDAP Auditorium in the capital on Monday. The Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists Forum (BAJF) organized the program. Dr Razzaque said the government is promoting agriculture research and innovation, which resulted in the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) innovating 113 high-yielding varieties of rice, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) innovated 97 crop varieties and 38 fruit species so far. He also recalled the contribution of visionary agricultural scientist Dr Kazi M Badruddoza who spent his life in innovation and research for the country’s crop development. The event was organised to commemorate one of the greatest agricultural scientists of the world Dr Kazi Md Badruddoza who breathed his last on August 30, 2023.  BAJF General Secretary Shahanware Shahid Shaheen moderated while the program was chaired by its President Golam Iftekhar Mahmud. Dr Shajahan Kabir, Director General of BRRI, Dr Debashish Sarkar, DG of BARI, SM Pervez Tomal, Chairman of NRBC Bank, Dr FH Ansari, President ACI Agribusiness, Md Hamidur Rahman former DG of Department of Agriculture Extension, among other, spoke in the function. Dr Jahangir Alam, Professor Agribusiness and Marketing Department, at Bangladesh Agricultural University, presented a keynote article on 'Transformation of Bangladesh Agriculture' in the program. At the conference, the BAJF publication cover was unveiled, and 60 agricultural journalists from across the country are also participating in the two-day training program, ending tomorrow (Tuesday).

Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) Director General (DG) AHM Shafiquzzaman said on Monday that he finds no logic behind the price hikes of locally-produced products like potato, beans and other crops. It is not acceptable for corporate companies or big businesses to destabilize the market, he observed. DG Shafiquzzaman said this while addressing a press briefing ahead of the arrangement of the grand finale of a debate competition on consumer rights awareness affairs at the conference room of the DNCRP in Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) Bhaban in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area on Monday. DNCRP and Debate for Democracy jointly organized the event. He said his directorate has always been conducting drives in controlling the price of potato to ensure its reasonable price from growers to retailers so that it can be sold by the government-set price. Read: Govt approves import of 6 crore more eggs: Commerce Ministry Not only will the price of photos be reduced but also production cost of farmers will have to be considered, he asserted. The DG said the government was compelled to import eggs to check manipulation by unscrupulous traders. Admitting several limitations including manpower of the DNCRP, he said their 40 to 50 teams across the country have been working to control prices of essentials. He suggested raising voices by general people to control prices, not only by sellers. Highlighting several aspects of the debate, Debate for Democracy Chairman Hassan Ahamed Chowdhury Kiron observed that it is not possible to control prices of essentials by executing law and penalising and fining or punishing. Awareness must be grown among all including traders, sellers and buyers. Read: Prices of essentials in Khulna markets remain far from stable despite ongoing drives Humanitarian values will have to be woken up, prices of essentials won’t be hiked up taking chances marking Eid, Puja and other festivals, he said, adding that it is not a good practice to hike prices suddenly despite having supply against demand. He suggested honouring honest businesspeople with recognitions and prizes to set examples before other businesses. The semi and grand finales of the debate will be held next week while the champion and runner up teams will receive Tk 2 and 1 lakh respectively as prize. Read more: Govt fixes prices of potatoes, onions, sugar, soybean and eggs

Bangladesh's largest minority community platforms have raised concerns about “an uncalled for interference from foreign powers which is emboldening communal and radical forces in the country.” “A sense of panic has gripped the minority communities as foreign powers are increasingly trying to exert influence ahead of the next national election,” Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad General Secretary Advocate Rana Dasgupta said. “We are particularly appalled and dejected that some global powers are emboldening forces that were against Bangladesh’s independence during the Liberation War, just as they did in 1971,” the minority community leader added. Also read: Bangladesh-origin Hindus in UK laud PM Hasina's exemplary steps to establish secular, democratic Bangladesh At a press conference held yesterday, minority community platforms also sought measures to ensure uninterrupted celebration during the upcoming Durga Puja (mid October), recalling the government’s support that ensured violence-free puja celebrations at a record number of pandals last year. Days earlier, Dasgupta was among 190 eminent citizens, including rights activists, journalists, writers, anti-war crimes campaigners, and minority community leaders, who expressed disappointment over US Ambassador Peter Haas’ justification for visa restrictions on media and journalists, saying that it did not offer “substance” as the move contradicted core tenets of freedom of press. “In our country, we found media taking up an instrumental role in creating awareness against radical forces, militants, and terrorist outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami that consists of war criminals and seeks to eliminate progressive and secular forces including religious and ethnic minorities and establish a Taliban style rule in Bangladesh,” the statement read. Also read: Eminent citizens voice disappointment over US ambassador’s remarks on visa restrictions against media The statement also noted that Haas’ remark on imposing visa restrictions on the media “has been glorified by radical outfits and anti-liberation quarters that publicly decry Western values, deems free thinkers as enemies of Islam, and vouches for impunity for war criminals who committed genocide and crimes against humanity in 1971.” “Basherkella – a social media platform that acts as a mouthpiece for Jamaat-e-Islami, advocates for impunity of war criminals and reportedly stands exposed for running hate campaign against secular and liberal forces alongside minorities as well – has already hailed the US ambassador’s remark on inclusion of media under visa restrictions and called him ‘a true friend of Bangladesh’,” according to the statement. “It sends a chilling message for every secular person,” the statement said. Also read: US Ambassador Haas clarifies remarks on visa restrictions amid Editors’ Council’s concern 

Bangladesh Bank has taken the initiative to form an implementation committee under its Escrow policy, with the inclusion of stakeholders to regulate the country's e-commerce platforms. This development was revealed at a meeting between the central bank and representatives from the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (ECAB) on Monday. Also read: Bangladesh Bank to form Escrow implementation committee soon as part of cleaning up e-commerce Escrow is a legal concept describing a financial agreement whereby an asset or money is held by a third party on behalf of two other parties that are in the process of completing a transaction. It is expected to be helpful to get around the problem whereby many e-commerce firms, whether running deliberate scams or going bust in the heat of competition,end up making off with enormous amounts of money  paid to them by customers, against which no goods have been delivered. An escrow facility would see the money paid by the customer to set the transaction in motion, but the money would not go into the sellers' account till the buyer has received it satisfactorily. In the meeting, Deputy Governor of BB Abu Farah Md Nasser said that the e-commerce sector is still new in the context of Bangladesh. Also read: Bangladesh Bank sets max interest rate of 10.20% on industrial loans for 6 months  “There is still a lot to do in this promising sector,” he added. This initiative aims to enhance order and security within the e-commerce sector, Nasser said. Bangladesh Bank also announced the inclusion of key industry players such as the FBCCI, the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (ECAB), and e-commerce entrepreneurs in the committee. FBCCI Vice President and E-CAB President Shomi Kaiser led the delegation of the Private sector. Spokesperson and executive director of BB Md. Mezbaul Haque, ICAB Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Online Shopping Platform 'Daraz' Khondoker Tasfin Alam, E-Cab Director Mohammad Ilmul Haque, Ananya Raihan, etc were also present at the meeting. Also read: With D grade Bangladesh Bank governor fares poorly in global ranking FBCCI urged Bangladesh Bank to consider raising the credit card limit, a request to which Bangladesh Bank responded positively, promising to review and potentially increase the limit later if needed. During the meeting, private sector representatives voiced concerns and limitations related to the implementation of the escrow system. Bangladesh Bank said that the 'Merchant Acquiring and Escrow Service Policy 2023' had been enacted to encourage consumer confidence in e-commerce platforms and combat fraud. An initiative has been taken to further revise this initiative and form a committee for its implementation.

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake was felt in different parts of the country at around 6:45pm on Monday. The epicentre of the earthquake was located around 24km south of Goalpara of India’s Assam, at a depth of 10km, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Also read: Can Earthquakes Really be Predicted? People took to social media to report the jolt all across the country. Also read: 10 Most Earthquake-prone Countries around the World No damage was reported at the time of filing this report. Besides India and Bangladesh, the earthquake was also felt in Bhutan. Also read: Earthquake Safety Tips for Parents to Keep Children Safe