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Health Minister happy with doctors, nurses presence at hospitals despite Eid holidays
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Samanta Lal Sen on Thursday expressed satisfaction after he found physicians and nurses on duty at several hospitals despite Eid holidays.
Dr Sen expressed his satisfaction while visiting Mugda Medical College & Hospital in Dhaka this afternoon.
He said, "I visited several hospitals yesterday (Wednesday). I will also visit a few more hospitals today. I found enough doctors and nurses in every hospitals I have visited and I am satisfied with their services."
"I also talked to the patients and no one complained," added the minister.
"Besides, I sent message to the directors of all the hospitals across the country and there was no interruption in health services," he said.
"This is my first Eid as a minister. I hope the people of the country are celebrating Eid joyously and happily," said the minister.
The minister also visited Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Sheikh Hasina burn unit.
During the visit, Dr Sen talked to patients, visitors, doctors, nurses and other officials of the hospitals and asked the health service providers to maintain health care systems properly during the Eid vacation.
Among others, the Secretary of the Health Services Department M Jahangir Alam, Director General of the Health Department Abul Basar Mohammed Khurshid Alam, Private Secretary of the Health Minister Kamal Kumar Ghosh were also present.
Foreign Minister prays for national harmony, removal of evil forces on Eid-ul-Fitr
In an address following Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the Sukhbilas Jame Mosque in Rangunia upazila, Foreign Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr. Hasan Mahmud offered prayers for national unity and the eradication of evil forces from Bangladesh.
During his Eid message, Dr. Hasan extended greetings to Bangladeshis at home and abroad, expressing hope for the continuation and acceleration of the peace and developmental strides achieved under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership. "Under the leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter, our country has emerged as a role model of development and peace for the world. It is my prayer that this trajectory not only continues but also accelerates further," he stated.
Highlighting the diverse foundation of the nation, he remarked, "Our country is built on the sacrifices of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians alike. It is my prayer that all forms of communal and malevolent forces be removed permanently from our land and that all citizens, regardless of faith, unite in the pursuit of national development."
Dr. Mahmud also addressed international concerns, specifically the ongoing conflict in Palestine. "The indiscriminate violence against Palestinians, including women and children, must end. We pray for immediate peace in the region and for an end to the atrocities committed there," he said.
In addition to his prayers for global peace, Dr. Hasan prayed for the health and longevity of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, emphasising the importance of her continued leadership for Bangladesh’s future prosperity.
Senior Info Secretary urges all to enhance Bangladesh’s image abroad
Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Md. Humayun Kabir Khandaker has called upon all concerned including diplomats to work more sincerity and integrity to further brighten the country’s image abroad.
He simultaneously urged them to project the impressive socioeconomic progress that Bangladesh achieved in the last 15 years under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Senior Secretary of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry made the call while exchanging views with senior officials of the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC recently.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Muhammad Imran delivered the welcome address at the meeting.
A two-member Bangladesh delegation led by the Senior Secretary of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is now in the US capital to hold meetings with the officials concerned of the Library of Congress to collect the video footage relating to the Liberation War and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the Library.
Humayun Kabir mentioned that under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh attained impressive progress in the last one and a half decades and became a role model for development in the world. It's the responsibility to project this success for further brightening the country’s image abroad and work sincerely in building ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by 2041, he added.
The Senior Secretary underscored the need for undertaking more effective measures by all to stop anti-state propaganda abroad.
He also paid tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing a wreath at his bust at Bangabandhu Corner of the Mission and went round its different parts including the Press Wing.
Upon his arrival at the Embassy, Humayun Kabir Khandaker was received by Minister (Press) AZM Sajjad Hossain.
On April 5, the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting attended the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on collection and preservation of the video footage relating to the Liberation War and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman between Bangladesh Film Archive and Getty Images, a reputed visual agency of the USA, in New York.
On behalf of Bangladesh Film Archive, Dr. Md. Mofakkharul Iqbal, Director of the project titled “Collection and Preservation of Audiovisual Documents of the Liberation War from Local and Foreign Sources and Capacity Building of the Bangladesh Film Archive”, and Arran Birchenough, the Asia Pacific TV and Sales Director of Getty Images, inked the MoU in the presence of the Senior Secretary.
Security guard stabbed to death in Gulshan area
Police have recovered the body of a security guard of an ATM booth of Modhumoti Bank who was hacked to death by miscreants in the capital's Shahjadpur area of Gulshan early Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Hasan Mahmud, 55.
Mild heat wave sweeps 7 dists
Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Gulshan Police Station, said some unknown miscreants stabbed a security guard at the ATM booth of Modhumoti Bank under a multi-storey building named Maisha Chowdhury Tauar in Shahjadpur area of Gulshan around 5:15 am. However, it is believed that the miscreants failed to take money from the ATM booth.
The work is underway to collect CCTV footage of the ATM booth and identify those involved in the incident, said the OC.
40 shanties gutted in Chattogram fire
The body was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy, he added.
PM greets nation on Eid-ul-Fitr
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday greeted the people of the country on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
“Let us share the joy and happiness of Eid-ul-Fitr with everyone, including relatives and neighbours,” she said in a video message.
Hasina said after a month of fasting, the holy Eid-ul-Fitr has come again. “Eid means joy.”
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She prayed that May Eid-ul-Fitr bring endless joy, happiness and peace in everyone’s lives.“stay well, stay healthy and safe. Eid Mubarak,” she said.
Bangladesh will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday as the Shawwal moon was not sighted here on Tuesday evening.
The decision was announced after a meeting of the National Moon Sighting Committee that reviewied the information of Shawwal moon sighting at the Baitul Mukarram office of Islamic Foundation.
PM to exchange greetings at Ganabhaban on Eid day
Mild heat wave sweeps 7 dists
A mild heat wave is sweeping Chuadanga, Faridpur, Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati and Patuakhali districts are and it may abate from some places, said a Met office bulletin on Wednesday.
Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky over the country, it said..Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country.
Mild to moderate heat wave sweeps Dhaka, 2 other divs
40 shanties gutted in Chattogram fire
At least 40 tin-shed houses were gutted in a fire that broke out at AC Mosque Road slum in Halishahar area of Chattogram port city on Tuesday night.
Udayan Chakma, station officer of Agrabad Fire Service, said the fire broke out at the slum around 9:30 pm and engulfed it soon.
On Information, two firefighting units rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze around 11:10 pm.
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Primarily it is suspected that the fire originated from an electric short circuit.
However, no casualty was reported and the extent of the losses caused by the fire could not be ascertained yet.
Deadly Istanbul nightclub fire was likely caused by welding sparks, Turkish media reports say
Dhaka’s air quality 3rd worst in the world this morning
Dhaka has ranked third on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality with an AQI index of 181 at 10:58 am this morning.
Dhaka’s air was classified as 'unhealthy' today, according to the air quality index.
Nepal’s Kathmandu and India’s Delhi occupied the first and second spots on the list, with AQI scores of 257 and 238, respectively.
Dhaka’s air quality ‘unhealthy’ this morning
When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
No improvement in Dhaka’s air quality, still ‘unhealthy’ for sensitive groups
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
Military forcibly recruiting Rohingya in Rakhine State: HRW
The Myanmar military has abducted and forcibly recruited more than 1,000 Rohingya Muslim men and boys from across Rakhine State since February 2024, Human Rights Watch said today.
The junta is using a conscription law that only applies to Myanmar citizens, although the Rohingya have long been denied citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law.
Rohingya described being picked up in nighttime raids, coerced with false promises of citizenship, and threatened with arrest, abduction, and beatings.
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The military has been sending Rohingya to abusive training for two weeks, then deploying them. Many have been sent to the front lines in the surging fighting between the junta and the Arakan Army armed group, which broke out in Rakhine State in November 2023, and a number have been killed and injured.
“It’s appalling to see Myanmar’s military, which has committed atrocities against the Rohingya for decades while denying them citizenship, now forcing them to fight on its behalf,” said Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“The junta should immediately end this forced recruitment and permit Rohingya unlawfully conscripted to return home.”
Myanmar's worst violence since the military takeover is intensifying the crisis, the UN says
Human Rights Watch documented 11 cases of forced recruitment, drawing on interviews with 25 Rohingya from Sittwe, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Pauktaw, and Kyauktaw townships in Rakhine State and in Bangladesh, according to a message received from Bangkok on Wednesday.
On February 10, the military activated the 2010 People’s Military Service Law, enabling the conscription of men ages 18 to 35 and women ages 18 to 27 for up to five years during the current state of emergency. The announcement followed months of increased fighting with ethnic armed groups and resistance forces.
The junta announced that conscription would start in April, with a monthly quota of 5,000, but the authorities in Rakhine State began forcibly recruiting Rohingya in early February.
In late February, the military abducted over 150 Rohingya in raids on villages in Buthidaung township, according to people interviewed, Rohingya activists, and media reports. A 22-year-old Rohingya man said that light infantry battalion soldiers abducted him and 30 other young men and boys at gunpoint at about 11 p.m. on February 25 in Buthidaung town.
“The youngest boy taken away with us was 15 years old,” he said. “There were three recruits under 18 among us. After we were apprehended and taken to the military battalion, we saw the list of Rohingya who were going to be recruited. All the Rohingya youths in the region were included.”
Further raids took place in Maungdaw township in March. A 24-year-old Rohingya man who was abducted with about two dozen others from Ka Nyin Tan village said the officers told them, “Protecting Maungdaw is upon you.”
An estimated 630,000 Rohingya remain in Rakhine State under a system of apartheid and persecution, including about 150,000 held in open-air detention camps. Since the February 2021 military coup, the junta has imposed severe movement restrictions and aid blockages on the Rohingya, increasing their vulnerability to forced recruitment.
Rohingya camp management committee members said that junta authorities have been tallying “eligible” Rohingya or compelling the committees to make lists.
Two members said when they tried to refuse, junta authorities further restricted movement in the camps and threatened mass arrests and ration cuts. “We had no other option,” one committee member said.
At meetings in camps in Sittwe and Kyaukpyu, junta officials promised to issue all forced recruits pink citizenship cards, reserved for “full” citizens. “In the meetings, officers picked up their citizenship cards and told people, ‘We will give you this type of ID card if you join the military service,’” a camp management committee member in Thet Kae Pyin camp said. “People believed them.” Authorities also promised 4,800 kyat (US$2.30) a day and two sacks of rice.
About 300 Rohingya from the Sittwe camps were sent to two weeks of military training in late February. Upon completion, the military gave the forced recruits 50,000 kyats ($24) but no citizenship cards.
“When the junta broke their promise to issue citizenship cards to the first 300 Rohingya recruits, people stopped believing them and started avoiding the recruitment campaigns,” a camp management committee member said. Rohingya in the Sittwe camps said that for the second round of forced recruitment, the few hundred Rohingya were taken at gunpoint in raids.
Officials have also threatened to beat Rohingya to death if they refuse to join or to punish their families if they fled.
Many young Rohingya men have tried to escape Rakhine State or gone into hiding in the jungle to escape forced recruitment. The authorities rounded up and beat about 40 Rohingya from Kyauk Ta Lone camp when their family members ran away, according to Radio Free Asia.
On March 18, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his concern about “reports of forcible detention and recruitment of youths, including Rohingya, and the potential impact of forced conscription on human rights and on the social fabric of communities in Myanmar.”
“The Myanmar military’s forced recruitment of Rohingya men and boys is its latest exploitation of a community made vulnerable to abuse by design, over decades of oppression,” Bauchner said. “Concerned governments should be strengthening avenues to justice to hold junta leaders accountable for their abuses, past and present.”
END/UNB/MK/FH
PM to exchange greetings at Ganabhaban on Eid day
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will exchange greetings with mass people, including party leaders and workers, as well as judges and foreign diplomats, at her official residence Ganabhaban on Thursday on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Hasina, also the Awami League chief, will first exchange Eid greetings with the party colleagues, poets, litterateurs, writers, journalists, teachers and intellectuals from 10am, PM’s speech writer M Nazrul Islam told UNB.
Work for people, don’t lose public trust: PM Hasina to public reps
Later, she will exchange greetings with judges, cabinet secretary, chiefs of three services of Bangladesh Army, foreign diplomats, senior secretaries, secretaries and other civil and military officials with rank equivalent to secretaries.
Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of Muslims, will be celebrated in Bangladesh on Thursday.
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