DHAKA, Oct 7, 2024(BSS)-Journalist Ripon Hawlader, who was critically injured in police firing during the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement in the capital, today said that his sacrifice will be successful if discrimination is removed from the society and good governance is ensured in the country. “Not only for performing my professional responsibilities rather I had support for the movement,” Ripon, a journalist of daily Sarejamin, told BSS today. Ripon received critical bullet injuries at Rampura bridge area on July 18 while taking video footage of a police action on the agitating students of the movement. The injured journalist said that there were no democratic rights of the people, voting rights and freedom of press during the last fascist government. Ripon, hailed from Kolapara upazila of Patuakhali district, now an inhabitant of Rupnagar area under East Badda area.

"The HSC results will be published at 11am on Oct 15," Prof Tapan Kumar Sarkar, president of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee and chairman of the Dhaka Education Board, told bdnews24.com on Monday. Earlier, Prof Sarkar told bdnews24.com: “The subjects for which exams were held will be evaluated through exam scripts. For those which exams were not held will be evaluated through subject mapping of SSC numbers.”The HSC and equivalent exams for 10 education boards started on Jun 30. Initially, the HSC and equivalent exam on Jul 18 was postponed. If conditions improved, the HSC and equivalent exams were initially set to resume on Aug 4 according to the announced schedule.

Aside from the head of the commission, all other reform commissions, except the police and constitutional reform commissions, have eight members. The police and constitutional reform commissions have nine members each. Like other commissions, the Constitutional Reform Commission has been given a timeline starting from Oct 6 to begin its work and submit a report within 90 days based on everyone’s opinions. The notification regarding the formation of the full constitutional reform commission said that the commission was formed with the approval of the chief advisor to review and evaluate the existing constitution for the establishment of a representative and effective democracy, as well as the empowerment of the people, and to prepare a report with necessary recommendations for constitutional reform. However, later on, Professor Ali Riaz was appointed as the head of the Constitutional Reform Commission, replacing lawyer Shahdeen Malik.

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Police will question in custody former minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury for five days in connection with the murder of a BNP worker, which occurred two years ago.Saber was presented in the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrates Court on Monday, where Paltan Model Police Station Sub-Inspector Nazmul Hasan, the investigating officer, sought a 10-day remand for interrogation.Saber's lawyer Ehsanul Haque Samaji opposed the remand plea and sought bail, but Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mahbubul Haque rejected the bail request and granted a 5-day remand.According to the case details, ahead of the BNP rally on Dec 10, 2022, party leaders and activists began gathering in Dhaka.On Dec 7, from 3pm to 11pm, clashes erupted in Naya Paltan near the BNP central office, with reports of baton charges, cocktail explosions, tear gas shells, stun grenades, and gunfire.Several BNP activists were injured in the violence. BNP worker Mokbul, identified by a single name, was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with gunshot wounds, where the on-duty doctor pronounced him dead.On Sept 30, Mahfuzur Rahman filed a case accusing 156 individuals, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Saber, for their alleged involvement in the violence and Mokbul's murder.Saber, a former president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, was arrested on Sunday in Dhaka's Gulshan and brought to court under heavy security.As he entered the court premises, a group of protesters gathered, chanting slogans and throwing eggs at him.The court premises saw large crowds of onlookers, with people gathering on balconies of the 10-storey white building to witness the proceedings.Saber was made environment, forest and climate change minister by deposed prime minister Hasina earlier this year.In June 2023, he was appointed as Hasina's special envoy on environment and climate affairs. He also chaired the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the environment, forest and climate change in the 11th parliament.He held important ministerial positions early in his political career. — bdnews24.com

REUTERS/Irina Dambrauskas/People around the world held vigils, ceremonies and protests to mark Monday's first anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, as fighting raged on in the enclave. The militants killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages to Gaza on Oct. 7 last year, according to Israeli figures. Nearly 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities, and most of the 2.3-million-strong population displaced. ISRAELCeremonies began at about 6:29 am, the time when Hamas-led militants launched rockets into Israel at the start of the Oct. 7 attack last year. Hamas said it fired a missile salvo at Tel Aviv, with the Israeli military saying sirens sounded in central Israel.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks on Monday, with New Delhi promising to strengthen strategic cooperation as the island nation recovers from an economic crisis. India approved a $400 million and a 30 billion rupee ($357.35 million) currency swap agreement, Modi said, adding that India was willing to provide extensive help to the Maldives to develop infrastructure. India and the Maldives will start talks on a free trade agreement, Modi and Muizzu said. "We will work together for stability and progress in the Indian Ocean region," Modi said after the bilateral talks concluded. "India is a key partner in the socio-economic and infrastructure development of the Maldives and has stood by the Maldives during our times of need," Muizzu said.

bAs many as 426 people were killed and 813 others were injured in 392 road accidents in September, according to the Road Safety Foundation. Motorcycles were involved in at least 164 road accidents in September, or 42.83 per cent of the total. In its observations, the foundation said that 162 accidents occurred on the national highways, which accounted for 41.32 per cent of the total accidents. Dhaka saw the most road accidents with 124, 31.63 per cent of the total. Rajshahi Division saw 10.96 per cent, Chattogram Division saw 19.89 per cent, Khulna Division saw 12.24 per cent, Barishal Division saw 3.82 per cent, Sylhet Division saw 4.84 per cent, Rangpur Division saw 10.45 per cent and Mymensingh Division saw 6.12 per cent of all road accidents.

Of the total project cost, Taka 7,746.66 crore will come from the government of Bangladesh portion, Taka 16,012.33 crore from project assistance while Taka 653.95 crore from the concerned organization's own fund. Besides, the meeting approved the timeframe extension of seven projects without raising their costs. The Ministry of Railways will implement the rail-cum-road bridge project to be implemented by December 2030. The planning adviser said the fresh project has been considered since the existing bridge at Kalurghat is old and dilapidated. The main project operations include construction of 700 meter rail-cum-road bridge, construction of 6.20 kilometer viaduct, 2.40 kilometer road viaduct, 4.54 kilometer embankments, erection of 11.44 kilometer rail track and ancillary works.

BENGALURU, India, Oct 7, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Soaring temperatures at a hugelycrowded airshow in India where organisers had hoped to break recordattendance figures left at least five people dead, media reported Monday. The Press Trust of India news agency, quoting government officials, saidMonday that five spectators had died from "heatstroke and exhaustion" duringthe airshow. The Indian Express also quoted a police officer as saying five people haddied in separate incidents due to "dehydration and stress". But Ma Subramanian, Tamil Nadu state minister for medical and family welfare,said the authorities had provided "adequate" facilities, including medics onstandby and drinking water for the crowds. Scorching summer temperatures are common in India but years of scientificresearch have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer,more frequent and more intense.

The rain is causing the water levels of the Jinjiram River in Mymensingh and the Old Brahmaputra to riseAll divisions in the country, aside from Rajshahi, will see some rain this week, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Following this period of rain and heat, Bangladesh may start to feel the effect of winter around mid-November. Meteorologist Abul Kalam Mollik said on Wednesday afternoon: “There may be a little less rain in Rajshahi. It will start to get hotter after that.”“However, the forecast does not indicate that winter will immediately follow the rain. Bhola saw 104 mm of rain, the most in the country in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday.

More rain is expected through this week, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting ‘isolated heavy rainfall’At least 15 killed in floods, landslides in India's MeghalayaAt least 15 people have been killed in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in India's northeastern state of Meghalaya over the last four days, officials said on Monday. More rain is expected in parts of the state through this week, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting "isolated heavy rainfall". The weather department classifies rainfall between 64.5 mm (3 inches) and 115.5 mm (5 inches) as "heavy". The death toll from floods in the northern parts of neighbouring Bangladesh, which shares a border with Meghalaya, rose to six on Sunday. At least 244 people, including dozens of children, were killed in landslides and floods in Nepal last week as two days of incessant rains washed away homes, roads, power plants, and bridges.

OpinionWe are approaching 20 years since Diana Rattlesnake was murdered in Brandon. I see in her story the plight of MMIWG – missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. I looked at Rattlesnake’s work on the timesheets for her last full two-week pay period. When she got out of prison, she moved to Brandon and started a new life with the name Diana Rattlesnake. At this 20-year mark, please remember Diana Rattlesnake.

This bdnews24.com correspondent spoke to Rokeya at her home on Kushtia’s PTI Road on Sunday, the fifth anniversary of Abrar’s death. On the night of Oct 6, 2019, Abrar died after a brutal beating from a group of Chhatra League leaders and activists at BUET’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall. My son’s words still ring in my ears. It has been five years, but I haven’t been able to forget them.”Abrar always wrote with love about his country, his mother said. “My son wrote about hilsa fish on Facebook for the people of the country.

TOKYO, Oct 7, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Shares in the Japanese owner of 7-Elevenjumped Monday after media reports said it was seeking to strengthen its handin a takeover battle, including selling a stake in its banking unit. But ACT, which owns the rival Circle K brand, has vowed to pursue the buyout,which would be the biggest ever foreign takeover of a Japanese firm. Shares in Seven & i ended the morning 2.55 percent higher at 2,250.5 yen inTokyo, having surged more than three percent at one point. That followed reports in Japanese media last week that the group wasaccelerating a plan to sell its supermarket operations, including thenational "Ito-Yokado" chain. The Japanese finance ministry last month designated Seven & i a "core"industry, a move that could make the takeover more complicated.