In 3rd december motijheel ideal school and college held their admission test.many many little boys and girls attend their test.the test was class 1.and the written exam was held 1 hours.girls attends their test in morning that day and boys attends 3 P.m.That time that area is created very very noisy area.
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Dhaka city is divided into two areas in this case BNP call strike all dhaka city.in that case people faced many problem.on the other side Police have dropped former Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka off at his house, who then started for hospital after clashes during the daylong shutdown in the capital.Police have charged batons to disperse a group of activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in front of the party headquarters in the city's Naya Paltan area amid a shutdown.The BNP called the strike to protest against the split of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC). The strike is enforced in the capital only.
Canada has told the government that it will not extradite Noor Chowdhury, a convicted killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman now living in the north American country.
"Our government has clear policy that we cannot extradite people to that country where there is death sentence," Canadian high commissioner Heather Cruden told reporters after her meeting foreign minister Dipu Moni on Sunday.
"The foreign minister raised the issue and I will again raise the issue with my government," she said.
On Oct 5, the foreign minister wrote to the US and Canadian authorities to hand over the two Bangabandhu killers to Bangladesh residing in those countries.
Dipu Moni sent the letters to her counterparts - secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Canadian foreign affairs minister John Baird.
The Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were brutally killed in Aug 1975 by some army officials and out of the 12 convicted, five were hanged in 2010, one died, six are absconding.
The death convicts Lt Col (retd) M Rashed Chowdhury is now in the US.
Col (retd) Khandkar Abdur Rashid, lt col (retd) Shariful Haque Dalim, Abdul Mazed and Moslehuddin are absconding while Abdul Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe.
Interpol has issued warrant to arrest them.
The five convicted – Syed Faruque Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, Mohiuddin Ahmed and AKM Mohiuddin – were hanged to death on Jan 28 last year.
"Our government has clear policy that we cannot extradite people to that country where there is death sentence," Canadian high commissioner Heather Cruden told reporters after her meeting foreign minister Dipu Moni on Sunday.
"The foreign minister raised the issue and I will again raise the issue with my government," she said.
On Oct 5, the foreign minister wrote to the US and Canadian authorities to hand over the two Bangabandhu killers to Bangladesh residing in those countries.
Dipu Moni sent the letters to her counterparts - secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Canadian foreign affairs minister John Baird.
The Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were brutally killed in Aug 1975 by some army officials and out of the 12 convicted, five were hanged in 2010, one died, six are absconding.
The death convicts Lt Col (retd) M Rashed Chowdhury is now in the US.
Col (retd) Khandkar Abdur Rashid, lt col (retd) Shariful Haque Dalim, Abdul Mazed and Moslehuddin are absconding while Abdul Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe.
Interpol has issued warrant to arrest them.
The five convicted – Syed Faruque Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, Mohiuddin Ahmed and AKM Mohiuddin – were hanged to death on Jan 28 last year.
Police have charged with batons to disperse a group of activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in front of the party headquarters in the city's Naya Paltan area as the main opposition party has enforced a daylong general strike.
Schools and businesses remained shut in the capital as the dawn-to-dusk strike began on Sunday morning.
Tight security has been in place.
BNP claimed on Saturday that about 300 party activists were arrested on the eve of the strike. Two buses were set on fire on Saturday.
The BNP called the strike to protest against the split of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC). The strike is enforced in the capital only.
The police action came around 5 am on Sunday when the BNP activists tried to gather in front of the party head office. Police allowed the party joint secretary-general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi to enter the headquarters while others were driven away from the area.
In other parts of the city, there was no major presence of the opposition activists during the beginning hours of the strike.
Rickshaws ruled the city's usually-clogged streets. A few buses and three-wheeler auto-rickshaws were plying the streets.
Schools and businesses remained shut in the capital as the dawn-to-dusk strike began on Sunday morning.
Tight security has been in place.
BNP claimed on Saturday that about 300 party activists were arrested on the eve of the strike. Two buses were set on fire on Saturday.
The BNP called the strike to protest against the split of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC). The strike is enforced in the capital only.
The police action came around 5 am on Sunday when the BNP activists tried to gather in front of the party head office. Police allowed the party joint secretary-general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi to enter the headquarters while others were driven away from the area.
In other parts of the city, there was no major presence of the opposition activists during the beginning hours of the strike.
Rickshaws ruled the city's usually-clogged streets. A few buses and three-wheeler auto-rickshaws were plying the streets.
With a large number of mentally ill patients remaining outside medication in resource-starved countries such as Bangladesh, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is now mulling 'cost-effective community based approach' to change the situation.
"It (mental health) needs a dual approach -- we have to reach out to the people and at the same time should have tertiary support," WHO South-East Asia regional adviser on mental health and substance abuse Dr Vijay Chandra said on Saturday.
"Bangladesh has tertiary support in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and National Institute of Mental Health. Now it needs to reach to the people.
"Community clinics can play a role in this regard," he told after a three-day regional meeting of 11 countries wound up in the capital on Saturday.
According to Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists, there is vast gap between the number of patients and mental health services in the country.
Available data suggest at least three in 10 Bangladeshis suffer from some form of mental illness.
A pilot project in Dhaka's Sonargoan upazila showed the gap is 92 percent when it comes to experts required for treatment only of children's epilepsy -- a brain condition that leads sudden unconsciousness and sometimes to have fits.
"The picture is almost the same for rest of the country," National Institute of Mental Health director Prof M Golam Rabbani, said. "There are only 190 psychiatrists for over 150 million people, so healthcare providers at community settings can help narrow down this gap."
GOVT WORKING ON THE BASICS
The Awami League government has appointed healthcare providers at its prioritised community clinics, one for every 6,000 families. So far, 10,320 clinics are ready to offer services while the health ministry hopes that a further 3,000 clinics will become 'fully functional' by next July.
The government is also creating awareness about the 'long-neglected' mental health problems and developmental disorders.
The first-ever autism conference in this region was held in Dhaka this July, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and India's Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi on the dais.
Hasina also inaugurated the sixth International Conference on Psychiatry and World Mental Health Day on October 16 in the capital.
The government has kept special allocation in the five-year Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Developmental Plan (HPNSDP) while the process to finalise a Mental Health Act is on the cards.
Extolling Bangladesh government's pro-active role in mental health, WHO's Dr Vijay Chandra said, "It reflects the government's total commitment to develop mental health service. Now we need to support it."
SUPPORT AT COMMUNITY LEVEL
WHO supervised pilot projects are underway in four countries of Southeast Asia -- Bangladesh, Thailand, Bhutan and Timor Leste -- to narrow down the gap in treatment of mental illness at community level.
"Once scaled up (at national level), our role will be nominal," Dr Chandra said. He also said WHO will give technical support and offer new things that evolve anywhere in the world.
The WHO pilot projects are working on diagnosing epilepsy, psychosis, depression and developmental disorders such as autism at the grassroots level.
"Our evaluation showed they (community healthcare providers) can do it," National Institute of Mental Health's Prof Golam Rabbani. "They will identify patients only by interviewing (from a) set of questions.
"Then they will refer them to the upazila level, where trained physicians would be available. The physicians can also interact with the specialists over phone.
"The whole system will work together. There will no additional funding into it."
Dr Chandra said the process would drive away misconception and malpractices over mental health disorders. "They will not go to the traditional healers; instead, they (patients) will come to the hospitals with modern methods of treatment.
"You will not see anyone chained or locked up in the hospital -- they walk around free, and receive treatment."
He also urged people to get rid of the prevailing misconceptions against patients with mental illness. "People still think they (some mental ill patients) are violent. Many people still pelt stones when they see them on the streets.
"But when they (mentally ill) retaliate, people think they are violent. Everyone will retaliate if they are pelted with stones -- it's a natural reaction."
Experts blame more nuclear families, growing demand and soaring costs and drug abuse for increase in cases of mental disorder. But most people suffer in silence, fearing social stigma.
The three-day meeting recommended all member-countries to have mental health policy, plans, programme and legislation that include mental health promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, welfare and human rights protection.
It urged the countries to make mental healthcare services an integral part of the mainstream health system.
It also urged the WHO to help countries with training and research.
"It (mental health) needs a dual approach -- we have to reach out to the people and at the same time should have tertiary support," WHO South-East Asia regional adviser on mental health and substance abuse Dr Vijay Chandra said on Saturday.
"Bangladesh has tertiary support in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and National Institute of Mental Health. Now it needs to reach to the people.
"Community clinics can play a role in this regard," he told after a three-day regional meeting of 11 countries wound up in the capital on Saturday.
According to Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists, there is vast gap between the number of patients and mental health services in the country.
Available data suggest at least three in 10 Bangladeshis suffer from some form of mental illness.
A pilot project in Dhaka's Sonargoan upazila showed the gap is 92 percent when it comes to experts required for treatment only of children's epilepsy -- a brain condition that leads sudden unconsciousness and sometimes to have fits.
"The picture is almost the same for rest of the country," National Institute of Mental Health director Prof M Golam Rabbani, said. "There are only 190 psychiatrists for over 150 million people, so healthcare providers at community settings can help narrow down this gap."
GOVT WORKING ON THE BASICS
The Awami League government has appointed healthcare providers at its prioritised community clinics, one for every 6,000 families. So far, 10,320 clinics are ready to offer services while the health ministry hopes that a further 3,000 clinics will become 'fully functional' by next July.
The government is also creating awareness about the 'long-neglected' mental health problems and developmental disorders.
The first-ever autism conference in this region was held in Dhaka this July, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and India's Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi on the dais.
Hasina also inaugurated the sixth International Conference on Psychiatry and World Mental Health Day on October 16 in the capital.
The government has kept special allocation in the five-year Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Developmental Plan (HPNSDP) while the process to finalise a Mental Health Act is on the cards.
Extolling Bangladesh government's pro-active role in mental health, WHO's Dr Vijay Chandra said, "It reflects the government's total commitment to develop mental health service. Now we need to support it."
SUPPORT AT COMMUNITY LEVEL
WHO supervised pilot projects are underway in four countries of Southeast Asia -- Bangladesh, Thailand, Bhutan and Timor Leste -- to narrow down the gap in treatment of mental illness at community level.
"Once scaled up (at national level), our role will be nominal," Dr Chandra said. He also said WHO will give technical support and offer new things that evolve anywhere in the world.
The WHO pilot projects are working on diagnosing epilepsy, psychosis, depression and developmental disorders such as autism at the grassroots level.
"Our evaluation showed they (community healthcare providers) can do it," National Institute of Mental Health's Prof Golam Rabbani. "They will identify patients only by interviewing (from a) set of questions.
"Then they will refer them to the upazila level, where trained physicians would be available. The physicians can also interact with the specialists over phone.
"The whole system will work together. There will no additional funding into it."
Dr Chandra said the process would drive away misconception and malpractices over mental health disorders. "They will not go to the traditional healers; instead, they (patients) will come to the hospitals with modern methods of treatment.
"You will not see anyone chained or locked up in the hospital -- they walk around free, and receive treatment."
He also urged people to get rid of the prevailing misconceptions against patients with mental illness. "People still think they (some mental ill patients) are violent. Many people still pelt stones when they see them on the streets.
"But when they (mentally ill) retaliate, people think they are violent. Everyone will retaliate if they are pelted with stones -- it's a natural reaction."
Experts blame more nuclear families, growing demand and soaring costs and drug abuse for increase in cases of mental disorder. But most people suffer in silence, fearing social stigma.
The three-day meeting recommended all member-countries to have mental health policy, plans, programme and legislation that include mental health promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, welfare and human rights protection.
It urged the countries to make mental healthcare services an integral part of the mainstream health system.
It also urged the WHO to help countries with training and research.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman has asserted that International Crimes Tribunal set up to try suspected war criminals of 1971 does meet the international standards.
Mizanur Rahman also urged the government to speed up the trial on Saturday and said, "We should be ashamed of the fact that the war criminals have not been tried even such long time after the Liberation War."
The NHRC chief said, "We have evidence to prove that Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami has assigned lobbyists in the US, UK and European Union to delay the trial process."
"And they are propagating in the mass media against the tribunal saying it does not conform to international standards."
He also criticised several foreign countries for doubting the tribunal's standards while speaking at the National Convention of the Sector Commanders' Forum at the Dhaka University ground.
Rahman said, "We are going to celebrate the 40th anniversary of independence. As a nation, we should be ashamed that we could not put those on trial who violated our mothers and sisters during the war."
"The killers of our brothers are still leading a normal life even though trial of some of them has begun."
He mentioned that the tribunal provided privileges to the accused more than any other tribunal in the world. "Placing a seven-point charter of demands before this tribunal, one accused has also threatened not to cooperate if his demands are not met. Nuremberg, Tokyo, Cambodia, Yugoslavia—was anyone there allowed to place demands like this?"
"This accused also questioned the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act. I will ask [chief prosecutor Ghulam Arieff Tipu and prosecutor Zead Al Malum] to deal with them in the toughest manner."
He told the gathering that the accused are objecting to the tribunal only for political gains.
Rahman said that International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) provides for fair and public trial much as the Bangladesh law. "Even the law minister has said that trial will be broadcast publicly on big screens outside the courtroom."
"According to our law, the tribunal can conclude a case with other evidence and witnesses if an accused refuses to cooperate. We know silence indicates consent, but instead, this law mentions other evidence and witness," he added.
Mizanur, who is a professor, also said, "Though they say it's not independent, the tribunal has taken their petition to remove the tribunal chief, sat to hear it and gave a decision. But it did not refuse to take the complaint into cognisance."
"The High Court has also heard their plea questioning the tribunal. Which court in the world has given more rights to the war criminals than this one?" he asked.
Jamaat-e-Islami executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee, who has been indicted on 20 counts of crimes against humanity including murder, rape, arson, genocide and loot during the war, appealed on Oct 27 that the tribunal chief Justice Nizamul Huq removes himself from the proceedings.
He is the first man facing a formal trial among the five Jamaat leaders and two others from main opposition BNP facing similar charges.
Apart from him, Jamaat leaders including its chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla have been arrested on war crimes charges.
Senior BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Abdul Alim have also been arrested on similar charges.
Of the seven Jamaat and BNP leaders facing the war crimes charges, Alim is on conditional bail while the remaining six are behind bars.
Mizanur Rahman also urged the government to speed up the trial on Saturday and said, "We should be ashamed of the fact that the war criminals have not been tried even such long time after the Liberation War."
The NHRC chief said, "We have evidence to prove that Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami has assigned lobbyists in the US, UK and European Union to delay the trial process."
"And they are propagating in the mass media against the tribunal saying it does not conform to international standards."
He also criticised several foreign countries for doubting the tribunal's standards while speaking at the National Convention of the Sector Commanders' Forum at the Dhaka University ground.
Rahman said, "We are going to celebrate the 40th anniversary of independence. As a nation, we should be ashamed that we could not put those on trial who violated our mothers and sisters during the war."
"The killers of our brothers are still leading a normal life even though trial of some of them has begun."
He mentioned that the tribunal provided privileges to the accused more than any other tribunal in the world. "Placing a seven-point charter of demands before this tribunal, one accused has also threatened not to cooperate if his demands are not met. Nuremberg, Tokyo, Cambodia, Yugoslavia—was anyone there allowed to place demands like this?"
"This accused also questioned the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act. I will ask [chief prosecutor Ghulam Arieff Tipu and prosecutor Zead Al Malum] to deal with them in the toughest manner."
He told the gathering that the accused are objecting to the tribunal only for political gains.
Rahman said that International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) provides for fair and public trial much as the Bangladesh law. "Even the law minister has said that trial will be broadcast publicly on big screens outside the courtroom."
"According to our law, the tribunal can conclude a case with other evidence and witnesses if an accused refuses to cooperate. We know silence indicates consent, but instead, this law mentions other evidence and witness," he added.
Mizanur, who is a professor, also said, "Though they say it's not independent, the tribunal has taken their petition to remove the tribunal chief, sat to hear it and gave a decision. But it did not refuse to take the complaint into cognisance."
"The High Court has also heard their plea questioning the tribunal. Which court in the world has given more rights to the war criminals than this one?" he asked.
Jamaat-e-Islami executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee, who has been indicted on 20 counts of crimes against humanity including murder, rape, arson, genocide and loot during the war, appealed on Oct 27 that the tribunal chief Justice Nizamul Huq removes himself from the proceedings.
He is the first man facing a formal trial among the five Jamaat leaders and two others from main opposition BNP facing similar charges.
Apart from him, Jamaat leaders including its chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla have been arrested on war crimes charges.
Senior BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Abdul Alim have also been arrested on similar charges.
Of the seven Jamaat and BNP leaders facing the war crimes charges, Alim is on conditional bail while the remaining six are behind bars.
Firefighters have recovered bodies of two youths from the Sari River at Sylhet's Jaintapur after they went missing while swimming on Friday.
The bodies of the 27-year-old Tahrat Kabir and the 29-year-old Abdullah Faisal were recovered around 10am on Saturday, Jaintapur Police chief Abdul Jalil said.
They were the employees of Qubee, an internet service provider.
They were washed away by a torrent after a landslide around 2.30pm on Friday while swimming along with other friends in the river near Sahebmara area of Lalakhal tourist spot, the police official said.
Four of their friends, who accompanied them, swam ashore safely but they had failed, he said.
Local unit of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and firefighters jointly launched a rescue operation soon after the incident but could not trace them till Saturday.
Tahrat, son of Imran Kabir, lived in Dhaka's Malibagh and Faisal, son of Abdul Malek, hailed from Chittagong's Madarbari area.
The bodies of the 27-year-old Tahrat Kabir and the 29-year-old Abdullah Faisal were recovered around 10am on Saturday, Jaintapur Police chief Abdul Jalil said.
They were the employees of Qubee, an internet service provider.
They were washed away by a torrent after a landslide around 2.30pm on Friday while swimming along with other friends in the river near Sahebmara area of Lalakhal tourist spot, the police official said.
Four of their friends, who accompanied them, swam ashore safely but they had failed, he said.
Local unit of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and firefighters jointly launched a rescue operation soon after the incident but could not trace them till Saturday.
Tahrat, son of Imran Kabir, lived in Dhaka's Malibagh and Faisal, son of Abdul Malek, hailed from Chittagong's Madarbari area.
A US university teacher, who is the son of Awami League MP Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, has drowned in sea while holidaying in Thailand.
Jalal Alamgir, a 40-year old associate professor of political science at Boston University, had been on a one-year sabbatical and based in Bangladesh. He was working on a book.
Jalal's cousin Dhaka University professor Muntasir Mamun told that the Awami League presidium member's son went to Bangkok with his wife on Dec 2.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed grave sorrow at the news of Jalal's death.
Jalal Alamgir, a 40-year old associate professor of political science at Boston University, had been on a one-year sabbatical and based in Bangladesh. He was working on a book.
Jalal's cousin Dhaka University professor Muntasir Mamun told that the Awami League presidium member's son went to Bangkok with his wife on Dec 2.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed grave sorrow at the news of Jalal's death.
Thirty foreign nationals, including 12 Bangladeshis, arrested by local police for illegal entry have been sent to jail upon a court order.
A police team of Mobile Task Force unit arrested the foreigners including 18 Mynamar citizens for illegally entering the northeastern Tripura state.
After Friday's court order, all the detainees have been jailed for 14 days, pending formalities to send them back to their own countries.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Tripura Police Nepal Das has said police have arrested them at the Agartala Railway Station.
The DIG added the group entered Tripura through Sonamura border point, which is located near Comilla in Bangladesh, and they were on their way to Assam for jobs.
Police also recovered illegally carried money from the detainees.
They were produced before a local court on Friday before the order of sending them to jail came. They face charges of illegal entry.
After completion of their jail term they would be sent back, authorities say.
In recent months more than 50 Myanmarese nationals were arrested in Tripura. They have been using Tripura as transit to mainland India in search of jobs.
The Myanmarese told police that they fled Myanmar due to atrocities by security officials.
Police officials say often the Myanmarese military unleashes atrocities on a section of its nationals, especially Rohingya Muslims, to force them to flee.
Over 50,000 Myanmarese have been living in different parts of neighbouring Mizoram, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh, and working at various shops and factories after obtaining work permits.
Since the mid-1990s, over 225,000 Myanmar nationals have been sheltering at Teknaf in Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh.
Four northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam share 1,880-km border with Bangladesh, while Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh share a 1,640-km unfenced border with Myanmar.
The mountainous terrain, dense forests and other hindrances make the unfenced borders porous and vulnerable, enabling illegal migrants and intruders to cross over without any hurdle.
A police team of Mobile Task Force unit arrested the foreigners including 18 Mynamar citizens for illegally entering the northeastern Tripura state.
After Friday's court order, all the detainees have been jailed for 14 days, pending formalities to send them back to their own countries.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Tripura Police Nepal Das has said police have arrested them at the Agartala Railway Station.
The DIG added the group entered Tripura through Sonamura border point, which is located near Comilla in Bangladesh, and they were on their way to Assam for jobs.
Police also recovered illegally carried money from the detainees.
They were produced before a local court on Friday before the order of sending them to jail came. They face charges of illegal entry.
After completion of their jail term they would be sent back, authorities say.
In recent months more than 50 Myanmarese nationals were arrested in Tripura. They have been using Tripura as transit to mainland India in search of jobs.
The Myanmarese told police that they fled Myanmar due to atrocities by security officials.
Police officials say often the Myanmarese military unleashes atrocities on a section of its nationals, especially Rohingya Muslims, to force them to flee.
Over 50,000 Myanmarese have been living in different parts of neighbouring Mizoram, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh, and working at various shops and factories after obtaining work permits.
Since the mid-1990s, over 225,000 Myanmar nationals have been sheltering at Teknaf in Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh.
Four northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam share 1,880-km border with Bangladesh, while Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh share a 1,640-km unfenced border with Myanmar.
The mountainous terrain, dense forests and other hindrances make the unfenced borders porous and vulnerable, enabling illegal migrants and intruders to cross over without any hurdle.
Developing countries have raised concerns that they are taking climate change as a more serious global crisis than the rich countries.
The US, in particular, is seen to be dragging its foot on key issues. Delegates at the UN Climate Summit at Durban from Europe and the head of the African bloc have separately denounced the US position.
"Developed countries as a whole are not taking climate change seriously as a global issue," said Mali delegate Seyni Nafo. Pointing to the US leadership on democracy, human rights and market access, Nafo said, "We want to have the same leadership to tackle climate change."
The EU chief negotiator, Arthur Runge-Metzger, while expressing his concerns, however, acknowledged that the US delegation may be hampered by the present US domestic scene where climate change was perceived to be an unpopular issue. "It's very hard for the Obama administration to move forward with climate change because of the situation in Congress," he said.
The US is perceived as stalling, as it negotiates for conditions on the deal that would legally bind all countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions - holding up discussions on how to raise US$100 billion earmarked for poor countries to develop low-carbon economies and deal with the effects of global warming.
Climate change is a result of greenhouse gases trapping the sun's heat in the earth's atmosphere raising global temperatures, which in turn trigger change weather conditions leading to stronger and more frequent cyclones and floods, rising seas, drought, erosion and increased salinity.
It is widely accepted that a rise of global temperatures over 2 degrees Celsius would cause irreversible climate change. Global studies, endorsed by the UN and the scientific community indicate that in order to arrest the temperature rise within 1.5 degrees, global emissions must reduced to 40 percent of what they were in 1990 by the year 2020 and to 95 percent of 1990-levels by 2050. Furthermore, emissions must not peak after 2015.
Instead of a binding target, the US has said that it favours voluntary pledges by countries to do as much as they can to control emissions. The US has promised to cut its emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020; a pledge that the US delegation chief Jonathan Pershing said this week that he did not believe would change in the near future.
Runge-Metzger, however, asserts that these voluntary pledges taken all together would still amount to about half of what scientists say is required to avert potential climate disaster.
On another front, Rene Orellana, head of the Bolivian delegation, in his nation's first statement, has categorically dismissed the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (Redd) initiative.
Redd is a set of steps designed to use financial initiatives to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation and forest degradation; and because forests produce carbon credits it is considered an emissions offsetting scheme.
"Bolivia is showing strongly against the mechanism of Redd," Orellana said, "the role of the forest is not for carbon stocks."
Almost half of Bolivia is blanketed by forests, "as a people who live in the forest, we are not carbon stocks," the Bolivian delegate asserted.
"Forests provide a role of food security, a water resource and biodiversity for our indigenous population. Redd reduces the function of the forest as just one, carbon stocks," he added.
Orellana also went on to criticise some of the aspects of the Green Climate Fund, particularly payments based on results of green initiatives.
While Bolivia has suffered political instability of late, the country has been firm on its environmental stand at the 17th instalment of the conference of parties to the UN climate change convention. For example, this year the South American nation has passed the world's first laws granting nature equal rights to humans.
Scientists predict that heat waves currently experienced once every 20 years will happen every year due to increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Moreover coastal areas and islands were threatened with inundation by global warming and within a decade up to 250 million more people would face water scarcity.
Climate action proponents argue that carbon concentration stabilisation in the atmosphere would only slow economic growth by 0.12 percent per year but, more importantly, that the costs would be offset by improved health, greater energy security and more secure food supplies.
The US, in particular, is seen to be dragging its foot on key issues. Delegates at the UN Climate Summit at Durban from Europe and the head of the African bloc have separately denounced the US position.
"Developed countries as a whole are not taking climate change seriously as a global issue," said Mali delegate Seyni Nafo. Pointing to the US leadership on democracy, human rights and market access, Nafo said, "We want to have the same leadership to tackle climate change."
The EU chief negotiator, Arthur Runge-Metzger, while expressing his concerns, however, acknowledged that the US delegation may be hampered by the present US domestic scene where climate change was perceived to be an unpopular issue. "It's very hard for the Obama administration to move forward with climate change because of the situation in Congress," he said.
The US is perceived as stalling, as it negotiates for conditions on the deal that would legally bind all countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions - holding up discussions on how to raise US$100 billion earmarked for poor countries to develop low-carbon economies and deal with the effects of global warming.
Climate change is a result of greenhouse gases trapping the sun's heat in the earth's atmosphere raising global temperatures, which in turn trigger change weather conditions leading to stronger and more frequent cyclones and floods, rising seas, drought, erosion and increased salinity.
It is widely accepted that a rise of global temperatures over 2 degrees Celsius would cause irreversible climate change. Global studies, endorsed by the UN and the scientific community indicate that in order to arrest the temperature rise within 1.5 degrees, global emissions must reduced to 40 percent of what they were in 1990 by the year 2020 and to 95 percent of 1990-levels by 2050. Furthermore, emissions must not peak after 2015.
Instead of a binding target, the US has said that it favours voluntary pledges by countries to do as much as they can to control emissions. The US has promised to cut its emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020; a pledge that the US delegation chief Jonathan Pershing said this week that he did not believe would change in the near future.
Runge-Metzger, however, asserts that these voluntary pledges taken all together would still amount to about half of what scientists say is required to avert potential climate disaster.
On another front, Rene Orellana, head of the Bolivian delegation, in his nation's first statement, has categorically dismissed the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (Redd) initiative.
Redd is a set of steps designed to use financial initiatives to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation and forest degradation; and because forests produce carbon credits it is considered an emissions offsetting scheme.
"Bolivia is showing strongly against the mechanism of Redd," Orellana said, "the role of the forest is not for carbon stocks."
Almost half of Bolivia is blanketed by forests, "as a people who live in the forest, we are not carbon stocks," the Bolivian delegate asserted.
"Forests provide a role of food security, a water resource and biodiversity for our indigenous population. Redd reduces the function of the forest as just one, carbon stocks," he added.
Orellana also went on to criticise some of the aspects of the Green Climate Fund, particularly payments based on results of green initiatives.
While Bolivia has suffered political instability of late, the country has been firm on its environmental stand at the 17th instalment of the conference of parties to the UN climate change convention. For example, this year the South American nation has passed the world's first laws granting nature equal rights to humans.
Scientists predict that heat waves currently experienced once every 20 years will happen every year due to increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Moreover coastal areas and islands were threatened with inundation by global warming and within a decade up to 250 million more people would face water scarcity.
Climate action proponents argue that carbon concentration stabilisation in the atmosphere would only slow economic growth by 0.12 percent per year but, more importantly, that the costs would be offset by improved health, greater energy security and more secure food supplies.
A fire has raced through a two-storied shoe market in the capital's Bangabandhu Avenue.
The fire broke out at Bata Bazaar immediately after Friday midnight and gutted shoes in the showroom and a warehouse on the upper floor, said fire service control room official Farhad Hossain.. But there were no reports of any casualties.
The showroom is located beside the ruling Awami League headquarters.
Hossain said 10 fire service units laboured for three hours and brought the blaze under control around 4am in the morning.
All the goods in the building were burned, he said.
On Saturday morning, fire fighters were seen hosing water on the building's second floor from the rooftop after making a hole in the ceiling as they saw smoke coming out of the warehouse.
Fire brigade director (operations) Mohammad Mahbub told around 11am that the fire was under control "but we are still unable to enter the warehouse".
Fire brigade director general Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah said they could not immediately determine the source of the fire but would launch an investigation to see if this was an act of arson.
The fire initially originated on the ground floor around 1am and spread to the two upper floors, Bata officials said.
Fire fighters said that even though they reached the spot quickly it took three hours to tame the blaze as the fumes from burning rubber, fabrics and leather made their access difficult.
The showroom's manager Mohammad Hafizur Rahman initially claimed that shoes worth Tk 40 million were destroyed and that the total loss could stand around Tk 70 million.
Bata human resource division manager Mohammad Kamal Hossain, however, said, "It will take time to determine exact losses."
The fire broke out at Bata Bazaar immediately after Friday midnight and gutted shoes in the showroom and a warehouse on the upper floor, said fire service control room official Farhad Hossain.. But there were no reports of any casualties.
The showroom is located beside the ruling Awami League headquarters.
Hossain said 10 fire service units laboured for three hours and brought the blaze under control around 4am in the morning.
All the goods in the building were burned, he said.
On Saturday morning, fire fighters were seen hosing water on the building's second floor from the rooftop after making a hole in the ceiling as they saw smoke coming out of the warehouse.
Fire brigade director (operations) Mohammad Mahbub told around 11am that the fire was under control "but we are still unable to enter the warehouse".
Fire brigade director general Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah said they could not immediately determine the source of the fire but would launch an investigation to see if this was an act of arson.
The fire initially originated on the ground floor around 1am and spread to the two upper floors, Bata officials said.
Fire fighters said that even though they reached the spot quickly it took three hours to tame the blaze as the fumes from burning rubber, fabrics and leather made their access difficult.
The showroom's manager Mohammad Hafizur Rahman initially claimed that shoes worth Tk 40 million were destroyed and that the total loss could stand around Tk 70 million.
Bata human resource division manager Mohammad Kamal Hossain, however, said, "It will take time to determine exact losses."
Finance minister A M A Muhith has issued a strong rebuttal of charges made by the BNP chairperson that the economy was in tatters.
Soon after arriving in Dhaka after a week-long trip to Korea, the finance minister said Bangladesh's economy was doing quite well. "And it is not just in my eyes but in the eyes of the world."
Referring to the opposition leadership, he said they want to create a crisis. "That is why they are making such complaints to create instability."
Muhith said he would soon speak about the overall situation at a news conference.
"As I have said before, the major economic indicators except for just a couple are doing well." Muhith acknowledged that subsidies and balance of payments were some 'challenge'. "But we are trying to tackle them."
The finance minister said that he had mentioned a number of risks during his budget speech. "I had noted that this would be the riskiest year."
"I had mentioned each one of the points in my speech, which the opposition and the civil society are harping on now."
Muhith said, "There are some civil society people speaking in the same line as that of the opposition."
"The other day I watched a private bank's CEO say that there was no crisis in the economy, all the crisis was in the talk shows. People seem to speak whatever takes their fancy."
The minister said he was out of the country for about a week, during which time he had read reports of the BNP chief Khaleda Zia's comments saying that Bangladesh was going broke.
The opposition leader had said that economy is in a grave crisis on Thursday when speaking about the state of the economy for almost an hour citing up to date statistics.
"That allegation is not correct. They are trying to create the crisis and they are doing it out of their intention to gain political advantage off the situation."
Regarding the government's bank borrowing, finance minister said it was a continuous process. When pointed that the government had reached the domestic bank borrowing target in the first four and a half months of the fiscal, Muhith said the matter was not clear to many. "The first few months of the year do not yield much by way of revenues. So the government is forced to borrow from the banks to runs its expenses."
"The government will borrow and pay back. The point is whether the government is exceeding its projection by the year end."
The finance minister said he was confident that the bank borrowing would be within the limit.
The government's target for borrowing money was set at Tk 189.57 billion, and the total amount of borrowing stood at Tk 188.59 billion on Oct 15.
The government had borrowed Tk 204 billion in the last fiscal which exceeded the initial projection by Tk 50 billion.
When asked whether budget shortfall would remain within target, Muhith told , "It will remain within five percent of GDP."
Generally the five percent shortfall is considered to be a benchmark ceiling.
The BNP chief contended that GDP will not grow by seven percent as do a few economists. Muhith replied, "There were similar apprehensions last year too that growth won't reach six percent. But by the end of the year it had reached 6.7 percent."
"I believe that we will reach the target."
Soon after arriving in Dhaka after a week-long trip to Korea, the finance minister said Bangladesh's economy was doing quite well. "And it is not just in my eyes but in the eyes of the world."
Referring to the opposition leadership, he said they want to create a crisis. "That is why they are making such complaints to create instability."
Muhith said he would soon speak about the overall situation at a news conference.
"As I have said before, the major economic indicators except for just a couple are doing well." Muhith acknowledged that subsidies and balance of payments were some 'challenge'. "But we are trying to tackle them."
The finance minister said that he had mentioned a number of risks during his budget speech. "I had noted that this would be the riskiest year."
"I had mentioned each one of the points in my speech, which the opposition and the civil society are harping on now."
Muhith said, "There are some civil society people speaking in the same line as that of the opposition."
"The other day I watched a private bank's CEO say that there was no crisis in the economy, all the crisis was in the talk shows. People seem to speak whatever takes their fancy."
The minister said he was out of the country for about a week, during which time he had read reports of the BNP chief Khaleda Zia's comments saying that Bangladesh was going broke.
The opposition leader had said that economy is in a grave crisis on Thursday when speaking about the state of the economy for almost an hour citing up to date statistics.
"That allegation is not correct. They are trying to create the crisis and they are doing it out of their intention to gain political advantage off the situation."
Regarding the government's bank borrowing, finance minister said it was a continuous process. When pointed that the government had reached the domestic bank borrowing target in the first four and a half months of the fiscal, Muhith said the matter was not clear to many. "The first few months of the year do not yield much by way of revenues. So the government is forced to borrow from the banks to runs its expenses."
"The government will borrow and pay back. The point is whether the government is exceeding its projection by the year end."
The finance minister said he was confident that the bank borrowing would be within the limit.
The government's target for borrowing money was set at Tk 189.57 billion, and the total amount of borrowing stood at Tk 188.59 billion on Oct 15.
The government had borrowed Tk 204 billion in the last fiscal which exceeded the initial projection by Tk 50 billion.
When asked whether budget shortfall would remain within target, Muhith told , "It will remain within five percent of GDP."
Generally the five percent shortfall is considered to be a benchmark ceiling.
The BNP chief contended that GDP will not grow by seven percent as do a few economists. Muhith replied, "There were similar apprehensions last year too that growth won't reach six percent. But by the end of the year it had reached 6.7 percent."
"I believe that we will reach the target."
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