BANGLADESH

A BUET student drowned in a pond on Sunday afternoon as he was visiting his grandparents on the Eid vacation.

Mursalin Karim, 20, was a first-year student of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.

He was the son of Jillur Karim in Oxygen area of Chittagong City.

Grandfather Abdur Razzak told bdnews24.com that Karim drowned at a pond in Mozaher Parha in Cox's Bazaar district headquarters around 1:30pm.

Karim came to visit them from Chittagong in the morning and slipped into the pond around 1pm while playing.

Local people and relatives rushed to the scene at the scream of his elder brother Mostakim. Doctors at the Sadar Hospital declared him dead after he was taken there.

Nobelist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge the new Chancellor of Scotland's Glasgow Caledonian University.

The formal ceremony in the University's Saltire Centre was preceded by a colourful procession through the city centre campus on Friday.

The 72-year-old Yunus succeeds eminent journalist and politician Lord Macdonald of Tradeston, who stepped down in June after a distinguished five years in the role.

Yunus said: "As chancellor, I will share my experiences and make them see there's nothing unusual in what I do – and that they can do that too."

Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Mike Russell, GCU Principal and Vice-chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies and Students Union President Carla Fyfe also spoke at the ceremony.

Prof Gillies said: "The appointment of Professor Yunus, who is a world thought-leader in social business and a global anti-poverty campaigner, underlines not only our enduring commitment to the common good but our status as a globally networked institution.

"I believe with Chancellor Yunus as our figurehead we will continue to grow as an institution and deliver real benefits for our students and the communities we work for in Scotland and overseas.

"I am incredibly excited and honoured to serve as his vice-chancellor."

Yunus was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters of the university in 2008.

In 2010, the university opened the Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing in Bangladesh to help bring nurse and midwifery training to an international standard.

Glasgow Caledonian later that year set up the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health, which researches the impact of microcredit on the health and well-being of communities in Scotland and overseas.

Buddhist youths in Ramu have decided not to fly 'Fanush' or candle-lit air balloons, during the Prabarana Purnima on Monday in protest against last month's communal attacks in Ramu, Ukhia and Teknaf.

The Prabarana Purnima is the second largest religious festival celebrated on Oct 29, according to Buddhist religious calendar.

They also will skip float 'ships', a traditional ritual of Ramu on the eve.

Ramu Buddha Youth Council Convener Rajat Barua told bdnews24.com other programmes would be held instead.

The programmes are lighting a thousand candles in Ramu Central Shima Bihar wishing global peace in the evening, a show of symbolic 'Fanush' at Lal Ching and Saada Ching Bihar and symbolic 'ship floating' at Bakkhali River.

Barua said a protest rally would be held at 2pm and 'protest candles' would be lit in at Choumohani, the starting point of the first protest rally.

Ukhia Sarbojonin Development Council of Buddhist's lecturer Ranajit Barua told bdnews24.com, the entire Prabarana Purnima ceremony was shortened.

Arrangements for lighting a thousand candles at all Viharas along with prayers for global peace had been made for 7pm on Monday.

Rakhaines have also decided to observe the Prabarana Purnima with limited arrangements.

Bangladesh Rakhaine-Buddhist Welfare Association's Office Secretary Nibu Rakhaine said a few 'Fanush' would be set afloat in the Rakhaine Buddhist community in Cox's Bazaar, but programmes would be curtailed.

A resident of the Hlila Chowdhury Parha in Teknaf, Uzma Rakhaine, told bdnews24.com that symbolic 'Fanush' would be released in protest against the hate attacks in Ramu during Prabarana Purnima.

At least nine people were killed and 28 others injured in the wee hours on Monday as a bus lost control and fell off Charavanga bridge at Tangail's Dhanbarhi area.

Police said the incident took place around 12:30am Monday on the Dhaka-Jamalpur highway.

The injured were admitted to Modhupur Upazila Health Complex and Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

Dhanbarhi police station OC Mizanur Rahman said the Dhaka-Madarganj bus fell into the canal as the driver lost control and hit the bridge's railing.

Hearing a loud bang and scream of the injured, local people came to the scene and started rescue operation. Later, police and Fire Service staff joined them.

Local Union Parishad member Abbas Uddin said they had to cut the bus' windows to get people out from inside the bus. "We found seven corpses there at that time."

Duty doctors at Modhupur Upazila Health Complex declared two more dead after the injured were taken there.

OC Rahman said 12 of the injured were sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. "But we are not sure if any more bodies are there inside the bus as half of it is still under water."

He said the rescue work was continuing and they were trying to get the bus out of the canal.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged all citizens to strengthen the democratic system and uphold the spirit of non-communalism.

She also asked them to remain alert and stand united so that no-one can toy with their fate.

The Prime Minister made the call while exchanging greetings with representatives of the Buddhist community at her official Ganobhaban residence on the occasion of the Prabarana Purnima.

Probarona Purnima, the second largest festival of the Buddhist community, will be celebrated in Bangladesh on Monday with traditional religious festivity and solemnity. Also known as Ashwini Purnima, the festival marks conclusion of the three-month long seclusion of the monks inside their monasteries for self-edification and atonement of their defilement.

The highest Buddhist leader, Sangharaj Dharmasen Mohathero announced at the meeting that they will not release Fanus (paper lanterns) in the air in the Prabarana Purnima festival, dedicating them to the ruined Buddhist monasteries in Ramu and elsewhere in last month's communal attacks.

In the beginning of her address, the Prime Minister greeted the Buddhist leaders on the occasion of the Probarona Purnima saying that people may have different religions, but festival are for all.

About the celebrations of the Eid-ulAzha, Durga Puja and Prabarana Purnima—the major religious festivals of the Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists—taking place in a short time, Hasina said that her government was working tirelessly to create a congenial atmosphere so that the people irrespective of their religion, caste and creed can enjoy equal rights and practise their faiths with full freedom and in great festivity.

"We altogether made the country independent. Therefore people of all faiths will enjoy equal rights in the country and follow their respective religions freely, peacefully and with festivity."

The Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of establishing communal harmony in the country. "All religions give importance to humanity, preach the message of peace and respect for each other. But sometimes such suicidal incidents take place in our society which bring out beastliness and where there is no brotherhood."

Hasina said through the attacks on Buddhist temples and monasteries in Cox's Bazaar and Chittagong, the tradition of religious and cultural tolerance of hundreds of years was destroyed.

"Your grief is that you lost your religious establishments. But we lost the tradition of hundreds of years."

The Prime Minister said that no-one could think that gunpowder could be used in burning houses and monasteries to ashes.

She said she wept when she visited Ramu upazila recently to see for herself the violence-hit areas and talk the affected people.

She said more damages would have been incurred in the attacks had it not for the personnel of Bangladesh Army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other law-enforcing agencies and the local leaders and activists of the Awami League, who prevented the religious fanatics on the night of Sep 29. "It was ensured that no girl was victimised (in the arson attacks)."

The Prime Minister said the Army and BGB were engaged in reconstructing the Buddhist temples and monasteries as well as houses of the victims.

She also referred to the success of her government in different sectors including economy.

Sanghanayak Suddhananda Mahathero and Chairman of Bangladesh Buddhist Association Ajit Ranjan Barua requested the Prime Minister to announce the day of Prabarana Purnima as a public holiday.

In response, Hasina pointed out that there was an optional leave for the government officials and employee from the Buddhist community on Prabarana Purnima day.

In the meeting, Industries Minister Dilip Barua sought the Prime Minister's assistance for the International Buddhism Conference to be held in Dhaka on Nov 9 and the Prime Minister assured him of support.

President of Buddhist Federation Biswapati Barua, Vice-Chairman of Buddhist Welfare Trust Sajal Talukdar Barua and Principal of Dhaka international Buddhist Temple Srimat Dharmamitra Mohathero also spoke on the occasion.