Omera Renewable will generate 6MW of solar power within the next six months by using the unused spaces of the Padma Bridge service areas. An agreement on this was signed between Bangladesh Bridge Authority and Omera Renewable Energy Ltd on Sunday. According to a media statement, Bridge Authority Chief Engineer Quazi Ferdous and Omera Renewable Energy CEO Masudur Rahman signed the contract. At his instruction, an IDCOL team carried out a feasibility study on the potential for rooftop solar power generation at the Padma Bridge service areas. The contract with Omera Renewable is worth Tk 230 million.

Bangavax, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Globe Biotech, has received a US patent. Globe Biotech claims the US patent is the first in the history of the pharmaceutical industry in Bangladesh. The ‘Covid-19 mRNA’ vaccine developed in that study was approved for clinical trial by the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) and the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA). The World Health Organization (WHO) included the mRNA vaccine developed by Globe Biotech in the list of Covid-19 vaccines in 2020. According to the vaccine maker, Bangavax is an mRNA vaccine with its own proprietary basic technology and has been developed using nanotechnology and is the world's only single-dose effective Covid-19 vaccine against various variants.

The Chattogram University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) and Hall Union elections have opened, and 28 candidates have collected nomination forms on the first day. Of them, 26 are opting for the CUCSU election and two for the Hall Union polls. On Sunday, Chief Election Commissioner Prof Monir Uddin said there was a “high level of enthusiasm” among students for the CUCSU election. He said the number of nomination forms sold on the first day was “unexpectedly high”. “We are seeing a positive election atmosphere,” he added.

Nearly 8.9 million children have registered for the typhoid vaccine in just a month and a half, as Bangladesh aims to vaccinate 50 million children aged 9 months to 15 years for the first time under a government initiative. The national vaccination campaign will begin on Oct 12, with registration still ongoing, the health directorate Director General Md Abu Jafor said on Sunday. To boost awareness, the health directorate has collaborated with the Islamic Foundation, asking imams to promote the vaccination campaign during Friday sermons. The DGHS chief reassured the public that the vaccine posed no side effects, emphasising that like any other vaccine, it is safe to take. The vaccination will be administered over 18 working days, with the first 10 days focusing on schools and the remaining eight days at vaccination centres.

Chief Advisor and National Consensus Commission Chairman Muhammad Yunus is attending a dialogue between the panel and political parties. The National Consensus Commission officially started its work on Feb 15. Printed copies of the six commission reports were sent to all political parties by Feb 28. In addition to receiving opinions, the National Consensus Commission held a total of 44 meetings with 32 parties and alliances in the first phase from Mar 20 to May 19. In this round, the commission held discussions with political parties on a total of 20 issues of priority and importance.

The government is considering legal reforms that would shorten the term of life imprisonment, according to Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. “There was a discussion about reducing the life term from 30 years to a reasonable one. WHAT 'LIFE IMPRISONMENT' MEANS IN BANGLDESHAlthough many assume that a “life term” means imprisonment until death, the law in Bangladesh is more nuanced. Section 57 of the Penal Code, 1860, provides that, for calculation purposes, life imprisonment is to be considered equivalent to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment. However, this does not automatically mean that a life sentence ends after 30 years.

Local residents have detained and turned a man over to the police over allegations of killing another man and then raping the victim’s wife in Cox's Bazar. The incident occurred around midnight on Sunday in the Kolatoli area of the beach town, according to Cox's Bazar Model Police Station chief Elias Khan. But as it was not enough to support their family, they came to Cox’s Bazar three days ago to work on the betel nut plantation. Describing the incident, the woman said: “After killing my husband, the man did bad things to me. The body has been sent to the morgue at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.”Elias added that the rescued woman had been admitted to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, where medical exams were being carried out based on her initial complaint.

A low-pressure system has formed in the Bay of Bengal and is set to trigger heavy rain across Bangladesh, including Dhaka. The very heavy rain could also trigger landslides in the hilly parts of the Chattogram Division. The bulletin also warns of temporary waterlogging in parts of the Dhaka and Chattogram cities due to heavy rain. Parts of the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet may see moderately heavy to very heavy rain. Rain is considered moderately heavy if 23-43mm is recorded over a 24-hour period, 44-88mm is considered heavy, while over 88mm is considered very heavy.

Bangladeshi-origin US citizen sent to jail after arrest over ‘suspicious movement’ in DhakaA Bangladeshi-origin US citizen arrested in Dhaka for “suspicious movement” has been sent to jail after police claimed to have gathered information on an alleged conspiracy against the interim government during initial questioning. Later, he was produced before a Dhaka court where Metropolitan Magistrate Dilruba Afroz Tithi ordered him into jail. According to the petition, Enayet travelled from New York to Dhaka on Sept 6, arriving at Shahjalal International Airport at 9:50am on a Qatar Airways flight. The plea claimed Enayet told investigators he was a “contracted agent of a foreign intelligence agency”. Police alleged Enayet held secret meetings with government policymakers, senior officials, political leaders, and influential business figures after arriving in Dhaka.

Myanmar’s military has carried out an airstrike on two private schools in a village in western Rakhine State, killing at least 18 people, most of them students, according to local media and an armed group. He said most of the victims were “17- to 18-year-old students from the private schools”. Wai Hun Aung, who directs relief work in Rakhine, said those killed in the air strike were among 30 to 40 boarders from the schools. Local news outlets reported that a military warplane dropped two 500lb bombs on a high school as students slept. The AA serves as the armed wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement, which is pushing for autonomy from Myanmar’s central government.

Several people involved in the protracted vote-counting process for the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) election have fallen ill, according to the chief election commissioner. Speaking to reporters at the university's Senate building on Saturday, Prof Md Moniruzzaman said that medical arrangements had been made in advance in anticipation of such situations, reports bdnews24.com. Around noon, Election Commissioner Prof Lutful Elahi expressed hope that the results could be declared by early afternoon. But a visit to the Senate building on Saturday morning showed that even after a night of non-stop counting, the process was still ongoing. Counting began under tight security at the Senate building after 10 pm that night.

Information and Broadcasting Advisor Mahfuj Alam has faced hostility while attending official engagements in London, with supporters of the Awami League accused of targeting his convoy. Akbar Hossain, press minister at the Bangladesh High Commission in London, shed light on the incident in a statement issued on Facebook on Friday. According to Akbar, 18 Awami League activists gathered outside SOAS, chanting slogans, but the advisor’s car faced no obstacles reaching the venue. Later, as the delegation departed in multiple vehicles, two empty high commission cars were again pelted with eggs. Akbar said London’s Metropolitan Police have been in constant contact with the High Commission and assured them of full security for the advisor.

Emotions run high as India and Pakistan face off after May clashesAn India-Pakistan cricket match is always a blockbuster but emotions will run even higher in Sunday's Asia Cup clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who engaged in a four-day military conflict earlier this year. Even before the clashes in May, which nearly escalated into a full-blown war, bilateral cricket ties had been suspended. "Once we are here to play, I think players are focused on playing cricket. I personally don't think they have anything in mind apart from playing cricket and that's what we focus on." "We have been playing good cricket in the last two-three months and we just have to play good cricket," Pakistan captain Salman said on Friday.

US calls on G7, EU to impose tariffs on China, India over Russian oil purchasesGroup of Seven nations' finance ministers discussed in a call on Friday further sanctions on Russia and possible tariffs on countries that they consider "enabling" its war in Ukraine, as the US called on its allies to impose tariffs on purchasers of Russian oil. Bessent and Greer welcomed commitments made during the call to increase sanctions pressure and explore using immobilized Russian sovereign assets to benefit Ukraine's defense, according to the joint statement. Earlier in the day, a US Treasury spokesperson called on G7 and European Union allies to impose "meaningful tariffs" on goods from China and India to pressure them to halt their purchases of Russian oil. But Trump has refrained from imposing additional tariffs on Chinese imports over China's purchases of Russian oil, as his administration navigates a delicate trade truce with Beijing. He said sanctions on banks and oil were an option to increase pressure on Russia, but added that European countries also needed to participate.

Source: CollectedSultana Akter, a returning officer at the Jahargirnagar University Central Students‍‍` Union (JUCSU) polls, has blamed the Election Commission’s mismanagement for the death of teacher Jannatul Ferdous. Jannatul Ferdous, an assistant professor at the fine arts department, died on Friday morning while on duty as a polling officer. “It is due to the Election Commission’s mismanagement that my colleague Jannatul Ferdous died. Sultana explained that polling officials had been told in pre-election briefings that vote counting would be conducted electronically at the Senate Building. Nearly 24 hours after JUCSU polls closed, vote counting for the hall unions have still not been completed.