Guard polling stations, Dr Kamal reiterates

Jatiya Oikyafront chief Dr Kamal Hossain on Saturday renewed his call to the people of the country to guard the polling stations so that the parliamentary elections on December 30 are held in a free and fair manner.

"As the owner of the state, people must guard the polling stations so that the elections are held in a credible manner," he said while addressing a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club in the afternoon.

"Both the media and people are saying that there might be hindrance in various ways to the election. We all will remain alert to protect the election process thwarting the obstruction, no matter who does it -- the government or anyone else," the Oikyafront leader added.

Dr Kamal urged the country's people to go to polling stations in the morning on the election day and make sure all of their neighbours can cast their votes without any hindrance.

He said they want people to actively take part in governing the country. "The responsibility doesn't end if only after the vote is cast. It's a big responsibility to elect honest and competent persons after scrutiny while giving votes."

The Oikyafront chief went on saying, "Because, if the country's owners don't elect their representatives properly, the entire nation will be deprived of good governance, constitutional rule and basic rights. Everyone will have to come forward considering it as a responsibility."

Mentioning that the country's people want a change, he said, "I, therefore, appeal to all of our people to unite as we'd obtained independence in 1971, and unite with the same determination to preserve and strengthen this independence as we move forward towards completing the 50th year of our independence in 2021."

Dr Kamal said he believes that free and fair election is an essential aspect of the independence and sovereignty of a country. "If the right to vote cannot be exercised by the country's people through free and fair election the very independence of the country is at stake."

He said all the Oikyafront partners are conscious of the vital importance of nominating the best and worthiest candidates as people will establish their ownership of the country through the election.

Dr Kamal also said a single list of candidates of the Jatiya Oikyafront will emerge after the scrutiny of the nomination papers. "My prayers will be with all of our candidates for their success and the victory of our people.

"I'll appeal to all of our people to ensure that the election is free and fair, and will urge the Election Commission to discharge its function impartially and independently with fairness as it is required by the constitution and make sure that those who are engaged in the conduct of election--presiding officers, polling officers and others. It should discharge its functions with complete integrity devoid of any partisanship or loyalty to any party candidate, and appoint polling agents who are persons of integrity and courage and who may not be bought or prevented from performing their duty."

One killed as Tabligh factions clash over Ijtema field

A 70-year-old man has been killed and over 200 injured after a clash between supporters of Tabligh Jamaat’s Delhi Markaz and Deoband Madrasa factions over the Ijtema planned in Tongi.

The clashes have blocked the side of Airport Road headed to Tongi, leading to heavy traffic congestion. This has caused difficulties for people travelling abroad and long-haul passengers.

A man named Ismail Mandul from Munshiganj was killed in the clashes, said Gazipur Metropolitan Detective Branch Police Inspector AKM Kawsar Chowdhury. The victim had a visible injury on his head.

Over 200 people have been taken to Tongi’s Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital for treatment since the clashes began around noon, said resident doctor Md Parvez Hossain. Twenty victims were transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The first phase of Bishaw Ijtema is due to begin in January but has been delayed in the last month over the leadership conflicts between the two factions of Tabligh. The Election Commission has issued an order banning any kind of congregation at Tongi Ijtema field prior to the Dec 30 election, following a petition by the Deoband group.

Despite the ban, the followers of Delhi Markaz's leader Moulana Mohammed Saad Kandhalvi had announced a five day long Jor Ijtema and the followers of Deoband leader Moulana Zubayer took up positions around the Tongi field and the nearby areas. As the followers of Saad could not enter the Ijtema area on Friday, they took up positions in the nearby mosques.

The situation intensified when hundreds of Saad followers began to march towards Tongi on Saturday morning.

The situation escalated out of control when those who came to participate in the Jor Ijtema broke into the ijtema site around 11:00 am, said Tongi West Police Station chief Md Kamal Hossain. Both groups became embroiled in a clash with bamboo sticks.  Members of both groups were injured as they pelted brickbats at each other.

At one point the Saad followers drove away the their opponents and occupied the field.  Later, police took control of the scene. The mayor of Gazipur and police superintendent held a meeting with the leaders of both factions and asked them to leave the site within half an hour.

Police also requested everyone to leave the area.

"We have banned any kind of congregation at the field following the directive of the EC. The law enforcement agencies will control it. Later a fresh date for Ijtema will be announced following discussions with everyone," Gazipur District Commissioner Dewan Mohammed Humayun Kabir tild
.One group of Tabligh Jamaat was stationed at the Tongi Ijtema field, Nabid Kamal Shoibal, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Uttara Zone told bdnews24.com. The other group has been trying to travel to Tongi since this morning, he said.

"The other group has occupied the field for last few days. Children are preventing us from entering the area. They are not allowing the Muslim devotees who came from different parts of the country to go there, creating unrest on the street,” said Tabligh Jamaat Shura member Moulana Syed Wasiful Islam, who is known as a Saad follower.

"There are no children, but adults at the Ijtema field.  They are preparing for Ijtema but the Saad followers want to go there today to create unrest," said Tabligh Advisery Committee member Moulana Abdul Quddus, a follower of Moulana Zubayer.

"The Saad followers attacked us in the morning. They were going towards the Ijtema field when our people requested them not to; but they just attacked us and injured at least six people," Mohammed Hanif, a student of Bab Us Salam Madrasa who was among the Zubayer followers standing at the  airport intersection  told bdnews24.com.

"We were just going to attend the Jor Ijtema but they prevented us. We haven't attacked them. We have informed the police. All we want is to join the Jor Ijtema," said Dulal Talukdar, a Saad follower from Barishal.

Tabligh Jamaat, the biggest organisation of Sunni Muslims has its centre in Delhi. Grandfather of Moulana Saad, Islamic pundit Iliyas Kandhalvi initiated the reformation movement in the 1920s.

The overall goal of the movement is to disseminate the basic principles of Islam. It does not discuss politics and Fiqah in order to avoid controversy.

After the death of Moulana Iliyas, his son Moulana Mohammed Yusuf and then Moulana Inamul Hasan have served as the Amir of Tabligh Jamaat.

A Shura committee was appointed to run the organisation in place of a single decision maker after the death of Moulana Inamul.

Moulana Saad became the Amir after the death of Moulana Zubayer who was a Shura Committee member and brought back the system of single leadership.

Moulana Zuhayerul Hasan, son of Moulana Zubayer, then came forward to demand new leadership and his supporters have called for a new Shura Committee.

The conflict intensified when Saad refused the demand. The Muslim thinkers were also divided in opinion over the statements by Saad.

The conflict over leadership became severe during the recent Bishaw Ijtema in January, 2018.

Saad who had been directing the Akheri Monajat, or the final prayer, over the last few years was confronted by his opponents. He had to leave Dhaka without participating in the Ijtema in a deal mediated by the government.

The after effects of the conflict continued for the rest of the year among the group at the Bangladesh- Kakrail Mosque. There were clashes between the two groups.

The Saad followers announced Jor Ijtema from Nov 30 to Dec 4 and the first phase of Biswa Ijtema from Jan 11 to 13.

On the other hand, Deoband followers announced Jor Ijtema from Dec 7 to 11 and the first phase of Bisha Ijtema from Jan 18 to 20.

On Nov 16, the government deferred the first phase of Ijtema to avoid the conflict in a meeting led by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.

It was decided at the meeting that a team of six, with members from both groups, will travel to Deoband in India to decide upon the date of Biswa Ijtema. The new schedule will be announced after both groups reach an agreement.

But Saad followers announced Jor Ijtema on Nov 30 and started preparations. The other group then occupied the entrances to the ijtema site.

The Saad followers then urged the prime minister to intervene on the issue through a press briefing.

The Election Commission has directed law enforcers not to allow any event by Tabligh Jamaat in Tongi prior to the election following a petition from Zubayer’s followers over concerns of a possible clash.

AL Election Manifesto: Focus on dev, future plans

Party will present 'forward-looking' vision as well as last 10 years' achievements in various sectors

With a "forward-looking" vision focusing mainly on the young generation, the ruling Awami League is likely to unveil its election manifesto either on December 12 or 13.

AL President Sheikh Hasina will roll out the manifesto at a press conference, a senior leader of the party told The Daily Star yesterday seeking anonymity.

Tigers stay calm to edge first day

Bangladesh would feel that they could have been in a better position after the first day of the second and series-deciding Test against the West Indies, but a calm approach helped the hosts regain the momentum and post 259 for five at stumps at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

The eighth Bangladesh cricketer to make his debut in Tests this year, opener Shadman Islam led the way by facing the most deliveries by a Bangladesh batsman in his debut innings. The left-hander, who faced 199 balls while scoring 76, surpassed Nazimuddin's 186-ball 78 against Pakistan.

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan remained not out on 55 along with Mahmudullah Riyad on 31 to promise more advancement today as the pair put on 69 runs for the sixth wicket.

The experienced duo played out the last 22.3 overs of the day, displaying great patience. Shakib hit just one boundary in his 113-ball knock and Mahmudullah faced 59 deliveries for his 31 with the help of one four.

Prior to the start of the second Test, skipper Shakib stated that Bangladesh would go in with an attacking mindset, but it came as a surprise that the Tigers' playing eleven was devoid of a specialist pacer for the first time in their Test history as they swapped out Mustafizur Rahman for an eight batsman in the line-up in the form of wicketkeeper-batsman Liton Das.

Bangladesh took their spin-heavy strategy to the next level, opting for just the four spinners to take 20 West Indian wickets. Liton was included as a wicketkeeper after Mushfiqur Rahim suffered a thumb injury ahead of the Test, but they also had the option of dropping Mohammad Mithun instead of Mustafizur.

It was a good toss to win as Bangladesh opted to bat on a pitch that had already started to turn a fair bit by the end of the day, but it was Shadman who showed a lot of promise in his maiden Test match.

Apart from his solid defence and watching confidently left deliveries till it reached the keeper's gloves, Shadman also played his drives and pulls with great authority.

Known for his sound technique and temperament in the domestic circuit, Shadman scored his first international runs with a good-looking drive through mid-off against Kemar Roach -- taking care not to hit the ball too hard.

The 23-year-old continued to display his ability with the bat but there were also some loose shots at the other end -- a feature of the Bangladesh batting for the first two sessions yesterday.

After negotiating the first hour safely the hosts lost their first wicket on 42 where Soumya Sarkar went for a loose drive to a flighted Roston Chase off break and only managed to edged it to slip after scoring 19.

Shadman then paired with Mominul Haque and just when they looked set, the latter played a careless pull shot to Roach at the stroke of lunch to get caught at mid-on after scoring 29.

Mohammad Mithun also followed the same path but this time he did manage to add the first fifty-run stand of the innings with Shadman before misjudging a googly from Devendra Bishoo to be bowled for 29.

Shadman then reached his maiden fifty with a sweep for a boundary off Jomel Warrican off his 147th delivery to become the first Bangladesh opener to score a half century after 12 innings.

Looking set for a big one, Shadman's vigil eventually came to an end when he was trapped leg-before by Bishoo for 76 off 199 balls, which included six fours.

The experienced Mushfiqur Rahim, who started his innings eight runs shy of becoming the second Bangladesh batsman to score 4,000 Test runs after Tamim Iqbal, reached the feat with a single off Bishoo.

But he too fell cheaply, bowled in a pretty similar fashion to his previous dismissal, over-balancing against an incoming Sherman Lewis delivery and leaving a gap between his bat and pad to be bowled for 14.

Rohingyas are genocide victims

Says human rights law group that helped US probe

A human rights law group contracted by the State Department to interview refugees as part of an investigation into atrocities against Rohingyas in Myanmar has found that there is a reasonable basis to conclude that genocide was committed - even though the US government stopped short of saying so.

A report due to be released on Monday by the Washington-based Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG) will also say there was a reasonable basis to conclude that the Myanmar military committed crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as genocide.

A US State Department report released in September, which relied on PILPG research, found that Myanmar's military waged a "well-planned and coordinated" campaign of mass killings, gang rapes and other atrocities against the Rohingya.

But it stopped short of describing the crackdown as genocide or crimes against humanity, an issue that US officials said was the subject of fierce internal debate that delayed the report's rollout for nearly a month.

A declaration of genocide by the US government, which has only gone as far as labelling the crackdown "ethnic cleansing," could have legal implications of committing Washington to stronger punitive measures against Myanmar. This has made some in the Trump administration wary of issuing such an assessment.

In an advisory on Thursday announcing the planned release of the legal analysis of its investigation, PILPG said it would reveal that "there is a reasonable basis to conclude that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide were committed against the Rohingya population."

Myanmar Navy personnel escort Rohingyas back to their camp in Sittwe of Rakhine State yesterday. Nearly 100 Rohingyas were forced back to Rakhine after being detained at sea en route to Malaysia. Photo: AFP

PILPG based its report on more than 1,000 interviews with Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh. The group said its mission was conducted in March and April "to provide an accurate accounting of the patterns of abuse and atrocity crimes."

The September State Department report was released in low-key fashion nearly a month after UN investigators issued a report accusing Myanmar's military of acting with "genocidal intent" and calling for the country's commander-in-chief and five generals to be prosecuted under international law.

State Department officials have said the objective of the US government investigation was not to determine genocide but to "document the facts," and it would be up to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to make a "legal" designation in the future.

Pompeo has urged Myanmar's government to investigate abuses against the Rohingya and hold accountable members of its security forces and others who were responsible.

Myanmar Navy personnel escort Rohingyas back to their camp in Sittwe of Rakhine State yesterday. Nearly 100 Rohingyas were forced back to Rakhine after being detained at sea en route to Malaysia. Photo: AFP

A top State Department official said in September those responsible could be held accountable for genocide and crimes against humanity.

The military in Myanmar, previously known as Burma, where Buddhism is the main religion, has denied accusations of ethnic cleansing and says its actions were part of a fight against terrorism.

Rab rescues 10 Rohingyas in Malaysia-bound boat

The Rapid Action Battalion yesterday rescued 10 Rohingya refugees and detained an alleged human trafficker in a Malaysia-bound boat in the Bay of Bengal.

The Rohingyas are Mohammad Bhuiyan, Rashidullah, Nur Alam, Md Ziaur, Md Mukajat Esha, Jannat Ara, Setara Khatun, Julekha, Rozina and Sonika Begum.

They were from Ukhia and other refugees camps in Cox's Bazar, said the elite force.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of Rab-7 conducted a drive in the Bay near Shahparir Dwip in Teknaf upazila and rescued the Rohingyas from a boat around 8:30am, said Maj Mehedi Hasan, commanding officer of Rab-7.

The detained “human trafficker”, Abdur Rahman, is a resident of Sabrang union in the upazila.

Cancer treatment facilities scanty State-run cancer hospital overburdened, has only six radiotherapy machines; only 145 cancer specialists in 9 govt and 11 pvt hospitals to treat 15 lakh patients

Motaleb Hossain turned up at the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) in the capital in October last year after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

His cancer was in stage two, but with only six radiation machines, the hospital could not provide him with immediate radiotherapy as a large number of patients were already in queue.

Doctors advised him to return to the country's lone specialised cancer hospital after two months.

Motaleb, 56, a businessman from Jhalakathi, returned to the NICHR and got himself admitted on January 12. He was scheduled to get the first radiotherapy on January 14, but died the day before, according to hospital documents obtained from his family.

His experience with the NICHR is not an isolated case.

About 650 patients visit the state-run hospital every day but a maximum of 550 patients get treatment immediately, said Dr Md Abdullah Al Noman of the radiation oncology department.

“A day's wait can turn deadly as cancer germs spread rapidly in human body. Many patients die before taking the therapy,” he told The Daily Star.

The NICRH, which charges Tk 15,000-22,000 for a complete course of radiotherapy, is the go-to place for low-income cancer patients. Private hospitals charge up to Tk 2,00,000 for the treatment, he added.

Due to the rush, patients at the NICRH sometimes have to wait up to six months, said Mamun, a staffer at the hospital.

During a recent visit to the hospital, several patients said the same. 

Samsur Mia, a farmer who came from Kishoreganj, had to wait three months to get radiotherapy; Sabita, a housewife suffering from mouth cancer, two months; and Zakir Molla, a farmer, had to wait for five months.

Currently, there are about 15 lakh cancer patients in the country. Some 1.5 lakh people get the deadly disease every year while 1.08 lakh die every year, said NICRH Director Dr Md Moarraf Hossen, citing World Health Organisation data.

Experts fear the number will rise further in the coming years due to various factors, including food adulteration. 

But the number of treatment facilities and specialist doctors are inadequate compared to the rising number of patients.

There are only 145 cancer specialists in 20 hospitals, including 11 private hospitals in Bangladesh, said Dr Mollah Obayedullah Baki, president of Bangladesh Cancer Society.

The NICRH director said they faced a hard time treating the patients with the existing radiotherapy machines.

Of the six machines they have, one recently broke down, said a radiotherapy technician.

“So people have to wait. We feel for the patients. We always try to ensure therapy as early as possible but we cannot go beyond the machine's capacity,” said the NICHR chief.

 “We are trying to bring in more machines and the ministry has already taken an initiative,” he added.

He stressed the need of setting up cancer centres with sufficient manpower and equipment in hospitals across the country to ease patients' suffering.

“Every district should have a cancer treating centre. Patients from all across the country come to us. It costs them more money and time,” he said.

AL, BNP in Race: Obstacles they've to overcome

Settling the discord over seat-sharing with alliance partners and keeping leaders and activists united to work for the party nominees are the major challenges the ruing Awami League is faced with ahead of the parliamentary polls.

Things are trickier for the BNP. Apart from appeasing the combine partners with seats, staying in the race defying the odds would be its main challenge.

Despite a series of meetings with allies, the AL could not resolve the seat-sharing issue. The party had distributed nomination letters among 281 leaders for 264 constituencies.

But what put it in more trouble is the dissidents. The high command on several occasions warned the party men of expulsion for life if anyone files nominations going against its decision.

But a number of aspirants have apparently ignored the warning.

The Election Commission data shows at least 498 aspirants submitted nomination papers as independent candidates.

According to The Daily Star's tally, at least 70 AL leaders filed nomination papers as independent candidates from 43 constituencies in 21 out of 64 districts. The actual number could be higher.

On the other hand, the BNP opted for fielding multiple candidates for almost every seat. Some 696 BNP leaders filed nominations for 295 constituencies on the party ticket.

Many of the BNP leaders are still uncertain whether the party will finally pick them as nominees.

A number of AL grassroots leaders expressed hope that they would be able to resolve all the disputes before the polls and work together to ensure the party's victory.

Rezaur Rahim Lal, vice president of Pabna district AL, admits that there are some internal conflicts since it's a big political party.

"We are trying to end all the conflicts ahead of the polls. We are hopeful that all the party men will be united for the nominees.”

Asaduzzaman, general secretary of Rajshahi district AL, said the party has no division but there are some differences among leaders over securing nominations. That has to be solved and those who got the nominations should play a big role in fixing it.

"Those who will be denied the ticket should also come up to strengthen the party and ensure its win. The upazila committees have already begun working to that end and they will form committees to oversee the electioneering."

On the other hand, BNP leaders say the party men are united despite troubles due to "police harassment". The party's victory will be ensured if leaders and activists can campaign properly.

Golam Mostafa Mamun, organising secretary of Rajshahi BNP, said they have doubt whether the candidates and their supporters would be able to campaign freely.

"There are threats. But our leaders are united and they will work for the party candidates. If we can do so and people can cast their votes, victory is ours," he said.

Habibur Rahman, secretary of Pabna district BNP, said filing of "false" cases is a huge obstacle for grassroots activists to campaign in their areas. "We are trying to secure bail for our party men so that they can join the campaigns."

Al Masud Hasanuzzaman, a professor of government and politics at Jahangirnagar University, said expectations of political leaders in Bangladesh always remain very high. So everyone wants the nomination.

There is a tendency that if a leader is denied party ticket, he or she works against or refrains from working for the nominee, he said.

"Therefore, the main challenge for the Awami League would be to keep the grassroots united and ensure their presence during the campaigns since many of its leaders filed nomination papers as rebel candidates."

For the BNP, how well it will work on the ground is the main challenge as the party leaders and activists are not actually there yet, he added. 

Nizamuddin Ahmed, a professor of public administration at Chittagong University, said the AL is in a better position as its president can remain directly involved in election-related affairs.

But with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia now in jail, how well the party high-ups deal with the grassroots will be a major thing to look at, he added.

Brexit: Let’s focus on the deal, May tells MPs

Theresa May has urged MPs to think about their constituents, rather than rejecting her deal for leaving the EU.

The PM, who was on her way to the G20 summit in Argentina, said her plan would protect the “jobs and livelihoods and security” of their constituents.

Mrs May urged MPs to concentrate on the deal she had negotiated with the EU.

And she accused Labour of advocating leaving without a deal by rejecting her Brexit compromise while not putting forward a “proper alternative”.

Labour argues a better agreement could still be negotiated with Brussels.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned against efforts to “frighten” people into backing what he called “a non-Brexit Brexit”.

‘Division and uncertainty’

Mrs May has been trying to persuade MPs to support the withdrawal deal she has negotiated with the European Union when it is put to a Commons vote on 11 December but it is widely expected that they will reject it.

Speaking to reporters on her flight to Buenos Aires, Mrs May insisted she had not given up hope of winning the vote, but said if MPs failed to back her it would mean “division and uncertainty” for Britain.

“We haven’t had the vote yet. Let’s focus on the deal that we have negotiated with the EU, a deal which is good for the UK and good for their constituents,” she said.

Mrs May said: “I think every MP needs to consider the importance of delivering on the Brexit vote together with the importance of doing that in a way that is good for their constituents.”

The prime minister said people she had met outside Westminster in the last few days had given her an “overwhelming” sense that they wanted MPs to back her deal.

She also rejected the idea of moving to a Norway-style deal with the EU – an idea that has been discussed privately by many MPs – saying such a deal would not end freedom of movement.

Berta Cáceres: Seven convicted of murdering anti-dam activist

A court in Honduras has found seven men guilty of the murder of a renowned environmental activist.

Berta Cáceres had received death threats for opposing a hydro-electric dam project and was shot dead by gunmen in her home in 2016.

Two of those convicted had worked for the company building the dam.

The murder sparked international outrage. In 2015 Ms Cáceres had won the prestigious Goldman prize for her long battle against the dam project.

She was praised for having rallied the indigenous Lenca people and waged a grassroots campaign that successfully pressured the dam builder to halt its project.

The dam would have flooded large areas of land and cut off the supply of water, food and medicine for hundreds of Lenca people.

Judges at the court in Tegucigalpa on Thursday said two officials from the construction firm Desa – Sergio Rodríguez and Douglas Bustillo – had helped organise the killing along with former soldier Mariano Díaz.

The company has strongly denied any involvement in Ms Cáceres’ murder.

Also convicted were Henry Hernandez, Elvin Rapalo, Edilson Duarte and Oscar Torres who were described as hired assassins.

They are all due to be sentenced in January. An eighth man, Emerson Duarte Meza, was cleared.

Desa executive Roberto David Castillo is still awaiting trial in the case. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Ukraine bans entry to Russian adult men, Russia not to do the same

Ukraine has banned Russian adult men aged 16-60 years from entering Ukraine, the head of the border service Petro Tsygykal said in a televised meeting on Friday.

“Today, the entry of foreigners is limited – primarily citizens of the Russian Federation – non-admission of citizens of the Russian Federation aged from 16 to 60, male,” Tsygykal said.

Ukraine imposed martial law this week, citing fears that Russia was planning a full scale invasion after Russian vessels fired on and captured Ukrainian ships last weekend.

On the other hand, Russia does not plan to ban Ukrainian men from entering the country in a tit-for-tat response to a broad entry ban imposed by Ukraine, RIA news agency cited Russian lawmaker Frants Klintsevich as saying on Friday.

Satellites warn African farmers of pest infestations

UK researchers have developed an early warning system to prevent the crops of African farmers from being devastated.

The Pest Risk Information Service (Prise) combines temperature data and weather forecasts with computer models.

It then sends farmers a mobile phone alert so that they can take precautions.

It is hoped that the system will boost yields and increase farm incomes by up to 20%.

Prise is being used in Kenya, Ghana and Zambia and will be rolled out soon in other parts of the world.

Prise is an upgrade of a highly successful UK Aid scheme run by the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International development charity (CABI). It uses a network of so called “plant doctors” and clinics to advise farmers when pests or diseases destroy their crops.

The “doctors” draw on a database using an an app to help them to diagnose the issue and then prescribe the right pesticide and other measures. Walter Wafula, who grows Maize in Bungoma in Kenya, told BBC News that the service had transformed his family’s lives.

“Because of the increased income from my farm, my kids can now go to a better school and the life at home has improved because I can provide the basic needs for my family,” he said.

So far, the scheme has helped 18.3 million farmers, in 34 countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas. On average farm incomes and yields are 13% higher for those using the service.

But Prof Charlotte Watts, chief scientific adviser for the UK’s Department for International Development, which funds the plant doctor scheme, says a new initiative with CABI and the UK Space Agency (UKSA) will use the network to prevent, rather than just mitigate infestations.

She says the idea is to use satellite data collected by the UKSA to develop a system that is able to predict when pest infestations will strike a week or more in advance.

Satellites can provide accurate land temperature information, which is one of the most important drivers of pest infestations. This, combined with weather data and computer models, can be used to give farmers enough time to spray pesticide and take other precautions.

CABI worked with the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council, to develop the project. Prof Watts told BBC News that the early indications are that the system is working.

“Farmers are completely dependent on crops and the predictability of having a good yield to survive and also to send their kids to school,” she said.

“So if we can reduce the impact of pests, if we can enable them to get better yields – which we are already seeing – it will mean that we can help them move out of poverty.”

38 held for consuming, selling drugs

Members of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have arrested 38 people for selling and consuming drugs in the capital in last 24 hours till 6:00 am Friday, reports news agency UNB.

Detective Branch of DMP and local police stations carried out the drives separately starting from 6:00 am Thursday, the news outlet said.

During the drives, the law enforcers also recovered 485 pieces of contraband yaba tablets, 1500 small packets containing 320 grams heroin, 5.660 grams hemp and 10 ampules of sedatives from their possessions, said UNB citing DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Masudur Rahman.

A total of 23 cases under Narcotics Control Act were filed with different police stations.