Feature

MNA Feature Desk: Pritilata Waddedar (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932) was an anti-British revolutionary from Bengal, who became a martyr for the liberation of her motherland. Her name might be buried under the dust of time, but if ever it pops up, everyone remembers her as the iron lady of Bengal. Pritilata Waddedar’s sacrifice cannot be ignored. She was among the initial lot of revolutionaries who picked up arms against the British Raj and was the first woman in Bengal to do so. Born in Chittagong on 5 May 1911, she was a meritorious student at the Dr. ...

MNA Feature Desk: The first International Day of Sign Languages is being observed across the world on September 23, 2018 with the theme “With Sign Language, Everyone is Included!” The UN General Assembly decided to commemorate the day as the International Day of Sign Languages in order to raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the full realisation of the human rights of people who are deaf. The UN resolution establishing the day acknowledged that early access to sign language and services in sign language, including quality education available in sign language, is vital to the growth and ...

MNA Feature Desk: The holy Ashura was observed by the Muslim community in Bangladesh and other parts of the world on Friday, the 10th day of Muharram, amid heightened security measures. The day was observed as a symbol of “sacrifice and mourning” recalling the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain Ibn Ali (RA), the grandson of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), in the battle of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram in Hijri 61. In the historic battle, Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) along with his family members and 72 followers embraced martyrdom at the hands of Yazid’s soldiers in the desert of ...

MNA Feature Desk: Some 4,300 acres of hills and forests were cut down to make temporary shelters for Rohingyas and ensure facilities and cooking fuel for them in Ukhia and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar threatening the biodiversity of the ecologically critical areas of the country, a new report of the United Nations. Some of the key impacts are likely to become irreversible if measures are not taken immediately, the report said. Since the influx in August 2017, coupled with the host community and Rohingyas from past influxes, the crisis-hit population is now almost 1.5 million in Cox’s Bazar, creating a ...

MNA Feature Desk: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is held on September 16th to mark the day back in 1987 when the Montreal Protocol was signed. As a result, a number of special events such as talks and seminars are held in the Canadian city of Montreal on this day. World Ozone Day has been celebrated since 1994 and was established by the United Nations General Assembly. The day is mainly intended to spread awareness of the depletion of the Ozone Layer and search for solutions to preserve it. People from all over the world are ...

MNA Feature Desk: Bangladesh has moved three notches up to the 136th place among 189 countries in the Global Human Development Index (HDI) 2017, according to the Human Development Report (HDR) of the United Nations Development Programme, reported news agency. Bangladesh had also moved up three spots and ranked 139th in HDI 2015 due to the remarkable progress it has made in many socio-economic areas, including life expectancy and per capita income. India also climbed one spot to 130th position among the countries in the latest report ‘Human Development Indices and Indicators’ released on 14 September. Human development data, analysis ...

MNA Feature Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s sister and Bangabondhu-daughter Sheikh Rehana’s birthday today. She has turned 63 years. She was born on September 13, 1955. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana were saved while Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed by the traitors on August 15, 1975. Sheikh Rehana was with her elder sister in Belgium at that time. She moved to London with her family later and is permanently residing there. While Sheikh Hasina later returned to Bangladesh and took the leadership of Bangladesh Awami League and became Prime Minister for three terms. In spite of her living in ...

MNA Feature Desk:Today marks the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States that left nearly 3,000 people dead. The Al-Qaeda plane hijackings of September 11, 2001 — the first foreign attack on the US mainland in nearly two centuries—ruptured a sense of safety and plunged the West into wars still being fought today. Two planes smashed into New York’s World Trade Center, leaving 2,753 dead. A third hit the Pentagon in Washington, killing 184, and 40 more died after a fourth plane headed for Washington crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after a passenger revolt. It ...

MNA Feature Desk: Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the age group of 15-29 year olds all over the world. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), almost eight lakh people commit suicide every year, which comes to one person every 40 seconds. There are many more who attempt suicide. The theme for this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day is ‘Working Together to Prevent Suicide.’ Various events and activities are organised all around the world for spreading awareness about suicide and mental health. It is imperative that each one of us do our bit to raise awareness ...

MNA Feature Desk: The 125th birth anniversary of great Bengali leader Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was observed yesterday. Different socio-cultural organizations placed wreaths on the grave of Suhrawardy, one of the great leaders of the sub-continent, at Doyel Chattar near Dhaka University campus. Suhrwardy, former chief minister of united Bengal in 1946 and prime minister of Pakistan in 1956, was born on September 8, 1892 in Medinipore, West Bengal and died on December 5, 1963. Born into a prominent Bengali Muslim family, Suhrawardy was educated at Oxford and joined the Swaraj Party of Chittaranjan Das upon returning to India in 1921. ...

MNA Feature Desk: Today is the 22nd death anniversary of celebrated Dhallywood superstar Salman Shah. To mark the day in a befitting manner, different cultural organisations have chalked out elaborate programmes across the country. Besides, local satellite television channels will air programmes to pay tributes to the late superstar. Shahriar Chowdhury Emon, who is better known as Salman Shah, was born in Sylhet on September 19, 1971. Salman Shah started his career with a one-episode TV serial entitled ‘Pathor Somoy’. After that, he was seen in TV advertisements. Salman’s first appearance in a major role was in feature film Keyamat ...

MNA Feature Desk: More than a quarter of the world’s adults – or 1.4 billion people – take too little exercise, putting them at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancers, according to a World Health Organization-led study. In 2016, around one in three women and one in four men worldwide were not reaching the recommended levels of physical activity to stay healthy – at least 150 minutes of moderate, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week. There has been no improvement in global levels of physical activity since 2001, according to the study, which ...

MNA Feature Desk: The International Day of Charity is observed annually on 5 September. It was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. The prime purpose of the International Day of Charity is to raise awareness and provide a common platform for charity related activities all over the world for individuals, charitable, philanthropic and volunteer organizations for their own purposes on the local, national, regional and international level. Every year, charities all over the world help to save and improve people’s lives, fighting disease, protecting children, and giving hope to many thousands of people. The reason the date ...

MNA Feature Desk: The holy Janmashtami, the birth celebration of Sri Krishna and one of the major festivals of the Hindu community, was celebrated across the country with due religious fervour and enthusiasm on Sunday. According to the Hindu Puran (mythology), Sri Sri Krishna was born on the eighth tithi of Shukla Pakkha (fortnight of the new moon) in the Bangla month of Bhadra and he takes birth in ages in the world to safeguard the good and pious people from the hands of bad persons by establishing truth, justice and beauty in all sphere of the society. Different political, ...

MNA Feature Desk: Mustafa Monwar is a visionary when it comes to expressing art, and he does so rather ingeniously. His eminence glows through his work as a puppeteer, sculptor, painter, performer, producer, TV and radio programme director, reported news agency. He is also a professor of the Department of Drawing and Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka and currently the chairman of Bangladesh Shishu Academy. Today marks the 83rd birthday of one of the most beloved Bangladeshi figures. He has received national and international awards, including one for graphic design in an All India Fine ...

MNA Feature Desk: The International Day Against Nuclear Tests is being observed across the world today with an aim to raise awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions. Since nuclear weapons testing began in the mid-twentieth century, nearly 2,000 tests have taken place across the globe. Established in 2009, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests has raised the profile of the devastating effects that nuclear testing has on human life. The International Day Against Nuclear Tests fosters ideas of a future free of nuclear weapons and testing. While there have been visible signs ...

MNA Feature Desk: The 42nd death anniversary of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam is being observed on Monday, reports news agency. Nazrul, revered as Bidrohi Kobi (a rebel poet) for his activism for political and social justice, breathed his last in Dhaka on 12th Bhadro of Bangla calendar year 1383 (29 August 1976) at the age of 77. He was buried with full state honours beside the Dhaka University Central Mosque. Nazrul produced a large body of poetry and music with themes that included religious devotion and spiritual rebellion against all sorts of oppression. Different socio-cultural and political organizations have ...

MNA Feature Desk: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, August 23 of each year, the day designated by UNESCO to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade. UNESCO Member States organize events every year on that date, inviting participation from young people, educators, artists and intellectuals. As part of the goals of the intercultural UNESCO project, “The Slave Route”, it is an opportunity for collective recognition and focus on the “historic causes, the methods and the consequences” of slavery. Additionally, it sets the stage for analysis and dialogue of the interactions which gave rise to the ...

MNA Feature Desk: The 14th anniversary of the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally is being observed today in a sombre mood, reported news agency. Awami League and its associate bodies are observing the day across the country through various programmes including rallies, discussions and doa and milad mahfil. On this day in 2004, the grisly grenade attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally arranged by Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue in the city during the rule of BNP- Jamaat alliance government. The main target of the heinous attack was current prime minister and the then ...

MNA Feature Desk: World figures have been paying tribute to former UN secretary-general and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, who has died at the age of 80, reported news agency. Current UN chief Antonio Guterres hailed him as “a guiding force for good” and Russian President Vladimir Putin described a “remarkable person”. Ex-US President Barack Obama said Annan had always pursued “a better world”. The Ghanaian national served as UN chief from 1997 to 2006 and is the only black African ever to hold the post. Since then he has served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to ...

MNA Feature Desk: The 69th birth anniversary of late noted playwright Professor Selim Al Deen is being observed today, reported news agency. Drama and Dramatics Department of Jahangirnagar University has taken a daylong programme to celebrate the birth anniversary on the campus in a befitting manner. The daylong programmes include holding seminar, staging drama, bringing out silent procession, offering ziarat and placing floral wreaths at Selim Al Deen’s grave on the university campus, reported news agency. Besides, Dhaka Theater has drawn up a two-day programme in the city. The two-day programmes include paying homage to Selim-Al-Deen by placing floral wreaths ...

MNA Feature Desk: The nation paid rich tributes to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mubijur Rahman with a renewed pledge to materialise his dream to build a “Sonar Bangla” thwarting conspiracies of the anti-liberation and communal forces, reported news agency. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday led the nation in paying homage to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman marking the 43nd anniversary of his martyrdom. People of the capital and its adjacent areas paid rich tributes to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Apart from Awami League, ...

MNA Feature Desk: The 7th death anniversary of renowned filmmaker Tareque Masud and cinematographer and broadcast journalist Mishuk Munier is being observed today. Different socio-cultural organisations are holding various programmes while television channels will be airing special programmes on them and their works marking their tragic death, reported news agency. On 13 August 2011, Tareque and Mishuk along with three others were killed in a road accident on Dhaka-Aricha highway in Ghior Upazila of Manikganj while returning to Dhaka from Manikganj after visiting a shooting location. The accident happened when a microbus carrying the two celebrities collided with a bus ...

MNA Feature Desk: When almost all countries across the world are celebrating International Youth Day with the theme ‘Safe Spaces for Youth’, many Bangladeshi youths say spaces for them are narrowing. August 12 was designated as the International Youth Day by the United Nations in 1999 to recognize the role of young women and men as essential partners in change, and raise awareness of challenges and problems faced by them. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the United Nations is strongly committed to listening to the voices of young people – and opening pathways for meaningful participation in decisions that ...

MNA Feature Desk: Ethnic minorities in Bangladesh today observed the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with a call for recognising them as indigenous people in the constitution. Today, Thursday 9 August 2018, is the 24th International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples since its creation by the United Nations in December 1994. The date was chosen because it marks the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982. The 2018 theme of “Indigenous People’s Migration and Movement” illustrates the consequences of the persecution and economic disenfranchisement many indigenous peoples face. Whether they are fleeing ...

MNA Feature Desk: The nation is observing the 88th birth anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, wife of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in a befitting manner on Wednesday. Fazilatunnesa, who played a pivotal role in nation building activities and the struggle for independent Bangladesh staying beside Bangabandhu, was born at Tungipara village of Gopalganj district on this day in 1930. Fazilatunnesa, a pride of the Bangalee nation, was assassinated brutally with Bangabandhu and most of her family members by a disgruntled group of army officers on August 15, 1975. President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister ...

MNA Feature Desk: The 69th birth anniversary of Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh MujiburRahman, was observed on Sunday. Awami League, its front organisations and different cultural and sports organisations have drawn up elaborate programmes to celebrate his birth anniversary. Awami League paid tributes at the portrait of Sheikh Kamal at the premises of Dhanmondi Abahani Club. Besides, recitation from the Holy Quran, milad-mahfil and Doa-Mahfil was held at Banani graveyard. Born on August 5, 1949 at Tungipara in Gopalganj, Sheikh Kamal, a former executive member of the central committee of Bangladesh Chhatra League ...