OIC Declaration: Dhaka rejects Islamabad's allegation

Bangladesh has ruled out a serious allegation brought by Pakistan that Dhaka Declaration of the 45th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was issued without any discussion with participating states. The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release from Islamabad on May 6 that read, "Just before the conclusion of the Conference, the host country circulated text of Dhaka Declaration." In response to Pakistan's claim, Dhaka on April 7 made it clear that the draft of the Dhaka Declaration was received from the OIC Secretariat and suggestions of participating countries were included prior to the council adopting it. The Bangladesh foreign ministry in a press release said "An original draft of the Dhaka Declaration was received from the General Secretariat of the OIC. Subsequently, some additional paragraphs were suggested by some member states, OIC related organisations and the host country."

Bangabandhu-1 set for May-10 launch to orbit

All technical preparations have been successfully done to send the country's first communications satellite Bangabandhu-1 to its orbit on May 10 US local time or May 11 Bangladesh standard time if weather favours. "We have received positive responses from the launching company Space Exploration Technologies Corporation [SpaceX] and the countdown has started for Bangladesh to enter the satellite club," Shahjahan Mahmood, chairman of BTRC told reporters. Weather is always a challenge for launching satellites and without it there are no other issues left before Bangabandhu-1 is put into its orbital slot on 119.1 degrees east, Mahmood added. "We are about to enter a new era and all 16 crore people are eagerly waiting to be a part of that glory," he observed.

New land ready to shelter Rohingya refugees ahead of monsoon

An initial 12 acres of newly prepared land is now ready to receive shelters and other key services, including water, hygiene and education facilities, and is capable of providing new homes for nearly 500 families living in some of the most high-risk parts of the refugee site. The work is part of a major joint initiative among International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and World Food Programme (WFP), said a press release.

English, maths drags SSC results down again

The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) results suffered a fall in success rate for the second consecutive year owing to the students' poor performance in English and Mathematics. The fall in success rates wasn't the only negative thing this time around as this year's exams were marred by widespread allegations of question leaks. The pass percentage of the SSC exams under the eight education boards came down to 79.40 percent, dipping 1.82 percentage points from last year's, according to the results published on April 7. This is the lowest pass rate in the last eight years.