Sumon Corraya

Protest of the tribals for the sudden felling of 300 plants in the land they cultivate. The Garo are Catholics whom the government tries to remove from "their" forest.

The Holy Cross priest was a missionary in Bangladesh for 71 years. He died four days ago at the age of 97. He discovered at least 250 species of nematodes. He was committed to education, science, the poor and human rights. In 1987 he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Asian Nobel Prize.

For the Bangladesh Catholic Education Board, the pandemic danger is still too high. The country has about 332,000 COVID-19 cases with more than 4,600 deaths. Schools will remain closed until 3 October. Many children have no access to e-learning. Some propose that all students get a pass. Some fear that the number of school dropouts will rise because of the coronavirus.

The incident occurred when worshippers were praying in a Narayanganj mosque, Fatullah. According to the Fire Service, gas from a leak in an underground pipeline accumulated in the mosque.

The High Court has ruled that women can benefit from all the assets of their late husbands. For a human rights lawyer, this is first time the rights of Hindu widows are heeded; historically, governments have tended to be uninterested in their fate. The ruling restores "honour and peace" and provides the women with a certain degree of "self-sufficiency". The beneficiaries can rejoice at their newly found sense of self-worth.

Bishop Theotonius Gomes led the ceremony on Saturday. Sister Provati Mardi is 29 and an ethnic Santal. Some 15 PIME sisters are from Bangladesh, plus more from other countries.

Revealed in an International Organization for Migration report. About 10 million Bangladeshi work abroad, especially in the Persian Gulf, generating remittances of over 15 billion euros. One migrant worker supports on average three members of his family. Without work, they go into debt to buy food and pay for coronavirus treatment. Many returnees hope to leave soon.

Less than 200 Catholic marriages have been celebrated in 2020, down from an annual average of 1,700 before COVID-19. Only 50 people can attend the wedding ceremony. For young couples this has a positive aspect as they save money and do not go into debt to get married.

After doctors and other healthcare workers, journalists are of the group most affected by COVID-19. Many complain that they have to do their job covering the pandemic from the frontline without personal protective equipment. In recent months 244 out of 340 newspapers have stopped publishing. “I don't know what to do,” says unemployed Catholic journalist.

Some 605 fruit trees – guava, lemon, quince, gooseberry and grapefruit – were planted yesterday in parish villages. For BCA secretary Hemanto Corraya, during the coronavirus pandemic, people came to realize how badly they behaved towards nature.

Some 31 districts are affected. Food and drinking water are in short supply. Many residents have had to leave their flooded homes for makeshift shelters. Many have not received the 10 kilos of rice promised by the government. The Catholic Church is active in handing out supplies. Flood victims take on debt to eat.

The clergyman, who died in the US on Saturday from COVID-19-related complications, served the Church in Bangladesh for 60 years until 2016 when he returned to the United States because of health problems and death threats from radical Islamists. “By founding schools and health centres, and defending the persecuted Garo community, Fr Eugene became an indispensable reference in our life,” said Fr Hacha. A Muslim wants a road named after him in Modhupur.