Bangladesh
Man held with 10 gold bars in Chuadanga
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Monday detained a man and seized 10 pieces of gold bars, weighing a combined 1.164 kg along Darshana border in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga district.
The detainee was identified as Rimon Ali, 20, son of Motiar Rahman of Nastipur village in the upazila.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of BGB-6 conducted a drive along the bordering area around 10am and detained Emon, said Chuadanga-6 BGB Director Lieutenant Colonel Shah Mohammad Ishtiaq.
Later, the BGB men seized the gold bars specially wrapped with tape inside his keds.
Read more: Gold worth Tk 2.5 crore seized in Chuadanga
The market value of the seized gold bars is Tk 93.35 lakh.
lue of the seized gold bars is Tk 93.35 lakh.A case will be filed at Darshana police station, he said, adding that the gold bars will be deposited at the Chuadanga Treasury Office.
Appellate Division upholds HC order to grant bail to NSU’s ex-trustee Shahjahan
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the High Court (HC) order to grant bail to former trustee of North South University (NSU) Mohammad Shahjahan in a graft case lodged last year.
A three member justice bench led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after hearing, said the accused’s counsel Barrister Sayeed Ahmed Raja.
He said now there is no legal barrier to walk out of jail for his client after the Appellate Division upheld the HC order. Anti-Corruption Commissioner (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the state in the hearing.
On May 5 last year, ACC Deputy Director Md Farid Ahmed filed a case accusing six people including Shahjahan for swindling Tk 3030.82 crore in the name of purchasing land for NSU.
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The other accused are - NSU trustee board chairman Azim Uddin Ahmed, members- Benajir Ahmed, MA Kashem, Rehana Rahman, Ashaloy Housing and Developers Amin managing director Md Hilaly, its chairman Omar Faruk and directors- Anwara Begum and Syed AK Haque.
On May 22, the High Court rejected an advanced bail of four out of the six accused and handed them over to the police.
December 14, the HC granted bail to Shahjahan on two conditions—not to leave the country and go to the university campus without permission.
Later, the ACC moved the Appellate Division to stay the HC order. The chamber judge stayed the HC order and sent it to a regular bench of the Appellate Division for hearing.
As per the schedule, the Appellate Division granted the bail rejecting the petition filed by the ACC on Monday.
According to the Private University Act, 2010, the board of trustees is the highest governing body of a private university like NSU. According to the Memorandum of Association and Articles (Rules and Regulations) of the University, the university is a charitable, welfare oriented, non-commercial and non-profit educational institution.
The case stated that over 9,088 decimal land was bought in the name of campus development of NSU through the consent of some members of the board of trustees bypassing the approval of the university syndicate, the University Grants Commission, and the Ministry of Education.
The accused later withdrew cash from the buyer through cheques in their own names and kept FDR in their own names. Later, they themselves embezzled the FDR money.
CJ voices concern over security of all courts and tribunals
Expressing deep concern, Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique has given 11-point instructions to ensure the overall security of all subordinate courts and tribunals of the country.
The Supreme Court administration, signed by the High Court Division Registrar Munshi Md. Moshiar Rahman, issued a notification in this regard on Monday.
The Supreme Court has earlier issued instructions to all concerned to take necessary steps to ensure the overall security of every court in the country.
Records of suits in Subordinate Civil Courts have various types of important documents including original documents or documents of litigants. If these documents in the custody of the court are stolen or destroyed, the image of the court will be tarnished.
Therefore, aiming to ensure the overall security of all subordinate courts and tribunals, the Chief Justice issued the following instructions to all concerned-
(a) Strengthen the boundary walls of courts and judges' residences.
(b) Installation of CCTV outside the Courts and Tribunals, each gate and courtroom.
(c) Ensure guarding by security guards round-the-clock outside and inside the court building.
(d) Replace windows of the court buildings.
(e) Arrange adequate electric lighting on the court premises.
(f) Making proper arrangements for the safe storage of case-related documents.
(g) Ensuring quality furniture and lockers.
(h) Installation of security posts around the court boundary.
(a) Strengthen night police patrolling in court areas across the country on an urgent basis.
(j) Take proper steps to ensure special security of the court building during recess.
(k) Arrange ample police guards during the working hours of every court and tribunal.
"All authorities concerned are requested to take necessary steps to ensure the overall security of all courts and tribunals in the country to comply with the above instructions”, added the notification.
Newly elected management committee of Jatiya Press Club pays homage to Bangabandhu
The newly elected office bearer and management committee members of Jatiya Press Club (JPC) paid homage to the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at his mausoleum in Tungipara on Monday.
The JPC management committee led by its president Farida Yesmin and general secretary Shyamal Dutta placed a floral wreath at the of mausoleum Bangabandhu and observed one minute of silence for the 'martyrs' of August 15.
They also offered Munajat for the salvation of the martyrs of Liberation War and August 15.
Police pickup van runs over lawyer's assistant in Ctg
An assistant of a Chattogram court lawyer died after a police pickup van ran over him in the court area on Monday afternoon.
Helal, 30, was the younger brother of Chattogram court lawyer Belal and a resident of the port city’s Patenga area.
Mustafizur Rahman, deputy commissioner (DC-South) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP), said the pickup was returning to Bakolia police station after dropping an accused to the court in the afternoon.
The vehicle accidently ran over the brothers in front of the sub-registrar's office in the court hill area around 3.30pm, leaving Heal dead on the spot, Mustafizur said, adding that his Belal also sustained injuries in the incident.
Enraged by the incident, locals seized the vehicle while the cops were also confined to a hotel.
Later, the situation was brought under control upon intervention of additional law enforcers.
One-stop emergency service to be set up at every district hospital: Minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque today said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has taken an initiative to introduce one-stop emergency and casualty (OSEC) service at every district hospital in the country.
“We have taken this initiative to improve healthcare facilities at the government hospitals,” he said while speaking at the inaugural function of setting up OSEC services at Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital this afternoon.
“Patients will get all kinds of services in these hospitals faster,” he said.
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“As the hospital's bed capacity has been increased from 500 to 1350, no patient will have to get treatment lying on the floor. Patients will now be able to receive care in advanced beds,” he added.
Dr. Md Anwar Hossain Howlader, secretary of the health service division, presided over the function.
Prof. Jamal Uddin Chowdhury, president of SWACHIP, Kazi Safiqul Azam, general secretary of Red Crescent Society, and ABM Masudul Alam, principal of Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital spoke among others.
Bangladesh, Rwanda sign air connectivity agreement
Bangladesh and Rwanda have signed an air services agreement to enhance connectivity, trade and people-to-people ties.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to New Delhi Mustafizur Rahman and Rwanda High Commissioner to Bangladesh with residence in New Delhi Jacqueline Mukangira inked the deal in the Indian capital Thursday.
The agreement will facilitate the movement of people and goods between Bangladesh and Rwanda using the air route.
Read more: DCCI urges Rwanda to import more Bangladeshi products
The air connectivity agreement is also expected to contribute largely to the economic growth between Bangladesh and Rwanda.
Bangladesh has taken initiatives to forge cooperation with Rwanda in different sectors, including agriculture, food processing; promotion and protection of investments, foreign office consultations and cooperation between the foreign service academies of the two countries. Both sides are having discussions to sign agreements in these areas.
Read more: Momen leads Bangladesh to Commonwealth Heads of Government in Rwanda
Initiatives have also been taken to organise a bilateral visit from Bangladesh to Rwanda and hold bilateral consultations between the foreign ministries.
British offshore patrol vessel docks at Chattogram
The Royal Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessel HMS TAMAR has arrived at the naval base in ChattogramThe vessel was received by Chief Staff Officer to the Commander, Chattogram Naval Area, Capt M Faizul Hoque.The deployment of HMS TAMAR emphasises the UK’s commitment to defence cooperation with Bangladesh, and to an open and resilient international order for open societies and economies to flourish.
Increase health budget to reduce out-of-pocket expenditures: Speakers
Speakers in a discussion on Monday said the government's health expenditure in Bangladesh is just 2.5 percent of its GDP, the lowest in South Asia.
Due to lower government allocations for the health sector, the country’s out-of-pocket health expenditure remains high. So public allocations to the health sector must be increased in a prudent manner.
The discussion session on health budget organized jointly by Bangladesh Health Watch, BRAC James P. Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, and Unnayan Shamannay, was held on Monday in the capital.
Former Secretary of the Ministry of Planning Md. Mamun-al-Rashid was present as the Chief Guest.DU Professor Dr. M. Abu Eusuf, BIDS Senior Research Fellow Dr SM Zulfiqar Ali, and Ministry of Health’s Additional Secretary Kazi Zebunnessa Begum also participated.
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The keynote paper based on research conducted to determine the changes in the health budget required to reduce out-of-pocket health expenditure of primary healthcare-seekers in rural Bangladesh was presented by eminent Economist and Chair of Unnayan Shamannay- Professor Dr. Atiur Rahman.
He pointed out that around 5 percent of the National Budget is currently being allocated to the health sector. Adding another 2 to 3 percentage points to this allocation and then channelling the additional allocations to increase the supply of free-of-cost medicine in rural healthcare facilities and to fill out the vacant posts in those healthcare facilities could reduce out-of-pocket health expenditures to a significant extent.
He presented the results of a simulation that shows that increasing allocations for the said sub-sectors of the health budget out-of-pocket health expenditure could be reduced from 69 percent to 51 percent.
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Professor M. Abu Eusuf inferred that out-of-pocket health expenditure could be reduced to a significant extent if quality health services could be made available in peripheral areas as they are available in Dhaka and some other big cities.
Dr. S. M. Zulfiqar Ali highlighted the economic impact of high health expenses on poorer households while he inferred that the country could be further advanced in poverty reduction if out-of-pocket health expenditure could be reduced.The speakers also emphasized the need to enhance the capacity of spending the allocated resources.
Switzerland will continue to be a reliable partner for Bangladesh: Nathalie Chuard
Outgoing Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard has said her country will continue to be a reliable partner for Bangladesh in the days ahead.
She paid a farewell call to Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen Monday (January 16, 2023) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Momen congratulated Nathalie on her successful tenure in Bangladesh and appreciated her efforts to further strengthen and broaden Bangladesh-Switzerland ties.
Read more: Switzerland a serious global player, reliable partner of Bangladesh: Ambassador Chuard
Highlighting the similarity of the foreign policies of the two countries, the foreign minister recalled Bangabandhu's vision of turning Bangladesh into the "Switzerland of the East."
The Swiss ambassador expressed her satisfaction at the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the areas of trade and investment and development cooperation.
The foreign minister invited more Swiss investment into Bangladesh, particularly in the advanced manufacturing sector.
Read More: Newly appointed Bangladesh envoy Sufiur presents credentials to Swiss president, seeks better relations
Also, Momen hoped that as a member of the United Nations Security Council for 2023-24, Switzerland would further contribute to global peace and security.
He sought Switzerland's continued support towards the early repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals to their country.