Bangladesh
Tofail’s condition improves, shifted to cabin
Ailing senior Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed, undergoing treatment at an Indian hospital, has been shifted to a cabin from its ICU as his condition improved.
Shaban Mahmood, Minister (Press) of Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, told UNB on Saturday that the veteran politician is undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon, India under Dr Arun Garg, head of Neurology Department of the hospital, and he is doing well.
Also read: Tofail now stable after hospitalisation
“Tofail has been shifted to a cabin and doctors hope that he’ll get well soon,” he added.
Tofail, an advisory council member of Awami League and a former minister, was flown to India in an air ambulance on Friday for better treatment.
Also read: Tofail, Firoz lament growing importance of amlas at the expense of politicians
Bangladesh’s KL mission introduces special phone numbers for expats
Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has introduced three dedicated mobile phone numbers to make its services easily available for the expatriate community.
All Bangladeshi expatriates living in Malaysia have been informed that the High Commission will take prompt action if any request/information is received through these calls.
Also read: Bangladesh signs MoU with Malaysia on LNG supply
The phone numbers are - 0104303110 (Passport related), 0104303020 (Passport related) and 01126206701 (Labour & Welfare related).
Any expatriate Bangladeshi can call from Monday to Friday (9.00am-5.00 pm) to avail themselves of the services.
Bangladesh, Hungary plan to boost trade ties
Bangladesh and Hungary have discussed ways to increase trade between the two countries apart from exploring cooperation in the health sector.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen had a bilateral meeting with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto in Geneva recently and discussed the issues of mutual cooperation between the two countries.
Both of them were in Geneva to participate in the Asia-Pacific Regional Review Meeting in preparation for the Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC 5) to be held in Qatar in January 2022.
Also read: Bangladesh, Hungary sign MoU over scholarships
At the meeting, the issues of bilateral interest as well as multilateral ones were discussed, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.
Foreign Minister Momen thanked the Hungarian Foreign Minister for offering scholarships to Bangladeshi students, and requested him to increase the number of scholarships allocated to Bangladesh.
Szijjarto assured Dr Momen that the Hungarian government would increase the number of scholarships to Bangladeshi students next year.
The issue of operationalisation of the Consulate of Hungary also came up at the meeting for discussions.
Also read: Bangladesh, Hungary to discuss trade, investment issues Thursday
Dr Momen also co-chaired a session of the ongoing Asia-Pacific Regional Review Meeting of the LDCs together with the Undersecretary of Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Qatar at the UN Headquarters in Geneva.
The session titled “Structural transformation and resilient infrastructure for sustained economic growth, poverty alleviation and decent work for all” highlighted structural impediments faced by the LDCs of the Asia-Pacific region and how to build resilience against internal and external shocks and crises.
The session was attended by a number of high-level speakers including the Economic Affairs Minister of Bhutan.
Valiant freedom fighters to get digital certificates: Minister
The government will distribute permanent digital certificates among the country’s valiant freedom fighters while all the living freedom fighters will get smart cards.
“A process in this regard is underway,” Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq told Parliament on Saturday while replying to a tabled question from ruling party MP Benjir Ahmed.
Once prepared, he said, the digital certificates will be distributed simultaneously among the freedom fighters across the country through Union Nirbahi Officers (UNOs).
Also read: FFs’ monthly honorarium to be raised to Tk 20,000 from Tk 12,000: JS body
He said the certificates issued temporarily have been invalidated.
Responding to a question from AL MP Nurnnabi Chowdhury, the minister said some 10,000 certificates of fake freedom fighters, issued from BNP regime to 2010, have been annulled after scrutiny . “Actually, the number of gazetted freedom fighters in the country is 183,560.”
Also read: 1,256 more included in freedom fighter list
He said a scrutiny process is going to include genuine freedom fighters and exclude fake ones.
Students below 18 to be vaccinated, says Health Minister
With all eyes on its efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh is going to vaccinate students below 18 with Pfizer and Moderna jabs.
“Any vaccine dose can be administered to students over 18 but those who’re below 18 can be vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna jabs following the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) directives as per the availability of vaccine doses,” said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday.
The minister revealed the information while talking to reporters after visiting comprehensive examination centres under Nursing and Midwifery Course at Tejgaon Government Girls College in the city on Saturday.
“An inter-ministerial meeting will be held on Sunday. The meeting is expected to decide whether the school students will be vaccinated against Covid-19,” he said.
Zahid Maleque went on saying, “We think that the students over 18 can receive any vaccine but in the case of those who’re above 12, we’ve to follow the other countries like the US and the UK where students are given Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.”
Also read: Schools, colleges asked to prepare for reopening, guidelines issued
About 80 % teachers and students involved in medical treatment have been brought under vaccination campaigns, the minister added.
Those who are receiving their first jabs will get their second ones from September 7, and people have been asked to go to their respective vaccination centres to take their shots, he said.
Besides, orders have been placed to collect 16.5 crore doses of vaccines. Of these, 6.5 crore will come from China while the remaining ones will come from the WHO, he said, adding, “The doses will likely arrive in the country within January next.”
Zahid said steps are underway to recruit more nurses, and their numbers will be three times higher than the physicians working in the health sector.
Also read: Covid surge in Bangladesh: Primary schools to remain shut until Aug 31
“Alongside the physicians, nurses are performing their duties with sincerity and we’re trying to recruit more nurses to solve the manpower crisis,” he said.
Bangladesh ready to reopen schools
Primary, secondary and higher secondary educational institutions in the country will reopen on September 12 following a prolonged closure, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Friday.
“The decision was taken at a joint meeting of the Education Ministry, Ministry of Primary and Mass education and the National Technical Advisory Committee held on Thursday night,” she said at a function in Chandpur sadar upazila.
4 suspected JMB militants held in Mymensingh
Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested four suspected members of banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) early on Saturday morning.
The identities of the arrestees are yet to be revealed. A cache of arms and explosives has been seized from their possession.
Wing Commander Rokunuzzaman, commanding officer of Rab-14, said acting on intelligence inputs, a team of RAB-14 raided Khagdahar in Mymensingh district.
Read:JMB member executed in Gazipur jail
Sensing the presence of the elite force, the JMB men opened fire on RAB, prompting the personnel them to retaliate.
Read:JMB member Abdur Rahman arrested in Savar
"However, the RAB men managed to overpower and arrest the militants after the brief exchange of fire," the officer said.
Gandhi Ashram Bill goes through Parliament
The Gandhi Ashram (Board of Trustees) Bill, 2021 was passed in Parliament on Saturday to replace the related Ordinance that was promulgated during the military regime and declared illegal by the court.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Haq moved the Bill and it was passed by voice vote.
The Gandhi Ashram (Board of Trustees) Bill, 2021 was designed in the Bengali version without incorporating new provisions in the Gandhi Ashram (Board of Trustees) Ordinance, 1975.
According to the proposed law, the government will appoint the chairman of the seven-member board of trustees.
READ: Parliament passes Finance Bill, allows whitening of undisclosed money
The chairman and the other Trustees shall hold office for a period of three years. But the government may terminate the appointment of the chairman or any other Trustee before the expiration of the term.
READ: Parliament passes new budget of ‘lives and livelihoods’
The head office of the Board shall be at Jayag in Noakhali while the regional office or branch can be set up in other places with prior permission from the government.
Youth drowns in Dhaka jheel as boat ride turns tragic
A 20-year-old youth drowned when a boat in which he and his five friends went for a joy ride capsized in a jheel in the capital's Sabujbagh area Friday.
The deceased was identified as Zahidul Islam Fardin, son of Rafiqul Islam Babul of Golapbagh area of the city. Fardin was slated to take this year’s SSC examination.
Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said Fardin, along with five friends, went for a boat trip in the jheel in Manikdia on Friday evening.
READ: Four children drown on Eid day
At one stage, the boat sank in the jheel. All but Fardin, managed to swim ashore. Later, his friends fished out his body around 10 pm with the help of local people.
READ: 2 children drown in Gaibandha pond
He was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival, the officer said.
Parliament passes Delimitation Bill replacing ordinance
The Delimitation of Constituencies Bill, 2021 seeking to formulate an act to replace a military regime-era ordinance in line with a court judgment was passed in Parliament on Saturday.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Haq piloted the Bill and it was passed by voice vote.
The proposed law has been designed aiming to make an act instead of the existing Delimitation of Constituencies Ordinance 1976, which was promulgated during the military regime of Ziaur Rahman.
As per the Bill, the Election Commission shall, for the purpose of elections to the seats in Parliament, divide the country into as many single territorial constituencies as the number of members to be elected as per the Constitution.
The constituencies shall be so delimited, having regard to administrative convenience, that each constituency is a compact area. In doing so, due regard shall be given to the distribution of population as per the latest census report.
Also read: 23rd parliament session begins
After making such enquiries and examining such records as it may deem necessary, the Commission shall publish in the official Gazette a preliminary list of territorial constituencies specifying the areas proposed to be included in each such constituency together with a notice inviting objections and suggestions within such period as may be specified in the notice.
After hearing and considering the objections and suggestions, if any, the Commission shall make such amendments, alterations or modifications in the preliminary list published as it thinks fit and shall, also after correcting any errors arising from any accidental slip or omission, publish in the official Gazette the final list of territorial constituencies showing the areas included in each such constituency.
The validity of the delimitation or formation of any constituency or of any proceedings taken or anything done by or under the authority of the Commission, under this law shall not be called in question in or before any Court or other authority.
Also read:Mujib Borsho: Parliament goes into special session Sunday
The territorial constituencies shall be delimited afresh - upon the completion of each census, for the purpose of general election to Parliament to be held following such census; and unless otherwise directed by the Commission for reasons to be recorded in writing, before each general election to Parliament.
Bill placed in parliament to replace Dev Board Ordinance
The Development Board Laws (Repeal) Ordinance, 1986 (Repeal) Bill 2021 was placed in Parliament on Saturday.
Law Minister Anisul Huq placed the Bill in the House and it was sent to the respective Parliamentary Standing Committee for further examination. The Committee was asked to submit its report within 15 days.
READ: Parliament passes Finance Bill, allows whitening of undisclosed money
The proposed law will replace the law of the military regime as the court declared this illegal.
READ: Parliament passes new budget of ‘lives and livelihoods’