Bangladesh
Lockdown: Satkania UNO made OSD for fining a doctor on emergency call
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Chattogram’s Satkania has been made an officer on special duty (OSD) after he fined a doctor who was going to see a patient during the lockdown.
On Sunday, UNO Nazrul Islam was made OSD to the Ministry of Public Administration over the order of KM Al-Amin, deputy secretary of the ministry.
Earlier on Friday, UNO Nazrul Islam imposed a fine of Tk 1,000 on Dr. Farhad Kabir who was on his way to his private chamber to check an emergency patient.
Also read: Lockdown: 496 vehicles fined Tk 12.8 lakh in Dhaka; 618 arrested
At that time, the UNO also threatened to jail the doctor.
Later the doctor made a Facebook post over the issue.
As the issue came up in a number of newspapers, the Bangladesh Medical Association leaders demanded the intervention of the civil surgeon on the allegation of harassing the doctors.
Also read: Lockdown: Mobile courts collect fines of Tk 76,300 in Sylhet, 1 held
Later, UNO Nazrul Islam of Satkania was made OSD.
However, Nazrul denied the allegations when contacted.
Wrongly jailed woman released after 3 years, only to die in a road crash
A woman who suffered three years of jail time for a crime she did not commit was killed in a road accident in Chattogram within two weeks of release.
On June 28, Minu Akter died in a road crash on the city's Bayezid connecting road.
Unable to identify the body, Anjuman Mufidul Islam, a welfare organization buried her body as an unclaimed one.
Officer-in-Charge of Bayezid Bostami police station Md Kamruzzaman said an unidentified body of a woman was recovered from the road and later buried by Anjuman Mufidul Islam.
Later, Minu’s brother Rubel identified the body as his sister's when a police team went to Sitakundu and showed him a photo.
On the night of the incident, patrol police removed her twice from the road as she was behaving abnormally, said the OC.
“After spending three years in jail of a life sentence as a convicted murderer who she was't, Minu finally was freed on June 16 this year,” said Golam Mawla Murad, the lawyer who freed Minu.
On June 7, the High Court ordered to release Minu Akter, who had been serving a life term on behalf of the real convict Kulsum Akter for money.
Besides, the court ordered the special public prosecutor of Chattogram Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2 MA Naser and junior lawyers Nurul Anwar and Bibekananda Chowdhury and clerk Showrabh to submit written explanations about their role in the fraudulent act within two weeks.
Also read: Two workers killed in Gulshan road crash
How Minu ended up in Jail:
In October 2007, Kulsum was arrested in a case filed over a garment worker’s murder in 2006.
Two years later she was freed after being granted bail by a Chattogram court.
On November 30, 2017 Chattogram fourth additional metropolitan session court found Kulsum guilty and sentenced her to life in prison, besides asking her to pay a fine of TK 50,000.
On June 12, 2018 Minu, pretending to be Kulsum, surrendered to police and began spending time behind bars. According to case proceedings, she did it for money.
In 2019 advocate Iqbal Hossain filed a petition on the sentence passed by the lower court on behalf of Minu, pretending to be Kulsum.
Following which the case document was sent to the High Court on June 12 the same year.
On March 18 this year, senior jail super of Chattogram central jail Md. Safiqul Islam Khan noticed the issue of fraudulence and brought the matter to Chattogram court’s notice.
Following the court’s order Minu was brought before court on March 22.
In the court Minu said, “Three years back a woman named Morzina, promising to give me some rice, sent me to jail and said after Ramadan she will bring me out.”
Also read: Narsingdi road crash leaves five dead
“Now I want to be out of jail," she said.
Later a sub-document of the case was sent to the high court and advocate Shishir Munir presented it before court.
The accused of the case Kulsum was a housewife living in Rahmatganj under Kotwali police station with her husband.
Minu used to live in a slum in the city with her three children before ending up in jail as Kulsum.
HC directs to prioritize jabs for students going abroad
The High Court on Sunday asked the authorities to administer coronavirus vaccines to Bangladeshi students going abroad for studies on priority basis.
The single-judge bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim directed Attorney General AM Amin Uddin or the concerned court’s Deputy Attorney General Samarendra Nath Biswash to contact the directorate general of health services over this issue.
Also read: Nationwide mass vaccination to resume Thursday
The directive came after lawyer SK Jahangir Alam sought court’s intervention in arranging Covid-19 vaccines for the students who want to go abroad for education.
The court asked the deputy attorney general to talk to the directorate without waiting for an order since for most students going abroad the academic sessions begin in August and September.
Also read: Massive vaccination to begin in July: PM
The court also directed lawyer Jahangir to submit an application in this regard at the DGHS.
Bangladesh needs to have a great deal more to be investment friendly: Minister
Planning Minister MA Mannan has stressed the importance of making government rules investment friendly by removing the unnecessary and complicated ones to turn Bangladesh into an attractive place for doing business.
He, however, said the foreign investors should come to Bangladesh to do business based on equity and transparency instead of thinking of “exploiting” cheap labour in the country.
Mannan made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a webinar titled “Attracting Foreign Investment in Bangladesh and Branding Bangladesh" jointly organised by Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Better Bangladesh Foundation (BBF) on Saturday night.
"There’re various rules in government books which are not friendly towards investment. You know (BIDA), I know (about the rules). Since we know, let's push it out. Let’s clean it. Let's keep fewer and smaller but better rules so that work can be done in a speedier way," he said pointing out at the BIDA authorities.
Mannan said the government is sincere about liberalizing the rules for creating a smooth ground and level-playing field for everyone to do business.
Also read: Bangladesh, Kosovo explore investment, trade opportunities
The minister said it is necessary to work on the issue of ease of doing business. “Our FBCCI, BGMEA, BIDA and BBF can work together to remove the bottlenecks which stand between us and the investors.”
Mannan said Bangladeshi is giving the investors the guarantee for the safety of their investment and giving various concessions, tax holidays, tax concessions and also giving new economic areas where they can set up their business and enjoy the various infrastructural facilities.
He said Bangladesh is now at a point of takeoff amid many difficulties.
The minister said huge investment is surely needed to support the country’s drive towards industrialisation and higher-level of economic growth and economic activities. “Investment can come both from inside or outside.
The minister, however, said every country should think about humanity and human welfare instead of thinking only of economic development. “We should all make the effort so that people can live peacefully in this world and enjoy a better life.”
Manna thinks local investment is a better investment. “We’ll welcome investment from outside if it comes in a friendly and transparent and open way, and if it ensures justice for our labourers. It won’t be sustainable if they come with investment here because of cheap labour which is an inhuman idea.”
Also read: Big-B Initiative to bring more investment to Bangladesh: Shahriar
Japanese Ambassador in Dhaka Naoki Ito said their companies are ready to expand their business operation in Bangladesh and some have already expanded their business despite the difficult situation caused by Covid-19.
He said Japan and Bangladesh are building bridges of bonding. “Our country is trying to build longer and wider bridges of bonding here. We’re going to celebrate the 50th years of diplomatic relations next year. If you look at the bilateral partnership on business, the number of Japanese companies has gradually been increasing…there’re now more than 300 companies operating here.”
The ambassador said Japan is the largest export market for Bangladesh in Asia as around 1.3 billion export is going to Japan from Bangladesh and the market size is larger than that of India or China, and the investment is coming from Japan.
He said three factors -- further development of infrastructure, better investment climate, workforce development, and capacity building – are very important in expanding its business relations and facilitating the flow of trade and investment.
Naoki Ito also hoped that Japanese companies can be better partners in expanding backward-linkage industries of the RMG sector in Bangladesh.
BGMEA president Faruque Hassan, FBCCI director Ghulam M Alomgir, BIDA director Ariful Haque, BBF consultant GM Nizam Uddin. CEO of BBF Global USA Rafiq Khan, among others, spoke at the programme chaired by BIDA Executive Chairman Sirazul Islam.
Prof Masud A Khan, chairman and founder of BBF, moderated the virtual programme.
Juba Dal leader arrested for assaulting headmaster who didn't allow wedding on school premises
Police arrested Chattogram city Juba Dal president Mia Mohammad Harun Khan for allegedly assaulting the headmaster of Khan Saheb Abdul Hakim High School.
He was arrested on Sunday morning after the headmaster, Mohammad Nizam Uddin, filed a case on Saturday evening with Double Mooring Police Station.
It was learned that the incident occurred on June 30, when the headmaster along with other teachers and the district education officer went to the school premises for an investigation.
There, at one point the headmaster was beaten.
Also read: Lockdown: 496 vehicles fined Tk 12.8 lakh in Dhaka; 618 arrested
According to the Police, Md. Ekram Mia, member (guardian) of the school managing committee and brother of arrested Harun, had wanted to arrange the wedding of his daughter at the school premises but the headmaster had said no due to the Covid-19 situation.
However, Ekram arranged it anyway, defying the headmaster but the local authority managed to prevent it acting over a secret tip.
Ekram held a grudge against the headmaster and teachers of the school over this and threatened them not to go to the school ever again.
Also read: DB busts counterfeit drugs syndicate; 5 arrested
Officer-in-charge (OC) of Double Mooring Police Station Mohammad Mohsin said on June 30 an investigation team led by Panchlaish-Double Mooring education officer Mohammad Shafiul Alam came to the school along with some teachers including the headmaster.
That day Ekram Mia's brother Juba Dal leader Mia Mohammad Harun Khan with his companions forcibly entered the headmaster's room, insulted and threatened everyone and slapped the headmaster.
Other accused in the case were absconding, said OC Mohammad Mohsin.
Oxygen crisis: Probe committee gets more time to investigate deaths at Satkhira hospital
A probe committee formed to investigate Thursday's incident at Satkhira Medical College that saw 7 Covid patients die allegedly due to a crisis in the hospital's central oxygen supply, has been granted more time to submit the report on Sunday.
Dr Kazi Arif Ahmed, head of the hospital’s medicine department and leader of the probe committee, said, as Friday and Saturday were government holidays, the committee has asked to extend the deadline for a week from earlier ordered three days to conduct the investigation properly.
On Thursday evening, a sudden decrease in the central oxygen flow of the hospital allegedly caused the deaths of seven patients.
Also read: Covid-19: Lockdown in Satkhira extended by a week
However, the hospital authority admitted only four deaths.
Meanwhile, two probe committees have been formed to investigate the incident, one by the hospital authority led by Dr Kazi Arif Ahmed and another by the divisional health office director Dr Rasheda Sultana.
Administrator of the hospital Dr Qudrat-E-Khuda said the probe committee has been granted a week more to submit the report, so now both the committees have seven days for investigating.
Also read: Lockdown: People continue to defy health guidelines in Satkhira
The committee from the divisional office already visited the hospital Sunday and started their probe, he said.
Dr Kazi Arif Ahmed said,"We have collected written statements of the administrator, principal and 22 health officials present at the hospital that day.”
“The actual cause of deaths will be confirmed after completing the overall investigation,” he said.
LankaBangla Finance gets PCI DSS certification
LankaBangla Finance Limited has received the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
The non-banking financial institute (NBFI) received this certification for adopting and applying the mandatory controls set by the PCI SSC to ensure effectiveness, confidentiality, efficiency, and integrity of credit card business operations.
This certification entails that LankaBangla met all requirements with strong confidence regarding credit card security, becoming the first NBFI in Bangladesh to receive that accreditation, said the company Sunday.
Also read: LankaBangla introduces unique deposit schemes
Khwaja Shahriar, managing director and CEO of LankaBangla, said: "Security for Payment Card is an essential part of our business, and we take this obligation seriously in meeting these very high standards. And achieving accreditation validates the seriousness with which we treat our clients' sensitive assets."
The PCI DSS is a payment card security standard for organisations that handle branded cards from the major card schemes.
The PCI Standard is mandated by card brands, including Mastercard and VISA, and administered by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council.
This certification is also a mandatory requirement of the Bangladesh Bank for those who operate card businesses.
100 dengue patients undergoing treatment at hospitals across country
A total of 100 patients diagnosed with Dengue are currently receiving treatment at different government and private hospitals across the country as of Sunday morning amid a spike in the mosquito-borne disease during monsoon.
Twenty-nine new patients were admitted to different hospitals in Dhaka in 24 hours until Sunday morning and two patients were hospitalized outside Dhaka during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS)..
A total of 98 dengue patients are receiving treatment at 41 government and private hospitals in Dhaka while two outside the city.
Read: Risk of dengue outbreak rises amid lockdown
So far, 465 patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January and of them, 365 have been released after recovery.
Health authorities reported 1,193 dengue cases and three confirmed dengue-related deaths in 2020.
According to official figures, 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019.
Read: 18 dengue patients undergoing treatment at Dhaka hospitals
Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000 when it claimed 93 lives. In the following three years, the fatalities almost fell to zero.
However, the mosquito-borne viral infection struck again in 2018, killing 26, and infecting 10,148 people.
Japan, ASEF provides PPE for COVID-19 response in Bangladesh
Japan International Cooperation System (JICS) on Sunday donated a substantial delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Bangladesh for COVID-19 pandemic response.
This donation came from the JICS on behalf of the government of Japan and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).
These essential medical supplies for medical professionals and frontline workers - 340,000 personal protective equipment items - will support the Government’s efforts to control the recent upsurge of COVID-19 in the country, said the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka.
“The donation of these essential medical supplies comes at the right moment, when we are scaling up efforts to control the increase of confirmed COVID-19 infections across the country. We are very grateful to the Government of Japan and ASEF for their ongoing support to our pandemic response, which will contribute to better equip our health workers”, says Professor Dr. Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Director General at Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The delivery includes 30,000 isolation gowns, 200,000 surgical masks, 8,000 particulate respirator masks, 2,500 safety googles and 100,000 gloves worth over USD 53,000 which becomes crucial to protect frontline healthcare workers and battle the upward trend in the number of COVID-19 cases reported in the last few weeks.
“Japan is delighted to cooperate with Bangladesh amid this global crisis and we believe this cooperation will even foster the partnership between Bangladesh and Japan. We hope the medical supplies will contribute to the COVID-19 response of Bangladesh, and hope we will overcome this difficulty hand in hand,” says Naoki Ito, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh.
“Collective efforts are key to fighting this global pandemic. The financial support of key partners as the Government of Japan and ASEF enable us to continue protecting our frontline workers and thus ensuring the best clinical care management of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh,” said Dr Bardan Jung Rana, WHO Representative to Bangladesh.
Covid getting deadlier in Bangladesh; record-high 153 die in 24 hours
The second wave of Covid-19 in Bangladesh is getting much deadlier with 153 more people losing lives to the virus in 24 hours till Sunday morning, pushing up the total death toll to 15,065.
With this, the daily-death record was shattered thrice in the country within eight days as 143 deaths were reported on July1 and 119 on June 27.
During the period, 8,661 more Covid cases were detected after testing 29,879 samples, overwhelming the country’s healthcare system quickly.
This raises the country's case positivity rate during the period to 28.99% from Saturday’s 27.39%, according to a handout provided by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the fatality rate remained static at 1.59%
With the fresh cases, Bangladesh’s caseload mounted to 944,917 today, said the DGHS.
So far, 833,897 people have recovered from the virus infections, putting the recovery rate at 88.25%.
Khulna division today recorded 51 deaths while Dhaka saw 46. Besides, 15 people each in Chattogram and Rangpur, 12 in Rajshahi, nine in Mymensingh, three in Barishal and two in Sylhet divisions died of Covid-19 today.
The country saw 2,404 Covid deaths in April, 1,169 in May and 1,884 in June, marking those the most fatal months of this year.
Also, July was the most fatal month of 2020, reporting 1,264 deaths followed by 1,197 deaths in June that year.
Also read: Khulna logs record 46 single-day Covid deaths
Herd immunity unlikely anytime soon
Although its study suggests around 71 percent of Dhaka city dwellers have already gained antibodies for coronavirus, an icddr,b scientist says herd immunity threshold is still out of reach in Bangladesh’s capital, let alone the whole country to reach it.
Dr Rubhana Raqib, a senior scientist at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), also says it may not be possible to attain the long-term herd immunity for Covid-19 as long as the virus continues to mutate as she thinks highly contagious new variants can break people’s immune protection gained either from the previous infections or vaccination.
In a recent interview with UNB, she also said it is generally assumed that Covid-19 may remain active like influenza and other flues for a long time and it is quite possible that people will need to receive the vaccine at a regular interval until the virus loses its mutation or virulence capability.
icddr,b conducted a study titled “Driving Factors of Covid-19 in Slums and Non-Slum Areas of Dhaka and Chittagong,” between October 2020 and February 2021 to evaluate the extent of the spread of the virus in the slum and non-slum communities of the two cities.