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Bangladesh's Nuzhat Choudhury wins Outstanding Service in Prevention of Blindness Award
Bangladesh's Nuzhat Choudhury has won the Outstanding Service in Prevention of Blindness Award of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO).
Each year, outstanding ophthalmologists are recognised for their contributions to advancing ophthalmology and eye care in Asia-Pacific and beyond.
Nuzhat, who has pioneered the establishment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) services at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), was named the recipient of the award at the APAO Conference 2022 being held online.
She is a member of the National Technical Committee on ROP, which has developed national guidelines for the screening and management of ROP.
Nuzhat is the trainer of the master trainers of ROP in Bangladesh and works to spread awareness and service to prevent blindness from ROP.
The 38th APAO Congress will take place in Malaysia from 23–26 February 2023.
Read: Tarafder M Ruhul Amin gets Mother Teresa Int'l Award
"Hopefully, I will receive the award in person in Malaysia in 2023," Nuzhat, a professor at the Department of Ophthalmology of the BSMMU, said.
She is also the daughter of Dr Abdul Alim Chaudhury, one of the martyred intellectuals during the Liberation War.
Nuzhat did her fellowship in vitreo-retina at Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital, Bangladesh, and LV Prasad Eye Institute, India.
She is a council member of the World ROP Council and a member of the SAARC Collegium of Ophthalmology.
Nuzhat is also an associate member of the APAO Prevention of Blindness Standing Committee. She is one of the founding members of the global platform Women Ophthalmologists Worldwide.
She has received several recognitions for her scientific research, including the AQSM Harun Memorial Award of the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh.
Past victims of Shibir violence speak out in webinar
Propagating radicalism, circulating anti-liberation narratives, and slaying rivals are the cornerstone of Islami Chhatra Shibir's politics, leading to bans on many campuses, alleged former student leaders who became victims of Shibir's gruesome attacks.
Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, continued the crimes due to the absence of proper documentation of those incidents of severing, the tendons of many university students with sharp weapons, revealed the survivors participating in a webinar held recently.
Regarding the reason behind their attacks, the victims said Shibir activists were infuriated by initiatives they had undertaken to expose the 'radical, hardline, and extremist' views of the group, that was rejected by general students.
As most such attacks were carried out during the last BNP-Jamaat tenure (2001-2006), lack of cheap Internet and absence of CCTV footage conspired with that dreaded outfit, they added.
Rajshahi University (RU) campus witnessed horrific attacks by Shibir cadres who cut tendons of Bangladesh Chhatra League students.
Dr Shah Alam, who enrolled in Rajshahi Medical College in 2004, said Shibir leaders and activists became so violent following the BNP-Jamaat takeover in 2001 that they didn't even allow Chhatra League students to stay in their dormitories or take exams.
Recalling the killing of another RU student Farque whose body was recovered from a manhole after Shibir cadres cut his tendons, Dr Alam said, “This happened even after Awami League returned to power back in 2009.”
Read: Webinar: Former BCL leaders recount Shibir's 'violent politics'
Dipak Pal, another former BCL leader of the Mymensingh Agricultural University unit, said, "In 2001, when I was a second-year student, a gang kept stabbing me until they thought that I went beyond all the pain.”
“However, later, I was taken to Rajshahi Medical and underwent intensive treatment. Though I recovered, my body bears such marks.”
They swooped on him after he rushed to a polling center where they snatched ballot boxes and kept stuffing ballots sealing with BNP-Jamaat's electoral symbol during the 2001 election, he added.
Tonmoy Ahmed, former general secretary of Awami League's Buet unit, referring to a report by a newspaper, said, “A fake story was cooked up to criminalize me and my junior Arif Raihan Dwip that we beat an imam at a mosque on the campus. The reason they targeted us was that both of us were active in the youths' movement against the war criminals.”
Days into the news getting published, Dwip was hacked to death by another BUET student.
The attacker, now on bail, confessed that provocative sermons by one Imam influenced him to carry out the killing, Tonmoy added.
Shibir, known as Islami Chhatra Sangha before Bangladesh's independence, actively helped Pakistani occupation forces in 1971 to commit genocide and other war crimes, the speakers added.
Job seekers block Shahbagh intersection demanding age limit extension
At least 20 job seekers, including women, were injured in police action to break up their demonstration in Shahbagh demanding an extension of the age limit to apply for government jobs.
The protesters under the banner of ‘Chakri Pratyashi Jubo Projonmo’ gathered at the Shahbagh intersection around 2 pm on Friday to press home their demands, including extension of the age limit to 35 from the existing 30, but police asked them to leave.
As the job seekers did not move, police chased them and charged them with batons to disperse them, said Rezwana Bindu from Jagannath University's economics department.
Transit a big achievement of PM’s India visit: Info Minister
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud has said that no matter what BNP says, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent India visit has been successful as Bangladesh has finally received long-cherished transit facility during her visit.
“Under the facility, Bangladesh will be able to export goods, including RMG products, to third countries using Indian territory without any cost. I sincerely thank the PM for getting a lot of facilities for Bangladesh during her India visit,” said Hasan.
The minister said this while speaking as the chief guest at a check distribution program organized by Chattogram Union of Journalists (CUJ) at the S Rahman Hall of Chattogram Press Club on Friday.
He added that the relations between Bangladesh and India are based on equality.
Read: No bar to implementing wage board once case is disposed: Hasan Mahmud
“It’s the AL government which has achieved everything from India. In 1974, we signed the enclave exchange agreement with India under the leadership of Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It was again the AL government headed by PM Hasina under which the enclaves were finally exchanged. Besides, Bangladesh also settled the maritime boundary issue with India under the AL government. These developments prove that Bangladesh views India as its equal,” added Hasan.
Hasan, also the Joint General Secretary of the ruling AL, also said that the Bangladesh-India ties have reached a new milestone due to the wholehearted efforts by PM Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
“India has provided duty-free excess to almost all of our products except only 20 items including drugs. They’ve also given us the opportunity to transport goods to other countries using their territory without any taxes or tarrifs. India has also agreed to share the water of Kushiyara river with us, which the BNP had failed to achieve during their tenure. All of these show the excellent relations that Bangladesh is enjoying with India right now,” Hasan said.
The program was presided over by CUJ President Mohammad Ali and moderated by Joint Secretary Sobur Shuvo. Suvash Chandra Badal, Managing Director of Bangladesh Journalists’ Welfare Trust and Ali Abbas, President of Chattogram Press Club, among others, spoke at the event as special guests.
Man killed in Jatrabari road crash
A 35-year-old man was killed as an unidentified vehicle ran over him in the city’s Jatrabari area early Friday.
The deceased was identified as Nirob, of Bhola.
The speeding vehicle hit Nirob at Kajla Bhanga of Jatrabari in the small hours of Friday.
Read: 2 killed, 10 injured in Gopalganj road crash
Later, pedestrians rushed him to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared him dead around 6am, said DMCH police outpost in-charge Inspector Md Bacchu Mia.
The body has been kept in the hospital morgue, Bacchu said.
Bangladesh sees another Covid death, 278 cases
Bangladesh reported one more Covid-linked death and 278 cases in 24 hours till Friday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total fatalities rose to 29,331 and caseload to 2,014,355, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Bangladesh sees one more Covid death, 388 cases
The daily case test positivity rate rose to 8.34 percent from Thursday's 7.40 percent as 3,334 samples were tested.
The deceased was a man from Dhaka division.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.46 percent while the recovery rate at 97.22 percent.
Read: Bangladesh sees 333 more Covid cases, zero death
In August, the country reported 32 Covid-linked deaths and 6,689 cases.
Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.
Dengue: 145 more hospitalised in 24hrs
Another 145 dengue patients were hospitalised in 24 hours till Friday morning.
Of them, 140 were admitted to different hospitals of Dhaka and five outside it, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
A total of 993 dengue patients, including 770 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
Read: Dengue claims five more lives in 24 hrs, 284 others hospitalised
This year's death toll from the mosquito-borne viral disease rose to 31 on Tuesday with five more deaths reported from Dhaka, Chattogram and Cox's Bazar districts.
Of the deceased, 15 were from Cox's Bazar, 13 from Dhaka, two from Barishal and another from Chattogram.
On June 21, the DGHS reported the first death of the season from the viral disease.
This year, the directorate has recorded 8,096 dengue cases and 7,132 recoveries so far.
Akbar Ali Khan laid to rest
Former advisor to the caretaker government and economist Dr Akbar Ali Khan was laid to rest at the city's Martyred Intellectual graveyard in Mirpur this afternoon (September 9, 2022).
His Namaz-e-janaza was held at Azad Mosque in Gulshan after Jumma prayer. After the Janaza, he was given a guard of honor by the district administration in the mosque premises.
Planning Minister MA Mannan, Cabinet Secretary Khandkar Anwarul Islam, Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) Founder and Trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury and former NBR Chairman Badiur Rahman took part in his janaza among others.
Earlier in the day, the body of Akbar Ali Khan was taken to his residence in Gulshan where his relatives, prominent personalities and cross section of people paid their last respect.
Akbar Ali passed away in Dhaka last night following a prolonged illness. He was 78.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman and different organisations including Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and Bangladesh Economic Association expressed shock and deep sorrow at his death.
Read: Dr. Akbar Ali Khan: A farewell to the Professor of integrity
Mild heatwave sweeps Bangladesh
A mild heatwave is sweeping through Bangladesh and it may continue, the weather department said on Friday morning.
“A mild heatwave is sweeping through the districts of Faridpur, Sirajgong, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Mymensingh, Cumilla, Chandpur, Feni, Satkhira, Jashore, Chuadanga, Kushtia and Bhola, and it may continue, “ Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said in a bulletin.
Read: Rains likely to quell heat in Bangladesh
Besides, light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds and lightning flashes are likely to occur at many places over Barishal, Chattogram and Khulna divisions and at a few places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at isolated places over the country.
Day temperature may rise slightly over the northern part of the country and it may remain nearly unchanged elsewhere over the country. Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, the department said.
Read: Mild heat wave sweeps parts of country
The maximum temperature was recorded at 36.6 degrees Celsius in Tarash upazila of Rajshahi in 24 hours till Friday morning.
When Queen Elizabeth II came to Bangladesh
Britain’s now-late Queen Elizabeth II visited Bangladesh on November 14, 1983. Prior to that, in 1961, she came to Dhaka, which was then the capital of east Pakistan.
In November 1983, the queen accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, attended a low-key ceremony led by the country’s then military president Hussain Muhammad Ershad, as reported by UPI.
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband were taken by a motorcade to the State Guest House where they last stayed in 1961.
Also read: Bangladesh declares 3 days of mourning for Queen
The royal couple stayed in Bangladesh from November 14 to 17, 1983, before leaving for New Delhi, India, where the queen opened the Commonwealth Summit.
The then military government of Bangladesh had spent $2 million on giving Dhaka a facelift for the queen’s visit despite World Bank calling Bangladesh the third poorest country in the world back then.
Colourful posters of Queen Elizabeth II, banners reading “Long live Bangladesh-United Kingdom friendship” and Union Jack flags lined the 18-mile route from the airport.
Among the highlights of Queen Elizabeth’s Bangladesh trip was a visit to the National Memorial, where she laid a wreath to honour those martyred during the Liberation War of 1971.
Also read: PM Hasina mourns death of Queen Elizabeth-II
The queen travelled by train to visit a “model village” – 35 miles south of the capital Dhaka – and watched how rice is turned into “muri”, handicrafts, including quilts and pottery.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Save the Children centre in Dhaka and met beneficiaries. Bangladesh Railway presented Her Majesty a wooden plaque with metal relief and a scrolling leaf border.