The Bangladesh Today (15-12-2017)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY
FRIdAy, dHAKA, dECEMBER 15, 2017, POuSH 1, 1424 BS, RABI-ul-AwAl 25, 1439 HIJRI
The train communication started experimentally on the under construction Ishwardi-Pabna railway on Thursday.
On that day the people were very excited when the train arrived at the station of Pabna. Photo: Star Mail
S Korea pledges
additional
$500,000 for
Rohingyas
DHAKA : The government
of South Korea has pledged
$500,000 more through
United nations Populations
Fund (UnFPA) for the
Rohingyas, reports UnB.
Earlier Korea donated $1.5
million through IOM for
relief operation in support of
the Rohingyas in
Bangladesh.
At present, the total
humanitarian aid provided
by the Korean government to
support the Rohingyas
stands around $2 million (16
Crore Taka), said a press
release on Thursday.
The Korean government
has repeatedly expressed its
profound concern about the
Rohingyas seeking safe place
across the border.
The national and international
humanitarian agencies
have been responding in
support of government
efforts, however, instant
scale-up is required to handle
the relentless crisis.
EC set to test new EVM in
Rangpur city election
DHAKA : Five years after
the last use of old EVM in the
maiden polls to Rangpur City
Corporation in 2012, the
Election Commission is now
going to use newly-designed
EVM on trial basis in the
upcoming election to the
same city corporation, reports
UnB.
The new EVM (Electronic
Voting Machine), produced
by Bangladesh Machine Tools
Factory, will be used in a
polling station (Begum
Rokeya College Centre of
ward no 25) of the city corporation
election slated for
December 21 next.
Unlike the old EVM, the
new machine has a number of
fresh features, including voter
verification process, display of
names of symbols of all the
candidates, printed vote-casting
confirmation slip and
installation of data of the particular
polling station.
Generation of Quick
Response (QR) code against
each voter and confirmation
option for the voter before
casting ballot are among
other features of the machine
which can only be operated by
the presiding officer of the
polling station concerned or
any other authorised persons.
The new machine was
designed following the assessment
made by the Prof
Jamilur Reza Choudhury-led
18-member technical expert
team formed by the Election
Commission.
To cast vote through the
new machine, a voter first
needs to go through a verification
process by fingerprint or
smart national identity card
number or voter number.
when the voter will be
found genuine in the verification
process, the projector will
show the portrait of the voter
concerned, and a QR code will
be generated and printed
against the voter, and then
the ballot unit will be activated
allowing the voter to go the
secret place to cast the ballot
pressing the button of the
machine.
The voter will be able to see
The Strange Beauty
of Soviet Bus Stops
InTERESTInG nEwS
Canadian photographer Christopher
Herwig travelled through the length and
breadth of the former Soviet Union to document
a curious phenomenon that he had
stumbled upon more than a decade ago while
on a cycling trip across Europe — bus stops.
These strange little shelters are brimming
with architectural styles that’s unlike anything
you have ever seen anywhere else.
There are pyramids and arches, domes and
vaults and other improbable structures.
The remarkable diversity and creativity
displayed in these bus stops is even more
strange when you consider the fact that they
belong to a regime that is usually associated
with Brutalist architecture. And this is exactly
the reason why you will find such elaborate
bus stops nowhere else but the Soviet Union.
These roadside pavilions were the precious
opportunities for local artists and architects
to express themselves and break free of the
monotony in architecture.
The bus stop was one of the few building
types that had a certain amount of autonomy
from the centralized planning machine.
Indeed, it was a government stipulation that
they should be beautiful and reflect a local
aesthetic. This allowed architects to flex their
creativity.
Georgian sculptor and architect Zurab
Tsereteli, who designed some of the most
elaborate structures around Pitsunda on the
Black Sea, recalls, “I suggested that these bus
stops shouldn’t be about just a frame, glass
and seating. People should get pleasure out of
them. we decided they should be monumental
art in space,” he told The Guardian. Zurab
Tsereteli is now a celebrated Moscow-based
artist and president of the Russian Academy
of Arts.
It took Christopher Herwig twelve years to
photograph hundreds of bus stops during
which he travelled to 14 countries and covered
more than 30,000 km. These photographs
have now been assembled into a
limited edition, hardcover photo book, that
will be launched in September 2015.
the names and symbols of all
the candidates. After pressing
the button of the machine, the
voter will have a confirmation
option to confirm vote in
favour of the particular candidate.
The voter finally will get
a vote-casting confirmation
slip after the verification of
the ballot.
Election Commissioner
Brig Gen (retd) Shahadat
Hossain Chowdhury said
though the Commission will
use the new EVM in a polling
station of Rangpur City election
on trial basis, the manual
balloting system will be
kept ready to face any possible
failure of the machine.
"The vote-casting through
the new EVM is just another
version of the entire exiting
balloting system," he said.
About the security of the
new EVM, he said, "It's not
online. So, no one can hack
it. Besides, outsiders can't
cast votes through the
machine as there'll be voters'
date of the polling station
concerned."
3 neo-JMB
operatives
arrested
in city
DHAKA : Police arrested
three operatives of militant
outfit neo-JMB, including
Abdus Samad alias Arif
Mamu alias Ashique, one of
its founders, in the city's
Mohakhali area on
wednesday night.
The two other detainees
are Ziadul Islam and Md
Azizul Islam, reports UnB.
Tipped-off, special action
team of Counter Terrorism
and Transnational Crime
(CTTC) unit of Dhaka
Metropolitan Police (DMP)
conducted a drive here and
detained the trio along with
firearms and ammunitions.
The law enforcers recovered
one pistol, five ammunitions
and 200 detonators
from the spot, said Masudur
Rahman, deputy commissioner
(Media) of DMP.
At a press briefing at DMP
media centre CTTC
ChiefMonirul Islam said
Samad in 2009, joined the
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
Bangladesh (JMB), later
along with Tamim
Chowdhury he formed
another militant organisation
named 'Julad Al Tawhid
Al Khilafha' in 2014.
As their fresh militant outfit
failed to operate successfully
they later joined the
neo-JMB, he said.
The name of Arif Mamu
came into the radar of law
enforcers while investigating
into
the
HossainiDalanattack case in
old Dhakaduring 2015.
Nasrul seeks
South Korean
investment in
power sector
DHAKA : State for
Minister for Power, Energy
and Mineral Resources
nasrul Hamid said yesterday
that there exists an ample
opportunity for South Korea
to make investment in
Bangladesh's power sector,
reports BSS.
"South Korea can set up
power plants, terminals and
extract coal or solid rock in
view of Korea's meager participation
in power sector of
Bangladesh," he said.
He was speaking to South
Korean Ambassador to
Bangladesh Ri Song Hyon
when the latter paid a courtesy
call on him at his ministry
office here, said an official
release.
The state minister
informed the envoy that
some $ 21 billion has so far
been invested in the power
sector of Bangladesh. He
sought more investment in
the sector. During the meeting,
the Korean ambassador
expressed his country's keen
interest to share experiences
with Bangladesh.
They also had discussions
on various issues of mutual
interests.
96 police officers
promoted to SPs
DHAKA : In the latest promotion
in the police administration,
96 additional
superintendents of police
(SPs) have been elevated to
the rank of superintendent of
police, reports UnB.
The Home Ministry issued
a notification on Thursday in
this regard.
According to the notification
signed by its Deputy
Secretary Md Ilias Hossain,
the order will come into
immediate effect.
Israel carried out a series of air strikes against Islamist group Hamas in Gaza early on Thursday.
Photo : AP
Israel strikes Hamas targets
after Gaza rocket fire
GAZA CITY : Israel carried
out a series of air
strikes against Islamist
group Hamas in Gaza early
on Thursday, the army
said, hours after rockets
were fired from the
Palestinian enclave, reports
BSS
In a statement, the Israeli
army said it had targeted
three Hamas military facilities
in different parts of the
Hamas-controlled Gaza
Strip.
"The military facilities
were used as training and
weapons storage compounds,"
the army said.
"This was in response to the
projectiles fired at Israeli
territory from the Gaza
Strip."
A Palestinian security
source said there were
ACC recommends 8
steps to stop
coaching business
DHAKA : The Anti-
Corruption Commission
(ACC) has recommended
conducting investigation
into illegal earning of wealth
by teachers, cancelling the
MCQ question pattern and
forming monitoring teams
to stop the coaching business.
"we have forwarded an
eight-point recommendation
to the authorities concerned
including the
Cabinet Division to stop the
coaching trade across the
country," deputy director of
the ACC Pranab Kumar
Bhattacharjee told BSS.
The recommendations
included conducting investi-
more than 10 strikes on the
targets, which included a
Hamas naval facility and a
military base near the Shati
refugee camp in northern
Gaza.
The source said there had
been significant damage to
the targets, as well as lesser
damage to nearby houses,
where some residents suffered
minor injuries. There
was no immediate confirmation
of the injuries from
the health ministry in Gaza.
The strikes came hours
after Israel's air defence
system intercepted two
rockets fired from Gaza.
Such rockets are generally
fired by fringe Islamist
groups but Israel holds
Gaza's Hamas rulers
responsible for any fire
from the territory.
gation against the teachers
who earned wealth illegally,
forming monitoring committees
at metropolitan
cities, districts and upazilas,
following strictly the rules of
teachers' transfer, and cancelling
the MCQ question
pattern, he said.
ACC also suggested overall
change of the question
pattern, he said, adding that
they have also suggested
divisional action against the
teachers involved in coaching
trade ignoring the policy
to this end.
The 8-point recommendation
forms part of the
anti-graft watchdog's 39-
point recommendation sent
The army also announced
it would close the border
crossings between Gaza
and Israel-Kerem Shalom
for goods and Erez for people-from
Thursday "due to
the security events and in
accordance with security
assessments".
A military spokeswoman
could not say whether the
closure would be for one
day or more.
There has been an uptick
in violence from Gaza since
US President Donald
Trump announced he
would recognise Jerusalem
as Israel's capital last week.
Four Gazans have been
killed, two in clashes along
the border and two Hamas
militants in an Israeli air
strike in retaliation for
rocket fire.
to the cabinet division to
stop corruption and irregularities
in the education sector.
ACC has prepared the
recommendations upon a
report submitted by its institutional
team formed to
investigate corruption in the
education sector.
The report, with the set of
recommendations, was
approved by the ACC on
wednesday and forwarded
to secretaries of the cabinet
division, primary and higher
education division, education
ministry, chairman of
national curriculum and
textbook board and education
engineering department.
Raise awareness for universal
health coverage: Experts
DHAKA : Bangladesh must ensure participation
of the people of all strata as the government
could not alone achieve universal health
coverage, health experts told a function yesterday,
reports BSS.
They told the function as Save the Children
launched their global report "Primary Health
Care First: Strengthening the Foundation for
Universal Health Coverage", marking the
Universal Health Coverage Day on December 12.
In respect to the global report, Save the
Children in Bangladesh has undertaken an indepth
situation analysis to discuss the
progress, successes and challenges of advancing
UHC in Bangladesh.
The Report launching event titled 'Realizing
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in
Bangladesh: Time for action' was organized on
December 14 at a city hotel. This programme
was jointly organized by Save the Children in
Bangladesh and BRAC James P Grant School
of Public Health(JPGSP), BRAC University.
Ashadul Islam, secretary of the ministry of
Public Administration, Md nuruzzaman,
Acting DG Health Economics Unit, Ministry of
Health and Family welfare, Dr. Hossian Zillur
Rahman, Chairman, Power and Participation
Research Centre (PPRC), health experts and
officials of different organizations, among others,
addressed the function.
Dr. Shamim Jahan, Director of Health
nutrition and HIV/AIDS at Save the Children
in Bangladesh discussed about Save the
Children's evidence based programs on the
ground which have been successfully scaled up
and operationalised and worked in the health
system strengthening. Senior research fellow of
JPGSPH of BRAC nadia Ishrat Alamgir and
Senior Research Associate Dr nahitun naher
and Assistant Professor of JPGPH of BRAC
Taufique Joarder made separate presentations
on different aspects of UHC.
Bankers find lack of
morals for financial
irregularities in banks
DHAKA : Around 73 percent
bankers of the country
think financial irregularities
in the banking sector
are increasing due to lack of
morals.
This is revealed at a workshop
on "Corporate Ethics
and Financial Crime in
Banks: Bangladesh
Perspective" at the
Bangladesh Institute of
Bank Management (BIBM)
auditorium in the city, said
a press release.
Bangladesh Bank Deputy
Governor Abu Hena Mohd.
Razee Hasan attended the
workshop as the chief
guest. BIBM Director
General Dr Towfiq Ahmed
Chowdhury presided over
the workshop while BIBM
Director Dr Shah M Ahsan
Habib presented the
research report.
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