01-11-2018

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY
THURSDAy, DHAKA, NovEMBER 1, 2018, KARTIK 17, 1425 BS, SAfAR 21, 1440 HIjRI
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated Sheikh Rasel Gastro liver Institute and Hospital on
Wednesday at Mohakhali in the capital.
Photo: Star Mail
Country to get 5 more medical
universities, says PM
Now, Ershad
writes to PM
seeking dialogue
DHAKA : As the Prime
Minister has responded to the
requests of political parties
and alliances to engage in
talks, Jatiya Party (JaPa)
Chairman HM Ershad on
Wednesday sent a letter to
Sheikh Hasina seeking dialogue
with her party over the
upcoming general election,
reports UNB.
Sunil Shuvo Roy, press and
political secretary to JaPa
Chairman HM Ershad, handed
over the letter to the Prime
Minister's Office around 12:15
pm.
Ershad, on behalf of United
National Alliance (Shammilito
Jatiya Jote), signed the letter,
Sunil Shuvo Roy told UNB.
On Sunday, Dr Kamal
Hossain, in favour of Jatiya
Oikyafront, sent a letter to
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
seeking dialogue. In response
to it, Sheikh Hasina sent a letter
to Dr Kamal on Tuesday
morning and invited
Oikyafront leaders to join the
dialogue at 7 pm on Thursday
at Ganobhaban.
Bangladesh shouldn’t rely
too much on overseas
borrowing: ADBI chief
DHAKA : Bangladesh
needs to mobilise domestic
investment alongside
increasing it in infrastructure
with 'spillover
tax revenues' not relying
too much on overseas
money as infrastructural
needs in Bangladesh
remain enormous, says a
global development
expert, reports UNB.
"Infrastructure needs
in Bangladesh are huge.
If you rely too much on
overseas money, that will
hurt the development,"
Naoyuki Yoshino, Dean
of the Asian
Development Bank
Institute (ADBI), told
UNB in an interview at
the ADB office here.
The expert, also
Professor Emeritus at
Keio University, Japan,
said the public money
and money from the
international lending
agencies are not enough
considering the huge
infrastructural needs in
Bangladesh.
"I see traffic jam in
Dhaka is getting heavier.
That means you have
lack of infrastructure and
transportation," he said
adding that it is important
to explore how to
bring private sector in
order to construct infrastructure.
"And the key is
how to increase the rate
of return from the investment."
Prof Yoshino who leads
the ADBI, the world's
second best governmentaffiliated
think tank, said
many construction companies
are interested in
constructing railways,
highways but they do not
care about development
of surrounding areas and
inclusiveness.
"They've to realise that
lots of poor people are
living in surrounding
areas and think of how to
provide finance to them
and help them start their
own small business,
shops, restaurants," he
mentioned.
Prof Yoshino encouraged
Bangladesh to give
attention more on insurance,
pension funds, and
other savings saying it is
very important for
Bangladesh to start
increasing savings -
short-, medium- and
long-term to address
infrastructural investment
needs.
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina on Wednesday promised to set
up five more medical universities in five
divisional headquarters if her party is
reelected in the next national election.
"...if we can form the government again,
then Inshallah we'll set up five more
medical universities in five divisional
headquarters," she said, reports UNB.
The Prime Minister said this while
inaugurating the 250-bed Sheikh Russel
Gastrolever Institute and Hospital at
Mohakhali in the city.
Currently, Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujib Medical University is in operation
in Dhaka, while medical universities in
Rajshahi, Sylhet and Chattogram are
under construction.
About the national election, Sheikh
Hasina said the election can be held 90
days prior to the completion of the
Parliament's tenure. "The Election
Commission may announce the election
schedule any time...we'll participate in
the election," she said.
She mentioned that if people vote for
the Awami League again it will be possible
for the party to serve them. "If there's
the continuity [of the govt] we'll be able
to achieve the targets we have set."
The Prime Minister said the birth centenary
of Father of the Nation
The Disgusting Food Museum
INTERESTING NEWS
A new museum aimed to assault the
olfactory senses of visitors and churn
their stomach opened yesterday in
Sweden’s third largest city, Malmo.
Inside are various exhibits that some
cultures supposedly eat, such as fermented
shark meat, bull penis, fermented
herring, maggot cheese and
ant larvae. It’s so bad that the museum
provide visitors with vomit bags before
they enter.
“I want people to question what they
find disgusting and realize that disgust
is always in the eye of the beholder,”
said Samuel West, the founder of the
Disgusting Food Museum, who is also
known for the Museum of Failure.
“We usually find things we're not
familiar with disgusting, versus things
that we grow up with and are familiar
with are not disgusting, regardless of
what it is.”
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
will be celebrated in 2020, while the
Golden Jubilee of the Independence will
be observed in 2021. The government
fixed 2041 to make the country as a
developed one while formulated the
Delta Plan 2100 to make it a prosperous
one for the future generation, she added.
"We'll build the country for the future
generation imbued with the spirit of the
Liberation War as dreamt by the Father
of the Nation to make it as hunger- and
poverty-free one," Hasina said. The
Prime Minister urged the physicians to
serve people taking the profession with
the great devotion and dedication. She
put emphasis on research works to find
out the diseases that the people of the
country suffer from most and what type
of medicines will be more effective for
them. "I think, research on this issue is
very much important."
The Prime Minister mentioned that
the main objective of the medical universities
will be to conduct research.
"Research works will be conducted in
the medical universities firstly, while
medical colleges will be affiliated with
these universities in their respective
areas. The medical universities will take
care of the standards of the curricula of
the medical colleges," she said.
Many foods are universally appealing,
but others can be more of an
acquired taste. There are approximately
80 food exhibits in the museum
belonging to the latter category. A
large number of these delicacies are
from Asia and Europe, with China
leading followed by, surprisingly, the
United States. Indeed, there are more
entries from the United States than
from Central and South America,
Africa and Australia. Some US
favorites that made it to the list include
the classic processed food Spam and
Twinkies, and root beer, as well as Jell-
O salad with pasta in it and Pop-Tarts.
But the truly disgusting might be the
Rocky Mountain oysters, which are
deep-fried bull testicles.
There are some exhibits that might
actually taste pretty good, but their
preparation causes extreme suffering
for the animals being eaten.
Chaired by Health and Family Welfare
Minister Mohammad Nasim, the inaugural
programme, was also addressed,
by State Minister for Health and Family
Welfare Ministry Zahid Maleque, PM's
personal physician Dr Mohammad
Sirajul Islam Shishir and Family
Welfare Secretary (Health Services
Division) Md Serajul Huq Khan.
The Prime Minister asked the administrative
officials, doctors and all other
concerned for proper operation and
maintenance of the medical institutes
and hospitals to ensure healthcare services
to people. She said the government
is trying hard to reach the health
services to the doorsteps of people.
Hasina said Bangladesh is moving
ahead which will certainly continue in
the coming days.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister
inaugurated the newly-constructed
National Institute of Laboratory
Medicine and Referral Centre and laid
the foundation stone of the vertical
extensions of the National Institute of
Mental Health Hospital, Suharawardi
Hospital, Institute of Kidney Diseases
and Urology Hospital, Mugda
Hospital-Dhaka, Asthma Center-
Dhaka and Health Management
Institute in Savar.
HC asks EC not
to accept BNP's
amended charter
DHAKA : The High Court
on Wednesday asked the
Election Commission not to
accept the amended Article 7
of BNP's constitution and
dispose of the petition in this
regard within a month,
reports UNB.
A HC bench of Justice Md
Ashfaqul Islam and Justice
Mohammad Ali passed the
order following a petition
filed by Mozammel Hossain,
a resident of the city's Kafrul
area.
The BNP's amended charter
has deleted the provision
against bankrupt, insane,
corrupt or notorious individuals
from being BNP candidate
for contesting Jatiya
Sangsad elections.
It has been replaced with a
provision that the chief of
BNP will hold the office of
the chairperson; and any
person less than 30 years
cannot be the head of the
party.
Advocate Momtaz Uddin
Ahmed Mehedi stood for the
petitioner while deputy
attorney general Al Amin
Sarker and assistant attorney
general KM Masud Rumi
represented the state.
Advocate Momtaz Uddin
Ahmed Mehedi, said
Mozammel, a BNP activist,
filed a petition with the
Election Commission on
Tuesday seeking not to grant
the constitutional amendment
of BNP.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurat the newly constructed the central jail in Sylhet
today.
Photo : Star Mail
Denmark to provide US$ 4.6 m
more for Rohingyas
DHAKA : Danish Minister
for Development
Cooperation Ulla
Tornæs on Wednesday
announced additional funding
of US$ 4.6 million to
meet the urgent food needs
of Rohingyas and host communities,
reports UNB.
Tornæs said they are
doing whatever they can to
put pressure on the government
of Myanmar to make
sure that a political solution
to the Rohingya crisis is
found.
"I can assure you that
from the Danish government
side we're putting all
the pressures that we can
do," said the Danish
Minister at a joint press conference
in a city hotel mentioning
that Denmark
remains committed to
standing by Bangladesh.
Earlier, the Danish
Minister and Executive
Director of the United
Nations World Food
Programme (WFP) David
Beasley jointly visited
Rohingya camps in
Kutupalong-Balukhali of
Cox's Bazar district.
Denmark has allocated
US$ 13 million to WFP's
efforts in relation to the crisis
since August 2017.
The Danish Minister said
her government remains
committed to supporting
those affected with both
humanitarian and development
assistance.
She stressed the need for
further cooperation, dialogue
and sustained efforts
from the international community.
"It has been one year since
I last visited these camps.
I'm pleased to see positive
changes. Indeed, the
resilience demonstrated by
the Rohingya community is
evident to us all. I'm
impressed with the results
of the combined efforts of
the international community
and the government of
Bangladesh," the Danish
Minister added.
There is of course much
more needs to be done,
Minister Tornæs said
adding, "Yet, I must express
appreciation for the work
the WFP is carrying out in
support of 870,000 refugees
with protection, food and
shelter."
She said those who are
responsible for atrocities
committed against
Rohingyas should be held
accountable and laid
emphasis on implementation
of the Kofi Annan
Commission recommendations
and create conducive
environment in
Rakhine.
Responding to a question,
the Danish minister said the
sanctions should be directed
towards individuals who are
responsible. "This means
towards specific military
persons. This has been supported
by Denmark very
strongly."
She said it is very important
that when they talk
about sanctions, this has to
be done in a clever and very
careful way. "Introducing
sanctions in general, I
believe, would hurt
Myanmar people, including
the Rohingyas in Rakhine."
Beasley said he was
haunted by the stories he
heard here in Cox's Bazar
from the people who survived
unspeakable persecution
in Myanmar last year.
"Returning to these camps
now I'm heartened by the
obvious improvements and
I'm more determined than
ever that the WFP will stand
with those in need."
He, however, said more
work needs to be done to
support the Rohingya people
and local Bangladeshi
communities.
Beasley said the international
community needs to
work with Bangladesh to
give the Rohingya children
not just hope for a better
future, but also the tools to
thrive, including food,
health and education.
3 killed in
Kushtia,
Mymensingh
‘gunfights’
DHAKA : Three suspected
drug traders and an alleged
robber were killed in separate
incidents of reported gunfights
in Kushtia and
Mymensingh districts early
Wednesday. In Kushtia, two
suspected drug traders were
killed in separate incidents of
reported gunfights between
two groups of criminals in
Sadar and Doulatpur upazilas
early Wednesday, reports
UNB.
Acting on secret information
that two groups of 'drug
peddlers' were exchanging
bullets, a team of police went
to Kaburhat Madrasha Para in
Sadar upazila around 2 am,
said Nasir Uddin, officer-incharge
of Kushtia Model
Police Station. Sensing presence
of the law enforcers, the
criminals opened fire to
police, forcing them to fire
back in self-defence. Later,
police recovered an unidentified
man, injured with bullets
and took him to Kushita
General Hospital where the
doctors declared him dead.
One foreign pistol and 800
pieces of Yaba tablets were
recovered from the spot, the
OC added. In another incident,
a team of police conducted
a drive at
Muslimnagar Field in
Daulatpur upazila where a
group of criminals were
exchanging bullets, said Shah
Dara, officer-in-charge of
Daulatpur Police Station.
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Advisory Editor: Advocate Molla Mohammad Abu Kawser, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka.
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