29-12-2020

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2020610 including journalist honoredin RangabaliKaMRUL haSan, RanGaBaLI CORRESPOnDEnT:10 people including a journalist havebeen honored in Rangabali upazila ofPatuakhali. The 'BangabandhuMemorial award' crest was handedover to them at the BangabandhuPoetry Festival organized on theoccasion of Bangabandhu's birthcentenary.The event was organized by theCentral Committee of Kabi SangsadBangladesh at Rangabali ModelSecondary School on Sundayafternoon. They honored nomineesfrom different parts of the country fortheir special contribution in six fieldsincluding education, journalism andliterature.Journalist Kamrul hasan, who worksfor national daily newspaper inRangabali Upazila, has been honoredfor his special contribution injournalism by highlighting variousissues including the sorrows, problems,possibilities and history and traditionsof the people of the coastal villages.During this time, Marfia, LakitullahMahmud Chishti, halima Kona,Mehedi hasan and Bappi Saha gothonors in poetry. Professor Zafarahmed was honored in education,Kamruzzaman Shibli in social service,abul Kalam azad in research and amirhossain in folklore.During the time, Touhidul IslamThe multi-sectoral annual nutrition action meeting of Rangpur District was held on Sunday at the ParjatanMotel in Rangpur.Photo: CourtesyMulti-sectoral district annual nutrition actionplan 2020-2021 workshop held in RangpurThe multi-sectoral annual nutritionaction meeting of Rangpur District washeld on Sunday at the Parjatan Motel,Rangpur, organized by the Districtnutrition Coordinating Committee incollaboration with the Joint action fornutrition Outcome (JanO) Project, apress release said.The meeting was presided over by Md.asib ahsan, Deputy Commissioner,Rangpur and President, Districtnutrition Coordinating Committee,Rangpur Dr. Md. Khalilur Rahman, DG,Bangladesh national nutrition Councilwas present as the chief guest and SyedFarhad hossain, Deputy Director(Deputy Secretary), Local Government,Rangpur and Dr. Ikhtiyar UddinKhandaker, Director-health, CareBangladesh were present as specialguests. along with members of theDistrict nutrition CoordinationCommittee and JanO project officials,Dr. hiramb Kumar Roy, Civil Surgeon,Rangpur and Member Secretary, Districtnutrition Coordinating Committee,Rangpur, Dr. akhtar Imam, DeputyDirector, Bangladesh national nutritionCouncil, Dr. Gazi ahmed hasan, DeputyProgram Manager, nnS, IPhn were alsopresent in the meeting.The multi-sectoral annual districtnutrition action plan 2020-2021 ofRangpur district was presented at themeeting where the 2020-2021 annualnutrition action plan of 8 Upazilas, 8ministries, 10 departments 76 Unions 6development partner organizations ofRangpur were mentioned. In theworkshop, the officers in charge of all thedepartments at the district levelpresented the nutrition related actionplan of their respective departments. Thetotal allocation for the action plan is1160616500 (one hundred and eighteencrores seven lakh sixteen thousand fivehundred taka). Dr. hiramba Kumar Roy,Civil Surgeon and Member Secretary,District nutrition CoordinatingCommittee, Rangpur presented theDistrict nutrition Plan and Dr. Md.Mostafa Zaman Chowdhury, Upazilahealth and Family Planning Officer andMember Secretary, Upazila nutritionCoordinating Committee, Taraganj,Rangpur presented the Upazila nutritionplan.Md. Khalilur Rahman, DirectorGeneral of Bangladesh nationalnutrition Council said that there is noalternative to multi-sectoral districtnutrition action plan to solve thenutrition issues in Bangladesh. Dr.Ikhtiyar Uddin Khandaker, Directorhealth,CaRE Bangladesh said thatJanO Project is always ready to supportto Government of Bangladesh specially inRangpur and nilphamari region onmulti-sectoral nutritional activities aswell as nutrition specific and nutritionsensitive issues.JanO project is funded by theEuropean Union and co-funded by theaustrian Development Cooperation andis being implemented by CaREBangladesh, Plan International andESDO. The objective of the project is tocontribute in ending malnutrition ofPregnant and Lactating Women (PLW)together with addressing the nutritionalneeds of children under five years of age,and adolescent girls. The project willclosely work with the Government ofBangladesh (GoB) at the national,regional and local levels, to support theeffective implementation of the nationalPlan of action for nutrition 2 (nPan 2).BCG seizes huge quantity of Jatka from passenger launchBangladesh Coast GuardStation Pagla conducted aspecial operation on thebasis of secret informationfrom the Dhaleshari riverin Kathpatti area underSadar police station ofMunshiganj district andseized 5,000 kg of Jatkafrom a passenger launchnamed Farhan-5 onSunday midnight, a pressrelease said.During the time, it wasnot possible to arrestanyone as the real ownersof Jatka were not found inthe operation. The seizedjatkas were laterdistributed among thelocal orphans and destitutein presence of theExecutive Magistrate andthe Upazila SeniorFisheries Officer.Regular operations willbe carried out in the areasunder the jurisdiction ofBangladesh Coast Guard toensure law and order, curbrobberies and ensurepublic safety as well asprevent illegal fishing andkilling of jatkas.Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard Station in a drive seized 5,000 kgof Jatka from a passenger launch from Dhaleshari river in Kathpattiarea under Sadar police station of Munshiganj district on Sunday midnight.Photo: CourtesyJournalist Kamrul Hasan was honored with 'Bangabandhu Memorial Award' crest at theBangabandhu Poetry Festival organized on the occasion of Bangabandhu's birth centenary inRangabali upazila on Sunday.Photo: TBTBattery-powered autorickshaw LED bulbs increaserisk of accidents in 7 upazilas of BholaTayBUR RahaMan, ChaRFaSSOn CORRESPOnDEnT:Battery-powered autorickshawsare rampant onvarious roads and highwaysin 7 upazilas of Bhola district.The modern world is uselesswithout communication.The flickering light of theheadlights of the LED bulbsof different colors of thebattery-poweredautorickshaw has beenshown to be a cause ofdanger.as a result of being used inbattery-poweredautorickshaws, CnG,nasimon, Karimon, etc. atnight, other vehiclestraveling in the oppositedirection, such asmotorcycles, various types ofbi-cycling, LED dim bulbs ofdifferent colors, nothing isseen, which increases thenumber of accidents.Extensive battery-poweredautorickshaws can be seen inthe districts and upazilas,resulting in huge traffic jams,Battery-powered autorickshaws are rampant on various roads andhighways in 7 upazilas of Bhola district. Photo: Taybur Rahamanespecially in BholaLalmohan, Char Fashion,Shashi Bhushan, DularhatSouth aicha, ChairmanBazar, various places onthese roads.accidents are on the risedue to the dim light ofbattery-poweredautorickshaw LED bulbs ofdifferentcolors.Motorcyclists said the LEDlights made it difficult todrive at night. In front of theautorickshaw, in fact,nothing can be seen due tothe light of the LED bulbs ofdifferent colors, the eyesbecome absolutely blurred.So to avoid these accidents,the use of LED lights ofdifferent colors should bestopped immediately andthe common people of thearea have immediatelydrawn the attention of theconcerned authorities.An awareness meeting to inform about the large scale vaccination of dogs in Manikchari with the aim of eradicatingrabies was held at the Upazila Administration Auditorium on Monday. Photo: Md. Zakir HossainThe photo shows long queue of voters due to slow voting in EVM system in Dhamrai municipalelection on Monday.Photo: Milon Siddiquiawareness meeting to preventrabies held in ManikchariMD. ZaKIR hOSSaIn, ManIKChaRI CORRESPOnDEnT:an awareness meeting was held atthe Upazila administrationauditorium on Monday afternoon toinform about the large scalevaccination of dogs in Manikchari withthe aim of eradicating rabies. Upazilahealth and Family Planning Officer Dr.Ratan Khisa presided over the meetingand health assistant amjad hossainconducted the information meeting.During the time, Upazila ChairmanJoynal abedin, Upazila nirbahi OfficerTamanna Mahmud, Officer-in-Chargeamir hossain, Vice Chairman TajulIslam Babul, Women Vice ChairmanDolly Chowdhurani, UP Chairmen,Journalists, various personalities werealso present at the occasion.a total of 40 members in four unionsof the upazila will be vaccinated againstrabies, authorities said.In 2010, dog vaccination was startedin some districts to eradicate rabies, butnow it is being carried out in 56 districtsof the country. according to theorganizers, the Department of healthhas adopted this program with the aimof declaring Bangladesh a 100% waterfreecountry in 2022. he also soughtthe cooperation of all to createawareness among the general publicabout the vaccination of dogs.
TUESDAY, DECEMbEr 29, 20207Amid pandemic, Pacific islandswork to offset food shortagesThe massive, year-end catchall bill that President Donald Trump signed into law combines $900billion in COVID-19 aid with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill and reams of other unfinishedlegislation on taxes, energy, education and health care.Photo : APHighlights of COVID-19, governmentfunding law taking effectThe massive, year-end catchall bill thatPresident Donald Trump signed into lawcombines $900 billion in COVID-19 aidwith a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending billand reams of other unfinished legislationon taxes, energy, education and healthcare, reports UNB.Highlights of the measure withoverall funding amounts and specificamounts for some but not necessarilyall initiatives.Unemployment insurance ($120billion). Revives supplementalfederal pandemic unemploymentbenefits but at $300 per week -through March 14 - instead of the$600 per week benefit that expired inJuly. Extends special pandemicbenefits for "gig" workers andextends the maximum period forstate-paid jobless benefits to 50weeks.Direct payments ($166 billion).Provides $600 direct payments toindividuals making up to $75,000 perPakistan concernsover high level ofviolence inAfghanistanISLAMABAD : Pakistan onSunday expressed concernabout the spike in violence inAfghanistan and assuredhelp in enhancing security,reports UNB.The foreign ministry saidPakistan continued to"express its deep concern atthe increasing level ofviolence" in Afghanistanduring the current year andPrime Minister Imran Khan,on several occasions, hasreiterated his calls forreduction in violence leadingto a cease-fire."It is important tounderline the need forAfghan government to takeproactive measures to fulfillits responsibility for internalsecurity, law and order andprotection of Afghan lives," aforeign ministry statementsaid. The statement saidPakistan stands ready toexpand all possiblecooperation in the area ofsecurity and effective bordermanagement througheffective institutionalcollaboration.Referring to theresumption of intra-Afghannegotiations expected onJan. 5, 2021, the statementsaid the negotiations wouldenter an important andcritical phase that would befocusing on the substantiveissues related to acomprehensive futurepolitical settlement."In this delicate phase ofthe Intra-AfghanNegotiations, it is importantfor the negotiating parties toavoid accusations and todemonstrate wisdom,sagacity and vision for thelarger objective of lastingpeace and stability inAfghanistan," according tothe statement. Thestatement said Pakistanwould like to reiterate itsfirm commitment.year and couples making up to$150,000 per year - with paymentsphased out for higher incomes-with$600 additional payments perdependent child.Paycheck Protection Program ($284billion). Revives the PaycheckProtection Program, which providesforgivable loans to qualified businesses.Especially hard-hit businesses thatreceived PPP grants would be eligiblefor a second round. Ensures that PPPsubsidies are not taxed.Vaccines, testing, health providers($69 billion). Delivers more than $30billion for procurement of vaccines andtreatments, distribution funds forstates, and a strategic stockpile. Adds$22 billion for testing, tracing andmitigation, $9 billion for health careproviders, and $4.5 billion for mentalhealth. Schools and universities ($82billion). Delivers $54 billion to publicK-12 schools affected by the pandemicand $23 billion for colleges anduniversities; $4 billion would beawarded to a Governors EmergencyEducation Relief Fund; nearly $1billion for Native American schools.Rental assistance ($25 billion).Provides money for a first-ever federalrental assistance program; funds to bedistributed by state and localgovernments to help people who havefallen behind on their rent and may befacing eviction.Food/farm aid ($26 billion).Increases stamp benefits by 15% for sixmonths and provides funding to foodbanks, Meals on Wheels and other foodaid. Provides an equal amount ($13billion) to farmers and ranchers.Child Care ($10 billion). Provides $10billion to the Child Care DevelopmentBlock Grant to help families with childcare costs and help providers coverincreased operating costs. PostalService ($10 billion). Forgives a $10billion loan to the Postal Serviceprovided in earlier relief legislation.Arifullah Khan had just administered another polio vaccine when thegunfire blasted from the nearby hills.Photo : APWars, instability pose vaccinechallenges in poor nationsDAR MANGI : Arifullah Khan had justadministered another polio vaccine when thegunfire blasted from the nearby hills, reportsUNB."It happened so suddenly. There was somuch gunfire it felt like an explosion," hesaid, recalling details of the attack five yearsago in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal region nearthe Afghan border.A bullet shattered his thigh and he fell tothe ground. His childhood friend andpartner in the vaccination campaign,Ruhollah, lay bleeding on the ground in frontof him. "I couldn't move," Khan said. "Iwatched him lying right in front of me as hetook his last breath."In Pakistan, delivering vaccines can bedeadly. Militants and radical religiousgroups spread claims that the polio vaccine isa Western ploy to sterilize Muslim childrenor turn them away from religion. More than100 health workers, vaccinators and securityofficials involved in polio vaccination havebeen killed since 2012.The violence is an extreme example of thedifficulties many poor and developingcountries across Asia, Africa, the Middle Eastand Latin America face as they tackle themonumental task of vaccinating theirpopulations against COVID-19.It's not just the problem of affordingvaccines or beingat the back of the linebehind wealthy countriesin receiving them.Poor infrastructure often means roads aretreacherous and electricity is sporadic for therefrigerators vital to preserving vaccines.Wars and insurgencies endangervaccinators. Corruption can siphon awayfunds, and vaccination campaign plannersmust sometimes navigate through multiplearmed factions."The most challenging areas ... are conflictsettings, where outbreaks of violence hindervaccinations, and areas wheremisinformation is circulating, whichdiscourages community participation," saidUNICEF's deputy chief of globalimmunization, Benjamin Schreiber.Many nations are relying on COVAX, aninternational system aimed at ensuringequitable access to vaccines, though it isalready short on funding.UNICEF, which runs immunizationprograms worldwide, is gearing up to helpprocure and administer COVID-19 vaccines,Schreiber told The Associated Press. It hasstockpiled half a billion syringes and aims toprovide 70,000 refrigerators, mostly solarpowered, he said.The agency aims to transport 850 tons ofCOVID-19 vaccines a month next year,double its usual annual monthly rate forother vaccines, UNICEF's executive directorHenrietta Fore said in a statement.JAKARTA : Coronavirus infectionshave barely touched many of theremote islands of the Pacific, but thepandemic's fallout has been enormous,disrupting the supply chain that bringscrucial food imports and sending pricessoaring as tourism wanes, reportsUNB.With a food crisis looming, manygovernments have begun communityinitiatives to help alleviate shortages:extending fishing seasons, expandingindigenous food gathering lessons andbolstering seed distribution programsthat allow residents greater selfreliance."We initially started with 5,000 seedsand thought we would finish them innine months' time. But there was a verybig response, and we finisheddistributing the seeds in one week,"said Vinesh Kumar, head of operationfor Fiji's Agriculture Ministry.The project provides residents withvegetable seeds, saplings and basicfarming equipment to help them growtheir own home gardens.Fiji resident Elisabeta Waqa said shehad contemplated starting a gardenbefore the pandemic, but-with no job,extra time at home and seeds from theministry and friends-finally tookaction.Looking to have "zero financialinvestment," Waqa collected buckets,crates and other potential plantersdiscarded on the side of the road andin the trash. Soon her yardtransformed into containers of greenbeans, cucumber, cabbage and otherproduce."When I started harvesting abouttwo, three weeks later, that's when Irealized: My gosh, this is a hobbypeople have had for so long. I thoughtabout just how much money I couldsave my doing this," Waqa said.Geographically isolated with limitedarable land and increased urbanization,many of the Pacific island countries andterritories have seen their populationsCoronavirustoll at 1100GMT MondayPARIS : The novelcoronavirus has killed atleast 1,765,049 people sincethe outbreak emerged inChina last December,according to a tally fromofficial sources compiled byAFP at 1100 GMT onMonday.At least 80,686,630 casesof coronavirus have beenregistered. Of these, at least50,834,100 are nowconsidered recovered.The tallies, using datacollected by AFP fromnational authorities andinformation from the WorldHealth Organization(WHO), probably reflectonly a fraction of the actualnumber of infections. Manycountries are testing onlysymptomatic or the mostserious cases.On Sunday, 7,273 newdeaths and 444,004 newcases were recordedworldwide. Based on latestreports, the countries withthe most new deaths werethe United States with 1,329,followed by Russia with 487and Mexico with 400.The United States is theworst-affected country with333,140 deaths from19,136,589 cases. At least6,298,082 people have beendeclared recovered.After the US, the hardesthitcountries are Brazil with191,139 deaths from7,484,285 cases, India with147,901 deaths from10,207,871 cases, Mexicowith 122,426 deaths from1,383,434 cases, and Italywith 71,925 deaths from2,047,696 cases.The country with thehighest number of deathscompared to its populationis Belgium with 166 fatalitiesper 100,000 inhabitants,followed by Slovenia with122, Bosnia-Herzegovinawith 120, Italy 119 and theRepublic of NorthMacedonia 117. Europeoverall has 549,944 deathsfrom 25,465,569 cases,Latin America and theCaribbean 497,894 deathsfrom 15,191,123 infections,and the United States andCanada 348,097 deathsfrom 19,684,350 cases.shift from traditional agriculture-basedwork to tourism. The trend has createdan increased reliance on imported foodsuch as corned beef, noodles and otherhighly processed foods instead of thetraditional diet of locally grown itemslike nutrient-rich yams and taro.Eriko Hibi, director of the Food andAgriculture Organization of the UnitedNations Liaison Office in Japan, calledthe shift a "triple burden" of healthissues: undernutrition, micronutrientdeficiencies and obesity.When the pandemic hit, nearly all thecountries in the region closed theirborders. Shipping supply chains -including fertilizer for farms and food -were disrupted, causing prices to rise.In Suva, Fiji, the cost of some freshfruits and vegetables rose by up to 75%during the first weeks.At same time, tourism - which Hibisaid accounts for up to 70% of somecountries' gross domestic product -came to a halt, leaving thousandsunemployed with decreased access tofood."It's not just about the availability ofthe prices in the market but also thepurchasing power of the consumers,which has gone down," Hibi said.In Tuvalu, the government heldworkshops teaching youthindigenous food production methodssuch as taro planting and sapcollection from coconut trees. In Fiji,the government extended fishingseason of coral trout and grouper thatcould be sold for income or used asfood. Numerous governmentsencouraged residents to move back torural areas that had strongerCoronavirus infections have barely touched many of the remoteislands of the Pacific, but the pandemic's fallout has been enormous,disrupting the supply chain that brings crucial foodimports and sending prices soaring as tourism wanes. Photo : APindependent food resources.Tevita Ratucadre and his wife movedback to a rural village in Fiji to save onrent and food costs after being laid offfrom the hotel where they workedbecause of COVID-19.Post-Brexit trade deal riskserosion of UK workers' rights,think tank warnsLONDON : Britain's post-Brexit trade dealwith the European Union (EU) leavesworkers' rights and environmentalprotection at risk of erosion and will slow thecountry's economic recovery, which hasalready been affected by the COVID-19pandemic, a British think tank warnedSunday in an early analysis, reports UNB.The agreement offers clear benefits toBritain and the EU, which would have beenlost if no deal had been negotiated, however,its commitments on labour andenvironmental standards are considerablyweaker than expected, said the Institute forPublic Policy Research (IPPR), a Londonbasedthink tank.Published its assessment on Sunday, theIPPR said the bar for proof of breaches of the"level playing field", one of the stickingpoints in the long Britain-EU negotiations, tosafeguard the issues is so high that it will berarely enforced.In aiming for an agreement whichguarantees maximal sovereignty, the Britishgovernment has watered down the "levelplaying field" requirements on areas such aslabour and environmental protections andsecured only limited benefits in marketaccess, said the think tank."In the short-term, this is likely to lead todisruption to trade flows, including at theborder. Over the longer term, the economywill adapt to the new arrangements, butbarriers to UK-EU trade will likely lead toslower growth and a more prolongedeconomic recovery," the IPPR added inSunday's assessment.Given it is notoriously difficult to provethat any lowering of projection affects tradeor investment, "the deal is unlikely toprevent the UK government from weakeningEU-derived labour and environmentalpolicies if it so chooses," said the IPPR."This leaves protections for workers,climate and the environment at serious riskof being eroded," said Marley Morris, anIPPR director focusing on trade and EUrelations."This thin deal is better than no deal at all,but still creates major trade barriers with ourclosest neighbour, which will inhibit growthand slow the economic recovery," Morrisadded.The trade deal, which came after ninemonths of arduous negotiations betweenBritain and the EU, was announcedThursday by British Prime Minister BorisJohnson and European CommissionPresident Ursula von der Leyen. It will comeinto provisional force on Jan. 1, 2021 afterthe Brexit transition ends on Dec. 31, 2020.The landmark deal, if approved by Britishand European parliaments, will guaranteetariff-free trade on most goods and create aplatform for future Britain-EU cooperationon issues such as crime fighting, energy anddata sharing.The free trade deal is the biggest bilateraltrade deal signed by either side, coveringtrade worth around 668 billion pounds(about 905.4 U.S. dollars).Britain is the EU's third largest tradingpartner in goods, following the United Statesand China.Croatia rattled by 5.2magnitude quakeZAGREB : A 5.2-magnitude earthquake rattled central Croatia and Zagreb early Mondaymorning, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, damagingbuildings outside the capital but with no casualties reported.The quake woke up residents in Zagreb at 0530 GMT when it struck some 50 kilometres tothe south near the town of Petrinje, where the tremors tore off bricks and left cracks in somebuilding facades. "People are on the streets, there is panic. There are badly damagedbuildings, so the citizens are afraid to go back inside," Petrinje's mayor Darinko Dumbovictold regional broadcaster N1, adding that the town hall was damaged.In nearby Sisak, home to around 35,000 people, the town's mayor said scores of firefighterswere deployed to help with building damage and rescue efforts.Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic visited the area Monday to show "support for the citizens",alongside President Zoran Milanovic. Civil protection teams and the army were deployed tohelp locals and clear any debris, Plenkovic told reporters.
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