22-09-2021

Wednesday, Dhaka: September 22, 2021; Ashwin 7, 1428 BS; Safar 14, 1443 Hijri
PM's presence in UNGA important
for critical issues: Dr Momen
Most people do not follow hygiene rules to prevent coronary infections. The picture is taken from
Gulistan in the capital on Tuesday.
Photo : Star Mail
Fill 29 vacant
doctors' posts in
prisons soon: HC
DHAKA : The High Court on Tuesday
directed the authorities concerned to
speed up recruitment to fill 29 vacant
posts of doctors in prisons across the
country, reports UNB.
A HC bench of Justice M Enayetur
Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman
passed the order during a hearing.
Petitioner lawyer advocate JR Khan
Robin said 112 doctors have been
recruited against the demand of 141 in
the prisons across the country and the
court directed the jail authorities verbally
to appoint doctors in the vacant
posts soon as possible.
In 2019, advocate JR Khan Robin
filed a petition in the form of public
interest litigation attaching news
reports on the crisis of doctors in 68
jails across the country.
On June 23, 2019, the High Court
issued a rule questioning why the failure
to ensure the accommodation and
health services for the jail inmates will
not be announced illegal and directed
the authority to submit a report in this
regard.
The jail authorities then submitted
report saying that there are 24 doctors
in different prisons in the country and
sought necessary directive to appoint
117 more doctors in prisons.
Following the report, the court on
January 20, 2020 directed the Director
General of the Directorate General of
Health Services to appoint the 117 doctors
in prison without any delay.
HC bench embarrassed
to hear Dr Zafarullah's
writ petition
DHAKA : A High Court bench on
Tuesday felt embarrassed to hear a
writ petition filed by Dr Zafarullah
Chowdhury on grounds that he earlier
praised one of its judges in a public
speech, reports UNB.
Dr Zafrullah filed the writ seeking an
increase of seats at his Gonoshasthaya
Samaj Vittik Medical College before
the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur
Rahim and Md Mostafizur Rahman.
In a speech in front of the National
Press Club on September 11 Dr
Zafarullah criticized former chief
Justice ABM Kharul Haque and praised
the HC Justice M Enayetur Rahim.
In expressing to hear the writ the
bench observed that a decision from
this bench might get questioned.
The court suggested the writ petitioner's
lawyer to appeal for hearing it
in another bench.
Barrister Fakhrul Islam presented
the petitioner's side at the court while
Deputy Attorney General Bipul
Bagmar stood for the state.
Gonoshasthaya Medical College had
been allowed by Dhaka University to
admit 110 students a year, but in
2021the university lowered the number
to 50.
Following an appeal in this regard
the number of seats was increased
to 60.
Later Gonoshasthaya Kendra
founder Dr Zafarullah filed a writ petition
challenging the decision.
Global food systems must
be changed: IFAD
DHAKA : Transforming global food systems
to become more inclusive, fair and sustainable
may seem an insurmountable challenge,
yet there are concrete actions policymakers
can take, says a new report on
Tuesday, reports UNB.
The report was released by the UN's
International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD).
"We are living in a world of huge and
unfair contradictions. There are 800 million
hungry people and yet high obesity rates.
Nutritious diets are expensive yet many
small-scale farmers are poor. Current food
growing practices are not good for our environment.
It is clear that we need a revolution.
A revolution so dramatic that previous
versions of food systems are unrecognizable,"
said Dr. Jyotsna Puri.
Puri is the Associate Vice President of
Goods transport workers'
strike paralyses operations
at Chattogram port
CHATTOGRAM : Loading and unloading
activities at Chattogram port came to
a halt as goods transport workers went
on a three-day strike across the country
on Tuesday morning to press home their
15-point demand.
The strike enforced by Truck and
Covered Van Owners-Workers Oikkya
Parishad will remain in force till 6 am
Thursday.
The movement of all kinds of goodsladen
vehicles including that of prime
mover (trailer), covered van and trucks
remained suspended across the country
since Tuesday morning.
Besides, the handling work of ships
also remained suspended.
Chattogram port authorities said all
IFAD's Strategy and Knowledge
Department that leads the production of the
Rural Development Report, IFAD's flagship
publication.
Puri sees this week's UN Food Systems
Summit as a watershed moment to commit
to real change, with the Rural Development
Report offering governments recommendations
for concrete actions that can be taken.
The Food Systems Summit on September
23 under the leadership of UN Secretary-
General Antonio Guterres, is intended to
result in actionable commitments from
heads of state and other leaders to transform
global food systems.
It is a culmination of 18 months of engagement
with governments, food producers,
civil society and companies on how to transform
the way we produce, process and consume
food.
Preparations on for PEC
examinations: Zakir
RANGPUR : State Minister for Primary
and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossain
has said that preparations are being made
for the Primary Education Completion
(PEC) Examinations this year.
He said this while talking to reporters
after attending a views-exchange meeting
with primary education officials at
Primary Teachers' Training Institute
(PTI) in the city yesterday afternoon.
The State Minister said the government
is vigilant in improving the quality of primary
education alongside ensuring health
protection of students in the wake of the
Covid-19 pandemic. "Primary Education
Completion Examinations will be taken.
We are ready for this. But everything
depends on how the Covid-19 situation
behaves in the future," he said.
Zakir Hossain further said that the
process of transfer of primary school
teachers and other officials has been
remaining suspended due to the Covid-19
pandemic situation.
"However, preparations are being taken
to complete the transfer process in a very
short time," he added.
Earlier, the State Minister exchanged
views with the divisional and district level
primary education officials to make the
primary education activities in the northern
region of the country more dynamic.
With Deputy Commissioner of
Rangpur Asib Ahsan in then chair,
Rangpur PTI Superintendent Khandker
Iqbal Hossain, Divisional Deputy Director
(Acting) of Primary Education Md
Mozahidul Islam, President of district
Awami League Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed,
among others, attended the meeting.
types of work including loading and
unloading of goods from containers,
transporting goods from Inland
Container Depot(ICD) and factories
remained suspended since morning.
Mohammad Mainuddin, President of
Chattogram Prime Mover Workers
Union, said their demands included
stopping advance taxes from trucks and
covered vans, returning the advance
taxes relaised to date and introducing
issuance of license for truck, covered van
drivers which remained suspended for
the past 10 year.
Talukdar Mohammad Manir, President
of Bangladesh Truck Drivers Federation,
said they will go for tougher movement if
their demands go unheeded.
NEW YORK : Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina's in-person presence in the
United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) is very important to give an
impetus to campaigns for equitable
access to Covid-19 vaccine, climate
change and food security amid the global
pandemic, said Foreign Minister Dr AK
Abdul Momen.
"One of the major reasons behind her
in-person presence is that Covid-19 vaccine
will be our big issue. The Prime
Minister has been campaigning from the
day one that the Covid vaccine should be
public good and each country should get
it without any discrimination," he said
while briefing reporters in New York.
He said the Prime Minister would
Case under DSA
BNP leader
Hafiz gets bail
BARISHAL : A tribunal in Barishal on
Tuesday granted bail to BNP Vice-
Chairman Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin
Ahmed in a case filed under the Digital
Security Act(DSA).
Cyber Tribunal Judge Golam Faruk
passed the order after hearing a petition
in the case.
According to the case statement,
Faridul Haque, president of Badarpur
union unit Awami League of
Lalmohan upazila in Bhola district
filed a case against seven people
including the BNP leader on
December 28, 2018.
The case was filed under the DSA as
a phone conversation between the
BNP Leader and Babul Hawladar,
another accused in the case, was
leaked where the BNP leader made
derogatory remarks about the national
election.
ACC approves case
against DGHS driver
DHAKA : The Anti-Corruption
Commission on Tuesday approved a
case against Abdul Malek, a driver of
the Directorate General of Health
Service (DGHS) and his wife Nargis
Begum. Assistant director of ACC's
head office Syed Nazrul Islam lodged
the cases on February 14,2021.
According to the first case, Abdul
Malek (currently suspended) has
amassed Tk 1,50,31,810 illegally but
submitted a false statement of Tk
93,53,648 to the ACC.
Malek was also made lone accused
in the first case for concealing information
regarding his wealth.
Malek and his wife Nargis Begum
were made accused in the second case.
According to the second case statement,
Malek directly assisted his wife
in acquiring wealth worth Tk
1,10,92,050 beyond known sources of
income.
strongly put emphasis on the vaccine
issue in her speech in the UNGA.
Besides, creating a momentum to the
climate change campaign is very important
ahead of the United Nations Climate
Change Conference (COP 26) to be held
in Glasgow, Scotland from October 31
next, said the Foreign Minister, adding
that Bangladesh is adversely affected by
global warming.
He said around 30 million people
would be displaced as some 17-25 percent
of the country's lands would submerge.
"So, it's a big problem for us, which
should get focused in the upcoming COP
26. It needs to create a momentum for it
and the Prime Minister's presence in person
is very significant," he added.
PM joins opening day
high-level general debate
of 76th UNGA
NEW YORK : Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina attended the high-level
General Debate of the 76th United
Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
here on the first day.
The General Debate is being held
from September 21 to September 27.
Sheikh Hasina will speak at the
debate on September 24. She will
deliver her speech in Bangla like in the
previous years following the footprint
of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who had
delivered his historic speech at the UN
in Bangla in 1974.
The 76th session of the UNGA opened
DHAKA : The Appellate Division of
the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday
upheld a High Court judgement that
had confirmed a lower court verdict
sentencing three people to death in a
case lodged over abduction, rape and
subsequently murder of a child
named Tania in Dashmina upazila of
Patuakhali in 2005, reports BSS.
The Appellate Division bench headed
by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud
Hossain passed the verdict, dismissing
appeals of the two convicts Nur
Alam Howlader alias Pachu alias
Sumon alias Nurul Alam and Miraj
Khalifa alias Md Miraj alias Md Miraj
Hossain Khalifa. The court also abated
(dropped) the appeal filed by third
convict Jafar Gazi as he has already
Another reason is that there might be a
food crisis in the future, he said, adding
that the PM will focus on food security as
well.
Describing the Prime Minister as a
brave lady, he said she came here at this
tough time amid risks. "She came for the
welfare of the country's people," said Dr
Momen, adding that she did not travel
anywhere in the last 19 months and
rather she attended some 1500 virtual
events staying indoors.
Meanwhile, Barbados Prime Minister
Mia Amor Mottley called on Sheikh
Hasina at her hotel suite.
She presented a copy of Bangabandhu's
'Unfinished Memoirs' to her Barbados
counterpart.
on September 14. On that day, Abdulla
Shahid of the Maldives was sworn in as
the General Assembly President and he
opened the 76th session.
Due to the global pandemic, the
number of delegations allowed into the
General Assembly Hall is limited and
UN Member States were encouraged
to provide pre-recorded statements
instead of representing in person at
UN Headquarters.
Over 100 heads of state or government
are expected to attend in person.
The UN General Assembly is the main
policy-making organ of the United
Nations.
SC upholds death for two in
Patuakhali Tania murder case
died. According to the case documents,
the three convicts had abducted
Tania on September 20, 2005,
raped and subsequently killed her.
Police while probing the case filed
over the barbaric murder, arrested the
three and they confessed their crimes
before the court.
Barisal Speedy Trial Tribunal on April
27, 2006, convicted and sentenced the
trio to death. They filed appeals against
the lower court judgement and their
death reference also came to the High
Court for its approval. The High Court
after hearing the matters scrapped
their appeals and upheld the death
sentence given by the lower court,
making the three to appeal with the
Supreme Court to save their necks.
Loading and unloading activities at Chattogram port came to a halt as goods transport
workers went on a three-day strike across the country on Tuesday morning to press
home their 15-point demand.
Photo : Star Mail