07-10-2021

thursday, dhaka: october 7, 2021; ashwin 22, 1428 BS; Safar 29, 1443 hijri
prime minister Sheikh hasina made a courtesy call on president m abdul hamid at Bangabhaban
yesterday evening. photo : pid
Bangladeshi globetrotter Najmun Nahar
makes history with 150th country-visit
DHAKA : Bangladesh's most famous
woman globetrotter Najmun Nahar
accomplished yet another travelling
feat conquering the 150thcountry of
the world and carrying the national
flag there on Wednesday, reports
UNB.
Sao Tome and Principe has been the
150th country visited by the seasoned
adventurer, who moved there from
Covid in Bangladesh
23 more lose lives,
703 get infected
DHAKA : Twenty-three more people
died of Covid-19 and 703 new cases were
detected in 24 hours till Wednesday
morning, reports UNB.
On Tuesday, the country logged 23
Covid-linked deaths and 694 fresh cases.
The fresh cases were detected after
testing 24,376 samples.
With this, the daily-case positivity rate
slightly rose to 2.88 percent from
Tuesday's 2.72 percent, said the
Directorate General of Health Services
(DGHS).
The daily-case positivity rate in the
country remained below 5 per cent for
the 13th consecutive day.
According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), if the daily-case
positivity rate remains at 5 per cent or
below for 14 days it is considered to be
safe for mass unlocking.
In Bangladesh, the daily-case positivity
rate reached its peak 32.55 per cent on
July 24 this year.
The fresh numbers took the total fatalities
to 27,635 while the caseload mounted
to 15,60,155, said the DGHS.
However, the mortality rate remained
static at 1.77 per cent.
Luanda, Angola.
Sharing her joy over this incredible
achievement on her verified Facebook
profile, she wrote: "Dear Bangladesh, I
am on the way to visit my 150th country,
and within a few hours I am going
to touch this milestone through travelling
the world with my red-and-green
flag."
"What makes the matter even more
special is that the achievement has
been made at a time when we are celebrating
50 years of our independence.
I have flown the flag of our 170 million
people in 150 countries over the last 21
years, and it brings tears of joy in my
eyes," she added.
Thanking her countrymen and
admirers for their constant and overwhelming
support, she wrote, "This
achievement belongs to all
Bangladeshi people all over the world,
and I can certainly say that today, my
dream has come true. After 21 years of
hard work and pursuit, today I am
touching this milestone, proudly bearing
the flag of Bangladesh in 150 countries."
Currently visiting Africa, Najmun
Nahar started her latest journey on
August 8, and so far visited Burundi,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
South Sudan, Namibia, and Angola.
A proud recipient of the Miss Earth
Queen Award and Youth Conference
Globe Award at the Fobana Summit,
Nassau Coliseum in 2019, Najmun has
established herself as the most-travelled
Bangladeshi female globetrotter
since 2000.
She has also received the Atish
Dipankar Gold Medal Award, the Red
Crescent Motivational Award and the
Zonta International Club Award, in
the category of outstanding contribution
to women empowerment.
PM calls on
President at
Bangabhaban
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina made a courtesy call on
President M Abdul Hamid at
Bangabhaban yesterday evening.
"The prime minister (PM) discussed
different state-level issues,
specially her recent visit to the USA
for taking part in the 76th Session of
the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA)," President's
deputy press secretary Munshi Jalal
Uddin told BSS.
The head of the government
apprised the President of the outcome
of her recent US visit and also
handed over two separate reports to
him in this connection. he said.
The Bangabhaban spokesman said
during the meeting, the President
and prime minister enquired each
other about their health.
The President was apprised by the
PM about the overall activities of the
government, especially the steps
taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic
and ongoing vaccination
programme.
The President congratulated the
Prime Minister on receiving the
'SDG Progress Award' in recognition
of her leadership in achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), declared by the United
Nations .The President appreciated
the overall role of the Prime Minister
in the UN session.
The President also wished the
Prime Minister on the occasion of
her 75th birthday on September 28.
Earlier, the PM reached the
Bangabhaban at 6:30 pm and left
the President's palace at about 8 pm.
three more accused in the murder case of rohingya leader mohibullah was granted 3-day remand
by a Cox's Bazar court on Wednesday.
photo: tBt
HC grants bail to five
day-labourers arrested over
a controversial graft case
DHAKA : The High Court on
Wednesday granted one-year bail to
five day-labourers of Phulbari upazila in
Kurigram district over three months
after their arrest on charge of embezzling
government money even though
they denied any knowledge of the
funds.
The five day-labourers are-Phulmoni
Rani, an widow, Ranjit Kumar,
Prabhash Chandra, Kamal Chandra
Roy and Nikhil Chandra Barman,
reports UNB.
The HC bench of Justice Mustafa
Zaman Islam and Justice Mohammad
Ali passed the order during a virtual
hearing.
Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir
stood for the petitioners for free, while
Deputy Attorney General Amit
Dasgupta represented the state.
Advocate Shishir drew the attention
of the court after attaching a newspaper
report in this regard.
According to the report, one Swapan
approached the five labourers of
Naudabas village in Phulbari upazila
offering to help them in getting the government's
Covid-19 incentive money.
He asked them to open bank accounts
with Sonali Bank to get the assistance.
Duped by Swapan, the five poor
workers opened bank accounts at
Nageshwari branch Sonali Bank.
Later, Swapan took them to Dhaka on
the pretext of taking some signatures of
them on some documents .Having
signed the documents without knowing
the contents.
After some days, Tk 48.45 lakh was
deposited to the account of Ranjit, Tk
65.72 lakh to Prabhas, Tk 40.71 lakh to
the account of Subol, Tk 42.49 lakh to
the account of Kamal and Tk 48.70 lakh
to the account of Phulmoni.
But the day-labourers had no information
about the deposited money.
On July 1, a case was filed against
nine people including the five daylabourers
for embezzling Tk 2.46 crore
through submission of a fake advice of
Sreepur upazila Accountant's office in
Gazipur district.
Manager of Sreepur headquarter
branch of Sonali Bank lodged the complaint
at Sreepur Police Station for
embezzling the money.
The other accused of the case are-
Bazlur Rashid, accountant officer of
Sreepur upazila office, office auditor,
Arifur Rahman, Tanvir and Shahena
Akter.
Bangladeshi's conviction
FM says evidence
to be shared with
Saudi govt
DHAKA : The government will share the
evidence, if any, with the Saudi government
in favour of Bangladeshi worker
Abul Bashar who was sentenced to 20
years by a Saudi court, said Foreign
Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on
Wednesday, reports UNB.
"If there's any new evidence those
could be put up and to be shared with
the Saudi government after verification,"
he told reports at his office.
The Foreign Minister made the
remarks as his comment was sought
regarding media reports that indicate
Bashar was not carrying Yaba but a person
at the airport in Dhaka put it into his
bag saying it was pickle.
The Saudi court sentenced Bashar to
20 years' imprisonment on charge of
carrying Yaba as he was detained with
the drug when he landed at the Saudi
airport.
"Saudi judges are very independent
and they never get influenced. They
work on the basis of evidence. If there's
any new evidence, those could be put
up," Dr Momen said.
Asked whether the Consulate General
of Bangladesh in Jeddah will look into it,
he responded positively.
Bashar reportedly came to Bangladesh
in December last year and left
Bangladesh for Saudi Arabia in March
this year.
metrorail work is progressing at fast pace. the picture is taken from tSC area on Wednesday. photo: pBa
Mohibullah murder
3 more suspects
remanded over
Shafiul alam, Cox'S Bazar
CorreSpondent
A Cox's Bazar court has granted 3-day
remand to three more accused in the
murder case of Rohingya leader
Mohibullah.
Cox's Bazar court police inspector
Chandan Kumar Chakraborty informed
that, Teknaf Senior Judicial Magistrate
Court Judge Tamanna Farah passed the
order on Wednesday morning after
police produced them before the court
seeking a 7-day remand for questioning.
The remanded accused are - Abdus
Salam, Ziaur Rahman and Elias. Earlier,
accused Salim and Shawkat Ullah were
granted three-day remand on Sunday.
The three accused were brought to the
court from Cox's Bazar District Jail in a
prison van at 10:30 am on Wednesday.
The accused were later produced before
the judge's court at 11am.
Inspector Chandan said the investigating
officer in the case arrested Abdus
Salam and Ziaur Rahman, in the murder
case of Rohingya leader Mohibullah last
Sunday, was produced in court seeking a
seven-day remand for questioning. The
court later fixed Wednesday for the
remand hearing of the accused. Besides,
another accused arrested last Monday.
Elias applied to the court for a 7-day
remand for questioning. The court fixed
Wednesday for the hearing.
It is to be noted that Mohibullah, 46,
who led the Arakan Rohingya Society for
Peace and Human Rights, was shot dead
at around 8:30pm at a Kutupalong
camp office in Cox's Bazar on 30
September.
Demographic data very important
in vaccination efforts: CPD
DHAKA : An online poll shows that
online pre-registration facilities and
demographic data have been very
important and effective in vaccination
efforts.
Some 64 per cent of the poll respondents
said marginalised communities
received equal opportunity as regards
vaccination.
Senior Research Fellow at Centre for
Policy Dialogue (CPD) Towfiqul Islam
Khan presented the findings from the
online poll which was conducted prior to
a session titled 'Data-driven Vaccination
Strategy for a Covid-19 Free World.'
The event was held at the United
Nations World Data Forum (UNWDF)
2021 in Bern, Switzerland in association
with Aspire to Innovate (a2i)
Programme, ICT Division and Cabinet
Division, Government of Bangladesh;
Center for the Implementation of Public
Policies Promoting Equity and Growth
(CIPPEC), Argentina; Embassy of
Switzerland in Bangladesh; Southern
Voice; Patrick J. McGovern Foundation,
USA and The City, USA on Tuesday.
Data has played a critically important
role, both nationally and globally, in
achieving the shortest deployment period,
said a CPD media release.
Similar to other instances of data
usage during Covid-19, experiences of
using data in vaccine rollouts and related
dissemination activities have varied
considerably across nations of differing
income groups.
From monitoring and controlling individual
movement to disseminating
information regarding vaccination availability
and ultimately availing the vaccine,
integrating data in Covid-19
reponses has neither been easy nor
homogenous in approach.
In this regard, it must be mentioned
that successful national Covid-19 vaccination
efforts may define the recovery
path for developing countries in the foreseeable
future, said the CPD.
A comparative perspective based on
the experiences of a low-income country
(Rwanda), a lower-middle-income
country (Bangladesh), a high-middle
income country (Argentina) and a highincome
country (USA) were discussed.
These four countries have diverse
experiences in undertaking vaccination
programmes (public and private) in
response to the pandemic where innovative
data uptake for decision making
plays a critical role.
Dr Agnes Binagwaho, Vice Chancellor,
University of Global Health Equity,
Rwanda stated that Rwanda proceeded
using the 'principle of implementation science'
which was based on knowing the
context, barriers, data and evidence-based
interventions that have been proved by
science and are adaptable for use.
The vaccine strategy in Bangladesh
began with target group identification
(gender, age, location etc) using the NID
database and a database from the
Ministry of Finance, said Mr Anir
Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, a2i,
Bangladesh.