18-10-2022

Tuesday, Dhaka : October 18, 2022; Kartik 2, 1429 BS; Rabi-ul-Awal 21 , 1444 Hijri
'Stop war, stop politics
with food', PM says at
World Food Forum
Foreign Minister Abdul Momen saw the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Haji Hassanal Bolkiah off at
Hazrat Shahjalal Int’l Airport on Monday in Dhaka.
Photo: PID
Forced retirement as info secretary
Never seen BNP leader Tarique
Rahman directly : Mokbul
Md Mokbul Hossain on Monday denied
seeing BNP acting Chairman Tarique
Rahman directly, a day after he was sent
on early retirement as the information secretary
in "public interest."
"I've never seen Tarique Rahman physically
and have no intention to see him. I've
never made any compromise with morality
in my life and I'm not even prepared for
this situation," he said while talking to
reporters at the Secretariat, reports UNB.
No details have been available about his
alleged connection with Tarique, who has
been living in London with his family since
September 2008. In his absence he was
tried and convicted in deadly grenade
attack on then-opposition leader Sheikh
Hasina's rally in Dhaka on August 21,
2004 and in a money laundering case.
On Sunday Mokbul was shown the
door in "public interest' nearly a year
before he was due to retire from government
service triggering speculations
about the real reason.
Asked about different allegations
brought against him, Mokbul requested
the reporters to publish if they get anything
like this.
Corona vaccination program going on for children aged five
to eleven years. The photo was taken from Sadarghat Dhaka
Collegiate School on Monday.
Photo : Star Mail
Rohingyas relocation
963 more reach Bhasan Char
NOAKHALI : Another batch of 963
Rohingyas reached Bhasan Char in the
fourteenth phase on Monday.
With this, the total number of
Rohingya population at the Bhasan
Char reached 30,079, said Lieutenant
Hashem, in-charge of Bhasan Char
Rohingya Camp, reports UNB.
The Rohingya men, women and children
left Cox's Bazar for Bhasan Char
in four naval ships and reached Bhasan
Char around 5pm , he added.
After the Navy briefed them about
life in Bhasan Char there, they were
relocated to clusters 88, 89 and 90,
said Nawsher.
Muhammad Imdadul Haque officerin-charge
of Bhasan Char police station
said health workers conducted
Replying to a question about his visit to
London where he met some people,
Mokbul said "We went there in the month
of March as a team. Why have you raised
this question now? Ashequn Nabi was incharge
of our press and if you (journalists)
ask him it would be clear."
Ashequn Nabi Chowdhury is the minister
(press) at Bangladesh High
Commission in London.
Moqbul also said that "If it is proved that
I was in contact with BNP, please put me
on the dock ..... It is impossible for a person
who holds Bangabandhu as his ideal, can
make any connection with the BNP."
"I have no idea why I have been sent on
early retirement but the government has
the right to do it. There is no scope to anything
against it. I am always ready to stand
before the court."
Responding to a query about the allegation
brought against him that he has a connection
with another party, Mokbul said
"As a journalist you can investigate it. I
have no connection with any anti-government
activities and if there is any, you
(journalist) can publish it. I have no complaints
about it."
medical tests of the Rohingyas after
they reached there. Later, the
Rohingyas were transferred to their
own clusters.
On March 29, a batch of 1,096 more
Rohingyas was relocated to Bhasan
Char in the thirteenth phase.
In addition, 306 Rohingyas who
tried to go to Malaysia illegally by sea
were rescued from the sea and taken to
Bhasan Char.
Bangladesh is currently hosting
over 1.1 million Rohingyas in camps
in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char.
Most of them have come to this
country since August 25, 2017, when
the Myanmar military launched a
brutal offensive targeting the
Muslim ethnic minorities.
Brunei Sultan
leaves Dhaka
ending 2-day visit
DHAKA : Sultan of Brunei Darussalam
Haji Hassanal Bolkiah left here for his
country by a special VVIP flight on
Monday morning. Foreign Minister Dr
AK Abdul Momen saw him off at Hazrat
Shahjalal International Airport.
He also handed over an album to the
Sultan containing photos of his two-day
state visit that ended Sunday evening.
The Sultan arrived here on Saturday
afternoon and held meetings with
President Abdul Hamid and Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday and
Sunday respectively.
The two countries signed four bilateral
cooperation documents including a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) on
energy cooperation after his official talks
with the Prime Minister on Sunday.
Next general polls to
be free, fair : Taposh
DHAKA : Dhaka South City Corporation
(DSCC) Mayor Barrister Fazle Noor
Taposh yesterday said the ongoing Zilla
Parishad elections are being held in a free
and fair manner and the next general election
will also be like that, reports BSS.
"The way Zilla Parishad elections are
being held, I am expecting the next general
election will also be free and fair.
Election Commission arranged substantial
security measures in polling centres
and I have casted my ballots within a very
short time through EVM," he said.
The Mayor said this while talking to
newsmen after casting his ballots at
Ambagicha Government Primary School
in Keraniganj yesterday morning.
The polling started simultaneously in five
centres in Dhaka district at 9 am. Dhaka
Deputy Commissioner M Shahidul Islam,
who is observing his duty as returning officer
in this election, inspected the polling at
Ambagicha centre at around 10 am.
"Each centre is being monitored centrally
through CCTV cameras. Adequate
numbers of law enforcing agencies members
have been deployed. The total number
of voters in Dhaka district is 1,019
including DSCC and DNCC mayors," the
Dhaka DC said.
Barishal Mayor
Sadik calls UNO 'stupid'
during Zila
Parishad election
BARISHAL : Barishal City Corporation
(BCC) Mayor Serniabat Sadik Abdullah
had an incident with Barishal Sadar
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md
Moniruzzaman while entering a polling
centre during the ongoing Zila Parishad
election, reports UNB.
In a video shared from the Barishal
mayor's Facebook page, it was seen that the
mayor tried to enter Barishal Zila School
polling centre with a group of public representatives
and the UNO barred him.
"Have I entered the polling centre yet?
Why are you creating a scene? Am I a child
who doesn't know the rules? Why are you
talking like a stupid person?" Sadik asked
Moniruzzaman during an angry outburst.
Shocked, the UNO then tried to recollect
himself by telling Sadik that he didn't say anything
to him. Later, the UNO told journalists
that the news of an altercation between him
and the Barishal mayor was "unfounded".
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina on Monday once again called for
stopping the Russia-Ukraine war blaming
the conflict for disrupting the global
food supplies leading to increased cost
of food.
She made the fervent appeal in a
keynote speech at the five-day World Food
Forum 2022 at the headquarters of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
in Rome, Italy. The theme of this year's
WFF (October 17-21) is "Healthy Diets,
Healthy Planet."
Speaking virtually from her official residence
Ganobhaban, Hasina said that
more than 800 million people or 10 percent
of the world's population are estimated
regularly go to bed hungry, reports
UNB.
"Things have now become worse with
the Ukraine war, and subsequent sanctions
and counter-sanctions, which have
disrupted global food supplies and raised
the cost of food," she said.
She said that she had repeatedly
appealed to the international community
to stop war, stop politics with food, and
stop wastage of food.
"If, on the other hand, a fraction of the
money invested on manufacturing
weapons was spent on food production
and distribution, no one would go hungry
in this world," she said.
"Instead, please ensure food supply to
BNP aims to create chaos
in country:Hasan
DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting
Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday said
BNP wants to crate anarchy in the country.
"With a view to creating anarchy, BNP is trying
to wage their so called movement but they cannot
execute it successfully," he said.
Hasan said these while replying to reporters
after attending a meeting with artists, directors
and producers of television at his secretariat
office here.
Additional Secretary (Broadcasting) of the
ministry Khadiza Begum was present.
He said BNP leaders, earlier, said Khaleda
Zia is very sick and she would not remain alive
if she is not taken abroad.
Making such kind of emotional comments,
BNP tried to engage people in their movement
but they failed, he said.
Noting that the world is facing a crisis situation
due to Russia-Ukraine conflict and Covid-
19 pandemic, Hasan said Bangladesh is not an
isolated island from the world and that is why
it is also facing the impacts.
In this perspective, the minister said, BNP is
trying to create confusion among the people's
minds by spreading rumours and falsehood.
"We dealt with their anarchies in 2013, 2014
and 2015. So, it is nothing new to us," he said.
Rejecting a demand of BNP over caretaker
government issue, the minister said the issue
has been settled more than 10 years ago. But,
BNP is talking on this issue throughout the 10
years, said Hasan, also Awami League joint
areas of food shortage, and famine. As
human beings, we must believe that everyone
has a right to survive with food and
have a decent life," she said.
She stated that "In real sense, there is no
dearth of food in our planet.The scarcity is
simply manmade".
She alleged that politics and business
interests with food, challenges of climate
change, and pest and disease attacks are
all putting pressure on the planet's agrifood
systems.
She mentioned that this deprivation is
most unfortunate in the world of abundant
resources which is boosted by
remarkable contributions of science and
technology.
Talking about the agricultural development
of Bangladesh, the prime minister
said that after the assassination of the
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman, the agricultural programmes
and all other development initiatives
that he had taken came to a halt.
Thereafter, a couple of decades followed
without progress.
She mentioned that coming to
power in 1996 she, following the footstep
of Bangabandhu, immediately
began short, medium and long term
plans of Bangladesh's overall development,
and particularly agriculture as
food self-sufficiency came first before
all other necessities.
general secretary.
He said BNP is doing politics only centering
caretaker government, Khaldea Zia's sickness,
her knee pain, Tarique Rahman's punishment
and the election commission but they didn't
raise voice for any public issue.
Replying to another query over an order of
sending information and broadcasting secretary
Mokbul Hossain to retirement, the minister
said, "I heard it yesterday at the ministry. I
don't know what is the integral reason and the
Public Administration Ministry can say it."
The Public Administration Ministry can
recruit one on contractual basis if any secretary
goes to retirement, he mentioned.
Besides, the ministry can send anyone into
retirement before completion of his or her job
tenure, he said, adding that a notification has
been issued by the Public Administration
Ministry to this end.
He said the work of the ministry is going on
as usual as he attends office every day.
"And I supervise all works completely. I also
review the implementation progress after giving
any decision," he said.
Earlier in the meeting, Hasan said, "I'm trying
with my utmost devotion and ability to
develop the country's television industry and
artists after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
gave the responsibility of the ministry upon
me. The ministry was also discussed about
introducing TV award in national level like
National Film Award."
Actor Masum
Aziz passes away
DHAKA : Ekushey Padak winning actor
and dramatist Masum Aziz passed away
yesterday afternoon while undergoing
treatment at a city hospital, reports UNB.
Family sources said Masum Aziz was
kept on life support from Thursday as his
condition deteriorated.
He left behind his wife, two children and
a host of relatives and admirers to mourn
his death. He was a renowned name on
stage, television and films. He was suffering
from cancer and cardiac issues for a
long time.
Masum Aziz started his journey as an
actor in 1972. Alongside commendable stage
performances, he has been honoured with
the National Film Award for his performance
in "Ghani" in 2006. In addition, he was
awarded the Ekushey Padak this year for his
contribution to acting.
State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM
Khalid and Environment, Forest and
Climate Change Minister Md Shahab
Uddin expressed profound shock and sorrow
at the death of Masum Aziz.
In a condolence message, they prayed
for the eternal peace of the departed soul
and conveyed deep sympathy to the
bereaved family.
Those dreaming to
oust govt thru rallies
living in fools'
paradise: Quader
DHAKA : Awami League (AL) General
Secretary and Road Transport and
Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday
said those, who think that they would
be able to topple the government through
some rallies, are living in a fools'paradise.
"AL is not a political party that came
floating in the stream of water (rather) its
roots are deeply rooted into the soil and
connected with the people of this country.
It is not possible to topple the government
with a few rallies," he said referring to BNP
leaders. The AL general secretary made
the remarks at a press conference at his
residence in the city.
Noting that BNP is daydreaming about
creating another One Eleven, he said, "The
daydream about creating another One
Eleven will bring no result. Repetition of
One Eleven will never take place in
Bangladesh".
Referring to BNP Secretary General
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Quader said
the apex court of the country abolished the
caretaker government system; it was not a
decision of the AL government.
"Only Almighty Allah and the country's
people know who will be in the state
power and who will not be in power till
2041," the AL general secretary added.
Under the family card program, TCB is distributing essential products at low cost
to one crore families. The photo was taken from Basabo area in the capital on
Monday.
Photo : Star Mail