Schools shut amid swine flu panic/ Red Alart for people in Bangladesh/ Attact swine flu in Bangladesh

Attact swine flu in Bangladesh

Different English medium schools in the capital have been closed today amid fear of the rising number of swine flu infected cases.

As precaution against the spread of swine flu, authorities of Scholastica School issued a notice today saying the school will remain close until further notice.

City's Sunbeams School was also declared closed for indefinite period today.

The number of swine flu patients crossed a hundred across the country today as four newly infected people with the virus A/H1N1 were found, government officials confirmed.

The government authorities however said the closure of the schools was not necessary.

"It is quite overact and will lead other schools to do so. We will inform it to the Ministry of Education. Because we are yet to go to the situation of closure," said Prof Mahmudur Rahman, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), adding that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also said that closure of the schools does not work much.

Some 102 patients are infected since June 19 and all of them are treated with the anti viral drug Oseltamivir, they said.

Most of them have already been cured while three are hospitalised. Condition of one of them is critical, said the IEDCR director.

Dangerous swine flu in Bangladesh

Hot News in Dhaka/ Culprits must be punished/ Hasina tells discussion on Aug 21 attack anniversary in Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday vowed to bring to book the masterminds behind the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally through proper probe.

"Our government will surely conduct a thorough investigation into the grenade attack. The culprits, no matter how powerful they may be, will be punished," said Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, at a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.

AL organised the discussion chaired by Deputy Leader of parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury marking the fifth anniversary of the grenade attack.

On this day in 2004, 24 people including AL leader Ivy Rahman, wife of President Zillur Rahman, were killed and 500 others got injured in the grenade attack on an AL rally.

Hasina, who narrowly survived the attack, held the then BNP-Jamaat coalition government and its top leadership responsible for the attack.

Addressing the discussion as chief guest, Hasina said they have already received a lot of information on the perpetrators and more information will be derived through proper investigation.

The premier said she wants that the agencies investigating the incident locate the places where the attackers received training and from where the grenades were brought.

She also questioned why the law enforcement agencies remained inactive during the attack and how same type of grenades used in the attack made their way to the Dhaka central jail.

The AL president said a guard of the prison was allowed to leave the country after the recovery of the grenades.

"Who was the prison guard and how could he leave the country without the then government's help?” questioned Hasina.

The premier also wondered how 24 grenades went missing from the huge cache of illegal arms hauled in Chittagong.

The AL president said the previous BNP-led coalition government staged a drama arresting Joj Mia in a bid to hide the real culprits.

She said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia proved that she patronised the perpetrators by making BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu's younger brother Sultan Salauddin Tuku, one of the main accused in the grenade attack case, Chhatra Dal president.

Hasina accused the BNP-Jamaat coalition of patronising militancy and terrorism to eliminate political opponents.

She said the patrons of militancy are still active and have been conspiring against the pro-liberation war forces.

Hasina said her government is committed to building a developed and prosperous "digital Bangladesh" for changing the fate of the poor in the country.

She also directed the party activists to help the families affected by the grenade attack.

The premier said she wants to keep the pledges for which the people voted them to power.

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister and AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam alleged that former premier Khaleda Zia, her sons and cabinet colleagues obstructed the course of law to save the real culprits.

AL leaders Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Abdul Matin Khasru, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, among others, spoke.
Hot News in Bangladesh
August 21 grenade attack in Bangladesh

TCB dealers get scanty supply/ Selling of sugar, edible oil starts at lower rates

The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) yesterday started sales of basic commodities in the capital with an insufficient supply, which may not be able to have a positive impact on the prices of essentials during Ramadan.

Retailers in city markets said the limited supply would not meet the demand of the consumers. They also complained of a small profit margin for selling these essentials at retail level.

Initially, the TCB started selling 1,000 litres of edible oil and 1,000 kilograms of sugar to each dealer from its warehouses for selling those at fair prices during the month of fasting.

Dealers had to buy edible oil at Tk 73 per litre against the market price of Tk 78 and sugar at Tk 37 against the market price of Tk 43.

Commerce Minister Faruk Khan inaugurated the sales operation at a warehouse in the city's Tejgaon industrial area.

The TCB started the sales operation from its stock of 3,56,136 litres of edible oil and 1,000 tonnes of sugar as the imported goods are yet to arrive from Thailand and Malaysia.

Officials said it would start countrywide sales after the arrival of 25,000 tonnes each of edible oil and sugar in the next seven days.

Ramadan starts in a day or two.

The TCB will appoint three dealers from each ward in Dhaka metropolitan area, the officials said. "As of Tuesday we received 100 applications for dealership," said a senior official of the TCB.

A total of 41 dealers bought goods from the TCB warehouses as of 5:30pm yesterday, he said.

Inaugurating the programme, Faruk Khan warned of stern action against unscrupulous traders who will want to make a windfall profit during Ramadan when the demand of goods increases.

"We will take stern administrative action against unscrupulous traders if they are found manipulating the market," Faruk said, instructing leaders of different trade bodies to identify dishonest businessmen.

He said the TCB would start opening letters of credit for importing commodities like onion and chickpea after a week.

He claimed that the commodities market is still stable and members of Rapid Action Battalion and police are constantly monitoring markets to ensure stability during Ramadan.

Each dealer had to deposit Tk 15,000 to the TCB as security money and pay Tk 1,10,000 for purchasing 1,000 litres of edible oil and 1,000 kilograms of sugar.

Talking to The Daily Star, a dealer said the quantities of edible oil and sugar are not adequate to meet the demand of the consumers. Moreover, the margin of profit--Tk 3 on each of the two commodities--is not enough, he said.

The government has fixed Tk 40 for one kilogram of sugar and Tk 76 for one litre of edible oil.

"After deducting transport and other costs, the profit will be minimal," the dealer said.

TCB dealers get scanty supply

Selling of sugar, edible oil starts at lower rates

HC vacates bar on CHT pullout/ News in Dhaka city

The High Court (HC) today vacated its earlier order directing the government to suspend withdrawal of troops from Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

The court however expected that the government would not pass any order regarding withdrawal of troops from the CHT region until further order.

The court adjourned until 10:30am tomorrow the hearing of two supplementary petitions filed by a pro-Jamaat-e-Islami lawyer and a Bangalee resident of CHT seeking an injunction against withdrawal of army camps by the government.

On August 16, the HC directed the government to suspend the ongoing withdrawal of troops from the CHT until today.

During the hearing of the applications the HC bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, wanted to extend its August 16 order.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the court that if the court passes such order the government cannot do administrative functions.

He also said they do not expect such order from the HC.

Then the court recalled its order with expectation that the government would not take any initiative for withdrawal of army troops from CHT until the further hearing on the applications.

After the delivery of the order Barrister Abdur Razzaq, a counsel for a petitioner told the newsmen that the government could not withdraw army troops from the CHT following the HC order.

HC vacates bar on CHT pullout/ News in Dhaka city