Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – Bangladesh Childhood Cancer Society is holding programmes to mark the World Cancer Day on Wednesday.
A human chain will be formed and a rally will start at 10 am from the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and a press conference will be held at 11 am at the National Press Club, said a press release issued on Tuesday.
"Since its inception in 2007, BCCS has been undertaking several programmes to mark the day every year on Feb 4," said the press release.
"Mass awareness could drastically cut the rate of cancer deaths as strict hygiene is a must-do for the patients and their parents as viral and bacterial attacks by the uncontrolled visits cause cross infections that accelerate death," the statement said.
No less than 6,000 children are struck with the dreadful disease annually, says the Society.
But just 500-600 children affected with cancers get treatment in the paediatric haematology and oncology ward of BSMMU, the lone full-fledged and recognised centre in the country, says the Society.
"Medical care in the area is almost non-existent in the country except in Dhaka," it says.
BCCS is striving to reach the treatment to the doorsteps of people across the country, the statement continued.
It is building a Home for the Childhood Cancer Patients and planning a composite medical institute with a hospital, BCCS secretary general ADM Alauddin said.
"We are planning to set up branches all over the country, and reach medical care to the ailing humanity," he said.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Hasina orders steps for Barapukuria victims
Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews24.com) – The prime minister ordered authorities on Tuesday to take urgent steps to relocate the victims of land subsidence around the Barapukuria Coalmine in Dinajpur.
The prime minister directed her private secretary Nazrul Islam Khan to ensure steps were taken to list the victims, stratify them and rehabilitate them as well as to be on guard that they do not face the same plight in future.
Hasina directed authorities to move in this regard as soon as possible after she heard from affected families, who met her in parliament.
She also wondered that no measures had yet been taken although they have been suffering for the last 10 months.
The PM's adviser Toufique-e-Elahi and state minister for energy Shamsul Haq Tuku, were among those also present.
The PM's deputy press secretary Naqib Uddin Ahmed briefed reporters in this regard.
The prime minister directed her private secretary Nazrul Islam Khan to ensure steps were taken to list the victims, stratify them and rehabilitate them as well as to be on guard that they do not face the same plight in future.
Hasina directed authorities to move in this regard as soon as possible after she heard from affected families, who met her in parliament.
She also wondered that no measures had yet been taken although they have been suffering for the last 10 months.
The PM's adviser Toufique-e-Elahi and state minister for energy Shamsul Haq Tuku, were among those also present.
The PM's deputy press secretary Naqib Uddin Ahmed briefed reporters in this regard.
Friday, January 30, 2009
EC to probe RO 'mistakes' in filing UZ results
Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – The Election Commission is exploring the "shortcomings" of returning officers in submitting their Upazila election results sheets, said the chief election commissioner on Tuesday.
"The Upazila returning officers in some cases have published one set of election results at night and another in the morning." said polls chief ATM Shamsul Huda.
"The results sheets also contained shortcomings in addition and subtraction," he said.
The concerned officers would be called to the capital to explore these 'mistakes', he added.
The chief election officer also said they might need one month in total to publish all the Upazila results in an official gazette, revising all the shortcomings.
He said they were sending the authenticated results to the press in phases for publishing.
Asked on whether any more Upazila results would be held up, he said, "I don't like to say anything about something under process."
"The Upazila returning officers in some cases have published one set of election results at night and another in the morning." said polls chief ATM Shamsul Huda.
"The results sheets also contained shortcomings in addition and subtraction," he said.
The concerned officers would be called to the capital to explore these 'mistakes', he added.
The chief election officer also said they might need one month in total to publish all the Upazila results in an official gazette, revising all the shortcomings.
He said they were sending the authenticated results to the press in phases for publishing.
Asked on whether any more Upazila results would be held up, he said, "I don't like to say anything about something under process."
Dhaka leads climate war: Danish minister
Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) — Bangladesh sets a unique example in tackling climate change disaster, says the visiting Danish climate and energy minister.
"One of the biggest challenges right now for Bangladesh is adaptation to climate change," the Danish minister, Connie Hedegaard, said in Dhaka Tuesday.
"During my visit here I have learnt that in Bangladesh up to 40 percent of the investment in development and infrastructure is likely to be affected by climate change."
Bangladesh has invested some Tk 10 billion to tackle disaster management over the last two decades, a seminar was told Tuesday.
"Denmark remains committed to assist with adaptation to climate change in these two sectors as already planned under theme one, 'Food security, Social Protection and Health', in your strategy and action plan for climate change," she said.
Environment and forest minister Mostafizur Rahman said Bangladesh had already set up a climate change fund.
"We have little time to lose to come to a global agreement on how to manage climate change, its causes and adverse impacts in all but most particularly, in developing countries and the least developed countries," said Rahman.
Swedish ambassador Britt Hagstrom and DFID country representative in Bangladesh Chris Austin both said Bangladash was not just vulnerable to climate change, but was rather in a unique position to develop expertise to tackle climate change.
Among others, Danish ambassador Rinar H Jensen, environment and forest secretary Rezaul Kabir and ERD secretary Mosharaf Hossain also spoke.
Bangladesh Center for Advance Studies executive director Dr. Atiq Rahman delivered the welcome speech and moderated the conference.
"One of the biggest challenges right now for Bangladesh is adaptation to climate change," the Danish minister, Connie Hedegaard, said in Dhaka Tuesday.
"During my visit here I have learnt that in Bangladesh up to 40 percent of the investment in development and infrastructure is likely to be affected by climate change."
Bangladesh has invested some Tk 10 billion to tackle disaster management over the last two decades, a seminar was told Tuesday.
"Denmark remains committed to assist with adaptation to climate change in these two sectors as already planned under theme one, 'Food security, Social Protection and Health', in your strategy and action plan for climate change," she said.
Environment and forest minister Mostafizur Rahman said Bangladesh had already set up a climate change fund.
"We have little time to lose to come to a global agreement on how to manage climate change, its causes and adverse impacts in all but most particularly, in developing countries and the least developed countries," said Rahman.
Swedish ambassador Britt Hagstrom and DFID country representative in Bangladesh Chris Austin both said Bangladash was not just vulnerable to climate change, but was rather in a unique position to develop expertise to tackle climate change.
Among others, Danish ambassador Rinar H Jensen, environment and forest secretary Rezaul Kabir and ERD secretary Mosharaf Hossain also spoke.
Bangladesh Center for Advance Studies executive director Dr. Atiq Rahman delivered the welcome speech and moderated the conference.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Boucher arrives Saturday
Dhaka, Feb 4 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – US assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs Richard A Boucher is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh Saturday on a two-day visit, a US embassy press release issued Wednesday said.
During his stay, Boucher will meet with the prime minister and government officials, parliamentarians, business people and members of the civil society, engaging in consultations with the newly-elected government spanning a broad range of regional and bilateral issues, the statement said.
The assistant secretary last visited Bangladesh in May last year.
During his stay, Boucher will meet with the prime minister and government officials, parliamentarians, business people and members of the civil society, engaging in consultations with the newly-elected government spanning a broad range of regional and bilateral issues, the statement said.
The assistant secretary last visited Bangladesh in May last year.
Climate change: 'Not a distant fury'
Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) — Visiting Danish climate minister Connie Hedegaard says climate change is not some "distant fury", its widespread consequences are already being felt in Bangladesh and around the globe with one thing in common: unpredictability.
"During my visit I saw people are struggling with climate change. It is already here," Hedegaard told bdnews24.com in an interview on Tuesday.
"It's not a distant fury, it's not a distant future."
"Things are not as they used to be, you cannot use the knowledge that you inherited from your mother and father," said the visiting minister, who arrived in Dhaka on Monday to attend a conference titled 'Bangladesh on the road to Copenhagen'.
The main focus of Hedegaard's visit was to assess Bangladesh's preparedness for the year-end UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Low-lying Bangladesh, located in the Ganges Delta, will be one of the countries worst affected by escalating climate change.
Denmark has already pledged to contribute to a multi-donor trust fund for chalking out climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes in Bangladesh.
"One of the biggest challenges right now for Bangladesh is adaptation to climate change I have learnt that in Bangladesh up to 40 percent of investment in development and infrastructure is likely to be affected by climate change," said Hedegaard.
Her delegation travelled to the southern district of Patuakhali "to see the consequences of climate change, to listen to the people already now living with the consequences of climate change," she said.
Witnessing those consequences—entire villages decimated by 2007's Cyclone Sidr, crops and livestock affected by more frequent floods—she said: "The villagers from Patuakhali share the fate of millions of vulnerable people all over the world, directly affected by climate change."
"And their stories indeed underline the importance of an urgent global effort to combat the threats of climate change."
Unpredictability
Hedegaard said she was struck by how she heard "the same story" around the world.
People affected by climate change have one experience in common, she said.
"Unpredictability - the climate is becoming ever more unpredictable."
"Before, we knew when to seed and when to harvest. Before, we had six seasons, now we have three."
"What people learned from their forefathers—when to seed, harvest and hunt—that knowledge cannot be used any more. And that is a real challenge."
"This is the same message I heard last year in West Africa; I heard it in North Thailand, in Greenland."
Climate change affects the economic, security and social structures of our world today, she said.
"Climate change recognises no borders, knows no cultural or political divides; its impacts will be felt by all people, at every level," said the minister.
"That is what the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December is all about: The world must come together now."
Copenhagen
Denmark's prime minister, in recent days, has urged rich and poor countries alike to commit to big cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of the year-end talks he will host.
"It is essential to engage heads of state and government stronger in the whole process to ensure a positive result in Copenhagen," Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday.
Hedegaard told bdnews24.com Tuesday: "The industrialised countries must show clear leadership."
"We need to find a way how growth and sustainable development can go hand in hand. Because in 2050 it is said there will be around nine billion people in the world. An eight of them will be living in what we today call the developing countries."
"Also, it is necessary to secure additional financial flows. And it cannot be only pledges year after year from industrialised countries. We have to create steady revenues by means of new, innovative financial sources."
Bangladesh's example
"The urgency to act is ambitiously reflected in Bangladesh's timely development of a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan," said Hedegaard.
"Denmark looks forward to supporting Bangladesh in achieving its objectives and committed additional initial funds in support of the new Strategy and Action Plan."
Denmark is contributing Taka 120 million (10 million Kroner) in addition to the more than Taka 2 billion that it already commits each year to Bangladesh, said the minister.
"I firmly believe that adaptation efforts must be integrated in national development plans and strategies."
"Let me finish where I started – with the villagers we visited," said the Danish minister.
"They belong to the world's most poor and vulnerable. And they have the right to expect improvements. They must get out of poverty and into a prosperous, climate resilient and sustainable future."
The answer, says Hedegaard, is leadership and political courage from governments all over the world.
"Courage to make a change right now," said the minister, speaking of the international community.
"And we need you," she said of Bangladesh, "as belonging to the group of LDC countries to speak up even more strongly in calling for global emission reductions."
"The Bangladesh example of putting climate change in front and centre of national development efforts gives me strong reasons for optimism."
"I promise you that what I learned here will not stay here in my head. I will let the case of Bangladesh be known to the whole world so that we know why we have to act and why we have to act now," said Hedegaard.
"During my visit I saw people are struggling with climate change. It is already here," Hedegaard told bdnews24.com in an interview on Tuesday.
"It's not a distant fury, it's not a distant future."
"Things are not as they used to be, you cannot use the knowledge that you inherited from your mother and father," said the visiting minister, who arrived in Dhaka on Monday to attend a conference titled 'Bangladesh on the road to Copenhagen'.
The main focus of Hedegaard's visit was to assess Bangladesh's preparedness for the year-end UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Low-lying Bangladesh, located in the Ganges Delta, will be one of the countries worst affected by escalating climate change.
Denmark has already pledged to contribute to a multi-donor trust fund for chalking out climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes in Bangladesh.
"One of the biggest challenges right now for Bangladesh is adaptation to climate change I have learnt that in Bangladesh up to 40 percent of investment in development and infrastructure is likely to be affected by climate change," said Hedegaard.
Her delegation travelled to the southern district of Patuakhali "to see the consequences of climate change, to listen to the people already now living with the consequences of climate change," she said.
Witnessing those consequences—entire villages decimated by 2007's Cyclone Sidr, crops and livestock affected by more frequent floods—she said: "The villagers from Patuakhali share the fate of millions of vulnerable people all over the world, directly affected by climate change."
"And their stories indeed underline the importance of an urgent global effort to combat the threats of climate change."
Unpredictability
Hedegaard said she was struck by how she heard "the same story" around the world.
People affected by climate change have one experience in common, she said.
"Unpredictability - the climate is becoming ever more unpredictable."
"Before, we knew when to seed and when to harvest. Before, we had six seasons, now we have three."
"What people learned from their forefathers—when to seed, harvest and hunt—that knowledge cannot be used any more. And that is a real challenge."
"This is the same message I heard last year in West Africa; I heard it in North Thailand, in Greenland."
Climate change affects the economic, security and social structures of our world today, she said.
"Climate change recognises no borders, knows no cultural or political divides; its impacts will be felt by all people, at every level," said the minister.
"That is what the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December is all about: The world must come together now."
Copenhagen
Denmark's prime minister, in recent days, has urged rich and poor countries alike to commit to big cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of the year-end talks he will host.
"It is essential to engage heads of state and government stronger in the whole process to ensure a positive result in Copenhagen," Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday.
Hedegaard told bdnews24.com Tuesday: "The industrialised countries must show clear leadership."
"We need to find a way how growth and sustainable development can go hand in hand. Because in 2050 it is said there will be around nine billion people in the world. An eight of them will be living in what we today call the developing countries."
"Also, it is necessary to secure additional financial flows. And it cannot be only pledges year after year from industrialised countries. We have to create steady revenues by means of new, innovative financial sources."
Bangladesh's example
"The urgency to act is ambitiously reflected in Bangladesh's timely development of a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan," said Hedegaard.
"Denmark looks forward to supporting Bangladesh in achieving its objectives and committed additional initial funds in support of the new Strategy and Action Plan."
Denmark is contributing Taka 120 million (10 million Kroner) in addition to the more than Taka 2 billion that it already commits each year to Bangladesh, said the minister.
"I firmly believe that adaptation efforts must be integrated in national development plans and strategies."
"Let me finish where I started – with the villagers we visited," said the Danish minister.
"They belong to the world's most poor and vulnerable. And they have the right to expect improvements. They must get out of poverty and into a prosperous, climate resilient and sustainable future."
The answer, says Hedegaard, is leadership and political courage from governments all over the world.
"Courage to make a change right now," said the minister, speaking of the international community.
"And we need you," she said of Bangladesh, "as belonging to the group of LDC countries to speak up even more strongly in calling for global emission reductions."
"The Bangladesh example of putting climate change in front and centre of national development efforts gives me strong reasons for optimism."
"I promise you that what I learned here will not stay here in my head. I will let the case of Bangladesh be known to the whole world so that we know why we have to act and why we have to act now," said Hedegaard.
PM reported stable after surgery
NEW DELHI, Jan 24 (bdnews7.blogspot.com/Reuters) - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underwent coronary bypass surgery on Saturday, with local television channels saying his condition was stable after a seven hour operation. Doctors are due to give a briefing on the prime minister's condition at 6 p.m. local time (1230 GMT). The 76-year-old leader may be unable to return to work for several weeks, while confusion has emerged about who would be charge of government just months before a general election. Some officials said Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee would take over most prime ministerial responsibilities, including defence, security and the finance portfolio, while Singh was recovering from the surgery. "Pranab Mukherjee is in charge of the government until the prime minister resumes his duty," an official in the prime minister's office, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters. "This is normal procedure as he is the most senior member of the cabinet, so there has been no official announcement." But a government spokesman insisted this was not the case. "The prime minister is still in charge," he told Reuters. "Nobody has taken over his functions." That confusion was mirrored in the media, where some papers and television channels said Mukherjee was in charge but others disagreed. "Nobody named in charge," the Mail Today announced on its front page. "No clarity on who controls the nukes. No succession plan leads to ad hocism. The confusion led to speculation that the ruling Congress party did not want to give Mukherjee a public endorsement as acting prime minister just before an election, and overshadow other candidates within Congress battling to be Singh's successor. Many ceremonial duties, for example, will be transferred to the vice-president, not Mukherjee. The operation came just as reports surfaced that Rahul Gandhi, heir to one of India's most powerful family dynasties, was emerging as a potential successor. A general election is due by May this year and Singh has been expected to continue as prime minister if the Congress coalition wins. The main battle is between the Congress-led government and a coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The surgery could mean that Singh will not be able to carry out full vote campaigning. But the soft-spoken economist was never central to Congress's campaigning plans, analysts said. Singh underwent bypass surgery in 1990 in Britain. He also underwent wrist surgery in 2006, a prostate gland surgery and a cataract removal procedure last year, officials said. One expert said on Friday a new operation presented little risk for the prime minister. "There is 1 to 2 percent risk factor associated with a bypass surgery on a patient with a long history of cardiac problems like the prime minister," said Dr. T.S. Kler, head of cardiology at the Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre Ltd. In neighbouring Bhutan, hundreds of Buddhist monks have begun special prayers for the Indian prime minister.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)