The Bangladesh Today (18-02-2018)

Sunday 

Dhaka : February 18, 2018; Falgun 6, 1424 BS; Jamadi-us-Sani 1, 1439 hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.16; No.60; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

InTeRnaTIOnal 

Ethiopia declares 

national state 

of emergency 

>Page 7 

aRT & CulTuRe 

Jennifer Aniston 

and Justin Theroux 

announce separation 

>Page 8 

SPORT 

Caroline Wozniacki 

through to semis, but 

Simona Halep pulls out 

>Page 9 

UN expects 

fair polls in 

Bangladesh 

Dhaka : The United Nations has 

expressed the hope that a 

favourable climate will be created in 

Bangladesh to hold a free and fair 

election, reports UNB. 

"...like in any country, this is our 

principal position that a climate 

could be created where free and fair 

elections could take place," 

Spokesman for the Secretary- 

General Stephane Dujarric told 

reporters in a regular briefing at the 

UN headquarters on Friday. 

he said they are following the situation 

in Bangladesh very closely. 

"We've expressed our concern." 

On Wednesday, a European 

Parliamentary delegationhoped 

that the political environment in 

Bangladesh will become 'less confrontational 

and hostile' in the coming 

months with an inclusive election 

in place. 

The delegation urged Bangladesh 

authorities to facilitate the necessary 

conditions for an inclusive, free 

and fair general election. 

"We hope all the parties will actually 

be willing to stand for election 

to make sure that people of 

Bangladesh have a real choice at the 

ballot-box," Lambert, the Chair of 

the European Parliament 

Delegation to South asia, told a 

press conference at the EU office 

here before wrapping up their 

Bangladesh visit. 

Lambert said this is something of 

real importance for the people of 

Bangladesh who deserve that 

choice. 

She said it is important for BNP to 

"concentrate" on the upcoming 

elections as a political party. 

"We know there have been challenges 

so far in terms of organising 

in terms of actually being able to 

conduct the campaign...so this is 

something we raised with the 

Election Commission." 

Juma 

05:17 AM 

12:17 PM 

04:17 PM 

05:58 PM 

07:12 PM 

6:30 5:55 

Immediate Rohingya 

repatriation 'unlikely' 

Rohingyas see no atmosphere 

in Rakhine to return 

Dhaka : The repatriation of Rohingyas 

living in Bangladesh may take further 

time as the verification of the first-batch 

list of Rohingyas, handed over by 

Bangladesh, 'depends on Myanmar' as 

there is no specific timeframe to complete 

it, reports UNB. 

Besides, a favourable and safe environment 

in Rakhine State, which is 

necessary for the much-sought reparation, 

is yet to be created though 

Bangladesh has handed over the firstbatch 

list to start the repatriation of 

the Rohingyas, observes the international 

community. 

according to them, the Rohingyas living 

in Bangladesh are yet to get back 

their confidence to return to their 

homeland as they still fear further 

attack on them. 

"The causes of their flight have not 

been addressed, and we have yet to see 

substantive progress on addressing the 

exclusion and denial of rights that has 

deepened over the last decades, rooted 

in their lack of citizenship," said United 

Nations high Commissioner for 

Refugees Filippo Grandi. 

he made the observation while making 

his statement at the United Nations 

Security Council briefing on Myanmar 

in New York on Tuesday through videoconferencing 

from Geneva. 

M Saiful Islam, a Rohingya who came 

to Bangladesh on September 14, told 

UNB, "If our demands are met, we're 

willing to go back." 

he said they must be given citizenship 

in addition to ensuring a safe place for 

them to live in. "We want to go back to 

our own land; we don't want any temporary 

shelter," Saiful added. 

Saiful, who used to work for a nongovernment 

organisation in Rakhine, 

Police arrested nine youths from Khulna accused of leaking SSC exam paper. 

said the Rohingya people must be given 

compensation as well for the losses they 

had suffered. 

Bangladesh has handed over a list of 

1673 families of 8032 Rohingays to 

Myanmar to start the first phase of 

repatriation of the Rohingyas people 

living in Bangladesh to their homeland 

in Rakhine. 

"We're not aware of it (handing over 

the list of 8032 Rohingyas) but came to 

know about it from media," Saiful said. 

Talking to UNB, Commissioner of 

Cox's Bazar Refugee Relief and 

Repatriation Commission (RRRC) 

Mohammad abul kalam said they are 

working on the ground to complete the 

necessary works before starting the 

repatriation. 

home Minister asaduzzaman khan 

kamal said the Myanmar side has cordially 

received the list and Myanmar 

will scrutinise it and then send it back to 

Bangladesh. 

asked about any timeframe for 

Myanmar to complete scrutinizing the 

list, abul kalam said, "It depends on 

them. There's no specific timeframe." 

a government official said though 

there is no specific date for the repatriation 

but Myanmar showed sincerity and 

are taking preparations to take their 

nationals back. 

another Rohingya, hafez ahmed, 

from Balukhali-2 camp said none of 

their demands has been met yet and 

still people are coming to Bangladesh 

from Myanmar which shows there is no 

safe environment in Rakhine State. 

"We want our citizenship. This must 

be given. We don't want to go back 

now," he said adding that he came to 

know about handing over of first list 

through BBC radio. 

Photo: TBT 

Hundreds of present and former students staged demonstrations at the foot of Raju Memorial sculpture at Dhaka 

University on Saturday morning demanding revision of quota system in government job. 

Photo: TBT 

4th free clinic in 

west Darfur by 

BD peacekeepers 

Dhaka : UNaMID's 

Bangladeshi peacekeepers 

have teamed up with the 

Rule of Law section to 

organise a free medical clinic 

for the inmates and prison 

officers at ardamata Prison, 

West Darfur, reports UNB. 

This joint civilian-military 

exercise served some 

214 people who received 

basic medical examinations-treatment 

for common 

ailments as well as 

malaria screening-and free 

medication, said a press 

release from UN office in 

Dhaka on Saturday. 

Furthermore, toys, school 

supplies and clothes were 

distributed among children 

of women prisoners, prison 

officers at ardamata 

received sports kits and 

medical supplies as well. 

Speaking at the clinic, 

Oumar kane, head of 

Office, UNaMID West 

Darfur, stated that the 

Mission's support to the 

campaign falls within the 

framework of the Nelson 

Mandela Principles that aim 

to foster treatment with dignity 

for all prisoners. 

"The provision of medical 

care to prisoners is very 

important because health 

is a basic need which 

should be enjoyed by all 

citizens, irrespective of 

their status," said kane. 

On his part, Captain 

khamis Mogadam, 

Director, ardamata Prison, 

expressed appreciation for 

UNaMID's commitment 

towards improve conditions 

at ardamata prison. 

Ekushey Book Fair a friends' 

rendezvous 

Dhaka : amar Ekushey Book Fair 

has turned out to be a grand meeting 

place for friends of different age 

groups, coming from different city 

neighbourhoods and educational 

institutions - all in a common pursuit 

to seek knowledge and spend quality 

time with pals. 

In a great ambience that the 

Ekushey Book Fair offers, friends 

greet each other, exchange books as 

gift and discuss on contemporary literatures. 

Visiting the book fair, UNB found 

some of the groups of different ages 

in the fair, who are having a great 

time out seeking refuge from the 

mundane Dhaka life. Over 2,349 

books made entry into the monthlong 

amar Ekushey Book Fair till 

Friday. 

Tonmoy ahmed, a student of the 

national university, visited the fair 

with his four friends from different 

areas and universities. 

he said 'We cannot roam together 

nowadays as we no longer reside in 

the same locality or study in same 

university. We used to pass our time 

together during school days, which 

we miss, a lot these days." 

he added that he visited the fair 

with the old friends after a long time. 

"We have checked in our social 

media together from the book fair. 

We talked a lot about our favourite 

writers, poets and other things. It's a 

nice and fruitful reunion." 

UNB found some of the groups - 

students - in their school and college 

uniforms visiting from stall to stall 

and buying books, science fictions 

remaining high on their list of purchase. 

Sumaya Binte, one of them, told 

UNB they visited fair after planning 

for some days as they were not 

allowed to visit from the home very 

easily. "We visited the whole fair 

today. I feel happy to see the fair.....all 

of my friends are happy as we have 

been able to come here together. I 

like the books of science fiction. So I 

bought some of the books." 

BNP begins signature 

collection from mass people 

Dhaka : BNP on Saturday 

began collecting signatures 

from mass people demanding 

the release of its chairperson 

khaleda Zia from jail, 

reports UNB. 

BNP secretary general 

Mirza Fakhrul Islam alamgir 

launched the programme 

from its Naya Paltan central 

office in the morning. 

Standing Committee members 

of the party put their signatures 

on a form as part of 

the programme. 

On Friday, they announced 

to hold a public rally in the 

Dhaka : In a bid to bring all foreign workers 

under tax net the National Board of Revenue 

(NBR) has planned to go tough against foreign 

nationals who are working here for a long but 

not paying income tax, reports UNB. 

The NBR has already sent letters to its all tax 

zones seeking list of establishments where foreign 

nationals have been working. The NBR 

taskforce will carry out sudden operations in 

those establishments to catch foreigners dodging 

income tax, said NBR first secretary (Tax 

legal and enforcement) abul kalam azad. 

Talking to BSS, he said migrant 

Bangladeshis have to pay income tax before 

joining jobs but it is just opposite here in 

Bangladesh as many foreigners are working 

here without pay income tax properly. So, 

steps have been taken to bring those foreign 

workers under tax net, he added. 

"We've already conducted operations in five 

establishments and indentified 15 foreigners 

who are not paying income tax," said azad. 

he said a fresh move has been taken to 

develop data base of foreign nationals working 

in Bangladesh. a committee headed by a commissioner 

has started working in full swing in 

this regard, he said, adding that a 

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will 

city on February 22 to press 

home their demand. BNP on 

Thursday announced another 

round of peaceful countrywide 

protest programmes. 

The programmes include 

collecting signatures from 

mass people across the country 

on Saturday, submitting 

memorandums to all the 

deputy commissioner offices 

on Sunday and staging demonstrations 

in all the district 

towns and metropolitan cities, 

except Dhaka, on Tuesday. 

a special court convicted 

former prime minister and 

BNP chairperson khaleda 

Zia and sentenced her to five 

years' imprisonment in the 

Zia Orphanage Trust graft 

case on February 8 last. She 

was then sent to the old central 

jail at Nazimuddin Road 

in the city. 

as part of the programmes, 

the party observed a token 

hunger strike on Wednesday 

while formed a human chain 

in front of the Jatiya Press 

Club on Monday and staged 

a sit-in programme in front 

of the party's Nayapaltan 

central office on Tuesday. 

NBR to go tough against tax 

dodging foreign workers 

be signed soon with the special branch of 

police to get information about foreigners. 

"I am hopeful about completing such database 

within the next six months," said azad. To realize 

income tax from foreign workers properly a 

taskforce was formed in 2016 comprising representatives 

from Bangladesh Investment 

Development Board (BIDa), Special Branch of 

Police, DGFI, NSI, Bangladesh Bank, home ministry, 

BEPZa, directorate of passport, NGO 

Bureau and FBCCI. 

Later, the taskforce was divided into two 

parts for Dhaka region and Chittagong region. 

at present, there is no exact statistics with any 

government bodies about the number of foreign 

nationals working in Bangladesh. around 

11,000 foreigners submit tax returns to tax zone- 

11 of the NBR, which do not match with the 

money they remit from Bangladesh, said the 

NBR. For example, the official said remittances 

worth around $4 billion are sent to India from 

Bangladesh every year, the NBR official said. 

azad said the names of foreign workers, 

passport numbers, addresses of their workplaces, 

permanent addresses of living, nature 

of jobs, information about salaries-allowances 

and payment of income tax will be included in 

the database.

NEWS 

sUnDAY, 

FEBrUArY 18, 2018 

2 

Final round of the 8th Bangladesh 

Chemistry Olympiad held at BUET 

The final round of 8th Bangladesh Chemistry Olympiad- 

2017 organized by Bangladesh Chemical Society was held 

at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology 

(BUET). The examination was held on 16 February, 2018 

from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. A total of 334 participants 

selected from preliminary round from 11 centers of the 

country took part in the final round examination. The 

examination was held in two phase theoretical and 

practical. An interactive ChemShow was also organized for 

the participants , a press release said. 

In the Prize Giving Ceremony, Mr. Nurul Islam Nahid, 

M.P, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Education, People's 

Republic of Bangladesh was present as the Chief guest. 

Honorable Chairman of Islami Bank Mr. Arastoo Khan and 

Honorable Vice-chancellor of BUET Prof. Dr. Prof. Dr. 

Saiful Islam were the special guests. The program was 

inaugurated by the welcome speech of the Convener of 8th 

Bangladesh Chemistry Olympiad Prof. Wahab Khan. The 

General Secretary Professor Md. Aftab Ali Sheikh of 

Bangladesh Chemical Society introduced the activity of 

Bangladesh Chemical Society to popularize the Chemistry. 

President of Bangladesh Chemical Society, Mr. Md. Abdul 

Karim chaired the program. 

The result of the examination was declared by the 

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh 

Office of the Executive Engineer 

Health Engineering Department (HED) 

Khulna Division 

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 

34, Outer Bypass Road, Sonadanga, Khulna 

www.hed.gov.bd 

Memo No. MOHFW/HED/KD/4th HPNSP/PFD(OP)/CC/Re-Con & Con/Tender-2018/1607 Date : 15.02.2018 

AMENDMENT NOTICE 

The Invitation for Tender (IFT) Published in National & Local dailies 

on 15.02.2018. Offices Memo No. MOHFW/HED/KD/4th 

HPNSP/PFD(OP)/CC/Re-Con & Con/Tender-2018/1600 date : 

14.02.2018 for Construction & Re-Construction of some Community 

Clinic is amendment as follow: 

01. Re-Construction of ula Community Clinic (Package No. WP-2387/ 

SDP-4(GOB) is cancelled from Package list as it is constructed 

during FY 2013-14. 

02. Annual average turnover for Type 1 & Type 2-50.00 lac Taka. 

03. Similar nature of work for (i) Type 1-18.00 lac Taka & (ii) Type 

2-22.00 lac Taka 

Sd/- 

(A.F.M. Anisur Rahman) 

Executive Engineer 

HED, Khulna Division 

E-mail: hedkhl2017@yahoo.com 

GD-271/18 (4X2) 

Convener of Examination Sub-Committee Prof. Dr. Nilufar 

Nahar. Dipta Aakash Biswas from Notre Dame College 

secured 1st position and Md Tamzid HossainTanim of 

Govt. M. M. City College, Khulna and AnikMojumder of 

Dhaka Residential Model College were placed the 2nd and 

3rd position, respectively. Top 20 participants awarded in 

final round. 

The prize giving session was concluded by the Coconvener 

Dr. Md. Shakhawat H. Firoz by giving thanks to 

the teachers, students and their guardians, BUET 

authority, the volunteers, students of Department of 

Chemistry, BUET and to the print and electronic media. He 

also expressed his heartfelt thanks to Islami Bank 

Bangladesh Ltd for their assistant in foster the chemistry 

among the young scientists. 

After the prize giving ceremony, a cultural event ' 

Rosayoner Golpo' script and planning by Dr. Md. 

Shakhawat Hossain Firoz was performed by Rosayon 

Poribar of BUET, University of Dhaka and Jagannath 

University enlighten the activity of Bangladesh Chemical 

Society with lot of claps. A drama script by Prof. Dr. 

Enamul Haque and directed by Laki Inam was performed 

by Nagorik Nattagon. A member of Rosayon Poribar Singer 

Sumon Bappi also performs in ' Rosayoner Golpo'. 

Patients suffer for lack of 

doctors, staff in Khulna hospitals 

KHULNA : People in the district are being deprived of proper 

health services due to shortage of doctors, nurses and other 

necessary facilities in the government hospitals, reports UNB. 

The pregnant women have to come to district headquarters 

for treatment as there is no gynecologist and anesthesia doctor 

in the upazila level government hospital. 

Though the district and upazila health officials are sending 

reports to the higher authorities every month informing them 

the doctor shortage but no necessary measures has yet been 

taken in this regard. 

According to the monthly report of Civil Sargon Office, among 

308 posts, 126 posts are lying vacant in 17 government hospitals 

and health complexes for various reasons. 

Paikgachha upazila health complex's health officer went on 

retirement last Sunday. Besides, Phultala and Dumuria upazila 

health officers were sent for training. 

As per the report, 20 posts of doctors are lying vacant in Koira 

upazila health complex, 26 posts in Paikgacha upazila, 23 posts 

in Dakope upazila, 28 posts in Dumuria upazila, 18 posts in 

Rupsha upazila, 17 posts 28 in Terokhada upazila, 18 posts in 

Dighalia upazila, 14 posts in Phultala upazila, nine posts at 

Contagious Diseases Hospital and one post each in Khalispur 

Urban Dispensary and Tutpara Urban Dispensary in the city. 

Dacop upazila health officer Dr. Mozzamel Haque told UNB 

that they are facing trouble to handle huge number of patients as 

many of them come from other upazilas including Rampal, 

Paikgachha and Batiaghata. 

"Everyday 120 to 130 patients take treatment from the 

outdoor unit of the hospital. Medicine shortage is also a big 

problem," he said. 

Paikgachha upazila health officer Dr. Provat Kumar Das said 

they are facing great problem in serving pregnant women due to 

shortage of gynecologists. Khulna Civil Sargon Dr. ASM Abdur 

Rajjak said they informed the higher authorities regarding the 

severe shortage of doctors yet to get any response. 

Gano Forum executive 

president Mofizul 

Islam quits 

MANIKGANJ : Gano Forum 

central executive committee 

president Mofizul Islam 

Khan Kamal has resigned 

from the party, reports UNB. 

Khan, also a former MP, 

came up with the 

announcement at a press 

conference at his residence 

here on Saturday. 

Mofizul, however, said he 

is not going to join any other 

political party right now. 

"But, I'm also not going to 

retire from politics." 

Asked whether he has any 

plan to return to Awami 

League, he said Sheikh 

Hasina visited his house in 

1981, 1982 and 1983 as he 

has a good relation with 

Bangabandhu's family. "But 

I didn't have any discussion 

with Sheikh Hasina about 

returning to Awami 

League." 

Some leaders of Awami 

League and Jatiya 

Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) 

and civil society members 

were present at the press 

conference. 

However, no Gono Forum 

leader and activist was seen 

there. 

Khan, a freedom fighter, 

joined Awami League in 

1968 and became MP in 

1973 with its ticket from 

Manikgonj-3 constituency. 

He worked as Awami 

League central committee's 

social welfare affairs 

secretary from 1981 to 1992. 

Later, he joined Gono 

Forum under the leadership 

of Dr Kamal Hossain. 

Graphic novel Mujib-4 

released at Ekushey Book Fair 

DHAKA : Imagine you, along with two of 

your associates, are taking a stroll in 

famous visiting spots of Delhi. After 

visiting Qutub Minar, you feel hungry 

and then take food from a restaurant. But 

upon paying the bill it strike to all of you 

that you are left with money not suffice to 

collect the return tickets for all three for 

a train journey to Kolkata, reports UNB. 

So three of you have to come back to 

Kolkata with a single ticket and in this 

travel, you have to dodge the ticket 

checker and police very tactfully 

remaining mindful lest you land behind 

the bars. 

This turn of event unfolded in the 

young life of Bangabandhu and how he 

along with his friends managed to evade 

the ticket checker are clearly illustrated 

in the fourth part of Mujib Graphic Novel 

series launched on Friday at the Amar 

Ekushey Book Fair. 

Apart from revealing the story of 

Bangabandhu's journey to and from 

Delhi to Calcutta, another interesting 

feature included is an altercation 

between young Mujib and then his 

political mentor Huseyn Shaheed 

Suhrawardy. 

Unveiling the book, Radwan Mujib 

Siddiq, a trustee of nonprofit research 

organization, Center for Research and 

Information (CRI), said this edition 

clearly projected some twisting turns of 

Bangabandhu's student life with an aim 

to inform young readers that 

Bangabandhu was not born with a golden 

spoon. 

In his student life he had to face the 

odds typical of those other youths do. He 

led a very ordinary life without inheriting 

any great fortune and emerged as the 

architect of independence of Bangladesh. 

Radwan, also a publisher of this book, 

recalled the heroic sacrifices of language 

martyrs for whose contribution, he 

added, "we are getting such Bangla books 

and comics." 

Later he went at the bookstall set up by 

CRI (stall no 100/119 inside Bangla 

Academy) and presented a band of kids 

with complimentary copies of the newly 

released edition of the graphic novel. 

The entire graphic novel series is based 

on the "The Unfinished Memoirs" of 

Bangabandhu, written during his 

incarceration. This is being presented in 

12 parts of the graphic novel series in an 

initiative mainly aimed at raising 

keenness among children and teenagers 

to learn about the Father of the Nation 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the nation's 

history. 

CRI plans to release eight more parts of 

the series in turn (in total it is a 12-part 

series). Cartoonist Sayed Rashad Imam 

Tonmoy said it was a difficult task to 

portray the life of Bangladesh's founding 

father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur 

Rahman in a graphic novel, Nasrul 

Hamid Bipu, state minister for power 

energy and mineral resources, Tarana 

Halim, state minister for Information, 

Junaid Ahmed Palak, ICT state minister 

among others were present at the event. 

The previously released Mujib-3 

highlights the post-World War II period 

of the life of Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman, during which he 

arranged for food for the starving people 

in his locality while Mujib - 2 of the 

series, covers the political rise of 

Bangabandhu and his growing ties with 

his political mentor Shaheed 

Suhrawardy along with an important 

football match between the young Mujib 

and his father. 

Mujib - 1 portrayed the childhood of 

Bangabandhu and how he got involved in 

politics. 

GD-269/18 (6 x 4) 

GD-274/18 (12 x 4)

METRO 

3 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2018 

Mazhar’s new 

poetry book 

published 

DHAKA : Young and 

talented poet Mazhar 

Sircar's poetry volume 

'Priyotomo Sundor Somoy 

Choliya Jay' is unveiled in 

the Amar Ekushey Book 

Fair, reports UNB. 

The Desh Publication 

published the book while 

artist Shibu Kumar Shil 

designed the book cover. 

The book is available at 

Desh publication stall (452- 

453) in the Suhrawardy 

Udyan part of the book fair. 

His first poetry volume 

'Sonali Roder Sanko' got the 

City Ananda Literary Award 

while he was awarded ' Brac 

Bank- Samakal literary 

Award' for this first novel 

'Rajniti' focusing on the 

student politics of 

independent Bangladesh. 

Birthday celebration 

of Ramakrishna 

begins in city 

DHAKA : A 15-day 

programme marking the 

183rd birthday celebration of 

Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa 

Dev and annual function and 

centennial ceremony of 

Dhaka Ramkrishna Mission 

began yesterday in the city. 

The celebration was begun 

with the 'Usha Keertan', one 

kind of devotional song, at 6 

am at Dhaka Ramkrishna 

Mission here, said a press 

release. 

The fortnight programme 

includes discussions, 

screening of documentary on 

life and works of Sri 

Ramkrishna and Srima 

Sarada Devi, performing 

Ramayan, rendering 

devotional songs, Padavali 

Keertan, drama, special puja, 

distribution of Prasad, 

homeopathy healthcare 

camps, painting competition 

for children, volunteer blood 

donation programme. 

Pahari Chhatra Parishad, Ganatantrik Juba Forum and Hill Women's 

Federation staged demon in front of National Press Club recently protesting 

harassment of Chakma Queen in Rangamati. 

Photo : TBT 

BSMMU to confer honorary 

PhD degrees upon 7 Professors 

DHAKA : Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujib Medical University 

(BSMMU) will confer honorary 

PhD degrees on seven 

Professors on the occasion of its 

3rd convocation. 

BSMMU Vice Chancellor 

(VC) Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan 

yesterday disclosed the 

information at a press briefing 

at Shaheed Milton Hall of the 

University in city's Shahbag 

area, reports BSS. 

The awards recipients are - 

Professor Motiur Rahman, 

Professor Mahmud Hasan, 

Professor MQK Talukder, 

Professor Shamsuddin Ahmed, 

Professor AKM Nurul Anwar, 

Professor M Imdadul Huq and 

Professor Afzalun Nesa. 

The 3rd convocation of 

BSMMU would be held on 

February 19 in where some 

1,202 doctors are expected to be 

present to receive certificates. A 

total of six doctors from six 

different departments would 

receive gold medals, he said. 

Chancellor of the BSMMU 

and President M Abdul Hamid 

is scheduled to attend the event 

as the chief guest, Dr Khan 

added. 

BSMMU authority has 

formed 16 sub-committees 

comprising of 57 members to 

hold the convocation smoothly. 

Students who passed 

MD/MS/MPhil/BSc in 

nursing/Diploma will receive 

certificates at the convocation. 

Health and Family Welfare 

Minister Mohammad Nasim, 

Education Minister Nurul Islam 

Nahid, Chairman of University 

Grants Commission Professor 

Abdul Mannan are expected to 

attend the event. 

There has been running 95 

post graduate and MSC nursing 

courses in the university. 

The hospital already 

introduced pediatric neurology, 

pediatric cardiology, palliative 

care medicine, respiratory 

medicine, Pedodontics 

department and Geriatric 

medicine unit. 

BSMMU would also 

introduce more six 

departments - Surgical 

oncology, Colorectal Surgery, 

Hepatobiliary and pancreatic 

surgery, gynaecological 

oncology, reproductive 

endocrinology and infertility 

and fetomaternal medicine - to 

provide more services. 

Samajtantrik Mohila Forum along with two 

other social organizations organized a roundtable 

meeting at Dhaka Reporters Unity on 

Friday in protest of ongoing repression on 

women across the country. Photo : TBT 

NOTICE 

NOTICE UNDER SECTION 289(1) OF COMPANIES ACT 1994 

RESOLUTION TO WINDING UP VOLUNTARILY 

In the matter of VIVEK HOLDING LTD. 

(Under Members voluntary Winding up) 

At an Extra Ordinary General meeting of the shareholders of 

VIVEK HOLDING LTD. Duly convened and held at 

registered office at Nasir Complex, 19 Kathalbagan, 

Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205 on the February 14, 2018, it has 

been resolved that VIVEK HOLDING LTD. has been put 

into members of voluntarily winding up as on February 14, 

2018, Md. Jamil Khan, Director, 41/3, Block-F, Babor Road, 

Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205 has been appointed as the 

Liquidator of the Company. 

All concerned are, therefore, requested to contact henceforth 

with the Liquidator in Respect of any affairs of the Company. 

(Md. Jamil Khan) 

Director, 41/3, Block-F, Babor Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205 


GD-270/18 (8 x 4)

EDITORIAL 

SUnDAY, 

FEbRUARY 18, 2018 

4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103 

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Sunday, February 18, 2018 

Objectively viewed 

state of medical care 

Afemale aged about 40 years died in a so called private 

hospital located in the old part of Dhaka city sometime 

ago. It would be counted as routine death but for the fact 

that the relatives of the deceased seemed to rightly raise a hue 

and cry that the death was the cause of wrong treatment and 

negligence. The death news received considerable media focus 

and lent afresh to rising concern about the state of medical 

care in the country. Sub-standard medical centers are found 

to be doing good business exploiting often the innocence and 

helplessness of their victims as they rush to these in 

desperation from not finding a berth in the overcrowded 

public hospitals. 

There are services which are extremely important for the 

simple reason that these involve human life. The same are the 

medical services and for the obvious reasons no compromise 

can be allowed in running them properly or in their standards. 

Therefore, it is shocking to learn that there are medical centers 

in this country which are functioning without any authorisation 

from the official health authorities though such approval is a 

basic legal requirement for their treating patients. The 

authorization is supposed to ensure that these privately run 

clinics, diagnostic centres and hospitals are properly equipped 

in the sense of having the necessary equipment and trained and 

qualified people to treat patients safely and effectively. It is not 

that authorization cannot be bought and sold for money in this 

country. Even then, it provides the assurance of a minimum of 

standard whereas the unauthorized ones are not binded by any 

regulation or supervision and prove to be like death houses than 

curing places. 

And that is what is happening to patients who get admitted to 

such unauthorised clinics at Khulna. According to a report, there 

are some 123 functioning clinics in the city out of which only 32 

have been officially permited to function while the rest are yet to 

get approval. The unauthorisedclinics without proper 

operating chambers, equipment and well-qualified doctors and 

staff are in no position to discharge proper treatment to patients. 

In one of them, a caesarean operation was attempted under 

candlelight and the mother had to fight for survival in the postoperation 

period.. In another reported case, the so called 

surgeon of an unauthorised clinic had cut off the respiratory 

passage of a patient when he was doing a tonsillitis operation 

under the light of a kerosene-lamp. 

The health risks to people at such unauthorised medical 

centresare countrywide. The picture is the same in all major 

cities and townships throughout the country. According to 

another report, there are now more than 2,000 clinics and 

diagnostic centres in Dhaka city but the government's 

Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) gave license to 

only 898 of them to operate. 

A sustained drive of the government needs to target hard 

these unfit and unacceptable medical centers. Some may 

contend that such a drive may create a dearth of services for sick 

people. But probably the sick ones would be better off not 

receiving any services from such dubious centers where they are 

most likely to get inadequate, ineffective or even wrong 

treatment. As it is, these medical centers are quite adept at 

making money at the expense of unsuspecting people. Taka 500 

may be charged for a pathology test which should fairly cost no 

more than Taka 50. An operation charge might be Taka 10,000 

or much more depending on cases and done by an unskilled 

person in conditions to be hardly considered as safe for the 

patient. 

Like the clinics and diagnostic centers which hardly do justice 

to their names, the state of medical education and training in 

large part is found to be no different.There are certain areas 

where training of professionals must be foolproof. Teaching 

and training to create such professionals is held to be like a 

sacred duty where there cannot be any room for concessions, 

compromise or acceptance of poor quality. Medical training is 

one such very vital area because those who train to be doctors 

are entrusted to discharge duties that relate directly to the life 

and physical well-being of humans 

The number of privately run medical colleges in the country is 

35. But most of them are, reportedly, medical colleges in name 

only. Out of these medical centers of learning and training, 25 

were allegedly given operating licenses on political 

considerations and connections to influential persons under the 

past administrations. Certain criteria have to be met prior to 

getting official approval to run such medical colleges. The 

criteria were hardly fulfilled while this approval was given to 

them on political consideration and influence peddling. Not 

even a few of them have satisfied the initial requirements or 

infrastructures needed to qualify as higher centres of learning in 

the medical field. All or nearly all of them do not even have an 

hospital within or near the campus area. But this requirement 

is an indispensable one for laying a claim as a medical college. 

Doctors with high qualifications and experience who can be 

relied on to impart proper medical training or to teach 

successfully at that level, are non existent in these colleges. 

Facilities for practical classes on anatomy that require morgues, 

dissection units and other related paraphernalia, are also not to 

be found in these so called medical colleges. Laboratory 

facilities for learning in pathology and related areas are 

similarly non existent or exist in very inadequate forms. 

Libraries are the main possessions of these medical colleges in 

most cases. But the libraries are also not so resourceful like the 

ones at the publicly run medical colleges. The greatest 

inadequacy seems to be in the area of practical training. In the 

publicly operated medical colleges, the attached hospital proves 

to be a ready training ground and for acquiring practical 

knowledge of the illnesses and procedures for their treatment. 

Lacking in this vital area, the private medical colleges can 

hardly provide this invaluable experience and training to their 

students. 

There cannot be any playing around with human lives and 

only thoroughly trained professional in the field are duly 

expected to attend to patients. Thus, one shudders to think how 

dangerous persons are being created to pose as doctors when 

they are actually ill equipped in every sense to treat sick people. 

They are more likely to emerge as killers of people from their 

lack of abilities, know-how and proper medical knowledge. 

There is no estimate available here about the number of those 

who got degrees from these so called private medical colleges. 

Surely, they are not to be regarded as equivalents of their 

counterparts passing out from government run medical 

colleges where the training and teaching of potential doctors are 

undoubtedly superior. It is imperative that this lack of 

uniformity in skills and training should be bridged. Private 

medical colleges should be immediately warned to go for 

improving their standards, fully, in every respect or face 

penalties including closure. 

Omani minister visits Jerusalem 

What is the difference 

between the policies of 

Qatar and Oman? Why do 

we accept Omani Foreign Minister 

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah's 

visit to Jerusalem and his meetings 

with Israeli officials, but denounce 

similar actions by Qatar? 

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah 

toured Jerusalem, Abu Dis and 

Jericho, met with officials and 

activists, and brought with him 

Omani incense for Al-Aqsa Mosque 

and the Church of the Holy 

Sepulchre. This at a time when 

Qatari media is instigating 

campaigns against those thinking 

of making such visits or even 

supporting them. When we see 

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah in 

Jerusalem, we do not feel 

disturbed because Omani 

politicians and media do not 

contradict their own country's 

policy. 

But Qatar has been engaged in 

such diplomatic activities since 

1996, while threatening any 

government that would dare do the 

same. It launched a campaign 

against Egypt's government 

because the grand mufti visited 

Jerusalem, and against Dr. 

Mohammed Al-Issa, secretarygeneral 

of the Muslim World 

League, because he denounced the 

Holocaust. Oman has its own 

SRINIVISAN Ramanujan (1887- 

1920) and Muhammad Abdus 

Salam (1926-1996), two 

intellectual giants of the 20th century, 

were born in the same corner of the 

world. Of humble origin and educated 

in local schools, they nevertheless rose 

to dizzying heights in the arcane world 

of theoretical science. Few others on the 

subcontinent enjoy their iconic status. 

What I shall address below is that 

both attributed their works to some 

divine agency. Some of their devotees 

see this in validating their own 

respective belief system. With the rise of 

Hindutva in India, and the violent 

persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan, 

these claims assume considerable 

importance. Hence a careful, impartial 

examination is called for. 

No mathematician has a story more 

romantic than Ramanujan's. Many 

books, plays, and movies - such as The 

Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) - dwell 

upon this enigmatic figure. Drawing 

upon deep intuition, Ramanujan 

created new concepts in the theory of 

numbers, elliptic functions and infinite 

series. Even full-blown mathematicians 

take years to grasp his complex ideas. 

Exceptional genes plus fortunate 

circumstances is why some become 

maths-science superstars. 

Born in Madras to a low-level clerk, 

this young Brahmin boy was steeped in 

tradition, sang religious songs, attended 

temple pujas, and was a strict 

vegetarian. But by age 12, he was 

AbDULRAHmAn AL-RASHED 

independent policy. In the mid- 

1990s, it opened a commercial 

Israeli office in Muscat, then closed 

it during the second Palestinian 

uprising. But Qatar pursues a 

hypocritical policy of double 

standards, trading and dealing 

with Israelis at all levels, but 

accusing Arab governments and 

organizations of treason for any 

dealings with Israeli bodies. 

Arab League should end the Arab 

boycott of the Palestinians, and 

take a clear stance against 

incitement from countries such as 

Qatar and Iran. It has also formed 

an evil alliance with Iran, 

threatening regional countries via 

provocative policies such as 

supporting radical Islamist groups 

- including Al-Qaeda, Daesh and 

Al-Nusra Front - and bullying 

moderate forces in the Middle 

East. 

Oman has not protested or 

incited. Its policies may not always 

be compatible with those of most 

countries in the region, but this is 

its choice, and we respect that 

because it respects the choices of 

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah toured Jerusalem, 

Abu Dis and Jericho, met with officials and activists, 

and brought with him Omani incense for Al-Aqsa 

mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This 

at a time when Qatari media is instigating 

campaigns against those thinking of making such 

visits or even supporting them. When we see Yusuf 

bin Alawi bin Abdullah in Jerusalem, we do not feel 

disturbed because Omani politicians and media do 

not contradict their own country's policy. 

inventing sophisticated theorems and 

unwittingly duplicating some results of 

European mathematicians of the 

previous century. He flunked college 

twice for lack of interest in anything but 

mathematics - in which he excelled. His 

awestruck teachers could not decide 

whether he was a genius or fraud. 

At 16, encouraged by one of his 

teachers, Ramanujan sent off a letter to 

the renowned pure mathematician 

G.W. Hardy at Cambridge University. It 

was accompanied by theorems densely 

packed into nine pages. Hardy was 

stunned and arranged for him to travel 

to England. Ramanujan duly obtained 

permission from the family goddess 

Namagiri, consulting appropriate 

astrological data before his voyage 

overseas. At age 32, Ramanujan was 

dead. He had returned to Madras 

PERvEz HOODbHOY 

others. Oman is being courageous 

in dealing directly with forces on 

the ground in Palestine and Israel. 

"We have to encourage our Arab 

brothers, wherever they are, to 

come to Palestine," said Yusuf bin 

Alawi bin Abdullah. "He who hears 

it is not like the one who sees. They 

exhausted, half-famished and fed up 

with English winters. But even on his 

deathbed, his pen scrawled out 

profound results. A century later these 

still intrigue the brainiest of 

mathematicians and string theorists. 

He attributed his exceptional qualities 

to the psychic visitations of Namagiri 

who would whisper equations to him. 

Sometimes, he said, "she wrote on my 

tongue". He told colleagues, "An 

equation for me has no meaning unless 

it represents a thought of God." 

This was how Ramanujan saw it. But 

how does one explain that Euler, 

Bernoulli, Gauss, Cantor, Hilbert and 

Gödel were non-Brahmin 

mathematicians who stood still taller? 

The edifice of modern mathematics 

owes largely to them, not to 

Ramanujan. Some were ardent 

are now required to visit the 

Palestinians." Some may say he is 

the most experienced Arab foreign 

minister, and so does not need to 

go there to know what is 

happening. 

But all Arab ministers should go 

to the occupied Palestinian 

territories, meet with officials and 

activists, and understand what is 

happening first-hand, instead of 

theorizing in air-conditioned 

conference rooms in Cairo and 

elsewhere. One of the greatest 

mistakes of Arab politics is to 

boycott the Palestinians by 

claiming it is a boycott of Israel. 

In response to the surprise of 

some pro-Qatar parties, it is 

important to distinguish between 

what Doha has been doing - 

including bullying and inciting 

while maintaining a strong 

relationship with Israel - and what 

Muscat has done. 

There is a big difference, and the 

Arab League should adopt Yusuf 

bin Alawi bin Abdullah's call to 

visit Palestine. The league should 

also end the Arab boycott of the 

Palestinians, and take a clear 

stance against incitement from 

countries such as Qatar and Iran. 

Source: Arab News 

Ramanujan and Salam - what inspired them? 

Finally, Germany has a government. 

Almost. After a last-ditch effort by 

Chancellor Angela Merkel's centreright 

Christian Democrats (CDU) and 

the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) 

agreed to yet another "grand coalition" of 

the two main parties. 

Some four-and-a-half months since 

the election, the world's fourth-largest 

economy, the Eurozone's powerhouse 

and paymaster, has leadership. Perhaps. 

For the final say on the SPD's 

participation lies with its 460,000 rankand-file 

members. Results of a postal 

ballot are due in early March. And there's 

no guarantee that SPD members will 

play ball. Having led the CDU since 

2000, and her country since 2005, 

Merkel is a political giant. Yet, her power 

is waning badly. The CDU had won just 

33 per cent support in September's 

general election - 8.5 percentage points 

down on 2013 - while the SPD managed 

only 20 per cent. This was the worst 

showing for Germany's two main parties 

since the Second World War. 

The reason, of course, was the 

emergence of Alternative fur 

Deutschland (AfD) as the third-strongest 

force. Formed only in 2013, AfD had 

already secured seats in 14 of 16 regional 

parliaments before last year's general 

election - in which it shocked the 

German establishment by taking 12.6 

per cent of the vote. As such, a hard-right 

party now controls 94 of the 598 seats in 

the Bundestag - along with the 

chairmanship of three parliamentary 

committees. No one wants this coalition. 

CDU members are outraged at 

concessions Merkel made to cling to 

office, handing the SPD control of vital 

ministries including finance and foreign 

At 16, encouraged by one of his teachers, 

Ramanujan sent off a letter to the renowned pure 

mathematician G.W. Hardy at Cambridge 

University. It was accompanied by theorems 

densely packed into nine pages. Hardy was stunned 

and arranged for him to travel to England. 

Ramanujan duly obtained permission from the 

family goddess namagiri, consulting appropriate 

astrological data before his voyage overseas. 

affairs. Much of the SPD, meanwhile, 

feels being in the 2013-2017 grand 

coalition damaged the party's reputation. 

Some 24,000 people have joined the 

SPD in recent weeks, many hoping to 

block a new grand coalition. And the 

party's "young socialist" youth wing is 

running a vigorous "no" campaign. 

The alternative, though, is worse - 

another election. With the SPD polling at 

a historically low 17 per cent, and the 

public tiring of Merkel, that could see 

more AfD gains - resulting in the upstart 

populists possibly elbowing their way 

into government, if only as a junior 

partner. And the entire point of this 

grand coalition is to keep AfD at bay. 

After 12 years of Merkel, though, eight of 

them in an SPD coalition, an air of 

fatigue hangs over German politics. AfD 

has exploited this lack of dynamism and, 

above all, a refusal by the German 

establishment to address issues of 

widespread concern. 

After the biggest influx of immigrants 

into Europe in 70 years, the burden 

falling heavily on Germany, there is 

widespread outrage about high refugee 

numbers. German-funded bailouts to 

other Eurozone members are another 

common grievance harnessed by AfD. 

There is much concern also about 

ongoing quantitative easing (QE) 

money-printing by the European Central 

Bank (ECB), still running at tens of 

billions of euros each month, with the 

related negative interest rates hitting 

Germany's army of savers. Having 

shown less enthusiasm for both the CDU 

and the SPD than in any election for 

decades, German voters are being served 

up yet another grand coalition. As the 

main opposition party, AfD will use this 

to claim that power, once again, has been 

sewn up by entrenched, out-of-touch 

elites. 

Ironically, Germany's slow-motion 

political crisis is happening amid an 

economic upswing. Having lagged for 

several years, Germany expanded by 2.5 

per cent in 2017, a six-year high. Exports 

are buoyant amid signs of recovery 

across the Eurozone. A fiscal surplus of 

euros 38.4 billion (Dh176.81 billion) in 

Christians, others agnostic or atheistic. 

Nobody knows how to explain their 

feats. 

Curiously, Abdus Salam, then a 19- 

year-old student at Government 

College Lahore, wrote his very first 

paper proposing a simpler solution to 

an intriguing mathematical problem 

posed about 20 years earlier by 

Ramanujan. He ended his paper by 

triumphantly declaring: "His 

[Ramanujan's] solution is much more 

laborious". 

This was Salam's debut into the world 

of high mathematics. Born into a 

conservative religious environment in 

Jhang - then a village-town - this child 

prodigy rapidly outpaced his teachers. 

Fortunately they bore him no grudge 

and helped him move on to Lahore. The 

next stop was Cambridge, where he 

excelled. By the early 1960s, he was one 

of the world's top particle physicists, 

ultimately winning 20 international 

prizes and honours including the Nobel 

Prize in 1979. 

In his later years, Salam gave 

numerous public lectures and 

interviews, recorded on camera and in 

print, locating his source of inspiration 

in his religious belief. In particular he 

said the concept of unity of God 

powered his quest for the unification of 

nature's fundamental forces as well as 

his search for ever fewer numbers of 

elementary particles. 

Source : Dawn 

Germany’s grand coalition is built on sand 

LIAm HALLIGAn 

Ironically, Germany's slow-motion political crisis 

is happening amid an economic upswing. Having 

lagged for several years, Germany expanded by 2.5 

per cent in 2017, a six-year high. Exports are 

buoyant amid signs of recovery across the 

Eurozone. A fiscal surplus of euros 38.4 billion 

(Dh176.81 billion) in 2017, around 1.2 per cent of 

gross domestic product, provides wiggle room to 

trim the tax burden and increase spending. 

2017, around 1.2 per cent of gross 

domestic product, provides wiggle room 

to trim the tax burden and increase 

spending. 

But German inflation has also risen, up 

from 0.5 per cent in 2016 to 1.8 per cent 

last year. While the ECB has been trying to 

generate inflation, this sharp increase has 

raised eyebrows in Germany - where 

cultural aversion to inflation runs deep. 

The debate between Berlin and the ECB, 

then, is about to get even more heated. 

With inflation across the Eurozone still 

around 1 per cent, and set to fall, the 

central bank's chief economist Peter Praet 

week before last signalled that QE may 

need to extend beyond its agreed 

September cut-off point, a deadline that 

has already been many times extended. 

From the other side of the Channel, it 

seems as if Brexit is the biggest problem 

facing the European Union (EU). It isn't, 

not by a long chalk. The EU's greatest 

challenge relates to the structural 

incoherence and ongoing instability of the 

single currency - which can only be solved 

by a system of massive annual transfers 

from wealthy Eurozone members to 

poorer nations. The rest of the EU, led by 

France, expect Germany to solve this 

problem. Unless Germany gets a new 

electorate, or abandons democracy, that 

isn't going to happen. On top of that, 

continental politics is increasingly plagued 

by xenophobic nationalism - not just in 

Germany, but also Italy, Spain, Greece 

and Eastern Europe - fanned partly by the 

migrant crisis, and also anger towards 

bailout conditions Germany has imposed 

on other members. 

Source : Gulf News

ENVIRONMENT 

sunDaY, FeBRuaRY 18, 2018 

5 

Rethinking australia’s 

environmental laws 

aDam moRton 

Environmental lawyers 

and academics have called 

for a comprehensive 

rethink on how Australia's 

natural landscapes are 

protected, warning that 

short-term politics is 

infecting decision-making 

and suggesting that the 

public be given a greater 

say on development plans. 

The Australian Panel of 

Experts on Environmental 

Law has launched a 

blueprint for a new 

generation of environment 

laws and the creation of 

independent agencies with 

the power and authority to 

ensure they are enforced. 

The panel of 14 senior legal 

figures says this is 

motivated by the need to 

systematically address 

ecological challenges 

including falling 

biodiversity, the 

degradation of productive 

rural land, the 

intensification of coastal 

and city development and 

the threat of climate 

change. Murray Wilcox 

QC, a former federal court 

judge, said the blueprint 

was a serious attempt to 

improve a system that was 

shutting the public out of 

the decision-making 

process and failing to 

properly assess the impact 

of large-scale development 

proposals. 

"We found the standard 

of management of the 

environment is poor 

because everything is 

made into a political issue," 

Wilcox said. "Nothing 

happens until it becomes 

desperate. "We need a 

non-political body of 

significant prestige to 

report on what is 

happening and have the 

discretion to act." The legal 

review, developed over 

several years and quietly 

released in 2017, resulted 

in 57 recommendations. It 

was suggested by the 

Places You Love alliance, a 

collection of about 40 

environmental groups that 

was created to counter a 

failed bid to set up a "onestop 

shop" for 

environmental approvals 

by leaving it to the states. 

The panel undertook the 

work on the understanding 

experts have called for a comprehensive rethink on australia's 

environmental protection policies. 

Photo: Peter Zurzolo 

a Frost Fair on the thames at temple stairs in 1684. 

it would be independent 

and not a piece of activism. 

Its work helped inform a 

motion passed by 250 

Labor branches calling on 

the Labor leader, Bill 

Shorten, to put stronger 

national environmental 

laws and the introduction 

of an independent 

watchdog at the centre of 

his election pitch. The 

Australian Panel of Experts 

on Environmental Law 

convener, Rob Fowler, an 

environmental lawyer for 

more than 40 years and 

adjunct professor at the 

University of South 

Australia, said a key 

finding was that 

cooperative federalism - 

different tiers of 

government working 

together to solve common 

problems - had not worked 

in protecting the 

environment. 

"It's slow-moving, 

unwieldy and leads to 

compromised outcomes," 

he said. Fowler said 

devolving responsibility for 

environmental protection 

to the states had been 

popular with politicians, 

having been proposed by 

both the Gillard Labor 

government and the 

Coalition under Tony 

Abbott, but not the public. 

The 2014 constitutional 

values survey conducted by 

Griffith University found 

nearly 45% of respondents 

believed Canberra should 

be solely responsible for 

protecting 

the 

environment. Just 16% 

said it should be left to the 

states. 

He said the body of 

expert opinion was 

strongly in favour of the 

commonwealth taking 

responsibility. The panel 

believed a future 

government should 

introduce a mechanism 

that required states to act 

in line with plans and 

strategies developed by a 

c o m m o n w e a l t h 

environment commission. 

If they failed to comply, 

they could be overridden. 

Wilcox, who before 

becoming a judge was 

president of the Australian 

Conservation Foundation 

from 1979 to 1984, said 

creating an environment 

commission. 

Photo: Heritage images 

ice age: a myth or reality 

Dana nuCCitelli 

Roughly every two years we're treated 

to headlines repeating the myth that 

Earth is headed for an imminent "mini 

ice age." It happened in 2013, 2015, and 

again just recently at the tail end of 

2017. 

This time around, the myth appears 

to have been sparked by a Sky News 

interview with Northumbria University 

mathematics professor Valentina 

Zharkova. The story was quickly 

echoed by the Daily Mail, International 

Business Times, Sputnik News, Metro, 

Tru News, and others. Zharkova was 

also behind the 'mini ice age' stories in 

2015, based on her research predicting 

that the sun will soon enter a quiet 

phase. 

The most important takeaway point 

is that the scientific research is clear - 

were one to occur, a grand solar 

minimum would temporarily reduce 

global temperatures by less than 0.3°C, 

while humans are already causing 

0.2°C warming per decade. 

So the sun could only offset at most 15 

years' worth of human-caused global 

warming, and once its quiet phase 

ended, the sun would then help 

accelerate global warming once again. 

The myth ultimately stems from a 

period climate scientists have coined 

"The Little Ice Age" (LIA). This was a 

modestly cool period running from 

about the year 1300 to 1850. It was 

particularly cold in the UK, where the 

Thames River sometimes froze over, 

and 'frost fairs' were held. 

A team led by University of Reading 

physicist and solar expert Mike 

Lockwood wrote a paper reviewing the 

science behind frost fairs, sunspots, 

and the LIA. It included the figure 

below showing northern hemisphere 

temperatures along with sunspot 

number and the level of volcanic 

particles in the atmosphere over the 

past millennium. 

During full blown ice ages, 

temperatures have generally been 4- 

8°C colder than in modern times. As 

this figure shows, during the LIA, 

temperatures were at most only about 

0.5°C cooler than the early 20th 

century. Thus, Lockwood calls the Little 

Ice Age "a total misnomer." 

The Maunder Minimum was a period 

of quiet solar activity between about 

1645 and 1715. It's often referred to 

interchangeably with 'Little Ice Age,' 

but the latter lasted centuries longer. In 

fact, three separate solar minima 

occurred during the LIA, which also 

included periods of relatively higher 

solar activity. Other factors like 

volcanic eruptions and human 

activities also contributed to the cool 

temperatures. 

Several studies have investigated the 

potential climate impact of a future 

grand solar minimum. In every case, 

they have concluded that such a quiet 

solar period would cause less than 

0.3°C cooling, which as previously 

noted, would temporarily offset no 

more than a decade and a half's worth 

of human-caused global warming. 

These model-based estimates are 

consistent with the amount of cooling 

that occurred during the solar minima 

in the LIA. 

Although it would have a relatively 

small impact on the climate, it's still an 

interesting question to ask whether 

we're headed for another quiet solar 

period. Zharkova thinks so. Her team 

created a model that tries to predict 

solar activity, and suggests another 

solar minimum will occur from 2020 to 

2055. However, other solar scientists 

have criticized the model as being too 

simple, created based on just 35 years 

of data, and failing to accurately 

reproduce past solar activity. 

Ilya Usoskin, head of the Oulu 

Cosmic Ray Station and Vice-Director 

of the ReSoLVE Center of Excellence in 

Research, published a critique of 

Zharkova's solar model making those 

points. Most importantly, the model 

fails in reproducing past known solar 

activity because Zharkova's team treats 

the sun as a simple, predictable system 

like a pendulum. In reality, the sun has 

more random and unpredictable (in 

scientific terms, "stochastic") behavior. 

Lockwood agrees that we don't yet 

have a proven predictive theory of 

solar behavior. He has published 

research examining the range of 

possible solar evolutions based on past 

periods when the Sun was in a similar 

state to today, but as he puts it, "that is 

the best that I think we can do at the 

present time!" 

Solar physicist Paul Charbonneau at 

the University of Montreal also 

concurred with Usoskin. He told me 

that while scientists are working to 

simulate solar activity, including using 

simplified models like Zharkova's. 

tesla inc. are investing heavily on renewable energies. 

Photo: Bloomberg 

Renewables and batteries 

are taking over natural Gas 

Dana nuCCitelli 

Over the past decade, coal has been 

increasingly replaced by cheaper, 

cleaner energy sources. US coal power 

production has dropped by 44% (866 

terawatt-hours [TWh]). It's been 

replaced by natural gas (up 45%, or 

400 TWh), renewables (up 260%, or 

200 TWh), and increased efficiency 

(the US uses 9%, or 371 TWh less 

electricity than a decade ago). 

While the shift away from coal is a 

positive development in slowing global 

warming by cutting carbon pollution, 

as Joe Romm has detailed for Climate 

Progress, research indicates that 

shifting to natural gas squanders most 

of those gains. For example, a 2014 

study published in Environmental 

Research Letters found that when 

natural gas production is abundant, it 

crowds out both coal and renewables, 

resulting in little if any climate benefit. 

Part of the problem is significant 

methane leakage from natural gas 

drilling. 

Similarly, another 2014 study found 

that based on the latest estimates of 

methane leakage rates from natural gas 

drilling, replacing coal with natural gas 

provides little in the way of climate 

benefits. Though it's been touted as a 

'bridge fuel' to span the gap between 

coal and renewables, this research 

suggests natural gas isn't significantly 

better than coal in terms of global 

warming effects, and thus may not be 

suitable for that purpose. The 'bridge' 

doesn't appear to achieve its goal of 

steadily cutting our greenhouse gas 

emissions. 

California has been a national leader 

in clean energy. The state generates 

very little of its electricity from coal, but 

natural gas does supply more than a 

third of the state's power. A quarter is 

generated by renewable sources like 

wind, solar, and geothermal plants, and 

another 10% comes from hydroelectric 

dams, on average. In 2017, renewables' 

share increased by about 10%, 

displacing natural gas in the process. 

In fact, California has an excess of 

natural gas power generation 

capabilities. Some natural gas plants 

are still essential for ensuring local grid 

reliability, but in many cases, clean 

energy resources like a combination of 

solar and storage can meet reliability 

needs. 

In one recent example, the California 

Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) 

ordered Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) 

to procure energy storage (batteries) or 

"preferred resources" (renewables or 

increased efficiency and conservation) 

to meet a local reliability need in 

northern California. The order 

stemmed from an issue with a "peaker" 

natural gas plant (so-called because 

they switch on to meet high, peak 

electricity demand) operated in 

northern California. The operator 

(Calpine) was concerned that the plant 

was no longer economical, because it's 

too infrequently used due largely to an 

abundance of renewable power. The 

contract they could receive for 

providing generation capacity to ensure 

grid reliability would not be high 

enough to cover costs to maintain the 

plant. 

Instead of bidding their plant into the 

program overseen by the CPUC to 

ensure local reliability, Calpine went 

directly to the California Independent 

System Operator (CAISO) and 

requested a "reliability must-run 

resource" contract, which is a much 

higher payment than they would have 

received through the CPUC program. 

CPUC decided instead to require PG&E 

to fill the local reliability need with 

cleaner alternatives. The costs of 

renewable energy and battery storage 

have fallen so fast that the clean 

alternatives might now be cheaper than 

gas. In another example, a proposed 

natural gas peaker plant in Oxnard, 

California was rejected when it was 

shown that the CAISO was using 

outdated battery storage costs from 

2014. Given how quickly those prices 

have fallen, they could now potentially 

be competitive with natural gas peaker 

costs. 

The redundancy and potential 

replacement of natural gas with cleaner 

alternatives extends far beyond these 

examples. Most electrical service 

providers in California are now 

required to develop integrated resource 

plans. These are electric grid planning 

documents that outline how the 

utilities will meet a number of 

California's goals, including a 40% 

reduction in carbon pollution below 

1990 levels and 50% electricity 

production from renewable sources by 

2030. Meeting these goals will require 

replacing non-critical natural gas 

plants with renewable power. 

And California is already installing 

battery storage systems at record pace. 

Tesla, AES Energy Storage, and 

Greensmith Energy Partners have all 

installed large battery storage facilities 

in California within the past year. 

Within 4 years, batteries are projected 

to be as cheap as natural gas "peakers," 

and consistently cheaper with 10 years. 

It's important to bear in mind that 

power plants built today can continue 

to operate for decades to come. The 

decisions we make for today's grid are 

long-lasting. That's why there are 

similar pushes from groups in 

Michigan, Oregon, Connecticut, North 

Carolina, and South Carolina for 

utilities to scrap plans for new natural 

gas plants and instead consider cleaner 

and potentially cheaper renewable 

alternatives. Renewables also don't face 

the uncertainty associated with 

fluctuating natural gas prices. 

Of course, were there a national price 

on carbon pollution, renewables and 

battery storage would win in the 

marketplace even sooner. As it stands, 

natural gas prices don't reflect the costs 

that we incur from the climate change 

caused by their greenhouse. 

Climate change causing skewed gender ratio in sea turtles 

Helen DaviDson 

Rising temperatures are 

turning almost all green sea 

turtles in a Great Barrier 

Reef population female, new 

research has found. The 

scientific paper warned the 

skewed ratio could threaten 

the population's future. Sea 

turtles are among species 

with temperature dependent 

sex-determination and the 

proportion of female 

hatchlings increases when 

nests are in warmer sands. 

Tuesday's paper, from the 

National Oceanic and 

A t m o s p h e r i c 

Administration, California 

State University and 

Worldwide Fund for Nature 

Australia, is published in 

Current Biology. It 

examined two genetically 

distinct populations of 

turtles on the reef, finding 

the northern group of about 

200,000 animals was 

overwhelmingly female. 

He said the findings were 

surprising and "a bit 

alarming", with significant 

conservation implications. 

"While we can hope there 

might be some cooler years 

to produce a few more 

males, overall we can expect 

the temperatures to 

increase," he said. 

Jensen said the 

researchers worked around 

"ethical implications" of past 

studies that required 

sacrificing some hatchlings 

to accurately determine sex 

ratios and pivotal 

temperature ranges. This 

team instead studied more 

than 400 turtles at foraging 

grounds, gathering 

information on the sex of 

turtles from multiple 

generations. 

"Knowing what the sex 

ratios in the adult breeding 

population are today, and 

what they might look like 

five, 10 and 20 years from 

now when these young 

turtles grow up and become 

adults, is going to be 

incredibly valuable," Jensen 

said. The research was 

facilitated through the Great 

Barrier Reef Rivers to Reef 

to Turtles project by the 

World Wildlife Fund 

Australia. The chief 

executive of WWF Australia, 

Dermot O'Gorman, said it 

was yet another sign of the 

impact of climate change, 

following recent research 

that coral bleaching events 

were occurring far more 

frequently. 

While the southern 

population was 65%-69% 

female, females in the 

northern group accounted 

for 99.1% of juveniles, 99.8% 

of subadults and 86.8% of 

adults. "Combining our 

results with temperature 

data show that the northern 

GBR green turtle rookeries 

have been producing 

primarily females for more 

than two decades and that 

the complete feminisation of 

this population is possible in 

the near future," the paper 

Females in a Great Barrier Reef population of green sea turtles were found 

to make up 99.1% of juveniles, 99.8% of subadults and 86.8% of adults. 

Photo: Christine Hof 

said. 

The temperature at which 

the turtles will produce male 

or female hatchlings is 

heritable, the paper said, but 

tipped to produce 100% 

male or 100% female 

hatchlings within a range of 

just a few degrees.

NATIONAL 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2018 

6 

Additional Depty Inspector General of Police of Sylhet Range, Joydeb Kumar Bhadra speaking Open 

House Day and View Exchaning meeting yesterday in Kulaura of Moulvibazar district yesterday. 

Photo: Sakir Ahmed 

State Minister for Textile and Jute Mirza Azam speading specila extended meeting of Kulia Union Awami 

League of Melandah Upazila under Jamalpur distirct yesterday. 

Photo: Ruhul Amin Razu 

Strawberry farming gains 

popularity in Rajshahi 

RAJSHAHI: Strawberry farming has 

been gaining popularity in Rajshahi 

region for economic prospect of the cash 

crop, reports BSS. 

Abul Kalam, a farmer of Darusha village 

under Paba upazila, said strawberry, a 

succulent fruit popular in different parts of 

the globe, is also gradually becoming popular 

among the local people. 

Farmers' level extension of strawberry 

farming can bring a new horizon to the 

agriculture sector in the region. 

Prof Dr AKM Rafiul Islam of Department 

of Botany of Rajshahi University says 

strawberry cultivation is as easy as growing 

potato or eggplant. Saplings can be planted 

in rows during the period between November 

and December every year. 

Illustrating salient feature of strawberry, a 

high-value cash crop, he said the plants start 

flowering within one month of plantation 

and fruits can be collected till March. 

"Each plant bears around 250 to 300 

grams of fruit and some 6,000 plants can be 

grown on one bigha of land," Dr Islam said, 

adding with farmer-level price of around 

Taka 600 per kg, the commercially potential 

fruit will have a bigger market locally and 

globally and benefit farmers enormously. 

Now, a large number of people, mostly 

unemployed youths, have become dependent 

on strawberry farming to earn a living, as its 

cultivation is easier and more profitable than 

other crops, he said. 

The youths are supplying strawberry to 

different markets across the country as the 

soft fruit is being used in preparing icecream, 

jam, jelly, pickles, chocolates and 

biscuits. 

Prof Dr Manzur Hossain, who is a pioneer 

in the country's strawberry research, variety 

innovation and growers' level farming 

expansion, said Bangladeshi strawberry 

variety has been adjudged as the world's best 

strawberry. 

"We have innovated three varieties of 

strawberry through applying tissue culture 

5 Ctg power plants 

in pipeline 

method," he said. 

"In the demonstration field, all those were 

found adaptive to the region's soil and 

environmental conditions," Prof Dr Hossain, 

another teacher of Botany, added. He has 

been multiplying the variety on his own 

horticulture farm for the last couple of years. 

The new variety of strawberry can be 

harvested within two and a half months of its 

plantation and a farmer can earn around 

Taka 1.5 lakh by farming it on one bigha of 

land with expenditure of only Taka 30,000, 

he said. 

With farmer-level price of around Taka 

300 per kg, the commercially potential fruit 

will have a bigger market locally and benefit 

farmers enormously, the pioneer said while 

talking to BSS. 

In 2003, three varieties yielded 

encouraging results and were found suitable 

in local climate. 

Strawberry farming is already in motion in 

many districts under the region. With the 

average price of a kilogram of the fruit 

standing at Taka 700, the commercially 

viable fruit presents great export potentials 

and ushers in economic prospects for those 

who wish to get high and fast returns from 

limited land resources. 

ATM Rafiqul Islam, Deputy Manager 

(Agriculture) of Barind Multipurpose 

Development Authority, said there has been 

a bright prospect of farming strawberry 

everywhere in the country excepting the 

coastal districts. 

The red juicy and nutritious fruit produced 

by him is now being supplied to posh markets 

in the capital Dhaka. 

The country can earn huge foreign 

currencies from strawberry export if its 

commercial farming starts at national level, 

he hoped. 

"The fruit will no doubt be a profitable crop 

for farmers. If it is grown on a large scale, the 

highly nutritious fruit will come within the 

reach of the common people. There will be no 

need for imports," said Agriculturist Rafique. 

Banner torched in 

Rajshahi, 3 held 

RAJSHAHI: Police nabbed 

three persons reportedly belong 

to Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal for 

their alleged involvement in 

torching a campaign banner 

ahead of Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina's visit here, reports BSS. 

The arrested were identified 

as Papon, 32, Rabbul, 35, and 

Utthpal, 37. They are the 

residents of Gushpara area 

under Rajpara Police Station 

in the city. Hafijur Rahman, 

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of 

Rajpara Police Station 

confirmed the matter. 

Quoting witnesses, the OC 

said a young man torched a 

roadside campaign banner 

pouring patrol on it on Friday 

night at Ghoshpara crossing 

and managed to flee the scene. 

The Prime Minister is likely 

to address a rally at Madrasha 

Moidan in the city as the chief 

guest on February 22. 

One held with 

61 yaba tablets 

in Netrakona 

NETRAKONA: Police 

arrested a drug trader with 61 

pieces of yaba tablets from 

West-Bazer area under 

Kalmakanda upazila of the 

district the day before 

yestaerday night, report BSS. 

The arrested was identified 

as Rezaul Karim, 28. On a tipoff, 

a team of the Kalmakanda 

Police conducted a raid in the 

area and nabbed Rezaul with 

the contraband drugs, officerin-charge 

(OC) of the 

Kalmakanda Police Station 

AKM Mizanur Rahman said. 

A case was filed with 

Kalmakanda Police Station 

in this connection. 


CHITTAGONG: 

Construction of five new 

power plants having a total 

generation capacity of 716 

megawatts (MWs) under the 

private sector in Chittagong is 

under process, reports BSS. 

Power Development Board 

(PDB) sources said 

preparatory work on the 

proposed projects has been 

completed. 

The PDB will supervise the 

implementation of the plants. 

The sources said the 

projects included one 300- 

MW plant beside Chittagong 

Urea Fertilizer Factory at 

Anowara , one 116-MW plant 

at Sikalbaha under Patiya, 

two power plants with 100- 

MW generation capacity each 

at Sikalbaha under 

Karnaphuli thana on south 

bank of river Karnaphuli in 

the port city. 

Meanwhile, another 

proposed 100-MW plant at 

Julda in Patiya upazila is in 

the pipeline. 

Project director of the 

under construction 300-MW 

PDB plant at Anowara Engr. 

Golam Haider Talukder told 

BSS that United Group is 

implementing this power 

project . 

He said the first phase 

work on the project is 

progressing fast and it is 

expected that the project 

will be completed by 2019. 

He further disclosed that all 

equipments for this project 

will be imported from 

Finland very shortly. 

Meanwhile, the project 

director of 116-MW 

Sikalbaha plant Engr 

Kamruddin Ahmed said two 

other power plants with the 

generation capacity of 100- 

MW each will also be built in 

the same area. 

It may be mentioned that 

Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina formally inaugurated 

the Sikalbaha 225-MW 

combined cycle power plant 

in December last. 

The prime minister 

inaugurated this cycling 

power plant simultaneously 

with other 3 power plants 

across the country through 

video conferencing. 

PDB Chief Engineer Probir 

Kumar Sen said the work on 

the duel fuel run 225-MW 

Sikalbaha combined cycling 

plant began in 2015. 

Production of electricity at 

the project started from 

November 6 last. 

"After implementation of 

these power projects there 

will be no load-shedding in 

the region," he added. 

He said a total of Tk. 2,018 

crore with foreign assistance 

of Tk.1375 crore was spent for 

this plant. 

Professor Dr. Habibe Millat Munna, Member of parliament from Sirajganj Sadar 

constitrency speaking Triennial Conuncil of Sirajganj Mohila Awami League in 

the upazila yesterday under Sirajganj distirct. Photo: Badrul Alam Dulal 


Boro cultivation progressing 

fast in Netrakona 

NETRAKONA: Boro cultivation, a high-yield crop, has been 

going on in full swing in all the 10 upazilas of the district, 

which is widely known as "grain vowel" of the country, 

during the current season, reports BSS. 

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office sources 

said the cultivators have already brought 1, 81,500 hectors of 

land under the cultivation in the district exceeding the target 

fixed at 1,81,238 hectors of land. 

Of the total land, the farmers cultivated hybrid variety of 

paddy on 13,065 hectors of land, high yielding variety (HYV) 

on 1, 67,978 hectors of land and local variety of the paddy on 

457 hectors of land. 

Deputy Director of the DAE Bilash Chandra Paul said the 

cultivation of Boro is progressing fast in the district as the 

cultivators were provided with financial and logistic support 

by the government. 

He said, following the instructions of the government, 

different state-run agencies including BADC and BCIC have 

taken different farmers-friendly programs to ensure proper 

supplying of improved quality Boro seeds, fertilizers and 

other agricultural equipments to the door steps of the 

farmers. Besides, different commercial banks including 

Bangladesh Krishi Bank have already disbursed agricultural 

loans among the farmers to make them capable to run their 

cultivation cost. 

Dinajpur Police Super, Hamidul Alam and Dr. Musfiqur Rahman, convener of 

voluntary organization "Lumalisa" among others distributing blanket among 

destitute as part of joint ventre with Jacks Foundation yesterday in Fulbari 

upazaila of Dinajpur district. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Manikganj municipality mayor Gazi Kamrul Huda Selim and 1 no ward concilor 

Abul Kalam Azad master distributing educational materials among poor and meritorius 

students in Manikganj yesterday. 

Photo: Monirul Islam Mihir

INTERNATIONAL 

SUNDAy, FEBRUARy 18, 2018 

7 

Demonstrators celebrate the release of political prisoners in Adama, Oromia. 

A national state of emergency has been 

declared in Ethiopia just one day after 

the unexpected resignation of Prime 

Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, 

A statement by the state broadcaster 

said the move was necessary to stem a 

wave of anti-government protests. 

Hundreds of people have died in 

three years of unrest in the country. 

A 10-month state of emergency that 

ended last year failed to stop the 

protests, as did the release from jail of 

thousands of opposition supporters. 

Africa Live: More on this and other 

stories What is behind Ethiopia's 

protests? Find out more about Ethiopia 

No details were given of how long the 

latest state of emergency will last or 

what the restrictions are. 

The government has been under 

pressure because of continuing street 

protests. 

In recent weeks it has released hundreds 

of prisoners including opposition 

politicians but the protests have shown 

no sign of ending. 

On Thursday, Mr Hailemariam said 

he had made his decision to stand 

down in the hope that it would help end 

the years of unrest and political 

Photo: Reuters 

Ethiopia declares national 

state of emergency 

Anti-fascist 

demonstrators 

clash with police 

in Bologna 

Italian police have turned 

water cannons on anti-fascist 

protesters in Bologna 

who were trying to disrupt 

a planned campaign 

appearance by the head of 

the neo-fascist Forza Nuova. 

Clashes broke out Friday 

afternoon and evening 

when police intervened to 

prevent anti-fascist protesters 

from occupying a 

square in the traditionally 

left-wing city of Bologna 

where the Forza Nuova 

leader was scheduled to 

speak. The news agency 

ANSA said four students 

and one police officer were 

injured. 

The protests come amid 

fears of a revival of neo-fascist 

sentiment ahead of 

Italy's national election on 

March 4. 

Pierluigi Bersani, a former 

government minister 

who is running for a small 

left-wing party, joined the 

demonstration, saying the 

way to fight "regurgitated 

fascists and terroristic phenomenon" 

is to "go into the 

streets, and go there 

together." 

Mexico City 

priest arrested 

on sex abuse 

charge 

Prosecutors in Mexico City 

say a Catholic priest has 

been arrested on charges of 

aggravated sexual abuse of a 

minor. 

The 58-year-old priest, 

who was not named, 

allegedly abused a 12-yearold 

girl after her mother left 

her at church to study catechism. 

In a statement Friday, the 

Mexico City prosecutor's 

office said the priest tricked 

the girl into going to the 

church office Wednesday 

where he sexually abused 

her. 

The girl fled and her mother 

contacted police. Prosecutors 

did not identify the 

church, but say it is in the 

Buenos Aires neighborhood. 

The Archdiocese of Mexico 

City says that it will fully 

cooperate with authorities. 

It says it condemns the incident, 

if confirmed. 

The priest will not perform 

any of his duties until the 

case is resolved. 

upheaval. "I see my resignation as vital 

in the bid to carry out reforms that 

would lead to sustainable peace and 

democracy," Mr Hailemariam said. 

The political demonstrations in 

Ethiopia began in Oromia in November 

2015. Protests later sprung up in the 

Amhara region. 

Oromia and Amhara are the homelands 

of the country's two biggest ethnic 

groups. 

Many people in these communities 

feel they have been marginalised since 

the current government took power in 

1991. 

FBI pressure increases with failure 

to avert school shooting 

The revelation that the FBI botched a potentially 

life-saving tip on the Florida school 

shooting suspect is a devastating blow to 

America's top law enforcement agency at a 

time when it is already under extraordinary 

political pressure. 

Even before the startling disclosure that 

the FBI failed to investigate a warning that 

the suspect, Nikolas Cruz, could be plotting 

an attack, the bureau was facing unprecedented 

criticism from President Donald 

Trump and other Republicans, who have 

accused it of partisan bias. 

The agency and its supporters had been 

able to dismiss past criticism as just politics, 

but this time it had no option but to admit it 

made a disastrous mistake. 

The FBI's acknowledgment that it mishandled 

the tip prompted a sharp rebuke from 

its boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and 

a call from Florida's Republican Gov. Rick 

Scott, a Trump ally, for FBI Director Christopher 

Wray to resign. 

Wray, on the job for just six months, had 

already been in a precarious position defending 

the bureau from relentless attacks by 

Trump and other Republicans. They are still 

dissatisfied with its decision not to charge 

Hillary Clinton with crimes related to her use 

of a private email server, and they see signs 

of bias in special counsel Robert Mueller's 

probe of possible Trump campaign ties to 

Russia. 

As evidence, they've cited the former 

deputy director's connection to Clinton 

allies, and they've publicized anti-Trump text 

messages exchanged between an FBI agent 

and a bureau lawyer. Democrats have said 

the accusations are aimed at damaging 

Mueller's investigation and protecting 

Trump. 

Through it all, Wray has repeatedly stood 

up to Trump, defending the bureau's independence 

and publicly praising its agents in 

implicit rebuttals to the president's criticism. 

Wray unsuccessfully fought to block the 

release of a classified Republican memo 

accusing the FBI of abusing its surveillance 

powers in the Russia probe - a document 

Trump wanted aired. Wray also publicly 

contradicted White House accounts of how it 

handled recent domestic abuse allegations 

involving an aide. 

The shooting provides fresh grounds to 

criticize the FBI. First it was revealed that the 

FBI failed to delve into a YouTube comment 

posted by a "Nikolas Cruz" that said, "Im 

going to be a professional school shooter." 

The FBI said it could not determine who 

made it. 

On Friday, the bureau said it had failed to 

act on a tip that Cruz had a "desire to kill people," 

disturbing social media posts and 

access to a gun. Cruz is charged with killing 

17 people in the school he once attended. 

Sessions, a Trump loyalist who has at 

times seemed to welcome criticism of the 

FBI, called the massacre a "tragic consequence" 

of the FBI's failure. He ordered a 

review of the Justice Department procedures. 

The House Judiciary and Oversight committees, 

whose Republican leaders have 

been some of the strongest FBI critics, 

demanded Wray brief them on what went 

wrong. 

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, 

said it was "inexcusable" the FBI did not follow 

protocols and urged Congress to launch 

its own investigation. Democratic Rep. Ted 

Deutch of Florida promised to be in "close 

communication with the FBI so we can get to 

the bottom of this." 

Wray apologized in a rare statement 

admitting the FBI's missteps. But Scott, the 

governor, said that "isn't going to cut it." 

South Korea joins US, 

Thailand in military 

landing drill 

Troops from South Korea joined their Thai and U.S counterparts on Saturday in an amphibious 

vehicle landing drill as part of Southeast Asia's largest multinational military exercise. 

The 300 soldiers from South Korea who joined 2,000 U.S. Marines and Thai soldiers in 

eastern Thailand marked the highest numbers participating from the East Asian country 

since it joined the Cobra Gold exercise in 2010, and comes at a time when tensions are particularly 

high on the Korean Peninsula. 

Tensions in the Koreas primarily involve concerns over North Korea's nuclear capability, 

which has led to saber-rattling declarations in Washington and Pyongyang. "Our friends in 

the Republic of Korea, South Koreans, we stand by them. We work with them," said Gen. 

Robert Neller, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. "We are allies. We continue to coordinate 

and keep pressure on. Hopefully through diplomatic means we would be able to come 

to some successful resolution of the problem."Some 11,075 service members from 29 countries 

are taking part in this year's exercise, with Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, Japan, South 

Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia the seven main participants. There are 6,800 U.S. troops 

attending the exercise. 

Ships taking part in Saturday's exercise included the U.S. amphibious assault ship USS 

Bonhomme Richard and the South Korean landing ship Cheon Ja Bong. The weeklong exercise, 

centered around the Sattahip Royal Thai Marine Corps Base in the eastern province of 

Chonburi, includes humanitarian components such as evacuation drills, as well as traditional 

military exercises such as the amphibious landing. The aims of the exercise are to enhance 

security cooperation, develop peacekeeping forces. 

German foreign 

minister pushes 

for return to 

strong US ties 

Germany's foreign minister 

says that as China's influence 

on the world stage rises, 

the U.S. and Europe need 

to return to historical bonds 

and work together or risk 

getting left behind. 

Sigmar Gabriel told world 

leaders and defense officials 

at the Munich Security Conference 

on Saturday that the 

U.S. needs Europe as much 

as Europe needs the U.S. 

and said now is not the time 

for "just pursuing individual 

national interests." 

He said that since World 

War II Germany benefited 

from a strong relationship 

with the U.S., learning 

democracy, multilateralism, 

international law and free 

trade principles from Washington. 

Gabriel said "maybe this 

can explain why we Germans 

in particular are so 

perturbed when we look 

across the Atlantic - because 

we no longer recognize our 

America." 

Kurdish doctors 

report suspected 

Turkish gas 

attack in Syria 

Syrian Kurdish news outlets 

and Syria's state-run news 

agency say six civilians have 

suffered breathing difficulties 

after what they say was a 

poison gas attack launched 

by Turkey on the Kurdishcontrolled 

enclave of Afrin. 

The news outlets quote 

local doctors in Afrin as saying 

the hospital treated six 

cases of people who suffered 

shortness of breath, vomiting 

and skin rashes. The Syrian 

Observatory for Human 

Rights monitoring group 

also quoted local doctors in 

its report. 

The claims could not be 

independently confirmed. 

SANA on Saturday said 

Turkey fired several shells 

containing "toxic substances" 

on a village in Afrin 

on Friday night, causing six 

civilians to suffer suffocation 

symptoms. The Turkish military 

did not immediately 

comment on the reports Saturday 

but has previously 

stated that it does not use 

chemical weapons. 

Pakistan: Zainab Ansari’s killer 

gets four death sentences 

U.S. charges Russians with 

2016 U.S. election tampering 

to boost Trump 

A Russian propaganda arm oversaw a criminal 

and espionage conspiracy to tamper in 

the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign to support 

Donald Trump and disparage Hillary 

Clinton, said an indictment released on Friday 

that revealed more details than previously 

known about Moscow's purported 

effort to interfere. 

The office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert 

Mueller charged 13 Russians and three Russian 

companies, including St. Petersburgbased 

Internet Research Agency known for 

its trolling on social media. The official who 

oversees Mueller's work said the investigation 

was not finished. 

The court document said those accused 

"had a strategic goal to sow discord in the 

U.S. political system, including the 2016 U.S. 

presidential election." 

The indictment said Russians adopted 

false online personas to push divisive messages; 

traveled to the United States to collect 

intelligence, visiting 10 states; and staged 

political rallies while posing as Americans. In 

one case, it said, the Russians paid an 

unidentified person to build a cage aboard a 

flatbed truck and another to wear a costume 

"portraying Clinton in a prison uniform." 

The surprise 37-page indictment could 

alter the divisive U.S. domestic debate over 

Russia's meddling, undercutting some 

Republicans who, along with Trump, have 

attacked Mueller's investigation. 

"These Russians engaged in a sinister and 

systematic attack on our political system. It 

was a conspiracy to subvert the process, and 

take aim at democracy itself," said Paul 

Ryan, Republican Speaker of the House of 

Representatives. 

The indictment is silent on the question of 

whether the Trump campaign colluded with 

the Kremlin, which Mueller is investigating. 

In a tweet on Friday, Trump gave his most 

direct acknowledgement that Russia had 

meddled in the election, which he has frequently 

disputed. 

"Russia started their anti-US campaign in 

2014, long before I announced that I would 

run for President. The results of the election 

were not impacted. The Trump campaign 

did nothing wrong - no collusion!" Trump 

wrote. 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman 

Maria Zakharova denounced the allegations 

as "absurd" and ridiculed the notion that so 

few Russian nationals could undermine U.S. 

democracy. 

"13 against the billions' budgets of the 

secret services?" she asked in a Facebook 

post. 

The accused Russians are unlikely to be 

arrested or to appear in a U.S. court on the 

charges, which include conspiracy to defraud 

the United States, wire fraud, bank fraud and 

identity theft. There is no extradition treaty 

between the United States and Russia. 

The indictment broadly echoes the conclusions 

of a January 2017 U.S. intelligence 

assessment, which found that Russia had 

Zainab's rape and murder sparked outrage in Pakistan. 

meddled in the election, and that its goals 

eventually included aiding Trump. In 

November 2016, Trump won a surprise victory 

over Democratic Party candidate Clinton. 

Mueller's indictment did not tie the meddling 

effort to the Russian government. But 

the earlier U.S. intelligence assessment said 

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 

campaign to influence the U.S. election. 

Trump has never unequivocally accepted 

the U.S. intelligence report and has 

denounced Mueller's probe as a "witch 

hunt." 

Some of those charged, posing as Americans, 

"communicated with unwitting individuals 

associated with the Trump campaign," 

the indictment said. 

Last year, Mueller charged Trump's former 

campaign manager and his deputy with 

money-laundering and other crimes, and 

accepted guilty pleas from two former foreign 

policy aides for lying to the FBI. 

Friday's indictment of the Russians, coupled 

with the FBI disclosure that it failed to 

heed a warning about the Florida high school 

shooter, were blows to the White House, still 

reeling from the fallout of a scandal involving 

a former aide accused of domestic abuse by 

two ex-wives. 

UK leader seeks 

‘deep’ EU security 

partnership 

British Prime Minister Theresa May is calling 

on her country's European Union partners 

not to let "rigid institutional restrictions" 

get in the way of a wide-ranging post- 

Brexit security partnership and warning that 

there will be "damaging real-world consequences" 

if none is agreed. 

May told the Munich Security Conference 

that "the U.K. is just as committed to 

Europe's security in the future as we have 

been in the past." 

May said the challenge is to put together a 

"deep and special partnership" with the EU 

to retain cooperation. She said: "This cannot 

be a time when any of us allow competition 

between partners, rigid institutional restrictions 

or deep-seated ideology to inhibit our 

cooperation and jeopardize the security of 

our citizens." 

Britain is due to leave the EU in March 

2019. Germany's foreign minister says that 

as China's influence on the world stage rises, 

the U.S. and Europe need to return to 

historical bonds and work together or risk 

getting left behind. Sigmar Gabriel told 

world leaders and defense officials at the 

Munich Security Conference on Saturday 

that the U.S. needs Europe as much as 

Europe needs the U.S. and said now is not 

the time for "just pursuing individual 

national interests." 

A court in Pakistan has given a 24-year-old man, Imran Ali, 

four death sentences for raping and murdering a six-year old 

girl last month. 

Zainab Ansari's body was found in a rubbish dump in the 

city of Kasur, south of Lahore, on 9 January. 

Her murder triggered outrage across the country, including 

riots against alleged police incompetence in which two protesters 

died. 

The victim's father was in court to hear the verdict, amid 

heavy security. 

Zainab's killer has also been linked by police and the chief 

minister of Punjab province to the murders and assaults of 

other girls in the area. 

Ali's alleged crimes stretch back at least a year and angry 

residents say authorities should have been quicker to identify 

him as the perpetrator. 

Ali will be tried over the rest of the cases later, government 

prosecutor Ehtisham Qadir Shah told Reuters news agency. 

Dozens of witnesses testified against Ali in the trial, where 

forensic evidence including DNA and polygraph tests was 

also presented. 

It was family members - not police - who recovered CCTV 

footage showing Zainab being led away 

Ali was handed death sentences for kidnapping, rape, murder 

and an act of terrorism, a life sentence for sodomy and a 

large fine. He now has a 15-day window in which he may 

appeal against the verdict. 

The news of his sentencing sparked strong reactions on 

social media, including by Hamza Ali Abbasi, a Pakistani 

actor, model and director. 

Photo: BBC

ART & CULTURE 

sUnDAy, 

FEBrUAry 18, 2018 

8 

1,446 students get 

prize for reading 

books in rajshahi 

EnTErTAinmEnT DEsk 

A total of 1,446 students from 

35 schools in Rajshahi city 

received prizes for their 

laudable performance in book 

reading here yesterday, reports 

BSS. 

Bishwa Sahitya Kendra (BSK) 

provided the students with the 

prizes 

at a ceremony held on 

Rajshahi Education Board 

Model School and College 

premises. 

Over 3,500 students took 

part in the year-round book 

reading programme for 

flourishing their latent talents. 

BSK under its Reading Habit 

Programme organised the 

programme in association with 

Secondary Education Quality 

and Access Enhancement 

Project (SEQAEP) and 

GrameenPhone to give away 

prizes among the students who 

show their good performance 

in the evaluation phase. 

Eminent litterateur Hasan 

Azizul Haque attended the 

award-giving ceremony as the 

chief guest. 

Deputy Commissioner Helal 

Mahmud Sharif, Director of 

Higher Education Training 

Institute Professor Dr Rina 

Rani Das, BSK Organiser Prof 

Jennifer Aniston and Justin 

Theroux announce separation 


Hollywood couple Jennifer Aniston and 

Justin Theroux are separating after two 

years of marriage. 

The pair, who reportedly met on the set of 

comedy film Wanderlust, said the mutual 

decision was "lovingly made" at the end of 

last year. They gave no reason for the split 

and said they intended to continue their 

"cherished friendship". 

Aniston, 49, and Theroux, 46, were 

married in a secret ceremony in Los Angeles 

in August 2015. 

They had been together for four years before 

the wedding, which took place at their Bel Air 

mansion. In a joint statement, the couple said 

they intended to remain friends. 

"We are two best friends who have 

decided to part ways as a couple, but look 

forward to continuing our cherished 

friendship," they said. 

"Normally we would do this privately, but 

given that the gossip industry cannot resist 

an opportunity to speculate and invent, we 

wanted to convey the truth directly." 

"Above all, we are determined to maintain 

the deep respect and love that we have for 

one another," the statement added. 

The magazine Architectural Digest had 

just published a feature about the couple's 

home in Bel Air, Los Angeles. 

In it, Aniston is quoted as saying: "I look 

around at my husband and my dogs and our 

home, and there's nowhere else I want to be." 

Aniston starred in the hit TV series 

Friends, and has appeared in numerous 

films such as Marley & Me and Horrible 

Bosses. This was her second marriage. She 

was married to fellow actor Brad Pitt for five 

years, but they divorced in 2005. 

Alok Moitra, Everest Conquers 

Abdul Muhit and Nishat 

Majumder, Principal of 

Rajshahi Education Board 

Model School and College 

Professor Taifur Rahman, BSK 

Adviser Anjan Kumar Dey and 


Regional Head of Marketing 

Sohel Mahmud joined the 

event. 

Speaking on the occasion, 

Professor Haque said book 

always makes people beautiful, 

brighten and prosperous. Only 

Jeffrey Tambor has said he is "profoundly 

disappointed" in Amazon's handling of sexual 

harassment allegations against him. 

The company confirmed he wouldn't be 

returning to Transparent after it concluded an 

internal investigation. Allegations were made 

last year by Tambor's personal assistant and 

one of his co-stars on the TV show. 

Series creator Jill Soloway praised the 

accusers after his exit was confirmed for their 

"courage in speaking out". 

In November, a transgender woman who 

worked as Tambor's personal assistant had 

the people enriched with 

prosperous heart can build 

bright Bangladesh. 

He also underscored the need 

for reaching books at the 

doorsteps of the readers to 

make it happened. 

Jeffrey Tambor criticises 

Amazon over sexual 

harassment investigation 

revealed her employer - whom she did not 

directly name - had acted inappropriately. 

Amazon Studios launched an investigation 

shortly afterwards. 

Trace Lysette said Jeffrey Tambor made 

"many sexual advances and comments at me" 

Transgender actress Trace Lysette also 

claimed Tambor "got physical" with her on set 

- which the actor denied. 

In a statement released at the time, Tambor 

said he was "not a predator" and apologised 

"if any action... was ever misinterpreted by 

anyone as being sexually aggressive". 

The 73-year-old also said he didn't see how 

he could return to Transparent in the wake of 

the accusations. 

After Tambor's exit from the show was 

confirmed on Thursday, Soloway expressed 

"great respect and admiration" for the 

accusers for coming forward. 

The accusers' "courage in speaking out 

about their experience on Transparent is an 

example of the leadership this moment in our 

culture requires", Soloway said in a statement. 

Jill Soloway (right, pictured with director 

Melina Matsoukas) created Transparent. 

Tambor said: "I am profoundly 

disappointed in Amazon's handling of these 

false accusations against me. 

"I am even more disappointed in Jill 

Soloway's unfair characterization of me as 

someone who would ever cause harm to any 

of my fellow cast mates. 

In our four-year history of working together 

on this incredible show, these accusations 

have never been revealed or discussed directly 

with me or anyone at Amazon. 

kuch Bheege Alfaaz 

movie review : 

A sad, emotional 

love story t 

hat ends in 

disappointment 


A popular RJ?who prefers to keep his identity hidden. A 

woman who wants to 'create beautiful things' and goes 

on Tinder dates with men who don't have a profile 

picture. She is full of life, loves teasing friends with 

naughty jokes; he is himself only in the company of a 

stray dog. Their unlikely love story is Onir's Kuch 

Bheege Alfaaz. 

The premise of the film is quite poetic, much like 

romantic poetry - laden with emotions, pathos and 

melancholy. The words themselves are beautiful but, at 

the end of the day, they are just empty words. What the 

film, and its inherent poetry, lack is soul. 

Onir's latest film is the story of a lively woman falling 

in love with an RJ who prefers to remain hidden behind 

the radio set. A wrong number connects the two and 

they find comfort in each others' words. While one loves 

Urdu and peppers his conversations with shayari, the 

other belongs to the social media generation. 

Despite emotionally charged sequences, the entire 

narrative feels a tad slow, even at the length of 120 

minutes! Unless you believe in the teen love where 

words were more important than deeds and poetry 

could solve all problems in the world, the film is most 

likely to leave you untouched. 

Based entirely in Kolkata, Onir's Kuch Bheege Alfaaz 

brings the essence of the city to the silver screen. The 

city's laid-back life, its coffee shops, trams, fish markets 

and addabaazi - Onir captures it all through his lens. 

Geetanjali Thapa, who plays Archana in the film, is 

perhaps one element that will keep you from getting 

entirely bored. Her character has leucoderma and has 

been dealing with people's stares and jokes since her 

childhood. However, undeterred, she continues to live a 

life that defies all norms and cliches in the society. 

Despite heartbreaks and setbacks in professional life, 

she does not give up. 

sonam kapoor introduces cast of 

'Ek Ladki ko Dekha Toh Aisa 

Laga' in latest instagram post 

BERLIN : Acclaimed US director Wes Anderson's 

new animated feature "Isle of Dogs" will on Thursday 

kick off the Berlin film festival, which is set to be 

rocked by aftershocks of the #MeToo movement. 

With the global cinema industry in turmoil over 

allegations of rampant sexual misconduct, the 11-day 

event will be seeking a delicate balance between 

Hollywood glamour and frank debate in the wake of 

powerful producer Harvey Weinstein's downfall. 

Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Oscar-nominee Greta 

Gerwig, Jeff Goldblum and Liev Schreiber, who voice 

the pack of pooches in Anderson's movie, are 

expected on the Berlinale red carpet for the world 

premiere, with stars including Robert Pattinson, 

Rosamund Pike, Joaquin Phoenix and Isabelle 

Huppert also set to present new movies. 

But even before the opening, controversy erupted 

over the inclusion of award-winning South Korean 

director Kim Ki-duk, who was fined in December for 

assaulting an actress on set. 

The actress, who has refused to be publicly 

identified, has accused the festival-traditionally a 

strong champion of Asian cinema-of "hypocrisy" for 

inviting Kim to present his latest picture, "Human, 

Space, Time and Human". 

Festival director Dieter Kosslick said he had 

excluded a handful of films because of credible sexual 

abuse allegations against their directors, 

screenwriters or stars. 

But he told AFP he did not bar Kim because sexual 

harassment allegations by the same actress against 

him had been dismissed for lack of evidence, adding 

that he was seeking more information about an 

appeal in the case. 

"Obviously the Berlinale condemns and opposes 

any form of violence or sexual misconduct," Kosslick 

said. 

Anderson last opened the Berlinale, which ranks 

with Cannes and Venice among Europe's top three 

cinema showcases, in 2014 with the world premiere 

of "The Grand Budapest Hotel", a box office hit which 

went on to scoop dozens of awards and an Oscar 

nomination for best picture. 

It will be Anderson's fourth turn in competition for 

the Berlinale's Golden and Silver Bear top prizes 

following "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Life 

Aquatic with Steve Zissou". 

H o r o s c o p E 

AriEs 

(March 21 - April 20): If others go out of 

their way to pick holes in your 

arguments today just ignore them. 

Having said that, it could be there is 

something you have overlooked and at least one 

kind person will try to warn you, so don't be too 

eager to be rude. 

TAUrUs 

(April 21 - May 21): Your main task 

today is to resist the temptation to look 

at the world as if everything that 

happens is a disaster or a tragedy. Focus 

only on good news today - there is still plenty of it if 

you care to look. It's about attitude, not events. 

GEmini 

(May 22 - June 21): Check the small 

print carefully before putting pen to 

paper today because you could have 

been misled into thinking that you 

have got the best of a deal when, in fact, others will 

profit a lot more than you do. Details are always 

important. 

cAncEr 

(June 22 - July 23): The more others 

want you to do something you don't 

think is in your best interests the more 

you must resist. Your arguments for 

giving it a miss may not sound convincing but what 

matters is that you stick to your guns. They can't 

force you. 

LEo 

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Cosmic activity in 

your fellow fire sign of Aries has filled 

your head with no end of big ideas but 

not all of them are practical, so don't get 

carried away. You are under no obligation to hurry, 

so bide your time and think things through. 

VirGo 

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Someone who 

usually has only nice things to say 

about you will go right the other way 

and say something hurtful today, but 

you must not let it get to you. Sometimes you can 

be too sensitive for your own good. Don't take 

yourself so seriously. 

LiBrA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): You have 

nothing to prove and lots to gain and 

everything to look forward to. That is 

the message of the stars today and 

even if you don't quite believe it what happens 

over the next few days will bring a smile to your 

face. It's about time! 

scorpio 

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): If someone you 

don't know very well tells you what a 

great guy you are it's a sure sign they are 

after something. That something is 

most likely to be your money, so act cool and don't 

give them a thing, no matter how nicely they ask. 

sAGiTTAriUs 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Your current run 

of good fortune is sure to come to an 

end eventually but there is no reason 

to suppose it will be any time soon. 

The planets indicate there are plenty of good 

things still to look forward to, the first of which 

will arrive today. 

cApricorn 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): For some strange 

reason you can see enemies in every 

direction at the moment but most if 

not all of them exist only in your 

imagination, so get a grip on yourself and get 

things done. Your only real enemy is your lack of 

self-belief. 

AQUAriUs 

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): You tend to believe in 

yourself to such a degree that you think 

nothing is beyond you, and that's good, 

but even an Aquarius has limits and you 

may need to remind yourself what those limits are. A 

little bit of realism will go a long way. 

piscEs 

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20): Yes, you should 

let other people have the last word. 

Yes, you should let other people lead 

the way. You may not entirely 

approve of what they say, still less of what they 

do, but so long as you don't get the blame why 

should you worry?

SPORTS 

SUNdAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2018 

9 

Adil Rashid: England all-rounder to only play white-ball cricket for Yorkshire. 

Ko holds four 

shot lead into 

final round of 

Australian 

Open 

ADELAIDE, Australia: 

South Korean frontrunner 

Ko Jin-young will take a 

four-stroke lead into 

Sunday's final round of the 

Women's Australian Open 

after again dominating the 

field at Kooyonga, reports 

BSS. 

Ko fired a one-under 71 in 

Saturday's third round to 

close in on the $1.3 million 

event and secure her status 

on the LPGA Tour. 

Ko takes a four-shot buffer 

over Australia's Hannah 

Green in the final round as 

she chases a wire-to-wire 

victory in Adelaide. 

The 22-year-old from 

Seoul birdied three of her 

first five holes to lead by six 

strokes at one stage before 

bogeys at the sixth and 

eighth holes. 

At the 11th she made a 

great par-save and at the 

12th, she snap-hooked her 

drive into the trees, leaving 

her in a difficult spot, 

blocked out by trees. 

But she punched out to 

near the green, chipped to 

close range and holed the 

putt. 

The other contenders fell 

away, with compatriot Jiyai 

Shin dropping back two 

shots on the day, and 

American Emma Talley, 

who gave back four, playing 

in the final group. 

Ko holed a four-metre 

birdie at the 17th and might 

have made another at the 

last but missed the putt from 

short range. 

"I think focus on my game 

and think about my 

chipping keys and putting 

keys, and enjoy," Ko said. 

"This course is narrow so I 

(am) thinking about only the 

greens and then two putts. 

Birdies will be OK, but yes, 

that's it." One of the day's 

highlights was a hole-in-one 

by Sweden's Jenny Haglund 

at the 14th in her thirdround 

73. 

"That's so exciting. I've 

never had anything like this 

at all," Haglund said of her 

fourth career ace. 

"I hit a seven iron, it was 

144 metres. I just aimed 

right at the pin and it was 

just how I wanted to hit it. 

Qatar Open: Caroline Wozniacki through to semis, but Simona Halep pulls out. 

Photo: BBC. 

New Zealand quick 

to bury T20 debacle 

as England loom 

AUCKLAND: New Zealand wasted no time 

debating bowling woes after a record 

Twenty20 loss to Australia as they regrouped 

on Saturday ahead of their tri-series 

showdown against England, reports BSS. 

Martin Guptill described Friday night's 

loss to Australia as 

"disheartening" but quickly added: "We 

haven't really got a lot of time to dwell on it." 

When Guptill was flailing away at the top 

of the New Zealand innings in Auckland, 

victory seemed certain, which would have 

made Sunday's clash with England in 

Hamilton a mere training exercise before 

Wednesday's final for which Australia had 

already qualified. 

But after the big-hitting opener smacked 

105 off 54 balls as New Zealand posted a 

seemingly daunting 243, Australia caned the 

New Zealand bowling to produce the highest 

run chase in Twenty20 history to win by five 

wickets. 

Ben Wheeler was severely put away and 

had gone for 64 from 3.1 overs when he was 

forced out of the attack for bowling two 

waist-high no balls. 

Senior bowlers Tim Southee and Trent 

Boult both went for more than 40 but Guptill 

refused to blame the attack for the dramatic 

defeat. 

"I don't think you can really say that," he 

said. 

"Australia came out and played extremely 

well and struck it well pretty much from ball 

one. 

"To put 240 on the board and to lose the 

game, it's a little bit disheartening, but we 

haven't really got a lot of time to dwell on it, 

because we've got another game in two days' 

time, so it's a quick turnaround, and get out 

there on Sunday night." 

New Zealand beat England by 12 runs 

when they met earlier in the week setting up 

an all-or-nothing showdown on Sunday. 

Should England win the return match, 

then the side with the superior overall run 

rate will progress to the final against 

Australia. 

Hanyu magic as snowboarder 

Ledecka pulls off ski shock 

PYEONGCHANG: "Ice Prince" Yuzuru 

Hanyu clinched the first back-to-back men's 

Olympic figure skating titles in 66 years on 

Saturday as snowboarder Ester Ledecka 

pulled off a major shock as she skied to 

women's super-G gold, reporst BSS. 

Hanyu lost his balance twice in his free 

skate but a total score of 317.85 gave the 

peerless Japanese gold with room to spare 

over compatriot Shoma Uno and Spain's 

Javier Fernandez. 

America's Nathan Chen had earlier 

become the first skater to land six quads in 

competition but despite his Olympic freeskate 

record of 215.08, it was only enough for 

fifth. 

Hanyu, greeted by a shower of Winnie the 

Pooh stuffed toys, his mascot, air-kissed Uno 

and theatrically leapt onto the podium at the 

award ceremony. 

The 23-year-old becomes the first man 

since America's Dick Button in 1952 to take 

the title twice in a row -- and into the bargain, 

wins the landmark 1,000th gold medal in 

Winter Olympics history. 

Hanyu was back on the ice competitively 

for the first time since injuring his right ankle 

last November. 

"My right foot really hung tough," he said. 

"I was so fortunate. I'm feeling gratitude. I 

was able to make a jump that I wanted to do 

with concentration. Anyway it was good." 

Meanwhile Ledecka of the Czech Republic 

pulled off one of the biggest surprises ever 

seen at the Games when she won the super- 

G, as American star Lindsey Vonn finished 

sixth. 

Ledecka, favourite in the snowboard 

parallel slalom in a week's time, clocked 

1min 21.11sec to edge defending champion 

Anna Veith of Austria by one-hundredth of a 

second. Liechtenstein's Tina Weirather took 

bronze. 

Not only did Ledecka deprive Veith of what 

looked like a rare double, she pushed Vonn 

back into sixth spot, the American star 

paying the price for a massive error that saw 

her lose valuable time at the bottom of the 

course. 

Ledecka was stunned and open-mouthed 

with disbelief. "All the other girls didn't risk a 

lot. There must be a lot of pressure on them. 

I was just trying to do my best run," she said. 

"I am so surprised about all of it. I'm really 

trying to win and do a good run every time, 

but I didn't really realise that this really can 

happen." 

Vonn said the outcome was "definitely 

shocking.""She beat me in training in Lake 

Louise -- that was also surprising." 

"I feel like in the Olympics a lot of things 

can happen, it's not that she didn't deserve it, 

but there's a lot of pressure on the 

favourites." 

Photo: BBC. 

Tigers looking to restore lost pride 

SYLHET: Tigers looking to restore 

some of their lost pride as they face 

visiting Sri Lanka in the second and 

final T20I of the series scheduled to be 

held tomorrow (Sunday) at Sylhet 

International Cricket Stadium, reports 

BSS. 

The match kicks off at 5 pm. 

Despite scoring their highest T20I 

total of 193 for five in the first match, 

the Tigers failed to defend the total as 

they were beaten by six wickets by the 

Lankans, whose highest successful 

chase in the shortest format produced 

to 1-0 lead in the tour-ending series. 

Nothing is going well with the 

Tigers and this time it was the 

bowling that caused the concern for 

skipper Mahmudullah Riyad. Despite 

the unsupportive surface, the Tigers' 

bowlers were unable to apply any sort 

of pressure and bowled a poor line 

and length which allowed the 

Islanders to chase the massive target 

without any trouble. Mahmudullah 

also focused on the bowlers missing 

their lengths after the loss in the first 

match. 

Only left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam 

among the four debutants-- the other 

three being Zakir Hasan, Afif Hossain 

and Ariful Haque -- was shine with ball 

as he able to make an impact in the 

game in his four overs that conceded 

just 25 runs for two wickets. 

Young all-rounder Mohammad 

Saifuddin proved expensive once again 

after the medium-pacer conceded 33 

runs from his two overs while the 

pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel 

Hossain were not up to the mark of 

their performance. 

The Tigers will must have to work on 

it to at least earn something in the last 

match after the losing both the trination 

ODI and two-match Test series. 

Musfhfiqur Rahim recovered from a 

wrist problem to play the first T20I and 

batting at number three for the first 

time, he scored his highest score in the 

format with an unbeaten 66 off 44 

balls. Southpaw opener Tamim Iqbal, 

who missed the first match due to his 

injury problem, is expected to play final 

match against Sri Lanka. 

Another Southpaw opener Soumya 

Sarkar, backed in the side strongly, 

scoring his maiden 50 after being 

dropped from the ODI and Test squads 

following the South Africa tour. The 

Tigers fans also expecting the same 

performance from him in the second 

match. 

But nevertheless, Bangladesh will 

miss the service of most experienced 

all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who 

sustained little finger injury during the 

final of the tri-series last month. The 

selectors kept the 16-member 

unchanged squad for the second 

match. 

On the other hand Sri Lanka 

Alex McLeish: Scotland boss embraces 'greatest challenge'. 

‘Ice Prince’ 

Hanyu reigns 

with second 

skating gold 

GANGNEUNG, South 

Korea: Japan's Yuzuru 

Hanyu clinched the first 

back-to-back men's Olympic 

figure skating titles in more 

than six decades on 

Saturday to cement his 

status as the "Ice Prince" of 

the modern era, reports BSS. 

The 23-year-old superstar 

made light of a three-month 

injury hiatus to emulate 

American Dick Button, who 

won gold in 1948 and 1952. 

Hanyu led a Japanese onetwo 

as Shoma Uno took 

silver, ahead of Spain's 

Javier Fernandez with 

bronze. 

"I'm relieved to be able to 

skate here as a lot of people 

supported me," Hanyu told 

Japanese broadcaster NHK 

in Japanese. 

"My right foot really hung 

tough. I worried a lot of 

people as I could not practise 

because of my injury. So, 

there was stronger support 

than before. 

"I was so fortunate. I'm 

feeling gratitude. I was able 

to make a jump that I 

wanted to do with 

concentration. Anyway it 

was good." 

Hanyu's Sochi 2014 

success elevated him to cult 

status in Japan, and he did 

not disappoint his huge 

army of adoring fans. 

After his not-quitespotless 

free skate, which 

opened with a quickfire 

quad salchow and quad 

toeloop, he bowed to his fans 

as they in turn tossed his 

Winnie The Pooh stuffed 

toys, his mascot, onto the 

Gangneung Arena ice. 

In the 'kiss and cry' corner 

he bowed again, this time to 

his coach Brian Orser as his 

score of 206.17 points came 

over the tannoy. 

registered an easy 6-wicket victory in 

the first T20I against Bangladesh and 

have ensured that they cannot lose the 

series. 

The morale of the visitors will be high 

considering the form that they have 

been in, especially with the bat. Chasing 

a massive total of 193 in the first T20I, 

Sri Lanka managed to pull off an easy 

victory in just 16.3 overs and worked 

Bangladesh bowlers easily. 

The Dinesh Chandimal-led side can 

also take pride in the fact that their top 

order comprising of Kusal Mendis and 

Danushka Gunathilaka are in good 

form. The Tigers are bound to have a 

tough task at hand against the 

opposition. 

Squads: 

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya 

Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, 

Mahmudullah (captain), Sabbir 

Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel 

Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu 

Hider Rony, Abu Jayed, Ariful Haque, 

Mehdi Hasan, Zakir Hasan, Afif 

Hossain and Nazmul Islam. 

Sri Lanka: Dinesh 

Chandimal(captain), Upul Tharanga, 

Danushka Gunathilaka, Thisara 

Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan 

Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru 

Udana, Shehan Madushanka, Jeffrey 

Vandersay, Akila Dananjaya, Amila 

Aponso, Jeevan Mendis, Asitha 

Fernando and Kusal Mendis. 

Photo: BBC. 

World trounces USA 

to jump start all-star 

weekend 

LOS ANGELES: Team World attacked the 

rim and dominated from three-point range 

as the internationals kicked off the NBA 

2018 All-Star Weekend festivities with a 155- 

124 victory over Team USA on Friday, 

reports BSS. 

Serbian guard Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 

26 points and drained seven of 13 from 

beyond the arc and his Sacramento Kings 

teammate Buddy Hield tallied a team-high 

29 points in the Rising Stars Game at Staples 

Center arena. 

"I got hot first and then Bogie 

(Bogdanovic) got hot and he continued to 

stay hot," said Hield, of the game which 

features 20 of the top first- and second-year 

NBA players. "I think Bogie had 29 and I had 

26. So it was good tonight for both of us. 

"We represented Sacramento well and 

represented our countries well. The whole 

thing was to come here and stay aggressive 

and get the win." 

Canada's Jamal Murray, who plays for the 

Denver Nuggets, delivered 21 points and 

seven assists and Dario Saric, of Croatia, 

scored 18 and made four-of-seven three 

pointers. Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown led 

Team USA with a game high 35 points and 

10 rebounds while Los Angeles Lakers Kyle 

Kuzma scored 20 points and Jayson Tatum 

of the Celtics had 15. 

Australia's Ben Simmons won the battle of 

the two hottest rookies in the league this 

season, scoring 11 points and dishing out 13 

assists for Team World compared to 

Donovan Mitchell's seven points and seven 

assists for the USA. 

Team Worlds 10 players came from nine 

different countries with Canada leading the 

way with two, Murray and Toronto's Dillon 

Brooks. 

The World led 78-59 at the half then 

stretched that to a whopping 36 points at the 

end of the third quarter. Their biggest lead 

was 39 points. 

- World beaters - 

"It was the all-star game so it wasn't like a 

really competitive game," said Hield, of the 

Bahamas. "But the world is getting better. 

"I am proud to see a lot of guys around the 

world from France, Australia, you have 

(Joel) Embiid from Cameroon. The world is 

showing progress catching up to American 

basketball." 

The World dominated from three-point 

range hitting 41 percent (23 of 56) of their 

attempts compared to just 27 percent for the 

Americans. 

"It seemed like somewhere in the late first 

quarter and early second quarter we just 

started making a bunch of threes and pulled 

away," said World coach Rex Kalamian, who 

is an assistant coach with the Toronto 

Raptors. 

USA coach Roy Rogers said they tried to 

mix it up in the second half but they just 

didn't shoot well enough to win. 

"Even at halftime we talked about 

adjustments we were trying to make. They 

tried. But unfortunately it was just one of 

those nights where the shots didn't go down 

for us," said Rogers, an assistant coach with 

the Houston Rockets. 

Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown led Team 

USA with a game high 35 points and 10 

rebounds while Los Angeles Lakers Kyle 

Kuzma scored 20 points and Jayson Tatum 

of the Celtics had 15. 

Australia's Ben Simmons won the battle of 

the two hottest rookies in the league this 

season, scoring 11 points and dishing out 13 

assists for Team World compared to 

Donovan Mitchell's seven points and seven 

assists for the USA. 

"What I told the guys afterwards is every 

game is a learning experience. 

You choose what you want to learn from 

this game." 

Rogers said he even had to do some ingame 

coaching because he didn't want it to 

turn into a slam-dunk contest at the end like 

several of these all-star games have in the 

past. 

"The last two minutes I got on my guys 

about not finishing the game the right way 

and they got back on track," he said. "Overall 

I was satisfied with their competitive spirit." 

Rogers said this rookie class is helping redefine 

the style of play in the NBA. 

"It is no longer a cookie-cutter league 

where big guys just stay on the post," he said. 

"This rookie class symbolises where the NBA 

is headed -- speed, athleticism and shooting 

ability."

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

SUNDAY, 

THE 

BANGLADESHTODAY 

FEBRUARY 18, 2018 

10 

Prime Bank recently signed a participatory agreement with Bangladesh Bank to disburse funds to 

attract foreign investment under the JICA assisted "Foreign Direct Investment Promotion Project" 

at Bangladesh Bank.In presence of Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir, the agreement was 

signed by the Managing Director & CEO of Prime Bank Rahel Ahmed and General Manager & Project 

Director of FDIPP, FEID, Bangladesh Bank Md. Rezaul Islam on behalf of their respective organizations. 

Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank Abu Hena Mohd. Razee Hassan, Chief Representative of 

JICA Bangladesh Office Takatoshi Nishikata, Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank Ahmed Jamal, 

EVP & Head of International Division of Prime Bank Mir Md. Hassanul Zahed and other high official 

of both organizations were also present on the occasion. 


Walton starts export of its 

fridge's parts to Indonesia 

The country's electronics 

giant Walton for the first 

time exported locally made 

various sorts of parts of 

fridges to Indonesia, an 

island country in Southeast 

Asian region and also the 

largest Muslim in the 

country, says a press release. 

On Thursday last, a 

container ship left 

Chittagong port with Walton 

made fridge parts for 

Indonesia in response to an 

order by an Indonesian 

fridge manufacturing 

company. 

The exported parts are 

included: compressors, 

refrigerators doors, 

refrigerator door hinges, 

drawers, door plastic shelf, 

refrigerator cabinet body, 

power cables and plugs, poly 

bags, carton packages box 

for refrigerator with poly 

foam etc. 

countries of Asia, Middleeast 

and Africa regions. 

Now, the new mission of 

Walton and Bangladesh is to 

make a strong foot on the 

international market with 

'Made in Bangladesh' 

labeled different sorts of 

parts of refrigerators, he said 

adding: "Implementation of 

that mission has been 

started through sending 

fridges' parts to Indonesia." 

He hoped that Walton 

made fridges' parts would be 

exported to most of the 

refrigerator manufacturing 

units of the world's different 

countries in future. 

Walton authorities said, 

they installed state-of-the art 

technologies and advanced 

machineries at the 

refrigerator manufacturing 

unit of Walton Hi-Tech 

Industries Limited in 

Chandra, Gazipur, an 

compressors, tempered 

glass door refrigerators, IoT 

based smart refrigerators 

that could be operated by the 

users' smartphones from 

any corner of the world. 

Engineers of Walton RnD 

said they are manufacturing 

world-class refrigerators and 

different sorts of parts like 

compressors with the 

world's latest technology; 

gasket, gas-stripe and 

magnetic-stripe using nonphthalate 

plasticizer with 

the European technology's 

extrusion machine, 

automatic magnet insertion 

machine and welding 

machine; refrigerator body, 

refrigerator door hinge, 

inner cabinet body, drawer, 

door plastic shelf etc. 

Walton Group's Senior 

Operative Director Uday 

Hakim said, most of the 

global fridge manufacturing 

producing all essential parts. 

In this case, he said, 

Bangladeshi brand Walton 

is manufacturing not only 

different technologies 

fridges with eye-catching 

designs but also all essential 

parts of fridges at its own 

factory. 

As a result, Walton has 

been able to ensure 

international standard of its 

produced fridges and thus 

they are bringing huge 

foreign currencies through 

export, he said adding, "I 

think that export of fridge's 

parts would further increase 

the positive image of 

Bangladesh in the global hitech 

appliances markets. 

The industry insiders said 

the local brand Walton is 

opening up new era in the 

country's electronics 

appliances manufacturing 

industry. The latest initiative 

PNB case: Will 

take appropriate 

supervisory 

action, says rbi 

The Reserve Bank today 

said it has already undertaken 

an assessment of control 

systems at scam-hit Punjab 

National Bank and will take 

"appropriate supervisory 

action". 

The country's second largest 

state-run lender has been 

rocked by a Rs 11,400-crore 

fraud allegedly involving 

billionaire diamantaire Nirav 

Modi. 

In a statement, the central 

bank said it has already 

undertaken a supervisory 

assessment of control systems 

in Punjab National Bank 

(PNB). 

"The fraud in PNB is a case 

of operational risk arising on 

account of delinquent 

behaviour by one or more 

employees of the bank and 

failure of internal controls. 

"RBI has already 

undertaken a supervisory 

assessment of control systems 

in PNB and will take 

appropriate supervisory 

action," it said. The RBI also 

denied media reports that it 

had directed PNB to meet its 

commitments under the 

letters of undertaking (LoUs) 

to other banks. 

State-owned PNB detected 

a USD 1.77 billion scam where 

billionaire jeweller Nirav 

Modi allegedly acquired 

fraudulent letters of 

undertaking (LoUs) from a 

branch in Mumbai to secure 

overseas credit from other 

Indian lenders. 

US eyes heavy tariffs on 

China, Russia to counter 

steel, aluminum glut 

The US Commerce 

Department on Friday 

recommended imposing 

heavy tariffs on China, Russia 

and other countries to counter 

a global glut in steel and 

aluminum which it says 

threatens national security. 

The move gives President 

Donald Trump the 

opportunity to strike a highly 

public blow for his "America 

first" trade policy, but raises 

the prospect of retaliation 

from countries targeted and 

was sure to stoke fears of a 

trade war. 

In two reports submitted to 

the president last month and 

made public on Friday, 

Commerce Secretary Wilbur 

Ross laid out an array of 

possible options, including a 

tariff of at least 24 percent on 

all steel imports worldwide, 

and a similar tariff on 

aluminum imports from 

China, Russia and three other 

countries. Other options 

would impose either high 

tariffs or quotas on steel and 

aluminum imports. 

Ross told reporters the 

principal question was 

whether cheap imports 

impaired US national security 

by making domestic 

production unviable. 

"I have determined that 

they do," he said. 

Ross said typical US trade 

actions against dumping and 

illegitimate subsidies had 

failed to address market 

oversupply, particularly by 

China, because "Serial 

offenders can evade these 

orders by transshipment 

through another country, with 

or without additional 

processing." 

Trump has until mid-April 

to decide what remedies to 

impose, if any, and Ross 

acknowledged that any US 

action is likely to be 

challenged by exporting 

nations in the World Trade 

Organization, Ross said. 

The recommended steel 

and aluminum sanctions 

address long-standing 

concerns about Chinese 

overproduction, but take the 

extraordinary tack of framing 

them in terms of national 

security and defense. 

The administration of 

former President Barack 

Obama also sought to tackle 

the subject but emphasized 

trade talks with China rather 

than punitive measures. 

And these proposals could 

hurt other countries more 

than China, which is the 

world's largest steel producer 

but provides less than one 

percent of US imports and 

sells only 10 percent of its 

wrought aluminum abroad. 

The report found 10 US 

steel furnaces have closed 

since 2000, causing a 35 

percent drop in employment, 

while global excess steel 

capacity is seven times greater 

than US demand, largely due 

to China. 

And since 2013, six 

aluminum smelters have been 

shuttered as well, with only 

two of the remaining five 

operating at capacity. 

For steel, Ross 

recommended three possible 

options: a 24 percent tariff on 

all steel from all countries; a 

53 percent tariff on imports 

from 12 countries, including 

China, Russia and Brazil; or a 

quota on steel from all 

countries. 

For aluminum, he 

recommended either a 7.7 

percent tariff on the metal 

from all countries; a quota for 

all countries; or 23.6 percent 

tariffs on imports of 

aluminum from China, 

Russia, Hong Kong, Vietnam 

and Venezuela. 

US industries have urged 

the administration to exercise 

care since high import tariffs 

would raise the cost of 

supplies. But Commerce said 

the goal of the measures was 

to boost domestic aluminum 

and steel production. 

Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd inaugurated its Agent Banking outlet at Zorarganj Bazar of Mirsharai 

Upazila of Chittagong on 17 February 2018. Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf 

Hossain, MP, attended the program as the Chief Guest. Major General (Rtd.) Engr. Abdul Matin, 

Chairman, Executive Committee of the Bank was present in the program as Guest of Honor. 

Moammed. Monirul Moula, Additional Managing Director was present as Special Guest. Presided 

over by Md. Saleh Iqbal, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Chittagong North Zone, the 

program was addressed by Md. Mahboob Alam, Executive Vice President & Head of Agent Banking 

Division, Alhaj Jasim Uddin, Member, CDA, Yasmin Shahin Kakoli, Acting Chairman, Mirsorai 

Upazila, Moksud Ahmed Chowdhury Chairman, Zorarganj Union Council, Kalu Kumar Dey and 

Sanaullah Nizami, agent of the bank. Mohammad Borhan Uddin Khan, Manager, Baroiarhat Branch 

of the Bank addressed the welcome speech. 


To this extent, Walton 

Group's International 

Marketing Head Md. 

Roquibul Islam said, Walton 

has been exporting worldclass 

fridges to more than 20 

outskirt of the capital, to 

manufacture world-class 

different types of fridges like 

huge power efficient frost 

and non-frost refrigerators 

with inverter technology's 

companies outsourced 

different parts of parts 

outsourced different sorts of 

parts to manufacture their 

respective brand's 

refrigerators rather than 

of Walton has smoothed the 

implementation path of the 

incumbent government's 

vision of registering US$ 60 

billion export earnings by 

2021. 

Mercantile Bank Ltd signed a Participating Financial Institutions (PFI) Agreement with Bangladesh 

Bank on 14 February under JICA assisted 'Foreign Direct Investment Promotion Project BDP86'. 

Kazi Masihur Rahman, Managing Director & CEO, Mercantile Bank Limited & Md. Rezaul Islam, 

GM, Foreign Exchange Investment Department of Bangladesh Bank signed the agreement on behalf 

of the respective organizations. Fazle Kabir, Governor of Bangladesh Bank was present on the occasion 

as Chief Guest. Abu Hena Moha. Razi Hasan, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Takatoshi 

Nishikata, Chief Representative of JICA Bangladesh; Md. Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, AMD & CBO 

of Mercantile Bank Limited and Shamim Ahmed, SEVP & Head of ID of MBL were present on the 

occasion among others. 


US stocks 

end strong 

week on 

mixed note 

Major US stock indices 

finished on a muted note 

Friday after a strong week, 

with the Dow and S&P 500 

edging barely higher and the 

Nasdaq falling slightly. 

After a choppy session, the 

Dow Jones Industrial Average 

ended 0.1 percent higher at 

25,219.38, its sixth straight 

gain. 

The broad-based S&P 500 

inched up less than 0.1 

percent to 2,732.22, while the 

tech-rich Nasdaq Composite 

Index shed 0.2 percent to 

close the week at 6,770.66. 

US stocks were solidly 

positive at midday, but slid 

sharply after US Special 

Counsel Robert Mueller 

indicted 13 Russian nationals 

and three companies accused 

of running a secret campaign 

to tilt the 2016 presidential 

election. 

The declines coincided with 

that news, but markets tend to 

pull back ahead of long 

holiday weekends as investors 

pare down risk-oriented 

assets, said Art Hogan, chief 

market strategist at 

Wunderlich Securities. 

US financial markets are 

closed Monday for the 

President's Day holiday. 

US stocks have clawed back 

a good portion of the losses 

suffered over a six-day stretch 

following the US jobs report 

released February 2, which 

ignited concerns that the 

Federal Reserve would 

accelerate interest rate 

increases to stem rising 

inflation. 

World stocks snap out 

of rate hike gloom 

Global stocks pushed 

higher on Friday as 

investors, getting over their 

panic attack triggered by the 

prospect of a steep rise in US 

interest rates, tentatively 

bought back into the market, 

ensuring solid gains over the 

week. 

Wall Street dipped at the 

opening of trading after a 

five-day winning streak that 

saw it claw back half of the 

losses it suffered the 

previous week of turbulent 

trading, but had turned 

positive by late morning in 

New York. 

All key European stock 

markets posted gains at the 

closing bell. 

Meanwhile, the dollar 

rebounded after striking a 

new three-year low against 

the euro and touching a 15- 

month low against the yen. 

"European stocks are 

higher today as traders' 

levels of optimism rise," said 

market analyst David 

Madden at CMC Markets 

UK. 

"The bullish momentum is 

growing, and the higher 

equity markets rise, the 

more it encourages other 

investors to jump on the 

bandwagon." 

The "equity market 

recovery has legs", observed 

Thomas Strobel, an analyst 

at UniCredit. 

Some, however, 

questioned the assumption 

that stock markets really 

were back in full swing, 

having brushed off last 

week's dizzying falls as a 

one-off correction. 

"There is still much debate 

about whether another bout 

of volatility is required to 

properly clear out vested 

interest from such a period 

of protracted complacency, 

and whether equities are still 

overvalued even after a 10 

percent correction," said 

Mike van Dulken, head of 

research at Accendo 

markets. 

Trading was generally 

subdued in Asia as many 

markets, including in China, 

Hong Kong and South 

Korea, were closed for the 

Chinese New Year break. 

But Tokyo's benchmark 

Nikkei 225 index gained 1.2 

percent. 

Wall Street closed higher 

for the fifth straight session 

on Thursday, with the S&P 

500 and Dow Jones 

Industrial Average both 

gaining 1.2 percent. 

This week's rebound 

follows a sharp drop that 

sent major indices down 

more than 10 percentconsidered 

correction 

territory. 

The shock of the 

possibility the US Federal 

Reserve may need to hike 

interest rates faster than it 

previously indicated to ward 

off a possible surge in 

inflation driven by rising 

wages may also be wearing 

off. 

"The impressive recovery 

in equities, particularly US 

equities, whilst bond yields 

pace higher, shows that the 

market is learning to live 

with the prospect of higher 

inflation and a potentially 

more aggressive Federal 

Reserve," said analysts at 

London Capital Group. 

In currency trading, the 

dollar began to rebound in 

European trading, but not 

after having struck a new 

three-year low of $1.2555 

against the euro. 

Jameel Ahmad, global 

head of currency strategy 

and market research at 

FXTM, said "that the dollar 

has not been valued this low 

since traders began to price 

in the normalisation of US 

interest rate policy from the 

Federal Reserve that began 

in 2015." 

He said the prospect of 

higher yields on US bonds 

was no longer pulling 

investors to buy dollars. 

"Investors are instead 

focusing on the 

development of economies 

that are within the remit of 

other central banks," he 

said. 

Expectations are that 

Britain, the eurozone and 

Japan will begin soon 

signalling increases in 

interest rates, thus making 

their currencies relatively 

attractive for investors. 

But Fawad Razaqzada, at 

Forex.com, said signs Friday 

that the dollar "is beginning 

to come back to life again" 

could mean that the 

greenback is "on the verge of 

a comeback".

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

SUNDAy, DhAKA, FEBrUAry 18, 2018, FALgUN 6, 1424 BS, JAMADi-US-SANi 1, 1439 hiJri 

A mass signature campaign held yesterday in BNP's Naya Paltan office demanding the release of 

party Chairperson Khaleda Zia. 

Photo: TBT 

The dark underbelly to our enduring 

romance with otithee pakhi 

BHOLA : The annual migration of the 

otithee pakhi (guest birds) escaping the 

harsh northern hemisphere winter to 

take up temporary, seasonal residence 

close to one of the numerous wetlands 

spread over Bangladesh is a muchromanticised 

phenomenon in the 

Bangladeshi psyche, reports UNB. 

Although increasingly on the wane in 

line with our dwindling wetlands, 

decamping outside the city to spend a 

day observing the decidedly foreignfeathered 

friends, mostly ducks, gracing 

us with their rather regal presence can 

warm the hearts of most Bangladeshis, 

even in the depths of winter. 

Yet the overwhelmingly welcoming 

attitude has a dark underbelly that sees 

the poaching of these same birds by a 

small minority engaged in criminality. 

The use of harmful chemicals to kill the 

birds has by now become rampant 

across the coastal wetlands of Bhola. 

More than 50 remote chars that are 

part of Bhola district, including Majhir 

Char in Sadar upazila, Madanpur of 

Daulatkhan, Bairagir Char, Char Tarua 

of Char Fasson, Nemayetpur char, Char 

Kukri-Mukri, Dhalarchar and 

Charpalita, have for decades been used 

as their wintering ground by various 

species of migratory birds, that mostly 

come here each winter from the 

Himalayas and beyond, including 

Europe and the cold, unforgiving landscape 

of Siberia. 

In many cases however, far from being 

accorded the hospitality worthy of guests 

in our culture, they encounter deadly 

traps set for them in the form of vast 

expanses of crop fields sprayed with poisonous 

chemicals, effectively turning 

them into vast killing fields in waiting, 

ideally suited to large-scale poaching. 

Locals have witnessed the birds rapidly 

weakening and eventually falling lifeless 

while habitually foraging the crop 

fields during low tide, before the 

unscrupulous poachers go out and collect 

the carcasses. 

In the space of a week in 2004, some 

30,000 migratory birds were reportedly 

poisoned and captured by poachers 

operating in the wetlands found in 

north-eastern Bangladesh, in Habiganj 

and Sylhet districts. 

Poachers spray paddy fields with poisonous 

chemicals while laying netted 

traps that ensure a larger catch, similar to 

techniques used in commercial fishing, 

they explained. Even those that defiantly 

manage to take off in their poisoned state 

after consuming the deadly chemicals are 

unable to go far, often falling to their 

deaths in the Bhola River some distance 

away. As a result, numerous corpses of 

such birds can be seen floating on the 

surface of the river every day during the 

winter months, locals said. 

Spraying the soil with such chemicals 

also poses a threat to the entire ecosystem 

of the area, and threatens the environment. 

Inevitably, the natural beauty 

of the area is also hampered due to the 

use of the poisonous chemicals. 

Students stage 

demo demanding 

revision of quota 

system in govt 

jobs 

DHAKA : Hundreds of 

present and former students 

of Dhaka University staged 

demonstrations at the foot of 

Raju memorial sculpture at 

Dhaka University on 

Saturday morning demanding 

revision of quota system 

in government jobs, reports 

UNB. 

The students, under the 

banner of General Student's 

Right Protection Council 

(Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar 

Sangrokkon Parishad) took 

position on the road at 

10:30am. 

They were seen carrying 

placards demanding introduction 

of unified pass 

marks for all candidates of 

BCS preliminary test, review 

of quota system in the government 

recruitment process 

including Bangladesh 

Civil Services (BCS) examination, 

fixation of 10 percent 

quota instead of existing 57 

percent etc. 

Huge law enforcers were 

seen around the demonstrators. 

However, the protestors 

left the place peacefully 

around 12:15 pm 

While talking to UNB, 

Deputy Commissioner 

Maruf of Ramma Zone said 

for sake of security of the visitors 

of Amar Ekushey Book 

Fair we want to keep the area 

free from any kind of agitation 

progreamme. 

Muhith for proper evaluation of 

projects before giving bank loans 

DHAKA : Finance Minister 

Abul Maal Abdul Muhith 

yesterday reiterated his suggestion 

to bankers for properly 

evaluating any project 

proposal before allocating 

loans to help the banking 

sector flourish further, 

reports BSS. 

"I'm repeating again. 

Before giving banking services, 

you'll have to keep in 

mind two things - you have to 

properly evaluate any project 

(loan) proposal and you have 

to know your clients properly," 

he said, addressing the 

Annual Conference 2018 of 

Agrani Bank Limited as the 

chief guest at a city hotel. 

State Minister for Finance 

and Planning MA Mannan, 

Bangladesh Bank (BB) 

Governor Fazle Kabir, Bank 

and Financial Institution 

Division Secretary Yunusur 

Rahman, Agrani Bank 

Limited Chairman Dr Zaid 

Bakht and Bangladesh Bank 

Observer M Mizanur 

Rahman Zoarder spoke on 

the occasion as special guests 

while Agrani Bank Managing 

Director and CEO 

Mohammad Shams Ul Islam 

was in the chair. 

About scrutinizing project 

proposals for loans and other 

services, Muhith said many 

banks and financial institutions 

keep consultants to 

make evaluations and even a 

certain section of officials 

within the bank work as 

experts over this. 

"You'll have to continue 

and nurture such 'expert culture' 

in every bank so that 

you can properly evaluate 

any project proposal," he 

said, suggesting the bank 

officials to try to amend the 

flaws and loopholes, if any, 

in project proposals. 

The finance minister also 

underscored the need for 

properly following the 'know 

your clients' formula to have 

adequate information about 

individuals or organizations 

seeking the banking services. 

"Try to build a relationship 

of soul with the clients 

because from that both you 

and your clients can benefit. 

On the whole, the prosperity 

of the clients will contribute 

immensely to your development 

and prosperity," he 

told the bank officials. 

Putting emphasis on further 

raising the number of 

branches of banks across the 

country, he said: "The more 

we'll be able to involve the 

larger section of people in the 

banking system, the more 

the financial and economic 

activities will be enhanced 

and strengthened in the 

country." 

The veteran minister also 

suggested for giving due 

importance to taking more 

corrective steps on various 

operations of the banks 

based on their experiences. 

He also suggested the bank 

high-ups to be more compliant 

by following the banking 

rules and regulations properly. 

In the function, the elderly 

finance minister hinted 

that he might go on retirement 

in December this year 

(2018). 

DU bans sticking poster-banner on 

walls ahead of Amar Ekushey 

DHAKA : Dhaka University (DU) authority has imposed a 

ban on sticking all types of posters and banners on walls in 

the campus area from tomorrow ahead of the International 

Mother Language Day on February 21, reports BSS. 

According to the decision of 'Central Coordination 

Committee for Observing Amar Ekushey' of the university, 

cleaning, painting and decoration works will start on the campus 

from tomorrow. During the time, none will be allowed to 

arrange any programme in the Central Shaheed Minar area. 

Everyone has been also requested not to stick any kind of 

photo, poster or banner on the walls of DU area to ensure 

beauty and sanctity of Amar Ekushey, said a press release . 

However, the DU authority will hold a discussion meeting 

with the members of Dhaka University Journalists' 

Association (DUJA) tomorrow (Sunday) at Nabab Nawab Ali 

Chowdhury Senate Auditorium with a view to observing 

Amar Ekushey, the release said. 

Fermont’s Inhabitable 

Wind Break 

INTERESTING NEWS 

The town of Fermont, situated near 

the Quebec-Labrador border, is a 

Canadian mining town. It was founded 

in the early 1970s by the Québec 

Cartier Mining Company to exploit the 

vast deposits of iron ore on Mont 

Wright, located about 25 kilometers to 

the west from the town site. It is the 

only mining town in the region. 

Fermont is situated above the 52nd 

parallel which places it in the same latitude 

as Alaska and Siberia. Needless 

to say, Fermont has a harsh subarctic 

climate with long, severe winters and 

short, mild summers. The winters are 

dominated by strong northerly winds. 

When the town was being planned in 

the late 1960s, the Montréal architects—Maurice 

Desnoyers and Norbert 

Schoenauer—hired for the job, realized 

that the town will require a wind break 

to protect the residents from the cold 

northerlies. But instead of building a 

dedicated wind barrier, Desnoyers and 

Schoenauer decided to marry the functionality 

of a wall and a residential 

complex into one. The result was an 

architecturally unique building, 1.3 km 

long and 5 stories tall that has become 

the icon of Fermont. 

The inspiration for “The Wall” came 

from Swedish architect Ralph Erskine, 

who had designed a similar building in 

1962 to provide housing for a mining 

community called Svappavaara north 

of the arctic circle in Sweden. In contrast 

to Erskine's residential windscreen 

building, Fermont's windscreen 

building has a multi-use character 

which includes residential, commercial, 

and educational facilities. 

Menon fears 

of massacre if 

BNP returns 

to power 

DHAKA : Referring to BNP 

Chairperson Khaleda Zia's 

conviction, Social Welfare 

Minister Rashed Khan 

Menonon Saturdaysaid there 

is nothing to wonder about 

this as the government is only 

fulfilling its election commitment 

of fighting corruption, 

reports UNB. 

The minister came up with 

the remark while speaking as 

chief guest at a seminar organized 

by Bangladesh Awami 

Bastohara League Central 

Committee at the Jatiya Press 

Club. 

"It was included in our 23- 

point election pledge that we 

will fight against corruption, 

and we are fulfilling our 

promise" he said adding that 

no former or current leader 

will be spared if found 

involved with corruption. 

He also said, if BNP comes 

back in power, Bangladesh 

will turn into Indonesia of 

1975 where several lakh people 

were killed. 

"Not sure if as horrific situation 

will occur or not as it happened 

in 1971, but a massacre 

will start in the country if BNP 

comes to rule," Menon apprehended 

and gave reference to 

the 2015 situation. 

Mentioning about the initiatives 

taken by the government 

for the rehabilitation of the 

slum dwellers, he also urged 

the poor people to come forward 

and fight together for 

their better life. 

Bangladeshi players are preparing seriously for their upcoming T20 match against Sri Lanka in 

Sylhet. 

Photo: TBT 

3 innovative education services 

launched at Book Fair 

DHAKA : Three innovative 

education services were 

launched on the main stage 

of Amar Ekushey Book Fair 

in the Bangla Academy 

Campus aiming to make 

contents of textbooks easily 

understandable to the children 

The inauguration ceremony 

was jointly organized by 

the Ministry of Education 

and the Access to 

Information (a2i) 

Programme of the Prime 

Minister's Office (PMO). 

Professor Dr. Jafar Iqbal 

of Shahjalal University of 

Science and Technology 

inaugurated the services as 

the chief guest of the event, 

a press release said. 

Additional Secretary at 

the Directorate of 

Secondary and Higher 

Education under the 

Ministry of Education 

Mohammad Aminul Islam 

Khan chaired the event. 

The services included an 

"augmented reality" technology 

based android app 

called "Bornokhela" dedicated 

towards enhancing 

creativity among students 

who are in pre-primary 

school or have special 

needs, science related entertaining 

game "Bigganer 

Rajje" (Kingdom of Science) 

developed on science textbooks 

for students of classes 

six to eight. 

A YouTube channel 

"Haater Muthoy Biggan 

(Science in our grip)" containing 

assistive animated 

education content for students 

of classes eight to ten. 

By holding "Bornokhela" 

app, downloadable from 

Google Playstore, in front of 

alphabets in pre-primary 

school textbooks, the pronunciation 

of the alphabets 

can be listened to and a 3D 

floating image would 

appear on the mobile 

screen. 

"Bigganer Rajje", downloadable 

from Google 

Playstore and Apple app 

store, allows students to 

understand and learn the 

difficult topics of science 

textbooks through playing 

an educational game. 

"HaaterMuthoy Biggan 

(Science in our grip)" also 

allows students to understand 

difficult lessons in science 

by viewing and listening 

to animation, graphics, 

and music. 

Among others, a2i's Policy 

Advisor Anir Chowdhury, 

Director of Innovation Md. 

Mostafizur Rahman, 

Specialist of Education 

Faruk Ahmed, Technology 

Expert of Education 

Mohammad Rafiqul Islam 

and officials from the 

Education Ministry and 

senior officials of different 

organizations, were present 

at the event. 

Man held 

with foreign 

currencies 

DHAKA : Customs 

Intelligence and Investigation 

Directorate (CIID) officials 

arrested a man along with 

large amount of foreign currencies 

worth Tk. 15,86,200 in 

the city's Hazrat Shahjalal 

International Airport early 

Saturday, reports UNB. 

Kamrul Islam, a resident of 

sadar upazila in Munshiganj, 

was arrested before boarding a 

flight of Malaysian Airlines 

Flight. 

Tipped off, the CIID team 

was monitoring Kamrul's 

movement after he completed 

his immigration formalities. 

When Mamun was about to 

board the aircraft, CIID officials 

challenged him around 

11:45am, said director general 

of the CIID Dr Moinul Khan. 

After searching him they 

recovered the foreign currencies, 

including Saudi Riyal, 

Malaysian Ringgit hidden in 

his shoes. 

A case was filed with Airport 

police station. 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Advisory Editor: Advocate Molla Mohammad Abu Kawser, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka. 

Editorial and News Office: K.K Bhaban (Level-04) 69/K, Green Road, Panthapath, Dhaka-1205. Tel : +8802-9611884-85, Cell : 01832166882; Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

The Bangladesh Today (18-02-2018)

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