The Bangladesh Today (26-02-2018)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY
MonDAY, DHAkA, FeBRuARY 26, 2018, FALgun 14, 1424 BS, JAMADI-uS-SAnI 9, 1439 HIJRI
Representatives of President and Prime Minister, Home Minister and high officials offering munajat seeking peace of the army officers
who were killed brutally at Pilkhana carnage nine years back.
Photo : ISPR
Sridevi dies at
54, leaves
India in shock
Desk Report : Sridevi
passed away on Saturday
night after a cardiac arrest,
confirmed her brother-in-law
Sanjay Kapoor. She was 54.
The superstar of Bollywood
was reportedly with her husband
Boney Kapoor and
daughter Khushi at the time of
death.
Bollywood actor Sridevi
passed away on Saturday
night after a cardiac arrest,
confirmed her brother-in-law
Sanjay Kapoor. She was 54.
"Yes, it is true that Sridevi
passed away. I just landed
here, I was in Dubai and now
I am flying back to Dubai. It
happened roughly around
11.00-11.30. I don't know
more details yet," Sanjay confirmed
the news to indianexpress.com.
Sridevi was reportedly
with her husband Boney
Kapoor and daughter Khushi
at the time of death.
BD against forceful repatriation; wants
continued pressure on Myanmar
BD unjustifiably bearing brunt of
Rohingya crisis, says Shahriar
DHAKA : Bangladesh has
said it will not repatriate anybody
'without his or her will'
but urged the international
community to keep up pressure
on Myanmar for creating
conditions in Rakhine to
make Rohingya repatriation
sustainable, reports UNB.
"I urge the international
community not to lose focus
on Rohingya issue and continue
to exert pressure on
Myanmar," said State
Minister for Foreign Affairs
M Shahriar Alam on Sunday.
He said keeping up pressure
on Myanmar is necessary
so that it remains sincere
and committed to the
repatriation process and fulfill
its obligation of creating
conducive environment with
ensured livelihood in safety
and dignity in Rakhine.
The State Minister was
addressing the launching of
the report 'Childhood
Interrupted: Children's
Voice from the Rohingya
Camps in Cox's Bazar' in the
city.
Chairman of the National
Human Rights Commission
Kazi Reazul Hoque and
Country Director of Save the
Children Mark Pierce were
also present.
The State Minister said
continued deprivation, persecution,
disenfranchisement
and military atrocities
against the whole community
of Rohingyas are the root
causes of the crisis.
"We need to recognise that
the problem has its origin in
Rakhine and its comprehensive
solution has to be found
there. Bangladesh is only
unjustifiably bearing the
brunt of it- till today- as the
flow did not stop," he added.
Shahriar said Myanmar
must be convinced to allow
international humanitarian
assistance into Rakhine as
well to ensure a healthy
childhood of the returning
children. "I also request
friends in the international
community to continue to
provide assistance to the
Rohingyas including their
children."
Bangladesh is offering
shelters to over a million
forcibly displaced Myanmar
residents- the Rohingyas.
Unlike in the past, this time
it has been the largest and
fastest exodus of Rohingyas
into Bangladesh, particularly
after August 2017.
The State Minister said
Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina took a bold and timely
decision to shelter them in
Bangladesh territory.
"However, their arrival in
massive numbers is causing
enormous social, economic
and environmental strains in
Bangladesh."
Around 58 percent of the
displaced people have been
described as children (under
18 years old).
"It's deeply disturbing to
note that among the camp
population, around 26,000
Rohingya children lost one of
the parents and around
7,000 lost both," he said
adding that currently they
are under some kind of informal
foster care. The State
Minister said the primary
focus of the government has
been to ensure safe, voluntary
and sustainable return
of the displaced Rohingyas
including the children.
Since November 2017, the
government has successfully
negotiated and concluded
three agreements to repatriate
these people, he said.
Rangpur city's
ex-mayor Jhantu
passes away
DHAKA : Former mayor of
Rangpur City Corporation
Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu
died at a hospital in the capital
on Sunday afternoon, reports
UNB.
Jhantu, who was shifted to
Dhaka from Rangpur on
February 1 after he suffered a
stroke, breathed his last
around 3:30am at
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib
Medical University(BSMMU),
said hospital sources.
Jhantu, also an advisor of
Rangpur Awami League, was
elected the first mayor of the
Rangpur City Corporation on
December 20, 2012.
Hasina Youth Dev Institute
Bill passed
SANGSAD BHABAN : A bill, titled 'The
Sheikh Hasina National Youth Development
Institute Bill, 2018', was passed in
Parliamenton Sunday, aiming to institutionalise
the existing Sheikh Hasina National
Youth Centre through bringing it under a
legal framework, reports UNB.
State Minister Youth and Sports Dr Biren
Siker moved the bill in Parliament and it was
passed by voice vote.
There will be a 21-member Executive
Council with the Youth and Sports Secretary
as its Chairman to run the activities of the
apex body.
Its ex-officio members will have no set
tenure but the members to be nominated by
the government will have a three-year term.
The institute will also have an Academic
Council with its Director General as its head
to oversee its day-to-day activities.
The Institute provides modern training to
youths to transform them as human
resources as well as formulate curricula and
syllabuses for training courses.
The institute will also formulate policies
and work plans as well as conduct research
activities and evaluation process to develop
youths as scholars. It will also work as information
centre and develop research services
for youths.
The institute will also be empowered to
award various degrees like diploma and certificates,
including that of graduation and
post-graduation and other titles.
Boi Mela: Book releases comfortably
surpass last year's number
DHAKA : With four days
still to go, the number of books
released this year at the Amor
Ekushey Boi Mela, the country's
largest literature festival,
has already surpassed the
number of books that came
out over the entire month-long
fair in 2017, reports UNB.
According to the numbers
provided daily by Bangla
Academy, this year's Boi Mela
eclipsed the 2017 edition on
Day 23, that is, February 23,
when the fair closed for the
day with the cumulative figure
for books released during Boi
Mela having ticked over to
3728, with another 166 releases
on the day.
In 2017, the total number of
books released during Boi
Mela was 3646.
With another 182 releases
yesterday, the total number of
books released this year
soared to 3910 at the end of
Day 24.
Poetry volumes continue to
rule as the leading genre of
books coming out. So far, over
one-third of the 3728 books
released, 1291 fall in poetry
category. The share was very
similar in 2017, with 1122 of
the 3646 books released being
volumes of poetry.
They are followed by stories
collections, which stand second
with 585 releases this year
till the 24th. In 2017, a total of
576 releases were enough to
secure second place for the
genre.
Novels though are not far
behind with 562 releases this
year till the 24th, which means
there is a chance they might
still give the short stories a run
for the readers' money. Last
year, they remained third with
520.
Essays can be found trailing
in a distant fourth, with 219
releases this year till February
24, whereas last year the total
was just 168.
Salesmen of different stalls
however, were almost unanimous
in asserting that despite
trailing both poem books and
short stories in terms of the
number coming out, novels
were selling much better than
either genre. Though poetry
has been published, sales and
response remain poor.
They also informed that the
sale of stories collections and
science fiction stories are on
the rise. UNB correspondents
roaming the fairgrounds have
consistently found large
crowds made up mostly of
youngsters thronging outside
specialist sci-fi publishing
houses' stalls, such as that of
Sebha.
Whale Graveyards
INTERESTING NEWS
Movement of the earth’s crust over
millions of years have drastically
changed the geography of the planet
such that what is land now was once the
seabed and where stands a mountain
today was once a vast ocean. It’s not
uncommon, hence, to find whale fossils
and those of ancient marine animals
high and dry up on mountaintops and
in the middle of deserts. Whales also
wash ashore on beaches, get stranded
and die. The flesh rot away leaving a
skeleton on the beach. The beaches of
Falkland Islands, for example, are littered
with whale bones. Aside from
ancient fossils and the occasional
stranded whale, mass killing of whales
during the 19th and early 20th centuries
have left numerous “whale graveyards”
around the world. Here are five
onshore sites where you can find whale
bones.
One of the most astonishing discovery
of whale fossils in recent years was
made in the Atacama desert in Chile.
During a road-widening project on the
Pan-American Highway, researchers
found dozens of whale skeletons lying
side by side with bizarre walrus-faced
dolphins, swimming sloths and other
aquatic animals.
The presence of tiny algae fossils on
nearby rocks along with abundant iron
oxide—an important driver of algal
blooms—suggest that the whales died
after ingesting toxic algae. The dead
and dying mammals were then washed
into what was once an estuary and on to
flat sands where they became buried
over time. Researchers also believe that
the carcasses were washed ashore in a
series of four waves, all happening
within a period of weeks. The fossils are
between 6 million and 9 million years
old.
The place where the discovery was
made is already well-known for such
exotic finds and is thus named Cerro
Ballena, which means “Whale Hill”.
Sundarbands
getting back
trees: Anisul
Islam
SANGSAD BHABAN : The
number of different species of
trees like Sundari, Gewya and
Garan is on the rise in the
Sundarbands following the ban
on cutting down trees in the
world's largest mangrove forest,
said Environment and Forest
Minister Anisul Islam
Mahmudon Sundayin
Parliament, reports UNB.
"Since felling trees remains
halted in the Sundarbands, the
number of Sundari, Gewya,
Garan and other trees is
increasing and it playing an
important role in protecting the
environmental equilibrium," he
said replying to a tabled starred
question from Awami League
MP Sheikh Md Nurul Haque
(Khulna-6).
Aiming to protecting the
country's biodiversity, felling
trees in the reserved natural
forests remains banned from
January 1, 2016 to31 December
2022, the minister said.
Some 6,017 square kilometers
areas of the Sundarbans are
located in Bangladesh, he
added. In reply to another
starred question from the ruling
party MP Pinu Khan (Women
Seat-23), the minister said the
Forest Department created
block gardens on 33,889
hectares of land, while strip gardens
on 5,433 hectares in the
last four years.
Besides, some 1.20 crore
saplings were planted in other
places in the last four years,
Anisul said adding that the total
amount of cost for creating gardens
was Tk 290.14 crore.
Police obstructed the demonstration which was staged by Progotishil Chhatra Jote for the resign of
education minister as he failed to protect question paper leakage. Photo : Surovi Akter Riya
Question Leak: Left-leaning
student bodies take
position near Secretariat
DHAKA : Pragatishil
Chhatra Jote (PCJ), an
alliance of left-leaning student
organisations, on
Sunday took position near
the Secretariat to besiege
Education Ministry
demanding resignation of
the minister for failing to
stop continued question
paper leaks in different
examinations, reports UNB.
More than 100 left-leaning
students gathered in
front of Madhu's Canteen of
Dhaka University (DU) and
started marching toward the
ministry and crossed the
Jatiya Press Club after
parading TSC, Doyel
Chattar and Kadam Fuara
(Fountain).
Pragatishil Chhatra Jote
coordinator and Bangladesh
Chhatra Federation central
president Golam Mostofa,
Biplobi Chhatra Moitri's
president Iqbal Kabir,
Chhatra Front President
Nayma Khalid Moniza and
Chhatra Union General
Secretary Liton Nondi are
leading the procession.
They were seen staging
protest programme on the
road - located between
Secretariat and Press Club -
and chanting slogans
demanding resignation of
the minister and punishment
for those involved with
the crime and the perpetrators
those are taking bribes
in education sector.
Earlier on February 11, the
alliance announced the
besiege programme at a
press briefing held at the
Madhu's Canteen.
In a written statement
Golam Mostofa said,
"Question paper leak now
become a common incident
in our country. All questions
of public examinations are
being made available on the
internet and social media
sites before the exams are
held. But authority didn't
punish anyone involved
with question papers leaks."
"If this situation continues,
our educational system
will be destroyed in near
future," he apprehended.
He also alleged "a nexus
among government employees,
coaching centres, guidebook
businesses, political
activists and some teachers
was masterminding the
question paper leaks but the
authorities have not
appeared sincere or serious
about breaking the nexus."
Cities' industries
to be shifted
economic zones:
Minister
DHAKA : Shipping
Minister Shahjahan Khan
on Sunday said steps will be
taken to relocate the industries
of eight divisional
cities, including Dhaka, to
110 economic zones of the
country, reports UNB.
"Besides, directives will
be given so that no industries
are set up in the eight
divisional cities," said the
minister at the 36th meeting
of taskforce .
He said work has been
started to reclaim 13 canals
of the capital. Already,
some canals have been
reclaimed and some have
been reoccupied after
recovery, he added.
The Minister also said
that no new infrastructure
will be allowed on the bank
of the Buriganga river until
completion of survey.
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.
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