22-05-2018

TUeSday 

Dhaka:May 22, 2018; Jaisthya 8 1425 BS; Ramadan 5,1439 hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.16; No.141; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

inTeRnaTiOnal 

Zuckerberg meeting 

with EU parliament 

leaders to be webcast 

>Page 7 

aRT & CUlTURe 

>Page 8 

SPORT 

Lionel Messi receives 

the player of the 

month trophy 

>Page 9 

Hasina, Modi, 

Mamata to meet 

at Shantiniketan 

Friday 

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina, her Indian counterpart 

Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief 

Minister Mamata Banerjee will get 

together at Shantiniketan in West 

Bengal on Friday, reports UNB. 

They will meet at Visva Bharati 

University, Santiniketan at the inaugural 

ceremony of Bangladesh Bhaban. 

There is no official confirmation that 

there will be formal talks between 

Prime Minister Hasina and Mamata on 

Teesta water sharing, though there are 

speculations. 

As per her tentative programme, 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled 

to leave Dhaka for Kolkata at 8am 

on May 25. 

After her arrival at Netaji Subhas 

Chandra Bose International Airport by 

a VVIP flight, Hasina and Modi will 

leave Kolkata for Bolpur subdivision in 

Birbhum by a helicopter to join the convocation 

of Visva Bharati University at 

9am. Visva Bharati Vice Chancellor 

Prof Sabuj Koli Sen will receive Sheikh 

Hasina and Modi, said an official. 

Hasina and Modi will inaugurate the 

Bangladesh Bhaban. 

Earlier, Cultural Affairs Minister 

Asaduzzaman Noor said Bangladesh 

Bhaban will be a symbol of Bangladesh- 

India friendship. He said it will turn 

into a centre point of practicing literature, 

art and culture of Bangladesh and 

India and for relevant research. 

Hasina and Modi will hold a meeting 

over lunch at the Bangladesh Bhaban, 

according to her draft tour itinerary. 

RAMADAn 

Ramadan Date Sehri Iftar 

04 May 22 ---- 06:39 PM 

05 May 23 03:43 AM 06:40 PM 

06 May 24 03:43 AM 06:41 PM 

Zohr 

03:49 AM 

12:00 PM 

04:33 PM 

06:40 PM 

08:03 PM 

5:13 6:37 

Drive against drugs 

9 killed in 'gunfights' 

in 7 dists 

DHAKA : As the nationwide drive 

against drugs continues, nine suspected 

drug traders were killed in 'gunfights' 

with law enforcers in Chuadanga, 

Rajshahi, Narsingdi, Jhenidah, Tangail, 

Jashore and Gazipur districts early 

Monday, reports UNB. 

According to reports reaching the UNB 

news desk, 29 people were killed in 'gunfights' 

across the country since May 12, 

including those died today. 

In Jashore, police recovered three bullet-hit 

bodies of suspected drug traders 

from Kholadanga and Taraf Noapara area 

around 2am. 

AKM Azmal Huda, officer-in-charge of 

Kotwali Police Station, said the drug 

traders were killed in separate gunfights 

between two groups of drug traders. 

In Chuadanga, Jonab Ali, 32, son of 

Jamat Ali, a resident of Uthali village in 

Jibannagar upazila and a listed drug trader 

was killed in a reported gunfight with 

police around 12:45am. 

Mahmud Hossain, officer-in-charge of 

Jibannagar Police Station, said when a 

patrol team of police reached an area adjacent 

to a field, a gang of drug traders numbering 

10-12 opened fire on police, 

prompting them to retaliate, triggering the 

gunfight. When the gang members fled the 

scene, they recovered the body of Jonab 

from the spot. 

In Rahshahi, 

'listed drug trader' 

Liakat Ali Mandal, 

40, accused in 

seven drug cases 

and hailing from 

Namajgram village 

in Puthiaupazila, 

was killed in a 

reported gunfight 

with members of 

RAB in Khurdo 

Jamira area under 

Belpukur thana of 

the city around 

12:30am. 

Major Asraful Islam, deputy commanding 

officer of Rab-5, said a gang of drug 

traders attacked a patrol team of Rab and 

opened fire on them, forcing them to retaliate 

which sparked off the gunfight. 

Liakat suffered bullet wounds when he 

tried to flee the scene riding a motorcycle 

and died on the spot. 

DHAKA : The High Court on 

Monday instructed the government 

to form a probe committee 

and submit a report within a 

month after testing pasteurised 

milk available in the market, 

reports UNB. 

The High Court bench of Justice 

Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and 

Justice Md Iqbal Kabir passed the 

order following a writ petition. 

The court asked the authorities 

concerned to include representatives 

of the Health Ministry, Food 

Ministry, Bangladesh Standard 

and Testing Institution (BSTI) 

and experts in the probe committee. 

The HC also issued a rule asking 

the authorities concerned to 

explain why the failure to ensure 

safety of pasteurised milk would 

not be declared illegal. 

The Health Secretary, Food 

Secretary, Director General of 

Directorate of Health, Executive 

Director of BSTI, icddr,b and 

Inspector General of Police have 

been made respondents to the 

rule. 

The court also fixed June 27 for 

the next hearing. 

Supreme Court Lawyer Tanvir 

Ahmed filed the writ incorporating 

the report published in various 

newspapers on May 17. 

A new study of icddr,b revealed 

that more than 75 percent of all 

In Narsingdi, a 'wanted drug trader', 

Iman Ali, a resident of Kauriapara of the 

district town and also accused in nine drug 

cases, was killed in a reported gunfight 

with members of Rapid Action Battalion at 

Ghorashal toll plaza in Palashupazila 

around 4am. 

In Jhenidah, suspected drug trader 

Mohammad Sabdul Islam, 45, son of late 

Mohammad Ali, was killed in a reported 

gunfight with Rab around 1:30am. 

Rab sources said a team of elite force set 

up a checkpost in the area as part of regular 

patrol. They signaled a motorcycle 

while it was passing by the checkpost. 

Ignoring the signal, the rider opened fire 

on the elite force, prompting them to retaliate 

that triggered the gunfight. Sabdul 

caught in line of fire and died on the spot. 

In Tangail, suspected drug trader Abul 

Kalam Azad Khan, 42, son of late Abdur 

Rahman Khan of Purbo Pakutia of 

Ghatailupazila, and also an accused in five 

cases, was killed in a so-called gunfight 

with members of Rapid Action battalion in 

a brick field in Deula Bari around 12am. 

In Gazipur, suspected drug trader 

Rezaul Islam alias Besoti Rony, son of 

Hafizul Islam of Ershadnagar area of 

Tongi, and also an accused in 15 cases, was 

killed in a reported gunfight with police in 

Tongi around 3am. 

Kamal Hossain, officer-in-charge of 

Tongi Model Police Station, said a team of 

police a conducted drive in the area following 

a tip-off. 

Sensing the presence of law enforcers, 

the drug traders opened fire on them, forcing 

them to retaliate, triggering the gunfight. 

Rony was caught in the line of fire 

and died on the spot. 

HC orders probe into pasteurised 

milk; seeks report within a month 

pasteurized milk available in the 

local market is unsafe for direct 

consumption. 

Hollywood and Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra visited Rohingya Camp on behalf of UN on Monday at 

Teknaf. 

Photo: Star Mail 

Lightning strikes kill 200 in 75 days; 

blame goes to global warming 

DHAKA : The country is witnessing unusual 

casualties in lightning strikes well ahead 

of monsoon this year due to change in the 

thunderstorm formation area along with 

other causes like deforestation, climate variability 

and global warming, said experts, 

reports UNB. 

According to reports carried by different 

national dailies on lightning incidents, over 

200 people were killed and scores of others 

injured in lightning strikes at different parts 

of the country, mainly in the central and 

northern parts, in the last two and a half 

months from March to May 17, showing an 

increased frequency in lightning strikes this 

year. 

As per the website of the Disaster 

Management and Relief Ministry, at least 

187 people died in lightning strikes at different 

parts of the country this year as of 

May 18. 

At least 112 people were killed in lightning 

strikes in the first 10 days of this month, 

including 29 on May 9 alone. Besides, over 

70 people were killed in March and April. 

Most of the victims were agricultural 

workers as they were hit by lightning strikes 

while harvesting on or carrying paddy from 

open fields during storms, creating panic 

among farmers. 

Experts, however, suggested that people 

should not be worried, but they need to take 

appropriate steps during lightning strikes 

and check the weather forecast before participating 

in outdoor activities. 

They urged people to keep away from tall 

trees, electric pillars and towers, not to 

touch metals and corrugated iron, and take 

shelter under a concrete ceiling during 

thunderbolts. 

"As per our record, the lightning frequency 

is gradually rising here during pre-monsoon 

period (April-May) since 1981. But 

we're observing greater number of fatal 

incidents of lightning recent years due to 

global warming," M Abdul Mannan, a senior 

a meteorologist at the Bangladesh 

Meteorological Department (BMD) told 

UNB. 

He said Bangladesh is witnessing a record 

number of lightning strikes this year due to 

the change in thunderstorm formation area. 

"The thunderstorm use to form in West 

Bengal, Bihar and joining areas in the previous 

years. But it's now forming near the 50 

km of Bangladesh border this year, causing 

the fatal lightning strikes. 

Mannan said districts under Dhaka 

Division, Rajshahi divisions and 

Mymensingh and some districts under 

Chattogram division, including Noakhali 

and Comilla, are experiencing increased 

lightning strikes this year. 

BMD meteorologist Ruhul Kuddus said 

the country experienced excessive temperature 

in February and March this year which 

is one of the causes of rise in lightning frequency. 

He also said the country's average rainfall 

is 22 percent higher than the normal this 

pre-monsoon season as Cumulonimbus 

clouds are gathering much this year than 

the previous years, increasing the lightning 

frequency intensity. 

"Raising temperature, erratic rainfall and 

abnormal behavior of weather are increasing 

the occurrence of thunderbolt strikes," 

Kuddus added. 

At least four people were killed and two others injured in a landslide at Boroitali Manjoypara in 

Naikkhongchhari upazila on Monday. 

Photo : Star Mail 

Rohingyas to highlight 

importance of biological 

diversity Tuesday 

UNHCR, IUCN working to prevent 

elephant-human conflict in camps 

DHAKA : Rohingyas, volunteering as 

Elephant Response Team (ERT) members 

in the giant Kutupalong refugee 

site, will be taking part in events in the 

settlement in Cox's Bazar district, on 

Tuesday to highlight International Day 

for Biological Diversity, reports UNB. 

The ERTs were formed and trained 

under a joint project by UNHCR, the 

UN Refugee Agency, and its partner, 

International Union for Conservation 

of Nature (IUCN) in Bangladesh to 

reduce incidents involving elephants 

coming into conflict with refugees in 

the world's largest refugee settlement. 

Since the Rohingya influx into 

Bangladesh last August, there have 

been at least 13 deaths resulting from 

human-elephant incidents in the main 

Kutupalong-Balukhali refugee settlement, 

said the UNHCR, the UN refugee 

agency. 

Some 350 Elephant Response Team 

members will travel from 3 different 

areas in the camp to congregate and 

take part in rallies, said the UNHCR on 

Monday. 

ERTs of Camps 1, 3, 4 and 17, carrying 

banners with messages on environmental 

awareness and biodiversity conservation, 

will travel from camp 5, 

which begins at 11am. 

Ministers, secretaries 

to get Tk 75,000 

for mobile set 

DHAKA : The Cabinet on Monday 

approved the draft of 'the Government 

Telephone, Cellular and Internet 

Policy-2018, raising the mobile phone 

allowance for the ministers and the secretaries 

to Tk 75,000 from Tk 15,000, 

reports UNB. 

The Cabinet approved the draft policy 

bringing some changes in the existing 

policy framed in 2004. 

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul 

Alam briefed reporters at the Secretariat 

after the cabinet meeting held at the 

Prime Minister's Office with Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. 

According to the draft policy, those 

who are entitled to get mobile phone 

like ministers, state ministers, deputy 

ministers, all secretaries, including acting 

secretaries, will get Tk 75,000 

instead of Tk 15,000 to buy a mobile 

phone set, the Cabinet Secretary said. 

He said the allocation has been 

increased in line with the present market 

prices of Android mobile sets. 

As per the existing policy, there is no 

ceiling for mobile phone bill for ministers, 

state ministers, deputy ministers 

and secretaries, the Cabinet Secretary 

said. He said joint secretaries are now 

entitled to get Tk 600 as monthly 

mobile bill, which has been increased to 

Tk 1,500 in the draft policy. But joint 

secretaries are not entitled to get allocation 

for purchasing mobile set.

NEWS 

TueSDAY, 

MAY 22, 2018 

2 

Man gets life term for 

killing Netrokona teacher 

NETROKONA : A court here on Monday awarded life term 

imprisonment to a man in a case filed for killing a retired 

teacher of Barhatta upazila in the district in 2008, reports 

UNB. 

The convict was identified as Anowar Mia, 30, son of 

Manjil Mia of Gavarkanda village in Barhatta upazila. 

Netrokona District and Sessions Court Judge, KM 

Rasheduzzaman passed the order and also fined him Tk 

25,000 or another two months jail in default. 

According to the case statement, victim Mozammel Haque, 

retired teacher of Gorol primary School had dispute with 

another local teacher Md Ain Uddin, headmaster of Haziganj 

High School, over providing tuition to students. 

On December 11 in 2008, Ain Uddin hired some 

miscreants who attacked the victim at Haziganj Bazar area 

leaving him seriously injured. 

Later on December 19, Mozammel succumbed to his 

injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. 

School girl strangulated 

to death in C'nawabganj 

CHAPAINAWABGANJ : A school girl was strangulated to 

death by some miscreants at Rashik Nagar Shirotola village 

in Shibganj upazila early Monday, reports UNB. 

The deceased identified as Shyamoli Khatun, 16, daughter 

Dubai expatriate Kabir Hossan and a class IX student of 

Chandipur Girls' High School. 

Victim's mother Aliara Begum, said that some miscreants 

entered their house at night. They snatched three gold chains 

and two mobiles phone sets making her and her elder 

daughter Champa unconscious. 

As Shyamoli recognised the miscreants, they strangled her 

to death, said Aliara. 

Habibul Islam, officer-in-charge of Shibganj Police Station, 

said locals found their house locked from outside when they 

woke up for taking sehri. 

After opening the door, they found Aliara and Champa in 

unconscious condition and Shyamoli's body lying on the 

floor. Later, police recovered the body. 

GD-752/18 (6 x 3) 

GD-753/18 (7 x 3) 

Palashbari Thana, Gaibandha organized Open House Day on Sunday. Gaibandha Police Super Abdul 

Mannan Miah was present as chief guest while Officer-in-Charge of Palashbari thana Mahmudul 

Alam presided over the program. 

Photo : Rafiqul Islam 

Youth held with 

20,000 Yaba pills 

in Chattogram 

CHATTOGRAM : Detectives 

in a drive arrested a young 

man along with 20,000 Yaba 

tablets from Maizyartek area 

under Karnaphuli thana of 

city on Sunday night, reports 

UNB. 

The arrestee was identified 

as Nur Helal, 25. Asif 

Mohiuddin, assistant 

commissioner of Detective 

Branch of Police (Bandar) . 

President to award 13 

units under 6 categories 

for industrial development 

DHAKA : Thirteen industrial units will receive 'President's 

Award for Industrial Development 2016' in six categories for 

their contribution to the economy on Tuesday, reports UNB. 

President Abdul Hamid will distribute the awards to the 

winners at a ceremony for the 'President's Award for 

Industrial Development' at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in 

Dhaka. 

A senior official of Commerce Ministry told UNB that the 

awards will be given under six categories this year instead of 

five, with the inclusion of the 'micro-industry' category, 

which has been included in the list for the first time. 

With that, the six industrial categories to be recognized will 

be large, medium, small, micro, cottage, and hi-tech. 

Fariha Spinning Mills from Narayanganj will receive the 

first position award in the large industry category, while 

Spectra Engineers Limited and Envoy Textile Limited will be 

awarded for the second and third positions respectively in 

this category. 

BRB Polymer Limited, Chittagong Denim Mills Limited, 

Basumati Distribution Limited will be awarded the first, 

second and third prizes respectively in the medium-sized 

industry category. 

In the small industry category, the winners are Runner 

Automobiles from Mymensingh, Oco-Tex Limited from 

Gazipur and Abul Industries, in that order. 

Alongside, Smart Leather Products will be the lone 

company recognized in the new micro-industry category. 

Super Star Electrical Accessories Limited from 

Narayanganj and Service Engine Limited from Dhaka will be 

awarded under the hi-tech category, and lastly, Karupanno 

Weaving Factory will be the lone awardee in the cottage 

industry category. 

The awards will be based on guidelines framed in 2013 by 

the ministry to encourage entrepreneurs to set up industries 

and infuse innovation and creativity and encourage overall 

contribution of firms to the industrial sector. 

The guideline says tax, loan and bill defaulters will not be 

eligible for recognition while the industrial entrepreneurs 

who are guilty of criminal offences in court or have any 

pending case will be disqualified. 

According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' Survey of 

Manufacturing Industries 2012, Bangladesh has 42,792 

industrial establishments, 41 percent of which are micro-type 

manufacturing units, 37 percent small, 14 percent medium 

and 8 percent large. 

Case filed over vandalising 

weighing station in Sitakundu 

CHATTOGRAM : A case has been filed in connection with 

vandalizing the weighing station in Borodarogahat area of 

Sitakundu, reports UNB. 

Rabiul Hossain, deputy-divisional engineer of Roads and 

Highways division, filed the case against 200 unnamed 

people with Sitakundu Police Station on Sunday night, said 

Iftekhar Hasan, officer-in-charge of the police station. 

Besides, the weighing machine went inoperative following 

the vandalism. 

Earlier on Saturday, the vandalism occurred following an 

altercation between on-duty ansar member and transport 

workers. 

War crimes convict 

dies at RMCH 

RAJSHAHI : A war crimes convict of Chapainawabganj died 

at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital early Monday, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased was Mahidur Rahman, 88, hailing from 

Dadonchak village in in Shibganj upazila in 

Chapainawabganj and was in Rajshahi jail. 

He was sentenced to jail unto death on May 20, 2015 for 

crimes against humanity during the Liberation war. 

Halima Khatun, senior jail superintendent of Rajshahi 

Central Jail, said Mahidur, who was admitted to the hospital 

on April 28 over old age complications,died of heart attack 

around 1 am at the hospital. 

Portuguese director drops out 

of Israel festival over Gaza 

A Portuguese theater director has cancelled his attendance at 

a major cultural festival opening in Jerusalem this week over 

Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, reports UNB. 

Tiago Rodrigues said he was dropping out of the Israel 

Festival so that his work will not "condone and promote a 

government that deliberately violates human rights." In a 

Facebook post on Thursday, he said he was joining a global 

cultural boycott of Israel that has seen some artists and 

musicians refuse to perform in Israel. 

Rodrigues, who is also an actor and playwright, said he 

rejected the fact that the festival was not openly critical of 

Israel's treatment of the Palestinians while working in 

cooperation with Israeli government ministries. 

The annual Israel Festival, which hosts Israeli and 

international performers, said it was disappointed by 

Rodrigues' decision. "The Israel Festival has a deep belief in 

the power of art to express new points of reference, open up 

people to the recognition of the 'other,' and to promote 

understanding and tolerance," festival CEO Eyal Sher said in 

a statement. Rodrigues' declaration came after Israeli forces 

shot and killed nearly 60 Palestinians during a violent protest 

last week along the border with the Gaza Strip. 

we`ÿ r/Rb-1431(2)/21/5/18 

GD-757/18 (8 x 3) 

2 to die for killing in Bagerhat 

BAGERHAT : A court here on Monday sentenced a woman 

and her lover to death for killing her husband over 

extramarital relationship in 2015, reports UNB. 

The convicts are-Fatema Begum, 46, wife of Al Amin 

Sheikh, and Shahjahan Sheikh, 60 of Dakkhin Kumariajola 

village in Morelganj upazila. 

The court also fined them Tk 20,000 each. They were also 

sentenced to seven years imprisonment and fine of Tk 

10,000 each, in default, to suffer six months more in rigorous 

imprisonment, in another section of the case. 

According to the prosecution, Al Amin Sheikh had gone 

missing after going out for his son's residence in Keraniganj 

of Dhaka on March 16, 2015. 

Mohammad Ali, son of Al Amin lodged a general diary with 

Keraniganj Police Station on the following day. 

After tracking the mobile phone, police unearthed the body 

of Al Amin from the kitchen room of his house. 

Police arrested Al Amin's wife Fatema in this connection 

who later gave a confessional statement admitting her guilt 

before the court. A case was filed with Morelganj Police 

Station. Police submitted chargesheet against Fatema, her 

lover Shahjahan and her neighbour Saiful Sheikh before the 

court on June 10, 2016. 

After examining records and witnesses, Bagerhat 

Additional District and Session Judge Mohammad Zakaria 

Hossain handed down the verdict. 

47 Khulna buildings at risk of 

collapse; no initiative yet to demolish 

KHULNA : Although 48 buildings have been 

identified as vulnerable and to be on the verge 

of collapse over the last eight years, only one 

has been demolished and the others remained 

untouched for lack of coordination among the 

authorities concerned, reports UNB. 

After being listed as vulnerable, at least four 

people have reportedly been killed from such 

building collapses. In one incident, it was from 

a building which was not among the 48 listed 

by the Khulna City Corporation (KCC). 

Allegations are there that the plan to 

demolish the risky buildings remained 

confined to forming a committee, holding 

meetings and issuing notices. 

According to sources at the KCC and a 

report published back in August 2010, 26 of 

those buildings are fully uninhabitable, 17 

comparatively less risky and the extended part 

of five more buildings have been considered to 

be risky. 

Twenty-one of the risky buildings are owned 

by the district administration and one by the 

Public Works Department. 

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METRO 

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018 

3 

Five DU students 

get Prof Habiba 

Khatun Scholarship 

DHAKA Five meritorious 

students of the Department of 

Islamic History and Culture of 

Dhaka University (DU) were 

awarded "Prof. Dr. Habiba 

Khatun Scholarship" for their 

outstanding academic results 

in BA honors examinations 

yesterday, reports BSS. 

The recipients are: Md. 

Azim Uddin, Md. Redwanul 

Karim, Md. Abdullah Al 

Matin, Mst Tauhid-E-Jahan 

and Syed Md. Muntasir 

Muhaymin. 

DU Vice-Chancellor (VC) 

Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman 

distributed the scholarships 

among the students as the 

chief guest at a function held at 

the VC's lounge of the 

university. 

Acting Chairman of the 

Department of Islamic 

History and Culture Prof Dr. 

Md. Mosharraf Hossain 

Bhuiyan, Chairperson of the 

Department of Geography 

and Environment Prof. Dr. 

Hafiza Khatun, donor of the 

trust fund Prof. Dr. Habiba 

Khatun, Prof. Md. Mahfuzul 

Islam , Prof. Dr. AKM Golam 

Rabbani, Prof. Dr. 

Mohammad Siddiqur 

Rahman Khan and Acting 

Registrar Md. Enamuzzaman, 

among others, were present 

on the occasion. 

VC Prof. Dr. Md. 

Akhtaruzzaman in his speecj 

urged students to become 

worthy citizen. 

"The meritorious students 

have to play en effective role to 

make Bangladesh a 

prosperous country," he said 

congratulating the awardees. 

Dr. Habiba Khatun is a 

retired Professor of DU 

Islamic History and Culture 

Department. 

we`ÿ r/Rb-1451(2)/21/5/18 

Next poll has no 

relation with 

Khaleda's release: 

Hasan 

DHAKA : Awami League Publicity and Publication 

Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday said the next 

national election has no relation with the release of BNP 

Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, reports BSS. 

"She (Begum Zia) is not a prisoner of state . . . She is the 

convict of a graft case," Dr Hasan said while speaking at 

a human chain held in front of Jatiya Press Club here. 

Awami Muktijouddha Projanma League organised the 

human chain protesting the atrocities in Palestine. 

Hasan, also the chairman of the parliamentary 

standing committee on the Forest and Environment 

Ministry, said Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad took 

part in the polls while he was in jail, so it would not be a 

problem for Khaleda Zia to participate in the next polls. 

Criticising the role of BNP leaders and activists 

centering the issues of their chairperson Begum Zia and 

Tareque Rahman, the AL leader said BNP should refrain 

from keeping busy with their cases as issues, rather they 

should take preparation for the next polls. 

Dr Hasan categorically said, "No party has any scope to 

elect uncontested in the next polls as many political 

parties are ready to take part in the parliamentary 

election." 

He confidently said the Awami League and Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina, at present, are much stronger 

than that of in 2014 and the incumbent government has 

brightened its image globally. 

No humanist can accept such brutal murders which are 

taking place in Palestine, Hasan said condemning the 

killings, adding thus, Bangladesh also cannot allow the 

heinous act. 

The AL always strongly raises strong voice against the 

mass killings in Palestine, he added. 

Hasan claimed that BNP-Jamaat alliance did not 

protest it, though the BNP used to use the name of Islam 

during the polls time and do business with the religion. 

The AL leader urged mass people to remain alert 

against the role of BNP-Jamaat in the upcoming 

elections. 

Advocate Asaduzzaman Durjoy presided over the 

human chain. AL advisory council member Golam 

Mawla Naksebandhi, former state minister Shamsul 

Haque Tuku, MP, AL leader Baloram Poddar and, Dhaka 

city AL leaders - Shahe Alam Murad and Kamal 

Chowdhury, among others, spoke on the occasion. 

DNC holds 

68 drug 

peddlers 

in city 

DHAKA : The Department 

of Narcotic Control (DNC) 

in special drives across the 

city has arrested 68 

suspected drug peddlers 

along with a huge quantity 

of illegal drugs, including 

88,386 pieces of 

contraband yaba tablets, 

reports BSS. 

DNC personnel in their 

15-day drives beginning 

from May 1 to May 15 also 

seized 170 kilogrammes of 

cannabis, 36 gram of 

heroin, five bottles of 

phensidyl, 57 pieces of 

ample injections, three 

bottles of foreign liquor, 

one private car, one pickup 

van and Taka 99,500 in 

cash from their 

possessions. 

The Department of 

Narcotic Control filed 57 

cases against the arrestees. 

During the special drives, 

the DNC mobile courts 

also sentenced 24 suspects 

to different jail terms, 

according to an official 

release issued today. 

DNC Deputy Director 

Mukul Jyoti Chakma said 

the special drives against 

drug peddlers will 

continue applying the 

highest capacity of the 

department to check drug 

trade in the country. 

BCAS and NETZ Bangladesh jointly organized a media dialogue titled 'Patterns and Effects of 

Climate Change in the North-Western Bangladesh' at National Press Club on Monday. Photo : TBT 

Throat-slit 

body of ATM 

booth 

security 

guard found 

in city 

DHAKA : The throat-slit 

body of a security guard of 

an ATM booth of Eastern 

Bank Limited (EBL) was 

found in cantonment area 

of the capital on Monday 

morning, reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Towhidul 

Islam Nurun Nabi, 20, son 

of Abu Bakar Siddik. 

Locals found the throatsilt 

body of Nurun Nabi 

around 9:30am at the 

ATM booth near 

cantonment post office 

and informed police. 

Later, police recovered 

the body. 

Draft of HBRI gets 

final cabinet nod 

DHAKA : The Cabinet has given final approval to the draft of 

the Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI) Act, 

2017, reports BSS. The approval was given in the weekly 

meting of the cabinet held at Prime Minister's Office (PMO) 

with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The new law 

will replace an ordinance framed in 1977 during military 

regime, cabinet secretary Md. Shafiul Alam said while 

briefing reporters after the meeting. The institute has been 

established aimed at conducting scientific and technical 

research on designing and construction of the building as 

well as construction materials and other related problems 

related to housing. The act proposed to constitute a 20- 

member board of directors for institute headed by the 

minister for housing and public works and state 

minister/deputy minister/secretary as vice-chairman. The 

institute will also have an Executive Committee headed by its 

Director General as president and four officials as members. 

The cabinet also approved the Government Telephone, 

Cellular, Fax and Internet Policy-2018 which proposed for 

enhancement telephone facilities for government officials. 

Under the policy, the cabinet secretary said, ministers, 

state ministers and secretaries would get Taka 75,000 for 

purchasing android mobile phone set with entitlement of 

unlimited mobile bill. 

Under the policy, government officials of joint secretary 

level and above would get monthly mobile allowance of Taka 

1,500 which is now Taka 600. The cabinet also gave 

directives to provide telephone facilities to the judges of the 

Supreme Court according to the policy. 

Under the policy Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs would also get international roaming 

facilities, the cabinet secretary said. 

Noman criticises AL for 

'snatching' people's voting right 

DHAKA : BNP senior leader Abdullah Al Noman on Sunday 

said Awami League has become politically 'naked' in 

snatching people's voting right, reports UNB. 

"Awami League is now openly plundering money, 

exploiting people and snatching their rights. They don't feel 

ashamed of snatching people's voting and other rights as 

they've got politically necked," he said. 

Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader also said there is 

no alternative to waging a strong movement to ensure 

people's voting rights and get rid of the current 'necked 

government's rule'. 

Desh Bachao, Manush Bachao Andolon (save country, save 

people movement) arranged the programme at Dhaka 

Reporters' Unity (DRU) demanding the release of BNP 

chairperson Khaleda Zia and some other party leaders. 

Noman, a BNP vice chairman, said BNP leaders and 

activists together with people must take to the streets to have 

Khaleda Zia released from jail. 

He said opposition parties had defeated autocratic rulers 

Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and HM Ershad not with arms and 

booms in the past, but with sticks and brick chips. 

JU BSU gets 

new committee 

SAVAR : Bangladesh 

Student Union (BSU) of 

Jahangirnagar University 

(JU) unit announced a 31- 

member new executive body 

for the next one year, reports 

UNB. 

Najir Amin Chowdhury 

Joy of Fine Arts Faculty and 

Ariful Islam Anik of Bangla 

department were made 

President and General 

Secretary of the new 

committee respectively, said 

a press release here today. 

The new executive body 

was announced this 

morning after the 

concluding session of the 

28th Council of the 

university unit held at the 

Teacher-Student Center 

(TSC), the release added. 

The other committee 

members are - Vice 

President Oliur Rahman 

San, Soumitra Saha Partha, 

Nayimul Alam Mishu, 

Shoaibur Rahman, Mir 

Rumman Wali, Kaberi 

Sultana Jyoti, Assistant 

Secretary Souvik 

Bhattacharya, Habib Bin 

Mahmud, Sultana Jahan 

Moon, Organizing Secretary 

Chandan Dip Mitra, 

Treasurer Sushanta Pal, 

Office Secretary Hasan 

Jamil, Education and 

Research Secretary Ataul 

Haque Chowdhury Afridi, 

School-Student Affairs 

Secretary Tasnuva Tajin 

Eva, Science and 

Technology Secretary Jubair 

Kamal, Publicity Secretary 

Tasbibula Gani Niloy, 

Cultural Secretary Tushar 

Dhar, Sports Secretary 

Soumik Mahmud Ayon, 

Social Welfare Secretary 

Nusrat Tuba and Executive 

Member Imran Nadim, 

Salman Mahfuz, Rakibul 

Haque Rony, Mikha Paregu, 

Shahadat Hossain Sadhin, 

Rifat Khan Anik, Aranyak 

Earth, Shahriar Ashraf Antu, 

Khan Mukarram Fahim and 

Abu Nayeem Tarun. 

GD-756/18 (5 x 3) 

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GD-748/18 (6 x 5) 

GD-749/18 (7 x 3)

EDITORIAL 

FRIdAY, 

MAY 18, 2018 

4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

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

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Friday, May 18, 2018 

Colossal loss and 

stresses from 

traffic jams 

Traffic congestion in Dhaka eats up around 5 million 

working hours every day and the average speed of 

vehicles during rush hours has come down to 5kmph, 

according to the Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Buet. 

The congestion causes an annual loss of between Tk 20,000 

crore and Tk 55,000 crore, says ARI, citing findings of 

organisations working on the issue."However, about 50 to 70 

percent of the losses can be avoided through proper actions," 

ARI Director Prof Moazzem Hossain told a roundtable two 

months ago."Sixty percent of Tk 37,000 crore [half way 

between Tk 20,000 crore and Tk 55,000 crore] can be saved 

by those actions," he said, 

In July last year, a World Bank analysis had said in the 

last 10 years, average traffic speed in Dhaka dropped from 

21kmph (kilometres per hour) to 7kmph, which was slightly 

above the average walking speed.The speed may drop to 

4kmph by 2035, slower than the walking speed, it 

added."Congestion in Dhaka eats up 3.2 million work hours 

per day. This cost the economy billions of dollars every year," 

said the analysis. 

Dhaka, a city of over 15 million and Bangladesh's biggest 

city in terms of population, is noted to be a specially long 

suffering one by its residents for the traffic jams they always 

face on its roads. Thus, it was hoped that the present 

government with its pledged enthusiastic approach to many 

issues of major public interest, would move with particular 

speed and effectiveness to address this long lingering issue of 

traffic jams that take a huge and regular toll from stressed 

nerves and health, costlier operations of transports and 

other forms of losses. 

But the traffic scene in this city has been turning only 

worse and people are desperate for a deliverance. According 

to reports, progressively traffic movement conditions in the 

city have been turning worse and worse. In many places and 

most of the time, traffic gets held up motionlessly for more 

than half an hour or so without any plausible explanation for 

the same. Thus, a destination to be arrived at in twenty 

minutes needs at least one and half hours or more to be 

reached. The horrendous traffic jams are creating great 

hardships. Many people are known to be falling ill as a result. 

If the traffic situation is so bad, how severely it would stress 

them during the coming Ramadan month when their coping 

strengths would be understandably at a lower level from 

fasting, the sufferers wonder. 

Traffic department officials on being asked say many 

things ranging from inadequate roads in the city and the 

absence of a sufficient number of infrastructures such as 

flyovers and expressways. But only more devoted traffic 

management by traffic policemen or their doing their job 

with enthusiasm and care, can much alleviate the traffic 

related agonies suffered by the city's residents. 

As it is, the traffic policemen are seen doing a very sloppy 

job specially at intersections with their hand signalling 

althoughsignalling lights were set up for doing this work at 

great costs. But media reports say that most of these lights 

are out of order. Why the lights should be inoperative and 

whose responsibility is it to operate them in support of 

easing traffic jams ? Traffic policemen hold up traffic for 

unreasonably long periods of time with their manual 

signalling that lead to long queus of transports forming and 

creating jams. Proper use of the automatic signalling lights 

can much reduce this malaise and speed up traffic 

movement. 

Then the policemen also do nothing to buses stopping 

not at bus stops but arbitrarily anywhere on the roads to 

allow passangers to embark or disembark. But this practice 

holds up other vehicles on the rear creating jams. Real estate 

developers and others keep construction materials heaped 

up on roads but nobody obliges them to keep the roads free 

and clean from such encroachments. Traffic policemen turn 

a blind eye to rickshawpullers not moving in a single file or 

in lanes on roads earmarked for them but in a most carefree 

manner. The rickshaws, thus, get in front of engine driven 

vehicles and create tangles that force the latter to slow down 

and add to the jams. Transports are also allowed to be parked 

similarly carelessly that lead to constricting of roads spaces 

hindering easier traffic movement. 

The roads are in tatters in many places. Traffic movement 

over these crumbled or pot-holed roads automatically 

become too slow. Only repairing them can quicken traffic 

movement. According to experts, only introducing one way 

movement in some sections such as in the Rampura road 

will very significantly add to ease of movement between the 

central and relatively newer parts of the city. 

All of the above reasons and more for traffic jams do not 

call for building costly infrastructures . Just more caring and 

efficient traffic policing can mean so much of a difference for 

the better in traffic movement in the city. 

Italy's populists have earned their shot 

Two and a half months after an 

extraordinary general election, 

Italy is finally on the brink of 

getting a new government. The Five 

Star Movement and the League look set 

to form an anti-establishment 

coalition, which would strain Italy's 

fragile public finances and inflame 

tensions between Rome and its 

Eurozone allies. 

The two populist parties still have to 

finalise their programme and pick a 

prime minister who would suit them 

both. Most important, they will need to 

win around Italian President Sergio 

Mattarella, who has signalled that he 

wants to play an active role in the 

formation of a government. 

But provided Five Star and the 

League can reconcile their differences, 

they should just be allowed to get on 

and rule. The populists have a 

democratic mandate, so it's time their 

ideas are finally put to the test - 

whether you agree with them or not. 

Ahead of the March election, the 

League and Five Star ran separately on 

two platforms full of generous 

giveaways. In their coalition talks, 

which started last week after a long 

stalemate, they could have watered 

down those promises to try to calm the 

anxiety of Italy's European partners. 

Tellingly, they appear to be planning to 

just add them together. 

FERdInAndo GIUGLIAno 

The agreement, which is not yet 

concluded, looks set to include: a 

dramatic lowering of the retirement 

age; a steep cut in income tax; and a 

generous income support scheme for 

the unemployed and low-paid. There's 

no detail on how this anti-elite dream 

team would pay for such lavish pledges. 

Italy's president and the rest of the 

Eurozone are obviously looking on with 

alarm. According to the currency 

union's fiscal rules, countries should be 

using the current economic upswing to 

cut the deficit, not increase it. 

Italy's public debt - standing at more 

than 130 per cent of national income - 

is a time bomb that's been defused 

temporarily thanks to the European 

Central Bank's quantitative easing 

(QE). Once the ECB calls time on QE, 

AndREW hAMMond 

most probably in the autumn, investors 

will naturally question how sustainable 

this debt pile is. 

Nevertheless, a League/Five Star 

coalition would represent what Italians 

want currently. The two parties won 

more than half the seats, thanks to 

agendas that were indifferent to budget 

constraints and critical of EU economic 

management. If they can strike a deal, 

so be it. 

The president and the Eurozone have tools for 

keeping a new populist government in check. Italy 

has signed up to a long list of European treaties, 

which severely constrain the economic policy of 

single currency members. The country's 

constitution refers to the need to balance the 

budget over the economic cycle. The president has 

the right to veto any law that does not comply. 

The president and the Eurozone have 

tools for keeping a new populist 

government in check. Italy has signed 

up to a long list of European treaties, 

which severely constrain the economic 

policy of single currency members. The 

country's constitution refers to the 

need to balance the budget over the 

economic cycle. The president has the 

right to veto any law that does not 

comply. 

Of course, the new coalition has the 

option of leaving the Eurozone, if it 

wished. Both parties have toyed with 

the idea. But they've abandoned it for 

now because of the market panic that 

would ensue. They could try to change 

the constitution, but that's a tortuous 

process requiring a big majority or 

referendum. Absent that, they will have 

to balance their promises with the rules 

Italy has chosen to abide by. 

The two parties will also find that 

governing together is much harder 

than campaigning alone. For years, the 

Five Star Movement has campaigned 

on a platform vague enough to attract 

support from left and right. It now risks 

alienating liberal supporters by 

forming an alliance with the League, an 

anti-immigrant party that admires 

Hungary's Viktor Orban. 

The parliamentary arithmetic is 

difficult too. In the senate, the two 

parties have only a wafer-thin majority, 

which will demand extraordinary 

discipline. 

So let the League and Five Star set 

sail, if they wish. It's time they show us 

how they fare far away from the 

comfort of electoral pledges. 

Source: Gulf news 

Europe edgy over Italian populist government fears 

Italy appears on the verge of forming 

a radical, populist government 

some two months after March's 

election stalemate. The emergence of a 

potentially anti-establishment, 

Euroskeptic coalition formed from the 

Five Star Movement and the far-right 

League is causing significant concern 

in Brussels and other European 

capitals because Italy poses perhaps 

the biggest threat to the eurozone's 

future. 

The anticipated administration in 

this key G7 nation, which has the third 

largest eurozone economy, comes after 

March's ballot saw no single party or 

wider bloc win an overall majority in 

parliament. The headlines were 

captured by the populist Five Star 

Movement, an anti-establishment 

group founded less than a decade ago 

by comic Beppe Grillo and now led by 

31-year-old Luigo Di Maio, which 

capitalized on a rancorous campaign 

that was dominated by immigration 

and the country's economic woes. 

After weeks of torturous 

negotiations, Five Star - whose biggest 

previous political wins had been in 

mayoral elections in key cities like 

Rome and Turin - appears set to renege 

on a previous pledge not to enter into a 

coalition with another party. 

Ultimately, it looks likely to take a leap 

of faith to align with the League, with 

which it has key policy similarities, 

after the two collectively gained more 

than half the votes in the election. 

Presuming a deal is agreed, it would 

need to be approved by the 

memberships of both parties. This 

injects further political uncertainty 

into the picture. 

The wages of disinformation 

IT struck me as oddly profound when, 

as a child, I first learned that 

aphorism that all schoolchildren are 

taught at some point in their education: 

a little learning is a dangerous thing. The 

paradoxical nature of the formulation 

was arresting to me as a child, because 

we had all along been taught that 

learning is something good. The fact that 

learning has its dangers was a new 

thought altogether. 

With the passage of time, I have 

repeatedly seen with my own eyes how 

true this aphorism is. Too often we meet 

people in our journey through life whose 

minds have been poisoned, or otherwise 

incapacitated, with a small kernel of 

knowledge that their meagre mental 

endowment is unable to digest. With the 

spread of the internet, small kernels of 

information now parade as knowledge, 

and those without the ability to put these 

kernels in their proper context often 

suffer the most debilitating forms of 

cognitive indigestion. 

In the language of social media, these 

people are referred to as 'trolls'. In older 

times, trolls were creatures who dwelt in 

caves and were stripped of all forms of 

empathy or self-awareness. They were 

depicted as ugly beings, vengeful and 

consumed with hate. They could not be 

reasoned with, nor could their minds be 

changed with any presentation of the 

facts, because their minds were 

governed more by emotion than reason. 

When trolls come into power, they 

have a built-in interest in keeping the 

population armed only with a little 

learning. 

The potential Five Star-League 

coalition represents a worst-case 

scenario for Brussels. This is especially 

so given the poorer showing of the two 

main pro-European forces that have 

dominated Italian politics for decades: 

The right of center Forza Italia and the 

center-left Democratic Party. 

The country has the second biggest 

debt load in the European single 

currency area at over 130 percent of 

GDP, and its banking sector is under 

significant stress with massive underperforming 

loans. The fear is not just 

the expected political stripe of the 

coalition, but also that it may well be 

weak and unstable, raising the 

prospect of political paralysis. 

A key initial task of the anticipated 

administration will be securing the 

passage of a 2019 budget, where Five 

Star and the League want to see tens of 

billions of euros of new spending. Key 

domestic policy priorities include the 

possibility of cutting taxes in the form 

of a new flat tax, and introducing a 

universal basic income. 

But most international eyes will be 

on policy toward fellow European 

countries and the EU, which is 

expected to be troublesome. The 

League's leader Matteo Salvini has 

With the rapid proliferation of 

information, the boundary being facts, 

information, knowledge and wisdom 

have now been so thoroughly obliterated 

that anything can be packaged and 

served up to the mob and there will be at 

least some takers. Ridiculous things can 

now set large wheels into motion, 

because disinformation at the service of 

factional politics means there need not 

be any grounding to what one is saying 

any longer. Just so long as it vibes with 

somebody's idea of how things ought to 

be. 

This would still be fine were it not for 

the enormous damage it can do to the 

collective life of a society. A recent 

example from India provides an 

example. Two years ago, a bridge 

collapsed in Kolkata, Bengal. More than 

50 people died and many more were 

injured in that terrible accident. Shortly 

after, the Indian prime minister, 

Narendra Modi, showed up at a political 

rally and loudly proclaimed that the 

bridge collapse was divine wrath (Bengal 

was governed by the All India Trinamool 

KhURRAM hUSAIn 

attacked perceived "unacceptable 

interference" by Brussels in the Italian 

coalition negotiations since March, 

while Di Maio has referred to 

"continuous attack… from Eurocrats" 

and it is clear that both will push 

Brussels to rethink the stability and 

growth pact that keeps budget deficits 

below 3 percent of GDP. Italy's 

inconclusive election looks to have 

been the midwife for a radical, populist 

coalition that could shake up Europe. 

Salvini has previously asserted that 

At the same time as tensions between Rome and Brussels 

could grow significantly, the League and Five Star have also 

sought a re-evaluation of the relationship between Italy and 

Russia. This includes calling for the lifting of EU sanctions 

against Moscow. 

he wishes Italy to leave the EU, while 

Five Star has become more pragmatic 

in its Euroskepticism over time; 

asserting the country should 

reconsider its role in the EU and have a 

referendum on whether it should keep 

the euro single currency. 

Another flashpoint in Brussels-Rome 

relations could come over 

immigration. Both Five Star and the 

League regard current levels of inward 

migration to the country as 

"unsustainable for Italy," especially in 

the context of current high 

unemployment in the country. 

Tensions are therefore likely to be 

high not just between Italy and 

Brussels, but also other key European 

powers like Germany and France, 

Congress party at the time, with whom 

the BJP had clashed violently in the 

panchayat elections). 

Now suddenly a bridge collapsed in 

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, ruled by the 

BJP's Yogi Adityanath, hatemonger par 

excellence. So ground elements in the 

Indian media now wish to know: whose 

wrath is this tragedy owed to? 

This is only the most recent example of 

such absurdities that are increasingly 

dominating political life of many 

countries. When the collective life comes 

unhinged from any anchor in reality, the 

door is opened to the theatre of the 

When trolls come into power, they have a built-in interest 

in keeping the population armed only with a little 

learning. That way people's emotions can be activated 

easily for purposes of factional politics. Reality can be 

buried easily beneath layers and layers of slogans that are 

perceived by those chanting them to be facts. 

absurd. Anything anyone says can fuel 

the political engine, provided that the 

someone in question has the means to 

get his or her word out, and the word in 

question provides the right grist for the 

right mills that are currently in motion. 

When trolls come into power, they 

have a built-in interest in keeping the 

population armed only with a little 

learning. That way people's emotions 

can be activated easily for purposes of 

factional politics. Reality can be buried 

which have traditionally been the twin 

motors of EU integration. There is little 

obvious appetite in any of these power 

centers to change rules, or grant 

exemptions to countries, on migration 

or debt. 

At the same time as tensions between 

Rome and Brussels could grow 

significantly, the League and Five Star 

have also sought a re-evaluation of the 

relationship between Italy and Russia. 

This includes calling for the lifting of 

EU sanctions against Moscow. 

With such renewed political angst in 

a nation where there has been more 

than 60 national governments in the 

post-war era, concerns are growing 

again about the country's future. There 

remains significant public angst over 

corruption, the nation's migration 

crisis, and the continuing fragility of 

the economy, with double-digit 

unemployment and low growth. 

Indeed, only Greece has fared worse in 

the eurozone in the last 20 years, 

which has fueled the political success 

of Five Star and the League. 

Part of the reason for March's 

inconclusive election outcome was the 

introduction of a new voting system 

that is two-thirds proportional 

representation and one-third firstpast-the-post, 

making it harder for any 

single party (especially the antiestablishment 

Five Star with its 

growing popularity) to win an outright 

majority. The threshold for any single 

party to have a working majority is 

now around 40 percent of the vote, 

which no party has come close to 

securing. 

Source: Arab News 

easily beneath layers and layers of 

slogans that are perceived by those 

chanting them to be facts. Legal 

categories or economic data can be used 

like epithets. 

Look at how our political space is 

dominated by allegations of people 

calling each other 'traitor' or 

'blasphemer' or 'looter' for example. 

Those casually hurling these allegations 

should look up how the Constitution 

actually defines treason, and reflect on 

the fate of those who have, in reality, 

committed treason. But they won't 

because reality is a nuisance in the era of 

trolls. 

The blurring of the boundary between 

reality and an emotive perception of it 

carries grave risks for social stability. 

Today we have a movement proclaiming 

that growing numbers of people are 

being picked up for unknown reasons, 

only to be labelled as 'terrorists' and 

treated accordingly. They have to shout 

to be heard above the din. 

The scale of the misrepresentation, the 

awful smear campaign against this 

movement, borrows heavily from the 

tools with which reality is chopped up 

and manufactured. A single line uttered 

by someone at a rally, a pictorial meme, 

is usually enough for many people to 

stamp the whole enterprise with the 

label of 'traitor', and dismiss their claims 

and demands. Of course that does not 

solve the problem. It only postpones its 

settlement for another day, in another 

form. 

Source: Dawn

DEVELOPMENT TueSDay, 

May 22, 2018 

9 

Colombian success story of uniting young people 

Steven Grattan 

A rat skitters through the prison cell 

where Harold Cuesta sits handcuffed, 

beads of sweat dripping down his 

brow. He says his imprisonment 

means the delicate peace pact that his 

gang and others negotiated with the 

mayor of Quibdó is now dead. 

Since April, Cuesta, a key figure in 

the peace talks, has languished in the 

deprived Colombian city's 

overpopulated Anayancy prison, 

alongside a dozen other ex-gang 

leaders. Cuesta's list of convictions 

over the years is exhaustive, a 

catalogue of time in and out of prison 

for offences including extortion and, 

this time around, the alleged murder 

of his former lawyer. 

Yet it wasn't always this way. Cuesta 

was once on track to realising his 

dream of becoming a professional 

footballer, until life took a turn for the 

worse and he resorted to criminal 

activity to make a living. "The peace 

process has no future here," reflects 

the 29-year-old, under the watchful 

gaze of the guards. The problem is not 

unusual in Colombia, where the 

Bogotá government has struggled to 

enforce a national peace accord in 

parts of the country where it holds 

little sway. Quibdó, however, has 

previously bucked that trend. 

The city, where the authorities 

struggle to provide basic services, has 

long felt abandoned by the state. Its 

predominantly black population 

sought to deal with their own safety. 

The pact over Quibdó's street warfare 

once distinguished it from other 

Colombian cities, riddled with violence 

and poverty. Now they find their 

reconciliation process threatened by 

the same question rocking Colombia 

as a whole: how should gang members 

who agree to turn in their arms 

account for their crimes? 

The Quibdó pact, signed in 

September, was an attempt to lower 

the crime rate before Chocó's famous 

San Pacho festival. The gangs agreed 

Quibdó's Reposo 3 barrio, built to provide temporary accommodation for people forced to flee their 

homes, has become a permanent installation. 

to lay down their weapons in exchange 

for the promise of access to education 

and work opportunities. Murder rates 

and vandalism dropped dramatically. 

"There is one simple problem," says 

Quibdó's mayor, Isaias Chalá. "These 

kinds of processes usually start from 

the top and work their way down … 

from the presidency down. But we 

started it the other way round." 

In April, the Colombian vice 

president, Óscar Naranjo, travelled to 

the region, applauding the pact for its 

success. Three days later, without 

warning, came the arrests. Chalá 

claims the order to jail Cuesta and the 

A former slave-trading hub on the 

Pacific coast, Chocó remains one of 

Colombia's most impoverished and 

marginalised regions. "Chocó is a 

region that has been marginalised, 

stigmatised and abandoned by the 

government, since the time of postcolonisation," 

says Edwar Calderón, a 

Colombian academic at the University 

of Edinburgh. 

Since the signing of Colombia's 

peace accord with the Revolutionary 

Armed Forces of Colombia in late 

2016, a power vacuum has been 

created in areas where the guerillas 

demobilised, allowing criminal armed 

other gang leaders came from the groups to expand. "What has 

national police, "as a restorative justice 

process needs to be carried out". 

happened with the Farc leaving these 

areas are territories without control. 

Photo: Nadege Mazars 

What we are seeing now is the same 

violence as before, sometimes even 

worse, but without control," says 

Calderón. Amid the renewed violence, 

he wanted to try find a way to stop 

young people from joining gangs. 

Calderón hit upon the idea of using 

funds from an academic project to 

create a workshop involving 

Colombian artists and musicians. 

With the help of Mr Klaje, a 

Colombian music group who create 

instruments from recycled materials, 

and a group of artists from Fundación 

Casa Tres Patios in Medellín, a weeklong 

workshop was held in late April. 

Tatiana Gamboa, a 29-year-old 

mother from the impoverished Obrero 

neighbourhood, took part. "It's 

important, because all of the people 

who are here have had some kind of 

issue with one another," she says. 

Another participant, Luis Romaña, 

26, talks about displacement in his 

hometown. "Quibdó has seen a big 

increase in population over the last 

decade, a lot of it due to the arrival of 

displaced people as a result of the 

armed conflict. The population began 

to grow, there was no control over this, 

and we lost security in the city. 

"There are some neighbourhoods 

that are like colonies of other 

municipalities. For example, there are 

neighbourhoods here filled with 

people solely from Bojayá, where the 

massacre took place in 2002 [about 

100 people were killed when a rebel 

mortar aimed at paramilitaries fell on 

a church full of refugees]. There are 

also people from Bayudo, where a big 

indigenous population was displaced," 

he says. 

On the final day of the workshop, 

young people from a variety of 

backgrounds, and from rival 

neighbourhoods, took part in a parade. 

Old buckets and paint tins were 

transformed into drums and carnival 

costumes crafted from sequins and 

feathers as the participants called for 

an end to violence in the city. 

Yeiner Belalcázar Paz, 40, better 

known as Candyman, is a teacher and 

the frontman of Mr Klaje. He comes 

from a neighbourhood in the 

Colombian city of Cali, where he grew 

up surrounded by gang crime. 

"We believe that art has a power that 

can help with the kind of processes that 

are happening like the one in Quibdó. 

It is like a magic tool. The young people 

here like to dance and sing. They live 

through art. When they hear a drum it 

runs through their veins." 

Among those taking part was a 

group of about 15 young people from 

Reposo 3, a neighbourhood taxi 

drivers wont go near. One was Baeron 

Palomeque. "We don't have a football 

pitch, a community centre or 

anywhere to carry out recreational 

activities, so the dance group is the 

only thing we have," he says. "It is 

helping to keep a lot of these kids off 

the street and has brought young 

people from rival neighbourhoods 

together. The government must do 

more though. 

"If there is no investment in youth, it 

is going to be very difficult [to end 

violence] because the solution is not 

just to arrest people or put more 

armed forces on the streets, but to 

create opportunity." Many of the 

workshop attendees told of their 

childhood in the Chocó region. 

Rosney Mosquera, 29, has just 

finished her high school diploma. "I've 

been a victim throughout my life. A 

victim of displacement, moving from 

neighbourhood to neighbourhood all 

my life. I'm a victim of rape and of 

armed conflict. 

"There is a lot of violence in the 

neighbourhood where I live. People 

have always been fighting and killing 

one another." The organisers were 

pleased with the outcome of the event. 

"When the young people realised that 

they could work together, they started 

to integrate, and when this happened 

they said that they didn't know why 

they thought about people from other 

neighbourhoods the way they did 

before," says Candyman. 

"There were a few young indigenous 

people there, and the black population 

of Quibdó. Both usually kept to their 

own groups. But when we started to do 

the activities, they started to come 

together." 

On the final day, as the parade made 

its way through the puddle-laden 

streets of the city, onlookers peered 

from balconies, tapping their feet to 

the infectious rhythms and listening to 

the young people as they chanted: 

"Our neighbourhood is your 

neighbourhood, our street is your 

street. No more violence, Quibdó." At 

one point they went past the prison 

where Cuesta is being held, reflecting 

on the ruined pact he built. 

Why development needs 

social science 

Less meat consumption linked 

to cutting drug resistance 

David Bennett 

Different media sources 

and commentators provide 

very good coverage on a wide 

range of development issues - 

but it is striking how little 

attention they give to the 

social sciences. A recent 

editorial, for example, 

appears to mean the natural 

sciences when setting out 

arguments for focusing aid 

on science funding based on 

the UN's Financing for 

Development conference in 

Ethiopia in 2015. 

Yet the social and political 

sciences have much to offer in 

providing powerful insights 

for promoting development. 

And in fact, the division 

between the natural and 

social sciences only emerged 

in the mid-19th century. 

My own career straddles 

the divide and most recently 

has focused on 

biotechnology's increasing 

role in developing countries, 

particularly in Africa, where - 

like in other economically 

emerging and increasingly 

influential regions - the social 

sciences are the poor relation. 

This neglect of the social 

sciences is part of a larger 

challenge: that of producing 

research that addresses 

development priorities such 

as food, health and energy 

security, rather than simply 

meeting academic objectives 

such as conference 

presentations and 

publication in peer-reviewed 

journals. 

Thabo Mbeki, the former 

South African president, 

criticised the African 

education system for its 

"limited relevance" to the 

continent's social and 

economic challenges when 

delivering a keynote address 

at the start of the inaugural 

Africa Universities Summit in 

Johannesburg in July. 

This has roots in the 

history of African education. 

There are some 620 African 

universities now, yet until the 

1970s, many were extensions 

of British and French 

universities. Their curricula 

and research were dominated 

by Western paradigms, 

concepts and theories. 

As Mbeki said in his 

speech, this dominance still 

continues in the social 

sciences. Marxist, neoliberal 

and gender studies derived 

from Western thinking and 

research prevail over local 

thinking and research. So 

social scientists generally 

avoid topics deemed 

unfashionable, politically 

incorrect or too sensitive in 

the local context. Those 

topics include large rural 

populations, widespread 

relative poverty, massive 

young population growth and 

governance involving 

extremist violence, tribalism 

and corruption - but there are 

many others. 

The result is that African 

social sciences are of 

questionable relevance to 

local conditions. And this is 

part of a wider problem in the 

higher education system. As 

Mbeki said, the relationship 

between universities and 

political leaders has been 

"weakened and destroyed in 

many instances" since 

colonial times, partly because 

universities are perceived to 

be part of the political 

opposition. 

This has led to African 

universities becoming 

"impoverished", "weakened" 

Social and political science can offer powerful insights for regional 

development. 

Photo: Tom Pilston 

and "marginalised", in the 

words of Mbeki again. This 

means they are starved of 

funds, being regarded as a 

drain on public finances 

rather than potential 

contributors to countries' 

economies, and their findings 

and recommendations are 

frequently ignored, rejected 

or even opposed. 

So when they are able to, 

bright students go abroad for 

their postgraduate training, 

as they used to, but no longer 

return enthusiastically to 

contribute their knowledge - 

depriving the continent of a 

new generation of natural 

and social scientists. Instead, 

many join an ever-growing 

diaspora. If they do return, 

they frequently face poorly 

resourced and managed 

facilities with little 

opportunity to participate in 

the work of their 

international academic 

communities, or to advance 

their careers. 

This resource deficit feeds 

into the disconnect between 

social science research and 

African development, which 

has to be rectified if that 

research is to have local 

relevance, be accepted and 

supported by political 

leaders, and therefore play its 

full part in informing 

development. 

The reason is self-evident. 

African history and its 

societies, like those of other 

non-Western regions, differ 

radically from those of the 

West - and so must the social 

sciences, which are 

concerned with societies and 

the relationships among 

individuals within societies. 

There are organisations 

working towards this goal. 

The Council for the 

Development of Social 

Science Research in Africa 

(CODESRIA), 

an 

independent organisation set 

up in 1973, aims to bring 

together and promote the 

social science community on 

the continent. CODESRIA 

cohosted the World Social 

Science Forum a few years 

ago in South Africa. Its title 

was "Transforming global 

relations for a just world", yet 

it focused on tackling global 

inequalities - a theme that's 

in line with dominating 

Western paradigms - rather 

than Africa's development 

needs. 

Mike van Graan, executive 

director of the African Arts 

Institute, said of his focus at 

the forum: "We are trying to 

understand the cultural 

dimensions of development. 

How do you pursue 

development and how do you 

understand development, 

both itself as a cultural 

construct, but also in the 

context of societies where 

culture is an important 

player?" This is precisely the 

question that needs 

answering. But it was asked 

in relation to solving 

inequality, not addressing the 

many components of 

development. 

Dyna Rochmyaningsih 

Cutting 

meat 

consumption is one of three 

strategies that an 

international team of 

scientists recommends to 

tackle the rising problem of 

antibiotic resistance 

stemming from abundant 

use in animal farming. 

In a study published in the 

journal Science in 

September, the scientists 

also recommend caps on 

antibiotic use and levying 

user fees on buyers of farm 

antibiotics which would 

effectively make it more 

expensive and discourage 

excessive use. 

About 80 per cent of all 

antibiotics are consumed by 

farm animals. Farmers 

resort to antibiotics, 

generally administered 

through animal feed or lowdose 

injections, to improve 

nutrition and hygiene for 

their livestock. However, the 

drugs turn farm animals into 

major sources of antibiotic 

resistance, according to the 

study. 

In September 2016, the 

UN General Assembly 

highlighted the urgency of 

limiting antibiotic use in 

animal farms which is the 

leading cause of drug 

resistance. The global 

consumption of antibiotics 

by food animals, estimated 

at 131,109 tonnes in 2013, is 

projected to reach 200,235 

tonnes by 2030. 

According to Ramanan 

Laxminarayan, an author of 

the study and director of the 

Centre for Disease 

Dynamics, Economics, and 

Policy, Washington, while 

some countries are already 

making efforts to decrease 

the use of antibiotics on 

animal farms, the results are 

yet to be assessed. 

China, the largest 

consumer of farm 

antibiotics, has advised its 

citizens to cut meat 

consumption to 40 - 70 

grams per person per day or 

about half of the current 

consumption. For 

comparison, the United 

States consume a very high 

260 grams of meat per 

person per day. Europe has 

enforced capping 

regulations and the World 

Bank has proposed a 'user 

fee' to be imposed on those 

buying antibiotics for farm 

Cutting intake of farmed meats could help reduce antibiotic resistance. 

animals. 

According to the study, 

limiting per capita meat 

intake to 40 

grams/person/day could 

result in reduction of 

antimicrobial use in animal 

farms by 66 per cent, while 

enforcing caps on antibiotic 

usage could result in a 64 per 

cent reduction. The user-fee 

strategy could also decrease 

antibiotic use by 30 per cent. 

"We find that a 

combination of these three 

strategies could decrease the 

use of antimicrobials in 

animal farms by 80 per 

cent," says Laxminarayan. "I 

think that inertia is our 

biggest challenge - maybe 

people will adopt these 

strategies when things get 

really worse." 

Riana Arief, director, 

Centre for Indonesian 

Veterinary Analytical 

Studies, points to the 

Indonesian agriculture 

ministry's recent regulation 

prohibiting the use of 

Photo: NDTV 

antibiotics as feed additives. 

"Controlling antibiotic use is 

possible through regulation, 

strong enforcement and 

good surveillance," she says. 

Arief, however, thinks that 

limiting meat consumption 

and user-fee strategies may 

not work in countries with 

very low per capita meat 

consumption like Indonesia. 

Meat consumption in the 

country is still far below 

global standards and 

government policy is to 

boost meat production. Also, 

smallholders who rely on 

costly imported feed will be 

hit if a user fee is imposed, 

she says.

NATIONAL 


6 

Boro rice procurement drive 

begins in Sadullapur 

GAIBANDHA: Boro rice 

procurement drive of food department 

began in Sadullapur upazila in the 

district yesterday amid much 

enthusiasm to the millers, reports BSS. 

Upazila food department and 

upazila administration organized a 

simple function on the premises of a 

food godown in the upazila town on 

Sunday in this regard. 

Upazila Parishad Chairman Saidur 

Rahman Munshi formally inaugurated 

the rice procurement drive as the chief 

guest and assistant commissioner 

(Land) Sanjoy kumar Mohanta and 

general secretary of upazila Awami 

League Shahriar khan Biplob were 

present at the event as the special 

guests. 

Presided over by upazila food 

controller Mofakkharul Islam, the 

function was also addressed, among 

others, by officer in charge of local 

supply depot SM Shahid Hasan, 

general secretary of upazila mills 

owners association Rezaul karim Reza 

and president of upzila krishak league 

Jahurul Haque. 

A target has been fixed to procure a 

total of 1,514 tonnes of boiled rice and 

96 tonnes of Atap rice from the millers 

through two purchasing centers of the 

upazila during the current Boro 

season, said an official. 

Price of per kg of boiled rice and 

Atap rice has also been fixed at Tk 38 

and Tk 37 respectively, he also said. 

To make the Boro rice procurement 

drive a grand success, the department 

of food has also signed agreement with 

the millers of the district, he added. 

On the opening day, 60 tonnes of 

boiled rice had been purchased from 

the millers, sources said. 

M. Amzad Hossain, district 

controller of food, told BSS that the 

government had fixed a target to 

procure 21,616 tonnes of boiled rice 

from 870 millers and 733 atap rice 

from 62 millers during the current 

boro season. 

The rice procurement would 

continue in the district till August, 

2018. 

Boro rice procurement drive of food department began in Pirganj upazila under Thakurgaon 

district on Monday amid much enthusiasm to the millers. Thakurgaon-3 MP Yasin Ali formally 

inaugurated the rice procurement drive as the chief guest. Among others, former MP Imdadul 

Haque, UNO Raihan Shah, upazila food controller Abdul Momin Sarker, OC LCD Mahbub 

Ahsan, upazila AL joint secretary Golam Rabbani and Pirganj press club president Meher Elahi 

were also present at the occasion. 

Photo: Bishnu Roy 

A team led by Executive Magistrate and UNO Mobarak Hossain Parvez conducted anti-adulteration 

drives on various shops for ensuring safe food during the holy month of Ramadan in Mohadevpur 

upazila on Monday. 

Photo: Shakawat Hossain 

Consumption of 

zinc-enriched rice meets 

nutrition: Agriculturists 

PANCHAGARH: 

Agriculturists at a crop 

cutting ceremony have laid 

emphasis on enhancing 

cultivation and regular 

consumption of zincenriched 

rice to meet 

nutrition and increase 

disease resistant capacities 

of common people, reports 

BSS. 

"Each kilogram of BRRI 

dhan74 rice contains 24.2 

milligram zinc and 8.3 

percent protein, 

consumption of which 

meets micro-nutritional 

demand of common 

people," said Deputy 

Director of the Department 

of Agriculture Extension 

(DAE) Agriculturist Md 

Shamsul Haque. 

Haque was addressing 

the ceremony arranged on 

demonstration plot of 

BRRI dhan74 rice of farmer 

Asir Uddin at village 

Sarderpara under Sadar 

upazila on Sunday 

afternoon as the chief 

guest, a press release said 

yesterday. 

The DAE in association 

with HarvestPlus 

Bangladesh and RDRS 

Bangladesh organised the 

function to demonstrate 

farming technology of 

BRRI dhan74 rice and 

harvest the crop, a press 

release said today. 

Sadar Upazila 

Agriculture Officer 

Agriculturist Md Abdul 

Matin attended the 

function as special guest 

with Programme Manager 

(Field Coordination) of 

RDRS Bangladesh Hasina 

Pervin in the chair. 

Agricultural Research 

and Development Officer of 

HarvestPlus Bangladesh 

Agriculturist Ruhul Amin 

Mandal and Agriculture 

Officer Nure Alma Siddik 

spoke. 

Agriculturist Ruhul Amin 

Mandal discussed on 

cultivation technologies, 

benefits and necessity for 

consumption of zincenriched 

BRRI dhan74 rice 

to meet nourishment of the 

common people. 

"Regular consumption of 

zinc-enriched rice increases 

disease resistant capacity 

reducing risks of water 

borne diseases, malaria 

and pneumonia to ensure 

normal growth and 

flourishing talent of 

children," he said. 

Agriculturist Abdul 

Matin called upon the 

farmers for enhancing 

cultivation and optimum 

consumption of the zincenriched 

BRRI dhan74 that 

yields up to 7.1 tonnes of 

paddy per hectare. 

The chief guest said 40 

percent of the under-five 

children are stunted while 

44 percent of the same age 

group children and 60 

percent women in 

Bangladesh are at risk of 

zinc deficiency and they 

require supplementation of 

these micro-nutrients. 

He suggested the farmers 

for enhancing cultivation of 

BRRI dhan74 rice to 

supplement zinc deficiency 

of the common people for 

building healthier nation 

side by side with increasing 

rice production to attain 

food security. 

Doulotpur 

Jamdani Palli 

becomes alive 

before Eid 

NARSINGDI: Doulotpur 

Jamdani Palli in Monohardi 

upazila of the district came to 

lively as Jamdani shari 

weavers are now passing very 

busy time with producing one 

of the finest muslin textiles 

before Eid-ul Fitr, reports 

BSS. 

Generally, the demand of 

Jamdani shari is increased at 

different markets in the 

country before Eid. So this is 

the peak time for the weavers 

to earn a good amount of 

money which lead them 

massive engagement in 

waving Jamdani shari. 

Rafiqul Islam of Doulotpur 

union, after getting training 

on weaving of Jamdani shari, 

opened a factory at his home 

in 1988. Now he is well-off 

man in the area. 

Seeing Rafiqul, a number of 

people in the union started 

the same job and got benefit. 

At present, there are 50 

Jamdani shari factories in 

Doalotpur union and over 

200 people including weavers 

are working at those factories. 

Local entrepreneur Abu 

Based said he has set up ten 

Jamdani Shari weaving 

factories, generating 

employment for many poor 

families. Before Eid, the 

weavers are working day and 

night for more earnings. 

Police arrested eight alleged drug peddlers, along with 2.5kg of hemp and 10 pieces of yaba tablets in separate 

drives in Rangabali upazila of Patuakhali district on Monday. Three separate cases were filed 

against them with the respective police station. 

Photo: Kamrul Hasan 

Service delivery to eradicate maternal, 

infant mortality stressed 

RAJSHAHI: Proper service 

delivery along with ensuring 

treatment and nursing supports 

can be the vital means of 

eradicate maternal and infant 

mortality, reports BSS. 

Utmost importance should be 

given on ensuring institutional 

support to all pregnant mothers. 

Collective efforts of all 

government and nongovernment 

entities concerned 

are also indispensible to this 

end. The observations came at a 

daylong divisional workshop 

titled "Strengthening Field Level 

Family Planning and Maternal, 

Child and Adolescent Health 

and Nutrition Services" at a city 

restaurant yesterday. 

Directorate of Family Planning 

(DFP) hosted the workshop in 

association with its operational 

plan of Information, Education 

and Communication. 

Addressing as chief guest 

Additional secretary to Health 

and Family Welfare Ministry 

Smrity Rani Ghorami said 

concerted efforts of all entities 

concerned is very important at 

the field level activities of family 

planning and maternal and 

infant health. 

She mentioned community 

support is also vital towards 

reaching the services of family 

planning, maternal-infant 

health to the target group of 

people especially in the remote 

areas. 

There is an urgent need of 

bringing all the fertile couples 

and others concerned under the 

services. So, all quarters 

including public representatives, 

members of the civil society and 

media both print and electronics 

should come forward and work 

together. 

Smrity Rani, however, 

mentioned that women are 

having fewer children and these 

children are increasingly likely 

to live longer and healthier lives 

than previous generations. They 

are also receiving more skilled 

assistance during pregnancy 

and delivery than ever before. 

Further improvements would 

need effective public-private and 

NGO partnerships to improve 

access to and quality of services. 

Chaired by Divisional Director 

of DFP Moloy kumar Roy the 

meeting was addressed, among 

others, by Director of DFP 

Solaiman khan, Deputy 

Commissioner of Rajshahi SM 

Abdul kader, Deputy Director of 

DFP Dr Nasim Akhter and 

Assistant Director Tasiqul Haque. 

Members of Madarganj Police Station unearthed a counterfeit juice-making factory and forged various 

fake products and product making equipments at Gabtoli mour of Adarvita union on Monday and arrested 

three people in this connection. The arrestees were identified as Asaduzzaman, Shahin and Hashu 

Mia. 

Photo: Julfiker Bablu 

Plucking tea-leaves changes 

fortune of 9,000 women 

RANGPUR: Some 9,000 

unemployed rural women have 

changed their fate by plucking green 

tea- leaves in tea gardens of 

Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts 

in last nine years, reports BSS. 

The women have won poverty 

leading better life now with a dream of 

building better future for their 

children. 

"The tea sector has ushered a new era 

in women empowerment helping the 

women to contribute to their families 

for living with dignity and educating 

children," said Vice-president of 

Panchagarh Chamber Mehedi Hasan 

khan Babla yesterday. 

He said the expanding tea sector has 

created huge jobs in the tea gardens of 

the two sub-Himalayan districts for 

over 9,000 poor, unemployed and 

distressed women to change their 

fortune. 

"The female tea-garden workers, 

including unemployed young girls, 

housewives, widows and divorcees are 

happy as the prospective tea sector is 

growing fast there, creating more jobs 

to ensure their livelihoods," Babla 

added. 

Talking to BSS, female labourers 

Julekha, Lucky Begum and Motahera 

khatun of Tentulia upazila in 

Panchagarh said they are earning daily 

wages of Taka 200 to 280 on an 

average as plucking workers. 

They also said they are now taking 

meals thrice on a day, using sanitary 

latrines, taking health care, adopting 

family planning methods and living 

peacefully. 

Similarly, female labourers konika, 

Afroza and Azmeri of Panchagarh 

Sadar upazila said they are earning 

better wages by plucking tea-laves to 

live better with ensuring livelihoods 

though they had hard days with no jobs 

even a decade ago. 

The female tea-garden workers 

expressed their common happiness of 

sending their children to schools as 

plucking of tea-leaves has created jobs 

to improve their economic conditions. 

Officials of Bangladesh Tea Board 

(BTB) at Panchagarh regional office 

said the tea sector is growing fast with 

Convicted 

drug peddler 

arrested in 

Rupsa 

TITASH CHAkRABORTy: 

Member of Rupsa 

Police Station arrested 

a convicted drug 

peddler on Sunday 

night. 

The arrestee was 

identified as Saiful 

Islam Babu(49). 

Upon receiving the 

tip, M Shahidul Islam, 

sub inspector of 

Aichgati Police 

outpost, arrested 

Saiful Islam Rajapur 

village, an official said. 

Saiful was sentenced to 

prison for 6 months 

under Narcotics 

Control Act. Since then 

he remained as a 

runaway fugitive. 

increases production every year 

changing economy of the two districts 

and improving economic condition of 

the farmers and common people. 

"Tea is being cultivated now on 2,265 

hectares of land against 1,845 hectares 

of land last year in these two northern 

districts," said Dr Mohammad 

Shameem Al Mamun, Senior Scientific 

Officer of BTB at Panchagarh. 

Tea is being cultivated in nine tea 

estates and 18 gardens and vast lands 

of small-scale farmers in these two 

districts where production of 'madetea' 

increased by 70 percent last year 

alone than the previous year. 

"An all-time record quantity of 

54.40-lakh kg 'made-tea', worth Taka 

108.80 crore, was manufactured in 

2017, higher by 70 percent than 32- 

lakh kg 'made-tea' manufactured in 

2016," Dr Mamun said. 

"The 'made-tea' output will further 

increase with creating more jobs as the 

farmers have cultivated the crop on 

420 hectares of more land this year 

than last year in these two districts," Dr 

Mamun said.

INTERNATIONAL 

TUESDAy, MAy 22, 2018 

7 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a joint hearing of the Commerce and Judiciary 

Committees on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 10, 2018, about the use of Facebook data 

to target American voters in the 2016 election. 

Photo : AP 

In North Korea nuke site closing, 

spectacle trumps substance 

Foreign journalists will be allowed 

to journey deep into the mountains 

of North Korea this week to 

observe the closing of the country's 

Punggye-ri nuclear test site in a 

much-touted display of goodwill 

before leader Kim Jong Un's 

planned summit with President 

Donald Trump next month, 

reports UNB. 

Expect good imagery. But not 

much else. 

The public display of the closure 

of the facility on Mount Mantap 

will likely be heavy on spectacle 

and light on substance. And the 

media will be spending much of 

their time in an unrelated tourism 

zone that North Korea hopes will 

be the next big thing for its economy 

if Kim's diplomatic overtures 

pay off in the months ahead. 

For sure, the closure is a milestone, 

marking an end to the 

world's last active underground 

testing site and offering some 

important insights into Kim's 

mindset as he sets the stage for his 

meeting with Trump. 

Nepal official 

says 2 foreign 

climbers died 

on Mount 

Everest 

Two foreign climbers 

attempting to scale 

Mount Everest have 

died on the world's 

highest peak, a Nepal 

mountaineering official 

said Monday, reports 

UNB. 

Members of their 

expedition teams 

reported a Japanese 

climber died Monday 

and a Macedonian died 

on Sunday, said Gyanendra 

Shrestha, who is 

stationed at Everest's 

base camp during the 

climbing season and 

received the reports of 

the deaths. 

The Japanese climber 

was identified as 35- 

year-old Nobukazu 

Kuriki and the Macedonian 

was 63-year-old 

Gjeorgi Petkov. 

Kuriki was a known 

mountaineer who 

climbed many mountains 

and made several 

attempts on Everest. He 

was not successful in 

climbing Everest and 

lost most of his fingers 

due to frostbite during 

an attempt in 2012. 

Shrestha said Kuriki's 

body was around the 

Camp 2 area while the 

Macedonian climber's 

body was at a higher 

elevation. 

Further details were 

not available. 

Some 340 foreign 

climbers and their Sherpa 

guides are attempting 

to scale Everest this 

month and many succeeded 

in the past week 

during good weather. 

Teams have to end their 

attempts by the end of 

this month as weather 

conditions deteriorate. 

A look at what's hype and what's 

worth paying attention to: 

Kim announced his plan to close 

the test site during a gathering of 

senior party leaders last month, 

just ahead of his summit with 

South Korean President Moon Jaein. 

His explanation to the party 

was that North Korea's nuclear 

development is now complete and 

further underground testing is 

unnecessary. 

North Korea has conducted six 

underground nuclear tests since 

2006. Its most recent and most 

powerful explosion, which the 

North claims tested a hydrogen 

bomb, was in September. All of its 

tests have been carried out at 

Punggye-ri, in the country's mountainous 

northeast interior. 

Before Kim's announcement, 

North Korea was the only country 

that still conducted underground 

tests. 

Kim's claim that such tests are no 

longer needed may have an element 

of bravado to it. While the 

North has demonstrated beyond a 

doubt that it can produce viable, 

high-yield nuclear weapons, many 

experts believe it could still benefit 

considerably by conducting more 

tests. 

"North Korea certainly would 

need more tests to have any confidence 

in its H-bomb," said physicist 

David Wright, co-director of 

the global security program of the 

Union of Concerned Scientists. 

Wright said the North's most 

recent test is a prime example. He 

believes it was a "demonstrationof-principle 

device" that was not 

designed to be small or light 

enough to be delivered by missile. 

"The bottom line is that stopping 

testing is important to limit its 

ability to build reliable, deliverable 

warheads - especially for an H- 

bomb," he said. 

So in that sense, Kim is making a 

significant concession. And if Kim 

were to switch gears and decide to 

test again, he would almost certainly 

be caught. It's hard to hide a 

high-powered nuclear blast. Compliance 

is verifiable. 

Europe wary as Italy moves 

toward populist government 

Italy edged toward its first populist government 

Monday as the president convened the 

leaders of the anti-establishment 5-Star 

Movement and the right-wing League in 

what could be a final consultations, 11 weeks 

after elections left the country with a hung 

parliament, reports UNB. 

The prospect of a 5-Star-League government 

weighed heavily on markets and on 

Italy's European allies. The cost of borrowing 

to fund Italy's persistently high public 

debt rose to the highest levels in nine 

months and the Milan stock market was 

trading down 2 percent. 

France's economics minister has already 

sounded an alarm that the eurozone's financial 

stability could be threatened if a populist 

government blows Italy's deficit commitments. 

"If the new government takes the risk of 

not respecting its commitments on debt, the 

deficit, but also on consolidation of banks, 

then the entire financial stability of the eurozone 

will be threatened," Bruno Le Maire 

told the Cnews television channel Sunday. 

The leader of the 5-Stars, Luigi Di Maio, 

and League leader Matteo Salvini indicated 

agreement Sunday on a candidate for premier 

to present to President Sergio 

Mattarella, who must grant his approval and 

agree on a Cabinet list before a parliamentary 

confidence vote. 

Salvini said that neither he nor Di Maio 

would be the premier, an apparent move to 

keep the fledgling coalition on an even keel. 

Most worrying to financial markets is the 

two parties' platform, unveiled last week. It 

includes a rollback on pension reform, a 

minimum salary for struggling Italians and 

the introduction of a flat tax, which will contribute 

to a large fiscal expansion that economists 

and EU policymakers worry will 

increase the country's debt burden. 

The program also introduces a tougher 

stance on deporting migrants and calls for a 

better dialogue with Russia on economic 

and foreign policy matters while maintaining 

its trans-Atlantic alliance. 

Di Maio assured his voters that the government 

would find the money to pay for 

social programs and tax cuts both through 

investments and in upcoming negotiations 

in Brussels on the European Union's sevenyear 

budget cycle, but neither the markets 

nor European partners have been assuaged. 

A 5-Star-League government would have a 

very thin majority of just over 50 percent of 

parliamentary seats. Salvini ran in the elections 

as part of a right-wing coalition including 

Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, but 

Berlusconi opposes the 5-Stars and says he 

will not support them in a confidence vote. 

Zuckerberg meeting 

with EU parliament 

leaders to be webcast 

Facebook CEO Mark 

Zuckerberg has agreed to 

have his meeting Tuesday 

with the leaders of the European 

parliament about data 

privacy be broadcast publicly 

through web streaming, 

reports UNB. 

The evening meeting with 

leaders of the political groups 

and a justice and civil rights 

expert was long expected to be 

private. 

But many in the European 

Parliament had been calling for 

an on-air grilling for Zuckerberg 

to explain his company's 

role in a scandal about the misuse 

of customer data. 

European Parliament 

President Antonio Tajani 

said in a statement Monday 

that after discussing the 

issue with Zuckerberg "I 

am glad to announce that 

he has accepted this new 

request." 

Tajani called it "great news 

for EU citizens. I thank him 

for the respect" shown for 

the EU legislature. 

Taliban kill 5 

workers clearing 

land mines 

An Afghan official says the 

Taliban killed at least five 

members of a demining team 

in southern Kandahar 

province, reports UNB. 

Zia Durrani, spokesman for 

the provincial police chief, 

says a sixth worker is missing 

and his fate is unknown following 

the attack on Monday 

morning in the district of Maiwand. 

Durrani says the de-miners 

were working for the TAPI 

national project, clearing a 

segment for a planned gas 

pipeline from central Asia 

that's headed to Pakistan and 

India through Afghanistan. 

Meanwhile, Karim Yuresh, 

police spokesman in northern 

Faryab province, says the Taliban 

attacked a district headquarters 

on Sunday night, 

burning down about 50 shops 

in Khuaja Sabz Posh district. 

He says reinforcements 

repelled the attackers. Six 

insurgents were killed and 10 

were wounded. 

Lava from Kilauea 

volcano enters ocean, 

creates toxic cloud 

White plumes of acid and 

extremely fine shards of glass 

are billowing into the sky over 

Hawaii as molten rock from 

Kilauea volcano pours down a 

hillside and into the ocean. 

Authorities are warning the 

public to stay away from the 

toxic steam cloud, which is 

formed by a chemical reaction 

when lava touches seawater, 

reports UNB. 

Further upslope, lava is still 

gushing out of large vents in 

the ground in a Big Island residential 

neighborhood. 

Hawaii County officials say 

sulfur dioxide gas emissions 

from the vents have tripled. At 

the volcano's summit, two 

explosive eruptions unleased 

clouds of ash on Sunday. 

Winds carried much of the 

ash toward the southwest. 

Kilauea volcano began 

erupting lava in the Leilani 

Estates neighborhood more 

than two weeks ago. 

Five-Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio talks on the phone as he leaves the lower house of parliament, at the 

end of his meeting with League leader Matteo Salvini, in Rome, Thursday, May 17, 2018. Italy's two populist 

leaders are brushing off fears in Brussels and the markets over the outlines of their possible government, and 

are insisting they are close to a deal designed to help ordinary Italians. 

Photo : AP 

Abbas, 83-year-old Palestinian 

leader, still in hospital 

The Palestinian president's condition has 

seen a "clear improvement" after he was 

taken to hospital with a fever, an Arab 

lawmaker in Israel's parliament with close 

ties to Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday, 

reports UNB. 

Abbas was hospitalized on Sunday with 

a fever, just days after undergoing ear surgery. 

The 83-year-old leader has endured a 

series of recent health scares which have 

revived anxiety over a potentially chaotic, 

and even bloody, succession battle that 

could further weaken the Palestinian 

cause. 

Ahmad Tibi, the lawmaker close to 

Abbas, told Israeli Army Radio that Abbas 

could be discharged as early as Tuesday. 

He did not elaborate on Abbas' condition 

nor say why he thought Abbas was expected 

to be released. 

Palestinian officials on Sunday had said 

that Abbas has pneumonia and was on a 

respirator, receiving antibiotics intravenously. 

They said he was conscious and 

lucid. 

Abbas, who is a heavy smoker and overweight, 

has a long history of health issues, 

ranging from heart trouble to a bout with 

prostate cancer a decade ago. Two years 

ago, he underwent an emergency heart 

procedure after suffering exhaustion and 

chest pains. 

More recently, a cardiologist moved into 

the presidential compound in Ramallah 

to monitor the longtime leader after a 

mysterious hospital visit in the United 

States, following Abbas' address to the 

United Nations Security Council in which 

he appeared weak. 

Abbas, who insists he is fine, has 

refused to designate a successor. But after 

more than a decade of avoiding discussion 

of the post-Abbas era, Palestinian officials 

acknowledge that they are concerned, and 

potential successors are quietly jockeying 

for position. 

Abbas took over as a caretaker leader 

following the death of Palestinian leader 

Yasser Arafat in 2004, and was elected for 

what was supposed to be a five-year term 

the following year. 

He has remained in firm control since 

then, governing parts of the West Bank, 

while a political split with rival Hamas - 

the Palestinian militant group that in 

2007 seized the Gaza Strip - has prevented 

new elections. 

In this Jan. 31, 2018 file photo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas 

meets with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, in the West Bank 

town of Ramallah. 

Photo : AP 

NASA shipper Orbital 

ATK launches space 

station supplies 

One of NASA's prime shippers, 

Orbital ATK, launched 

a fresh load of supplies to 

the International Space Station 

from Virginia on Monday, 

reports UNB. 

The Antares rocket blasted 

off from Wallops Island 

before dawn, treating early 

risers along the East Coast 

to a cosmic light show, at 

least where skies were clear. 

The area of visibility 

stretched from New England 

to the Carolinas, and 

as far inland as Pittsburgh 

and Charlotte, North Carolina. 

The 7,400-pound shipment 

- a third of it research 

- should reach the orbiting 

lab Thursday. A flight controller 

wished the Cygnus 

capsule "a smooth trip" on 

the rest of its journey. 

The Cygnus holds a student 

cement-mixing experiment, 

as well as an atomcooling 

chamber from 

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

that uses lasers to 

get temperatures colder 

than even space itself. 

There's also equipment for 

a spacewalk next month, as 

well as computers and groceries 

for the six station 

astronauts. 

Named for the swan constellation, 

the Cygnus is 

making Orbital ATK's ninth 

contracted delivery for 

NASA. SpaceX is NASA's 

other supplier. 

This particular Cygnus is 

called the S.S. J.R. Thompson 

in honor of the former 

NASA and Orbital ATK 

executive, who died in 

November. Launch controllers 

wore dark suits, 

white shirts and red ties in 

memory of Thompson, who 

dressed that way on the job. 

The space station is currently 

home to three Americans, 

two Russians and one 

Japanese. 

Three of them will return 

to Earth at the beginning of 

June, followed by the launch 

of three new crew members 

from Kazakhstan. 

Economic talks between US-China 

result in truce in trade war 

The United States and China 

are pulling back from the brink 

of a trade war after the world's 

two biggest economies reported 

progress in talks aimed at bringing 

down America's massive 

trade deficit with Beijing, 

reports UNB. 

"We are putting the trade war 

on hold," Treasury Secretary 

Steven Mnuchin said Sunday. 

After high-level talks Thursday 

and Friday in Washington, 

Beijing agreed in a joint statement 

with the U.S. to "substantially 

reduce" America's trade 

deficit with China, but did not 

commit to cut the gap by any 

specific amount. The Trump 

administration had sought to 

slash the deficit by $200 billion. 

Still, Mnuchin said the two 

countries had made "meaningful 

progress" and that the 

administration has agreed to 

put on hold proposed tariffs on 

up to $150 billion in Chinese 

products. China had promised 

to retaliate in a move that 

threatened a tit for tat trade war. 

He said they expect to see a 

big increase - 35 percent to 45 

percent this year alone - in U.S. 

farm sales to China. Mnuchin 

also forecast a doubling in sales 

of U.S. energy products to the 

Chinese market, increasing 

energy exports by $50 billion to 

$60 billion in the next three 

years to five years. Commerce 

Secretary Wilbur Ross, who has 

been part of the U.S. negotiating 

team, will go to China soon to 

follow up on last week's discussions, 

Mnuchin said. 

In Saturday's statement, Beijing 

committed to "significantly 

increase" its purchases of 

American goods and services, 

saying the increase would "meet 

the growing consumption 

needs of the Chinese people and 

the need for high-quality economic 

development." 

Last year, the U.S. had a 

record $376 billion deficit with 

China in the trade of goods; 

that was the largest by far with 

any nation. 

Trade analysts were not surprised 

that China refused to 

agree to a numerical target for 

cutting the trade gap, but they 

said the talks probably were 

more successful in easing trade 

tensions. 

"The Trump administration 

seems eager to engineer at minimum 

a temporary peace with 

China to ensure a smooth runup 

to the Kim-Trump summit 

in June," Cornell University 

economist Eswar Prasad said, 

referring to the June 12 meeting 

scheduled between President 

Donald Trump and North 

Korean leader Kim Jong Un. 

If there is success in the U.S.- 

China discussions, analysts suggest 

it likely would involve the 

countries' presidents this fall 

before the November elections. 

"Part of the good news for 

markets: As long as both sides 

continue to be 'constructively' 

engaged, imposition of additional 

tariffs by either side is 

very unlikely," analysts at 

investment management firm 

Evercore ISI said in a research 

note. "There is no reason for 

either side - particularly the 

U.S. - to destroy the process 

that both sides are building, 

which is what imposing tariffs 

would do."

ART & CULTURE TUeSDAY, 

MAY 22, 2018 

8 

I play a lawyer in Batti Gul 

Meter chalu: Yami Gautam 

Yami Gautam is gearing up for Batti 

Gul Meter Chalu, also starring 

Padmaavat actor Shahid Kapoor 

and Shraddha Kapoor. Not long ago, 

Shahid had welcomed Yami onboard 

his next project Batti Gul 

Meter Chalu, which is directed by 

Toilet Ek Prem Katha fame Shree 

Narayan Singh and bankrolled by 

Arjun N. Kapoor and Prernaa 

Arora's KriArj Entertainment, 

reports The Indian Express. 

Yami Gautam, who has earlier 

been a part of films like Vicky Donor, 

feels films which are message driven 

but commercial in nature are the 

need of the hour. "I think it is 

amazing that such stories are doing 

really well. Vicky Donor was among 

the first commercial films with a 

strong social message. From there to 

Prerna's serious film like Toilet Ek 

Prem Katha or PadMan, I think this 

wave should not stop because in our 

country cinema is really popular and 

a lot can be communicated through 

them. It helps to start a conversation 

about things we do not really talk 

Nora Fatehi will 

be seen sharing 

the screen space 

with actor John 

Abraham in the 

film Satyameva 

Jayate for a song. 

Nora will be seen 

dancing on the 

1990’s recreated 

version of Dilbar, 

which was 

picturised on 

actors Sushmita 

Sen and Sanjay 

Kapoor for the 

film Sirf Tum. 

“An epic song 

coming your way! 

I just finished 

shooting this 

beautiful iconic 

1990s song 

Dilbar with John 

Abraham! I’m so 

excited guys! I 

have a feeling you are going to love this 

one. Blessed,” Nora tweeted. 

Satyameva Jayate promises intense 

action and power-packed dialogues. It is 

produced by Bhushan Kumar of T-Series 

about," said Yami. 

Talking about the reasons to why 

she chose Batti Gul Meter Chalu, 

Yami quips that while there are 

many to state as a reason, the main 

one was the concept and the 

producer too. She said, "I wanted to 

work with Shree (director) sir and 

Prernaa. I think the kind of films she 

is backing is just amazing. In short 

span of time, she has come across as 

a strong-headed producer. On the 

other side, the concept, the 

relevance, a commercial film and a 

topic we have never spoken about 

on-screen were a booster. The role is 

something I have not attempted so 

far. I want to do something that adds 

versatility to me as an actor. So, I got 

a great chance in Batti Gul Meter 

Chalu and then of course, sharing 

the screen space with one of the 

most talented actors we have, 

Shahid." 

As she mentioned her character in 

the film, we were keen to know what 

is so different about the role she will 

play. Yami answered, "I play a 

and Nikkhil Advani of Emmay 

Entertainment. John will also be seen in 

Nikkhil Advani’s Batla House, which is 

based on the real life incident that took 

place on September 19, against Indian 

Mujahideen (IM) terrorists in Batla 

lawyer in this film. When I heard the 

script, I was extremely excited 

because I have done legal studies in 

college. So, it was kind of 

reminiscing your college days. It is a 

very strong role. Even Shahid plays a 

lawyer. So, what are we doing, what 

would we fight for, that is what the 

story is about." She intends to 

inspire women to take up legal 

studies post this film. "I will really be 

happy if looking at my role even one 

girl is inspired to take up legal 

studies because we do talk about 

women empowerment and stuff, but 

I feel the best thing women 

empowerment resonates with is 

awareness about yourself and I 

guess, what better way than legal 

studies. I am very emotionally 

attached to the role," said Yami 

Gutam. 

This will be the first time that Yami 

Gautam would be sharing screen 

space with Shahid Kapoor, who is 

fresh from the success of Sanjay 

Leela Bhansali's magnum opus 

Padmaavat. 

Nora Fatehi to recreate 

Sushmita Sen’s Dilbar in 

Satyameva Jayate 

House in Delhi. Two suspected 

terrorists, Atif Ameen and Mohammad 

Sajid, were killed while two other 

suspects Mohammad Saif and Zeeshan 

were arrested, and one accused Ariz 

Khan managed to escape. 

Mulk first look: Taapsee Pannu 

returns to the courtroom, this 

time with Rishi Kapoor 

Taapsee Pannu’s 2016 outing 

Pink had impressed fans and 

critics left, right and centre. 

Well, Taapsee is back to the 

courtroom with her upcoming 

flick Mulk but this time as a 

lawyer. The first look of Mulk 

which also stars Rishi Kapoor in 

the lead role has been unveiled 

by the actors and it looks every 

bit promising. 

Talking about Mulk in a 

previous statement, Taapsee had 

said, “This is a film which we all 

have done with full heart 

because of the topic it deals with. 

It’s purely a passion-driven 

project for each n every member 

of the cast and crew. The 

energies on the set were so good 

and it drove us all to finish the 

film in record time. It has been 

an extremely satisfying 

experience to do Mulk.” 

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, 

Mulk also stars Prateik Babbar, 

Rajat Kapoor, Neena Gupta and 

others. Taapsee’s other 

upcoming projects include 

Prakash Raj’s romantic comedy 

Tadka which also stars Nana 

ARIeS (March 21 - April 

20): You must play by the 

rules this weekend, even if 

you genuinely believe you 

can get away with cutting 

corners. What happens early next week 

won't be pleasant if people in positions 

of power discover you have made 

choices they disapprove of. 

TAURUS (April 21 - May 

21): If there is something 

you have wanted to do for 

ages but never had the 

nerve to go ahead with then 

make it happen this weekend. Fear is 

an emotion that has held you back far 

too many times, so get over it and 

follow your desires. 

GeMINI (May 22 - June 

21): Your good points will 

be on display this weekend, 

but with the sun moving 

through the area of your 

chart that governs your wealth you must 

make sure that one of your good points - 

your generosity - does not cause 

problems. Don't give too much away. 

Patekar, Shriya Saran and Ali 

Fazal. She is also gearing up for 

Soorma with Diljit Dosanjh. 

Hugh Grant to marry for the first time 

He’s been referred to as one of the 

UK’s most eligible bachelors but 

Hollywood star Hugh Grant is finally 

tying the knot. 

The Four Weddings and a Funeral 

and Paddington star is set to wed the 

mother of three of his children, 

Swedish TV producer, Anna 

Eberstein. A photograph of the 

wedding banns has been posted in 

H o RoScoPe 

several newspapers. 

Grant, 57, has five children in total, 

including two - Tabitha and Felix - 

with former partner Tinglan Hong. 

Eberstein, 39, gave birth to her first 

child with Grant, a son, in 2012 The 

couple then had a daughter, whose 

name has not been revealed, in 

December 2015. 

In March this year, Grant’s exgirlfriend 

Liz Hurley revealed that 

Grant and Eberstein had recently 

welcomed a third child but the sex is 

unknown. Grant’s previous girlfriends 

include Jemima Khan. 

He was famously arrested in Los 

Angeles in June 1995 for lewd conduct 

with prostitute Divine Brown, and 

fined £800 after pleading no contest 

to the charge. 

Police officers in an unmarked 

vehicle trailed the actor’s car after 

spotting him picking up Brown in an 

area notorious for prostitutes. 

LIBRA (Sept. 24 - oct. 

23): You may not be overly 

emotional by nature but you 

have your moments and you 

will certainly feel deeply 

about something over the next 48 hours. 

The good news is this is the perfect time 

to let others know how much you care 

for them. Do it! 

ScoRPIo (oct. 24 - Nov. 

22): Life seems to be 

moving at a faster pace every 

day, and yes it is enjoyable, 

but there is a danger that in 

your eagerness to get ahead you might 

overlook some small but incredibly 

important detail. Slow down - before 

something slows you down! 

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 

- Dec. 21): If you are too 

free and easy with your 

money this weekend you 

could regret it later in the 

month, so think before you buy. Yes, of 

course, there are more important things 

in life than cash but it's still a crime to 

squander your resources. 

Janet Jackson made her 

stance on the #MeToo 

movement clear as she won 

the Icon prize at the Billboard 

awards. 

“I believe that, for all of our 

challenges, we live at a 

glorious moment in history,” 

she said. “At long last, women 

have made it clear that we will 

no longer be controlled, 

manipulated, or abused. 

“I stand with those women and 

with those men equally outraged 

by discrimination, who support 

us in heart and mind.” 

The singer, whose 1986 

breakthrough album Control, 

dealt with themes of feminism 

and taking charge of her own 

identity, has previously sung 

about domestic abuse on songs 

like What About and Lessons 

Learned. The 52-year-old was 

the first black woman to receive 

the Icon Prize, as Bruno Mars 

pointed out while welcoming 

her to the stage. “The name 

Jackson represents artistic 

genius and iconic 

performance,” said Mars. “The 

Jacksons are music royalty and 

the first family of 

entertainment. She is an 

activist. She’s a humanitarian. 

She’s a powerful woman.” 

Raised on Janet Jackson: 

How the star changed one 

fan’s life Janet Jackson: The 

stories behind the songs. The 

singer went on to perform a 

medley of Nasty, If and Throb 

- in her first televised 

performance in the US for 

nine years. 

Jackson’s honour comes just 

days after the 25th anniversary 

of her seminal album Janet. 

She is one of the most successful 

artists of all time in the US, with 27 

top 10 singles and 10 number ones. 

She is also one of only four acts to 

score a number one album in each 

of the last four decades. 

Janet Jackson 

rails against abuse 

cANceR (June 22 - July 

23): You need to work more 

closely with other people and 

you need to realize that while 

your opinions may differ on 

a range of issues it need not spoil your 

relationship. It is one of the wonders of 

life that opposites often work well 

together. 

Leo (July 24 - Aug. 23): 

Try not to get carried away 

with ideas of your own 

brilliance over the next 48 

hours, because later on you 

may realize that you have missed 

something that is of great importance. 

Your ego can be your biggest friend - 

and your biggest enemy. 

VIRGo (Aug. 24 - Sept. 

23): The sun in Capricorn at 

this time of year does 

wonders for your confidence 

and you certainly believe 

that all things are possible. However, 

other influences warn you should limit 

your activities this weekend to areas 

where you know what you are doing. 

cAPRIcoRN (Dec. 22 - 

Jan. 20): You need a 

challenge that will bring out 

the best in you and what 

happens over the next few 

days will test you in ways you had not 

expected. You cannot help but succeed, 

so long as you have learned from recent 

mistakes. So, have you? 

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 - 

Feb. 19): It may seem to 

friends and relatives that 

you are aiming too high but 

you know that the higher 

you aim the more likely it is that you will 

realize your dreams. Believe in yourself 

and make impossible things happen. If 

anyone can do it, you can. 

PISceS (Feb. 20 - Mar. 

20): What happens over the 

course of the weekend will 

open your eyes to new 

possibilities. The sun in 

Capricorn at this time of year is 

especially helpful for group activities, so 

get involved in team projects. You'll be 

on the winning team, of course!

SPORTS 

TUESDAy, MAy 22, 2018 

9 

Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (R) receives the player of the month trophy from 

Barcelona's former Spanish midfielder Xavi. 

Photo: AP 

Messi wins fifth European 

Golden Shoe 

Sport Desk: 

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has 

retained the European Golden Shoe 

as the top scorer across all leagues in 

Europe, reports AP. 

A little over a month ago, 

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah was the 

firm favourite to outscore all of his 

rivals but the Liverpool man scored 

just four Premier League goals after 

the end of March, and Messi has 

answered that with eight in La Liga. 

With 34 goals in his domestic 

league, Messi finished ahead of Salah 

by two. Tottenham's Harry Kane is 

third and finished on 30 goals. 

Lazio's Ciro Immobile, Inter 

Milan's Mauro Icardi and Robert 

Lewandowski of Bayern Munich were 

joint fourth with 29 goals. 

The Golden Shoe table is ranked on 

points rather than goals, with goals 

scored in Europe's top five leagues 

worth two points. Jonas of Benfica 

has scored 34 league goals this term, 

but strikes in the Portuguese league 

are only worth 1.5 points, which 

places him ninth in the standings. 

Messi had already won the award 

four times. Real Madrid's Cristiano 

Ronaldo has won it four times-the 

first coming with Manchester United 

in 2007-08. 

Since 2008, La Liga has now 

provided 12 of the 13 winners, with 

Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan 

the other player from Spain to top the 

chart in 2008-09. This season, 

Ronaldo finished eighth with 26 

goals. Barcelona's Luis Suarez who 

rounds out the top 10 with 25. 

The top 10: 1. Lionel Messi, 

Barcelona, 68 points (34 goals), 2. 

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, 64 points 

(32), 3. Harry Kane, Tottenham 

Hotspur, 60 (30), 4.Ciro Immobile, 

Lazio, 58 (29), 4. Mauro Icardi, Inter 

Milan, 58 (29), 4. Robert 

Lewandowski, Bayern Munich, 58 

(29), 7. Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint- 

Germain, 56 (28), 8. Cristiano 

Ronaldo, Real Madrid, 52 (26), 9. 

Jonas, Benfica, 51 (34), 10. Luis 

Suarez, Barcelona, 50 (25). 

IPL 2018 Playoffs: CSK-SRH 

in battle for spot in final 

Sports Desk: 

With the race for the IPL 2018 

Playoffs having been decided on the 

very last day of the league 

engagements, SunRisers Hyderabad 

(SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 

would both be keen to seal off a berth in 

the Season11 final when they meet in 

IPL Qualifier 1 at Mumbai's Wankhede 

Stadium on Tuesday. SunRisers 

Hyderabad ended on top of the IPL 

2018 Points Table even though they 

lost their last league engagements, 

while Chennai Super Kings finished 

second, by run-rate after they won their 

last league match. Kane Williamson 

and MS Dhoni will be leading two of the 

most efficient teams in SRH and CSK 

and the match promises to be quite a 

contest, reports Ndtv. 

While the winner sails straight into 

the final slated for May 27, also at 

Mumbai, the loser will be playing 

Qualifier 2 in Kolkata on May 25. 

A slight net run-rate difference 

separated the two teams which 

finished the league stage on 18 points. 

CSK seem to hold a slight edge going 

into the match as they have not only 

got the better of their southern rivals 

twice in the league stage of the 

competition but also have the winning 

momentum going into the match on 

what promises to be a bouncy track. 

While Chennai stopped the 

aspirations of Kings XI Punjab by 

overcoming a difficult start last night in 

their adopted home base of Pune, SRH 

have been on a three-game losing run, 

having sealed their play-off spot with a 

victory on May 10 against Delhi 

Daredevils. 

They had somehow not been able to 

muster up the intensity shown in the 

better of their league stage campaign 

and to some extent their highly-rated 

bowling attack also looked off-coloured 

in the previous three games. 

It was the Chennai Super Kings who 

halted Sunrisers Hyderabad's six-game 

winning streak with a comprehensive 

eight-wicket drubbing on May 13 in 

Pune. SRH have depended totally on 

their captain Kane Williamson, who 

has been in terrific form to rise to the 

number two slot in the leading rungetters' 

list with 661 runs at just over 

60 per game. 

Only he and Shikhar Dhawan (437 

runs), who took some time to get going, 

have shown consistency with the bat in 

contrast to their bowling attack which, 

barring the last few games, has been 

the talking point of the season. 

In bowling they have depended 

mostly on seamers Bhuvneshwar 

Kumar, Sidharth Kaul and Sandeep 

Sharma as well as on overseas spinners 

Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan. 

The plus point for CSK, who have 

alternately blown hot and cold in their 

last six games, is that they have not 

depended on just a couple of batsmen 

although Ambati Rayudu has been 

their standout performer with 586 

runs. 

Shane Watson (438 runs from 13 

matches) too has been in top form 

along with skipper Mahendra Singh 

Dhoni. The form of key batsman 

Suresh Raina, who anchored the 

innings splendidly against Kings XI 

Punjab yesterday with an unbeaten 61, 

is another encouraging sign. 

The outstanding spell of fast bowling 

by young South African Lungi Ngidi, 

who grabbed 4 for 10 to take the man 

of the match award last night, could 

not have come at a more opportune 

time for the Super Kings. 

With Shardul Thakur, Deepak 

Chahar and Dwayne Bravo doing their 

bit on the pace bowling front, Super 

Kings will be banking on spin twins 

Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja 

to deliver in the middle overs. 

A women's exhibition game will take 

place at 2 pm before the evening clash 

with top Indian and foreign players 

taking part in the game. 

Teams (from): Chennai Super Kings: 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Suresh 

Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, 

Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, 

Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, 

Deepak Chahar, K M Asif, Kanish Seth, 

Lungi Ngidi, Dhruv Shorey, Murali 

Vijay, Sam Billings, Mark Wood, 

Kshitiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, 

Chaitanya Bishnoi, Imran Tahir, Karn 

Sharma, Shardul Thakur, N 

Jagadeesan, David Willey. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane 

Williamson (capt ), Shikhar Dhawan, 

Manish Pandey, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 

Wriddhiman Saha, Siddharth Kaul, 

Deepak Hooda, Khaleel Ahmed, 

Sandeep Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, 

Shreevats Goswami, Ricky Bhui, Basil 

Thampi, T Natarajan, Sachin Baby, 

Bipul Sharma, Mehdi Hasan, Tanmay 

Agarwal, Alex Hales, Carlos 

Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Shakib Al 

Hasan, Mohammad Nabi and Chris 

Jordan. 

Pogba evasive 

over Manchester 

United future 

Sports Desk: Paul Pogba has refused to rule out a move away from 

Manchester United, hinting at strains in his relationship with Jose 

Mourinho after a difficult season at Old Trafford, reports BSS. 

The o89 million ($119 million) France international has had a tricky 

second season back at United, being left out of the side or substituted early 

many times. 

On other occasions manager Mourinho has publicly questioned his 

contributions, while transfer talk refuses to die down. 

Asked by French television station Canal Plus if he would remain a 

United player, the 25-year-old declined to give a cast-iron commitment. 

"You can never be sure of anything," he said. "But contractually, it's sure, 

yes. 

"I can never look far into the future. It also depends how it goes with the 

club, how things work out." 

Pogba also discussed his relationship with Mourinho, saying the pair did 

not have to have the perfect bond to work together professionally. 

"There were times where I wasn't playing, I was on the bench," he said. 

"There was a lot of talk, people thought it wasn't working out, but a coach 

and a player don't have to be best friends, we don't have to go to restaurants 

together. 

"I had a few little problems too... football is sometimes all about the 

mental side. He put me on the bench and I gave my response on the pitch. 

I always give everything I've got." 

And Pogba said being handed the captain's armband in certain matches 

had helped him. 

"I was made captain by Mourinho, it was the first time for me with a club 

and that is important for me," he said. "It also made me grow as a leader in 

Andres Iniesta bids 

tearful farewell to 

Barcelona 

Sports Desk: Andres Iniesta has bid an 

emotional farewell to Barcelona after 22 

glittering years at the Nou Camp, reports 

AP. 

LaLiga champions Barca claimed a 1-0 

win over Real Sociedad and it was a fitting 

finale for the 34-year-old, who lifted the 

trophy for a ninth time. 

Addressing supporters on the pitch after 

the final whistle, Iniesta said he "leaves as a 

man", having spent so long playing for the 

Catalan giants. 

"I will move on and carry you all in my 

heart forever," he said. "It's been a 

wonderful 22 years, full of pride, and it's 

been a pleasure to represent this club. 

"I thank you for all the love and respect 

that you've given me since I arrived as a 

child, I now leave as a man." 

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde felt it 

was only right to give the midfielder the 

send-off he deserved by replacing him late 

in the game with Paco Alcacer. 

"We wanted to compete and win, but 

today was Andres' day and the crowd made 

it special," Valverde added. "I wanted to 

change things at the end of the game, to 

coincide with Leo (Messi) on the field. It 

was the right moment. 

"These types of players will be talked 

about long into the future. They are 

Andres Iniesta is tossed in the air by his Barcelona team mates after his final game for the club. 

Photo: AP 

SunRisers Hyderabad ended on top of the IPL 2018 Points Table, while Chennai Super Kings 

finished second. 

Photo: BCCI 

Gary Kirsten 

arrives in 

Dhaka 

Sports Desk: 

unrepeatable, historical players that Former South African 

the France team." everyone will remember." 

cricketer Gary Kirsten, who Sports Desk: Chelsea 

is set to become a 

consultant for the 

Bangladesh national team, 

arrived in the city on 

Sunday night, reports BSS. 

Last week, while 

speaking at an event to 

honour Bangladesh's 

former coach Gordon 

Greenidge, Bangladesh 

Cricket Board (BCB) 

president Nazmul Hassan 

Papon said Kirsten is 

already working for the 

board. 

The appointment of 

Kirsten as a consultant is in 

final stage, Papon added 

then. 

Though it is almost 

confirmed that Kirsten will 

work with the board as 

team's consultant but BCB 

media committee's 

chairman Jalal Younus 

said the matter regarding 

his appointment will be 

known after the meeting 

with board president by 

this evening or tomorrow 

(Tuesday). 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh 

have been without a fulltime 

coach since the 

departure of Chandika 

Hathurusingha, who now 

coach of Sri Lanka. 

Cahill urges clarity 

over Conte's 

Chelsea future 

captain Gary Cahill has 

called for "the uncertainty 

to be put to bed" over the 

future of Antonio Conte, 

with the Italian widely 

expected to be on his way 

out of the club, reports BSS. 

The Blues beat 

Manchester United 1-0 in 

the FA Cup final on 

Saturday as Conte won his 

second trophy in English 

football after capturing the 

Premier League title in his 

first campaign. 

The former Italy and 

Juventus manager has been 

embroiled in a turbulent 

campaign marred by his 

feud with the club's 

hierarchy over their failure 

to back his transfer plans. 

Conte is also said to have 

infuriated several Chelsea 

stars with his intense 

personality and regimented 

training sessions. 

Cahill believes a decision 

must be made one way or 

the other so Chelsea, whose 

fifth-placed finish in the 

Premier League means they 

miss out on Champions 

League football next 

season, can prepare for the 

new campaign. 

Asked what it would take 

for the Blues to move on 

and make the necessary 

close-season preparations, 

Cahill said: "Probably for 

the uncertainty to be put to 

bed and for whatever's 

going to happen to happen. 

"It's out of our hands. We 

have to try to deliver on the 

pitch. We fell short in some 

aspects this season but (on 

Saturday) we produced. 

The rest behind the scenes 

is not down to us." 

Conte signed an 

improved contract last 

summer, but not an 

extension, to his three-year 

deal that expires in June 

2019. 

And after winning the FA 

Cup the Italian said he 

"can't change" and is a 

"serial winner", effectively 

calling for the club, owned 

by Roman Abramovich, to 

back him or sack him. 

"All I can say is it's been a 

great finish," said Cahill. "If 

the manager stays on next 

year, he stays on. 

"If he doesn't, he's gone 

away with a Premier 

League and FA Cup. I think 

that's something everyone 

at the club can be proud of. 

We really had to win this 

game to save the season." 

Mohammedan 

wins battle of 

prestige in 

premier hockey 

Sports Desk: 

Mohammedan Sporting 

Club Limited won the battle 

of prestige as they beat their 

arch-rival Abahani Limited 

by 2-1 goals in the vital 

match of Green Delta 

Insurance Premier Division 

Hockey League on Monday 

at Moulana Bhasani 

National Hockey Stadium, 

reports BSS. 

In the day's match, Imran 

Hossain Pintu put 

Mohammedan ahead 

converting a penalty corner 

in the 24th minute while 

after the breather Arshad 

Hossain restored the parity 

for Abahani with a field goal 

in the 55th minute. 

Indian recruit Narinsar 

Singh sealed the victory for 

Mohammedan converting a 

penalty corner one minute 

before the long whistle. 

Earlier, in the day's first 

match, Victoria Sporting 

Club dumped Sadharan 

Bima by 7-1 goals at the 

same venue. 

In the day's match, Abdus 

Salam, Jograj Singh, Rimon 

Kumar Ghosh, Rakib, 

Shahibaz Sheikh, Hriday 

and Prince scored one goal 

each for Victoria while 

Abdullah Al Mansur scored 

the consolation goal for 

Bima.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

BANGLADESHTODAY 10 

THE 


UAE announces ownership, visa 

reforms to lure foreign investors 

The United Arab Emirates has 

announced plans to allow 100 percent 

ownership and visa incentives to 

foreigners, in a bid to attract investors 

to boost its slowing national economy. 

The decision, taken by the UAE 

cabinet Sunday night, aims to lure 

"international investments and 

exceptional talent", according to Dubai 

ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed 

Al-Maktoum. 

The new measures come amid signs 

of an economic slowdown in the oilrich 

Gulf state on the back of lower oil 

prices, with reports showing the vital 

real estate and tourism sectors of Dubai 

struggling. 

The decision will allow foreign 

investors 100 percent ownership of 

companies, coupled with 10-year 

residence permits for them and their 

families, according to a cabinet 

statement cited by WAM news agency. 

The measures will come into force by 

the end of 2018, the statement said. 

The UAE leads all Arab countries in 

terms of foreign direct investment, 

attracting $11 billion last year-a jump of 

22 percent on 2016 -- according to the 

International Institute of Finance. 

Although it is the most diversified 

and open economy in the Middle East, 

foreigners can only own up to 49 

percent of companies unless they are 

established in special free trade zones. 

The new measures also grant 10-year 

long residence permits to professionals 

in the medicine, science, research and 

technical fields. 

Like other energy-rich Gulf 

Cooperation Council (GCC) states, 

foreigners working in the UAE must 

have their residence permits made by a 

national sponsor known as kafeel. 

The International Monetary Fund 

earlier projected that UAE economic 

growth would fall from 3.0 percent in 

2016 to 1.3 percent in 2017. 

Iftar distribution program of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited during the month of Holy 

Ramadan was inaugurated on Sunday, 20 May 2018 in front Head Office of the Bank. Md. 

Mahbub ul Alam, Managing Director & CEO of the Bank inaugurated the program as chief guest. 

Mohammed Monirul Moula, Additional Managing Director, Abu Reza Md. Yeahia and JQM 

Habibullah, FCS Deputy Managing Directors and other Executives of the Head office were present 

on the occasion. Under this program, the Bank will distribute Iftar items among one lac 

pedestrian fasting Muslims at 10 Traffic points including 7 in Dhaka City, 2 in Chittagong City 

and 1 in Khulna City. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Meeting of the FBCCI Standing Committee 

relating to Ministry of Railways held 

China remains world's 

largest developing 

country: Russian expert 

China is still the world's 

largest developing country 

despite its massive economic 

and social achievements 

over the past four decades, a 

Russian expert has said. 

China still lags behind the 

United States in terms of 

gross domestic product 

(GDP), said Nataliya 

Gribova, head of the 

Research Planning and 

Development Department 

of the Russian Institute for 

Strategic Studies. 

"It can be said that 

modern China in many 

respects is both a developing 

and developed country," she 

told Xinhua in a recent 

interview, because different 

regions in China differ 

sharply in terms of socioeconomic 

development. 

Gribova said the level of 

some of China's eastern 

coastal cities is comparable 

to that of developed 

economies, while the level of 

some poorer provinces in 

the west of the country is 

comparable to that of 

developing ones. 

The share of services and 

consumption in China's 

GDP, although it is growing 

at a rapid pace, is still at a 

lower level than that of 

developed countries, she 

said. 

Nevertheless, Gribova said 

she was impressed by 

China's economic growth, 

which has allowed the 

country to significantly 

improve the living standard 

of its population and lift 

millions of people out of 

poverty. 

"After 40 years of reform 

and opening-up, China has 

d e m o n s t r a t e d 

unprecedented growth from 

a backward agricultural 

country to the world's 

second-largest economy and 

the largest trader in goods," 

she said. 

Gribova said that China is 

now attaching greater 

importance to the quality of 

its economic growth. 

"The fundamentally 

important transition of 

China from the stage of 

quantitative growth to the 

stage of high-quality 

development will create, in 

case of successful 

implementation, a solid 

foundation for the 

sustainable growth of the 

Chinese economy in the 

future," she said. 

S.Korea's producer 

prices rise on 

expensive crude oil 

Prices for goods and 

services among South Korean 

suppliers rose last month on 

expensive crude oil, central 

bank data showed Monday. 

The producer price index 

stood at 104.13 in April, up 0.1 

percent from the previous 

month, according to the Bank 

of Korea (BOK). 

It was the rebound from no 

change in March as crude oil 

prices advanced last month. 

Prices for industrial products 

inched up 0.1 percent due to 

higher prices of coal and oil 

products, which jumped 3.1 

percent. 

Prices for agricultural 

products declined 1.1 percent 

in April, after dipping 0.9 

percent in the previous 

month. Lower farm goods 

prices limited the producer 

prices' further gain. 

Fishery product prices 

slumped 0.8 percent, but 

those for livestock products 

picked up 3.6 percent. 

Mentioning the huge potential of 

country's railway sector, the business 

leaders emphasized on development of 

this promising sector. In the context of 

vast development activities, the 

importance of railway sector has 

increased, they added. The FBCCI 

leaders, in this regard put emphasis on 

more transport trains in different 

routes of the country. They came up 

with these suggestions at a meeting of 

the FBCCI Standing Committee 

relating to Ministry of Railways held 

yesterday at FBCCI Board Room, a 

press release said. 

FBCCI Senior Vice President Sheikh 

FazleFahim was present at the 

meeting. Fahim, in his speech, 

underscored the need for more 

transport rails to match with the pace 

of huge development activities in the 

country. The FBCCI leader also 

emphasized on expanding the 

activities of Komlapur ICD (Inland 

Container Depot). 

The discussants at the meeting 

emphasized on more trains in Dhaka- 

Chottogram route, and to add 

additional compartments for 

transportation of goods. They also 

emphasized on rapid service of 

connecting rails with Chottogram port, 

Mongla and Benapole. The business 

leaders also supported the government 

decision to launch bullet train in 

Dhaka-Chattogram route in near 

future. 

S a r w a r W a d u d C h o w d h u r y , 

Chairman of the Standing Committee, 

at the meeting, presented the detailed 

future plan of the committee. FBCCI 

Directors Md. RejaulKariemRejnu and 

Hafez Harun-Or-Roshid also 

participated in the discussion. Md. 

Firoz Alam Sumon and Biplob Chand 

Dugar,Co-Chairmen of the Committee 

took part in the discussion. Members 

from different sectors also attended. 

Walton brings 55 new 

models of fridge 

The country's electronics 

giant 'Walton' has brought 

55 new models of fridges in 

the local market aimed at 

delivering most stylish 

fridges with advanced 

technologies to the 

customers following the 

upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, one of 

the largest festivals of 

Muslims, says a press 

release. 

In addition, the local 

brand set a target of selling 

out about two lakh units of 

fridges during the month of 

Ramadan, which is about 30 

percent higher than the sales 

in previous Ramadan. 

Along with the new 

models, Walton is displaying 

and selling more than 100 

models of frost and nonfrost 

refrigerators and 

freezers in the local market. 

To meet the increased 

demand, which has been 

boosted up due to the 

extreme scorching weather, 

the local brand has taken 

massive preparation from its 

production process to 

marketing strategies. 

Walton has already 

increased fridge production, 

built up stock to maintain 

smooth supply along with 

transporting the products to 

different parts of the country 

for 24 hours. 

Sources said, blended with 

attractive design and colors, 

the new 55 models include 

41frost, 8 non-frost 

refrigerators and 6 freezers. 

Among the frost fridges, 

Tempered Glass Door 

Refrigerator is remarkable. 

In this Ramadan, Walton 

supplied total of 16 new 

models of frost refrigerators 

with tempered glass door. 

According to marketing 

officials, Walton Glass Door 

Refrigerators, priced 

between Tk 24,500 and Tk 

36,800, have turned into the 

customers' prime attraction 

for lucrative designs and 

prices. Walton has brought 

two new models of fridges of 

50 liters and 107 liters at Tk 

10,900 and Tk 14,200 

respectively for the small 

family and bachelors. 

Among the new models of 

non-frost refrigerators, there 

are huge power efficient 

inverter technology's threedoor 

based refrigerators of 

455 and 452 liters, one 

model of side by side door 

based refrigerator of 501 

liters, one model of digital 

display's refrigerator of 328 

liters and two models of five 

star energy rated 

refrigerators of 328 liters. 

Besides, Walton is also 

marketing 14 models of 

freezers between Tk 19,400 

and Tk 31,290, of which 6 

models are newly 

introduced. There are also 

29 models in the upcoming 

list of Walton refrigerators. 

Tapash Kumer Mojumder, 

executive director of Walton 

and chief of its Refrigerator 

Research and Development 

department, said Walton 

refrigerators feature 9-layer 

VCM door, which prevents 

rust and scratches but 

retains the brightness of the 

doors ensuring long-life. 

Eva Rezwana, executive 

director and chief marketing 

coordinator of Walton 

Group, said, they are 

manufacturing world-class 

refrigerators and freezers 

with the advanced 

machineries at their own 

factory. They are using 

globally recognized 

environment-friendly 

R600a refrigerant in the 

compressors of Walton 

fridges. She said, the use of 

Intelligent Inverter 

technology, Nano 

Healthcare and Anti-Fungal 

Door Gasket technology, 

one-year replacement 

guarantee, ten years 

guarantee for compressors, 

maximum 36-month easy 

installment facility, 

achieving Five Star energy 

rating from BSTI and 

suitability with the local 

weather conditions helped 

Walton refrigerators to be at 

the top of the customers' 

choice. 

Amdadul Hoque Sarker, 

executive director of Walton 

Group, said, Walton has set 

the target of selling out 

about 2 lakh units of fridges 

in this Ramadan. He hoped 

of exceeding the target if the 

sales growth continues. 

Mentionable, Walton is 

delivering fast and quality 

service to customers under 

the ISO certified Service 

Management System 

through 70 plus service 

centers across the 

countryWalton is providing 

customers home service for 

fridges which already been 

widely appreciated. 

Customers can avail after 

sales service all over the year 

by just dialing 16267. 

OPPO awarded In-Display 

Fingerprint Sensor Patent 

OPPO has been awarded a patent for 

an in-display fingerprint scanner. The 

State Intellectual Property Office of 

China (SIPO) awarded the company 

with the patent, and according to the 

images that surfaced with the patent 

filing, it would take up a fairly large 

space above the bottom bezel of the 

smartphone. Now the screens show it 

on a smartphone with a physical home 

button, but that is likely not how it will 

be implemented when it launches in 

the future.The documents were 

coupled with plenty of images that 

reveal the scanner might be used not 

only for unlocking the device but also 

for authorizing payments, a press 

release said. The patent images show 

the sequence of entering your 

fingerprint and what parts of the actual 

finger will be recognized. It is also seen 

used while the screen is on, meaning 

this technology is different to what 

Synaptics developed - a sensor emitting 

light underneath an OLED panel and 

then reading the fingerprint crests. 

Regarding the copyright of new 

technology, the Managing Director of 

OPPO Bangladesh Mr. Damon Yang 

said, "OPPO as a youth centric brand 

always focus on bringing the most 

modern technology in for the users. 

Recently we have successfully did a test 

run on 3D video calling. We believe this 

initiative of on screen fingerprint will 

bring convenience for the users."

MISCELLANEOUS 

TUeSDAY, mAY 22, 2018 

11 

Trump vs 'the resistance' plays 

out in Washington courtroom 

A series of trials over a 

violent Inauguration Day 

protest has turned into a 

long-term battle of wits 

between the Justice 

Department and a grassroots 

political opposition network 

that calls itself "the 

resistance." 

The stand-off entered a new 

phase last week when a fresh 

trial started for four of the 

more than 160 people 

initially charged with 

property destruction and 

conspiracy to engage in a 

riot, reports UNB. 

This nationwide activist 

network, calling itself the 

Defend J20 Resistance 

movement, has offered 

defendants free lodging and 

legal coordination. The 

movement claimed an early 

victory late last year when a 

jury acquitted the first six 

defendants. 

The government has since 

dropped charges against 

most defendants and is 

focused on a remaining 

group of 58 - claiming it has 

stronger evidence this time. 

Coast Guard 

aids Canadian 

mariner 

whose vessel 

flooded 

The Coast Guard 

assisted a distressed 

Canadian mariner after 

his vessel began taking 

on water about 80 miles 

from the Big Island, 

reports UNB. 

Coast 

Guard 

watchstanders received 

an emergency position 

indicating radio beacon 

alert early Sunday. 

The crew of the Coast 

Guard Cutter Oliver 

Berry escorted the 73- 

year-old mariner to port 

aboard his 44-foot 

sailing vessel once the 

flooding was under 

control. 

An aircrew located the 

Helen Margaret, 

established 

communication with the 

man and dropped a 

dewatering pump. 

A second helicopter 

crew lowered a rescue 

swimmer who retrieved 

and operated the pump 

successfully until the 

cutter crew could take 

over. 

Weather at the time of 

the case was reported 

east winds 23 mph and 

wind waves at 6 feet. A 

small craft advisory is in 

effect for the main 

Hawaiian Islands. 

US office overseeing 

fight against IS gets 

reprieve 

The State Department 

unit overseeing the fight 

against the Islamic State 

group will stay in 

business for at least six 

more months, reversing 

an administration plan 

for the unit's imminent 

downgrade even as 

President Donald 

Trump presses ahead 

with a speedy U.S. exit 

from Syria, reports 

UNB. 

A plan initiated by Rex 

Tillerson before he was 

fired as secretary of 

state in March would 

have folded the office of 

the special envoy to the 

global coalition into the 

department's 

counterterrorism bureau 

as early as this spring, 

officials said. Tillerson's 

successor, Mike 

Pompeo, canceled the 

plan this month, and the 

office will stay an 

independent entity until 

at least December, when 

there will be a new 

review, said the officials, 

who weren't authorized 

to discuss the plan 

publicly and spoke on 

condition of anonymity. 

The office reports 

directly to the secretary 

of state and the 

president, and the 

planned shift would 

have undercut its status 

and the priority of its 

mission. It could have 

led to staffing and 

budget cuts as well as 

the departure of the 

special envoy, Brett 

McGurk. He is now 

expected to remain in 

his job at least through 

the end of the year. 

Still, the officials said 

Trump's intent to 

reduce the U.S. military 

and civilian stabilization 

presence in Syria has 

not changed. The State 

Department has ended 

all funding for 

stabilization programs 

in Syria's northwest. 

Islamic State militants 

have been almost 

entirely eliminated from 

the region, which is 

controlled by a 

hodgepodge of other 

extremist groups and 

Syrian President Bashar 

Assad's government 

forces. 

At least some of the 

U.S. money for those 

projects is expected to 

be redirected to Syria's 

northeast where IS 

fighters remain, the 

officials said. 

The conflicting moves 

of retaining McGurk's 

office while pulling out of 

the northwest illustrate 

how the administration is 

being pulled in different 

directions by Trump's 

two competing interests: 

extricating the U.S. from 

messy Mideast conflicts 

and delivering a 

permanent defeat to the 

Islamic State group. 

Trump has said the 

United States will be 

withdrawing from Syria 

"like very soon." 

In late March, the 

State Department, the 

Pentagon and intelligence 

agencies tried to 

dissuade him from 

pulling troops out 

immediately, warning 

there was a risk IS would 

manage to regroup. Trump 

relented slightly, but told 

aides they could have 

only five or six months 

to finish off IS and get 

out. 

GD-750/18 (8 x 4) 

GD-755/18 (8 x 4) 

GD-754/18 (12 x 4)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

TueSDAy, DHAKA, MAy 22, 2018, JAISTHyA 8, 1425 BS, RAMADAN 5, 1439 HIJRI 

On Monday Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greets orphans, disabled, war wounded Freedom Fighters 

and alem-ulemas in an Ifter Mahfil at Ganabhaban in the capital. 

Photo: Star mail 

BNP slams PM for 

praising Khulna 

polls 

DHAKA : BNP on Monday said it will be suicidal 

for the opposition to join any national 

election under Sheikh Hasina as the Prime 

Minister has exposed herself by praising a 

'flawed' election to Khulna City Corporation, 

reports UNB. 

Speaking at a press conference at the party's 

Nayapaltan central office, BNP senior joint 

secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi feared 

that the next general election may be held in 

Khulna style. 

"The Prime Minister's high appreciation (of 

Khulna polls) has proved that the government 

high-ups are order-givers for rigging votes in 

the election. Her comments also exposed that 

the next national election will be held following 

the Khulna model," he observed. 

Earlier on Sunday, the Prime Minister said 

voters cast their votes in favour of Awami 

League as they think only her party can 

change their fate through development activities. 

"They've realised that development activities 

get momentum when Awami League 

comes to power and those get stalled whenever 

BNP is in power," Sheikh Hasina said when 

newly elected Khulna City Corporation (KCC) 

Mayor Talukder Abdul Khalek came to her 

official residence Ganobhaban to greet her following 

his victory in the KCC polls. 

Reacting to the remarks, Rizvi said the 

Prime Minister undermined the voters by justifying 

the Khulna polls. "She did it using her 

illegal state power after depriving voters of 

their rights." 

He criticised the Election Commission for 

what he said having failed to play its due role 

as an independent body in the Khulna polls. 

"The EC has only implemented the government's 

agenda." 

The BNP leader aired strong doubt about 

fair voting in Gazipur city polls as he said the 

ministers and MPs have started influencing 

the election there as they did it in Khulna. 

He said though the Prime Minister said 

ministers and ruling party MPs do not influence 

polls, a minister and some senior ruling 

party leaders and MPs held a meeting at local 

MP's house at Tongi, Gazipur on Sunday. "So, 

how can the Prime Minister resort to lie holding 

such a responsible post?" 

The BNP leader said the ruling party men 

violated the election code of conduct by holding 

such a meeting in Gazipur election area. 

Five 'war crimes 

suspects' held in 

Pirojpur 

PIROJPUR : Detectives arrested five people 

from Hetalia village in Bhandaria upazila 

early Monday for their alleged involvement in 

crimes against humanity during the 

Liberation War in 1971, reports UNB. 

The arrestees are Fazlul Haque Hawlader, 

75, Abdul Mannan Hawlader, 74, Azhar Ali 

Hawlader alias Aju Munsi, 88, Ashraf ALi 

Hawlader, 67 and Moharaj Hawlader alias 

Hat Kata Moharaj, 68, all residents of the village. 

Bijoy Krishna Bala filed a case against the 

five war crimes suspects with Senior Judicial 

Magistrate Court of Pirojpur on October 6 in 

2015 

Later, the case was sent to International 

Crimes Tribunal. After conducting primary 

inquiry, the prosecution found evidences of 

their involvement in war crimes. 

Later, a team of Detective Branch of Police 

along with the officials of ICT arrested them 

from the village, said Abul Kalam Azad, additional 

superintendent of Pirojpur police. 

One ACC official 

dismissed, another 

suspended 

DHAKA : Anti-Corruption 

Commission (ACC) has dismissed 

one of its assistant 

directors and suspended 

another for negligence in 

investigation and abuse of 

power, reports UNB. 

The dismissed ACC assistant 

director is S. M. Shamim Iqbal 

and the suspended assistant 

director is Bir Kanta Roy, ACC 

spokesperson Pranab Kumar 

Bhattacharya told UNB on 

Monday. 

"In a corruption case filed by 

Shamim Iqbal in the District 

Office of Khulna, the accused 

officer hid the file without submitting 

a charge sheet to the 

court for more than one year," 

said the ACC spokesperson. 

Pranab said "Shamim Iqbal 

was finally dismissed from 

ACC's job on May 20 as he was 

found guilty of negligence and 

misconduct in his departmental 

investigation." 

On the other hand, ACC 

Assistant Director of Dinajpur, 

Bir Kanta Roy, has spent more 

than one year (384 days) in 

the investigation of a bank's 

loan fraud case. 

The ACC authorities found 

the proof after the investigation 

that Bir Kanta Roy made 

delays in an investigation by 

being influenced by the 

accused in some way. For this 

crime, he was suspended from 

the service, the ACC 

spokesperson said. 

ACC Director General 

(Administration) Mohammad 

Munir Chowdhury said, "This 

disciplinary action has been 

taken to ensure that the ACC 

officials and employees do not 

engage in corruption and misuse 

of power. Due to the establishment 

of institutional order, 

more stringent measures will 

be taken." 

Sales of 

advanced 

train tickets to 

begin June 2 

DHAKA : Bangladesh 

Railway will start selling 

advance train tickets on June 

2 on the occasion of Eid-ul- 

Fitr, reports UNB. 

Bangladesh Railway 

Director General Md Amzad 

Hossain on Monday told 

UNB that they have primarily 

decided to start the ticket 

sales on June 2. "The minister 

will announce the final 

decision on Thursday," he 

said. 

He said the ticket sales will 

continue till June 6 while the 

sales of return tickets will 

begin on June 9 and continue 

till June 13. 

Tickets for June 11 journeys 

will be available on 

June 2 while for June 12 on 

June 3, for June 13 on June 

4, for June 14 on June 5 and 

for June 15 on June 6. 

Credit deal signed for 

Saidabad Water 

Treatment Plant project 

DHAKA : The government of Bangladesh 

and Agence Francaise de Developpement 

(AFD), acting on behalf of the French government, 

have recently signed a credit facility 

agreement on 'Saidabad Water Treatment 

Plant Phase III Project.' 

Secretary, Economic Relations Divisions, 

Ministry of Finance Kazi Shofiqul Azam and 

Regional Director of AFD for India and 

Bangladesh Nicolas Fornage signed the agreement, 

said a PID handout on Monday, reports 

UNB. 

France Ambassador in Dhaka Marie-Annick 

Bourdin, high officials from AFD, European 

Investment Bank, Danish International 

Development Agency (DANIDA), Kfw and the 

government of Bangladesh attended the signing 

ceremony. 

This project is co-financed by AFD as prime 

financer and EIB (European Investment 

Bank), DANIDA and Kfw as co-financer. 

AFD will provide an amount of 115 million 

Euro as non-concessional loan to implement 

the project. 

The implementing ministry of the project is 

Local Government Division and the executing 

agency is Dhaka WASA. 

The purpose of the project is surface water 

treatment and it is a continuation of Saidabad 

Water Treatment Plant (SWTP), presently the 

major surface water treatment plant in Dhaka. 

The project intends to provide more reliable 

and sustainable water supply in Dhaka by 

developing a new surface water supply scheme. 

France has been providing financial and 

technical assistance for the socio-economic 

development of Bangladesh, said the PID 

handout. 

City corporations, Wasa to be tasked to 

deal with waterlogging: LGRD Minister 

DHAKA : With an aim to eliminate 

waterlogging problem from the 

country, the government has taken a 

plan to give the task to the city corporations 

and Water Supply and 

Sewerage Authority (WASA), said 

Local Government, Rural 

Development and Cooperatives 

(LGRD) Minister Khandker 

Mosharraf Hossain, reports UNB. 

"Earlier, seven organisations- 

Rajuk, two Dhaka city corporations, 

Cantonment Board, Water 

Development Board, private housings 

and WASA---were involved in 

removing stagnant water from 

across the country and now the government 

has taken an initiative to 

bring it under two organisations," 

said the Minister while talking to 

reporters at the Secretariat on 

Monday. 

"The government decision is in 

final stage," he said. 

Besides, the government has taken 

a Tk 550 crore project for dredging 

and re-dredging of 14 canals in the 

city and the project got approval 

today, said the LGRD Minister. 

The project will be implemented 

within two years and the waterlogging 

problem will see an acceptable 

solution within the two years in the 

city, he said. 

The government has taken a project 

of Tk 40 crore for removing rainwater 

instantly from the city, he said 

adding that "We are going ahead 

with detailed plan for eliminating 

waterlogging problem." 

Replying to a question about the 

minister's previous remark on 

resolving waterlogging problem 

which was made in the last year, 

Mosharraf, said "I didn't say this. I 

had said that no rain water will 

remain stagnant in the city more 

than three hours." 

"We have taken necessary measures 

to remove waterlogging problem 

from the city. Though in two or 

one places rain water remains stagnant 

and steps were taken in this 

regard also," said the Minister. 

Due to a little shower, the Gulisthan Road beside Bangabhaban submerged. The Photo was taken 

Monday. 

Photo: Star Mail 

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

22-05-2018

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