04-06-2018

MOnday 

Dhaka:June 4, 2018; Jaisthya 21 1425 BS; Ramadan 18,1439 hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.16; No.152; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

inTeRnaTiOnal 

China warns US 

trade deals off if 

tariffs go ahead 

>Page 7 

aRT & CUlTURe 

Abhishek Bachchan wishes 

his parents on their 

45th wedding anniversary 

>Page 8 

SPORT 

Mustafi lauds 'unpredictable' 

genius of Messi 

>Page 9 

Create a social movement 

against drugs: PM 

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina on Sunday laid emphasis on creating 

a social movement against drugs 

as the one done against militancy, 

reports UNB. 

"There was a social movement against 

militancy; like that we want another 

social movement against drugs," she 

said. 

The Prime Minister was speaking at a 

videoconference arranged to inaugurate 

four amphibian dredgers, Munshiganj- 

Gazaria ferry terminal and service, four 

container carrier vessels and two miniutility 

ferries from her official residence 

Ganobhaban. 

Sheikh Hasina said her government 

does not want the future of the country's 

children to get ruined. "We don't want 

to see someone to become terrorist and 

drug addict." 

She said the government wants every 

child to be the worthy citizen of the 

country and work for its development. 

"They'll build themselves in a planned 

way, they'll build a prosperous life, and 

that's our aim. That's why the government 

wants to eliminate terrorism and 

militancy from the country and root out 

Zohr 

RAMADAn 

Ramadan Date Sehri Iftar 

18 June 4 ___ 06:47 PM 

19 June 5 03:39 AM 06:47 PM 

20 June 6 03:38 AM 06:47 PM 

03:48 AM 

12:00 PM 

04:36 PM 

06:55 PM 

08:10 PM 

5:10 6:43 

drug abuse as well. So, there's a need to 

create a social movement...everyone 

should remain alert," she said. 

Hasina urged all the guardians, teachers, 

imams and religious clerics to 

remain vigil. 

The government wants to build the 

country beautifully where the future of 

every child will be brighter and all will 

be able to flourish their talents and 

devote themselves to nation-building 

activities. 

"There'll be a technology, knowledgebased 

nation...that's our aim," she said. 

The Prime Minister said her government 

wants to make river routes effective 

soon as transportation cost on such 

routes is very low. "We want to build a 

river transport network across the 

country by dredging rivers and making 

river routes more operational soon," she 

said. 

The government is working with 

plans to improve river connectivity to all 

areas, enabling those regions to make 

huge contributions to the national economy, 

the Prime Minister added. 

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had taken initiatives 

to dredge rivers immediately 

DHAKA : BNP on Sunday alleged that 

Awami League general secretary 

Obaidul Quader unkindly mocked with 

humanity through his Saturday's remark 

defending the extrajudicial killing in the 

name of ongoing anti-narcotic crackdown, 

reports UNB 

"Obaidul Quader said one or two mistakes 

may happen during such noble 

(anti-narcotic) drive. What a cruel mockery 

it is! How come we accept mistakes 

that claimed people's lives?" said BNP 

senior joint secretary general Ruhul 

Kabir Rizvi. Speaking at a press conference, 

he also alleged Quader not only 

ignored the human rights but also 

defended the unlawful killings like killers 

and terrorists. 

The BNP leader claimed that the government 

is conducting drive against 

some 'insignificant' people and thieves 

and killing many of them instead of taking 

any action against powerful godfathers 

of drugs. 

He questioned as to why the government 

cannot stop the sources of drug 

and track down those help bring the narcotics 

in the country. "Whether it's possible 

to keep open the sources of narcotics 

after the 1971 Liberation War despite 

the country's severe financial constraint, 

considering the importance of 

river routes in the national economy. 

But those who formed governments 

after 1975 did not give any attention to 

the river connectivity. 

She criticised the BNP government 

for shutting down Khulna Shipyard. 

The BNP government declared the 

shipyard abandoned saying that it is not 

a profitable one. But the Awami League 

government handed it over to the Navy 

and it is now building warships, Hasina 

said. 

Talking about river erosion, the Prime 

Minister said the river erosion will have 

to be prevented. 

She said Balu Mahals (Sand quarries) 

will have to be changed after a span of 

certain time to prevent the river erosion. 

She put emphasis on conducting a 

survey on the feasibility of a sand-quarry 

and planned extraction plan. 

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan 

delivered the welcome speech, while 

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral 

Nizamuddin Ahmed was present at the 

launching event conducted by Principal 

Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman. 

BNP finds Quader's 

remark on anti-narcotic 

drive 'unkind' 

without the state patronage?" 

Rizvi said MPs like Abdur Rahman 

Bodi with the help of the administration 

are controlling the drug trade and its 

source points. He said people want to 

know how influential ruling party leaders, 

including Bodi, left the country 

dodging intelligence agencies. "It's the 

government which helped the godfathers 

of drugs flee the country." 

'The audio clips containing recorded 

conversations between Teknaf 

Municipality Councillor Ekramul Haque 

and his daughter and wife before and 

when he was shot dead by law enforcers 

have seriously shaken the feelings of 

people at home and abroad," the BNP 

leader observed.. He alleged that the 

government has killed 250 people, mostly 

youths, unlawfully over the last four 

months as law enforcers have given freehand 

to kill people. 

"The government is fully responsible 

for the unlawful killings. Law enforcers 

are killing people in the name of socalled 

crossfire and gunfight as the government 

let them loose. Political killing 

has also been taking place in the guise of 

anti-narcotic drive." 

Fire broke out at an Indian truck at the largest land port, Benapole on Sunday. Photo: Star mail 

Ekramul killing 

Home Ministry 

receives audio 

tape 

DHAKA : Home Minister 

Asaduzzaman Khan on Sunday said his 

ministry has received the audio record 

of the last mobile phone conversations 

between slain Teknaf ward councillor 

Ekramul Haque and his family members, 

reports UNB. 

The minister came up with the information 

while talking to reporters at an 

anti-drug awareness programme at 

Stamford University's Siddeswari campus. 

"A team led by a magistrate is 

investigating the audio tape," said the 

minister. 

Local Awami League leader and 

Teknaf ward councillor Ekramul 

Haque was killed in a reported gunfight 

with members of Rapid Action 

Battalion in Cox's Bazar on the night of 

May 26. 

The list of drug traders is very long 

and the intelligence units of law 

enforcement agencies are updating it 

regularly, Asaduzzaman said adding, 

"The drive will continue until all the listed 

drug traders are arrested." 

In another query, the minister said 

around 85,000 prisoners are now there 

in different jails. "Among them, 37 percent 

are accused in drug-related cases." 

Causalities are not expected in any 

drive, the minister further said. "There's 

no murder which is out of the investigation," 

he added. 

Asaduzzaman, however, urged all to 

raise voice against drugs. 

The minister said the young generation 

of the country is being derailed 

after becoming drug addicts. 

"Today's youths will lead the nation in 

2041. They've to be saved from drug 

abuse. The government has declared 

the anti-narcotics drive in a bid to save 

the young generation." 

Huge amount of money 

laundered: CPD 

DHAKA : Presenting a dismal picture of 

the national economy Centre for Policy 

Dialogue (CPD)on Sundaysaid that it 

strongly believes huge amount of money is 

being laundered in the disguise of import 

business, reports UNB. 

"Some 40 percent growth in import 

against last fiscal's 17 percent is definitely 

unmatchable with the economic trend 

considering its overall performance," said 

CPD Distinguished Fellow Dr. Debapryia 

Bhattacharya while making his observation 

during a presentation on 'State of the 

Bangladesh Economy' in FY 2017-18. 

He said all evidences made the CPD 

believe huge amount of money going 

abroad in the name of import and ahead of 

election such money laundering gets 

increased. 

This has been the CPD's third reading as 

part of its 'Independent Review of 

Bangladesh's Development' that was presented 

at Brac Centre Inn in the city. 

The CPD concentrated its observation 

mainly on three sectors of the economyfinance 

and banking, capital market and 

external economy. 

The main concerns came out focusing 

the continuously deteriorating performance 

of the banking sector and growing 

imbalance in the external trade and foreign 

debt. 

About the banking sector, CPD 

Distinguished Fellow Mustafizur Rahman 

showed than non-performing loan (NPL) 

now stands at 9.5 percent in Bangladesh 

as against two to four percent in the East 

Asian countries. 

"The most concerning is that the bad 

loans are increasing rapidly and the NPL is 

highest in Asian region." 

He said the frustrating issue is that 

Bangladesh is not taking any effective 

measures in reducing the NPL while India 

and other countries have been continuously 

taking effective measures. 

Debapryia Bhattacharya said banking 

sector in Bangladesh is like an orphan and 

the government is oppressing that 

orphan."In one word it's a perverse political 

economy", he said expressing his disappointments 

over the banking sector. 

He, however, recommended for creating 

a commission on banking sector so 

that the next elected government cannot 

forget the issue of the banking sector. 

On the external economic issue, the 

CPD showed that a serious imbalance is 

being created in the external economic 

relation by taking very costly foreign loans. 

Secondly, some projects are over capitalised 

compared with actual cost. 

It said many mega projects being implemented 

with foreign debt will put up pressure 

on foreign exchange which ultimately 

pushes up inflation by raising import cost. 

"As a result, the bank interest rate will go 

up creating a pressure on the economy", 

said Dr. Mustafizur Rahman. 

Dr. Debapryia said the country's revenue 

collection will experience a deficit of 

about Tk 50,000 crore in the current fiscal 

2017-18. 

He said the main challenge of the government 

in the coming budget will be 

increasing the tax-GDP ratio. 

Criticising the government's move to 

lower the corporate tax, the CPD said no 

country could be able to raise revenue 

through such measures. 

It said creating enabling business environment 

is more important than reducing 

corporate tax for increasing the revenue 

collection. 

It said the government should take steps 

to release the revenue now stuck up in the 

court case over disputes on taxes. 

There should be steps for outside court 

settlement system to resolve such disputes 

to release the stuck-fund, said the CPD.

NEWS 

MoNDAY, 

JUNE 4, 2018 

2 

Bangladesh Workers Party organized a discussion meeting on Palestine Crisis at the conference 

room of National Press Club yesterday. 

Photo : TBT 

Govt moves to modernize training 

institutes, centers of BRTC 

DHAKA : The government has 

initiated a move to strengthen and 

modernize the existing training 

institutes and training centers of the 

Bangladesh Road Transport 

Corporation (BRTC) in a bid to create 

skilled manpower in driving 

profession. 

BRTC under the Roads and 

Highways Department will implement 

a project to this end titled 

'Strengthening and modernization of 3 

training institutes and 17 training 

centers of BRTC to impart training for 

building skilled drivers," at an 

estimated cost of Taka 15.39 crore to be 

implemented by June 2019, said a 

senior Planning Commission official. 

The official told BSS that this project 

has recently been apprised at the 

Executive Committee of the National 

Economic Council (ECNEC) at its 

latest meeting. 

The project will be implemented at 

Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Rangpur, 

Rajshahi, Khulna and Barishal 

DHAKA : Canadian Prime 

Minister Justin Trudeau has 

announced that his country 

will welcome several world 

leaders, including 

Bangladesh Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina, to the G7 

Summit to take part in a 

special outreach session, 

reports UNB. 

The special outreach 

session will focus on healthy 

oceans and resilient coastal 

communities. It will be held 

on June 9, said the Canadian 

High Commission in Dhaka 

on Sunday. 

Heads of international 

organisations have also been 

invited to the G7 Summit to 

take part in the special 

Division. 

According to the Development 

Project Proposal (DPP), the existing 

training institutes and centers under 

the BRTC are being run to meet the 

growing demand of driving 

professionals both at home and 

abroad. 

But, the training institutes and 

centers of BRTC are in a very 

dilapidated and fragile condition and 

there are no modern equipments and 

machineries there to impart training. 

So, there is a need to make the 

existing training institutes and centers 

time befitting. Side by side it is also not 

being possible to provide standard 

training from these centers due to the 

lack of sufficient training cars. 

Talking to the national news agency, 

another official at the BRTC said that 

the government has already 

undertaken a plan to create some 

1,00,000 skilled drivers under the 

Skills for Employment Investment 

Program (SEIP). 

Hasina to join outreach session 

of G7 Summit Jun 9 

'Drug addict' 

dies in 

Panchagarh 

police custody 

PANCHAGARH : A 

suspected drug addict died 

from heart attack in police 

custody after being arrested 

from Baniapara area of the 

district town early Sunday, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified 

as Kajol Sheikh Maju, 43, son 

of Hazrat Ali of New Market 

area of the town. 

A team of Detective Branch 

of police led by Sub-inspector 

Rabiul Islam arrested Maju 

from the area around 10:30 

pm on Saturday along with 

hemp, said Sudarshan Kumar 

Roy, assistant superintendent 

(circle) of police. 

Later, Maju felt chest pain 

while being transferred to be 

produce before a mobile 

court. 

However, he was rushed to 

Panchagarh Adhunik Sadar 

Hospital where he dies 

around 12:30 am, police said. 

Dr Zillur Rahman, a 

physician of emergency 

department of the hospital, 

said they are primarily 

suspecting that Maju died 

from heart attack. 

outreach session. 

Trudeau invited President 

of Argentina and Chair of the 

G20 Mauricio Macri, Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina, 

President of Haiti and Chair 

of the Caribbean 

Community (CARICOM) 

Jovenel Moise, Prime 

Minister of Jamaica Andrew 

Holness, President of Kenya 

Uhuru Kenyatta, President 

of the Marshall Islands 

Hilda Heine, Prime Minister 

of Norway Erna Solberg, 

President of Rwanda and 

Chair of the African Union 

Paul Kagame, President of 

Senegal Macky Sall, 

President of Seychelles, 

Danny Faure, President of 

South Africa Cyril 

Ramaphosa, Prime Minister 

of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan 

Phuc, Managing Director of 

the International Monetary 

Fund Christine Lagarde, 

Secretary-General of the 

Organisation for Economic 

Co-operation and 

Development Jose Angel 

Gurria, Secretary-General of 

the United Nations Antonio 

Guterres, Chief Executive 

Officer of the World Bank 

Kristalina Georgieva to join 

the outreach session. 

"Our oceans and coasts are 

under considerable threat - 

from increases in plastic 

pollution, more frequent 

and severe weather events, 

and illegal, unreported and 

unregulated fishing. 

Resilient 

coastal 

communities and healthy 

oceans are vital to growing 

economies that work for 

everyone and that is why we 

are committed to working 

with others to protect the 

world's oceans," said Justin 

Trudeau. 

He also tweeted that reads, 

"Next week, we'll welcome 

@g7 leaders to Charlevoix to 

address some of the world's 

most pressing challenges 

together. We've also invited 

reps from the @UN, 

@IMFNews, @OECD, 

@WorldBank & other 

leaders from around the 

world to work on growing 

our economies and 

protecting our oceans." 

The global leaders and 

heads of international 

organisations will meet G7 

leaders to discuss how to 

build resilient coasts and 

communities, share ocean 

knowledge and science, and 

support sustainable oceans 

and fisheries. 

They will also explore how 

to best address pressing 

challenges, including 

plastics in our oceans and 

illegal, unreported and 

unregulated fishing. 

Canada said it is 

committed to working with 

others in the G7 and beyond 

to strengthen resilience, 

fight climate change, and 

protect our oceans for 

generations to come. 

As with all work under 

Canada's G7 presidency, 

these discussions will 

include a focus on gender 

equality and women's 

empowerment, it said. 

These leaders and heads of 

international organisations 

will also attend a dinner 

hosted by Julie Payette, 

Governor General of 

Canada, at the Citadelle of 

Quebec. 

Out of that number, BRTC will 

impart four-month (360 hours) 

training to some 36,000 drivers to 

improve their driving skills and 

efficiency. 

Besides, the drivers would also be 

given one-month heavy duty driving 

training on heavy vehicles. Apart from 

this, training will also be imparted on 

language proficiency in English and 

Arabic so that they could get job easily 

in abroad. 

"Under the circumstances, this 

project has been drafted and thus 

approved to improve the 

infrastructures of these 3 training 

institutes and 17 training centers of 

BRTC alongside installing modern 

training equipments there," added the 

official. 

Earlier on March 20, 2018, Planning 

Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal 

approved the project as such kind of 

project below the outlay of Taka 50 

crore does not require approval from 

the ECNEC. 

Two held over 

Shaktiman 

Chakma killing 

SAVAR : Police arrested two 

suspects in the killing of 

Naniarchar Upazila chairman 

Shaktiman Chakma from 

Burubazar area of Ashulia on 

Saturday afternoon. 

The detainees were 

identified as UPDF members 

Ripon Chakma, 36, and 

Kantomoy Tripura, 33. 

Being informed by 

Naniarchar police, a team 

from Ashulia Police Station 

raided a house in the area 

around 5 pm and arrested the 

duo, said Abdul Awal, officerin-charge 

of the police station. 

The law enforcers also 

recovered leaflets from their 

possession. 

On May 3, Shaktiman 

Chakma, also a leader of 

Parbatya Chattagram Jana 

Sanghati Samity (MN Larma 

faction), was shot to death by 

unidentified miscreants in 

front of the upazila parishad 

complex. 

Meanwhile, five female 

members of Hill Women's 

Federation claimed that the 

arrestees are not involved 

with the murder. 

"They have arrested over 

wrong information. They 

came to Dhaka for 

distributing leaflets marking 

22nd anniversary of 

abduction of Kalpana 

Chakma," they said. 

Three killed in Shariatpur 

road crash 

SHARIATPUR : Three workers were killed and six others 

injured as a truck plunged into a roadside ditch in Khelsi area 

of Sadar upazila on Saturday night, reports UNB. 

The deceased were identified as Md Rahmat Hossain, 40, 

Naim Hossain, 25, and Idris, 60, hailing from Chetua area in 

Ashasuni upazila in Satkhira district. 

The injured workers said that they had come to Shariatpur 

from Satkhira on April 24 for cultivating paddy. 

Niaz Mohammad, deputy assistant director of Shariatpur 

Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the accident took place 

around 10:30 am when the paddy-laden truck carrying 12 

workers plunged into the roadside ditch after its driver lost 

control over the wheels, leaving the trio dead on the spot and 

six others injured. 

The injured were admitted at Shariatpur Sadar Hospital. 

Tk 26,226.37 

cr to be 

allocated for 

power, energy 

DHAKA : The country's 

power and energy sector is 

likely to get Taka 26,226.37 

crore in the next national 

budget for the 2018-19 

financial year (FY19), 

scheduled to be unveiled on 

Thursday. 

According to Power, 

Energy and Mineral 

Resources Ministry, an 

allocation of Taka 22,892.60 

crore has been proposed for 

the power division and Taka 

3,333.77 crore for the energy 

and mineral resources 

division for FY19. 

The Power, Energy and 

Mineral Resources Ministry 

sought Taka around Taka 

36,000 crore fiscal 

allocation, a ministry official 

said. 

The government allocated 

Taka 29,424.27 crore for 

2017-18 fiscal for the power 

and energy sector. Off the 

amount, Taka 24,947.44 

crore was allocated for 

power division and Taka 

4,476.83 crore for energy 

sector. 

With the fiscal allocation 

the power division took 113 

projects for power sector 

development. 

BRTC Eid special 

bus service on 

June 13 

DHAKA : Bangladesh Road 

Transport Corporation 

(BRTC) is going to launch Eid 

special bus service on June 13 

to ensure smooth and 

comfortable journeys for 

holidaymakers on the 

occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. 

The advance tickets of the 

special bus service would be 

selling from June 5 at BRTC's 

Motijheel, Joar Shahara, 

Kalyanpur, Gabtali, 

Mohammadpur, Mirpur Dital 

Bus Depot, Gazipur and 

Narayanganj, Narsindi bus 

Depots and Phulbariya CBS- 

2, an official release said. 

Business-friendly security 

taken ahead of Eid: DMP 

Commissioner 

DHAKA : Dhaka Metropolitan Police 

(DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia 

said on Sunday they have taken business 

friendly security arrangements ahead of 

the Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the largest festivals 

of the Muslim community. 

"We, police and businessmen, have 

collectively taken business friendly security 

measures to ensure peaceful and hassle 

free Eid shopping," he said after visiting 

New Market area to oversee the security 

arrangements here ahead of the Eid. 

"Police patrol has already been increased 

in the DMP areas to check crimes such as 

snatching and mugging," he said, adding 

that they have yet to receive any allegation 

of stealing and snatching. 

The commissioner inquired shop owners 

and customers about the overall security 

arrangements and they have expressed 

satisfaction over the security 

arrangements. 

Speaking about the drives against drugs, 

he said, "No hideout of drug trading will 

remain inside the DMP areas as all of those 

will be demolished in the on-going drives 

as per 'zero tolerance policy' announced by 

the Prime Minister." 

He also said, "We are sincere enough so 

that no innocent person could fall in 

danger due to the on-going drive." 

The commissioner accompanied with 

high officials of DMP later visited 

Bashundhara Shopping Mall and talked 

with businessmen and customers about 

the security arrangements. 

Speaker seeks expatiates' support 

to achieve middle-income status 

DHAKA : Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has urged Bangladeshi expatriates to be 

united to help the country achieve the status of middle-income nation. 

"At present, Bangladesh is a role model of development in the world and we will elevate the 

status of middle-income country soon…so be united to play an important role for the 

country's development," she said. 

The Speaker was addressing a discussion followed by iftar arranged by France Awami 

League (AL) in Paris yesterday, said an official release. 

Bangladesh has already fulfilled all the conditions required to attain middle-income status, 

she said. 

Dr Chaudhury also urged the AL leaders of France to be organised following the ideal of 

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

Bangladesh Ambassador in Paris Kazi Imtiaz Hossain and expatiate AL leaders and 

businessmen were present on the occasion. 

Iftar Mahfl of Awami League held 

MANIKGANJ : State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque has said the 

government of Sheikh Hasina has made Bangladesh self-sufficient in food output and also 

has been trying to build an exploitation-free society. 

He also said the present government is working on freeing the nation from the ills of drug 

and militancy. 

The state minister was addressing an Iftar Mahfil of Manikganj District Awami League on 

Saturday on the playground of Manikganj Government High School. 

Zahid Maleque said the ongoing development spree had now made Bangladesh a role 

model of development. 

Presided over by Advocate Golam Mohiuddin, President of Manikganj district Awami 

League, the function was addressed, among others, by Advocate Abdus Salam, General 

Secretary, District Awami League. 

Special prayer was also offered for the peace and development of the country. 

Advocate Fawzia Karim Firoze, President of Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers Association 

(BNWLA) is addressing at the seminar on 'Social Awareness and Legal Rights: Gender Perspective' 

organized by Complaint Committee to Prevent Sexual Harassment of Daffodil International 

University. Sahely Ferdous, Assistant Inspector General of Bangladesh Police was also present at the 

seminar as Resource Person. 

Photo : Courtesy 

Familiarization event 

on HEST held at UGC 

DHAKA : A day-long 

familiarization event on 

'German-Bangladesh Higher 

Education Network for 

Sustainable Textiles (HEST) 

was held aiming to reduce the 

skill gap of mid-level managers 

in textile and Ready-Made 

Garments (RMG) sectors in the 

country at University Grants 

Commission (UGC) office in the 

city on Sunday, reports UNB. 

The programme was jointly 

organised by University Grants 

Commission (UGC) of 

Bangladesh and Deutsche 

Gesellschaft für 

Internationale Zusammenarbeit 

(GIZ) to share information 

about HEST project objectives 

among its stakeholders. 

Ministry of Education, UGC and 

GIZ were jointly implementing 

the project, said a press release 

of UGC. 

The project was successfully 

developed three university 

partnerships with four German 

and eight Bangladeshi 

universities including- Hof 

University of Applied Sciences, 

Chemnitz University of 

Technology, Dresden 

University of Technology, 

University of Stuttgart from 

German side and Ahsanullah 

University of Science and 

Technology, Asian University 

for Women, Bangladesh 

University of Textiles, BGMEA 

University of Fashion and 

Technology, Chittagong 

University of Engineering and 

Technology, North South 

University, Notre Dame 

University Bangladesh and 

University of Liberal Arts 

Bangladesh. 

Prof Abdul Mannan, 

Chairman of UGC highlighted 

the importance and 

advantages of HEST project 

and also emphasized on 

boosting applied research in 

cooperation with the industry. 

Christian von Mitzlaff, 

Programme Coordinator of 

GIZ, said that HEST project 

can play a vital role to reduce 

the skill gap of the textile 

industry and address the 

sustainability challenges of 

higher education. 

Md Abdullah Al Hasan 

Chowdhury, Additional 

Secretary of MoE and Dr. Md 

Khaled, Secretary of UGC also 

spoke on the occasion. 

Representatives from 

Ministry of Education, UGC, 

World Bank, HEST project's 

partner universities, industry 

associations, brands and 

factories, among others, were 

also present at the event. 

Two killed in CNG 

cylinder blast in 

Noakhali 

NOAKHALI : Two people 

were killed and another 

injured as a cylinder of a 

CNG-run auto-rickshaw 

exploded after the vehicle 

crashed into a tree on 

Sonapur-Char Alexander road 

in Companir Hat area of 

Sadar upazila on Sunday 

morning, reports UNB. 

The identity of the deceased 

could not be known 

immediately. 

Anwar Hossain, officer-incharge 

of Sudhram Model 

Police Station, said the 

incident took place when the 

Sonapur-bound autorickshaw 

hit the roadside tree 

after its driver lost control 

over the wheel around 6 am. 

Later, the cylinder went off 

leaving one dead on the spot 

and two burn injured. 

One of the injured died on 

the way to hospital.

METRO 

MonDAY, JUne 4, 2018 

3 

ACC for ensure 

transparency over 

selling of railway ticket 

DHAKA : The Anti- 

Corruption Commission 

(ACC) yesterday made a 

surprise visit to Kamlapur 

Railway Station in the 

capital and directed the 

railway authorities to 

ensue transparency in 

selling railway ticket. 

"We are constantly 

monitoring the overall 

ticket management ahead 

of the Eid to ensure 

transparency in selling 

tickets. If any irregularity 

is found to this end the 

commission will stand by 

complainants," said 

ACC's Director General 

(admin) and Coordinator 

of the drive Munir 

Chowdhury, reports BSS. 

"ACC has received a 

number of allegations 

over irregularities in 

selling of railway ticket 

and an ACC team headed 

by deputy director Md 

Mahmud Hasan has been 

sent to Kamlapur Ralway 

Station around 11am 

today to look into the 

matter," deputy director 

(public relations) Pranab 

Kumar Bhattacharjee told 

BSS pm Sunday. 

The team inquired 

people about the 

allegations and took 

around inside the 

counters of ticket selling 

along with station 

manager Sitangshu 

Chakroborti and asked 

them to take appropriate 

measures to ensure 

transparency in selling 

railway ticket, he also 

said. 

It also asked the onduty 

Rapid Action 

Battalion (RAB) and 

railway security 

personnel at Kamlapur 

Railway Station to take 

action in checking black 

marketing of railway 

ticket and other 

irregularities to this end, 

he added. 

Southeast 

University 

arranged 

seminar on 

Budget 2018-19 

A seminar on "Budget 

2018-19: Addressing the 

Problems of Poverty and 

Inequality" jointly organized 

by the Department of 

Economics and Southeast 

Business School (SBS) was 

held on Sunday at the 

Banani Seminar Hall of 

Southeast University. M. A. 

Mannan, MP, State Minister 

for Finance and Planning, 

Government of the People's 

Republic of Bangladesh was 

present as the Chief Guest at 

the seminar. The seminar 

was chaired by the Vice 

Chancellor of Southeast 

University, Prof. Dr. ANM 

Meshquat Uddin while Dr. 

Salehuddin Ahmed, 

Professor of BRAC Business 

School and Former 

Governor of Bangladesh 

Bank was present as Special 

Guest, a press release said. 

Key not paper was 

presented by Prof. Dr. M A 

Hakim, Director of IQAC, 

Southeast University. 

Among others M. 

Kamaluddin Chowdhury, 

Representative Member of 

BoT; Prof. Dr. AFM Mafizul 

Islam, Adviser of BoT; Maj 

Gen (Retd) Kazi Fakhruddin 

Ahmed, Registrar of SEU; 

Deans; Chairmen; 

Directors; Faculty members; 

Officials and students 

attended the program. 

Seminar titled "Budget 2018-19: Addressing the Problems of Poverty and Inequality" was held at the 

Banani Seminar Hall of Southeast University yesterday. 

Photo : Courtesy 

Govt develops 358 ACMP 

graduates for IT sector 

DHAKA : The government has 

developed 358 ACMP graduates 

(Advanced Certificate for Management 

Professional) so far through providing 

world-class training to mid-level 

managers of IT companies. 

A senior official of ICT Division said the 

training of 142 mid-level managers of IT 

companies will end by December this 

year. 

The World Bank financed Leveraging 

ICT for Growth, Employment and 

Governance (LICT) Project of 

Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) 

under ICT Division has been providing 

international standard training to midlevel 

managers of IT companies through 

the UK based Ernst and Young (EY) and 

Institute of Business Administration 

(IBA) of Dhaka University to create 500 

ACMP graduates for the ICT sector. 

The experienced trainers from the 

Indian Institute of Management, 

Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of 

Technology (IIT), Delhi and IBA of DU 

are providing 200-hour training 

following the courses verified by the 

George Washington University of the 

USA. 

LICT Project Director Md. Rezaul 

Karim said 358 ACMP graduates received 

certificate from Posts, 

Telecommunications and IT minister 

Mustafa Jabbar on May 31 at a ceremony 

held at Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate 

building auditorium. 

The training of the rest 142 mid-level 

managers of IT companies will be 

completed by December this year, he 

said. 

Karim said keeping challenges of the 

fourth industrial revolution and 

flourishing IT sector in mind, the 

government launched the 'ACMP 4.O' 

course at IBA of Dhaka University on 

October 5, 2017 to develop ACMP 

graduates for the IT sector. 

Ernst and Young (EY) Business 

Advisory Services Project Director Bidyut 

Thakur said the trainees are getting 

training on project management, people 

management, business and customer 

management, business communication, 

finance and accounting, strategy 

management, business analytics, cyber 

security and other areas of software 

engineering. 

Huge possibility of ICT 

sector to be utilized: Jabbar 

DHAKA : Information and Communication Technology 

(ICT) Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Sunday said ICT is 

recognized worldwide as the main component of 

development and all concerned have to utilize the immense 

possibility of this sector for good. 

"The present government has adopted and implemented 

different innovative activities to build a knowledge-based 

country enriched by ICT. As a result of such activities, poor but 

meritorious students will get inspired in studying and 

researching ICT," he said. The minister came up with the 

observations while addressing a day-long seminar on the result 

of innovation activities run by the government, achievements 

and creating awareness, at ICT Tower in the capital. Presided 

over by ICT Division Secretary Subir Kishore Chowdhury, the 

seminar was also addressed by additional secretary of ICT 

Division Rashedul Islam and project director of a2i programme 

Mostafizur Rahman, among others. 

BTB for creating tourist guides 

skilled in different languages 

DHAKA : Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) decided to 

create more tourist guides skilled in different languages to 

serve the foreign travelers who are coming here for leisure in 

more convenient way. 

The BTB has taken the initiatives considering huge scarcity 

of skilled tourist guides in foreign languages especially 

Chinese, Japanese and Korean while there are also huge 

demands of guides fluent in Spanish, French, Italian and 

Arabic languages, reports BSS. 

This was revealed yesterday at the concluding ceremony of a 

foreign language based tourist guide training programme at 

Institute of Modern Language (IML) of Dhaka University here. 

GD-820/18 (5 x 3) In collaboration of the IML, the BTB conducted the training 

programme for 84 students of the institute in seven languages - 

GD-818/18 (6 x 3) 

Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, Italian and Arabic. 

Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary M Mohibul Haque handed 

over the certificates among the students while Bangladesh 

Parjatan Corporation (BPC) Chairman Akhtaruzzaman Khan 

Kabir and Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BTB Nikhil 

Ranjan Roy were present. 

GD-816/18 (6 x 3) GD-821/18 (3 x 2) 

GD-817/18 (6 x 3)

EDITORIAL 

MONDAY, 

JuNe 4, 2018 

4 

Monumental mistake to pull US troops from South Korea 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

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

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Monday, June 4, 2018 

World awaits Kim-Trump 

talks with great expectation 

The world is, with bated anticipation, watching 

the ever changing developments regarding the 

upcoming high profile meeting between 

President of the United States Donald Trump, and 

President of the Democratic People's Republic of 

Korea- Kim Jong-un. The meeting (the first ever in 

history between the two heads of states) is supposed 

to take place on June 12 and is supposed to discuss 

Korean denuclearization and other vital issues. 

While the events leading up to the meeting have 

been nothing short of "mercurial", it is crucial that 

both leaders, and by extensions, their advisors, 

realize the gravity and importance of the meeting. 

For if successful, it may usher in a new era of peace 

and prosperity for the Korean peninsula while 

cutting US defense spending and cementing 

President Donald Trump's reputation as a very able 

statesman and foreign policy manager. 

Talks have happened before for such meetings to 

take place. Attempts have been made, however, 

never has any attempt come so close to fruition. The 

willingness of both parties seems more sincere than 

ever; there has been much speculation as to why, 

despite the verbal mudslinging by both leaders, 

would decide to forget the past and give peace a 

chance. Just months ago, Trump had called 

President Kim Jong-un "fat and short" in retaliation 

for calling him a dotard (old lunatic). At that point, 

it seemed nigh impossible that these two leaders 

could ever come to respect each other, let alone 

agree on anything. 

Speculation has, therefore, been high as to what 

could have propelled both sides to agree to such a 

meeting. It could be that North Korean leadership 

feels that they have finally achieved all of their goals 

and that further nuclear enrichment will only cause 

further great harms in way of intolerable economic 

sanctions and too low a point in regime acceptance. 

They have a missile that can reach the united States, 

and a nuclear weapon that can be mounted on it, 

effectively creating a deterrent (though vastly 

disproportionate) against the US. Particularly this 

aspect must have been sinking in the minds of the 

North Korean dictator that he risked the full fury of 

an all out military attack on his tiny country including 

a nuclear barrage - much sooner than later -- by the 

very mighty United States. They may feel this 

immediately endangers regime survival and acted 

quickly to scuttle the grim threat hanging over their 

country. It could also be the new crippling sanctions 

that were imposed by the Trump Administration; or, 

it could be a combination of both. 

President Trump may view this opportunity as a way 

to increase his credibility as a world leader and to finally 

silence some of his most vicious critics. Indeed, if he 

manages to successfully captain this "denuclearization 

ship", most of his staunch critics, who paint him as a 

warmongering bully will have to find new facets in his 

leadership to criticize. It will also fulfill Trump's 

promise to reduce overseas commitment and further 

emphasize his "America First" agenda- an agenda that 

won him so much support. 

It would also highlight and further legitimize his 

policies as being more effective; seeing that former 

President Barack Obama's policy of "Strategic 

Patience" regarding North Korea failed to curb their 

aggression and nuclear ambitions completely. 

This meeting could be a new era for not only the 

Korean peninsula, but also for the United States, it 

may set a ton for future US foreign policies; will 

lessen the reputation of the United States as a war 

mongering interventionist. It will also free up 

agenda and allow the US President to focus more on 

other foreign issues, like that of Taiwan. It could 

allow the Unites States more room to maneuver and 

one less ally for rival China as the policy may result 

in the thawing of relations between the United States 

and North Korea. One thing is for certain, there 

exists and unprecedented opportunity to end or at 

least drastically deescalate a rivalry that has 

spawned the most heavily armed border in the 

world (The DMZ) and at the same time, score major 

personal victories for both presidents. President 

Donald Trump has the opportunity to prove to the 

world that he is willing to set aside past rivalries, let 

go of military threats and give peace a chance. His 

credibility will also vastly improve, both as a 

diplomat and as a capable leader and it might lead to 

him having more influence in the US legislature and 

the world stage. President Kim Jong-un has the 

opportunity to undo the chokehold of sanctions that 

has been crippling the Korean economy and has 

pushed the general population into poverty and 

deprivation. Therefore, it is imperative that both 

nations and their heads of state take this upcoming 

meeting seriously and put the greatest of effort to 

make it successful. 

Donald Trump's presidency is 

forcing the foreign policy 

establishment to re-examine 

issues that had long been considered 

settled. A case in point is the US troop 

presence in South Korea. 

Recent reports indicate that Trump 

has sought the withdrawal of some or 

all of the 28,000 US troops in South 

Korea, and has considered using the 

US presence as a bargaining chip in 

nuclear negotiations with North 

Korea. Those reports have alarmed 

foreign policy experts in both political 

parties, who cite it as one more 

example of Trump's geopolitical 

recklessness. 

Trump is not, however, the first 

president to scrutinise the American 

presence in South Korea. Jimmy 

Carter, for example, tried to withdraw 

American ground forces altogether. 

And the number of US troops has 

decreased over time, down from as 

many as 70,000 in the late 1950s. 

So instead of being greeted by 

outrage, Trump's inclination should 

raise a question that deserves a fuller 

answer: Why does America have 

troops in South Korea 65 years after 

the Korean War ended, and what does 

it get from the bargain? The answer is 

that the benefits are indeed 

substantial, but also difficult to 

quantify, which is why the whole 

arrangement seems so unsatisfactory 

to Trump. 

The strategic advantages of the US 

troop presence revolve around the 

twin imperatives of deterrence and 

reassurance. Regarding deterrence, 

US troops help keep an aggressive 

North Korean regime in check. The 

Korean War started because Kim Il 

Sung, grandfather of the current 

leader Kim Jong Un, calculated that 

Washington would not intervene to 

stop him from conquering South 

Korea - or that if it did, it could not 

arrive in time to make a difference. His 

miscalculation touched off a ghastly 

conflict that killed millions, including 

more than 30,000 US troops. Thus the 

purpose of US troops in South Korea 

has been to show, with unmistakable 

clarity, that America would be in the 

next Korean War from the outset - that 

even if the North could somehow 

defeat South Korean forces, it would 

face the full might of the US. 

It is impossible to know, of course, 

whether Pyongyang would be so bold 

as to attack South Korea absent the US 

presence. But given that reunification 

of the peninsula is a stated goal of 

North Korean policy, given how brutal 

and violent North Korean policy has 

sometimes been even with US troops 

sitting across the demilitarised zone, 

and given that Pyongyang has been 

working relentlessly to develop 

increasingly advanced weapons, it is 

not hard to imagine things taking a 

turn for the worse absent the 

restraining effect of American 

presence. Yet if US troops are there to 

hAl BRANDS 

restrain the enemy, they are also there 

to restrain America's ally. Today, 

South Korea is a peaceful democracy, 

but the US troop presence still has a 

moderating effect on Seoul. By 

reassuring the South Koreans that 

Washington is fully committed to their 

defence, the American presence stifles 

the urge for Seoul to take other, more 

destabilising steps to ensure its safety - 

such as developing nuclear weapons of 

its own. When the American military 

appeared to be pulling back from Asia 

in the 1970s, in fact, South Korea took 

steps toward building a nuclear 

arsenal. Since then, there has been a 

tacit bargain: The US maintains a 

tangible, visible commitment to South 

Korea, and South Korea foregoes the 

nuclear weapons it could easily 

develop. The US troop presence is the 

key to deterrence and reassurance on 

the Korean Peninsula, bringing 

tenuous stability to an important part 

of the world. 

The trouble, however, is that the 

benefits of this arrangement - peace, 

stability, a climate conducive to 

commerce and prosperity - are 

inherently nebulous. They are also 

inherently counterfactual, because 

BASIl M.K. Al-GhAlAyINI 

they rely on judgements about the bad 

things that might happen if the US 

stopped doing what it does. 

The US deployment makes both 

American and South Korean forces far 

more lethal in the event of war, by 

allowing them to train together 

constantly. It also provides leverage 

Washington can use to further other 

foreign policy objectives. South Korea 

sent forces overseas in support of 

America's global war on terrorism in 

part to assure the US that Seoul was as 

committed to the alliance as 

Washington was - the sort of 

transactional bargain Trump can 

surely appreciate. 

And although Trump has often 

derided the US-South Korea free trade 

agreement, Washington got a better 

deal than the European Union did in 

similar negotiations, because Seoul 

was eager to please a country that 

contributes so much to its defence. 

It would surely take the presence of 

more than one US soldier to affirm the 

commitment to South Korea, and 

American forces should be capable of 

defending themselves and conducting 

effective operations. But whether the 

right number is 28,000 or 18,000 or 

38,000 can be profitably reconsidered 

from time to time. 

Whatever the precise number, 

though, the lesson of this episode is 

that those who believe that some 

substantial US presence on the Korean 

Peninsula is necessary will have to do 

better at explaining the benefits of that 

deployment. Because in the age of 

Trump, all the verities of US policy are 

up for debate. 

Source : Gulf News 

Red Sea project a positive step in right direction 

Picture luxury beach 

destinations and you 

probably conjure dreamy 

images of the Maldives or 

Seychelles, but Saudi Arabia? Not 

so much. But that will soon change 

with an ambitious plan to develop 

part of the Kingdom's west coast 

into a Red Sea resort. 

This giga-project will cover 50 

islands and 34,000 square 

kilometers - an area bigger than 

Belgium. In my opinion, this is a 

smart move by the government to 

convert the best piece of the Red 

Sea into a global tourism 

destination of choice for as many 

as one million visitors per year in 

less than two decades. Not only 

that, it will also be in close 

proximity to Madain Saleh, the 

location of 131 cut monumental 

tombs that is considered a World 

Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

Such mammoth development is 

being backed by the country's 

sovereign wealth fund, the Public 

Investment Fund, and is set to 

create up to 35,000 jobs and add 

up to $4 billion to the economy 

Censorship of some political 

opinions silences parts of the 

population. That is true in parts 

of Asia. But that's not the end of the 

story. Censorship, though in a lighter 

sense, also exists in the West. This 

Western-lite kind of censorship 

undermines those advocating for 

freedom of speech as a global human 

right, fueling the counterargument that 

the West is hypocritical. 

Why does this perception exist in the 

world? Arguably one needs to share the 

same blind spot, in line with the opinion 

of media elites, disregarding that 

certain content is given constant 

attention by media elites, while content 

against their views is disenfranchised, 

even silenced, and is not printed, 

posted, or broadcasted by media elites 

with a consensus on certain issues. But 

it's getting problematic for democracy, 

when media elites do not grant others 

the same right, instead acting as 

content "gatekeepers" (Mihály 

Csíkszentmihályi), protecting their 

bastion, their panels as their echo 

chamber, and propagating their views 

(often declared as "truth") while 

silencing all those they dislike, 

disenfranchising and marginalizing 

them from being aired and suppressing 

them to the realm of legends (often 

code for social media). 

While media elites act as prophets of 

the truth, their behavior - by many 

perceived as suppression - makes a 

class conflict obvious. A class conflict 

between the so-called upper class, 

fancying themselves to be educated, 

definitely in control of established 

media, and the silent majority, the 

silenced majority, often defamed by the 

The strategic advantages of the US troop presence revolve 

around the twin imperatives of deterrence and reassurance. 

Regarding deterrence, US troops help keep an aggressive 

North Korean regime in check. The Korean War started 

because Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader Kim 

Jong Un, calculated that Washington would not intervene to 

stop him from conquering South Korea - or that if it did, it 

could not arrive in time to make a difference. 

each year once completed. As the 

enabler of this promising project, 

the PIF will invite local and global 

investors to participate in it. It was 

music to my ears to learn that the 

Virgin Group founder, Richard 

Branson, was the first 

international investor to commit to 

the project. 

The great benefit of tourism is 

that every dollar coming into the 

industry is quickly felt by business 

owners and staff, and is directly 

related to a boost in local spending. 

This week, the Saudi Ministry of 

Isn’t freedom of speech the foundation of democracy? 

IMMANUel FRUhMANN 

upper echelon of media elites as not 

classy, not educated enough to be 

represented with their opinions, and 

therefore at best only having their 

voices heard in social media. 

Is it really best to silence those you 

dislike? Doesn't it make them 

"martyrs"? Doesn't censorship (even 

the lite form), highlighting one piece of 

content and silencing the other, 

highlight a democracy's deficiencies? 

Doesn't also lite censorship prove the 

immaturity of a democracy? Is it a fake 

democracy then, ruled by a few, whose 

best thought is silencing, censoring 

those they dislike, people whose 

opinions are not in line with theirs? 

What happened to freedom of speech 

in public discourse? Did we ever have 

it? How serious are media elites about 

freedom of speech in times of 

democratization via social media 

(where everyone with access can 

express his/her opinion)? How serious 

are media elites about freedom of 

speech when, under their reign, 

Commerce and Investment 

registered the Red Sea 

Development Company as a closed 

joint-stock company wholly owned 

by the PIF. It also assigned John 

Pagano, the former managing 

director for development of the 

Canary Wharf Group in London, as 

the company's chief executive 

Such mammoth development is being backed by the 

country's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, 

and is set to create up to 35,000 jobs and add up to $4 billion 

to the economy each year once completed. As the enabler of 

this promising project, the PIF will invite local and global 

investors to participate in it. It was music to my ears to learn 

that the Virgin Group founder, Richard Branson, was the first 

international investor to commit to the project. 

officer. The newly incorporated 

company will now move forward 

with the creation of its special 

economic zone, with its own 

regulatory framework 

As a licensed scuba diver myself, 

political content they dislike is censored 

in one way or another, and if some had 

their way, would also be on social 

media. 

Western media elites are obviously 

serious about freedom of speech, but 

seemingly only to maintain power, only 

as long as they are hearing what they 

like, meanwhile censoring content that 

is not to their liking. As you cannot have 

freedom of speech without 

democratization and emancipation, do 

media elites really understand the 

underlying principle of free speech? 

Do you really think that in the old days, when 

the US Constitution was crafted and the First 

Amendment for freedom of speech was 

implemented, that the situation on the streets 

was civilized or educated, ie everyone behaved 

well and only used nice words? The opposite 

was the case when the ideas of Voltaire and of 

other philosophers built the groundwork for the 

US Constitution ratified in 1788. 

Do you really think that in the old 

days, when the US Constitution was 

crafted and the First Amendment for 

freedom of speech was implemented, 

that the situation on the streets was 

civilized or educated, ie everyone 

behaved well and only used nice words? 

The opposite was the case when the 

ideas of Voltaire and of other 

philosophers built the groundwork for 

the US Constitution ratified in 1788. 

Now, do media elites really think that 

I cannot wait to market our 

country's breathtaking historical 

wonders and natural beauty 

through our annual BMG Summer 

Retreat at the London Stock 

Exchange on July 11, and hopefully 

one day we will host an 

international Polo Cup with the 

participation of the Duke of 

Cambridge or the Duke of Sussex. 

Tourism allows wealth to be 

injected into a community in a 

variety of ways. The great benefit 

of this industry is that it is 

extremely labor-intensive, and 

many of the businesses that 

operate within it are only small or 

micro operators. This means that 

the benefits of every dollar coming 

into the industry is quickly felt by 

business owners and staff, and is 

directly related to a boost in local 

spending. 

I believe the opening of the borders 

is a positive step in the right 

direction, and will give further 

impetus to inbound travel to the 

country, which is much needed. 

Source : Arab news 

the aformentioned philosophers didn't 

thoroughly tthink through what they 

wrote? Do media elites really think their 

writings were crafted only to respect the 

opinions and views of the rich, powerful 

and educated? 

It's very concerning to see media 

elites in power taking these liberties, 

but not granting them to others, since 

they silence certain voices, certain 

segments of the population that express 

views they dislike. Are media elites 

thinking that if they silence opposing 

opinions consistently they can 

extinguish them? Wouldn't it be better 

for media elites, instead of 

disenfranchising, silencing opinions 

they dislike and having to deny 

allegations of censoring, patronizing, 

policing, disciplining the public for 

divergent opinions - also known as 

"educating the public" - not to silence 

the public, but to train themselves and 

the public in ideological criticism and 

the sociology of knowledge? They need 

to be aware of the three sluice gates 

through which partisan interests can 

infiltrate: information, selection and 

application, influenced by what media 

elites think is best for the country, ie 

what they think it means to be on the 

right side of history? 

How healthy is a democracy in which 

media elites have nothing better to do 

than use their power to exclude large 

parts of the population, manipulating 

the public from their ivory towers? 

Highly ideologized censorship exists 

not just in parts of Asia but also in a 

lighter form in the West. 

Source : Asia times

LAW & PEOPLE 

MOndAy, 

June 21, 2018 

5 

LegAL Query : 

Dear Sir, 

I want to attain a patent registration. Please inform me the 

details. 

Regards, 

Shariul Islam 

Dhaka. 

LegAL OpInIOn : 

Legal Opinion- 

An application for a patent may be made by any person alone 

or jointly with any other person. The application must be made 

in the prescribed form, and must be filed at the Patent Office in 

the prescribed manner. The application must contain a 

declaration to the effect that the applicant is in possession of an 

invention, whereof he, or in the case of a joint application one 

at least of the applicants, claims to be the true and first inventor 

or the legal representative or assign of such inventor and for 

which he desires to obtain a patent, and must be accompanied 

by complete specification. 

Specifications: 

A complete specification must particularly describe and 

ascertain the nature of the invention and the manner in which 

the same is to be performed. The specification must commence 

with the title, and in the case of a complete specification must 

end with a distinct statement of the invention claimed. The 

drawings can be supplied at any time before the acceptance of 

the application, but we suggest to file drawings at the time of 

application printed on tracing papers. 

PCT Application in Bangladesh: In case of claiming priority 

based on any application filed in any PCT countries the 

This week Your Legal Adviser is 

A.B.M Shahjahan Akanda (Masum) 

Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh. 

He is the Head of the chamber of a renowned law firm, 

namely, 'Law for Nations', which has expertise mainly in 

banking law, tax law, commercial law, corporate law, family 

law, employment and labor law, land law,constitutional law, 

criminal law and in conducting litigations before courts of 

different hierarchies. He can be reached at - cell:01711459590, 

E-mail: law.abm@gmail.com. 

applicant must supply the information of PCT application at 

the time of filing the national application and submit certified 

copy of the specification of the foreign patent application within 

90 days time from the date of filing application in Bangladesh. 

Filing Requirement: 

To file a Patent Application we need the followings: 

(a) Name of the inventor (applicant), 

(b) Address(s) and nationality of the inventors, 

(c) Two sets of specification and one set of drawing on tracing 

paper (transparent), 

(d) Legalized Deed of Assignment (if any), 

(e) Power of Attorney [Form – 31], you can download the 

authorization 

from this web by clicking download forms. 

(f) Certified copy of the foreign patent (in case of claiming 

priority) 

Advertisement on acceptance of application: 

On the acceptance of an application the Controller shall give 

notice thereof to the applicant and shall advertise the 

acceptance and with the drawings (if any) shall be open to 

public inspection. 

Opposition: Any person at any time within four months from 

the date of the advertisement of the acceptance of an 

application give notice at the Patent Office of opposition to the 

grant of the patent. The opponent must state the grounds of his 

opposition. 

grant and sealing of patent: 

If there is no opposition a patent shall be granted, subject to 

such conditions as the authority thinks expedient, to the 

applicant, or in the case of a joint application to the applicants 

jointly, and the Controller shall cause the Patent to be sealed 

with the seal of the Patent Office. 

Term of patent: 

The term limited in every patent for the duration thereof is 

sixteen years from its date of application or the date of priority 

application. Renewal is required for fifth year before expiry of 

fourth year up to the 15 years. Grace period is 90 days with late 

fees. In case of priority, the commencement of four years shall 

start from the date of priority application. 

Career Workshop Organized by nILS 

Bangladesh at university of Ctg 

MuhOMMOdMAMun 

The Bangladesh Chapter of 

Network for Int’l Law Students 

(NILS), an international, 

independent, non-political and 

non-profit organization 

contributing to the legal field of 

education, has organized the first 

ever Law Career Workshop in 

Bangldeshcoupled with 

exclusive internship 

opportunity, titled 'Career 

opportunity: Way to thriving 

legal industry', in association 

with Department of Law, 

University of Chittagong, at A K 

Khan Law Faculty Auditorium 

on 5th January 2018. More than 

500 enthusiastic law students 

from 25 different universities of 

Bangladesh attended the 

workshop spontaneously. 

The workshop was auspicated 

by the welcoming speech of Ms. 

Nasrin Sultana, President of 

NILS Bangladesh, who warmly 

welcomed the participants of the 

workshop, presented an 

overview of the past activities of 

NILS and clarified about its aims 

& objectives as well. 

Following the inauguration 

ceremony, two sessions of the 

workshop were held. The first 

session was composed of 

lectures given by distinguished 

guest speakers of the workshop. 

Senior District & Sessions Judge 

(Rtd) Md. MasdarHossain, 

media personnel& news 

presenter of Channel 24 as well 

as Advocate, Supreme Court of 

Bangladesh,Mr. Manzur Al 

Matin& Assistant Professor of 

Department of Law, University 

of Chittagong,Mr. SaeedAhsan 

Khalid got the floor in that 

session. 

Honorable guest speakers 

exhibited a crystal clear view of 

the opportunities for law 

students in professional career 

before the participants as well as 

provided accessory tips, 

techniques and directions 

regarding how to grab those 

opportunities. 

Following that, an interactive 

session was held between the 

panel speakers and the 

participants of the workshop. 

The session was repleted with 

the presence of highly qualified 

professional personalities of the 

legal field. The Senior Assistant 

Secretary of Legislative and 

Parliamentary Affairs Division, 

Ministry of Law, Justice & 

Parliamentary Affairs, 

MasomaZaman, Assistant 

Director (Legal) of Bangladesh 

Bank, Mr. Jahed Hoshen, 

Deputy Secretary of Finance 

ministry, Tonima Tasnim, 

Senior ASP, Immigration In- 

Charge of HazratShahjalal 

International Airport, Mr. 

Mansur Alam Kaderi, 

Lieutenant of JAG Branch 

ofBangladesh Navy, Mr. Faruqul 

Islam, Metropolitan Magistrate 

of Chittagong, Mr. Mohammad 

Al Imran Khan and two 

advocates of Bangladesh 

Supreme Court, Barrister Suhan 

Khan and Mr. Mokarramus 

Shaklan appeared as the panel 

speakers before the participants 

in that session. 

The respected panel speakers 

presented short speeches on and 

about their profession with 

necessary directionsfor the 

students. Afterwards, the floor 

was open for the participants to 

place their queries before the 

speakers. The curious 

participants placed their queries 

and got satisfactory responses 

from the speakers. Thesession 

came to conclusion. 

The inauguration ceremony 

was chaired by the Dean of 

Faculty of Law, University of 

Chittagong, Professor A B M Abu 

Noman while Vice Chancellor of 

Chittagong University, Professor 

Dr. Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury 

ornamented the ceremony as the 

Chief Guest. Christine 

Richardson, Chairman & 

Associate Professor of 

Department of Land Law & 

Management, Jagannath 

University and Md. 

MasdarHossain, Senior District 

& Sessions Judge (Rtd) 

facilitated the ceremony as 

special guests. 

Moreover, upon the whole 

day's performance, one of the 

participants was awarded the 

best performer of the workshop 

and certificate of participation 

was given to all the participants 

of the workshop. 

expanding Investment Securities : The role of Investment 

Treaties andInvestment Arbitration in Bangladesh 

Md. MAMOnOr rAShId 

Large-scale investments made in foreign 

jurisdictions face many risks, particularly 

when investing in countries with high 

levels of political and regulatory risk or 

developing judicial systems, as is often a 

concern for international investors 

entering certain Asian and African 

countries. In such circumstances, 

investors are particularly concerned about 

the legal protections that are available to 

them during the life of their investments. 

Bilateral and multilateral investment 

treaties (“BITs”, “MITs”) have become the 

principle vehicle to overcome these 

challenges and mitigate the risks of 

government intervention. 

BITs are international law instruments – 

treaties – agreed between two states. MITs 

are treaties agreed between more than two 

states. The purpose of BITs and MITs is to 

create a stable legal environment that 

fosters foreign direct investment. This is 

achieved by the “host state” (i.e. the state in 

which the investment is made) agreeing to 

provide certain guarantees and standards 

of protection to the investments of private 

foreign investors (i.e. those with the 

nationality of, or incorporation in, the 

“home state”). The investor is also 

provided with the opportunity to enforce 

its rights under the investment treaty 

against the host state through independent 

international investment arbitration. This 

is the major innovation of investment 

treaties, as traditionally it was only states 

that had standing to bring claims against 

each other. 

Rights and obligations under investment 

treaties are reciprocal, protecting the 

investments of investors from each state in 

the territory of the other state. Structuring 

investments correctly can maximise those 

rights and protections, and has become a 

modern commercial imperative when 

transacting internationally. 

Expanding investment securities: 

When structuring foreign investments, 

prudent investors will seek advice on the 

protections available under the domestic 

legislation of the host state as well as the 

investment treaties to which that host state 

is a party. 

In order to rely on the protections offered 

by a particular BIT, a foreign investor will 

need to qualify as a defined “investor”, as 

mentioned above, and its “investment” 

must fall within the definition of the 

protected type of investments under the 

relevant BIT. Most BITs adopt a broad 

definition of qualifying investments, 

ranging from tangible to intangible 

property, company shares to contractual 

rights. 

The common categories of substantive 

BIT protections and guarantees owed by 

host states to foreign investors/ 

investments include the following: 

No expropriation without compensation: 

not to expropriate investments unless it is 

for a public purpose, in accordance with 

law and due process, with the provision of 

prompt, adequate and effective 

compensation; 

Fair and equitable treatment: all 

investors/ investments will be treated 

fairly and equitably (an open category that 

includes upholding legitimate 

expectations, the rule of law and good faith 

etc.); 

Full protection and security: including to 

maintain the investor’s legal rights and 

protect physical assets from insurrection; 

No discrimination: not to adopt 

measures that discriminate investments 

based on type, industry, nationality etc.; 

National treatment: not to treat foreign 

investors/ investments less favourably that 

domestic investors/ investments; 

Most favoured nation treatment: the 

most favourable treatment available to 

investors/ investments of one state will be 

afforded to investors/ investments of other 

states; 

Umbrella clause: general commercial 

contracts with the host state and investor 

are elevated to protection under the BIT; 

and 

Free transfers: investors may convert 

investment returns into a currency of their 

choice and repatriate out of the host state. 

Laws and Regulations on Foreign Direct 

Investment 

Major laws affecting foreign investment 

include: the Foreign Private Investment 

(Promotion and Protection) Act of 1980, 

the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones 

Authority Act of 1980, the Companies Act 

of 1994, the Telecommunications Act of 

2001, the Industrial Policy Act of 2005, the 

Industrial Policy Act of 2010, and the 

Bangladesh Economic Zones Act 2010. The 

Industrial Policy Act of 2016 was approved 

by the Cabinet Committee on Industrial 

Purchase on February 24, 2016 and 

replaces the Industrial Policy of 2010. 

The Industrial Policy Act of 2016, 

which replaced the 2010 Act, offers 

incentives for “green”, high-tech, or 

“transformative” industries. Foreign 

investors who invest $1 million or 

transfer $2 million to a recognized 

financial institution can apply for 

Bangladeshi citizenship. The 

Government of Bangladesh will provide 

financial and policy support for highpriority 

industries (those that create 

large-scale employment and earn 

substantial export revenue) and creative 

(architecture, arts and antiques, fashion 

design, film and video, interactive laser 

software, software, and computer and 

media programming) industries. Specific 

importance will be given to agriculture 

and food processing, ready-made 

garments (RMG), information and 

communication technology (ICT) and 

software, pharmaceuticals, leather and 

leather products, and jute and jute 

goods. 

International investment arbitration and 

Dispute Settlement: 

International investment arbitration is a 

mechanism to resolve investment disputes 

between a foreign investor and the state 

hosting the investment. It is different in 

many respects from international 

commercial arbitration, which involves 

two private parties, usually corporations. 

ICSID Convention and New York 

Convention 

Bangladesh is a signatory to the 

International Convention for the 

Settlement of Disputes (ICSID) and it 

consented in May 1992 to the United 

Nations Convention for the Recognition 

and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral 

Awards. Alternative dispute resolutions are 

possible under the Bangladesh Arbitration 

Act of 2001. The current legislation allows 

for enforcement of arbitral awards. 

Investor-State Dispute Settlement 

Bangladeshi law allows contracts to refer 

dispute settlement to third country forums 

for resolution. Bangladesh is also a party to 

the South Asia Association for Regional 

Cooperation (SAARC) Agreement for the 

Establishment of an Arbitration Council, 

signed November 2005, which aims to 

establish a permanent center for 

alternative dispute resolution in one of the 

SAARC member countries. 

In practice, enforcement of arbitration 

results is applied unevenly and the 

government has challenged ICSID rulings, 

especially those that involve rulings against 

the government. The timeframe for dispute 

resolution is unpredictable and has no set 

limit. It can be done as quickly as a few 

months, but often takes years depending 

on the type of dispute. Anecdotal 

information indicates average resolution 

times can be as high as 16 years. Local 

courts may be biased against foreign 

investors in resolving disputes. 

Bangladesh is a signatory of the New 

York Convention and recognizes the 

enforcement of international arbitration 

awards. Domestic arbitration is under the 

authority of the District Judge Court bench 

and foreign arbitration is under the 

authority of the relevant High Court 

division of the Supreme Court of 

Bangladesh. 

Investors are also increasingly turning to 

the Bangladesh International Arbitration 

Center (BIAC) for dispute resolution. BIAC 

is an independent arbitration center 

established by prominent local business 

leaders in April 2011 to improve 

commercial dispute resolution in 

Bangladesh to stimulate economic growth. 

The council committee is headed by the 

President of International Chamber of 

Commerce – Bangladesh (ICC,B) and 

includes the presidents of other prominent 

chambers such as like Dhaka Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and 

Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and 

Industry (MCCI). The center operates 

under the Bangladesh Arbitration Act of 

2001. According to BIAC, fast track cases 

are resolved in approximately six months 

while typical cases are resolved in one year. 

Major Bangladeshi trade and business 

associations such as the American 

Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh 

(AmCham) can sometimes help to resolve 

transaction disputes. 

Author: Mr. Md. Mamonor Rashid has 

completed his Master of Laws by thesis 

(Equivalent to M.Phil) on International 

Commercial Arbitration from University 

Utara Malaysia with Post Graduate 

Scholarship. Associate; Bhuiyan& Mir Law 

Firm. President; “The Orator” (For Legal 

Minds). He is a devoted social worker. He has 

worked with many national and international 

NGO’s including Amnesty International, 

United Nations Volunteer (UNV), 

International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease 

Research, Bangladesh (icddr’b) and National 

Human Right Commission, Bangladesh. His 

areas of specializationareInternational 

Commercial Arbitration, Religious 

Arbitration, and Corporate Law. He is the 

Young Professional member of Singapore 

International Arbitration Centre (YSIAC), 

Singapore and Young International 

Arbitration Group (YIAG), London. Email 

Address: mamon_rashid@live.com

NATIONAL 

MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2018 

6 

Barrister Sameer Sattar donated sewing machines among 30 unemployed women in Bakshiganj upazila 

of Jamalpur district on Sunday. 

Photo: Fatiul Hafiz 

Mango plays vital role in Rajshahi region 

RAJSHAHI, : Mango plays a vital 

role towards improving living and 

livelihood condition of people in 

Rajshahi and Chapainawabgonj 

districts, reports BSS. 

Terming the seasonal fruit as an 

important cash crop, the scientists, 

researchers and others concerned 

viewed that 85 percent people are 

dependent on mango directly or 

indirectly in these two districts. 

They made this observation while 

addressing a meeting on mango and 

its economic perspectives at 

conference hall of Rajshahi 

Chamber of Commerce and 

Industries in the city yesterday. 

Deputy Commissioner SM Abdul 

Kader addressed the meeting as 

chief guest while Superintendent of 

Police Md Shahidullah, Additional 

District Magistrate Subrata Paul and 

Additional Deputy Commissioners 

Md Shalahuddin and Nasima 

Khatun spoke as special guests. 

Deputy Director of Department of 

Agriculture Extension Monjurul 

Huda, Senior Scientific Officer of 

Regional Mango Research Centre Dr 

Saraf Uddin and mango farmer and 

businessman Ismail Khan Shamim 

shared their expertise on the issue. 

Abdul Kader urged the farmers 

and others concerned to harvest 

export quality mango in the region 

for earning more foreign currency. 

He said need-based measures 

were taken to brining all the mango 

farmers under training for 

promotion of modern technologies 

for making the mango harvesting 

and marketing process safe and 

hygienic to boost its export. 

Agriculturist Monjurul Huda 

mentioned that modern 

technologies are being promoted 

commercially in mango orchards in 

Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj 

districts during the present preharvest 

season to protect mango 

from pest attack besides facilitating 

the farmers to get quality and better 

yield. 

Mango is a leading seasonal cash 

crop of the country's northwest 

region and dominates the economy 

in the two districts famous for the 

delicious fruit. 

He said there are about 30 lakh 

mango trees of different ages and 

varieties on some 32,816 hectares in 

the region. 

If the modern technologies were 

promoted substantially and use of 

chemical insecticides and pesticides 

could be reduced to a greater extent, 

the modern method will open up a 

new door of exporting mango of the 

two districts, to various foreign 

markets. 

Dr Saraf Uddin told the meeting 

that mangoes of the region are being 

exported to some foreign countries 

for the last couple of years and 

expected that the export volume will 

increase this year. 

He told the meeting that the 

mangoes are being produced 

through adopting fruit bagging 

technology. Last year, 30 tonnes of 

mangoes produced through fruit 

bagging technology were exported to 

different European markets. 

The success has been achieved by 

best practices and other modern 

technologies in some mango 

orchards commercially in the two 

districts for the last couple of years 

yielding more than 50 tonnes of 

exportable safe and disease-free 

mango. 

Dr Saraf said mango farming in 

fruit-bagging method has gradually 

been rising here. If the mango was 

cultivated through this method 

there is no need of pesticide use. 

Sewing machines 

distributed among 

unemployed women 

in Bakshiganj 

Fatiul Hafiz Babu, 

Bakshiganj Correspondent: 

As part of the poverty 

elevation initiatives, sewing 

machines were distributed 

among unemployed women 

in Bakshiganj upazila of 

Jamalpur district on Sunday. 

The machines were donated 

by Barrister Sameer Sattar, 

one of the leading commercial 

lawyers in Bangladesh and 

nomination seeker from 

Awami League from 

Jamalpur-1 constituency at 

his own residence in 

Dhumlipara area. A total 

number of 30 unemployed 

women from 7 unions of the 

upazila received the sewing 

machines. 

Barrister Sameer Sattar said 

that he is trying his best to 

eliminate poverty and trying 

to enable poor and 

unemployed people to lead an 

honourable life. 

Sameer Sattar previously 

donated 15 sewing machines 

among 15 unemployed 

women in Battajor union. 

Shahriar for forging social resistance 

against drug addiction 

RAJSHAHI: State Minister for Foreign 

Affairs Shahriar Alam, MP, urged the 

community people to forge social movement 

against the addiction of drugs, its trading and 

trafficking, reports BSS. 

He said the present government under 

dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina is determined to free the nation from 

the curse of drugs-aggression. 

He was addressing a public gathering on 

creation of mass-awareness against drugs 

addiction at Bagha Upazila Parishad 

auditorium in the district yesterday as chief 

guest. 

Chaired by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shahin 

Reja, the meeting was addressed, among 

others, by Deputy Director of Department of 

Narcotics Control Lutfor Rahman and 

Medical Officer of Upazila Health Complex 

Dr Shamsun Nahar. 

Shahriar Alam said 80 percent of the drug 

addicts belong to the age group of 15 to 30 in 

the country. So, there is no alternative to 

adopt measures of combating addiction of 

drugs. 

He said maladjustment, rising crime, health 

hazards, murder and suicide are the major 

consequences of abusing of drugs like heroin, 

phensidyl, ganja, pathedrine and 

tranquilizers. 

He said the law enforcement agencies alone 

isn't capable to combat the social disease but 

community participation coupled with family 

and social contribution is very important to 

this end. Drugs-addiction-free society must 

be built at any cost to protect people 

particularly the young generation from deadly 

aggression of the drugs. 

The state minister urged the community 

people to extend their wholehearted 

cooperation towards law enforcing agencies 

with authentic information about the drugs 

traders and traffickers so that they could be 

brought to book. 

2 killed in separate 

incidents in Chattogram 

CHATTOGRAM: Two people were Killed in 

separate incidents of the district yesterday, 

reports BSS. 

Mohammad Rubel, 20, was electrocuted 

while he was repairing an electric switch at 

west Dumuria village under Raojan upazila of 

the district last morning. 

He was taken to Chattogram Medical 

College Hospital but the attending doctors 

declared him death after admission. 

While the body of an unidentified youth 

aged about 26 was recovered from a pond of 

Hazhazari upazila sadar of the district. 

A view exchange meeting on mass media's role to raise public awareness about village court was held 

at Panchagarh deputy commissioner's office on Sunday. Deputy Commissioner Md Zahirul Islam 

was present as the chief guest on the occasion. Among others, additional police super Tauhidullah 

Lupam and UNO Ehetasham Reza were also present at the occasion. Photo: Enamul Haque 

80 houses get power 

connections in 

Manikganj 

Manikganj: A total of 80 houses of four villages in Manikganj 

Sadar upazila have been brought under rural electrification 

network by Manikganj Palli Bidyut Samity, reports BSS. 

The villages are Sokai, Bengrui, Baliabil and Charghosta. 

State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque 

formally inaugurated the electricity supply programme at a 

function at Charbaroil village on Sunday. 

President of Navagram Union Awami League Md Belatet 

Hossain presided over the function. 

Addressing at the function, Zahid said about 80 percent of the 

country's people are now using electricity. 

Noting that the government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina, is working sincerely to ensure the welfare of the people, 

he said the government is developing all sectors, including 

power sector. The State Minister said: "Our government is 

committed to reach electricity at the doorsteps of all people." 

He urged people to elect Awami League again in the next 

general election for the continuation of the country's 

development. A total of 1.43 kilometres areas of the villages were 

brought under rural electrification network spending about 

Taka 23 lakh. 

232 houses 

brought under 

power network 

in Dinajpur 

DINAJPUR: A total of 232 houses of Paltapur and 

Nijpara unions under Birganj upazila of the district 

have been brought under rural electrification network 

by Dinajpur Palli Bidyut Samity (DPBS-1) on Sunday, 

reports BSS. 

Manoranjon Shill Gopal MP formally inaugurated 

the electrification programme at a simple function 

held on the premises of Paltapur union parishad as 

chief guest. 

Nijpara union parishad chairman MA Khalek 

presided over the function. Senior general manager of 

DPBS Harendranath Barman, deputy general 

manager M Mominur Rahman, joint general 

secretary of the upazila Awami League M Shamim 

Firoj Alam, president of Birganj poura Awami League 

M Mosarrof Hossain Babul and Director of DPBS-1 

Ayubul Islam Mintu were present, among others. 

DPBS brought an area of 22 miles under rural 

electrification network spending Taka about 54 lakh. 

A five day long training programme organized by 'Ekti Bari, Ekti Khamar (One Homestead, One Farm)' 

project was inaugurated in Jhalakathi on Sunday. Deputy Commissioner Md Hamidul Haque inaugurated 

the programme as the chief guest. 

Photo: Manik Roy 

KCC mayor vows 

to build drug-free 

city 

KHULNA: Newly-elected mayor of Khulna City 

Corporation (KCC) Talukder Abdul Khaleque yesterday 

asked the law enforcing agencies to strengthen antidrug 

drives and arrest listed drug traders for making 

Khulna city free from drugs, reports BSS. 

"After the prime minister's instructions, they have hit 

the ground and conducted drives against drug dealers," 

he said while addressing a meeting at Khulna Press 

Club here. 

Human Rights Protection, a rights organisation, 

arranged the meeting with its president Dr Kamrul 

Islam in chair. 

Khaleque, also the president of Khulna City unit of 

Awami League, said many families of the country were 

destroyed by drugs. 

Additional police commissioner Rakibul Islam, 

Khulna Press Club president Faruk Ahmed, its former 

president SM Nazrul Islam, general secretary Mallick 

Sudhangshu, president of Khulna Union of Journalists 

(KUJ) SM Zahid Hossain and its former president 

Mamun Reza, among others, spoke at the meeting. 

388 families of 

Nilphamari get 

electricity 

Nilphamari: A total of 388 families of Nilphamari 

sadar upazila have been brought under rural 

electrification network by Pally Biddut Samity (PBS), 

reports BSS. 

Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, MP, as 

the chief guest inaugurated the electrification 

programme at a function held on Notibari High 

School's premise under Chowra Borogacha union of 

Nilphamari district yesterday, an official handout said 

here. 

Nilphamari AL Union president Robiul Islam 

presided over the function. 

The inaugural function was attended by Awami 

League (AL) district unit president Dewan Kamal 

Ahmed, PBS General Manager Engineer SM Hasnat 

Hasan, Nilphamari Sadar Upazila Chairman Abuzar 

Rahman,Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Mamun 

Bhuiyan,AL Municipal President Mosfuqul Islam, 

Union Parishad Chairman Mosharraf Hossain, officials 

and local elites. 

Online news portal bdnyalanews.com hosted an Iftar Mahfil and a discussion meeting at Ashraful 

Ulum Hafizia madrasa in Kishoreganj upazila under Nilphamari district on Saturday. Alhaj 

Abdul Mannan chaired the occasion. Among others, Kishoreganj press club president Fazal 

Kadir, reporters unity president Abdul Mannan, officer in-charge of Kishoreganj police station 

Mofizul Haque and chairman of Sadar upazila Anisul Haque were also present at the occasion.

INTERNATIONAL 


7 

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, second from left, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, right, 

arrive to attend a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool) 

China warns US trade deals 

off if tariffs go ahead 

China warned Sunday after another round of talks on a 

sprawling trade dispute with Washington that any deals they 

produce "will not take effect" if President Donald Trump's 

threatened tariff hike on Chinese goods goes ahead, reports 

UNB. 

The warning came after delegations led by U.S. Commerce 

Secretary Wilbur Ross and China's top economic official, 

Vice Premier Liu He, wrapped up a meeting on Beijing's 

pledge to narrow its trade surplus. Ross said at the start of the 

event they had discussed specific American exports China 

might purchase, but the talks ended with no joint statement 

and neither side released details. 

The White House threw the meeting's status into doubt 

Tuesday by renewing a threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on 

$50 billion of Chinese high-tech goods in response to complaints 

Beijing steals or pressures foreign companies to hand 

over technology. The event went ahead despite that but Beijing 

said it reserved the right to retaliate. 

Tuesday's announcement revived fears the conflict 

between the two biggest economies might dampen global 

growth or encourage other governments to raise their own 

barriers to imports. 

"If the United States introduces trade sanctions including a 

tariff increase, all the economic and trade achievements 

negotiated by the two parties will not take effect," said the 

Chinese statement, carried by the official Xinhua News 

Agency. 

The negotiating process should be "based on the premise" 

of not fighting a "trade war," the statement said. 

The American Embassy in Beijing didn't immediately 

respond to a request for comment. 

Trump is pressing Beijing to narrow its politically volatile 

trade surplus with the United States, which reached a record 

$375.2 billion last year. 

Tensions eased after China promised on May 19 to "significantly 

increase" purchases of farm goods, energy and other 

products and services following the last round of talks in 

Washington. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said 

the dispute was "on hold" and the tariff hike would be postponed. 

That truce appeared to end with Tuesday's surprise 

announcement. It said the White House also will impose 

curbs on Chinese investment and purchases of U.S. high-tech 

goods and on visas for Chinese students. 

US citizen shot to death in 

Nicaragua's capital amid 

unrest 

A U.S. citizen was found shot to death in the capital Saturday as violence and social unrest continue to grip Nicaragua, reports 

UNB. The body of Sixto Henry Vera was lying in a street beside two burned vehicles with a bullet wound to the head, the state 

forensic medicine institute said. Employees at the Managua bar owned by Vera, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear 

of reprisals, said he left late Friday to help a friend who was being attacked. 

U.S. Ambassador Laura Dogu offered condolences via Twitter on Saturday to "the family of a U.S. citizen who died," saying 

the death of a U.S. citizen is of "great concern" for the embassy. Vera's death occurred at a tense time for Nicaragua. More 

than 110 people have been killed in the country since mid-April amid clashes between forces loyal to President Daniel Ortega 

and opposition groups demanding his removal. Streets across the country are often deserted after dark as armed groups circulate 

in vehicles without license plates, shooting and robbing. On Wednesday, more than a dozen people died in shootings 

that erupted around protests on Mothers' Day in Nicaragua. Gunmen firing into crowds sent thousands of demonstrators running 

for cover at the marches, which were led by mothers of victims who died in recent protests. Civil society groups alleged 

the attackers were members of paramilitary groups loyal to Ortega. Government officials blamed the opposition groups who 

are seeking to oust Ortega. 

2 climbers killed after fall from 

Yosemite’s El Capitan 

Officials say two people have been killed after they fell 

while climbing El Capitan at Yosemite National Park, 

reports UNB. 

The National Park Service says it happened around 8 

a.m. Saturday while the two people were climbing the 

Freeblast Route. Park rangers and search and rescue 

personnel responded to the scene but the climbers didn't 

survive the fall. The names of the climbers were not 

immediately released and officials would not provide 

any additional information. 

This is the second fatal incident in Yosemite National 

Park in a little over a week. 

Last week, a hiker fell to his death while climbing the 

iconic granite cliffs of Half Dome in rainy conditions. 

This Jan. 14, 2015, file photo, shows El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, Calif. El Capitan is one of 

the world's most technical and dangerous verticals. Ben Margot : AP 2015 

Duterte tells 

UN expert 'to 

go to hell' over 

criticism 

The Philippine president 

has lashed out at another 

U.N. human rights expert 

for making critical remarks 

about his supposed role in 

the expulsion of the 

Supreme Court chief justice, 

reports UNB. 

President Rodrigo Duterte 

dismissed the remarks of 

Diego Garcia-Sayan and told 

him in a televised speech 

early Sunday not to meddle 

in domestic problems and 

"to go to hell." Duterte was 

replying to a reporter's question 

before flying on a visit to 

South Korea. 

Garcia-Sayan told 

reporters in Manila on 

Thursday that the unprecedented 

ouster of Maria 

Lourdes Sereno as chief justice 

after Duterte lambasted 

her in public is an attack on 

judicial independence that 

could put Philippine democracy 

at risk. 

Duterte has reacted similarly 

against other U.N. rapporteurs 

who raised alarm 

over his deadly campaign 

against illegal drugs. 

4 killed, 4 hurt, 

1 charged in 

Missouri police 

chase crash 

A police chase in suburban 

Kansas City ended with four 

people dead, four seriously 

injured and a driver charged 

with murder, reports UNB. 

On Friday, police in Independence 

tried to pull over a 

Jeep, which fled into Kansas 

City and crashed into another 

car at an intersection. 

Police say car passengers 

29-year-old Aaron Daniel 

and 28-year-old Shawn 

Johnson of Kansas City were 

killed, plus a third person 

whose name hasn't been 

released. 

Police say a 27-year-old 

woman in the Jeep also died. 

Three others in the Jeep and 

another person in the car 

were seriously injured. 

The Jackson County Prosecutor's 

Office says 24-yearold 

Victoria Brown, of 

Kansas City, is suspected of 

being the Jeep's driver and 

has been charged with three 

counts of second-degree 

murder. 

Prosecutors say more 

charges are expected. 

Venezuela frees 

more opposition 

prisoners to 

unite nation 

The government freed 

dozens more Venezuelan 

opposition activists from jail 

Saturday, bringing to 

almost 80 the number of 

prisoners whose release 

authorities hope will unite 

the fractured nation, reports 

UNB. 

Among the 40 people 

released were two substitute 

lawmakers, one of whom 

had been held since 2014 for 

allegedly inciting violence in 

protests that year. The son 

of a former defense minister 

for the late Hugo Chavez 

was also let go. 

President Nicolas Maduro 

said after being re-elected 

May 20 in a contested victory 

that chief among his conciliatory 

measures would be 

freeing anti-government 

activists considered political 

prisoners by the opposition. 

On Friday, he released the 

first 39, and authorities said 

more releases could take 

place next week. 

Those being freed are 

barred from speaking with 

the press or on social media. 

In May, Maduro's government 

freed 20 people who 

were arrested during 

protests against widespread 

blackouts. It also freed 

Joshua Holt, a Utah man 

who had been jailed nearly 

two years earlier on 

weapons charges that U.S. 

officials considered bogus. 

Qatar won't be part 

of any military action 

against Iran 

A senior Qatari official said Sunday his 

country will not be dragged into any conflict 

with Iran, reports UNB. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of 

Defense Khalid Al Attiyah told an international 

security conference in Singapore that 

Qatar has "a lot of differences" with Iran but 

it does not mean "we go and fuel a war" in 

the region. 

"Is it wise to call the United States and to 

call Israel to go and fight Iran? ... Whether 

any third party is trying to push the region 

or some country in the region to start a war 

in Iran, this will be very dangerous," he said. 

He did not name any party but could be 

referring to Iran's rival Saudi Arabia, which 

has also led a blockade of Qatar with its Persian 

Gulf allies since June last year, accusing 

Doha of supporting extremists and refusing 

to cut ties with Tehran. 

"Iran is next door. We should call Iran, put 

all the files on the table and start to discuss 

to bring peace rather than war," he said in a 

speech. 

Responding to a question whether Qatar's 

air bases could be used to launch airstrikes 

on Iran, al-Attiyah said that his country was 

not a "fan of war" and supported engagement 

and dialogue. 

Qatar is hosting 10,000 U.S. troops stationed 

at sprawling al-Udeid Air Base as 

part of its campaign against the Islamic 

State group and the war in Afghanistan. 

Al Attiyah called for salvaging a 2015 

nuclear accord between world powers and 

Iran that offered Tehran sanctions relief for 

curbs on its nuclear program. The U.S. withdrew 

from the deal last month. 

"Everyone should keep holding on to this 

and advance with this. In my own judgement, 

I think the United States is wiser than 

to enter in a war with Iran," he said. 

He also said Qatar is "firmly aligned" 

against terrorism and has implemented 

U.N. resolutions and penalties targeting 

militants. 

India, Pakistan trade fire in 

Kashmir; 2 dead, 8 wounded 

Indian officials say two paramilitary soldiers have been killed and eight civilians 

wounded when Pakistani soldiers attacked dozens of forward posts along the highly 

militarized frontier in disputed Kashmir, reports UNB. 

The fighting comes barely a week after the two nuclear-armed rivals agreed to stop 

trading fire along the volatile frontier and uphold a cease-fire accord dating back 15 

years. 

Top police officer S.D. Singh says authorities are first trying to evacuate sick and 

injured villagers living near the frontier in bulletproof vehicles amid intense shelling 

and automatic gunfire. Indian border guards say Pakistan "yet again blatantly" violated 

the 2003-cease-fire agreement and they are retaliating. Pakistan did not immediately 

comment. 

India and Pakistan have a long history of bitter relations over Kashmir, which both 

claim. 

India and Pakistan have a long history of bitter relations over Kashmir, 

which both claim. 

(File: AFP) 

Protests resume after 

Palestinian paramedic’s 

Gaza funeral 

Thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds 

of medical workers in white uniforms, 

took part Saturday in the funeral procession 

of a colleague who was shot dead by Israeli 

troops the previous day along the Israel- 

Gaza border, reports UNB. 

Razan Najjar, a 21-year-old volunteer 

paramedic, was shot as she tried to help 

evacuate wounded near Israel's perimeter 

fence with Gaza. She was the second woman 

among more than 115 Palestinians who have 

been killed by Israeli army fire since Gaza 

border protests began in late March. 

U.N. officials condemned the killing of 

Najjar, saying that witness reports indicated 

she wore clothing that clearly identified her 

as a health worker. 

"The killing of a clearly identified medical 

staffer by security forces during a demonstration 

is particularly reprehensible," said 

Jamie McGoldrick, the local U.N. humanitarian 

coordinator. After Najjar's funeral, 

dozens of mourners headed to the fence and 

started throwing stones at the Israeli soldiers 

on the other side. The Palestinian Health 

Ministry said five protesters were wounded 

by Israeli fire. 

Later Saturday, in a development that 

threatened to collapse an informal cease-fire, 

the Israeli military said two projectiles were 

fired from Gaza. One was intercepted by the 

Iron Dome defense system and the other 

landed inside Gaza. Earlier this week, Gaza 

militants fired a large barrage at Israel, 

which responded with heavy strikes on Gaza 

installations. 

Early Sunday, the Israeli military said 

fighter jets attacked three Hamas military 

compounds in response to the rocket fire. It 

said it struck a total of 10 targets, including 

weapons manufacturing and storage sites. 

Militants responded by firing another projectile 

that was intercepted, the army said. 

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the Israeli 

military said its troops shot dead a Palestinian 

who tried to ram a tractor into its forces. 

The military said its initial investigation 

revealed that a 35-year-old Palestinian from 

a village near Hebron tried to run over an 

officer with a Bobcat tractor. The attacker 

then turned around and tried to attack nearby 

Israeli civilians, the military said. It said a 

soldier opened fire, killing the assailant. No 

Israeli troops were harmed. 

Nearly half of 

Afghan children 

are not in school 

A new report says nearly half of 

Afghanistan's children are not attending 

school because of war, poverty, child marriage 

and other factors, reports UNB. 

The study, released by the Education Ministry 

and the U.N. children's agency on Sunday, 

says 3.7 million, or 44 percent, of all 

school-age children are not attending school. 

It marks the first time since the U.S.-led 

invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 that the rate 

of attendance has declined, following years 

of steady gains in education for boys as well 

as girls, who were banned from attending 

school under the Taliban. 

The survey says girls account for 60 percent 

of those being denied an education. 

The Taliban have seized several districts 

across the country in recent years, as the 

U.S.-backed government has struggled to 

combat the insurgency.

MoNDAy, JUNe 4, 2018 

8 

Abhishek Bachchan wishes his parents 

on their 45th wedding anniversary 

Abhishek Bachchan has wished his 

parents, Bollywood actors Amitabh 

and Jaya Bachchan, on their 45th 

wedding anniversary, with an 

adorable photo on Instagram. They 

tied the knot on June 3, 1973. 

Amitabh Bachchan also tweeted on 

the occasion. He wrote, "They that 

H o roScope 

ArIeS 

(March 21 - April 20): 

Natives of Aries are often 

confident and energetic 

people, who should consider 

setting up arrangements for larger family 

gatherings like reunions. Natives of this 

sign are often driving forces in the 

professional and political areas. 

TAUrUS 

(April 21 - May 21): The 

obstacles you face at the 

moment may be daunting 

but you have what it takes 

to overcome them. Don't try to avoid 

what fate sends your way over the next 

few days - it is designed to strengthen 

you, not destroy you. 

GeMINI 

(May 22 - June 21): There 

may be times when you 

would like nothing better 

than to cut yourself off 

from the world at large but that simply 

isn't possible. Make the best job of 

what you are expected to do and try to 

steal a few hours for yourself later on. 

LIBrA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): At 

some stage over the next 

few days you will see or 

hear something that makes 

you view the world in a new light. A 

change of perspective will lead to new 

ways of thinking, ways that answer all 

the questions you have been asking. 

ScorpIo 

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): Find 

out why a partner or loved 

one is behaving so 

erratically, then do what 

you can to assist them. Most likely 

their problems are nowhere near as big 

as they think they are and can quite 

easily be corrected - as can your own! 

SAGITTArIUS 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Yours is 

a sign of boundless selfconfidence 

and that's good 

because you will need it 

over the next few days. If you are not 

happy in your current environment 

don't be afraid to pack a bag and take 

off for a few days. 

give love and send greetings on 

our 45th marriage anniversary. 

My gratitude and love." 

As per reports, Big B and Jaya 

won't be celebrating the day 

together as Jaya is travelling. 

He wrote on his blog, "It is 

about to chime the bell for 

midnight, the 3rd of June, time 

to call the wife who travels and 

to wish her for the years 

together. Tomorrow shall be 

another day... normal for most, 

special for some. Life shuffles 

about and continues its long 

and justifiable journey." 

In the same post, Big B talked 

about the Mumbai monsoon. 

He wrote, "Nature waits for 

this moment an entire year; as 

do we for the relief of summer 

and the gentleness of climate 

around. But does it bring 

succour to them that farm and 

harvest; to them that dwell 

without roof upon the pavements; to 

them that work their jobs for 

earnings on open skies?" 

pakistani actor 

Urwa Hocane 

calls out Swara 

Bhaskar for 

contradicting 

statements 

Pakistani VJ and actor Urwa Hocane is not 

happy with Veere Di Wedding actor Swara 

Bhasakar making two contradictory 

statements about Pakistan. 

On Sunday, Urwa posted two clips, one old 

and another from Saturday, from different 

interviews given by Swara to two different 

channels. While the first clip is from an 

interview she did on a Pakistani channel, the 

second is from a conversation between the 

team of Veere Di Wedding and Rajeev 

Masand of News 18 on June 2. 

Urwa wrote while tagging Swara in the 

post, "Need I say more?" The first clip shows 

Swara praising Pakistan and its people. She 

said, "Pakistan is not like how it is described, 

an enemy state. I swear, I have been to 

London, New York, Istanbul, Paris, every city 

fails in front of Lahore." 

In the second video, she can be seen calling 

Pakistan a 'failing state'. While pointing out 

Pakistan's non-secular nature as a state, she 

said, "I don't understand why we keep taking 

pleasure from all the silly things that happen 

in Pakistan. 

Swara also said that the Pakistani 

vocabulary is 'way worse' than what 'we do'. 

Interestingly, in her interview with the 

Pakistani channel, she categorically praised 

Pakistan's day-to-day vocabulary. 

On the work front, Swara's latest film 

Veere Di Wedding that also features Sonam 

Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Shikha 

Talsania, has opened to packed houses. 

Veere Di Wedding isn’t perfect, 

but Bollywood needs such 

female-buddy films 

Bollywood has had its share of male 

friendships in Jai-Veeru and Amar-Prem. 

But which is the last female buddy film you 

remember? Was it Lipstick Under My 

Burkha or Pink or Angry Indian 

Goddesses? I say none of them. That's 

because these were dark, daunting and 

pointed a finger at the societal structure in 

one way or the other. Cut to 2018 and it's 

Veere Di Wedding. Right from the word go, 

Veere Di Wedding was a celebration of 

sorts. From its posters to trailer, it was a 

riot of colours and fun. And well, after 

watching it now, I can say Bollywood has 

found a noteworthy female-buddy film. 

Veere Di Wedding was touted as "not a 

chick flick". Its lead cast of Kareena Kapoor 

Khan, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Swara 

ranbir Kapoor 

After creating a buzz with the film's 

trailer, the makers of Sanju have released 

the first song from the film. Titled Main 

Badhiya, Tu Hi Badhiya, the song sees 

Sanjay Dutt, played by Ranbir Kapoor, lip 

syncing to different voices. 

Sonam Kapoor, who is playing Sanjay 

Dutt's girlfriend in the film, tweeted the 

song Sunday morning. It starts with 

Ranbir accepting the challenge thrown by 

Sunil Dutt to lip-sync to a song. It then 

introduces Sonam's character. They take 

the song forward. 

Voiced by Sunidhi Chauhan and Sonu 

Nigam, the song is a simple number with 

a focus on creating nostalgia about Dutt's 

life. The nasal touch by the singers is an 

Bhasker and Shikha Talsania kept 

asserting that the film wasn't any dose of 

feminism too. And well, now I cannot agree 

any less. Veere Di Wedding is in fact 

everything sans even a drop of feminism. It 

doesn't talk about equality. It has nothing 

to do with women issues. It does not aim at 

bringing about any change either. This 

Shashanka Ghosh film is simply woven 

around four childhood friendships, some 

lost desires, self-discoveries and fighting 

one's own inner battles. Kanye West's 

listening party for his new album Ye was 

VERY Kanye 

The tourist guide describes it as "a place 

where you can go days without seeing 

another soul... filled with wildlife, wild 

folks and even a guy called wild Bill." 

accepts the challenge 

to lip-sync in Sanju 

song Main Badhiya 

attempt to give it the '60s feel when it was 

permanent fixture in songs by singers like 

KL Saigal and Geeta Dutt. 

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, Sanju is a 

biopic on Dutt's colourful life. Ranbir, 

who has matched Dutt's mannerism to 

perfection, said at the trailer launch that 

he would like to impress Dutt with his 

act. He said, "I know I never can be the 

man he is, but in whichever way that I go 

about in my career as a person and even 

through this film, I really want Sanju sir 

to like me because I feel that he is man 

that I respect a lot and I really look up to 

him. I hope that he feels that I have 

represented his life in a very honest and 

improved way." 

cANcer 

(June 22 - July 23): Some 

things are important and 

some things are not and if 

you don't yet know the 

difference then it's time you found out. 

This should be a productive time for 

you but you need to learn how to say 

"no" when people ask you for favours. 

Leo 

(July 24 - Aug. 23): If you 

are not yet getting the 

rewards and the respect you 

deserve don't worry, in a 

matter of days your name will be on 

everybody's lips. The sun in Aries makes 

you both creative and adventurous, so 

do something out of the ordinary. 

VIrGo 

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): You may 

be tempted to go on a 

journey today but the planets 

warn it could lead you in 

some unforeseen directions, so make 

sure you take a map and don't promise 

to be at a certain place at a specific time 

- because you won't make it. 

cAprIcorN 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): You seem 

to lack purpose at the 

moment but that will change 

if you look for ways to express 

yourself. Whatever challenges come your 

way, and there will be plenty, see them as 

opportunities to be embraced rather than 

as threats to be avoided. 

AQUArIUS 

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): Stay calm 

and keep setbacks in 

perspective. If you can learn 

to take yourself a bit less 

seriously over the coming week then your 

problems, such as they are, will fade into 

insignificance. Rest assured your successes 

will always outnumber your failures. 

pISceS 

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20): It does 

not matter if other people 

approve of what you are 

doing, it matters only that 

it means something to you. The very 

last thing you should be doing now is 

asking friends and family for their 

opinions - it's your views that count. 

Swara Bhaskar gets back to 

trolls after identical Veere Di 

Wedding tweets 

Vere Di Wedding that 

released on June 1 is 

having a good run at the 

box office. The film 

starring Sonam Kapoor, 

Kareena Kapoor, Shikha 

Talsania and Swara 

Bhaskar is getting praise 

and criticism in equal 

amounts. 

Out of the four leads, 

Swara has become the 

talking point in most of the 

conversation around Veere 

Di Wedding. First a lady's 

two-minute video went 

viral where she makes a 

funny observation about 

Swara playing a rich 

character in the film, and 

now a special tweet has 

come her way. 

Interestingly, the 

identical tweet has been 

posted by many handles. 

Twitter users like Joydas 

and Rahul Pandita pointed 

the similarity in tweets, 

and then came Swara's 

savage reply. Swara was 

trolled when she spoke 

about the Kathua rape in 

April, earlier this year. She 

had said, "I am Hindustan.

SPORTS 


9 

The Arsenal defender insists that the Barcelona and Argentina superstar is the best player in the 

world, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Photo: AP 

Mustafi lauds ‘unpredictable’ 

genius of Messi 

Sports Desk: 

Shkodran Mustafi says that Lionel Messi is the toughest 

opponent he has ever faced, such is his unpredictable 

genius, reports Goal.com. 

Messi has been in astonishing form yet again this season, 

scoring 45 goals and providing 18 assists in just 54 

appearances in all competitions. 

He has yet to truly shine with Argentina on the grandest 

stage of them all, however, and will hope to inspire his 

team-mates to glory in Russia this summer. 

Indeed, the Arsenal centre-back believes that Messi can 

pass any defence he comes up against, rating the 30-yearold 

as his best opponent. "Lionel Messi was my hardest 

opponent," he told Bild. 

"I played him three times with Valencia. You cannot 

predict him, he is small and very quick, changes his 

direction quite often. "When he runs towards three 

Sports Desk: 

Neymar will make his first 

appearance for over three months on 

Sunday (June 3) as Brazil boss Tite 

confirmed the Paris Saint-Germain 

striker will play in the second half of 

his country's friendly against Croatia, 

reports AP. 

Neymar suffered a fractured foot 

while playing for PSG against 

Marseille in Ligue 1 on February 25. 

The 26-year-old had surgery in 

Brazil amid fears he wouldn't be fit 

for the World Cup. But Neymar 

recovered well enough to be included 

in the Selecao squad for the 

tournament, which gets underway in 

Russia on June 14. 

Facing a race to be fit for Brazil's 

World Cup opener against 

Switzerland on June 17, Neymar will 

get a chance to use Sunday's clash at 

Anfield to show he is ready to lead the 

five-time world champions in Russia. 

"Neymar? He'll start on the bench 

opponents you can nearly be sure that he breaks through." 

Mustafi has also played against Cristiano Ronaldo, who 

will also be gunning for glory in Russia with Portugal. 

And the 26-year-old has weighed into the eternal debate 

comparing the two, insisting Messi has the edge. 

"Ronaldo is more of a striker in the box," he added. 

"Messi can also play good passes and make his team 

mates stronger. For me, he is the best player in the 

world." 

Mustafi has also lauded the quality of the Premier 

League, and the unpredictability of the division, 

compared with Spain and Germany; Arsenal finished 

sixth, 12 points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. 

"The Premier League is very exciting," he said. 

"Every year, a different team can win the league and 

there is at least one top game every weekend. In Spain, 

there are only three teams. In Germany, Bayern play there 

own league. Besides that, everyone can beat everyone" 

Loew fumes as ‘sloppy’ Germany 

crash on Neuer’s return 

Sports Desk: 

Joachim Loew slammed "sloppy" 

Germany as the world champions 

crashed to a 2-1 defeat by Austria on 

Manuel Neuer's comeback to leave them 

winless in their last five games, reports 

BSS. 

"If we play like that in Russia, then we 

have no chance," fumed Germany head 

coach Loew in Klagenfurt on Saturday. 

Less than a fortnight before the World 

Cup kicks off in Russia, Germany have 

now suffered back-to-back defeats after 

also sliding to a 1-0 loss to Brazil in Berlin 

in March. 

The good news from a German 

perspective is that Bayern Munich 

goalkeeper Neuer looks set to go to the 

World Cup, having proved his fitness 

despite eight months on the sidelines due 

to injury. 

However, when the Germany defence 

buckled in the second half, Neuer was 

powerless to stop Martin Hinteregger and 

Alessandro Schoepf scoring after Mesut 

Ozil had given the Germans an early lead. 

"That was a good comeback from Manuel 

Neuer after so long out," said Loew. "He 

made one or two outstanding saves, but 

the defeat annoys me. "We didn't put into 

practice what we had planned. 

"After the break, we fell into a pattern 

which I didn't like at all and we were far 

too sloppy in our game going forward." 

However, Loew was keeping calm with 

one eye on the World Cup. 

"There is a lot of work to do, but we 

won't drive ourselves crazy," he said. 

"In two weeks, the team will be very 

differently prepared and I won't be having 

sleepless nights." Loew left out World Cup 

winners Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos, 

Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng, but 

the Germans only controlled the raindelayed 

game for the first half an hour. 

Loew declined to comment when a poll 

by national broadcaster ZDF showed the 

majority of German fans would rather see 

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter 

Stegen than Neuer play at the World Cup. 

Neymar to return from 

injury against Croatia 

because he's still recovering, and will 

come on at half-time because we're 

preparing as a team," Tite told 

reporters at a press conference on 

Saturday. 

"I don't know yet who'll come off for 

him, he has to be our star player but 

the others have to shine as well." 

Neymar scored 28 goals in 30 

appearances in all competitions for 

PSG in an impressive first season in 

France following his blockbuster 

move from Barcelona. 

Rubi 

appointed 

Espanyol 

coach 

Sports Desk: La Liga's 

Espanyol have appointed 

Joan Francesc Ferrer, 

known as Rubi, as head 

coach for two seasons, the 

Barcelona outfit said on 

Sunday, reports BSS. 

Fresh from leading 

Huesca to promotion to La 

Liga Rubi also has previous 

coaching experience at both 

Espanyol and Barcelona. 

The club was taken over by 

Chinese investors after 

coming 8th in the 2016-2017 

season and finished 11th in 

their latest campaign, 

sacking their coach Quique 

Sanchez Flores in April. 

Cahill, Arzani 

in Australia's 

final World 

Cup squad 

Sports Desk: 

Tim Cahill will play in his 

fourth World Cup and 

teenager Daniel Arzani 

made the final cut as 

Australia's coach Bert van 

Marwijk finalised his 23- 

man squad Sunday, reports 

BSS. 

The 38-year-old Cahill is 

his country's most prolific 

international scorer with 

50 goals and has scored at 

his three previous World 

Cups. 

Cahill got the nod for the 

tournament, which kicks 

off in Russia on June 14, 

despite 

limited 

appearances for Millwall in 

England's second-tier 

Championship since 

returning to south London 

in January. 

Iran-born 19-year-old 

Arzani and Dimi Petratos 

were included but James 

Troisi, Josh Brillante, 

Nikita Rukavytsya and 

Fran Karacic were left out 

of the squad. 

Striker Jamie Maclaren 

was retained in the 23 after 

coming in as injury cover 

for Tomi Juric, who was 

also selected. 

Dutchman van Marwijk 

released his squad 

following Friday's 4-0 

friendly win over the Czech 

Republic in Austria. 

"I have been very pleased 

with the effort and 

application of all of the 

players during our time in 

Turkey, and in Austria," 

van Marwijk said in a 

statement. 

"Every step of the 

selection process has been 

difficult because the 

players have all given 

everything to make the 

final selection." 

He believed the squad 

would make their country 

proud at the tournament "if 

we continue to work 

collectively and intensively 

over the next two weeks 

and into the competition". 

Iran-born 19-year-old 

Arzani and Dimi Petratos 

were included but James 

Troisi, Josh Brillante, 

Nikita Rukavytsya and 

Fran Karacic were left out 

of the squad. 

Australia have another 

friendly against Hungary in 

Budapest on Saturday 

ahead of their World Cup 

games against France, 

Denmark and Peru. 

Trio head home from ISS with 

football slated for World Cup 

Sports Desk: 

Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov was on his way back to Earth on Sunday along with an 

official match football that could be used later this month in the opening game of the World 

Cup in Moscow, reports BSS. 

Shkaplerov, Scott Tingle of the United States and Norishige Kanai of Japan undocked from 

the International Space Station in their Soyuz MS-07 capsule and began making their descent 

at 0916 GMT according to the Russian space agency Roscosmos. 

They are set to land in Kazakhstan around 1240 GMT after having spent 168 days in space. 

Roscosmos posted on Thursday a video of Shkaplerov and fellow cosmonaut Oleg 

Artemyev practicing in the ISS with an Adidas Telstar 18 football. Russian news agency TASS 

reported that the ball is planned to be used during the opening game of the 2018 FIFA World 

Cup in Moscow on June 14, although FIFA has not confirmed that information. Shkaplerov, 

Tingle and Kanai spent more than five months in space working on a variety of scientific 

experiments. First-time flyer Tingle also completed a spacewalk to replace the hand on the 

station's robotic arm. 

Losing start for Tigresses 

Sports Desk: 

Bangladesh's women's team got off to a 

losing start in the Women's Asia Cup T20 

when they on Sunday suffered a six-wicket 

defeat to Sri Lanka at Royal Selangor Club at 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, reports BSS. 

Sri Lanka opted to bowl first and left-arm 

pacer Udeshika Prabodhani justified the 

decision almost instantaneously, having 

Shamima Sultana lbw off the second ball of 

the match. 

Only three batters reached double figures 

as Bangladesh were bowled out for 63. They 

lost their last five wickets for just 11 runs, as 

they failed to build any effective partnership 

in the face of devastating Sri Lankan bowing 

attack. 

Left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari was 

the most successful bowlers as she claimed 

three wickets for 17 runs. 

In reply, Sri Lanka hardly had to sweat as 

they chased down the target in 14.3 overs, 

losing four wickets with openers Nipuni 

Hansika top scoring 23 and Yasoda Mendis 

making 20 runs. 

Khadija Tul Kubra was the pick of 

Bangladesh bowlers as she claimed three 

wickets conceding 13 runs. 

Sugandika Kumari of Sri Lanka was 

named the player. 

The eve-cricket team will play their next 

match against Pakistan on June 4 at the 

Kinrara Oval. They will face India at the 

same venue on June 6. The women's team 

will face Thailand on June 7 while host 

Malaysia on June 9 at the Kinrara Oval. 

The top two teams will progress to the final 

scheduled to be held at the Kinrara Oval on 

June 10. 

Kagiso Rabada, the world's number one Test bowler, was named South 

Africa's Cricketer of the Year. 

Photo: AP 

Rabada wins South Africa’s 

top player prize 

Sports Desk: 

Kagiso Rabada, the world's number one Test 

bowler, was named South Africa's Cricketer 

of the Year, reports AP. 

The award came at the end of a 12-month 

period during which Rabada, 23, was a 

consistent match-winner-and subject of 

disciplinary hearings. Rabada took 72 

wickets at an average of 19.52 in 12 Tests 

going back to a series in England last July. 

Johannesburg: Kagiso Rabada, the world's 

number one Test bowler, was named South 

Africa's Cricketer of the Year. 

The award came at the end of a 12-month 

period during which Rabada, 23, was a 

consistent match-winner-and subject of 

disciplinary hearings. 

Rabada took 72 wickets at an average of 

19.52 in 12 Tests going back to a series in 

England last July. He missed one Test in 

England because he was banned after 

reaching a demerit points threshold-and 

would have missed the last two Tests against 

Australia earlier this year if he had not 

appealed successfully against a verdict that 

would have brought a two-match ban for 

reaching a second threshold. 

Rabada went on to be man of the series 

when South Africa beat Australia in a 

controversial four-match series. 

The ban came after a collision with 

Australian captain Steve Smith. Match 

referee Jeff Crowe found him guilty of a level 

two offence and he was docked three demerit 

points, which triggered an automatic ban. 

But it was downgraded to a level one 

offence with one demerit point. 

Rabada remains in danger of missing more 

matches, though, because he has 

accumulated seven points, one short of a 

ban. With points remaining on his record for 

two years, he will not start shedding points 

until February 2019. 

It was Rabada's second Cricketer of the 

Year award. He also won in 2016. He joined 

Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya 

Ntini and AB de Villiers as two-time winners. 

Rabada collected a total of six awards, 

including Test cricketer of the year, one-day 

international player of the year and players' 

player of the year. 

Brazil's star striker Neymar (right) shares a light moment with midfielder Philippe Coutinho during 

a training session ahead of their international friendly match against Croatia. 

Photo: AP 

Broad defends his right to 

reply to Vaughan blast 

Sports Desk: 

Stuart Broad's war of words with 

Michael Vaughan continued Sunday as 

he insisted he had the right to hit back at 

criticism from the former England 

captain, reports BSS. 

Vaughan made waves before the 

ongoing second Test against Pakistan at 

Headingley by suggesting that either 

Broad or James Anderson, England's 

two all-time leading Test wicket-takers, 

be dropped to "ruffle some feathers" 

after the hosts' nine-wicket defeat at 

Lord's. But after each of the veteran 

new-ball duo took three wickets apiece 

in Pakistan's first-innings 174 at 

Headingley in a match England must 

win to end the series all square at 1-1, 

Broad revealed he had phoned Vaughan 

to discuss what he thought were 

"targeted" and "unfair" remarks. 

Vaughan, commentating on BBC 

Radio's Test Match Special, then in turn 

responded on Saturday by reminding 

Broad his comments "may come back to 

bite him" and that England had not yet 

won at Headingley. Broad has now had 

a further say in his column for Britain's 

Mail on Sunday newspaper. 

Significantly, however, he chose to refer 

to Vaughan, his first England captain, 

not by the former Yorkshire batsman's 

name but merely as "a pundit". "It's fair 

to say it's been an interesting week for 

me and the team - on and off the field," 

Broad wrote. 

"I spoke to the press after play on 

Friday night and was asked about the 

views of a pundit who had criticised me. 

"Fair enough, everyone is entitled to 

their opinion, but surely that also means 

players have the right to respond to 

comments made about them?"," he 

added.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

BANGLADESHTODAY 10 

THE 


A 4 days long Training Course on Foreign Exchange & International Trade was held at Al-Arafah 

Islami Bank Training & Research Institute recently (14 may 2018 to 17 May 2018). Managing Director 

of the Bank Md. Habibur Rahman inaugurated the course as Chief Guest. Principal of the Institute 

and Executive Vice President Md. Abdur Rahim Duary and Vice President of AIBTRI Touhid 

Siddique were also present in the occasion. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Chinese mainland's 

overseas portfolio 

investment hits 498 

bln USD 

The Chinese mainland's 


investment rose last year, 

with Hong Kong being the 

prime destination, official 

data showed, reports BSS. 

At the end of last year, the 

mainland's overseas 

portfolio investment assets 

(excluding reserve assets) 

were worth 498 billion U.S. 

dollars, up from 360 billion 

dollars at the end of 2016, 

according to the State 

Administration of Foreign 

Exchange. 

Of the total, 304 billion 

dollars were held in equity 

investments while the 

remaining 194 billion dollars 

flowed into bond investment. 

In breakdown, nearly a 

third of the total was invested 

in Hong Kong, followed by 

the United States with 145 

billion dollars and the 

Cayman Islands with 38 

billion dollars. 

China started to publish 

country-specific figures on 


investment in January 2016 

after joining the Coordinated 

Portfolio Investment Survey 

conducted by the 

International Monetary 

Fund at the end of 2015. 

Jordan protests snowball 

over IMF-backed austerity 

Angry protests rocked 

cities across Jordan 

overnight against IMFbacked 

austerity measures 

including a new income tax 

draft law and price hikes, 

hours after the government 

and unions failed to reach 

an agreement to end the 

standoff. 

Around 3,000 people 

faced down a heavy 

security presence to gather 

near the prime minister's 

office in central Amman 

until the early hours of 

Saturday morning, waving 

Jordanian flags and signs 

reading "we will not kneel". 

Protests have gripped the 

country since Wednesday, 

when hundreds flooded the 

streets of Amman and 

demonstrated in other 

cities to demand the fall of 

the government. 

Last week the 

government proposed an 

income tax draft law, yet to 

be approved by parliament, 

aimed at increasing taxes 

on employees by at least 5 

percent and on companies 

by between 20 and 40 

percent. 

It is the latest in a series 

of economic reforms and 

repeated price hikes on 

basic goods since Amman 

secured a $723-million 

three-year credit line from 

the International Monetary 

Fund in 2016. 

The Economist 

Intelligence Unit earlier 

this year ranked Jordan's 

capital as one of the most 

expensive in the Arab 

world. 

Since January, Jordan - 

which suffers high 

unemployment and has 

few natural resources - has 

seen repeated price rises 

including on bread, as well 

as tax hikes on basic goods. 

Overnight, protestors 

outside premier Hani 

Mulki's office shouted 

slogans including "the ones 

raising prices want to burn 

the country" and "this 

Jordan is our Jordan, 

Mulki should leave". 

The prime minister met 

on Saturday with trade 

union representatives who 

demanded the income tax 

law be revoked, but failed 

to reach an agreement. 

The head of Jordan's 

federation of unions, Ali 

Obus, demanded that the 

state "maintain its 

independence and not bow 

to IMF demands". 

King Abdullah II called 

on parliament to lead a 

"comprehensive and 

reasonable national 

dialogue" on the new tax 

law. 

"It would not be fair that 

the citizen alone bears the 

burden of financial 

reforms," he told officials 

on Saturday evening. 

A majority of 78 out of 

parliament's 130 

representatives have 

pledged to vote against the 

income tax law introduced 

by the government last 

month. 

The speaker of Jordan's 

senate called a consultative 

meeting for Sunday. 

Mulki told reporters on 

Saturday that meetings 

would continue, adding: 

"Sending this bill to the 

house of representatives 

does not mean that the 

house of representatives 

will approve it". 

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited Chittagong region organized a discussion titled `Siam, Taqwah and 

Sadaqah' and hosted an Iftar Mahfil on Saturday at Radisson Blue Hotel, Chittagong. Prof. Md. 

Nazmul Hassan Ph.D, Chairman of the Bank was present in the program as Chief Guest. Prof. Dr. 

Md. Salim Uddin, FCA, FCMA, Chairman, Executive Committee of the bank was present in the program 

as special guest. Presided over by Md. Mahbub ul Alam, Managing Director & CEO, Dr. 

Mohammad Gias Uddin Talukder, Member, Shari`ah Supervisory Committee of the Bank presented 

the key note paper. Sheikh Moulana Mohammad Qutubuddin, Chairman of the Committee conducted 

munajat. Mohammed Monirul Moula, Additional Managing Director also addressed the program. 

Abu Reza Md. Yeahia, Deputy Managing Director, Md. Saleh Iqbal, Senior Executive Vice President 

and Head of Chittagong North Zone, Md. Nizamul Hoque, Executive Vice President and Head of 

Chittagong South Zone, Md. Nayer Azam, Senior Vice President and Head of Agrabad Corporate 

Branch and Mohammed Shabbir, Senior Vice President and Head of Khatungonj Corporate Branch 

along with Industrialists, Businesspersons, Intellectuals, Educationists, Ulema and Social Elites 

attended at the program. 


First Security Islami Bank Ltd. (FSIBL) and Amber It Ltd. signed a corporate & mobile financial services 

agreement on 31 May 2018 at FSIBL Head office. Under this agreement, Amber It clients can pay 

their bills through any FSIBL branch and mobile financial services FirstPay SureCash. Syed 

Waseque Md. Ali, Managing Director of FSIBL and Mohammad Aminul Hakim, Chief Executive 

Officer of Amber IT Ltd. exchanged the agreement on behalf of their organizations. Among others, 

Md. Mustafa Khair, Deputy Managing Director, Ali Nahid Khan, VP and Head of Alternative 

Delivery Channel Division, Md. Faridur Rahman Jalal, VP of Agent Banking & Mobile Banking of 

First Security Islami Bank, Abul Kalam Sumsuddin, General Manager (Finance), A B M 

Moniruzzaman, General Manager (Operation) of Amber IT Limited along with the other officials of 

both organizations were present on the occasion. 


Gitanjali Jewelers brings diamond ornaments of different modern design. To make the Eid delightful it 

gives 35pc discount on attractive diamond jewelry and 35pc discount on making charge of gold jewelry. 

Here you will get different type of necklace, finger ring, ear ring, nose pin, platinum ring, locket of diamond 

and gold at lowest price. This offer will continue during the whole month of Ramadan. For details 

please contact: Pink City Shopping Mall, Gulshan-2, Maskat Plaza, Uttara and Tokyo Square, 

Mohammadpur. 


Prime Bank Limited organized a discussion session on Ramadan at Samson H. Chowdhury Centre, 

Dhaka Club recently. Member of Prime Bank Shariah Supervisory Committee Prof. Dr. Maolana 

Mohammad Shahidul Islam Barakati was the speaker on the subject while Managing Director of the 

Bank Rahel Ahmed gave vote of thanks. Among others, Vice Chairman of the Bank Mafiz Ahmed 

Bhuiyan, Chairman of the Audit Committee Shamsuddin Ahmad Ph.D, Director- Md. Shahadat Hossain, 

M. Farhad Hussain FCA, AMD, DMD's, senior executives of the bank, renowned Islamic thinkers and 

educationists, Valued Clients of the Bank were also present on the occasion. 


US isolated as trade outrage 

roils G7 ministerial meet 

Group of Seven finance ministers ended 

their annual meeting Saturday with US 

allies united in condemning Washington's 

aggressive protectionism, calling on 

President Donald Trump to reverse his 

decision to impose punishing metal tariffs, 

reports BSS. 

The lack of common ground meant the 

dispute would continue into next week's 

G7 summit in Quebec, Canada, where 

Trump is expected to face other heads of 

state as the global economy verges on 

outright trade conflict. 

At this snow-capped mountain resort 

north of Vancouver, British Columbia, US 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was 

the odd man out. Major trading partners 

rebuked Trump's multi-front trade 

offensive while their governments 

announced countermeasures and legal 

challenges. One after another, finance 

ministers and central bankers spoke of 

exasperation and an abiding sense of 

betrayal by a longtime ally. 

Mnuchin, however, downplayed the 

disagreements and said the United States 

was committed to the G7 process. 

Announcing the meeting's close, 

Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau 

said the host government and five others 

had urged Mnuchin to relay their 

"unanimous concern and 

disappointment." 

"We said that we were collectively 

hoping that he would bring the message 

back of regret and disappointment at the 

American actions and concern that they 

are not constructive," said Morneau. 

French Finance Minister Bruno Le 

Maire also expressed France's outrage as 

the meetings ended. 

"I want to make it clear," Le Maire said, 

"that it is up to the US administration to 

make the right decisions to alleviate the 

situation and ease the difficulties." 

Avoiding trade war "will depend on the 

decision the (US) administration is ready 

to take in the next few days and in the next 

few hours - I'm not talking about weeks 

ahead," he added. 

China's economic 

development zones 

see steady trade 

growth in 2017 

China's national economic 

development zones reported 

steady trade growth in 2017, 

according to the Ministry of 

Commerce, reports BSS. 

The trade volume of the 219 

national economic 

development zones reached 

5.6 trillion yuan (875 billion 

U.S. dollars) last year, up 17.5 

percent year on year, 

according to MOC 

spokesperson Gao Feng. 

Exports stood at 3.2 trillion 

yuan last year, up 17 percent 

year on year and 6.2 

percentage points higher than 

the national average growth. 

Exports of high-tech goods 

hit 1.1 trillion yuan, up 11.5 

percent year on year. 

Imports reached 2.4 trillion 

yuan in 2017, up 18 percent 

year on year, which is slightly 

lower than the national 

growth on average. 

The Uzbek entrepreneur tapping 

paper's age-old power 

The passage of time seems to have 

slowed down at Zarif Mukhtarov's paper 

mill in a village not far from ex-Soviet 

Uzbekistan's silk road city, Samarkand, 

reports BSS. 

Here in the countryside, where rulers of 

the Timurid Empire once sought a 

verdant sanctuary from their bustling 

capital, geese sidle by in pairs and tourists 

feast on pilau made with local rice from 

clay-rich soil. Mukhtarov, a 62-year-old 

Samarkand native, was a potter like his 

father before he set about reviving a 

paper-making technique coveted for 

centuries by much of the known world. 

Nowadays, he says, the legendary paper 

once produced in Samarkand has been 

consigned to history by the bland, white, 

industrial-made stuff and, of course, 

computers. 

But that doesn't stop thousands of 

guests arriving at his door every year in 

the village of Koni Ghil, which has 

become a must-stop on the country's 

growing tourist trail. 

"Foreign guests come here to learn 

more about our traditions and our 

history," said Mukhtarov. 

"Local people come here to learn about 

themselves," he added, as his kite-flying, 

eight-year-old granddaughter 

Mekhrubon tore around the workers' 

yard in a blur of colour. 

The story of how Samarkand emerged 

as a global paper-making centre is a 

favourite among historians who study the 

rise and fall of ancient trade routes 

linking East Asia and Europe, even if they 

admit the precise details are hazy. 

Production there began some time in 

the second half of the eighth century AD 

after Chinese troops invaded Central Asia 

but were defeated by forces under the 

control of Abu Muslim, a general of the 

Arab Abbasid caliphate. 

"Among the Chinese (prisoners) 

captured were masters in the art of 

making paper," says Makhmud 

Nasrullayev, a historian at the University 

of Samarkand. 

"In return for their lives being spared, 

they brought to Samarkand their secret of 

paper," said Nasrullayev. 

What separated Samarkand's paper 

from the Chinese version and saw it 

gradually displace papyrus across Europe 

and the Middle East in the coming 

centuries was its smooth, glossy finish. 

This meant that it absorbed less ink and 

could therefore be used for writing on 

both sides. The paper produced in 

Samarkand's mills was also far more 

durable than papyrus. 

"Samarkand paper was polished with 

the help of an agate stone," said 

Mukhtarov, the mill owner, whose paper 

is the superior of three kinds produced at 

Samarkand's mills until the 19th century, 

when the city fell under tsarist control. 

"The Chinese didn't need to polish their 

paper because they used brushes to write 

instead of quills," he added.

MISCELLANEOUS 

MoNDAY, jUNe 4, 2018 

11 

Starting journey of Alfa Style 

Alfa style has started its journey in 

the market of Bangladesh with the 

tagline "Find your Style", a press 

release said. 

On Saturday, Naem Nizam, the 

editor of Daily Bangladesh Protidin 

has inaugurated the branch as the 

chief guest at Jamuna Future Park. K. 

M. Mozibul Hoque, Chairman of Alfa 

Style, S A M Yousuf, Managing 

The United States was 

singled out by some of its 

closest allies Saturday over 

the imposition of tariffs 

that they warn will 

undermine open trade and 

weaken confidence in the 

global economy, reports 

UNB. 

The dispute over U.S. 

President Donald 

Trump's new levies on 

steel and aluminum 

imports is driving a wedge 

in the G7 group of 

industrial nations. 

Following Saturday's 

conclusion of a three-day 

meeting of G7 finance 

ministers, Canadian 

Finance Minister Bill 

Director, Kazi Shah Muzakker 

Ahmedul Hoque, Director and other 

superior employees of the company 

were also present there. The 

authority of Alfa informed that they 

have started their journey to provide 

latest designs of original leather 

goods like formal shoe, casual shoe, 

sandal, bag, belt, wallet, cads and 

dresses of latest fashion, punjabi, T- 

Morneau issued a 

summary saying the other 

six members want Trump 

to hear their message of 

"concern 

and 

disappointment" over the 

U.S. trade actions. 

Allies including Canada 

and the European Union 

are threatening retaliatory 

tariffs. 

The G7 ministers urged 

U.S. Treasury Secretary 

Steven Mnuchin to deliver 

their message before 

leaders of the group's 

member countries meet 

next week in Quebec. 

Ministers urged the U.S. 

to abandon the tariffs 

ahead of the leaders' 

shirt, polo shirt etc. to the young 

generation. Shoes & other leather 

stuffs of the international brand 

named Leother are also available in 

the outlet of Alfa style. They are also 

offering 20% discount for general 

customers on the occasion of their 

inauguration and Eid. More outlets of 

Alfa Style will be opened in 

Bangladesh very soon. 

US singled out by G7 allies over 

steel and aluminum tariffs 

summit before the move 

causes deeper divisions 

within the G7. 

"The international 

community is faced with 

significant economic and 

security issues, which are 

best addressed through a 

united front from G7 

countries," said the 

summary, which was 

agreed to by the attending 

ministers. 

"Members continue to 

make progress on behalf of 

our citizens, but recognize 

that this collaboration and 

co-operation has been put 

at risk by trade actions 

against other members," it 

added. 

Bruno Le Maire, France's 

finance and economy 

minister, was blunt in his 

assessment of the Whistler 

meeting, where ministers 

confronted Mnuchin. 

"It has been a tense and 

tough G7 - I would say it's 

been far more a G6 plus 

one than a G7," said Le 

Maire, who called the 

tariffs unjustified. 

"We regret that our 

common work together at 

the level of the G7 has been 

put at risk by the decisions 

taken by the American 

administration on trade 

and on tariffs," he said. 

Mnuchin disagreed with 

Le Maire. 

Mattis warns of 

bumpy road to 

US, North Korea 

nuclear summit 

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis 

is warning it will be a "bumpy 

road" to the nuclear 

negotiations with North Korea 

later this month. He is telling 

his South Korean and Japanese 

counterparts they must 

maintain a strong defensive 

stance so the diplomats can 

negotiate from a position of 

strength, reports UNB. 

Mattis spoke at the start of a 

meeting with South Korean 

Defense Minister Song 

Young-moo and Japanese 

Defense Minister Itsunori 

Onodera at the Shangri-La 

Dialogue security conference. 

He says strengthening the 

allies' defense cooperation is 

the best path to peace. 

Song says allies must be 

cautious, but some of 

Pyongyang's recent steps are 

reasons to be optimistic. 

Plans are moving forward 

for a nuclear weapons summit 

between President Donald 

Trump and North Korean 

leader Kim Jong Un on June 

12. 

Pushing the envelope: 

Why was Kim's letter 

for Trump so big? 

North Korean leader Kim 

Jong Un is known for 

pushing the envelope with 

threats and bluster as he 

seeks to leverage his nuclear 

weapons program into 

security and economic 

benefits for his country. But 

lately he's gained notoriety 

for his envelopes alone, 

reports UNB. 

President Donald Trump 

on Friday declared that his 

on-and-off summit with 

Kim was on again. The 

announcement came after 

Trump hosted a senior 

North Korean envoy at the 

White House and he 

delivered a personal letter 

from Kim that was inside a 

white envelope nearly as 

large as a folded newspaper. 

Trump has not yet 

revealed what was written in 

the letter, but he sure 

seemed happy to get it. A 

photo showed a grinning 

Trump holding up the 

envelope alongside Kim 

Yong Chol, the most senior 

North Korean to visit the 

White House in 18 years, as 

they posed in the Oval Office 

in front of a portrait of 

Thomas Jefferson. 

The photo made rounds 

on social media, where 

theories abound about why 

Kim would have sent Trump 

what seemed like a comically 

oversized letter. 

Did Kim, a thirdgeneration 

heredity leader, 

think Trump would share 

his love for lavish gestures 

and things grandiose? After 

spending months trading 

insults and war threats with 

him, has Kim learned that 

the way to influence Trump 

is to appeal to his ego - 

something South Korean 

President Moon Jae-in 

seemed to try in April when 

he openly endorsed Trump 

for the Nobel Peace Prize? 

No one outside North 

Korea likely knows the real 

reason for the letter's size. It 

could just be that's how Kim 

likes it. 

Moon, who lobbied hard 

for nuclear negotiations 

between Trump and Kim, 

received a letter of similar 

size from Kim during 

February's Winter Olympics 

in which he expressed a 

desire for an inter-Korean 

summit. 

Kim's to letter to Moon 

was personally delivered by 

Kim's sister, who attended 

the Olympics as a special 

envoy, and was covered by a 

blue folder emblazoned with 

a golden seal. 

British manufacturing sector figures 

point to economic uplift 

The poor performance of the British 

economy in the first quarter of the year 

looks to have been reversed, according 

to data for the manufacturing sector 

released on Friday, reports BSS. 

May's Markit/CIPS manufacturing 

sector survey suggests that the sector is 

putting in a strong performance in the 

second quarter, with the purchasing 

managers' index (PMI) beating 

consensus expectations of a fall among 

experts and commentators to record a 

rise from 53.9 to 54.4 (above 50 

indicates growth). 

The continued solid global demand 

for goods and sterling's post-Brexit 

referendum 20 percent devaluation at 

the hands of markets look to still be 

factors boosting the sector, with the 

new export order balance picking up 

from 53.4 to 54.2. 

This left the index only a little below 

its average over 2017 as a whole. The 

rise in the output index contained in 

the data, which went up from 55.4 to 

56.9, leaves the index consistent with 

quarterly growth of 1 percent in May. 

This would translate into a 0.1 

percentage point boost for the overall 

economic figures, an increase of a half 

on the almost-stagnant growth in the 

economy of 0.2 percent seen in the 

revised official figures for the economy 

released last week. 

Ruth Gregory, British economist at 

Capital Economics, a financial data 

firm, told Xinhua: "The sector is 

putting in a strong performance in Q2, 

after the poor start to the year." 

"Alongside the signs that a revival in 

the consumer sector is underway; the 

figures provide us with reassurance 

that the weakness in GDP growth in the 

first quarter should prove temporary." 

Gregory noted the data showed that 

the pipeline of unfinished work had 

become smaller and that stocks of 

finished goods rose sharply which 

"suggested there is no real pressure on 

firms to increase output in the near 

term." 

In addition, the input prices balance 

rose from 62.5 to 65.7, driven by the 

recent rise in global oil prices. 

GD-822/18 (8.5 x 4) 

GD-819/18 (10 x 4)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

MOnday, dhaka, JunE 4, 2018, JaISThya 21, 1425 BS, RaMadan 18 , 1439 hIJRI 

Most of the Eid holidaymakers becomes frustrated as they did not get train ticket. Photo: Star mail 

Two killed 

in Tangail, 

Rangpur 

'gunfights' 

DHAKA : Two suspected 

drug traders were killed in 

reported gunfights in Tangail 

and Rangpur early Sunday 

amid the countrywide antinarcotics 

drive, reports UNB. 

In Tangail, a suspected 

drug trader was killed in a 

reported gunfight with members 

of Rapid Action 

Battalion (Rab) during an 

anti-narcotics drive in Golra 

village of Kalihati upazila 

early Sunday. 

The deceased was identified 

as Ruhul alias Kailya 

Ruhul. Nazmul Alam, company 

commander of Rab-12, 

said the gunfight took place 

around 2 am which left 

Ruhul dead on the spot. 

Two Rab men were also 

injured in the gunfight, he 

added. 

In Rangpur, suspected 

drug trader Rafiqul Islam 

Opi, 45, son of late Ahsan Ali 

of Haragachi Municipality 

area in Kaunia upazila, was 

killed in a reported gunfight 

between two groups of drug 

traders. 

Steps taken to improve police's 

service quality: IGP 

DHAKA : Inspector General of Police 

(IGP) Dr Javed Patwary on Sunday said 

several effective steps have been taken to 

improve the quality of service in the police 

stations, aiming to build a people friendly 

police system in the country, reports UNB. 

"There has always been a change in the 

society. People's expectations and 

demands are also increasing. In order to 

provide the best services to the people, 

changes are being made to policing. We 

are committed to building a people-friendly 

police system," the IGP said while 

addressing at the inauguration of a 5-day 

training workshop. 

The workshop on 'Innovation in Public 

Service' at the International Conference 

Center of Police Staff College Bangladesh 

(PSC) was held at Mirpur in the capital. 

PSC Rector (Additional IGP) Dr M 

Sadiqur Rahman presided over the programme, 

while Director General of 

Governance Innovation Unit of the Prime 

Minister's Office Mohammad Abdul 

Halim and Additional IGP Mohsin 

Hossain were present as special guests in 

the programme. 

The IGP said that innovation training 

has been organized aiming to provide easy 

and quickest access to public services. 

He hoped that the trainee police officers 

will be able to provide the best services to 

the people at the earliest time by utilizing 

the knowledge that would be gathered 

from the training workshop. 

The police chief said, "We have been 

working continuously to implement the 

'Digital Bangladesh' of the government by 

reaching the doorstep of the police services 

through information technology. In the 

meantime, it has been easier to provide 

police service to the people through the 

introduction of technical services like 

online police clearance, e-trafficking prosecution, 

BD police helpline etc, he added. 

Referring to the introduction of National 

Emergency Services '999' program, the 

IGP said that as a result of this service, 

people are getting faster police assistance, 

fire service and ambulance services. "The 

'999' programme has already become very 

popular with the people," he added. 

Some 35 Additional Superintendent of 

Police (SPs) and ASPs in different units of 

Bangladesh Police have been participating 

in the workshop. 

Lead Facilitator of the A2I project of the 

Prime Minister's Office Md Sanaul Huq, 

other officials and faculty members of the 

PSC were present. The A2I project has 

been providing assistance in the training 

workshop. 

Trump to 

host his 

first-ever 

Iftar 

Wednesday 

DHAKA : US President 

Donald Trump will host an 

Iftar on Wednesday (May 

6) at the White House in 

honor of Muslims in the 

holy month of Ramadan, 

reports UNB. 

The Iftar will be flowed by 

a dinner but the guest list 

was not made available, 

reports the New York 

Times. 

The dinner will revive a 

tradition that Republican 

and Democratic presidents 

have carried out for years 

during Ramadan, when 

Muslims across the world 

fast during the daylight 

hours. 

The Iftar at the White 

House is usually attended 

by prominent members of 

the Muslim community, 

diplomats and Congress 

members. 

Earlier, at the beginning 

of Ramadan, in a statement 

the president said, 

"Ramadan reminds us of 

the richness Muslims add 

to the religious tapestry of 

American life." 

Importance attached 

on tracking gender 

budget 

DHAKA : Women in Bangladesh are 

still not getting equal opportunity to jobs 

and decision-making process though government 

has been announcing gender 

budget each year and gender sensitive 

policies are in force, reports UNB. 

Speakers in a National Seminar 

arranged by Bangladesh Nari Progati 

Sangha (BNPS) on 'Policies, Laws and 

Budget: Addressing the Question of 

Inequality against Women' came up with 

this observation on Sunday. 

Gender experts, NGO workers, academics 

and government officials attended 

the seminar held at CIRDAP Auditorium. 

They said though Bangladesh achieved 

first rank within South Asian countries 

and 47th place in the world according to 

the Global Gender Gap Report 2017 published 

by the World Economic Forum 

(WEF), but the society is far from being a 

gender sensitive one. 

Speakers said lack of understanding on 

the gender equity, inappropriate methodology 

of gender budget expenditure, 

absence of monitoring, follow up and 

review of gender development reinforce 

gender inequality rather than changing 

the society. 

Presenting a keynote, Dhaka 

University's Public Administration 

Department Professor Dr Salahuddin M 

Aminuzzaman said every year several 

ministries promise of spending certain 

allocation for gender equity but at the end 

of the fiscal year it is not evaluated or 

reviewed. So, the gender budget is not 

ultimately bringing in any visible benefit 

for women, he claimed. 

He proposed for introducing gender 

audit system as a monitoring tool which 

might bring visible change in gender equity 

in the country. 

Nazma Mobarek, Joint Secretary of 

Finance Department said, "Though 

Bangladesh achieved good position in 

global index, but still the rural women fall 

behind as in formal labour market their 

participation is very low". 

She assured that from the upcoming 

budget of 2018-2019, a gender development 

tracking system will be introduced 

where the government can measure the 

gender development in every projectbased 

expenditure. 

Deputy Chief of Planning Commission, 

Prodip Kumar Mahottam, economist and 

researcher Dr Pratima Paul Majumder, 

Associate Professor of Economics 

Department of Dhaka University Dr 

Saima Haq Bidisha, and Jahangirnagar 

University Economics Department 

Professor Sormindo Nilormi addressed 

the programme, among others, with 

BNPS Executive Director Rokeya Kabir 

in the chair. 

The Boneyard of Colon Cemetery 

INTERESTING NEWS 

The Colon Cemetery in Havana, Cuba, 

named after Christopher Columbus, is 

well known for its many elaborately 

sculpted memorials and mausoleums, 

but it is also notorious for overcrowding. 

Since its opening in 1876, more than a 

million people have been buried here, and 

being an active cemetery, fresh bodies 

arrive here every day. To make room for 

the recently dead, old graves are dug up 

every three years and the remains are 

boxed and stored within the cemetery’s 

premises. But back in the late 19th century 

and the early 20th, the bones were most 

disrespectfully dumped out in the open. 

In the past, long before the Colon 

Cemetery was founded, Havana did not 

have a formal burial ground. Instead, the 

dead were laid to rest in the crypts of local 

church catacombs. In 1806, Havana's 

first cemetery, Espada, was opened in 

response to the growing population and 

the resulting scarcity of church land that 

could be used for burial. 

Throughout the early to mid-1800s, 

cholera epidemics frequently broke out 

across the world from Asia to Europe, 

Great Britain and the Americas, as well as 

east to China and Japan, causing millions 

of deaths. Cemeteries throughout the 

world were flooded with dead bodies, and 

Espada Cemetery too began to feel the 

pressure. When cholera outbreaks intensified 

in 1868, Havana locals realized that 

they would need a larger cemetery. Less 

than a decade later, the Colon Cemetery 

was opened and the Espada Cemetery 

was closed. 

Sehri outings 

picking pace 

in city 

DHAKA : A part from Iftar 

outings, indulging in Sehri 

outside one's home has 

become the newest trend during 

Ramadan, reports UNB. 

Foodies are saying this is filling 

up the void of "Dhaka not 

having a night life." 

"I came here with my 

friends," said Noman Habib, a 

working man, speaking to 

UNB at Dhanmondi's 

Café Rio on a late 

Tuesday. "Getting reservations 

for Iftar is impossible; 

they are booked for the next 10 

days. Luckily I could book a 

table for five of us tonight." 

Restaurants being booked 

well in advance for Iftar are a 

common scenario. 

Sazed Zaman, one of the 

owners of Sultan's Dine, a 

popular restaurant in 

Dhanmondi's Jhigatola specialising 

in wedding cuisine, 

said his restaurant has been 

booked till 20thRamadan for 

Iftar, with only a few tables 

available for Sehri. 

"Although we maintained 

our regular menu for the 

whole month of Ramadan, we 

had no idea that we would 

receive such overwhelming 

response," Sazed added. 

"Unlike some restaurants, 

who are charging exorbitant 

prices for Iftar, most of them 

are offering reasonably-priced 

meals for Sehri, which is in 

line with the actual spirit of 

Ramadan" said Raj, a social 

media food blogger. 

Flyover and street both were locked by traffic at the first day of week. 

ILO, IOM laud progress 

made by Bangladesh 

DHAKA : Country 

Director of International 

Labour Organization (ILO) 

Tuomo Poutiainen and 

Chief of Mission of the 

International Organization 

for Migration (IOM) in 

Bangladesh Giorgi 

Gigaurihas presented their 

credentials to Foreign 

Minister AH Mahmood Ali 

at the Ministry of Foreign 

Affairson Sunday, reports 

UNB. 

They highly appreciated 

the exemplary progress 

made by Bangladesh in the 

recent years, said the 

Foreign Ministry. 

Foreign Minister apprised 

the ILO Country Director 

and the IOM Chief of 

Mission of the massive 

socio-economic development 

of Bangladesh under 

the visionary leadership 

ofPrime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina. 

In accepting the credentials 

of the Country Director 

of ILO and the Chief of 

Mission of IOM, Foreign 

Minister welcomed them to 

Bangladesh and wished 

them success in their 

responsibilities. The 

Minister assured them of all 

out support from the government. 

While accepting the 

Credential of ILO Country 

Director, Foreign Minister 

briefed him about the 

actions taken by the government 

under the leadership 

of Prime Minister to ensure 

the interest of the workers 

and expressed the commitment 

of the government to 

ensure labour rights and 

promoting decent work. 

The Minister highlighted 

the substantive legal and 

institutional reforms carried 

out by the government 

to promote labour rights 

and workplace safety. 

During the meeting with 

IOM Chief of Mission, 

Minister Ali conveyed his 

appreciation for the contribution 

of IOM in the field of 

migration and human 

mobility. 

He also appreciated the 

immense role played by 

IOM in extending humanitarian 

assistances to the displaced 

Rohingyas in Cox's 

Bazar. 

The Minister apprised the 

IOM Chief of Mission of the 

present situation of Cox's 

Bazar and informed that the 

basic local healthcare facilities 

have already taken over 

by Rohingyas. 

He thanked IOM for providing 

healthcare and other 

basic services to Rohingyas. 

The new ILO Country 

Director is a national of 

Finland. 

He had a long distinguished 

career of 18 years 

with ILO and served in the 

Philippines, Switzerland, 

Cambodia, Thailand and 

Bangladesh in various 

capacities. 

He also served in 

Bangladesh during 2014- 

2017 and led ILO's 

Improving Working 

Conditions in RMG Sector 

Programme in Bangladesh. 

Giorgi Gigaurihas, a 

Georgian national, previously 

served as the IOM 

Deputy Chief of Mission in 

Indonesia overseeing programmes 

on humanitarian 

emergencies, migrant protection, 

governance and 

development. He also 

served as the IOM Chief of 

Mission in Papua New 

Guinea. 

Photo: Star mail 

Rohingya 

volunteers to 

help make camps 

plastic free 

DHAKA : UNHCR, the UN 

refugee agency, and its partner 

International Union for 

the Conservation of Nature 

(IUCN) will hold events in 

Kutupalong refugee settlement 

in Cox's Bazar district 

on Tuesday to mark the 

World Environment Day 

2018, reports UNB. 

Rohingya volunteer members 

from the Elephant 

Response Teams (ERT) set 

up under a joint agency project 

will be helping to make 

camps plastic free. 

Officials representing the 

Bangladesh Forest 

Department (BFD), the 

Refugee Relief and 

R e p a t r i a t i o n 

Commissioner's Office 

(RRRC) will join the event, 

UNHCR said on Sunday. 

This year's theme is "Beat 

Plastic Pollution". 

The ERT members were 

formed to reduce incidents 

involving elephants coming 

into conflict with refugees in 

Kutupalong - the world's 

largest refugee settlement - 

and other neighbouring 

areas. 

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

04-06-2018

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