05-07-2018

THURSDAY 

DHAKA:July 5, 2018; Ashar 21, 1425 BS; Shawal 20,1439 Hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.16; No.176; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

INTERNATIONAL 

Malaysian ex-PM 

Najib charged with 

breach of trust, graft 

>Page 7 

ART & CULTURE 

Scarlett Johansson 

criticised for taking 

on trans role 

>Page 8 

SPORT 

Flashy Brazil relying 

on balance, rock-solid 

defense at World Cup 

>Page 9 

Diversify trade basket to boost exports 

to Switzerland, beyond: Envoy 

DHAKA : Switzerland Ambassador to 

Bangladesh Rene Holenstein has said 

Bangladesh should diversify its trade basket 

and place focus on newsectors - leather, 

ceramic, IT - to boost its exports to 

Switzerland and beyond, which is currentlylimited 

to apparel products mainly, 

reports UNB. 

"The trade figure may look small compared 

to Bangladesh's trade with other 

countriesbut what impresses me is that the 

bilateral trade has almost tripled since 

2010 and is expectedto cross$1billion mark 

in the coming years," he told UNB in an 

interview at his office. 

Ambassador Holensteinsaid he hasregular 

exchanges with the Swiss companies 

operating in Bangladesh as well as therepresentatives 

of the Bangladeshi business 

community who tell him about the businessopportunities 

and challenges in 

Bangladesh. 

"The main challenges identified by the 

investors I talk to are namely, infrastructural 

limitations, bureaucratic red-tape, weak 

policy implementation and insufficient 

legal security," he said while responding to 

a question. 

The diplomat said Bangladesh should 

address these issues "in a more emphatic 

manner" to boost potential and existing 

investors' confidence to attract more FDI. 

"I am confident that with further 

improved infrastructure and energy supply, 

regulatory predictability and legal security, 

Bangladesh will become a more preferred 

destination for the Swiss businesses 

in the future," he said. 

Ambassador Holenstein said the year 

BNP trashes media 

reports on strained 

relations with Jamaat 

20-party to work for single 

alliance candidates in city 

polls, says Fakhrul 

DHAKA : Trashing media reports on 

the party's strained relations with 

alliance partner Jamaat, BNP on 

Wednesday said all the components of 

the 20-party combine decided to work 

together for single mayoral candidates 

in Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barishal city 

polls, reports UNB. 

"There's no question of having a conflict 

with Jamaat over the city polls candidates. 

The 20-party meeting endorsed a resolution 

to work together," said BNP secretary 

general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. 

He came up with the remarks while 

talking to reporters after a meeting of 

the BNP-led 20-party alliance at the 

BNP chairperson's Gulshan office. 

According to the schedule announced 

by the Election Commission, the elections 

to Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barishal city 

corporations will be held on July 30. 

About media reports that Jamaat will not 

compromise with BNP in Sylhet over its 

candidate, Fakhrul said they are not 

thinking of it as the 20-party decided to 

work for a single candidate. 

"We've installed Ariful Haque 

Chowdhury as a mayoral candidate in 

Sylhet polls and the 20-party approved it," 

he added. "The meeting has decided that 

the 20-party alliance will work together 

actively for single (mayoral) candidates in 

the three city polls," said 20-party coordinator 

and BNP standing committee member 

Nazrul Islam Khan. 

Zohr 

03:50 AM 

12:00 PM 

04:42 PM 

06:54 PM 

08:20 PM 

5:15 6:51 

2018 is "very important" for the people of 

Bangladesh as the national election will 

take place at the end of this year. 

"As a friend of Bangladesh, it is our sincere 

hope that the next election, held in a 

free, fair and inclusive manner, will further 

bolster the democratic strides made by the 

country," the envoysaid. 

Ambassador Holenstein said like 

Switzerland or any other nation, the topic 

of human rights is very much important 

forBangladesh. "Human rights are 

enshrined as fundamental rights in the 

constitution ofBangladesh." 

Responding to a question, he said drug 

trafficking is a global problem, which has to 

be responded by maintaining a moral highground 

and upholding the rule of law and 

access to justice. 

The boom in the textiles and chemical 

sectors is making Bangladesh an attractive 

place forSwiss investment, said the Swiss 

Ambassador. 

In 2017 bilateral trade volume between 

Switzerland andBangladesh recorded an 

impressive growth of more than 14 percent 

totaling 676.8 million SwissFrancs. 

"Investments and reinvestments from 

the Swiss companies in Bangladesh are 

also increasingsteadily," he said. 

Mentioning that Switzerland has a 

strong focus on innovation and technology, 

the envoy said, "I seepotentials for Swiss 

companies providing technological solutions 

to Bangladesh in the coming days." 

He said they have to also identify new 

areas of economic cooperation - hi-tech, 

clean-tech,renewable energy - where the 

two countries can mutually benefit from 

the collaboration 

During the Presidential visit in February 

2018, the Swiss President and Prime 

Minister of Bangladesh welcomed the 

positive developments of bilateral trade 

and investmentand stressed the need to 

further strengthen the bilateral relations 

including in the area of tradeand investment 

"Bangladesh's aspirations for 2021 and 

its remarkable socio-economic achievements 

in the last decades are impressive. 

To accelerate this growth in an inclusive 

and sustainable manner, it is important to 

continue to respect the fundamental 

human rights principles in the country," he 

said. The diplomat said atpresent, development 

and economic cooperation are the 

two main pillars ofbilateral relations 

between the two countries. "Cultural ties 

are also expanding rapidly." 

The two countries regularly have high 

level exchanges. 

Bilateral relations "received renewed 

momentum" during the visit of the 

President of the Swiss Confederation Alain 

Berset, in February 2018. 

"During this important visit, which is 

indeed a milestone in the bilateral relations, 

our twocountries placed strong 

emphasis on forging closer economic and 

technological cooperation, "Ambassador 

Holensteinsaid. 

Since his arrival in Bangladesh, almost a 

year ago, Ambassador Holenstein has visited 

most of the divisions inBangladesh. 

"Wherever I went, I felt genuine warmth 

and curiosity of the people towards 

Switzerland as well as its people." 

President asks PGR to ensure 

foolproof security 

DHAKA : President Abdul Hamidon 

Wednesdaylaid emphasis on acquiring 

the expertise of IT and strategic development 

including time befitting training to 

ensure the foolproof security in any circumstances, 

reports UNB. 

The President said this while addressing 

the Darbar of President Guard 

Regiment (PGR) at Shahid Captain 

Hafiz Hall at the PGR Headquarters in 

Dhaka Cantonment on the occasion of 

its 43rdfounding anniversary. 

"You know, terrorism and militant 

activities have increased amid the 

changed global scenario. Terrorism is 

now not a problem for a single country, 

it's now a global problem. The types of 

terrorism and crime are being changed 

with the rapid expansion of the science 

and technology," the President said. 

Emphasising on the necessity of the IT 

and strategic development, the head of 

the state added "You have to acquire the 

expertise of Information technology (IT) 

and strategic development including 

time befitting training to ensure the 

foolproof security in any circumstances 

to secure the very important persons of 

the state. The security system will be 

established in a coordinated, foolproof 

and all-out manner." 

"There is no alternative to training in 

the military career as training makes 

one disciplined, help acquire the professional 

knowledge and increase skill and 

teach sympathy and obedience. So you 

have to take training regularly," he said. 

The president said "The prime duty of 

PGR is to ensure the security of the very 

important persons of the state. In one 

hand, it is very important, on the other 

hand, it is sensitive too. 

Most of the persons for whom you 

ensure security are political personalities 

and closely connected with politics. 

So you have to consider of ensuring public 

engagement of the VVIPs with due 

importance." 

"It will be your credit if you perform 

your duties ensuring the continuous 

public engagement alongside providing 

the highest security for the VVIPs as 

they carry out political activities apart 

from discharging state and government 

duties and maintain good terms with 

leaders and activists," he said. 

People of seven villages of Kalapara upazila under Patuakhali district remain water stagnant by the tidal 

water for last one week. 

Photo : Star Mail 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seen at a function in her office marking the signing of the Annual 

Performance Agreement (APA) of ministries and subordinate bodies 2018-19 fiscal at the International 

Conference Center (ICC). 

Flood situation 

worsens in 5 

districts amid rains 

DHAKA : Heavy rains for the last few days 

and onrush of water from the upstream submerged 

low-lying areas in Rangamati, 

Khagrachhari, Sylhet, Sunamganj and 

Nilphamari districts. 

According to reports reaching the UNB 

news desk, various parts of Barkol and 

Bilaichhari upazilas in Rangamati went under 

water following torrential rains and onrush of 

water from hills. 

Besides, water in the Kaptai Lake was flowing 

above the danger level on Wednesday. 

Sources at Kaptai Water and Electricity 

Center said the authorities concerned have 

opened eight out of 16 gates of the spillway of 

the dam to release 4500 cusec water to the 

Karnaphuli River to avoid the danger and handle 

the excessive pressure of water. 

Meanwhile, the road communications 

between Chattogram and Rangamati 

remained suspended since Tuesday 

morning due to landslides at different 

points on the road. 

In Khagrachhari, different parts of 

Dighinala upazila, which had experienced serious 

flooding barely two weeks ago, were flooded 

again on Wednesday due to torrential rains 

for the last two days. Locals said Dighinala- 

Langdu road went under water, disrupting 

communication. Farmers fear a huge loss of 

crops due to the flood. 

In Sunamganj, several lakh people have got 

marooned in Dowarabazar, Shalla, Tahirpur, 

Dharamapasha upazilas due to flood caused 

by the rains. The Surma River was flowing 80 

centimeters above the danger level at 

Sholosahar point. 

Besides, low-lying areas-Sahebbari, 

Nabinagar and Natunbazar-of the town went 

under water and many educational institutions 

were shut as those got swamped by rainwater. 

The local Water Development Board 

has recorded 120mm of rainfall till Wednesday 

morning. District Relief and Rehabilitation 

officer Faridul Haque said that every upazila 

has been allocated 10 tonnes of rice and Tk 

50,000. 

Scheme soon to bring educational 

institutions under MPO : PM 

SANGSAD BHABAN : Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasinaon Wednesdaytold 

Parliament that the government will take 

a scheme soon to bring educational institutions 

under the Monthly Pay Order 

(MPO) following a recently formulated 

policy, reports UNB. 

"The Non-government Educational 

Institutions' (School and College) 

Manpower Organogram and MPO Policy, 

2018' has been issued with a view to enlisting 

the remaining non-government educational 

institutions under the MPO on 

the basis of a specific policy. A scheme will 

be taken soon over the MPO enlistment 

issue following the policy," she said during 

the question-answer session in the House. 

The Prime Minister came up with the 

disclosure replying to a question from 

Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam 

(Mymensingh-8). 

Sheikh Hasina said two committees 

have already been formed to receive and 

manage online applications as well as 

scrutinise the institutions in line with the 

rules to this end. 

Assuming power, the Awami League 

government has brought some 1,624 nongovernment 

institutions under the MPO 

scheme for improving the quality of education, 

she said. 

Fakhrul Imam, in his question, wanted 

to know what measures the government 

has taken so far for the development of 

education after assuming power. 

In reply, the Prime Minister came up 

with a detailed answer focusing on the 

government measures taken for the development 

of the pre-primary, primary, secondary, 

technical and vocational, 

madrasah and higher education. She said 

the present government has brought a 

total of 137,546 teachers and staff of nongovernment 

secondary schools, colleges 

and madrashas under the MPO scheme 

since 2009. 

Now, there is no village in the country 

without having any primary school, she 

said, adding that the government has set 

up 1,125 primary schools in villages which 

had no any primary school. 

Sheikh Hasina said the Awami League 

government has so far appointed a total of 

165,225 assistant teachers and 4,400 

headmasters to primary schools since 

2009. "A process is on to recruit 10,000 

more assistant teachers." 

She said the net enrolment rate (NER) 

in the primary education has reached 

97.97 percent in 2018, which was 90.9 

percent in 2006. 

The Prime Minister said the dropout 

rate at the primary level came down to 

18.08 percent in 2018 from 50.5 percent 

in 2006. 

Noting that mothers were motivated to 

give their children homemade food in tiffin 

boxes, she said 96.71 percent students 

now go to schools with tiffin boxes provided 

by their mothers. 

Dhaka Steel Works resuming 

operation 24-yr after closure 

DHAKA : Speakers at a programme on 

Wednesday stressed the importance of 

increased connectivity among the South Asian 

counties through implementing Belt and Road 

Initiative (BRI) and the Bangladesh, Bhutan, 

India, Nepal (BBIN) Initiative for the benefit of 

the smaller countries and to utilize their potentials, 

reports UNB. 

The inaugural programme of COSATT 

Regional Conference on "Importance of BRI 

and BBIN for South Asia" was organised by 

Bangladesh Institute of International and 

Strategic Studies (BIISS) in collaboration with 

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS). 

Speaking as the chief guest, on behalf of 

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, 

KamrulAhsan, Secretary (bilateral and consular) 

at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 

Bangladesh is aware of its location bridge in 

between South and South East Asia and its 

potential within the connectivity architecture of 

this region. 

Mentioning that regional connectivity has 

much importance for Bangladesh, he said in the 

changing world, which is brought closer 

through various modes of connectivity, 

Bangladesh also seeks to connect with the 

region and the rest of the world through transportation 

network and other connectivity initiatives. 

Comprehensive connectivity will generate 

trust and confidence in the relation among 

countries of the region, he added. 

While claiming that there has been visible 

improvement of bilateral connectivity between 

Bangladesh and India in the recent time, 

Kamrul Ahsan said, this connectivity can be 

utilised by other countries beyond India such as 

Bhutan and Nepal. 

Bangladesh is actively participating in many 

bilateral regional and sub-regional connectivity 

actiivites like BRI and BBN, he said. 

BIISS Director General Major General AKM 

Abdur Rahman in his welcome speech said 

without achieving genuine and sincere connectivity 

among the countries of South Asian 

region, the countries will never be able to proceed 

as it is expected and as the potentials they 

have. 

Dr Nishchal N Pandey, Director of Centre for 

South Asian Studies in Nepal, said the borders 

of the region got closed due to many reasons 

while Europe and other regions have started 

opening up theirs. 

"BRI and BBIN are grand doer's projects of 

great significance in South Asia. Both of them 

promised a great deal in terms infrastructural 

development and connectivity, trade, transit, 

tourism and energy cooperation between the 

countries", he said adding that, "There are challenges 

but the promises these two project holds 

are of greater value."

NEWS 

THURSDAY, 

JULY 5, 2018 

2 

Sangbadik Nirjatan Protirodh Committee formed a human chain in front of National Press Club yesterday. 

Photo : TBT 

Archaeologists urge 

Albania to protect 

underwater heritage 

Researchers are urging 

Albanian authorities to 

build a museum to display 

hundreds of Roman and 

Greek artifacts and ancient 

shipwrecks that are sitting 

under the country's barely 

explored coastline. 

Archaeologists at the 

Albanian Underwater 

Archaeology conference 

warned Tuesday that the 

wealth of underwater 

artifacts in the country's 

southwestern seabed, near 

its border with Greece, 

could easily fall prey to 

looters or treasure hunters. 

James Goold, chairman of 

the Florida-based RPM 

Nautical Foundation, said 

the objects - dating from the 

8th century B.C. through to 

World War II - would be a 

great tourist attraction if 

properly displayed. 

Goold's RPM has mapped 

out the Ionian seabed from 

the Greek border all along to 

the Vlora Bay, finding at 

least 22 shipwrecks from 

the ancient times to World 

War II and hundreds of 

ancient amphorae. Those 

long, narrow terracotta 

vessels carried olive oil and 

wine along trade routes 

between North Africa and 

the Roman Empire, where 

Albania, then Illyria, was a 

crossroad. 

"The time has come to 

build a museum for 

Albanian and foreign 

tourists," said Albanian 

archaeologist Neritan Ceka. 

Some amphorae may have 

already been looted - they 

are not infrequently seen 

decorating restaurants 

along the Albanian 

coastline. 

Albania is trying to protect 

and capitalize on its rich 

underwater heritage, long 

neglected by its former 

communist regime, but 

preservation still receives 

scarce funding from the 

government in one of 

Europe's poorest nations. 

The arrival of RPM's 

Hercules research vessel 11 

years ago was "a real 

revolution," Ceka said, 

praising its professional 

divers, high-tech sonar and 

remotely operated 

underwater vehicle. 

RPM and a joint 

Albanian-Italian expedition 

are the only scientific 

underwater efforts in 

Albania so far, both with the 

government's approval. 

Now RPM believes it's 

time for the not-for-profit 

Institute of Nautical 

Archaeology research 

organization, which is based 

in Texas, U.S., to explore the 

possibilities of excavating 

shipwrecks, a financially 

expensive and scientifically 

delicate process. 

"There's a special 

environment in Albania, 

because the coast has been 

so protected for so many 

years," said INA's David 

Ruff, a former commander 

of a nuclear-powered 

submarine. 

Ruff said "one of the real 

gems of Albania is the 

Butrint site" - a UNESCOprotected 

ancient Greek and 

Roman site in 

southernmost Albania close 

to the Greek border. 

Two killed in Mymensingh, 

Jashore 'gunfights' 

DHAKA : Two suspected drug traders were killed in separate 

incidents of reported gunfights in Mymensingh and Jashore 

early Wednesday, reports UNB. 

In Mymensingh, Jalal Uddin, 38, a suspected drug trader, 

was killed in 'gunfight' with police at Habirbari in Bhaluka 

early Wednesday. 

Being informed that a gang of drug peddlers were trading 

drugs at Khandakar Para, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of 

police in association with members of Bhaluka Model Police 

Station conducted a raid there around 2:30 am, said Ashiqur 

Rahman, officer-in-charge of district DB police. 

Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the criminals 

hurled brickbats and then opened fire targeting the 

policemen, prompted them to retaliate, triggering a gunfight. 

Later, police recovered the body of Jalal from the spot, said 

the OC. The law enforcers also recovered 200 pieces of Yaba 

tablets, four bullet shells, one sharp weapon and one 

motorbike from the spot. Jalal was wanted in six several 

cases, said police. In Jashore, an unidentified young man, 

aged around 35 years, suspected to be a drug trader, was 

found dead on Chougaccha-Jashore road at Chanda Afra in 

Chougaccha upazila around 2:30 am. 

Being informed that two gangs of drug traders were 

exchanging bullets, a team of police went there and recovered 

the bullet-hit body, said Shamim Uddin, officer-in-charge of 

Chougaccha Police Station. 

However, sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the 

traders managed to flee the scene, police said. 

The body was sent to Jashore General Hospital morgue for 

an autopsy. Two bullets, one pistol and 3.5 kgs of hemp were 

recovered from the spot, said the OC. 

With the latest, at least 123 people were killed in 'gunfights' 

with members of law enforcement agencies while 38 bodies 

of suspected drug traders were recovered after reported gun 

battles between rival groups during the countrywide antinarcotic 

drives since 15 May. 

Another dies due to 

'medical negligence' in Ctg 

HATTOGRAM : Tension mounted at a private clinic in the 

port city early Wednesday following the death of an elderly 

patient allegedly due to medical negligence, reports UNB. 

The deceased Hazi Mohammad Lokman Chowdhury, 69, 

of Chandgaon residential area, had been undergoing 

treatment at Fortress Private Clinics in Panchlaish area for 

around one month, suffering from bronchitis. 

Farhad Uddin, son of the victim, alleged that Dr Shimul 

Bhoumik, a physician of the clinic, visited Lokman in the 

dead of night. During the check-up, the doctor removed the 

oxygen mask to observe the patient closely. After sometimes, 

the patient died in front of the doctor, said the victim's son. 

Soon after the incident, the physician managed to escape 

from the clinic. But, tension had been prevailing in the 

hospital over the issue. 

Later, being informed, police rushed in and brought the 

situation under control, said Mozammel Haq, officer-incharge 

of Panchlaish Police Station. "We have received a 

complaint and are investigating it," he added. 

DU VC mourns death 

of Prof Halima Khatun 

DHAKA : Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Dhaka University (DU) 

Professor Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman on Wednesday paid last 

tribute to language movement veteran Dr Halima Khatun at 

the central Shaheed Minar. 

DU Pro-VC (Academic) Prof Dr Nasreen Ahmad and Pro- 

VC (Administration) Prof Dr Muhammad Samad were also 

present while placing wreaths at the coffin of Dr Halima 

Khatun. In a condolence message, the VC said that the nation 

has lost an intellectual who had multidimensional 

qualifications. Her contribution to the 1952 Language 

Movement and the 1971 Liberation War will be remembered 

for ever, he said. Dr Akhtaruzzaman prayed for the eternal 

peace of her departed soul and conveyed sympathy to the 

bereaved family. 

Two agreements on e-GP 

signed at BRUR 

RANGPUR : The authority of Begum Rokeya University, 

Rangpur (BRUR) yesterday signed two separate agreements 

on e-Government Procurement (e-GP) with two private 

sector commercial organisations. 

"The BRUR authority singed the e-GP contracts with Flora 

Limited and Nadia Furniture Limited at a function held at 

conference room of the administrative building of the 

university," said a press release. 

Vice-chancellor of BRUR Professor Dr Nazmul Ahsan 

Kalimullah was present in the agreement ceremony. 

Registrar of BRUR Muhammad Ibrahim singed the 

agreements on behalf of the university while Manager (Incharge) 

of Flora Limited Sahebul Alam Khondker and 

General Manager (Sales) of Nadia Furniture Limited singed 

on behalf of their respective organisations. 

Officials of the university and two commercial 

organisations were present, the release added. 

Thais work to 

install internet 

in flooded cave 

Thai authorities are working 

to with navy SEALs to run a 

fiber optic internet line into 

a flooded cave in northern 

Thailand where 12 young 

soccer players and their 

coach are trapped. 

Communication 

technician Phoowanart 

Keawdum said Wednesday 

that once the cable is 

installed, phone calls to the 

cave will be possible. 

Authorities tried to do the 

same Tuesday, but the 

equipment was damaged by 

the water. 

In latest videos released by 

the Thai navy, the boys and 

coach say they're fine. The 

group entered the cave in 

northern Thailand on June 

23 before flooding cut off the 

main entrance. Rescuers are 

studying how to extract 

them safely. 

Thailand's navy is 

continuing to release videos 

of the young soccer players 

trapped in a flooded cave in 

northern Thailand. 

The two latest videos 

posted to a navy Facebook 

page late Wednesday 

morning show a navy SEAL 

treating minor cuts on the 

feet and legs of the boys with 

antibiotic ointment. Several 

of the boys are seen smiling 

as they interact with the 

navy SEAL, who cracks 

jokes. 

Other boys are seen 

sleeping under foil warming 

blankets. 

A previous video released 

early Wednesday showed 

the boys saying they were 

healthy. 

The Thai official 

overseeing the rescue 

operation of a soccer team 

trapped in a flooded cave 

says the boys have been 

practicing wearing diving 

masks and breathing. 

Officials have said that 

teaching the 12 boys and 

their coach to dive may be 

the only way to get them out 

of the cave, but other options 

are being explored. 

AL leader's 

throat-slit 

body found 

in M’singh 

MYMENSINGH : Police 

recovered the throat-slit 

body of a local Awami 

League (AL) leader from his 

pond at Khagati village in 

Trishalupazilaon 

Wednesday, reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Abdul Matin 

Master, a freedom fighter 

and also the president of 

ward no 8 of Mathbaria 

union unit Awami League. 

Locals spotted the throatslit 

body of Matin in his 

pond around 10:30 am and 

informed the matter to 

police. On information, 

police recovered the body 

and sent it to the local 

hospital morgue, said Jakiur 

Hossain, officer-in-charge of 

Trishal Police Station. 

Matin come out from his 

home around 12 am on 

Tuesday and went to his 

pond to watch out, said 

family his members. 

The motive behind the 

killing could not be known 

immediately, said the OC. 

Youth shot 

dead in 

Cox’s Bazar 

COX'S BAZAR : A young 

man was shot to death 

allegedly by some miscreants 

at Pahartoli Islampur in the 

district town on Tuesday 

night, reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Ismail, 27, son of 

Lalu Mia of the area. 

Farid Uddin Khandaker, 

officer-in-charge of Sadar 

Model Police Station, said a 

group of miscreants opened 

fire on Ismail around 9 pm 

while he was in Pahartoli 

Islampur area, leaving him 

critically injured. 

Later, he was taken to sadar 

hospital where the doctors 

declared him dead. 

Police suspected that 

miscreants might have killed 

him over enmity between two 

criminal groups, said the OC. 

Laborers busy at dockyard in Narayangaj. 

Merkel pledges 'every 

effort' to avert US trade war 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that the 

European Union will make every effort to avoid a trade war 

with the United States, and underlined her country's 

commitment to raise defense spending gradually - another 

point of contention with Washington. 

President Donald Trump's administration has imposed 

tariffs on EU steel and aluminum imports and is mulling 

whether to add tariffs on cars, trucks and auto parts, something 

that could be painful for Germany with its major auto industry. 

"It is worth every effort to try to defuse this conflict so that it 

doesn't turn into a real war, but of course there are two sides to 

that," Merkel told the German parliament, noting that the head 

of the EU's executive Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, will 

soon travel to the U.S. She added that the good functioning of 

the world economy depends on countries working together as 

partners, and also questioned the value of measuring surpluses 

and deficits by trade in goods alone. If digital services were 

included, she said, it's likely that the U.S. would have a trade 

surplus with Europe. "It is almost old-fashioned only to count 

goods and not to count services," she said. 

The U.S. is also pressing Germany over what it considers 

insufficient defense spending ahead of NATO's July 11-12 

summit in Brussels. In 2014, NATO allies agreed to stop 

cutting defense budgets, start spending more as their 

economies grew and move toward a goal of devoting 2 percent 

of GDP to defense within a decade. 

Germany's current spending amounts to 1.24 percent of 

GDP. Merkel said that, though spending is rising, "relative to 

what others are doing in terms of their gross domestic product, 

that is far from sufficient." She added that "that is why we have 

committed to spend 1.5 percent of gross domestic product for 

this by 2025," and defended Germany's position. 

Man gets life term jail 

for rape in Cumilla 

CUMILLA : A court here on Wednesday sentenced a man to 

life term imprisonment for raping a widow in Daudkandi 

upazila in 2001, reports UNB. 

Judge of Women and Children Repression Prevention 

Tribunal-3 Sheikh Hafizur Rahman pronounced the verdict. 

The convict, Kabir Hossain, of Gopalpur village of the 

upazila, was tried in absentia. The court also fined him Tk 

50,000, in default, to suffer six months imprisonment 

further. According to the case statement, Kabir had forcefully 

entered the house of Halima Khatun, widow of Shanti Miah, 

and violated her on November 9, 2001. She became 

pregnanent Halima filed a case on May 11, 2002 with 

Daudkandi police station. Police submitted a charge sheet 

against the accused on July 25 in the same year. 

Two IU students suspended 

for 'cheating' in exams 

ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY : The authorities of Islamic 

University (IU) in Kushtia have suspended two students for 

one academic year over the allegation of copying notes in 

exam halls, reports UNB. 

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of 'crime 

in exam and discipline committee' at the vice-chancellor's 

office around 11:00 am on Wednesday. 

Vice-chancellor Professor Dr M Harun-Ur-Rashid Askari 

issued the suspension order against Nasrin Nahar, final year 

student of Department of Law and Sabbir Ahmed, third year 

student of Biotechnology and Genetics Engineering 

department, said acting Registrar SM Abdul Latif. 

They were suspended for violating the examinations' rules 

and regulations, he added. 

Man killed in city road 

crash 

DHAKA : A man who was using a motorbike ridesharing 

service died as a state-run BRTC bus crushed him at Airport 

intersection in the city on Wednesday, reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified as Nazmul Hossain Fuad, 32, 

an employee of a private company and son of Abul Bashar of 

Dakkhin Khan in the city. Sub-inspector Shariful of Airport 

Police Station said Nazmul was heading towards Mohakhali 

for his office on a motorcycle in the morning. 

When the motorbike reached Airport intersection, a BRTC 

bus knocked the vehicle from behind, killing Fuad on the 

spot as the bus smashed his head at 9 am. The motorcycle 

rider was injured in the accident, said the SI. 

10 drug traders among 

42 held in Satkhira 

SATKHIRA : Police in a drive arrested 42 people including 

ten suspected drug traders from different parts of the district 

on Wednesday, reports UNB. 

Of the arrestees, five each were held from Sadar, Ashashuni 

and Kaliganj upazilas, seven from Kalaroa, three from Tala, 

13 from Shyamnagar, two each from Debhata and 

Patkelghata upazilas of the district, said Azam Khan, 

inspector of Special Branch of Police. 

Police also recovered some drugs during the drive. The 

arrestees were wanted in several cases, he added. 

GD-899/18 (5 x 3) 

Heavy rain 

inundates low-lying 

areas in Rangamati 

RANGAMATI : Many lowlying 

areas of Barkol and 

Bilaichhari upazilas of the 

district went under water 

following torrential rain and 

onrush of water from the 

hills, reports UNB. 

Besides, water in Kaptai 

Lake was flowing over the 

danger 

levelon 

Wednesdaydue to the 

incessant rainfall. Sources at 

Kaptai Water and Electricity 

Center said the authorities 

concerned have opened 

eight out of 16 gates of the 

spillway of the dam to 

release 4500 cusec water to 

the Karnaphuli River to 

avoid the danger and to 

handle the excess water 

pressure. Meanwhile, the 

road communication 

between Chattogram and 

Rangamati remained 

suspended since Tuesday 

morning due to landslides at 

different points on the road. 

However, ommunications 

on internal routes of 

Rangamati remained normal. 

Six gamblers 

jailed in Sirajganj 

SIRAJGANJ : A mobile 

court here sentenced six 

gamblers to six-month 

imprisonment each in 

Raiganj upazila on Tuesday, 

reports UNB. 

The convicts are Sajib 

uddin Talukdar, 33, son of 

Sujabat Ali Talukdar of 

Gopalpur village, Masud 

Rana, 27, son of Abdul 

Khalek of Rupkhara village, 

Jakir Hossain, 26, son of 

Joynal of Gotitha village, 

Afsar Ali, 55, son of Insaf Ali 

of Sreerampur village, 

Shafiqul Islam, 38, son of 

Sarkar of Nimgacchi village, 

Abdul Hannan, 37, son of 

Iman Ali of Bhuiyat village 

in the upazila. 

Tipped off, a team of Rab- 

12 conducted a drive in the 

area and arrested six people 

while they were gambling on 

Monday night. 

Photo : Star Mail

METRO 

THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2018 

3 

DUJ and BFUJ staged demo demanding trial of journalist Rubel Khan's daughter Raifa Khan. 

Photo : TBT 

Building 

construction 

in cantonment 

areas cannot 

be delayed 

SANGSAD BHABAN : 

Parliament passed 'The 

Cantonment Bill, 2018' on 

Wednesdayincorporating 

tougher punishment for 

delaying the construction of 

buildings and breaking 

traffic rules in cantonment 

areas, reports UNB. 

Law Minister Anisul Huq 

piloted the bill in the House 

and it was passed by voice 

vote. 

The amount of various 

fines and fees for 43 

different subjects, including 

exceeding the deadline of 

building construction, 

violation of traffic rules, 

begging with distorted 

organs, carrying arms and 

firecrackers in the areas 

under Cantonment Board 

have been substantially 

increased from the ones 

described in the 90-year-old 

law. 

Emergency 

power plants 

to get more 

time for 

completion; 

bill placed 

SANGSAD BHABAN : The 

'Speedy Supply of Power 

and Energy (Special 

Provision) (Amendment) 

Bill, 2018' was placed in 

Parliamenton 

Wednesdayextending some 

provisions of the existing 

law by three years, reports 

UNB. 

The bill seeks the 

amendment as the 

construction of power 

plants for ensuring quick 

supply of power and energy 

in the country is yet to 

complete. State Minister for 

Power and Energy Nasrul 

Hamid Bipu placed the Bill 

and it was sent to the 

respective parliamentary 

standing committee for 

further scrutiny. The 

committee was asked to 

submit its reportwithin 

three days. With the 

passage of the bill, some 

provisions of the Speedy 

Supply of Power and Energy 

(Special Provision) Act- 

2010 will remain effective 

tillOctober 11, 2021. 

Elected student 

union essential for 

universities: Noor 

DHAKA : Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzanman Noor 

yesterday said elected student unions should exist in the 

universities to run the cultural and co-curricular 

activities properly, reports BSS. 

"Cultural activities are hardly seen at the universities 

including the Dhaka University (DU). One of the main 

reasons is there is no student unions or these are inactive 

in the educational institutions," Noor commented while 

addressing a book launching ceremony at the DU. 

Minister Asaduzzanman Noor unveiled the cover of the 

book titled "Dhaka Bishwabidyaloy Sangskritik O 

Shikkha Sahayak Karmakanda: Ekal O Shekal" (Cultural 

and Co-curricular Activities in Dhaka university: Past 

and Present) edited by Professor Dr Shaikh Abdus 

Salam. 

National and Emeritus Prof of DU Dr Anisuzzaman 

presided over the function organised by Center for 

Advanced Research in Arts and Social Sciences 

(CARASS) at its auditorium. 

Noor said cultural activities were not only 

entertainment but also a means of political movements 

at their time. 

"Government started working with the universities 

intensively to enhance their cultural activities. We will 

spread this in future," said the minister. 

Anisuzzaman said, "Our first duty should return back 

elected student unions so that they can return back the 

glorious past co-curricular activities. And the second is 

to tell the political parties to control their student wings 

as Dhaka University will not be the center of terrorism." 

DU Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Samad 

said cultural activities should enhance in the educational 

institutions to uproot militancy. 

Dean of the Faculty of Arts Dr Abu Md Delwar Hosain, 

Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Dr Sadeka Halim, 

DU Alumni Association President AK Azad and Dr 

Shaikh Abdus Salam spoke at the programme. 

Countrymen to 

reject corrupt 

politicians: Hanif 

SYLHET : Awami League Joint General Secretary 

Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif. MP, on Wednesday said the 

people of the country are in favour of development and 

they will reject the corrupt politicians during polls. 

"The people of Khulna and Gazipur cities rejected the 

corrupt politicians in city corporation polls and they will 

also reject such politicians in the upcoming Sylhet City 

Corporation election," he said, addressing an extended 

meeting of Sylhet district and city units of Awami League 

at Dakkhin Surma. 

AL Organizing Secretaries Ahmad Hossain and 

Advocate Misbah Uddin Siraj addressed the meeting as 

special guests with AL district unit President and Zilla 

Parishad Chairman Advocate Luthfur Rahman in the 

chair. 

Hanif said there is no apprehension regarding the city 

polls as the leaders and activists of AL are more united 

now. 

He said, "We will win in the city polls as well as in the 

upcoming general elections under the dynamic 

leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina." 

AL city unit President and Sylhet City Corporation 

candidate Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, Vice President 

Gazi Jafar Sadeq Koyes, lawmaker Mahmud Us Samad 

Chowdhury, former lawmaker Jebunneccha Haque and 

former permanent representative to United Nations Dr 

AK Abdul Momen, among others, addressed the 

meeting. 

Executive 

Chairman of 

Binary University 

meets DU VC 

DHAKA : Executive 

Chairman of Malaysian 

Binary University of 

Management 

and 

Entrepreneurship Prof 

Joseph Adaikalam yesterday 

met Dhaka University (DU) 

Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr 

Md Akhtaruzzaman, reports 

BSS 

Prof Dr Asif, Dean of Binary 

Graduate School of the 

Malaysian University, and 

Prof Tahmina Akhtar of DU's 

Institute of Social Welfare and 

Research were present on this 

occasion. 

During the meeting at the 

DU VC's office, they discussed 

the possibilities of taking joint 

collaborative academic and 

research programmes on 

management, information 

technology 

and 

entrepreneurship by the 

University of Dhaka and the 

Binary University of 

Management 

and 

Entrepreneurship, Malaysia. 

They stressed producing 

skilled graduates for making 

Bangladesh a developed 

country. They also discussed 

the possibilities of 

establishment of "Asian 

Leadership Institute" at DU 

with the financial support 

from Malaysia to develop 

leadership quality of 

graduates. 

They have agreed to sign a 

Memorandum 

of 

Understanding (MoU) in this 

regard soon. 

AL calls central 

working committee 

meeting on Sunday 

DHAKA : The Awami League 

Central Working Committee 

(ALCWC) will hold a joint 

meeting with presidents and 

general secretaries of AL 

associate bodies, AL Dhaka 

city North and South units, 

Dhaka district and other 

districts around Dhaka on 

Sunday. 

The meeting will be held at 

AL's new office building in 

city's Bangabandhu Avenue 

here at 11 am, said a press 

release. The AL lawmakers as 

well as the presidents and 

general secretaries of Dhaka, 

Manikganj, Gazipur, 

Narayanganj and 

Munshiganj districts will be 

present in the meeting. 

AL General Secretary and 

Road Transport and Bridges 

Minister Obaidul Quader. 

A press conference was held by Progotisil Chhatra Jote at Madhur Canteen of Dhaka University 

yesterday. 

Photo : TBT 

US celebrates 

242nd anniversary 

of independence 

DHAKA : US Ambassador in 

Dhaka Marcia Bernicat on 

Wednesday said America's 

Independence Day is a 

reminder of the enduring 

truth that a people can 

design their own future - one 

that constantly seeks to 

ensure the right to life, 

liberty and the pursuit of 

happiness for all its citizens, 

reports UNB. 

It is not just the 

anniversary of the birth of 

their nation, she said in a 

message marking the day. 

"Each year, on the 4th day 

of July, we celebrate 

American democratic 

principles, which have 

helped shape the world. 

Before he died on the 50th 

anniversary of our 

independence, Thomas 

Jefferson, the author of the 

Declaration 

of 

Independence, anticipated 

our celebration today, 

writing, "For ourselves, let 

the annual return of this day 

forever refresh our 

recollections of these rights, 

and an undiminished 

devotion to them," she said. 

Today, Bernicat said, she 

is happy to celebrate with 

these rights and founding 

principles that have endured 

for 242 years-these 

universal rights and 

principles that, in many 

ways, connect two countries 

and serve the common 

welfare of our citizens and 

the world. 

"Thank you for celebrating 

our Independence Day with 

us," she said. 

500 mmcfd LNG to go 

into national grid by 

this month: Adviser 

DHAKA : The government will start the 

supply of 500 mmcfd liquefied natural 

gas (LNG) into the national grid by this 

month to meet the country's growing 

power demand and spur the industrial 

growth, reports UNB. 

Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Dr 

Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury came up with 

the announcement on Wednesday while 

speaking at a dialogue on energy sector. 

"We can assure you that the imported 

LNG will come to our system by this 

month and it'll play an important role in 

our economy," he said. 

Policy Research Institute (PRI) in 

collaboration with Asian Infrastructure 

Investment Bank (AIIB) arranged the 

dialogue titled 'Determining Bangladesh's 

energy infrastructure needs for today and 

tomorrow' at a city hotel. 

Dr Elahi urged the entrepreneurs and 

investors to come up with plans for 

setting up new industries as the LNG will 

help reduce the crisis of primary source of 

fuel. 

He said the government is not spending 

any money for LNG as the private sector 

is investing around Tk half a billion for its 

import. 

The energy adviser said the first LNGladen 

ship has remained anchored at the 

floating storage refueling unit (FSRU) 

terminal located at Moheshkhali Island in 

the Bay of Bengal. "It's taking time to add 

the LNG to the national grid due to strong 

current in the bay and some other 

problems." 

He said they will conduct a test run of 

the LNG supply to the national grid by on 

People from all walks of life pay respect to language movement veteran Dr Halima Khatun at Central 

Shaheed Minar. 

Photo : TBT 

Bill passed 

to give BMD 

legal shape 

SANGSAD BHABAN : A bill 

titled, 'Abhawa Ain, 2018', 

first such legal framework in 

the country to deal with the 

issues relating to the 

meteorological activities, was 

passed in Parliamenton 

Wednesday, reports UNB. 

The Bill which was placed 

by Law MinisterAnisul Huq 

in the House on April 8 was 

passed by voice vote. 

Once enacted, the law will 

give the Bangladesh 

Meteorological Department 

(BMD) a legal shape. 

The law sorted the 

activities and services of the 

department, which mainly 

deals with the forecasting the 

natural disasters and 

everyday weather patterns. 

The proposed law has also 

defined the term 

'meteorology' and 

'meteorological 

phenomenon', tsunami, 

earthquake and other 

natural disasters. 

It has defined the eligibility 

of the persons to be 

considered as the 

meteorological scientists. 

According to the Bill, all 

atmospheric events 

happening within the space 

and beyond will be 

considered as the 

meteorological henomenon. 

Under the proposed law, 

the BMD will have the 

authority to take training and 

research programmes for the 

capacity building of its 

manpower. 

GD-894/18 (3 x 3) 

Iqvmv-RtZt-252/18 

GD-898/18 (4 x 3) 

July 15. 

Dr Elahi said the government has 

already installed a pipeline from 

Moheshkhali to Anwara in Chhattagram 

for the LNG supply. 

He said they are installing another 

pipeline for wider gas supply as three 

more ships to arrive in Chittagong with 

the LNG. 

The country's gas supply is likely to 

increase by 500 million cubic feet per day 

(mmcfd) when the LNG will be there in 

the system. "The people of the entire 

country will be benefited when the LNG 

will add to the national grid," the adviser 

added. 

Currently, the country's gas supply is 

about 2,550 mmcfd against a demand for 

over 3,000 mmcfd. 

About the pricing of LNG, Dr Elahi said 

they are working on it and the price will 

be tolerable. "We'll gradually increase its 

price. We hope the government will give 

us support to manage the deficit" 

He laid emphasis on the prudent use of 

power and bringing a change in people's 

habit of unnecessary wasting of 

electricity. "We should be very 

responsible in using electricity ....we 

shouldn't waste it." 

"We should also look for a smart grid 

system so that we can allocate power for 

per household to reduce its wastage and 

ensure equity," the energy adviser said. 

He said a rich person should not allow 

consuming power as per his or her will. 

"The allocation of power won't be 

determined by pocket. It should be 

determined by the technology." 

Dbœq‡bi MYZš¿ 

†kL nvwmbvi g~jgš¿

EDITORIAL 

THURSDAY, 


4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

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

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Thursday, July 5, 2018 

The next golden goose 

A 

lthough 

the garments sector was able to cope 

with the effects of a lingering global recession 

and growing workers induced troubles, under 

the circumstances one should not realistically pin too 

much hope on the sole garments sector to keep 

economic growth and employment creation 

reasonable in the context of Bangladesh. Bangladesh 

requires, specially, the rise of some other sector 

rapidly to offset the losses which are already noted in 

the manpower export sector to maintain its 

macroeconomic stability. 

There are limitations to the country's traditional 

economic sectors in rapidly expanding or increasing 

earnings. For example, no substantial increase in 

earnings from export-oriented jute, leather and 

frozen foods industries can be expected. The same 

have to go through the whole hog of investments in 

their capital machinery, benefit from favourable 

demand situation in importing countries and other 

related factors, to be able to expand in the medium 

and longer terms when what Bangladesh badly 

requires is the fastest development of some other 

sector in the 'short' term with least capital 

investment to face up to its present economic 

difficulties. 

Out of the emerging new sectors, shipbuilding 

shows the possibility of turning into a major sector 

but that too could happen in the mid and longer 

terms. Only information technology (IT) related 

outsourcing activities seem to indicate any 

immediate major earning prospect for the country in 

the 'short' term which is the imperative. 

Investments in IT infrastructures would be 

relatively much less and already the country 

possesses considerable capacities in the sector. Only 

proper policy implementation by the government 

and enabling supports, can lead to the taking-off of 

this factor at the soonest. 

The already existing facilities for IT outsourcing 

activities in the country have been pointing to its 

potentials. But regrettably the same are not being 

exploited fully as these should have been. 

Bureaucratic impediments are complained to be the 

main impediment facing the growth of outsourcing 

in the IT sector. In a recent study by the world 

famous IT organization, Gartner, Bangladesh was 

included among 30 countries with the most IT 

outsourcing possibilities and in the Asian region its 

position was 9th in this regard. According to a recent 

World Bank report more then 8,000 Bangladeshi 

young software developers had found jobs in the 

industry in the past two years in Bangladesh and 

nearly 1,000 of them were working in Denmark- 

Bangladesh IT joint ventures. Industry sources said 

Bangladeshi IT industry had also developed business 

relations with clients in Japan and other parts in the 

world . 

Safquat Haider, a director of the Bangladesh 

Association of Software and Information Services, 

said the IT potentials of Bangladesh had increasingly 

been pointed out by industry monitors globally. 'The 

IT industry is warming up for a breakthrough, as 

global clients are calling local companies increasingly 

and a significant local market is also being readied,' 

said Haider, whose IT company, CIPROCO, 

develops telecommunication, geographic 

information system and enterprise resource 

planning solutions for clients at home and abroad. 

It appears that only a greater supportive role from 

the government can lead to a decisive breakthrough 

for IT outsourcing activities in Bangladesh. It is 

relevant to mention here that the renowned Intel 

company was allowed in 2005 to train 5,000 IT 

teachers in Vietnam and later on to invest about a 

billion dollars in the IT sector of that country. This 

allowed the IT sector of Vietnam to flourish very 

quickly. It is now in a leading position for 

outsourcing from the Asia region. 

A far greater offer than Intel in Vietnam was made 

to Bangladesh by Microsoft's Chief Bill Gates when 

he also visited Bangladesh when a BNP led 

government was in power and offered to the 

Bangladesh government a proposal to train 10,000 

IT teachers and train up 0.1 million trainee workers 

for IT outsourcing tasks. But nothing happened 

afterwards. It appears that the bureaucracy in 

Bangladesh characteristically reacted to this 

wonderful offer by shelving it and forgetting it. But 

Bangladesh would be well set on its way to become a 

formidable IT outsourcing power by now if this very 

promising offer from fabled Bill Gates was taken up 

and positively acted upon in time. 

Like the golden goose, the IT sector could be laying the 

golden eggs by now to secure the country's economy from 

the threats confronting it from shrinking opportunities for 

our migrant workers and growing squeeze on the 

employment conditions in the country. 

A booming IT outsourcing industry could absorb 

millions of educated and even semi-educated young 

people and create alternatives in the horizon of 

employment when employment prospects abroad 

are becoming tougher and bleaker. It has been 

estimated that out of the emerging sectors in the 

economy, IT outsourcing holds out the most promise 

to even surpass the garments and manpower export 

sectors at the earliest provided it is not frustrated by 

bureaucratic obstructions. 

The present Awami League led government is taking a 

lot of interest in the IT sector. The same should be 

reflected in the fastest establishment of an IT park at 

Kaliakaur near Dhaka. It should also address many 

bright suggestions from our experts that have been 

made for the development of our IT sector. 

Be thankful for the Brexit deadline: On everything else May procrastinates 

What's the naughtiest thing 

British Prime Minister Theresa 

May has done? She would have 

us believe that running through fields of 

wheat was her greatest misdemeanour, 

but really a far worse habit that she still 

regularly indulges in is to kick things into 

the long grass for as long as possible. 

May's tendency to procrastinate is most 

obvious in the way she has handled the 

Brexit negotiations, delaying important 

Cabinet discussions on Britain's future 

trading relationship with the European 

Union (EU) for months. But her 

predilection for putting off difficult 

decisions is actually more dangerous 

when it comes to domestic policy, 

because she has no deadline by which 

she must make up her mind. 

There is no Michel Barnier breathing 

down the prime minister's neck on social 

care, for instance. The sector is on its 

knees and has no long-term funding 

settlement despite decades of promises 

from politicians. Every day, many 

hospitals have hundreds of patients who 

are medically fit for discharge yet have no 

social care package in place so they can 

leave. Care providers are giving up and 

local authorities are watching the black 

holes in their budgets yawn wider. 

May's allies insist she is acutely aware 

of the problems in the sector, given that 

she was the prime minister who tried to 

use a general election manifesto to solve 

the crisis. But of course, that 2017 

manifesto fell apart, and the experience 

of the "dementia tax" has made leaving 

the matter well alone far more tempting. 

Health ministers are desperate for a 

solution soon, as is National Health 

Service's (NHS) England chief Simon 

BY ISABEL HARDMAN 

Stevens. But though May and the British 

Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, were 

able to cajole the Treasury into a £20 

billion (Dh96.8 billion) settlement for 

the NHS over the next five years, none of 

that money was earmarked for social 

care. The chancellor, Philip Hammond, 

is adamant that social care must be 

discussed in the usual way in a spending 

review, alongside all the other 

departments vying for cash such as 

defence. So there is now a conflict 

between those ministers who don't think 

social care can wait much longer, and 

those who believe Hunt's department 

has gained more than enough money 

already. 

That most of the Cabinet are 

demanding more money isn't really 

May's fault: Many of her ministers are 

having to deal with the legacy of cuts 

made under David Cameron's 

government. There is much private 

frustration in the departments of Health 

and of Local Government - which also 

has a responsibility for social care - that 

local authority budgets were plundered 

in the 2010 spending review. Old cuts 

have left deep wounds, and ministers 

have grown tired of applying sticking 

plasters. 

But the prime minister is lacking in 

sufficient authority and will to tell those 

loudly campaigning for more money, 

such as the defence secretary, Gavin 

Williamson, to keep quiet and negotiate 

in private, as Hunt did with the NHS 

cash. And while giving the NHS more 

money is an obvious piece of good 

political public relations, social care 

reform isn't nearly so easy, as it involves 

telling a public who largely think such 

provision is free that they are going to 

have to spend their own money, either 

through taxation or when they access the 

care. One trick Stevens in particular 

seems keen to pull is a little-noted line in 

the NHS funding settlement that the 

DR. MAJID RAFIZADEH 

government will "ensure that social care 

doesn't impose additional pressure on 

the NHS". He remarked this weekend 

that the "obvious implication" of this is 

there will be more money coming for 

social care. It's not clear the Treasury 

knows what it has signed up to, let alone 

whether it will honour this commitment. 

The sector has been waiting for a green 

paper on social care, but over the past 

year the regular conversations I've had 

with those working on it have seen it 

grow greener and greener: Not so much 

long grass as deep forest. Hunt recently 

admitted that this document had been 

delayed until the autumn, and it is my 

understanding that the paper will set out 

a number of options for consultation, 

rather than a preferred option with a 

definite timetable for implementation, as 

campaigners have called for. 

This is typical May: Aides report the 

prime minister will take ages to ensure 

she knows every single detail about a 

policy before even starting on the 

decision-making process, which only 

concludes at the very last minute. This 

week she plans to stage a lock-in at 

Chequers in order to get her ministers to 

agree on key aspects of Brexit. She's only 

adopted this tough approach because 

she simply has no time left in the 

negotiations with the EU. 

Time ran out for social care a long 

while back, but just as those wheat fields 

were apparently irresistible to the young 

prime minister, so is the long grass that 

helps her avoid making the decisions her 

job requires. 

Source : Gulf news 

Iranian regime should be held accountable for its terrorist activities 

Europeans officials have foiled a 

terrorist attack targeting a large 

convention in Paris called "Free 

Iran," which I attended. An Iranian 

diplomat and several other individuals of 

Iranian origin were arrested in France, 

Belgium and Germany on Monday. This 

is the first time that an Iranian official has 

been arrested for such a blatant act 

related to orchestrating a terrorist attack. 

Why would Iran get engaged in such 

activity? Most likely, from the Iranian 

regime's perspective, such a large-scale 

terror attack would have eliminated 

many of the regime's opponents once and 

for all, if it had proceeded according to 

plan. After all, the regime was successful 

in holding onto power after Supreme 

Leader Ruhollah Khomeini's 1988 fatwa 

"led to the killing of 30,000" people who 

opposed it, according to his former 

deputy Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali 

Montazeri. 

Tens of thousands of dissidents and 

human rights defenders attended the 

Free Iran convention. Many European, 

American and Middle Eastern leaders 

and influential people were there, 

including former US House of 

Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, 

ex-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 

former Canadian Foreign Minister John 

Baird, French-Colombian politician and 

ex-senator Ingrid Betancourt, US author 

and chairman of the Center for Equal 

Opportunity Linda Chavez, and Italy's 

Nowadays, Britain's words and 

actions on the world stage are so at 

odds with its values that one must 

wonder what has happened to the 

country. Since the June 2016 referendum 

favoring an exit from the European 

Union (Brexit), British foreign policy 

seems to have all but collapsed - and even 

to have disowned its past and its 

governing ideas. 

Worse, this has coincided with the 

emergence of US President Donald 

Trump's erratic administration, which is 

pursuing goals that are completely 

detached from those of Britain - and of 

Europe generally. Trump's abandonment 

of the Iran nuclear deal, combined with 

Russian President Vladimir Putin's 

increasing belligerence and Chinese 

President Xi Jinping's growing 

ambitions, indicates that the world is 

entering an ever-more confrontational 

and dangerous phase. 

Trump's evident lack of personal 

chemistry with British Prime Minister 

Theresa May - and the Anglophobia of his 

new national security adviser, John 

Bolton - ensured that this was never going 

to be the best of times for the United 

Kingdom. But it also doesn't help that 

generations of British foreign-policy 

hands have regarded themselves as 

ancient Greeks to America's Rome. 

To a Brit like myself, this analogy 

always seemed too confident. Having 

lived in the United States, I suspected that 

American leaders did not heed the advice 

of British diplomats nearly as much as 

those diplomats liked to think. 

Still, if ever there was a moment for 

Britain to sprinkle some of its 

That most of the Cabinet are demanding more money 

isn't really May's fault: Many of her ministers are having 

to deal with the legacy of cuts made under David 

Cameron's government. There is much private frustration 

in the departments of Health and of Local Government - 

which also has a responsibility for social care - that local 

authority budgets were plundered in the 2010 spending 

review. Old cuts have left deep wounds, and ministers 

have grown tired of applying sticking plasters. 

former Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi di 

Sant'Agata. Without a doubt, Iran is now 

going to use its highly bogus diplomatic 

skills and smiles to divert attention from 

this heinous act. Iran's technocrat foreign 

minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif, has 

already dismissed the issue, stating on 

Twitter: "How convenient: Just as we 

embark on a presidential visit to Europe, 

an alleged Iranian operation and its 

'plotters' arrested. Iran unequivocally 

condemns all violence & terror anywhere, 

and is ready to work with all concerned to 

uncover what is a sinister false flag ploy." 

But it is also important to point out that 

this terrorist plot ought not to come as a 

surprise. The Iranian regime is listed as 

the top state sponsor of terrorism. Its ties 

to extremist and terrorist groups such as 

Al-Qaeda are well substantiated. Robust 

The end of global Britain 

characteristic calm and resolve over 

world affairs, that moment is now. And 

yet the UK appears to have checked out. 

Since World War II, Britain's close 

relationships with continental Europe 

and the US have served as the two 

anchors of its foreign policy. But now, 

both lines have in essence been severed. 

If ever there was a moment for Britain 

to sprinkle some of its characteristic calm 

and resolve over world affairs, that 

moment is now. And yet the UK appears 

to have checked out 

At the same time, the British 

government's all-consuming preoccupation 

with untying the Gordian knot of Brexit has 

blinded it to what is happening in the rest of 

the world. And its blinkered view seems 

certain to persist. 

Negotiating the terms of Britain's 

withdrawal from the EU is likely to take 

years, and the outcome will inevitably 

have implications for the country's unity, 

given the intractable issue of the 

Northern Irish border. Even if that issue 

can be sorted out, a campaign in Scotland 

to link it to the EU rather than to London 

evidence, including a US federal court 

ruling, found "Iran furnished material 

and direct support for the 9/11 terrorists." 

Eight of the hijackers passed through Iran 

before heading to the US. 

Iran also provided funds, logistical 

support and ammunition to Al-Qaeda 

leaders, sheltering several of them in 

exchange for attacks on US interests. The 

But it is also important to point out that this 

terrorist plot ought not to come as a surprise. The 

Iranian regime is listed as the top state sponsor of 

terrorism. Its ties to extremist and terrorist groups 

such as Al-Qaeda are well substantiated. Robust 

evidence, including a US federal court ruling, 

found "Iran furnished material and direct support 

for the 9/11 terrorists." Eight of the hijackers 

passed through Iran before heading to the US. 

Iranian regime continued to support Al- 

Qaeda in Iraq and other countries with 

the goal of pushing out forces that are 

rivals to Tehran. The existence of this 

alliance clearly explains why Al-Qaeda 

has never attacked Iran. 

The Iranian regime also attempted to 

assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the 

US with a bomb at a well-known 

restaurant in Washington in 2011. 

Without a doubt, Iran is now going to 

will continue to command the attention 

of the government and civil service for the 

foreseeable future. 

At any rate, the promise of a "global 

Britain" freed from the chains of the EU 

was never more than idle talk and 

sloganeering. At the recent 

Commonwealth Heads of Government 

Meeting in London, business and 

political leaders from Commonwealth 

countries around the world heard plenty 

of Brexiteer bluster, but little concrete talk 

of future trade deals. India is one country 

that could potentially be a major UK trade 

Likewise, most of those outside the "Leave" camp 

regard the Brexiteers' aspiration for Britain to lead 

the vast "Anglosphere" into a brave new world as a 

comical delusion. To be sure, the show of US and 

European support after the alleged nerve-agent 

attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in 

Salisbury, England, might suggest that Britain is 

still punching above its weight. 

partner after Brexit. The problem is that 

Indians see Britain and Europe as one 

market. To them, Britain's quest to adopt 

its own rules and standards amounts to a 

frivolous inconvenience. Before 

expanding trade and investment with 

Britain, India will most likely pursue a 

deeper relationship with the EU. Indeed, 

India never saw Britain as a particular 

champion of its interests inside the EU. 

Likewise, most of those outside the 

"Leave" camp regard the Brexiteers' 

aspiration for Britain to lead the vast 

use its highly bogus diplomatic skills and 

smiles to divert attention from this 

heinous act 

Many people have been killed by the 

Iranian regime in terrorist attacks. 

Examples of such destructive behavior 

include the 1983 suicide bombing in 

Lebanon that killed 241 American 

servicemen (220 Marines, 18 sailors and 

three soldiers); the Khobar Towers 

bombing of 1996; and the 2000 attack on 

the USS Cole, with the direct support and 

involvement of Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda. 

The other issue to pay attention to is 

linked to the arrested Iranian diplomat, 

who was residing in a foreign embassy 

and had been enjoying diplomatic 

immunity. His involvement in the foiled 

terrorist attack must be considered to be 

so grave that the Austrian Foreign 

Ministry gave the Iranian regime an 

ultimatum and pointed out: "The Iranian 

diplomat will be denied diplomatic status 

within 48 hours because of the existence 

of a European arrest warrant." 

The international community should 

be aware that it is believed the Iranian 

regime uses its embassies and consulates 

in foreign countries as cells to promote 

extremism and support militias and 

proxies. For example, an Iranian 

ambassador and 14 other diplomats were 

expelled from Kuwait last year over links 

to a "spy and terror" cell. 

Source: Arab news 

"Anglosphere" into a brave new world as 

a comical delusion. To be sure, the show 

of US and European support after the 

alleged nerve-agent attack on a former 

Russian spy and his daughter in 

Salisbury, England, might suggest that 

Britain is still punching above its weight. 

The coordinated expulsion of Russian 

spies from the EU and the United States 

was a victory for British diplomacy, and 

suspicions that the Russians were 

exploiting Britain's increasing isolation 

seem to have mobilized the North 

Atlantic Treaty Organization. But the 

larger truth is that the Russians are right: 

Britain is now Western Europe's weak 

link. Thus it is only a matter of time before 

Putin probes British weakness again. 

And, as if the old sin of turning a blind eye 

to Russian oligarchs laundering money 

through the UK were not problematic 

enough, the suicidal act of quitting the EU 

leaves Britain with fewer tools to combat 

Russian meddling in its affairs. 

Britain is losing its influence over EU 

cybersecurity and energy policies just as 

cyber-warfare and energy geopolitics are 

becoming key fronts for hostile state and 

non-state actors. Worse, at the same time 

that Britain is giving up its seat at the EU 

table, it also seems to be giving up its 

liberal-democratic values. During the 

Brexit referendum campaign, the Leave 

camp openly stoked hostility toward 

outsiders. And the recent "Windrush" 

scandal over the government's poor 

treatment of Caribbean-born legal 

residents has reprised the illiberal legacy of 

May's previous tenure at the Home Office. 

Source : Asia times

HEALTH 

THURSDAY, 


5 

Artificial ovary to enable 

women conceive after 

chemotherapy 

We make up for some of the calories we burn during exercise, but not all. 

Photo: iStock 

Exercise results in weight 

loss, if done enough 

Gretchen Reynolds 

Can working out help us to drop 

pounds after all? A provocative new 

study involving overweight men and 

women suggests that it probably can, 

undercutting a widespread notion that 

exercise, by itself, is worthless for 

weight loss. 

But the findings also indicate that, to 

benefit, we may need to exercise quite a 

bit. In theory, exercise should 

contribute substantially to weight loss. 

It burns calories. If we do not replace 

them, our bodies should achieve 

negative energy balance, use stored fat 

for fuel and shed pounds. 

But life and our metabolisms are not 

predictable or fair, as multiple exercise 

studies involving people and animals 

show. In these experiments, 

participants lose less weight than 

would be expected, given the energy 

they expend during exercise. 

The studies generally have concluded 

that the exercisers had compensated 

for the energy they had expended 

during exercise, either by eating more 

or moving less throughout the day. 

These compensations were often 

unwitting but effective. 

Some researchers had begun to 

wonder, though, if the amount of 

exercise might matter. Many of the past 

human experiments had involved 

about 30 minutes a day or so of 

moderate exercise, which is the amount 

generally recommended by current 

guidelines to improve health. 

But what if people exercised more, 

some researchers asked. Would they 

still compensate for all the calories that 

they burned. To find out, scientists 

from the University of North Dakota 

and other institutions decided to invite 

31 overweight, sedentary men and 

women to a lab for measurements of 

their resting metabolic rate and body 

composition. 

The volunteers also recounted in 

detail what they had eaten the previous 

day and agreed to wear a sophisticated 

activity tracker for a week. The 

scientists then randomly divided them 

into groups. One group began a 

program of walking briskly five times a 

week on a treadmill until they had 

burned 300 calories, which took most 

of them about 30 minutes. (The 

sessions were individualized.) 

The men and women in the group 

that had burned 1,500 calories a week 

with exercise proved to have 

compensated for nearly 950 of those 

calories, the numbers indicated. 

Interestingly, those in the other 

group had also compensated for some 

of the calories they had burned, and to 

almost the exact same extent as those 

who had exercised less, adding back 

about 1,000 calories a week, the 

calculations showed. 

But since they had expended 3,000 

calories a week, they had wound up 

with a weekly deficit of about 2,000 

calories from exercise and lost fat, the 

researchers concluded. The findings 

were published in the American 

Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, 

Integrative and Comparative 

Physiology. How the volunteers had 

compensated was not absolutely clear, 

says Kyle Flack, an assistant professor 

at the University of Kentucky, who 

conducted the experiment as part of his 

graduate research. People's resting 

metabolic rates had not changed 

during the study, he says, whichever 

group they had been in. Their activity 

monitors also showed few differences 

in how much or little they moved 

during the day. 

So the caloric compensation must 

have involved overeating, he says. But 

the volunteers did not think so. "Their 

food recall did not show differences" in 

how much they reported eating at the 

start and end of the study, Dr. Flack 

says. 

Over the course of the week, these 

volunteers burned 1,500 extra calories 

with their exercise program. The other 

group began working out for twice as 

long, burning 600 calories per session, 

or about 3,000 calories per week. 

The exercise program lasted for 12 

weeks. The researchers asked their 

volunteers not to change their diets or 

lifestyles during this time and to wear 

the activity monitors for a few days. 

After four months, everyone returned 

to the lab and repeated the original 

tests. 

The results must have been 

disconcerting for some of them. Those 

men and women who had burned 

about 1,500 calories a week with 

exercise turned out to have lost little if 

any body fat, the tests showed. Some 

were heavier. But most of those who 

had walked twice as much were thinner 

now. Twelve of them had shed at least 5 

percent of their body fat during the 

study. The researchers then used 

mathematical calculations, based on 

each person's fat loss (if any), to 

determine whether and by how much 

they had compensated for their 

exercise. 

Keep seeing the same doctor 

contributes in lower death rates 

Nice to see you again, doc. 

Seeing the same doctor doesn't just 

give you the comfort of a familiar face - 

it might save your life. Denis Pereira 

Gray of St Leonard's Medical Practice 

and colleagues at the University of 

Exeter, UK analysed the results of 22 

studies from nine countries with 

different health systems. Eighteen of 

the studies found that people who saw 

the same doctor over time had 

significantly lower death rates. 

Because the studies use different 

ways to measure continuity, it wasn't 

possible to get an overall estimate for 

how big the reduction in mortality is. 

One recent study looked at 396,838 

patients with diabetes in Taiwan. In 

those with a high level of continuity, the 

death rate was half as high as those 

with low continuity. 

The benefits of continuity were not 

limited to family doctors or GPs, but 

applied to specialist physicians, 

psychiatrists and surgeons too. The 

Photo: Hero Images 

relationship could be 

because people with poor 

health need to see more 

different doctors, but the 

studies tried to account for 

this. 

Studies have shown that 

patients who see the same 

doctor consistently have 

higher satisfaction, are 

more likely to follow 

medical advice, take up 

preventative care such as 

immunisations more often 

and have significantly 

fewer unnecessary 

hospital admissions. 

"When a patient sees a 

doctor they know and get 

on with, they talk more 

freely and give that doctor 

much more relevant 

information, sometimes 

quite 

personal 

information or anxieties 

they have, and the doctor 

can then tailor the advice 

and management plans 

much more subtly," says 

Pereira Gray. 

However, being able to 

give patients continuity is 

increasingly challenging 

because of a shortage of 

GPs. According to a recent 

study in England, the chance of seeing 

the same GP fell by 27 per cent between 

2012 and 2017. 

The importance of continuity is 

seriously underappreciated in health 

systems, says Pereira Gray. "It's seen in 

hospitals and general practices as a 

kind of convenience to give the patient 

they want to see," he says. "It's 

becoming clearer that this is about the 

quality of medical practice." 

Health Desk 

Scientists have taken 

further steps in creating 

an artificial ovary that 

could one day used to 

help women who have 

been left infertile after 

cancer treatment. 

Researchers from the 

Rigshospitalet in 

Copenhagen, Denmark, 

took ovarian tissue from 

cancer patients and 

stripped it of cells. They 

then transplanted this 

structure into mice and 

found that it could 

support the survival and 

growth of the follicles. 

Twenty follicles were 

transplanted in and a 

quarter of them survived 

for at least three weeks. 

It is hoped that this 

artificial ovary could be 

implanted back into 

women and restore their 

fertility after cancer 

treatment. "This is the 

first time that isolated 

human follicles have 

survived in a 

decellularised human 

scaffold," said Susanne 

Por, who presented the 

work at the European 

Society of Human 

Reproduction and 

Embryology (ESGRE) 

annual meeting in 

Barcelona today. 

Cancer treatments can 

often damage the 

ovaries, blocking the 

production of eggs and 

A scanning electron microscope image of a human ovary. 

making pregnancy 

impossible. Women 

diagnosed with cancer 

can have their eggs 

frozen. Sometimes, 

doctors may offer to 

remove or freeze all or 

part of an ovary for retransplantation 

after 

treatment. However, 

this runs the risk of 

reintroducing cancer 

cells, as some cancers 

can spread to the 

ovaries. An "artificial 

ovary" could reduce this 

risk. 

Nick Macklon, medical 

director at London 

Women's Clinic, said 

this is an "exciting 

development" but added 

that further research is 

needed to prove its 

usefulness in humans. 

Stuart Lavery, 

consultant gynaecologist 

at Hammersmith 

Hospital, said that if this 

is shown to be effective, 

it offers huge advantages 

over IVF and egg 

freezing. 

"Because potentially 

these small pieces of 

tissue will have 

thousands of eggs and 

clearly if it does work, 

there's the advantage of 

then getting pregnant 

the old-fashioned way," 

says Lavery. Artificial 

ovaries could also one 

day help relieve women 

of some of the symptoms 

of the menopause. 

Marriage may be good for 

your heart 

Nicholas Bakalar 

Being married may reduce the risk of 

heart disease and cardiovascular 

death, a review of studies has found. 

Researchers pooled data on more than 

two million participants in 34 studies 

carried out in the United States, 

Britain, Japan, Russia, Sweden, Spain, 

Greece and eight other countries. 

They found that compared with 

married people, those who were 

unmarried - whether never married, 

widowed or divorced - were 42 

percent more likely to have some form 

of cardiovascular disease and 16 

percent more likely to have coronary 

heart disease. The unmarried also had 

a 43 percent increased likelihood of 

coronary heart disease death and a 55 

percent increased risk for death from 

stroke. Stroke risk was increased for 

the unmarried and divorced, but not 

for the widowed. 

The authors acknowledge that the 

study, published in Heart, has several 

weaknesses. While most analyses 

adjusted for multiple variables, these 

varied across studies, and some 

factors were not accounted for, 

including financial stability, 

medication adherence and social 

support. Being married may reduce 

the risk of heart disease and 

cardiovascular death, a review of 

studies has found. 

Researchers pooled data on more 

than two million participants in 34 

studies carried out in the United 

States, Britain, Japan, Russia, 

Sweden, Spain, Greece and eight other 

countries. They found that compared 

Being widowed, divorced or never married increases the risk of heart disease. 

Photo: Manfred Kag 

with married people, those who were 

unmarried - whether never married, 

widowed or divorced - were 42 

percent more likely to have some form 

of cardiovascular disease and 16 

percent more likely to have coronary 

heart disease. The unmarried also had 

a 43 percent increased likelihood of 

coronary heart disease death and a 55 

percent increased risk for death from 

stroke. Stroke risk was increased for 

the unmarried and divorced, but not 

for the widowed. 

The authors acknowledge that the 

study, published in Heart, has several 

weaknesses. While most analyses 

adjusted for multiple variables, these 

varied across studies, and some factors 

were not accounted for, including 

financial stability, medication 

adherence and social support. 

Photo: Collected

NATIONAL 


6 

Two-day cultural fest to 

begin in Gopalganj 

NAZRUL ISLAM, GOPALGANJ CORRESPONDENT 

A two day cultural festival will begin on 20th July in Gopalganj 

Shilpakala Academy. The cultural fest will include discussion, 

Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Sangeet, poetry recitation, palli 

geeti, lalon geeti, and various other traditional songs. 

The decision was taken at a preparation meeting in 

Gopalganj circuit house auditorium on Wednesday. Deputy 

Commissioner (DC) of Gopalganj Mohammad Mokhlesur 

Rahman Sarker chaired the meeting. Among others, 

Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Abdullah Hel 

Baki, Assistant Police Super Md Masudur Rahman, Upazila 

Nirbahi Officer Shammi Akhter and general secretary of 

Reporters Forum S M Nazrul Islam were also present at the 

occasion. 

A group of journalists of Chattogram on Tuesday demanded punishment of guilty doctors, closure of 

Max Hospital and cancellation of certificate of Dr Faisal Iqbal Chowdhury over death of Raifa Khan. 

Photo: S M Akash 

Journalists continue protest 

in Chattogram 

S M AKASH, CHATTOGRAM BUREAU CHIEF 

A group of journalists of Chattogram 

continued their protest programme on 

Tuesday on Central Shaheed Minar 

premises over death of two and a half 

year old girl due to alleged wrong 

treatment in Max Hospital in 

Chattogram. The journalist leaders 

demanded punishment of guilty 

doctors, closure of Max Hospital and 

cancellation of certificate of Dr Faisal 

Iqbal Chowdhury, Bangladesh Medical 

Workshop 

on CAMS 

held in 

Narsingdi 

NARSINGDI : A daylong 

workshop on continuous air 

monitoring station (CAMS) 

under the Clean Air 

Sustainable Environment 

(CASE) Project was held at 

Narsingdi Sadar Upazila 

Parishad hall room here on 

Tuesday, reports BSS. 


administration organized 

the workshop. 

Dr. SM Monzural Hannan 

Khan, project director and 

additional secretary of 

Forests and Environment 

Ministry, addressed the 

workshop as the chief guest. 


Nirbahi Officer Mohammad 

Selim Reza, ATM 

Mahabubul Karim, deputy 

director of Local 

Government Division, and 


Parishad Chairman Monzur 

Elahi were the special 

guests. 

The workshop mentioned 

that a memorandum of 

understanding (MOU) was 

signed for establishment of 

the continuous air 

monitoring station. This is 

one of the 10 priority 

projects of Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina. 

Bumper Jute 

production 

likely in 

Panchagarh 

PANCHAGARH: Farmers 

and DAE are expecting 

bumper jute production in 

the district this year as the 

weather condition was 

favorable for cultivation of 

jute, reports BSS. 

DAE has also given 

modern technology training 

to the farmers for boosting 

jute production. It has also 

supplied high quality of jute 

seeds, fertilizers among the 

farmers at a cost of free. 

Department of 

Agriculture extension office 

sources said, jute cultivated 

on 8,130 hectares of land in 

the district with the 

production target 19,000 

metric tonnes. 

Farmer Sunil Kumar said 

that jute cultivation is 

increasing as farmers are 

getting fair price of jute as 

now the time the jute is 

using sack, small bag. 

Association's Chittagong chapter 

general secretary. If the demands are 

not met by Sunday they will announce 

tougher movement, the leaders said. 

In addition to journalists, several 

political and socio-cultural 

organisations also joined the rally to 

express their solidarity to journalists's 

demands. 

Raifa Khan, daughter of the daily 

Samokal's senior correspondent in 

Chittagong Rubel Khan, who was 

suffering from cold and sore throat died 

allegedly due to wrong treatment at 

Max Hospital early Friday. 

Chattogram Union for Journalist 

(CUJ) president Nazim Uddin Shyamal, 

Chattogram Press Club president Kalim 

Sarwar, secretary Suklal Das, BFJU 

leader Molla Zalal, CUJ general 

secretary Hasan Ferdous, former 

president Reaz Hyder Chowdhury, The 

Bangladesh Today Chattogram Bureau 

Chief M A Akash among others, spoke. 

ACC holds mass hearing 

in Chaugachha 

YAKUB ALI, CHAUGACHHA CORRESPONDENT 

Anti-Corruption Commission held a mass 

hearing organised by Jessore and 

Chaugaccha upazila corruption 

prevention committee at Divine center in 

Chaugachha upazila under Jessore 

district on Wednesday. 

Jessore DC Abdul Awal chaired the 

programme while Commissioner of Anti- 

Corruption Commission AFM Mizanur 

Rahman was present as the chief guest. 

Among others, Anti Corruption Commission 

Director Moniruzzaman, Jessore Police 

Superintendent Anisur Rahman, Director of 

District ACC Md. Abdul Gaffar, Assistant 

Director Md. Wazed Ali Gazi and Md Abu 

Raihan, Deputy Director Monirul Islam, 

Upazila Chairman Bir Freedom Fighters SM 

Habibur Rahman, Upazila Executive Officer 

Md. Ibadat Hossain, Officer-in-charge of 

Police Station Khandaker Shamim Uddin, 

mayor of municipality mayor Nul Uddin Al 

Mamun Himel, Chairman of 11 unions, 

Headmaster of school, college and madrasa, 

Upazila autonomous officer, sub-registrar, 

upazila rural power officer, agricultural officer, 

all the officers of the government offices of 

upazila, general secretary of the upazila Mehdi 

Masud Chowdhury, upazila President of Anti- 

Corruption Prevention Committee Assistant 

Professor Kamruzzaman and General 

Secretary Tomis Ddina were also present at the 

occasion. 

Commissioner of Anti-Corruption Commission AFM Mizanur Rahman 

addressed a mass hearing as the chief guest at Divine center in 

Chaugachha upazila on Wednesday. 

Photo: Yakub Ali 

Caritas Bangladesh provided financial support among the financially insecure 

but meritorious students of NCM High School and Patharia gangkul 

mansuria senior(fazil)madrasha of Barlekha upazila under Moulvibazar 

district on Wednesday. 

Photo: Abdur Rob 

Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Gopalganj Mohammad Mokhlesur Rahman Sarker on Wednesday 

chaired a preparation meeting of a two day cultural festival which is scheduled to begin on 20th July 

in Gopalganj Shilpakala Academy. 

Photo: Nazrul Islam 

Boutique houses 

contribute to 

women empowered 

RAJSHAHI: Many women 

have got the chance of 

attaining self-reliance 

together with employing 

their near and dear ones in 

income-generating activities 

through operating boutique 

houses in the city and its 

outskirts, reports BSS. 

Talking to BSS here, some 

of them termed the venture 

as an effective means of 

women empowerment and 

social contribution. 

Amena Begum, owner of 

Maisha Boutique and 

Fashion House at 

Upashahar Koyerdara in the 

city, narrated her success 

story. She supplies goods of 

order to different parts of the 

country successfully. 

More than 100 women 

coming 

from 

underprivileged and 

disadvantaged families are 

working in her industry as 

labourers. 

"We supply our finished 

goods to more than 14-15 

districts including Dhaka," 

said Tahmina Akhter Minu, 

owner of Minu Boutique 

House in Shapura area. She 

is satisfied over her business 

that generates employment 

of around 50 women. 

"We want to highlight our 

heritage side by side with the 

business," Minu said adding 

that business promotion is 

very important for women 

empowerment along with 

their 

economic 

emancipation. 

"We have founded 

'Angona Boutique and 

Fashion' being operated by 

our Angana Mohila Samity 

successfully making more 

than 100 women incomegenerator," 

said Iffat Ara, 

director of the samity. 

Similarly, Daudpur 

Mohila Kolyan Samity's 

Shefali Boutique and 

Mohona Mohila Kolyan 

Samity's Mohona Boutique 

have made at least 175 other 

women self-reliant. 

"We have linked around 

50 women with skill 

development training for 

their livelihood," said 

Anwara Begum, president of 

Dashmari Distressed 

Women 

Welfare 

Association. 

After completing their 

training they are doing 

block, boutique and 

embroidery works in their 

respective areas and many of 

them attained their longcherished 

economic 

emancipation. 

Anwara Begum told BSS 

that the boutique houses 

were established and 

operated with assistance of 

the district women affairs 

office. Shobnom Shirin, 

District Women Affairs 

Officer, told BSS that the 

department . 

Farmers get jute fibre extraction 

machines in Gaibandha 

GAIBANDHA: A total of 22 entrepreneurs 

of three upazilas in the district got Aashkols 

(Jute fibre extraction machines) from 

RDRS Bangladesh today to ensure the 

quality of the jute fibre to earn fair prices 

against the output. 

A simple function was also held at the 

conference room of Gaibandha Govt. 

Technical Training Center (GGTTC) at 

Farazipara, an outskirt of the district town, 

on Wednesday noon with programme 

manager of RDRS Bangladesh Porsia 

Rahman in the chair. 

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Gautam 

Chandra Pal addressed the function as the 

chief guest and Principal of GGTTC M. 

Atiqur, Sadar upazila agriculture officer 

AKM Sadiqul Islam and chief inspector of 

jute here Mokbul Hossain were present at 

the event as the special guests while 

regional manager of Practical Action 

Bangladesh Nehal Azmat Mohi was the 

moderator. 

The speakers underscored the need for 

introducing the modern jute extraction 

technology to the farmers without delay to 

get quality jute fibre to help the growers 

earn economical profit in a bid to change 

their lots gradually. 

DC Gautam Chandra Pal emphasized for 

popularizing the jute fibre extraction 

machines to the farmers' community in the 

day ahead to get quality jute fibre for 

producing high quality jute value added 

products and creating its demand in both 

the national and the international market. 

The DC also urged the concerned to build 

the Aashkols at local workshops at larger 

scale and sell it to the farmers at reasonable 

prices to expand the technology at grass 

root level of the district. 

Later, DC Gautam Chandra Pal formally 

handed over the Aashkols to the 

entrepreneurs of Sundarganj, Fulchhari 

and Shaghata upazilas of the district. 

The entrepreneurs in their instant 

reaction expressed their deep satisfaction 

and thanked all the concerned for providing 

the Aashkols to them at reasonable cost. 

Earlier, the entrepreneurs were provided 

with need base training on the operation of 

the Aashkols under the project. 

A view exchange meeting was held between valiant freedom fighter 

Advocate Abdur Rahman and editor of daily Sirajganj Barta Abdul Hamid 

Khan Hira at Sirajganj Barta's office on Wednesday. Among others, news 

editor of Sirajganj Barta Abdul Halim, chief reporter and The Bangladesh 

Today's district correspondent Badrul Alam Dulal and staff reporter of 

Jamuna Television Golam Mostar Rubel were also present. Photo: TBT 

36, including drug traders held in Dinajpur 

DINAJPUR: Law enforcers, in special drives arrested 36 persons including 16 drug traders 

from different areas of the district in 12-hour ending at 8am last morning, reports BSS. 

Law enforcers also seized 3,000 pieces of cow fattening tablets and 150 bottles of Phensidyl 

during the drives. Police said they were picked up from different areas of the district on 

different charges. 

During the drives, Dinajpur Sadar police arrested 10 persons including six drug traders, 

Biral Thana police arrested two persons, Birampur Thana police arrested two persons, 

Bochaganj Thana police arrested three persons, Chirirbandar Thana police arrested two 

persons, Birganj Thana police arrested two drug traders, Nawabganj Thana police arrested 

three persons, Phulbari Thana police arrested four drug traders, Parbatipur Thana police 

arrested two persons and Ghoraghat Thana police arrested two persons. 

Several cases, including charges of subversive activities, are pending with different police 

stations against the arrested persons, the sources added. Meanwhile, members of Border 

Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in a drive detained four drug traders with 3,000 pieces of cow 

fattening tablets and 150 bottles of Phensidyl around 11pm from Hili Railway Station in 

Hakimpur upazila of the district. 

Later, the detained persons were handed over to the Hakimpur Thana police, BGB said. 

The arrested persons were sent to jail.

INTERNATIONAL 

THURSDAY, 

7 

JULY 5 2018 

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, arrives at a court house in Kuala Lumpur, 

Malaysia. 

Photo: Internet 

Malaysian ex-PM Najib charged 

with breach of trust, graft 

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was charged 

Wednesday with criminal breach of trust and corruption, two 

months after a multibillion-dollar graft scandal at a state 

investment fund led to his shock election defeat. 

He pleaded not guilty to all charges. "I claim trial," he said 

in a barely audible voice as he stood in the dock at the High 

Court in Kuala Lumpur. A judge set bail at 1 million ringgit in 

cash ($250,000) and ordered Najib to surrender his two 

diplomatic passports. 

The patrician and luxury-loving Najib, wearing a suit and a 

red tie, appeared calm and smiled as he was escorted into the 

court complex. He was arrested Tuesday by anti-graft officials 

over a suspicious transfer of 42 million ringgit ($10.4 

million) into his bank accounts from SRC International, a 

former unit of the 1MDB state investment fund that U.S. 

investigators say was looted of billions by associates of Najib. 

Najib was charged with abuse of power leading to gratification 

under Malaysia's anti-corruption law and three counts of 

criminal breach of trust. Each charge has a maximum penalty 

of 20 years in prison. Whipping is also a penalty but Najib 

would be exempt because of his age. 

Malaysia's new attorney general, Tommy Thomas, who is 

heading the prosecution, said the 1MBD case has attracted 

global attention and "brought shame to the country." Najib's 

laywer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah protested the comment 

calling it "nonsense" and "coffeeshop talk." 

Najib, 64, has accused Malaysia's new government of seeking 

"political vengeance." At a news conference after the 

hearing, Najib said a trial was "the best chance for me to clear 

my name after all the slander and accusations." It is set to 

President Donald Trump 

spoke with three more 

potential Supreme Court 

candidates on Tuesday as a 

key senator privately aired 

concerns about one of the 

contenders. 

As Trump weighs his 

options, he has heard from 

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who 

has expressed reservations 

about one top potential 

nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, 

according to a person familiar 

with the call but not 

authorized to publicly disclose 

details of it. The activity 

around Kavanaugh was 

an early glimpse of the frenzied 

jockeying around the 

short list of candidates in the 

run-up to Trump's July 9 

announcement. 

With a narrow 51-49 GOP 

majority in the Senate, losing 

any Republican senator 

could begin to doom a nominee. 

Paul's objections echo 

those made by outside conservative 

groups over 

Kavanaugh, who is seen as a 

top contender for the vacancy 

but who activists warn is 

too much of an establishment-aligned 

choice. 

Trump has said he'll 

choose his nominee from a 

list of 25 candidates vetted 

by conservative groups. Top 

contenders include federal 

appeals judges Kavanaugh, 

Raymond Kethledge, Amul 

Thapar and Amy Coney Barrett 

- all of whom spoke with 

Trump on Monday. 

"These are very talented 

people, brilliant people," 

Trump said Tuesday during 

an appearance in West Virginia. 

"We're going to give 

you a great one." 

The White House says 

Trump has spoken to seven 

candidates. There were the 

four interviews Monday, as 

well as a conversation with 

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of 

Utah, who is not regarded as 

a top contender but who is 

being pushed by key conservatives. 

Trump has also spoken 

with Thomas Hardiman, 

who has served with 

Trump's sister on the 3rd 

U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals 

in Philadelphia, according to 

a person familiar with the 

conversation who also was 

not authorized to publicly 

discuss it. Another candidate 

considered a top contender 

is Joan Larsen, who serves 

on the federal appeals court 

in Cincinnati. Trump's 

choice to replace Kennedy - 

a swing vote on the ninemember 

court - has the 

potential to remake the 

court for a generation as part 

start Feb. 8, subject to confirmation at a preliminary hearing 

next month. New Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad 

reopened investigations into 1MDB that were stifled under 

Najib's rule. Najib set up 1MDB when he took power in 2009 

but the fund amassed billions in debts and is being investigated 

in the U.S. and several other countries. 

He and his wife were questioned last month over the SRC 

case by the anti-graft agency and were barred from leaving 

the country. 

The attorney-general's case says the $10 million that Najib 

allegedly received via SRC was a bribe for approving government 

guarantees of loans totaling 4 billion ringgit (nearly $1 

billion) in 2011 and 2012 that were apparently became part 

of the ransacking underway at 1MDB. 

Police have also seized jewelry and valuables valued at 

more than 1.1 billion ringgit ($272 million) from properties 

linked to Najib. U.S. investigators say $4.5 billion was stolen 

and laundered from 1MDB by Najib's associates, including 

some $700 million that landed in Najib's bank account. 

While in power, Najib said the $700 million was a donation 

from the Saudi royal family. Najib's laywer Muhammad 

asked for the case to be expedited. Najib "is anxious to clear 

his name," he told the High Court. "We are pretty confident 

about this case." Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert at 

John Cabot University in Rome, said Najib's arrest was the 

"inevitable outcome" after he lost power. ,"It shows the 

resolve of the new government to address previous abuses of 

power. It has been done judiciously so far and speaks to a 

needed reckoning for Malaysia and a key step toward a cleaner 

governance," she said in an email. 

Trump talks to 3 more candidates 

for Supreme Court vacancy 

of precedent-shattering 

decisions on abortion, 

health care, gay marriage 

and other issues. Recognizing 

the stakes, many Democrats 

have lined up in opposition 

to any Trump pick, and 

Republicans lawmakers and 

activists are seeking to shape 

the president's decision. 

For his part, Trump has 

sought advice from White 

House counsel Don 

McGahn, outside advisers 

like Leonard Leo, on leave 

from the Federalist Society, 

and has been making calls to 

lawmakers, including Paul. 

Paul has told colleagues 

that he may not vote for 

Kavanaugh if the judge is 

nominated, citing 

Kavanaugh's role during the 

Bush administration on cases 

involving executive privilege 

and the disclosure of 

President Donald Trump looks at members of the audience during his 

remarks at a Salute to Service charity dinner in conjunction with the PGA 

Tour's Greenbrier Classic at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, 

W.Va., Tuesday, July 3, 2018. 


documents to Congress, said 

the person familiar with 

Paul's conversations who 

spoke to The Associated 

Press on condition of 

anonymity. 

The senator has more than 

once threatened to withhold 

his vote on key Trump priorities 

citing ideological disagreements, 

most recently 

the nomination of Secretary 

of State Mike Pompeo. But 

Paul has repeatedly yielded 

to Trump's personal lobbying 

to back his nominees and 

legislation, often citing 

unspecified concessions 

from the president. 

Paul's office did not 

respond to requests for comment. 

His concerns mirror 

comments from some conservatives 

who view 

Kavanaugh as a more establishment-aligned. 

Islamic 

State says 

leader's 

son killed 

in Syria 

The Islamic State group 

says the son of its leader 

has been killed fighting 

Syrian government forces. 

The announcement of the 

death of the young son of 

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 

appeared on the group's 

social media accounts late 

Tuesday. It included a picture 

of a young boy carrying 

a rifle and identified 

him as Huthaifa al-Badri. 

The statement, dated this 

month, said he was an elite 

fighter, known as an "inghimasi," 

who was killed while 

fighting Syrian and Russia 

troops at a power station in 

the central Homs province. 

It did not specify when he 

was killed. 

The Syrian Observatory 

for Human Rights, a war 

monitoring group, said the 

most recent IS operations 

in the area were in the first 

two weeks of June. 

Al-Baghdadi has been 

reported killed or wounded 

on a number of occasions 

but is widely believed to 

still be alive. Little is known 

about al-Baghdadi's family, 

but a woman and a child 

who were said to be his wife 

and daughter were 

detained in Lebanon in 

2014. 

IS has been driven from 

nearly all the territory it 

once controlled in Syria 

and Iraq, though it still 

maintains a presence in the 

Syrian desert and remote 

areas along the border. 

The Syrian Observatory 

for Human Rights, a war 

monitoring group, said the 

most recent IS operations 

in the area were in the first 

two weeks of June. 

The Observatory said late 

Tuesday that one of the 

group's last pockets in the 

eastern Syrian province of 

Deir el-Zour came under 

intense shelling from the 

U.S-led coalition. At least 

12 militants are believed to 

have been killed in Hajin, 

the Observatory said. 

60 migrants refused by 

Italy and Malta arrive in 

Barcelona 

A rescue ship carrying 60 migrants 

arrived Wednesday in a Spanish port 

after being refused entry by Italy and 

Malta, the second time in a month that a 

humanitarian group has been forced to 

travel for days to unload people rescued 

in the central Mediterranean. 

The Italian government is blocking private 

rescue boats that it blames for 

encouraging human traffickers to launch 

unseaworthy boats loaded with migrants 

toward Europe. 

But the aid groups deny having any link 

to smugglers in Libya or elsewhere, and 

say they are being forced to leave unattended 

the busy migrant sea transit route 

where deaths are mounting. 

The Open Arms rescue ship completed 

a four-day journey to Barcelona, in 

northeastern Spain, after it saved 60 people 

Saturday from a rubber boat floating 

in waters north of Libya. 

The migrants come from 14 different 

countries and include five women, a 9- 

year-old boy and four older teenagers, 

some of them unaccompanied. The Spanish 

aid group Proactiva Open Arms said 

they were generally in good health but 

some may have fuel burns. 

The migrants were going through 

health checks and identification procedures. 

Authorities granted them a 30-day 

permit to apply for residence or asylum 

in the European Union. Many have relatives 

in Germany, Belgium and France. 

According to the International Organization 

for Migration, more than 500 people 

have died trying to cross from Libya 

since the Aquarius, another charity rescue 

ship, was blocked from ports in Italy 

and Malta in early June. The 630 

migrants were finally taken in by Spain 

and France. 

Doctors Without Borders blamed the 

deaths on the European Union's inaction. 

"The EU is abdicating their responsibilities 

to save lives, blocking search and 

rescue and condemning people to be 

trapped in Libya," the group said in a 

tweet Wednesday. "Any deaths caused by 

this are now at their hands." 

In all, IOM says 1,405 people have died 

in the dangerous Mediterranean Sea 

crossing this year. 

The Open Arms docking in Barcelona 

was followed closely by the Astral, a sister 

boat run by the same organization 

where four European Parliament lawmakers 

witnessed the rescue operation. 

Lawmaker Javier Lopez of Spain said 

the rescue boat's arrival was a reason "to 

celebrate life" but deplored the mounting 

death toll in the Mediterranean. 

Lopez said Europe should be able to 

manage the number of migrants arriving 

by sea this year- around 50,000 so far 

into Spain, Italy and Greece. 

"Aren't we, 500 million Europeans, 

able to manage the arrival of 50,000 people?" 

he said. 

On Monday, July 2, 2018, migrant women look at a crew's computer 

aboard the Open Arms aid boat, of Proactiva Open Arms Spanish NGO. 

Spain's government said Barcelona will be the docking port for the aid boat 

traveling with 60 migrants rescued on Saturday in waters near Libya and 

rejected by both Italy and Malta. 


India asks WhatsApp to prevent 

misuse after mob killings 

India's government says it has asked 

WhatsApp to take "immediate action" 

to prevent the social media platform 

from being misused to spread rumors 

and irresponsible statements like 

those blamed for recent deadly mob 

attacks in the country. 

At least 20 people have been killed in 

mostly rural villages in several Indian 

states by attacking mobs that had 

been inflamed by social media. Victims 

were accused in the viral messages 

of belonging to gangs trying to 

abduct children. The brutal attacks, 

which began in early May, have also 

left dozens of people injured. 

Although Indian authorities have 

clarified that there was no truth to the 

rumors and the targeted people were 

innocent, the deadly and brutal 

attacks, often captured on cellphones 

and shared on social media, have 

spread across the country. 

India's ministry of electronics and 

information technology said in a 

statement late Tuesday that the 

lynchings were tied to "irresponsible 

and explosive messages" circulated 

on WhatsApp. It wasn't specific on 

the preventative measures it expected 

to be taken by WhatsApp, which is 

owned by Facebook. 

"While the law and order machinery 

is taking steps to apprehend the culprits, 

the abuse of platforms like 

WhatsApp for repeated circulation of 

such provocative content are equally a 

matter of deep concern," the ministry 

said. 

The ministry said WhatsApp "cannot 

evade accountability and responsibility." 

"The government has also conveyed 

in no uncertain terms that WhatsApp 

must take immediate action to end 

this menace and ensure that their 

platform is not used for such malafide 

activities," the statement said. "Deep 

disapproval of such developments has 

been conveyed to the senior management 

of the WhatsApp and they have 

been advised that necessary remedial 

measures should be taken to prevent 

proliferation of these fake and at 

times motivated/sensational messages." 

WhatsApp said in a blog post that it 

would institute awards for research 

on "spread of misinformation" on its 

platform. "We will seriously consider 

proposals from any social science and 

technological perspective that propose 

projects that enrich our understanding 

of the problem of misinformation 

on WhatsApp," the post said. 

The Indian Express, an English-language 

daily newspaper, quoted a 

WhatsApp spokesman as saying, "The 

situation is a public health problem 

which will require solutions from outside 

the company as well, including 

the government." 

The official said that the "responsibility 

is beyond any one technology company" 

and "requires partners," according 

to the paper. 

"I think it's up to the Indian government 

to decide what is the right mechanism 

to address the spate of killing 

that is occurring. It is going to have to 

be a collaboration," the official said. 

Danish PM: Trump has “unilateral 

focus” on defense spending 

Denmark's prime minister said Wednesday a letter from President Donald 

Trump accusing NATO allies of not spending enough on defense focused too 

much on figures but not on what countries have done. 

Lars Loekke Rasmussen said Trump demonstrated "a unilateral focus on military 

spending as a percentage of the gross domestic product on defense." He 

added: "We can be proud of our contribution to the common security and Denmark 

will stand tall at the NATO summit next week." 

He was referring to a letter Trump sent ahead of a July 11-12 summit to several 

NATO allies in Europe and Canada demanding they boost their defense spending. 

Trump wrote that "the United States is increasingly unwilling to ignore the 

European failure to meet shared security commitments." 

After Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO allies agreed 

to stop cutting defense budgets and start moving toward a goal of devoting 2 percent 

of GDP to defense within a decade. 

"We recognize that Denmark is taking action to increase defense spending," 

Trump wrote in the letter, dated June 19, to Denmark's prime minister. "Still 

there is no explanation as to why the United States continues to devote more 

resources to the defense of Europe when the continent's economies, including 

Denmark's, are doing well. There is a growing frustration that some Allies have 

not stepped up as promised." 

Loekke Ramussen said: "Denmark takes a large responsibility in relation to 

international matters and in relation to NATO in particular. Measured in military 

expenses per inhabitant, Denmark occupies a 5th place." 

Other European NATO allies, including Norway and Germany, on Tuesday also 

pushed back against U.S. criticism. The upcoming NATO summit is the first 

major meeting since the fractious Group of Seven talks in Canada last month. 

NATO officials are concerned that trans-Atlantic divisions over trade tariffs, as 

well as the U.S. pullout from the Paris global climate agreement and the Iran 

nuclear deal, could undermine alliance unity.

ART & CULTURE 

THURSDAY, 


8 

Ayesha Takia's husband claims she's getting 

death threats, seeks police help 

Farhan Azmi, Mumbai 

restauranteur and husband 

of Bollywood actor Ayesha 

Ranbir Kapoor fans don't need 

to wait for long to see the actor 

in action again. Two of his films 

are already announced. 

While Brahmastra, in which 

he is working with his 

girlfriend Alia Bhatt, will hit 

the screens on August 15, 2019, 

his other film Shamshera will 

be released on July 31, 2010. 

Film trade analyst Taran 

Adarsh tweeted the film's 

release date. 

Currently, Ranbir's Sanju, in 

which he plays controversial 

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, is 

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. 

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. 

Takia, put out a series of 

tweets tagging Mumbai 

Police on Tuesday. He said 

This is the new release 

date for Ranbir 

Kapoor's Shamshera 

running in cinema halls. 

Interestingly, Sanjay will 

also be seen in an important 

role in Shamshera. 

The film will feature Vaani 

Kapoor opposite Ranbir. She 

was last seen with Ranveer 

Singh in Befikre. 

The Karan Malhotradirectorial 

is set to go on floors 

by the end of this year and the 

shooting is expected to wrap by 

mid-2019. 

Ranbir will be seen in a role 

of dacoit in Shamshera. In an 

earlier interview with PTI, 

H O ROSCOPE 

Ranbir said, "Shamshera is 

not a story of a 'daaku', but a 

film based in the 1800s, it is 

about a dacoit tribe who are 

fighting for their right and 

independence from the 

British. 

There was a great story of 

heroism, a story rooted in our 

country which actually 

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. 

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. 

that his wife, mother and 

sisters are being threatened 

by a man. 

He also accused the police 

of not doing anything about 

the threats. 

DahiyaIPS has illegally 

frozen our bank accounts 

Dear PM @narendramodi ji 

@SushmaSwaraj Pls 

intervene!! #betibachao." A 

source close to the Azmi 

family told Times Now that 

the litigant is intimidating 

the family. 

The source said, "He (the 

litigant) somehow got 

Ayesha's number. So long he 

did not have Ayesha's 

number. 

Now he is messaging her 

on WhatsApp and saying, 

'You and your husband will 

be in jail very soon. In ten 

days the police are going to 

pick you up'. 

He's intimidating her. He's 

also intimidating Farhan's 

sister who is pregnant. 

happened back then." 

He also said, "It is a 

departure from the kind of 

films I have done, it is not the 

coming-of-age lover boy roles 

which I have done often. 

Shamshera is in the 

aspirational space, the space of 

true, badass commercial 

cinema." 

Sushant Singh Rajput not doing 

Chanda Mama Door Ke, to 

work on his own space film 

Sushant Singh Rajput has opted 

out of Chanda Mama Door Ke 

due to date conflicts but plans 

to develop his own space movie, 

according to a release. The 32- 

year-old actor, who was 

recently in news for buying land 

on the Moon, plans to make 

what he claims would be India's 

first space film, to be developed 

via Innsaei Ventures Pvt Ltd, a 

company a co-founded by 

Rajput and entrepreneur Varun 

Mathur. 

Scarlett Johansson has been 

criticised for taking on the role 

of a transgender man in a new 

film. The Avengers star will 

play 1970s Pittsburgh crime 

boss Dante "Tex" Gill, who 

was born Jean Gill, in Rub & 

Tug. 

According to a local US 

newspaper obituary, Dante - 

who died in 2003 - is said to 

have identified as a man and 

asked to be called "Mr Gill". 

"There are literally so many 

trans actors that could've been 

cast in this role," one person 

wrote on Twitter. 

The obituary in the 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - 

which refers to Dante as a 

"she" throughout - says: "For 

years, according to police, Ms 

Gill ran a string of [massage] 

parlours as fronts for 

prostitution, all the while 

insisting that she was a man 

and telling everyone she 

wanted to be known as 'Mr 

Gill'." 

It adds: "She may even have 

undergone the initial stages of 

a sex change that made her 

"Sushant's passion for the 

Moon and space is second to 

none in this sphere. He has 

unparalleled interest to learn 

more about the universe, and to 

delve into anything that might 

help him understand this 

phenomenon further. However, 

since there was a lot of up and 

down in this film, Sushant will 

not be able give his dates to this 

project (Chanda Mama...) since 

he has his hands full with many 

projects. 

The King and I : 

timeless classic 

or dated relic? 

The King and I is back in the West 

End, 67 years on from its Broadway 

debut. Is the musical showing its 

age, or has it still something to say 

to modern audiences? 

Shall we dance? That's the 

question posed by a new 

production of The King and I, 

Richard Rodgers and Oscar 

Hammerstein II's classic musical 

about East meeting West. 

The show, about a 19th Century 

British widow who travels to Siam 

(now Thailand) to tutor its 

monarch's many children, boasts 

appear masculine." 

Several people have 

criticised Scarlett for taking 

on a role they say should have 

gone to a trans man. 

The actress was previously 

familiar tunes, adorable child actors 

and lavish production values. 

Yet its portrait of a white woman 

being both fascinated and repelled 

by a society depicted as both 

backward and barbarous can't help 

but feel patronisingly out of step 

with modern sensibilities. 

Reviewing the current 

production, which launched in New 

York in 2015 and won four Tonys, 

the Telegraph's Dominic Cavendish 

calls The King and I "one of the 

most problematic musicals of the 

20th Century American canon." 

Scarlett Johansson criticised for 

taking on trans role 

accused of "whitewashing" for 

her role in 2017's Ghost In The 

Shell, in which she played a 

character that was originally 

written as Asian. Rupert 

Sanders, who directed Ghost 

In The Shell, is set to direct 

the biopic. And some people 

see this as a continuation of 

the 33-year-old taking roles 

that she shouldn't. 

While others are 

suggesting roles she might 

take in the future. However 

some people say they don't 

understand the controversy 

around the news - arguing 

that an actor's job is to take 

on roles that are different to 

who they are in real life. 

A representative for Scarlett 

reportedly gave Bustle 

comment from the actress 

herself, referencing other 

actors who have played trans 

roles. 

"Tell them that they can be 

directed to Jeffrey Tambor, 

Jared Leto, and Felicity 

Huffman's reps for comment." 

Newsbeat has contacted 

representatives for Scarlett.

SPORTS 


9 

Five of the best players 

at the FIFA World Cup 

Sports Desk: Russia 2018 has been one of 

the most entertaining FIFA World Cup 

tournaments in recent history, reports AP. 

Fans worldwide have been blessed with 

riveting encounters between the world's 

best players. Now only eight teams remain 

and half of them have never lifted football's 

most coveted crown. 

The following five players who remain in 

the tournament have been immense for 

their countries and could potentially lead 

them to football's Holy Grail. 

Harry Kane: The England captain is 

currently the tournament's leading 

goalscorer with six strikes behind his 

name. 

Kane carries his country's best hopes of a 

first world title since they won the crown 

on home soil in 1966. 

The Tottenham Hotspur forward scored 

a brace in England's opening game against 

Tunisia and then followed it up with a hattrick 

against lowly Panama in a 6-1 

thrashing of the central American side. He 

again found the net from the penalty spot 

in the last 16 clash against Colombia. 

He might not be the most exciting 

forward to watch but he gets the job done. 

Coutinho: Neymar may be the poster boy 

of the Brazilian side but Coutinho has been 

the man at the forefront of Brazil's attacks. 

Despite having a quiet game in the last 16 

match against Mexico, the Barcelona 

attacker was Brazil's best player in the 

group stages. 

With opposition defenders splitting their 

attention between Neymar and Gabriel 

Jesus, Coutinho could steer Brazil to a 

record-extending sixth World Cup 

triumph. 

Kylian Mbappe: Pace, power and 

passion, that's French teenager Kylian 

Mbappe. 

The French wonder blew Lionel Messi's 

Argentina away in the last 16 knockout 

phase. 

A stern challenge against a resolute 

Uruguay defence awaits in the 

quarterfinals. 

At the tender age of 19 years and wearing 

the French number 10 jersey synonymous 

with Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini, 

the talented youngster has outperformed 

his seniors. 

His exuberance of youth and ruthless 

nature in front of goal has been a welcome 

addition to a French side full of attacking 

talent. 

Luka Modric: If Ivan Rakiti? is the heart 

of the Croatian side then Modric is the 

soul. The Real Madrid playmaker has been 

the architect of Croatia's fluid display en 

route to the last 8. 

Modric is arguably the world's best 

central midfielder. He has taken his club 

form to the international stage leading an 

unfancied side. 

With Rakiti? by his side, the Croatians 

are on course to matching their 1998 

semifinal appearance. 

However the hosts Russia could have 

other ideas. 

Romelu Lukaku: The Manchester United 

forward has been pivotal for the Belgian 

Red Devils. Lukaku has been an 

uncomfortable brute force up front for 

opposition defenders in Russia. 

He has Kane in his sights for the coveted 

Golden Boot award for the leading scorer. 

His four goals have been crucial for 

Belgium, who are considered dark horses, 

but his silent role in the build-up to the late 

dramatic winner against Japan in the last 

16 was more important. 

Japan captain 

retiring after 

World Cup 

dreams dashed 

Sports Desk: Japan captain 

Makoto Hasebe has 

announced his retirement 

from the national team, on 

the heels of the squad's 

heartbreaking ejection from 

the World Cup in a match 

against Belgium, reports 

BSS. 

"I have decided to end the 

chapter of my career with 

the national team with this 

tournament," Hasebe wrote 

on his Instagram account. 

The 34-year-old defensive 

midfielder's departure from 

the Blue Samurai could 

mean a changing of the 

guard for the team, with 

former AC Milan striker 

Keisuke Honda, 32, also 

saying he plans to retire 

from the national squad. 

Hasebe, who won the 

German Cup with Eintracht 

Frankfurt last season, has 

been on the national team 

for more than 12 years under 

five coaches. 

This year's World Cup is 

his third, after South Africa 

in 2010 and Brazil in 2014, 

and saw his team come 

heartstoppingly close to the 

quarterfinals before 

crashing out against 

Belgium. 

Japan were ousted after 

Belgium came from behind 

to win 3-2 in their first 

match in the knock-out 

round. 

Brazil's forward Roberto Firmino (L) celebrates with teammates scoring his team's second goal 

during the Russia 2018 World Cup round of 16 football match between against Mexico at the Samara 

Arena in Samara on July 2. 

Photo: AP 

Flashy Brazil relying on balance, 

rock-solid defense at World Cup 

Sports Desk: While the focus is on 

Neymar's flashy scoring ability and his 

other antics in Russia, Brazil's steady 

progression at the World Cup has 

solidified the team's status among the 

favorites left in the tournament, 

reports AP. 

Nemesis Germany is gone. So are 

Lionel Messi and Argentina. Cristiano 

Ronaldo and Portugal are out. 

But for Brazil, the word favorite - 

"favorito" in Portuguese - is taboo. 

"We feel confident but not like the 

favorites because we know that there 

are other quality teams that have great 

potential. The favoritism comes from 

the press and the fans," winger Willian 

said. "We want to remain firm in our 

goal, which is to move step by step and 

reach the final." 

The five-time World Cup champions 

opened the knockout round on 

Monday night by defeating Mexico 2- 

0 for their third straight shutout in 

Russia. Neymar scored his second 

goal of the tournament in the 51st 

minute, and substitute Roberto 

Firmino scored in the 88th in Samara. 

Neymar again grabbed attention for 

his theatrics after he tangled up with 

Mexico's Miguel Layun, who stepped 

on the Paris Saint-Germain star's right 

ankle. Neymar writhed on the field in 

apparent agony before popping back 

up and finishing the match. 

Brazil goes on to face Belgium in the 

quarterfinals on Friday in Kazan. The 

Belgians are coming off a 3-2 

comeback win against Japan in 

Rostov-on-Don. 

Brazil was ranked second by FIFA 

upon arrival in Russia, but the team 

opened with a lackluster 1-1 draw 

against Switzerland. Since then, Brazil 

hasn't conceded a goal, winning three 

successive games 2-0. 

Neymar, who had been recovering 

in previous months from a broken 

foot, gave the world-class 

performance that everyone hoped for 

on Monday. He has two goals and an 

assist in the tournament, giving him 

six career World Cup goals. 

Other players have risen to the 

occasion, too. In the group stage, 

Philippe Coutinho had two goals and 

an assist and earned Man of the Match 

honors twice. Against Mexico, it was 

Willian who showed flashes of 

brilliance. 

Additionally, the defense has been 

steady throughout, anchored by 

captain Thiago Silva and goalkeeper 

Alisson. The only other team 

remaining that has conceded just one 

goal is Uruguay. 

Brazil has allowed just five shots on 

target at this World Cup, fewest of any 

team. 

"It's a huge joy to be doing an 

excellent cup and to be growing with 

every game," Silva said. "I hope that in 

the next game of (the) quarterfinals, 

we can even be better prepared 

because with the victories the trust 

automatically grows." 

Defender Miranda echoed that 

sentiment: "We're growing in the 

tournament. We hope to continue this 

way. We need to grow even more." 

Coach Tite has put an emphasis on 

balance since the South American 

qualifiers, and Brazil was the first 

team to earn its way to Russia. Brazil 

has yet to lose in eight matches this 

year. 

Of course, the ultimate goal is to 

erase some of the disappointment of 

the last World Cup, when Brazil was 

embarrassed on home soil by 

Germany in a 7-1 semifinal loss. 

"People have asked us a lot about 

Germany. I don't think we should 

worry about Germany and about what 

happened. Soccer is to play it, not to 

speak about it," Silva said. "We no 

longer need to focus on Germany 

because we don't have a way to change 

that story. We only need to think 

ahead now, game by game, and seize 

our opportunities." 

Perhaps that approach will give 

Brazil a sixth star over its crest. 

"I hope. I hope," Willian said about a 

sixth title. "It's going to be difficult. 

And like I said before, we have to 

continue this way, work hard and 

continue to improve ourselves." 

The World Cup winner's trophy is seen during the 68th FIFA Congress at the Expocentre in Moscow 

on June 13, 2018. 

Photo: AP 

Pakistan knocks 

hosts Zimbabwe 

out of T20I series 

Sports Desk: Pakistan 

knocked Zimbabwe out of 

the Twenty20 tri-series in 

Harare in a closely-fought 

encounter on Wednesday, 

beating the hosts by seven 

wickets with five deliveries 

to spare, reports BSS. 

Captain Sarfraz Ahmed 

saw his side home with an 

unbeaten 38, meaning that 

Zimbabwean allrounder 

Solomon Mire's efforts 

earlier in the game went in 

vain. Mire struck 94, the 

highest score by a 

Zimbabwean in a Twenty20 

international, but 

Zimbabwe's 162 for 4 was 

not enough to overcome the 

world's top ranked T20I side. 

Pakistan's chase was given a 

rapid start by the openers. 

Haris Sohail and Fakhar 

Zaman took 56 from the 

Powerplay, but Sohail holed 

out soon afterwards. 

When Zaman skied Mire 

to depart for 47, Pakistan 

needed more than eight runs 

an over from the last eight 

overs, but Ahmed's innings 

of calm precision kept them 

up with the asking rate. 

Executing his attacking 

strokes perfectly, Ahmed 

found the gaps and the 

boundaries whenever they 

were needed. 

He displayed a particularly 

deft touch with his late cut, 

taking boundaries off leftarm 

spinners Tendai 

Chisoro and Wellington 

Masakadza with the stroke. 

With four runs needed 

from the final over, it was 

also the shot he used to end 

the game, gliding seamer 

Chris Mpofu to the third 

man boundary. 

England's Anderson 

to test injured 

shoulder ahead of 

India series 

Sports Desk: England's all-time leading wicket taker 

James Anderson could be in line for a return to the 

national side for the upcoming five-Test series with India 

after undergoing rehabilitation on a longstanding 

shoulder injury, reports BSS. 

The 35-year-old swing bowler - who has taken 540 

wickets in 138 Tests -has been out of action since early 

June, but will hope to prove he is fit in a second XI match 

for his county Lancashire on July 15. 

Anderson is then due to play a County Championship 

match against old rivals Yorkshire in the "Roses match" 

on July 22. 

He has described the schedule for the Test series 

against India, which begins at Edgbaston on August 1, as 

"ridiculous" with all five matches crammed into a sixweek 

period. 

"England seamer Jimmy Anderson will make his 

return to competitive cricket for Lancashire second XI in 

a three-day match against Nottinghamshire at Old 

Trafford starting on July 15," read a statement from the 

England and Wales Cricket Board. 

"Anderson, who has not played since the second Test 

victory over Pakistan on June 3, has spent the past 

month rehabilitating a long-standing right shoulder 

injury and returned to bowling working with Lancashire 

and England staff in the past seven days. 

"As part of his plan, before the first Test against India 

starting on August 1, he will play for Lancashire seconds 

against Nottinghamshire and the Roses match in the 

County Championship Division One match against 

Yorkshire at Old Trafford starting on July 22." 

Anderson has struggled with the shoulder injury over 

the past two years and acknowledged after England 

squared the two Test series with Pakistan - in which he 

took nine wickets at an average of 19.11 - he needed to 

rest it, with the India matches coming thick and fast. 

"I just need to get in the gym and get it strong," he said 

in June. 

"The India schedule is ridiculous with five Tests in six 

weeks and that will put a lot of stress on it." 

Colombia coach 

laments fouls 

against England 

at World Cup 

Sports Desk: Eight yellow 

cards. A head-butt. Yelling 

players surrounding the 

referee. Gamesmanship and 

spikiness across the pitch. 

Decided on a penalty shootout, 

the World Cup drama of 

England vs. Colombia would 

have been better without the 

ugliness. Among those who 

thought so: Colombia coach 

Jose Pekerman, reports 

BSS. 

"When there are so, so 

many fouls and 

interruptions I think that's 

not good," he said. "We 

shouldn't only look at 

Colombian players. We 

should also look at England 

players." 

Struggling at times to keep 

control of the game, 

American referee Mark 

Geiger dished out six yellow 

cards to Colombian players. 

Four of them were in a 

particularly ill-disciplined 

12-minute second-half spell 

that included Colombia 

midfielder Carlos Sanchez 

wrestling England striker 

Harry Kane to the ground on 

a set-piece in the penalty 

box. Kane scored from the 

spot. The two England 

players cautioned were 

Jordan Henderson and 

Jesse Lingard. 

"There were so many 

interruptions in the game, 

far too many interruptions," 

Pekerman said. "That hasn't 

been good for us. It's hurt 

our side a lot." 

Wilmar Barrios got the 

first yellow card, after he 

butted his head into 

Henderson's chest. 

Determined Uruguay ready 

to spoil French party 

Sports Desk: Streetwise and 

tough yet with a razor-sharp 

edge, Uruguay have moved 

serenely into the World Cup 

quarter-finals, ignoring the 

chaos that has swamped 

former winners Argentina 

and Spain, reports AP. 

Uruguay have shown in 

Russia they are extremely 

difficult to beat yet 

sometimes underwhelming 

- all things you could have 

predicted from La Celeste 

before the World Cup. 

A slow start and an 89th 

minute winner that gave 

them a forgettable 1-0 win 

over a Mohamed Salah-less 

Egypt in their first game, 

has now given way to a 

campaign with real hope of 

winning the World Cup. 

With a defence built 

around the central pairing 

of Jose Gimenez and the 

vastly experienced 32-yearold 

Diego Godin - they also 

play together at Atletico 

Madrid - Uruguay have won 

all four games in Russia, 

conceding a solitary goal. 

They are also the only side 

to have beaten Russia, 

overwhelming them 3-0 in 

the group stage in what 

appeared to be a reality 

check for the host nation 

before they want on to stun 

Spain in the last 16. 

Uruguay extinguished 

Cristiano Ronaldo's 

Portugal on a thrilling night 

in Sochi to reach the 

quarter-finals, with Edinson 

Cavani scoring two brilliant 

goals. 

Next up the grizzly, 

experienced World Cup 

campaigners take on a 

young France - the exciting 

Kylian Mbappe, and 

Gimenez and Godin's 

Atletico teammate Antoine 

Griezmann - on Friday (Jul 

6), bidding for a place in the 

semi-finals. 

It is as tough a World Cup 

fixture as France could 

have, and any hope that 

their stars will enjoy the 

same space they enjoyed in 

their 4-3 win against a 

disorganised Argentina 

have already been 

extinguished. 

"France's strongest points 

are the attackers, 

Griezmann and Mbappe," 

Uruguay's veteran coach 

Oscar Tabarez said in his 

understated yet determined 

way after the Portugal 

victory. 

"If you let France have 

space it will be very 

difficult." 

The freedom experienced 

in Kazan will not be granted 

to the French by Uruguay's 

suffocating defence in 

Nizhny Novgorod. 

"El Maestro" Tabarez has 

been in charge of Uruguay 

for 12 years and has not only 

forged a strong team which 

rarely fail to deliver on the 

Edinson Cavani is an injury doubt for Uruguay. 

big stage, but also a side 

with an immense work ethic 

and huge experience. 

At this World Cup, 

goalkeeper Fernando 

Muslera and star striker 

Luis Suarez both played 

their 100th game for their 

country. 

Their main doubt for 

France is Cavani, who has a 

calf muscle injury that 

forced him off against 

Portugal. He did not train 

on Tuesday. 

Cavani has played 105 

times for his country. If he 

has not recovered in time, 

he could replaced by 

Cristhian Stuani, who has 

played 42 times for 

Uruguay, just 16 fewer times 

than Griezmann has 

Photo: AP 

appeared for France. 

And they are marshalled 

by the incomparable Godin, 

currently 121 caps and 

counting. 

Uruguay has a "unique" 

team spirit because their 

victories mean so much to 

the players and the country, 

one of those inside the 

South American team camp 

said this week.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

BANGLADESHTODAY 10 

THE 


European stocks 

recover as German 

political tensions ease 

European stock markets recovered 

Tuesday as political worries eased in 

Germany, but shares in Swiss mining 

operation Glencore saw a meltdown on 

news of a US legal probe over its global 

activities. 

Meanwhile, US stocks finished a 

holiday-shortened session lower with 

Wall Street equities fluctuating with oil 

prices. 

Europe's benchmark indices were up by 

between half a percent and one percent at 

the close. 

"European markets are in rebound 

mode… as an apparent resolution to the 

German political impasse has helped 

dispel much of the trade war anxiety that 

was evident throughout Asia," noted 

Joshua Mahony, market analyst at IG 

trading group. 

In high-stakes crisis talks overnight, 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel had 

put to rest a dangerous row with her 

hardline Interior Minister Horst Seehofer 

that had threatened the survival of her 

fragile coalition government. 

"News that Merkel is safe and the fragile 

German coalition will live to see another 

day has encouraged traders back into the 

Dax, which had been suffering at the 

hands of investor anxiety about new snap 

elections," said London Capital Group 

analyst Jasper Lawler. 

But the deal, which essentially 

amounted to an about-turn in Merkel's 

liberal refugee policy, immediately 

sparked resistance from Germany's 

neighbors as well as the third member of 

her shaky coalition, the Social Democratic 

Dhaka Bank elects its Chairman, 

Vice Chairman and other Committee 

Chairmen of the Board of Directors 

Reshadur Rahman has been re-elected as the 

Chairman of the Board of the Directors of 

Dhaka Bank Ltd on June 28, 2018. The reappointment 

of Rahman will positively 

enhance values to Dhaka Bank on its 

continuous journey towards excellence. 

Rahman is a successful entrepreneur and is 

associated with a great deal of progressive 

alliance with several companies, a press 

release said. 

Md. Amirullah has been elected as the new 

Vice Chairman of the Board of the Directors 

while other Board of Directors include 

Abdul Hai Sarker, Rokshana Zaman, Altaf 

Hossain Sarker, Mohammad Hanif, 

Abdullah Al Ahsan, Khondoker Monir 

Uddin, Tahidul Hossain Chowdhury, 

Jashim Uddin, Khondoker Jamil Uddin, 

Mirza Yasser Abbas, Amanullah Sarker, M. 

N. H. Bulu, Manoara Khandaker, Syed Abu 

Naser Bukhtear Ahmed, M. A. Yussouf 

Khan along with the Managing Director & 

CEO Syed Mahbubur Rahman. 

Chinese yuan 

weakens to 6.6595 

against USD 

Wednesday 

The central parity rate of the 

Chinese currency renminbi, or 

the yuan, weakened 98 basis 

points to 6.6595 against the U.S. 

dollar Wednesday, according to 

the China Foreign Exchange 

Trade System. 

In China's spot foreign 

exchange market, the yuan is 

allowed to rise or fall by 2 

percent from the central parity 

rate each trading day. 

The central parity rate of the 

yuan against the U.S. dollar is 

based on a weighted average of 

prices offered by market makers 

before the opening of the 

interbank market each business 

day. 

The following are the central 

parity rates of the Chinese 

currency renminbi, or the yuan, 

against 24 major currencies 

announced on Wednesday by 

the China Foreign Exchange 

Trade System: The central parity 

rate of the yuan against the 

Hong Kong dollar is based on 

the central parity rate of the 

yuan against the U.S. dollar and 

the exchange rate of the Hong 

Kong dollar against the U.S. 

dollar at 9 a.m. in international 

foreign exchange markets on the 

same business day. 

The central parity rates of the 

yuan against the other 22 

currencies are based on the 

average prices offered by market 

makers before the opening of 

the interbank foreign exchange 

market. 

Party. 

London slightly underperformed as 

gains in the top UK index were stemmed 

by a plunge in the value of Glencore, 

which was down a hefty 7.8 percent in late 

trading, having earlier fallen even further 

after saying it was being probed by US 

authorities in a corruption investigation 

over its activities in Nigeria, Venezuela 

and DR Congo. 

US stocks finished decisively lower in a 

shortened session ahead of the July 4th 

holiday Wednesday. Of the major indices, 

the tech-rich Nasdaq fell the most, losing 

0.9 percent. 

Facebook tumbled 2.4 percent after 

confirming it faces investigations by the 

Securities and Exchange Commission and 

the Federal Bureau of Investigation on its 

release of consumer data to now-defunct 

political consultancy Cambridge 

Analytica. 

Tesla Motors was another weak tech 

stock, dropping 7.2 percent a day after the 

company reported meeting a key 

production target for its Model 3 sedan. 

Other large technology companies, 

including Apple, Google-parent Alphabet 

and Microsoft, also fell. 

Analysts said market sentiment on Wall 

Street shifted when oil prices retreated 

after US oil prices briefly breached $75 a 

barrel for the first time in more than three 

years. The benchmark American contract 

finished up 20 cents at $74.14 a barrel. 

Earlier, Asian stock markets ended 

mixed, with investors awaiting US-China 

tariff announcements in the latest trade 

war developments. 

Abdul Hai Sarker has been re-elected as 

the Chairman of the Executive Committee of 

the Board of Directors of Dhaka Bank Ltd. 

His sincere efforts and dynamic leadership 

culminated in a large business conglomerate 

in the name of Purbani Group. Executive 

Committee also includes of Altaf Hossain 

Sarker, Mohammad Hanif, Khondoker 

Jamil Uddin, Abdullah Al Ahsan, Mirza 

Yasser Abbas and Jashim Uddin. 

Meanwhile, Khondoker Monir Uddin has 

been re-elected as the Chairman of the Risk 

Management Committee of the Board of 

Directors of the Bank which also includes 

Reshadur Rahman, Rokshana Zaman, 

Amanullah Sarker and M. A. Yussouf Khan. 

Syed Abu Naser Bukhtear Ahmed has been 

re-elected as the Chairman of the Audit 

Committee of the Board of Directors of the 

Bank which also includes Mrs. Rokshana 

Zaman, Tahidul Hossain Chowdhury, 

Manoara Khandaker and M. A. Yussouf 

Khan. 

US stocks fall amid 

tech weakness 

Wall Street stocks finished lower on Tuesday with 

technology and transportation shares sagging in 

light-volume trading ahead of the Independence 

Day holiday. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5 percent 

to 24,174.82. 

The broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.5 percent to 

2,713.22, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite 

Index tumbled 0.9 percent to 7,502.67. 

Wall Street stocks had opened mostly higher, with 

petroleum-linked shares achieving solid gains as US 

oil prices topped $75 a barrel. 

But analysts said sentiment shifted after oil prices 

retreated from that level at mid-session. Market 

swings were accentuated by low trading volumes, 

with US markets closing early on Tuesday for the 

July 4th holiday. 

Technology shares, which had outperformed the 

rest of the broader market on Monday, suffered a 

weak session. 

Facebook tumbled 2.4 percent after confirming it 

faces investigations by the Securities and Exchange 

Commission and the Federal Bureau of 

Investigation on its release of consumer data to 

now-defunct political consultancy Cambridge 

Analytica. 

Tesla Motors was another weak tech stock, 

dropping 7.2 percent a day after the company 

reported meeting a key production target for its 

Model 3 sedan. 

Other large technology companies, including 

Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Microsoft, also 

fell. 

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United 

Continental all dropped at least one percent 

following a downgrade by Deutsche Bank. 

General Motors fell 1.2 percent despite reporting a 

4.6 percent increase in second-quarter US sales. 

Ford fell 1.0 percent after reporting a 1.2 percent 

increase in June US sales but a 1.8 percent drop in 

sales for the first half of the year. 

IMF says U.S. 

fiscal stimulus 

raises risks of 

inflation surprise 

The International Monetary 

Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday 

that U.S. fiscal stimulus, the 

sweeping tax cuts and 

increased government 

spending, could raise the 

risk of an upward surprise in 

U.S. inflation and trigger 

financial market volatility. 

"At the current stage of the 

business cycle, the 

expansionary fiscal policy 

stance, while boosting U.S. 

and global output in the near 

term, could increase risks 

and uncertainties in the 

medium term," the IMF's 

executive directors said in a 

statement on its annual 

check-up of U.S. economic 

policies. 

"They pointed to an 

inflation surprise as an 

important risk that, if 

realized, could create 

volatility in financial 

markets, with negative 

global consequences," the 

IMF said, noting that 

emerging markets with 

weaker macroeconomic 

fundamentals could face the 

risk of a marked reversal of 

capital flows. 

The IMF estimated that 

core U.S. inflation would rise 

modestly above the Federal 

Reserve's target of 2 percent 

by mid-year and the central 

bank is likely to accelerate 

the pace of interest rate 

hikes. 

The Fed last month raised 

short-term interest rates by 

a quarter of a percentage 

point and envisioned two 

more rate hikes in the 

second half of the year. 

The IMF's executive 

directors also raised 

"significant concerns" over 

the Trump administration's 

recent trade policy proposals 

that could have damaging 

effects beyond the U.S. 

economy, trigger retaliatory 

responses, and undermine 

the open, fair, rules-based 

multilateral trading system. 

The 

Trump 

administration has recently 

unilaterally imposed high 

tariffs on steel and 

aluminum imports on the 

grounds of national security, 

which has drawn strong 

opposition from the 

domestic business 

community and major U.S. 

trading partners. 

"Directors urged the 

authorities to work 

constructively together with 

their trading partners to 

reduce trade barriers and 

resolve trade and 

investment disagreements 

without resorting to harmful 

unilateral actions," said the 

IMF. 

U.S. crude oil 

inventories 

continue 

downtrend 

last week: 

API 

The American Petroleum 

Institute (API) on Tuesday 

reported a large draw of 4.5 

million barrels in the U.S. 

crude oil inventories for the 

week ending June 29, the 

third consecutive week of 

decrease. 

API reported draws of over 

3.0 million barrels and 9.2 

million barrels, respectively, 

for the previous two weeks. 

Oil prices edged up on 

Tuesday on rising concerns 

about an oil shortage amid 

supply disruptions in Libya. 

The West Texas 

Intermediate (WTI) for 

August delivery increased 

0.20 U.S. dollar to settle at 

74.14 dollars a barrel on the 

New York Mercantile 

Exchange, while Brent crude 

for September delivery was 

up 0.46 dollar to close at 

77.76 dollars a barrel on the 

London ICE Futures 

Exchange. 

A weaker U.S. dollar also 

made the dollar-priced 

commodity more attractive 

for holders of other 

currencies. 

FBCCI Standing Committee relating to Ministry 

of LGRD and Co-operatives meeting held 

A Meeting of the FBCCI Standing Committee relating to Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives 

was held recently at FBCCI Board Room. The meeting discussed about development of rural infrastructure 

and necessary training & loan facilities for the vast number of youths, a press release said. 

The discussants, at the meeting emphasized on development of rural infrastructure to keep pace with the fast growing 

development activities of the country. They put emphasis on necessary training & providing loan facilities for the 

vast number of youths to start new ventures. The meeting also emphasized on getting proper price of the products 

farmers produce around the year, and ensuring storage and export facilities for huge amount of products (fruits and 

vegetables) in particular seasons. GaziGolamAshria, Director In- Charge of the committee, presented the detailed 

future plan of the committee. Abdul Hakim Sumon, Chairman of the Standing Committee presided over the meeting. 

FBCCI Acting President Md. Muntakim Ashraf and the Directors Md. Abu Naser&Hafez Harun-Or-Roshidalso participated 

in the discussion. Md. Hasanul Islam ndc, Director of Bangladesh Rural Development Board and Md. 

Sadek Mridha, DGM of Small Farmers Development Foundation also spoke on the occasion. Members from different 

sectors also took part in the discussion. 

Tunisia, China sign 

deal on developing 

digital economy 

Tunisia and China have signed a partnership 

agreement on developing digital economy, 

the Tunisian Institute for Strategic Studies 

(ITES) said Tuesday. 

The deal was inked during the Belt and 

Road Digital Economy conference held in 

Beijing, the ITES said. 

This agreement will offer opportunities for 

young Tunisians, especially those in areas 

such as telecommunications, fiber optics, 

network computing and e-commerce, it said. 

Neji Jalloul, director general of ITES, 

noted that the Tunisian-Chinese bilateral 

trade continues to grow steadily and 

fruitfully. 

"The new Silk Road connects many 

countries from Asian, European and African 

continents, allowing everyone more 

interconnected, to promote economic, 

cultural and digital exchanges," said Jalloul. 

"Tunisia and China have had commercial 

relations since the Roman times," said 

Jalloul. "Furthermore, in terms of 

innovation, Tunisia ranks first among 

Middle East and North Africa countries and 

ranks 40th in the world in the same field". 

Jalloul believes Tunisia would be an 

international financial platform in the heart 

of the Mediterranean region. 

"Tunisia has always maintained peaceful 

relations with its neighbors and is open to all 

cultures and civilizations, "said Jalloul. 

With its location at the crossroads of 

Europe, the Arab world and Africa, Tunisia 

"will be a strategic ally to China, to better 

develop the project of One Belt and One 

Road Digital Economy," said Jalloul. 

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and 

Road Initiative aims to build a trade and 

infrastructure network connecting Asia with 

Africa and Europe along the trade routes of 

the ancient Silk Road. 

Vietnam's fertilizer import 

almost unchanged, pesticide 

import drops in H1 

Myanmar regional gov't 

grants 5 foreign investment 

projects in 10 months 

Myanmar's Mandalay region government has granted 

five foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth 

13.633 million U.S. dollars from August 2017 to June 

2018, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported 

Wednesday. 

During the 10-month period, the regional authorities 

also approved nine local investment worth 23.129 billion 

kyats (16.53 million U.S. dollars). 

Myanmar government formed the Mandalay Region 

Investment Committee in July 2017, entrusting power to 

the regional authorities to approve FDI sought in the 

region which does not exceed an initial investment of 5 

million U.S. dollars. 

According to official figures, the union government 

approved a total of 62 FDI projects worth 3.262 million 

U.S. dollars and 154 local investment's worth 4.872 

trillion kyats (3.48 billion U.S. dollars) across regions 

and states during the 10-month period. 

Meanwhile, Myanmar recently reformed its 

investment commission and will enforce a new 

companies law starting Aug. 1. 

The move, partly aiming at attracting foreign 

investment, will allow the companies to benefit from the 

new Myanmar Companies Law which has abolished the 

mandated system of submitting an authorized capital as 

well as the requirement of an article of association and a 

memorandum of association previously prescribed. 

The new law will also facilitate rapid registration using 

the online registry system. 

Vietnam imported nearly 2.3 million tons of 

fertilizers worth 651 million U.S. dollars in the 

first half of this year, down 5.5 percent in 

volume but up 0.3 percent in value against the 

same period last year, while spending 474 

million U.S. dollars importing pesticides, down 

2.4 percent. 

In June alone, Vietnam imported 440,000 

tons of fertilizers valued at 130 million U.S. 

dollars, and spent 90 million U.S. dollars 

importing pesticides, according to its Ministry 

of Agriculture and Rural Development on 

Wednesday. 

Vietnamese agriculture experts said local 

farmers nationwide should use fewer amounts 

of fertilizers, especially inorganic ones, because 

they currently waste too much money in overfertilization. 

Some 11 million tons of fertilizers are used in 

Vietnam every year with conventional urea 

used on rice. Local farmers usually lose around 

half of the fertilizer amount, an expert said, 

noting that the loss can drop 20 percent if hitech 

fertilizers are used. In 2017, the country 

imported 4.6 million tons of fertilizers valued 

at 1.2 billion U.S. dollars, including 1.8 million 

tons worth 457.1 million dollars from the 

Chinese market, said the ministry. 

The fertilizers, mostly urea, Ammonium 

Sulfate, Potassium, Diammonium Phosphate 

and Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium 

fertilizers, were imported mainly from China, 

Russia, Japan, Belarus, Indonesia and 

Canada. 

Quazi Sakhawat Hossain 

Tokyo's Nikkei 

index closes lower 

on tech weakness 

Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 

225 index closed lower on 

Wednesday as high tech 

shares dropped sharply 

tracking falls on Wall Street. 

The Nikkei ended down 

0.31 percent or 68.50 points 

at 21,717.04 yen while the 

broader Topix index edged 

up 0.03 percent or 0.45 

points to close at 1,693.25. 

Analysts said tech shares 

suffered partly due to news 

that a Chinese court 

temporarily banned US firm 

Micron Technology from 

selling its products. 

Investors were cautious 

about the trend in Chinese 

stocks but "with the 

prospects that the yuan's 

depreciation is bottoming 

out thanks to an 

announcement by the 

People's Bank of China… 

buying back supported the 

Japanese market later," 

Okasan Online Securities 

strategist Yoshihiro Ito said 

in a commentary. 

The dollar fetched 110.37 

yen in Asian trade, against 

110.59 yen in New York late 

Tuesday. 

In Tokyo, semiconductor 

equipment maker Tokyo 

Electron dropped 4.44 

percent to 17,740 and 

semiconductor testing 

devices maker Advantest 

dived 4.28 percent to 2,189 

yen. Game giant Nintendo 

dropped 5.27 percent to 

34,510 yen and Uniqlo 

casual wear operator Fast 

Retailing fell 2.14 percent to 

48,730 yen. 

In contrast, oil developer 

Inpex added 2.10 percent to 

1,163 yen and oil 

refiner JXTG fell 2.60 

percent to 796 yen. Chinese 

yuan weakens to 6.6595 

against USD Wednesday. 

Zaker Ahmed 

Agrani Insurance gets 

Chair and Vice Chair 

The board in its 117th meeting held on 28 June 2018 

unanimously elected Quazi Sakhawat Hossain (Lintoo) as 

the Chairman and Zaker Ahmed, FCA, as the Vice Chairman 

of the Board, a press release said. 

Quazi Sakhawat Hossain (Lintoo), a Sponsor Director of 

the company, obtained B.Sc (Hons.), MSC degree and he is a 

successful businessman with versatile business exposure in 

Bangladesh. Hossain is the Chairman of MCO Trading Int. 

(Pvt.) Ltd. He is associated with a number of socio-cultural 

activities. 

Zaker Ahmed, FCA, Ahmed, a Sponsor Director of the 

company, is a successful businessman. Ahmed is the 

Chairman of Jamil Eye & General Hospital, Radiant 

Shipyard Ltd. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant. Ahmed 

is the Senior Partner of Ahmed Zaker & Co. Chartered 

Accountants. He is associated with a few philanthropic 

organizations.

MISCELLANEOUS 


11 

Trump says his awkwardly capitalized tweets are no mistake 

President Donald Trump says his awkwardly 

capitalized tweets are no mistake. 

In a Tuesday afternoon Twitter posting, 

Trump is delivering the public service 

announcement about his digital statements. 

He tweets: "After having written many best 

selling books, and somewhat priding myself on 

my ability to write, it should be noted that the 

Fake News constantly likes to pour over my 

tweets looking for a mistake. I capitalize certain 

words only for emphasis, not b/c they should be 

capitalized!" Spelling errors may be another 

matter. He misspells "pore" in the tweet. 

Moments after sending that message, Trump 

corrected another Tuesday posting critical of his 

favorite political punching bag - the press. 

GD-896/18 (18 x 3) 

Alan Diaz, AP photographer 

behind Elian image, dies at 71 

Retired Associated Press 

photojournalist Alan Diaz , whose 

photo of a terrified 6-year-old Cuban 

boy named Elian Gonzalez earned him 

the Pulitzer Prize, has died. He was 71. 

Diaz's daughter, Aillette Rodriguez- 

Diaz, confirmed that he died Tuesday. 

The cause of death wasn't immediately 

known. 

"He was the king of the family," 

Rodriguez-Diaz said. "He cared about 

all of his friends and colleagues. His 

life was photography and my mother." 

Diaz's wife, Martha, died nearly two 

years ago. 

Diaz's iconic image shows an armed 

U.S. immigration agent confronting 

the boy in the Little Havana home 

where he lived with relatives after 

being found floating off the Florida 

coast. 

"Alan Diaz captured, in his iconic 

photographs, some of the most 

important moments of our generation 

- the bitter, violent struggle over the 

fate of a small Cuban boy named Elian 

Gonzalez, the magnified eye of a 

Florida election official trying to make 

sense of hanging chads and disputed 

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib 

Razak was charged in court Wednesday 

with criminal breach of trust and 

corruption, two months after a 

multibillion dollar graft scandal at a state 

investment fund led to his shock election 

defeat. 

Najib, wearing a suit and a red tie, 

appeared calm and smiled as he was 

escorted into the court complex packed 

with reporters. 

He was arrested Tuesday by anti-graft 

officials over a suspicious transfer of 42 

million ringgit ($10.4 million) into his 

bank accounts from SRC International, a 

former unit of the 1MDB state investment 

fund that U.S. investigators say was 

looted of billions by associates of Najib. 

In a lower court, he was charged with 

three counts of criminal breach of trust 

and one count of corruption. Each charge 

has a maximum penalty of 20 years in 

prison. Whipping is also a penalty but 

Najib would be exempt because of his age. 

The case against him will be transferred 

to the High Court where Najib is expected 

to make his plea Wednesday. 

Najib, 64, denies any wrongdoing and 

has accused the new government of 

seeking "political vengeance." 

In a recorded video posted on social 

media hours after his arrest, Najib 

apologized to Malaysians but remained 

defiant. 

"As a normal human being, I am not 

ballots in the 2000 presidential 

election," AP executive editor Sally 

Buzbee said. 

"He was gravelly-voiced and 

kindhearted, generous with his 

expertise. And like all great 

photographers, he was patient. He was 

able to wait for the moment." 

Diaz, who was known to roar, 

"Hello, Miami," every time he entered 

the AP's South Florida office, brought 

the same energy and professionalism 

to every story, whether he was 

shooting an upcoming weekend 

feature or a World Series baseball 

game. His good-natured humility and 

unwavering focus were often calming 

elements for his colleagues in Florida's 

frequently chaotic news environment. 

He introduced newcomers to some of 

the pleasures of Miami, such as 

sipping a cafecito in Little Havana. 

Not one to boast about past 

triumphs, Diaz rarely brought up the 

Elian story himself, but he would 

usually discuss it with enough 

encouragement. He had been 

freelancing for AP in November 1999 

when a boater found the Cuban boy 

Former Malaysia leader charged 

with breach of trust, graft 

Mayor killed in 

Mexican town 

where 3 Italians 

disappeared 

Gunmen killed the mayor of 

a town in western Mexico 

where three Italian men 

went missing in late 

January, the Jalisco state 

prosecutors' office said 

Tuesday. 

The mayor of Tecalitlan 

was gunned down by 

assailants wielding rifles and 

a municipal worker was 

wounded in the attack 

Monday. 

The missing Italians are 

Raffaele Russo, his 25-yearold 

son Antonio Russo and 

his 29-year-old nephew 

Vincenzo Cimmino, all from 

the Naples area. 

Several municipal police 

officers were arrested in 

February in connection with 

their disappearance. 

Authorities said the agents 

apparently handed the men 

over to a criminal gang and 

they have not been heard 

from since. 

More than 60 mayors or 

mayors-elect have been 

killed in Mexico since 2006, 

often by criminal gangs. 

On Tuesday afternoon, 

gunmen in the central state 

of Guanajuato killed three 

state police officers in an 

ambush. 

The state security office 

said in a statement that 

police were responding to a 

report of gunshot victims 

along the highway between 

Jerecuaro and Apaseo el 

Alto near the community of 

Estanzuela de Romero. 

Gunmen in multiple vehicles 

attacked the officers. 

Authorities said they did not 

have information about how 

many attackers were 

wounded or killed. 

GD-897/18 (8 x 4) 

perfect but believe me, that the 

accusations against me and my family are 

not all true," he said. 

New Prime Minister Mahathir 

Mohamad reopened investigations into 

1MDB that were stifled under Najib's rule. 

Najib set up 1MDB when he took power 

in 2009 but the fund amassed billions in 

debts and is being investigated in the U.S. 

and several other countries. 

Najib and his wife were questioned last 

month over the SRC case by the anti-graft 

agency and have both been barred from 

leaving the country. Police have also 

seized jewelry and valuables valued at 

more than 1.1 billion ringgit ($272 

million) from properties linked to Najib. 

U.S. investigators say $4.5 billion was 

stolen and laundered from 1MDB by 

Najib's associates, including some $700 

million that landed in Najib's bank 

account. 

Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert 

at John Cabot University in Rome, said 

Najib's arrest was the "inevitable 

outcome" after he lost power. 

"It shows the resolve of the new 

government to address previous abuses of 

power. It has been done judiciously so far 

and speaks to a needed reckoning for 

Malaysia and a key step toward a cleaner 

governance," she said in an email. 

Malaysia's new attorney general, 

Tommy Thomas, will head the 

prosecution in the case. 

floating in an inner tube in the waters 

off Fort Lauderdale. Diaz spent the 

next few months chatting with 

Gonzalez's relatives and neighbors, 

earning their trust by respecting an 

order from the boy's uncle to not speak 

to the child. 

Because of those relationships, he 

was the only photographer to capture 

the moment when U.S. immigration 

agents ended a bitter international 

custody battle with a pre-dawn raid 

the day before Easter in 2000. The 

Pulitzer-winning photo shows an 

armed agent reaching out to toward a 

terrified Elian, seconds before the boy 

was pulled out of his uncle's home so 

he could be returned to his father in 

Cuba. 

Diaz said he was just in the right 

place at the right time. 

After the image hit the wires and 

network television news, Diaz saw how 

both Cuban leader Fidel Castro and 

Cuban-American community leaders 

used it to argue that the other side was 

brutal and heartless. 

"I have no opinion on it. I shot the 

moment. That's all," Diaz said last 

GD-895/18 (6 x 2) 

year. "Good or bad, that's what 

happened that morning." 

The AP hired Diaz as a staff 

photographer two months after the 

raid, kicking off a 17-year-career with 

the wire service. Within months of 

starting, Diaz was taking photos of 

hanging chads during the Florida 

recount for the 2000 presidential 

election. The next year, Diaz flew to 

New York just days after 9/11, when 

planes were allowed back in the sky, to 

help document the recovery. Diaz was 

in Florida for the 2004 and 2005 

hurricane seasons, when storm after 

storm caused billions in damage across 

the Southeastern U.S. More recently, 

he rushed to Orlando in 2016 to cover 

another tragedy, a shooting at a gay 

night club that left 49 people dead. 

"Alan Diaz will be remembered for 

taking one of the most iconic 

photographs in Miami's history," AP 

Miami photo editor Marta Lavandier 

said. "But what is less known about 

Alan is that he was a humble, 

dedicated, hard-working news 

photographer that loved covering 

every aspect of his community."

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

THURSDAY, DHAKA, JULY 5, 2018, ASHAR 21, 1425 BS, SHAWAL 20 , 1439 HIJRI 

Teachers and students of Journalism department of Dhaka University protested the attack on Dr 

Fahmidul Haque. 


DU teachers, students 

protest police assault 

on its professor 

DHAKA : Dhaka 

University Teachers and 

students on Wednesday 

held a human chain at the 

foot of 'Aparajeyo Bangla' 

protesting the assault on 

Prof Fahmidul Haq by 

police on Tuesday, reports 

UNB. 

On Monday, Dr 

Fahmidul Haq, a teacher 

of Mass Communication 

and Journalism department 

of the university, was 

assaulted by policemen 

when guardians and civil 

society members were trying 

to gather at the Jatiya 

Press Club to stage 

demonstrations, protesting 

the ongoing attacks on 

and arrests of quota 

reform activists. 

Speaking at the human 

chain programme, Prof Dr 

Gitiara Nasreen of Mass 

Communication and 

Journalism department 

said it is the duty of the 

state to ensure the safety of 

its citizens. 

The guardians and 

teachers wanted to express 

their concern through that 

demonstration but they 

were assaulted by police, 

she said adding that their 

freedom to express their 

concern has been 

snatched. 

Dr Gitiara demanded 

proper investigation into 

the incident and exemplary 

punishment of those 

involved in it. 

Masud Al Mahdi, a former 

student of the university, 

said, "No result will 

come out from these 

human chains as we've 

been doing these for many 

years without having any 

justice. 

Only protest won't 

bring justice, people 

have to speak up against 

injustice." 

Some other teachers and 

students of the university 

also demanded justice and 

condemned the incident 

following a protest rally. 

On Tuesday, law 

enforcers also picked up 

Prof Rehnuma Ahmed of 

Jagangirnagar University 

and former Bangladesh 

Chhatra Union president 

Baki Billah at that time. 

But, they were released 

later. 

Fahmidul Haq said, 

"Police misbehaved with 

me even after knowing my 

identity. I and Rehnuma 

Ahmed got on the van after 

police arrested Baki Billah 

and wanted to talk to the 

police officer. The officer 

accused me of damaging 

the police vehicle and tried 

to arrest me, too. But the 

other demonstrators 

resisted their attempt." 

The Incredible Magdeburg 

Water Bridge in Germany 

INTERESTING NEWS 

The Magdeburg Water Bridge is a navigable 

aqueduct in Germany that connects 

the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittelland 

Canal, and allows ships to cross over the 

Elbe River. At 918 meters, it is the longest 

navigable aqueduct in the world. 

The Elbe-Havel and Mittelland canals 

had previously met near Magdeburg but 

on opposite sides of the Elbe. Ships moving 

between the two had to make a 12- 

kilometer detour, descending from the 

Mittelland Canal through the Rothensee 

boat lift into the Elbe, then sailing downstream 

on the river, before entering the 

Elbe-Havel Canal through Niegripp lock. 

Low water levels in the Elbe often prevented 

fully laden canal barges from making 

this crossing, requiring time-consuming 

off-loading of cargo. 

Construction of the water link was 

started as early as in the 1930s but due to 

the World War 2 and subsequent division 

of Germany the work remained suspended 

till 1997. The aqueduct was finally 

completed and opened to the public in 

2003. 

Biman calls 

agencies to buy 

hajj tickets 

immediately 

DHAKA : Biman Bangladesh 

Airlines today called Hajj 

agencies to buy tickets immediately 

as 16,000 seats still remain 

unsold warning that no 

additional slot will be allotted 

by Saudi authorities this year. 

"All Hajj agents are requested 

to procure their required 

tickets immediately to avoid 

complexity to transport Hajj 

Pilgrims at last moment," said 

a press release of Biman yesterday. 

Last year, the national flag 

carrier had to cancel 24 scheduled 

hajj flights as agencies 

were reluctant to send the pilgrims 

before much ahead of 

the Hajj. 

According to the release till 

today 45,779 tickets have been 

issued while approximately 

16,000 seats are still available 

for the hajj flights between 24 

Jul to 10 Aug' 18. 

"We would like to carry all 

our intending pilgrims, we 

don't want to leave anyone behind 

here. For that, we are 

urging all hajj agencies to buy 

tickets in favour of their registered 

pilgrims soon," Biman's 

General Manager (PR) Shakil 

Meraj told BSS. 

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 

he said, is very cautious this 

time to check any kind of complexity 

in hajj flight operation 

as Saudi authorities has already 

declared that they won't 

be able to provide any additional 

flight to Biman 

Bangladesh airlines this year 

before the Hajj. 

Last year, Biman 

Bangladesh airlines had been 

able to manage additional slot 

from Saudi authority to operate 

hajj flights after cancelled 

numbers of hajj flights due to 

scarcity of passengers. 

3 of a family hacked 

dead in Pabna 

PABNA : A young man 

allegedly hacked three of his 

family members to death at 

Shona Padma village in 

Beraupazilaearly Wednesday, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased were identified 

as Buli Begum, 35, wife of 

Mithu Sheikh of the village, 

her son Tushar, 10, and her 

sister Mariam Khatun, 50. 

Goutam Kumar Biswas, 

additional superintendent of 

Pabna Police, said Tuhin, son 

of Buli Begum, stabbed his 

mother, brother and maternal 

aunt with a sharp weapon 

while they were sleeping in a 

room around 4 am. 

Later in the morning, police 

recovered the bodies and sent 

those to Pabna Sadar Hospital 

morgue for autopsy, said 

Mozaffar Hossain, officer-incharge 

of Bera Model Police 

Station. 

Heavy rains compounding 

Rohingya suffering : UNFPA 

DHAKA : Executive Director of 

UNFPA Natalia Kanem has said the 

heavy rains in Rohingya camps in Cox's 

Bazar district and their impact are 

already compounding the suffering of 

Rohingyas, even as they try to rebuild 

their lives, reports UNB 

Simple shelters that are little more 

than huts with bamboo sticks and plastic 

sheeting for walls, and tarpaulins 

overhead, are serving a very important 

purpose for refugee women and girls 

forced to flee their homes to the vast 

refugee camps, according to UN News 

Centre. 

They are offering persecuted 

Rohingya who fled the brutal violence in 

Myanmar a safe haven where they can 

find sanctuary and support, care of UN 

workers and partner agencies. 

Natalia Kanem visited Cox's Bazar, as 

part of UN Secretary-General 

António Guterres' delegation. 

Many of the women and girls in need 

of most care are survivors of brutal 

crimes of sexual violence, carried out 

allegedly by Myanmar government 

forces, who began torching the villages 

of Rohingya in Rakhine state last 

August, forcing them to flee across the 

border. 

UNFPA said they have already 

stepped up efforts and is working with 

partners, including other agencies, 

including the UN Children's Fund 

(UNICEF) and the Office of the UN 

High Commissioner for Refugees 

(UNHCR) - together with refugees 

themselves and host communities - to 

repair and reinforce these spaces as well 

and the health centres operated by the 

agency. 

It is also identifying at-risk groups to 

they can be transferred to safety, forming 

community watch groups from 

among refugee and host community 

Next generation to retain govt's 

achievements: NHRC chairman 

RANGPUR : Chairman of the 

National Human Rights 

Commission (NHRC) Kazi 

Reazul Hoque has said the 

next generation will retain all 

achievements of the present 

pro-children government. 

"So why, human rights of 

the children should be protected 

in the family, education 

and workplace," Hoque said 

while addressing a viewssharing 

meeting held at conference 

room of the Deputy 

Commissioner yesterday as 

the chief guest. 

Deputy Commissioner 

Enamul Habib presided over 

the meeting titled "Role of all 

concerned to stop violence 

against children" organised by 

the district administration 

with assistance of the World 

Vision Bangladesh (WVB). 

Member of NHRC 

Nurunnahar Osmani, Vicechancellor 

(VC) of Begum 

Rokeya University Professor 

Dr Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, 

Superintendent of Police 

Mizanur Rahman, Acting 

President of district Awami 

League Mamtaz Uddin 

Ahmed and Director of WVB 

Chandan Gomes spoke as special 

guests. 

Government officials, heads 

of different government departments, 

educational institutions 

and different organisations 

working for establishing 

human rights, teachers, 

civil society members and socio-cultural 

activists attended 

the meeting. 

Earlier, separate presentations 

were delivered in the 

meeting on the Children's Act, 

2013, Domestic Worker 

Protection and Welfare Policy, 

2015, Announcement of the 

Ministry of Education, 2010, 

High Court Rule, 2010 and 

overall activities of NHRC. 

The NHRC Chairman said 

the government has been 

providing cost-free legal aid 

to the poor and distressed 

people through the district 

judges all over the country by 

appointing lawyers on behalf 

of them for ensuring justice 

for them. 

"Similarly, over 100 panel 

lawyers appointed by the 

NHRC are working in the 

country," he said, adding that 

a regional office of the commission 

would be set up at all 

divisional headquarters to 

make its activities more dynamic. 

Former Secretary Ashraf Ud Doula on Wednesday joins in Jatiya Party with flowers. 

Party Chairman HM Ershad was present at that time. 


BD's per capita power consumption 

'lowest in S Asia, developing nations' 

DHAKA : Experts at a dialogue on energy sector on 

Wednesday said though the country's power generation 

and supply capacity increased remarkably over the 

last nine years, its per capita electricity consumption is 

still the lowest in South Asia and among the developing 

countries, reports UNB 

They stressed the need for the diversification of energy 

sources to reduce the use of gas as its reserves are 

depleting fast. 

Policy Research Institute (PRI) in collaboration with 

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) arranged 

the dialogue titled 'Determining Bangladesh's energy 

infrastructure Needs for Today and Tomorrow' at a city 

hotel. Presenting the keynote paper at the programme, 

PRI executive director Dr Ahsan Mansur said 

Bangladesh is on the right track to ensure the electricity 

for cent percent households as the government is 

planning to increase generation capacity to 

22,000MW by FY21. 

"However, the major challenges still remain. Despite 

the impressive growth in power supply, Bangladesh's 

per capita electricity consumption remains one of the 

lowest in South Asia and among the developing countries," 

he said. The energy expert said the country's gas 

reserves are alarmingly low and rapidly depleting as it 

relies on gas for over two-thirds of power generation. 

He said though the liquefied natural gas (LNG) 

import has just started but, it is very costly. Under 

the circumstances, he said, much more diversifications 

of energy sources are crucial to reduce the 

dependence on gas. 

The PRI execute director said the government can 

import power apart from setting up more coal-based, 

nuclear and hydro power plants and promoting the 

renewable energy. 

Dr Mansur viewed the average tariff charge by the 

Bangladesh Power Development Board is still significantly 

low below the average production cost, leading 

to higher government subsidy. "Low electricity tariff 

rates are also impacting negatively on energy efficiency 

investments." 

Buet Prof and energy expert Dr Mohammad Tamim, 

said power demand is growing highly in residential sector 

while it is very low in the industry sector. "So, our 

policymakers should make projection considering such 

growth rates." 

women, to locate those who are pregnant 

- often as a result of rape. 

Vulnerable women and girls are taken 

to more secure settlements or places 

with facilities designed to help them 

cope with trauma and loss, according to 

UN News Centre. 

However, it is feared that full brunt of 

the monsoon season will discourage 

women from seeking vital maternal 

health care and other services. 

During the recent first heavy rains, 

UNFPA health facilities and womenfriendly 

spaces saw their use decline by 

around 60 percent. 

UN Secretary-General Guterres, who 

visited the refugee settlement and the 

UNFPA facilities on Monday, reiterated 

the need to protect those in most need. 

"The safety of the Rohingya refugees 

during this monsoon season is priority 

one," he said, standing amid a monsoon 

downpour. 

Saudi bus 

crash kills 2 

Bangladeshis: 

official 

DHAKA : At least two 

Bangladeshis were killed and 

over a dozen were critically 

wounded as a bus carrying 

them in the country's western 

Jeddah city crashed this 

morning, Bangladeshi 

embassy officials in Saudi 

Arabia said. 

"We have so far confirmed 

deaths of two Bangladeshis - 

Md Elahi of Magura Sadar 

and Mohammad Shahjahan 

Miah of Bahubal, Habiganj - 

but some 13 more wounded 

compatriots are being treated 

at three different hospitals," 

Head of Chancery of 

Bangladesh Consulate 

General in Jeddah Mostafa 

Jamil Khan told BSS. 

Unconfirmed reports, 

however, said the casualties 

could be as high as 11. 

Khan said consulate officials 

are there in the hospitals 

to look after the injured 

and the details will be given 

later once the reports come 

from there. It was learned 

that the driver of the minibus 

carrying Bangladeshi workers 

lost his control over the 

steering as one of the tires of 

the vehicle blew and stuck an 

electric pole. 

Ctg court accepts 

charges against 

453 BNP-Jamaat 

men 

CHATTOGRAM : A court 

here on Wednesday accepted 

a charge-sheet against 453 

leaders and activists of BNP 

and Bangladesh Jamaat-e- 

Islami in a case filed over the 

violence in the city on 

January 5, 2015, the first 

anniversary of the 2014 general 

election, reports UNB. 

Additional Metropolitan 

Magistrate Mahiuddin 

Masud took cognisance of 

the charges submitted by the 

investigation officer on June 

20, said Assistant 

Commissioner (Prosecution) 

of Chittagong Metropolitan 

Police Nirmalenda 

Chakraborty. 

Those charge-sheeted 

include BNP Standing 

Committee member Amir 

Khosru Mahmud 

Chowdhury, joint secretary 

general Aslam Chowdhury, 

city unit President Dr 

Shahdat Hossain and its 

General Secretary Abul 

Hasan Bakkar and former 

Jamaat MP Shahjahan 

Chowdhury. 

BNP and Jamaat-Shibir 

men clashed with law 

enforcers during a rally at 

Kazir Deuri in the city on 

January 5, 2015, leaving 

many, including policemen, 

injured. Several vehicles 

were also vandalised and 

torched during the clash. 

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

05-07-2018

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