24-09-2018

MonDaY
Dhaka:September 24, 2018; ashwin 9, 1425 BS; Muharram 13,1440 hijri
www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com
Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.16; No.236; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00
international
Maldives voters
flock to polls despite
political turmoil
>Page 7
art & culture
Kamal haasan: 'I was the
biggest obstacle i had to
overcome in my life'
>Page 8
sport
Real Madrid ride on
Marco Asensio strike
to sink Espanyol
>Page 9
Writ seeks
independent
body to probe
4,000 'fictitious
cases'
DHAKA : A writ petition was filed with the
High Court (HC) on Sunday seeking its
directive to the Home Secretary for the
formation of an independent committee
for probing 4,000 'fictitious cases' filed
against BNP leaders and activists across
the country in September, reports UNB.
Three senior lawyers of BNP-former
vice-chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council
Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, former
minister Advocate Nitai Roy Chowdhury
and BNP's law affairs secretary advocate
Sanaullah Mia-filed the writ petition.
The Home Secretary, Inspector General of
Police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police
Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner of
Detective Police (North Zone), Additional
Deputy Commissioner of Ramna Zone Police
Commissioner, Ramna and Shahbagh Police
Stations Officers-in-Charge were made defendants
in the write petition.
The petitioners also demanded a directive
to include representatives from the United
Nations Human Rights Commission, Human
Rights Watch, Amnesty International and
Asian Human Rights Commission.
Besides, they sought issuance of a rule
for taking action against those who were
involved in filing the 'fictitious cases'.
Khandaker Mahbub Hossain said the
cases were filed to create panic among
BNP leaders and activists ahead of the
national election.
RMG workers block
Dhaka-M’singh highway
demanding dues
GAZIPUR : The workers of a readymade
garment factory blocked Dhaka-Mymensingh
highway at Maleker Bari for about five hours
on Sunday demanding their salaries and other
dues, reports UNB.
The agitated workers of 'Newtex Factory'
also demanded punishment of those responsible
for Sunday evening's incident in the factory
when some of their fellow workers fell ill
after taking contaminated water.
Later, workers from other nearby factories
joined them and vandalised several vehicles
and burned tyres on the highway, witnesses
said. Police charged batons and fired several
rounds of teargas shells to disperse the agitators
around 1:45 pm, said Kazi Ismail Hossain,
officer-in-charge of Gachha Police Station.
Traffic on the highway resumed at 2 pm, he
added. Meanwhile, the authorities of around
50 factories of the area shut down their factories
for the day in a bid to avert further trouble,
said the police officer.
Mother 'hacked dead' by 'drug
addict' son in Kushtia
KUSHTIA : A woman was hacked to
death allegedly by her 'drug addict' son
inAngdiavillage of Daulatpur upazila on
Sunday morning, reports UNB.
The deceased was identified as
Banera Khatun, 45, wife of Azizul
Haque of the village. Shah Dara, officer-in-charge
of Daulatpur Police
Station, saidBanera'sdrug-addict son
Jewel demanded money from her for
taking drugs in the morning.
Being refused, Jewel hacked his
mother with a sharp weapon, leaving
her dead on the spot, said the OC.
On information, police recovered
the body and detained Jewel, he
added.
Zohr
04:34 AM
12:10 AM
04:12 PM
05:57 PM
07:10 PM
5:47 5:54
Burimari, Mongla
ports plagued with
irregularities: TIB study
DHAKA : Illegal transaction of
money takes places in almost every
stage of clearing imported goods and
completing customs procedures at
Burimari and Mongla ports, says an
study of Transparency International
Bangladesh (TIB), reports UNB.
According to the study, an estimated
Tk 23.63 crore was transacted illegally
during the 2016-2017 fiscal year while
receiving services from the two ports.
The findings of the study titled
'Burimari Land Port & Customs
Station and Mongla Port & Custom
House: Governance Challenges in
Import-Export and Way Out' were disseminated
at a press conference in the
city on Sunday.
The qualitative research was conducted
from July 2017 to September
2018.
Speaking at the press conference,
TIB Executive Director Dr
Iftekharuzzaman said Burimari Motor
Workers' Union extorts Tk 900 from
every truck to pass through the
Burimari land port, taking the total
amount of extortion to Tk 5.40 crore a
year.
Besides, brokers collect Tk 400 for
renting a truck, he said.
Dermatologists call for
raising awareness about
fungal infection
DHAKA : Country's dermatology
experts on Sunday called for more
research works and forming uniform
guidelines for all dermatologists to
ensure control over skin diseases,
reports UNB.
Though Bangladesh has already
achieved many successes in modern
medical treatment, awareness among
the people need to be created to
ensure proper treatment and prevent
emerging problems of diseases caused
by fungal infection, said the experts in
a seminar on 'Updates in
Dermatology'.
The seminar was organized by
Department of Dermatology and
Venereology of Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujib Medical University (BSMMU)
at Dhaka Club in the city.
During the first session of the seminar,
some of the country's dermatologists
presented papers on different
skin diseases including Psoriasis,
Leprosy and Onychomycosis.
In their presentation, the experts
said, according to a community based
survey report on population from six
upazilas - Daudkandi, Mithamain,
During the study, the anti-graft
watchdog found evidence of collecting
bribe on all imported goods in spite of
having proper documents and goods
do not get any clearance unless the
bribe is given.
The faultier the documents are, the
bigger the amount of bribe is, he said.
The TIB identified a lengthy complex
process of goods clearance and customs
procedure, growing syndicates
comprising authorities, workers and
brokers, lack of punishment, absence
of digital system in providing services
as the main reasons behind the corruption
and irregularities at the ports.
It said the paperless office has not
been established yet while the existing
one-stop service remained ineffective.
Due to the absence of automation in
the procedure of clearing goods, illegal
money transaction is happening in all
stage, according to the study.
Calling for introducing the digital
system in the service sector, Dr
Iftekharuzzaman said reducing direct
communication between service
provider and service receiver in the
ports through using modern digital
information technology can reduce the
chance of corruption.
Meherpur, Brahmanbaria,
Madhabpur and Sirajdikhan- seven
out of every one thousand people suffer
from Psoriasis.
The articles were presented by
Professor M A Wahab, Associate
Professor Dr Ashim Kumar Nandi, Dr
Dipak Kumar Das, Associate
Professor Dr Md Rafiqul Mowla and
Associate Professor Dr Tushar Kanti
Sikder.
They also urged the patients not to
have any drug without any prescription
from expert doctors while the
dermatology specialists also need to
be more careful about treatment for
fungal infected diseases, laser and cosmetic
surgery.
Wrong treatment and unnecessary
laser surgery affects the patients and
even causes drug resistance in their
body which hampers further treatment,
they added.
Addressing the seminar as the chief
guest, Liberation Affairs Minister
AKM Mozammel Huq urged the doctors
and drug manufacturers to work
for lowering the cost of treatment for
the people.
The bridge has been collapsed in Bandarban Sadar Upazilla on Sunday. The local People are moving one
place to another with risk.
Photo: Star Mail
Because of awful activities of climate and sea, the natural beauty of Kuakata beach is being been
damaged.
Photo: Star Mail
Reshuffle in
admin: 10 districts
get new DCs
DHAKA : In a major reshuffle in the
field administration, the government
has appointed new deputy
commissioners to 10 districts,
reports UNB.
The Public Administration
Ministry issued a gazette notification
in this regard on Sunday.
As per the notification, Deputy
Secretary of Public Administration
Ministry Kabir Mahmood has been
made the Deputy Commissioner of
Barguna, while Deputy Secretary of
the Directorate of Secondary Higher
Education Abu Ali Md Shazzad
Hossain the DC of Pirojpur, personal
secretary (Deputy Secretary) of
Foreign Ministry Hayat-Ud-
Dowllah Khan appointed DC of
Brahmanbaria, Deputy Secretary of
Local Government Division Md
Shahidul Islam the DC of Tangail
and Deputy Secretary of Local
Government Division Anjuman Ara
the DC of Narail.
Besides, General Manager
(Deputy Secretary) of Bangladesh
Shipping Corporation Mohmmad
Golamur Rahman has been
appointed the DC of Natore while
Deputy Secretary of Primary and
Mass Education Ministry Gopal
Chanrda Das the DC of Chuadanga.
Deputy Secretary of Directorate
General of Health Services Md Ali
Akbar has been appointed the DC of
Magura, Deputy Secretary of
Housing and Public Works Ministry
SM Mostafa Kamal made the DC of
Satkhira and minister's personal
secretary (Deputy Secretary) of
Housing and Public Works Ministry
Faiyez Ahmed the DC of Bogura.
AFC U-16 Women's
Bangladesh emerge group
champions beating Vietnam 2-0
DHAKA : Hosts Bangladesh emerged
Group F champions with all-win record
to reach the 2nd round of the AFC U-16
Women's Championship beating upper
ranked Vietnam by 2-0 goals in the last
group match at the Bir Shrestha
Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa
Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur here on
Sunday.
Tohura Khatun and Ankhi Khatun
scored for the home side, one in each
half in a one-sided affair.
By virtue of the day's well merited victory,
Golam Rabbani Choton's girls
earned the right to play in the eightteam
2nd round of the AFC U-16
Women's meet scheduled for Thailand
from February 23 to March 3 next year.
Despite the day's first defeat in the
group match, Vietnam finished Group F
runners-up also to reach the 2nd round
berth as one of the best two runners-up
teams of six Asian groups.
On completion of the six group
matches on Sunday, Australia,
Bangladesh, China, Iran, Laos,
Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines
qualified for the 2nd round of the meet.
In the day's crucial match, forward
Tohura Khatun put Bangladesh ahead
in the 45th minute by a header from
handshake distance, off a close range
pass of Shamsunahar Jr from goal
mouth melee (1-0).
Anthi Khatun sealed the fate of the
scoring the 2nd goal for Bangladesh in
the 64th minute by her 2nd attempt
from goalmouth melee as her first
attempt came her way from opponent
custodian, following a corner kick of
Maria Manda (2-0).
Bangladesh earned a deserving victory
dominating the match all through
against higher ranking Vietnam despite
of depriving from two more goals due to
off-side
Bangladesh, which earlier defeated
Bahrain 10-0, Lebanon 8-0 and UAE 7-
0, are in the 2nd slot in the points table
behind Vietnam.
BNP slams Quader for 'using public
transport in electioneering'
.DHAKA : BNP on Sunday accused
Awami League general secretary Obaidul
Quader of illegally conducting their
party's election campaign using government's
vehicles, reports UNB.
"Their train tour turned unsuccessful in
the face of public wrath. Now he (Quader)
has been on a road march to conduct his
party's campaign and
propaganda. How
does he use government
vehicles for carrying
out their party's
campaign? It's unlawful,"
said BNP senior
joint secretary general
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Speaking at a press
conference at the
party's Nayapaltan
central office, he further
said, "The ministers
of this government
don't abide by
laws and rules...they
consider government
property and vehicles
as their personal
assets since they have
no accountability."
On Saturday morning,
AL leaders, led by
Quader, launched a
road march towards
Cox's Bazar from their
party president's
Dhanmondi office in
the capital.
Rizvi alleged that the ruling party leaders
are hardly bothered about people and
accountability as they have established
their control over courts and the Anti-
Corruption Commission. "This unruly
acts and misdeeds can't continue for a
long time."

NEWS
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
2
A human chain was formed in front of National Press Club yesterday demanding nationalization of
schools.
Photo : Star Mail
Three killed in
Kishoreganj
road crash
KISHOREGANJ : Three
people, including a child,
were killed as a bus crashed
into a motorcycle on
Kishoreganj-Mymensingh
Highway at Daukia in Sadar
upazila on Sunday, reports
UNB.
The deceased were
identified as Rubel Mia, 32,
his son Shahriar, 5, and
motorcyclist Rafikul Islam,
30, son of Hadis Mia of
Kendua upazila.
Witnesses said the
Mymensingh-bound bus hit
motorbike, leaving its riders
dead on the spot and
injuring the biker severely in
the afternoon.
Injured Rafikul was
rushed to Sadar Hospital
where he also died later, said
Officer-in-charge of
Kishoreganj Police Station
Shama Md Iqbal Hayat.
The bus was seized while
its driver was arrested, he
said.
Festival of tree felling
goes on in Gopalganj
GOPALGANJ : Some
influential quarters are
cutting down roadside trees
in Kashiani upazila without
taking any permission from
the local administration,
putting the environment of
the upazila in jeopardy.
Many valuable big-size
trees along both sides of
several roads like Narai-
Rukra, Sitarumpur-
Poshiur, Shilta-Rajpat,
Taltola-Rmadia and some
other local roads are being
cut down as the local
administration is sleeping
at the wheel, locals alleged.
Local environmental
specialists and activists
have expressed concern at
the widespread destruction
of trees on government
lands alongside roads,
reports UNB.
On September 12, two
influential men cut down
three rain trees worth
around Tk 60,000 from
beside Ramdia-Orakandi
LGED road at Ghritokandi
village in Kashiani upazila,
they said.
But, the villagers alleged,
the local authorities did not
pay heed to it despite
informing them several
times.
Anisur Rahman, Abdur
Rahman and Saidur
Rahman of Bhulbaria
village said some 20 large
trees were cut down from
beside the Ramdia-
Bhulbaria road over the last
two years.
They said the influential
quarter has become so
desperate that they hardly
hesitate to cut down trees in
even broad daylight.
Bidhan Chandra Tikadar,
a researcher of Bangladesh
Centre for Advanced
Studies, said the
environment here is in
danger following the
destruction of the roadside
trees. "The local
administration should take
immediate steps to protect
the trees and thus the
environment," he added.
Asked about it, Md
Habibur Rahman, an
engineer at the Local
Government Engineering
Department of the upazila,
said, "It's the duty of the
Upazila Nirbahi Officer to
take action against the
destruction of trees."
He, however, said, there is
a resolution of the Upazila
Parishad that if anyone
plants trees alongside any
road, he or she has the right
to cut down those.
Contacted, UNO ASM
Moin Uddin said he had no
information about any tree
felling. "Necessary actions
will be taken if we get any
such complaint."
Rail link with
5 districts
resumes after
26 hrs
BOGURA :The rail
communications of five
districts with other parts of
the country resumed after 26
hours of suspension on
Sunday afternoon, reports
UNB.
The rail communications
were suspended on Saturday
morning as heavy rain eroded
the soil around a pillar of
Chakchakia rail bridge in
Sonatola upazila, suspending
the rail communications on
Lalmonirhat-Bogura route.
Later, the rail
communications were
restored after repairing the
pillar, said Bogura Railway
Station Master Benjurul
Islam.
One held with
1.125kg heroin
in C'nawabganj
RAJSHAHI : Members of
Rapid Action Battalion
(Rab) in a drive arrested a
drug trader along with 1.125
kilogram heroin from
Khoribona Rodpara area in
Chapainawabganj sadar
upazila on Saturday night,
reports UNB.
The arrestee was identified
as Md Jahid, 27, son of late
Ashraful of Goraipara village
in the upazila. Being
informed that that a gang of
drug traders was staying in
the area for selling heroin, a
team of Rab-5 conducted
drive and arrested Jahid
along with the drug, said a
Rab press release.
Bangladesh offers
special economic zone
for Qatari investors
DHAKA : Bangladesh has
invited Qatari investors to
invest in Bangladesh saying
the government is ready to
offer one or more Special
Economic Zones for Qatari
investors exclusively which
they can develop and
operate as per their own
desires and needs, reports
UNB.
"Qatari business leaders
can take advantage of the
most liberal investment
policy of Bangladesh among
the South Asian countries
and the comparative
advantage in terms of
market access, trainable and
competitive youth workforce
and competitive wages," said
State Minister for Foreign
Affairs M Shahriar Alam.
He invited them to invest
in capital market, energy,
telecommunications and IT,
petrochemicals,
pharmaceuticals, ship
building, agro-processing,
human
resource
development, water and
marine and other
infrastructure projects, hitech
manufacturing and
microprocessors in
Bangladesh.
The State Minister was
addressing a seminar on
'Foreign Direct Investment
Opportunities in
Bangladesh' at the Ritz
Carlton Hotel in Doha on
Saturday as the chief guest.
Bangladesh Forum Qatar
in cooperation with the
Qatar Financial Centre
(QFC) organised the
seminar, said a PID handout
on Sunday.
The State Minister said
Bangladesh already crossed
the LDC threshold in March
this year and is on the track
to be a developed country by
2041.
He cited few examples of
global thinktanks and
research organisations
which made very positive
statements about the
consistent economic
progress of Bangladesh and
her bright position in future
in the global economy.
The State Minister told the
Qatari business leaders that
there are eight fully
operational EPZs in
Bangladesh and 100 Special
Economic Zones are under
process in different parts of
the country.
He said Bangladesh
Government is ready to offer
one or more Special
Economic Zones for Qatari
investors exclusively which
they can develop and
operate as per their own
desires and needs.
Bangladesh Ambassador
to Qatar Ashud Ahmed
highlighted that the growing
Bangladeshi community in
Qatar has been contributing
not only to people to people
contacts between two
countries but also
contributing to the
development of trade and
investment.
He said Bangladesh
Embassy is always ready in
patronising such an
initiative. He expressed his
optimism that such
initiatives by the
Bangladeshi community in
Qatar would provide
excellent platform for
projecting Bangladesh's
investment potentials
among the Qatari business
leaders and investors and
contribute to the
strengthening bilateral
relations of two brotherly
countries.
Chief Executive Officer of
the Qatar Financial Centre
(QFC) Yousuf Al Jaida
commented that the
seminar was an eye-opener
for Qatari Business leaders
and prospective investors
who did not know much
about Bangladesh,
particularly what
Bangladesh can offer for the
Qatari investors.
He said the seminar is a
way forward to making
partnership with
Bangladesh.
Head of Business of the
Qatar Investment Authority
(QIA) Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al
Thani met the Bangladesh
State Minister as well as the
BIDA Executive Chairman
in a separate meeting before
the seminar.
Monalisa murder
accused brought
back from UAE
NARAYANGANJ : An
accused in the schoolgirl
Monalisa murder case who
was arrested by Interpol in the
UAE was handed over to
Bangladesh police on Sunday,
reports UNB.
The International Criminal
Police Organization (Interpol)
handed Abu Sayeed, 35, son
of Iqbal Hossain of Ambagan
in the city, over to a team of
Fatullah Police Station at
Shahjalala International
Airport in the capital around
8am, said Manjur Quader,
officer-in-charge of the police
station.
He said the Interpol
arrested expatriate Sayeed
from Dubai on September 17
over the murder.
On February 2 last, Sayeed
killed Monalisa Akhter, 12,
daughter of trader Shahin
Bapari, after rape.
Two killed in Chattogram
road crash
CHATTOGRAM : Two people were killed following a collision
among a car, a microbus and a parked CNG-run auto-rickshaw
at Panchlaish in the port city early Sunday, reports UNB.
The deceased were identified as auto rickshaw driver Md
Hanif, 40, son of Md Mostafa of Halishahar Brick Field area and
car passenger Md Fardin, 18, son of Abul Bashar Milon of Nasirabad
Batagoli area in the city.
The collision took place when a microbus coming down from
'King of Chittagong' club hit a car which was going towards the
club and the auto-rickshaw was standing on the road, said Subinspector
Jahirul Haque, in-charge of Chittagong Medical College
Hospital (CMCH) outpost, leaving the duo critically injured.
Later, the injured were rushed to the hospital where the duty
doctors declared them dead, he added.
Two Nigerians held in
Benapole
BENAPOLE : Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
detained two Nigerians for entering the country without valid
documents from Putkhali bordering area on Sunday morning,
reports UNB.
The arrestees were identified as Vitas Unnah, 40, and OlatumdeTimothi,
45, residents of Illia region of Nigeria.
Being tipped-off, the BGB team conducted a drive in the area
and arrested the duo for entering Bangladesh illegally from
India, said Lt Col Imranulla Sarkar, commanding officer of
BGB-21 battalion.
BGB members seized two Nigerian from Jashore Benapole border yesterday.
Satkhira youth
dies after taking
excessive alcohol
SATKHIRA : A young man
died after allegedly taking
'too much foreign made
alcohol' at Shuktia village in
Patkelghata upazila early
Sunday, reports UNB.
The deceased was
identified as Kamal Gazi, 27,
son of Abdul Gazi of the
village.
Locals said Kamal's
neighbours Khalil Sardar
and Salam Golder
consumed foreign made
alcohol near a pond around
9 pm on Saturday night.
At one stage, the victim fell
sick, they added.
However, they took him to
Satkhira Sadar Hospital
around 3 pm where the duty
doctor declared him dead,
said Rezaul Islam, officer-incharge
of Patkelghata Police
Station.
Photo : Star Mail
Joyeeta awarding ceremony was held at Awshini Kumar hall in Barishal yesterday. Photo : Star Mail
'Drug trader'
killed in Jhenidah
'gunfight'
JHENIDAH : A suspected
drug trader was killed in a
reported gunfight between
two groups of drug traders in
BoluharDakat-tola math area
of Kotchandpur upazila early
Sunday, reports UNB.
The deceased was identified
as Selim, 42, son of Nur Islam
of Kashipur area.
Being informed about a
gunfight between two groups
of drug traders, a team of
police went to the spot, said
Biplob Kumar Saha, officerin-charge
of Kotchandpur
Police Station.
Later, they found the bullethit
body of Selim.
Police also recovered a one
shooter gun, two round bullets,
40 bottles of Phensidyl,
300 Yaba tablets, four mobile
sets and a private car.
Kushtia police
detain 64, recover
31 crude bombs
KUSHTIA : Police in separate
dives arrested 64 people
including some accused in different
cases from different
upazilas of the district from
Saturday night to Sunday
morning, reports UNB.
The law enforcers also
recovered 31 crude bombs, 85
yaba tablets, 350 gram hemp,
50 gram heroin and two liters
of locally made alcohol, said
SM Tanvir Arafat, superintendent
of Kushtia Police on Sunday
morning.
Netherlands allocates
Euro 11m for capacity
building in Bangladesh
DHAKA : The Netherlands
government has earmarked
Euro 11 million for capacity
building in Bangladesh for
scholarships and other
capacity building assistances
during the next five years
(2018-2022), reports UNB.
Nuffic, the Dutch
organisation
for
internationalisation in
education, confirmed it to
Bangladesh Ambassador to
the Netherlands Sheikh
Mohammed Belal met Victor
Rutgers, Manager for Global
Development of Nuffic
recently, said the Embassy on
Sunday.
Earlier, the Netherlands
government has reassured
Bangladesh of its inclusion
into their priority list from
among the countries
earmarked for significant
capacity building assistance.
The existing academic
collaboration between
Bangladesh and the
Netherlands is set to get a
boost and diversified
following some changes in the
Nuffic's new program.
Nuffic is the Dutch
government agency
responsible
for
internationalization of
education through
scholarships, trainings in the
Netherlands and capacity
development projects in the
recipient countries.
Victor Rutgers also
confirmed that Bangladesh
shall remain a priority country
in their global engagements
with fifty countries.
After a yearlong review of
their existing programs for
scholarships and capacity
building assistances, the
Nuffic has brought major
changes in the global
programs as they have
unveiled the new program
termed "Orange Knowledge
Program" (OKP).
The OKP is the successor to
the Netherlands Fellowship
Programmes (NFP) and the
Netherlands Initiative for
Capacity Development in
Higher Education (NICHE).
At the meeting with the
Nuffic's Manager for Global
Development, Ambassador
Belal sought sustained Dutch
knowledge and expertisebased
support for
Bangladesh's institutional
capacity building and human
resources development for the
implementation of
Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100.
Victor Rutgers assured to
focus on their capacity
building support for the
implementation of
Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100
alongside their regular
capacity building support for
food and nutrition security
(including water and climate
change), integrated water
resources and delta
management, maritime
development
and
reproductive health sectors.
Bangladesh Ambassador
sought more focused
assistance in imparting
capacity building for better
prepare Bangladesh from
challenges of climate changes
as well as to bring home the
importance of a basin-wide
approach in dealing with
climatically sensitive
resources in the Himalayan
basin area.
Bangladesh expressed its
interests for more assistance
in capacity building in sectors
like water diplomacy, blue
economy, agriculture
including greenhouse
technology, roof-top
gardening, forestry, fisheries
including aquaculture,
circular textile, upscaling of
jute and jute products, law
and judiciary.
The Nuffic assured to
consider it when they review
their OKP program in the
future as well as when
opportunity arises during
formulations of programs
for present OKP for
Bangladesh.

METRO
MONDAY, SEPtEMBEr 24, 2018
3
Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain distributed certificate among the participants of program at
Supreme court auditorium.
Photo : Star Mail
President goes to hometown
Kishoreganj today
DHAKA : President
Abdul Hamid is set to
visit his home district of
Kishoreganjfrom
September 24 to 28to
attend several
programmes, reports
UNB.
President's press
secretary Joynal Abedin
told UNB that the
President will leave for
Kishoreganjon
Mondayfor a five-day
visit. He will address
several public meetings
and hold view-exchange
meetings at Austagram,
Itna and Mithamain.
The helicopter,
carrying the President,
is scheduled to leave
Dhaka at about12 noon.
According to the
schedule,President
Hamid will attend a
public meeting at
Austagram Upazila
Playground at about3
pmon Monday. Later he
will hold a viewexchange
meeting with
local political leaders,
distinguished
personalities, media
persons at Rastrapati
Abdul Hamid
Auditorium in the
evening.
The press secretary
said the President will
enquire of the progress
of development works of
Austagram-Nawga and
Austagram-Kastul-
Vastala Roads at11
amon Tuesday.
Abdul Hamid will
address another public
meeting at the premises
of Rastrapati Abdul
Hamid Government
College, Austragram, on
the same day. He will
also hold a meeting with
the local elites at
Rastrapati Abdul Hamid
Auditorium at7 pm.
As per schedule,
President Hamid will
witness road works
between Itna to Jilni
at11 amat Itna
Upazilaon Wednesday.
He is scheduled to speak
at a public meeting at
the Freedom Fighter
Abdul
Haque
Government Degree
College ground at1
pmon the third day of
his visit.
On Thursday, he will
visit some development
works at Mithamain
upazila at12 noon.He
will attend Golden
Jubilee programme of
Haji Tayeb Uddin
School in the afternoon,
The President will stay
at his own home in the
night on the fourth day
of the visit.
The President is
scheduled to return to
Bangabhabanon
Fridayafternoon.
Call to ensure pro-poor water,
sanitation hygiene system
RAJSHAHI : Experts at a workshop
in the city yesterday opined that
emphasis should be given on ensuring
pro-poor water, sanitation and hygiene
arrangements as they need the
privileges in their respective areas for
their sound health.
They observed that most of the poor
and marginalized population face
problems as they couldn't use their
toilets and latrines despite of their
need.
They also stressed the need for
establishing and promoting a dynamic
and participatory sustainable process
towards healthy human development
coupled with achieving the sustainable
development goals (SDGs).
They were addressing the opening
session of a three-day Rajshahi
divisional "Joint WASH Sector Review:
WASH Bottleneck Analysis Workshop"
at Nanking Darbar Hall in the city.
Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner
office organised the workshop in
association with UNICEF. More than
95 people comprising government and
non-government officials' concerned
and other stakeholders are taking part
in the review meeting.
Divisional Commissioner Nur-ur-
Rahman addressed the workshop as
the chief guest with Director of Local
Government Shayam Kishore Roy in
the chair.
Additional Commissioner Aminul
Islam, Joint Secretary of Policy Support
Branch of Local Government Division
Abdur Rouf and Deputy Commissioner
SM Abdul Kader also addressed.
Nur-ur-Rahman said the present
government is pledged bound to ensure
universal access to safe drinking water
without arsenic contamination, total
quality sanitation and comprehensive
hygiene promotion.
He said the government has been
spending heavily for development of
the water and sanitation sector through
budgetary allocation.
Rahman urged the field level officials
concerned and community people to
extend their wholehearted cooperation
towards the government projects. He
stressed the need for developing childfriendly
water and sanitation
technologies and expansion of those to
the rural level as early as possible.
The chief guest also proposed
developing understanding and increase
community response to overcome the
existing problems in this regard.
Effective implementation of WASH
interventions combined with nutrition
would indeed contribute in uplifting
the nutritional status of the division.
Apart from this, the workshop shared
learning, challenges and achievements
of the water and sanitation project
being implemented at union parishad
level in the district.
Many of the participants viewed that
the government constructed latrines in
the schools even separate for boys and
girls by spending huge money but still
not took up necessary measures on how
the latrines will be kept clean or
maintained regularly.
Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf formed a human chain in front of National Press Club
marking International Sign Language Day.
Photo : Star Mail
Chinese delegation
meets DU VC
DHAKA : A five-member
delegation led by Professor
Dr Ma Chunlin, Chairman of
Liaocheng University, China
called on Dhaka University
(DU) Vice-Chancellor (VC)
Prof. Dr. Md.
Akhtaruzzaman yesterday at
the latter's office on the
campus.
Other team members
from the Liaocheng
University were Dean of the
School of Education Science
Prof. Yuanming Yu,
Executive Director of School
of Pharmacy Prof. Dr.
Renmin Liu, Director of
Research Center Prof. Dr.
Murad and Director of
International Program
Office Yanting Song.
During the meeting, they
discussed matters of mutual
interest specially the
possibilities of undertaking
joint collaborative academic
and research programmes
by the University of Dhaka
and Liaocheng University,
China. Exchanges of
teachers and students
between the two universities
were also discussed in the
meeting.
The Liaocheng University
Chairman expressed his
willingness to provide
scholarship to DU students
for higher study in China.
DU VC said an excellent
friendly relation between
Bangladesh and China has
been prevailing for a long
time. He apprised the guests
of a brief history of Dhaka
University as well as its
academic and research
activities.
Dean of the Faculty of
Pharmacy of DU Prof. Dr.
SM Abdur Rahman and
some other faculty members
were present on this
occasion.
DNCC Panel Mayor
Osman Gani laid to rest
DHAKA : Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Panel
Mayor Osman Gani, who died in a Singapore hospital on
Saturday morning, was laid to eternal rest here on Sunday
evening, reports UNB.
He was buried at Banani Graveyard in the evening
following 2nd namaz-e-janaza at Alatunnesa School and
College field in Badda after Asr prayers.
Osman Gani, who had been suffering from lungs cancer,
breathed his last at Singapore General Hospital around
8:35am on Saturday at the age of 69.
The body of the late DNCC panel mayor arrived at Hazrat
Shahjalal International Airport by a flight of Singapore
Airlines around 11:45 am yesterday where DNCC Panel
Mayor-2 Md Jamal Mostafa, Panel Mayor-3 Aleya Sarwar
Daisy and Chief Executive Officer Md Mezbahul Islam
received it.
Later, his body was taken to Gulshan DNCC Nagar Bhaban
around 2pm after 1st janaza at Azad Mosque of Gulshan after
Zohr prayers. DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon, local MP AKM
Rahmatullah, Secretary of PMO Sajjadul Hasan, Panel
Mayor-2 Md Jamal Mostafa, officials and employees of the
DNCC and people all walks of life attended the janaza.
After the janaza, they paid their last respects to the late
panel mayor.
From the Nagar Bhaban, the body was taken to his Badda
residence and then it was taken to Banani Graveyard after
the 2nd Janaza.
A doa mahfil will be organised at the DNCC Nagar Bhaban
on September 25.
Bangladesh Musicians Foundation organized a press conference at National Press Club yesterday.
Photo : Star Mail
Seminar on
skin diseases
held in city
DHAKA, September 23, 2018 (BSS) - Skin and sex diseases
department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical
University (BSMMU) yesterday organised a seminar on skin
diseases at Dhaka Club auditorium in the city.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq was
the chief guest of the programme with BSMMU Pro Vice
Chancellor (Research and Development) Professor Dr M
Shahidullah Sikder in the chair, said a press release.
State Minister for Rural Development and Cooperatives
(LGED) M Mashiur Rahman Ranga, Bangladesh Medical
Association (BMA) Dr. Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Professor
AQM Sirajul Islam, Prof Ehsanul Kabir and Dr M Saiful
Islam Bhuiyan, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Renowned professors and dermatologists presented
different papers on the diseases and the way of solutions.
Over 200 skin experts took part in the seminar.
AKM Mozammel Huq said the government has introduced
"Health Protection Scheme" and committed to reach health
facilities at every corner across the country.
Ranga said the country has ensured door step service
delivery and over 13,500 community clinics for people of the
country.
Efficient admin impossible
without trained human
resource: CJ
DHAKA : Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain yesterday
said in this era of information technology, it is impossible to
raise an efficient administration without trained human
resource.
"There is no alternative to timely and subject-oriented
training to achieve efficiency," the chief justice said.
He came up with observations while addressing a function
held for awarding certificates among Supreme Court staffs,
who took part in a training course titled "Legal and ICT
Training for Capacity Development of Supreme Court Staffs
for Efficient Case Management."
Presided over by Justice Muhammad Imman Ali of
Appellate Division, the function was conducted by Appellate
Division Registrar Md Badrul Alam Bhuiyan, and was
addressed by Supreme Court Registrar General Md Zakir
Hossain and UNDP country director Sudipto Mukerjee,
among others.
A total of 60 staffs of the apex court took part in the
training.
Lauding the organizers for arranging such an event, the
chief justice said, "The trainees took part in the training with
much sincerity. The training module was also updated. The
trainees will be able to learn code of conduct, office discipline
and complex rules of the Appellate Division."
"The type of knowledge that the trainees gained on ICT is
appreciable. I believe this training would expand their idea
about IT and make it multidimensional. The quality of the
office work will also go up," Chief Justice Syed Mahmud
Hossain added.
Justice Muhammad Imman Ali said there is no alternative
to training in achieving efficiency.
"The trainees will have to apply the knowledge that they
gained from this training in their work place. Education does
not go in vain. Once we couldn't even imagine of e-judiciary.
But now it is reality," he further said.

EDITORIAL
MONdAy,
SePTeMBeR 24, 2018
4
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Monday, September 24, 2018
Improving dhaka’s
environment
O
nly
inaugurating some glittering projects like
Hathirjheel cannot compensate for the lack of
comprehensive policies and their timely
implementation for the overall improvement of the
environment of Dhaka city. While the Hathirjheel project has
been a salutary addition towards improving the environment
and connectivity in Dhaka city, there are noted lapses in
protecting and uplifting the environment in many other
places of the city. Thus, a comprehensive plan and its
execution are needed on the whole that would lead to a
desired upgrading in the environment of the city as a whole.
And not only creation of new environment oriented projects
are enough which is starkly evident in the Hathirjheel project.
Only days after its opening, the otherwise beautiful place was
turning untidy from carelessly thrown away rubbish by
visitors. The flower beds in the project were also reportedly
raided by them. There were even reports about defecation on
the pavements here. So, all newly opened projects as well as
the older ones that lend positively to the environment of the
city, must also be accompanied by round the clock
supervision or maintenance activities.
Residents of Dhaka city with over 15 million people, are
exposed to environmental hazards and this situation is
worsening day by day. But unfortunately, the governmental
response to the same is inadequate.In a city already
overloaded with population, more people from all over the
country are coming with their desperate bid to settle here.
The influx of population has resulted in not only high density,
but also growth of slums in a more alarming way.
The management of different kinds of wastes -- solid,
clinical, human, industrial and others-- is poor and the issues
are not being addressed properly. About 400 tons out of
3,500 tons of solid waste, generated in the city everyday,
remain on the roads and in open spaces. Vehicles of Dhaka
City Corporation (DCC) remove the rest solid wastes and
carry those to dumping grounds, which are again located in
open spaces near densely populated areas contributing to air
and water pollution.
Medical waste contains highly toxic metals, toxic chemicals,
pathogenic viruses and bacteria , which can lead to health
problems for humans from exposure to the same. Medical
waste presents a high risk to doctors, nurses, technicians,
sweepers, hospital visitors and patients due to arbitrary
management . It is a common observation in Dhaka City that
poor scavengers, women and children collect some of the
medical wastes (e.g. syringe-needles, saline bags, blood bags
etc.) for reselling despite the deadly health risks. It has long
been known that the re-use of syringes can cause the spread
of infections such as AIDS and hepatitis . The collection of
disposable medical items (particularly syringes), its re-sale
and potential re-use without sterilization create a serious
disease burden.
The safe disposal and subsequent destruction of medical
waste is a key step in the reduction of illness or injury through
contact with this potentially hazardous material, and in the
prevention of environmental contamination . The
transmission of blood-borne viruses and respiratory, enteric
and soft tissue infections through improper medical waste
disposal is well known. The management of medical waste
therefore, has been of major concern due to potentially high
risks to human health and the environment .
The growing number of hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic
laboratories in Dhaka City exerts a tremendous adverse
impact on public health and environment. All of the
hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic laboratories are considered
here as health care centres (HCC) . Some 600 HCC in Dhaka
city generate a huge amount of wastes a day . Like ordinary
household wastes, medical wastes are generally dumped into
Dhaka city Corporation (DCC) bins. It is reported that even
body parts are dumped on the streets by the HCC. The liquid
and solid wastes containing hazardous materials are simply
dumped into the nearest drain or garbage heap respectively.
Proper management of medical waste is crucial to minimise
health risks. The improvement of present waste management
practices for HCC in Bangladesh will have a significant longterm
impact on minimising the spread of infectious diseases.
Medical wastes require specialized treatment and
management from its source to final disposal. Simply
disposing of it into dustbins, drains, and canals or finally
dumping it to the outskirts of the City poses a serious public
health hazard. Thus, there is a need to initiate a concentrated
effort to improve the medical waste management to reduce
the negative impact of waste on: environment, public health
and safety at health care facilities.
Most of the still remaining tannery industries in the city's
Hazaribagh area and some other industries at Tejgaon area
leave hazardous industrial wastes untreated. Experts fear
that in near future the untreated industrial wastes by seeping
underground might severely pollute the underground water
which is still the main source of water in the city.
Meanwhile, the inadequate and faulty sewerage network in
the city is able to carry only about one third of the total sewage
to the only sewage treatment plant at Pagla in Narayanganj.
The city generates more than 0.1 million cubic metres of
sewage everyday. A huge quantity of sewage oozing out of the
city's faulty sewerage network is severely polluting the city's
roads and lanes, canals, water bodies and the Buriganga
river. Untreated sewage is also discharged into the river
directly and regularly.
Two studies conducted in the last three years suggested
average noise levels were almost double than permissible
levels and rising fast. Sound levels in Dhaka are almost twice
as loud as the law permits, creating an unhealthy
environment for residents, say scientists from the
Department of Environment.
Thus, only inaugurating some show case projects like
Hathirjheel is no substitute for sincerely taking up a strictly
time bound plan for the restoration of the environmental
health of the entire city on a sustainable basis. And routine
maintenance activities must accompany such projects.
Iran is sure to feel the heat at the UN General Assembly
Ahead of the general debate at the
United Nations' 73rd General
Assembly, the atmosphere inside
the UN is full of speculation over the
possibility of an encounter between the
presidents of the United States and Iran,
both of whom will be attending the
opening on September 25. It is not a
question of whether they will meet
officially, as this option is not on the table
for the Iranians, but US President Donald
Trump is known for his unpredictable
behavior and so some are wondering
whether he will surprise everyone.
On Friday morning, Trump stirred
things up on Twitter by posting: "I will
Chair the United Nations Security
Council meeting on Iran next week."
This tweet came shortly after the US
mission had changed the agenda of the
meeting, on Sept. 26, from concentrating
on Iran to non-proliferation. This gave
journalists at the UN the impression that
Trump had decided to go easy on Iran by
addressing the broader issues, including
North Korea and Syria. There has been
uncertainty in Tehran over who should
represent Iran at the session to be chaired
by Trump, with some internal sources
suggesting Foreign Minister Mohammad
Javad Zarif will attend.
This 73rd session of the General
Assembly perhaps will be the toughest
one yet for Iran, despite having a
moderate president and also the EU's
continued support for the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the
Iran nuclear deal as it is better known.
It will be tough because Iran's President
Hassan Rouhani and his team will have
Bad economics breeds bad politics.
The global financial crisis, and the
botched recovery thereafter, put
wind in the sails of political extremism.
Between 2007 and 2016, support for
extremist parties in Europe doubled.
France's National Rally (formerly the
National Front), Germany's Alternative
für Deutschland (AfD), Italy's League
party, the Freedom Party of Austria
(FPÖ) and the Sweden Democrats have
all made electoral gains in the past two
years. And I haven't even mentioned
Donald Trump or Brexit.
To be sure, this explosion of political
extremism cannot be explained by
economic distress alone. But the
correlation between bad economic events
and bad politics is too striking to be
ignored.
By bad politics, I mean the xenophobic
nationalism and suppression of domestic
civil liberties seen in countries with
populist governments. By good politics, I
mean the internationalism, freedom of
expression, and accountable governance
that prevailed during the postwar era of
prosperity. Let's call them illiberal and
liberal democracy for short.
By bad economics, I mean allowing
financial markets to dictate what happens
to the real economy. Good economics, by
contrast, recognizes a government's duty
to protect its constituents against distress,
insecurity, and calamity.
It is very hard for liberals to accept that
bad politics can produce good economics,
and that good politics can produce bad
economics. And yet Hungary offers a
clear example of the former. Under Prime
Minister Viktor Orbán, the country has
At the height of his success, Vijay
Mallya encouraged people to call him
the 'King of Good Times'. The
flamboyant businessman lived it up and
had India's press eating out of his hands. A
permanent fixture in the country's socialite
circles, Mallya was among India's early
celebrity billionaires in an age of electronic
media. With investments in liquor, aviation
and auto racing, there was a point when
everything he touched literally turned into
gold. Of course Mallya's fairy tale rise was
never going to be complete without an antihero
in the story. As things turned out, the
tycoon would play the role of the anti-hero
himself!
Currently on the run from Indian
authorities over charges of loan default
worth billions, Mallya recently dropped a
bombshell by telling reporters outside a
London court that he met India's Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving the
country and offered to settle his loans with
the Indian banks. The statement stoked a
huge political controversy with the Indian
opposition demanding a "comprehensive
probe" into the alleged role of the Prime
Minister's Office (PMO) and Finance
Ministry for allowing Mallya to flee the
country. Even in self-exile, it seems, the
tycoon can rake up a storm.
Life has indeed come a full circle for
Mallya who was born into wealth and
educated at the prestigious La Martiniere
School, in Kolkata. He went to St Xavier's
College, Kolkata, for higher studies and
interned with pharmaceutical major
Hoechst AG in the United States. At the age
CAMelIA eNTeKHABIFARd
to confront many allegations and charges
against their country as they make
themselves available during these
hearings.
Iran and Trump will make for an
unpredictable week at the UN General
Assembly this week.
The Iranian delegation is hoping to
generate sympathy among the
international community over what it
considers to be the injustice of Trump's
actions against ordinary Iranians by
reintroducing sanctions and withdrawing
the US from the nuclear deal.
This is the only hand the Islamic
Republic has to play, but it is hard to say
whether it can be a winner against the
cards held by its opponents, given that
even their remaining partners in the
nuclear deal are making allegations
against them about human-rights
violations and regional meddling,
including the ongoing war in Syria.
A report by the US State Department
published last week emphasized Iran's
role in supporting terrorism and
ROBeRT SKIdelSKy
destabilizing the region.
Reinforcing this allegation, on
Thursday Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of
Hezbollah in Lebanon, said the one thing
many Iranians did not want publicized
ahead of their appearance at the United
Nations. He said that Israeli strikes in
Syria had failed to thwart weapons
deliveries, and warned that Israel "will
face a destiny and reality it didn't expect"
should Hezbollah bases in Lebanon be
threatened. He said the group now
This is the only hand the Islamic Republic has to play,
but it is hard to say whether it can be a winner against
the cards held by its opponents, given that even their
remaining partners in the nuclear deal are making
allegations against them about human-rights
violations and regional meddling, including the
ongoing war in Syria.
possesses "highly accurate" missiles,
despite Israeli attempts to prevent this.
This was an admission that what the
US, the EU and Iran's neighbors in the
region have been complaining about is
true, that Iran's missile program is not for
defense or deterrence, it is for threatening
neighbors and the region in an attempt to
expand Tehran's influence.
In my opinion, Trump's tweet about the
change to the agenda for the Security
Council session to again focus on Iran
might have something to do with
Nasrallah's high-profile threats against
Good politics, bad economics
become increasingly authoritarian. But
the government's economic program,
"Orbánomics," has a sound Keynesian
footing. By the same token, good politics
can certainly co-exist with bad
economics: Former British chancellor of
the exchequer George Osborne's austerity
policies condemned the United Kingdom
to years of stagnation.
Between nationalists and liberals, it is
easier for the former to pursue policies of
social protection. Historically, that of
course includes the Nazis, who were
National Socialists, and Benito Mussolini,
who began his political life as a socialist
activist. Liberals, meanwhile, advocate
the free movement of goods, people and
information, whereas a nationalist
politics seeks to restrict all three.
True, far-left parties have also made
advances since the post-crisis slump. But
history suggests that nationalists have the
most to gain from episodes of political
and social breakdown.
It is easy to see why. Classical socialism
is the progeny of liberal internationalism,
The runaway king
of 28, Mallya returned to India to take the
reins of his father's United Breweries
Group. Over the decades, he was able to
take the company to new heights. The
group's flagship product Kingfisher
became synonymous with beer in India.
With half the share of the country's beer
market, Kingfisher decided to go global. It
is now available in more than 50 countries.
By 2003, Mallya set his eyes upon the
lucrative civil aviation industry. This was
the time when India, a country steeped in
its socialist past, was boldly experimenting
with its neo-liberal transformation. To
fanfare and almost wall-to-wall media
coverage, Mallya established Kingfisher
Airlines in 2005, with plans to expand
internationally. He wowed everyone at the
Paris Air Show in 2007 with a $7 billion
(Dh25.74 billion) order for 50 Airbus
planes. The public adulation continued as
Mallya announced India's only F1 car
racing team, Force India. While his brazen
public displays of wealth didn't go down
SAdIq SHABAN
which is to say that it is a globalizing
creed; in principle, it knows no national
frontiers. Yet in the face of large-scale
economic crack-ups, internationalism
becomes precisely the point at issue.
Untethered as it is from national politics,
it is accountable to no one. So when the
international system collapses,
nationalists can present themselves as the
only alternative.
Because of this dynamic, the left has few
It is very hard for liberals to accept that bad politics can produce good
economics, and that good politics can produce bad economics. And yet
Hungary offers a clear example of the former. Under Prime Minister Viktor
Orbán, the country has become increasingly authoritarian. But the
government's economic program, "Orbánomics," has a sound Keynesian
footing. By the same token, good politics can certainly co-exist with bad
economics: Former British chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne's
austerity policies condemned the United Kingdom to years of stagnation.
good options. It can no more tap into
popular hostility against immigrants and
refugees than the liberal center can. On
the other hand, if the left tries to play up
the benefits of immigration, it might drive
more people into the arms of antiimmigrant
parties.
There could be no objection to
economic liberalism if unimpeded
markets fulfilled their promise of
satisfying individual preferences through
the operation of Adam Smith's "invisible
hand." The problem, as Joseph
Schumpeter understood, is that even if
markets often do "work" the way they are
well with some, others began to question
Mallya's financial indiscipline. His
company was falling behind on salary
payments to its staff. Often compared to the
British entrepreneur Richard Branson,
Mallya realised that running an airline in a
hugely competitive market like India was
not easy. By 2012, Kingfisher Airlines' debts
were spiralling. He asked the banks to
restructure his debt, and folded up the
airline in 2012.
While his brazen public displays of wealth didn't go
down well with some, others began to question
Mallya's financial indiscipline. His company was
falling behind on salary payments to its staff. Often
compared to the British entrepreneur Richard
Branson, Mallya realised that running an airline in a
hugely competitive market like India was not easy. By
2012, Kingfisher Airlines' debts were spiralling.
For someone used to untrammelled
success - he single-handedly turned his
family's modest brewing business into a
sprawling conglomerate - this was quite a
setback. The loss of Kingfisher Airlines - a
jewel in Mallya's crown - came with its own
woes. Owing more than $1 billion in loans
to banks, the airline garnered bad press due
to its inability to pay workers on time. With
creditors and banks chasing him, the
matter went to courts. Meanwhile,
authorities raided a number of Mallya's
luxury properties across India. After facing
Israel. The missiles he was talking about
were almost certainly supplied by Iran's
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The US is increasing its pressure on
Iran ahead of the general debate in an
attempt to force Tehran to agree to fresh
talks, but not only about its nuclear
program. As Bryan Hooks, a senior
adviser to the US secretary of state, said:
"The ballistic missiles and the nuclear
program should be addressed in any new
agreement with Tehran." Not only the
United States, but also Iran's EU partners
such as France and the UK, have recently
been taking a stronger stance in their
dealings with the Islamic Republic.
The UK authorities have urged British-
Iranians to avoid traveling to Iran,
warning that if they face any difficulties or
arrest, consular services cannot be
provided to help as the Iranian
authorities will not permit it. This is a
direct response to the case of Nazanin
Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual citizen who was
arrested two years ago, charged with
espionage and jailed for five years. They
are many other cases of dual citizens from
the UK, the US and other countries who
have been arrested on espionage charges.
Many observers believe that they are
being held by the regime as hostages to
use against the West.
France, meanwhile, has refused to
appoint a new ambassador to Tehran
until there is greater cooperation over the
terror plot against an Iranian opposition
rally in Paris in June that allegedly
involved an Iranian diplomat.
Source: Arab news
supposed to, they are also highly
disruptive and prone to periodic
breakdowns. While the technological
innovations that markets promote bring
real benefits in the long run, they tend to
leave much economic and social
wreckage in their wake. And besides,
market choices are not people's sole
concern. A life entirely dictated by
markets would be bereft of meaning
Moreover, while the technological
innovations that markets promote bring
real benefits in the long run, they tend to
leave much economic and social
wreckage in their wake. And besides,
market choices are not people's sole
concern. A life entirely dictated by
markets would be bereft of meaning.
Some commentators think that we are
witnessing the second coming of fascism.
I myself would not venture such a
prediction. The so-called Great Recession
was not nearly as bad as the Great
Depression of the 1930s, and it did not
follow a devastating war.
What I will say is that bad economics
makes it more likely that bad politics will
move from the fringes into the
mainstream, as German National
Socialism did between 1928 and 1930.
Whether the bad parties make it to power
- and how they wield that power -
depends on many factors. The degree of
economic distress certainly matters. But
so does the legitimacy and adaptability of
the established political system, the scope
of welfare provision, electoral politics and
political leadership, and the international
context.
Source: Asia times
an avalanche of unpaid bills and
accusations of fraud, he fled to England in
2016.
Left smarting, the authorities in India
swung into action. Mallya's passport was
cancelled and an official request for his
extradition was made with the United
Kingdom. India maintained that
Kingfisher took out a series of loans from
banks, including Industrial Development
Bank of India, with the aim of palming off
huge losses from Mallya's failing airline.
Authorities further claimed that he had no
intention of repaying money borrowed
from banks and the loans had been taken
under false pretensions, on the basis of
misleading securities with most of the
money siphoned off. Mallya, of course,
rebuffed all the charges.
Never the one to take it lying down,
Mallya decided to fight the allegations and
his eventual extradition to India in
London's Westminster Magistrates' Court.
After his sensational claims earlier this
month, the Indian government was forced
to deny the allegations. Arun Jaitley, who
was India's Finance Minister in 2016
(when Mallya left India) rubbished the
liquor baron's claim, noting that he had
never given him any appointment and "the
question of Mallya having met me does not
arise". Realms of newsprint and airtime
devoted to Mallya's claims and the official
counter-claims during the last week prove
that this story is not going to go away
anytime soon.
Source: Gulf news

LAW & PUBLIC MondAY,
sePteMbeR 24, 2018
5
Revisiting the Guidelines for Media
Reporting on Pending Cases
AhMed ehsAnul KAbiR
Freedom of press is a fundamental right
which is guaranteed under article 39 of the
Constitution of Bangladesh. However, this
freedom is not absolute and can be exercised
subject to a reasonable restrictions imposed
by law in the interests of state security,
friendly relation with foreign states, public
order, decency or morality or in relation to
contempt of court, defamation or incitement
to an offence. In addition, freedom of press
does not allow the mass media to conduct
the trial of a case. But in many instances,
media has been accused of conducting the
trial of the accused and creating a
widespread perception of guilt or innocence
before or after a verdict in a court. This type
of media trial impinges the well-established
principle of criminal law that a person is
presumed innocent until proven guilty.
As the burden of proof lies on the
prosecution, so it is the duty of the
prosecution to disprove the presumption of
innocence by proving all the elements of
offences beyond reasonable doubt.
Sometimes, it happens that media covers the
news on criminal incidents by prejudging
the accused as convict. But in criminal
proceedings, after completion of
investigation, an accused may be discharged
or even after full trial he may also be
acquitted. So, reporting on pending criminal
cases always includes a serious risk of
prejudicing the rights of an accused.
Moreover, journalists are publishing
photographs, previous crime records and
self incriminating statement of the accused
which not only interfere in the justice
delivery system but also intrude to the
privacy of the person.
Now-a-days, law enforcing agencies have a
tendency to bring the accused in media
briefing session to give confessional
statement. If such statement is made in the
custody of the police officer shall not be
proved against the accused.(Section 25,
Evidence Act, 1872) Only a statement is
made before Magistrate fulfilling the
requirements of section 164 Cr.P.C. will be
admissible in the court of law. Ultimately, a
media report containing such confessional
statement will give an impression to the
public that the accused has confessed his
guilt, so he must be punished. This type of
media publicity also increases the risk of
biasness and influences the trial judges'
sense of impartiality. In consequence, the
mandate of article 35(3) of the constitution
is being affected. Article 35(3) provides every
person accused of a criminal offence shall
have the right to a public trial by an impartial
court.
When a journalist is reporting on a case
under trial he has to comply with the
professional ethics as enshrined in the Code
of Conduct, 1993 which provides, 'it is the
responsibility of the newspapers to publish
news relating to case under trial and to
publish the final judgment of the court to
reveal the actual picture of issues relating to
trial. But a journalist shall refrain from
publishing such comment or opinion as is
likely to influence an under trial case, until
the final verdict is announced.' (Rule 16) It
will amount to contempt of court if any
writing or reporting is published to obstruct
or interfere with the due course of justice or
the lawful process of the courts such as
commenting on a case pending in a court.
So, the guilt or innocence of an accused will
be determined by the court, media report
will not indicate anything on this issue.
Specific restrictions can be found in
relevant legislations not to publish the name
and identity of the victims. The publicity of
particulars will have detrimental effect to the
process of reintegration of victims in the
society. Section 14(1) of the Suppression of
Oppression of Women and Children Act,
2000prohibits the publication of the name
of a victim of sexual offence. Noncompliance
with this sub section will lead to
the imprisonment for a period of maximum
two years or fine not exceeding two lacs taka
or both. There is a special provision for
children in the Children Act, 2013 which
imposes restriction not to report in any
newspaper which shall disclose any
particular of any case or proceeding in which
a child is involved and which leads directly
or indirectly to the identification of such
child (Section 28).
If a journalist publishes an objectionable
report, a petition of complaint can be lodged
against him to the Chairman of the Press
Council. (Regulation 8:1 of the Press Council
Regulation, 1980) After conducting inquiry,
if the Council finds the news is against the
journalistic ethics may warn the concerned
journalist or newspaper. (Section 12, The
Press Council Act, 1974) In Motiur Rahman,
Editor The Daily Prothom Alo v Prof. Dr.
Syed Anwar Hossain, Editor, The Daily Sun
& Others, the Press Council discharged the
complaint issuing a warning against the
Daily Sun to follow and maintain the
standard of journalistic ethics. (Bangladesh
Press Council Complaint No.3/2012)
At this moment, there is no Code of Conduct
for the broadcasting media (i.e. radio,
television)journalists in Bangladesh. In 2014,
the government approved National
Broadcasting policy to ensure transparency
and accountability in broadcasting media.
With a view to establish a national
broadcasting commission and to punish for
unauthorized broadcasting, the Broadcasting
Act, 2016 was drafted which has not been
passed by the Parliament yet. Moreover, to
provide guidelines for on-line based news
portals, the National Online Mass Media Policy
is still in preparatory stage.
From the above discussion, it becomes
clear that media trial on cases has huge
negative impacts on the administration of
justice. Effective rules and regulations are
required to guide the broadcasting media
journalists for delimitation of issues of
pending cases on which they can report. The
journalist covering legal news must be aware
of the anonymity provisions and the
professional ethics. The Press Council
should be more vigilant to ensure the
compliance of Code of Conduct by the
journalists at the time of reporting on
pending cases. The court can also exercise
contempt procedures to prevent the
interference of media in the due process of
justice.
About the Author
Barrister at Law, Assistant Professor of Law,
Jagannath University
digital security Act 2018: is it secured or threat to the Public?
Md. MAMonoR RAshid
"It takes 20 years to build a reputation
and few minutes of cyber-incident to
ruin it."
As the world becomes more and more
digital, so does the scope for wrongdoing
using digital platforms. Indeed,
the new threats that have emerged call
for new laws, and, the much-debated
Digital Security Bill 2018 was passed in
parliament on September 19, 2018. The
bill got through by voice vote amid
opposition from a number of Jatiya
Party lawmakers, ignoring concern of
journalists, owners of media houses and
rights activists over some of its sections.
The Law allows police officials to search
or arrest anyone without any warrant.
Journalists and rights activists have
expressed worries over the new law,
saying it was passed without addressing
their concern.
Mahfuz Anam , the Editor and
Publisher of the Daily Star said that it's a
sad day for freedom of expression and
independent journalism and as such for
democracy. This law is incongruent with
the intellectual environment of digital
age. The growth of digital Bangladesh
will be stifled by this Digital Security Act.
Khandakar Moniruzzaman, acting
Editor of the Daily Sangbad raised his
concern sating that, this law will hurt the
media, democracy and freedom of
expression. Citizens and the media will
be victimised. Fundamental rights will
be curtailed. A sense of fear will grow
among people. And the rights
guaranteed by the constitution will be
curbed. We are moving towards a bad
time.
Some of the Human Rights activists
said that the act goes against the main
spirit of the constitution and will restrict
free-thinking, freedom of speech and
freedom of expression. It will also
impede independent journalism.
No one doubts that we need laws on
the books to protect against offenses
such as incendiary and untrue speech
that could cause deterioration of law and
order, but the question is whether the
DSA has enough checks and balances to
ensure that the law not be misused.
Sadly, it seems that many of the
problems of Section 57 of the ICT Act
will simply recur under a new name. A
free press is one of the cornerstones of
democracy, and even if the Digital
Security Act is not misused, it's mere
existence will have a chilling effect on the
freedom of the press, which is
regrettable.
Serious concern had been expressed by
the Editors Council regarding sections 8,
21, 25, 28, 29, 31, 32, and 43, as they do
not bode well for the freedom of the
media and freedom of expression in the
country, and yet, no fundamental
changes to those sections have been
made.
Furthermore, there is no logical way to
reconcile the inclusion of the Right to
Information Act under Section 3 with the
inclusion of the Official Secrets Act,
which contradicts RTI.
It is clear to all those who cherish
democratic freedoms, that the Digital
Security Bill 2018 is an ill-conceived
piece of legislation. There is simply too
much scope for misuse and abuse, and it
stands against the promise of a
democratic, and truly digital,
Bangladesh.
As per section 32 of the law, if a person
commits any crime or assists anyone in
committing crimes under Official Secrets
Act, 1923, through computer, digital
device, computer network, digital
network or any other electronic medium,
he or she may face a maximum 14 years
in jail or a fine of Tk 25 lakh or both.
The law also includes a definition of the
"Spirit of the Liberation War" in section
21, which says, "The high ideals of
nationalism, socialism, democracy and
secularism, which inspired our heroic
people to dedicate themselves to, and
our brave martyrs to sacrifice their lives
in, the national liberation struggle."
According to section 29 of the law, a
person may face up to three years in jail
or a fine of Tk 5 lakh or both if he or she
commits the offences stipulated in
section 499 of the Penal Code through a
website or in electronic form.
Section 31 of the act says a person may
face up to seven years in prison or Tk 5
lakh in fine or both if he or she is found
to have deliberately published or
broadcast something on a website or in
electronic form which can spread hatred
and create enmity among different
groups and communities, and can cause
deterioration in law and order.
However, Bangladeshi media
organizations and rights bodies have
been vocal in their opposition to the bill
since its inception, dubbing it a supercharged
version of the existing
Information and Communication
Technology Act (ICT), approved during
the BNP-Jamaat government's tenure in
2006.
Following widespread criticism of the
misuse of the ICT Act by various
quarters, the government had decided to
gradually annul the ICT Act altogether,
and to introduce a new law.
The controversial part of the ICT Act,
known as Section 57, has made its way
into the new Digital Security Act, 2018,
which was given a green light by the
Cabinet in January this year.
Critics of the law said the government
had just modified the ICT Act's Section
57 and that people would lose their
freedom of expression because of the
new law.
If compared, it appears that the
controversial issues of Section 57 were
retained in some of the provisions of the
new act.
The act was passed without addressing
journalists' concern over sections 8, 28,
29 and 31 that deal with hurting religious
values, disrupting public order, dishing
out defaming information and causing
deterioration in law and order by
publishing anything on a website or in
electronic form.
The Writer is legal practitioner
and legal researcher at CM&A
LCP. He is a member of SIAC-,
Singapore, Young ICCA-
Netherland , and LCIA(YIAG)-
London. Emailmamon_rashid@live.com

NATIONAL
MonDAY, SePTeMBeR 24, 2018
6
5 women honoured with
Joyeeta award in Barishal
zIHAD RANA, BARISHAL BUREAU CHIEF:
Five women were accorded 'Joyeeta
Reception' in Barishal on Sunday for
their success in five different sectors.
Directorate of women Affairs
organised the function titled 'Joyeeta
Annesone Bangladesh' at Ashin kumar
hall with the cooperation of Barishal
divisional administration. District
women affairs officer Rashida Begum
presided over the function while
divisional commissioner Ram Chandra
Das was present as the chief guest.
Among others, Additional Divisional
Commissioner of Barishal Mosharraf
Hossain, additional district magistrate
of Barguna district Md. zakir Hossain,
president of Sushaner Jonno Nagorik
(Sujan) professor Shah Sajeda and
Executive Director of Abhash Rahima
Sultana kajal were also present at the
occasion.
The chief guest said in his speech said
that 'women are conquering everything
nowadays. women are advancing in
every case of the country. He also said
that women are now playing an
important role in education and social
development. By establishing
themselves with their own skills and
judgments, they are establishing
themselves in society. women in
adverse environments demonstrate
their superiority. He hoped that today's
women will play a leading role in the
way of the future.'
At the function, Maksuda Begum,
priyanbada Bhattacharya, Anwara
Begum, Haisna Akhter and Maya
Rakhaine were provided with Joyeeta
award crests, certificates and cash prize
of Tk 10 thousand.
Jamalpur Deputy Commissioner Ahmed Kabir was present as the chief guest at an advocacy meeting
and inauguration of the project "Participation of the community based organizations in democratic
governance" at his office recently.
Photo: G M Fatiul Hafiz
Advocacy meeting to enhance participation
of community based organizations held
G M FATIUL HAFIz, BAkSHIGANJ CoRRESpoNDENT:
An advocacy meeting and
inauguration of the project
"participation of the community based
organizations in democratic
governance" implement government
policy related to sustainable
development targets (SDGs) was held
recently.
on 19th September, Jamalpur
Deputy Commissioner Ahmed kabir
was present as the chief guest at
Jamalpur DC's conference room.
Additional Deputy Commissioner
(General) Mohammad kabir Uddin
chaired the meeting while among
others Civil Surgeon Gautam Roy,
District Livestock officer Dr. Nurul
Alam, deputy director of the
Department of Agricultural Extension
Aminul Islam, Deputy Director of
District Family planning office
Niranjan Bondhu Dam, District
primary Education officer Shahidul
Islam, Deputy Director of District
Social welfare office Golam Mustafa,
Deputy Director of District Youth
Development Enayet karim, oxfam
Senior program officer Mustafa Ali,
Development Association's Executive
Director Rafiqul Alam Molla, District
press Club president Abdul Jalil and
journalist Mokhlesur Rahman Likhan
were present at the occasion. Senior
Information officer of oxfam Mahfuza
Akhter Mala delivered the
presentations in the meeting. Jahangir
Selim, director of human resources
department of the development
society, conducted the meeting.
According to the meeting, the
meeting was held in partnership with
the Center for policy Dialogue (CpD)
and oxfam and the Re-call 2021 project
development program of the
development organization of the
European Union.
Five women were accorded 'Joyeeta Reception' in Barishal on Sunday for their success in five different
sectors.
Photo: Zihad Rana
28 head teachers
gets Sampriti
award in Mirzapur
RAIHAN HoSSAIN, MIRzApUR
CoRRESpoNDENT:
In memory of valiant
freedom fighter principal Ali
Akbar khan Dollar, 28
respectable and talented head
teachers were given Sampriti
award on Saturday in
Mirzapur of Tangail.
The reception was
organized with the initiative of
Sampriti Bangladesh in
ICDDRB chattar. The
program was chaired by
Sampriti Bangladesh
president Md. Mofakhar
Hossain and the program was
conducted by Mirzapur
Upazila Additional Secretary
prof. Shahinur Rahman
khan. Meghna Bank's Vice
Chairman, valiant Freedom
Fighter Alim khan Selim was
the chief guest at the occasion.
Among others, the planning
Ministry's implementation,
examination and evaluation
division Deputy Secretary
Afroza Akhter Chowdhury,
Jahangirnagar University
Senate member and Janata
Bank's AGM Abul kalam
Azad and former and current
head teachers and students of
different schools were also
present at the occasion.
At the program crests were
handed over to 28 respected
and respected head teachers.
Duck farming becomes boon
for Rajshahi villagers
RAJSHAHI: Rashida Begum, 45, a resident of Beel Sohar
village under Tanore upazila, has been able to break the poverty
cycle after finding the way of a better livelihood though selfemployment,
reports BSS.
Earning money from duck farming and a grocery shop has
now become a consistent source of income, which is gradually
increasing due to rising local demands.
"The income has driven-out my long-lasting poverty and
financial hardship and uncertainty those I had before," said
Rashida.
The transformation in her life began in 2014. Initially, she
received a loan worth Taka 5,000 from her 60-member Village
Development Committee (VDC) and established a small-scale
duck farm at her home. "Ducks farming is less expensive, simple
and commercially viable," she said sharing her experience.
Rasheda said that she made good profit by selling ducks and
eggs at the local markets, and eventually opened a grocery shop
with earning from the farm.
"Now, I'm very happy as I have found the path of regular
earning through operating the shop and the duck farm
successfully," added Rasheda, who has no educational
background.
Meanwhile, commercial farming of ducks including gooses
are gaining popularity in the region including its vast Barind
tract for the last couple of years in the wake of gradually
increasing nutritional demand and lucrative market price.
Public Works Department (PWD) in Kishoreganj working on largest project of Kishoreganj district
jail and trying to handover the project next month.
Photo: Sarwar Jahan
BWDB implements development
projects in Kishoreganj district
SARwAR JAHAN, kISHoREGANJ CoRRESpoNDENT:
Bangladesh water Development Board (BwDB) has
been implementing development projects in kishoreganj
district.
Md. Safiqul Islam, Executive Engineer of BwDB said
necessary steps have been taken to protect kalnikushiyara
River Management project in Itna, Mithamoin,
Austagram, Nikli upazilas from erosion by the river of
kalni-kushiyara.
The bank of the kalni-kushiyara river has started
getting a new look following implementation of
development scheme upon successful completion of the
protection.
The entire area will be turned into an amusement park.
Dredging of river area will start as soon as possible. This
project cost 4894.94 million BDT.
28 respectable head teachers were given Sampriti award ICDDRB chattar in Mirzapur of Tangail on
Saturday.
Photo: Raihan Hossain
View exchange on improving
transgender life held in Kendua
A view exchange meeting to improve the life of the people of the third gender community led by general
secretary of Bangladesh Jubo Mahila League Professor Apu Ukil was held at Ukilbari in
Saudpara of Kendua municipality on Friday.
Photo: Main Uddin Sarker
MAIN UDDIN SARkER, kENDUA CoRRESpoNDENT:
A view exchange meeting to
improve the life of the people of the
third gender community led by
general secretary of Bangladesh Jubo
Mahila League and former
parliament member professor Apu
Ukil was held at Ukilbari in Saudpara
of kendua municipality on Friday.
The view exchange meeting was held
with the people of the third gender
community of kendua upazila.
Transgender Arifa Yasmin Mayuri
of Jamalpur who was recently
received daughter recognition by
primi Minister Sheikh Hasina was
honored by the prime mister for her
outstanding contribution to the
development of society led the
delegation of transgender. At the
meeting the transgender community
described the various types of
sorrows and misery of their life and
wanted advice for what to improve
their quality of life.
After hearing their stories professor
Apu Ukil said that, 'you have to be a
self-reliant from now on. You will not
bow down in front of anyone or cause
any harassment to others. You will be
made efficient by providing necessary
trainings. All of you need to be united.
To improve the quality of life,
undertake various work-oriented
training including handicrafts, by
implementing them it will make you
self-reliant'.
She further said that, 'from now on,
you will feel Jubo Mahila League like
your sister. You will work with Jubo
Mahila League under the leadership
of self-reliant Arifa Yasmin Mayuri.
Lastly, through a view exchange
meeting, the decision was taken to
form a committee comprising people
of all the third gender communities of
kendua upazila.

INTERNATIONAL MONDay,
7
SePteMBeR 24, 2018
Maldivians queue at a polling station during presidential election day in Male, Maldives, Sunday.
Photo: Internet
Maldives voters flock to polls
despite political turmoil
A raid on the opposition's main campaign office and the
specter of U.S. sanctions on government officials were not
deterring thousands of people from heading to the polls Sunday
to vote in the Maldives' presidential election, widely seen
as a referendum on the island nation's young democracy.
Famed for its white-sand beaches and luxury resorts, the
Maldives under President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who is
seeking re-election, has seen economic growth and longer life
expectancy, according to the World Bank. But Yameen's critics,
including the opposition presidential candidate, Ibrahim
Mohamed Solih, say he has systematically rolled back democratic
freedoms, jailing rivals and controlling courts.
Aiman Rasheed of the independent watchdog group Transparency
Maldives described Sunday's vote as "a referendum
on authoritarianism versus freedom."
What's at stake in the small South Asian country came into
sharp focus on Saturday, when police in Male, the capital,
raided Solih's main campaign office, citing police intelligence
that the office was being used to organize vote-buying,
according to a copy of a police warrant obtained by The Associated
Press. Opposition supporters in the Maldives and in
neighboring Sri Lanka, where former President Mohamed
Nasheed is living in exile, decried the raid as a naked attempt
to rig the vote in favor of Yameen.
The warrant also said that Solih's senior campaign official
Ahmed Shahid was suspected of bribing voters. Repeated
calls to Shahid went unanswered, but a Solih campaign
spokesman said no one was arrested.
Spain rescues over
440 migrants from
Mediterranean Sea
Spain's maritime rescue
service says it has saved over
440 migrants attempting
the perilous crossing of the
Mediterranean Sea from
North Africa, reports UNB.
The service says it pulled
447 people from 15 small
boats intercepted by its rescue
craft on Saturday.
Except for one dinghy carrying
12 people found near the
island of Mallorca, the rest
were rescued off Spain's
southern coast.
Nearly 300 migrants have
died in waters separating
Spain and Africa so far in
2018, according to the United
Nations, and over 1,600
have died this year trying to
cross the Mediterranean.
A recent spike in migrant
arrivals in Spain has
strained public services, and
the Spanish government has
faced further pressure since
Italy refused to let humanitarian
boats dock with
migrants they have rescued
from the sea.
Swiss-flagged cargo
ship attacked off
Nigeria, 12 kidnapped
A Swiss shipping company
says that a bulk carrier has
been attacked by pirates off
Nigeria's coast and 12 of its
19 crew members have been
kidnapped, reports UNB.
Geneva-based Massoel
Shipping said the MV Glarus
was attacked early Saturday
as it sailed from Lagos to
Port Harcourt with a load of
wheat. It said in a statement
emailed Sunday that the
pirates apparently boarded
the ship using long ladders
and cut razor wire on the
deck to make their way to
the bridge.
The company added that,
after destroying much of the
ship's communications
equipment, the gang departed
with 12 of the crew
After several phone calls and messages, and a visit to Male
police headquarters, police spokesman Ahmed Shiffan
declined to answer the AP's questions about the raid.
Despite the turmoil, voters flocked to the polls, standing in
long lines in rain and high temperatures to cast ballots. The
polls were scheduled to close at 4 p.m., but opening hours
were extended until 7 p.m. due to high voter turnout, said
election commission spokesman Ahmed Akram.
Outside a polling station at the Imauddin School in Male, aviation
worker Mohamed Ismail, 23, said he cast his ballot for
Solih because "people live in fear" under strongman President
Yameen, who took office in 2013.
Yameen used his first term in office to consolidate power,
jailing opponents, including his half brother, a former president,
and two Supreme Court Justices, and asserting control
over the courts.
The European Union said Friday that it was not sending election
observers because the Maldives had failed to meet the
basic conditions for monitoring. The U.S. has threatened to
sanction Maldivian officials if the elections are not free and
fair.
"Look around. People are moving freely," said Adam
Thaufeeg, a 40-year-old government employee, who said he
voted for Yameen because of his vision for developing the
Maldives.
More than 260,000 of the Maldives' 400,000 people were
eligible to vote at about 400 polling stations across the
islands that comprise the Indian Ocean archipelago.
Pope to honor victims of Soviet
and Nazi crimes in Baltics
Pope Francis is paying tribute to Lithuanians who suffered and died during Soviet and Nazi
occupations on the day the country remembers the near-extermination of its centuries-old
Jewish community during the Holocaust, reports UNB.
Francis began his second day in the Baltics in Lithuania's second city, Kaunas, where an
estimated 3,000 Jews survived out of a community of 37,000 during the 1941-1944 Nazi
occupation.
During Mass on Sunday, Francis is expected to honor those victims as well as the Lithuanians
who were deported to Siberian gulags or were tortured and oppressed at home during five
decades of Soviet occupation.
Francis is to continue the remembrance with a visit to a museum in the Lithuanian capital
of Vilnius that is dedicated to Soviet atrocities as well as a prayer in the Vilnius Ghetto, which
75 years ago Sunday was finally destroyed and its remaining Jewish residents executed or
sent off to concentration camps.
Each year, the Sept. 23 anniversary of the destruction of the Vilnius Ghetto is commemorated
with readings of the names of Jews who were executed by Nazis as well as by complicit
Lithuanian partisans.
Russia blames Israel for downing
of plane by Syrian forces
The Russian Defense Ministry is again accusing Israel of causing the downing of a Russian
military plane over Syria.
Syrian government forces mistook the Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane for an
Israeli jet and shot it down Monday, killing all 15 people aboard. While the Russian military
initially blamed the plane's loss on Israel, President Vladimir Putin later defused
tensions, calling the downing "a chain of tragic, fatal circumstances."
The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday said an Israeli fighter jet flying over Syria's
coastal province of Latakia shortly before the downing deliberately used the Russian
plane as a shield. Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov says the Israeli pilot's
actions showed "either lack of professionalism or criminal negligence."
Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov speaks to the
media during a press.
Photo: Internet
Swiss reject bids
to improve food
quality, protect
farmers
Swiss voters appeared to
have decisively rejected two
proposals Sunday aimed at
protecting Swiss farmers
and ensuring that food from
both domestic and foreign
producers is healthier, more
environmentally sound and
animal-friendly,
reports
UNB.
Projections for public
broadcaster SRF showed 64
percent of voters rejecting
the "Fair-Food Initiative,"
which would have required
the government to promote
environmentally sound, animal-friendly
and fairly produced
food, and could have
involved requiring Swiss
inspectors to travel abroad
to conduct compliance
checks.
A separate, though somewhat
similar, "Food Sovereignty"
proposal aimed to
underpin farmers' salaries
and ensure that imported
food meets Swiss standards.
That was projected to fail
with 71 percent of voters
rejecting it.Cost concerns,
government opposition and
other factors appear to have
dented public support for
the proposals.
Gunmen kill 4
pro-government
militiamen in
Pakistan
A Pakistani official says gunmen
have attacked the base
camp of a pro-government
militia, killing four of its
members.
Assistant Administrator
Ali Mohammad says the
attack occurred early Sunday
in the Dasht-e-Goran
area of Baluchistan. The
southwestern province is
home to a low-level separatist
movement and Islamic
extremist groups.
Mohammad says the
2,000-strong militia was
formed a few years ago to
help security forces, and that
its posts have been targeted
in the past by Baluch separatists.
Burials begin as deaths from
capsized ferry rise to 224
Tanzania's State broadcaster says burials
have started of those who died when a ferry
capsized on Lake Victoria as the death toll
rose to 224, reports UNB.
Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation said
Sunday that Prime Minister Kasssim Majaliwa
is leading mourners at the funeral service.
On Saturday rescuers found a survivor two
days after the tragedy. The man was identified
as an engineer of the ferry who had
locked himself in the engine room. Video
footage showed the man, barefoot and head
lolling, carried quickly along a busy street by
medical workers and military personnel as a
siren wailed. His condition was not immediately
known. Tanzania's Defense Chief
Venance Mabeyo told reporters at the scene
that no further survivors were likely. Search
efforts were ending and officials would work
on identifying the dead.
Residents and relatives of victims of the MV Nyerere passenger ferry stand
by an empty coffin.
Photo: Internet
German government seeks to
end standoff over spy chief
The leaders of German Chancellor
Angela Merkel's governing coalition
were trying Sunday to resolve a standoff
over the future of the country's
domestic intelligence chief and stabilize
their six-month-old alliance, reports
UNB.
The center-left Social Democrats
want Hans-Georg Maassen removed
for appearing to downplay recent violence
against migrants, but conservative
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer
has stood by him.
Last week, coalition leaders agreed to
replace Maassen as head of Germany's
BfV spy agency but give him a new job
as a deputy interior minister - a promotion
with a hefty pay rise. The move
infuriated many members of the center-left
Social Democrats.
Seehofer leads the Bavaria-only
Christian Social Union, the government's
third coalition partner.
On Friday, Social Democrat leader
Andrea Nahles asked Merkel and Seehofer
to renegotiate the deal. Merkel
said she wanted a solution over the
weekend, though she hasn't said what
her own opinion is of Maassen.
Merkel's coalition took office in
March after the Social Democrats
decided reluctantly to join up.
It has already been through one crisis
that threatened its survival, when
Merkel and Seehofer - a conservative
ally, but a longtime critic of her initially
welcoming approach to refugees in
2015 - faced off in June over whether to
turn back some migrants at the German-Austrian
border.
Responding to violent right-wing
protests following the killing of a German
man, allegedly by migrants, in the
eastern city of Chemnitz, Maassen said
his agency had no reliable evidence that
foreigners were being "hunted" down
in the streets - a term Merkel had used.
A video posted by a left-wing group
showed protesters chasing down and
attacking a foreigner but Maassen
questioned its authenticity.
Seehofer, Maassen's boss, told Sunday's
Bild am Sonntag newspaper that
coalition leaders will have to spend a lot
of time in phone calls over the weekend
but will only meet when it's clear how a
solution could work.
Seehofer said Maassen is a "highly
competent" employee who hasn't violated
any rules and that he won't outright
dismiss him. He accused the
Social Democrats of running a "campaign"
against Maassen.
The issue is clouding the government's
future at a time when the three
parties face major challenges in upcoming
state elections, in Seehofer's home
state of Bavaria on Oct. 14 and in neighboring
Hesse on Oct. 28. The infighting
appears to be weighing down their support.
UK's Labour party ponders supporting
new Brexit referendum
Britain's Labour Party opened its annual conference on Sunday
facing a huge choice - whether to change policy and call
for a new referendum that could halt the country's departure
from the European Union, reports UNB.
The support of the main opposition party would be a major
boost to campaigners for a second vote on Brexit.
Ever since the U.K. voted in 2016 to leave the EU, Labour
has said it will respect the result - but it wants a closer relationship
with the bloc than the one that Prime Minister
Theresa May's Conservative government is seeking.
Now, with EU divorce negotiations stuck and Britain due to
leave the bloc in March, many Labour members think the
left-leaning party must change its course.
"Labour have to come to a decision. The time has gone for
sitting on the fence," said Mike Buckley of campaign group
Labour for a People's Vote. More than 100 local Labour associations
have submitted motions to the conference, which
starts Sunday, urging a "People's Vote" - a new referendum -
with a choice between leaving on terms agreed by the government
or staying in the EU. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has
100 years ago, US fought its
deadliest battle in France
It was America's deadliest battle ever, with 26,000 U.S. soldiers killed, tens of thousands
wounded and more ammunition fired than in the whole of the Civil War. The Meuse-Argonne
offensive of 1918 was also a great American victory that helped bringing an end to World War
1, reports UNB.
A remembrance ceremony will take place on Sunday afternoon in the Meuse-Argonne
cemetery, which is surrounded by green fields and forests in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, a
village in northeastern France. More than 14,000 graves will be lit with candles to honor those
buried there.Early Sunday, volunteers began reading the soldiers' names aloud, while others
were in charge of placing candles on all the crosses. Covering 52 hectares (130 acres), Meuse-
Argonne is the largest American cemetery in Europe.William M. Matz, secretary of the American
Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) that maintains the site, told The Associated
Press that this piece of history must be retold to younger generations."I think it's important
for their teachers, their parents to bring them to these beautiful sites, let them walk through
the rose of crosses, let them look at the walls of remembrance, let them go into the cemetery
chapels and let them learn the history of what these men did 100 years ago," he said."It's
because of their brave deeds, their acts of valor and courage and commitment ... that these
young folks are able to live and enjoy the life that they're living," he added.During seven weeks
of combat, 1.2 million American troops led by Gen. John J. Pershing fought to advance on the
entrenched positions held by about 450,000 Germans in the Verdun region.
long opposed the idea of such a vote. He told the Sunday Mirror
newspaper "I'm not calling for a second referendum."
But, he said, if Labour's conference "make a decision, I will
not walk away from it and I will act accordingly."
Deputy leader Tom Watson was even firmer. "We must
back it if Labour members want it," he told The Observer
newspaper.Ever since the U.K. voted in 2016 to leave the EU,
Labour has said it will respect the result - but it wants a closer
relationship with the bloc than the one that Prime Minister
Theresa May's Conservative government is seeking.
Now, with EU divorce negotiations stuck and Britain due to
leave the bloc in March, many Labour members think the
left-leaning party must change its course.
Still, Labour faces a major political dilemma. Most of the
party's half a million members voted in 2016 to remain in the
EU, but many of its 257 lawmakers represent areas of the
country that wanted to leave. "For Labour to adopt a second
referendum policy would spell political disaster in all those
Labour seats that voted leave," said Brendan Chilton of the
pro-Brexit group Labour Leave.

ART & CULTURE
MONDAy,
SepTeMBer 24, 2018
8
Kamal haasan: 'I was the
biggest obstacle i had to
overcome in my life'
I am truly glad to be among youth
and college students of Tamil Nadu,
we have a course to charter, and
that's why I am here. There is an
unspoken government order
banning me from entering colleges.
I hope this makes you as angry as it
makes me. I want you to go back to
your colleges and let others know
that the government is concerned
that when you and I get together, we
might make a new Tamil Nadu, and
that is scaring them," began Kamal
Haasan addressing the students of
different colleges and young
entrepreneurs at Sri Krishna College
of Engineering and Technology, in
Coimbatore, recently. He added,
"No one has the right to stop you
and me from conversing with each
other, we will continue our
conversations. The government
thinks we need an auditorium or
institution for us to get together and
have a chat, but we don't need all
that, even an open ground is enough
for us, you gather anywhere, I will
break all the barriers and come to
meet you," as the audience in the
auditorium erupted.
Talking about people who ask him
not to talk politics in educational
institutions, he said, "I heard that
there are few colleges that have 'do
not discuss politics within the
campus' in its prospectus. I don't
find that right at all. What will the
students who have chosen political
science as their degree discuss in
college? Politics is something that
will have a huge impact in your life
in future, you have to understand
what this is and for that you need to
discuss politics, so that you are able
to assess what is right. I am stressing
on it so much because I should have
entered politics when I was your
age, but I didn't. I apologise for that.
The reason why I am persuading
you to enter politics is because you
shouldn't be regretting later that you
should have entered politics earlier,
like me. If the current political
scenario can be changed, it can only
be done by youngsters. The existing
politicians can only make it better,
but we can't change it."
The legendary actor-turnedpolitician
also answered several
questions from students and
entrepreneurs. When he was
quizzed about overcoming
unemployment, he answered,
"There are one crore newly
graduated students coming out
college every year in India, but is
there job to accommodate every one
of them? The number of
government jobs are decreasing by
the day, private organisations are on
the rise, small-scale industries are
also rising.
The world is not going to be filled
with workers, but with
entrepreneurs - such a change is on
the anvil. Pursue what you like, it is
not necessary to like what you study,
but that education is definitely going
to help. The only way forward to
beat unemployment is through
small industries and micro
entrepreneurs."
Answering a question on the
biggest obstacle he has had to
overcome in life, Kamal said, "Me; I
was the biggest obstacle I had to
overcome in life. Nobody stood in
my way; everybody was ready to
help me. I had too many good
teachers, I have been a lucky man
and inspite of it, if my progress has
been slow it is only because of me.
To overcome me was the most
difficult thing, and I think I have
managed to do it."
When quizzed about how dirty
politics is, and how he is going to
survive, he said, "I was taught to be
clean by my parents, but on the way
to my school the streets used to be
very dirty, people defecate publicly,
so do animals. But I can't stop going
to the school, my education is in that
corner and in between people are
defecating, I will tap dance, step over
it, but I will reach my destination."
Talking about the importance of
agriculture he said, "Agriculture and
education are the two departments
we need to improve in as a nation,
the rest will fall in place,
businessmen and entrepreneurs
have no choice but to follow. We
have to take care of our land and soil,
the fauna and flora of our land is
what will feed us. Extracting
hydrocarbon is also important, but if
it is a fertile agricultural land, please
let that be even if you find diamonds
beneath it, because during drought
you can only depend on what grows
above the soil and not the ones
beneath it."
On acting he said, "I did not
choose acting, it chose me. I was at
an age where I had no choice, I was
three. The truth is that acting chose
me and I liked it because it was one
good way of getting out of school. A
good actor should watch people
around him, an actor is no less than
a writer, poet or any person who is
artistic. There is no subject that is
taboo to him and beyond his
comprehension. He will become
that, if he doesn't know he will learn.
The beauty of being an actor is that
he will learn a bit about all the roles
he plays, when an actor plays a
doctor, he will at least become a
compounder or nurse by the time he
finishes playing the role."
|Source: TOI
A group of troublemakers are forced to
attend night school in hope that they'll
pass the GED exam to finish high
school.
Release Date: 28 September 2018
(USA)
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Writers: Kevin Hart, Harry
Ratchford
Stars:
Taglines:
Genres:
Also known as
Runtime:
Country:
Language:
Production:
We had earlier reported that
Suriya and Hari are likely to
unite once again after the
Tiffany Haddish, Kevin
Hart, Brooke Butler
Unknown
Comedy
: Night School
111 minutes
USA
English
Hartbeat Productions,
Perfect World Pictures,
Universal Pictures
success of 'Singam 3'. On the
contrary to earlier reports, Hari
clarified that the project is not a
NIGHT SCHOOL
STOryLINe :
A man's life takes an unexpected turn when
he accidentally blows up his place of
employment. Forced to attend night school
to get his GED, he must now deal with a
group of misfit students and a feisty teacher
who doesn't think he's too bright.
|Source: IMDb
Director hari opens
up about his next
with Suriya
sequel to 'Singam 3', but an
entirely new script.
In a recent interview, Hari
spilled some beans about the
project. Confirming his
association with Suriya yet
again, Hari said that the yetuntitled
film will be high on
family emotion with some
action sequences.
Interestingly, Hari revealed
that the film will be made on the
lines of 'Vel', which became a
huge hit at the box office.
Reportedly, Hari will begin
work on this project after the
release of 'Saamy Square'.
On other hand, Suriya is
currently busy with back-toback
projects such as 'NGK' with
Selvaraghavan, a yet-untitled
action flick with KV Anand, and
another project with director
Sudha Kongara. If everything
goes well, Suriya is likely to
team up with Hari sometime
later in 2019.
Meanwhile, director Hari's
much-awaited 'Saamy Square' is
in theatres. Starring Chiyaan
Vikram in the lead, the film is a
sequel to the blockbuster cop
thriller that released in 2003.
|Source: TOI
H O rOSCOpe
Village rockstars floors bengali
jury members
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.
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.
There were two
representatives from the
Bengali film industry in the
Oscars selection committee
this year, headed by SV
Rajendra Singh Babu.
Filmmaker Shiboprosad
Mukherjee and art director
Indranil Ghosh were both
impressed by the Assamese
film, Village Rockstars,
which was eventually chosen
from 28 films, including
October, Padman,
Padmaavat and Hichki.
"Village Rockstars is the
perfect film that represents
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (3D)
11:45 pm, 1:45 pm, 2:30 pm
Incredibles (3D)
6:45 pm
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (3D)
11:30 am, 4:45 pm, 7:40 pm
Kin (2D)
12:15 pm, 4:30 pm
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2D)
11:30 am, 7:45 pm
Captain Khan (2D)
2:00 pm, 5:00 pm
The Nun (2D)
11:45 am, 2:00 pm, 2:40 pm, 4:15 pm, 5:00
pm, 6:30 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:00 pm
The Predator (3D)
11:30 am, 2:30 pm, 5:15 pm
*Authority reserves the right for any changes.
SHOWTIME
India. It's a simple story,
simply told. The audience in
every part of the country will
be able to relate to it," said
Shiboprosad. Indranil, on his
part, added, "When you see
it, you will be transported
into a different world and
that's the power of cinema.
There's a lot to learn from
this film." Directed by Rima
Das, Village rockstars has
been chosen to represent
India in the Best Foreign
Language category at the
91st Academy Awards next
year. |Source: TOI
Final Score (2D)
11:10 am, 1:30 pm, 3:40 pm, 5:40 pm, 8:45 pm
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (3D)
10:30 am, 5:45 pm
The Predator (3D)
10:40 am, 1:00 pm, 3:20 pm, 5:50 pm, 8:10 pm
The Nun (2D)
10:50 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 1:20 pm, 2:00
pm, 3:10 pm, 3:30 pm, 4:40 pm, 5:20 pm, 7:20
pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm
Bhaijaan (2D)
2:00 pm, 7:50 pm
Poramon 2 (2D)
11:00 am, 4:50 pm
*Authority reserves the right for any changes.

SPORTS
9
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
Salah strikes as Liverpool
stay perfect
Real Madrid got back to winning ways in La Liga and moved top of the table with a tight 1-0 home win
against Espanyol secured thanks to Marco Asensio's first-half goal.
Photo: AP
Real Madrid ride on Marco Asensio
strike to sink Espanyol
Sports Desk: Liverpool maintained
their perfect start to the season as they
returned to the top of the Premier
League table with a comfortable 3-0
win over Southampton, Sky Sports
reports.
An own goal from Wesley Hoedt
(10) set them on their way before
Joel Matip's header (21) and
Mohamed Salah's close-range
strike (45+3) had the game
wrapped up by half-time.
Xherdan Shaqiri was heavily
involved on his full debut - it was his
shot that led to Hoedt's own goal
and he crashed the free-kick off the
bar that allowed Salah to tap in the
rebound - before he was replaced at
half-time.
There was a mild concern for
Liverpool after the break as Virgil
van Dijk went off with what
appeared to be a rib injury but,
despite that, they cruised through
the remainder of Jurgen Klopp's
600th league game as a manager to
continue their 100 per cent start to
the season.
The home side were on top from the
first whistle and needed less than 10
minutes to take the lead. Sadio Mane
found Shaqiri in the left-hand
channel, the Swiss cut inside and his
shot ricocheted off Shane Long into
Hoedt and across the line as Alex
McCarthy dived despairingly to try
and claw the ball away.
Southampton responded well and
Long almost got in after a loose pass
from Matip. Van Dijk was alert to it
though and snuffed out the danger as
quickly as it had arisen.
Liverpool carried a threat
throughout and it took a superb lastditch
tackle from Cedric Soares to
deny Salah after the Egyptian had
played a quick one-two with Roberto
Firmino.
Matip rose highest from the
resulting corner though, outjumping
Jannik Vestergaard at the far post to
plant his header beyond McCarthy
and into the corner of the net.
Jurgen Klopp makes three changes
to the side that beat Paris Saint-
Germain. Roberto Firmino returned,
Joel Matip replaced Joe Gomez and
Xherdan Shaqiri made his full debut.
Southampton were without the
ineligible Danny Ings and the injured
Mohamed Elyounoussi, in came
Oriol Romeu and Matt Targett.
The hosts continued to push for a
third, while Southampton pushed
forward intermittently but lacked any
sort of cutting edge. It spoke volumes
that their best chance almost resulted
in a Liverpool goal; Pierre-Emile
Hojbjerg scuffed his shot from 12
yards after Ryan Bertrand's pull back,
Liverpool broke with Salah and he
was just off target with a back-heeled
effort.
The third came on the stroke of
half-time as Shaqiri's 30-yard freekick
came back off the underside of
the bar and Salah was quickest to
react, prodding the ball home from
mere centimetres out.
The second half was a non-event,
Van Dijk was substituted 10 minutes
after the restart but emerged again at
the final whistle, suggesting it may
just have been a precaution, while
Salah had another strike disallowed
for offside but by 70 minutes both
teams seemed happy to accept their
fate.
Liverpool reclaim top spot from
Chelsea, who play West Ham on
Super Sunday, while Southampton
remain in the bottom half with just
one win to their name this season.
Sports Desk: Real Madrid moved top
of La Liga on Saturday after Marco
Asensio's goal proved the difference in
a scrappy 1-0 win over Espanyol,
reports AP.
Their victory at the Santiago
Bernabeu may only reward Madrid
with 24 hours above Barcelona, who
play Girona on Sunday, with their
perfect league record still intact.
More pressing for Julen Lopetegui
will be the defensive slackness that
made this arguably the least assured of
the six competitive games he has
overseen so far, including last
weekend's draw away to Athletic
Bilbao.
There were changes, with Gareth
Bale, Marcelo and Dani Carvajal all
rested, the latter not even included on
the bench, following Real's win over
Roma in the Champions League on
Wednesday. But if Lopetegui's side gift
Atletico Madrid the same chances in
the city derby next weekend, they may
not find their opponents so generous.
Atletico had earlier ground out a 2-0
win away to Getafe. Carvajal's absence
meant a debut for Alvaro Odriozola,
who joined from Real Sociedad in the
summer, while Thibaut Courtois
returned after Keylor Navas started
against Roma to continue Lopetegui's
rotation strategy in goal. Espanyol
twice could have scored on the counterattack.
The first sprung from a poor
header from Raphael Varane but Pablo
Piatti dragged his finish wide.
Soon after they were in again, as
Hernan Perez's shot had to be parried
by Courtois before Didac Vila's
rebound was blocked by Casemiro.
The hosts were more impressive
going forward and in the 41st minute,
they took the lead. Luka Modric's
scuffed shot landed kindly at the feet of
Asensio and he did brilliantly to
harpoon the ball into the far corner.
Borja Iglesias even hit the crossbar
with a scooped finish late on but Real
held out for a battling win.
Meanwhile Atletico's victory was
more comfortable and they had
Thomas Lemar to thank after the
Frenchman scored his first goal for the
club and instigated another in their
victory over Getafe. Lemar finished off
a superb passing move for Atletico's
second and had been the protagonist
for their first, even if his crashing drive
struck the woodwork and went in off
Getafe goalkeeper David Soria. The
result was all but secure when Getafe's
Ivan Alejo was sent off shortly after the
hour for a dangerous tackle on Saul
Niguez. Atleti had not lost to Getafe, or
even conceded a single goal, in 13
previous meetings but this victory
meant more to Diego Simeone's side
than a routine three points. One win
from their opening four league games
hardly pointed to a team poised to
challenge for the title and it had cost
them a seven-point gap behind leaders
Barcelona.
This was also the first time Lemar
looked like the player Atletico must
have hoped they bought when they
spent 72 million euros ($84 million) on
him in the summer. The first goal was
almost a cracker as Lemar collected the
ball off Antoine Griezmann 30 yards
out and let rip with his left foot. Soria
was beaten but the crossbar was not,
and it needed an unfortunate deflection
of the goalkeeper to find the net. Getafe
were unfortunate to be behind but
there was no doubt about the second
after half-time. A sweeping move saw
Atletico move the ball from right to left,
with Koke applying the final pass in
behind. Lemar touched it around Soria
and slotted into the empty net.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah netted his first league goal since Aug. 25 as the Reds thrashed
Southampton 3-0.
Photo: AP
Cameron White, Jackson Coleman
pile on NSW’s miseries
Sports Desk: Cameron White scored a sparkling century
and shared a mammoth 190-run partnership with captain
Peter Handscomb (89) to help setup Victoria's comfortable
victory against New South Wales at the North Sydney Oval
on Sunday (September 23). Riding on the batting pair's
efforts, the visitors posted 327 in their 50 overs before leftarm
medium pacer Jackson Coleman claimed a fifer (5 for
39) to bowl the hosts out for 261. The despairing result left
NSW winless after three games of the Domestic One-Day
Cup while Victoria moved into the third spot behind Western
Australia and Tasmania, reports Cricbuzz.
NSW, hampered by the pre-series injury to regular captain
Peter Nevill, made all the right noises at the start of this
fixture after electing to field. Sean Abbott bowled Victorian
opener Seb Gotch off the game's first ball in what seemed an
early upturn of recent fortunes. But that joy was short lived
as the wicket brought the experienced Cameron White at one
drop. White warmed up to his task with a steady 55-run
stand with Marcus Harris before he was joined by
Handscomb in the 12th over of the innings.
The pair batted 29.5 overs and added 190 runs at the end
of which the follow-up batsman only had to throw their bats
and maximise the total. White was the sedate partner, which
is saying quite a bit given he hit 14 fours and three sixes in his
139-ball innings. Handscomb didn't mess about too much,
Cameron White registered his 13th List A century.
scoring his 89 from just 79 deliveries. It was this adventurism
that cost him what looked a certain hundred. Both the
batsmen were dismissed within an over of each other as
Abbott came back for his final spell. Glenn Maxwell and Nic
Maddinson hit quickfire 20s while Abbott helped himself to
a fifer, albeit a costly one. (5 for 70).
In stark contrast, NSW went hammer and tongs at the
target but were hampered in the tall chase by their inability
to stitch big stands. Kurtis Patterson gave the chase the early
impetus with a brisk 48 but once he departed, the hosts had
only one 50-plus stand with Moises Henriques (77 off 67)
adding 71 with Nick Larkin. Henriques was at his belligerent
best, slamming six sixes in his innings but this total was
never going to be chased down by a solitary contribution.
Daniel Sams went even quicker in his 36-ball 55 but once the
two fell within four overs of each other, the fate of the chase
was sealed.
NSW were bowled out for 261, 66 runs short of the target
but with a full eight overs to spare: a damning stat in support
of how a more prudent approach could have helped on the
day.
Brief scores: Victoria 327 in 50 overs (Cameron White 123,
Peter Handscomb 89; Sean Abbott 5-70) beat New South
Wales 261 in 42 overs (Moises Henriques 77, Daniel Sams
56; Jackson Coleman 5-39) by 66 runs.
Photo: AP
Pliskova floors
Osaka to win
Tokyo title
Sports Desk: Former
world number one Karolina
Pliskova stunned Japanese
tennis sensation Naomi
Osaka in straights sets to
capture the Pan Pacific
Open on Sunday, reports
BSS.
The fourth seed needed
just 63 minutes to complete
a clinical 6-4, 6-4 victory
over the newly crowned US
Open champion in Tokyo,
bringing Osaka's 10-match
winning streak to a
shuddering halt.
"I'm just happy it didn't go
to three sets," said the
Czech, who had been taken
the distance in her previous
three matches.
"My serve is my biggest
weapon and it was key
today," added Pliskova after
scooping an 11th career title.
"Naomi was maybe a little
bit tired, you could see that.
But the future is bright for
her and congrats to her for
an incredible few weeks."
The players had split their
previous two meetings, but
Osaka started the final as
favourite after her historic
New York triumph.
And the third seed began
in menacing fashion,
thumping an ace down the
middle on the first point and
holding her first two service
games to love.
But Pliskova slowly
turned the screw and broke
for 3-2 with a fizzing
backhand her opponent
swished well wide.
The Czech was soon a set
to the good after unleashing
another brutal drive, Osaka
caught flat-footed and
dumping it into the net.
Runner-up in Tokyo two
years ago, Osaka climbed to
seventh in the world
rankings after becoming
Japan's first grand slam
singles champion but she
looked lost for ideas against
Pliskova.
Badminton star Lee has cancer,
in Taiwan for treatment
Sports Desk: Malaysian badminton star
Lee Chong Wei has early-stage nose cancer
and is being treated in Taiwan, sports
officials said Saturday, after weeks of
speculation about his health, reports BSS.
The country's most successful Olympian
ever, who enjoys superstar status in his
homeland, was responding well to
treatment, they said.
But the illness will nevertheless be a
devastating blow for the 35-year-old, coming
after he clawed his way back up the rankings
following a doping ban to play some of the
best badminton of his life.
Speculation had been swirling about his
health since he stopped turning up for
training in July, and the Badminton
Association of Malaysia (BAM) announced
that he was pulling out of the World
Championships and Asian Games.
Subsequent reports said the three-time
Olympic silver medallist had travelled to
Taiwan for treatment but officials remained
tight-lipped about what he was suffering
from. In a statement Saturday, BAM
president Norza Zakaria said "that the player
has been diagnosed with early-stage nose
cancer. "(Lee) is currently in Taiwan seeking
treatment and I am pleased to inform you
that he is responding well to his treatment
and is currently resting and recuperating
amongst family and close friends.
"BAM is in constant contact with (Lee) and
we will offer any support we can to our
legend."
Missing the World Championships in July
and August was a particular blow for the
former world number one as the
tournament's top honour is one of the major
awards missing from his trophy cabinet.
Badminton is hugely popular in Malaysia
and one of the few sports where the country's
athletes perform well at the highest levels.
Lee's unsuccessful attempts to capture
Malaysia's first ever Olympic gold medal at
three consecutive editions of the Games were
followed avidly back home, as was his longrunning
rivalry with Chinese superstar Lin
Dan.
His last shot at Olympic gold at Rio 2016
ended in failure when the Malaysian lost out
to China's Chen Long in a nail-biting final.
Lee, currently ranked number four in the
world, had said Rio would be his last
Olympics.
Lee had fought his way back to the top of
the rankings after returning from a doping
ban in 2015. He tested positive for a
forbidden anti-inflammatory drug at the
2014 world championships and many feared
it would end his career, but he bounced back
strongly.
‘I did not like my team’: Mourinho
fumes at United draw
Sports Desk: Jose Mourinho was highly critical of the attitude of his Manchester United
players after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves at Old Trafford, reports BSS.
Mourinho even claimed he was more pleased with their last home display - the 3-0 defeat to
Tottenham - than he was this latest effort. The United manager saw a run of three consecutive
wins, all of them away from Old Trafford, come to an end in lethargic fashion. "Not a good
performance, not a good result but a fair result," said Mourinho. "Wolves, by the way they
faced the game, I think they deserve it. They play like I like to play which is like the World Cup
final. "That is the attitude I like my teams to have in every match. We didn't have that. They
did. That attitude made a difference."
United looked to have weathered a strong opening by Nuno Espirito Santo's team, most
notably when keeper David De Gea made a spectacular save to keep out Willy Boly's goalbound
header from a Joao Moutinho corner.
That save was all the more important as, within seconds, United were in front after Fred
scored his first goal for the club. French international Paul Pogba touched the ball on skilfully
after collecting Conor Coady's headed clearance, and Fred deposited an unstoppable 18-yard
shot into the Wolves goal. But, by the time they equalised seven minutes into the second half,
Nuno's team was good value for a goal even if it owed much to poor United defending.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS
BANGLADESHTODAY 10
THE
MONDAy, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
Meridian Finance and Investment Limited (MFIL) and Systems Solutions and Development
Technologies Limited (SSD-TECH) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to
provide finance to Micro and Small (MSE) e-commerce retailers of the country. Irteza Ahmed Khan,
Managing Director & CEO of MFIL, Hasan Mehdi, CEO of SSD-TECH, Mohiuddin Rasti Morshed,
Chief Executive of Mind Initiatives, Biplob Ghosh Rahul, CEO of eCourier, Md. Abdul Ahad, FCA, CFO
and Company Secretary of MFIL Sabiha Jahan, Head of CRM & Operations of MFIL, Md. Sadiqur
Rahman Chowdhury, COO of eCourier, and Md. Al-Beruni, Manager (Finance) of SSD-TECH were
present during the signing ceremony.
Photo: Courtesy
Meridian Finance & SSD-Tech Partners to Provide
Finance to MSE e-commerce Retailers
Meridian Finance and Investment
Limited (MFIL) and Systems Solutions
and Development Technologies Limited
(SSD-TECH) have recently signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
to provide finance to Micro and Small
(MSE) e-commerce retailers of the
country, a press release said.
Irteza Ahmed Khan, Managing
Director & CEO of MFIL and Hasan
Mehdi, CEO of SSD-TECH signed the
agreement on behalf of their respective
organizations.
Macao's total revenue of the industrial
establishments amounted to 11.54 billion
patacas (about 1.43 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017,
up by 12.1 percent year-on-year, the special
administrative region's statistic service said here
on Saturday, reports BSS.
According to the Macao Industrial Survey for
2017 released by Statistics and Census Service
(DSEC), the intermediate consumption and
compensation of employees totalled 6.10 billion
and 2.20 billion patacas respectively (about 757
million and 273 million dollars), up by 12.3
percent and 6.7 percent year-on-year.
Therefore, the gross surplus, which equals
total revenue minus total expenditure
(intermediate consumption and compensation
of employees), of the industrial sector grew by
15.6 percent year-on-year to 3.25 billion patacas
(about 403 million dollars). Gross value added
that measures the sectoral contribution to the
economy totalled 5.45 billion patacas (about 676
million dollars), up by 11.9 percent year-on-year.
China has pledged more efforts to develop
pilot free trade zones (FTZs), dubbed as the
pioneer of its reform and opening-up, as part of
a broader national strategy to further integrate
into the world economy, reports BSS.
Pilot FTZs will be granted more power to
reform and further open up, according to a
recent meeting of the Communist Party of China
(CPC) Central Committee for deepening overall
reform.
China will strengthen policy support for those
areas and encourage them to look for ways to
improve the environment for investment and
trade, prompt fintech to better serve the real
economy and innovate in the management of
human resources, said a statement of the
meeting. Policymakers at the meeting hope the
pilot FTZs can play a better exemplary role in
the country's new round of opening to the rest of
the world.
China started to launch the pilot free trade
zone in 2013 in the financial hub Shanghai as a
means to test new ways of managing foreign
investment, trade facilitation and
transformation of government functions to
better integrate the economy with international
practices. Since then, new measures to smooth
trade and investment kept coming out, and
more areas were added.
For instance, China in June unveiled a new
negative list for foreign investment in the FTZs,
with the number of items down to 45 from 95 in
the previous version, under which businesses
from outside of China started to gain wider
access to sectors including agriculture and
mining.
There are now 11 pilot FTZs in areas ranging
A consortium of SSD-TECH, eCourier
Limited and Mind Initiatives Limited is a
grantee under the Business Finance for
Poor in Bangladesh (BFP-B) Challenge
Fund Round-2 funded by DFID. BFP-B is
catalyzing private sector investment in
developing new prototypes and bringing
to scale viable business models that serve
small businesses based on understanding
the challenges small businesses face in
accessing and using financial services.
The consortium is aimed at providing
Access to Finance and Outsourcing
Macao's total industrial
revenue up by 12.1 pct
to 1.43 b USD in 2017
A total of 932 establishments were operating
in industrial production in 2017, an increase of
50 as compared to 2016, with 37 establishments
engaging in manufacture of food and beverages.
Total number of persons engaged in the
industrial sector went up by 451 to 12,498.
Total revenue of the manufacturing sector
rose by 4.2 percent year-on-year to 7.05 billion
patacas (about 875 million dollars), mainly due
to a nearly 30-percent growth in revenue from
manufacture of food and beverages, which
accounted for the largest share (34.7 percent) of
the sector.
Total revenue of the electricity, gas and water
supply sector rose by 27.2 percent year-on-year
to 4.49 billion patacas (about 557 million
dollars) due to increased electricity generation.
The Macao Industrial Survey covers mining
and quarrying, manufacturing, and electricity,
gas and water supply sectors. In 2017, there was
no active establishment in the mining and
quarrying sector in Macao.
Economic Watch: Key
meeting injects new impetus
to FTZs' development
from coast to inland. In addition, the central
authorities have decided to support the building
of a pilot FTZ in the whole of south China's
Hainan island, which will then gradually
become a free trade port. Trade and investment
boomed in such regions.
The Shanghai pilot FTZ saw its 2017 trade
volume reach 1.35 trillion yuan (nearly 200
billion U.S. dollars), up over 14 percent year on
year,
accounting for about 42 percent of Shanghai's
total trade volume. Successful experience gained
in those areas becomes even more precious 127
items of improvement in trade facilitation,
government regulation and
other fields from Shanghai pilot FTZ were
promoted nationwide over the past years.
"These practices are developed locally but can
serve the whole country and spread the benefits
of reform and opening-up," said Assistant
Commerce Minister Ren Hongbin.
The strengthened support for FTZs came
amid the 40th anniversary of China's reform
and opening-up.
Despite rising anti-globalization sentiment,
Chinese has decided to forge ahead with the
opening drive and promised more concrete
measures from cutting tariffs to allowing easier
foreign investment in more industries.
Under the circumstances, the FTZs were
attached greater significance in expanding the
forefront of economic cooperation between
China and the world.
Bai Ming of the Chinese Academy of
International Trade and Economic Cooperation
said it is proof that China is still committed to
opening up.
Services for MSE e-commerce retailers.
Irteza Ahmed Khan, Managing
Director & CEO of MFIL, Hasan Mehdi,
CEO of SSD-TECH, Mohiuddin Rasti
Morshed, Chief Executive of Mind
Initiatives, Biplob Ghosh Rahul, CEO of
eCourier, Md. Abdul Ahad, FCA, CFO
and Company Secretary of MFIL, Sabiha
Jahan, Head of CRM & Operations of
MFIL Md. Sadiqur Rahman Chowdhury,
COO of eCourier, and Md. Al-Beruni,
Manager (Finance) of SSD-TECH were
present during the signing ceremony.
BCN-14 China imports
4.71 m tonnes of liquefied
natural gas in August
China imported 4.71
million tonnes of liquefied
natural gas (LNG) in
August, up 51.5 percent
year on year, the country's
customs authority said
Sunday, reports BSS.
Total LNG imports in the
first eight months reached
32.63 million tonnes, up
47.8 percent year on year,
according to the General
Administration of
Customs.
China surpassed the
Republic of Korea to
become the world's
second-largest importer of
LNG in 2017, according to
IHS Markit, a global
marketing information
company.
China's imports of
natural gas have grown to
meet increasing domestic
consumption, primarily
driven by environmental
policies to replace coalfired
electricity generation.
An industry report says,
the country is likely to
surpass Japan to become
the world's largest natural
gas importer by 2019, with
imports expected to reach
171 billion cubic meters by
2023, mostly LNG.
China ranks
34th in e-govt
online service:
UN survey
China ranked 34th among
193 countries around the
world in terms of availability
of online services in e-
government development,
according to a United
Nations survey, reports BSS.
The Party School of the
Communist Party of China
(CPC) Central Committee
and the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs
on Friday jointly issued the
Chinese version of the
United Nations E-
Government Survey 2018
report. The survey tracks the
progress of e-government
development via the E-
Government Development
Index (EGDI), which
assesses e-government
development at the national
level based on three
dimensions -
t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n
infrastructure, human
resources to promote and
use information and
c o m m u n i c a t i o n
technologies, and online
service availability.
Nigeria's Buhari
under fire over
'astronomic' fuel
subsidy bill
It's only September but
Nigerians are already
dreading Christmas. For
years, the holiday season has
been marred by paralysing
fuel shortages, grinding
business to a halt, reports
BSS.
"Every December, I
guarantee you, fuel scarcity
will happen," said a barber in
the prosperous Ikoyi district
in Lagos, the country's
commercial hub.
It wasn't supposed to be this
way.
When he became president
in 2015, Muhammadu Buhari
appointed himself oil minister
and vowed to end the
shortages, the result of an
inefficient and graft-riddled
fuel subsidy scheme.
But raising the price of fuel
at the pump turned out to be
politically explosive so he
agreed to compromise.
Instead, he cut out the fuel
marketers, effectively making
the state-run Nigerian
National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) the sole
importer of fuel.
Supporters say the strategy
is fortifying the country
against future shortages but
opponents believe it makes
the NNPC more opaque and
susceptible to graft.
The subsidy bill has spiked
and as February elections
approach, questions are being
asked about the government's
management of oil sales and
earnings.
"Dramatically is not quite
the word, it's astronomically
rising," said Cheta Nwanze,
research head at SBM
Intelligence, a Lagos-based
advisory firm. "It's
dangerously unsustainable.
Weaker rupee,
regulations make realty
attractive for NRIs
A fluctuating rupee, and
introduction of various
regulations to bring in
transparency and
accountability, are making
real estate more lucrative
for non-resident Indians
(NRIs), experts say.
Rupee is hovering near 73
against the US dollar since
the past one week, reports
BSS.
"The drop in rupee can be
seen as an investment
opportunity for individual
buyers as well as
institutional investors. Over
the past few months we
have witnessed a lot of
interest from NRIs. This
trend continues to grow
stronger due to the timely
reforms introduced that
brought transparency and
accountability in the
sector," CBRE Chairman,
India, Southeast Asia,
Middle East and Africa
Anshuman Magazine told
PTI here.
With the real estate
industry estimated at about
Rs 3 trillion annually, about
7-8 per cent of the inventory
is being bought and held by
NRIs each year.
"This amounts to about
Rs 21,000-30,000 crore of
annual purchases by NRIs
each year. Due to weaker
rupee, a 10 per cent
depreciation allows NRIs to
enter at a 10 per cent
discount compared to the
domestic resident counter
parts," Nisus Finance
Managing Director and
CEO Amit Goenka said.
Given the current trend of
enquiries and purchases in
the last 2-3 months, it is
being estimated that this
consumption will rise to
about 10-12 per cent.
"Hence 3-5 per cent
increase in NRI
consumption of residential
and commercial inventory
will further boost project
sales and suck up significant
unsold inventory," Goenka
added.
According to Naredco
national president Niranjan
Hiranandani, for NRIs, this
situation (rupee fall) is a
deja-vu of sorts as it is the
same as the scenario the
country witnessed in 2012.
"Home buying is
regaining traction, RERA
has made it better and in a
situation where property
prices at primary level are
down by 10-15 percent, and
the currency valuation adds
another 10-15 percent, it
definitely is a scenario
where the NRI buyer is
back," he added.
Property portal
Zvesta.com's founder Rajan
RPT Rajan Dang seconded
that, saying fall in the rupee
will definitely boost the
demand of properties in
India and NRIs are willing
to invest in realty market
especially in the metro cities
to get good returns.
"Online property
aggregators are also getting
much benefit through this
with their increase in traffic
numbers from day to day.
NRIs are easily searching
for the best properties in
India with having a golden
opportunity to buy it at an
affordable price," he added.
Omkar Realtors, which is
marketing its recently
launched integrated realty
project 'Sereno OID' in
Andheri in the suburban
Mumbai in both domestic
and global markets, has
received almost 100
bookings from NRIs, which
is 20 per cent of total
inventory, averaging a total
cost of Rs 125 crore, into its
project.
"For NRIs, depreciating
Indian rupee seems
encouraging to further
invest back home in a
property due to lesser
dependence on finance and
lesser outgo of EMI,"
Omkar Realtors director
Devang Verma said.
"We see investment
interest bouncing back as
expat Indians are not only
keen on purchasing a home
in their homeland, but have
also shown an increased
interest in purchasing
purely for investment
purposes," he said.
A five-day long training course on 'Foreign Exchange and International Trade' organized by Al-Arafah
Islami Bank Training and Research Institute begins on Sunday 23 September, 2018. Managing
Director of the Bank Md. Habibur Rahman inaugurated the course as Chief Guest. Principal of the
Institute and Executive Vice President Md. Abdur Rahim Duary, Vice President of AIBTRI Touhid
Siddique, Assistant Vice President Md. Anisul Islam Mahmud were also present in the Training
Course. Chief Guest Managing Director Md. Habibur Rahman discussed the importance of foreign
trade and instructed all to acquire a deeper knowledge in this regard. He said that foreign trade transactions
carry special significance for the bank. There is no scope for mistake here. Photo: Courtesy
20,000 march for wage
equality in Switzerland
Some 20,000 people marched in Bern
Saturday demanding wage equality
between the genders, organisers said,
warning that women are prepared to go
on strike if Swiss parliamentarians do not
fix the pay gap, reports BSS.
Women "are sick of sexism and
discrimination, sick of wage inequality,"
Switzerland's largest union, Unia, said in
a statement.
The union, which was among over 40
organisations who called Saturday's
demonstration, said more than 20,000
people had showed up to demand that
lawmakers do more to shrink the
persistent gap in salaries between men
and women who do the same work.
The demonstration came as the lower
house of the Swiss parliament is
preparing to debate a law revision
Monday aimed at imposing more
oversight over salary distribution at large
companies. Demonstrators brandished
posters demanding "Equality now", and
lamenting "Same work, different salary"
and "Sick of waiting", the ATS news
agency reported.
Gender equality has been enshrined in
the Swiss constitution since 1981.
But women on average still earn 20
percent less than men in the wealthy
Alpine country - "a scandalous
percentage", Unia said.
"Even if you take into account all of the
regular excuses and you only compare
women and men in the exact same
position with the same professional
experience, the fact remains that a
woman in Switzerland is cheated out of
300,000 Swiss francs ($313,000,
266,000 euros) over the course of her
career, just because she is a woman," said
Corinne Scharer, a member of Unia's
director board.
At a time when equality between the
sexes is dominating the public debate
around the world, the Swiss government
has asked lawmakers to introduce
oversight into how salaries are set in a bid
to shrink the pay gap in the country.
Bern had asked for any company with
more than 50 employees to be required to
provide wage equality details to an
independent entity for verification every
four years.
The upper chamber of the Swiss
parliament gave the green light last May
to a watered-down version of that, saying
it should apply only to companies with
more than 100 employees - affecting less
than one percent of employers in the
country, according to ATS.
The lower house is set to debate that bill
on Monday, but Unia and other
organisations are demanding that it
strengthen the law revision. They for
instance want women who are
discriminated against to be entitled to
back-pay, as well as fines for companies
that allow a pay gap to persist.
If the lower house does not "fix the law
revision", Unia said it and other
organisations would call "a women's
strike" in 2019 to ensure that "women's
rights to equality finally materialise."
Portuguese deficit
stands at 1.9 pct of
GDP in first half year
Portuguese deficit stood at 1.9 percent
of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in
the first half of the year, down from 6.1
percent in the same period last year, the
National Statistics Institute (INE) said on
Friday, reports BSS.
The year-on-year evolution of the
budget balance "results primarily from
the impact of the recapitalization
operation of Caixa Geral de Depositos
(CGD), which occurred in the first
quarter of 2017," the INE said.
The improvement is also associated
with the "adjustment of the sectoral
delimitation of public administrations at
the level of public enterprises and the
temporal adjustment of taxes and
contributions," the agency said.
Although the deficit decreased in the
first half of this year compared to the
same period of last year, it still is above
the government's target of 0.7 percent for
the whole of the year, the INE said.

MISCELLANEOUS
MonDAY, SepteMber 24, 2018
11
Maldives election begins
amid opposition cry of
unfairness
Huge crowds flocked to closely guarded
polling stations on Sunday to vote in the
Maldives' third multiparty presidential
elections, widely seen as a referendum on the
island nation's young democracy, reports
UNB.
Both President Yameen Abdul Gayoom and
the opposition candidate, Ibrahim
Mohamed Solih, voted in the capital, Male,
shortly after polls opened.
More than 260,000 of the 400,000
Maldivians were eligible to vote at about 400
polling stations across the islands that
comprise the Indian Ocean archipelago.
Observers from Transparency Maldives
said in a statement late Sunday morning that
opening procedures "went well," with nearly
all of the polling stations opening within 30
minutes of the scheduled opening time.
Hundreds waited in line as a light rain fell
in Maldives' capital, Male.
Voters debated the relative merits of the
two candidates in front of a polling station at
the Imauddin School.
Aviation worker Mohamed Ismail, 23, said
he cast his ballot for Solih because "people
live in fear" under strongman President
Yameen, who has been criticized for cracking
down on democratic freedoms.
"Look around. People are moving freely,"
countered Adam Thaufeeg, a 40-year-old
government employee, who said he voted for
Yameen because of his vision for developing
the Maldives.
An election-eve police raid of Solih's main
campaign office cast a pall over Sunday's
elections.A police warrant obtained by The
Associated Press cited police intelligence that
Solih's campaign office may have been used
to coordinate vote-buying. Senior campaign
official Ahmed Shahid was named in the
warrant as a suspect. Repeated calls to
Shahid went unanswered.
The raid Saturday was the latest sign of a
government crackdown against the
opposition, raising fears that the election
may be rigged to favor Gayoom's party.
Gayoom used his first term in office to
consolidate power, jailing opponents,
including his half brother, a former
president, and two Supreme Court Justices,
and asserting control over the courts.
The European Union said Friday that it
was not sending election observers because
the Maldives had failed to meet the basic
conditions for monitoring.
"In view of events in Maldives," the
country's British ambassador, James Dauris,
tweeted Saturday, "it's easy to understand
why so many people are concerned about
what might happen on Election Day."
The polls close at 4 p.m. and results are
expected after 10 p.m., election officials have
said.
US considers limit on green cards
for immigrants on benefits
The Trump administration
has proposed rules that could
deny green cards to
immigrants if they use
Medicaid, food stamps,
housing vouchers and other
forms of public assistance.
Federal law already
requires those seeking green
cards and to prove they will
not be a burden - or "public
charge" - but the new rules
detail a broad range of
programs that could
disqualify them.
The Department of
Homeland Security said
Saturday that current and
past receipt of certain public
benefits above thresholds
would be considered "a
heavily weighed negative
factor" in granting green
cards as well as temporary
stays.The proposal "will
clearly define long-standing
law to ensure that those
seeking to enter and remain
in the United States either
temporarily or permanently
can support themselves
financially and will not be
reliant on public benefits," the
department said.
The 447-page proposal
published on the
department's website will
appear in the Federal Register
"in the coming weeks,"
triggering a 60-day public
comment period before it
takes effect.
Coming less than seven
weeks before midterm
elections, the announcement
could help galvanize voters
who have backed or opposed
Trump's broad crackdown on
legal and illegal immigration.
Immigrant advocacy
groups said people may avoid
or withdraw from public aid
programs even at the risk of
losing shelter and suffering
deteriorating health because
they worry they will be denied
visas.
Marielena
Hincapié, executive
director of the National
Immigration Law Center, said
the proposal was "an
inhumane attack on the
health and wellbeing of so
many families and
communities across the
country."
"How you contribute to
your community - and not
what you look like or the
contents of your wallet -
should be what matters
most," she said. "This
proposed rule does the
opposite and makes clear that
the Trump administration
continues to prioritize money
over family unity by ensuring
that only the wealthiest can
afford to build a future in this
country."
Indonesia
presidential
contenders
vow peaceful
campaign
Campaigning for
Indonesia's presidential
election officially began
Sunday with the two
contenders releasing white
doves and vowing a
peaceful race as concerns
simmer the campaign will
sharpen religious and
ethnic divides, reports
UNB.
The election due in April
pits incumbent Joko
"Jokowi" Widodo against
former general and
ultranationalist Prabowo
Subianto, who lost to
Jokowi in 2014.
Dressed in traditional
clothing, the candidates
and their running mates
paraded through central
Jakarta on Sunday and
released doves at a
ceremony after reading out
a peaceful campaign
declaration.
The 2014 presidential
election was marred by
dirty campaigning and wild
internet rumors that
Jokowi was a secret
communist and of Chinese
background, accusations
often used in Indonesia to
discredit or intimidate
political opponents.
Jokowi, the first
Indonesian president from
outside the country's
political and military elite,
has picked conservative
cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his
running mate, aiming to
neutralize criticism that he
is insufficiently Muslim.
He has a big but not
unassailable lead over
Prabowo in polls and
Indonesia's recent hosting
of the Asian Games further
burnished his image.
With a population of
more than 260 million,
Muslim majority Indonesia
is the world's third-largest
democracy after India and
the U.S. The country's
image as a moderate
Muslim nation has been
undermined by flaring
intolerance in the past
several years, from the
imprisonment of Jakarta's
Christian governor, who
was a Jokowi ally, for
blasphemy to the canings
of gay men in Aceh, a
province that practices
Shariah law.
Iran-backed militias accused
of reign of fear in Iraqi basra
Hajar Youssif was on her
daily commute to work,
staring at her phone and
flicking through her
Instagram account when she
looked up to find herself in
an unusual location. The taxi
driver had turned into an
alley, reports UNB.
When she questioned the
driver, he sped up.
"I started to feel uneasy and
knew that something bad
was going to happen," said
the 24-year-old office
administrator, who had
taken part in protests over
lack of clean water, frequent
power cuts and soaring
unemployment in her
hometown of Basra, Iraq's
oil capital and main port.
She yelled and tried to
open the door, but the driver
had locked it. The taxi
swerved into a courtyard
where three masked men
were waiting.
"They immediately told
me, 'We'll teach you a lesson.
Let it be a warning to other
protesters'," Youssif said in
an interview several days
after the incident.
The men slapped and beat
her and pulled off her
Islamic headscarf, she said.
"At the end, they grabbed
me by my hair and warned
me not to take part in the
protests before blindfolding
me and dumping me on the
streets," she said, her cheeks
still bruised.
Youssif believes the attack
was part of what she and
other activists describe as a
campaign of intimidation
and arbitrary detentions by
powerful Iranian-backed
Shiite militias and political
groups that control Basra, a
city of more than 2 million
people in southern Iraq's
Shiite Muslim heartland.
Angry Basra residents
have repeatedly taken to the
streets in recent weeks to
protest failing government
services, including water
contamination that sent
thousands to hospitals.
Earlier this month,
protests turned violent when
demonstrators attacked and
torched government offices,
the headquarters of the
Iranian-backed militias and
Iran's consulate in Basra - in
a show of anger over what
many residents perceive as
Iran's outsized control over
local affairs.
The events in Basra reflect
the growing influence of the
militias, which played a
major role in retaking Iraqi
territory from Islamic State
militants, who are Sunni
Muslims.
Shortly after IS militants
captured much of northern
and western Iraq in 2014,
tens of thousands of Shiite
men answered a call-toarms
by the top Shiite cleric,
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-
Sistani.
Many volunteers were
members of Iran-backed
militias active since the
2003 U.S.-led invasion that
toppled Saddam Hussein,
while others formed new
groups. These fighters are
credited with helping
government forces defeat
the extremists. But during
the war, the militiamen were
also accused by Sunnis and
rights groups of abuses
against the Sunni
community, including
killings, torture and
destruction of homes.
Buoyed by victory against
IS, some of the most feared
Shiite militias took part in
the May national elections
and their list - Fatah - won
48 seats in the 329-seat
parliament.
Fatah and other factions
formed a wider Iran-backed
S (18) (225)
GD-1157/18 (8 x 3)
coalition in parliament
earlier this month and will
likely be tasked with forming
the new government.
In Basra, some alleged the
militias were working with
local authorities to quell the
protests - a charge denied by
Bassem al-Khafaji, head of
Sayyed al-Shuhada, one of
several Basra militias.
He said threats and
intimidation of protesters
were "individual acts," but
not the result of a central
directive.
"Our order for all the
factions in Basra ... is not to
confront the protesters who
burned down the offices of
the militias," al-Khafaji said,
arguing that the militias are
trying to prevent more
bloodshed.
He accused infiltrators of
turning the protests violent
and said the alleged
saboteurs must be dealt with
by the security agencies.
Some militia leaders in
Basra accused protesters of
colluding with the U.S.,
which has long worked to
curb Iranian influence in
Iraq.
A local leader of a
prominent militia vowed to
retaliate.
"We have pictures of those
who burned down our
headquarters and they will
pay dearly," he said on
condition of anonymity in
line with his group's rules for
speaking to the media. "We
will not let them attack us
again and if they do we'll
open fire. That's what we've
agreed on, all of us."
The government has said
protesters' demands are
legitimate, but claims
infiltrators were behind the
violence.
GD-1158/18 (8 x 4) GD-1159/18 (6 x 4)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY
MONDaY, DhaKa, SePteMBer 24, 2018, aShwiN 8, 1425 BS, MuharraM 13, 1440 hiJri
Due to closing of Benapole Land Port Jashore, hundreds of goods carrying trucks were stuck.
Photo: Star Mail
Farooki's
film Doob
to represent
BD in 91st
Oscar
DHAKA : Bangladeshi
filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar
Farooki's film Doob (No Bed
of Roses) is going to represent
Bangladesh in the foreign
movie category of the
91st Academy Awards, also
known as the Oscars, reports
UNB.
Chairman of Bangladesh
Federation Film Societies
Habibur Rahman Khan
announced the news in a
press briefing heldin a city
hotel.
Internationally acclaimed
Indian superstar Irrfan
Khan, who acted in
Hollywood productions like
Jurassic World and Life of Pi
besides many Indian blockbusters,
played the lead role
in the film Doob. He also coproduced
the film.
The cast also include
Nusrat Imroz Tisha, star of
Farooki's Third Person
Singular Number that was
Bangladesh's entry to the
2011 Oscars and of
Television that was
Bangladesh's entry to the
2014 Oscars.
Bangladeshi production
house Jaaz Multimedia produced
the film alongside
India's Eskay Movies with
Khan's IK Company on
board as co-producer.
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
and Nusrat Imroz Tisha were
also present at the press conference.
The 91st annual Oscars will
be heldon February 24in
2019.
Khat - new drug
on the block
DHAKA : The seizure of
several consignments of a
new drug 'Khat' at the country's
main airport has raised
fears of a fresh drug epidemic
sweeping the country
after phensedyl and yaba,
reports UNB.
Law enforcement agencies
have seizedseveral consignments,includingtwo
large shipments of New
Psychotropic Substance
(NPS), locally known as
'Khat', or 'miraa' or - more
mystically - 'Tea of the
Arabs', recently from Hazrat
Shahjalal International
Airport and General Post
Office (GPO) in the city.
They said some unscrupulous
people have been
importing 'khat' showing
the substance as 'green tea'.
Khat, grown in parts of
Africa, has been chewed for
centuries in the Horn of
Africa and Arabian
Peninsula. It was supposed
to make them more alert
and raise energy levels,
which is why consumers of
Khat claim it is as harmless
as coffee or tea.
However, Khat is internationally
labeled as 'C' category
drug. A senior officer of
a security agency requesting
anonymity told UNB that as
there is no remarkable
number of consumers of the
new drug Khat here,
Bangladesh is being used as
a transit for strategically
reason for last several
months.
"As the law enforcement
agencies have already
detected the illegal trade, it
will be very difficult for the
drug traders to use the
country as a transit in the
future," he added.
On August 31, the
Department of Narcotics
Control (DNC) and Dhaka
Customs confiscated 468
kilograms of Khat,estimated
to be worth around Tk 70
lakhfrom the foreign parcel
unit of cargo village at
Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport.
Later on September 9, the
Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) seized
even bigger consignment of
1,600 kilograms of the socalled
'legal high', worth Tk
2.38 crorefrom the foreign
parcel unit of the General
Post Office (GPO).
Both shipments arrived
here from Ethiopia.
DNC Additional Director
(Intelligence) Najrul Islam
Sikder said the DNC's intelligence
wing first received
an information from the
international intelligence
agency, which has been
dealing with drug abuse, on
the last Eid-ul-Azha day that
a consignmentof 23 cartoons
Khat was scheduled to
reach at the foreign parcel
unit of the cargo village at
Dhaka airport on August 27.
Based on the information,
the DNC officials started
searching for the suspected
cartons at the foreign parcel
unit from the morning till
11:00 pm but in vein, he
said.
By this time other intelligence
agencies were alerted
and the customs officials
finally became able to detect
the suspected cartons, carrying
Khat on August 31 at
the cargo village of the airport,
he added.
The DNC arrested one
Nazim, 47, from his Baily
Road residence in connection
with the recovery of the
new drug's consignment.
Usually the drug consignments
were being brought
to Dhaka via Dubai from
Ethiopia through air and
then the Khat are packed as
'green tea' and then exported
to UK, USA and Australia
and several other countries,
said the intelligence official.
Replying to a query, the
DNC's additional director
said the number of Khat
consumers in Bangladesh is
relatively very low as many
of the drug users are yet to
get exposed to the new substance
which costs Tk 6,000
to Tk 15,000 a kilogram.
"As we have already alerted
all the air and land ports
in the country, whenever
such type of consignments
reach here, law enforcement
agencies must seized
those contraband items," he
said. He asserted that from
now on it will be very difficult
for the drug traders to
use the country as a transit
point.
PM leaves
London for
New York
LONDON : After a twoday
stopover, Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina left
here for New Yorkon
Sundaymorningto join the
73rd Session of the United
Nations General Assembly
(UNGA).
A British Airways flight
carrying the Prime Minister
and her entourage left
theHeathrow Airport
at11:05am(local time),
reports UNB.
Bangladesh High
Commissioner to the UK
Nazmul Qaunine saw her
off at the airport.
The flight is scheduled to
reach Newark Liberty
International Airport, New
Jerseyat1:40pm(local
time).
Bangladesh Ambassador
to the USA Mohammad
Ziauddin and Bangladesh
permanent representative
to the UN Masud Bin
Momen will receive her at
the airport.
Later, a ceremonial
motorcade will escort the
Prime Minister to Hotel
Grand Hyatt New York,
where she will be stay during
her visit to the USA.
She will address the
UNGA at the UN
Headquarters, as usual in
B a n g l a , o n S e p t e m b e r
27placing fresh specific
proposals for sustainable
solution to the Rohingya
crisis, said Foreign Minister
AH Mahmood Ali at a briefing
hereon Thursday.
The Prime Minister is
scheduled to return
homeonOctober 1after a
stopover in London.
Govt awaits 'shameful'
defeat: BNP
DHAKA : BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam
Khan on Sunday warned that the government
will have to face a 'shameful' defeat in
the face of a united movement by most opposition
political parties, reports UNB.
"A ground for waging a greater united
movement was created yesterday (Saturday)
which makes the government worried. Big
political leaders and noted personalities
called for a united movement over almost the
same demands. Our party also expressed solidarity
with them," he said.
Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader
further said, "A united movement for a credible
election will surely be launched in the
days to come, and the government won't only
be forced to resign, but also face a shameful
defeat."
Jatiyatabadi Nobin Dal arranged the programme
at the Jatiya Press Club demanding
the release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia
and all other political prisoners.
Referring to Awami League general secretary
Obaidul Quader's comment that national
unity cannot be formed without Awami
League, Nazrul said the unity is against the
CHATTOGRAM : Awami League general
secretaryObaidulQuader on Sunday said the
people of the country do not want any movement
before the national election, reports
UNB.
"Ten years have passed by...in which year
the movement will be waged? Will it happen
in one month? People are now in the 'house of
election', no one wants any movement," he
said.
He said this while addressing a rally as part
of electioneering at SR Square area in
Kanrafuli upazila.
Terming BNP-Jamaat's movement a 'rumor
movement' he said, "Rumor terrorism is
22-day ban on
hilsa fishing
from Oct 7
DHAKA : The government has imposed a 22-day ban on
catching, selling and transporting hilsa in a 7,000-km
breeding ground to ensure the safe spawning of this popular
fish during its peak breeding period, reports UNB.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the National
Taskforce formed to implement the 'Mother hilsa protection
campaign 2018' held on Sunday with Fisheries and
Livestock Minister Narayon Chandra Chanda in the chair,
said PID handout.
The objective of the restriction from October 7 to
October 28 is to save mother hilsa which lays eggs during
the period.
There will be a ban on catching of all kinds of fish in the
rivers of 37 districts during the period, the handout said.
At the meeting, the minister urged all, including fishermen
and fishermen's associations, to help make the countrywide
programme a success.
ruling party to free the nation from its misrule
and misdeeds. "It's not possible to
engage you with the movement as you're
opponent of it."
He said their party considers Awami
League as their political opponent, not
enemy, and opposes its anti-people activities.
"But the government is showing inhuman
attitude towards our leaders Khaleda Zia like
an enemy."
The BNP leader alleged that government is
putting Khaleda's life at stake by not allowing
her to receive treatment in any specialised
hospital.
He also said though Khaleda got bail in the
case she was convicted, the government has
kept her in jail in another cases with various
tricks.
Nazrul, a BNP standing committee member,
said the government is unwilling to free
Khaleda from jail due to her 'immense popularity'.
He said the ruling party leaders and
activists are getting panicked and morally
week gradually due to their involvement in
corruption, unfair acts and various offences.
No one wants movement
before election: Obaidul
still active. We'll have to resist the terrorism.
People would no more respond to movement."
"BNP had failed in the quota reform movement,
and then it intruded into the safe road
movement but failed again."
He asked his party men to behave well with
general people and remain united for a positive
outcome in the next general election.
AL presidium memberAbdul Matin
Khasru, joint general secretary Mahbubul
Alam Hanif, publicity andpublications secretary
Dr Hasan Mahmud, organising secretary
Mohibul Hasan ChowdhuryNowfel were,
among others, present.
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