03-12-2018

monDaY 

DHaka: December 3, 2018; agrahyan 19, 1425 BS; Rabiul awal 24,1440 Hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.16; No.299; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

international 

Germany and 

Netherlands to 

meet in Euro 2020 

qualifying 

>Page 7 

art & culture 

Hypnosis for weight 

loss : does it work? 

>Page 8 

sport 

500-plus score made the 

job easier forbowlers: 

Mehidy Hasan 

>Page 9 

EC trashes 786 nomination 

papers; appeal must be by Dec 5 

DHAKA : Returning officers on 

Sunday cancelled 786 nomination 

papers, out of total 3,065, submitted 

by contestants in 300 constituencies 

to contest the 11th parliamentary elections, 

reports UNB. 

According to the factsheet of the 

Election Commission Secretariat, a 

total of 2,279 nomination papers were 

declared valid while 786 invalid during 

the scrutiny by 66 returning officers 

across the country. 

However, the aspirants whose nomination 

papers were cancelled can file 

appeals with the Election Commission 

by December 5. 

"If anyone becomes aggrieved with 

the decisions of the returning officers, 

he/she will have to lodge appeal with 

the appeal authority of the EC within 

three days after the scrutiny," said EC 

joint secretary Farhad Ahammad Khan. 

Subsequently, the EC will dispose of 

the appeals following hearing within the 

next three days-December 6-8, he said. 

The last date for the withdrawal of 

candidature is December 9 and the 

electoral symbols will be allocated on 

December 10. 

Some 3,065 aspirants submitted 

nomination papers in the country's 300 

constituencies within the deadline that 

expired on November 30 to take part in 

the national election slated for 

December 30. 

Of the total 3,065 aspirants, 281 AL 

probable candidates submitted nomination 

papers in 264 constituencies, 

while 696 BNP contestants in 295 parliamentary 

seats, 233 Jatiya Party aspirants 

in 210 constituencies. 

Besides, 498 independent aspirants 

also submitted nomination papers. 

BNP fielded more than one candidate 

in most of the constituencies while AL 

in 17 and Jatiya Party in 23 constituencies. 

But the parties will have to confirm 

their final candidates before the withdrawal 

of candidature in these parliamentary 

seats. 

Tigers complete historic whitewash 

over West Indies in Test 

Sports Desk : Nearly five months after 

being beaten 2-0 in a pace-dominated 

series in the West Indies, Bangladesh 

served up revenge on a spinning platter 

to the same opponents with an inningsand-184-run 

win in the Dhaka Test to 

complete a 2-0 series win. The victory 

was their first innings win in Test cricket. 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz underscored 

the supremacy of spinners with his 

match figures of 12 for 117, surpassing 

his own record for the best bowling figures 

for Bangladesh, reports Cricinfo. 

Mehidy took nine wickets on the third 

day, the most by a Bangladesh bowler 

on a single day, and all 40 West Indies 

wickets fell to the Bangladesh spinners, 

a first for a bowling side in a two-Test 

series. 

Mehidy completed his second five-for 

in the game by dismissing Jomel 

Warrican caught and bowled for a duck, 

which was West Indies' ninth, before 

Taijul Islam took the wicket of Shermon 

Lewis to complete the win, after the No. 

11 had added 42 runs for the tenth wicket 

with Kemar Roach. 

Zohr 

05:06 AM 

11:52 PM 

03:35 PM 

05:14 PM 

06:35 PM 

6:25 5:11 

Amid innings totals of 111 and 213, 

Shimron Hetmyer was the only West 

Indies batsman to stand out, striking 

nine sixes and a four in his 93 off 92 

balls. His tally of sixes was the most by a 

batsman in Tests against Bangladesh, 

surpassing Kumar Sangakkara's eight 

Mehidy Hasan celebrates a wicket against West Indies during 2nd Test in Mirpur on Sunday. 

sixes in Chittagong in 2014. 

Hetmyer, who had struck one six 

before lunch, began the second session 

with a pull off Mehidy over midwicket 

before launching Taijul for two successive 

sixes over long-on in the 19th over. 

Hetmyer was dropped on 40 by 

Mushfiqur, but he went after Shakib, 

hitting three sixes in the 36th over, even 

as West Indies lost Shai Hope and 

Shane Dowrich. 

Hetmyer entered the nineties with his 

ninth six but off the very next ball, he 

drove a catch straight to Mohammad 

Mithun at long-off, giving Mehidy his 

11th wicket. Roach at No. 9, struck seven 

fours in his unbeaten 37 off 49 balls but 

his innings only delayed the inevitable 

defeat. 

West Indies' first innings had lasted 

Photo: Internet 

just 51 minutes on the third morning, 

after resuming from 75 for 5. Mehidy 

took four of those five wickets, starting 

with a caught-and-bowled that sent 

Hetmyer back for 39, after the batsman 

in Mehidy's first over of the day. 

Hetmyer and Dowrich added 57 for 

the sixth wicket in the first innings, 

and after Hetmyer fell, Mehidy had 

Devendra Bishoo brilliantly caught by 

Shadman Islam at silly mid-off, when 

the batsman struck the ball firmly 

into his lap. 

No arrest made without 

warrant: Kamal 

DHAKA : Home Minister 

Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday reiterated 

that not a single arrest has been 

made without court warrant as police 

have only arrested the people who are 

accused in specific cases. 

"BNP brought allegations that police 

are arresting its leaders and activists 

without issuing warrant for them. But 

police are only taking actions against 

those who are accused in specific cases, 

he told newsmen following a programme 

at Bangabandhu International 

Conference Centre (BICC) in the city. 

The minister inaugurated the 

National Plan of Action (NPA) for 

Prevention of Human Trafficking 2018- 

2022 as the chief guest. The USAID 

organised the event. 

He said it is a political strategy of BNP 

that they made the allegation of mass 

arrest against their leaders and activists 

which is only propaganda nothing else. 

Law enforcement agencies are currently 

working under the Election 

Commission. 

They are arresting or going into 

actions as per the directives from the 

EC, Kamal said, adding, "If there is an 

arrest warrant against a nomination 

seeker or any person, the law enforcement 

agencies have no option but to 

arrest them." 

Replying to a query about spreading 

rumour in social media, he said the law 

enforcing agencies are working on it 

and stern action will be taken against 

the people who will be found involved 

in circulating wrong information on 

social networking platform. 

Nomination papers for the upcoming 11th National Parliamentary Election being scrutinized at 

Dhaka Division Commissioner Office of Segunbagicha in the capital on Sunday. Photo: Star Mail 

Convicted persons 

can't contest in 

elections: SC 

DHAKA : The Appellate division of 

the Supreme Court on Sunday 

stayed a High Court order that had 

allowed a convicted person to contest 

in the upcoming national election, 

reports UNB. 

The seven-member bench of the 

SC led by Chief Justice Syed 

Mahmud Hossain passed the order 

after hearing two petitions filed by 

the state and Anti-corruption 

Commission. 

Now, convicted people will not 

be able to contest in the elections, 

said ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam 

Khan. 

Earlier on Saturday, the 

Chamber Judge of the Supreme 

Court stayed the HC order and 

sent the petition to a regular 

bench. 

On Thursday, the High Court 

stayed the conviction and sentence 

of BNP candidate from Jashore-2 

constituency Sabira Sultana in a 

graft case, clearing the way for her 

to participate in the forthcoming 

parliamentary elections. 

Later, the state and ACC filed the 

petitions challenging the order on 

Saturday. 

On July 12 last, the Special Judge 

Court-7 awarded six-year imprisonment 

to Sabira Sultana, former 

chairman of Jhikargachha upazila 

parishad, and fined her Tk 5,000 

in the case filed for amassing 

wealth illegally. 

Harun made 

Narayanganj 

SP 

DHAKA : Hours after the Election 

Commission's clearance, the Home 

Ministry on Sunday appointed 

Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka 

Metropolitan Police (DMP) Harun- 

Ur-Rashid as the Superintendent of 

Police of Narayanganj district, 

reports UNB. 

The EC in a letter gave 'no objection' 

to a proposal of the Public 

Security Division under the ministry 

for posting ex-Gazipur SP 

Harun to Narayanganj. 

Earlier on Wednesday, the 

Commission asked the Public 

Security Division to withdraw 

Narayanganj SP Anisur Rahman 

following a demand from the BNPled 

20 party alliance. 

The ministry, however, attached 

Anisur Rahman with the Police 

Headquarters as Assistant 

Inspector General (AIG). 

On November 25, the 20-party 

alliance placed a written demand 

for removal of the Narayanganj SP 

saying they are in doubt whether he 

would discharge the election duty 

neutrally as his wife Fatema 

Tuzzahura is a Member of 

Parliament from the reserved seat. 

Dhaka-1, Manikganj-2, Bagura-7 

have no BNP candidate 

DHAKA : Neither BNP nor its any 

alliance partners has any candidate 

to contest the December-30 national 

election from Dhaka-1, Manikganj-2 

and Bagura-7 seats as the nominations 

of all the candidates of the 

party were cancelled during scrutiny 

by the Election Commission. 

In Dhaka-1, the nominations of 

BNP candidates Khandaker Abu 

Ashfaq and Fahima Hossain Jubilee 

were trashed by the returning officer. 

Contacted, Abu Ashafq said he 

recently resigned from the post of 

Nawabganj Upazila Parishad chairman 

to take part in the national election. 

However, the returning officer said 

his resignation was not accepted. "I'll 

make an appeal against it." 

Jubilee's nomination was revoked 

as she was convicted in two cases. 

With the cancellation of nominations 

of Ashfaq and Jubilee, now 

only two runners-Awami League's 

Salman F Rahamn and ex-Jatiya 

Party MP Salam Islam as an independent 

candidate-are there in the 

race. 

Salma Islam filed her nomination 

as an Independent candidate as 

Jatiya Party did not give her nomination 

In Bagura-7, the nomination of 

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from 

Bagura seat was turned down for her 

conviction in two graft case. 

Nominations rejected in 

Manikganj questioning 

Fakhrul's signature:BNP 

DHAKA : BNP on Sunday alleged 

that the Returning Officer rejected 

the nomination papers of its aspirants 

in Manikganj district questioning 

the authenticity of Mirza 

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's signatures 

during the scrutiny, reports 

UNB. 

A letter signed by BNP Secretary 

General Mirza Fakhrul Islam 

Alamgir was submitted to Chief 

Election Commissioner KM Nurul 

Huda with such complaints. 

"The returning officer cancelled 

our aspirants' nomination papers 

in all the three constituencies in 

Manikganjquestioning the signatures 

of our party's general secretary," 

BNP chairperson's adviser 

Bijon Kanti Sarkar told reporters 

after handing over the letter to the 

EC Secretary. 

Bijon said Fakhrul also informed 

the matter to the Election 

Besides, the Election Commission 

rejected the nominations of BNP's 

two other candidates-Morshed 

Milton and Sarkar Badal-as both of 

them were holding the posts of 

Upazila Chairmen, said district 

returning officer Foyez Ahmed. 

Awami League's candidate Dr 

Mostafa Alam Nannu and three 

independent candidates-Ferdous 

Ara Khan, Rezaul Karim Bablu and 

Abdur Razzak- are now in the race as 

their nomination papers were 

accepted by the EC. 

In Manikganj-2, the nominations 

BNP candidate Engineer Mainul 

Islam Khan was declared illegal 

questioning the authenticity of party 

secretary general Mirza Fakhrul 

Islam Alamgir's signature during the 

scrutiny. 

Another party candidate and 

SingairUpazila Chairman Abidur 

Rahman Roman's candidature was 

also revoked as his resignations letter 

from the upazila chairman post 

was not accepted. 

However, the nominations of 

Awami League candidate singer 

Mamtaz Begum, Bikolpa Dhara 

Bangladesh's Golam Sarwar Milon, 

Bangladesh Tarikat Federation's 

Mohammad Ferdous Ahmed Asif 

and Islami Andolon Bangladesh's 

Mohammad Ali were announced as 

valid. 

Commission making phone calls to 

the EC Secretary. 

Later, the EC Secretary suggested 

BNP to file an appeal against 

the decision of the retuning officer 

informing that the Commission 

has nothing to do now in this stage 

as the nomination papers have 

already been rejected, Bijon added. 

In the letter, Fakhrul said, "The 

Deputy Commissioner of 

Manikganj (also the returning officer) 

didn't accept my signature 

used in the nomination papers, 

which is unexpected." 

He said, "I firmly inform that I 

myself put signatures on all the 

nomination papers and there is no 

scope of any doubt." 

The BNP Secretary General 

asked the Election Commission to 

issue directives to all the returning 

officers, including the Manikganj 

one, to accept his signature.

NEWS 

MoNDAY, 

DECEMBER 3, 2018 

2 

Chairman of the Task Force on Refugees, Kujendra Lal Tripura MP inaugurated the 21st Anniversary 

of Parbatya Chattogram Treaty on Sunday. 

Photo: Star Mail 

Woman held 

with Yaba 

from Cox's 

Bazar Airport 

COX'S BAZAR : Police 

arrested a young woman 

with 750 pieces of 

contraband Yaba pills from 

Cox's Bazar Airport on 

Saturday afternoon, reports 

UNB. 

The arrestee was identified 

as Nafiza Akhter, 21, 

daughter of Mithapukur 

upazila of Panchagarh 

district. 

Khairuzzaman, officer-incharge 

(investigation) of 

Sadar Police Station, said 

immigration police detained 

the woman with the yaba 

pills while she was trying to 

get in a flight for Dhaka 

around 3 pm and informed 

the police. 

On information, police 

arrested Nafiza and brought 

him to the police station for 

interrogation, the OC added. 

Three killed 

in Pabna 

road crash 

PABNA : Three workers 

were killed while another 

injured as a truck 

overturned in Nurpur 

Bypass area of Sadar upazila 

on Sunday morning, reports 

UNB. 

The identities of the 

deceased could not be 

known yet. 

Obaidul Haque, officer-incharge 

of Sadar Police 

Station, said the accident 

took place around 6:30 am 

when the wooden log-laden 

truck overturned after the 

driver lost its control over 

the wheel, leaving the trio 

dead and one injured. 

The injured was admitted 

at Sadar Hospital. 

BCL assault on 

journalist, cultural 

activists at RU 

RAJSHAHI : Some Chhatra League men 

brutally beat up a journalist and six cultural 

activists of different groups on Saturday 

afternoon as they protested the airing of a 

Kolkata-Bangla film called 'Dahan' at the 

campus auditorium, reports UNB. 

The injured were identified as journalist 

Ali Yanus Hridoy, General Secretary of 

Rajshahi University Journalist Association, 

Pragatisheel Chhatra Jote coordinator 

Mahabbat Hossain Milion, Chhatra Union 

President Shakil Hossain, Publicity 

Secretary Mithun Chandra Hemanta, 

Chhatra Federation's Publicity Secretary 

Israfil, activist Rashed Rimon, Arshaful 

Alam. 

Eyewitness said the cultural leaders and 

activists took their position in front of Kazi 

Nazrul Islam Auditorium to stop cinema 

produced by JAAZ Multimedia as it could 

create anarchy in the campus. 

They made discussion with the university 

proctor in this regard but failed to reach a 

solution. 

At one stage, they told the spectators not to 

enter the auditorium. Following the incident, 

some Chhatra League leaders and activists 

attack and beaten them up, leaving Mithun 

Chandra Hemanta's hand broken, they 

added. 

RU proctor professor Lutfor Rahman said, 

"I went to make them understand but they 

did not listen to me." 

RU unit general secretary Faisal Ahmed 

Runu said they visited the spot and found the 

cultural leaders assault the proctor. 

JAAZ Multimedia took rent the university 

auditorium for displaying the cinema here as 

the city's cinema hall 'Upohar' closed since 

October 11. 

CEC urged 

to disqualify 

Jashore-2 

candidate 

Nasir Uddin 

Jashore Correspondent: 

Humayun Kabir, a 

resident of Jhikargachha has 

sent a letter to the Chief 

Election Commissioner 

(CEC) demanding to 

disqualify Awami League 

nominee Major General 

(retd) Md Nasir Uddin from 

Jashore-2 constituency. 

In his letter, he mentioned 

that Major General (retired) 

Nasir Uddin is disqualified 

as a candidate for the 

election according to the 

Representation of the 

People Order (RPO). He was 

on retirement leave on 31 

December 2014 as a retired 

army officer. Till December 

31, 2015 he was in service as 

an LPR. He retired from the 

army on 31 December 2015. 

According to the 

Representation of the 

People Order, the 

government officials who 

have retired at least three 

years ago are only eligible for 

the election. But Major 

General (retired) Nasir 

Uddin's three years of 

retirement will be completed 

on December 31 this year. So 

according to the RPO 12 

paragraph (1), he cannot 

participate in the election. 

Nevertheless, he submitted 

the nomination papers for 

the upcoming eleventh 

parliamentary elections 

which are contrary to the 

RPO. The accuser has 

demanded to take legal 

action after scrutinizing the 

nomination paper of the 

candidate according to the 

relevant RPO. 

Some voters of 

Jhikargaccha and 

Chaugachha also issued 

letters to the Returning 

Officer and Deputy 

Commissioner regarding the 

same issue. 

Jana Songhoti Samiti organized a meeting at Rangamati District Shilpakala Academy auditorium 

marking 21st anniversary of Parbatya Chattogram treaty. 


Kotalipara's dilapidated 

health complex a 

danger to patients 

GOPALGANJ : More 

than 300 ofpatientsof 

Kotalipara upazila are 

taking treatment inside 

dilapidated buildings every 

day amid heightened risk 

of an accident occurring at 

the Upazila Health 

Complex. 

Theirsufferinghas 

worsened as surgeries have 

stopped taking place at the 

complex since last April, 

now over 7 months, due to 

shortage of doctors, nurses 

and other necessary 

facilities,patientssaid. 

A notice signed by the 

hospital authorities on the 

dilapidated second floor of 

the building warns 

thatpatientsthemselves are 

responsible for taking 

treatment there, said 

Jacqueline Runu Boddho, 

senior stuff nurse of the 

health complex, reports 

UNB. 

On a spot visit, UNB 

correspondent found a big 

portion of the ceiling on the 

2ndfloor has loosened and 

cracks have developed in 

various parts of 

buildings.Patients, doctors 

and nurses have been 

injured by falling bits of the 

edifice at different times in 

the past. The parts still 

standing are at risk of 

collapse at any given 

moment. 

The health complex 

Gd-1535/18 (5 x 3) 

building was built 40 years 

back. Although it has seen 

the number of beds in the 

hospital attached increase 

to 50 beds from 20 beds 

during this period, today 

only nine doctors are 

serving against the 22 

doctors at the start. The 9 

doctors are responsible for 

the 350,000 (3.5 lakh) 

people living in the upazila, 

a ratio of nearly 1:40,000, 

against 1:12,790 nationally. 

Talking to UNB, 

apatientBillal Khandakar 

of Laxirpar village in the 

upazila, said the 

dilapidated condition of 

the hospital building is due 

to lack of maintenance and 

renovation for long. 

"I amsufferingfrom 

typhoid for last couple of 

days. If the loosened ceiling 

parts collapse on me, I will 

die," he feared. But he was 

compelled to get admitted 

here as he could not get 

skillful doctors in the other 

hospitals, he added. 

Nasrin Begum of 

Chitrapra village recalled 

how pregnant women had 

benefited from the 

facilities, including 

caesarean section 

operations, at the health 

complex. 

But those facilities have 

closed in the last seven 

months as there is no 

gynaecologist and 

anaesthetist in the health 

complex, she added. 

Pankaj Adhakari of 

Dharbasail village and Poly 

Khanam of Mathbari 

village also praised the 

skilful and dedicated 

doctors of the Complex for 

looking after the people. 

At present, they are very 

worried about their 

admittedpatientsfor 


the hospital, they added. 

Upazila Health and 

Family Planning Officer Dr 

Premandrao Nath said the 

Engineering Department 

of the Health Ministry, a 

specialised department, 

declared the building 

'abandoned' a long time 

ago. 

"We do not want to 

admitpatientsdue to the 


the building but they insist 

on getting admitted. We 

hung up a notice in this 

connection," Dr Nath said. 

Saying the number 

ofpatientsthey need to look 

at in such circumstances 

daily number between 

300-400, the doctor also 

had some good news, 

revealing a new hospital 

building with modern 

facilities was set to be built 

within three months 

replacing the old complex. 

The planning for the new 

complex is complete. 

Gd-1531/18 (6 x 3) 

Communal harmony, 

peace prevailing in 

CHT region: Bir 

Bahadur 

DHAKA : State Minister for CHT Affairs Ministry Bir 

Bahadur Ushwe Sing yesterday said communal harmony, 

peace and development process are prevailing in 

Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region. 

"We are taking various development programmes to 

accelerate development process in CHT region," he told a 

discussion marking the completion of 21 years of the CHT 

Peace Accord in the CIRDAP auditorium here. 

Bir Bahadur said the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had taken development 

programmes for the development of CHT region. But the 

development programmes have been hampered after 

assassination of Bangabandhu, he added. 

The present government is implementing various 

development project at a cost of Taka ten thousand crore 

he said adding, peace treaty is expediting socioeconomic 

and cultural development of the people in CHT region. 

Chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board 

(CHTDB) Nobo Bikrom Kishore Tripura, among others, 

addressed the discussion with Secretary of CHT Affairs 

Ministry Md Nurul Amin in the chair. 

The treaty was signed on December 2, 1997 between the 

government and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati 

Samiti (PCJSS) during the first tenure of Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina, ending bloody conflicts in three hill 

districts. 

The then Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Abul Hasnat 

Abdullah signed the agreement on behalf of the 

government while Joritindra Bodhipriyo Larma (Santu 

Larma) on behalf of PCJSS. 

Gd-1530/18 (6 x 3) 

Dbœq‡bi MYZš¿ 

†kL nvwmbvi g~jgš¿

METRO 

MONDAY, DECEMBEr 3, 2018 

3 

Int'l Day of Persons with 

Disabilities today 

DHAKA : International Day of 

Persons with Disabilities and National 

Disabled Day-2018 will be observed in 

the country as elsewhere in the world 

today aiming to create mass awareness 

to extend supports and provide 

adequate facilities for the people with 

differently able. 

On the eve of the day, President M 

Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina issued separate 

messages, urging local and foreign 

organisations and the affluent section 

of society to extend their helping hands 

for the welfare of the people with 

disabilities. 

They wished success of all 

programmes of the day and greeted all 

people with disabilities, their families 

and organizations working for them. 

Both appreciated the theme of the 

day, "Empowering persons with 

disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness 

and equity", saying it was important to 

achieve the Sustainable Development 

Goals (SDGs). 

President Hamid said it is imperative 

to integrate people with disabilities 

with the mainstream of development to 

ensure their empowerment. 

"People with disabilities are 

inseparable part of society. They would 

have to be developed as worthy citizens 

providing them with all facilities," he 

said and appreciated various 

government programmes taken for 

their development. 

The premier, on the other hand, said 

all sorts of physical and mental 

disabilities are part of the human 

Prof Ali gets best 

paper award at 

int'l conference 

DHAKA :Professor Dr. Muhammad Mahboob Ali of Dhaka 

School of Economics was honored as "Best Paper award" at an 

international conference in Thailand. 

The two-day international conference organized by Faculty of 

Business, Economics and communications of Naresuan 

University, Phitsanulok in Thailand ended November 30, said a 

press release. 

Professor James E. Owers of the Department of Economics at 

Harvarad University also spoke among others in the opening 

ceremony. Professor Dr Ali given the award on the accounting 

and finance track on "Alternative model to support creative 

Entrepreneurship through NGO or community banking in an 

emerging economy: A case study of BNF-Bangladesh". 

He argued sustainable economic growth with employability 

micro savings should be used for micro investment at rural areas 

through arranging community banking under separate 

regulatory bodies. 

diversity. 

She said the present government 

implemented various programmes 

since 2009 to link the disabled people 

with the mainstream of the 

development. 

"We have already enacted Persons 

with Disabilities Rights and Protection 

Act 2013, Neuro Developmental 

Disability Protection Trust Act, 2013 

and established service centers to 

support the disabled person in our 

country," the premier added. 

She urged all not to treat persons 

with disability as burden of society as 

"we are working relentlessly to make 

them as human resources through 

providing all necessary facilities, 

including education, healthcare and 

employment opportunities." 

Bangladesh 

cultural delegation 

visits Ethiopia 

DHAKA : A 13-member Bangladesh cultural 

delegation led by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy 

(BSA) Director Md Shawkat Farooque has recently 

visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

"The cultural delegation performed cultural 

activities featuring dance and songs in a festival held at 

a local hotel at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 23 

November," said a BSA official here. 

The event titled 'Reflection of Bangladesh' was 

jointly organised by BSA and Cultural Ministry of 

Bangladesh, he added. Other members of the 

delegation include Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of 

Culture GM Rafiqul Islam and singers - Tapan 

Chowdhury and Fahmida Nabi, 

among others. Ethiopian State Minister of Foreign 

Affairs Dr Markos Tekle attended the festival as the 

chief guest. 

Participants strike a pose at the concluding ceremony of an Induction program at DAM office of the 

capital city. 

Photo : TBT 

Govt refutes social media 

rumour on 'purchasing' 

teachers involved in polls 

DHAKA : The 

government yesterday 

refuted an issue spread on 

social media about 

'purchasing' teachers and 

employees involved in the 

electoral process, terming it 

orchestrated rumor 

centering the forthcoming 

election. 

"The news on social media 

about purchasing polling 

agents by paying Taka 225 

crore to non-government 

teachers-employees welfare 

trust through a cheque 

numbered-Ka 7211014, 

dated 25/11/18 is a 

motivated rumor centering 

the election," said a PID 

handout. 

It said 'rumour 

identification and 

prevention cell' of the 

Information Ministry has 

confirmed the matter as 

rumour, completely untruth 

and motivated. 

The actual information is 

that the non-government 

teachers-employees welfare 

trust and retirement benefit 

fund is used only for the 

MPO-listed nongovernment 

teachers and 

employees who have already 

retired, the handout said. 

"This allotment is never 

used for those who are now 

in service. None of the 

retired teachers or 

employees discharges 

electoral duties. The 

incumbent teachers and 

employees of the republic 

discharge electoral duties," 

it said. 

As the allotment is not for 

incumbent teachers and 

employees, there is no 

question of getting benefits 

by the teachers and 

employees involved in the 

polls process from the 

funds, the handout added. 

"So, the information of 

'purchasing polling agent' 

for Taka 225 crore is a 

rumor," it said. 

5 DU students get 'Editor 

Abdus Salam Trust Fund' 

scholarships 

DHAKA : Five students ofthe Mass Communication 

andJournalism department of Dhaka University (DU) on 

Sunday received 'Editor Abdus Salam Trust Fund' 

scholarships for their excellent academic results in the BSS 

examination, reports UNB. 

Besides, Bangladesh's first female photojournalist Sayeda 

Khanam received 'Lifetime Achievement Award' for her 

contribution to the journalism sector at a programme held at 

the Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury auditorium of Social 

Science building at the university. 

DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman handed 

over the award and scholarships among the recipients as the 

chief guest. 

DU Treasurer Prof Dr Md Kamal Uddin presided over the 

function while Chairman of the Mass Communication and 

Journalism department Prof Dr Kaberi Gayen spoke among 

others. 

The recipients of the scholarships are Dipok Chandra Roy, 

Monir Uddin, Md Raihan Kabir, Md Chunnu Khan and Md 

Mahabubur Rahaman. 

Nasim asks students 

not to get admitted 

into banned medical 

colleges 

DHAKA : Health and 

Family Welfare Minister 

Mohammed Nasim yesterday 

asked the students not to get 

admitted into those private 

medical colleges banned by 

the ministry as the 

government would not take 

any responsibility for it, 

reports BSS. 

"We would not take 

responsibility if any student 

gets admitted into those 

private medical colleges 

banned by the ministry for 

irregularities," he said. 

He was presiding over a 

meeting on the policy of 

private medical colleges, said 

a press release. 

Nasin said "Moreover we 

would take stern action 

against the authorities of the 

banned private medical 

colleges and cancel the 

registration of the students," 

he added. 

He urged the Bangladesh 

Medical and Dental Council 

(BMDC) to look into the 

matter of cancelation of 

registration of the students. 

Secretary of the ministry 

GM Salehuddin, Chittagong 

Medical University Vice- 

Chancellor Professor Dr. M 

Ismail, President of 

Swadhinata Chikitsak 

Parishad (Swachip) Prof Dr. 

Iqbal Arslan, Secretary 

General of Bangladesh 

Medical Association (BMA) 

Dr M Ehteshamul Huq Dulal 

and BMDC President 

Professor Dr Shahidullah 

were present, among others. 

Country's renowned Media Personality and Head of News of Channel i Shykh Seraj speaking as the 

chief guest at the seminar on 'Agriculture Journalism: A Case Study on Hredoye Mato O 

Manush'organized by Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Daffodil 

International University. 

Photo : Courtesy 

Japan to give 500m 

yen for primary 

education 

DHAKA : Japan will 

provide 500 million 

Japanese yen or 

approximately Taka 

36.89 crore as grants to 

Bangladesh for the 

Fourth Primary 

Education Development 

Program aimed to impart 

quality education to all 

children from preprimary 

to grade 5. 

"In this regard, 

'Exchange of Notes' and 

'Grant Agreement' will be 

signed on December 10 at 

the NEC-2 Conference 

Room in the city's Sher-e- 

Bangla Nagar area," said 

an official at the Economic 

Relations Division (ERD). 

The official told BSS that 

ERD Secretary Monowar 

Ahmed will sign both the 

documents, while 

Japanese Ambassador to 

Dhaka Hiroyasu Izumi will 

sign the 'Exchange of 

Notes' while Chief 

Representative of JICA, 

Bangladesh Office Hitoshi 

Hirata will sign the 'Grant 

Agreement'. 

Officials at the Ministry 

of Primary and Mass 

Education said the 

program will strengthen 

the capacities of 

institutions at all levels of 

primary education offices 

and increase the support 

for schools and upazilas 

with more resources linked 

to their needs and 

performance. 

Closing ceremony of three-days long National Debate Championship organized by 

Southeast University Debate Club (SEUDC) held on Saturday at SEU Permanent Campus, 

Tejgaon, Dhaka. 

Photo : Courtesy 

Three-days long National Debate 

Championship ends at SEU 

The closing ceremony of three-days 

long National Debate Championship 

organized by Southeast University 

Debate Club (SEUDC) held on 

Saturday at SEU Permanent Campus, 

Tejgaon, Dhaka. Prof. Dr. ANM 

Meshquat Uddin, Vice Chancellor of 

SEU chaired the ceremony while Prof. 

Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud, Former 

Adviser to the Caretaker Government 

of Bangladesh & Former Professor, 

Dept. of Economics, University of 

Dhaka was the Chief Guest, a press 

release said. 

Nasir Ahmed, Eminent Poet and 

The program is expected 

to directly benefit 18.6 

million students, about 

340,000 teachers, and 

more than 65,000 schools 

that are under the 

management of the 

Ministry of Primary and 

Mass Education. 

The government will 

provide $13.2 billion of the 

total $14.7 billion program 

cost, while the other cofinanciers 

are the World 

Bank, ADB, UNICEF and 

European Union. 

Bangladesh achieved 

almost universal access to 

primary education by 2016 

with a 98 percent net 

enrollment rate. The 

efficiency of primary 

education has also 

improved. 

The funding will help the 

government to improve the 

quality and equity of 

primary education through 

the Fourth Primary 

Education Development 

Program. 

The program aims to 

reduce double-shift 

operations at schools by 

recruiting more teachers 

and building more 

classrooms, step up teacher 

education and provide 

needs-based training for 

teachers and teacher 

educators, reform 

examinations and 

assessments, as well as 

enrich teaching and 

learning resources such as 

with digital materials. 

It will also expand 

education services for outof-school 

children through 

learning centers, bring 

more children with special 

education needs and 

disabilities to schools, 

improve school-level 

performance and management, 

and strengthen institutions. 

To improve the learning 

environment, the program 

will provide gendersegregated 

and disabilityaccessible 

sanitation and 

safe water in almost all 

schools. New construction 

and major retrofitting will 

meet disaster risk 

resilience requirements, 

especially in disaster-prone 

areas. 

Director of News, BTV, Syed Ishtiaque 

Reza, Editor-in-Chief, GTV attended 

the program as Special Guests. 

Among others, M. Kamaluddin 

Chowdhury, Member of BOT, SEUT, 

Prof. Dr. AFM Mafizul Islam, Adviser, 

BOT & Head of BOT Office, SEUT, 

Maj Gen Kazi Fakruddin Ahmed 

(Retd.), Registrar, Prof. Dr. Abul Lais 

M.S. Haque, Dean, School of Science 

& Engineering, chairmen, faculty 

members and students also attended 

the program. 56 teams from different 

colleges and universities across the 

country participated in the 

DMP files 

3,085 

cases for 

traffic rule 

violation 

DHAKA : Traffic division 

of the Dhaka Metropolitan 

Police (DMP) in their 

simultaneous drives on the 

city streets on Saturday filed 

3,085 cases against different 

modes of vehicles for traffic 

rule violation. 

It also realized around 

Taka 17.31lakh as fine for 

traffic rule violation, said an 

official release. 

Of the total cases, 265 

cases were lodged for driving 

on wrong sides, 53 for using 

hydraulic horn, seven for 

using hotter and beckon 

light and 13 others for using 

tinted glass. Police filed 824 

cases against motorcycles 

and seized 92 others for 

violation of the traffic rules. 

Traffic police has dumped 

36 vehicles and wrecked 564 

others. 

Shaheed Lt Badiuzzaman's 

death anniversary observed 

DHAKA : The 47th death anniversary of Shaheed 

Lieutenant Ibn Fazal Badiuzzaman, Bir Protik, was observed 

today in a befitting manner. 

Marking the anniversary, Shaheed Lieutenant 

Badiuzzaman Bir Protik Smriti Sangsad O Pathagar 

organised qurankhwanis and doa mahfils at Badiuzzaman's 

residence and his grave in Akhaura, an ISPR press release 

said. 

Shaheed Badiuzzaman was killed when an artillery cell fell 

on him during a front fight against the Pakistan military force 

at Ramdhan Nagar village under Akhaura upazila in 

Brahmanbaria on December 3 in 1971. 

In 1949, Badiuzzaman was born at Kashiani upazila in 

Gopalganj. 

competition where Rajuk Uttara 

Model College and BAF Shaheen 

College, Dhaka won the Champion 

and Runner up Trophy in the college 

level and Rajshahi University Moot 

Court Society and Bangladesh 

University of Textiles Debate Club 

won the Champion and Runner up 

Trophy in the university level 

respectively. Best speaker from both 

levels and Debater of the Tournament 

also awarded in the program. 

Renowned band group 'Shironamhin' 

& other singers performed at the end 

of the program.

EDITORIAL 

MonDAy, 


4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

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

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Monday, December 3, 2018 

Aiding prospects 

of IT industry 

The IT industry is a relatively new sector in our country's 

economybut it is already making a notable contribution to 

the national economy ; it is considered an important growth 

industry. The Bangladesh Association of Software and 

Information Services (BASIS) was established in 1997 as the 

national trade body for software and IT service industry. Starting 

with only 17 member companies, by 2009 membership had grown 

to 326. 

In a study among Asian countries by Japan International 

Cooperation Agency in 2007-08, Bangladesh was ranked first in 

software and IT services competitiveness and third in 

competencies, after India and China. The World Bank, in a study 

projected triple digit growth for Bangladesh in IT services and 

software exports. Bangladesh was also listed as one of the top 30 

countries for offshore Services by Gartner.The Internet 

penetration has also grown to 21.27 percent in 2012, up from 3.2 

percent three years prior.[11] As the Internet usage increases, the 

government expects the IT sector to add 7.28 percent to GDP 

growth by 2021.[11] 

At present Information Technology (IT) is a subject of 

widespread interest in Bangladesh. There are around 100 software 

houses, 35 data entry centres, thousands of formal and informal IT 

training centres and numerous computer shops. The Government 

has declared IT as a thrust sector and that computer training 

centre will be set up in each divisional and district headquarters of 

Bangladesh. Import of computer hardware and software is now 

duty free, VSAT is deregulated, high speed DDN (Digital Data 

Network) has been introduced. One fourth of the 45 

recommendations of JRC report on software export has already 

been implemented; rest is in the process of implementation. A 

tremendous activity is going on in every sector including e- 

commerce, e-governance, computer networking, Internet, web 

browsing, web applications, multimedia product development, etc. 

Some active steps and initiatives are already there, as described 

below for an exposure of the present and future prospects of IT in 

Bangladesh. 

Bangladesh has one of the lowest tele-density in Asia, with a 

mere 0.6 (in India 1.5) lines per 100 people. In terms of phone 

connectivity, the charge of Bangladesh Telephone and Telegraph 

Board (BTTB) is one of the highest in the world, approximately 

US$500.00 (in India US$60) for normal single telephone line 

connection. However, there has been significant improvement in 

services of telecommunication within last few years. Present 

government is also trying to get additional telephone lines from a 

Canadian firm. If these telephone lines are available in Bangladesh, 

most of the PC users will be able to use internet and find a scope to 

build up international career. 

The associations and professional bodies who are playing vital 

role to develop the IT sector in Bangladesh are as follows: 

Bangladesh Computer Society (BCS) was formed in 1979. This is 

an association of the IT Professionals. Bangladesh Computer 

Samity (BCS) was formed in 1987. This is basically an association 

of Computer Vendors.Bangladesh Association of Software and 

Information Services (BASIS) was formed in 1998 to promote the 

interest of IT business, especially for software development and 

related IT services. Bangladesh Software Marketing and 

Promotions (BSMP), a private organisation, has been formed with 

the view to helping the local computer programmers and promote 

their software. Bangladesh Computer Writers Association has 

been formed to promote the writers activities in the country. 

Bangladesh Association for Information Technology Education 

(BAITE) has been formed to promote the activities toward 

standardising informal IT education in the country. 

Well-trained Bangladeshi IT professionals can start their 

business like Data entry, Web development, Multimedia, ISP and 

Medical Data Transcription services, Cybercafe and IT Training 

Centre. They can easily get financial help from bank. A number of 

government banks have already started credit programmes to 

encourage the entrepreneurs in software industry. Some private 

banks are using our locally developed software too. However, due 

to some constraints the outcome is not up to the expectation. 

The Government of Bangladesh has taken some important 

initiatives to develop our IT sector. Still we are waiting to see a 

fruitful change in our Information Technology. However, some 

remarkable steps of government are highlighted for information : 

IT has been declared as a thrust sector. Quick implementation of 

the recommendations of JRC report (a high powered committee 

for software export) is imperative. Hundred percent remittances 

of profit and capital gains for foreign investors without any 

approval is also an important pending issue. Human resource is 

the most important component for IT industry. Bangladesh has a 

huge educated, unemployed youth force with the ability to read 

and write English. The country can take advantage of its immense 

manpower to train and prepare programmers and IT 

professionals. Government has already started a project to develop 

Computer Programmers in Bangladesh. All the universities are 

offering one year post-graduate Diploma course for the graduates. 

Our unemployed educated persons can take this opportunity to 

build their career as IT professionals. Young generation in 

Bangladesh is very enthusiastic and has correctly identified IT as 

the future of the country. There are numerous computer clubs, 

computer festivals, programming contests, web design contests, IT 

related seminars and discussions in many cities of the country. 

There are about 16 magazines and four digital IT magazines are 

being published monthly and some daily newspapers publish IT 

pages once/twice a week. A few of the magazines are in 

collaboration with other international magazines, however, most 

of these are Bangladeshi origin. There are a few interactive sites 

and forums. A number of business centres and cybercafes have 

started up recently. Most of these business centres provide e-mail; 

e-mail to fax, phonefax services and cyber cafes offer Internet 

browsing. 

Recently there has been a surge in E-commerce activities in 

Bangladesh. There are E-commerce related seminars and 

symposiums in the country almost everyday and all the major 

training centres are offering courses on E-commerce. Government 

is now formulating laws for e-commerce to enhance the business 

rapidly and smoothly. 

Some private organisations have already started to work for 

setting up IT park and IT villages in the country. Some investors 

are foreigners and they are very much interested to build 

Bangladeshi students as IT professionals. They have already 

started to commission their views. Our Bangladeshi students can 

take this chance and hit the international job market in the IT field. 

There are lot of scopes of working and entering into the 

international market. Just we have to take proper initiatives. 

Bangladeshi IT professionals have a good demand in international 

IT job market, which has been proved by some of our BUET 

students. 

Bangladeshi students should be more aware about Information 

Technology and they should take proper decision to build their 

career. Indians have changed their whole financial position by IT. 

Their government also is very much serious about IT. Any way, 

Bangladesh has a long way to go in a very short time to enjoy the 

fruits of information age. It will be only possible when there will be 

geater political commitment with better IT infrastructure, internal 

network, country domain and above all further high speed fibre 

optic link to the Information Superhighway. 

What makes the G20 summit so valuable 

Russian President Vladimir Putin 

arrives for a meeting on the 

sidelines of the G20 leaders summit 

in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 1, 

2018. (Reuters) 

The first G20 summit was convened in 

2008 during the height of the financial 

crisis. Leaders met to avert a financial 

meltdown not seen since the Great 

Depression. In the face of danger, they 

cooperated well. The summits have had 

varied results since then. There is value in a 

gathering that represents 60 percent of the 

world's population and 85 percent of its 

gross domestic product (GDP). 

What has made the summits particularly 

valuable is that they have enlisted broader 

participation than the G7, particularly 

since Russia's expulsion from what used to 

be the G8. As such, the G20 is one of the 

few forums where Western leaders 

collectively engage with the Russian 

president. Thus it was a pity that US 

President Donald Trump cancelled his 

planned meeting with Vladimir Putin. 

Trump is no friend of multilateral 

mechanisms, preferring bilateral talks 

instead. He puts America first and favors 

trade restrictions. His skepticism of climate 

change is well known. This has made it 

hard to draft communiques, though 

officials are hopeful that they may get there 

this time. Trump has so far acted as the 

disrupter-in-chief at these summits, but he 

seems more conciliatory this time. 

He used the gathering to sign the US- 

Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), 

Steal, and you go to prison. But loot 

cultural artifacts? Museums have 

thrived off the practice for 

centuries. Take a stroll through some of 

the major museums in the world - the 

Metropolitan Museum of Art in New 

York, the British Museum, the 

Pergamon in Berlin - and ask yourself 

what they have in common. Answer: 

halls full of artifacts with disputed 

ownership. 

In this more enlightened age we live 

in, this clearly has to change. And how 

that change takes place will have major 

ramifications for collections of 

antiquities in legacy museums like 

those in London, Berlin and Paris. 

Meanwhile, new ethical protocols are 

being established by new museums, 

such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi. 

Perhaps I'm too scathing in my 

judgment of previous international 

museum acquisition practices, since 

most of the material that museums 

hold in their collections is donated or 

purchased from private collectors. Yet 

it is also true that many collectors - 

particularly those from the period of 

European colonialism - purchased 

artwork and historical artifacts in less 

than completely ethical circumstances. 

I'm not looking to incriminate 

museums for how they acquired art in 

the past, though I do think there should 

be more care taken in future 

acquisitions. Many, if not all, of the 

The International Labour 

Organisation estimates that 

worldwide, nearly 25 million 

children and adults of all ages and 

backgrounds are victims of human 

trafficking, including forced labour and 

sex trafficking. Every government in the 

world has a moral obligation to do all in 

its power to stop these heinous crimes 

within its borders. 

That is why United States President 

Donald Trump took strong action on 

Thursday to hold accountable those 

governments that have persistently failed 

to meet the minimum standards for 

combating human trafficking in their 

countries. 

Specifically, the president will limit the 

number of national-interest waivers and 

restrict certain types of foreign assistance 

for nearly two dozen governments of 

countries identified as "Tier 3" by the 

State Department's Trafficking in 

Persons Report. The report, the world's 

most comprehensive resource for 

governmental anti-trafficking efforts, 

places each country in tiers to highlight 

best practices and urge greater action to 

combat human trafficking. Tier 3 

countries are those that have neither met 

the minimum standards nor made a 

significant effort to adequately identify 

and protect trafficking victims, punish the 

traffickers or prevent human trafficking. 

The US is an extraordinarily generous 

nation, but this administration will no 

longer use taxpayer dollars to support 

governments that consistently fail to 

address trafficking. The most urgent 

types of assistance to these countries will 

continue, including humanitarian aid 

and lifesaving global health programmes 

which replaced the North American Free 

Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The 

automotive industry in all three countries 

sighed with relief when an 

accommodation was found. But it did not 

prevent Canadian Prime Minister Justin 

Trudeau from criticizing US tariffs on steel 

and aluminum. 

Trade will be top of the agenda, especially 

when looking at the US-China 

relationship. All eyes will be on the meeting 

between Trump and Chinese President Xi 

Jinping. The world is waiting with bated 

breath to see whether trade tensions 

between the two countries intensify. This 

would put a damper on Chinese economic 

growth and have ramifications on inflation 

in the US and beyond. 

The US supply chain would become 

significantly more expensive in line with 

Chinese components. Europeans, 

especially German car companies, 

manufacture products for export to China 

major museums in the world have 

items in their collections with 

contested ownership. Those 

complicated pasts now are haunting 

the present. Just this month, Tarita 

Alarcón Rapu, the governor of Easter 

Island, met with British Museum 

executives to parley over the return of 

Hoa Hakananai'a, a stone monolith 

said to be among the most important of 

those from the Chilean island and its 

people. The 4-ton object, called a moai, 

is said to represent tribal leaders or 

deified ancestors. Hoa Hakananai'a 

was taken in the 19th century by sailors 

from the British Navy and "given" to 

Queen Victoria. It has been in the 

hands of the British Museum for more 

than 150 years. Again, I'm not here to 

judge Britain's colonial past - at least in 

such as HIV treatment and Ebola 

preparedness and response. But the new 

restrictions will hold these governments 

accountable while providing further 

incentive for them to live up to their 

responsibility to end this scourge. The US 

will encourage Tier 3 countries to step up 

efforts to eliminate human trafficking, 

including the establishment of new laws 

and national action plans. 

The president's directive is the latest in 

an administration-wide push - including 

diplomatic, financial, educational, 

intelligence and law enforcement efforts - 

to confront this evil. In his first month in 

office, the president said he was 

"prepared to bring the full force and 

weight of our government" to end human 

trafficking, and he signed an executive 

order directing federal law enforcement 

to prioritise dismantling the criminal 

organisations behind forced labour, sex 

trafficking, involuntary servitude and 

child exploitation. 

Following the president's directive, the 

Justice Department secured a record 499 

human trafficking convictions in fiscal 

2017, a 14 per cent increase over the 

CoRnElIA MEyER 

AlEXA MEnA 

IvAnkA TRUMP 

in the US. BMW and Volkswagen would be 

particularly hard hit by an intensifying 

trade war between the US and China. 

German car manufacturers would be even 

harder hit if Trump makes good on his 

threat to impose tariffs on European cars. 

The G20 is one of the few forums where 

Western leaders collectively engage with 

the Russian president. 

The US-China rift goes well beyond 

trade though. It is also about the two 

Trade will be top of the agenda, especially when 

looking at the US-China relationship. All eyes will be 

on the meeting between Trump and Chinese 

President Xi Jinping. The world is waiting with 

bated breath to see whether trade tensions between 

the two countries intensify. This would put a damper 

on Chinese economic growth and have ramifications 

on inflation in the US and beyond. 

countries' geopolitical presence on the 

world stage. Over the last two decades, 

China has advanced its global presence 

through economic policy combined with 

soft power. Africa is a case in point, as is 

Asia, where the Belt and Road Initiative 

(BRI) has increased China's economic and 

geopolitical presence. 

China's presence is also intensely felt in 

Latin America, where Chinese companies 

have been behind at least 150 

infrastructure projects since 2002. China 

the matter of museums - but what I 

find troubling is that when it was asked 

to return the artifact, the museum 

offered to "loan" it. It is offensive, in 

bad taste and bad faith for the British 

Museum to offer to loan the monolith 

to Easter Island, when that is where the 

monolith was unrightfully taken from. 

Of course, returning an artifact that 

has been in a museum for more than a 

century is a complex matter, but this is 

Many, if not all, of the major museums in the world have 

items in their collections with contested ownership. 

Those complicated pasts now are haunting the present. 

Just this month, Tarita Alarcón Rapu, the governor of 

Easter Island, met with British Museum executives to 

parley over the return of Hoa Hakananai'a, a stone 

monolith said to be among the most important of those 

from the Chilean island and its people. 

not an isolated incident. Greece has 

asked for the return of what the British 

call the Elgin marbles (the Greeks call 

them the Parthenon marbles), and 

Nigeria for what are called the Benin 

Bronzes (the British Museum has, 

again, offered to "loan" these to a 

museum being built in Nigeria; I sense 

a pattern). Clearly, the moment has 

previous year. The director of national 

intelligence elevated human trafficking to 

a top priority for the US intelligence 

community. Despite a deeply polarised 

political climate, the Fight Online Sex 

Trafficking Act - Stop Enabling Sex 

Traffickers Act championed by the White 

House gained strong bipartisan support 

on Capitol Hill this year, and in April, the 

president signed into law this landmark 

legislation to fight online sex trafficking. 

The administration is also working to 

better identify, protect and assist 

trafficking victims on their paths to safety 

and recovery. In fiscal 2017, the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services identified 13,314 potential 

victims of human trafficking through 

local community coalitions, and between 

July 2016 and June 2017, the Justice 

Department helped more than 8,000 

survivors receive services such as 

housing, medical care, legal assistance, 

advocacy and case management. 

Last month, the president hosted at the 

White House the President's Interagency 

Task Force to Monitor and Combat 

Trafficking in Persons, marking the first 

keeps Venezuela's economy afloat with 

loans, just about, and receives interest in 

the form of crude oil. Xi and Argentina's 

president will sign a contract for a nuclear 

power plant that will be built using Chinese 

technology. Latin America is the backyard 

of the US, and over the last 15 years China's 

presence has crept up pretty much 

unnoticed. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was 

sorely missed on the first day of the 

summit. She arrived late because her 

official plane had technical problems. 

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia are 

boiling over since their latest spat, which 

began when Russia's navy rammed 

Ukrainian ships and took their sailors as 

prisoners. 

Russia's annexation of the Crimean 

Peninsula in 2014 remains an issue that 

does not just worry Ukraine but also 

NATO. When the issue first erupted, 

Merkel's leadership was instrumental in 

calming things down somewhat. 

The G20 has been dubbed the "real 

OPEC" meeting by some analysts as Saudi 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 

Putin and Trump are in attendance. All of 

the above proves that trade, energy, the 

climate and stewardship of the global 

economy are far too important to be 

addressed solely by member states of the 

Organization for Economic Co-operation 

and Development (OECD). 

Source : Arab news 

A new model for how museums should collect, exhibit artifacts 

come to deal with the complicated 

nature of the ownership of historical 

artifacts. 

In making its defense, the British 

Museum offered this excuse: "The 

Museum is a unique resource for the 

world: the breadth and depth of its 

collection allow a global public to 

examine cultural identities and explore 

the complex network of interconnected 

human cultures." 

In other words, it claims to offer a 

service to the world as the focal point of 

global culture. Come to London and 

see the patrimony of the world - saving 

the cultural tourist from having to 

troop out to Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, 

Greece, the Pacific islands and so on. 

The British Museum offers itself up as 

a one-stop shop for universal culture. 

Across the Channel in France, 

however, President Emmanuel Macron 

is taking the lead in a more enlightened 

approach and has promised to return 

"without delay" 26 artifacts taken from 

Benin during the colonial period. The 

Élysée Palace has stressed that this 

would not be a one-off case. Indeed, the 

announcement follows the release of a 

report by experts in the field who 

recommend that Africa's heritage 

objects should be returned to their 

home countries. 

Source : Asia times 

US is taking bold action to combat the evil of human trafficking 

In his first month in office, the president said 

he was "prepared to bring the full force and 

weight of our government" to end human 

trafficking, and he signed an executive order 

directing federal law enforcement to prioritise 

dismantling the criminal organisations behind 

forced labour, sex trafficking, involuntary 

servitude and child exploitation. 

time a president had participated in this 

meeting. More than 15 federal agencies, 

along with members of Congress, 

pledged to take additional action to 

address human trafficking. 

The Trump administration is working 

on many other fronts in this effort. It has 

committed more than $45 million 

(Dh165.5 million) to the Global Fund to 

End Modern Slavery, a public-private 

partnership that catalyses global efforts to 

remove the economic incentives behind 

these horrific crimes. The administration 

is also moving to modernise data 

collection and analysis. Only with 

complete data and timely analysis can we 

identify criminal actors and provide 

comprehensive services to victims. 

The president's insistence on 

negotiating smarter trade deals has 

included a special focus on strengthening 

the obligations of US trading partners to 

set fair labour standards and keep supply 

chains free of goods produced by forced 

labour. The recently announced United 

States-Mexico-Canada Agreement sets 

the bar high for future trade negotiations, 

reinforcing the Fosta-SESTA Act and 

ensuring US workers won't have to 

compete with foreign competitors who 

profit from forced labour. 

Finally, the Trump administration, in 

collaboration with the resilient survivors 

who serve on the US Advisory Council on 

Human Trafficking, is prioritising efforts 

to ensure law enforcement, immigration 

authorities and customs officials have the 

training and resources to identify victims 

of trafficking at US ports of entry and in 

local communities. 

Source : Gulf news

LAW & PUBLIC MONDAY, 


5 

The law should know 

everything 

Law Book Corner 

You are studying under the 

law! You are a lucky because you 

have to ability to teach law 

everyone. Day by day lawyer is 

increasing but general peoples 

are not aware to general law. 

When the people face to legal 

trouble and then they are forced 

to learn only the 

law. It is most 

important to know 

the law of all people, 

especially to protect 

people rights and to 

identify the 

country's right 

proper assessment. 

The government 

has given many 

opportunities to get 

information but 

many people are 

unable to know the 

information. Very 

much possible to 

spread out the law 

into the general 

people by the law 

makers, lawyers, 

and also law student's. 

Many lawyers has campaign to 

law for awareness. But it is very 

rare. Even if one begins to 

campaign for law once in a day, it 

can bring a big change in the 

society. If the people knows the 

law then he knows his rights and 

it can change very strongly of our 

society. The day is going to be as 

fast as we are. It is very much 

needed to know the law as it goes 

forward. If you know the law 

then your information ability is 

strongly upgraded. Those who 

are law expert I requested to him 

please at least one day in a 

month in your village home- You 

discuss a common law and 

information to the general 

people. You have to Discussed 

the transport laws, highlight the 

rights of civil rights, tell about 

the women rights, the issues of 

consumer rights, and the 

importance of local 

administration in land disputes. 

This will save the common 

people from fraud, Respect for 

the law will increase and also 

People will try to obey the law. If 

the man law will be considered 

only in danger time then a 

person think to learn law is 

danger! And if the law can be 

taught with encouragement, 

then it will be very easy to people 

follow the law. So the law will 

reach the people 

very easily. 

The government 

can take good 

action in this 

regard. "Law for 

all" campaign the 

government wants 

to make it 

compulsory after 

the graduation 

degree in internee 

site. If people 

know common 

laws - corruption 

will reduce and 

they easy to get all 

type government 

services. I hope 

the concerned 

authorities will 

take action in this regard and 

many people also will come 

forward from the stage. 

Sayed Chowdhury 

Executive Member, Upazilla 

Corruption Prevention Committee 

and Chemist 

Sreepur, Gazipur 

Email: 

aschowdhury88@gmail.com 

Text book on The Penal Code, 1860 

A Comprehensive Section Analysis and 

Case-laws thereof 

Written By- ARM Borhanuddin, Edited & 

Reviewed by: Khairul Islam (Taj) 

Publisher: University Publications, 

Dhaka, Bangladesh 

First Published: January, 2009 

Latest Edition: 3rd (September, 2017) 

ISBN: 984- 300- 002782-7 

Price: 1,300 Taka 

Number of Page: 820 

Number of Chapter: 23 

This book on Penal Code is widely circulated 

among the learners and Security Forces of 

Bangladesh. The book has been revised with latest 

information where relevant. 

Nearby 100 latest case decisions of Bangladesh 

Supreme Court reported in DLR including the latest 

68th DLR has been added in this book. All the 

sections in the book are written in both English and 

Bengali language. In previous edition, there were 

some spelling mistakes. The unwanted mistakes 

have been fixed to the possible extent in the very 3rd 

edition. This book incorporates approximately new 

1000 footnotes, in total about 3,000. Suitable 

analysis and commentary to the most important 

sections are also inserted which will facilitate the 

readers enormously. 

The book is a latest origin including the full Penal 

Code and relevant commentary and section analysis 

of the said bare Act. This book is an attempt to 

address penal law from the viewpoint of 

Bangladesh. The author's focus is to introduce 

Bangladeshi students to the current penal regimes 

and to familiarize them with these system that is 

highly necessary in courtyard. 

The book will keep the reader in touch with 

essential easy interpretation of terminologies likerape, 

abduction, murder, culpable homicide, 

forgery, dacoity, affray, riot, sexual harassment as 

well as crucial day to day life oriented terminologies 

in the field of Bangladesh. Most important feature of 

the book is comprehensible language and bold text 

pattern which will suit any law pupil. Discussions 

coming in the book can create effective legal 

mechanisms for penal justice. 

Whatever is ones professional interest, one will 

benefit from the analyses and recommendations of 

written nicely in this text book. The book is suitable 

for advocates, lawyers, academicians, researchers 

and law students of all levels from any university or 

law college. 

Idea of ADR in Criminal Justice 

system of Bangladesh 

ThE criminal justice system is one of 

the most recent ADR; Alternative 

Dispute Resolution, adopters and 

has been gaining popularity in many 

parts of the U.S. and around the world as 

an alternative to traditional retributive 

justice. Restorative practices generally 

bring the offender, the victim and the 

affected community meets in the 

presence of trained facilitators to discuss 

the incident and the behavior and to 

seek solutions. The offender, the victim 

and the community each has equal 

responsibility within the process and 

solutions are achieved through 

consensus. Currently restorative justice 

is most often used in juvenile justice. 

Legal system of Bangladesh is 

uncaring, non-accountable and 

formalistic. It delivers formal justice and 

it is oblivious of the sufferings and woos 

of litigants, of their waste of money, time 

and energy and of their engagement in 

unproductive activities, sometimes for 

decades. When they win a case, the 

result is much worse than losing it. On 

the other hand, when they lose a case, 

they lose not only the subject matter of 

the dispute, but also a good part of their 

fortune. 

If interlocutory matters are dragged up 

to the appellate or revision courts, their 

woos know no bounds and their agonies 

are prolonged for an indefinite period. 

Appeals from trial court decrees may 

reach unto the Appellate Division by 

which time the parties are thoroughly 

drenched in misery. When a judgment is 

thus obtained after protracted litigation, 

it does not end there. Execution 

proceedings then re-starts a fresh 

litigation between the parties or even 

their successors which may take years or 

decades to come to a conclusion and 

which may end up with no real or 

positive benefit to the winner. This is the 

experience of a common litigant in 

Bangladesh. Added to this inherent and 

in-built delay and expenses, corruption 

and often terrorism at almost each stage 

of litigation is eating into the vitals of the 

justice delivery system. 

According to records, about 750,000 

cases are pending with the courts of 

judicial magistracy. The Supreme Court 

sources say about 500,000 cases, both 

civil and criminal, are pending with its 

Appellate Division and at least 300,000 

other cases, including writ petitions, are 

pending before the high Court Division. 

Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR, 

has proved its effectiveness as an option 

Legal system of Bangladesh is uncaring, non-accountable and formalistic. It 

delivers formal justice and it is oblivious of the sufferings and woos of litigants, of 

their waste of money, time and energy and of their engagement in unproductive 

activities, sometimes for decades. When they win a case, the result is much worse 

than losing it. On the other hand, when they lose a case, they lose not only the 

subject matter of the dispute, but also a good part of their fortune. 

outside the formal court's settlement 

procedure. It has been welcomed and 

accepted by the many countries of the 

world too. An ADR may advantage you 

by many ways like: 

" you may resolve your problem 

" you may be awarded compensation 

" the procedure is less formal than 

going to court 

" in some schemes, the decision may 

be binding on the parties 

" it may cost you less than going to 

court 

" Suitability for multi-party disputes 

" Flexibility of procedure - the process 

is determined and controlled by the 

parties to the dispute 

" Parties choice of neutral third party 

(and therefore expertise in area of 

dispute) to direct negotiations/ 

adjudicate 

" Likelihood and speed of settlements 

" Practical solutions tailored to parties' 

interests and needs (not rights and 

wants, as they may perceive them) 

" Durability of agreements 

" Confidentiality 

Taking all these advantages, ADR has 

gained widespread acceptance among 

both the public and the legal 

professionals in recent years. Many 

countries, including developing 

countries have already adopted ADR in 

civil litigation to their legal systems. 

Prospect of ADR in Criminal 

cases: 

In Bangladesh, the Code of Criminal 

Procedure (CrPC) does not allow directly 

to dissolve the dispute out of the court. 

however, section 345 of CrPC offers 

certain specific offences to be 

compounded by the parties. 

Nevertheless, the system is neither 

mandatory nor directive. Even not 

sufficient. Let us have a look on section 

345, though the prospect of ADR is 

narrow here. 

Compounding of Offence 

Generally, alternative dispute 

resolution is nothing but an alternative 

way to resolve disputes, which 

otherwise, shall be a subject of court 

procedure. Thus, ADR provides a wide 

range of resolution mechanism which is 

in time become a necessity for the 

society as well as for the legal system. It 

has already been submitted in the article 

that ADR has already in existence when 

it comes to civil cases, where in criminal 

cases ADR is not expressly recognized. 

however, compounding of minor 

criminal offences is permitted under the 

Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 

(CrPC), which enacts provision for 

compromising between the adversary 

parties to a little extent. Again the 

provisions of the Gram Adalat Ain, 2006 

and Birodh Mimangsha (Paura Elaka) 

Board Ain, 2004 deals to dispose of 

some petty criminal offences by 

compromise. The provision of section 

345 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 

provides a table which follows the 

offences punishable under the section of 

the Penal Code that can be compounded 

by the persons mentioned. Mahua 

Gulfam, the writer of the "Introducing 

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in 

Criminal Justice System: Bangladesh 

Perspective" have submitted that 

'Compounding means compromise or 

amicable settlement. Generally, a 

criminal act in which a person agrees not 

to report the occurrence of a crime or not 

to prosecute a criminal offender in 

exchange for money or other 

consideration is called compounding 

offences. Thus, compounding offences 

are acts which can be compounded 

expressly with the permission of the 

Court or without the permission of the 

Court. Two different types of 

compounding are suggested in CrPC 

under two different lists. The first list in 

section 345(1) of CrPC provides the list 

of offences which can be compoundable 

without the permission of the Court. The 

first one suggests offences like uttering 

words with deliberate intent to wound 

the religious feelings of any person, 

causing hurt on provocation, wrongful 

detainment or confinement, and forced 

labour etc. as compoundable with the 

intent of the aggrieved person. Most of 

the offences included in the first list are 

minor offences punishable with 

maximum one year imprisonment or 

fine. The second list in section 345 (2) of 

the CrPC provides the list of offences 

which are not compoundable without 

the permission of the Court. The second 

set of compoundable offences includes 

more grievous offences like rioting with 

deadly weapon, voluntarily causing 

grievous hurt, act endangering the 

personal safety of others, and assault or 

criminal force to women with intent to 

outrage her modesty. Punishment for 

these offences varies from two to seven 

years along with fine. These offences are 

also compoundable by the aggrieved 

person but only with the permission of a 

court. 

Our existing legislation thus has 

already accepted one form of ADR. 

Moreover, the Supreme Court also 

encourages compromise in criminal 

cases in the case of Md. Joynal and 

others v. Rustam Ali and others. 

Promoting the idea of compounding in 

criminal cases is actually providing us 

the concept that the offences shall not 

emerge in the court as a crime, but still, 

the offences has all its effects as a crime 

in the society. Compounding offences 

also provide certain advantages to the 

accused. For example, if the Judge 

permits any case to be compromised, 

under section 345 clause 6 of the 

CrPC, the judge has no alternative 

but to acquit the accused and set aside 

the conviction and sentence. however, 

the question may arise that when 

compounding is possible? At any stage 

of Criminal Proceeding the parties 

may take the initiative to submit a 

deed of compromise and even in 

appellate stage it can be submitted 

before the Court. however, 

compromise deed must be filed before 

the pronouncement of judgment. The 

Pakistan Supreme Court permits the 

submission of the deed of compromise 

after serving the conviction and 

acquits the accused in appellate stage. 

But when the lower Court record is 

called for under section 435 of the 

Code of Criminal Procedure, 

Magistrate cannot permit the parties 

to submit compromise deed. Thus, for 

compounding offences as an 

instrument of ADR, we have proper 

legal structure to impose the device in 

order to function it practically. 

Application of ADR in CrPC: 

" Offering of a compounding with 

Complainant and Accused under 

ADR at the any stage before 

announcement of judgment. 

" More provisions that are penal 

should be included in section 345 of 

CrPC for compounding. For 

example, sections 143, 307, 326, 385, 

404, 412, 468, 506 (Part-2) etc. 

besides, section 138 of the Negotiable 

Instrument Act 1881, some sections 

of Nari O Shishu Nirjaton Domon 

Ain of 2000, Forest Act of 1927 and 

some appeal under Muslim Family 

Law Ordinance of 1961. 

" After getting the file of cases under 

compounding sections, the Session 

Court or the Magistrate Court, after 

taking cognizance but before framing 

of charge, shall fix a date to take 

initiative for ADR. This should be 

binding. 

" There should be a provision of 

application for compounding by the 

person made FIR/complainant at 

the any stage of the proceedings and 

the Court shall be bound to grant the 

application for ADR. 

" There should have been a provision 

to confess by the accused at the any 

stage of the proceedings. 

" For applying ADR, there should be a 

contract signed the parties to the case 

and the principle of stopple should be 

apply under section 115 of the 

Evidence Act of 1872. 

The system of Plea Bargaining also 

needs to be included in the criminal 

justice system. Compounding of 

criminal offences under ADR and Plea 

Bargaining scheme can be the best 

solution of Bangladesh where courts are 

overburdened by case load. 

Writer: 

S M Tasmirul Islam 

Associate, B&M legal 

Legal Researcher, 

Future Law Initiative

NATIONAL 

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018 

6 

Melandaha upazila Tanti League 

holds extended meeting 

RuHuL AMIN RAJu, MELANDAHA CORRESPONDENT: 

State Minister for Textiles and 

Jute Alhaj Mirza Azam MP on 

Sunday said that boat symbol is the 

symbol for development. This boat 

belongs to the greatest Bengali and 

the Father of the Nation 

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur 

Rahman. Bangabandhu's daughter 

Sheikh Hasina's boat is our last 

hope. He said these while presenting 

the successes development works of 

Prime Minister and Awami League 

president Sheikh Hasina at a special 

extended meeting of upazila Tanti 

League in Melandaha Mirza Azam 

auditorium of the upazila. 

Convener upazila Tanti League 

Yusuf Ali chaired the meeting while 

among others, district AL organizing 

secretary Sanwar Hossain Sanu, 

Office Secretary Asaduzzaman 

Babu, upazila Parishad Chairman 

Alhaj AkM Habibur Rahman, 

municipal mayor Shafiq Jahidi 

Robin, former mayor Haji Didar, 

upazila Awami League president 

Abdur Razzak Suja, general 

secretary Mohammad Jinnah, 

district Tanti League 's Convener SM 

Badruddoza PF, joint convener of 

the Tanti League Imamul Rashid, 

joint convener Golam Mostafa, 

Rafiqul Islam Rafiq and Ruhul Amin 

Chowdhury were also present at the 

meeting. 

Narsingdi District Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Syeda Farhana Kawnine on 

Sunday canceled of 7 candidates from 5 constituencies in Narsingdi due to not fulfilling various 

conditions. 

Photo: Md Selim Miah 

Nomination of 7 candidates 

canceled in Narsingdi 

MD SELIM MIAH, NARSINGDI CORRESPONDENT: 

Returning Officer has canceled 

nomination of 7 candidates from 5 

constituencies in Narsingdi. On 

Sunday during a day-long scrutiny of 

nomination papers of the candidates, 

District Returning Officer and Deputy 

Commissioner Syeda Farhana 

kawnine canceled the nomination due 

to not fulfilling various conditions. As 

a result, the number of legitimate 

candidates in the five constituencies of 

the district has now reached 40. 

According to the district 

administration sources, due to owing 

electricity bills, nomination of Islami 

Oikya Jote candidate from Narsingdi-1 

Moulana Mohammad-Ishaq was 

cancelled, due to the absence of 

affidavit, nominations of Jatiya 

Samajtantrik Dal candidate from 

Narsingdi-2 Zahedul kabir, due to the 

false signature on 1% voter support 

list, nomination of independent 

candidates Altamash kabir and Alhaj 

Enginner Mohsin Ali and due to 

incomplete affidavits nomination of 

Bikalpa Dhara candidate Advocate 

Delwar Hossain of the same 

constituency were cancelled. Due to 

incomplete affidavits the nomination 

of independent candidate Md Dulal 

Miah from Narsingdi-3 was canceled. 

Besides, the nomination of 

A discussion meeting in observance of Bangladesh NGO foundation day 

was held in Magura on Sunday. 

Photo: Rokibul Hoque 

A colorful rally organized by Taraganj Upazila Health Complex was 

brought out in observance of the World AIDS Day 2018 on Saturday in 

Taraganj. 

Photo: Biplob Hossain Opu 

World AIDS Day 

observed in 

Taraganj 

Biplob Hossain Opu, Taraganj 

Correspondent: World AIDS Day 

was observed in Taraganj upazila of 

Rnagpur on Saturday. upazila 

Health Complex organized various 

programmes marking the day. 

In the morning a colorful rally was 

brought out which paraded the 

main streets of the town. Later a 

discussion was held at the hall room 

of the upazila Health Complex 

which was presided by upazila 

Health and Family Planning Officer 

Mustafa Zaman Chowdhury. 

Among others, Dental surgeon Dr 

Apurba Chandra Roy, Health 

Inspector Aazizar Rahman, Abdus 

Salam, Sanitary Inspector Mominar 

Rahman and several officials were 

also present in the meeting. 

Narail farmers happy with bumper 

Aman yield, fair prices 

NARAIL: Farmers in three upazilas of the district 

are very satisfied with bumper production of Aman 

paddy and fair prices this season, reports BSS. 

While visiting different areas of the district, this 

correspondent found farmers' busyness with 

harvesting Aman paddy. 

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) 

officials here today said the department set a target of 

bringing 34,740 hectares of land under T-Aman 

paddy cultivation this year with estimating yield of 

90,667 tonnes of rice. 

Taking advantage of favorable climate condition, 

farmers' cultivated Aman paddy on 37,875 hectares 

of land, higher by 3,135 hectares than the target, they 

said. 

Bangladesh Agricultural Department Corporation 

(BADC) supplied good quality seed among the 

growers to achieve a good yield as different state run 

commercial banks and NGOs disbursed agri-loans on 

easy terms to the poor and marginal farmers to help 

them cultivate the paddy. 

independent candidate Ahidul Islam 

from Narsingdi 5 was canceled due to 

false signature on 1% voter support 

list. 

District Electoral Officer Ahidul 

Islam said that 47 candidates from 5 

constituencies of the district submitted 

nomination papers. Returning Officer 

has canceled the nomination of 7 

candidates for not fulfilling various 

conditions. They will get the 

opportunity to appeal to the election 

commission secretary till 5th 

December. The allocation for the final 

candidate will be declared on 9th 

December and the candidates will be 

allocated on 10th December. 

Bangladesh 

NGO 

foundation 

day observed 

in Magura 

ROkIBuL HOquE, MAGuRA 

CORRESPONDENT: 

Bangladesh NGO 

foundation day- 2018 was 

observed in Magura on 

Sunday. Bangladesh NGO 

foundation, Magura 

district unit took different 

programs to observe the 

day. 

Marking the day a 

discussion meeting was 

held at Magura Rova 

foundation conference 

room. Rova foundation 

executive director kazi 

kamruzzaman and 

fishermen rights protecting 

committee, Magura district 

unit president Abdur Rouf 

Makhon spoke in the 

meeting with Palli Prakriti 

executive director Shafiqur 

Rahman in the chair. 

Earlier a grand rally 

paraded the main streets of 

the town. 

Future MP 

of Bauphal 

Raihan Sharif, son of Chief 

Whip A.S.M.Firoz, is an 

honest and dedicated man 

for the welfare of the people. 

He does the work of his 

father in absence and 

whatever he is asked to do, 

he uses his intelligence to 

execute, says a press release. 

His father arranged a gettogether 

in the city on the 

occasion of the collecting 

nomination form for the 11th 

Parliamentary election to be 

held on December 30, 

Raihan Sharif synchronized 

the programme and exposed 

his capacities to deal with 

the guests nicely. 

The people of Bauphal 

upazila see their future M.P. 

in Raihan Sharif because he 

is with them in all seasons. 

State Minister for Textiles and Jute Alhaj Mirza Azam MP as the chief guest addressed a special 

extended meeting of Melandaha Upazila Tanti League in Mirza Azam auditorium of the upazila on 

Sunday. 

Photo: Ruhul Amin Raju 

Rally and discussion marking World 

AIDS Day held in Joypurhat 

MASRAkuL ALAM, JOYPuRHAT CORRESPONDENT: 

A colorful rally and a discussion 

meeting were held in Joypurhat in 

observance of the World AIDS Day 

2018 on Saturday. The programmes 

were held at the initiative of Joypurhat 

Civil Surgeon Office. 

The discussion meeting was held at 

nursing institute auditorium which was 

chaired by upaizla Health and PP 

officer Sardar Rashed Mobarak Jewel 

while Civil Surgeon Dr. Habibul Ahsan 

Talukder spoke in the meeting as the 

chief guest. Among others, 

Superintendent of District Modern 

Hospital Dr. AFM Musa Al-Mansoor, 

RM of District Modern Hospital and 

Dr. Tulsi Chandra Roy, Health 

Education Officer of Civil Surgeon 

Office kudratullah and Journalist 

Shahjahan Siraj Mithu were also 

present at the occasion. 

The chief guest in the meeting 

discussed about the risks of HIV and 

about AIDS prevention through 

projectors. He urged to follow religious 

beliefs, use safe blood for blood needs 

and above all to avoid illegal sexual 

intercourse. 

A colorful rally organized by Joypurhat Civil Surgeon Office was brought out in observance of 

the World AIDS Day 2018 on Saturday in Joypurhat. 

Photo: Masrakul Alam 

BGB seized drugs, smuggled 

items worth over Tk 83.38cr 

in November 

Members of Border 

Guard Bangladesh have 

seized drugs and smuggled 

items worth around Tk 

83.38 crore in countrywide 

drives conducted last 

month (November), said a 

press release. 

The release said among 

the seized drugs, there 

were 11,48,094 pieces of 

Yaba tablets, 6,524 bottles 

of foreign liquor, 387 liter 

of Bangla liquor, 1,103 cans 

beer, 31,710 bottles of 

Phensidyl, 864 kg of 

marijuana, 1 kg heroin, 

1,05,429 stimulant tablets 

and 12,580 ampoules of 

drug injection. 

During the drive, the 

paramilitary force also 

seized 7.2 kg of gold, 4,505 

saris, 947 three-piece 

salwar-kameez set, 440 

metres of plain cloth, 2176 

pieces of garment product, 

12 pickups, 6 CNG 

powered auto rickshaws, 

34 motorcycles, 4,156 cft 

wood and 7,213 kg of tea 

leaves. 

Besides, 15 pistols, 7 air 

pistols, 1 pipe song, 77 

rounds of bullets, 17 

magazines and 6 kg gun 

powders were also seized. 

As many as 224 people 

were arrested in 

connection with smuggling 

and drug trafficking and 

320 Bangladeshi nationals 

were also arrested while 

crossing borders and 

handed over to the police 

station. 

It is to be noted that from 

January to November this 

year, BGB has been able to 

seize different types of 

smuggling goods and drugs 

worth Tk 854.04 crore. 

LGED implements 

282 schemes in 

Rajshahi 

RAJSHAHI: Infrastructure development has been 

contributing a lot towards boosting income and reducing 

poverty of the rural population particularly women in the 

region, reports BSS. 

Officials of the concerned departments said development 

of upazila and union road, bridge and culvert, rural market, 

sanitary latrine, tube-well installation and tree plantation are 

very important for improving living and livelihood condition 

of the grassroots population. 

To attain the cherished goal, Local Government 

Engineering Department (LGED) has implemented a mega 

project in this region. More than 282 schemes were 

implemented in 31 upazilas in Rajshahi, Natore, Naogaon 

and Chapinwabganj districts under the project recently. 

The seven-year project has been implemented involving 

around Taka 208.76 crore with the main thrust of attaining a 

sustainable economic growth and rural development 

through improving need-based infrastructure. 

Additional chief engineer of LGED Abdul Maleque Sarker 

told BSS that more than 69.51-kilometer upazila roads and 

228.03-kilometer union roads alongside 1109.85-meter 

bridges and culverts were constructed for overall 

improvement of the transport network of the rural area. 

A total of 31 rural markets were improved to create short 

and long -term employment opportunity, socioeconomic 

development and poverty alleviation. 

Participation of beneficiaries including women and local 

government institutions in planning, implementation and 

maintenance activities of the project were intensified.

INTERNATIONAL MONDAy, 

DECEMBEr 3, 2018 

7 

Germany will face the Netherlands in a challenging qualifying group for the 2020 European 

Championship in a swift reunion between the sides after meeting in the UEFA Nations League. 


Germany and Netherlands to meet 

in Euro 2020 qualifying 

Germany will face the Netherlands in a 

challenging qualifying group for the 

2020 European Championship in a 

swift reunion between the sides after 

meeting in the UEFA Nations League. 

Only one point was collected from 

two matches against the Netherlands as 

Germany was relegated from the 

Nations League last month, capping a 

miserable year that saw Joachim 

Loew's side deposed as world champions 

with a group-stage exit in Russia. 

The Netherlands didn't even qualify 

for the World Cup after also failing to 

make Euro 2016 despite a jump to 24 

teams. But the Dutch are resurgent 

with a young team coached by Ronald 

Koeman, with a shot at silverware in 

the Nations League Final Four tournament 

in June. 

Before then, qualifying begins in 

March for the first continent-wide 

European Championship that sees no 

host nation guaranteed a spot. Two 

teams qualify from each of the ten 

Egypt actress says did 

not mean to offend by 

revealing dress 

An Egyptian actress facing 

trial on public obscenity 

charges for wearing a dress 

revealing the entirety of her 

legs says she did not mean to 

offend anyone. 

In a Facebook statement 

late Saturday, Rania Youssef 

says she may have misjudged 

the reaction to the 

dress and been influenced 

by fashion experts. 

Youssef, due in court Jan. 

12, wore the dress Thursday 

for the closing ceremony of a 

Cairo film festival. Images of 

her were widely shared on 

social media, prompting a 

group of lawyers to file a 

complaint that was taken up 

by the chief prosecutor. 

It's the latest instance of 

ostensibly secular authorities 

siding with religious 

conservatives in Muslimmajority 

Egypt, where the 

military overthrew an elected 

Islamist president in 

2013. 

Airstrike kills 10 

civilians in eastern 

Afghanistan 

Afghan officials say an 

airstrike has killed at least 10 

civilians in the eastern Paktia 

province bordering Pakistan. 

Shausta Jan Ahady, a former 

provincial council 

member, says women and 

children were among those 

killed late Saturday. He says 

local residents displayed the 

bodies and protested on 

Sunday. Provincial government 

spokesman Abdullah 

Hsrat says the airstrike 

killed four insurgents and 

that an investigation has 

been launched into the allegations 

of civilian casualties. 

In a separate incident in 

the southern Helmand 

province, an airstrike killed 

the Taliban's shadow governor 

and two of his guards, 

according to provincial government 

spokesman Omar 

Zwak. 

groups. Also drawn Sunday in Group C 

alongside the Netherlands and Germany 

are Northern Ireland, Estonia 

and Belarus. 

Usually staged in one or two nations, 

UEFA has distributed games across 

Europe to celebrate 60 years of the 

competition after finding it tough to 

find a single suitable host. 

The tournament will open in Rome 

on June 12 before ending in London 

at Wembley Stadium, which will 

stage both semifinals and the final on 

July 12. 

England has a seemingly smooth 

path to the finals, when it could host 

two games in the group stage at Wembley. 

Gareth Southgate's side was 

drawn in Dublin alongside Czech 

Republic, Bulgaria, Montenegro and 

Kosovo, which is in qualifying for the 

first time for a European Championship. 

France, which won the World Cup in 

July and lost the Euro 2016 final on 

home soil, is in qualifying with Iceland, 

Turkey, Albania and Moldova. 

Defending European champion Portugal 

was drawn in Group B alongside 

Ukraine, Serbia, Lithuania and Luxembourg. 

Italy, which failed to qualify for the 

World Cup, is in Group J with 

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Finland, 

Greece, Armenia and Liechtenstein. 

Belgium, FIFA's top-ranked team 

which reached the World Cup semifinals, 

will return to Russia in Group I 

and also face Scotland, Cyprus, Kazakhstan 

and San Marino. 

Spain, the 2008 and 2012 European 

champion, is in Group F with 

Sweden, Norway, Romania, Malta 

and the Faeroe Islands. Croatia, 

which reached the World Cup final 

for the first time in July, is in Group E 

with Wales, Slovakia, Hungary and 

Azerbaijan. Group D consists of Ireland, 

Switzerland, Denmark, Georgia 

and Gibraltar. 

Iran dismisses U.S. charges of violating 

UNSC resolution as “ridiculous” 

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Sunday dismissed the U.S. charges that Iran's ballistic missile tests 

have violated the UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 2231 as "ridiculous." 

"Iran's missile program has a defensive nature and is designed based on the needs of the 

country," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by the 

ministry's website. 

"No resolution at the UN Security Council has banned Iran's missile program or missile 

tests," Qasemi added. A day earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran's test of "a 

medium range ballistic missile that's capable of carrying multiple warheads ... violates 

UNSCR 2231." "We condemn these activities and call upon Iran to cease immediately all 

activities relating to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons," 

Pompeo added. The remarks by Pompeo is "ridiculous since the United States refers to a resolution 

which not only has it violated by unilateral and illegal withdrawal. 

Maltese coast guard takes 11 

migrants saved by trawler 

Eleven migrants rescued by a trawler last week have been handed over to the Maltese coast 

guard and will soon reach port in Malta, a Spanish aid group said Sunday. 

Proactiva Open Arms says on Twitter that the Spanish trawler Nuestra Senora de Loreto 

radioed them to say the migrants had been transferred. 

Earlier Sunday the Spanish government told the trawler that it had permission to dock in 

Malta, putting an end to its weeklong wait in the open sea. 

Malta, along with Italy, had initially refused to accept the boat because it had rescued the 

migrants in Libyan waters. The trawler rescued 12 migrants last week. One migrant was evacuated 

for health reasons on Friday. 

European Union countries have been sharply at odds over who should take in migrants 

from North Africa. So far this year the International Organization for Migration says 107,216 

migrants have arrived in Europe and 2,123 others have died or gone missing in their dangerous 

journeys across the Mediterranean Sea. 

A migrant is prepared to be evacuated for medical reasons by helicopter 

from the Nuestra Madre de Loreto Spanish fishing vessel carrying 12 

migrants rescued off the coast of Lybia. 


US, China put brakes on trade 

dispute with cease-fire 

The United States and China reached a 

90-day cease-fire in a trade dispute that 

has rattled financial markets and 

threatened world economic growth. 

The breakthrough came after a dinner 

meeting between President Donald 

Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping 

at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos 

Aires. 

Trump agreed to hold off on plans to 

raise tariffs Jan. 1 on $200 billion in 

Chinese goods. The Chinese agreed to 

buy a "not yet agreed upon, but very 

substantial amount of agricultural, 

energy, industrial" and other products 

from the United States to reduce America's 

huge trade deficit with China, the 

White House said. 

The truce, reached after a dinner of 

more than two hours Saturday, buys 

time for the two countries to work out 

their differences in a dispute over Beijing's 

aggressive drive to supplant U.S. 

technological dominance. 

"It's an incredible deal," Trump told 

reporters aboard Air Force One, 

adding, "if it happens it goes down as 

one of the largest deals ever made." 

Trump said: "What I'll be doing is 

holding back on tariffs. China will be 

opening up, China will be getting rid of 

tariffs. ... China will be buying massive 

amounts of products from us." 

In a long-sought concession to the 

U.S., China agreed to label fentanyl, the 

deadly synthetic opioid responsible for 

tens of thousands of American drug 

deaths annually, as a controlled substance. 

And Beijing agreed to reconsider 

a takeover by U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm 

that it had previously blocked. 

The White House announcement 

framed a victory for Trump and his 

unflinching negotiating tactics, securing 

a commitment from China to 

engage in talks on key U.S. economic 

priorities, with little obvious concession 

by the U.S. Notably, however, the 

White House appears to be reversing 

course on its previous threats to tie 

trade discussions to security concerns, 

like China's attempted territorial 

expansion in the South China Sea. 

"It's great the two sides took advantage 

of this opportunity to call a truce," 

said Andy Rothman, investment strategist 

at Matthews Asia. "The two sides 

appear to have had a major change of 

heart to move away from confrontation 

toward engagement. This changes the 

tone and direction of the bilateral conversation." 

The Trump-Xi meeting was the marquee 

event of Trump's whirlwind twoday 

trip to Argentina for the G-20 summit 

after the president canceled a sitdown 

with Russian President Vladimir 

Putin over mounting tensions between 

Russia and Ukraine. Trump also canceled 

a Saturday news conference, citing 

respect for the Bush family following 

the death of former President 

George H.W. Bush. 

Trump said Bush's death put a 

"damper" on what he described as a 

"very important meeting" with Xi. 

The United States and China are 

locked in a dispute over their trade 

imbalance and Beijing's tech policies. 

Washington accuses China of deploying 

predatory tactics in its tech drive, 

including stealing trade secrets and 

forcing American firms to hand over 

technology in exchange for access to the 

Chinese market. 

Trump has imposed import taxes on 

$250 billion in Chinese products - 25 

percent on $50 billion worth and 10 

percent on the other $200 billion. 

Trump had planned to raise the tariffs 

on the $200 billion to 25 percent if he 

couldn't get a deal with Xi. 

China has already slapped tariffs on 

$110 billion in U.S. goods. 

Under the agreement reached in 

Buenos Aires, the two countries have 

90 days to resolve their differences over 

Beijing's tech policies. If they can't, the 

higher U.S. tariffs will go into effect on 

the $200 billion in Chinese imports. 

U.S. officials insist that the American 

economy is more resilient to the tumult 

than China's, but they remain anxious 

of the economic effects of a prolonged 

showdown - as Trump has made economic 

growth the benchmark by which 

he wants his administration judged. 

A full-blown resolution was not 

expected to be reached in Buenos Aires; 

the issues that divide them are just too 

difficult. 

Growing concerns that the trade war 

will increasingly hurt corporate earnings 

and the U.S. economy are a key 

reason why U.S. stock prices have been 

sinking this fall. 

Joining other forecasters, economists 

at the Organization for Economic Cooperation 

and Development last week 

downgraded their outlook for global 

economic growth next year to 3.5 percent 

from a previous 3.7 percent. In 

doing so, they cited the trade conflict as 

well as political uncertainty. 

The U.S. and China also made 

progress on the regulation of fentanyl, 

which is 50 times more powerful than 

heroin. U.S. officials for years have 

been pressing the Chinese government 

to take a tougher stance against fentanyl, 

and most U.S. supply of the drug 

is manufactured in China. 

White House press secretary Sarah 

Sanders said China's decision to label 

the drug as a controlled substance 

means that "people selling Fentanyl to 

the United States will be subject to China's 

maximum penalty under the law." 

The White House also said that China's 

government is "open to approving" 

the purchase of Dutch semiconductor 

manufacturer NXP by American chipmaker 

Qualcomm. 

China nixed the proposed takeover 

earlier this year, citing antitrust concerns, 

after U.S. and European regulators 

approved the deal. China's decision 

came amid a period of heightening tensions 

between the U.S. and China over 

trade and intellectual property issues. 

Qualcomm announced it was dropping 

plans to proceed with the deal 

after it failed to receive Chinese government 

approval. It is unclear whether 

the transaction could be revived even 

with China's acquiescence. 

In other developments, Trump 

announced aboard Air Force One on 

his return to Washington from 

Buenos Aires that his next meeting 

with North Korea's Kim Jong Un 

would likely happen in January or 

February. He said there were three 

sites under consideration, but he 

declined to name them. 

Trump also said he would shortly be 

providing formal notice to Congress 

that he will terminate the North American 

Free Trade Agreement, giving lawmakers 

six months to approve the 

replacement he signed Friday. He said 

lawmakers can choose between the 

replacement, the United States-Mexico-Canada 

Agreement, or nothing. 

US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, US President Donald Trump's 

national security adviser John Bolton and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a working dinner 

after the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 


Bush’s Somalia mission to save 

‘innocents’ echoes yesterday 

In the final days of his presidency, George H.W. Bush committed 

the U.S. military to a mission many would later regret, 

ordering more than 20,000 troops into Somalia to "save 

thousands of innocents from death." 

Within months, the image of dead U.S. soldiers dragged 

through the streets of Mogadishu profoundly changed the 

way the U.S. approached Africa. And yet it is barely mentioned 

in the explorations of Bush's legacy since his death. 

Only now, under President Donald Trump, is the U.S. 

returning regular troops to Somalia as much of the military's 

work across Africa is conducted in far smaller doses, with 

drones and special operations forces and little fanfare of the 

past. The death of a U.S. soldier in Africa, as seen in Niger a 

year ago when four special operations were killed, brings 

sharp questions back home about "what we're doing over 

there." In Bush's time, it was different. The Somalia mission 

was promoted as an act of charity, meant to protect starving 

Somalis from the attacks and looting that kept them from 

reaching aid in a country torn by warlord-led fighting after 

the fall of dictator of Siad Barre. The United Nations has estimated 

300,000 people died. 

"You're doing God's work," Bush said as he ended his live 

address from the White House. "We will not fail." 

Cheering Somalis greeted the first U.S. troops as they 

arrived to lead a United Nations operation. And Bush 

became the first, and only, U.S. president to visit the droughtplagued 

Horn of Africa nation. 

A month after ordering in the troops, he shared a modest 

New Year's meal with dozens of soldiers and Marines and 

told them the American people were fully behind them in the 

mission to help Somalis, called Operation Restore Hope. 

"Thanks to you, they got a shot. They got a shot at really living," 

Stars and Stripes reported him saying. 

These days, a visit to Somalia by an American president, 

wearing desert fatigues and dutifully eating the soldiers' meal 

of "Menu No. 8: Ham slice with Accessory Packet A," is now 

almost unthinkable. 

As the humanitarian crisis eased, rebuilding Somalia 

became the goal, but it stumbled. The end came in October 

1993 when an elite U.S. raid in Mogadishu against a key warlord 

descended into street battles. Hundreds of Somalis were 

killed. Two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, and 

18 Americans were killed. As global outrage echoed, the U.S. 

pulled out of Somalia five months later amid accusations that 

they had swept in well-intentioned but unprepared. 

A quarter-century later, Somalia's fragile central government 

is still trying to take hold. It wrestles with widespread 

corruption, bitter relations with regional states and high-profile 

attacks by the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab - and now a new 

threat from fighters linked to the Islamic State organization. 

While Trump recently announced he would soon visit a 

"war zone," chances are it will not be Somalia. After decades 

of the U.S. largely leaving Somalis to work out their own 

problems, the Trump administration with its focus on counterterror 

operations has grown the number of U.S. military 

personnel in the country to an estimated 500. But now the 

work is about fighting extremists. U.S. airstrikes targeting al- 

Shabab, 37 so far this year, receive much of the attention. 

Two U.S. service members have been killed in Somalia 

since Trump took office, the first such deaths since 1993.

ART & CULTURE 

MONDAy, 


8 

Brown sugar vs White 

Release Date: 

Director: 

Writers: 

Stars: 

Taglines: 

Genres: 

Also known as: 

Runtime: 

Country: 

Language: 

Production: 

The Nutcracker and 

the Four Realms 

A young girl is transported into a magical world of 

gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice. 

02 November 2018 (USA) 

Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston 

Ashleigh Powell 

Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, 

Morgan Freeman 

In 2018, the legend you know has a 

dark side 

Adventure, Family, Fantasy 

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 

99 minutes 

USA 

English 

The Mark Gordon Company, Walt 

Disney Pictures 

Storyline : All Clara wants is a key - a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a 

box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, 

presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer's annual holiday party, leads her 

to the coveted key-which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious 

parallel world. It's there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip, a gang 

of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, 

Land of Flowers, and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the 

ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger, to retrieve Clara's 

key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. |Source: IMDb] 

sugar, The verdict is out! 

We have been made to believe 

that brown is better than white; 

brown bread is better than 

white, brown rice is better than 

white. 

And the same pattern has been 

extended to sugar too - but is 

brown sugar really better than 

white or is it just an illusion or 

clever marketing gimmick. Allow 

us to break down the difference in 

composition between the two 

variants to help you understand 

whether switching to brown 

sugar will do you any good. 

- How is brown sugar 

made? 

When white sugar is made 

from sugarcane plants, molasses 

is separated and removed from 

it. To tell you clearly, brown 

sugar is basically white (or 

unprocessed) sugar that still 

contain molasses (brown sugary 

syrup), giving it the brown 

colour. Unrefined brown sugar 

is the one that still has some 

molasses from the original 

process. Refined brown sugar is 

made by adding molasses to the 

refined white sugar. 

Furthermore, sulphur is very 

commonly used to remove 

impurities from white sugar, and 

as a result, a small amount of 

sulphur is still present in sugar, 

which is very hazardous for 

health. 

Health benefits of brown 

sugar: 

While both the variants of 

sugar differ greatly in taste, it is 

the presence of molasses that 

gives brown sugar added 

minerals including calcium, 

potassium, magnesium and 

iron. White sugar, on the other 

hand, is deprived of all these 

minerals, making the brown 

variant a slightly healthier 

alternative for day to day use. 

Interestingly, there are several 

varieties of brown sugar 

available in the market, 

1. Unrefined sugar 

This is the most natural kind of 

brown sugar, which is known to 

retain nutrients including iron 

and magnesium. The sugar 

crystals are slightly larger than 

the white sugar and it is light 

gold in colour. What makes 

unrefined, raw sugar the ideal 

choice is that it is free of any kind 

of chemicals and tastes just like 

honey. 

2. Demerara sugar 

It is a light brown sugar and is 

H O R O SCOPE 

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 

most commonly used in baking. 

This variety of sugar is partiallyprocessed 

and has a caramellike 

taste. 

3. Dark brown sugar 

This variant lends extra 

flavour and taste to the sweet 

dishes. 

Here's how you can make 

brown sugar at home 

You can easily prepare brown 

sugar at home by mixing one 

tablespoon of molasses in a cup 

of white sugar. Stir the molasses 

and sugar together till the time 

sugar crystals are completely 

coated with molasses. Ensure 

that your store it in an airtight 

container. 

The final verdict 

While brown sugar may have 

some extra minerals, they are 

present in such a tiny amount 

that in the end they don't have 

any real health benefits. 

Ultimately, the whole debate 

of brown sugar being healthier 

than white sugar is just a 

marketing gimmick because you 

are consuming the same amount 

of calories even if you are 

replacing white sugar with 

brown. 

|Source: TOI] 

(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. 

Hypnosis for 

weight loss: 

does it work? 

If you have tried almost everything under the 

sun and your fat just doesn't seem to budge, 

you might want to try hypnotherapy for 

weight loss. 

We agree that on the surface it seems almost 

too good to be true. After trying dieting (and 

several types of weird diets), and every exercise 

on the surface of the earth, losing weight by just 

sitting on a couch while some hypnotist worked 

his/her charm seems like a dream come true. 

You have all the reasons to be doubtful of 

this weird method that claims to help you 

to lose weight. After all, we have grown up 

watching in movies how the hypnotist 

makes people cluck like a chicken and 

extracts secrets out of them, but sorry to 

burst your bubble, hypnotherapy is really 

just you telling yourself how you want you 

to be. Nothing more or nothing less. 

While there is not enough research, there are 

a few significant findings that point out the 

correlation between hypnotherapy and how it 

might help in modifying certain behaviours. 

According to a study published in 

International Journal of Clinical and 

Experimental Hypnosis, women who 

underwent hypnotherapy found that it helped 

them with their eating habits and weight loss. 

DHANUSH'S 'MAARI 2' 

SHOOT WRAPPED! 

The shooting of Dhanush's 

'Maari 2' directed by Balaji Mohan 

has been wrapped. Produced by 

Dhanush's Wunderbar Films, it 

stars Tovino Thomas, Varalaxmi 

Sarathkumar, Krishna and Robo 

Shankar in important roles with 

Sai Pallavi playing the female 

lead. 'Maari 2' has music by Yuvan 

Shankar Raja and is likely to 

release by the end of this year. 

The film is a sequel to the 

gangster film that came out in 

2014. 

Taking to his social networking 

page, Dhanush said, "And that's a 

wrap for #maari2.. loved being 

maari once again. Can't wait to be 

maari again. A character I enjoy 

and cherish playing. #tharalocal 

In addition to this, an analysis by British 

researchers pointed out the direct relation 

between hypnotherapy and the release of 

hunger peptides that control how full you feel. 

How does it work? 

If you are expecting a typical hypnotherapy 

session that starts with putting you off to sleep, 

you might end up getting disappointed. 

For starters, your hypnotherapists would try to 

understand your weight loss goal, your triggers 

and your body type. After this, you will move on to 

the hypnosis session where the hypnotist tries to 

balance the voice in your head. 

Confused? Allow us to explain. 

The voice in your head is the same voice that 

keeps you away from dangers and helps you 

#senjuruven thank you 

@directormbalaji @omdop 

@Sai_Pallavi92 @Actor_Krishna 

@ttovino @thisisysr Robo and 

Vinod." 

Director Balaji also expressed 

his happiness of working with 

Dhanush again, posting, "It's a 

wrap for #Maari2! Had so much 

fun bringing this character to life 

on screen again with the ever 

awesome @dhanushkraja Sir! 

#Maari rocks! Will miss him! Till 

next time." 

Meanwhile, Dhanush awaits the 

release of the much-awaited 

gangster trilogy 'Vada Chennai', 

which is being directed by Vetri 

Maaran. 

|Source: TOI 

make good decisions. Hypnosis is basically 

turning up the volume of that inner voice that 

prevents you from acting solely on your 

emotions and tuning down the emotional part. 

Ultimately, after the session, you might end 

up training your brain to not act on impulse and 

to eat something healthy. However, it doesn't 

mean that you will not have cravings, but you 

just don't act upon them. 

The bottom line : 

While there is not a lot of clarity on the effect 

of hypnosis on weight loss, owing to the fact that 

there is dearth of research, when combined with 

a weight loss regime, hypnosis seems to show 

good results. 

|Source: TOI] 

MARK WAHLBERG IS INTO 

THE OSCARS' BEST POPULAR 

FILM AWARD: 'WE'D HAVE 

WON A COUPLE' 

Reactions to the Academy's decision to create a Best 

Popular Film award have been almost universally negative, 

with many writing it off as a cynical attempt to increase 

ratings. At least one person is into the idea, however: Mark 

Wahlberg. "Maybe if they'd had the category before, we'd 

have won a couple of them," the actor told Variety during the 

Los Angeles premiere of "Mile 22." 

"We've had some really commercially successful films that 

we think certainly warranted that kind of notoriety," 

continued Wahlberg, who's starred in such films as "Ted," 

"Daddy's Home," and "Transformers: The last Knight." "We 

make films that we want people to enjoy and if we get those 

kind of accolades, fantastic. If not, we make the movies for 

audiences to enjoy." Wahlberg has received two Oscar nods, 

one of them for his supporting performance in "The 

Departed" - which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. 

Ronda Rousey, who co-stars in "Mile 22," is also a fan of 

the new category. "I might have a shot," the MMA 

fighter/actor/WWE performer said. "Finally, I'm in the 

running for an Academy Award. I'm gunning for the 

outstanding achievement in popular film [award]. You heard 

it now. Vote for me." |Source: Indiewire]

SPORTS 

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018 

9 

Ronaldo caps dominant win as 

Juve move 11 points clear 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz on Sunday beat his previous best in Tests. 

Photo: AP 

500-plus score made the job easier 

for bowlers: Mehidy Hasan 

Sports Desk: Cristiano Ronaldo 

converted a penalty to cap a dominant 

3-0 win for Juventus over Fiorentina 

on Saturday as the Italian champions 

continued their charge to an eighth 

consecutive league title by opening an 

11-point lead on top of Serie A, reports 

BSS. 

Ronaldo slotted in his 10th goal from 

14 league games from the spot after 79 

minutes, to add to Rodrigo Bentancur's 

opener after half an hour in Tuscany 

with captain Giorgio Chiellini volleying 

in after 69 minutes. 

The Portuguese star was substituted 

just afterwards for the first time this 

season after receiving a yellow card, 

spending the last 10 minutes on the 

bench. 

"Great team effort. Important win," 

the five-time Ballon d'Or winner wrote 

on social media after the game. 

Massimiliano Allegri's side have 40 

points from 14 games with secondplace 

Napoli on 29 points before they 

host Atalanta on Monday. 

It was Juventus' fifth consecutive win 

in the championship and 13th in 14 

games, as they have won all their away 

games, with just one home draw 

against Genoa. 

"This is a squad of great champions, 

great talents, but above all of great 

men," said Allegri. 

"Technique alone is not enough, you 

need humility … you need players who 

are open to chasing opponents down, of 

working for their teammates. 

"We knew the difficulties, but we 

soon took command of the game," said 

Allegri, just days after his side seal their 

ticket to the Champions League knockout 

rounds. 

"In the second half Fiorentina created 

problems for us but the victory was 

deserved. "When you have such 

talented players in attack, they don't 

need too many instructions and it's 

important not to limit them," 

continued Allegri. 

"We just have to get the ball up to 

them." 

Juventus dominated the game before 

which tributes were paid to former 

Fiorentina captain and Italian 

international Davide Astori who died 

suddenly last March. 

Midtable Fiorentina threatened in 

the second half through Federico 

Chiesa and Jordan Veretout but fell to 

their first home defeat this season, with 

Stefano Pioli's side without a win since 

September 30. 

"We came up against the strongest 

team in Italy. It's an ugly, heavy defeat 

which I do not think it reflects the 

match," said Pioli. 

"We're not where we want to be, but 

the goal remains Europe." 

Sports Desk: Offspinner Mehidy 

Hasan Miraz's 12-for propelled 

Bangladesh to their first ever home 

series win on Sunday when they 

handed West Indies an innings and 

184-run defeat in seal the second Test 

inside three days in Dhaka on Sunday, 

reports AP. 

Mehidy surpassed his own record for 

the best bowling figures for Bangladesh 

to achieve career best 12/117. The 21- 

year-old Mehidy, who has played 18 

Tests, took nine wickets on the third 

day - the most by a Bangladesh bowler 

on a single day as all 40 West Indies 

wickets fell to spinners. 

Mehidy received good support from 

left-arm spinner Taijul Ismal, who 

returned with figures of 3/40 in the 

second innings and Shakib Al Hasan 

(1/65). The other offspinner, Nayeem 

Hasan ended the day with 1/34. 

"After a long time I got the award, 

and I'm really happy," Mehidy, who 

was awarded the Man of the Match for 

his record-breaking performance said 

at the presentation ceremony. 

"My teammates have been really 

supportive. Our bowlers did really well 

- especially Taijul and Shakib. Nayeem 

supported really well to. At the end of 

the day we did very well, and we have 

been successful. I love batting too, and 

our batsmen set the tone with a 500+ 

score, so that made the job easier for 

the bowlers." 

Miraz was named the player of the 

match for his devastating bowling 

performance while Shakib Al Hasan 

was given the man of the series award. 

Earlier, The Tigers managed a clean 

sweep victory in the two-match series 

by 2-0. 

The platform was laid by 

Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, 

Shadman Islam and Liton Das after the 

spinner ran through the West Indies 

batting line up dismissing the visitors 

in their second innings at 213 after they 

got off to another bad start after a 

follow-on and lost the Test. 

Record-seeking Yasir holds 

key in Pakistan-NZ decider 

Sports Desk: Leg-spinner Yasir Shah is set to become 

the fastest to reach 200 Test wickets as he holds the key 

for Pakistan to win the series-deciding third and final 

Test against New Zealand starting in Abu Dhabi from 

Monday, reports BSS. 

The 32-year-old needs just five wickets to shatter 

Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmettt's record of 

completing 200 wickets in 36 Tests, way back in 1936. 

That will be icing on the cake as Pakistan hope Yasir - 

whose 14 wicket match haul crushed New Zealand to an 

innings and 16 run defeat in the second Test in Dubai - 

can come good again. 

Yasir took eight wickets in the first Test here but 

Pakistan fell agonisingly short, losing by four runs 

before leveling the series at 1-1. 

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed agreed hopes are 

pinned on Yasir, who has 195 wickets in 32 Tests. 

"The way Yasir is bowling he has got his rhythm back 

and we hope that with the return of his form he will do 

his best to win us this Test and the series," said Sarfraz 

on Sunday. 

Until last year the Sheikh Zayed stadium had been a 

happy hunting ground for Pakistan, having won six of 

the ten Tests with four draws. 

But they lost to Sri Lanka last year and against New 

Zealand after set low targets of 136 and 176 runs 

respectively, a fact Sarfraz said hurt his team. 

"We need to bat long and that we did in the last Test," 

said Sarfraz whose team put a big 418-5 declared in 

Dubai. "Toss will again be crucial because in Asia teams 

like to bat first and post big totals." 

Besides Yasir, Pakistan will also hope fast-rising leftarm 

pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi gives them edge, 

replacing medium pacer Mohammad Abbas who is 

ruled out with a shoulder injury. 

The 18-year-old pacer took back to back four wicket 

hauls in the 1-1 drawn one-day series against New 

Zealand last month before getting seven wickets against 

England Lions in a four-day match, also in Abu Dhabi. 

"Shaheen is improving day by day and has talent," 

said Sarfraz of Shaeen who is six and a half feet tall. 

Sarfraz admits New Zealand can be dangerous as they 

have the motivation to win an away series against 

Pakistan for the first time since 1969. 

"New Zealand is a good team with experienced 

players who know Test cricket well," said Sarfraz. "They 

have good bowlers so we will also try to play good 

cricket." 

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson admitted 

Yasir will be a dangerous proposition. 

"He (Yasir) is a world class bowler," said Williamson. 

"He clearly had a fantastic last game and bowled a 

number of very nice deliveries and used the conditions 

really, really well." 

New Zealand will gain confidence from their second 

innings batting with return to form of Ross Taylor who 

made 81, Henry Nicholls scored 77 and Tom Latham's 

50. 

But they lost to Sri Lanka last year and against New 

Zealand after set low targets of 136 and 176 runs 

respectively, a fact Sarfraz said hurt his team. 

"We need to bat long and that we did in the last Test," 

said Sarfraz whose team put a big 418-5 declared in 

Dubai. "Toss will again be crucial because in Asia teams 

like to bat first and post big totals." 

"There were some positives we would need to build 

from," said Williamson of his team's 312 all out. "It's 

really an exciting prospect and the guys really are 

looking forward to the decider.: 

New Zealand have the option of resting Trent Boult 

and bringing in Tim Southee, who has yet to play in the 

series. 

Pakistan's Yasir Shah holds the ball after beating New Zealand in the second Test. 

Photo: AP 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his tenth goal in 14 Serie A games for Juventus. 

Euro 2020 draw offers 

unique incentive for 12 

host nations 

Sports Desk: The eyes of European football 

on Sunday turn to Dublin for the Euro 2020 

qualifying draw with 12 nations handed the 

extra incentive of home advantage should 

they make it to the 24-team tournament in 

two years time for the first time, reports BSS. 

Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Bucharest, 

Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, 

London, Munich, Rome and Saint 

Petersburg are the 12 cities that will host 

matches across the continent to celebrate the 

60th anniversary since the first European 

Championships. 

The draw in the Irish capital (1100GMT) 

will see UEFA's 55 nations split into 10 

groups with the top two in each section 

making up the first 20 teams to qualify. 

However, a maximum of two of the hosts 

nations can be paired together in each group 

to give all 12 the chance of experiencing a 

home tournament with a guarantee of at 

least two home games in the group stages. 

England stand to gain most from home 

advantage with both semi-finals and the 

final, as well as three group games and a last 

16 tie set to be played at Wembley. 

The Three Lions have enjoyed arguably 

their best year since winning the World Cup 

on home soil in 1966 as Gareth Southgate's 

side reached the semi-finals of the World 

Cup in Russia and then beat Spain and 

Croatia to reach the inaugural finals of the 

Nations League next summer. 

Southgate is well aware of the extra 

inspiration of playing in a major tournament 

at home as he was part of the England side 

that reached the semi-finals at Euro '96. 

"What the players are going to experience 

is close to what we experienced in 1996 and 

in '66. That's incredible for everybody," said 

the England manager. 

The Wembley factor could be key to ending 

England's half century without winning a 

major tournament with Southgate's exciting 

young squad having re-energised a nation's 

support. 

"I think the most pleasing thing of the year 

has been the connection with the fans and 

being able to share brilliant experiences with 

them," added Southgate after exacting some 

measure of revenge for defeat to Croatia in 

the World Cup semi-finals in a thrilling 

Nations League group finale earlier this 

month. 

"I can't remember the new Wembley like 

that. We have exciting players that give them 

excitement." 

England, Switzerland, Portugal and the 

Netherlands are guaranteed to end up in a 

five-team group to free them up from 

qualifiers for the Nations League finals in 

June. 

Mourinho bemoans lack of 

‘mad dogs’ after United draw 

Sports Desk: Jose Mourinho suggested after a third Premier League match without victory 

that his team had not had enough "mad dogs" on the field in their 2-2 draw with 

Southampton, reports BSS. 

To a neutral, it seemed that it was not rabid canines that were missing but intensity and 

desire at key times in the stalemate with a side who have yet to win a home match this season. 

Saints had only netted four times at St Mary's, once from the penalty spot. 

But they had two more goals after only 19 minutes against a United side who seemed to be 

going through the motions. At least until Marcus Rashford atoned for the free kick that led to 

Southampton's second goal with a pair of assists to drag United back into a game that could 

have slipped away from them entirely. That should have been their cue to go on and win on 

a ground where they have usually done well. But they failed to resume the second half in 

control of the match and David De Gea was the busier of the two goalkeepers."It's a football 

expression," Mourinho said of his 'mad dogs' reference. 

"I love dogs and I think they are better than many men. People who are aggressive on the 

ball, fight hard to recover the ball. Marcus Rashford was a mad dog until he got tired. 

"In that first period Marcus Rashford was fresh, not hurt by hard tackles in the ankles in 

situations that progressively put a player in difficulty. One foul here, one foul there, 75 

minutes and he was done."With Chris Smalling nursing a groin injury to add to the absence 

of Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay lined up alongside Phil Jones and Nemanja Matic in a 

three man defence. And here United lacked authority as Michael Obafemi set up Stuart 

Armstrong to score his third Saints goal in two league games. "In the Premier League, to play 

with only one central defender is hard, a situation of fragility that we tried to compensate by 

playing with a back three," Mourinho said."Scott and Nemanja had the courage to play in that 

position and Phil Jones was a good reference point for them." 

Photo: AP 

Smiling Aussies 

will still be fierce 

opponents 

promises Paine 

Sports Desk: Australia will 

be as fired up as ever against 

India despite their new vow 

to play with a smile, captain 

Tim Paine said Sunday, 

while warning his pace 

attack not to get "too 

emotional", reports BSS. 

The teams meet in the first 

of four Tests at Adelaide 

from Thursday in the wake 

of a scathing review into the 

ball-tampering scandal in 

South Africa which criticised 

Australian cricketers for 

"playing the mongrel" 

against opponents. 

In response, the team 

produced a so-called 

Players' Pact, urging 

Australians to "compete 

with us, smile with us, fight 

with us, dream with us". 

Paine has also pledged to 

shake opponents' hands 

before each match as a mark 

of respect in a bid to change 

the culture within the side. 

The move to tone down 

their infamous abrasive 

attitude was criticised by 

former skipper Michael 

Clarke last week, but Paine 

insisted Sunday the 

aggression would still be on 

show. 

"It's been received well, I 

haven't heard otherwise," he 

told cricket.com.au of the 

handshake idea. "I just think 

it's a bit of a no brainer, just 

a show of sportsmanship. 

"It doesn't mean we'll be 

the nicest team in the world 

to play against by any stretch 

of the imagination. 

"We'll still be really 

competitive and fired up out 

on the ground, but I think 

you do need to have that bit 

of respect between the two 

sides." 

The Australians will be 

coming face-to-face with 

famously combative Indian 

skipper Virat Kohli, who 

thrives on the verbal banter 

and has never been shy of 

riling the opposition. 

Paine concedes his pace 

attack of Mitchell Starc, 

Josh Hazlewood and Pat 

Cummins can get hot 

under the collar in the 

heat of competition, and 

urged them to not rise to 

any bait.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

BANGLADESHTODAY 10 

THE 

MoNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018 

RFL gets National Export 

gold trophy 

The government on Sunday has 

awarded National Export Gold Trophy 

to Banga Plastic International Limited, 

a sister concern of RFL, for the 

financial year 2015-2016. Durable 

Plastics Limited, another concern of 

RFL Group, has also been awarded 

with bronze trophy, a press release 

said. 

The group have been awarded with 

export trophy for the last four 

consecutive years for its remarkable 

IMF chief urges G20 

members to ‘fix trade’ to 

boost growth and jobs 

International Monetary 

Fund (IMF) chief Christine 

Lagarde on Saturday said 

there is "an urgent need" to 

de-escalate trade tensions, 

reverse recent tariff 

increases and modernize the 

rules-based multilateral 

trade system. 

In a statement issued at 

the conclusion of the Group 

of 20 (G20) Summit in 

Buenos Aires, Argentina, 

Lagarde reiterated her 

staunch opposition to trade 

barriers, noting that the 

choice is "especially stark" 

regarding trade. 

The IMF estimate that, if 

recently raised and 

threatened tariffs were to 

remain in place and 

announced tariffs were 

implemented, about 0.75 

percent of global gross 

Attack of the small screens: Africa 

eyes mobile gaming boom 

An army of humans laid waste to an 

alien colony as South African video game 

maker Simon Spreckley enthusiastically 

controlled the action using his phone's 

touch screen. 

"The penetration of mobile devices in 

Africa is huge. People often have two or 

three phones, which is pretty crazy," said 

Spreckley, 40, who wore a T-shirt 

emblazoned with "Brute", a four-armed 

muscled alien from the game. 

"So that's one of the big pluses and 

why we are trying to do this," he said, 

promoting "Invasion Day" which will 

likely launch on Apple's App Store and 

Google's Play platform in 2019. 

The multi-player tactics game, set in 

the 1950s, is the brainchild of Spreckley's 

eight-strong team at VSUS, a Cape 

Town-based developer. 

Many other African developers are 

also opting to tailor games for mobile 

devices instead of traditional consoles 

like PlayStation or desktop computers, 

leading to a surge of handheld 

innovation on the continent. 

"There's enormous potential in Africa 

because the continent is primarily 

mobile," said Sidick Bakayoko, 34, the 

founder of Paradise Game, an umbrella 

group for developers in Ivory Coast. 

"We've done a jump and instead of 

first going with PC, we've gone directly to 

contribution to the country's export 

sector. 

RN Paul, Managing Director of RFL 

Group and Kazi Abdul Quiyum, Chief 

Operating Officer at Banga Plastic 

International Limited, have received 

the trophiesfrom Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina through a program held 

at Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka. 

Kamruzzaman Kamal, Marketing 

Director at PRAN-RFL Group, said 

"RFL always focuses consumers 

domestic product (GDP) 

could be lost by 2020. If, 

instead, trade restrictions in 

services were reduced by 15 

percent, global GDP could be 

higher by 0.5 percent. 

"Pressures on emerging 

markets have been rising 

and trade tensions have 

begun to have a negative 

impact, increasing downside 

risks," said the IMF 

managing director. 

"The choice is clear," 

Lagarde said. "Fix trade - this 

is priority No. 1 to boost 

growth and jobs." 

Besides trade tensions, the 

IMF chief also highlighted 

another "urgent issue" - the 

excessive level of global debt, 

about 182 trillion dollars by 

estimate of the multilateral 

lender. 

"It is important, 

particularly for highly 

indebted emerging-market 

and low-income countries, to 

rebuild buffers and reverse 

procyclical fiscal policies," 

Lagarde said, adding that 

increasing debt transparency 

is as important as supporting 

debt sustainability. 

The IMF chief pointed out 

that global growth, though 

remains strong, is 

moderating and becoming 

more uneven. 

She also suggested G20 

members, who represent 

some 85 percent of the 

global GDP, to continue to 

normalize monetary policy 

in a "well-communicated, 

gradual, data-driven 

manner," use micro- and 

macro- prudential tools to 

address financial risks, 

among other measures. 

mobile," he told AFP at last week's Africa 

Games Week convention in Cape Town 

which brought together African games 

coders, developers and artists with top 

executives from Sony and other industry 

giants. "With the emergence of a 

number of low-cost smartphones, it's 

now very easy to purchase a mobile 

phone," he said while video games 

enthusiasts tried out the continent's 

latest digital offerings on screens nearby. 

'Jump on the bandwagon' - 

Bakayoko said that the increasing 

number of African gaming products for 

handheld devices mirrored the 

explosion of mobile banking and 

financial tools like Kenya's Mpesa on the 

continent in recent years. 

"So there's great potential for video 

games using electronic payments… it 

can work well with Kenya as a prime 

example," he said. "There's no reason for 

Africa not to jump on the bandwagon." 

Another part of mobile gaming's 

appeal over other platforms in Africa is 

that it consumes less data, which can be 

slow or costly. "In Nigeria they even get 

games pre-loaded on the phones 

because data is so expensive," said Evan 

Greenwood, 37, the director of South 

Africa's leading computer game studio 

Free Lives. 

"There's the potential (in Africa) - but 

demand in manufacturing products. 

For the reason RFL has become 

country's top brand in plastic products. 

RFL products are also available in 

different countries across the world. 

We are proud for being awarded with 

export trophy. It was made possible for 

our consumers across the world." 

Mentioning that RFL products are 

being exported to 64 countries, he said 

that RFL is working relentlessly to 

expand its export market. 

Spanish government 

passes plan to create 

about 1,000 jobs 

The Spanish government 

passed on Friday a plan to 

create about 1,000 jobs. 

The Reindus Program is a 

400 million euros plan that 

aims at creating around 

1,000 jobs and boosting the 

industry sector in Spain. 

Spain's Minister of 

Industry, Commerce and 

Tourism, Reyes Maroto, said 

that the industry sector is "a 

priority sector of the Spanish 

economy and should be key 

for the development of the 

country in the coming 

years". 

Maroto explained that the 

program contributed to 

strengthen 

the 

competitiveness of the 

Spanish industry and 

promote investments for 

employment. 

The Spanish industry 

sector represents 16.3 

percent of the country's 

GDP, which is well below of 

figures of other countries 

and the European average, 

which is at 17.6 percent. 

data has to get cheaper and the right 

games have to be made." 

Invasion Day will be free to download, 

but players must purchase upgrades 

from within the game. 

Spreckley hopes Invasion Day will 

catch the eye of a major investor, but 

many African mobile games developers 

have struggled to turn their creations 

into cash. 'In more people's hands' - 

Ivory Coast's Point Point, based on a 

traditional children's game played using 

paper, and Madagascar's Gazkar, a 

racing game featuring the island's 

ubiquitous Citroen 2CV, have proved 

popular with mobile gamers - though 

not readily profitable. But Google's 

decision in June to allow games 

developers from African countries 

including Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South 

Africa and Tanzania to make money 

from their creations sold on its Play store 

could revolutionise the sector. 

"Most people use (Google) Android 

here," said Sithe Ncube, 24, the founder 

of Zambia's Ubongo Game Lab. 

"People haven't had a way to monetise 

their mobile games. People have actually 

been developing apps for a while but 

there hasn't been a way to use it as a 

business model," said Ncube who wore a 

spiked choker and had a streak of bright 

purple in her dark hair. 

Total tax collected 

in India during 

November 

amounted 14.7 b 

USD 

The Goods and Services 

Tax (GST) collected in India 

during the month 

November aggregated 

around 97,637 crore Indian 

Rupees (approximately 14.7 

billion U.S. dollars), said 

official data released by the 

country's Finance Ministry 

on Saturday. 

Out of the total amount, 

16,812 crore Indian Rupees 

(around 2.5 billion U.S. 

dollars) was Central GST, i.e. 

collected by the central 

government, 23,070 crore 

Indian Rupees (around 3.5 

billion U.S. dollars) was 

States GST, i.e. collected by 

all the states, and 49,726 

crore Indian Rupees 


dollars) was IGST or 

Integrated GST which is 

levied by Central 

Government on inter-State 

supply of goods and services. 

The IGST included 24,133 

crore Indian Rupees 


dollars) collected on 

imports. 

Besides, 8,031 crore 

Indian Rupees (around 1.2 

billion U.S. dollars) was 

collected in the form of Cess, 

which included 842 crore 

Indian Rupees (around 126 

million U.S. dollars) 

collected on imports. The 

official data added that 

around seven million GST 

returns were filed for the 

month of October up to 

November 30. 

Sheikh FazleFahim 

FBCCI Senior Vice 

President elected 

FBCCI Senior Vice 

President Sheikh FazleFahim 

has been elected the Vice 

President of Confederation of 

Asia Pacific Chambers of 

Commerce and Industry 

(CACCI) during the 89th 

CACCI Council Meeting held 

last week in conjunction with 

the 32nd CACCI Conference 

in Istanbul, Turkey. For his 

outstanding contribution in 

the development of the 

Umbrella Chamber of 

Bangladesh as well as the 

Regional Chambers, Sheikh 

Fahim has been elected the 

leader of this Prestigious 

Confederation. He will act as 

the Vice President of CACCI 

for the next two (2018-2020) 

years, a press release said . 

Meanwhile, Samir Modi, 

Executive Director of K. K. 

Modi Group of India has been 

elected the President of 

CACCI for the next two years. 

It may be mentioned here 

that the Confederation of 

Asia-Pacific Chambers of 

Commerce and Industry 

(CACCI) is a 28 

membercountry regional 

organization of apex national 

chambers of commerce and 

industry and business 

associations representing the 

interest of some 3.5 millionbusiness 

enterprises in Asia 

and the Pacific. Established in 

1966, it serves as a forum for 

promoting vital role of the 

businessmen in the Asia and 

Western Pacific region, 

increasing regional business 

interaction and enhancing 

regional economic growth. 

CACCI has Primary Members 

(national chambers of 

commerce & industry and 

associations) from the 

member countries, including 

Australia, Azerbaijan, 

Bangladesh, Brunei, 

Cambodia, Georgia, Hong 

Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, 

Japan, Korea, Malaysia, 

Mongolia, Nepal, New 

Zealand, Pakistan, Papua 

New Guinea, the Philippines, 

Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, 

Taiwan, Thailand, Tajikistan, 

Turkey, Uzbekistan and 

Vietnam. 

Trump says will 

formally terminate 

NAFTA soon 

US President Donald Trump said 

Saturday he will soon notify Congress that 

he plans to end the NAFTA agreement with 

Mexico and Canada in favor of a new 

regional trade deal, setting up a potential 

clash on Capitol Hill. 

Trump, traveling home from a G20 

summit in Argentina, told reporters aboard 

Air Force One that he would give formal 

notice to Congress on "terminating" NAFTA 

"within a relatively short period of time." 

That would trigger a six-month waiting 

period before the US could leave the pact - 

during that time, US lawmakers would be 

asked to approve the new deal signed on 

Friday with America's neighbors. 

Trump says the new pact - known in 

Washington as the US-Mexico-Canada 

Agreement (USMCA) - will help US 

workers, especially in the auto industry, and 

better safeguard intellectual property. 

"We get rid of NAFTA. It's been a disaster 

for the United States," said Trump, who 

insisted that the North American Free 

Trade Agreement, in place for nearly a 

quarter-century, was a killer of American 

jobs. 

"That'll be terminated so Congress will 

have a choice of the USMCA or pre-NAFTA, 

which worked very well," the Republican 

president said. 

The signing of USMCA was a victory for 

Trump, following months of tense and 

difficult negotiations with Ottawa and 

Mexico City. 

Trump said Friday that he did not foresee 

a problem with getting congressional 

approval, but some Democrats - who will 

control the US House of Representatives as 

of January - have expressed skepticism. 

Nancy Pelosi, the frontrunner to regain 

her position as Speaker of the House, on 

Friday called the deal a "work in progress." 

"What isn't in it yet are enough 

enforcement reassurances regarding 

workers" and the environment, she told a 

press conference. 

"This is not something that we have a 

piece of paper where we can say yes or no to 

it," said Pelosi, who added that Mexico had 

not yet passed a law on wages and working 

conditions. 

The new deal also requires legislative 

approval in Canada and Mexico. 

Myanmar holds 

commerce fair 

in Yangon 

The Myanmar Commerce Fair-2018 

kicked off at Yangon Convention Center 

Saturday, aiming to promote economic 

development of the country. 

Efforts are being accelerated to promote 

the private sector development, to create 

economic opportunities as well as to attract 

more foreign investment in the country, 

Union Minister of Planning and Finance U 

Soe Win told the opening ceremony. 

Scheduled for two days, the commerce fair 

is jointly organized by the Office of the 

Auditor General of the Union, Myanmar 

Accountancy Council, Myanmar Institute of 

Certified Public Accountants and Commerce 

Graduates' Association (Myanmar). 

The commerce fair features speeches by 

experts in relative fields, industrialists and 

entrepreneurs from the country's private 

sectors, focusing on current and future 

aspects of Myanmar's socio-economic issues. 

Over 150 exhibitors took part in the 

commerce fair, showcasing products and 

services from public and private sectors. 

From Biblical to revival: 

Jordan's desert 

winemakers 

Two Jordanian families 

aim to put wine from their 

desert land on the world 

viticultural map, reviving an 

age-old tradition that some 

suggest has Biblical heritage. 

Wine lovers like to say that 

the wine Jesus Christ served 

to his disciples at the Last 

Supper came from the 

northern town of Umm Qais 

in modern-day Jordan, to 

signify how old the country's 

winemaking tradition is. 

"Wine was produced in 

Jordan more than 2,000 

years ago but then it 

disappeared for centuries," 

said Omar Zumot, who 

studied winemaking in 

France, and now manages 

the Saint George winery in an 

eastern suburb of Amman. 

"It's our responsibility to 

relaunch it," he told AFP. 

The Zumots and their main 

competitors, the Haddads, 

belong to Jordan's Christian 

minority in a Muslimmajority 

kingdom, where the 

sale of alcohol is legal. 

"We began to produce wine 

in 1996 and today we 

produce 400,000 litres a 

year," Zumot said, during a 

tour of his winery, which 

makes a range of organic 

wines that are aged in 700 

French oak barrels before 

being bottled. 

"We're only at the start of 

the road but my dream is to 

put Jordanian wines on the 

map." 

Firas Haddad, marketing 

manager of Eagle Distilleries, 

home of the award-winning 

Jordan River wine, shares 

that dream. 

"We set up the first winery 

in 1975. We used to produce 

just two kinds of wines, white 

and red from grapes that we 

brought from Suweida in 

(neighbouring) Syria," he 

said. 

Today, the company based 

in Zarka, near Amman, 

produces wine from 45 

varieties of grapes, most of 

them from vines brought to 

Jordan from France, Italy 

and Spain, he said. 

Swiss archaeologist Ueli 

Bellwald told AFP that 

winemaking in Jordan goes 

back much further than the 

time of Christ. 

"Winemaking in Jordan 

does not date back only 

2,000 years," said Bellwald, 

who has been working on 

digs in the ancient Nabatean 

city of Petra for nearly three 

decades. 

Wine production started in 

the Nabatean kingdom "in 

the middle of the first century 

BC" and reached a peak 

during the Roman and 

Byzantine periods, "based on 

the enormous number of 

wine presses from these 

times", he said. 

According to Bellwald, as 

many as 82 wine presses 

have been discovered in the 

Beidha-Baaja area of Petra in 

southern Jordan. 

"There were even 

winemaking facilities of 

industrial scale," he said. 

Basalt, water, sunshine - 

Both the Haddads and the 

Zumots have vineyards in the 

northeastern Mafraq 

province neighbouring Syria 

and Iraq. 

Mafraq is one of the most 

fertile regions of Jordan with 

soil rich in basalt that was 

formed by volcanic activity 

tens of thousands of years 

ago. It lies 840 metres (2,800 

feet) above sea level, is rich in 

underground water and 

enjoys sunshine 330 days a 

year, said Haddad. 

All this makes for 

"exceptional" wine, he said. 

The Haddads have set up 

the "Wine Experience" in the 

heart of Amman touted as 

Jordan's first wine tasting 

lounge, and like the Zumots 

organise vineyard tours. 

Tourists visiting the 

lounge, like Peggy from 

Australia and Frederic from 

France, were "surprised" that 

Jordan produces wine. Both 

noted the high price tags. 

All alcoholic drinks, 

whether they are imported or 

domestically-produced, are 

subject to taxes that exceed 

300 percent, while even 

items used in the production 

process face substantial 

duties. 

"Customs duties are 

exorbitant and because of 

that (our) wine is expensive. 

The cheapest bottle sells for 

between 15-20 euros," or $20 

to $25, said Zumot. 

His company exports only 

"small quantities" to Europe 

and some Arab countries, 

including Iraq, Qatar and the 

United Arab Emirates, he 

said, citing high shipping 

costs. 

'A passion, an art' - 

Jordan River produces 

500,000 bottles of wine 

annually, 90 percent of 

which is sold domestically, 

said Haddad. For now, very 

little is sent abroad. 

"A few months ago, we sent 

a shipment to Australia. 

Another one is on its way to 

California," he said, adding 

he also expects to export his 

wine soon to Paris. 

The Jordan River wine has 

won 96 awards, while the 

Saint George has clinched 23 

prizes. 

Taiwan cuts 2018, 2019 

economic growth forecasts 

Taiwan on Friday trimmed its economic growth forecasts 

for this year and next year amid slower global economic 

expansion. 

Gross domestic product (GDP) will grow 2.66 percent this 

year, slightly lower than 2.69 percent growth it forecasted 

previously, according to the island's statistics agency. 

Exports are expected to grow 3.37 percent year on year in 

2018, while private consumption may rise 2.17 percent, lower 

than a previous forecast due to subdued consumer confidence. 

Fixed-asset investment growth outlook has also been cut to 

3.59 percent. 

The agency also lowered Taiwan's 2019 GDP growth outlook 

to 2.41 percent from 2.55 percent. 

Exports may grow 3.06 percent next year as demand for the 

semiconductor sector is likely to remain strong. Private 

consumption may rise 2.23 percent on the back of better 

employment situation and possible pay rises, while fixed-asset 

investment may climb 5.4 percent as green energy investment 

continues.

MISCELLANEOUS 

Climate talks kick off in Poland 

with boost from G-20 summit 

Negotiators from around the world 

began two weeks of talks on curbing 

climate change Sunday, three years 

after sealing a landmark deal in Paris 

that set a goal of keeping global 

warming well below 2 degrees Celsius 

(3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). 

Envoys from almost 200 nations 

gathered in Poland's southern city of 

Katowice, a day earlier than originally 

planned, for the U.N. meeting that's 

scheduled to run until Dec. 14. 

Ministers and some heads of 

government are joining in Monday, 

when host Poland will push for a joint 

declaration to ensure a "just transition" 

for fossil fuel industries like coal 

producers who are facing closures as 

part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions. 

The meeting received a boost over the 

weekend, after 19 major economies at 

the G-20 summit affirmed their 

commitment to the 2015 Paris climate 

accord. The only holdout was the 

United States, which announced under 

President Donald Trump that it is 

withdrawing from the climate pact. 

"Despite geopolitical instability, the 

climate consensus is proving highly 

resilient," said Christiana Figueres, a 

former head of the U.N. climate office. 

"It is sad that the federal 

Ukraine urges 

German naval 

presence in the 

Black Sea 

Ukraine's leader has called on 

Germany and its allies to 

boost their naval presence in 

the Black Sea to deter Russia 

from further aggression in the 

region. President Petro 

Poroshenko says Russia has 

deployed a large number of 

troops along its border with 

Ukraine. He warns that 

Russia intends to push 

further inland into Ukraine 

following last week's naval 

clash between their forces in 

the Black Sea. Russia has 

already annexed the Black 

Sea peninsula of Crimea. 

Poroshenko says "we need a 

strong, unified, unambiguous 

reaction to Russia's aggressive 

behavior." He spoke Sunday 

in an interview published by 

the German Funke Media 

Group. Last week's clash at 

sea has driven tensions 

between Russia and Ukraine 

to their highest point since 

Moscow annexed Crimea in 

2014. 

administration of the United States, a 

country that is increasingly feeling the 

full force of climate impacts, continues 

to refuse to listen to the objective voice 

of science when it comes to climate 

change," Figures said. 

She cited a recent expert report 

warning of the consequences of letting 

average global temperatures rise 

beyond 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). 

"The rest of the G-20 have not only 

understood the science, they are taking 

actions to both prevent the major 

impacts and strengthen their 

economies," said Figueres, who now 

works with Mission 2020, a group that 

campaigns to reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions. 

The meeting in Katowice is regarded 

as a key test of countries' willingness to 

back their lofty but distant goals with 

concrete measures, some of which are 

already drawing fierce protests . At the 

top of the agenda is the so-called Paris 

rulebook , which will determine how 

governments record and report their 

greenhouse emissions and efforts to cut 

them. Separately, negotiators will 

discuss ramping up countries' national 

emissions targets after 2020, and 

financial support for poor nations that 

are struggling to adapt to climate 

change. 

The shift away from fossil fuels, 

which scientists say has to happen by 

2050, is expected to require a major 

overhaul of world economies. 

"The good news is that we do know a 

lot of what we need to be able to do to 

get there," said David Waskow of the 

World Resources Institute. 

Waskow, who has followed climate 

talks for years, said despite the Trump 

administration's refusal to back this 

global effort the momentum is going in 

the right direction. 

"It's not one or two players anymore 

in the international arena," he said. "It's 

what I think you could call a distributed 

leadership, where you have a number 

of countries - some of them small or 

medium-sized - really making headway 

and doing it in tandem with cities and 

states and businesses." 

Later Sunday, protests were planned 

by environmental activists calling for 

an end to coal mining in Poland, which 

gets some 80 percent of its energy from 

coal. Katowice is at the heart of 

Poland's coal mining region of Silesia 

and there are still several active mines 

in and around the city. 

On Saturday, thousands of people 

marched in Berlin and Cologne to 

demand that Germany speed up its exit 

from coal-fired power plants. 

Riot debris covers Paris streets; 

133 injured, 412 arrested 

Paris police said Sunday that 133 people had 

been injured and 412 had been arrested as 

protesters trashed the streets of the capital 

during France's worst urban riot in years. 

French President Emmanuel Macron was 

holding an emergency meeting on security 

later Sunday with his prime minister and 

interior minister. He has vowed that those 

responsible for the violence and the damages 

will pay for their actions. 

A protest against rising taxes and the high 

cost of living turned into a riot Saturday in 

the most popular tourist areas of the French 

capital. Activists wearing yellow jackets 

torched cars, smashed windows, looted 

stores, threw rocks at police and tagged the 

Arc de Triomphe with multi-colored graffiti. 

Police responded with tear gas and water 

cannon, closing down dozens of streets and 

Metro stations as they tried to contain the 

riot. 

Police said 23 police officers were among 

the injured and 378 of the arrested have been 

put in police custody. 

By Sunday morning, Paris city employees 

were cleaning up the graffiti on the Arc de 

Triomphe. One read: "Yellow jackets will 

triumph" - a reference to the fluorescent 

yellow vests that protesters are wearing to 

demand relief for France's beleaguered 

workers. 

Some of Paris' major avenues near the Arc 

de Triomphe and streets around the famed 

Champs-Elysees Avenue and the Tuileries 

garden were littered with piles of debris and 

burned cars. Graffiti was also sprayed on 

many storefronts and buildings. 

Government spokesman Benjamin 

Griveaux said Saturday's violence was due to 

those who hijacked the protest, people who 

came "to loot, break and hit police forces." 

He was questioned why thousands of 

French police couldn't prevent the damage, 

especially to the nation's Arc de Triomphe 

monument. "Yesterday we made a choice ... 

to protect people before material goods," 

Griveaux told French broadcaster BFM TV. 

It was the third straight weekend of clashes 

in Paris involving activists dressed in the 

yellow vests of a new protest movement and 

the worst urban violence since at least 2005. 

The scene in Paris contrasted sharply with 

protests elsewhere in France on Saturday 

that were mostly peaceful. 

"It's difficult to reach the end of the month. 

People work and pay a lot of taxes and we are 

fed up," said Rabah Mendez, a protester who 

came to march peacefully in Paris. 

5 people shot in 

Miami neighborhood, 

suspect still at large 

Authorities say five people 

have been shot in a Miami 

neighborhood and the 

suspect remains at large. 

Miami police tell news 

outlets that the shooting 

happened Saturday night in 

the 

Overtown 

neighborhood. They say the 

gunman fired several rounds 

at the corner of a liquor 

store, striking the victims. 

Four victims were 

transported to Jackson 

Memorial Hospital, where 

two are in critical condition. 

Officials said the fifth 

victim was taken to the 

hospital by someone else. 

The victims have not been 

identified and a motive for 

the shooting has not been 

released. 

Spanish trawler with 

rescued migrants can 

dock in Malta 

The Spanish government 

says a Spanish trawler that 

had spent over a week at sea 

after rescuing a group of 

migrants now has 

permission to dock in Malta. 

The office of Spain's vice 

president says Sunday that 

the government has 

negotiated the docking of 

the Nuestra Senora de 

Loreto trawler in Malta. 

Malta, along with Italy, 

had initially refused to 

accept the boat because it 

had rescued the migrants in 

Libyan waters. The trawler 

rescued 12 migrants last 

week. One migrant was 

evacuated for health reasons 

on Friday. 

Albanian naval 

forces ship rescues 

84 migrants in the 

Aegean Sea 

The Albanian Naval Forces 

ship "Lissus" have rescued 

84 migrants in two different 

operations in the Aegean 

Sea, the Ministry of Defense 

said on Sunday. 

According to the ministry, 

the Albanian ship found a 

boat with 39 migrants 

aboard on Saturday evening. 

In a second operation on 

Sunday morning, "Lissus" 

ship accompanied another 

boat with 45 people on 

board, of whom 31 were 

men, five women and nine 

children. 

Among them, 28 migrants 

were of Afghan nationality, 

10 Iraqis, five Syrians, one 

Egyptian, and one is in the 

process of identification. 

The operations, according 

to Ministry of Defense, have 

taken place in the 

framework of prevention of 

sea disasters and rescue of 

emigrants. 

GD-1532/18 (10 x 3) 

MoNDAY, DeCeMBeR 3, 2018 

11 

Palestinian leadership vows to halt US 

anti-Hamas draft resolution at UN 

The secretary general of the Palestine 

Liberation Organization (PLO) said on 

Sunday that the Palestinian leadership is 

battling in the UN General Assembly to halt 

a U.S. draft resolution to condemn Hamas. 

"Hamas is a Palestinian party, and whether 

we agree or disagree with it, we will not allow 

that any Palestinian party is described as 

terrorists," Saeb Erekat told the official 

Palestinian radio station Voice of Palestine. 

The UN General Assembly is expected to 

vote on Thursday on a draft resolution that 

condemns Hamas rocket attack against 

Israel in a step backed by the outgoing U.S. 

ambassador in the UN Nikki Haley. 

Israeli media reported that Washington 

has pressured in the past few days some 

European countries to support the draft 

resolution. If passed, it would be the first UN 

resolution to condemn Palestinian 

resistance. Resolutions adopted by the UN 

General Assembly are non-binding, but they 

carry political weight and are seen as a 

barometer of world opinion. 

In a letter to President of UN General 

Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Hamas 

chief Ismail Haniyeh condemned "the 

ongoing and desperate attempts by 

Washington's financial and emotional 

support to Israeli occupation." 

GD-1533/18 (4 x 4) 

Iqvmv-RtZt-379/18 

GD-1534/18 (4 x 4) 

GD-1536/18 (6 x 4)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

MONDAy, DHAKA, DECEMBER 3, 2018, AGRAHAyAN 19, 1425 BS, RABI-UL-AwAL 24, 1440 HIJRI 

On Sunday General Secretary of Awami League Obaidul Quader addressing a press conference at the 

Political Office of Awami league President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Photo: Star Mail 

It's better for convicts to stay 

away from election: Quader 

DHAKA : Awami League General 

Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday 

said the convicted people should not 

contest the upcoming national election 

on moral grounds, reports UNB. 

"It's better for the convicted persons 

to stay away from the election on moral 

grounds. Awami League doesn't support 

it morally," he said while addressing 

a press briefing at party chief's 

Dhanmondi political office. 

The Appellate Division on Sunday 

stayed a High Court order that had 

allowed a convicted person to take part 

in the national election, blocking the 

way for those sentenced to over two 

years' imprisonment to join the 

upcoming parliamentary elections 

billed for December 30. 

Following the apex court's verdict, 

many BNP leaders, including its chairperson 

Khaleda Zia, cannot participate 

in the election as they were convicted in 

various cases. 

Describing Jatiya Oikyafront's 'failure' 

to announce its Prime Minister 

candidate before the election as its primary 

defeat, Quader said, "Although 

there're many leaders in the platform, 

there's no one who can take the responsibility 

of the prime minister." 

He said BNP's announcement to 

INTERESTING NEWS 

Near the ancient city of Marib, in 

Yemen, lies the ruins of a great dam. 

Considered to be one of the biggest engineering 

wonders of the ancient world, the 

Great Dam of Marib stretched for 580 

meters and was easily one of the largest 

dams of its era. For as long as it stood, the 

Great Dam turned the desert into an oasis 

allowing the irrigation of more than a hundred 

square kilometers of sandy soil centered 

around Marib, which was then the 

largest city in southern Arabia. When the 

dam collapsed in the 6th century, it 

brought down this ancient commercial 

empire. The collapse of the Great Dam and 

the destruction of Marib was such an 

important event in the history of the 

region that it even finds a place in the 

Koran. The city of Marib was the seat of 

power of the kingdom of Saba, known in 

launch a movement just before 25 days 

of the election is nothing but a nightmare. 

"People are now in an election 

mood, they're not in a movement 

mood," he said, alleging that BNP is 

trying in many ways to destabilise the 

situation. 

The ruling party leader also claimed 

that Awami League depends on people's 

strength while BNP on rumour. 

"As BNP has less confidence in people, 

they depend on rumour." 

The Collapse of Marib Dam 

And The Fall of an Empire 

the west as Sheba, whose legendary queen, 

the Queen of Sheba, is said to have visited 

King Solomon in Jerusalem with a caravan 

of valuable gifts of gold and spices. 

Although there is no evidence outside of 

the Bible that the queen even existed, the 

lavish present that she supposedly brought 

the wise King would be in keeping with the 

wealth of the Sabean monarchy. 

The kingdom of Saba grew its wealth 

through trade along the Spice Route (also 

known as Incense Route) between southern 

Arabia and the port of Gaza on the 

Mediterranean Sea. Marib was one of several 

layovers along the route where merchants 

would stop to rest and exchange 

goods. Marib traded two rare and expensive 

products highly prized in the ancient 

world—the aromatic resins, frankincense 

and myrrh, that was cultivated from the 

sap of trees grown across the Arab world. 

"The difference between a communal 

party and non-communal one is now 

clearer than in the past. The people of 

Bangladesh will choose the right one 

for their betterment. We don't believe 

that people will vote for the party which 

patronises communalism and militancy 

in the name of politics," he said. 

Quader also warned that those will 

remain in the election race going 

against the party decision will be 

expelled from the party for life. 

Biman's 2nd Dreamliner 

'Hangshabalaka' arrives 

DHAKA : The 2nd Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft of national flag carrier 

Biman Bangladesh Airlines arrived here on Saturday night, reports UNB. 

The new aircraft named 'Hangshabalaka' landed at Hazrat Shahjalal 

International Airport at 11:40 pm Saturday, said Biman General Manager (Public 

Relations) Shakil Meraj. 

Biman Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mosaddik Ahmed 

received the aircraft. 

Earlier, the aircraft took off from Penfield Airport in Seattle Boeing 

Headquarters in USA after Boeing Vice-president Jeff Climan officially handed 

over the key and ownership of the aircraft to Biman authorities. 

Captain Smoleski, Captain Shoeb, Captain Aminur and First Officer Anita conducted 

the flight operation. 

The Dreamliner will fly six times in a week on Dhaka-London route, four times 

on Dhaka-Dammam and three times on Dhaka-Bangkok route. 

Hero Alam's 

nomination's 

cancelled 

BAGURA :The nomination 

paper of much-talked-about 

independent candidate for 

Bagura-4 seats Ashraful 

Alam alias Hero Alom was 

turned down by the Election 

Commission on Sunday as 

he could not properly submit 

the signatures of one percent 

voters of his constituency, 

reports UNB. 

Returning officer Foyez 

Ahmed announced his nomination 

paper invalid. 

He said Alam submitted 

the list of one percent voters 

of the constancy with his 

nomination form as per the 

condition for an independence 

runner. "But during 

scrutiny we found there are 

some forged signatures. 

That's why we've rejected his 

nomination form." 

Hero Alam submitted his 

nomination paper for contesting 

the election from 

Bagura-4 seat as an independent 

contender as he failed 

to get Jatiya Party's ticket. 

In his instant reaction, 

Hero Alam said he will make 

an appeal against the returning 

officer's decision. "I'm 

subjected to injustice 

through the rejection of my 

nomination. The signature of 

3,121 candidates are sufficient 

as the total number of 

voters in my area are 3, 

12,086, but I submitted the 

signatures of 3,500 voters." 

He also said his candidature 

was turned down as part 

of a plot against him. "I'll stay 

DITF 2019 strays 

from usual 

schedule; to run 

Jan 9-Feb 8 

DHAKA : The 24th edition of 

the Dhaka International Trade 

Fair, or DITF 2019 will commence 

January 9 instead of the 

first day of the month (and 

year), as is usually the case, due 

to the 11th national election. 

According to the Export 

Promotion Bureau (EPB), the 

month long trade fair would 

continue upto February 8 at its 

usual venue in Sher-e-Bangla 

Nagar in Dhaka, reports UNB. 

"Usually we organize the fair 

on January 1 but it is not possible 

this year (2019). It will be 

difficult to organize in one day 

after completing the election on 

December 30, since law 

enforcement and other administrators 

will have to be busy 

then," Avijit Chowdhury, 

Director General of EPB, told 

UNB. 

"Besides, we cannot understand 

who will come in power 

after the election. However, 

Prime Minister's Office has 

approved a letter to organize the 

fair on the 9th," he said. "We 

will complete all tasks of the fair 

by the month and stalls allotment 

will also be completed 

within December 31." 

BD, UAE ties transformed into strategic partnership: Envoy 

DHAKA : Ambassador of the United 

Arab Emirates (UAE) to Bangladesh 

Saed Mohammed Al Mheiri on Sunday 

said Bangladesh and the UAE share 

close people-to-people bond, similar 

national realities and complementary 

development goals, reports UNB. 

He said the relationship between the 

two countries is based on the principles 

of cooperation and mutual respect 

which has reached the level of "strategic 

partnership" between the two countries 

and people in recent years. 

No one can block country's 

march forward: PM 

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 

Sunday said no one will be able to block the 

country's progress as the government has 

developed a system of development, reports 

UNB. 

"We've put a system in place in the country... 

whoever comes (to power), I think, can't resist 

the country's march forward and It'll continue 

(journey)," she said. The Prime Minister said 

this while distributing the National Export 

Trophy 2015-16 at Pan Pacific Sonargaon 

Hotel jointly organised by Commerce Ministry 

and Export Promotion Bureau. 

Describing the large population as a great 

strength for the country, she said the government 

has taken a move to make this population, 

especially the youth, a skilled one through 

providing education and training. "We'll be 

able to develop the country by using the labour 

and merits of the youth. We've given special 

attention to this end," she said. 

She said the government was never involved 

in doing business; rather it made the process 

easier and hassle-free for businessmen. 

Hasina put emphasis on bringing dynamism 

into export, urging businessmen to look for 

new markets and explore new export items to 

fetch more foreign currency. "If you need 

cooperation, the government is here to help 

you," she said. 

The Prime Minister said she called all 

ambassadors and high commissioners of the 

The UAE Ambassador was addressing 

a reception at his home marking 

the 47th UAE National Day. Law 

Minister Anisul Huq was present as the 

chief guest. 

Politicians, diplomats stationed in 

Dhaka, businesspeople and journalists 

attended it. 

Mheiri said the UAE adopted an 

active approach to diplomacy with a 

marked openness to across the world 

establishing an extensive network of 

relations with various countries around 

country to Dhaka to give them directives for 

finding news business opportunities in foreign 

countries as today's world is run by economic 

diplomacy apart from the traditional political 

diplomacy. 

She said the diplomats have been asked to 

engage efforts to explore new markets and 

products for export. "We have commercial 

councillors in some countries. We've asked 

them to move for expanding the export market 

as well as products," she said. 

Talking about the diversification of products 

to catch new markets across the globe, Hasina 

said the government wants to create scope for 

the BSCIC industrial cities so that small industries 

could produce diversified products. 

About the gas crisis in industrial units, she 

said the government is thinking about landbased 

LNG terminal in the country apart from 

floating terminals to mitigate the gas crisis. 

At present, the Prime Minister said, 

Bangladesh is considered as the role model of 

development. "Now, no one sees Bangladesh 

with neglected eyes. We have to maintain the 

recognition this," she said. 

A total of 56 companies got the trophies 

under gold, silver and bronze categories. 

Chaired by Commerce Minister Tofail 

Ahmed, President of Federation of Bangladesh 

Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) 

Md Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin also spoke at the 

progeamme. 

the world. 

The Ambassador noted that the UAE 

is actively involved in the fight against 

extremism and terrorism, and a key 

element in the country's determined 

efforts to ensure its national security 

and enhance international security. 

The UAE has accomplished important 

achievements in this regard, both 

through military participation in 

Islamic and international alliances and 

the enactment of local laws to fight 

against terrorism and its causes. 

As Padma river water is being decreased, fishermen are going to catch the fish. The photo was taken 

from Char Khadirpur of Rajshahi. 


New US envoy Miller to 

visit Rohingya camps 

this week 

DHAKA : US Ambassador to Bangladesh 

Earl R Miller will visit Rohingya camps in 

Cox's Bazar this week to see the situations on 

the ground as the United States "remains committed" 

to helping those affected people, 

reports UNB. 

The US Ambassador, an official told UNB, is 

likely to go to Cox's Bazar on Tuesday and 

might stay there for a couple of days. "Things 

will be finalised soon." 

On several occasions, the US commended 

the government and the people of Bangladesh 

who have responded swiftly and generously to 

the Rohingyas arriving in Bangladesh. 

In October, US Ambassador to the United 

Nations Nikki Haley announced more than 

$185 million in additional humanitarian assistance 

for those in Bangladesh and Myanmar 

who have been affected by the Rohingya crisis. 

This additional funding brings US humanitarian 

assistance in response to the Rohingya 

crisis to nearly $389 million since the outbreak 

of violence in Burma in August 2017. 

The new funding includes $156 million for 

Rohingyas and host communities in 

Bangladesh to support the implementation of 

critical emergency services, including protection, 

emergency shelter, food, water, sanitation, 

healthcare, and psychosocial support, 

according to the US Embassy in Dhaka. 

Since August 2017, more than 725,000 

Rohingyas have fled violence in Myanmar's 

Rakhine State, crossing the border into 

Bangladesh. Bangladesh now hosts over one 

million Rohingyas. Ambassador Miller presented 

his credentials to President Md Abdul 

Hamid on November 29. 

He emphasised that a strong US-Bangladesh 

relationship is in the interests of the United 

States and the American people, Bangladesh 

and the Bangladeshi people, as well as the 

regional and global community. 

Ambassador Miler who arrived here on 

November 18 was sworn in as the US 

Ambassador to Bangladesh at the Department 

of State in the United States. 

Miller was confirmed as US Ambassador to 

Bangladesh by the US Senate on October 11. 

66 found HIV 

positive in 

Sylhet 

SYLHET : At least 66 new 

patients have been tested 

HIV positive in the district 

till November this year, says 

a report released by a local 

voluntary organisation on 

Sunday, reports UNB. 

Among the affected, a total 

of 902 people were detected 

as carrying the lethal virus 

while the number was 836 in 

last year, according to Ashar 

Alo Society, the voluntary 

organisation that works on 

AIDS-related issues. 

Of the 536 affected 

patients who are still alive, 

267 are male, 224 female 

and 46 children while two 

are transgender, says the 

report. 

Abdur Rahman, district 

coordinator of the organization, 

said expatriates returning 

from abroad are carrying 

the virus in their bodies and 

spreading the fatal virus due 

to their unawareness and 

sometimes shyness of sharing 

it with others even with 

their wives. 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Advisory Editor: Advocate Molla Mohammad Abu Kawser, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka. 

Editorial and News Office: K.K Bhaban (Level-04) 69/K, Green Road, Panthapath, Dhaka-1205. Tel : +8802-9611884, Cell : 01832166882; Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

03-12-2018

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