14-12-2018

friDaY 

DhaKa: December 14, 2018; agrahyan 30, 1425 BS; Rabius Sanni 6,1440 hijri www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.16; No.310; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

international 

UK PM May says 

she will leave by 

2022 election 

>Page 7 

Stay alert to prevent 

2014-like polls 

violence: CEC 

art & culture 

Priyanka and Kareena 

to grace Koffee With 

Karan 6 finale 

>Page 8 

sport 

Tigers to face several 

challenges in 

series decider 

>Page 9 

Split Order 

Khaleda's lawyers to file 

no-confidence motion 

DHAKA : BNP Chairperson Khaleda 

Zia's lawyers decided on Thursday to 

file a no-confidence motion with a oneman 

High Court bench, fearing they 

would not get justice in the petition 

relating to cancellation of her nominations, 

reports UNB. 

The bench was formed on 

Wednesday to hear the writ petition 

over the cancellation of the former 

Juma 

05:14 AM 

01:15 PM 

03:37 PM 

05:17 PM 

06:35 PM 

6:33 5:14 

DHAKA : Chief Election Commissioner 

KM Nurul Huda on Thursday asked the 

intelligence agencies to find out 

whether there was any conspiracy by 

any third party behind the recent violence 

to createan anarchic situation like 

the ones occurred during the 2014 

national election. 

"I would like to ask the intelligence 

agencies to dig out whether there was 

any third-partyconspiracy in recent 

incidents (recent pre-polls violence)," 

he said while addressing a meeting over 

election security strategy in the city, 

reports UNB. 

Top representatives from the police, 

Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard 

Bangladesh, Ansar and VDP, intelligence 

agencies and the Armed Forces 

Division as well as 66 returning officers 

and superintendents of police (SPs) of 

all the districts joined the meeting that 

started around 10 am at Nirbachan 

Bhaban. 

The CEC said, "We can't fully ignore 

some apprehensions. Some incidents 

occurred a day after the symbol allocation... 

two people were killed. The two 

lives are very much valuable. But why're 

these incidents?" 

"We need to think whether there were 

political or social reasons behind the 

incidents or any conspiracy is being 

hatched to create a dangerous situation 

like that of 2014. Intelligence agencies 

will have to stay vigilant in this regard," 

he added. 

Nurul Huda stressed the need for 

coming out from the blame-game culture 

in case of any incident and urged 

the law enforcement agencies not to 

take the law-and-order situation lightly. 

The CEC said the election preparation 

and strategy need to be taken keeping 

in mind the violence unleashed during 

the 2014 national election. 

"We shouldn't forget the situation of 

that election (January-5 national election). 

A dangerous situation had been 

created at that time. This time we need 

to work out the election preparation 

strategy in light of those incidents," he 

said. 

"All the forces, including the armed 

forces, police, Rab and BGB, were in the 

field during that election, but what did 

we saw? Police members, presiding 

officers, magistrates, hundreds of people 

were killed and educational institutions 

were burnt," the CEC added. 

"What was the context at that time? 

Why couldn't we control those? Though 

we didn't get scope to discuss the issues, 

but we'll have to keep it in mind. We 

shouldn't forget it," he went on. 

He said all need to remain alert to tackle 

the similar situation, if happens, 

through preventing such conspiracies."I 

hope you'll face these (incidents) during 

this election. Perform duty maintaining 

impartial and professional mentality with 

experiences and expertise." 

About electoral voting machines 

(EVMs), the CEC said the Commission 

has a target to use the machines in all 

the elections. "If the EVMs can be used 

properly, 80 percent of election irregularities 

will be removed." 

Miscreants attack while an election candidate of Khagrachhari district 

driving his campaign on Thursday. 

Photo: Star Mail 

prime minister's nomination papers for 

three constituencies. 

Khaleda's lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali 

told the court that they did not bring a 

written petition with them. The court 

asked them to file their petition in writing 

and issued a 'not today' order. 

It informed them that the case will be 

on the December-17 cause list and said 

they can submit their petition to the 

High Court or the Chief Justice. 

On Tuesday, the bench of Justice 

Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md 

Iqbal Kabir issued a split order on 

Khaleda's candidature. Later, the 

appeal was sent to the Chief Justice as 

per rules to form a new bench. 

Her nominations for Feni-1, Bogura- 

6 and 7 constituencies were initially 

rejected by returning officers. The 

Election Commission also upheld the 

decisions, prompting the BNP chief to 

move the High Court. 

Khaleda was jailed for five years on 

February 8 this year in the Zia 

Orphanage Trust corruption case. Her 

jail term was doubled by the High Court 

on October 30. 

A day before that, she was sentenced 

to seven-year imprisonment by a special 

court in the Zia Charitable Trust 

corruption case. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina conducted her election campaign in Faridpur on Thursday .At that time, her sister Sheikh Rehana 

was also present. 

Photo: Star mail 

Martyred 

Intellectuals 

Day today 

DHAKA : The nation is set to observe 

the Martyred Intellectuals Day on 

Friday to commemorate those intellectuals 

who were killed systematically by 

the Pakistan occupation forces and 

their local collaborators at the fag-end 

of the country's Liberation War in 1971, 

reports UNB. 

On this day in 1971, country's 

renowned academicians, doctors, engineers, 

journalists, artists, teachers and 

other eminent personalities were 

dragged out of their homes, blindfolded 

and taken to unknown places and then 

brutally tortured and slaughtered. 

Their bodies were later dumped at 

Rayerbazar, Mirpur and some other 

killing fields in the capital. 

Sensing an imminent defeat, the 

Pakistani forces and local collaborators 

like Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Razakar 

forces committed the cold-blooded 

mass murders aiming to annihilate the 

country's intelligentsia and cripple the 

emerging Bangladesh intellectually. 

The government has chalked out 

elaborate programmes to commemorate 

the December 14 tragedy. 

President Abdul Hamid will place a 

wreath at the Martyred Intellectuals 

Memorial at Mirpur at 7:05am while 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will 

place another wreath at 7:06 am. 

HC stays EC's decision 

on BNP candidate 

Dhaka : The High Court on Thursday 

stayed the Election Commission's decisions 

that allowed BNP candidate M 

Rashiduzzaman Millat of Jamalpur-1 

constituency to contest the 11th parliamentary 

election, reports UNB 

An HC bench led by Justice JBM 

Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam 

passed the order after hearing on a writ 

filed by Awami League candidate and 

former information minister Abul 

Kalam Azad. 

Lawyer Md Khurshid Alam Khan 

stood for the petitioner while deputy 

attorney general Motahar Hossain Raju 

for the state. 

Md Khurshid Alam Khan said that 

the writ was filed as he was convicted. 

Returning officer rejected his nomination 

but later he got back his candidature 

after filing appeal to the Election 

Commission. 

BNP's Gazipur-5 

candidate 

Milon held 

Gazipur : Police arrested BNP candidate 

from Gazipur-5 constituency 

Fazlul Haque Milon from his residence 

at Bottul village in Kaliganj 

upazila on Thursday afternoon, 

reports UNB. 

Abdus Sabur, additional superintendent 

of police of the district, said 

a team of police arrested Milon, 

BNP organising secretary for Dhaka 

division and its Gazipur district unit 

president, around 4pm while he 

was holding a meeting at his house. 

The police official claimed that they 

made the arrest as the BNP leader 

was facing a warrant for his arrest. 

Every vote counts, says Hasina 

RAJBARI : Awami League President and 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 

Thursday urged all to cast vote for her 

party to ensure a hunger- and povertyfree 

Bangladesh, reports UNB. 

"Every vote is valuable and your one 

will help us form the government for the 

continuation of the country's development," 

she said while addressing a rally at 

Bhanga circle in Faridpur. 

The Prime Minister was on her way to 

Dhaka from Tungipara as part of the 

party's second day of election campaign. 

"If Awami League fails to return to 

power, the construction work on the 

Padma Bridge will be suspended. So, a 

single vote is also valuable for us," she 

said adding, "Cast your vote for Awami 

League-backed candidate KaziZafarullah, 

also an AL presidium member, for ensuring 

a hunger- and poverty-free 

Bangladesh." 

"I'm seeking your vote... as you can 

understand how valuable your vote is for 

the continuation of development and to 

establish Bangladesh in the world arena 

as a dignified country," the Prime 

Minister added. 

Through casting vote for 'Boat' 

Bangladesh became independent and 

gradually a hunger- and poverty-free 

country has been built, she said. 

Referring to many development works 

carried out by her government, the AL 

President said, "We've become selfreliant 

in food, while the literacy rate in 

the country has increased... there has 

been a rise in power generation, too." 

In 2001, she said, the BNP-Jamaat 

alliance took the country to the verge of 

destruction while they burnt people to 

death in 2014-2015. 

Addressing another rally at Mahendra 

Stand in Daulatdia of Rajbari district, she 

said people have to cast vote for Boat to 

continue the pace of development. "It's 

important for Awami League candidates 

to win in all the seats. Keep it in mind 

while casting your vote." 

The Prime Minister went on to say, 

"During the BNP-Jamaat period, there 

was rise in terrorism, militancy as people 

saw the incidents of 10-truck arms haul, 

21st August grenade attack and serial 

bomb blast across the country. People 

across the country got terrified. The 

country was on the verge of destruction. 

Bangladesh also became champion in 

corruption for five times," she recalled. 

"After forming the government, we've 

taken steps so that the country's people 

can lead a happy life," Hasina said. 

She said the second Padma Bridge will 

be constructedon completion of the first 

one. "A feasibility study is underway for 

the second Padma Bridge. Awami League 

knows it very well how to take the country 

forward. We've taken this as our duty 

to develop the country." 

Turning to social menaces, Hasina 

said, "Militancy, terrorism and drugs 

have to be eradicated from the country. 

We'll build a country which will be 

free from terrorism, militancy and 

drugs." 

Addressing a public rally at Komorpur 

Abdul Aziz Institution ground during the 

party's second day of election campaign 

in Faridpur circle, Hasina said: "We don't 

want to go back to the dark era, we've 

started moving forward to the path of 

light and the journey will continue if you 

cast your vote for 'Boat'. 

The Awami League chief also sought 

vote for Engineer Khandaker Mosharraf 

Hossain from Faridpur-3 constituency. 

Sheikh Hasina, said, "BNP-Jamaat 

men had looted the assets of the country 

and ate up the money of orphans. They 

had come to power to kill people commit 

corruption. They can't do anythingother 

than burning people and carrying out 

destruction." 

Sheikh Hasina addressed another rally 

at Paturia Ferry Ghat in Manikganj. 

Addressing the rally, Hasina said the 

Liberation War spirit had diminished 

with the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur 

Rahman on August 15, 1975. 

"Ziaur Rahman freed those who were 

against the Liberation War, who opposed 

the independence war and also their collaborators. 

Besides, he awarded the 

killers of Bangabandhu by recruiting 

them to different embassies," Hasina 

said. 

"BNP-Jamaat did not use the country's 

money for the welfare of the country's 

people. Khaleda Zia's two sons were also 

convicted by American Federal court for 

money laundering. Tarique Zia was also 

involved in smuggling of 10-truck arms 

and ammunition. They also ate up the 

money of orphans, that's why they have 

been punished." 

"BNP-Jamaat doesn't believe in the 

Liberation War. They don't want welfare 

of people. Development will take place 

only if AL is voted to power," she said. 

Addressing another rally in Manikganj 

bus stand area, Hasina sought vote for 

Boat saying that her party worked for 

building people's fate. 

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NEWS 

FRIDAY, 

DECEMBER 14, 2018 

2 

A MoU has been signed between Satkhira Municipality and Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) for making 

Tobacco Free Satkhira City and smooth implementation the Health and Nutrition related activities 

in a meeting on Wednesday at the Conference Room of Satkhira Municipality. Taskin Ahmed 

Chisti, Honorable Mayor of Satkhira Municipality and Iqbal Masud, Head of DAM Health Sector 

signed the MOU on behalf of Satkhira Municipality and DAM respectively. Photo : Courtesy 

2 siblings 

among 3 

killed in 

Chuadanga 

road crash 

CHUADANGA : Three 

people, including two 

brothers, were killed in a 

road crash on Chuadanga- 

Meherpur road at Kulpala 

village in Alamdanga 

upazila on Thursday, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased were 

identified as Rakib Hasan, 

22, Sakib Hasan, 12, sons 

of Akul Ali of the village 

and driver Liton, 34, son 

of Ali Hossain, a resident 

Pirpur village in Sadar 

upazila. 

Abdus Salam, deputy 

director of Chuadanga Fire 

and Civil Defence said a 

stone-laden truck hit a 

human hauler and the two 

brothers, leaving human 

hauler driver Liton dead 

on the spot and the two 

brothers injured. 

Later, the injured were 

taken to Chuadanga Sadar 

Hospital where doctors 

declared them dead. 

Being angered by the 

accident, local people put 

barricade on the highway 

which halted vehicular 

movement for an 

sometime. 

On information, two 

teams of police from Sadar 

and Alamdanga police 

station went to the spot 

and brought the situation 

under control. 

WB approves $250m 

to create quality jobs 

in Bangladesh 

DHAKA : The World Bank on Thursday 

approved a $250 million development policy 

operation to help the government of 

Bangladesh strengthen its capacity to create 

more, better-paid and quality jobs in a 

rapidly changing environment, reports UNB. 

The Programmatic Jobs Development 

Policy Creditaims at supporting Bangladesh 

to develop a stronger policy and institutional 

framework to address barriers to creating 

more and better jobs for its citizens, 

including women, youth and the vulnerable 

population, said the Washington-based 

lending agency. 

Despite Bangladesh's robust economic 

growth, the pace of job creation has slowed 

in recent years, and almost stalled in the 

readymade garments sector. 

The growth rate for jobs fell to 1.8 percent 

in 2010-16 from 2.7 percent in 2003-10. 

Women, workers in lagging regions, and 

youth in particular face challenges in 

accessing quality jobs. 

Climate change has exacerbated this jobs 

challenge, underscoring the need to 

significantly increase employment in the 

non-agriculture sector. 

"Bangladesh has made remarkable 

progress in accelerating growth and 

reducing poverty, but the rate of job creation 

has not kept up with economic growth. 

Creating more and better jobs is a 

prerequisite for the country to achieve its 

vision of upper-middle income status," said 

Qimiao Fan, World Bank Country Director 

for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. 

"This will require the economy to create 

jobs for the 2.2 million youths entering the 

labor force each year, while attracting more 

women into the labor market. This program 

supports reforms to stimulate trade and 

private sector investment, strengthen social 

protection for workers and help the 

vulnerable population access jobs." 

To promote large-scale employment in 

diverse manufacturing sectors, the reform 

program will help improve the investment 

environment, lift barriers to doing business, 

and modernize customs and trade 

facilitation. 

The program will also help implement 

amendments to the labor law and reform the 

pensions program to ensure works are 

protected. 

"This program seeks to increase 

investments in labor-intensive activities, 

improve the quality of jobs, strengthen 

resilience to shocks, and ensure that women, 

youth, and migrants access job 

opportunities," said Thomas Farole, World 

Bank Lead Economist and Task Team 

Leader. 

"In addition, it will help develop marketoriented 

skills for women, youth, and 

overseas migrants, preparing them for better 

employment opportunities." 

The program also aims to increase female 

labor force participation by increasing 

availability of childcare for working mothers 

and targeting women and youth with 

training and employment services. 

The Jobs Development Policy Credit is the 

first in series of three operations that 

complements the World Bank portfolio in 

the country. 

The credit from the World Bank's 

International Development Association 

(IDA) has a 30-year term, including a fiveyear 

grace period. 

The World Bank was among the first 

development partners to support 

Bangladesh following its independence. 

The World Bank has since committed 

more than $30 billion in grants and interestfree 

credits to the country. 

Bangladesh currently has the largest IDA 

program totaling $12.2billion, according to 

WB. 

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Three including two brothers were killed while a stone loaded truck ran over them in Chadanga yesterday. 

Photo : Star Mail 

Rupganj OC 

Moniruzzaman 

withdrawn 

DHAKA : The officer-in-charge (OC) 

of Rupganj Police Station 

Mohammad Maniruzzaman has been 

withdrawn following the directives of 

the Election Commission, reports 

UNB. 

Inspector Abdul Haq was assigned 

as the new OC of the police station on 

Thursday morning, said Mohammad 

Anisuddin Bahadur, senior assistant 

superintendent (circle C) of 

Narayanganj Police. 

The OC was attached to the district 

police lines, he added. 

3 killed as van runs 

over pedestrians in 

M'sing 

MYMENSINGH : At least three 

people were killed and another 

injured when a covered van ran 

over them on Dhaka-Mymensingh 

highway at Shikarikanda in the city 

on Thursday, reports UNB. 

One of the deceased was 

identified as Jakir Hossain, 25, a 

resident of the area, while the 

identity of others could not be 

known immediately. 

The accident took place around 7 

am when a covered van knocked 

down four pedestrians, leaving two 

of them dead on the spot and 

injuring two others, said 

Mahmudul Islam, officer-in-charge 

of Kotwali Police Station. 

The injured were taken to 

Mymensingh Medical College 

Hospital where the doctors 

declared one of the duo dead. 

On information, police recovered 

the bodies and sent those to a local 

hospital morgue. 

UK leader seeks EU 

lifeline after surviving 

confidence vote 

British Prime Minister Theresa May was 

seeking a lifeline from European Union 

leaders Thursday after winning a noconfidence 

vote among her own 

Conservative lawmakers. 

May was meeting Irish Prime Minister 

Leo Varadkar and European Council 

President Donald Tusk before an EU 

summit in Brussels at which she will seek 

reassurances about the deal that she can 

use to win over a skeptical British 

Parliament, particularly pro-Brexit 

lawmakers whose loathing of the deal 

triggered Wednesday's challenge to her 

leadership. 

May caused an uproar in Parliament 

this week when she scrapped a planned 

vote on the deal at the last minute to avoid 

a heavy defeat. Two days later she won a 

leadership vote among 317 Conservative 

lawmakers by 200 votes to 117. 

The victory gives May a reprieve - the 

party can't challenge her again for a year. 

But the size of the rebellion underscores 

the unpopularity of her Brexit plan. 

The EU is adamant there can be no 

substantive changes to the legally-binding 

withdrawal agreement but have 

suggested that there could be some 

"clarifications." 

May's Brexit Secretary, Stephen 

Barclay, told the BBC that there were 

signs of "positive" movement from the 

EU on the one issue that has proved the 

most intractable - a legal guarantee 

designed to prevent the reimplementation 

of physical border 

controls between Northern Ireland, 

which is part of the U.K., and the Republic 

of Ireland, a member of the EU. 

The provision, known as the backstop, 

would keep the U.K. part of the EU 

customs union if the two sides couldn't 

agree on another way to avoid a hard 

border. 

Pro-Brexit lawmakers strongly oppose 

the backstop, because it keeps Britain 

bound to EU trade rules, and unable to 

leave without the bloc's consent. Pro-EU 

politicians consider it an unwieldy and 

inferior alternative to staying in the bloc. 

"There is movement, but the question is 

how do we ensure that that movement is 

sufficient for colleagues?" Barclay said. 

"But colleagues also need to focus on the 

fact that alternative deals also need a 

backstop." 

Re-opening the negotiations to address 

the border problem also raises the risk 

that May could lose concessions on other 

parts of the deal, Barclay said. 

Among EU leaders there is sympathy 

for May's predicament - but also 

exasperation at Britain's political mess 

and little appetite to reopen the 

negotiations. On Thursday, the German 

parliament has approved a motion stating 

that the Brexit deal can't be renegotiated, 

underlining the stance of the government 

and European Union allies. 

The largely symbolic motion states that 

"there will not be an agreement that is 

better and fairer for both sides. Any hope 

that a rejection of the agreement could 

lead to its renegotiation must prove to be 

illusory." "It must be clear to all that the 

finely balanced overall package cannot be 

undone again," it adds. 

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking down to 

Britain's departure from the bloc, which is 

due to take place on March 29 - deal or no 

deal. A parliamentary schedule published 

Thursday shows the Brexit deal won't be 

debated or voted on before the House of 

Commons rises for a two-week Christmas 

break on Dec. 20.

METRO 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2018 

3 

Former Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman addressing an inaugural 

program of a platform titled 'Amra Udyogta' at VIP Lounge of 

National Press Club yesterday. 

Photo : TBT 

"Amra Udyakta", a platform of Dalit 

and Adibasi young inaugurated 

29 young boys and girls of Dalit and Indigenous 

community were sent to India for entrepreneurs training 

under NSIC, a technical training center. It was financed by 

High Commission of India. The trainees have come back 

receiving successful training and in this regard 'Avijan' had 

arranged a program to inaugurate 'Amra Udyakta' platform. 

The view of this platform is to accumulate the young 

entrepreneurs to utilize their experience and proceed further. 

Dr. Atiur Rahman, Former Governor of Bangladesh Bank 

inaugurated the platform as Chief Guest of this program at 

National Press Club yesterday, a press release said. 

Special Guest Abdullah Al Mamun, Joint Secretary, 

Director, Department of Social Services delivered his speech 

and told to the trainees to be confident and do some trades 

which are suitable now a days. Chief Guest Dr. Atiur 

Rahman advised them to be self-confident and proceed, to go 

slow and steady to win the race. He also advised to utilize 

modern technology to accelerate their business and also 

given some ideas how to get help from banks. He referred a 

comment of world famous poet Rabindranath Tagor and told 

to make large the field of hope. 

Bangladesh envoy 

in New Delhi 

meets Indian CEC 

DHAKA : Bangladesh 

High Commissioner to India 

Syed Muazzem Ali met 

newly elected Chief Election 

Commissioner of India Sunil 

Arora at his office in New 

Delhi on Wednesday , 

reports UNB. 

It was a courtesy call with 

Arora who assumed office 

on December 2, said an 

official on Thursday without 

giving further details. 

The Indian Election 

Commission will hold the 

2019 general election under 

him, a 62-year-old former 

bureaucrat. Besides, 

Assembly elections in 

Jammu and Kashmir, 

Odisha, Maharashtra, 

Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, 

Arunachal Pradesh and 

Sikkim are scheduled to be 

held next year, according to 

Indian media. 

JICA delegation 

meets DU VC 

DHAKA : A three-member delegation led by Yasuhiro 

Kawazoe, Senior Representative of Japan International 

Cooperation Agency (JICA) called on Dhaka University (DU) 

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman at the latter's 

office of the university. Other team members of JICA were 

Koji Mitomori and Alimul Hasan. 

Treasurer of DU Prof. Dr. Md. Kamal Uddin and Professor 

of the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering Dr. 

Subrata Kumar Aditya were present on this occasion. 

During the meeting the Vice-Chancellor stressed the need 

for undertaking joint collaborative academic and research 

programmes among DU and other renowned universities 

across the world to produce skilled human resources at the 

university. They discussed the possibilities of establishment 

of a new project titled "Bangladesh-Japan Interdisciplinary 

Institute" at DU with the financial assistance form JICA. 

The Vice-Chancellor said, joint collaborative academic and 

research programmes have been conducted by the University 

of Dhaka and different universities in Japan for long time. 

He sought cooperation and help from JICA to strengthen 

these ongoing collaborative programmes. JICA 

Representatives assured the VC of providing all possible 

support and cooperation in this regard. 

The Vice-Chancellor thanked the guests for their visit to 

DU and keen interest in its academic and research activities. 

Tareq out to conspire 

from London: Hanif 

KUSHTIA : Awami League Joint General Secretary 

Mahbub-Ul-Alam Hanif yesterday said they have gathered 

information from different sources which bore testimony 

that Tareq Rahman is engaged in deep conspiracies from 

London. 

"Tareq Rahman is plotting to spoil the upcoming election… 

we came to know that he is conspiring from London," he told 

reporters after attending a road side election campaign at his 

constituency at Battayal union in Kushtia city. 

Hanif charged BNP with making a blue print to kill Awami 

League leaders and workers. They already killed three AL 

workers, he added. He described Awami League as a political 

party of mass people. BNP destroyed the country when they 

were in power, he said adding that the party is designing to 

rig in the election. 

Zilla Awami League General Secretary Ajgor Ali, Upazila 

Awami League General Secretary Akter Biswas, City AL 

President Taijal Ali Khan and Battayel AL General Secretary 

Momin Mondol, among others, attended the meeting. 

A three-member delegation led by Yasuhiro Kawazoe, Senior 

Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) called 

on Dhaka University (DU) Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman 

on Thursday at the latter's office of the university. Photo : Courtesy 

Media should deal with extremism 

cautiously: Speakers 

DHAKA : The media should be careful 

while running news on violent extremism 

and work to raise public awareness about the 

menace, speakers said at a discussion on 

Thursday, reports UNB. 

The observations came from an event 

titled 'Round Table Conference on Role of 

Media for Preventing Violent Extremism 

and Launching of Media Resource Guide'. It 

was arranged by USAID and Society for 

Media and Suitable Human-communication 

Techniques (SoMaSHTe) at the Centre on 

Integrated Rural Development for Asia and 

the Pacific (CIRDAP) auditorium. 

Media professionals, academicians and 

NGO officials shared views on the exposure 

of extremism in the name of religion and 

politics. Former Dhaka University vice 

chancellor Professor Dr AAMS Arefin 

Siddique presided over the event. Iqbal 

Sobhan Chowdhury, the prime minister's 

media advisor and editor of Daily Observer, 

was the event's chief guest. 

A book, titled 'Mass Media Resource Book 

on the Prevention of Violent Extremism', 

was launched at the program following a 

presentation by SoMaSHTe on their project 

highlights. Prothom Alo senior reporter 

Sheikh Sabiha Alam and DU Professor Dr 

Shameem Reza presented a critical review of 

the book. 

Arefin Siddique said Media should act 

cautiously while carrying news about crimes 

committed by extremists with detailed 

description since such incidents could 

encourage vulnerable individuals to tread 

the path of extremism. 

"Objectivity should be a journalist's prime 

concern when dealing with such sensitive 

situation," he said. 

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Distinguished guests along with the participants at the workshop on 'How 

to Get Funding for your Startup?' jointly organized by Bangladesh Venture 

Capital Ltd (BVCL) and Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 

Daffodil International University. 

Photo : Courtesy 

cvwb-427/2018-2019 

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EDITORIAL 

FRIDAY, 

DECEMbER 14, 2018 

4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

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

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Friday, December 14, 2018 

Ensuring progress 

in health sector 

The health sector of the country as it observed the 

World Health Day sometime ago, presents a mixed 

picture of significant progress, some unattained 

objectives and cases of back sliding. The incumbent 

government had promised a great deal in its previous 

election manifesto and must be credited for having worked 

considerably to keep its promises. 

For example, it was stated in the election manifesto of the 

Awami League five years ago that in order to expand and 

strengthen health services at the grassroots level in the 

country, some 18,000 community clinics would be 

established at ward level under a new health policy. Some 

10,000 of these community clinics have been set up 

throughout the country. Some more of these clinics at 

upazilla and union levels are being planned to be integrated 

under the community clinic framework. 

This could be accepted as a very laudable achievement but 

for the fact that in most cases these clinics are not delivering 

amply health services consistent with their potentials. A 

dearth of doctors, nurses, technicians and medical 

equipment are noted in these clinics in many cases. Thus, 

the challenge remains to provision these clinics adequately 

and run them efficiently. The issue of absentee doctors must 

be addressed - specially-- through a proper accountability 

procedure so that such doctors are only obligated to 

discharge their duties with due sincerity at their due places 

of posting. 

Many doctors on the government's health services in 

connivance with unscrupulous officials in the Health 

Ministry are usually able to avoid serving in the rural areas. 

Many of them remain in Dhaka month after month and 

draw their salaries and other benefits without doing 

adequate work at their properly designated places while the 

health services in the rural areas suffer very seriously from 

absence of doctors. Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina 

warned such absentee doctors for their dereliction of duty 

time and again. 

However, like in all other cases of the taste of the pudding 

coming from eating it, the tough words from the PM will 

count for something only after the actual taking of the steps 

that would be required to ensure that the doctors do 

indeed feel obligated to serve in the rural areas. This is no 

easy task for on the one hand there are involved problems of 

psychology and character and, on the other, the doctors can 

point to the disincentives that keep them away from rural 

areas. The solution lies in psychologically curing the doctors 

of their inordinate fascination for working in urban areas as 

much as also providing them with further incentives, as far 

as would be truly justified, to have peace of mind to serve 

with dedication in the rural areas. But the greatest stress 

will have to be put on strict enforcement of rules and 

regulations to make it very difficult for them to go on so 

unconscientiously avoiding their duties in rural areas. 

The nation makes much sacrifice to produce a doctor with 

highly subsidised medical education and then further pays 

not unreasonably for his or her upkeep with salaries and 

other facilities. In return, the nation should duly expect to 

get his or her sincere service. If the same is not honestly 

discharged, then the nation should have the right to apply 

coercion so that the same is discharged. 

The problems complained by the doctors may not be 

ignored and steps may be taken to solve them . But the 

imperative is keeping up consistent pressure on them as 

per their service rules to do their bounden duties at their 

work stations. 

From 2009, government introduced the so called user fees 

in the publicly run medical and health care system. Under 

23 categories, user fees were introduced for 470 types of 

services in the public hospitals. The public medical care 

institutions were obliged, at least in theory, to extend free 

medical services or at nominal costs till the introduction of 

this fee. 

But in the backdrop of such free and nominal payments 

leading to poor or even no treatment of patients, it was 

decided that users' fees would be applied to bring about 

positive changes through users bearing a part of the real 

costs of treatment. This would free the government 

somewhat from paying huge subsidies ineffectively to the 

medical sector while enabling better treatment with patients 

bearing a part of their costs. 

But the real experience after introduction of the users' fees 

is that patients' treatment costs, on average, have increased 

compared to the time when they were treated for free or at 

nominal costs. Thus, it requires a rethink whether the user 

fee system should be given up with restoration of the 

previous system of free treatment or treatment at nominal 

costs only. 

If it is decided to go back to the older system, then it must 

be ensured that the free system or nominal payment system 

do not make the patients suffer like in the past due to 

corruption and neglect. The challenge would be to make the 

free or nominal payment system free from corruption and to 

make it work ridding inefficiencies. Then, it could prove to 

be a blessing. 

A major health sector priority ought to be revamping the 

family planning programme by bringing all or nearly all 

fertile couples under it at the earliest. It is shocking that 45 

per cent of potential couples from the standpoint of 

procreation abilities, remain unserved by the family 

planning programme. They are also bypassed by health and 

nutrition programmes. This neglect must be overcome with 

targeted policies. Time-bound targets must be pursued also 

in the areas of sanitation and helping people to avoid 

arsenic poisoning. 

Meanwhile people, specially common people, are happy to 

see that the big general public hospitals in the cities such as 

the DhakaMedicalCollegeHospital, are running with some 

efficiency and a sense of a duty of care compared to the past. 

Let us hope that this trend would continue and be further 

improved. 

2019 India polls will be a duel between Modi and Rahul 

Indian voters in the heartland states 

of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and 

Chhattisgarh have sent out 

unambiguous messages and set in 

motion the process of reversing the 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tilt in 

politics when the party secured a 

majority in the Lok Sabha (Lower 

House of the parliament) and ruled 

over 19 states. 

One is the old warning about pride 

preceding a fall. The hyperbole of BJP 

president Amit Shah's declaration that 

his party will rule for 50 years has been 

shown to be so much hot air as has been 

the observation of a loyal mandarin, 

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, 

that the country needs a strong, stable 

government - obviously meaning Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi's rule - for the 

next 10 years. It was in keeping with 

these grandiose assertions that the BJP 

built the world's tallest statue - of 

Congress stalwart Vallabhbhai Patel, 

whom the BJP can be said to have 

misappropriated from the Congress - 

and announced the plans for an almost 

equally large statue of Lord Ram. 

But none of these achievements and 

claims has saved it from a 0-3 drubbing 

at the hustings in the Hindi heartland. 

The lesson from this electoral 

whitewash of the three BJP-ruled states 

is that no mercy can be expected from 

the electorate for the Modi 

government's failure to keep the 

promise of vikas or development. It is 

obvious that economic stagnation and 

agricultural distress have spelt the 

Ispent last week in Abu Dhabi, 

attending the fifth assembly of the 

Forum for Promoting Peace in 

Muslim Societies. With the disclaimer 

that I advise the forum on inter-religious 

issues, it was a remarkable event. Not 

just for the quality of the speeches (many 

were outstanding) or the opportunities 

for networking (with 550 senior Muslim 

scholars and others attending, these 

were plentiful), but also for the little 

things that happened, unplanned and 

natural. 

The topic of the conference was a new 

"Alliance of Virtues" - a revival of a pre- 

Islamic alliance in Makkah of which 

Prophet Muhammad (before his 

prophecy) was present for the founding. 

The idea, both of the original and of its 

revival, was for those of goodwill to 

gather together, regardless of faith, 

united around their common values, for 

the common good. 

Such an alliance is not about 

syncretism. Present in Abu Dhabi last 

week we had a large contingent of US 

evangelical Christians (and other 

Christians from different backgrounds 

and countries) who talk about their (and 

my) faith at every opportunity. They are 

not concerned that they may be asked to 

compromise - they know that will not 

happen. But they relish an opportunity to 

join forces with others who seek the 

global common good on the basis of 

some of the shared virtues of the 

Abrahamic faiths. 

The presence of the evangelicals came 

alongside a large contingent of Jewish 

Iam a Rohingya refugee in Malaysia. 

In October 2014, human traffickers 

kidnapped me from outside the 

Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, 

Bangladesh. They covered my face and 

tied my hands and beat me before 

putting me on a boat from which I was 

sold to other traffickers in Thailand. I 

was held captive in a trafficking camp for 

13 days in southern Thailand. I was not 

given food for five days. 

I obtained freedom when Thai police 

rescued 134 Rohingya people in Ranong 

province. I was kept by the police in an 

immigration detention center (IDC). 

After I was declared a victim of human 

trafficking, I was sent to an IDC shelter in 

Songkhla, Thailand. 

I escaped from that facility because 

there was a Rohingya boy who was 

beaten by shelter officers. After a month, 

however, I was arrested again and sold 

again to traffickers. I was kept in a 

human-trafficking camp in Penang, 

Malaysia, until I managed to run away. 

Finally, in Malaysia, the United 

Nations High Commissioner for 

Refugees (UNHCR) granted me a 

refugee card. However, even with a UN 

refugee card, I cannot work in Malaysia 

legally and still face many problems. 

Refugees like myself are at great risk of 

exploitation in Malaysia including arrest, 

police harassment, labor abuses, and 

lack of access to education, medical 

treatment, and legal protections. 

For this reason, since I have been in 

doom for BJP. The second message 

from the results is that Rahul Gandhi 

has succeeded in exposing the falsity of 

the charges that had been levelled 

against him ever since he came into 

politics. Yet, neither being derisively 

called "Pappu" or an adolescent child, 

or of being a "pathological liar", to quote 

Arun Jaitley, had any effect on his 

emergence as a capable leader, who 

took the lead in addressing the media 

after the recent opposition conclave 

while veterans such as Sharad Pawar 

and H.D. Deve Gowda remained in the 

background. 

Presidential-style contest 

It is now apparent after the Congress' 

success in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh 

and Chhattisgarh that Rahul will 

increasingly be in the forefront of the 

mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) 

efforts, especially when the other major 

convener of the alliance, Chandrababu 

Naidu, has suffered a setback because 

of his Telugu Desam Party's poor 

rabbis and other leaders, largely from the 

US, but some from elsewhere too. Their 

invitation was not a surprise to me; there 

has been a growing number of Jewish 

leaders participating in and speaking at 

events organized by Sheikh Abdullah bin 

Bayyah for a couple of years. But their 

attendance was doubly appreciated due 

to the coincidence of the conference with 

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. 

This festival did not prevent the rabbis' 

attendance; all they asked for was an 

opportunity to celebrate the festival 

together each evening. And then, last 

Thursday, they celebrated it in the 

presence of Sheikh Abdullah, one of the 

world's leading Islamic scholars. This 

was one of the most moving occasions of 

the conference - not to mention the first 

time that so many rabbis have celebrated 

together in the Arabian Peninsula for at 

least a century. 

This story is not simply to recount what 

happened at a single event, but to argue 

Malaysia, I have been advocating for my 

rights as a refugee. But I am grateful that 

at least I am safe here. 

My family fled Myanmar because of 

the military attacks and decades-long 

genocidal campaigns against my people. 

In Myanmar, my father was taken by 

the military and forced to work for no 

pay. He was beaten by soldiers. 

Rohingya like myself are denied equal 

access to citizenship rights in Myanmar. 

My mother is still in a refugee camp in 

Bangladesh. 

Rohingya like myself have found safety 

in Malaysia. For this reason, Malaysia 

should continue to accept Rohingya 

refugees. Malaysia's new government 

has committed in its Pakatan Harapan 

manifesto to address transnational 

human trafficking in Promise 58 and to 

lead efforts to resolve the Rohingya crisis 

in Promise 59. 

AMUlYA GANGUlI 

PETER WElbY 

ZIAUR RAHMAN 

showing in the Telangana elections. 

With the Congress president taking 

centre stage, the 2019 general election 

is likely to turn into a presidential-style 

contest between Rahul and Modi. Up 

until last Tuesday, the BJP would have 

looked forward to such an unequal 

fight, in its view, between Rahul and the 

BJP's hero with his macho image. 

But no longer. Now, it will be a 

confrontation between the youthful 

standard-bearer of a rejuvenated party 

The second message from the results is that Rahul Gandhi 

has succeeded in exposing the falsity of the charges that had 

been levelled against him ever since he came into politics. 

Yet, neither being derisively called "Pappu" or an adolescent 

child, or of being a "pathological liar", to quote Arun Jaitley, 

had any effect on his emergence as a capable leader, who 

took the lead in addressing the media after the recent 

opposition conclave while veterans such as Sharad Pawar 

and H.D. Deve Gowda remained in the background. 

and the ageing leader of an organisation 

that is seen to be on a slippery slope 

because of failures on several fronts - 

economic, administrative as the 

disarray in the Central Bureau of 

Investigation and the Reserve Bank of 

India shows, and an "inability - whether 

inadvertently or by design - to rein in 

the Hindutva stormtroopers. 

It is possible that these Hindu 

militants were let loose with one of the 

BJP's chief propagandists, Uttar 

Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi 

that this is as an example of the wider 

changes that are taking place in the Gulf. 

The UAE has, for many years, been 

rightly proud of the welcome it gives to 

those of other faiths, gladly providing 

them with places of worship. But this 

gathering in its capital was not the only 

event of significance for religious 

minorities in the Arabian Peninsula in 

the past few weeks. 

The UAE has, for many years, been 

rightly proud of the welcome it gives to 

those of other faiths, gladly providing 

them with places of worship. 

Last week, this paper published a fullpage 

interview with Pope Tawadros II of 

the Coptic Orthodox Church, 

anticipating his upcoming visit to Saudi 

Arabia. This interview followed reports 

of the first Coptic religious service held in 

Saudi Arabia at the start of this month. 

These developments signal a change in 

attitudes. While I was in Abu Dhabi, I 

joined a meeting of the US Ambassador 

I have been proud of the Malaysian 

government for standing up for the 

Rohingya and calling for justice and 

citizenship rights for my people. Foreign 

Minister Saifuddin Abdullah told 

reporters, "Malaysia is of the view that 

the United Nations Security Council 

should also refer the Rohingya issue to 

the international judicial process, 

including the setting up of an 

international tribunal with a special 

mandate." Further, on November 13, 

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir 

Mohamad said that Aung San Suu Kyi's 

response toward the Rohingya 

community was "indefensible." He went 

on to say that he was "very disappointed" 

by Suu Kyi's failure to address and 

protect the Rohingya. 

Malaysia is leading the way in 

Southeast Asia, but there are areas in 

which it can continue to work in 

Adityanath, instigating them with his 

venomous Ali-Bajrang Bali communal 

polarisation because the party had been 

sensing for quite some time - 

presumably after its setbacks in 

Karnataka - that it was losing ground. 

Seeing the receding mirage of the 

Hindu rashtra (state), which was 

thought by the saffron brotherhood to 

be within reach because of the BJP's 

political clout, the Rashtriya 

Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), 

purportedly a "cultural" organisation, 

jumped into the fray with its demand 

for the immediate enactment of a law 

for constructing the Ram temple. Its 

calculation was that the law would 

shore up the BJP's sagging political 

fortunes by mobilising the Hindus 

behind the party. If BJP member of 

parliament Subramanian Swamy is to 

be believed, it is the drive for Hindutva 

that enthuses the saffron cadres and 

brings in votes for the party, and not 

development. But the ploy, which 

included a pledge by the RSS to revive 

the Ramjanmabhoomi movement of 

1992-1993, which led to the Babri 

Masjid's demolition, failed to check the 

Congress' revival and the signs of 

erosion of the BJP's base of support. 

Now that a presidential-style contest 

is on the cards, it will be advisable for 

Rahul to live up to the lesson that he 

says he has learnt from Modi's mistake 

- that of a lack of humility because 

"arrogance is fatal for a politician". 

Source : Gulf news 

Region ushering in positive interfaith changes 

This festival did not prevent the rabbis' attendance; all 

they asked for was an opportunity to celebrate the festival 

together each evening. And then, last Thursday, they 

celebrated it in the presence of Sheikh Abdullah, one of the 

world's leading Islamic scholars. This was one of the most 

moving occasions of the conference - not to mention the 

first time that so many rabbis have celebrated together in 

the Arabian Peninsula for at least a century. 

Gratitude - and advice - to Malaysia from a Rohingya refugee 

Finally, in Malaysia, the United Nations High 

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) granted me a 

refugee card. However, even with a UN refugee card, I 

cannot work in Malaysia legally and still face many 

problems. Refugees like myself are at great risk of 

exploitation in Malaysia including arrest, police 

harassment, labor abuses, and lack of access to 

education, medical treatment, and legal protections. 

for Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, 

with Muslim leaders from across the 

Muslim world. The time he gave them 

was appreciated, and the conversation 

was both honest and cordial. But the 

changes taking place in the Arabian 

Peninsula around religion at the 

moment are not being driven by Western 

pressure. They are entirely homegrown - 

and homegrown in response to deeper 

theological approaches and changing 

domestic necessities. Both of those 

aspects give such changes sustainability 

in a way that changes in response to 

outside pressure generally don't. 

It is not just Westerners taken by 

surprise. Many Muslims have also been 

shocked by the way that things are going. 

Some welcome the changes, others recoil 

in revulsion. Such reactions must be 

carefully managed. 

Developments around religious 

freedom in the peninsula are not 

occurring without theological backing 

from within Islam, and the scholarship 

that supports them is not artificial or 

even particularly radical. It stems from a 

reassessment of Islamic texts and 

history, combined with the context in 

which we find ourselves today, and 

considerations of the public good; in 

other words, the key criteria for Islamic 

scholarship around any matter of 

jurisprudence. It is important that this 

thinking and theological underpinning is 

explained at every opportunity to both 

supportive and hostile audiences. 

Source : Arab news 

protecting Rohingya in Myanmar and 

refugees domestically. 

First, Malaysia should protect refugee 

rights domestically. The new 

government should work with the 

UNHCR and find solutions for our 

community, including legal status. 

Malaysia should ratify the United 

Nations Refugee Convention. 

Second, Malaysia should protect and 

support survivors of human trafficking. 

In 2015, Malaysian authorities 

discovered mass graves of Rohingya 

victims in human-trafficking camps. I 

was kept in some of the same camps - 

they were inhuman places. Malaysia 

should hold perpetrators of human 

trafficking of the Rohingya accountable. 

Third, Malaysia should continue to 

support the international community to 

hold the Myanmar military accountable 

for genocide against the Rohingya. This 

could include pushing other 

governments in Southeast Asia to call for 

accountability and justice for the crimes 

against my people. 

Today, I am still unsure about how 

long I will be in a state of limbo as a 

refugee in Malaysia. However, Malaysia 

should continue to provide access to 

protections, education, and work until 

the day we Rohingya can return, have 

justice, and restored citizenship rights in 

our homeland of Rakhine state, 

Myanmar. 

Source : Asia times

HEALTH 

FrIDAY, DECEMBEr 14, 2018 

5 

Have we lost faith in milk’s 

health benefits 

Switch off mobile phones and computer screens. 

Photo: Getty 

Spot insomnia before it gets worse 

Joanna Moorhead 

Your bedroom is for sleep, right? So stop using it as your living 

room. It is your sanctuary: keep it tranquil and dark. Your 

body needs darkness to release melatonin, which in turn 

helps you sleep - so invest in blackout blinds or an eye mask. 

Switch off mobile phones and computer screens, as their 

LED screen blue light is particularly unhelpful for melatonin 

production. If you need a new mattress, spend time choosing 

one that is appropriate, and make sure your duvet is the right 

tog for the season. 

The buzz phrase is sleep hygiene, meaning don't do anything 

during the day that might inhibit your sleep later on, 

and slow down at bedtime. So avoid naps, and go to bed and 

get up at roughly the same time each day. Enjoy your nighttime 

routine: have a hot bath (it raises your body temperature, 

which helps you nod off), switch off your devices at least 

40 minutes before you turn in, read a book, play soothing 

music or listen to a "nodcast". 

Alcohol can interfere with your sleep cycle - it helps you 

sleep initially, but wakes you up a few hours later. Avoid big 

meals in the evening, especially rich, heavy or spicy foods 

that can cause heartburn and stomach trouble. Don't drink 

coffee after lunchtime - 2017 research found caffeine reduces 

your sleep time and quality. 

Part of what keeps us awake at night is stress about being 

awake. So resist the temptation to clock-watch, which can 

make you anxious: instead, luxuriate in feeling comfortable, 

safe and warm. Revisit happy memories and tell yourself that 

you will still function fine tomorrow. 

If you often lie awake for more than half an hour, either 

when you first go to bed or if you wake in the night, get up 

and make yourself comfortable somewhere else with a book 

or some music. Return to bed when you feel tired - this will 

help you associate bed with sleep and not with wakefulness. 

Available on the NHS if you live in Thames Valley, Berkshire, 

Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire, Sleepio is a digital 

programme based on cognitive behavioural therapy that 

helps you discover your ideal personal sleep pattern. 

Designed to help reduce dependence on sleeping pills, 

research has shown it can help more than 75% of insomnia 

sufferers achieve normal sleep. Record your sleep habits over 

a fortnight: when you go to bed, how long it takes you to 

sleep, whether you wake in the night. Look for patterns you 

can change - maybe you sleep best when you've exercised. A 

sleep diary can also help a doctor pinpoint what's wrong. If all 

else fails, get checked out: insomnia is linked with depression, 

and for some people sleep disruption is an early sign. 

Tim Lewis 

A couple of weeks ago, some eyecatching 

billboards began appearing 

around central and east London. 

Entire tunnels of the underground 

were plastered with the adverts; the 

sides of large buildings were covered. 

On one panel there was a carton 

(or, in some instances, three) of 

Oatly, an oat drink made by a cult 

Swedish company that favours stark 

graphics, a bluey-grey colour 

scheme, and which is a market 

leader - in a not uncompetitive field 

- in the tongue-in-cheek promotional 

messages known as "wackaging". 

The adjacent panel, in large, wobbly 

type, read: "It's like milk, but made 

for humans." 

Around the same time, during 

commercial breaks on Channel 4's 

4oD, there appeared a 15-second 

clip of a man in a field of oats, playing 

a tinny 1980s synthesiser and 

howling: "Wow, no cow!" That guy 

is Toni Petersson, the 50-year-old 

CEO of Oatly, and the song, you 

would not be entirely surprised to 

learn, is his own composition. "Listen, 

it's absolutely terrible, right?" 

says Petersson, over the phone from 

Eugene, Oregon. "My creative directors 

wanted to make some commercials 

that I was part of. One of them 

included a song that they wrote, 

which was even worse. I had no 

idea; I thought it was going to be 

shown one time only." 

"Milk, but made for humans" 

reprises a campaign that his company 

used in Sweden in 2014. That led 

to the Swedish dairy conglomerate 

LRF Mjölk taking Oatly to court for 

vilifying its product. LRF Mjölk won 

the case, Oatly was banned from 

using the line and had to pay around 

£100,000, but there was a curious 

collateral effect of the lawsuit. The 

resulting publicity - stoked by 

Petersson taking out full-page 

adverts in newspapers - helped Oatly's 

sales rise by 45% in Sweden and 

made its profits spike. 

Petersson, who previously worked 

in nightclubs and Costa Rican real 

estate, became Oatly CEO in 2012. 

So is he fearful of - or even hoping 

for - a similar battle in the UK now? 

"There might be some legal consequences, 

I don't know," he replies. 

"But am I concerned about it? No, 

I'm not. It's just true!" Petersson 

laughs. "We actually have really, 

really good lawyers; they really 

enjoy this too. I mean, who could 

argue with the fact: 'It's like milk, 

but made for humans?' How can 

that be wrong?" 

Many people seem to agree with 

Petersson: another Oatly campaign 

calls these folk "the post-milk generation", 

and sales of plant-based 

drinks or "alt-milks", to use the 

sassier terminology, are having 

near-vertical increases. So who are 

they? There are vegans, of course, 

who now make up 1% of the British 

population (or 600,000 people). 

Also, those who have a milk allergy 

or lactose intolerance. The line 

"made for humans" comes from the 

observation that we are the only 

mammals that consume milk past 

weaning. Around two-thirds of the 

planet has a reduced ability to digest 

lactose after infancy (though that 

figure is much lower for people of 

European extraction). Mark Kurlansky, 

the author of a recent history, 

Milk! A 10,000-Year Food Fracas, 

describes the fact that many adults 

drink milk as a "defiance of a basic 

rule of nature". 

But the surge in popularity for altmilks 

has many different sources. 

There are those who are concerned 

about animal welfare or our perilous 

environmental situation: recent 

research found that a quarter of us 

now consider ourselves "meat 

reducers". In October, a major study 

on our food system published in the 

journal Nature advised that prosperous 

countries such as Britain and 

the US should cut their milk consumption 

by 60% (and beef intake 

by 90%). Then there are people who 

have never much liked drinking 

milk, or who don't buy the health 

claims that resolutely cling to it. Or 

maybe they just want to try something 

different. Oat drinks, which 

tend to taste quite neutral but still 

creamy, can often be a gateway for 

those thinking of converting. Oatly, 

in particular, dominates the market 

of specialist coffee shops, especially 

in Europe and the US. This summer, 

the New Yorker reported that New 

York was experiencing a critical 

shortage of Oatly, which began supplying 

a handful of coffee shops in 

the city in 2016 but expanded rapidly 

to more than 1,000 outlets 

nationwide. A litre of Oatly was selling 

for $20, five times the regular 

price. 

I suggest to Petersson that this 

might have been another publicity 

stunt: creating scarcity and fanning 

interest. "Oh, I wish it was," he says. 

"I wish we were that clever." 

Beyond oats, the options are 

almost overwhelming. Rude Health, 

Britain's leading organic, dairy alternative 

brand, began selling drinks in 

2013: it started with oat, brown rice 

and - almost as an afterthought - 

almond. This turned out to be a 

sound move; Rude Health's Almond 

Drink is its bestselling item in any 

category and it is estimated that 

two-thirds of the alt-milk sold in 

Britain is almond (one of the main 

drivers, apparently, was Gwyneth 

Paltrow, who extols its virtues in her 

Many of us have lost faith in milk's health benefits. 

Photo: somchaij 

recipes and on her wellbeing site 

Goop). Rude Health now makes 10 

drinks, including exotic offerings 

such as hazelnut and calcao, and 

tiger nut, which is not actually a nut, 

but a tuber. 

Meanwhile, Innocent - the birthplace 

of "wackaging" (infantilised, 

overfamiliar packaging), and since 

2013, owned by Coca-Cola - moved 

into dairy-free drinks earlier this 

year (its slogan: "You ain't seen nuttin' 

yet"). It has a range of four - 

almond, oat, hazelnut and coconut - 

and makes much of the fact that its 

almond and oat drinks only contain 

the named ingredient plus spring 

water and salt. 

Fewer than one in five fathers who were depressed sought help. 

Photo: PeopleImages 

Can men get postnatal depression? 

Luisa Dillner 

Men don't go through pregnancy or 

childbirth. Their hormone levels don't 

nosedive. They don't get sore nipples. 

What exactly have they got to be 

depressed about? Quite a lot, according 

to research from Sweden showing that, 

over the past 10 years, a significant 

number of men have struggled with the 

transition to fatherhood. 

This latest research tries to quantify 

just how many men get postnatal 

depression. Previous studies have 

found between 4% and 10% of men, 

while, in this smallish sample of 447 

Swedish fathers who volunteered (and 

may therefore not represent your average 

dad), a surprising 28% of men had 

symptoms that scored above mild levels 

of depression. Overall, 4% had moderate 

depression. Fewer than one in five 

fathers who were depressed sought 

help, even though a third of those had 

thought about harming themselves. 

While women in the UK are often asked 

a series of questions that screen for 

postnatal depression (which affects up 

to 13% of women), the mental health of 

fathers is rarely assessed. 

The lead author of the Swedish paper, 

Elisa Psouni, from the department of 

psychology at Lund University, says the 

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale 

(EPDS) used for both women and men 

is not so accurate in picking up depression 

in fathers. Her research showed 

higher levels of depression in dads 

because it added in a score more reflective 

of "male" symptoms of depression 

such as agitation, anger, irritability, 

working longer hours and drinking too 

much. 

Depression in fathers may be rising 

not just because researchers are looking 

for it, but because more new dads 

are struggling. Psouni believes fathers 

increasingly face the same dilemmas 

that mothers do - including trying to 

combine parenthood with working. 

Fathers who got depressed often had 

external pressures, such as job issues, 

and if their partner was depressed, 

their own risk of depression doubled. 

Lack of sleep, having twins and conflict 

in the relationship can all contribute. 

A depressed dad will play and smile 

less with his child. Children are deeply 

affected by paternal postnatal depression 

with studies showing poorer measures 

of wellbeing and more behavioural 

problems at the age of seven. 

Fathers who sense they may be struggling 

and partners, relatives or friends 

who notice an increase in irritability 

and anxiety in a man in the first year of 

parenthood (paternal depression is 

more dispersed throughout the first 12 

months) should consider the possibility 

of paternal postnatal depression. 

Cognitive behavioural therapy can 

help, as can antidepressants. If the 

depression is not recognised, says 

Psouni, "one of most terrible things is 

that you catch up with yourself a year 

later and realise you have been really 

down and struggling - and the first year 

of your child's life has gone." 

Breathing techniques can help if you have a panic attack. 

Photograph: Tommaso Altamura 

How to manage a panic attack 

Megan Nolan 

When it comes to panic attacks, knowledge is power. 

Although it won't stop them from occurring, being aware of 

exactly what is happening to you physiologically and why can 

prevent your panic from escalating - plus it means you will be 

less likely to mistake it for a more serious health problem, 

such as a heart attack or a stroke. 

Like much advice given to people with anxiety, this may 

sound irritatingly obvious - but learning an effective breathing 

technique can be a gamechanger if you tend to experience 

attacks in public. During an attack you will often automatically 

take shallow, rapid breaths. Simple breathing exercises 

can help you to be conscious of filling your lungs, slowing 

your heart rate. The NHS outlines calming techniques on its 

website - practice at home in calmer times so that you will 

feel empowered to try it during an attack. Telling someone 

who suffers panic attacks to relax can suggest you need a 

week by the beach. But Progressive muscle relaxation is a 

practical method that teaches you to connect to sources of 

acute physical tension, so that when you are mid-attack you 

will be conscious of where you need to focus on relaxing. 

When you feel an attack coming on, it is a good idea to limit 

the stimuli you are experiencing as much as you can. Try to 

find a dark, quiet space where you can practise your breathing 

and relaxation techniques. It may be harder to find a 

peaceful space in an office but try outside, or in the loos. 

When it is not possible - for example, when you are out - a 

good way to achieve the effect is to focus on a single thing or 

thought, such as a tangible object, like a ring, or a mantra you 

repeat to yourself while you ride out the attack. 

A notebook can be a valuable tool for dealing with the onset 

of a panic attack. Research has shown that treating intrusive 

thoughts as material objects that you can get rid of is an effective 

coping mechanism. When you begin catastrophising in 

the lead-up to an attack, write down the thoughts that are 

worrying you, then throw the page away. 

Nobody likes to be told to give up their morning coffee, but 

caffeine can be a major trigger for anxiety. If crowds and tight 

spaces are a trigger for you, it's a good idea to try cutting out 

coffee, or at least waiting until you are in the office to have 

your first of the day. Drink water on your trip instead, which 

will prevent dehydration - another possible trigger. Studies 

show that commuters in general suffer heightened levels of 

anxiety, but rush-hour journeys can be especially difficult if 

you get panic attacks. Combat external stressors by making 

the most of audio apps. This might mean a guided meditation, 

if that's your thing, or an audio book - anything.

NATIONAL 

FRIDAY, DeCeMBeR 14, 2018 

6 

Vice-Chancellor of Barishal Prof. Dr. S. M. Imamul Huq was present during the master's thesis 

defense of 11 postgraduate students of Management Studies Department of the university on 

Thursday. 

Photo: BU 

Master's thesis defense of 

Management Studies 

Department of BU held 

Master's thesis defense of 11 postgraduate students of 

Management Studies Department of Barishal University was 

held in the virtual conference room of the university on 

Thursday. For the first time in the 7-year old history of 

Barishal University, master's thesis defense was held, reports 

a press release. 

It is to be noted that the thesis of postgraduate students of 

Barishal University have been made compulsory. This is one 

of the main attempts to upgrade university education to 

international level. Chairman of the Department of 

Management Studies presided over the ceremony, while 

Vice-Chancellor of Barishal University and President of 

Bangladesh Soil Science Society, a leading academician and 

scientist of the country Prof. Dr. S. M. Imamul Huq, 

departmental teachers, external supervisors of the thesis, 

and departmental students were among others also present 

at the occasion. 

Aman procurement drive 

begins in Khansama 

MOZAFFOR HOSSEN, KHANSAMA CORRESPONDENT: 

Aman rice procurement drive for 2018 season has begun in 

Khansama and Pakerhat Food Warehouse on Thursday. 

Khansama Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ahmed Mahbub-ul Islam 

formally inaugurated the 'Aman Rice Procurement Drive'. 

Khansama Food Conservator Firoz Ahmed Mostafa, 

Upazila Agriculture Officer Afzal Hossain, Khansama Food 

Warehouse Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Aidip Mahmud, 

Officer-in-Charge of Pakerhat Food Warehouse Mohammad 

Lutfar Rahman Khandakar, Rice Mill Owners Association 

President Mahfuzur Rahman Chowdhury and general 

secretary Md Rafiqul Islam were present during the 

inauguration of 6 ton boiled Aman rice of miller Tasir Uddin 

at Khansama Food Warehouse. 

It is to be noted that this time rice will be collected at Tk 36 

per kg from 134 millers from which 730.230 metric tons will 

be stored in Khansama food warehouse and 739.770 metric 

tons will be stored at Pakerhat food warehouse. 

Rally and discussion marking School 

Banking Conference held in Joypurhat 

MASRAKUL ALAM, JOyPURHAT CORRESPONDENT: 

School Banking Conference was held 

in Joypurhat on Thursday to increase 

the financial inclusion of the students 

by participating in economic and 

banking activities through savings, and 

to create the mentality of the savings 

among the students involved with 

modern banking services and 

technology. 

Marking the occasion a colorful rally 

was brought out from Shahid doctor 

Abul Kasem Maidan which paraded the 

main streets of the town. Later a 

meeting was held in Zila Parishad 

auditorium which was chaired by AGM 

of Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, 

Anukul Chandra Sarker while General 

Manager of Bangladesh Bank, Bogura 

Khandker Morshed Millat was present 

as the chief guest. Among others, 

District Education Officer Ibrahim 

Khalilullah, Assistant General Manager 

of Sonali Bank Regional Office 

Jitendranath Pal, , Agrani Bank's SPO 

Majibur Rahman and Joypurhat 

Bahumikhi Girls High School 

Headmaster Abu Bakkar Siddique, 

Manger of Sonali Bank Joypurhat 

Branch, A K M Mahbub Ull Islam, 

Manager of Islami Bank Joypurhat 

Branch, Rezaul Haque, Manager of 

National Bank Aminul Islam, Manager 

of Prime Bank Nazmul Hasan and 

mangers of 18 others banks were also 

present at the occasion. 

A total of 90 students from 18 schools 

of the town participated in the occasion 

and all opened school banking 

accounts. At the end of the conference, 

the education materials were 

distributed among these students and 

the crests was awarded to all the bank 

managers. 

In observance of the School Banking Conference a meeting was held in 

Joypurhat on Thursday. 

Photo: Masrakul Alam 

Madhukhali upazila Mohila Awami League president Suraiya Salam on 

Thursday an chaired an extended meeting to ensure the victory of Awami 

League candidate Md. Manzur Hossain Bulbul in the upcoming parliamentary 

election. 

Photo: Shahjahan Helal 

RAJSHAHI: Farmers and others 

concerned are hopeful about a good 

potato yield in the region during the 

current season as overall climatic 

condition remains favorable for the 

farming since its initial stage, reports 

BSS. 

With the hope of making profit like 

the previous seasons, the farmers are 

now very busy in various field level 

works like land preparation, seedsowing 

of late varieties, nursing of the 

growing plants and harvesting and 

marketing of the early varieties 

everywhere in eight districts under the 

division. 

Department of Agriculture Extension 

(DAE) has set a target of producing 

more than 45.67 lakh tonnes of potato 

from 1.68 lakh hectares of land in the 

Rajshahi division. 

Currently, early variety potato has 

appeared in the local markets in plenty 

with more or less better prices 

benefiting the growers in the region, 

markets sources said. 

"I am getting profit financially after 

cultivating advance variety of potato on 

five bigha of land. The potato farming 

has made my family happy," said Abdul 

Maleque, a farmer of Baosha village 

under Bagha Upazila in Rajshahi 

district. 

He mentioned that both yield and 

market price is almost satisfactory. 

Babul Dewan, a farmer of a Char village 

under the same upazila, says many 

farmers are seen cultivating potato in 

char areas of Padma River as they got 

the taste of profit of the cast crop 

farming. 

Golam Rasul, a farmer of Darusha 

village under Paba Upazila, said both 

acreage and yield were boosted up in 

the wake of a favorable climatic 

condition and availability of standard 

seed in the region. 

This season, he along with his sons 

cultivated potato on around 150 bighas 

of land. He said, "We are very much 

Mohila Awmi League 

holds extended meeting 

in Madhukhali 

SHAHJAHAN HELAL, MAD- 

HUKHALI CORRESPONDENT: 

Madhukhali Upazila 

Mohila Awami League on 

Thursday held an extended 

meeting to ensure the 

victory of Awami League 

candidate Md. Manzur 

Hossain Bulbul in the 

upcoming parliamentary 

election. 

The extended meeting was 

held at upazila Awami 

League's temporary office at 

Mirza Mozzafar Hossain 

Market. Upazila Mohila 

Awami League president 

Suraiya Salam chaired the 

meeting while among 

others, upazila Awami 

League president Mirza 

Moniruzzaman Bacchu, 

general secretary Md. 

Rezaul Boku, Faridpur-1 

constituency parliamentary 

candidate Mohammad 

Manzur Hossain Bulbul's 

elder brother Mohammad 

Malik Khasru, Kamarkhali 

Union Parishad Chairman 

Mohammad Jahidul Islam 

Babu Biswas, Uapzila 

Workers Party Secretary 

Abu Sayeed Miah, 

Madhukhali municipal 

mayor Mirza Abbas Hossain 

and Upazila Mohila Awami 

League law secretary 

Shamsunnunnahar Nihar 

were also present at the 

occasion. 

Farmers to produce 45.67 lakh 

tonnes potato in Rajshahi 

optimistic about our outcomes as the 

weather was absolutely supportive". 

Rasul further said there is a need of 

enhancing the number of cold storages 

for betterment of the potato growers. 

Potato farming has now been expanded 

to the dried lands in the vast Barind 

tract with massive promotion of 

commercial farming as a result of 

irrigation facilities promoted by the 

Barind Multipurpose Development 

Authorities (BMDA). 

Mozur-E-Mawla, Upazila Agriculture 

Officer, said the farmers are expecting a 

better yield as there was no major 

natural calamity that can damage its 

outputs. 

Most of the growers' harvested better 

yields of potato in last three to four 

years and they also obtained expected 

sale proceeds in the harvesting stage. 

"I had sold out an 85-kg potato bag at 

Taka 800 to 850 in previous season, 

said Ziarul Haque, a farmer of Baya 

village. 

Khansama Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ahmed Mahbub-ul Islam formally inaugurated the 'Aman Rice 

Procurement Drive' in Khansama and Pakerhat Food Warehouse on Thursday. Photo: Mozaffor Hossen 

Journalist Abdul Hamid 

Khan's father-in-law 

passes away 

Abdul Hamid Khan, Pabna 

Correspondent: Prominent 

journalist and Pabna 

correspondent of 'The 

Bangladesh Today 'Abdul 

Hamid Khan's father-in-law 

Alhaj Dr. Minhajur Rahman 

passed away on 11th 

December at 11:30 pm. He 

was 82 years old. He was laid 

to rest in Majhpara Central 

graveyard on 12th 

December. He left behind his 

wife, four sons, two 

daughters, grandchildren 

including many relatives and 

well-wishers. Ex BNP 

general secretary of Pabna 

district Adv Shahjahan Ali is 

his elder son-in-law. 

Dr. Minhajur Rahman was 

a freedom fighter. Not only 

that, he was actually an 

organizer for freedom 

fighters. During the war, he 

kept and feed many freedom 

fighters in his house and 

continued his efforts for the 

liberation of the country's 

soil. On November 6, 1971, 

when the Pakistani 

occupation forces burnt 

three houses, including his 

own house and proceeded 

west towards Bangshpara 

Chandrabati River and fell 

into war with the freedom 

fighters. Three Pakistani 

soldiers, including one 

captain of Pakistan army and 

11 freedom fighters were 

killed at that time. 

Throughout his life Dr. 

Minhajur Rahman has given 

medical treatment to people 

of all walks of life at 

Khidirpur Bazar. He used to 

provide free medical service 

to poor people. Because of 

this, he was known to the 

people as 'Minaj Doctor'. 

One of his sons Mohiuddin 

Md. Abdul Kader Makhan 

lives in London along with 

his wife and children. They 

were supposed to return 

home on their two month 

vacation within a week. But 

Dr. Minhajur Rahman could 

not see them for one last 

time. His dead body was 

show to his son, daughter-inlaw 

and grandchildren 

through a video call. 

Contribution of women to 

social advancement lauded 

RANGPUR: The womenfolk have proved their ability, 

talent, expertise and efficiency in every field of national life 

laudably contributing to social advancement side by side 

accelerating national development, reports BSS. 

The observations came at a discussion arranged in a 

ceremony on Wednesday for according reception to five 

successful 'Joyeeta' women at the district level and four at the 

upazila level for their tremendous contributions to different 

social sectors. 

The Department of Women Affairs (DWA) and district 

administration organised the event at the conference room of 

the Deputy Commissioner under the 'Joyeeta Onneshone 

Bangladesh' programme. Earlier, the 'Joyeeta Onneshone 

Bangladesh' programme was arranged in observance of the 

International Women Repression Prevention Fortnight- 

2018 and Rokeya Day-2018 to search out the successful 

'Joyeeta' women in the district. 

Deputy Director (Local Government) Ruhul Amin Mian 

attended the ceremony and distributed crests and medals 

among the nine Joyeeta women as the chief guest with 

District Women Affairs Officer Kawser Pervin in the chair. 

Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Syed Enamul 

Kabir, cultural activist Tauhidur Rahman Tutul, noted 

women activists and social workers Rosy Rahman and 

Advocate Zakia Sultana Choite were present as special 

guests. Large number of successful women participated in 

the programme and finally nine of them were adjudged as 

the most successful to become 'Joyeeta' women of the year 

for extra ordinary contributions to their respective sectors in 

accelerating social advancement. 

Gaibandha 

election 

officials firm to 

hold fair polls 

GAIBANDHA: Speakers 

at a function here on 

Wednesday said the Election 

Commission with the 

support of the district and 

the police administrations is 

firm to hold free, fair and 

credible parliamentary 

elections in five 

constituencies of the district 

on December 30, reports 

BSS. 

"It is our foremost duty to 

present an acceptable 

general election in the 

district where the people's 

mandate will be reflected 

properly," they opined. 

They made the comments 

while addressing a training 

programme for the election 

officials of Gaibandha-1 

(Sundarganj) constituency 

in the hall room of 

Sundarganj Government 

DW Degree College. 

Sundarganj Upazila 

administration arranged the 

training at the directives of 

the Bangladesh Election 

Commission. 

Deputy commissioner 

(DC) and also the returning 

officer Sebastin Rema 

addressed the training as the 

chief guest and 

superintendent of police 

(SP) Engineer Abdul 

Mannan Miah and district 

election officer Mahbubur 

Rahman were present as the 

special guests. 

Upazila Nirbahi Officer M. 

Soleman Ali presided over 

the function while Upazila 

Election Officer M. 

Sekendar Ali delivered the 

welcome speech. 

Hundreds of people attended namaz-e-janaza of Atgharia upazila freedom fighter Dr. Minhajur Rahman. 

(Inset: Dr. Minhajur Rahman). 

Photo: Abdul Hamid Khan

INTERNATIONAL FRIdAy, 

deceMBeR 14, 2018 

7 

UK PM May says she will 

leave by 2022 election 

British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that she will step down before 

the country holds its next scheduled national election in 2022. Photo: Internet 

British Prime Minister 

Theresa May has confirmed 

that she will step down 

before the country holds its 

next scheduled national election 

in 2022. 

Arriving at an EU summit 

in Brussels on Thursday, 

May said "I think it is right 

that another party leader 

takes us into that general 

election." 

Late Wednesday May survived 

a no-confidence vote 

among her Conservative Party 

lawmakers, triggered by 

unhappiness in the party at 

the way she is handling Brexit. 

She secured victory by 200 

votes to 117 after telling lawmakers 

at a private meeting 

that she would hand over 

power to another Conservative 

leader before the next 

election. 

But May has not said what 

she will do if, as many expect, 

Britain faces an early national 

election triggered by divisions 

over Brexit. 

British lawmakers won't be 

voting next week on Theresa 

May's deal with the European 

Union for leaving the 

bloc. 

The leader of the House of 

Commons, Andrea Leadsom, 

published a list of government 

business for next 

week - and there was no 

mention of the so-called 

meaningful vote on the Brexit 

bill. 

Earlier this week, May 

postponed the vote on the 

deal after realizing she was 

heading for a heavy defeat. 

The vote is now likely to be 

held next year, when Parliament 

returns from its Christmas 

break. 

Britain is due to leave the 

EU on March 29. 

The German parliament 

has approved a motion stating 

that the Brexit deal can't 

be renegotiated, underlining 

the stance of the government 

and European Union allies. 

The largely symbolic motion 

was approved hours before 

Chancellor Angela Merkel 

and the other 27 EU leaders 

gather in Brussels. 


Theresa May is seeking reassurances 

about the withdrawal 

deal, which she is 

struggling to sell to skeptical 

lawmakers. 

The German motion states 

that "there will not be an 

agreement that is better and 

fairer for both sides. Any 

hope that a rejection of the 

agreement could lead to its 

renegotiation must prove to 

be illusory." 

It adds: "It must be clear to 

all that the finely balanced 

overall package cannot be 

undone again." 


Theresa May has arrived at 

European Union headquarters 

for crunch Brexit talks 

with Irish leader Leo Varadkar 

and EU Council President 

Donald Tusk. 

May arrived in a sealed-off 

area where no cameras were 

allowed, a few hours before 

Thursday's EU summit 

where she is seeking support 

from her European partners 

to help sell the Brexit deal to 

the U.K. Parliament. 

Tusk, who is chairing the 

summit in Brussels, tweeted 

that he is meeting May separately 

"for last-minute talks." 

EU leaders insist that the 

Brexit deal she has reached 

with them is the only one 

possible and that it cannot be 

reopened. However, they 

have said they are willing to 

clarify elements of the agreement 

and provide reassurances 

about how it would 

work. Germany's main business 

lobby group says it's up 

to the British government 

"not to waste any more time" 

and to secure an orderly exit 

from the European Union. 

The Federation of German 

Industries placed responsibility 

for avoiding a no-deal 

Brexit squarely on London. 

In a statement, the group's 

director general, Joachim 

Lang, appealed to "those 

responsible in London to 

organize a majority to avert a 

hard Brexit as soon as possible."Otherwise, 

he said companies 

"will have to press 

ahead with implementing 

the necessary emergency 

measures for a disorderly 

withdrawal of the United 

Kingdom from the EU." 

Lang said the withdrawal 

agreement Prime Minister 

Theresa May is struggling to 

sell in Britain "will help limit 

the damage on both sides of 

the Channel." The pound has 

advanced further after 


Theresa May won a confidence 

vote among lawmakers 

from within her Conservative 

Party. The currency, 

which slumped earlier in the 

week to 20-month lows after 

May pulled a vote on her 

Brexit divorce deal with the 

European Union, has recovered 

ground since it became 

clear would win the confidence 

vote and that she 

would not face another one 

from her own party in the 

next year. 

Traders think that means 

she may have more room for 

manoeuver in her dealings 

with Parliament that could 

mean Britain ends up having 

close economic ties with the 

EU after Brexit officially happens 

in March. 

Apple deepens Austin 

ties, expands operations 

east and west 

Apple will build a $1 billion 

campus in Austin, Texas, 

break ground on smaller 

locations in Seattle, San 

Diego and Culver City, California, 

and over the next 

three years will expand in 

Pittsburgh, New York and 

Colorado. 

The tech giant said Thursday 

that the new campus in 

Austin, less than a mile from 

existing Apple facilities, will 

open with 5,000 positions in 

engineering, research and 

development, operations, 

finance, sales and customer 

support. The site, according 

to Apple, will have the 

capacity to accommodate 

15,000 employees. 

The three other new locations 

will have more than 

1,000 employees each. 

Early this year, Apple said 

that it would make more 

than $30 billion in capital 

expenditures in the U.S. over 

the next five years. That, the 

company said in January, 

would create more than 

20,000 new jobs at existing 

and new campuses that 

Apple planned to build. 

There are already 6,000 

Apple employees in Austin, 

its largest operation outside 

of company headquarters in 

Cupertino, California, where 

37,000 people are 

employed. 

"Apple has been a vital 

part of the Austin community 

for a quarter century, and 

we are thrilled that they are 

deepening their investment 

in our people and the city we 

love," said Austin Mayor 

Steve Adler in a prepared 

statement Thursday. 

Apple said nearly a year 

ago that it would begin canvassing 

the U.S. for another 

campus. 

Cities offered incentives to 

lure the company, but CEO 

Tim Cook avoided a highprofile 

competition that pitted 

them against one another 

as Amazon did over the 

last year and a half. 

Amazon announced in 

November after a 14-month 

search it had selected Long 

Island City, Queens, and 

Arlington, Virginia, as the 

joint winners. Each site will 

employ around 25,000 

people. 

Palestinian president condemns 

West Bank attack 

The Latest on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has 

condemned the latest round of violence in 

the West Bank, criticizing both militant 

attacks and the tough Israeli response. 

Abbas' office issued a statement on Thursday, 

shortly after a Palestinian gunman 

killed two Israelis near a West Bank settlement, 

accusing Israel of creating a "climate" 

conducive to violence through its frequent 

military operations in Palestinian cities. 

Abbas also accused Israel of incitement 

against him. 

His statement says that "the absence of the 

horizon of peace is what led to this series of 

violence, which we condemn and reject, and 

for which both sides pay a price." 

The statement also added: "Our permanent 

policy is to reject violence, incursions 

and terror of the settlers, and the need to 

stop incitement and not to create an atmosphere 

that contributes to the aggravation of 

the situation." 

Israel has sealed off major roads leading to 

the West Bank city of Ramallah and set up 

checkpoints in search of a gunman who earlier 

in the day carried out a deadly shooting 

attack nearby. 

The Israeli military declined to comment 

on the measures, saying only it had sent reinforcements 

to the area. 

A Palestinian gunman opened fire on a bus 

stop outside a West Bank settlement on 

Thursday, killing two Israelis and wounding 

another two. 

The unusual measure to clamp down on 

Ramallah, the Palestinians' economic and 

administrative hub, reflects the severity with 

which Israel views an uptick in violence this 

week in the West Bank. 

Thursday's shooting comes after Israeli 

troops shot and killed a Palestinian suspected 

of a drive-by shooting at a West Bank bus 

stop on Sunday, in which a baby delivered 

prematurely as a result of the attack died. 

The head of Israel's medical rescue service 

says two Israelis have been killed and two 

wounded in a shooting attack near a West 

Bank settlement. 

Eli Bin, the head of Israel's Magen David 

Adom service, told Israeli Army Radio that 

two people were dead following Thursday's 

shooting. He says another two, a man and 

woman, were critically wounded and were 

being taken to hospital. Their identities were 

not immediately known. 

The Israeli military had no immediate 

additional details. 

The incident comes as Israeli troops ended 

a two-month manhunt for a Palestinian 

wanted in the killing of two Israelis at a West 

Bank industrial zone in October. 

On Wednesday, Israel also killed a Palestinian 

suspect accused of staging a shooting 

attack in the West Bank earlier this week. 

Israeli police say security forces tracked 

down a Palestinian accused of killing two 

Israelis and shot and killed him, following a 

two-month manhunt. 

Police say Ashraf Naalweh was armed 

when he was found and that he was killed 

during the arrest raid early on Thursday near 

the West Bank city of Nablus. 

Naalweh fled the scene of a West Bank 

industrial zone in October after shooting to 

death two Israelis. Israeli forces have conducted 

a widespread manhunt for him since. 

On Wednesday, Israeli forces killed a 

Palestinian suspect wanted in a drive-by 

shooting at a West Bank bus stop, shooting 

him just hours after an Israeli baby delivered 

prematurely as a result of the weekend attack 

died. The militant Hamas group that rules 

Gaza said both men were its members. 

Israeli soldiers stand at the scene of an attack near the settlement of Givat 

Assaf in the West Bank. 

Photo: Internet 

As protectors abandon Trump, 

investigation draws closer 

Austrian police question Russian biathlon team on suspicion of doping violations. 

Photo: Internet 

Russian biathletes questioned 

in Austria for doping 

Austrian authorities are investigating 

10 members of Russia's biathlon team 

for doping and fraud offenses. 

Police visited the Russian team's 

accommodation in Austria on Wednesday 

ahead of a World Cup event and 

spoke with athletes and staff. The case 

is connected to a wide-ranging bribery 

and doping investigation involving the 

International Biathlon Union, whose 

then-president stepped down in April 

following a police raid of the governing 

body's offices. 

Austrian prosecutors said in a statement 

that five Russian biathletes are 

suspected of "severe fraud in connection 

with doping," and five team officials 

are suspected of "the use of prohibited 

substances and/or methods for 

the purpose of doping." Austrian 

authorities have previously said they 

could consider prize money won by 

doped athletes to be fraudulent earnings. 

The offenses were allegedly committed 

around the 2017 world championships 

in Austria, prosecutors said, 

adding that "accused persons" have 

been given a formal notification they 

are under investigation. No Russian 

athletes in any sport have yet faced 

criminal prosecution for a series of doping 

scandals which led to the country's 

team being suspended from this year's 

Winter Olympics. 

A lawyer for Russian doping whistleblower 

Grigory Rodchenkov said this 

year he provided information which led 

to the Austrian police action. 

The Russian team is in Austria for a 

World Cup event, and the Russian 

Biathlon Union said it will "continue to 

compete." 

Olympic champion Anton Shipulin, 

who won gold at the 2014 Sochi Games, 

said he is "angry and furious about the 

witch-hunt that is going on" and has 

never doped. 

Alexander Loginov wrote on Instagram 

he was accused of "some machinations 

with blood transfusions and 

something else" supposedly committed 

as recently as February 2017. 

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry 

spokeswoman Maria Zakharova 

said the overnight visit to Russian athletes 

ahead of a major competition 

looked "wild." She added that the Russian 

Embassy has turned to Austrian 

authorities for explanation, adding that 

Moscow will respond if it feels the case 

has political undertones. 

Austrian police raided the IBU headquarters 

in April, with prosecutors saying 

up to $300,000 had been paid to 

cover up Russian doping cases from 

2012-17. Anders Besseberg, until then 

the only president in the IBU's history, 

and general secretary Nicole Resch 

stepped down soon after. 

Besides Russia's team, authorities in 

Austria and Italy have also investigated 

alleged mass doping in the Kazakhstan 

biathlon team. Nine Kazakh athletes 

were suspended last month by the IBU. 

President Donald Trump has now been 

abandoned by two of his most powerful 

protectors, his longtime lawyer and the 

company that owns the National 

Enquirer tabloid, bringing a perilous 

investigation into his campaign one 

step closer to the Oval Office. 

Both Michael Cohen and American 

Media Inc. now say they made hush 

money payments to a porn star and a 

Playboy Playmate for the purposes of 

helping his 2016 White House bid, an 

apparent campaign finance violation. 

The women alleged affairs with 

Trump, and federal prosecutors say 

the payments were made at Trump's 

direction. 

The admissions by Cohen and AMI 

conflict with Trump's own evolving 

explanations. Since the spring, Trump 

has gone from denying knowledge of 

any payments to saying they would 

have been private transactions that 

weren't illegal. 

Though prosecutors have implicated 

Trump in a crime, they haven't 

directly accused him of one, and it's 

not clear that they could bring 

charges against a sitting president 

even if they want to because of Justice 

Department protocol. 

Nonetheless, Trump's changing 

explanations have clouded the public 

understanding of what occurred and 

are running head-on into facts agreed 

to by prosecutors, AMI and Cohen, who 

pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations 

and other crimes and was sentenced 

on Wednesday. 

"You now have a second defendant or 

group of defendants saying that these 

payments were made for the primary 

purpose of influencing the election, and 

that it was done in coordination with 

Trump and his campaign," said Rick 

Hasen, an election law expert at the 

University of California, Irvine. 

Trump's first explanation of the payment 

that would eventually help lead 

Cohen to a three-year prison sentence 

came at 35,000 feet over West Virginia. 

Returning to Washington on Air 

Force One, Trump on April 6 for the 

first time answered questions about the 

reports of $130,000 in hush money 

paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, issuing 

a blanket denial to reporters while 

saying they would "have to ask Michael 

Cohen." 

Three days later, the FBI raided 

Cohen's office, seizing records on topics 

including the payment to Daniels. Furious, 

Trump called the raid a "disgrace" 

and said the FBI "broke into" his 

lawyer's office. He also tweeted that 

"Attorney-client privilege is dead!" 

The raid was overseen by the U.S. 

attorney's office in Manhattan and 

arose from a referral from special counsel 

Robert Mueller, who is investigating 

Russian election interference. At the 

time, Cohen said he took out a personal 

line of credit on his home to pay 

Daniels days before the 2016 election 

without Trump's knowledge. 

Later that month in a free-wheeling 

"Fox & Friends" interview, Trump 

acknowledged that Cohen represented 

him in the "crazy Stormy Daniels deal." 

In May, Trump and his attorneys 

began saying Cohen received a monthly 

retainer from which he made payments 

for nondisclosure agreements 

like the one with Daniels. In a series of 

tweets, Trump said those agreements 

are "very common among celebrities 

and people of wealth" and "this was a 

private agreement." 

People familiar with the investigation 

say Cohen secretly recorded Trump 

discussing a potential payment for former 

Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal 

two months before the election. On 

the tape, Cohen is heard saying that he 

needed to start a company "for the 

transfer of all of that info regarding our 

friend David," a possible reference to 

David Pecker, Trump's friend and president 

of AMI. 

When Cohen began to discuss financing, 

Trump interrupted him and asked, 

"What financing?" 

"We'll have to pay," Cohen responded. 

Prosecutors announced Wednesday 

that AMI acknowledged making one of 

those payments "in concert" with the 

Trump campaign to protect him from a 

story that could have hurt his candidacy. 

The company avoided prosecution 

under a deal with prosecutors. 

In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to 

campaign finance violations and other 

charges, saying he and Trump 

arranged the payment of hush money 

to Daniels and McDougal to influence 

the election. That next day, Trump 

argued that making the payments 

wasn't a crime and that the matter 

was a civil dispute, then took a swipe 

at his former employee. 

"If anyone is looking for a good 

lawyer, I would strongly suggest that 

you don't retain the services of Michael 

Cohen!" he tweeted. 

Earlier this week, Trump compared 

his situation to one involving President 

Barack Obama's 2008 campaign. The 

Federal Election Commission, which 

typically handles smaller campaign 

finance violations, where the actions 

aren't willful, with civil penalties that 

are typically fines, docked the Obama 

campaign $375,000 for regulatory civil 

violations. The fines stemmed from the 

campaign's failure to report a batch of 

contributions, totaling nearly $1.9 million, 

on time in the final days of the 

campaign. 

But legal analysts said the accusations 

against Trump could amount to a 

felony because they revolve around an 

alleged conspiracy to conceal payments 

from campaign contribution reports - 

and from voters. It's unclear what federal 

prosecutors in New York will 

decide to do if they conclude that there 

is evidence that Trump himself committed 

a crime. 

The Justice Department, in opinions 

issued by its Office of Legal Counsel, 

has said a sitting president cannot be 

indicted because a criminal case would 

interfere with the duties of the commander 

in chief. Prosecutors in the 

Southern District of New York, and 

with Mueller's office, would presumably 

be bound by that legal guidance 

unless the Justice Department were to 

nullify the opinions.

ART & CULTURE 

THUrSDAy, 

DeCeMBer 13, 2018 

8 

Fantastic Beasts: The 

Crimes Of Grindelwald 

The second installment of the "Fantastic Beasts" series 

set in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World featuring the 

adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander. 

Release Date: 

Director: 

Writers: 

Stars: 

16 November 2018 (USA) 

David Yates 

J.K. Rowling 

Eddie Redmayne, Katherine 

Waterston, Dan Fogler 

The fate of one will change the 

future of all 

Adventure, Family, Fantasy 

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of 

Grindelwald 

134 minutes 

USA, UK 

English 

Heyday Films, Warner Bros 

Taglines: 

Koffee With Karan 6: Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor Khan to appear on 

Karan Johar’s chat show together. 

Priyanka Chopra and Kareena 

Kapoor Khan to grace Koffee 

Genres: 

Also known as: 

Runtime: 

Country: 

Language: 

Production: 

STOrylIne : 

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans of raising pureblood 

wizards to rule over all non-magical beings, Albus 

Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who 

agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are 

drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest 

friends and family, in an increasingly divided world. 

|Source: IMDb] 

With Karan 6 finale 

Kareena Kapoor Khan and Priyanka 

Chopra Jonas are all set to grace Karan 

Johar's Koffee With Karan Season 6 and 

we cannot wait to watch the two chatty 

actors spill some beans on the Koffee 

couch. 

Koffee With Karan 6: Priyanka Chopra 

and Kareena Kapoor Khan to appear on 

Karan Johar’s chat show together. 

Kareena Kapoor Khan and Priyanka 

Chopra Jonas are all set to grace Karan 

Johar’s Koffee With Karan Season 6 and 

we cannot wait to watch the two chatty 

actors spill some beans on the Koffee 

couch. The filmmaker recently shared on 

his social media accounts that Kareena 

and Priyanka will appear on the season 

finale. He wrote, “SEASON FINALE!!! 

With the mega superstar girls! 

@priyankachopra #kareenakapoor.” 

Priyanka and Kareena who have shared 

screen space in films like Aitraaz and Don 

H O rOSCOPe 

ArIeS 

(March 21 - April 20): Natives 

of Aries are often confident and 

energetic people, who should 

consider setting up arrangements for larger 

family gatherings like reunions. Natives of this 

sign are often driving forces in the professional 

and political areas. 

shot for the episode on Wednesday before 

leaving for Isha Ambani and Anand 

Piramal’s wedding in Mumbai. The photos 

from the sets surfaced on fan pages and 

later Karan shared them on his Instagram 

account. “Girls just wanna have fun!!!! 

#seasonfinale #koffeewithkaran,” read the 

caption of a photo posted by Karan. 

In the previous season, Priyanka made a 

solo appearance on the show. Then, she 

talked at length about her Hollywood 

experience and also about her policy of 

not discussing her personal life in public. 

Then she said, “I have never spoken about 

my personal stuff. 

The world will know when there’s a ring 

on the finger. Till then, I am single till I 

get married.” Now, that PeeCee is 

returning on the show after walking down 

the aisle with American singer Nick Jonas, 

a lot of discussion around her wedding is 

expected to happen. _IndianExpress 

lIBrA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): At some 

stage over the next few days 

you will see or hear something 

that makes you view the world in a new 

light. A change of perspective will lead to 

new ways of thinking, ways that answer all 

the questions you have been asking. 

Jason Momoa’s Aquaman releases in India on December 14. 

Who is 

Aquaman ? 

Although you have seen Jason 

Momoa as Aquaman in small roles in 

three movies, Aquaman will be the 

first movie in which he will get a 

chance to show his full prowess as 

the protector of the deep. James 

Wan's Aquaman releases in India on 

December 14. 

Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is almost 

here. It releases in India a full week 

before it does in the US. Its already 

running in China and has already 

broken some box office records. James 

Wan, known for the Conjuring 

franchise, directs the film. 

Unlike the DC Comics Trinity — 

Superman, Batman and Wonder 

Woman — Aquaman is a lesserknown 

inhabitant of the DC universe. 

But the character is still one of the 

oldest comic-book superheroes 

(older than Wonder Woman, even). 

Created by Paul Norris and Mort 

Weisinger, Aquaman debuted in 

1941. 

Although you have seen Jason 

Momoa as Aquaman in small roles in 

three movies, Aquaman will be the 

first movie in which he will get a 

chance to show his full prowess as 

the protector of the deep. 

Aquaman was the founding 

member of the Justice League, but 

remained one of the least popular 

characters in the superhero team. 

This is despite an arguably 

fascinating origin story. 

Unlike the DC Comics Trinity — 

Superman, Batman and Wonder 

Woman — Aquaman is a lesserknown 

inhabitant of the DC universe. 

But the character is still one of the 

oldest comic-book superheroes (older 

than Wonder Woman, even). Created 

by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, 

Aquaman debuted in 1941. 

_ IndianExpress 

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. 

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. 

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 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]

SPORTS 

FRIDAY, 

DECEmBER 14, 2018 

9 

After losing the second match in Dhaka by four wickets, Bangladesh will face several challenges in 

the third one. 

Photo: AP 

Tigers to face several challenges 

in series decider 

Sports Desk: The third and final ODI 

of three-match series between 

Bangladesh and West Indies turned 

into a final as the first two matches won 

by each team, reports UNB. 

The 'final' will be played today at Sylhet 

International Cricket Stadium 

which is all set to be the first ODI in the 

venue. The match will commence at 

1:00 pm and will be telecasted on 

Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Gazi 

Television (Gtv). 

After losing the second match in Dhaka 

by four wickets, Bangladesh will face 

several challenges in the third one. 

They have played four recognised 

openers in the first two matches of the 

series that did not prove to be a wise 

move. 

Shakib Al Hasan was playing well at 

number three which is believed to be a 

crucial position to bat on. But, for 

ensuring places for four openers he has 

been batting at number five since the 

start of ongoing series. Despite a fifty at 

the position, Shakib's move made the 

number three position vulnerable. 

Imrul Kayes, however, failed to 

impress at number three in spite of his 

golden run in the last home series 

against Zimbabwe where he finished 

with two centuries in three matches 

with 90 in the other match. But after 

being moved from his desired opening 

position, Imrul has been struggling. At 

the same time, Bangladesh's move to 

play four openers did not reflect their 

attention for the World Cup preparation 

which is not too far. 

Mohammad Mithun had been grabbing 

his second chance in the 

Bangladesh one-day setup before being 

dropped in the ongoing series. He 

struck two crucial fifties in the Asia Cup 

which was enough to cement his place 

at number five. But the sudden formula 

of playing four openers prevented his 

progress to become a long-term solution 

for the position. 

In all, Bangladesh team management 

needs to rethink their batting line-up 

ahead of the final ODI of the series. 

They might need to bring one certain 

change as Liton Das sustained an injury 

in the second match. He was 

stretchered off the field due to immense 

pain in his right leg and was carried to 

the hospital for a quick scan which suggested 

no fracture before came into the 

middle to bat on later. 

Mithun has a good chance to make a 

comeback in the place of Liton who 

scored 41 and eight in the first two 

matches respectively. Bangladesh 

might consider inclusion of Mohammad 

Saifuddin who played superbly 

well in the last series. 

If reshuffling batting line is the first 

challenge for the Tigers, adapting with 

the condition of Sylhet is second. 

Bangladesh have played two international 

matches in Sylhet and lost both. 

The wicket of Sylhet is comparatively 

different from the other area of the 

country and it may add more complication 

to finalise playing XI in the series 

decider. The fast-bowlers of both the 

teams can hope something better them 

in the wicket of eastern Bangladesh. 

However, Bangladesh all-rounder 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz said they are optimistic 

to win two successive ODI series 

over the Windies. "The final match of 

the series is a do-or-die match for us 

and we do well in this kind of situation. 

We have won the series in West Indies 

beating them in the last match. So the 

final match is an opportunity for us," 

Miraz said during a chat with media on 

Wednesday. 

Shai Hope, the hero of Windies' last 

win, said after winning the second 

match in Dhaka, "We came here to win 

the games. Now our job is to make sure 

we finish the series 2-1." 

Earlier In the first match, Bangladesh 

took a step ahead to clinch the series by 

the superb effort of the bowlers. 

Mashrafe-led bowling side kept the 

Windies in 195 runs which proved to be 

an easy target to chase down for the 

hosts. Mashrafe and Mustafizur bagged 

three wickets each to help the Tigers. 

Mushfiqur Rahim hit an unbeaten fifty 

and ensured a lead 1-0 winning the 

match by five wickets. 

But in the second match, bowlers 

failed to defend the total of 255 runs. 

Bangladesh lost the match in the last 

over thriller when the Windies needed 

only four runs. In the last five overs, 

they needed 38 runs. Mustafizur Rahman 

gave 16 runs away in the 48th over 

which made Bangladesh's escape nearly 

impossible. And eventually, the visiting 

team managed to win to level the 

series 1-1. 

Shai Hope played the main role for 

the Windies. He struck career-best an 

unbeaten 146 to secure the win. In the 

seventh wicket stand with Keemo Paul, 

he added 70 runs. This stand threw 

Bangladesh out of the match. 

Green top awaits India and 

Australia in Perth 

Sports Desk: India will 

face Australia in the second 

Test of the four-match 

series, starting Friday. With 

the pitch at Perth set to offer 

bounce and pace, Indian 

captain Virat Kohli said that 

the Indian team was more 

excited than nervous going 

into the match. India have a 

potent pace attack in the 

likes of Ishant Sharma, 

Mohammed Shami, Jasprit 

Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar 

Kumar and Umesh Yadav 

and it will be interesting to 

see who the fourth pacer will 

be. Keeping with tradition at 

the WACA, a raging quick 

wicket has been laid out for 

the second Test and a 

healthy layering of grass 

which could impact strategies 

for both sides, reports 

AP. 

The visitors will name a 

changed playing XI as they 

have been hit by a couple 

more injuries. India named 

their 13-man squad for this 

second Test, with Ravichandran 

Ashwin and Rohit 

Sharma ruled out due to 

injuries. 

Prithvi Shaw, on the other 

hand, is still ruled out, 

meaning India will retain 

their opening combination 

of KL Rahul and Murali 

Vijay. 

For the other two spots in 

the playing eleven, Hanuma 

Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and 

Umesh Yadav have been 

included in the 13-man 

squad. 

It gives rise to different 

permutations and combinations, 

and Kohli does have a 

prior history of picking an 

all-pace attack earlier in 

2018. At Johannesburg, on 

another raging green-top 

wicket, he picked a four-pacer 

attack with Hardik 

Pandya as the all-rounder. 

India had played an allpace 

attack in Perth back in 

2012, when MS Dhoni fielded 

Zaheer Khan, Umesh 

Yadav, Ishant Sharma and R 

Vinay Kumar at the WACA. 

Even so, recent records 

need to be considered. In 

November, Western Australia 

hosted New South 

Wales for a Sheffield Shield 

game at this new ground as a 

dry-run for this maiden Test. 

Out of 40 wickets to fall in 

that four-day game, eight 

went to spinners with 

Nathan Lyon taking seven 

wickets for 120 runs in two 

innings and left-arm spinner 

Ashton Agar picking the one 

wicket for 69 runs in two 

innings. Clearly, Lyon as the 

off-spinner was able to 

exploit the bounce on offer. 

If Ashwin had been available, 

Kohli perhaps would 

have still been tempted to 

play him. With Jadeja in the 

squad though, there is still a 

possibility to go in with a 

spinner albeit the temptation 

is greatly reduced. 

The Indian batting line-up 

should otherwise be 

unchanged. 

Australia could make a 

tactical change to their batting 

line-up as well. Aaron 

Finch has come under sharp 

criticism for his shot selection 

in the first Test and 

there are growing concerns 

about him going into this 

match. 

After Wednesday's practice 

sessions, there was a 

growing opinion that either 

Usman Khawaja or Shaun 

Marsh could open in his 

place, with Finch slotting 

down in the middle order. 

All-rounder Mitchell 

Marsh still only has an outside 

chance to play in this 

Test with skipper Tim Paine 

declaring himself fully fit 

after being hurt on his right 

hand in Adelaide. 

India had won the Adelaide Test against Australia by 31 runs. Photo: AP 

Australia are expected to 

field the same bowling lineup 

and barring any surprising 

injuries, Peter Siddle is 

not in consideration. 

Champions League: Juventus top Group 

H despite loss to Young Boys 

Sports Desk: Guillaume Hoarau scored in either half as 

Young Boys inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Juventus in their final 

Champions League group game on Wednesday in Switzerland, 

but the Italians still took top spot in Group H after Manchester 

United lost by the same scoreline to Valencia, reports 

AP. 

The Swiss champions proved too hot to handle for the 

Cristiano Ronaldo-led Italians whose 26-match unbeaten 

away run going back to November 2017 ended in freezing 

temperatures in Bern. France forward Hoarau slotted in the 

first after half an hour from the spot at the Stade de Suisse, 

blasting in the second after 68 minutes to lift the spirits of his 

already-eliminated side who finished bottom of the group. 

Juventus finish top of Group H on 12 points with United on 

ten, Valencia on eight and Young Boys with four. 

"We achieved our objective by winning the group, even on 

a night where everything seemed to go wrong, maybe we 

weren't focused enough," said Allegri. "We missed so many 

opportunities and gifted a penalty, so at the end of the day it 

was only right that we lost." Ronaldo, the record scorer in the 

elite European competition with 120 goals, started the final 

group match despite Juventus already having secured a berth 

in the knock-out round as Allegri wanted to ensure his side 

avoided being drawn against Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester 

City or Paris Saint-Germain in the next round. "Now 

the best part of the Champions League is coming," said 

Ronaldo, who has lifted the trophy five times. 

"Today we're not happy because we wanted to win in the 

first half. I could have scored several goals and if I did, the 

result would probably have been different. 

"I feel good physically. The fact of playing every match is a 

decision that I take together with my coach." 

But veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini was rested ahead of 

next weekend's Turin derby in Serie A, as Allegri feared a 

potential injury on the artificial pitch in Switzerland. 

Ronaldo had three chances to put Juventus on the scoreboard 

in the first half, but the visitors were impacted by Juan 

Cuadrado going off injured after twenty minutes with Alex 

Sandro coming off the bench. 

Minutes later Brazilian Sandro conceded a penalty for 

bringing down Cameroonian midfielder Moumi Ngamaleu in 

the box. 

Cristiano Ronaldo (2nd L) of Juventus reacts during the UEFA Champions League Group H match 

between Young Boys and Juventus in Bern. 

Photo: AP 

GD-1598/18 (10 x 4)

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

BANGLADESHTODAY 10 

THE 

FRIDAy, DECEMBER 14, 2018 

Mercantile Bank Ltd opened its 132nd Branch at Kabirhat, Noakhalitoday. A.K.M. Shaheed Reza, 

Chairman of the Bank inaugurated the Branch by cutting ribbonas the Chief Guest. Bank's Executive 

Committee Chairman gallant freedom fighter Akram Hussain (Humayun) was present on the occasion 

as the Special Guest. Bank's Additional Managing Director& CBO Md. Quamrul Islam Chowdhury delivered 

his welcome speech on the opening ceremony. Spoke on the occasion among others were Mayor of 

the Municipality Johirul Haq Raihan, Vice President of Kabirhat Press club Rezaul Karim & renowned 

industrialist & businessman Hazi Md. Ibrahim. MdFazlulHaq, Head of Kabirhat Branch gave his vote of 

thanks. Senior Executives of the Bank, invited guests and journalists of print and electronic Media were 

also present on the occasion.'Kabirhat Branch' is located at: Fuad Centre, Holding No-37, Hospital 

Road, Municipality- Kabirhat, P.S.-Kabirhat, Dist.-Noakhali. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Walton slashes prices of LED, Smart 

TV following the Victory month 

The Bangladesh's 

multinational electronics 

brand 'Walton' slashed the 

prices of its big screen 

Android Smart and LED 

televisions to mark the 

victory month of Bangladesh, 

says a press release. 

According to Walton 

authorities, they reduced the 

prices of 32-inch Smart and 

LED televisions by Tk 1,100. 

Now, customers can buy 

Walton brand 32-inch Smart 

TV at Tk 23,800 and LED 

Tk18,800. 

Prices of Walton Smart and 

LED televisions of both 39 

and 43-inch were reduced by 

Tk 2,000. The local set the 

new prices of its 39-inch 

Smart and LED televisions at 

Tk 34,900 and Tk 29,900 

Arrest of Nissan star Ghosn 

raises speculation over coup 

Japanese media and some analysts 

have raised the possibility that the 

charges against Carlos Ghosn were 

engineered to sideline him 

Nissan was charged Monday, along 

with Ghosn and another board 

member, with violating financial laws 

in underreporting Ghosn's income by 

millions of dollars over several years 

The surprise arrest of Nissan's 

former chairman on charges of 

falsifying financial reports is 

providing a window into possible 

corporate intrigue at the Japanese 

automaker. Japanese media and 

some analysts have raised the 

possibility that the charges against 

Carlos Ghosn were engineered to 

sideline him and give Nissan an 

excuse to end a lopsided alliance with 

French automaker Renault SA. 

"What is fascinating about this 

story is the politics of it," said Egor 

Matveyev, an assistant professor of 

finance at the MIT Sloan School of 

Management. "It certainly appears 

that it wants more power and control 

within the alliance. This whole 

situation may give Nissan the 

opportunity to reset, and to put all the 

blame on Renault and Ghosn." 

Ghosn's absence while he is held for 

questioning gives Nissan's side time 

to maneuver for more power, he said. 

Renault dispatched Ghosn to 

respectively. Customers are 

now offered Walton 43-inch 

Smart TV at Tk 37,900 and 

LED TV at Tk 34,900. 

Following the country's 

victory month, Walton 

offered discounts up to 10 

percent and free home 

delivery facility on its all sorts 

of televisions for the 

customers of its online sales 

network 'e-plaza'. 

Maruf Hasan, head of sales 

of Walton Television 

Department, said, Walton 

brand televisions has been 

turned into the customers' 

top choices in the local 

market for having some 

uniqueness like application 

of world's latest technology 

and features, world-class 

quality, lucrative and stylish 

designs, reasonable rates, 

products' availability in every 

corner of the country and 

deliberation of swift post 

sales services. 

They are witnessing 

continuous growth in the 

sales of their televisions 

during the last couple of 

years, he said adding, they 

posted around 25 percent 

growth in television sales 

during the period of January 

to November of 2018 

compared to the television 

sales of the corresponding 

period of the previous year. 

Uday Hakim, deputy 

executive director of Walton 

Group, said, "The 'Made in 

Bangladesh' labelled Walton 

televisions are now exported 

to different countries of Asia, 

Nissan in 1999 to lead a spectacular 

turnaround and owns 43 percent of 

Nissan Motor Co., while Nissan owns 

15 percent of Renault with no voting 

rights. Now, Nissan is more 

profitable than Renault. Talk of a 

merger between the two companies 

was raising resistance in Japan, 

where sentiments seem to be running 

in exactly the other direction. 

Nissan already feels it's more than 

paid back what it "once owed" 

Renault, while Renault doesn't want 

to lose "the golden egg" that is Nissan, 

said Etsuo Abe, a business 

management expert at Tokyo's Meiji 

University. 

"But when things get this messy, 

the only way out is divorce," he said. 

Long simmering dissent within 

Nissan's Japanese ranks is the 

backdrop to the Nov. 19 arrest of 

Ghosn and an American executive, 

Greg Kelly, on suspicion of falsifying 

financial reports. 

"Ghosn shock" and "Just like a 

coup," shouted headlines in both 

mainstream media and tabloids. 

As chairman at Nissan and chief 

executive of Renault as well as the 

alliance, Ghosn answered to a board 

headed by himself, holding key roles 

in determining pay packages and 

other decisions. Nissan Chief 

Executive Hiroto Saikawa, who 

Middle East and Africa 

continents. The supply of 

world-class quality 

televisions at reasonable 

rates to the internal markets 

are resulted in gaining 

customers' popularity and 

getting new export markets. 

Mustafa Nahid Hossain, 

chief executive officer of 

Walton Television 

Department, said, Walton 

television has been 

recognized and achieved 

certification by the Bureau of 

Indian Standards (BIS) and 

Testing Certificate from 

Standard Organization of 

Nigeria Product Conformity 

Assessment Program 

(SONCAP). 

He also mentioned that 

high quality panels are being 

used in Walton Internetbased 

Android Smart TV. 

Walton is manufacturing 

HADS (High Advance Super 

Dimension Switch) and IPS 

(In Plan Switching) panels in 

ISO class seven dust free 

clean room, which ensure the 

quality and durability of the 

panels. As a result, viewers 

will get high viewing angle 

and high contrast pictures. 

Moreover, the Walton TVs 

are huge power efficient. 

Walton is now offering 6- 

month replacement 

warranty for television panel, 

and two years warranty for 

panel and spare parts as well 

as free after sales of services 

for five years. 

became co-CEO with Ghosn in 2016 

and then sole chief last year, says the 

problems stemmed from his boss 

having too much power. 

In response to a reporter's question 

he denied the shake-up was a coup, 

but called Ghosn and Kelly the 

"masterminds." It's unclear if 

Saikawa will be tapped to replace 

Ghosn as chairman following his 

dismissal last month. Whether an 

executive from Renault or Nissan 

gets the job may signal where the 

Yokohama-based maker of the Leaf 

electric car and Infiniti luxury models 

is headed in the short run. 

A source close to Ghosn and his 

family told The Associated Press 

Ghosn was stunned and has been 

asserting his innocence. 

She said the allegations were 

unfounded, since the suspected 

unreported pay was deferred income 

he had not yet received. 

After Ghosn's arrest, Saikawa said 

Ghosn had misused company funds 

and assets. Japanese media pointed 

to spending on several luxury homes 

as evidence of such misconduct. The 

source, who spoke on condition of 

anonymity because Ghosn's legal 

team has not released any 

statements, said the homes in Brazil, 

Lebanon and other cities were 

needed for security reasons. 

In airline-business 

rarity, Air France 

picks a woman 

CEO 

In this file photo taken on 

March 26, 2018, Air France's 

Executive Vice President 

Customer Division Anne 

Rigail speaks during a press 

conference to announce the 

re-opening of direct flight 

between Paris and Nairobi, in 

Nairobi on March 26, 2018. 

(AFP) 

As of June, there were just 

18 women holding down jobs 

of CEO, president or 

managing director at airlines 

around the world, according 

to the Center for Aviation, an 

Australia-based airline 

industry research group 

When the leaders of global 

airlines posed for a photo in 

June, there were 25 men in 

dark suits and a lone woman 

in the last seat on the far right. 

That could be changing, but 

very slowly. 

Air France announced 

Wednesday that Anne Rigail 

will take over as CEO next 

week. Rigail, a 27-year 

company veteran and 

currently an executive vice 

president, will be the first 

woman to lead the French 

carrier, which was formed in 

1933. Parent company Air 

France-KLM Group will 

continue to be led by a man, 

however. 

Few women have run large 

airlines. Carolyn McCall was 

CEO of British low-cost 

carrier EasyJet for seven years 

until leaving this year to run 

British broadcaster ITV. 

Christine Ourmieres- 

Widener, the woman in the 

June photo of CEOs, leads 

Flybe, a European regional 

airline that has fewer than 100 

planes. 

In the United States, Air 

Wisconsin, a regional airline 

that operates United Express 

flights, is led by CEO Christine 

Deister, and another regional, 

Cape Air, has a female 

president, Linda Markham. 

But no major US carrier has 

ever had a female CEO, and 

only a few women hold other 

top jobs. 

Arrest of Nissan star 

Ghosn raises 

speculation over coup 

Japanese media and some 

analysts have raised the 

possibility that the charges 

against Carlos Ghosn were 


Nissan was charged 

Monday, along with Ghosn 

and another board member, 

with violating financial laws 

in underreporting Ghosn's 

income by millions of dollars 

over several years 

The surprise arrest of 

Nissan's former chairman 

on charges of falsifying 

financial reports is providing 

a window into possible 

corporate intrigue at the 

Japanese automaker. 

Japanese media and some 

analysts have raised the 

possibility that the charges 

against Carlos Ghosn were 


and give Nissan an excuse to 

end a lopsided alliance with 

French automaker Renault 

SA. 

"What is fascinating about 

this story is the politics of it," 

said Egor Matveyev, an 

assistant professor of 

finance at the MIT Sloan 

School of Management. "It 

certainly appears that it 

wants more power and 

control within the alliance. 

This whole situation may 

give Nissan the opportunity 

to reset, and to put all the 

blame on Renault and 

Ghosn." Ghosn's absence 

while he is held for 

questioning gives Nissan's 

side time to maneuver for 

more power, he said. 

Renault dispatched Ghosn 

to Nissan in 1999 to lead a 

spectacular turnaround and 

owns 43 percent of Nissan 

Motor Co., while Nissan 

owns 15 percent of Renault 

with no voting rights. Now, 

Nissan is more profitable 

than Renault. Talk of a 

merger between the two 

companies was raising 

resistance in Japan, where 

sentiments seem to be 

running in exactly the other 

direction. 

Nissan already feels it's 

more than paid back what it 

"once owed" Renault, while 

Renault doesn't want to lose 

"the golden egg" that is 

Nissan, said Etsuo Abe, a 

business management 

expert at Tokyo's Meiji 

University. 

"But when things get this 

messy, the only way out is 

divorce," he said. 

Long simmering dissent 

within Nissan's Japanese 

ranks is the backdrop to the 

Nov. 19 arrest of Ghosn and 

an American executive, Greg 

Kelly, on suspicion of 

falsifying financial reports. 

"Ghosn shock" and "Just 

like a coup," shouted 

headlines in both 

mainstream media and 

tabloids. 

As chairman at Nissan and 

chief executive of Renault as 

well as the alliance, Ghosn 

answered to a board headed 

by himself, holding key roles 

in determining pay packages 

and other decisions. Nissan 

Chief Executive Hiroto 

Saikawa, who became co- 

CEO with Ghosn in 2016 

and then sole chief last year, 

says the problems stemmed 

from his boss having too 

much power. 

In response to a reporter's 

question he denied the 

shake-up was a coup, but 

called Ghosn and Kelly the 

"masterminds." 

It's unclear if Saikawa will 

be tapped to replace Ghosn 

as chairman following his 

dismissal last month. 

Whether an executive from 

Renault or Nissan gets the 

job may signal where the 

Yokohama-based maker of 

the Leaf electric car and 

Infiniti luxury models is 

headed in the short run. 

A source close to Ghosn 

and his family told The 

Associated Press Ghosn was 

stunned and has been 

asserting his innocence. 

She said the allegations 

were unfounded, since the 

suspected unreported pay 

was deferred income he had 

not yet received. 

After Ghosn's arrest, 

Saikawa said Ghosn had 

misused company funds and 

assets. Japanese media 

pointed to spending on 

several luxury homes as 

evidence of such 

misconduct. The source, 

who spoke on condition of 

anonymity because Ghosn's 

legal team has not released 

any statements, said the 

homes in Brazil, Lebanon 

and other cities were needed 

for security reasons. 

Nissan as a legal entity was 

charged Monday, along with 

Ghosn and Greg Kelly, 

another board member, 

with violating financial laws 

in underreporting Ghosn's 

income by millions of dollars 

over several years. 

But Nissan has not been 

put under any kind of 

supervision, and so far only 

Ghosn and Kelly have been 

named in the charges. They 

are being held at a Tokyo 

detention center at least 

until Dec. 20. 

Whatever the motivations 

for their arrests, Ghosn has 

been effectively sidelined 

indefinitely: Under Japan's 

legal system, long criticized 

as "hostage justice," a 

suspect can remain in 

custody for months. Trials 

often take years. 

The 57th meeting of Shariah Supervisory Committee of Shahjalal Islami Bank Ltd (SJIBL) held recently 

at the Bank's Corporate Head Office Board Room. The Chairman of Shahjalal Islami Bank's Shariah 

Supervisory Committee Allamah Mufti Abdul Halim Bukharee presided over the meeting. The meeting 

discussed various issues related to investment policies in the light of Shariah principle. Among others 

the Honorable Members of Shariah Supervisory Committee of the Bank Mufti Shahed Rahmani, 

Professor Dr. Muhammad Abdur Rashed, Professor Hamidur Rahman, Azizul Huq, M. Kamaluddin 

Chowdhury, Barrister Md. Arifur Rahman, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank Alhaj 

Akkas Uddin Mollah, the Vice-Chairmen of the Board Mohammed Golam Quddus & Khandaker Shakib 

Ahmed, Directors Mohiuddin Ahmed, Eng. Md. Towhidur Rahman, Abdul Halim, Independent 

Director Mosharraf Hossain Chowdhury, Managing Director & CEO M. Shahidul Islam, Deputy 

Managing Directors Md. Shahjahan Shiraj, M. Akhter Hossain & Mian Quamrul Hasan Chowdhury, 

the CFO of the Bank Md. Jafar Sadeq and the Member Secretary of Shariah Supervisory Committee of 

the Bank Maulana Md. Farid Uddin were also present in the meeting. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Al-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd has opened its 195th Agent Outlet at Budpura Bazar, Patiya Upazila of 

Chattogram on 12 December 2018. Chairman of KDS Group, President of Chattogram Metropolitan 

Chamber of Commerce & Industries and Chairman of AIBL Capital Market Services Ltd. Khalilur 

Rahman inaugurated the outlet as chief guest. Director of the Bank and Chairman of AIBL Capital 

Management Ltd. Ahamedul Hoque, Executive Vice President and Head of Agent Banking Division 

Abed Ahmed Khan and Chittagong Zonal Head & Senior Vice President Mohammad Azam were present 

as Special Guests. Agent of the Outlet M. Idris Chowdhury Apu presided over the ceremony. The program 

was moderated by FAVP of Agent Banking Division Mohammad Sakhawat Hossain. Photo: Courtesy

MISCELLANEOUS 

FriDAY, DECEmBEr 14, 2018 

11 

US officials: China 

poses serious national 

security threat 

Cyber threats from China and its theft 

of intellectual property from American 

companies pose large economic and 

national security challenges for the 

United States, national security 

officials said Wednesday. 

Officials from the Department of 

Justice, the FBI and the Department of 

Homeland Security told the Senate 

Judiciary Committee that China is 

working to steal trade secrets and 

intellectual property from U.S. 

companies in order to harm America's 

economy. 

"We cannot tolerate a nation that 

steals the fruit of our brainpower," 

Assistant Attorney General John 

Demers said. 

Bill Priestap, the assistant direct of 

the FBI's counterintelligence division, 

GD-1594/18 (5 x 4) 

said federal officials are doing 

everything they can to convey the 

current threat to business leaders and 

government officials. 

China's espionage activity has been 

"steadily increasing" in the last few 

years, Demers said. 

"The bottom line is they will do 

anything they can to achieve their 

aims," Priestap said of the Chinese. 

Cyberespionage cases can be drawn 

out, involve sensitive intelligence and 

ultimately may not lead to 

prosecutions, he said. The department 

is working to train prosecutors across 

the U.S. in how to bring similar cases. 

In the last few months, the Justice 

Department has filed several charges 

against Chinese hackers and 

intelligence officials. 

In October, a suspected Chinese spy 

was charged with attempting to steal 

trade secrets from several American 

aviation and aerospace companies. 

Yanjun Xu, an operative of the Chinese 

Ministry of State Security, is accused of 

recruiting employees of major 

aerospace companies, including GE 

Aviation, and persuading them to 

travel to China under the guise of 

giving a presentation at a university. 

That case was the first time that a 

Chinese Ministry of State Security 

intelligence officer has been extradited 

to the United States for trial. 

Tensions between the U.S. and 

China have been high recently because 

of trade disputes, and President 

Donald Trump frequently criticizes 

China. 

Dbœq‡bi MYZš¿ 

†kL nvwmbvi g~jgš¿ 

3 Palestinians 

killed in West 

Bank, East 

Jerusalem 

Palestinian sources declared that 

three young men were killed by 

Israeli forces in West Bank's 

Ramallah and Nablus Wednesday 

night and East Jerusalem Thursday 

dawn. 

Local sources said that around 

dawn call for prayers, Israeli police 

forces shot down a Palestinian after 

he allegedly attacked two police 

officers leaving them moderate 

wounds. The officers, one male and 

one female, were rushed to the 

hospital, but the suspected 

Palestinian perpetrator was fatally 

shot on the spot. 

On Wednesday night, Israeli 

authorities notified the Palestinian 

Authority (PA) liaison office of killing 

Ashraf Na'alwa in Askar refugee 

camp near Nablus after a nearly two 

months' manhunt. 

Na'alwa was accused by Israel of 

carrying out a shooting attack in 

Barkan industrial settlement, killing 

two Israelis in the north of the West 

Bank last October. 

Israeli sources declared that a 

special Israeli force arrested two 

Palestinians near Ramallah city on 

Wednesday night, and announced 

one was killed a few hours after 

arrest, identified as Saleh Barghouti, 

29 years old. 

Israeli army said Barghouti was an 

accomplice in the Ofra settlement 

shooting last Sunday, which led to 

injuring seven Israeli settlers. 

Palestinian sources and Barghouti's 

family said the army notified them 

that Barghouti was shot after he tried 

to escape from arrest along with 

another young man accompanying 

him. The special force reportedly 

arrested the two young men after 

stopping their taxi near Ramallah 

city. 

Palestinian sources confirmed that 

at least 19 Palestinians were arrested 

over night, as the Israeli forces raided 

Ramallah city several times during 

the past two days, storming into 

commercial shops and confiscating 

cameras. 

The Israeli army said that the 

military activity in the past two days 

in Ramallah was part of its search of 

Palestinians involved in Sunday's 

shooting near Ofra settlement. 

Turkey train crash 

leaves 9 dead, 

dozens injured 

A high-speed train hit a railway engine 

and crashed into a pedestrian overpass 

at a station in the Turkish capital 

Ankara on Thursday, killing nine 

people and injuring 47 others, officials 

said. 

The 6:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) train 

from Ankara to the central Turkish city 

of Konya collided head-on with the 

engine, which was checking the tracks 

at the capital's small Marsandiz station, 

Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit 

Turhan told reporters after inspecting 

the site. The high-speed train transits 

that station without stopping. 

At least two cars derailed, hitting the 

station's overpass which then collapsed 

onto the train. 

Three engine drivers and six 

passengers were killed in the crash, 

Turhan said. One of the passengers 

died of injuries after being hospitalized 

while others were killed at the scene. 

Television footage showed 

emergency services working to rescue 

passengers from wrangled cars and 

debris. Hurriyet newspaper said sniffer 

dogs assisted efforts to find survivors. 

Turhan said everyone had been 

removed from the debris and no one 

else was believed to be trapped. 

It wasn't immediately clear if a 

signaling problem caused the crash. 

Ankara Gov. Vasip Sahin said a 

technical inspection has begun while 

NTV television, quoting unnamed 

officials, said three prosecutors were 

assigned to investigate. 

In July, 10 people were killed and 

more than 70 injured when most of a 

passenger train derailed in 

northwestern Turkey, after torrential 

rains caused part of the rail tracks to 

collapse. Last month, 15 people were 

injured when a passenger train collided 

with a freight train in Turkey's central 

province of Sivas. 

Konya, about 260 kilometers (160 

miles) south of Ankara, is home to the 

tomb of the Sufi mystic and poet 

Jalaladdin Rumi, attracting thousands 

of pilgrims and tourists. The crash 

occurred during an annual week of 

remembrance for Rumi when many 

travel to Konya to watch Whirling 

Dervishes perform. 

Fire destroys thousands of Congo 

voting machines in capital 

An early-morning fire in Congo's capital 

destroyed thousands of voting 

machines just 10 days before the 

presidential election, officials said 

Thursday, saying the blaze appeared to 

be criminal in nature but vowing that it 

would not disrupt the vote. 

Congo's first use of voting machines 

on Dec. 23, a rarity in Africa, has caused 

concerns among the opposition, 

diplomats and experts about possible 

manipulation in favor of President 

Joseph Kabila's preferred successor. 

Kabila is stepping aside after taking 

power in 2001. 

The electoral commission said the fire 

broke out at a warehouse in Kinshasa, 

adding that it was too early to declare 

the cause or the extent of the damage. 

Kabila's chief adviser said the fire was 

a criminal one and that some 7,000 

voting machines and polling booths 

were burned. "The enemies of 

democracy have stepped it up a gear," 

Barnabe Kikaya said. 

Congo's security minister said the 

number represents 10 percent of the 

voting machines for Kinshasa but 

added they will be replaced "very 

quickly." 

"We cannot make quick conclusions 

but the criminal hypothesis is not to be 

dismissed," the minister, Henri Mova, 

said, noting that the fire had two 

starting points, suggesting a 

simultaneous beginning. 

Mova was defiant in the face of a 

suspected effort to disrupt the election: 

"Those who tried it did not succeed." 

Major questions remain about how 

Congo will be able to successfully use 

the voting machines in the 

infrastructure-starved country of 40 

million voters, many without computer 

experience. More than 100,000 of the 

machines have been rolled out so far. 

GD-1596/18 (10 x 4) 

GD-1597/18 (10 x 4)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

FRiDAy, DhAkA, DECEMBER 14, 2018, AGRAhAyAN 30, 1425 BS, RABi-US-SUNNi 6, 1440 hiJRi 

AL to celebrate win in month 

of victory: Quader 

On Thursday, a representative team of Jatiya Oikyafront led by BM{ Vice-Chairman Selima 

Rahman went Election Commission office at Agargaon of the capital. Photo: Star Mail 

UNGA adopts Bangladesh's resolution 

on culture of peace 

DHAKA : Like each year, the United 

Nations General Assembly has unanimously 

adopted Bangladesh's flagship 

resolution on the 'Culture of Peace', 

reports UNB 

Chargé d' Affaires and 

Deputy Permanent Representative 

(DPR) of Bangladesh Permanent 

Mission to UN Tareq Md Ariful Islam 

floated the proposal on Wednesday. 

"Over the years Bangladesh 

remained committed to the values and 

principles enshrined in the UN 

Charter and worked alongside the 

international community in promoting 

and protecting peace. Government 

of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

remains committed to the issue, and 

underscores the importance of a 

'whole-of-society' approach in our 

national context for promoting a culture 

of peace," he said. 

Tareq also said they will be celebrating 

the 20th anniversary of the adoption 

of the Declaration and 

Programme of Action on a Culture of 

Peace on September 13, 2019. 

"To this end, the draft Resolution 

requests the President of the 73rd session 

of the General Assembly to give 

special attention to its appropriate and 

befitting observance by holding the 

High-Level Forum on that date next 

year, which will be an opportunity for 

renewing our shared commitment to 

further strengthen the global movement 

for the culture of peace", he said. 

The DPR also mentioned culture of 

peace is an aspiration of all 

humankind. "Promoting and inculcating 

a mindset of a culture of peace is at 

the core of the creative management 

of differences and divisions". 

The concept of 'Culture of Peace' as a 

General Assembly (GA) agenda was 

first mooted by Bangladesh in 1999. 

The whole world celebrated "Decade 

of Culture of Peace" following adoption 

of a resolution at the GA. 

The Permanent Mission of 

Bangladesh to the UN had been taking 

this follow-up resolution to the 

General Assembly every year since 

2000, and each year it got adopted 

unanimously, said the Bangladesh 

Mission. 

The main theme of this resolution is 

-if intolerance and hatred could be 

abolished from the society, the world 

would see lasting peace. 

This year the resolution recognized 

the contribution of a culture of peace 

towards combating terrorism as well 

as peace building and sustaining 

peace; it also attached special importance 

to the role of the children and 

youth by engaging them more in promoting 

a culture of peace in the society 

inculcating values such as peace, tolerance, 

openness, inclusion and mutual 

respect. 

Everyone has pledged to work 

together to implement this important 

resolution. This year 101 countries 

from all the region of the world cosponsored 

this resolution. 

Despite various tensions across the 

globe, the continued huge support to 

this year's resolution comes as a testimony 

to the confidence of international 

community on Bangladesh. 

It also endorses the importance of 

'Culture of Peace' in involving all people 

in global development efforts. 

DHAKA : Awami League General 

Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday 

said the party will celebrate the election 

victory in the month of victory by bagging 

the maximum seats in the 11th 

parliamentary election. 

"Awami League under the dynamic 

leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will 

clinch another victory in the month of 

victory. We will win in the December 

30 national election… Inshallaha," he 

said, speaking at the inaugural function 

of the electoral campaign of AL 

Publicity and Publication Sub- 

Committee in front of Central Shaheed 

Minar here. 

Quader, also the road transport and 

bridges minister, said a mass wave has 

been created in favour of 'Boat', the 

electoral symbol of AL, across the 

country. On the other hand, the popularity 

of BNP has been decreasing day 

by day, he added. 

He said the people of the country 

would opt for honest, courageous and 

sagacious leadership of Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina and the spirit of the 

Liberation War in the next elections. It 

will also prove that the countrymen is 

not in favour of the communal forces- 

Jamaat and BNP-, he added. 

The AL general secretary said, "Our 

vow is to become victorious in the polls 

and uphold the spirit of Liberation War 

by defeating communal forces. We will 

defeat the communal forces led by BNP 

like 1971 when we defeated Pakistani 

occupation forces under the leadership 

of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman." 

Quader said BNP is a corrupt party 

who became champions five times in 

corruption. Life time convicted and 

fugitive Tarique Rahman is leading the 

party, he said. Politicians like Dr Kamal 

Hossain, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, 

Sulatan Mansur, Mostafa Mahsin 

Mantu and Kader Siddiqui are doing 

politics under Tarique Rahman's leadership, 

he added. 

Eminent actor Syed Hasan Imam, 

Architect Yeafes Osman, eminent 

singer Monoranjan Shil Ghoshal, 

Sammilita Sangskritik Jote President 

Golam Quddus, actors Raisul Islam 

Asad, Mahfuz Ahmed, Jahid Hasan, 

Shakil Khan, Saimon, actress Nutun, 

Aruna Biswas, Rokeya Parchi, Shomi 

Kaiser, Azmeri Haque Badhan, Sweety, 

Tarin, former national footballer 

Ashraf Uddin Chunnu, singer SD 

Rubel, among others, were present on 

the occasion. 

Later, they took part in a poll campaign 

boarding on decorated trucks. 

After parading different city streets the 

campaign ended in front of 

Dhanmondi 32. 

BNP wants immediate army deployment 

with magistracy power 

THAKURGAON : BNP secretary 

general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir 

on Thursday demanded the immediate 

deployment of army with magistracy 

power for ensuring proper election 

atmosphere. "We've long been talking 

about deployment of army in the 

national election. We now demand that 

the army be deployed immediately 

with magistracy power," he said, 

reports UNB. 

Fakhrul came up with the comment 

while speaking at an election rally at 

Barungaon under Sadar upazila in the 

morning. 

The BNP leader said a change in the 

current regime is imperative to protect 

democracy in the country. "Awami 

League will cement its one-party rule if 

it retains power. So, cast your vote for 

Sheaf of Paddy to bring a change in the 

government." He alleged that the government 

has failed to ensure public 

welfare as it indulged in killing, 

enforced disappearance and repressive 

acts by police. 

Fakhrul said their party wants a 

peaceful and credible election, but the 

ruling party 'cadres' are attacking their 

candidates and their supporters at different 

parts of the country during electioneering. 

"We'll free Khaleda Zia and 

restore god governance in the country 

by winning the election," he said. 

The BNP leader said they will create 

jobs, give the unemployed youths 

allowances and ensure free education 

for girls up to the tertiary level, if their 

party is voted to power. 

The True Story Behind ‘The 

Pied Piper of Hamelin’ 

INTERESTING NEWS 

The story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin is 

well known. This dark European folktale 

with unsettling themes of ingratitude and 

terrible vengeance has been told and retold 

for generations. The tale goes something 

like this: 

In the year 1284, there was a serious 

rat problem in Hamelin, which was at 

that time a prosperous port on the river 

Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. 

Barges full of corn and wheat arrived 

every day which was ground in the mills 

and made into bread and cakes in the 

bakeries. But the rats came and ate all 

the corn and the wheat, and the bread 

and the cakes, and there were fleas 

everywhere. Life in Hamelin became a 

nightmare. Desperate for a solution, the 

town mayor announced a prize of one 

thousand gold guilders to anyone who 

could free Hamelin of the rats. 

The very next day a mysterious man in 

bright colorful clothing arrived in town. He 

claimed to be a rat-catcher, and he 

promised to get rid of all the mice and rats 

in Hamelin for the promised sum. The 

“Pied Piper” then took out a small fife from 

his pocket and began to play a tune. 

fl§viK bs›fl^vtAwat/fl^vt wktey¤t/we`vcb/2018/3294ZvwiL t 

Use of LPG 

grows over 21pc 

since 2009 

DHAKA : Power, Energy 

and Mineral Resources 

Ministry has identified 12 

points for ensuring safe use 

of Liquefied Petroleum Gas 

(LPG), as the growth of LPG 

use rose to over 21 percent 

since 2009 in the country. 

"The government is committed 

to ensure safe use of 

LPG cylinders across the 

country and working to create 

awareness among the 

users to this end," Energy 

and Mineral Resources 

Division Secretary Abu Hena 

M Rahmatul Munim told 

newsmen at a press briefing 

at his ministry conference 

room. 

He said the country's LPG 

use rose to around 10 lakh 

tonnes in 2018, which was 

only 47,000 tonnes in 2009 

and now the demand for LPG 

rose to 30 lakh tonnes. 

The secretary said the 

demand for LPG increased 

due to the government's realistic 

steps including availability 

of LPG at every corner of 

the country, adding, "We are 

working to create awareness 

among the users and 

strengthen monitoring system 

to ensure safety and 

security of LPG cylinders." 

Replying to a question, he 

said private sector would be 

enforced to create awareness 

among consumers side by 

side with raising quality of 

their products because the 

government primarily 

approved 60 companies for 

supplying LPG and now 17 

companies are supplying 

LPG at consumer level. 

Election campaign gains momentum in Dhaka City. BNP nominated candidate of Dhaka-5 seen conducting 

his campaign on Thursday at his electoral area. 

Photo: Star Mail 

Election 2018: EC calls 

out 1,300 magistrates 

for polls duty 

DHAKA : The Election 

Commissionwill deploynearly 

1,300 judicial and executive 

magistratesto ensure 

that the electoral code of conduct 

is properly followed by 

candidates, reports UNB. 

The 11thparliamentary 

polls will be a crucial election 

for Bangladesh and is likely 

to attract close attention both 

at home and abroad. 

More than half of the 

Parliament seats were elected 

uncontested in the last 

election after the BNP and its 

allies boycotted it. But the 

party has decided to join the 

fray this time and has long 

been accusing the EC of 

being partisan and subservient 

to the government. 

For the KM Huda-led EC, 

according to election 

observers, the December-30 

election will be the biggest 

test. It will have to ensure 

free and fair balloting while 

maintaining law and order. 

The EC has ordered the law 

enforcement agencies to 

carry out their duties impartially. 

And drafting a huge 

number of magistrates is part 

of the EC's plan to hold an 

acceptable election. 

What will magistrates do? 

The magistrates will be in 

the field for four days from 

December 29 to January 1. 

They will conduct summary 

trials for electoral violence 

and polls code breach, said 

an EC notification. 

A judicial magistrate can 

hand down up to seven-year 

imprisonment, while an 

executive magistrate can sentence 

an offender to maximum 

two years in jail, said 

Md Sharif Hossain Hayder, 

the EC deputy secretary 

(law). 

Nearly 650 judicial magistrates, 

and as many executive 

magistrates, will be deployed 

during the four-day period. 

Last month, the EC drafted 

640 judicial magistrates in 

consultation with the 

Supreme Court. It also 

deployed about 650 executive 

magistrates after the 

announcement of the election 

schedule. 

EC officials said the commission 

will call out moreexecutive 

magistratesbefore 

and after the polls. 

The EC has instructed the 

officials to act neutrally and 

treat everyone equally. 

Where will they be 

deployed? 

A judicial magistrate will 

be deployed in each upazila. 

Besides, there will be one 

judicial magistrate for several 

wards of the city corporations. 

One or two of these 

officials will discharge duties 

in every sadar municipality of 

each district. 

Each upazila has one executive 

magistrate, except the 

Chattogram Hill Tract (CHT) 

where there is one magistrate 

for every three to four upazilas. 

Apart from them, one executive 

magistrate will be 

deployed for three to four city 

corporation wards, but each 

district sadar municipality 

will have one or two magistrates. 

JF candidate Abu 

Sayeed's motorcade 

attacked in Pabna; 

4 injured 

PABNA : The motorcade of 

Prof Abu Sayeed, a candidate 

of Jatiya Oikyafront (JF) for 

Pabna-1 seat, came under 

attack at Shimultala near 

Santhia Bazar here on 

Thursday, leaving four people 

injured. 

Talking to UNB, Sayeed said 

a group of rowdy supporters of 

his electoral opponent 

attacked his motorcade 

around 11am when he was on 

election campaign, reports 

UNB. 

He said the attackers damaged 

his vehicle badly and beat 

up his supporters, leaving 

Zakir Hossain, Monwar 

Parvez, Nazmul Hossain and 

Saiful Islam, injured. Sayeed 

said he himself suffered minor 

injuries as some brick chips 

were thrown at him. 

Sensing danger, the 

Oikyafront candidate moved 

to Santhia Police Station with 

his damaged vehicle. 

Later, he lodged a complaint 

with the office of assistant 

returning officer Jahangir 

Alam. 

Sayeed alleged that the 

attackers took away three 

motorbikes of his campaigners. 

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

14-12-2018

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