18-01-2019

friDaY 

DhAkA : January 18, 2019; Magh 5, 1425 BS; Jamadi-ul Awal 11,1440 hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.16; No.342; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

international 

Saudi women runaways 

rebel against system 

of male control 

>Page 7 

art & culture 

New trailers making 

movie lovers crazy 

>Page 8 

sport 

BPL 2019: AB de 

Villiers arrives in 

Bangladesh 

>Page 9 

5 more Padma bridge spans 

to be installed soon 

DHAKA : The construction of the 

6.15-kilometre Padma Bridge is progressing 

fast as its five more spans 

will be installed soon, reports BSS. 

"Six spans have already been set 

up while five more will be installed 

soon. One will be set up in the current 

month and another next 

month," Project Director of Padma 

Multipurpose Bridge M Shafiqul 

Islam told BSS today. 

He said 72 percent construction 

work of the main bridge has been 

done while 62pc overall construction 

work and 48pc of river training have 

been done so far. 

Islam said pile design of 40 piers 

have been completed while construction 

work of 18 out of total 42 

piers have been done. 

According to the Padma Bridge 

HC rejects writ 

challenging 

oath-taking of 

MPs 

DHAKA : The High Court on 

Thursday rejected the writ filed seeking 

its directives to revoke the oath of the 

elected members of the 11th parliament, 

reports UNB. 

The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul 

Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md 

Ashraful Kamal passed the order after 

hearing the petition. 

Earlier on Wednesday, the High 

Court fixed on Thursday for delivering 

the judgment in the incident. 

Supreme Court lawyer Advocate 

Taherul Islam Tawhid filed the writ on 

Monday seeking its directives to revoke 

the oath of the MPs of the 11th parliament, 

citing they were sworn in illegally 

before the expiry of the 10th parliament. 

As per the writ, the Speaker administered 

oath to the new MPs on January 3 

following publication of a gazette which 

is the violation of section 123(3) of the 

constitution as they were sworn in 

before the expiry of the 10th parlia- 

Five held for 

cybercrimes 

using PM's name 

DHAKA : Members of Rapid Action 

Battalion (Rab) in separate drives 

arrested five people for creating fake 

accounts on social media Facebook 

using the name of Bangladesh Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina. 

The identity of the arrestees and further 

details will be disclosed at a press 

briefing later in the day, said a message 

of the elite force, reports UNB. 

Sources at Rab headquarters, however, 

said the arrests were made on 

charges of cybercrimes. 

The detainees used to deceive people, 

extort money and spread propaganda 

by creating fake profiles of the prime 

minister, her family members and 

other national leaders, they added. 

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project details, when completed it 

will be the largest bridge in 

Bangladesh and the first fixed river 

crossing for road traffic. It will connect 

Louhajong, Munshiganj to 

Shariatpur and Madaripur, linking 

the south-west of the country, to 

northern and eastern regions. 

On October 14, 2018, Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina unveiled the 

name plaque of Padma Bridge Toll 

Plaza at Mawa end. 

According to her address on that 

day, 19 southern districts will be 

directly connected with Dhaka on 

road and rail routes with the completion 

of the Padma bridge and their living 

standard will improve with expansion 

of trade and commerce. 

"National economy will witness 1.2 

percent GDP growth rate, while 0.84 

Contracts signed to set up 

2,000 MW mine-mouth 

coal-fired power plant 

in Dinajpur 

DHAKA : GCM Resources plc 

and Chinese state-owned Power 

China on Thursday signed a joint 

venture agreement (JVA) and an 

engineering, procurement and 

construction (EPC) contract for 

setting up a 2,000MW minemouth 

coal-fired power plant in 

Dinajpur district, reports UNB. 

The contracts were signed at a 

ceremony at the Radisson Blu 

Water Garden Hotel in the city. 

The documents were signed by 

Md. Badruzzaman and Md. Firoz 

Zaman on behalf of GCM and 

Xiong Li Xin and Pan Deng Yu on 

behalf of POWERCHINA. 

Officials of the GCM Resources, 

which conducted a feasibility 

study for Phulbari coal mine, said 

the new venture will invest an 

approximate US$4 billion for the 

project. 

They said the proposed project 

is part of a broader strategy by 

GCM to generate 6,000MW of low 

percent poverty will be reduced 

every year after completion of the 

bridge to be built at an estimated 

cost of Taka 30,193.39 crore," she 

said. 

Sheikh Hasina said the implementation 

work of the bridge is going on 

satisfactorily. 

"Not only people of the region but 

also people of the entire country will 

benefit from the bridge… The GDP 

will be increased by 1.50 percent to 2 

percent after completion of the 

Padma Bridge. 

Construction work on the country's 

longest bridge started in 

December in 2015. The bridge will 

have 41 spans, each of 150m. 

According to the engineers concerned, 

a total of 41 spans will be 

installed on 42 concrete pillars. 

cost electricity for Bangladesh 

market utilising domestic coal, 

providing an estimated US$12.5 

billion in foreign direct investment 

(FDI). 

The power plant will use ultra 

supercritical technology with its 

high-energy efficiency which will 

enable maximum power generation 

from the coal and provide 

lower levels of emissions and 

deliver the lowest cost power. 

Datuk Michael Tang PJN 

(Executive Chairman of GCM), 

Engr. Rashed Mahmud 

(Managing Director, DIPON 

Group), Anis Khan (Managing 

Director, Mutual Trust Bank), 

Ding Zheng Guo (Chairman, 

Power China International), Lin 

Wei Qiang (Chairman, Chinese 

Chamber of Commerce 

Bangladesh) and Xu Jiang Long 

(Vice President, Power China 

Eurasia) were present. 

Due to Farakka Dam, 5 water reservoirs of Baliyakandi of Rajbari district losing its navigability. The 

picture was taken on Thursday. 

Photo: Star mail 

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader visited Suhrawardy Udyan on Thursday for the 

preparation of Awami league rally. 

Photo: Star Mail 

No conflict in 

AL-led Grand 

Alliance: 

Obaidul 

DHAKA : Awami League general 

secretary Obaidul Quader on 

Thursday said there is neither any 

conflict nor tension in the AL-led 

Grand Alliance, reports UNB. 

Quader, also the Road Transport 

and Bridges Minister, came up with 

the remark while speaking at a 

preparatory meeting on Saturday's 

grand rally of Awami League to celebrate 

its victory in the 11th general 

election. 

"The grand alliance is a unity 

forged to participate in elections 

while the 14-party is a political 

alliance which will prevail and 

there's no chance of collapse," said 

the minister. 

There is no infighting, tension 

and disturbance in the alliance, said 

the senior AL leader adding, "If 

there's any misunderstanding, we'll 

solve it through discussions." 

"If the political alliance plays a 

role of the opposition in parliament 

and holds constructive discussions, 

it'll be better for the government to 

correct its mistakes, if any," said 

Obaidul. 

Comparing BNP with a 'reckless 

driver', the Awami League leader 

said, "The government has its 

patience, no matter how wilder the 

defeated BNP is." 

SC upholds bail of Mainul 

in 14 defamation cases 

DHAKA : The Appellate Division on 

Thursday upheld a High Court order 

that had granted bail to Barrister 

Mainul Hosein in 14 defamation cases 

filed for making 'offensive comment' 

against journalist Masuda Bhatti, 

reports UNB. 

Chamber Judge of Md Nuruzzaman 

passed 'No Order' after hearing on an 

appeal of the state seeking stay on the 

bail of Barrister Mainul. 

Advocate Khandker Mahbub 

Hossain, counsel for Barrister Mainul, 

said with this order his client will get bail 

in cases filed in Sherpur, Kurigram, 

Bhola, Jhinaidah, Brahmanbaria, 

Kishoreganj, Cox's Bazar, Magura, 

Narail, Chattogram, Jashore and 

Netrakona districts. 

Now, there will be no bar on his 

release, he said. 

Earlier on January 13,the High Court 

granted six months bail to Barrister 

Mainul Hosein in 14 defamation cases. 

Advocate Khandker Mahbub 

Hossain, counsel for Barrister Mainul, 

said some 23 cases-one under the 

Digital Security Act and 22 defamation 

cases-were filed against Barrister 

Mainul for defaming journalist Masuda 

Bhatti in a television talk-show. 

Mainul who was connected to a talkshow 

'Ekattor Journal' through videoconferencing 

aired on Ekattor TV hosted 

by MithilaFarzana, made an 'offensive 

comment' against Masuda Bhatti 

on October 16. 

During the talk-show, Masuda Bhatti 

asked Mainul, "You say that you're in 

the JatiyaOikyafront as a citizen of the 

country but in social networking sites, 

many people are saying that you are 

there as a representative of Jamaat." 

Angered with the comment, Mainul 

said, "I'm thanking you for your audacity 

and I want to believe you as 'characterless'. 

There's no question about 

Jamaat link's with me and what question 

you have asked is embarrassing for 

me." 

Biman cuts Hajj flights 

fare by Tk 10,000 

DHAKA : Biman Bangladesh Airlines 

reduced Hajj flights fare by Tk 10,191 on 

Thursday. 

Now, pilgrims flying to Makkah will 

have to pay Tk 1,28,000. Last year, the 

national flag carrier carried half of the 

pilgrims from Bangladesh, reports 

UNB. 

State Minister for Religious Affairs 

Sheikh MdAbdullah made the price cut 

announcement after an inter-ministry 

meeting with CivilAviation and 

TourismMinistry in Dhaka. 

"The fare has been reduced considering 

the welfare of the pilgrims," he said. 

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is very 

sincere about it." 

Abdullah said his ministry would provide 

all sorts of assistance for proper 

Hajj management. 

TIB report caused 

heartburn to govt, EC : BNP 

DHAKA : BNP on Thursday alleged 

that the TIB report on "vote robbery" in 

the December-30 election has caused 

heartburn both to the government and 

the Election Commission, reports UNB. 

"The government and the EC cannot 

hide their faces as TIB has unveiled the 

absolute truth of vote robbery," BNP 

senior joint secretary general Ruhul 

Kabir Rizvi. 

Speaking at a press conference at 

BNP's Nayapaltan central office, he 

said," Now they (EC and govt) are making 

abortive efforts to hide the facts with 

their screams " 

Transparency International 

Bangladesh (TIB) labeled the 

December-30 general election as 'controversial' 

saying that there had been 

polls irregularities in 47 out of 50 constituencies 

it surveyed during the election. 

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) 

KM Nurul Huda and Information 

Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on 

Wednesday trashed the TIB report over 

vote fraud, saying it is not authentic. 

Rizvi said people know what happened 

the night before the election day 

and international credible organisations 

also published their reports on 

vote robbery. 

"Different democratic countries of the 

world termed the election questionable 

. They didn't recognise this election of 

fake vote. The global community also 

termed the election worst one in 

Bangladesh history," he said. 

The BNP leader said the ruling party 

deprived voters of exercising their right 

to franchise to hang onto power and 

maintained their absolute authority. 

He warned that people will restore 

democracy and their voting right even 

by sacrificing their lives, if necessary. 

He alleged that ruling party men are 

continuing attack and repression on the 

BNP leaders and activists throughout 

the country.

NEWS 

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JANUArY 18, 2019 

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Curtain falls on DIFF today Schoolboy 

DHAKA : The 17th Dhaka International Film 

Festival (DIFF) with the theme 'Better Film, 

Better Audience and Better Society' will end 

on Friday, reports UNB. 

Rainbow Film Society, which has been 

dedicated to the promotion of a healthy cine 

culture in Bangladesh and in celebrating the 

global mainstream in film and its social 

relevance since 1977, organised the nine-day 

festival. 

The closing ceremony of the festival will be 

held at the main auditorium of the National 

Museum in presence of Information 

Minister Hasan Mahmud and Foreign 

Minister Professor Dr AK Abdul Momen. 

Earlier, the festival was inaugurated by 

former Finance Minister AMA Muhith as the 

chief guest at the same venue. 

Srijit Mukherji directed 'Uma' from India 

will be screened at the main auditorium of 

Bangladesh National Museum following the 

closing ceremony of the festival. 

Five movies will be screened at different 

times at public library auditorium under 

Bangladesh Panorama, Asian Competition, 

Cinema of the World, Children Section while 

'Rising Silence' directed Leesa Gazi, jointly 

produced by UK, Bangladesh and India 

under Women Filmmaker Section will be 

screened at 7 pm. 

The Short and Independent films Toprak 

(Toprak) from Turkey, Man of the Hour 

from the UK, Lao Wai from the UK and 

'Made-in-China' and Rufus King Park from 

the USA will be screened at 7 pm at Sufia 

Kamal Auditorium of the national museum. 

State Minister for Foreign Affairs and chief 

patron of the DIFF Shahriar Alam will be 

presided over the session in presence of 

festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal and 

Festival Executive Committee member M 

Hamid. 

At the 17th DIFF, some 220 films from 

around 72 countries were selected for 

screening, according to the organisers. 

The venues of film screening were the 

Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, Blockbuster 

Cinemas at Jamuna Future Park, 

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Central 

Public Library Auditorium and National 

Museum Auditorium. 

There are competitions named "Asian 

Cinema Section", "Retrospective", 

"Bangladesh Panorama Section", "Cinema of 

the World Section", "Children Films 

Section", "Women Filmmakers Section", 

"Short and Independent Films Section" and 

"Spiritual Films Section". 

Like previous years, Rainbow Film Society 

arranged a two-day 'Fifth Dhaka 

International Conference on Women in 

Cinema 2019' on Friday where woman 

filmmakers, actors and personalities from all 

over the world took part. 

Alongside, a two-day long International 

Film Critics Federation (FIPRESCI) Asian 

region conference was held as part of 17th 

DIFF on January 13-14. 

found dead 

in Cumilla 

CUMILLA : Police 

recovered the body of a 

schoolboy at Barkamta 

village in Debidwar 

upazila on Wednesday, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Joy Chandra 

Ghosh, 15, a Class VII 

student of Chandina Pilot 

High School and son of 

Amar Chandra Ghosh of 

Nabiabad village in the 

upazila. 

Zahirul Anwar, officerin-charge 

of Debidwar 

Police Station, said locals 

found an arm of a human 

dumped under the soil 

near 'Kali Temple' in the 

village. 

Later, they informed it to 

police, who recovered the 

body and sent it to Comilla 

Medical College Hospital 

morgue for an autopsy. 

Joy had remained 

missing since January 14 

and a general diary was 

lodged with Debidwar 

Police Station. 

A seminar on science was held at Nagarpur upazila of Tangail yesterday. 

Two killed 

in Noakhali 

road crash 

NOAKHALI : At least two 

people were killed and 15 

others injured when a bus 

plunged into a roadside 

ditch on Choumuhoni-Feni 

road at Jamidarhat Boropul 

in Begumganj upazila on 

Wednesday night. 

The identities of the 

deceased could not be 

known yet, reports UNB. 

Firoz Alam Molla, officerin-charge 

of Begumganj 

Police Station, said the 

accident took place around 

10 pm when a Feni-bound 

bus of 'Sugandha 

Paribahan' from Noakhali 

plunged into the road side 

ditch after one of it's wheels 

got punctured, leaving two 

killed on the spot and 15 

others injured. 

The injured were taken to 

a local hospital. 

Man killed over land 

dispute in Sylhet 

SYLHET : A man was killed 

and ten others injured in a 

clash over a land boundary 

demarcation at Khash 

Mouza village in Goainghat 

upazila on Wednesday, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Kutub Ali, 35, 

son of Nuruddin Mia of the 

village. 

Abdul Jalil, officer-incharge 

of Goainghat Police 

Station, said Nuruddin Mia 

and Abdul Jalil had been at 

loggerheads over the 

demarcation of a piece of 

land near their houses. 

As a sequel to the enmity, 

an altercation was ensued 

between them over the issue 

on Wednesday morning. 

At one stage, both groups 

swooped on each other, 

leaving Kutub Ali dead on 

the spot and injuring ten 

others. 

Bangladeshi honoured 

for heroism in UAE 

DHAKA : A Bangladeshi in Ajman was 

recognised by local authorities for his 

exemplary bravery and heroism when he 

rose to the challenge and saved the life of a 

three-year-old boy, reports UNB. 

Bangladesh citizen Farouk Islam Nour Al 

Haq, 57, a welder by profession, was 

awarded on Tuesday by Ajman Civil 

Defence for his role in rescuing the boy, who 

was thrown off the balcony of a burning 

apartment on the second floor, reports local 

daily Khaleej Times. 

When people staring at the burning 

building, Farouk ran to the right spot 

without skipping a beat, stretched out his 

arms, and caught the boy whose mother 

had thrown him out off their second-floor 

flat. 

"Something in my mind pushed me to 

stand beneath the window where the 

woman was screaming. There was a 

massive crowd of people watching her but 

no one thought of rescuing her. Something 

pushed me to do anything to save this 

woman and her child," Farouk told the UAE 

newspaper. 

He was on his way to meet a friend who 

worked at a grocery store beside the 

building when he heard the woman's 

desperate call for help in Hindi. He looked 

up and saw the mother holding his child, 

standing by a big window. 

"I looked at her and she looked at me. I 

opened my arms and then she released the 

child who landed in my arms safely. I was 

shocked and I could not 

believe that the child had 

been saved until I heard the 

applause of the crowd 

chanting 'thank God' and 

clapping," he said. 

"I felt relieved and 

grateful. It's like I have done 

something right in my life." 

When a massive fire 

engulfed the three-storey 

apartment building in 

Nuaimiah on Saturday 

night, thick, black smoke 

filled the flat in no time. The 

mother couldn't find a way 

out - except through the 

window. 

She was worried about 

their son who already had 

started to suffocate, said her 

husband Mohammed 

Photo: Tangail Correspondent 

Saqib, who was at work when the incident 

happened and got a frantic call from his 

wife. 

"My wife Rubeena said she couldn't go 

through the doors and she would not 

survive the heavy smoke. I told her to relax 

and think of a way to save herself and the 

child," he said. 

After making sure her child was safe in the 

arms of a man, Rubeena jumped out of the 

window and landed on a car parked near 

the building. She sustained serious injuries 

and she is currently being treated at the 

intensive care unit of the Khalifa Hospital. 

"I left everything in my hand and ran 

towards my car to get home as quick as 

possible," Mohammed said. 

"When I reached our place, my wife was 

already in the hospital and my son was with 

people. I felt relieved when I saw that my 

son was saved. The people told me about the 

man who saved my son. I thank God and 

thank him for the great deed that he had 

done to the family." 

The fire was found to have been caused by 

electric short circuits in the machines 

located in the corridor, which led to the 

rapid spread of thick smoke across the 

building. 

After making sure her child was safe in the 

arms of a man, Rubeena jumped out of the 

window and landed on a car parked near 

the building. She sustained serious injuries 

and she is currently being treated at the 

intensive care unit of the Khalifa Hospital. 

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METRO 

FRiDAY, JAnuARY 18, 2019 

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Family Education Meeting of Ahsania Female Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center was held yesterday at the 

center of capital city yesterday. 

Photo : Courtesy 

First Persian language proficiency 

test held in Bangladesh 

DHAKA : The first Standard Persian 

Language Proficiency Test (SAMFA) 

took place in Bangladesh on Thursday. 

It was the first time the test had been 

held outside Iran, reports UNB. 

The exam took place at the Dhaka 

University arts building under the 

supervision of the university's Persian 

language and literature department. 

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Twenty-eight students from 

Dhaka,Rajshahi and Chittagong 

University took part in the test. Iranian 

Ambassador Mohammad Reza Nafar 

exchanged greetings with the students 

before the examination. 

"My best wishes for those who came 

here for this examination on Persian 

language. I hope you will be the skilled 

teachers of Persian language," he said. 

Nafar said Persian language had been 

practiced for almost 700 years in the 

subcontinent. Many Persian words 

have entered into Bengali. 

Cultural Councilor of Iranian 

Cultural Centre Hossaini Fayek, 

Chairman of Persian Language and 

Literature Department of Dhaka 

University Abul Kalam 

Sarkar, Professor 

Mohammad Arif Billah and 

other teachers of the 

department were present 

during the exam. 

Similar to IELTS 

(English), DILF/DELF/ 

DALF (French), and ZD 

(German) tests, SAMFA is 

held as two types of 

'General' and 'Academic' 

that measures the 

candidates' Persian 

language speaking, 

listening, reading and 

writing proficiency. 

Moreover, SAMFA 

academic test is taken in 

four categories, of 'Basic 

Science and Engineering', 

'Human Sciences', 'Medical 

Sciences' and 'Social 

Sciences', where non- 

Iranian applicants take the 

exam according to their 

fields of study. 

According to regulations 

of the MSRT, passing this 

exam is compulsory for all 

non-Iranians who want to 

study at Iranian universities. 

From September 2018, 

passing the SAMFA test is 

one of the main conditions 

of the students' admission to 

universities. 

Moreover, people who 

want to reside, work, 

undertake business, and 

establish local and 

international firms in Iran, 

also need to pass this test. 

PM's Delta Plan is 

to tackle climate 

impact: Speaker 

RANGPUR : Speaker of 

Jatiya Sangshad Dr. Shirin 

Sharmin Chowdhury 

yesterday said the Delta Plan 

of Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina is an epoch-making 

initiative to face adverse 

impact of climate change. 

Dr Shirin said this while 

inaugurating a three-day 

Climate and Agriculture 

Fair-2019 organised by the 

'Samokal Samaj Bikas 

Sangstha' at Jahangirabad 

Hat in Pirganj upazila of the 

district. 

She said, "It is possible to 

build a poverty-free country 

through developing the 

agricultural economy by 

assisting the farmers to 

adapt to climate change and 

increase food production." 

The fair is showcasing 

organic crop farming, 

climate resilient agritechnologies 

and crop 

varieties and marketing 

facilities of agro-products. 

The Speaker said the 

government has formed its 

own climate fund, created 

cyclone shelters in coastal 

belts and evolved salinity, 

flood and drought- tolerant 

rice varieties to achieve 

sustainability in agriculture 

by adapting the farmers to 

climate change. 

"Bangladesh has achieved 

food autarky by adopting an 

appropriate agriculture 

policy," she said putting 

emphasis on innovating 

newer ideas and 

technologies for proper 

preservation and marketing 

of foods. 

With Pirganj Upazila 

Nirbahi Officer TMA Momin 

in the chair, upazila 

chairman Noor Mohammad 

Mondal, General Secretary 

of Pirganj upazila Awami 

League (AL) and Pirganj 

municipal Mayor Tazimul 

Islam Shamim, upazila Vicechairman 

Monayem Sarkar 

Manu, Cultural Affairs 

Secretary of district AL 

Shahidul Islam Pintu, 

President Samokal Samaj 

Bikas Sangstha Abdul 

Kuddus Mondal addressed 

the function. 

She said, "It is possible to 

build a poverty-free country 

through developing the 

agricultural economy by 

assisting the farmers to 

adapt to climate change and 

increase food production." 

The fair is showcasing 

organic crop farming, 

climate resilient agritechnologies 

and crop 

varieties and marketing 

facilities of agro-products. 

The Speaker said the 

government has formed its 

own climate fund, created 

cyclone shelters in coastal 

belts and evolved salinity, 

flood and drought- tolerant 

rice varieties to achieve 

sustainability in agriculture 

by adapting the farmers to 

climate change. 

Bangladesh achieves 

food autarky: Sadhan 

NAOGAON : Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder 

yesterday said Bangladesh has already achieved food autarky 

and that is why it does not need to import food grains, reports 

BSS. 

"Price of food grains, particularly rice, now remains stable. 

Besides, good quality of rice is also being supplied through 

like VGD and VGF," he told journalists after visiting 

Mohadevpur Upazila godown in the district. 

Later, the food minister attended a reception programme 

organised by the local Awami League (AL). 

Chaired by Mohadevpur Upazila AL President Md Salim 

Uddin Tarafder, the function was addressed, among others, 

by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Mubarak Hossain, 

District Food Controller Md Kamal Hossen and District 

Council Member Md Moynul Islam Mayen. 

Addressing the function, Sadhan Chandra said Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the 21-point election 

manifesto of AL to change the fate of the country's people. 

If all work in line with the election manifesto, he said, it is 

a matter of time to build a Sonar Bangla dreamt by 

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

Conservation of Bengal 

fox stressed 

DHAKA : An awareness raising meeting on conservation of 

Bengal fox in their natural habitat was held in Dinajpur sadar 

upazila on Thursday, reports UNB. 

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Dinajpur Md. Abdur 

Rahman arranged the programme in collaboration with Wild 

Team "Boot Camp" training program winner Meherun Niger 

Mou, said a press release . 

Painting exhibition 

at AFD Friday 

DHAKA : The inaugural ceremony of 

group painting exhibition 'Preceptor- 

Disciple: Disciple-Preceptor' will be held at 

Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) 

at 5:30 pm on Friday, reports UNB. 

Eminent artist Monirul Islam will 

inaugurate the exhibition as the chief guest 

while Dhaka University's Fine Art faculty 

Dean Nisar Hossain and art connoisseurs 

Abdullah Al Mahmud and Mikhail I Islam 

will attend as special guests. 

The Oriental Painting Studio Bangladesh 

is going to present its first group exhibition 

at La Galerie of AFD featuring artists Amit 

Nandi, Malay Bala, and Zahangir Alom, 

who will showcase oriental paintings 

ranging from classical to contemporary. 

From the mythical sagas like the 

vignettes of Shakuntala, the eternal love 

between Radha-Krishna, and the political 

aspects from the Mahabharata to the 

realistic, abstract, semi-abstract, symbolic, 

and modern presentations of the idyllic 

beauty of Bengal, portraits of the towering 

literary and cultural personalities like 

Tagore and Nazrul, and the contemporary 

socio-political and cultural features all have 

manifested gracefully in their canvasses. 

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Based in Dhaka, the trio, following the 

conventional Guru-Shishya Parampara, 

runs various art activities like practising, 

exhibiting and promoting oriental art in 

Bangladesh. 

They also run the Oriental Painting Study 

Group that has successfully organised eight 

oriental painting exhibitions with the 

participation of national and international 

artists. 

The artists of the studio are committed to 

open up new possibilities for oriental art in 

Bangladesh. 

There are around 50 artworks in mixed 

media will be on display for this exhibition. 

The exhibition will be open to all till Friday, 

February 1. 

The visitors may throng the exhibition 

on Monday to Thursday from 3:00 pm to 

9:00 pm and on Friday and Saturday from 

9:00 am to 12:00 noon and 5:00 pm to 

8:00 pm. 

The Oriental Painting Studio Bangladesh 

is going to present its first group exhibition 

at La Galerie of AFD featuring artists Amit 

Nandi, Malay Bala, and Zahangir Alom, 

who will showcase oriental paintings 

ranging from classical to contemporary.

EDITORIAL 

friDaY, 

JanUarY 18, 2019 

4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

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

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Friday, January 18, 2019 

Economic agenda for 

the new government 

Since Sheikh Hasina took power in 2008, 

Bangladesh's per capita income has seen a threefold 

increase. The country's gross domestic product 

(GDP) stood at $250bn in 2017, according to the 

IMF, and last year clocked a growth rate of 7.28 

percent."I promise to build a more beautiful future by 

learning from the past. We will build a noncommunal 

golden Bangladesh free from hunger, 

poverty and illiteracy as cherished by Father of the 

nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman," 

Hasina said at the launch of her party manifesto 

some 4 weeks before the national elections held on 

30 December last. 

The AL's manifesto promises to make Bangladesh, 

one of the world's most densely populated countries 

with a population of over160 million, a middleincome 

nation by 2021 and triple its current per 

capita income of $1,750 in the next decade. 

The garment industry has emerged as one of the 

main pillars of the economy, providing jobs to 4.5 

million people. It makes up 14 percent of the GDP and 

nearly 80 percent of the country's exports worth 

$35bn.nearly 2.5 million Bangladeshi expatriates 

send home about $15bn annually. Exciting new 

sources of income are emerging in areas such as 

ocean going shipbuilding industry and 

pharmaceuticals. The traditional economic sector, 

jute trading and industry, is reviving and diversifying. 

The entire export sector has been showing uptrends 

without a pause. The export sector growth is likely to 

be even bigger, diversified and sustainable in the 

future. 

Bangladesh has performed well on most human 

development index indicators by controlling its 

population growth, improving infant mortality 

drastically that has resulted into higher life 

expectancy, which at 72 years, has surpassed those of 

India and Pakistan. 

Mahbubul Alam Hanif, a senior AL leader, said 

there has been development in every sector under 

Hasina."Sheikh Hasina brought the country out of 

darkness to prosperity," AL Joint General Secretary 

Mahbubul Alam Hanif saidrecently . "The country 

has totally transformed in the last 10 years." 

But notwithstanding such accomplishments that 

has given the country strong macro economic 

fundamentals, the new third term government of PM 

Sheikh Hasina needs to take a fresh look at what 

things have remained rather skewed under her 

second consecutive term in power. It is now generally 

recognized that while the benefits of economic growth 

have generally trickled down to nearly a 

preponderant number of people in different degrees, 

economic disparity too has widened. not most 

sections have benefited equally or proportionately 

from the higher economic growth and charges of 

wealth concentration are not unfounded. Thus the 

main economic challenge that would remain during 

the third term of the incumbents in power, is 

ensuring better distributive justice while ensuring 

growth. In other words, the greatest number in the 

population should be enabled to taste the fruits of 

'inclusive economic growth' . 

Another all important aspect in project 

implementation would be fastest and efficient 

completion of projects in the planning and execution 

boards. Projects that are completed well in time are 

most wanted by people because these generate 

beneficial outcomes for them the moment these get 

completed in time. The opposite is the case when 

projects get inordinately delayed, get soaked up in 

corruption and cost overruns. To these aspects of 

project completion, the new government under PM 

Hasina must cast their eyes sternly. no compromise 

should be allowed to these ends. 

The banking sector is suffering considerably from 

the burden of loan defaulting. Election time 

considerations may have restrained the government 

from taking cut and dry drastic punitive and 

corrective actions against willful loan defaulters and 

outright swindlers. With the election over, these 

considerations should now cease. The well 

entrenched new government is expected to take 

decisive actions against these people showing no 

favour or fear in response to none. In sum, the 

government should take steps early in its current 

tenure to ensure anti-corruption measures in the 

banking sector and to truly promote transparency 

and accountability in it. 

Government in its present term is also much 

expected to promote highly job oriented technical and 

vocational education. The much wider skill training 

opportunities at nominal or no costs should be made 

available to people in government run programmes 

and organizations dedicated to this purpose. 

pompeo takes US anti-iran message to Gulf arab states 

US Secretary of State Mike 

Pompeo's Middle East tour 

brings to mind the sport of 

hurdling, as he tries to overcome 

obstacles while eyeing the last 

objective: Confronting Iran. The list 

of hurdles grows long: The Kurds, 

Turks, Syrians (both the 

government and fighting factions), 

Israelis, Iraqis, Saudis and Qataris. 

However, Pompeo left the region 

before completing the list. 

How can Iran - America's main 

political millstone in the Middle 

East - be beleaguered without 

forcing it out of Syria, wearing down 

its influence in Iraq, defying it in 

Lebanon, using Israeli air power to 

pressure it, preventing Turkey from 

opening up to it, thwarting Qatar 

from cooperating with it, and 

persuading Saudi Arabia to produce 

more oil to meet the world's needs 

without resorting to Iran's oil? 

These are the tasks entrusted to 

Pompeo, and truth be told, he did 

very well despite the numerous 

contradictions, objections and even 

flip-flops from his president, 

Donald Trump. Pompeo managed 

to put forward a big project in 

difficult conditions that angered 

Besides a slowing economy, China's 

biggest worry is its internal stability. 

During 2017, China spent 1.24 

trillion yuan (US$196 billion) on internal 

security compared with 1.02 trillion yuan 

in central-government funding for the 

military. But to mitigate its own problems 

and emerge as a dominant global power, 

China is roping other countries into a 

"deep coalition" that may not end well for 

the participants. 

In Xinjiang, China spent $9.1 billion on 

domestic security during 2017, a 92% 

increase from 2016. By 2026, China 

hopes to move 250 million people from 

rural regions to the cities, which appears 

to be impossible and will likely increase 

strife between the haves and have-nots. 

But in 2016, China started relocating 9.81 

million people living in "impoverished 

and unsustainable conditions" in 22 

provinces to "geographically less 

disadvantaged areas." The project is to be 

completed by 2020 at the cost of $158 

billion. 

With a high unemployment rate among 

graduates, China saw a significant 

increase in protests by workers and labor 

disputes across the country in 2015. To 

ease internal strife, China launched the 

Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with 80% 

of Chinese companies ready to 

participate. Money was splurged to 

capture projects and jobs in countries that 

could not repay within the prescribed 

time limit, enabling China to extract 

repayment in strategic terms. 

President Xi Jinping assumed the role 

of a global moneylender, with debttrapped 

countries providing more and 

more projects to China on Chinese terms. 

Besides the financial obligations, they 

enabled China's cultural influence as well. 

All these created scopes for China's 

abDUlrahman al-raShED 

Tehran: He even announced that 

Poland will host an international 

conference on Iran in mid- 

February. 

Pompeo's unprecedented efforts 

have come a long way in putting 

forth measures and actions against 

Iran. Tehran is right to worry. 

His purpose is clear: To build a 

huge international coalition against 

Iran of more than 70 countries. 

Tehran is confident that US efforts 

are doomed to fail, because almost 

all of Washington's partners have 

rejected a policy submitted by the 

White House that aims to isolate 

Iran by re-imposing sanctions. This 

has made President Hassan 

Rouhani assume that the US is 

isolated when it comes to dealing 

with Iran. 

Pompeo's unprecedented efforts 

tehran is confident that US efforts are doomed to fail, because almost all 

of Washington's partners have rejected a policy submitted by the White 

house that aims to isolate iran by re-imposing sanctions. this has made 

president hassan rouhani assume that the US is isolated when it comes 

to dealing with iran. tehran is absolutely right to worry, especially since 

European governments have found themselves in an awkward position 

in the past two months after receiving more data about iranian 

operations that killed two opposition members, and a foiled bomb attack 

against an iranian opposition rally near paris last June. 

strategic, political and economic control 

over the target country. 

The BRI-related projects are meant to 

facilitate Chinese access to natural 

resources, markets for its low-cost goods, 

and more job avenues for its workers. The 

BRI also enables China to dominate sea 

lanes. But the BRI is just a part of China's 

bigger plan to emerge as a superpower 

even as the trade war with the US is 

affecting the country internally and the 

world is getting wary of the BRI. Malaysia 

has canceled some BRI-related projects 

and a Chinese company has suffered a $1 

billion loss in Africa. But the fact remains 

that China continues to make strategic 

gains and does not care what its critics 

think. 

The Chinese concept of "unrestricted 

warfare" is well known but not many are 

conversant with China's strategy of "deep 

coalitions." The latter idea is present 

throughout a study of unrestricted 

warfare published in 1999, with repeated 

references to the political role played by 

non-state actors ranging from credit 

rating agencies to narco-mafias. The 

study, by two Chinese officers, also 

emphasizes the "civilianization of war" 

thesis. 

prakaSh katoCh 

have come a long way in putting 

forth measures and actions against 

Iran. Tehran is absolutely right to 

worry, especially since European 

governments have found 

themselves in an awkward position 

in the past two months after 

receiving more data about Iranian 

operations that killed two 

opposition members, and a foiled 

China's "deep coalition" idea implies it 

could group together a number of nationstates, 

civil-society organizations, a narcomafia, 

private corporations, individual 

speculator(s) and other components; it 

keeps players at many levels in the 

economic and political systems. 

Execution is also done at multidimensional 

levels; all groups operate 

China's "deep coalition" idea implies it could group together a 

number of nation-states, civil-society organizations, a narco-mafia, 

private corporations, individual speculator(s) and other 

components; it keeps players at many levels in the economic and 

political systems. China has on board pakistan, afghanistan and 

the taliban, who control not only a large chunk of afghan territory 

but also much of the "Golden Crescent" region. that region has 

been the world's leading producer of illicit opium since 1992. 

simultaneously in a continuous flow - 

multiplying, fissioning, then fusing into 

others, and so on. Here, the balance of 

power relations among coalition nations 

and the ability to configure the right 

combination of players at every level is 

important. 

China has on board Pakistan, 

Afghanistan and the Taliban, who control 

not only a large chunk of Afghan territory 

but also much of the "Golden Crescent" 

region. That region has been the world's 

leading producer of illicit opium since 

1992. 

The beauty is that despite China's 

crackdown on its Muslim ethnic-minority 

Uighurs in Xinjiang, there is no protest 

from the Taliban, which is a 100% Sunni 

organization. no murmur from Pakistan 

is understandable, with the country 

bomb attack against an Iranian 

opposition rally near Paris last 

June. 

Add to this the failure of Europe's 

appeasement of Iran, and Brussels' 

justifications in continuing to 

enforce the nuclear deal. The 

Iranian regime has not changed. It 

is still a wicked and dangerous 

regime that poses a great threat to 

the entire world, not only to Saudis, 

Bahrainis, Syrians and Yemenis. 

The odds of the success of the 

conference in Poland are high, 

especially, in light of recent events 

in Europe, Syria, Iraq and Yemen 

that have changed the convictions 

of many countries, and reduced the 

number of those defending Tehran. 

A big challenge, however, awaits 

Pompeo in trying to build a strong 

alliance against Iran - including the 

six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) 

member states along with Egypt 

and Jordan - while also calming 

regional tensions. This is an almost 

impossible quest that requires him 

to adopt a different way of thinking 

and forge bilateral and multilateral 

brainstorming sessions. 

Source : Arab news 

Despite slowing economy, China aims to be 

global leader through 'deep coalitions' 

On Tuesday, Wikipedia celebrated 

its 18th birthday. If the massive 

crowdsourced encyclopedia 

project were human, then in most 

countries, it would just now be 

considered a legal adult. But in truth, 

the free online encyclopedia has long 

played the role of the internet's good 

grown-up. 

Wikipedia has grown enormously since 

its inception: It now boasts 5.7 million 

articles in English and pulled in 92 billion 

page views last year. 

The site has also undergone a major 

reputation change. If you ask Siri, Alexa 

or Google Home a general-knowledge 

question, it will likely pull the response 

from Wikipedia. The online encyclopedia 

has been cited in more than 400 judicial 

opinions, according to a 2010 paper in the 

Yale Journal of Law & Technology. Many 

professors are ditching the traditional 

writing assignment and instead asking 

students to expand or create a Wikipedia 

article on the topic. 

And YouTube Chief Executive Susan 

Wojcicki announced a plan last March 

to pair misleading conspiracy videos 

with links to corresponding articles from 

Wikipedia. Facebook has also released a 

feature using Wikipedia's content to 

provide users more information about 

the publication source for articles in 

their feed. 

Wikipedia's rise is driven by a crucial 

difference in values that separates it from 

its peers in the top 10 websites: On 

Wikipedia, truth trumps self-expression. 

Last year, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy 

Wales told nPR that Wikipedia has 

largely avoided the "fake news" problem, 

raising the question of what the 

encyclopedia does differently than other 

popular websites. As Brian Feldman 

suggested in new York magazine, 

perhaps it's simply the willingness within 

the Wikipedia community to delete. If a 

user posts bad information on Wikipedia, 

other users are authorised and 

empowered to remove that 

unencyclopedic content. It's a striking 

contrast to Twitter, which allows lies and 

inflammatory statements to remain on its 

platform for years. 

The Wikipedia community has also 

embraced automated technologies to 

protect the integrity of the encyclopedia. 

While YouTube scans videos for potential 

content violations using its Content ID 

database, the community of Wikipedia 

editors have created editing bots that go 

further by making determinations about 

content quality. For example, ClueBot 

nG quickly reverts probable vandalism 

based on its machine-learning algorithm 

and a database of common indicators 

such as expletives and poor punctuation. 

In 2016, YouTube courted controversy 

for attempting to enforce its policy 

against inappropriate language, with 

many vloggers alleging censorship. But a 

civility requirement makes sense for 

Wikipedians because the community 

shares a vision: to build a better 

encyclopedia. 

Every generation's encyclopedists face 

adversaries - in the 18th century, Denis 

Diderot and other authors of the 

Encyclopdie were denounced as heretics - 

and today's Wikipedians confront serious 

challenges: an often hostile editing 

having become a close partner of China. 

But China's strategic and economic gains 

in Afghanistan and Pakistan are 

enormous. The China-Pakistan Economic 

Corridor (CPEC) is a strategic-military 

spear whose tip rests on the Strait of 

Hormuz. 

In Myanmar, China has developed the 

10,000-strong United Wa State Army 

(UWSA) as its deadly proxy. The wellarmed 

Wa tribe controls a major portion 

of another major opium-producing 

region, the Golden Triangle (which 

straddles the Myanmar, Thai and Laotian 

borders), as Myanmar is reportedly the 

world's second-largest illicit opium 

producer after Afghanistan. 

Strengthening the USWA, and now 

arming the Arakan Rohingya national 

Army (ARSA) along with Pakistan, 

enables China to control Myanmar and 

extract economic and strategic gains. The 

irony here too is that the Wa are 100% 

Buddhists but China has them in the bag 

despite its action in Buddhist Tibet. 

Incidentally, Lobsang Sangay, head of 

the Tibetan government in exile, said 

recently that China's BRI spelled 

colonization, subjugation, and 

exploitation of natural resources as has 

been ongoing in Tibet. 

Above are just two examples of China's 

deep coalition, but what about India? 

According to a recent parliamentary 

report, India is "overtly cautious" of 

Chinese sensitivities, but Beijing does not 

show the same deference to India's 

sovereignty concerns. The unsaid part is 

that this demonstrated meekness, besides 

other reasons, could well be on account of 

China's political warfare and deep 

coalitions operating against India. 

Source : Asia Times 

Celebrating Wikipedia's 18th birthday 

StEphEn harriSon 

Every generation's encyclopedists face adversaries - in the 

18th century, Denis Diderot and other authors of the 

Encyclopdie were denounced as heretics - and today's 

Wikipedians confront serious challenges: an often hostile 

editing environment with regular editors who "bite" the 

newbies, a long-term decline in the contributor community, 

bad actors who hack administrator accounts to vandalise 

pages, and an overall systemic bias in its coverage, caused in 

part by a contributor base that's mostly Western and male. 

environment with regular editors who 

"bite" the newbies, a long-term decline in 

the contributor community, bad actors 

who hack administrator accounts to 

vandalise pages, and an overall systemic 

bias in its coverage, caused in part by a 

contributor base that's mostly Western 

and male. 

Volunteer community 

Gender bias on Wikipedia received 

media attention last year when Donna 

Strickland won a nobel Prize, and - at the 

time of her award - did not have a 

Wikipedia page. (An earlier entry on 

Strickland had been rejected due to lack 

of "notability.") Katherine Maher, 

executive director of the non-profit 

Wikimedia Foundation, responded with 

a commentary observing that the 

encyclopedia mirrors, but does not cause, 

the world's biases. 

It's worth emphasising, however, how the 

volunteer Wikipedia community is 

gradually moving the needle. The volunteer 

group Wiki Project Women in Red, 

cofounded by Rosie Stephenson- 

Goodknight and Roger Bamkin in 2015, has 

committed to reduce the site's gender gap 

and has already increased the percentage of 

female biographies from about 15 to 17.8. 

Do-it-yourself initiatives such as Afro 

CROWD and Art+Feminism host edit-athons, 

organised public events where 

volunteers help improve the encyclopedia's 

coverage of underrepresented groups. 

Source : Washington Post

STRATEGIC ISSUES FRIDAy, 

JANUARy 18, 2019 

5 

What does China's dominance over 

Antarctic mean to the world? 

The US is way behind to catch up with China in 5G technology. 

Mercy A. Kuo 

The cellular industry typically develops a 

new generation of wireless standard every 

decade and given that there are almost 6 

billion mobile device subscriptions today, 

this has become the main consumer 

technology platform for communications 

and internet usage globally. With 5G, we 

will have network infrastructure that 

enables mainstream AI and connected 

machines (e.g. automotive) on a scale we 

have never seen before. The amount of 

data generated from these machines 

become a significant source of new value 

in tomorrow's world. China is likely to be 

the first market to launch 5G commercial 

services and given the unique scale of their 

networks (serving 1 billion-plus people) 

they will benefit from cost leadership. 

Huawei has a deep understanding of 

wireless and have been one of the key 

actors in developing radio technology as 

well as defining global cellular standards 

and filing patents. Not only is Huawei the 

largest equipment provider, but it also is 

the most vertically integrated, boasting a 

significant silicon chip design organization 

called Hisilicon. They make some of the 

most advanced chips in the world, 

including mobile phone processors, base 

station chips, and emerging areas like 

ARM based server processors and AI 

processors. Even though they have been 

restricted from scaling up in the U.S., 

Huawei has overtaken Ericsson and Nokia 

in radio market share by building 

significant volumes for its domestic China 

market and also leveraging its scale across 

product areas and cost leadership into 

international markets. In mobile phones, 

Huawei is the largest Chinese vendor by 

volume and currently number three 

worldwide by sales, behind Apple and 

Samsung. 

If you look at how the Chinese 

government have restricted many of the 

largest U.S. internet companies in China 

over the last decade - e.g. Facebook, 

Google, Amazon, etc. - the barriers being 

placed on Huawei in the West are no 

different. Western governments not only 

want to access the giant datasets that are 

generated on these networks, but they also 

will want to set tighter rules over the 

security and privacy of data that is 

generated. And with 5G enabling AI and 

IOT [internet of things] to scale up fast, the 

amount of data generated from machines 

is an area that governments will want to 

maintain control over. 

The good from all this is that with 

China's domestic scale, there is an ability to 

drive down costs and enable technology to 

reach mainstream price points fast. Sub- 

$100 smartphones were a great example, 

though they don't come with build quality 

Photo: Pixabay 

The impact of 5G technology 

on US national security 

or features we might expect in the West. 

5G will be no different in that regard. The 

concern, particularly coming from the 

U.S., is that China will lead the world in 5G 

- well before we see 5G iPhones - and that 

potentially could mean a raft of new 

technology disruption (AI, IOT, etc) not 

defined by Silicon Valley's giants, but by 

Chinese companies like Huawei who can 

drive costs down and export this knowhow 

overseas. This competitive threat is 

underlined by the Made in China 2025 

plan to lead the world in a number of 

advanced technologies, wireless being just 

one area. An ugly scenario would see a 

breakdown of the IP regime that allows 

companies in both the West and China to 

justify ongoing investment in innovations. 

Equally, the world cannot afford to break 

apart into a series of internets, each with 

services limited to ones authorized in their 

sphere of influence. 

From a commercial standpoint, Silicon 

Valley companies have grown up with 4G 

and benefited hugely from the rise of 

smartphone usages. It enables billions in 

profits from internet services, which the 

United States dominates. Exporting 

services in the form of smartphone apps 

has been a key source of competitive 

advantage for the U.S. They do not want to 

see this challenged by China, even if they 

have limited entry within Chinese markets. 

India doubles down on Chabahar gambit 

L.M Foster 

China's behavior in 

Antarctica could offer 

valuable insights on how it 

might behave in outer space 

once it establishes a presence, 

for instance, on the lunar 

surface. 

Antarctica is the coldest, 

driest, and windiest 

continent on the planet with 

access over the last 100 years 

being in support of science 

and exploration exclusively; 

however, more recently 

Antarctica has come under 

increased attention as 

nations seek solutions to the 

challenges of resource 

scarcity, climate change, and 

food security. What do these 

three areas have in common? 

Strategic territory, an 

ability to solve resource 

scarcity issues, energy, and 

the ability to leverage a world 

where actions fail to prevent 

Chinese aggression. The 

West needs to understand 

this threat, the impact now 

and in the future, and 

strategize to combat it. 

The Antarctic Treaty 

System (ATS) was 

established in 1961 by the 

territorial claimant states; 

Argentina, Australia, Chile, 

France, NZ, Norway, and the 

U.K. along with several nonclaimant 

countries including 

the U.S.S.R and United 

States. The Antarctic treaty 

defines the Antarctic 

continent as the land and ice 

shelves below 60 degrees 

south. The treaty stipulates 

that all territorial claims be 

suspended, the region to 

remain demilitarized and 

nuclear-free, and the primary 

goal is for cooperative 

scientific exploration. 

Additional agreements over 

the continent include the 

Convention for the 

Conservation of Antarctic 

Marine Living Resources 

(CCAMLR, 1982) to protect 

marine resources, and the 

Protocol on Environment 

Protection of the Antarctic 

Treaty (1991), known as the 

"Madrid Protocol," which 

forbids the exploitation of 

mineral resources. Any 

alterations to the ATS cannot 

take effect until 2048 without 

unanimous approval. 

Economically, interests 

include tourism, fishing, 

logistics for expeditions, the 

involvement of businesses in 

Antarctica, and the potential 

exploitation of scientific 

research from the continent. 

For example, fishing by NZbased 

fishing companies in 

the Ross Sea and Southern 

Ocean bring in 

approximately NZ$20 

million (US$13.6 million) per 

annum. However, CCAMLR 

tightly prohibits overfishing 

which can, as a direct flow-on 

effect, affect the availability of 

fish in other EEZs. Tourism 

includes country based 

activities including 

international Antarctic 

attractions in several major 

cities as well as sea tours of 

the region. 

Nations are keen to further 

exploit the potential 

economic upsides but remain 

wary of utilizing large-scale 

commercial operators due to 

the strategic importance of 

the region and the desire to 

retain political control. 

Politically, interest for 

claimant states is based 

fundamentally around the 

maintenance of their 

sovereign claim to the 

continent and a strong desire 

for involvement in 

international Antarctic 

governance. In NZ's case, its 

geographic location and 

reliance on other states for 

maintaining security and 

access to markets drives the 

dependence on multinational 

relationships and alliances to 

pursue its foreign policy. 

However, Illegal, Unreported 

and Unregulated (IUU) 

fishing in the Ross Sea is 

raising significant concern, 

particularly the fact that 

some of the infringing fishers 

are from ATS signatory 

states. 

A Stockholm report from 

January 2015 tallied 147 

cases of suspected IUU 

activities in Antarctic waters 

using 72 vessels between 

1995 and 2009. These vessels 

frequently change their 

names and flag states to 

conceal the true beneficiaries 

of their fishing. Although 

CCAMLR protects the legal 

catch, it will take a significant 

investment in surveillance 

and security systems to avert 

IUU fishing. NZ's recent 

acquisition of the P-8 

Poseidon from the U.S. Navy 

will assist in the Intelligence, 

Surveillance 

and 

Reconnaissance (ISR) of the 

"deep south" and the ability 

to kinetically target the IUU 

fishers may provide a 

deterrence 

effect. 

Furthermore, it is envisioned 

that the acquisition of spacebased 

sensor assets will have 

a marked impact on the 

surveillance of the Southern 

Ocean. In recent times, 

vessels have been caught 

illegally fishing in Antarctic 

waters for toothfish. 

Although detained and 

prosecuted, given the various 

flags these vessels posses and 

the multiple nationalities of 

the crew, it makes it difficult 

to pinpoint the beneficiaries. 

A model of Chinese BeiDou navigation satellite system is displayed during the 

Airshow China 2018, in China's Guangdong province. Photo: Kin Cheung 

Britain's eye on strategic shift 

Carl Thayer 

As the United Kingdom prepares 

to exit the European Union (EU) in 

March, Prime Minister Theresa May 

and her senior ministers have been 

long-planning a global role for the 

UK that includes the Far East. In 

2016, Prime Minister May and then 

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson 

floated the idea of a Global Britain 

in the post-Brexit era. Global Britain 

envisages a reinvigorated role for the 

UK in the Indo-Pacific, a term that 

was appropriated from the Trump 

Administration by British 

Secretaries of Defense, Foreign 

Affairs, and Trade to align the UK 

more closely with the United States. 

In 2017, the UK's Ambassador to 

the U.S., Kim Darrock , stated that 

the Royal Navy's new aircraft 

carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, 

would visit the Indo-Pacific to 

"protect freedom of navigation and 

keep sea routes and air routes open." 

In a speech in Australia that year 

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson 

said the Royal Navy would send the 

HMS Queen Elizabeth and its sister 

ship HMS Prince of Wales to the 

South China Sea in 2020. Late the 

next year, the Royal Navy's First Sea 

Lord also stated that the HMS 

Queen Elizabeth would deploy to 

the region in the 2020s. 

British officials argue that the UK's 

foreign policy has been tied too 

narrowly and for too long to Europe. 

Britain's exit from the EU provides a 

new opportunity to think globally as 

the UK goes it alone. Global Britain 

aims to promote economic and 

defense linkages with what some 

pundits call the coalition of Asia's 

maritime democracies - Australia, 

New Zealand, Japan, South Korea 

and Singapore. 

During the interview Williamson 

revealed plans to open a military 

base in the Far East "within the next 

couple of years." British defense 

officials privately told The Daily 

Telegraph that Brunei and 

Singapore were under consideration. 

The UK currently maintains a small 

logistics facility at Sembawang Naval 

Base in Singapore known as the 

British Defence Singapore Support 

Unit or Naval Party 1022. 

The UK's plans to establish a 

military base in Southeast Asia in 

the future reflects growing UK 

defense engagement in the region in 

recent years and builds on the UK's 

long-standing commitment to the 

1971 Five Power Defence 

Arrangements (FPDA) involving the 

UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, 

and New Zealand. 

Secretary of Defence Williamson 

told the Shangri-La Dialogue in 

Singapore in June last year that the 

UK would demonstrate its solidarity 

with the "rules-based system" in the 

region's waters by sending Royal 

Navy warships there to focus on the 

threats from North Korea. "We have 

to make it clear that nations need to 

play by the rules and that there are 

consequences for it doing so," said 

Williamson. 

In August 2018, Mark Field, the 

UK's Foreign Office Minister for 

Asia, and the Pacific, told an 

audience in Jakarta that Britain was 

committed to an enduring security 

presence in Asia and urged 

countries to respect freedom of 

navigation and international law in 

the South China Sea. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani poses during the inauguration a newly built extension of the port 

of Chabahar. 

Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi 

With India taking over operations at 

Iran's Shaheed Behesti port in 

Chabahar, New Delhi has reached an 

important milestone in realizing its 

economic and strategic ambitions in 

Central Asia. 

Operating Chabahar port will provide 

India with a foothold at the mouth of 

the strategic Straits of Hormuz, 

through which a third of all the world's 

sea-borne oil passes. China's presence 

in this region has grown rapidly in 

recent years, especially with Pakistan 

handing over Gwadar port, which is the 

gateway to the China-Pakistan 

Economic Corridor (CPEC), to China 

on a 40-year lease. 

India's participation in the Chabahar 

port project would enable it to keep an 

eye on Chinese activity at Gwadar, 

which is just 72 kilometers away. 

India's investment, development, 

and operation of Chabahar port will 

strengthen its relationship with Iran, its 

third largest oil supplier. The port is a 

gateway to an overland trade corridor 

through Iran to Afghanistan. It will 

enable India to play a larger role in 

Afghan reconstruction, which has been 

restricted hitherto by Pakistan's refusal 

to allow India overland access through 

its territory to Afghanistan. 

This trade corridor could expand 

India's trade ties with the Central Asian 

Republics (CARs), which currently 

stands at a meager $1.5 billion, 

accounting for just 0.11 percent of 

India's overall trade. Once Chabahar is 

linked to the multimodal International 

North-South Transport Corridor 

(INSTC), India hopes it will become a 

gateway for its trade with Eurasia as 

well. It is estimated that with the 

operationalization of Chabahar port 

and INSTC, India's trade with Eurasia 

could touch $170 billion ($60.6 billion 

in exports and $107.4 billion in 

import). 

India is developing the Shahid 

Beheshti terminal at Chabahar over five 

phases and on completion, the port's 

capacity will be around 82 million 

metric tons (MT) per annum. State-run 

Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) 

will be responsible for the port's 

management for a temporary period of 

18 months and if the two sides agree on 

extending the lease, a 10-year period 

thereafter. 

India has provided a capital 

investment of $85.21 million and 

annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 

toward equipping two berths at 

Chabahar port for Phase I. It is 

constructing a $1.6-billion railway line 

from Chabahar to Zahedan, near the 

Iran-Afghan border. Besides, Indian 

private and state-run petrochemical 

and fertilizer companies are planning 

investments worth $20 billion in the 

Chabahar Free Trade Zone. 

A post-Brexit Britain will double down on the Asia-Pacific. 

Photo: UK Mod

NATIONAL 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2019 

6 

Bangladesh Coast Guard Director General (DG) Rear Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury along 

with President of Bangladesh Coast Guard Family Welfare Association Dr. Afroza Gani distributed 

blankets and life jackets among the poor and helpless fishermen in Chandpur on 

Thursday. 

Photo: Coast Guard 

Coast Guard DG distributes blankets 

and life jackets in Chandpur 

26 held in Dinajpur 

special drives 

DINAJPUR: Law enforcers, in special drives arrested 26 

persons including six drug traders from different areas of the 

district in 12-hour ending at 8am last morning, reports BSS. 

Law enforcers also seized 189 bottles of Phensidyl during 

the drives. Police said they were picked up from different 

areas of the district on different charges. 

During the drives, Dinajpur Sadar police arrested six 

persons including two drug traders along with 50 bottles of 

Phensidyl, Birganj Thana police arrested four persons, 

Parbatipur Thana police arrested two persons, Khansama 

Thana police arrested two persons, Birampur Thana police 

arrested two persons, Ghoraghat Thana police arrested three 

persons including two drug traders along with 30 bottles of 

Phensidyl, Kaharole Thana police arrested two persons and 

Chirirbandar Thana police arrested two persons. 

Several cases, including charges of subversive activities, are 

pending with different police stations against the arrested 

persons, the sources added. 

Meanwhile, members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) 

in a drive detained three drug traders along with 109 bottles 

of Phensidyl around 6am from Hili Railway Station in 

Hakimpur upazila of the district. 

Farewell program for SSC candidates 

held in Sonagazi High School 

JABeD HOSSAIN MAMUN, SONAGAZI CORReSPONDeNT: 

A doa mahfil and a guardian assembly was held for the 

farewell of SSC candidates of Sonagazi Mohammad Saber 

Model Pilot High School of the upazila on Thursday. 

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Sohel Parvez was present as the 

chief guest at the occasion organized in the school auditorium. 

The Programme was chaired by principal teacher Zainul Abedin 

while senior teacher Sultan Ahmed the programme. Among 

others, mayor of Sonagazi municipality and Upazila AL general 

secretary Advocate Rafiqul Islam Khokon, Assistant 

Commissioner (Land) Nasrin Akhter, Guardian Representative 

Jasim Uddin, President of Sonagazi Bazar Banik Samity Dr. Md. 

Nuranabi, Municipal Councilor Sheikh Mamun, Assistant Head 

Teacher Chittaranjan Karmakar, ABM Samshuddin Bashar, 

ershad Ullah and Headmaster of Sonagazi Al-Helal Academy 

Abdul Haq were also present at the occasion. 

Milad and doa for the SSC examinees conducted by 

Superintendent of Karamatia Madrasa Moulana Abdur Razzak. 

In this year's SSC exam, 445 students of this school will 

participate. 

Bangladesh Coast Guard Director 

General (DG) Rear Admiral 

Aurangzeb Chowdhury on Thursday 

distributed blankets and life jackets 

among the poor and helpless 

marginal fishermen in the Coast 

Guard station Chandpur under the 

directives of Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina, says a press release. 

Besides, President of Bangladesh 

Coast Guard Family Welfare 

Association Dr. Afroza Gani, MBBS, 

MCPS, DGO, MS (Gynae) was also 

present as special guest. At the 

occasion the chief guest said that 

"Father of the Nation Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman always had 

dream about the poor farmers and 

fishermen of Bengal and for the sake 

of smile on their faces, he liberated 

the country. He always dreamed of 

building a golden Bengal along with 

poor farmers and fishermen of 

Bengal. In order to transform his 

dream into reality, his daughter, 

Prime Minister of the current 

government, Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina formulated Vision 2041. 

Under the direction of Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina and with the intense 

cooperation of the Ministry of Home 

Affairs, the Bangladesh Coast Guard 

is regularly distributing blankets and 

life jackets among the poor fishermen 

in the coastal areas for the 

implementation of Vision 2041. In 

this continuation, blankets and life 

jackets were distributed among the 

poor fishermen of this region on 

behalf of Bangladesh Coast Guard. 

He further said that, Bangladesh 

Coast Guard has provided a safe work 

zone for the fishermen community 

working in the internal rivers and sea 

communities by providing security to 

the rivers and fishermen. As a part of 

this step, Bangladesh Coast Guard 

has arrested 174 robbers in 2018. The 

brave and humanitarian role played 

by this force to rescue the fishermen 

who are endangered by natural 

disasters and to rescue their boats in 

has given them reliance upon us. In 

2018, the Bangladesh Coast Guard 

has set a unique example of 

humanitarian assistance by rescuing 

597 fishermen in the sea. In the last 

few years, Bangladesh Coast Guard 

force stopped the use of illegal nets 

and preserved mother hilsa and thus 

able to contain sufficient amount of 

different types of fish like hilsa in 

Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Coast 

Guard will continue this kind of 

philanthropic activities in the future, 

he added. 

Sonagazi Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Sohel Parvez as the chief guest addressed a doa mahfil and a 

guardian assembly for the farewell of SSC candidates of Sonagazi Mohammad Saber Model Pilot 

High School on Thursday. 

Photo: Jabed Hossain Mamun 

Member of BCSIR (Finance) Joint Secretary Mohammad Shawkat Ali as the chief guest addressed the 

inauguration ceremony of a three-day-long science and technology fair at Khanjanpur Institute of Mining, 

Mineralogy and Metallurgy (IMMM) premises in Joypurhat on Thursday. Photo: Masrakul Alam 

Three- day long 

science-tech 

fair begins in 

Joypurhat 

MASRAKUL ALAM, JOyPURHAT CORReSPONDeNT: 

With the main thrust of 

making science and 

technology popular and 

projecting new innovations, 

a three-day-long science and 

technology fair began in 

Khanjanpur upazila in 

Joypurhat on Thursday. 

Bangladesh Council of 

Scientific and Industrial 

Research (BCSIR), district 

unit, organised the 

programme at Khanjanpur 

Institute of Mining, 

Mineralogy and Metallurgy 

(IMMM) premises of the 

district. 

Member of BCSIR 

(Finance) Joint Secretary 

Mohammad Shawkat Ali 

inaugurated the fair as the 

chief guest while Acting 

Director of IMMM, BCSIR 

Mohammad Nazim Zaman 

presided over the occasion. 

Among 

others, 

Superintendent of Police 

Rashidul Hasan, Additional 

Deputy commissioner 

(General) Moniruzzaman, 

NSI Assistant Director AKM 

Mahfuzur Rahman and 

IMMM engineer Khairul 

Islam were also present at 

the occasion. 

OC Masud Karim becomes best 

police officer in Jashore district 

JAHIRUL ISLAM RIPON, BeNAPOLe CORReSPONDeNT: 

Office in charge of Benapole Port 

Police station Sheik Abu Saleh Masud 

Karim has became the best police 

officer in Jashore district for best 

performance in his duties in the last 

one year. 

He received certificate and crest 

from the Superintendent of Police in 

Jashore district on Thursday. The 

certificate of appreciation recipient 

Masud Karim is called as a 'speedy 

police officer,' and always plays strong 

role during raids to arrest criminals, 

seize drugs and contain crimes in the 

society, police said. 

Police record shows that OC Masud 

Karim in Benapole Port police station 

played vital role to seize huge 

contraband Indian drugs and lodge at 

least 100 cases during the last one 

year. 

Moinul Haque, superintendent of 

Jashore Police Super Mainul Haque on Thursday handed over certificate and crest to OC of Benapole 

Port Police station Sheik Abu Saleh Masud Karim for becoming the best police officer in Jashore district. 

Photo: Jahirul Islam Ripon 

'Youth Ending Hunger' Shaistaganj Degree College unit recently organized a blanket distribution programme 

for the poor and disabled people of the upazila. 

Photo: Md Mamun Chowdhury 

police in Jashore district said that 

police in Jashore district are proud of 

OC Masud Karim. We always get 

positive response from Masud Karim 

for conducting drives round the clock. 

The certificate of appreciation is 

given to the best police officer in 

charge for best performances in the 

district. Masud Karim is an 

encouragement and inspiration for 

other police officials against crimes 

and criminals, he added. 

Govt. to work for fulfilling people's 

expectations: Speaker 

RANGPUR: Jatiya 

Sangshad Speaker Dr Shirin 

Sharmin Chaudhury, MP, 

has said the present 

government under the 

leadership of Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina will work for 

fulfilling the hopes and 

aspirations of the people, 

reports BSS. 

"We want to begin our 

works right now for further 

development of Pirganj 

upazila," she said at a postelection 

views-exchange 

meeting on local 

development issues at 

upazila parisahd auditorium 

in Pirganj town here on 

Wednesday night as the 

chief guest. 

Presided over by Pirganj 

Upazila Nirbahi Officer 

TMA Momin, all union 

Chairmen and Members 

from the general and 

reserved wards of all 15 

union parishads in Pirganj 

upazila attended the 

meeting. 

In the beginning, local 

union Chairmen and 

Members warmly greeted 

the Speaker with wreaths on 

her election as the Member 

of Parliament (MP) from 

Rangpur-6 (Pirganj) 

constituency with a huge 

margin of votes in the 11th 

parliamentary election. 

Taking part in the open 

discussion, the local public 

representatives presented 

the prevailing prospects and 

problems for development 

and work plans for 

implementing various 

uplifts in their respective 

areas of Pirganj upazila. 

In reply, the Speaker 

assured the local public 

representatives of adopting 

appropriate action plans and 

taking necessary steps for 

implementing those to 

ensure overall development 

of Pirganj upazila as a whole. 

"Without wasting any 

time, we want to prepare 

overall action plans 

according to development 

diagrams of you (local public 

representatives) to 

implement those for 

reaching development at the 

grassroots levels across the 

upazila," Dr Shirin said. 

Chairman of Pirganj 

upazila parishad Noor 

Mohammad Mandal, 

General Secretary of Pirganj 

upazila Awami League (AL) 

and Pirganj municipal 

Mayor Tazimul Islam 

Shamim, cultural affairs 

secretary of Rangpur district 

AL Saidul Islam Pintu, 

Pirganj upazila Vicechairman 

Monayem Sarkar 

Manu, local Jubo League 

leader Mazharul Alam 

Milan, among others, spoke. 

'Youth Ending 

Hunger' Shaistaganj 

Degree College unit 

distributes blankets 

MAMUN CHOWDHURy, 

HABIGANJ CORReSPONDeNT: 

'youth ending Hunger' 

Shaistaganj Degree College 

unit distributed blankets 

among poor and disabled 

people of the upazila on 

Tuesday. The distribution 

programme was held at the 

adjoining filed of 

Shaistaganj upazila office. 

Upazila Nirbahi Officer 

SM Ferdous Islam was 

present as the chief guest at 

the occasion. Among 

others, Principal of Zahur 

Chand Bibi Women's 

College and Shayestaganj 

Upazila Sujon President 

Jalal Uddin Rumi, 

Habiganj Sadar Upazila 

Awami League Organizing 

Secretary and PAVe 

Ambassador Abdullah 

Sarder, Field Coordinator 

of PAVe Program 

Maymuna Akhter Rubi 

and Habiganj Region Area 

Coordinator Nazmul 

Hossain were also present 

at the occasion. 

Co-ordinator of 

Shaestaganj Degree 

College Al Amin led the 

whole arrangement of the 

programme.

INTERNATIONAL fRIDAy, 

JAnUARy 18, 2019 

7 

Saudi women runaways rebel 

against system of male control 

Another Saudi woman has 

turned to social media for 

protection from her father, 

just days after Canada 

granted refuge to Rahaf al- 

Qunun, the 18-year-old 

Saudi who fled her family, 

reports UNB. 

Identified only as Nojoud 

al-Mandeel on Twitter, her 

case differs from that of al- 

Qunun. She has not fled the 

kingdom, has not revealed 

her face and has only made 

her pleas for help on Twitter 

in Arabic. 

While their circumstances 

are different, the claims of 

abuse by the two women 

mirror those of other female 

Saudi runaways who have 

used social media to publicize 

their escapes. 

There has been speculation 

that al-Qunun's successful 

getaway will inspire 

others to copy her. However, 

powerful deterrents 

remain in place. If caught, 

runaways face possible 

death at the hands of relatives 

for purportedly shaming 

the family. 

Saudi women fleeing their 

families challenge a system 

that grants men guardianship 

over women's lives. 

This guardianship system 

starts in the home, where 

women must obey fathers, 

husbands and brothers. 

Outside the home, it is 

applied to citizens, often 

referred to as sons and 

daughters by Saudi rulers 

who demand obedience. 

Hala Aldosari, a Saudi 

scholar and activist, said the 

male guardianship system 

replicates the ruling family's 

model of governance, which 

demands full obedience to 

the king, who holds 

absolute power in decisionmaking. 

"This is why the state is 

keen to maintain the 

authority of male citizens 

over women to ensure their 

allegiance," she said, adding 

that this "hierarchical system 

of domination" necessitates 

"keeping women in 

line." 

Crown Prince Mohammed 

bin Salman, who's introduced 

social reforms loosening 

restrictions on 

women, told The Atlantic 

that doing away with 

guardianship laws has to be 

done in a way that does not 

harm families and the culture. 

He said abolishing 

these laws would create 

problems for families that 

don't want to give freedom 

to their daughters. 

The issue of guardianship 

is extremely sensitive in the 

kingdom, where conservative 

families view what they 

consider the protection of 

women as a man's duty. 

More than a dozen 

women's rights activists 

have been detained, many 

since May, after they campaigned 

against the 

guardianship system. Some 

had also wanted to create 

alternative shelters for 

women runaways. 

Regardless of their age, 

women in Saudi Arabia 

must have the consent of a 

male relative to obtain a 

passport, travel or marry. In 

the past, a travel permit was 

a paper document issued by 

the Interior Ministry and 

signed by a male relative. 

Today, Saudi men download 

a government mobile 

app that notifies them of a 

woman's travel. Through 

the app, men can grant or 

deny a woman permission 

to travel. Some young 

women who have fled the 

country had managed to 

access their father's phone, 

change the setting and disable 

its notifications. 

In a statement read to 

reporters in Canada on 

Tuesday, al-Qunun said she 

wants to be independent, 

travel and make her own 

decisions. 

"I am one of the lucky 

ones," she said. "I know 

there are unlucky women 

who disappeared after trying 

to escape or who could 

not change their reality." 

That's especially true for 

women from conservative 

tribal families, like al- 

Qunun's. 

President Donald Trump looks up during the prayer before a roundtable discussion of border security policy, at the 

White House in Washington, Jan. 11, 2019. Trump has reportedly stepped back from declaring a national emergency in 

order to pay for a border wall under pressure from congressional Republicans, his own law. 

Photo : AP 

Mongolian courts 

again put ex-finance 

minister into custody 

Former Mongolian finance 

minister Sangajav Bayartsogt, 

who is being investigated 

for alleged corruption, has 

again been taken into custody, 

local media reported on 

Thursday, reports UNB. 

Three district courts in the 

Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator 

on Wednesday jointly made the 

decision to put Bayartsogt into 

custody for a month at the prosecutor's 

request. Bayartsogt was 

released on bail in June after he 

had been held in investigative 

custody for almost two months. 

In 2009, Bayartsogt signed 

an agreement on behalf of the 

Mongolian government with 

Canada's Ivanhoe Mines on 

developing the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold 

mine, granting a 66- 

percent controlling stake to the 

company, which later changed 

its name to Turquoise Hill 

Resources and is now majority 

owned by Australian-British 

mining giant Rio Tinto. 

The Independent Agency 

Against Corruption, Mongolia's 

top anti-corruption body, 

accused Bayartsogt of using 

his influence and position to 

provide foreign parties to the 

agreement an advantage in 

negotiations. The Oyu Tolgoi 

copper-gold mine, located in 

the South Gobi Desert of 

Mongolia, is expected to produce 

an average of 430,000 

tons of copper and 425,000 

ounces (about 12,050 kg) of 

gold annually for 20 years. 

Another Saudi woman has turned to social media for 

protection from her father, just days after Canada 

granted refuge to Rahaf al-Qunun, the 18-year-old 

Saudi who fled her family. 

Photo : AP 

Government shutdown may upend 

State of the Union speech 

A grand Washington ritual 

became a potential casualty 

of the partial government 

shutdown Wednesday as 

House Speaker Nancy 

Pelosi asked President Donald 

Trump to postpone his 

Jan. 29 State of the Union 

speech. She cited concerns 

about whether the hobbled 

government can provide 

adequate security, but 

Republicans cast her move 

as a ploy to deny Trump the 

stage, reports UNB. 

In a letter to Trump, 

Pelosi said that with both 

the Secret Service and the 

Homeland Security Department 

entangled in the shutdown, 

the president should 

speak to Congress another 

time or he should deliver 

the address in writing. 

Homeland Security Secretary 

Kirstjen Nielsen denied 

anyone's safety is compromised, 

saying both agencies 

"are fully prepared to support 

and secure the State of 

the Union." 

Trump did not immediately 

respond to the 

request and the White 

House, thrown off guard by 

the move, had yet to offer 

any official response hours 

later. But GOP allies 

accused Pelosi of playing 

politics, with Republican 

Rep. Steve Scalise tweeting 

that Democrats are "only 

interested in obstructing 

@realDonaldTrump, not 

governing." 

Pelosi, who issued the 

customary invitation to 

Trump weeks ago, hit the 

president in a vulnerable 

place, as he delights in taking 

his message to the public 

and has been preparing 

for the address for weeks. 

The uncertainty surrounding 

the speech also 

underscored the unraveling 

of ceremonial norms and 

niceties in Trump's Washington, 

with the shutdown 

in its fourth week, the 

White House and Democrats 

in a stalemate and the 

impasse draining the 

finances of hundreds of 

thousands of federal 

employees. 

Pelosi left unclear what 

would happen if Trump 

insisted on coming despite 

the welcome mat being 

pulled away. It takes a joint 

resolution of the House and 

Congress to extend the official 

invitation and set the 

stage. 

"We'll have to have a 

security evaluation, but that 

would mean diverting 

resources," she told 

reporters when asked how 

she would respond if 

Trump still intended to 

come. "I don't know how 

that could happen." 

Pressure on Trump intensified 

on the 26th day of the 

shutdown, as lawmakers 

from both parties scrambled 

for solutions. At the 

White House, Trump met a 

bipartisan group of lawmakers, 

as well as a group 

of Republican senators, but 

progress appeared elusive. 

While his own advisers 

said the shutdown was 

proving a greater drag on 

the economy than expected, 

Trump showed no signs of 

backing off a fight that he 

views as vital for his core 

supporters. 

On Wednesday, Trump 

signed legislation into law 

affirming that the roughly 

800,000 federal workers 

who have been going without 

pay will ultimately be 

compensated for their lost 

wages. That was the practice 

in the past. 

As he weighs a response 

to Pelosi, Trump could not 

go forward with a State of 

the Union address in Congress 

without her blessing. 

Donald Ritchie, former historian 

of the Senate, said 

that anytime a president 

comes to speak, it must be 

at the request of Congress. 

Trump could opt to deliver 

a speech somewhere else, 

like the Oval Office, but it 

would not have the same 

ritualistic heft. 

A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State killed at least 16 people, including two U.S. service members and two 

American civilians, in northern Syria on Wednesday, just a month after President Donald Trump declared that IS had 

been defeated and he was pulling out U.S. forces. 

Photo : AP 

18 killed after 

bus overturned 

in western 

Ethiopia 

Eighteen people died after 

a bus overturned in western 

Ethiopia on Wednesday, 

also leaving scores of 

others with serious 

injuries, police said on 

Thursday, reports UNB. 

Turumsa Solomon, East 

Wollega Zone traffic police 

division chief, expressed 

concern that the death toll 

could further rise, staterun 

news agency ENA 

reported on Thursday. 

Some 33 passengers who 

were on board the damaged 

vehicle are now 

receiving medical treatment 

in nearby health stations, 

said Solomon. 

Ten of the passengers 

are reported to have sustained 

serious injuries. 

Technical problem was 

said to be the major cause 

behind the deadly accident, 

which was also exacerbated 

by the thorny geographical 

landscape of the 

accident area, according to 

police. 

The deadly accident on 

Thursday came on the 

backdrop of another deadly 

car accident on Sunday 

that left 17 people dead. 

10 militants 

killed in E 

Afghanistan 

At least 10 militants were 

confirmed dead after government 

forces targeted 

Taliban hideouts in Hisarak 

district of 

Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar 

province on 

Wednesday, said a statement 

of provincial administration 

released Thursday, 

reports UNB. 

The operations, according 

to the statement, were 

conducted in parts of Hisarak 

district late Wednesday 

night, killing 10 insurgents 

and injuring a few 

others. 

The operations did not 

injure any civilians and 

security personnel, the 

statement said. Taliban 

militants have not commented 

yet. 

A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic 

State killed at least 16 people, including two 

U.S. service members and two American 

civilians, in northern Syria on Wednesday, 

just a month after President Donald Trump 

declared that IS had been defeated and he 

was pulling out U.S. forces, reports UNB. 

The attack in the strategic northeastern 

town of Manbij highlighted the threat posed 

by the Islamic State group despite Trump's 

claims. It could also complicate what had 

already become a messy withdrawal plan, 

with the president's senior advisers disagreeing 

with the decision and then offering an 

evolving timetable for the removal of the 

approximately 2,000 U.S. troops. 

The attack, which also wounded three U.S. 

troops, was the deadliest assault on U.S. 

troops in Syria since American forces went 

into the country in 2015. 

The dead included a number of fighters 

with the Syrian Democratic Forces, who 

have fought alongside the Americans against 

the Islamic State, according to officials and 

the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for 

Human Rights. 

According to a U.S. official, one of the U.S. 

civilians killed was an intelligence specialist 

working for the Defense Intelligence Agency. 

The other was an interpreter, who was a contractor. 

The attack prompted new complaints 

about the withdrawal and underscored 

Pentagon assertions that IS is still a 

threat and capable of deadly attacks. 

In a Dec. 19 tweet announcing the withdrawal, 

Trump said, "We have defeated ISIS 

in Syria, my only reason for being there during 

the Trump Presidency." He said the 

troops would begin coming home "now." 

That plan triggered immediate pushback 

from military leaders, including the resignation 

of the defense secretary. 

Over the past month, however, Trump and 

others have appeared to adjust the timeline, 

and U.S. officials have suggested it will likely 

take several months to safely withdraw 

American forces from Syria. 

Not long after the attack Wednesday, Vice 

President Mike Pence repeated claims of the 

Islamic State's defeat. Speaking at the State 

Department, Pence said the "caliphate has 

crumbled" and the militant network "has 

been defeated." Later in the day he released 

a statement condemning the attack but 

affirming the withdrawal plan. 

"As we begin to bring our troops home, the 

American people can be assured, for the sake 

of our soldiers, their families, and our nation, 

we will never allow the remnants of ISIS to 

re-establish their evil and murderous 

caliphate - not now, not ever," he said. 

Others, however, immediately pointed to 

the attack as a reason to reverse or adjust the 

withdrawal plan. 

Taiwan holds live-fire exercises following China threats 

Taiwan held live-fire exercises along 

its east coast Thursday amid renewed 

threats from China to bring the island 

under its control by force if deemed 

necessary, reports UNB. 

Artillery and assault helicopters 

fired at targets off the west coast city of 

Taichung, while French-made Mirage 

fighter jets took off amid rainy conditions 

from the air base at Hsinchu to 

the north. 

The drills are Taiwan's first since 

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jan. 2 

reasserted Beijing's willingness to use 

military force to bring self-ruling Taiwan 

under Chinese control. 

The drills also follow a new Pentagon 

report laying out U.S. concerns about 

China's growing military might, 

underscoring worries about a possible 

Syria attack kills 4 Americans, 

raising questions on pullout 

Michigan State to hire interim 

leader after Engler resigns 

Michigan State University is 

poised to name a new interim 

president Thursday after 

the former governor who 

was brought in to help it 

recover from the Larry Nassar 

sexual abuse scandal 

resigned under pressure, 

amid backlash over his comments 

about some of the exsports 

doctor's victims, 

reports UNB. 

John Engler - who had 

resisted calls to step down in 

the past - quit in an 11-page 

letter to Dianne Byrum, 

chairwoman of Michigan 

State's Board of Trustees, 

effective Jan. 23. It makes no 

mention of recent criticism 

of his recent remarks and 

instead lists what he considers 

to be his accomplishments 

in nearly one year of 

service, saying the university 

is a "dramatically better, 

stronger institution." 

"It has been an honor to 

serve my beloved university," 

wrote Engler, who is in 

Texas attending a burial 

service for his late father-inlaw. 

With his sudden reversal, 

Engler joins a long list of 

people - including his predecessor 

as president - who 

have been fired, forced out of 

their jobs or charged with 

crimes amid fallout from the 

school's handling of the 

once-renowned sports 

physician stretching back 

decades. 

The final straw for the university's 

governing board 

came last week when Engler 

told The Detroit News that 

Nassar's victims had been in 

the "spotlight" and are "still 

enjoying that moment at 

times, you know, the awards 

and recognition." 

Nassar is now serving 

attack against Taiwan. 

Taiwan's independence-leaning 

President Tsai Ing-wen has made 

national defense a priority while refusing 

China's demand that she recognize 

Taiwan as a part of China. That's led to 

Beijing ratcheting up economic, military 

and diplomatic pressure on the 

island of 23 million. 

In a meeting with U.S. Chief of Naval 

Operations Adm. John Richardson in 

Beijing on Tuesday, China's Chief of 

Staff Li Zuocheng issued a warning 

against foreign forces coming to Taiwan's 

assistance. The U.S. is Taiwan's 

chief source of military hardware and 

is legally bound to respond to threats 

against its security. 

China's military will "pay any price" 

to ensure China's sovereignty, Li told 

decades-long prison sentences 

for sexually assaulting 

patients and possessing 

child pornography. 

The Associated Press left 

messages Wednesday seeking 

comment from Engler, 

who was hired last February 

following the resignation of 

president Lou Anna Simon. 

Brian Mosallam told the 

AP that the board had 

enough votes to force Engler 

out at the special meeting 

scheduled Thursday at the 

school in East Lansing. 

Byrum, who became chair 

last week, stopped short of 

confirming that she asked 

Engler to resign but told the 

AP he had "a decision to 

make" because the board is 

poised to name a new interim 

leader at the meeting. 

Both Byrum and Mosallam 

are Democrats, and Engler is 

a Republican. 

Richardson at their Tuesday meeting. 

China considers Taiwan, which split 

from the mainland amid civil war in 

1949, as an integral part of Chinese 

territory. 

U.S.-China relations have become 

increasingly frayed on the military and 

economic fronts over the past year. 

President Donald Trump imposed tariff 

increases of up to 25 percent on 

$250 billion of Chinese imports over 

complaints Beijing steals or pressures 

companies to hand over technology. Xi 

responded by imposing penalties on 

$110 billion of American goods. 

And last year the Pentagon disinvited 

China to a major, multinational 

Pacific exercise, citing Beijing's militarization 

of man-made islands in the 

South China Sea.

ART & CULTURE 

fRIDAy, 

jANUARy 18, 2019 

8 

New trailers making 

movie lovers crazy 

It's the first month of the 

new year, folks, which means 

new trailers with special 

emphasis on the one trailer 

you really want to see. 

Spider Man : Far From 

Home 

Sony and Marvel still have 

already released the Spider- 

Man: Far From Home trailer 

this week and fans went a little 

bit crazy. 

Partly because it looks like 

it's going to be a really good 

So fans have started to 

assume that this means that 

Tony won't make it to the end 

of Avengers: Endgame, and to 

be honest, we're not sure if 

we're ready for that just yet. 

Spiderman : Far From Home 

will be released in cinemas on 

5 July, 2019. 

Arctic 

After their plane crashes in the 

Arctic, a man finds himself 

having to leave the relative 

bodyguard who's well versed in 

counter-terrorism tactics 

(Rapace) having to protect a 

young heiress (Sophie 

Nélisse). As expected, things 

won't go as planned. The film 

launches in a couple of weeks, 

on January 18th. 

Cold War 

Cold War is an Amazon Studios 

film made in Poland - the love 

story between a man and a 

woman who meet after World 

Replicas 

After a car accident kills his family, a 

daring synthetic biologist (Reeves) will 

stop at nothing to bring them back, even if 

it means pitting himself against a 

government-controlled laboratory. 

Genre 

Directed By 

Written By 

Cast 

In Theaters 

Runtime 

Studio 

: Mystery & Suspense, 

Science Fiction & 

Fantasy 

: Jeffrey Nachmanoff 

: Chad St. John 

: Keanu Reeves, Alice 

Eve, Thomas 

Middleditch, John 

Ortiz 

: Jan 11, 2019 Wide 

: 107 minutes 

: Entertainment 

Studios Motion 

Pictures 

SToRyLINe : 

William Foster is a brilliant neuroscientist who loses his wife, son 

and two daughters in a tragic car accident. Utilizing cutting-edge 

technology, William comes up with a daring and unprecedented plan 

to download their memories and clone their bodies. As the 

experiment begins to spiral out of control, Foster soon finds himself 

at odds with his dubious boss, a reluctant accomplice, a police task 

force and the physical laws of science. 

|Source : -IMDb 

movie, but also because people 

were concerned that it totally 

spoiled the ending of the 

upcoming movie Avengers: 

Endgame. 

People had an issue with the 

fact that a number of 

characters who appeared to 

have died in Infinity War, were 

alive and well in a movie that 

appears to take place after 

Infinity War, chronologically. 

And unfortunately, that isn't 

the only worry that fans have 

had since seeing the trailer. 

We see some characters we 

know well in the trailer - Aunt 

May, Nick Fury, Maria Hill and 

Tony Stark's old assistant Happy. 

But one character we do not 

see, is Tony Stark himself. 

Stark has very much been a 

father figure to Peter Parker 

since the two met, so we find it 

hard to believe that he would 

not be checking up on him at 

some point while he's in Paris 

fighting bad guys. 

security of the camp to attempt to 

save the life of another traveler. 

Surviving in the Arctic isn't going 

to be an easy task. The premise is 

definitely interesting, but not 

entirely original - The Mountain 

Between Us had a similar plot, 

although it didn't involve the 

Arctic. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, 

the film launches on February 

1st. 

Captain Marvel 

Last week we showed you a 

brief TV spot for Captain 

Marvel. It was only 30 seconds 

long and didn't feature any 

new footage. Here's another 

one, as we wait for Marvel to 

drop a new trailer for the film. 

Captain Marvel premieres on 

March 8th, as if you didn't 

already know that by now. 

Close 

Starring Noomi Rapace, Close 

is a brand new Netflix original 

movie - an action film about a 

War II. The movie premiered at 

various film festivals, and you 

might find it in select theaters 

already. Your best bet will 

probably be streaming, whenever 

it's available on Amazon. 

Happy Death Day 2U 

Happy Death Day 2U is the 

sequel of Happy Death Day, a 

movie where a young woman 

had to relive the day of her 

death to prevent it. Guess 

what? She'll have to do it again 

in the sequel. 

The Prodigy 

"Our little prodigy" was an 

incredibly intelligent boy 

who's also showing some signs 

of disturbing behavior - of the 

supernatural variety. The 

Prodigy, due February 8th, is a 

horror story, if you haven't 

guessed that by now. And it's 

time to take a look at a brand 

new trailer for it. 

-IGN, JOE 

H o RoSCoPe 

Hugh Grant appeals 

for return of script 

stolen from his car 

Hugh Grant has made a public 

appeal for the return of a script after 

it was stolen from his car. The actor 

posted his plea on social media. "In 

the unlikely chance that anyone 

knows who broke into my car 

tonight and stole my bag, please try 

and persuade them to at least return 

my script. Many weeks worth of 

notes and ideas. And perhaps my 

children's medical cards," he wrote 

on Twitter. 

Grant has five children, the 

youngest born earlier this year. He 

is fiercely protective of his private 

life. 

He did not disclose any details 

about the script but asked for it to be 

returned to Coach Films, based at 

Ealing Studios in west London. 

He is currently filming Toff Guys, 

playing a gossip columnist in the 

gangster film directed by Guy Ritchie; 

and his next project is The Undoing, 

an HBO series co-starring Nicole 

Kidman and Donald Sutherland, from 

the creator of Big Little Lies. 

Among those commiserating with 

Grant on social media were his 

neighbour, the former cricketer 

Kevin Pietersen, who responded: 

"Bastards! Our street being invaded 

by scumbags." Grant and Pietersen 

live on the same road in Chelsea, 

west London. 

The MP for Ealing Central and 

Acton, Rupa Huq, stepped in with a 

personal offer of support. 

"Extremely sorry to hear. Let me 

know if anything I can do as local 

MP," she tweeted. 

David Baddiel joked that he was 

the culprit, saying: "I'm sorry. I've 

had very bad writer's block." 

Grant returned to the UK last 

week after attending the Golden 

Globes ceremony in Los Angeles, 

where he was nominated for his 

performance as Jeremy Thorpe in A 

Very English Scandal. 

-The Telegraph 

Little Mix Hoping 

Collaboration with 

BLACKPINK 

British girl group Little Mix recently responded to a 

question on Twitter, saying they'd like to collaborate with the 

South Korean girl group, BLACKPINK, in the future. 

Little Mix have had several big-name collaborators in the 

past - from Sean Paul to Nicki Minaj. Now, the girls have their 

eyes set on South Korean group, BLACKPINK. 

One fan wrote to them on Twitter, asking if they would 

collaborate with another girl group, to which they replied "a 

BLACKPINK collab would be pretty amazing". 

Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and 

Perrie Edwards are yet to release a song with a fellow girl 

group, despite having worked with other stars such as Missy 

Elliot, Jason Derulo and Stormzy. 

Fans were quick to stan the possible collaboration, between 

Little Mix and the girl group who debuted in late 2016, after 

winning X factor UK. 

BLACKPINK have also collaborated with a big British 

name, with their song with Dua Lipa; 'Kiss And Make Up', 

which is part of Dua's 'Complete Edition' of the album. 

-Capital FM 

ARIeS 

(March 21 - April 20) : 

Inspiration will strike you at an 

inopportune time today, but 

there's no putting this type of 

thing on hold! Get ready to jump at a moment's 

notice to get your foot in the door of a very 

exciting and promising new venture. 

TAURUS 

(April 21 - May 21) : If you want 

some time on your own, this is a 

good time to take it. Whether you 

want to take a vacation day, work 

from home, or schedule a getaway solo weekend, 

do what it takes to get some alone time. 

GeMINI 

(May 22 - June 21): Sorting will be 

a rewarding, energizing activity 

for you today - seek out a 

confusing set of materials or 

information and get to work! You'll get a big 

boost out of making sense of a situation that 

would only confuse others. 

CANCeR 

(June 22 - July 23): Giving 

control over to another person 

isn't always easy, but it is 

definitely the best move for you 

today. Just let go of all the work involved, 

and have confidence in someone else's 

ability to take care of things. 

Leo 

(July 24 - Aug. 23): You may not 

be rich or famous, but what you 

have is pretty darned special. Take 

stock of all the wonderful things 

you have in your life right now - gratitude is a 

great way to let the Universe know that you don't 

take anything for granted. 

VIRGo 

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): There is 

nothing standing in your way 

today! The road is wide open 

and slanted slightly downhill - 

sloped just enough to let you coast along 

nicely. Let your ambition take a back seat for 

today, while you just ride out the day and see 

what it brings you. 

LIBRA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Someone 

wants to take you for a ride today, 

and you should let him or her! 

Even if you have no idea where 

this person is going to take you, it's going to be 

an enlightening journey. Brace yourself for an 

unfamiliar location. 

SCoRPIo 

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : Your divergent 

personalities - the kind compromiser 

and the feisty rebel - will be 

coming together into one 

powerful unit today. You are connecting all your 

different objectives into one big project. 

SAGITTARIUS 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): You have 

reached a wonderful point in your 

life - you have a great sense of who 

you are, but you're still open to 

growing and learning more about possibilities 

for your future. Take some time today to explore 

the unknown. 

CAPRICoRN 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20):Someone is 

really counting on you - and this 

could strike you as unfair today. 

You're frustrated that this person is 

trying to hand so much power over to you. 

Nevertheless, you will start to feel a growing sense 

of responsibility for making everything perfect. 

AQUARIUS 

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): Intimidation 

is a powerful tool, but it can be 

fairly easily tamed - the key is 

familiarity. So if you feel that the 

people around you are pushing you in a 

certain direction or pressuring you to make a 

quick decision, start asking questions. 

PISCeS 

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20): Pressure 

creates diamonds, they say - 

and if that's true, then you 

will be rolling in precious 

gems by the end of today! The good 

news is that you are totally prepared for 

the stress. All your ideas will work 

perfectly. 

Disha Patani in Kick 2 

Disha Patani has been on a roll of late. After delivering 

a box-office hit along with Tiger Shroff in Baaghi 2, the 

actor signed on for Salman Khan's next mega project 

Bharat. And now, a report in a leading daily claims that 

she is all set to play the lead opposite Salman 

Khan in the sequel to his 2014 

blockbuster Kick. 

The report claims that the actress 

has been spotted visiting producer 

Sajid Nadiadwala's office a few times 

recently and rumour has it that she is in 

talks with him for signing on as the female 

lead for Kick 2. Although we haven't 

heard any confirmation from the 

concerned parties, we sure are 

excited at the idea of this fresh 

pairing. 

Meanwhile, we have also 

heard that Disha will be 

part of Tiger Shroff's 

Baaghi 3. Well, for 

those of you 

wondering 

how 

can she be in the film since she died, according to the 

grapevine the film will have a fresh script with the same 

pair. 

-FilmFare

SPORTS 

FRIDAy, 

JANuARy 18, 2019 

9 

Juventus beats Milan to win 

Italian Super Cup in Jeddah 

De Villiers has been contracted to play the last six matches of the group stage of the Bangladesh 

Premier League. 

Photo : Collected 

BPL 2019 

AB de Villiers arrives in Bangladesh 

SportS DeSk 

Former South Africa captain and one 

of the most feared batsmen in international 

cricket during his playing 

days, AB de Villiers arrived in Sylhet 

on Thursday morning to bolster 

beleaguered defending champions 

Rangpur Riders. 

De Villiers has been contracted to 

play the last six matches of the group 

stage of the Bangladesh Premier 

League. Rangpur, led by Bangladesh 

ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, 

are in dire straits at the moment 

after having lost four of their first six 

matches, the latest being a 27-run 

defeat at the hands of Sylhet Sixers 

at the Sylhet International Stadium 

on Wednesday. 

It will be the first BPL appearance 

for De Villiers, often called Mr. 360 

because of his ability to utilize all 

angles present in a cricket ground 

while demoralizing bowlers the 

world over. 

If he can help Rangpur to the playoffs, 

the defending champions will 

try to keep him on for the knockout 

stage of the tournament. 

Already featuring the self-proclaimed 

'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle 

in their lineup, de Villiers addition 

makes Rangpur the side with the 

highest star quotient in the sixth edition 

of the BPL. It remains to be seen 

if that translates to performance on 

the field in their remaining six 

matches. 

Rangpur play their next game 

against Sylhet on Saturday against 

Sylhet Sixers. 

Meanwhile the 34-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman 

added he "would 

love to play" in English cricket's new 

Hundred tournament when it 

launches in 2020. 

Matches will be restricted to 100 

balls per innings - even fewer than in 

Twenty20 - in a bid to speed up the 

game. 

India captain Virat Kohli has 

queried the need for a new format in 

addition to first-class, one-day and 

Twenty20 cricket. 

But De Villiers, who unlike Kohli is 

now a 'free agent' after retiring from 

international duty in May, said: "I 

can't see anything wrong with trying 

something different." 

"I'm not set in my schedule at the 

moment but I would love to play in 

the UK. 

"I'm sure with the tradition and the 

culture of cricket over there, it would 

be very well supported. I would love 

to be a part of it." 

SportS DeSk 

Amid a background of protests and 

political outrage, Juventus beat 10- 

man AC Milan 1-0 in Saudi Arabia 

on Wednesday to win the Italian 

Super Cup for a record eighth time, 

reports UNB. 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 

only goal of the match to win his 

first trophy with the Italian team. 

"I'm very happy, it was what I 

wanted, I'm very happy to have 

won my first title with Juventus," 

Ronaldo said. 

It was Ronaldo's fourth goal in 

his past four matches as he shows 

little sign of being affected - on the 

pitch at least - by a case of alleged 

rape involving an American 

woman. 

Ronaldo has been asked by police 

to provide a DNA sample in an 

investigation of the allegation by 

Kathryn Mayorga, a former model 

and schoolteacher, that he raped 

her in his Las Vegas hotel penthouse 

in 2009 and paid her to keep 

quiet. Ronaldo has denied any 

wrongdoing. 

Juventus, which has won the 

league the past seven seasons, 

leads Serie A by nine points and is 

in the quarterfinal of the Italian 

Cup as well as the last 16 of the 

Champions League. 

"We have to take it step by step," 

Ronaldo continued. "The aim was 

to start well this year and we have 

done and now we have to continue 

to work for our other objectives." 

Italian politicians and human 

rights activists had objected to the 

game being played in Saudi Arabia, 

citing the assassination of Washington 

Post columnist Jamal 

Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate 

in Istanbul. 

But the match went ahead at a 

sold-out King Abdullah Sports City 

Stadium in Jeddah in front of more 

than 61,000 fans, including many 

women who were only allowed into 

Saudi sports stadiums a year ago 

for the first time to watch soccer 

matches. 

Last June, the Italian league 

announced it agreed to a deal with 

Saudi Arabia's General Sports 

Authority for three of the next five 

Super Cups to be played in the 

kingdom. The deal will provide 

more than 20 million euros ($23 

million) to Serie A and 3.5 million 

euros to participating clubs. 

"I'm very respectful of all the 

opinions," Lega Serie A President 

Gaetano Micciche said. "We've 

talked about it and we'll talk again. 

I think it has been useful to open 

this dialogue, we'll talk about it all 

civilly and everyone will understand 

everyone else's positions." 

Gonzalo Higuain, who is on loan 

at Milan from Juventus, had also 

been a focus of the buildup to the 

match ahead of a potential move to 

Chelsea, but the Argentina forward 

was named on the bench against 

his parent club, with Milan saying 

he had had a fever. 

Blaise Matuidi had a goal for 

Juventus disallowed for offside 

while Ronaldo saw an acrobatic 

effort bounce narrowly over the 

crossbar in an even first half which 

also saw Juve goalkeeper Wojciech 

Szczesny pull off a good save to 

deny Hakan Calhanoglu. 

Milan almost took the lead 

immediately after halftime but 

Patrick Cutrone's effort came off 

the crossbar. 

The Rossoneri were left to rue 

that missed opportunity as Ronaldo 

broke the deadlock in the 61st 

minute. 

Miralem Pjanic floated a ball 

over the top and Ronaldo headed it 

past Gianluigi Donnarumma. 

Juventus had another goal disallowed 

for offside but any chance 

Milan had of getting back into the 

match all but evaporated after 

midfielder Franck Kessie was sent 

off in the 74th following a poor 

tackle on Emre Can, which saw 

him stamp on the Juventus midfielder. 

Referee Luca Banti initially 

showed Kessie only a yellow card 

but changed it to a red after seeing 

the late tackle again on video 

review. 

Milan was infuriated after VAR 

was not used on what it felt was a 

penalty after Can appeared to clatter 

into the back of Andrea Conti. 

Higuain, who had come on for the 

final 20 minutes, had to be dragged 

away by his former teammates. 

Derby beats Southampton 

on penalties in FA Cup 

SportS DeSk 

Derby came from two goals 

down for the second time 

against Southampton to 

eliminate the Premier 

League club from the FA Cup 

on Wednesday, winning a 

penalty shootout following a 

2-2 draw in their third-round 

replay, reports UNB. 

Derby captain Richard 

Keogh converted the decisive 

spot kick to secure a 5-3 win 

in the shootout after Nathan 

Redmond missed the only 

penalty for Southampton by 

shooting wide. 

Southampton, which also led 

2-0 in the teams' first 2-2 draw 

on Jan. 5, looked to be headed 

for the fourth round after Stuart 

Armstrong and Redmond 

scored in the 68th and 70th 

minutes to put the Premier 

League side in control. 

But Harry Wilson pulled 

one back with a free kick in 

the 76th and Martyn 

Waghorn equalized six minutes 

later to send the game to 

extra time. 

Redmond also missed a 

good chance to restore 

Southampton's lead in the 

111th minute, shooting 

straight at goalkeeper Kelle 

Roos after being slipped in by 

Oriol Romeu, before his offtarget 

spot kick in the 

shootout proved decisive. 

It was the Championship 

club's second penalty 

shootout win against a Premier 

League side this season 

after stunning Manchester 

United in the League Cup in 

September, giving first-year 

manager Frank Lampard 

another memorable cup victory. 

Derby's preparation for 

this game was dominated by 

the fallout from Leeds coach 

Marcelo Bielsa admitting 

that he had sent a staff 

member to spy on Lampard's 

team in training 

ahead of their meeting last 

week in the Championship. 

Lampard refused to comment 

on the matter before 

kickoff. 

New Zealand bring back 

heavyweights for India series 

SportS DeSk 

New Zealand have assembled their strongest possible 

line up for the one-day series against India starting next 

week in what will be their toughest workout ahead of 

the World Cup, reports BSS. 

Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme, who were 

rested during the 3-0 sweep against Sri Lanka, were 

named Thursday in a 14-man squad for the first three 

games of the five-match series which starts next 

Wednesday. Captain Kane Williamson and bowling 

spearhead Trent Boult, who sat out the Twenty20 

against Sri Lanka last Friday, are back in the squad as is 

Mitchell Santner who made the Twenty20 after being 

sidelined by injury for 10 months. 

India and New Zealand are ranked second and third 

in the world, and coach Gary Stead said the composition 

of the squad reflected World Cup planning while 

also giving themselves the best possible chance of winning 

the series against Virat Kohli's tourists."Our two 

main priorities have been to select and prepare a squad 

capable of winning what is shaping as a massive series 

against India, and gathering as much information as 

possible ahead of the World Cup," Stead said. 

"Tom and Colin are experienced players in this format 

and will offer quality in their respective roles." 

New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent 

Boult, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie 

Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, 

Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish 

Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor. 

Derby County's Martyn Waghorn celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Southampton 

during their English FA Cup third round replay soccer match at St Mary's Stadium. Photo: AP 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal of the match to win his first trophy with the Italian team. 

Pakistan seek change of 

fortune against S Africa 

SportS DeSk 

Pakistan will seek a change of fortune when 

they play South Africa in the first of five oneday 

internationals at St George's Park on Saturday, 

reports BSS. 

The tourists were mauled in a recent Test 

series, with none of the three matches going 

beyond lunch on the fourth day, but have 

reason to be optimistic in the 50-overs game 

where fast short-pitched bowling will likely 

not be a decisive factor. 

For both teams, the series is an important 

step towards the Cricket World Cup in England 

and Wales later this year. 

"We're certainly a far better white-ball 

team than we are a Test unit at the minute," 

said Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur after the 

third Test on Monday. 

That seems a reasonable assessment as 

Pakistan have shown their ability in one-day 

cricket, notably when they won the Champions 

Trophy in England in 2017. Since the 

start of that tournament, during which they 

beat South Africa in a rain-shortened match, 

they have compiled a 17-10 winning record. 

Pakistan's batting will be strengthened by 

the inclusion of Mohammad Hafeez, who 

retired from Test cricket at the end of last 

year, and Shoaib Malik, while they have a 

capable attack in which spinners Shadab 

Khan and Imad Wasim could play key roles. 

Fakhar Zaman, the aggressive left-handed 

opening batsman, was exposed against 

the short ball in the Tests, being dropped 

after scoring only 32 runs in four innings, 

but has hit 1275 runs at an average of 57.95 

in one-day internationals, scored at close 

to a run a ball. 

South Africa have based their World Cup 

plans on picking four specialist bowlers but 

have yet to settle on a batting all-rounder to 

fill the crucial number seven position. 

They announced a squad for the first two 

matches only. Since the squad was 

announced, it was decided to rest wicketkeeper-batsman 

Quinton de Kock and fast 

bowler Dale Steyn. 

The changes provide opening batsman 

Aiden Markram with another opportunity to 

shine in a format in which he has yet to assert 

himself, while fast bowler Duanne Olivier 

was rewarded for his man of the series performances 

in the Tests with a first one-day 

call-up. 

Port Elizabeth usually has one of the slowest 

pitches in South Africa, which should suit 

the tourists. In their most recent appearance 

at the ground, in November 2013, they 

clinched their only one-day series win in 

South Africa. 

Serena in charge as 

Halep and Raonic battle 

through Open epics 

SportS DeSk 

Serena Williams stepped up her drive for a 

record-equalling 24th Grand Slam Thursday 

by swatting aside Eugenie Bouchard, but top 

seed Simona Halep had to dig deep to stay in 

the Australian Open on a day of epic battles, 

reports BSS. 

The American great followed up her first 

round 49-minute romp by spending just 70 

minutes on Rod Laver Arena to dispose of 

the Canadian 6-2, 6-2. 

"It wasn't an easy match tonight," said the 

37-year-old. 

"So I knew 'Serena, you've got to come out 

hot, you've got to come out firing, she's a 

really good player and I haven't had many 

matches since last year'." 

Williams is bidding to match Margaret 

Court's record of 24 Grand Slam crowns, and 

win an eighth in Australia, on her first return 

to Melbourne Park since lifting the trophy in 

2017 while pregnant. 

Photo: AP 

Fourth seed Osaka 

surges into Aussie 

Open third round 

SportS DeSk 

Japanese fourth seed Naomi 

Osaka swept past Tamara 

Zidansek in straight sets to 

reach the Australian Open 

third round Thursday as she 

targets a second Grand Slam 

title, reports BSS. 

The US Open champion 

defeated the unseeded 

Slovenian 6-2, 6-4 to set up 

an all-Asian clash with 

Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan in 

the next round. 

The 21-year-old struggled 

to close out the match after a 

strong start but always 

looked in control against the 

world number 78. 

"I thought I served alright, 

this was my first time playing 

her and I'm just happy to 

win to be honest," Osaka 

said. She anticipated a tough 

test against Hsieh, who she 

defeated in their only previous 

meeting. 

"She's been playing really 

well recently so I just hope 

that it's exciting," she said. 

Osaka was in no mood to 

hang around after rain 

delayed the start of play as 

the roof on Margaret Court 

Arena was closed. 

She broke Zidansek in the 

first game, only to allow the 

Slovenian to get back on level 

terms in the fourth with a 

string of unforced errors. 

It proved a minor wobble, 

with Osaka restoring her 

advantage with a lob that left 

Zidansek flat footed, then 

claiming another break 

before serving out the set in 

28 minutes.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

BANGLADESHTODAY 10 

THE 

FRIDAy, JANUARy 18, 2019 

Bank Asia Agent Banking Day-2019 been observed through a colorful arrangement today. Like 

before, this year Agent Banking Day program held at Bhabanipur Bazar of Sirajdikhan Upazila, 

Munsuganj. Mohiuddin Ahmed, Sirajdikhan upazila Chairman was the chief guest of the program 

where Muhammed Zahirul Alam, DMD of Bank Asia Ltd. was the special guest. Sarder 

Akhter Hamed, Head of Channel Banking, Md. Ahsan Ul Alam, Head of Agent Banking of the 

Bank and local prominent personalities with peoples from all walks joined the program. Bank 

Asia for the first time started Agent Banking yesterday in Bangladesh. From then, the date has 

been observed as Bank Asia Agent Banking Day every year. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Mobile app spend soars 

with China a top market 

Mobile app downloads are 

surging around the world 

with growth in smartphone 

use, with nearly half coming 

from China, a market tracker 

said Wednesday. 

Mobile research firm App 

Annie forecast that the 

amount of money spent on 

apps for smartphones or 

tablet computers this year will 

grow five times as fast as the 

global economy, surpassing 

$120 billion. 

"Games will fuel the bulk of 

consumer spend growth in 

the app stores, as mobile 

gaming will continue to be the 

fastest growing form of 

gaming," the firm's State of 

Mobile report said. 

"China will remain the 

largest contributor to 

consumer spend growth in 

the app stores; however, we 

expect to see a slight 

deceleration in the aftermath 

of the game licensing freeze in 

China." 

Some 194 billion mobile 

apps were downloaded 

worldwide last year, with 

people spending a total of 

$101 billion on them or in 

them, according to the report. 

China accounted for nearly 

50 percent of total downloads 

of apps for Apple or Android 

mobile devices, App Annie 

indicated. The top five mobile 

apps based on usage were 

Facebook, WhatsApp, 

Facebook Messenger, 

WeChat and Instagram in 

that order, placing offerings 

from the US-based social 

network in all but one of the 

spots. 

"The technological race 

between US and China 

surfaced in mobile with 

companies headquartered in 

the US and China generating 

more than half of total 

consumer spend in the top 

300 parent companies in 

2018," App Annie said. 

"China came out ahead." 

Chinese companies 

accounted $19.6 billion of 

global consumer spending on 

mobile apps, accounting for 

32 percent of global 

consumer spending 

compared with 22 percent for 

US-based parent firms, 

according to the report. 

The top five parent 

companies for global 

consumer spending last year 

were indicated to be gaming 

companies Tencent, NetEase, 

Activision Blizzard, Bandai 

Namco, and Netmarble, 

respectively. 

Meanwhile, global 

consumer in non-gaming 

apps more than doubled in 

the past two years, App Annie 

reported. 

Mobile morsels offered by 

the report included that there 

was significant growth last 

year in the use of food-anddrink 

apps, particularly in 

France, Australia and South 

Korea which saw growth of 

325 percent, 300 percent, and 

230 percent respectively 

when compared to 2016. 

China's top trade 

negotiator to visit 

US Jan 30-31 

China's top trade 

negotiator will travel to the 

United States to resume 

talks later this month ahead 

of a March deadline to avoid 

bruising tariff hikes, the 

commerce ministry said 

Thursday. 

Vice Premier Liu He will 

visit Washington on January 

30-31 for the negotiations, 

the ministry said, following 

up on talks by lower-level 

officials in Beijing earlier 

this month. 

US President Donald 

Trump and Chinese leader 

Xi Jinping agreed to a threemonth 

trade war truce in 

December, suspending US 

plans to increase tariffs on 

billions of dollars in Chinese 

goods to give negotiators 

space to find a solution. 

Liu and US officials will 

"hold negotiations on 

economic and trade issues 

and work together to push 

forward and implement the 

consensus" reached by Xi 

and Trump, ministry 

spokesman Gao Feng told 

reporters. 

Alstom says EU 

clearance of 

Siemens tie-up 

not certain 

French engineering giant 

Alstom said Thursday there 

was no certainty that 

concessions made to 

competition regulators to 

approve its rail business tieup 

with German peer Siemens 

will be enough. 

The two companies have 

offered a series of asset sales 

to get the deal past the 

European Commission which 

fears the new company would 

dominate the high-speed train 

and rail signalling markets. 

Alstom said the remedies 

"take into account the 

Commission's concerns while 

maintaining the economic 

and industrial fundamentals 

of the deal." "The parties 

believe that this remedies 

proposal is appropriate and 

adequate," the company said 

in a statement. 

"Nonetheless, there is no 

certainty that this proposal 

will be enough to meet the 

concerns of the European 

Commission," it added. 

On Wednesday, French 

government spokesman 

Benjamin Griveaux said that if 

the Commission rejected the 

tie-up, it would be "an 

economic error and a political 

mistake (as well as)… sending 

a bad signal to the people of 

Europe." 

Pound gains amid Brexit morass as 

bank earnings boost Wall Street 

The British pound 

advanced Wednesday as 

Prime Minister Theresa May 

survived a no-confidence 

vote, while worries about the 

US government shutdown 

limited stock market gains 

after strong bank earnings. 

The pound gained ground 

against the euro and dollar 

after May narrowly beat back 

a challenge to her 

government by a 325-306 

margin a day after a 

humiliating defeat on her 

Brexit deal. 

The overwhelming 

rejection by the House of 

Commons of May's plan to 

withdraw from the 

European Union prompted 

speculation of what would 

come next in the Brexit 

political morass. 

Some are betting on 

another referendum or an 

extension of the time-frame 

for Britain to negotiate the 

terms of divorce with the EU 

was much more likely than 

the worst-case scenario of a 

no-deal Brexit. 

"Many people may be 

surprised that the pound is 

holding firm and the UKheavy 

FTSE 250 index is 

rising off the back of Theresa 

May's Brexit vote defeat," 

Russ Mould, investment 

director at stockbroker AJ 

Bell, said ahead of 

Wednesday's no-confidence 

vote. 

"In essence the market 

believes we are going to get 

more time for negotiations, 

we're less likely to have a 

hard, economically-damaging 

Brexit, or Brexit won't happen 

at all." 

But he said it seems 

"inevitable" that the currency 

and equities "will be volatile 

for weeks or months to come 

until we have a definitive 

answer," Mould added. 

Gavin Friend at National 

Australia Bank, said 

"Momentum is shifting away 

from the harder Brexit route 

and towards a number of 

options ranging from 

postponement and second 

referendum." 

Meanwhile, in the United 

States, investors were 

encouraged by earnings 

reports from Bank of 

America and Goldman Sachs 

that easily topped analyst 

expectations. 

Goldman surged nearly 10 

percent, while Bank of 

America jumped 7.2 percent. 

The results also boosted 

other large banks that had 

already reported results. 

Maris Ogg of Tower Bridge 

Advisors said investors have 

been encouraged by banking 

executives' characterization of 

the US economy as basically 

sound. 

"Generally the tone of the 

earning calls is cautiously 

optimistic," she said. 

"Investors have been 

breathing a sigh of relief that 

the commentaries from 

managements have not been 

terribly negative." 

Still, some analysts said the 

ongoing US government 

shutdown - now in its 25th 

day - was keeping investor 

enthusiasm in check. Oxford 

Economics estimated the 

weekly hit to US growth at 

$700 million. 

And the Federal Reserve's 

"beige book" report on the US 

economy showed that 

political and trade 

uncertainty was undermining 

business confidence, even 

though the growth continues 

at least a modest pace in most 

of the country. 

But Sam Stovall, chief 

investment strategist at CFRA 

Research, said the market 

was picking up confidence as 

January's stock market gains 

mount. 

Mercantile Bank Training Institute recently organized a seven days training course titled 

"Specialized Training on Foreign Exchange". 32 Officers from different branches of the bank 

participated in the training course. MD. Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, Additional Managing 

Director & CBO of the Bank inaugurated the training and delivered his speech highlighting the 

importance of Foreign Exchange. He also emphasized in understanding the various activities of 

Foreign Exchange transactions for prudent decision making and upholding bank's interest. 

Javed Tariq, Principal of MBTI, also present in the program. 


Ford forecasts $112 m Q4 loss 

amid restructuring costs 

The "Annual Sales Conference 2019" of Opso Saline Limited, one of the growing Pharmaceutical 

Companies of Bangladesh, was held yesterday at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB), 

Khamar Bari, Dhaka. Opso Saline Limited, being specialized in manufacturing Large Volume 

Parenterals (LVPs), Medical equipment and Ophthalmic medicines, has achieved significant 

growth according to IMS (IMS 3rd Quarter, 2018), which is expected to be continued in upcoming 

years. All the field level officials of the company attended in the conference. A part from 

them, Chairman Captain Abdus Sabur Khan (Retd.), Vice Chairman Abdur Rouf Khan, 

Managing Director Abdur Rakib Khan, General Manager, Sales & Marketing Md. Abdul Momen 

Talukdar, National Sales Manager Kazi Monir Ahmed, Assistant Manager of Product 

Management Department Mir Nazmul Hasan & other high officials were present on that occasion. 

General Manager, Sales & Marketing Md. Abdul Momen Talukder, has discussed different 

aspects of sales and prescription of the year 2018 and focused on Marketing and Sales Planning 

for the year 2019. 


Ford said Wednesday it expected to 

post a $112 million loss in the fourth 

quarter of 2018 as the automaker 

implements a massive restructuring in 

the United States and Europe. 

The second-biggest US automaker 

said it would still post a profit after 

charges stemming from the drive to cut 

$11 billion in costs. 

The firm sees adjusted profit of 30 

cents a share during this period, 

according to the statement, less than 

the 32 cents anticipated by the 

markets. 

For the full year, Ford will post a net 

profit of $3.7 billion, less than half the 

2017 result. 

Adjusted earnings per share are 

expected to be $1.30 across the year, 

right at the lower end of its $1.30-1.50 

estimate in October. 

"Over the last 19 months, we have 

worked to reshape and transform our 

company - sharpening our 

competitiveness, taking actions to 

improve our profitability and returns, 

and investing in our future," Ford CEO 

Jim Hackett said in a statement. 

Ford last year announced it would 

halt production of almost all sedans 

and small cars in the United States to 

save $11 billion, and last week 

announced a massive restructuring of 

its European operations to boost 

profitability, including thousands of 

potential job cuts. It might also scrap 

the Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo models 

in Europe, where they are popular. 

Jim Farley, Ford's president of 

Global Markets, said, "We are now 

beginning to see the results of our 

capital shift away from traditional 

sedans to trucks and SUVs with new 

utility nameplates globally." 

The earnings figures were released 

just a day after the automaker 

announced a global alliance with 

Germany's Volkswagen to build 

commercial vans and pickups starting 

in 2022. 

The alliance follows others in the 

auto industry, which is facing rising 

costs amid the drive to develop new 

technologies, as well as changing 

consumer preferences. 

Company executives heralded the 

new alliance with VW as a cost savings 

move that would boost profitability by 

2023. 

Ford is aiming to post better financial 

results this year than last but warned 

Wednesday of potential headwinds: 

Brexit, tariffs, currency fluctuations, 

salary negotiations and the health of 

the Chinese and European economies 

all could hit the bottom line. 

UK inflation touches two-year 

low on sliding oil price 

British annual inflation slowed in 

December to a two-year low on falling 

motor fuel and oil prices, sitting just 

above the Bank of England's target, 

official data showed Wednesday. 

The Consumer Prices Index 12- 

month rate declined to 2.1 percent last 

month from 2.3 percent in November, 

the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 

said in a statement. 

The December reading was the 

lowest level since January 2017 and 

matched market expectations. 

The rate was also a whisker away 

from the Bank of England's official 

target level of 2.0 percent. 

"Inflation eased mainly due to a big 

fall in petrol, with oil prices tumbling in 

recent months," said Mike Hardie, 

head of inflation at the ONS. 

"Air fares also helped push down the 

rate with seasonal prices rising less 

than they did last year. 

"These were partially offset by small 

rises in hotel prices and mobile phone 

charges." 

The average cost of petrol slid 6.4p 

per litre on the month to 121.7 pence, 

which was the lowest since April 2018. 

The Bank of England is meanwhile 

tasked with using monetary policy as a 

tool to keep 12-month UK inflation 

close to 2.0 percent. 

Last month the BoE voted to keep its 

main interest rate at 0.75 percent, as it 

warned over "intensified uncertainties" 

surrounding Brexit. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May 

will face a confidence vote later 

Wednesday, after MPs overwhelmingly 

rejected her deal on Britain leaving the 

European Union. 

Standard Chartered Bank, Bangladesh donates blankets to former enclave communities in 

Lalmonirhaat and Kurigram in Northern Bangladesh. The bank supports under-privileged 

communities with donations of warm clothes and blankets before the winter months each year 

as a part of its commitment to be Here for good. 

Photo: Courtesy

MISCELLANEOUS 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2019 

11 

Md. Humayun Kabir, former Ambassador of the People's Republic of Bangladesh to the United 

States, Dr. Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Daffodil International University along 

with other distinguished guests and participants at pose for a photograph at 'Daffodil International 

Model UN Conference 2019 (DaffodilIMUN'19)'. 

Photo : Courtesy 

3-Day Conference 'DaffodilIMUN- 

2019' begins at DIU 

Three-day conference (17th-19th 

January) of 'Daffodil International 

Model UN Conference 2019 

(DaffodilIMUN'19)' with a theme 

"Engaging Youth for Initiating World 

Peace through Peace Dialogue" began 

on Thursday at Daffodil International 

University. Md. Humayun Kabir, 

former Ambassador of the People's 

Republic of Bangladesh to the United 

States inaugurated the conference at 71 

Milonayoton of the university as the 

chief guest. Ari Gainities, Senior 

Communication Adviser, Office of the 

UN Resident Coordinator, Dhaka was 

present at the program as the guest of 

honor while Dr. Md. Moniruzzaman, 

National Information Officer, UNIC 

was present as the special guest. Dr. 

Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Board of 

Trustees, Daffodil International 

University presided over program. 

Professor Dr. SM Mahbub Ul Haque 

Majumder, Pro Vice Chancellor, 

Professor Dr. Engineer A K M 

FazlulHaque, Registrar, Senior 

Lecturer Rafi Al Mahmud, Moderator, 

Daffodil International Model UN 

Association, Shafaetul Islam, 

President, Daffodil International 

Model UN Association also spoke in the 

present at the program. 

About 250 students delegates are 

participating nationwide and 

internationally in this seminar. And 

they will participate through 8 different 

committees. The committees are: 

United Nations Security Council 

(UNSC), UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, 

IMF, SCBA, JCC and UNNC, a press 

release said. 

While addressing on the program M. 

HumayunKabir said that today's world 

is facing threat because of three 

reasons. One of them is drop down of 

norms, second is break down of family 

structure and third one is radical 

development of technology. If we want 

to make our planet peaceful we need to 

make our young people with the skill of 

leadership, communication skill, 

diplomatic knowledge etc. All of these 

skills can possible to achieve by this 

Model UN Conference. 

M. Humayun Kabir informed that 

present world is facing risks of 

challenges due to three reasons which 

are deterioration of human values, 

discrimination of Families and 

technological revolution. He urged the 

students to learn three things to 

respects others, to increase 

communication skills and to enhance 

team work skills from the student life. 

Otherwise your future career will be 

failed, he added. 

Dr. Md. Sabur Khan said to his 

presidential speech that world is 

changing rapidly. Once upon a time, we 

could predict our career but nowadays 

we can't so as frequent and rapid 

technological change influences to 

mould our career sector in every day. 

We can see that artificial intelligence, 

robot and many other things are 

replaced instead of human. To face this 

challenges, students should skilled up 

themselves with latest and modern 

technology and should emphasis on 

extra curriculum activities besides 

reading your text book. Try to learn at 

least something in every day, he added. 

This conference is hosted by Daffodil 

International University Model United 

Nations Association associated by 

strategic partner UNYSAB, United 

Nations as an associated partner and 

knowledge partner UNIC, Bangladesh. 

Media Partners are Somoy Television 

and The Financial Express. 

GD-94/19 (30 x 4)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

FRIDAy, DHAKA, JAnuARy 18, 2019, MAGH 5, 1425 BS, JAMADIul AWAl 11, 1440 HIJRI 

After reaching at Ministry of Public Administration, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was greeted by 

Minister Forhad Hossain on Thursday. 

Photo: Star Mail. 

Digital signaling 

system at 

Kamalapur back 

in action 

DHAKA : The computerbased 

interlocking system at 

Kamalapur Railway Station 

which was damaged in a fire 

on Wednesday returned to 

normalcy early Thursday following 

necessary repair, 

resuming the regular railway 

activities, reports UNB. 

The digital signaling system 

started working again from 

around 1 am, said a Railways 

Ministry release. 

It also said trains are now 

running on schedules. 

The fire originated at the 

relay room on the first floor of 

the main building of 

Kamalapur Railway Station 

around 6:30pm on 

Wednesday, damaging the 

computer-based interlocking 

system. 

Bangladesh Railway officials 

and members of GRP and 

Railway Nirapatta Bahini 

doused the fire within minutes 

using fire extinguishers. 

Warn field-level administrations 

against corruption: PM 

DHAKA : Reaffirming her 

government's tough stance 

against corruption, Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina on 

Thursday directed the Public 

Administration Ministry to 

issue a strong warning against 

graft by field-level administrations, 

reports UNB. 

"Your specific directives 

must reach the administrations 

at the grassroots level 

that tough action will be 

taken if anyone resorts to 

corruption," she said while 

visiting the Public 

Administration Ministry in 

the morning. 

The Prime Minister wondered 

why there should be 

corrupt practices when the 

government enhanced the 

salaries, allowances and 

other privileges of the public 

servants significantly. "They 

must change their mindset." 

She emphasised ensuring 

good governance and a building 

corruption-free administration 

so that the common 

people can enjoy the benefits 

of development. 

Sheikh Hasina, also the 

Public Administration 

Minister, said the salient feature 

of the country's development 

is the current low inflation 

rate amid the rapid economic 

growth. "Many countries 

can't control the inflation 

during their speedy economic 

growth." 

Noting that Bangladesh 

has been able to keep the 

inflation rate within 5.4 percent 

to 5.5 percent, Hasina 

said the common people can 

directly enjoy the benefits of 

the high growth and low 

inflation. 

The Prime Minister said 

Bangladesh achieved 7.86 

The Great Wall of 

INTERESTING NEWS 

“Fake news” is a new term, but lies and 

propaganda is as old as written history, 

spread by individuals to aggrandize oneself 

or smear the public image of an 

enemy. Then, there is yellow journalism, 

where newspapers rely on sensationalism 

and the publication of scandal-mongering 

articles and exaggerations of 

news events to increases sales and circulation. 

While this sort of media irresponsibility 

is often seen among competing 

newspapers, there was one time when 

four different newspapers colluded to 

publish a blatant lie. The idea was if all 

four newspapers published the same lie, 

few would question it. 

The nefarious plan was hatched one 

summer evening in 1899, over drinks at 

the bar at Oxford Hotel in downtown 

Denver, Colorado. The four men 

involved in the plot were Al Stevens, 

Jack Tournay, John Lewis, and Hal 

Wilshire—all reporters of the four 

Denver newspapers—the Post, the 

Republican, the Times, and the Rocky 

Mountain News. Each had been tasked 

by their editors to come up with something 

exciting to entertain their readers 

with. Each had come up empty. 

According to an article published by 

the Denver-based songwriter Harry Lee 

Wilber in 1939—forty years after the 

event—it was Al Stevens, the reporter for 

the Denver Republican, who suggested 

that they fabricate a story. Denver, at 

that time—the Denver Post notes—was 

“full of ethically challenged journalists”. 

The newspaper’s office in downtown 

Denver was known as “The Bucket of 

Blood” because of all the “red headlines 

and splashy yellow journalism” the 

paper painted the city with. Harry 

Tammen, the Post’s co-owner, was 

proud of it. He once said: “The public 

not only likes to be fooled — it insists 

upon it.” 

percent GDP growth in the 

2017-18 fiscal year, which 

was the higher than the 7.40 

percent target. Now her government's 

target is to raise 

the growth to double-digit 

one within the next five 

years. 

"Since we've elected for five 

years, our target will be to 

raise the growth to 10 percent 

in this five years," she added. 

State Minister for Public 

Administration Ministry 

Farhad Hossain and Public 

Administration Secretary 

Faiz Ahmed also spoke on 

the occasion. 

PM's Principal Secretary 

Md Nojibur Rahman, 

Principal Coordinator (SDG 

Affairs) at the PMO Abul 

Kalam Azad, PMO Secretary 

Sajjadul Hassan and PM's 

Secretary Ihsanul Karim 

were present. 

Ensure RMG 

workers' 

safety: Trade 

union to govt 

DHAKA : The Garment 

Workers' Trade Union Center 

(GWTUC)urged the government 

on Thursday to ensure 

the safety of readymade garment 

workers who demonstrated 

over wage disparity. 

Trade union leaders 

requested the government "to 

stop arresting and harassing" 

RMG workers. They also 

demanded the release of 

arrested workers and urged 

factory owners to rescind the 

suspension of the protesters, 

reports UNB. 

RMG workers took to the 

streets on January 8-14, seeking 

higher wages and overhauling 

the wage structure 

announced by the government. 

"Thousands of workers are 

being suspended after the 

protests," GWTUC General 

Secretary Joly Talukder 

claimed at a human chain in 

front of the Jatiya Press Club. 

Several factories sacked over 

100 workers, for taking part in 

"illegal strikes" and posted their 

names and pictures on a notice 

board. "The arrest and suspension 

of workers will not do the 

sector any good," Joly said. 

She also claimed that trade 

union Office Secretary Joynal 

Abedin had been missing 

since January 14 after he was 

picked up from his Uttara residence. 

Joynal's mother Jahida 

Begum said plainclothesmen 

took away her son. "Give me 

back my son. He was not 

involved with any illegal activities," 

she said. 

Bangladesh seeks 

Indonesia's support 

over Rohingya issue 

DHAKA : Bangladesh has 

sought continued support 

from Indonesia for early solution 

to Rohingya crisis. 

Foreign Minister Dr AK 

Abdul Momen sought the support 

when his Indonesian 

counterpart Retno Marsudi 

phoned him on Wednesday 

congratulating him on his 

appointment as the Foreign 

Minister of Bangladesh, 

reports UNB. 

The Indonesian Foreign 

Minister expressed conviction 

that the friendly relations 

between Bangladesh and 

Indonesia will be augmented 

further based on mutual 

understanding and respect in 

the years ahead, said the 

Foreign Ministry here on 

Thursday. 

Rickshaw puller beaten 

dead in Sylhet; 1 held 

SYLHET : A rickshaw puller 

was beaten to death allegedly 

by a young man over a trifling 

matter at Pirojpur of Dakkhin 

Surma area here on 

Wednesday, reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified 

as Shebul Mia alias Raza, 35, 

son of Karam Ali of Akilpur 

village in Bishwanath upazila. 

Khairul Fazal, officer-incharge 

of Dakkhin Surma 

Police Station, said that Raza 

had an altercation with Sohel, 

son of Ainullah of Pirojpur village, 

at a grocery shop of one 

Ahad over a trifling matter 

around 9:30 pm. 

Int'l community assures Bangladesh 

of continued support 

DHAKA : The international community 

has assured Bangladesh of continuing its 

support to Bangladesh in every possible 

way to achieve Bangladesh's development 

goals ensuring its peace, progress and 

prosperity, reports UNB. 

"We promised our supports, cooperation 

and also the collaboration for the development 

of this country-progress, prosperity 

and peace of Bangladesh. So, whatever we 

can we'll do," said Dean of Diplomatic 

Corps and Ambassador of Vatican to 

Bangladesh Archbishop George Kocherry 

on Thursday. 

The Ambassador conveyed it to Foreign 

Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on behalf 

all diplomats stationed in Dhaka during a 

briefing at State guesthouse Padma here in 

the afternoon. 

The new Foreign Minister invited all the 

ambassadors, high commissioners and 

CDAs to brief them about his plan. 

Ambassador Kocherry said Foreign 

Minister Dr Momen shared his ministry's 

plan, including Rohingya issue and economic 

diplomacy. 

"I would say it's a friendly talk to get to 

know each other. He was telling his plan 

and how he can promote the name and 

fame of Bangladesh in the international 

field," he said. 

Responding to a question, the Dean of 

Diplomatic Corps said the Foreign 

Minister mentioned the Rohingya issue as 

one of the "serious" issues Bangladesh is 

facing now. 

Bangladesh is giving much importance 

to economic diplomacy and the issue also 

came up in the briefing apart from other 

issues. 

The Vatican envoy said there was no 

question-answer but the Foreign Minister 

only explained his plan and he, on behalf 

of all diplomats, expressed gratitude and 

congratulated the new Foreign Minister. 

"That's all." 

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M 

Shahriar Alam, Foreign Secretary M 

Shahidul Haque and other senior officials 

of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also 

present at the briefing. 

This was the first such briefing after the 

11th parliamentary election and formation 

of the new government led by Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina for the third conservative 

term. 

The maiden briefing of the Foreign 

Minister was attended by 55 members of 

the diplomatic community, including 

Ambassadors, High Commissioners, 

Consul General of all the foreign missions 

and representatives from the UN Offices 

based in Dhaka. 

The Foreign Minister sought cooperation 

from the international community in 

fulfilling election manifesto of the government 

of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 

Minister Momen referred to the achievements 

made by the government of Sheikh 

Hasina over the last decade in the field of 

poverty alleviation, improvement of 

maternal and child health, sanitation, foreign 

reserve and infrastructure development. 

He stated that the government would 

continue its journey towards achieving its 

development agenda, articulated in Vision 

2021, Agenda 2030 and Vision 2041 

through successful application of economic 

diplomacy. 

He sought support, cooperation, collaboration 

and partnership of all the members 

present at the briefing to build the Sonar 

Bangla (Golden Bengal) as dreamt by 

Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur 

Rahman. 

RAB arrested 5 members from different areas of the capital on Wednesday in allegation of opening fake 

Facebook id in the name of Prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members. Photo: Star Mail 

10 pc GDP growth achievable 

in 5 years, experts say how 

DHAKA : Although the government 

expressed the hope before the 

December-30 election to achieve10 

percent GDP growth by 2021, noted 

economists have said it will bevery difficult 

to achieve it within the time but it 

is possible in five years, reports UNB. 

They said 10 percent Gross Domestic 

Product (GDP) growth will be within 

the reach in the next five years if some 

obstacles can be removed as soon as 

possible. 

Attaining the target depends on how 

quickly Bangladesh can resolve the 

challenges, the economists said suggesting 

that foreign and local investments 

be increased and the activities of 

Economic Zones should start immediately. 

In anexclusive interview with Nikkei 

Asian Review published on December 

19 last, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

said Bangladesh's strong economic 

growth will not just continue, but accelerate. 

"In the next five years, we expect 

annual growth to exceed 9 percent and, 

we hope, get us to 10 percent by 2021," 

she had told. 

"To achieve 10 percent GDP growth 

is not impossible but challenging," AB 

Mirza Azizul Islam, former finance 

adviser to a caretaker government, told 

UNB. 

"Many countries have achieved the 

double-digit growth. We can also do 

but we've to overcome many challenges. 

We should resolve those first. 

Export earnings have to increase, priority 

should be given to remittance utilisation 

and investment must be 

enhanced," he said. 

Mentioning that the transport development 

will play an important role to 

this end, Mirza Aziz underscored the 

need for giving more emphasis on that. 

He also said the country's private sector 

will have to come forward to 

achieve the target. 

According to the Prime Minister's 

recent statement, Bangladesh will be a 

middle-income country in 2021, the 

year when the Golden Jubilee of the 

country's independence will be celebrated. 

In 2041, the country will 

emerge as a developed one when the 

poverty rate will come down to zero. 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh will be the 

world's 26th largest economy by 2030, 

according to the projection of leading 

multinational bank HSBC. 

Commerce Ministry sources said the 

government set the export target at $ 

39 billion for fiscal year 2018-2019, 

7.14 percent higher than last 

year's$36.66 billion,following a proposal 

sent by the Export Promotion 

Bureau (EPB) recommending a $40 

billion export target. 

Economists are largely happy with 

the country's economic progress in 

recent years. They are optimistic that 

the economic growth will further 

increase rapidly in the seemingly stable 

environment following the 11thnational 

election. 

Khondokar Ibrahim Khaled, former 

Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank, 

said 10 percent GDP growth could be 

attained within the next five years if the 

investment is increased, particularly 

foreign one. There are reasons for 

being optimistic that foreigners will 

now be more interested to invest here 

seeing the peaceful environment prevailing 

after the election, he said. 

"Foreign investors face hassle in our 

country in various ways, especially at 

the airport. This must be sorted out. 

They've to be provided with more facilities, 

including quick service. Then 

they'll be more interested to invest here 

and this will play a role in achieving the 

goal," he said. 

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

18-01-2019

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