28-01-2019

MonDaY 

Dhaka : January 28, 2019; Magh 15, 1425 BS; Jamadi-ul awal 21,1440 hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; No.04; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

international 

Canada's prime 

minister fires his 

ambassador to China 

>Page 7 

art & culture 

New Branch of 

Star Cineplex at 

Dhanmondi 

>Page 8 

sport 

Chase 8-fer powers 

Windies to record 

win against England 

>Page 9 

Shape up or ship out, PM's 

warning to doctors, nurses 

Two Bangladesh 

origin US cops 

awarded in NY 

DHAKA : Bangladesh Consulate 

General in the US in a special ceremony 

on Saturday awarded two Bangladesh 

origin New York Police officers for their 

bravery while performing duties. In a 

breviary act, police officer Sayeed Ali, a 

US Army combat veteran who served in 

Iraq and Afghanistan-had no trouble 

fending off five homeless vagrants with 

his baton, and his feet in a subway 

recently that enlighten the name of 

Bangladesh, reports UNB. 

The other officer-Khandaker 

Abdullah-was honoured for being promoted 

as captain of New York Police 

Department (NYPD) among the others 

Bangladeshi America which is also 

very prestigious for Bangladesh. 

Bangladesh Permanent Representative 

to the United Nations Ambassador Masud 

Bin Momen, NYPD Commissioner's representative 

Deputy Chief Charles Scholl, 

Executive Officer of Patrol Borough 

Brooklyn South, Bangladeshi -American 

Police Association president Sujat Khan 

and General Secretary Humayun Kabir, 

among others, were present at the ceremony. 

Zohr 

05:25 AM 

12:10 PM 

04:03 PM 

05:45 PM 

07:00 PM 

6:41 5:42 

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina on Sunday issued a strict warning 

to government physicians and 

nurses to do their respective duties 

properly or quit their jobs, reports 

UNB. 

"The Ministry of Health should conduct 

a survey to find out how many 

patients go to government hospitals and 

why doctors are not found present in 

hospitals (district and upazila levels), if 

the transferred doctors do not engage in 

service then put them aside after making 

them OSDs, we don't need them; 

we'll appoint new doctors," she said. 

The Prime Minister came up with the 

warning while visiting the Health and 

Family Welfare Ministry at the 

Bangladesh Secretariat. 

She said there is an attitude among 

nurses that they will not serve patients 

as they have been promoted to secondclass 

jobs. "No, this is not going to happen, 

they must serve (patients), we are 

giving them such honour so that they 

serve. Nurses are not supposed to just 

provide medicines to patients." 

The Prime Minister said making the 

nurses as second-class employee does 

not mean the government has to create 

another level of staff for providing services 

to patients. "We don't need that 

second class... whoever comes up with 

such an attitude that person doesnt 

need to be there in the job; this is my 

clear-cut words," the PM warned. 

Regarding the allegations that the 

doctors are not attending their duties in 

government hospitals across the country, 

Sheikh Hasina asked the authorities 

concerned to introduce biometric 

attendance system in all hospitals to 

ensure 100 percent presence of the 

physicians. 

She also put emphasis on bringing all 

the hospitals under the CC camera surveillance 

for ensuring the security of 

doctors and nurses. Hasina asked the 

doctors and nurses to pay due attention 

when a patient comes to a hospital. 

"Doctors must develop a service-oriented 

attitude." 

Talking about the private practice by 

physicians, Hasina said doctors in 

Bangladesh can carry out private practice 

unlike many countries in the world 

where government physicians are not 

allowed to do private practice. 

She asked the Health Ministry to 

introduce the BSMMU system in all 

district hospitals where the doctors will 

be able to do their private practice in 

Education at classrooms to be 

ensured at any cost:ACC chief 

CHATTOGRAM : Anti-Corruption 

Commission Chairman Iqbal Mahmood 

on Sunday said education will be 

ensured at classrooms 

at any 

cost, reports 

UNB. 

"No one will be 

allowed to play 

drakes and ducks 

with the education 

of our children. 

Education 

have to be 

ensured at classrooms 

at any 

cost," the ACC 

chief told 

reporters after a 

sudden visit to 

Kattoli Nurul Haque Chowdhury Primary 

School in the port city at 9:15 am. 

If required, the ACC will enforce section 

166 of the Penal Code if anyone tries 

to harm the future of our next generation, 

said the ACC chairman to 

guardians. 

Without any prior notice, the ACC 

chief arrived here around 8:15 am and 

inspected several schools of the port city 

after being informed that the teachers of 

government hospitals after 'their office 

hours. 

The Prime Minister said those who 

will not do private practice the government 

may give them special incentives. 

"We can also think about it." 

Hasina said there are allegations that 

some doctors after their office hours 

carry out surgeries in private hospitals 

till late night. "How will they take care 

of patients in public hospitals in the 

morning? Attention should be given to 

this as well." 

She also asked the officials concerned 

to upgrade the curricula so that the 

doctors of the country can be at par 

with other doctors of the world. 

The Prime Minister asked the Health 

Ministry to enhance the surveillance on 

the private medical colleges to make it 

sure that the students may have proper 

education so that they could be good 

doctors. 

She also asked the officials concerned 

to look into the matter of clinical waste 

management with due importance. 

Health and Family Welfare Minister 

Dr Zahid Maleque and State Minister 

for Health and Family Welfare Dr M 

Murad Hasan were, among others, 

present. 

most of the schools do not attend classes 

regulary. 

During his visit, he found only the acting 

headmaster among eight teachers of 

Kattoli Nurul Haque Chowdhury 

Primary School was present at a 

school.The guardians expressed their 

frustration to the chairman. 

Later, he visited Bhatiari Government 

Primary School and found nine out of 

eleven teachers present on time. 

The school authority, however, also 

could not inform the ACC chairman 

the reason behind the absence of the 

teachers. 

Examining the attendance book, the 

ACC chief found that the students who 

remained absent on Saturday were 

shown present yesterday. Besides, teachers 

did not update the attendance sheet 

till 10pm. 

Later, he went to inspect Shitolpur 

High School and found that the students 

who failed to pass the class-IX final 

examination were allowed to take admission 

in class X after paying an extra fee of 

Tk 2,000. 

Expressing anger over the matter, 

Iqbal Mahmood said, "It's immoral. 

There can be no place for immorality in 

the education field." 

The passers-by crossing the rail-line riskily. The Photo was taken from Karwan Bazar rail crossing on Sunday. 

Photo: Star Mail 

During the illegal eviction from the both sides of rail line near Das Lane of the capital city, a vital portion of a school 

was broken. This is why, students of the school are now attending in the class under the open sky. Photo: Star Mail 

People rejected 

BNP for 'negative' 

politics : Quader 

NOAKHALI : Road Transport and Bridges 

Minister Obaidul Quader on Sunday said 

people have rejected BNP for its negative 

politics. "There's no new thinking about 

BNP as the country's people have rejected 

it for their negative politics and cast their 

votes to make Sheikh Hasina victorious," 

said Obaidul while speaking at a rally held 

at Hatiya Dwip Government College 

ground in Hatiya upazila. 

The government will take initiatives to 

resolve the problems of the residents of 

Hatiya, including steps to check river erosion, 

setting up electricity lines and road renovation, 

he said, adding, "Steps will be taken 

to construct blocks for checking river erosion 

in the upaizla by March 15." 

Crude bombs blasted at 

six places in Jashore 

JASHORE : In an organized way, miscreants 

blasted crude bombs at different 

places of the town including residences 

of Jashore-3 MP Kazi Nabil 

Ahmed and some other senior Awami 

league leaders early Sunday creating 

panic among the locals, reports UNB. 

Nobody was injured in the attack, 

said Apurba Hasan, officer-in-charge of 

Kotwali Police Station. Later police 

recovered remains of the blasted crude 

bombs from the scenes, he added. 

The first blast took place in front of the 

residence of Kazi Nabil Ahmed MP 

around 2:30 am. Then the miscreants 

exploded bombs near Hotel Jabir Intl, 

owned by district Awami League General 

Secretary and Sadarupazilachairman 

Shahin Chaklader. 

Dohazari-ghumdhum 

rail line to connect China, 

Malaysia: Minister 

ChATTogrAM CorrESPoNDENT 

Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam 

Sujan on Sunday said the Dohazari- 

Cox's Bazar-Ghumdhum rail line project 

will connect China, Malaysia and 

Thailand in the future. 

"We're considering expanding the 

Cox's Bazar-Ghumdhum-Myanmar 

railway project to China, Malaysia and 

Thailand in the future," he said while 

exchanging views with high officials at 

the Railway East Zone headquarters. 

Mentioning that primary work on 

the feasibility study on a 'high-speed 

train' service on the Dhaka- 

Chattogram railway route has already 

completed, the minister said people 

can travel from the port city to Dhaka 

within 69 minutes with a short break 

while within 59 minutes without any 

break. 

"Work on the feasibility study on the 

high-speed train service from Dhaka 

to Chattogram has started. The primary 

study report has reached me. 

This train will reach Chattogram from 

Dhaka via Narayanganj, Cumilla and 

Feni," he said, adding that a special 

rail line will be set up for this. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has 

Full-pledged list of 

freedom fighters 

by Mar 26 

GAZIPUR : Liberation War Affairs 

Minister AKM Mozammel Haque 

has said a full-pledged list of freedom 

fighters will be announced by 

March 26 this year, reports BSS. 

He made the announcement at a 

function at the Andarmanik 

Abdullah Model Public School and 

College at Kaliakair upazila in the 

district on Saturday. 

Mozammel said, "BNP should 

accept verdict of the people in the 

11th parliamentary election….. they 

(BNP) have failed to get favour of 

the people in the general election. 

So, the party should respect the verdict 

of the people." 

BNP is resorting to falsehood over 

the parliamentary election to misguide 

the people in the country, he 

added. 

About participation of BNP in 

upcoming upazila polls, the minister 

said, "It is completely BNP's 

internal matter." 

Leaders and activists of Kaliakair 

upazila unit of Awami League, representatives 

of local government 

bodies and officials concerned, 

among others, were present at the 

function. 

taken a number of plans that will be 

implemented till 2030 to bring back 

the tradition of railway, Sujan said. 

"That's why the internal railway communication 

system is being strengthened." 

He also said work is on to revive the 

rail routes with India that were closed 

after the India-Pakistan war. 

Replying to a query about the construction 

of a bridge over the 

Karnaphuli River at Boalkhali- 

Kalurghat, the minister said the proposal 

got stuck following a technical 

problem. 

He, however, said the problem will 

be resolved soon. "We'll place it before 

the Prime Minister when she visits the 

Railway Ministry and work as per her 

directives." 

'Silver Discoverer' 

arrives at Mongla 

port with 61 tourists 

BAGERHAT : 'Silver Discoverer', a 

cruise ship operated by Silver Sea 

Cruise, arrived at Mongla port here 

on Sunday with 61 tourists from five 

different countries to visit the 

Sundarbans, a Unesco world heritage 

site, reports BSS. 

Durul Huda, a harbour master 

commander of Mongla Port, said 

'Silver Discoverer' anchored at the 

port in the afternoon with 61 tourists 

from the USA, India, France, Canada 

and the Netherlands and 92 crew 

members on board. They will stay 

here for three days as part of a tour 

jointly arranged by Bangladesh's 

Journey Plus and Pugmark Tours. 

The tourists are scheduled to visit 

Dhangmai Dolphin Sanctuary, 

SundarbansHarbaria Forest office, 

Watch tower, Harbaria canal, 

Harmal canal and Churaputia on 

Monday while Tikona Island, 

Kokilmoni canal and Alorkol on 

Tuesday and Hironpoint and Watch 

Tower on Wednesday. 

They will leave for Yangoon in 

Myanmar on Thursday. 

Nazrul Islam, chief executive and 

owner of Pugmark Tours and 

Travels, said they will provide all 

kinds of logistic supports to the 

tourists and eight guides will accompany 

them. 

Earlier, Silver Discoverer visited 

Maheshkhali Island and the 

Sundarbans twice in 2017 carrying 

162 foreign tourists from 17 countries. 

Bangladesh Forest Department 

will provide necessary security to the 

foreign tourists alongside Pugmark 

Tours.

NEWS 

MoNDAY, 

JANUArY 28, 2019 

2 

Unidentified miscreants conducted bomb attack to the houses of Parliament Member, Jashore-3 Nabil 

Ahmed and General Secretary of Jashore district unit Shahin Chaklader. 

Photo : Star Mail 

Conservatives say Trump caved, 

but confident he'll get wall 

No retreat, no surrender is how 

President Donald Trump frames his 

decision to temporarily reopen the 

government while still pursuing a 

border wall deal, reports UNB. 

Some of his conservative backers have 

a different take: "pathetic" and "wimp." 

Other Trump supporters seem willing 

to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, 

yet they insist that any ultimate 

government funding deal the president 

signs must include money for a wall. 

Trump defended himself Saturday 

from the conservative backlash to his 

decision to end the 35-day-old partial 

government shutdown - the longest in 

U.S. history - without money for his 

promised border wall. He said if he 

didn't get a fair deal from Congress, the 

government would shut down again on 

Feb. 15 or he would use his executive 

authority to address what he has 

termed "the humanitarian and security 

crisis" on the southern U.S. border. 

After he announced his decision, a 

New York newspaper headline dubbed 

him "CAVE MAN." 

Conservative commentator Ann 

Coulter, a big wall supporter, called 

Trump the "biggest wimp" ever to 

occupy the Oval Office. A conservative 

news outlet, Breitbart, dubbed Trump's 

announcement on Friday a "short-term 

surrender to Democrats." 

Trump insists he didn't cave to 

anyone and said the standoff with 

Democrats was far from over. 

"Negotiations with Democrats will 

start immediately," Trump tweeted on 

Saturday. "Will not be easy to make a 

deal, both parties very dug in. The case 

for National Security has been greatly 

enhanced by what has been happening 

at the Border & through dialogue. We 

will build the Wall!" 

Earlier, Trump tweeted: "This was in 

no way a concession. It was taking care 

of millions of people who were getting 

badly hurt by the Shutdown with the 

understanding that in 21 days, if no deal 

is done, it's off to the races!" 

Conservative commentator Ann 

Coulter, a big wall supporter, called 

Trump the "biggest wimp" ever to 

occupy the Oval Office. A conservative 

news outlet, Breitbart, dubbed Trump's 

announcement on Friday a "short-term 

surrender to Democrats." 

Trump insists he didn't cave to 

anyone and said the standoff with 

Democrats was far from over. 

"Negotiations with Democrats will 

start immediately," Trump tweeted on 

Saturday. "Will not be easy to make a 

deal, both parties very dug in. The case 

for National Security has been greatly 

enhanced by what has been happening 

at the Border & through dialogue. We 

will build the Wall!" 

Earlier, Trump tweeted: "This was in 

no way a concession. It was taking care 

of millions of people who were getting 

badly hurt by the Shutdown with the 

understanding that in 21 days, if no deal 

is done, it's off to the races!" 

Man held for 

'defaming 

Bangabandhu, 

PM' in Sylhet 

SYLHET : Law enforcers on 

Sunday arrested a man for 

'making derogatory 

comments' about 

Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman and Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina and 

spreading their distorted 

pictures through Facebook, 

reports UNB. 

The arrestee is Abul 

Kalam, 52, son of late Amin 

Ullah of Narayanpur village 

in Noakhali district. 

He used to make 

derogatory remarks and 

spread distorted pictures of 

MPs and ministers, said 

Additional Police 

Superintendent and Media 

officer of Rapid Action 

Battalion -9, Md 

Moniruzzaman. 

Acting on a tip-off they 

conducted a drive at 

Lichubagan in the city and 

arrested Kalam, he said. 

A case was filed under 

Digital Security Act with 

Airport Police Station 

against the arrestee, he said. 

Nonagenarian 

woman killed in 

Chattogram fire 

CHATTOGRAM : A 90-year 

old woman was killed and 

six houses were gutted in a 

fire at Dewannagar in 

Hathazari municipality area 

on Sunday afternoon, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Salma Khatun, 

wife of Abdul Gafur of the 

area. 

Md Jashim Uddin, deputy 

assistant director of 

Chattogram Fire Service and 

Civil Defense, said the fire 

broke out following an 

electric short circuit at 

Gafur's house around 1:15 

pm and soon spread to the 

adjacent houses. 

On information, a fire 

fighting unit from Hathazari 

Fire Station rushed in and 

doused the flame after two 

hours of frantic efforts. 

They recovered the 

charred body of Salma 

Khatun from her house. 

The loss caused by the fire 

was estimated at TK 8 lakh, 

he said. 

Couple's throatsilt 

bodies found 

in Nilphamari 

NILPHAMARI : Police 

recovered the throat-silt 

bodies of a couple from a 

house at Khatamadhupur of 

Saidpur upazila on Sunday 

morning, reports UNB. 

The deceased were 

identified as Nazrul, 32, and 

his wife Amena, 22, of the 

area. 

Black workers had long history 

with fed jobs before shutdown 

For Cheryl Monroe and generations of other 

African-Americans, federal government jobs 

have long been a path to the middle class 

and a way to provide a comfortable life for 

their families, reports UNB. 

Then the record-long government 

shutdown hit, making it hard for the U.S. 

Food and Drug Administration chemist 

from Detroit to pay her mortgage. 

"People say 'save for a rainy day' and 

you're always saving, but when there is no 

check, that's a hurricane not a rainy day," 

Monroe said. 

The shutdown that ended Friday left an 

especially painful toll for African-Americans 

who make up nearly 20 percent of the 

federal workforce and historically have been 

on the low end of the government pay scale. 

The federal government played an 

important role in the building of the black 

middle class in the United States, giving 

African-Americans job opportunities that 

weren't always available in the private 

sector. It started during World War II and 

the post-war years when the need for 

manpower was great as large numbers of 

whites were in military-related or warproduction 

jobs. 

These jobs offered African-Americans a 

chance to reach for a "slice of the American 

dream," said Frederick Gooding Jr., African- 

American studies professor at Texas 

Christian University and author of the 

recently published "American Dream 

Deferred: Black Federal Workers in 

Washington, D.C., 1941-1981." 

"One of the pull factors was a good 

government job had stable pay, higher pay 

and benefits in contrast to domestic jobs and 

tough industrial jobs," Gooding said. "After 

the war ended, the federal government 

Khandaker Gulam Sarwar Sium, 

SUST correspondent 

The country's first Bicycle sharing service, 

Jobike, has started its operation in the 

Shahjalal University of Science and 

Technology campus. 

The service was first launched in the 

tourist city of Cox's Bazar in last year. 

Apart from Cox's Bazar, the service has 

already been launched commercially in two 

public universities in Jahangirnagar and 

Chattogram and the capital's Mirpur DOHS. 

The service has been inaugurated in front 

of 'E' Education Bhaban in the SUST campus 

really started to take a look at what it should 

do because many of those black workers 

were still there." 

Gooding said the federal Office of Price 

Administration - which helped regulate the 

economy - made sure opportunities were 

provided for blacks in federal government. 

Many also found jobs in the Postal Service, 

Defense Department and general printing 

office, but the work still primarily involved 

manual labor and "many failed to reach high 

pay," Gooding said. 

"In my experience, there are far fewer 

African-Americans in the higher grades," 

said Monroe, who began her federal 

employment in 1987 with the IRS and is a 

chapter president with the National 

Treasury Employees union. "White people 

have the more lucrative jobs in the 

government. They are able to save, able to 

put money away for six months or a year's 

worth of salary. It's harder for black people. 

We're always starting at the bottom." 

The challenges for black workers at the 

federal level mirror the wage gap in the 

broader economy. The median black income 

in 2017 was $40,258 for black households, 

compared with $65,273 for their white 

counterparts, according to the Census 

Bureau. 

Experts say the wage gap put black federal 

workers at a particular disadvantage during 

the shutdown. 

"African-Americans, despite the 

opportunities, have generally not had all of 

the opportunities that whites have had and 

tend to be more concentrated in the bottom 

half of the federal workforce and are the 

most vulnerable to be hurt in a shutdown 

situation," said Joseph McCartin, a labor 

history professor at Georgetown University. 

The country's first Bicycle sharing service, Jobike, has started its 

operation in the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology 

campus. 

Photo : Khandaker Gulam Sarwar Sium 

Jobike launches operation at SUST 

at 10 am on Sunday. 

Jobike Chief Executive Mehedi Reza told 

that the service will now be available in the 

campus on a pilot basis beginning with 35 

bicycles. 

"We will increase the number of bicycles to 

100-150 by March. Not only in SUST campus 

but also we will spread the services to the 

entire Sylhet city by the end of 2019 if there 

are enough parking places and supports 

from local people and the government," he 

said. 

SUST Vice-chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed 

attended the launching programme and 

welcomed the service. 

GD-151/19 (10 x 4) 

GD-156/19 (6 x 4)

METRO 

MoNDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019 

3 

Congratulating newly formed cabinet members including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a discussion 

meeting and press conference was held at National Press Club. 

Photo : TBT 

Hasan for bringing online media 

under well-equipped policy 

CHATTOGRAM : Information 

Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday 

underscored the need for bringing all 

the online media under a wellequipped 

policy. 

"Online media is a necessity. It's now 

a reality. Simultaneously, fair growth of 

online media is essential," he said, 

speaking as chief guest at the biennial 

conference of Chattogram Press Club 

held at Bangabandhu Conference Hall 

here yesterday afternoon. 

The minister said sometimes, online 

media publish wrong news that can 

potentially defame the state as well as 

individuals. 

"I will discuss the issue with 

journalist leaders and other stake 

holders regarding their registration and 

running under a framework," he added. 

"I have been involved with media 

since my student life and subsequently 

become publicity and publication 

secretary of Bangladesh Awami 

League," he said. 

Responding to different demands of 

the journalists, the Information 

Minister said the much awaited and 

pressing issue of the journalists and 

employees for the ninth wage board 

award will be announced in the 

shortest possible time. 

He said the seven-member wage 

board award committee has been 

restructured with AL general Secretary 

and Road, Bridge and Transport 

Minister Obidul Quader as its 

convenor. 

"The first cabinet meeting of the 

present government has proposed a 

precise proposal to this effect from 

Information Ministry and we are 

working round the clock," he added. 

The minister announced that BTV 

Chattogram centre will air programmes 

for nine hours from the next Pahela 

Boishakh (Bengali New Year on April 

14) and run a 12-hour independent 

transmission centre from December 19, 

to mark the founding anniversary of the 

state-owned BTV Chattogram centre. 

"BTV Chattogram centre will 

gradually be turned into a 24-hour 

terrestrial transmission centre from the 

next year, he added. Speaking about 

journalists' concerned over the Digital 

Security Act, he said that the 

government will work on it so that no 

panic remains among the journalists. 

He also disclosed that the formation 

of national broadcast policy for the 

journalists is also now at final stage. 

Responding to another demand of 

the journalists, the minister said as part 

of the pre-election pledge, his ministry 

will take all efforts to address the 

accommodation problems of the 

journalists. 

Dr Hasan Mahmud said the structure 

of Chattogram will radically be changed 

in the next five years when 

Chattogram-Cox's Bazar rail lines, the 

tunnel under Karnaphuli river, 

development of airport road, Mirsari 

economic zone and marine drive from 

city gate to Mirsari would be 

completed. City Mayor AJM Nasir 

Uddin, in his inaugural speech, urged 

the journalists not to compromise with 

the anti-liberation forces, 

communalism, militancy and drugs. 

CPC President Kolim Sarwar 

presided over the function while former 

CPC President Abu Sufian, Vice- 

President of Bangladesh Federal Union 

of Journalists Reaz Haider Chowdhury, 

Chattogram Union of Journalists 

President Nazim Uddin Shyamol, 

Chairman of Chattogram Journalist 

Housing Society Swapan Mollik and 

CPC general secretary Suklal Das, 

among others, addressed the function. 

CPC joint secretary Chowdhury Farid 

conducted it. 

The annual general meeting of the 

CPC will be held today while election 

will be held on January 30. 

The minister said sometimes, online 

media publish wrong news that can 

potentially defame the state as well as 

individuals. 

"I will discuss the issue with 

journalist leaders and other stake 

holders regarding their registration and 

running under a framework," he added. 

"I have been involved with media 

since my student life and subsequently 

become publicity and publication 

secretary of Bangladesh Awami 

League," he said. 

Responding to different demands of 

the journalists, the Information 

Minister said the much awaited and 

pressing issue of the journalists and 

employees for the ninth wage board 

award will be announced in the 

shortest possible time. 

He said the seven-member wage 

board award committee has been 

restructured with AL general Secretary 

and Road, Bridge and Transport 

Minister Obidul Quader as its 

convenor. 

"The first cabinet meeting of the 

present government has proposed a 

precise proposal to this effect from 

Information Ministry and we are 

working round the clock," he added. 

The minister announced that BTV 

Chattogram centre will air programmes 

for nine hours from the next Pahela 

Boishakh (Bengali New Year on April 

14) and run a 12-hour independent 

transmission centre from December 19, 

to mark the founding anniversary of the 

state-owned BTV Chattogram centre. 

"BTV Chattogram centre will 

gradually be turned into a 24-hour 

terrestrial transmission centre from the 

next year, he added. Speaking about 

journalists' concerned over the Digital 

Security Act, he said that the 

government will work on it so that no 

panic remains among the journalists. 

He also disclosed that the formation 

of national broadcast policy for the 

journalists is also now at final stage. 

Responding to another demand of 

the journalists, the minister said as part 

of the pre-election pledge, his ministry 

will take all efforts to address the 

accommodation problems of the 

journalists. 

Swadhinota Bankers 

Porishod, Sonali Bank 

selects committee for 

Moulvibazar 

DHAKA : The Swadhinota 

Bankers Porishod, Sonali 

Bank has selected its 101- 

member new committee for 

Moulvibazar region with 

senior principal officer 

Sanjay Kumar Dev as its 

new president and principal 

officer M Shahed Ahmed 

Chowdhury as its general 

secretary. 

The outgoing President 

Sanjit Kumar Bonik and 

General Secretary Alauddin 

Tushar in a joint statement 

announced the committee 

for the next two years, said a 

press release. 

Member of Parliament 

from Moulvibazar-3 

constituency Nesar Ahmed 

will be the chief adviser of 

the Committee while 

Moulvibazar Zila Parishad 

Chairman and former MP 

freedom fighter Azizur 

Rahman and deputy 

general manager Dulon 

Kanti Chakrabarty will act 

as the advisers to the 

committee. 

Speaker hands 

over JS building 

design to ARCH 

DHAKA : Jatiya Sangsad 

Speaker Dr Shrirn 

Sharmin Chaudhury 

yesterday handed over the 

architectural plan of 

Parliament Complex 

Building, designed by 

American architect Louis 

Isadore Kahn, to the 

Department 

of 

Architecture (ARCH) and 

the National Archive of 

Bangladesh, reports BSS. 

The main design of 

Bangladesh Parliament 

Complex Building located 

in capital's Sher-e-Bangla 

Nagar, which reached here 

on December 1 in 2016, 

was formally handed over 

to the authorities 

concerned of ARCH and 

the National Archive at 

function here, an official 

release said. 

ARCH Chief Architect 

Kazi Golam Nasir and 

Director General of the 

National Archives of 

Bangladesh Dilip Kumar 

Saha received one set (10 

boxes) from the Speaker on 

behalf of their respective 

institutions. 

Earlier, they also signed 

an agreement with the 

Parliament Secretariat. 

Senior Secretary Dr Zafor 

Ahmed Khan signed the 

deal on behalf of the 

Parliament Secretariat. 

Seminar on SN Bose held at DU 

DHAKA : With a call for conducting more 

research on the field of science and 

technology, a daylong seminar on Satyendra 

Nath Bose was held today at Dhaka 

University campus. 

The Bose Centre for Advanced Study and 

Research in Natural Sciences of DU 

organised the seminar marking the 125th 

birth anniversary of renowned scientist 

Professor Satyendra Nath Bose. 

Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Md 

Akhtaruzzaman addressed the programme 

as the chief guest at the Nabab Nawab Ali 

Chowdhury Senate Bhaban of the DU. 

Prof Akhtaruzzaman stressed the need for 

conducting joint collaborative research on 

science and technology by the teachers and 

students to make Bangladesh a prosperous 

country. 

"Prof Satyendra Nath Bose is best known 

for his work on quantum mechanics. He also 

made outstanding contributions to the 

foundation of Bose-Einstein Statistics," the 

VC said. 

Prof SN Bose made Dhaka University 

known to the world only within few years of 

its establishment in 1921, the VC mentioned. 

The renowned scientist Bose had a wide 

range of interest in varied fields including 

physics, mathematics, chemistry and 

biology. He was one of the founding faculty 

members of DU Physics Department, the VC 

pointed out. 

He urged the young generation to conduct 

scientific research by following the ideal of 

late Prof SN Bose. 

Director of Bose Centre Prof Dr Supriya 

Saha presided over the function while Pro- 

VC (Administration) Prof Dr Muhammad 

Samad, Treasurer Prof Dr Md Kamal Uddin 

and Dean of the Faculty of Science Prof Dr 

Mohammed Abdul Aziz addressed it as 

special guests. 

Govt to bring speciallyabled 

people under central 

database: Palak 

DHAKA : State Minister for ICT Division 

Zunaid Ahmed Palak yesterday said the 

present government is going to bring the 

specially-abled people of the country 

under a central database, a press release 

said. 

"Government has made much progress 

in facilitate Digital Bangladesh, a vision of 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It has 

passed an act to ensure rights and 

protection of specially-abled people in 

2013. We will always be by the side of 

those, who are fighting to defeat their 

disability through hard work," he said. 

The state minister said these while 

inaugurating a special computer course for 

specially-abled people through video 

conferencing at six regional centers 

Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, 

Chattogram and Faridpur from secretariat 

here in the capital. 

"The present government is 

implementing different projects to make 

the specially-abled people self-employed 

and self-reliant by providing them training. 

We will adopt different activities to ensure 

appropriate jobs for them as per their 

abilities," Palak added. 

Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) is 

Prof of DU Physics Department Dr Md 

Kamrul Hassan delivered key-note speech. 

Prof of the Department of Theoretical 

Physics Dr Arshad Momen, Retired Prof of 

the Department of Mathematics of Rajshahi 

University Dr Subrata Majumdar and UGC 

Prof of the Department of Chemistry of DU 

Dr M Muhibur Rahman also addressed the 

function. 

Prof SN Bose was born on January 1, 1894 

and died on February 4, 1974. 

Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Md 

Akhtaruzzaman addressed the programme 

as the chief guest at the Nabab Nawab Ali 

Chowdhury Senate Bhaban of the DU. 

Prof Akhtaruzzaman stressed the need for 

conducting joint collaborative research on 

science and technology by the teachers and 

students to make Bangladesh a prosperous 

country. "Prof Satyendra Nath Bose is best 

known for his work on quantum mechanics. 

He also made outstanding contributions to 

the foundation of Bose-Einstein Statistics," 

the VC said. 

Prof SN Bose made Dhaka University 

known to the world only within few years of 

its establishment in 1921, the VC mentioned. 

The renowned scientist Bose had a wide 

range of interest in varied fields including 

physics, mathematics, chemistry and 

biology. He was one of the founding faculty 

members of DU Physics Department, the VC 

pointed out. 

He urged the young generation to conduct 

scientific research by following the ideal of 

late Prof SN Bose. 

Director of Bose Centre Prof Dr Supriya 

Saha presided over the function while Pro- 

VC (Administration) Prof Dr Muhammad 

Samad, Treasurer Prof Dr Md Kamal Uddin 

and Dean of the Faculty of Science Prof Dr 

Mohammed Abdul Aziz addressed it as 

special guests. 

organising the course under Neuro 

Developmental Disorder Project, which 

will go on till 2020. A total of 20 people will 

take 20-day training in each batch. 

BCC member Md Rezaul Karim, Director 

(training and development) Enamul Kabir, 

Project Director Mohammad Monwar Uj 

Jaman and Deputy Project Director Md 

Golam Rabbani were present, among 

others, on the occasion. 

The state minister said these while 

inaugurating a special computer course for 

specially-abled people through video 

conferencing at six regional centers 

Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, 

Chattogram and Faridpur from secretariat 

here in the capital. 

"The present government is 

implementing different projects to make 

the specially-abled people self-employed 

and self-reliant by providing them training. 

We will adopt different activities to ensure 

appropriate jobs for them as per their 

abilities," Palak added. 

Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) is 

organising the course under Neuro 

Developmental Disorder Project, which 

will go on till 2020. A total of 20 people will 

take 20-day training in each batch. 

†kL nvwmbvi `k©b 

evsjv‡`‡ki Dbœqb 

GD-154/19 (6 x 4) 

GD-155/19 (7 x 4)

EDITORIAL 

MoNDAy, 

JANUARy 28, 2019 

4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

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

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Monday, January 28, 2019 

Formulating policies 

vis-à-vis India 

Many Bangladeshis overlook the fact 

that the reason for India's huge 

advantage in its bilateral trade with 

Bangladesh stems from the superior abilities of 

its producers. Even where the items to be 

produced in the two countries are 

complementary, the Indian producers seem 

to be more efficient and can market their 

produce at notably cheaper prices with equal 

quality in relation to Bangladeshi products. 

Thus, it is no wonder that Indian goods find 

ready access to Bangladeshi markets and the 

trade gap for us grows. 

But there is also another way of looking at it. 

India has become Bangladesh's single biggest 

source for meetings its import requirements 

for various merchandise. One reason is 

proximity or freighting costs from India are 

cheaper or more competitive than from other 

countries for Bangladesh. So, there is a gainful 

aspect in this for Bangladesh even though India 

enjoys a huge upper hand in the bilateral 

trade. But to a large extent this is a natural 

relationship between a superior producer and 

exporter in relation with a significantly weaker 

party in these matters. 

But these issues are not seen with objectivity 

in Bangladesh but are presented to the gullible 

people as if India deliberately practices 

economic imperialism with us. In India also 

similar notions are spread that Bangladesh is 

an unreliable neighbour in many respects 

specially in areas that have implications for 

India's physical security. 

So, it is crucial for the leaderships in both 

countries to get rid of these hypes or discourage 

them effectively and build up their relationships 

based on trust and exact visualization of state of 

affairs between them as they stand and not on 

some highly exaggerated ones. 

It is supremely important for Bangladesh to 

realize that notwithstanding both countries 

needing each other, the onus is more on 

Bangladesh to have correct relations with 

India. India not only surrounds us on all three 

sides, it is overwhelmingly powerful in all 

respects. The lifeline of our economy, the river 

systems, all flow into Bangladesh through 

India. Thus, India has a mighty geographic 

advantage over us and we hardly have a similar 

or matching leverage to face up to India. 

Some may say that Bangladesh has the transit 

factor to bargain with India. But this is only one 

area where Bangladesh has a geographical or 

locational advantage whereas in all other 

geographical senses, India breathes down 

Bangladesh's neck or dominates. India is 

among the first four countries of the world in 

terms of military power. Bangladesh is 

inconsequential by comparison. 

Thus, we just cannot have our way with India 

through keeping alive discords or a 

confrontational stand. Governments will come 

and go in Bangladesh. But we must essentially 

have a united or consensual policy in 

response to India. The major political parties 

in Bangladesh must come to an understanding 

about what that policy will be so that there can 

be continuity of it regardless of changes in 

governance. 

And such a policy needs to be drawn up 

completely unemotionally and constructively 

minus mind-sets or phobias. Of course, the aim 

ought not to be to approach the formation of 

this policy with any prejudice but the goal 

ought to be firmly also not to make any 

concessions if the same is not similarly 

responded by the other side. 

Only villifying India or using anti-Indianism 

to whip up emotions in a bid to win elections 

may lead to short term gains for the 

perpetrators of such politics in Bangladesh. But 

the short, medium and longer term core 

interests of the country will not be helped any 

by such a stance. 

A new relationship with India is waiting to be 

defined and shaped seizing and exploiting 

every opportunity. Clearly we need to acquire 

better specialist capacities to support 

formulation of foreign policies specially vis-àvis 

India. 

Four months ago. Turkish 

President Recep Tayyip 

Erdogan had promised that he 

would liberate the Syrian city of Idlib 

from all terrorists groups by no later 

than October 2018. That agreement, 

reached at the Red Sea resort of 

Sochi, was hailed back then as a 

major breakthrough, sparring the 

city from more bloodshed, and 

Europe, from more refugees. The 

original deadline passed, however, 

and was extended. Still, nothing 

happened. 

On the contrary, the very same 

group that Erdogan had promised 

to destroy - Hayat Tahrir Al Sham 

(HTS) - managed to overrun what 

remained of his proxies in Idlib, 

expelling them to the countryside 

of Aleppo since early this month. By 

mid-January, reinforcements were 

being shipped from Damascus to 

the vicinity of Idlib, threatening to 

carry out what Erdogan had failed 

to deliver. If they do that, all of 

what the world feared will happen 

in the war-torn city in the Syrian 

northwest. A big battle will take 

place, and thousands of refugees 

will flee, either to Turkey or to the 

shores of Europe. 

Very surprisingly, Erdogan has 

neither objected to government 

troop advances nor has his Russian 

counterpart Vladimir Putin. It was 

their joint signature that saved 

Idlib from war last October and it 

will be their joint action that will 

trigger a showdown in Idlib before 

next spring. The two men realise 

that Erdogan bit off more than what 

he could chew on Idlib, and that he 

simply lost interest in the city, 

If the African Union (AU) is to be 

believed, this is the year that the 

African Continental Free Trade Area 

(AfCFTA) really starts to take shape. 

Forty-nine member states have signed up 

to the deal, and 15 of them have already 

ratified it - including South Africa, the 

continent's second-largest economy. 

Only seven more ratifications are 

required before the agreement, finalized 

at the AU's extraordinary summit in 

Kigali, Rwanda, last year, becomes legally 

binding. But businesses planning around 

the deal must be warned: It will only be 

several years later, once all the 

outstanding issues have been negotiated, 

that tariffs and trade barriers may 

actually drop. And that is in the best-case 

scenario. 

The numbers surrounding the 

proposed continental free-trade area are 

staggering. Once in effect, it will be the 

largest trade deal since the establishment 

of the World Trade Organization, 

encompassing 55 countries, 1.2 billion 

people and a combined gross domestic 

product of US$2.5 trillion. The AU's 

figures suggest that it could boost intra- 

African trade by a stunning 52%. 

According to Paul Kagame, president of 

Rwanda and the current AU chairman, 

the deal would rank "among the most 

historic achievements of the African 

Union." The AU's trade commissioner, 

Albert Muchenga, has expressed his 

confidence that the necessary 

ratifications will be obtained before the 

next AU summit, in Addis Ababa on 

February 10-11. "We are welcoming the 

concrete beginning of the journey to 

create one African market," Muchenga 

said last year at the Kigali summit. "We 

are saying goodbye to the era of small, 

Erdogan’s Syria endgame is under way 

despite it being on his wishlist since 

2015. Originally, Erdogan hoped to 

create a huge buffer zone deep 

within Syrian territory, including 

Idlib and other cities like Manbij, 

west of the Euphrates, and Al 

Raqqa, former capital of Daesh in 

Syria. He soon realised, however, 

that was technically impossible - 

mainly, because his partner, Putin, 

will not allow it. 

Al Raqqa was taken by the Kurds 

in 2017 and so was Manbij and then 

it was handed over to the Syrians 

last December. The limits of 

Turkey's buffer zone, in as much as 

what Russia will allow, seems to be 

the cities that he occupied in 2016, 

being Jarablus, Azaz and Al Bab, 

with current plans to expand it and 

include Ras Al Ayn, Kobani, and Tel 

Rifaat. He hopes to dismantle 

Kurdish presence along the 

borderline and carve out an entire 

area that would be immune to any 

Kurdish rebound, where he can 

eventually relocate thousands of 

Syrian refugees who have been 

living in Turkey since 2011. 

SAMI MoUBAyED 

Idlib can neither be connected to 

this buffer zone nor can it serve as a 

separate Turkish protectorate, deep 

within Russia's sphere of influence. 

Many wondered what Putin had 

in store for Idlib, as he transformed 

the city into a hub for global 

terrorists shipped to it from all four 

corners of Syria. He had originally 

wanted to create in Idlib a 

prototype for what he had 

envisioned Syrian cities should look 

Very surprisingly, Erdogan has neither objected to 

government troop advances nor has his Russian counterpart 

Vladimir Putin. It was their joint signature that saved Idlib 

from war last october and it will be their joint action that will 

trigger a showdown in Idlib before next spring. The two men 

realise that Erdogan bit off more than what he could chew on 

Idlib, and that he simply lost interest in the city, despite it 

being on his wishlist since 2015. 

isolated and fragmented small markets. 

"We are clearly signaling that Africa is 

not for isolationism or nationalism. Our 

message to ourselves and to the rest of the 

world is that we pool our independence 

and sovereignty to create a higher value of 

inter-dependency anchored on creating 

one African market." But despite all the 

impressive numbers and the fine 

rhetoric, there is still a long way to go 

before the AfCFTA approaches the 

implementation stage, and major hurdles 

must be overcome before Africa's freetrade 

dream approaches reality. 

The most obvious weak point is 

whether Nigeria intends to participate. 

President Muhammadu Buhari was 

planning to sign the deal, but withdrew at 

the last minute after pressure from trade 

unions (so last-minute, in fact, that his 

convoy was already on the way to the 

airport, en route to the Kigali summit, 

before suddenly turning back). 

Buhari said he needed more time to 

hold consultations, and has subsequently 

tweeted: "We will not agree to anything 

that will undermine local manufacturers 

and entrepreneurs, or that may lead to 

#Nigeria becoming a dumping ground 

SIMoN AllISoN 

like if ruled by the armed 

opposition. He wanted a state that 

would radicalise and send shivers 

down the spine of the international 

community, making the Daeshexample 

in Al Raqqa look civilised. 

In 2016, the Russians looked the 

other way as Erdogan's proxies 

rumbled across the borderline, 

overrunning three major Syrian 

cities, and last February, they took 

the Kurdish city of Afrin. In 

exchange for letting him get just 

that, Erdogan did not lift a finger to 

protect his proxies either in Aleppo 

or East Ghouta, who were defeated 

by the Russian and Syrian armies in 

for finished goods. #AfCFTA." 

There is unlikely to be any further 

clarity on Nigeria's position before the 

presidential election in mid-February. 

Buhari's main opponent, Atiku 

Abubakar, has indicated that he plans to 

sign the free-trade deal should he be 

elected. 

If he wins, however, he will also have to 

do battle with the reluctant trade unions - 

and there is no guarantee that this is a 

battle he would win. The absence of the 

continent's largest economy and most 

populous country would doubtless 

compromise the trade deal's 

effectiveness. 

The other major obstacle is likely to 

prove even more contentious. In order to 

facilitate the signing of the deal, the AU 

agreed to postpone decisions on 

particularly divisive areas such as the 

protocols on competition policy, 

intellectual-property rights and rules of 

origin. In other words, the really tough 

negotiations around the technical details 

of the deal are still to come. 

Tove van Lennep of the Helen Suzman 

Foundation, a South Africa think-tank, 

outlines just how much work remains 

December 2016 and February 2018. 

He will likely do the same in Idlib in 

2019. 

Putin is once again looking 

elsewhere as Erdogan braces 

himself for another battle, this time 

against the Kurds in Kobani and 

Ras Al Ayn. This is where his 

ambition has to stop, say the 

Russians, and in exchange for 

letting him advance against the 

Kurds, he is expected to surrender 

not only Idlib, but neighbouring 

towns and cities like Maaret Al 

Nouman, Jisr Al Shughour and 

Khan Sheukhoun. 

Erdogan is a maverick politician 

with an ambition that knows no 

bounds. He is also a realistic 

statesman, however, who knows 

exactly when to adjust - and how. 

His original plan, of course, was to 

topple the regime in Damascus and 

replace it with allies in the Muslim 

Brotherhood. When that failed, he 

tried snatching Aleppo, but that too 

was obstructed by the Russian 

intervention of 2015. Now he seems 

to have abandoned Idlib as well, 

seeing the Kurdish pockets as far 

more dangerous - to his country's 

national security - than anything 

else in the Syrian battlefield. The 

two groups that were recently 

shipped out of Idlib, Ahrar Al Sham 

and the Zinki Brigade, were 

seemingly brought out of harm's 

way, rather than defeated by HTS. 

Erdogan needed them elsewhere, 

for another battle - not against HTS 

but against the Kurds. 

Source: Gulf news 

harsh realities hamper establishment of an African FTA 

Government reforms aim to 

capture up to a quarter of the 

$20 billion that Saudis spend 

overseas on entertainment each year. 

The Saudi government aims to 

increase the entertainment sector 

contribution to the gross domestic 

product (GDP) from 3 percent to 6 

percent, while investment in 

entertainment is forecast to grow 

significantly in the next five years. 

The government attaches great 

importance to the entertainment 

sector. Several government agencies 

organize activities but the government 

has now unified the efforts of all public 

agencies under the umbrella of the 

General Entertainment Authority 

(GEA), which was established by a 

royal decree in line with Vision 2030. 

The entertainment sector is among 

the top job-generating and skillsupporting 

sectors. It has played a role 

in instilling the concept of 

volunteering, and in linking job 

seekers to businessmen. 

Last year the GEA said that 

infrastructure investments over the 

next decade would reach SR240 

The AU's trade commissioner, Albert Muchenga, has 

expressed his confidence that the necessary ratifications 

will be obtained before the next AU summit, in Addis 

Ababa on February 10-11. "We are welcoming the 

concrete beginning of the journey to create one African 

market," Muchenga said last year at the Kigali summit. 

"We are saying goodbye to the era of small, isolated and 

fragmented small markets. 

billion ($64 billion), contributing 

SR18 billion to annual GDP and 

generating 224,000 new jobs by 2030. 

As part of the Public Investment 

Fund (PIF) program, the fund recently 

announced the launch of the 

Development and Investment 

Entertainment Co. (DIEC), with an 

initial capitalization of SR10 billion, 

which will act as an operational body 

as well as an investor in the Kingdom's 

entertainment sector. The company 

will also be responsible for building 

and operating theme parks and 

entertainment villages, with the first 

project to be inaugurated this year. 

The GAE and DIEC have expressed 

their interest in building strong 

relationships and expanding 

networking with international 

companies and individuals with 

experience in planning, development 

and management in entertainment, 

cultural and tourism destinations. The 

Kingdom is particularly interested in 

city planning and development to 

integrate tourism and entertainment, 

and to provide training and capacity 

building for its human resources. 

With government plans to expand 

the entertainment sector, there are 

massive opportunities over the next 

outstanding: "Ministers of trade must 

now submit schedules of tariff 

concessions and specific commitments 

on trade in services to the Assembly at the 

32nd AU summit in Addis Ababa [in 

February]. These schedules require the 

liberalization of 90% of products by each 

state, as well as a list of sensitive products 

that are to be temporarily exempted. 

"For trade in services, scheduling will 

call for a deep review of the regulatory 

framework of the identified sectors, in 

view of preparing, sub-sector by subsector, 

mode by mode, the initial market 

access offers [that] will then be subject to 

negotiations. 

"The second phase will establish the 

rules for continental investment, 

intellectual property and competition 

policy, the latter critical for restraining 

monopolies in larger economies. The 

deadline for this phase is January 2020." 

Given that there are at least 49 

countries involved in these upcoming 

negotiations, that deadline seems 

ambitious, to say the least. 

The AfCFTA is a compelling idea, and 

one that has captured the imagination of 

African leaders - as evidenced by their 

widespread agreement to the concept. 

But to obtain that agreement, the AU has 

so far avoided the really difficult 

conversations around the nitty-gritty of 

the deal. These conversations have the 

potential to derail the trade deal, and are 

almost guaranteed to drag on for far 

longer than the 12 months that have been 

allocated. For now, then, businesses are 

advised not to bank on the 

implementation of a continental freetrade 

area any time soon. 

Source : Asia times 

That’s entertainment: New opportunities to enjoy KSA 

BASIl M.K. Al-ghAlAyINI 

As part of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) program, the fund recently 

announced the launch of the Development and Investment 

Entertainment Co. (DIEC), with an initial capitalization of SR10 billion, 

which will act as an operational body as well as an investor in the 

Kingdom's entertainment sector. The company will also be responsible 

for building and operating theme parks and entertainment villages, 

with the first project to be inaugurated this year. 

decade for international companies. 

These opportunities can be found in 

areas such as integrated solutions for 

theatrical productions, broadcasting, 

gaming, software and applications, 

development of theme parks, resorts, 

hotels and restaurants. 

And since the government is seeking 

to increase the participation of its 

citizens in sports from 13 percent to 40 

percent by 2030, investment 

opportunities in sports facilities and 

games solutions are expected to 

increase, creating more chances for 

private and foreign partnerships. 

Consulting, operations, event 

planning and promotion, training and 

human resources development and 

transportation can also add value to 

public entertainment and provide 

prospects for international companies. 

This shifting landscape will continue 

to create exciting opportunities for 

established players and emerging 

professionals alike. 

Source : Arab news

LAW & PUBLIC MOnDAy, 

JAnuAry 28, 2019 

5 

This week Your Legal Adviser is 

A.B.M Shahjahan Akanda (Masum) 

Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh. 

He is the Head of the chamber of a renowned law firm, 

namely, 'Law for Nations', which has expertise mainly in 

banking law, tax law, commercial law, corporate law, family 

law, employment and labor law, land law, constitutional law, 

criminal law and in conducting litigations before courts of 

different hierarchies. He can be reached at - cell: 01711459590, 

E-mail: law.abm@gmail.com. 

LegAL Query : 

Dear Sir, Assalamu Walaikum, 

We have started a voluntary organization to 

work on law and legal system of Bangladesh 

particularly on youth leadership and preaching of 

law. The name of organization is "Law Mate" and 

it started its journey in December, 2016. What 

should we maintain now and in future to keep its 

operation lawfully? 

Thanking You. 

Chowdhury Tanbir Ahamed Siddique 

Co-founder, Law Mate 

LegAL OpiniOn- 

Thanks for your query. Actually, the registration 

process solely depends on the nature and scope of 

operation of your organization. If the organization runs 

as that of a private organization, then it must have to 

obtain registration from the office of the Registrar of 

the Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC). Firstly, 

you need to apply for name clearance from RJSC. If the 

name of your organization is available or if the name is 

not similar with any other organization, then after 

depositing the name clearance fees prescribed by the 

authority you can apply for name clearance certificate. 

After examining the name of your organization, the 

RJSC authority has the discretion to accept or reject 

your application. Secondly, after obtaining the name 

Safe environment Legal 

Human rights 

SAyeD CHOwDHury 

Both of two school and Madrasah has 

sufferer for unconditional waste 

management in Dhaka Mymenshing 

Highway on the river side of 

Lobolong sagor at sub cannel of 

Dukhola khal. The students of the 

two educational institutes are 

passing class time by the inadequate 

difficulties. To great Loss of this 

waste is the agricultural land of 

Lallong Sea, the navigability of the 

Lallong Sea, the health of the people 

of side of the lobolong sea river and 

underground water also! 

Sustainable development on one 

side and pollution on the other side, 

is not a equal of sustainable 

development! Due to despondency at 

the time of modern and digital timea 

municipality has to enter the waste 

hill! For children rights to cure life. 

waste shall be managed way to very 

smoothly and to take necessary step 

to waste recycling by the authorities. 

Environmental law says; No 

Organic, Hazardous waste to keep in 

a open space or the road side area. 

But The actual picture is different. 

Road side waste dumping is common 

picture in Bangladesh. Many student, 

patient, old men to cross the road 

side and they are feeling very 

uncomfortable and very uneasiness 

that the bad smell of waste. 

That is why both the schools of 

Sreepur and the children of 

madrasha stood in the streets Dhaka 

Mymenshing High way by pressing 

the nose in protest. It's Our shame! 

Now waste is biggest problem in 

our country as well as whole of the 

world! So very short time to be take 

necessary step to management of 

waste to right way. Similarly We 

hope very firstly The dirt on the canal 

branch of the Lobolong canal will be 

removed from the scheduled place 

only for children, patient, students, 

agriculture and human health. 

Upazila Corruption Prevention 

Committee, Nodi Poribrajok Dol and 

Student & Human link arrange a 

Human Wall to protect badly waste 

fall in Dhaka to Mymensing 

Highway! 

clearance certificate, you have to apply for registration. 

In the registration process, first thing is to prepare 

memorandum of assocoation and articles of 

association, where you also have to mention the 

executive committee by whom the entire organization 

will run. 

Thirdly, after successfully submission of the 

necessary documents before the RJSC authority, the 

authority will forward the file to National Security 

Intelligence (NSI) for clearance. Then the NSI will 

investigate your office, your executive committee, the 

motto of the organization etc. If the NSI authority 

satisfied that the information submitted before the 

RJSC are true and the motto of the of the organization 

does not conflict with the social norms & values and 

also there is no possibility to to do any act which would 

be treated as anti-social or anti-state activities, then 

they may provide clearance certificate. Finally, after 

obtaining the NSI clearance certificate, you will obtain 

the registration from the office of the Registrar of the 

Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC). 

However, if you intend to accumulate foreign funds at 

a later point of time then registration as a private 

limited company or an NGO would be most feasible 

options for you. For registration as an NGO they have 

to apply to the NGO affairs bureau. There also is 

prescribed form for application.For social service type 

activities, your Law Mate should be registered from 

Department of Social Service. An application in the 

prescribed format shall have to be submitted before the 

review board. 

In fine, this is the prescribed steps you need to follow. 

To join and stand on the streets of 

the children is essentially to use the 

law properly. Because they want to 

get safe, clean environment. 

The big responsibility here is to 

elected representatives. Should be a 

model project run in this country to 

proper waste management and then 

that is the way to future for our next 

healthy generation. 

Our government want to 

sustainable development. So we want 

to get solve our problem from our 

government. The children and 

students are both of organization is 

waiting to fresh air, fresh water and 

also clean environment. The Ministry 

of Education, Department of 

Environment and the Ministry of 

Environment and Forests are 

applying for the solution to find ways 

to solve the problem. 

Executive Member of Upazila 

Corruption Prevention Committee 

And Chemist 

Sreepur, Gazipur. 

Mail: aschowdhury88@gmail.com 

The Transgenders right 

KAMruL HASSAn (nAzMuL) 

A person whose self-identity does 

not confirm unambiguously to 

conventional notions of male or 

female gender we may called 

transgender or mostly common 

word Hijra. According to medical 

eyes, they are such persons whose 

body does not confirm to 

'arbitrarily qualified' criteria either 

that of male or female physique and 

thus, confusing only so far their sex 

is concerned but are human beings. 

Therefore, being a creation of the 

Almighty there is no reason of not 

treating them as human having 

rights, liabilities and other 

privileges that naturally come 

along. Rightly, though from the 

beginning of the 20th century, 

countries of the then British-India, 

Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and 

India began to recognize them as 

third gender . 

The transgender or third gender 

and other words in all of them most 

familiar word is hijra that the word 

'hijra' comes from Semitic Arabic 

root through Urdu-Hindustani 

word means 'leaving one's tribe' 

(Alhawary & Benmamoun, 2005) 

in Bangladesh 

amuse people of a royal palace. It is 

also found in the same scripture 

that Ahiravana offers his life blood 

to goddess Kali (the goddess of 

power) to ensure the victory of the 

Pandavas and was granted the 

boon but as his last wish wanted to 

marry. As no woman would marry 

a man who is going to die within a 

few hours, Lord Krishna assumes 

the form of a woman and marries 

him. The hijras of south India 

claims that Ahiravana is their 

progenitor and call themselves 

aravanis. In the Ramayana, hijras 

are granted a boon by Rama as a 

reward of their devotion and 

possessed the ability to confer 

blessings to newborns and 

newlyweds. In Islam, no different 

rules are found by which hijras can 

practice the religion. In this 

subcontinent hijras incorporate 

Hinduism or Hindu culture. 

Nevertheless, these hijras do not 

hold lower status as Muslims than 

the Muslim men and women 

(Reddy, 2005). 

The Constitution of Bangladesh, 

being solemn expression of the 

peoples' will and the supreme law 

of the land, recognises and 

guarantees its citizens the 

fundamental rights in order to 

protect their life, liberty and 

property. In these endeavours, 

sovereign legislate various 

municipal laws to ensure 'legal 

rights' in line with constitutional 

commitments and pledges. 

Although, at times they lack behind 

or could not leave up to common 

expectations and required need, 

and this is where the gap exists, 

which in most cases, are the cause 

of social discontent and 

resentment. In the Indian subcontinent, 

citizens are governed by 

their own personal laws (unlike 

western world) in relation to family 

matters as well as inheritance and 

succession. There is fallacy that 

rights of the Hijras are not 

specifically defined, specially the 

right of inheritance. However, 

authoritative jurist by construing 

the teaching of Sunnah, Izma and 

Qiyas opined that in Islamic 

jurisprudence, there are provisions 

to determine the gender of such 

human beings and once that can be 

done, inheritance is matter of 

calculation only (since the laws of 

inheritance is gender-based under 

most of the personal laws). 

AHijra will be characterised as a 

male when he has sexual 

associations with his male 

reproductive organ, has capabilities 

of nocturnal discharge like men, is 

inclined to woman, produces facial 

hair and his testimony of his innerself. 

On the other hand, when a 

Hijra has sexual affairs with her 

female reproductive organ, 

becomes pregnant, practices 

menstruation, experiences growth 

of breasts like women along with 

lactation will be considered as 

female and thus, once the gender 

can be determined, the Hijra will 

succeed as male or female 

accordingly in all cases. However, if 

nothing or all of the above 

symptoms occurred, then such 

person will not be assigned a 

gender rather be termed as 

hermaphrodite difficulty/ 

'khunthamushkil' and here exists 

difference of opinions amongst 

Islamic jurists as to their share of 

inheritance [according to Hanafi 

School, they always would inherit 

lesser of the male or female share, 

whichever share is smaller, either 

as male or female while Abdullah 

bin Abbas (RA) opined that they 

will get half of the combined shares 

(both as male and female), hence 

making it as average share], but no 

disagreement on the issue that 

Hijras would have rights of 

inheritance as discussed above 

The Constitution of Bangladesh, being solemn expression 

of the peoples' will and the supreme law of the land, 

recognises and guarantees its citizens the fundamental rights 

in order to protect their life, liberty and property. In these 

endeavours, sovereign legislate various municipal laws to 

ensure 'legal rights' in line with constitutional commitments 

and pledges. Although, at times they lack behind or could 

not leave up to common expectations and required need, 

and this is where the gap exists, which in most cases, are the 

cause of social discontent and resentment. 

and has been borrowed into Hindi. 

This Indian usage of the term 'hijra' 

has been translated into English as 

'eunuch' or 'hermaphrodite' which 

mainly means irregularity of male 

genitalia. Basically they are born 

with male physiology; some of 

them are born with male intersex 

variations (Nanda S. , 1999). Hijras 

are considered as 'third gender', 

'third sex' or in the language of their 

most widely known ethnographer, 

Serena Nanda, "Neither men nor 

Women". A generic description of 

Hijras might read something like 

this: they are socio-biological males 

who present women-like within a 

shifting constellation of meaning. 

The frequently derogatory use of 

the term Hijra and its synonyms 

has contributed to the circulation of 

regional terms such as aravani and 

kinnar; especially around the 

Chennai area, aravani is the 

preferred term and kinnar is fast 

gaining popularity in northern 

india as a form of self-identity 

(Puri, 2010). 'Eunuchs', 

'transsexuals', 'effeminate men', 

and most recently 'transgenders, 

these are mobile identities of Hijras 

around the world. In two most 

celebrated epics (The Mahabharata 

and the Ramayana) that are 

accepted as scriptures by Hindu 

people, two different notions of 

hijras are found. In the 

Mahabharata, one of the heroes 

Arjuna takes up a disguise of a hijra 

or eunuch transvestite when he was 

in exile and performs dancing to 

across contemporary Muslim 

world like in Iran, Iraq, Egypt, 

Syria, Kuwait etc. and they made 

provisions to that effect within their 

national legal regime.Under the 

Dayabhaga School (prevailing law 

in Bangladesh) of Hindu 

jurisprudence the inheritance rule 

is also gender-based, and 

accordingly the same conceive that 

as Hijras are not categorised either 

as male or female, they remain 

excluded from inheriting their 

ancestral property. 

Bangladesh constitution already 

committed to promote, protect and 

fulfill the rights of all people 

regardless of sexual identity. This is 

an excellent decision to recognize 

the hijra community as another 

gender. But this recognition is 

nothing more . In the meantime, 

Bangladesh Prime Minister has to 

disclose her desire is that only one 

Hijra can be member of parliament 

on behalf of all Hijra's community 

over all country from women 

parliamentary reserved seats. Who 

will speaks in parliament about 

their right, dignity and various 

issues. Obviously best decision 

for Bangladeshi transgenders 

community if would be implement 

as well. 

The writer is an Advocate 

and Columnist, 

E-mail: khnazmul. 

law@gmail.com

NATIONAL 

MoNDAY, JANuARY 28, 2019 

6 

Pabna Civil Surgeon Dr. Md. Tahajjal Hossain addressed a discussion meeting marking the World 

Leprosy Day in Pabna on Sunday. 

Photo: Abdul Hamid Khan 

Police Service 

Week observed 

in Ashulia 

tUhIn ahmed, aShUlIa CorreSpondent: 

police Service Week 2019 was observed in ashulia on 

Sunday. marking the occasion ashulia police station 

organised a grand colourful rally. 

officer-in-Charge of ashulia police Station Sheikh rizaul 

haque dipu led the rally. the rally was brought out from 

the ashulia police Station which paraded the main streets 

of the town and ended with a brief speech in front of 

ashulia police Station gate. Various awareness festoons 

including 'Say no to eve teasing', 'Say no to terrorism and 

militancy, 'terrorism is the enemy of country and nation 

and 'Say no to child marriage ' was showcased in the rally. 

during the time, ashulia police Station oC 

(Investigation) Jabed masud, SI moniruzzaman molla, SI 

emdad hossain, SI ajaharul Islam, aSI nizam Khan and 

all the police personnel working in ashulia police Station 

were present. 

Honey farming gains 

popularity in Rajshahi 

raJShahI: number of honey harvesters in mustard 

farming fields is increasing gradually as the composite 

farming is being adjudged as lucrative means of boosting 

mustard yield in the region including its vast Barind tract, 

reports BSS. 

honey hunting is being expanded to many new areas every 

year contributing a lot towards employment generation side 

by side with boosting honey production. 

many people have become financially solvent through 

honey harvesting activities. as a whole, honey farming has 

gained popularity in the region as many people attained 

success through commercial honey harvesting. 

Shasthi paharia, 48, a farmer of Kashini gongarampur 

village under Charghat Upazila, has been harvesting honey 

for long 10 years through rearing native bee species 'serena' 

in 12 boxes. Shasthi says both demand and market price of 

honey of native bee species are comparatively high. he is 

hopeful of selling 120 kilograms of honey valued at around 

taka 50,000 with net profit of taka 25,000 this year. 

his success inspires many of his co-villagers for honey 

harvesting. like previous years, ataur rahman, a farmer of 

namajgram village under godagari upazila, remains 

involved in honey harvesting in mustard field since 2000. 

World Leprosy Day celebrated in Pabna 

aBdUl hamId Khan, paBna CorreSpondent: 

World leprosy day was 

celebrated in pabna on Sunday. 

marking the occasion a grand 

colorful rally organized by pabna 

Civil Surgeon office in 

collaboration with lepra 

Bangladesh was brought out which 

paraded the main streets of the 

town. 

later a discussion meeting was 

held at the conference room of the 

Civil Surgeon office which was 

chaired by pabna Civil Surgeon dr. 

md. tahajjal hossain. among 

others, deputy Civil Surgeon dr. 

Km abu Zafar, the Bangladesh 

today Journalist abdul hamid 

Khan, lepra Bangladesh's local 

Coordinator Chanchal Saha, Civil 

Surgeon office program organizer 

nazrul Islam, Field officer of lepra 

Bangladesh Ziaur rahman, lepra 

disease patient alhaj majibur 

rahman and abdul aziz were also 

present at the occasion. lepra 

Bangladesh district Coordinator 

md. Kamrul hasan conducted the 

meeting. 

Civil Surgeon dr. tahajjel 

hossain in his speech said that it is 

better to be aware of tuberculosis 

and leprosy diseases. If everyone 

works together, then leprosy 

diseases will be eliminated from 

Bangladesh permanently. he said 

there are 52 leprosy patients in 

pabna district which is terrible 

information for us. the Civil 

Surgeon said to the representatives 

of lepra Bangladesh to do 

grassroots awareness program. 

deputy Civil Surgeon dr. Km 

abu Zafar said that leprosy is a very 

old disease in the world. earlier it 

was called the curse of the maker. 

Journalist, abdul hamid Khan 

said that in arab history, if 

someone had a leprosy disease 

then he would have been deserted 

in the desert. he used to die slowly 

and there was no treatment for this 

disease. 

at the end of the discussion 

meeting, lepra Bangladesh 

distributed blankets among 28 

leprosy patients. 

In observance of the Police Service Week 2019, Ashulia police station brought out a grand 

colourful rally in Ashulia on Sunday. 

Photo: Tuhin Ahmed 

Benapole Port Police department on Sunday brought out a grand colourful rally marking the Police 

Service Week 2019 in Benapole. 

Photo: Jahirul Islam Ripon 

Police service week observed in Benapole 

JahIrUl ISlam rIpon, Benapole CorreSpondent: 

police service week was observed in 

Benapole port police station with a call 

for cooperation of police and public for 

improvement of the standard of police 

service on Sunday. 

Benapole port police department 

organised the occasion. marking the 

day a rally and a meeting was held at 

police station where Benapole oC 

masud Karim presided and Jashore -1 

seat Sheikh afil Uddin mp was present 

as chief guest. 

While addressing, mp said that 

crime would be eradicated from society 

through introduction of community 

policing. people-police cordial 

relationship would grow through this 

system. 

earlier, a colourful procession was 

brought out in the town. among 

others, Sarsa Upazila Chairman 

Serajul haque monju , Vice chairman 

mahedi hasan ,president of Benapole 

press Club mohsin milon, Bokul 

mahbub and rasedur rahman rasu 

addressed. 

elite businessmen, journalists, 

Union parishad (Up) leaders and 

general people attended the meeting. 

Monir's supporters want to see him 

as the upazila chairman again 

md aBdUl hannan, naSIrnagar CorreSpondent: 

atm moniruzzaman Sarker who is 

current chairman of nasirnagar 

Upazila parishad and long-time 

general secretary of upazila awami 

league. his supporters want to see 

him as the upazila chairman again. 

atm moniruzzaman Sarker monir 

was born on may 4, 1973 at Shrighar 

Sarkar house of the historical 

Burishwar Union of nasirnagar 

upazila. his father is late retired 

government official akter mia Sarkar 

and mother is alatunnesa. monir is the 

fourth among 2 brothers and 3 sisters. 

his education life started from the 

village primary school. he completed 

S.S.C in 1989, h. S.C. in 1991 and 

completed B.a from Brahmanbaria 

government College in 1993. his 

political career began in 2001 when he 

was studying in masters. 

during his study at the government 

College of Brahmanbaria, he was 

elected as the Social Welfare Secretary 

of BCl, later he was elected as 

nasirnagar Upazila Jubo league 

Senior Vice president and president of 

Burishwar Union awami league and 

later was elected as the general 

Secretary of Bangladesh awami 

ATM Moniruzzaman Sarker 

league, nasirnagar Upazila Branch 

and member of Brahmanbaria district 

awami league. In april 2004, monir 

was again elected as the general 

secretary of nasirnagar Upazila awami 

league for the second term and still he 

remained stable in this position. 

during the rule of the Bnp Jamaat 

alliance government in 2003, monir 

contested the first Burishwar Union 

parishad election against then Bnp 

president md. Iqbal Chowdhury and 

won with 6100 votes but he was shown 

defeated forcefully. on 9th June 2011, 

monir again contested in the Union 

parishad election and defeated Iqbal 

Chowdhury with 2726 votes. on 

march 23, 2014, he was elected as the 

Upazila Chairman by defeating his 

Bnp rival by 20705 votes. Since then, 

the parishad and party activities has 

ran with good reputation and 

efficiency. 

moniruzzaman's uncle md. Israel 

government is the first founding 

chairman of Burishwar Union 

parishad. his younger brother is the 

Burishwar Union awami league vice 

president and was elected as the Up 

chairman for two consecutive times. 

his another uncle md mostafa Kamal 

was the former president of awami 

league of lakhoi upazila of habiganj 

district and was Bamei Up Chairman 

from 1992 to 1997. his cousin md. 

murshed Kamal was the former Bamei 

Up Chairman and habiganj district 

awami league nominated zilla 

parishad member. 

he works relentlessly on behalf of the 

party candidate in every election. he 

seeks blessings and support from all in 

upcoming Upazila parishad elections. 

Moulvibazar Social Club distributes 

blankets in Sreemangal 

Private social development organization Society for Development Initiatives (SDI) took part in the 

recently concluded three-day long 'National Vegetable Fair-2019'with safe vegetables produced in 

Savar-Dhamrai area. 

Photo: Abu Fattah 

SDI takes part in National Vegetable Fair with safe vegetables 

aBU Fattah, dhamraI CorreSpondent: 

the three-day long 'national 

Vegetable Fair-2019' ended on Sunday 

at Krishibid Institute Bangladesh (KIB) 

premises in Farmgate, dhaka. 

private social development 

organization Society for development 

Initiatives (SdI) took part in the fair 

with safe vegetables produced in Savardhamrai 

area and with the slogan, "If 

you want to stay safe, eat safe 

vegetables. Use of earthworm fertilizer 

is the protection tool of soil health. In 

order to reduce the use of chemical 

pests, reduce the use of organic 

pesticides. the organzation took part in 

the fair with safe winter vegetables such 

as cauliflower, barley, broccoli, 

pumpkins, tomatoes, carrots and beans. 

It is learnt that with the help of pKSF 

and IFad, the company has been 

manufacturing safe vegetables for a 

long time, along with various social 

development programs in different 

areas. Shamsul haque, executive 

director of the organzation said that 

about two thousand farmers are 

producing these safe vegetables using 

organic fertilizer and sexfermon traps 

in different areas. 

Syed Sayed ahmed, Sreemangal 

CorreSpondent: 

moulvibazar Social Club 

which was formed with the 

inspiration of moulvibazar 

people living in america 

distributed blankets among 

helpless orphans and 

poverty-stricken families in 

Sreemangal on Sunday. 

Sreemangal Upazila 

nirbahi officer md. nazrul 

Islam as the chief guest 

distributed the blankets at 

Sreemangal press Club 

premises. Senior Vice 

president of Sreemangal 

press Club Ismail mahmud 

chaired the occasion and 

local member of 

moulvibazar Social Club and 

treasurer of Sreemangal 

press Club Syed Sayed 

ahmed conducted the 

occasion. among others, 

Upazila Woman's Vice 

Chairman helena 

Chowdhury, Sreemangal 

press Club general Secretary 

md Idris ali, Sreemangal 

Upazila Corruption 

prevention Committee 

general Secretary abdur 

rauf talukder, Sports and 

Cultural Secretary mamun 

ahmad, local member of 

moulvibazar Social Club 

Shamim ahmad and tajul 

Chowdhury, abdul Kaiyum, 

rusheb ahmed, Shoaib 

ahmed, nurul haque, 

journalist mizanur rahman 

alam and md. abdus Shukur 

were also present at the 

occasion. 

the organizers said that 

since the establishment of 

the moulvibazar Social Club, 

it is working for the helpless 

and poor people in different 

upazilas of moulvibazar 

district. and in the future, it 

will continue to work for the 

welfare of the poor. 

Moulvibazar Social Club distributed blankets among helpless orphans and 

poverty-stricken families in Sreemangal on Sunday. 

Photo: TBT

INTERNATIONAL MoNdAy, 

JANUAry 28, 2019 

7 

John McCallum, Canadian ambassador to China, arrives for a cabinet meeting in Sherbrooke, 

Quebec, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. 

(Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP) 

Canada’s prime minister fires 

his ambassador to China 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fired 

Canada's ambassador to China after the 

envoy said it would be "great" if the U.S. 

dropped its extradition request for a 

Chinese tech executive arrested in 

Canada, reports UNB. 

Trudeau said Saturday that he had 

asked for and accepted John McCallum's 

resignation Friday night. 

McCallum made the remark to the 

Toronto Star on Friday. That came a 

day after he issued a statement saying 

he misspoke about the case earlier in 

the week and regretted saying Meng 

Wanzhou has a strong case against 

extradition. 

The arrest of the daughter of the 

founder of Huawei Technologies Ltd. at 

Vancouver's airport Dec. 1 severely 

damaged relations between China and 

Canada. 

The U.S. wants her extradited to face 

charges that she committed fraud by 

misleading banks about Huawei's business 

dealings in Iran "Last night I asked 

for and accepted John McCallum's resignation 

as Canada's Ambassador to 

China," Trudeau said in a statement. 

Trudeau said Jim Nickel, the deputy 

head of mission at the Canadian 

Embassy in Beijing, would represent 

his government in China. He thanked 

McCallum, a former minister in 

Trudeau's Cabinet, for his 20 years of 

public service. 

China detained two Canadians shortly 

after Meng's arrest in an apparent 

attempt to pressure Canada to release 

her. A Chinese court also sentenced a 

Canadian to death in a sudden retrial of 

a drug case, overturning a 15-year 

prison term handed down earlier. 

McCallum told Chinese media in the 

Toronto area earlier in the week that 

the extradition of Meng to the United 

States "would not be a happy outcome." 

He suggested the case was politically 

motivated and said the U.S. could make 

a trade deal with China in which it 

would no longer seek her extradition, 

and two Canadian detained in China 

could then be released. But on Thursday 

McCallum walked back the 

remarks and said he "misspoke." 

Trudeau had earlier dismissed calls to 

fire McCallum, but he clearly had 

enough after the envoy spoke off script 

again. Trudeau and Foreign Minister 

Chrystia Freeland have stressed that 

Canada's government can't interfere 

politically in the case. 

The leader of the opposition Conservative 

Party, Andrew Scheer, said 

McCallum should have been fired days 

ago because his remarks raised concerns 

about the politicization of the 

Meng case. 

Scheer said McCallum caused damage 

to Canada's reputation by delivering 

different messages through different 

media on different days. 

McCallum's remarks surprised many 

and fueled speculation that Canada 

might be trying to send a signal to China 

to reduce tensions. 

Migrant who founded 

Indonesian business 

empire dies 

Eka Tjipta Widjaja, patriarch 

of one of Asia's richest 

families and the founder of a 

sprawling Indonesian conglomerate, 

has died. He was 

97, reports UNB. 

Widjaja passed away on 

Saturday evening, according 

to Gandi Sulistiyanto, a 

managing director at the 

Sinarmas conglomerate. The 

son of migrants from Fujian 

in China, Widjaja was a 

coconut oil trader on the 

Indonesian island of 

Sulawesi in the 1930s before 

building businesses in palm 

oil, pulp and paper and mining. 

Forbes estimated Widjaja's 

fortune at $8.6 billion 

last year, making him 

Indonesia's third-richest 

person and the family 

among the 25 richest in Asia. 

He had several wives and 

according to some reports as 

many as 40 children. 

Sinarmas is known for the 

record $14 billion default of 

its Asia Pulp and Paper business 

in 2001. Earlier this 

decade it became an international 

pariah as Greenpeace 

campaigned. 

Venezuela backtracks on order 

to expel US diplomats 

Nicolas Maduro's government backtracked 

Saturday from its order for U.S. Embassy 

personnel to leave Venezuela, moving to 

defuse tensions with Washington just hours 

after international diplomats traded heated 

rhetoric at a special U.N. Security Council 

meeting on the South American country's 

crisis, reports UNB. 

The socialist president broke relations with 

the United States on Wednesday after the 

Trump administration and many other 

nations in the region recognized opposition 

leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim 

president, a move that Maduro called a "vile" 

coup attempt. 

His order gave U.S. diplomats three days to 

leave the country, but the Trump administration 

said it wouldn't obey, arguing that 

Maduro is no longer Venezuela's legitimate 

president. That set the stage for a potential 

showdown at the hilltop U.S. Embassy compound 

Saturday night, when the deadline 

was to expire. 

But as the sun set on Venezuela's capital, 

the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying 

Maduro's government was suspending 

the expulsion to provide a 30-day window 

for negotiating with the Trump administration 

on setting up a "U.S. interests office" in 

Venezuela and a similar Venezuelan office in 

the United States. The U.S. and Cuba had a 

similar arrangement for decades before the 

Obama administration restored diplomatic 

relations with the communist-run island. 

The State Department did not confirm the 

Venezuelan government's account, reiterating 

only that its priority remains the safety of 

its personnel and that it has no plans to close 

the embassy. "That is true diplomacy," 

Maduro said after reading out the statement 

on national television. 

Earlier in the day, critics and supporters of 

Maduro's government faced off at the U.N. 

Security Council, reflecting the world's deep 

divisions over Venezuela, which is mired in 

political confrontation as well as an economic 

collapse that has caused millions to flee the 

country. 

During the debate, which was requested by 

the U.S., Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 

urged all nations to end Venezuela's "nightmare" 

and support Guaido. He told the 

council it is time to back the Venezuelan people 

as they try to free themselves from what 

he called Maduro's "illegitimate mafia state." 

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia 

charged that the Trump administration is 

trying "to engineer a coup" against Maduro. 

He said Venezuela doesn't threaten international 

peace and security, and he accused 

"extremist opponents" of Maduro's legitimate 

government of choosing "maximum 

confrontation," including the artificial creation 

of a parallel government. 

Nebenzia urged Pompeo to say whether 

the U.S. will use military force. 

Hezbollah leader warns Israel 

over attacks in Syria 

The head of the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon warned 

Israel late Saturday over its continued attacks in Syria, saying 

a miscalculation could drag the region into a war, reports 

UNB. 

Hassan Nasrallah made the comment during a wide-ranging 

interview that lasted more than three hours with the 

Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV station. 

Nasrallah said Iran, Syria and Hezbollah could "at any 

moment" decide to deal differently with Israel's actions in 

Syria and hinted that Tel Aviv might be a target. 

Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 

he said: "Be cautious. Don't continue what you are doing in 

Syria. Don't miscalculate and don't drag the region into a war 

or a major confrontation." 

Nasrallah said circumstances in the region have changed as 

Iran and its allies, including his group, expand their influence 

in the region. This means any war can be on more than one 

front, Nasrallah warned. 

Israel has recently increased its attacks on suspected Iranian 

military targets in Syria, confirming such targeting in a 

shift from its longstanding policy of playing down or not 

commenting on its military activities in the war-torn country. 

Lebanese leader of the Hezbollah movement Hassan Nasrallah. 

Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy, and it has 

repeatedly warned that it will not allow Iranian troops - who 

have been fighting alongside Syrian government forces - to 

maintain a permanent presence in postwar Syria. 

In the latest violence, the Israeli military claimed responsibility 

for a series of airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria last 

Monday, saying it was responding to an Iranian missile 

attack a day earlier. The Iranian launch followed a rare Israeli 

daylight air raid near the Damascus International Airport. 

Nasrallah said Israel has failed to realize what he said are 

its goals in Syria: undermining the Syrian government, forcing 

Iran from Syria and preventing Hezbollah from acquiring 

precision missiles. He also said Netanyahu is the person 

"most disappointed" by U.S. plans to withdraw from Syria 

and cited the pullout as another "failure." 

Nasrallah's appearance followed news reports in Israel and 

elsewhere that his health was failing. He dismissed the 

reports as "lies." 

"I don't suffer from any health problems," said Nasrallah, 

who seemed relaxed and at times joked with his interviewer 

and sipped on tea and water. "I have been active, and I also 

lost weight," he said with a giggle. 

Photo : AP 

Venezuela backtracks on order to expel US diplomats. 

12 immigrant workers 

at Trump golf course 

fired, lawyer says 

A dozen immigrant workers at one of President 

Donald Trump's golf clubs in New York 

who are in the U.S. illegally were fired this 

month even though managers had known 

about their legal status for years, a lawyer for 

the workers said Saturday, reports UNB. 

As the president railed during the partial 

government shutdown against immigrants 

coming into the country illegally, a manager 

at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester 

County called a dozen immigrant workers 

into a room one by one Jan. 18 and fired 

them, said lawyer Anibal Romero. 

Many of them had worked at the club for a 

dozen or more years, he said, and managers 

knew they had submitted phony documents 

but looked the other way. 

"This is bogus. People have been there for 

12, 13, 14 years," said Romero. He added, 

referring to one of the president's sons, "One 

had the keys to Eric Trump's bedroom." 

The firings come after workers at another 

Trump club in New Jersey came forward last 

month to say managers there had hired them 

knowing they were in the country illegally, 

and had even helped one obtain phony documents. 

The crackdown at the New York club was 

first reported by The Washington Post. 

The Associated Press left messages with 

The Trump Organization seeking comment. 

Eric Trump depicted the firings to the Post as 

a normal course of business. 

"We are making a broad effort to identify 

any employee who has given false and fraudulent 

documents to unlawfully gain employment," 

he said. "Where identified, any individual 

will be terminated immediately." 

He added that the "the system is broken." 

Trump has repeatedly cast the millions of 

immigrants in the country illegally as a 

scourge on the health of the economy, taking 

jobs from American citizens. He has said 

they also bring drugs and crime over the border. 

Trump turned over day-to-day management 

of his business to Eric and his other 

adult son, Donald Jr., when he took the oath 

of office two years ago. The Trump Organization 

owns or manages 17 golf clubs around 

the world. 

One man who was fired, a former maintenance 

worker from Mexico hired in 2005, 

told The Post that he started to cry when he 

was told of the news and pleaded with management 

to reconsider. 

"I told them they needed to consider us," 

said Gabriel Sedano. "I'd given the best of 

myself to this job." 

"I'd never done anything wrong, only work 

and work," he added. "They said they didn't 

have any comments to make." 

Romero, who also represents immigrant 

workers at Trump's golf course in Bedminster, 

New Jersey, said he has called New York 

state authorities and the FBI to look into hiring 

practices at the New York club. 

"There was a don't ask, don't tell attitude at 

the club," he said. "We are demanding a full 

investigation." 

U.S. Louisiana shootings leave 

5 dead, suspect at large 

A manhunt is underway in the southeastern 

U.S. state of Louisiana for a man suspected 

in shootings that have left five people dead, 

local authorities said Saturday, reports UNB. 

Dakota Theriot, 21, is wanted in connection 

with the shootings, authorities said. 

Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre told 

a news conference that deputies were called 

to a trailer in the city of Gonzales, about 40 

kilometers southeast of Louisiana's capital 

Baton Rouge, for a "domestic incident" on 

Saturday morning. Upon arrival, deputies 

found Elizabeth and Keith Theriot, both 51, 

who had been shot but were still alive. 

Webre said deputies were able to interview 

one of the victims before they were transported 

to a hospital in Baton Rouge, where 

they later died. From that interview, authorities 

identified the couple's 21-year-old son, 

Dakota, as the "prime suspect in this case." 

He is being sought on first-degree murder 

and other charges. The sheriff said three other 

shooting deaths occurred Saturday in 

neighboring Livingston parishes, about 50 

kilometers east of Baton Rouge. 

Photo : AP 

Palestinian shot 

dead in clashes 

with Israeli settlers 

in West Bank 

One Palestinian was killed 

and another seriously 

injured on Saturday during 

clashes with Israeli Jewish 

settlers in the West Bank, 

according to the Israeli 

Defense Forces (IDF) , 

reports UNB. 

Hamdy Na'asan, a 38- 

year-old Palestinian and 

father of four, was killed by 

gunfire during clashes that 

took place in the area 

between the Palestinian village 

of Al Mughayyir, east of 

the city of Ramallah, and the 

nearby Adei Ad Jewish outpost, 

said IDF. 

A physical confrontation 

evolved between a number 

of Palestinians and an 

Israeli settler, during which 

the settler was injured without 

need for medical treatment, 

IDF added. 

According to the IDF's 

statement, shortly thereafter, 

a conflict erupted 

between Israeli settlers and 

Palestinians in the area, in 

which the settlers fired gunshots. 

IDF and Israeli Border 

Police forces arrived at the 

scene and dispersed the 

"riot." 

This is the second Palestinian 

who was killed in confrontations 

over the weekend 

in the West Bank. On 

Friday, a 16-year-old Palestinian 

was killed by IDF fire 

near the Palestinian town of 

Silwad, east of Ramallah. 

According to the IDF, the 

boy and two of his friends 

threw stones at Israeli 

vehicles.

ART & CULTURE 

MONDAy, 

jANUARy 28, 2019 

8 

Escape Room 

Escape Room is a psychological 

thriller about six strangers who find 

themselves in circumstances beyond 

their control and must use their wits 

to find the clues or die. 

New Branch of Star Cineplex 

at Dhanmondi 

The multiplex cinema hall 'Star Cineplex' 

has started its journey from Saturday in 

Shimanto Shambhar, Dhanmondi. Three 

halls of this cineplex built on the tenth floor 

of Shimanto Shambhar. 

Mejbah Uddin, media manager of 'Star 

Cineplex' said on this matter, "Three 

cineplex halls have been built over a new 

shopping mall named Shimanto Shambhar 

on the border square shopping center of 

Dhanmondi. About 250 viewers will be 

able to view movies on each show. It can be 

used to enjoy all kinds of movies like this 

Bashundhara City Cineplex. 

From Sunday onwards, viewers can enjoy 

movies here. International quality aesthetic 

environment, the latest technology based 

Banksy art stolen in Paris 

An artwork by the British artist Banksy 

painted as a tribute to the victims of the 

2015 terror attack at the Bataclan music 

hall in Paris has been stolen. 

The work, which depicted a young female 

figure with a mournful expression, was cut 

out and removed from one of the emergency 

doors at the venue. "We are today filled with 

a deep sense of indignation," the Bataclan 

tweeted. In November 2015, 90 people were 

killed when armed militants targeted the 

venue during a rock concert. 

"Banksy's work, a symbol of recollection 

and belonging to all: locals, Parisians, 

citizens of the world, has been taken from 

us," the Bataclan wrote in a statement 

posted on Twitter. The theft, which 

occurred overnight on Friday, involved "a 

group of hooded individuals armed with 

angle grinders", AFP news agency reports, 

ATMs, Dolby sound system, silver screen, 

and a complete multiplex- all the facilities 

are available here. Hopefully, everyone 

here will enjoy here. ' 

People from different walks of life were 

present along with well-known stars of 

Bangladesh at the inauguration ceremony 

at Shimanto Shambhar. 

Previously on 21st of this month they 

announced the opening news of this new 

branch on their facebook page. From then 

many reputed artists are seen 

congratulating on the page every day. 

For the first week in the new branch star 

cineplex is providing many offers for the 

audiences as well as exclusive movie 

merchandise. 

citing a source close to the investigation. 

The suspects then reportedly drove away 

with the artwork in a truck. 

Banksy's art has become extremely popular 

and sought-after. A piece of his work which 

appeared on a garage in the UK was recently 

sold privately for a "six-figure sum". 

Last October, Banksy made headlines after 

one of his paintings was sold for more than 

£1m at auction by Sotheby's in London - and 

then immediately shredded itself. Banksy is a 

famous - but anonymous - British graffiti 

artist. He keeps his identity a secret. 

-BBC 

Genre 

Directed By 

Written By 

Cast 

In Theaters 

Studio 

: Action & Adventure, 

Horror, Mystery & 

Suspense 

: Adam Robitel 

: Bragi F. Schut, Maria 

Melnik 

: Taylor Russell , Logan 

Miller , Deborah Ann 

Woll , Jay Ellis , Tyler 

Labine , Nik Dodani 

: Jan 4, 2019 wide 

: Columbia Pictures 

People will be 

disappointed when 

Game Of Thrones ends 

The actress, who plays Arya Stark, 

confesses she will find it "really weird" 

when the hit show is not part of her life 

anymore. Game Of Thrones star 

Maisie Williams has admitted she 

doesn't think anyone will be satisfied 

when the show finally ends. 

Williams, 21, who has grown up 

playing Arya Stark, told Sky News that 

fans just don't want it to end but for 

her "it's the right time" for it to finish. 

"I don't think anyone is going to be 

satisfied [when it ends]. I don't think 

anyone wants it to end but I'm really 

proud of this final season," she said. 

Williams admitted: "It's going to be 

really weird when it's done and every 

day it's a step closer to it not being a 

part of my life anymore." 

She said she hoped to be invited to 

any party thrown by co-star Kit 

Harington, after he told Sky News he 

was considering an event to mark the 

end, but said that instead it would 

"probably be me and my flatmate, and 

he's going to say 'well done', and I'm 

going to go 'thanks, bedtime'." 

STORyLiNE : 

Six strangers are given mysterious black boxes with tickets to an immersive 

escape room for a chance to win tons of money. Being locked in several 

rooms with extreme conditions, they discover the secrets behind the escape 

room and must fight to survive and to find a way out. 

Williams spoke to students at 

Birmingham University about her 

new app, Daisie, which is "a platform 

for artists to be able to discover one 

another and collaborate with up-andcoming 

projects they may have". 

Williams wants the app to make it 

easier for young people to break into 

an "industry that's so fickle" and 

which doesn't reward talent fairly. 

"As an actor I read all the benefits 

from Game of Thrones, I didn't write 

any of it, I'm not HBO, I'm just one 

actor," she said. 

The actress turned tech 

entrepreneur says she hopes her app 

can make a difference, adding: "If we 

can help people to connect with likeminded 

people when they're on their 

way up, it's a way of handing out the 

credit of what collaboration really is." 

The actor gave an hour-long talk in 

front of students from the faculty of 

arts, design and media before being 

interviewed on the university's new 

radio station. 

-Sky News 

H O ROSCOPE 

ARiES 

(March 21 - April 20) : The more 

you push, the less easy it may be 

to get what you want, as you can 

meet with a force that proves 

resistant to your plans. This might be the case 

over coming days, unless you can adopt a 

fresh perspective. 

TAURUS 

(April 21 - May 21) : As the Sun 

moves to connect with the lively 

energies of Mercury, you can find 

mixing with the right people 

enables you to see things in a way that allows 

for fresh ideas to bubble up. This is just as well. 

GEMiNi 

(May 22 - June 21) : The answers you 

seek may not be found in a book or by 

asking someone's advice, but can be 

gained by listening to your intuition 

regarding an ongoing issue. If you are looking for 

someone to give you expert advice on this matter. 

LiBRA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23) : It's possible 

that you may not want to hear 

what someone has to say to you, 

especially over coming days, but 

the celestial backdrop suggests they could have 

a point. And although it can be difficult to accept 

that this person may be right. 

SCORPiO 

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

into how best to make use of your 

resources, can see you taking an 

inventory and either recycling 

items or selling on those things you no longer 

need. If you have bills to pay. 

SAGiTTARiUS 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): What started out as a 

mild interest may have become so much 

more lately, with the coming days 

encouraging you to put in the effort to take 

a project or a relationship forward. And even though certain 

influences might coincide with temporary obstacles. 

Love Aaj Kal originally starred 

Saif Ali Khan and Deepika 

Padukone with Rishi Kapoor 

playing a pivotal role. Imtiaz Ali has 

indicated that he will start shooting 

the second iteration this year. 

After Sara Ali Khan's confident 

debut in Bollywood, all eyes were on 

which subject she will pick up after 

Abhishek Kapoor's Kedarnath and 

Rohit Shetty's Simmba. The actor's 

performance in Kedarnath had 

been appreciated while the Ranveer 

Singh-starrer cop drama went on to 

become one of the biggest hits of 


If speculation is to be believed, 

Sara will be seen with Kartik Aaryan 

in a remake of dad Saif Ali Khan 

and Deepika Padukone-starrer 

Love Aaj Kal. While Imtiaz has 

accepted that the film is in the 

offing, the cast is yet to be 

confirmed. 

There was buzz that Saif will be a 

part of the film, which he has now 

denied. "It is not true at all," Saif 

Saif with daughter Sara 

rumored to come together 

in Love Aaj Kal remake 

told Bollywood Hungama. "I'd love 

to do a film with Abba. But, the film 

and our characters must justify our 

presence. We can't do a film for 

doing's sake," Sara also said. 

Earlier, Imtiaz had told PTI about 

casting Sara in the film, "I can't 

reveal now since we haven't 

announced anything. We are trying 

to work it out. There's nothing 

confirmed now but we are working 

towards a film. But can't say 

anything now." 

The director had said he plans to 

start shooting by this year. "As a 

story idea, it has been with me since 

a very long time. I've been 

discussing it. In fact, I find there are 

reflections in the interviews where 

I've said things like that. I've been 

saying that and feeling that, 

perhaps not even as a story but one 

day I realised there is a story. But 

I've written it like recently." 

-The Hindustan Times 

CANCER 

(June 22 - July 23) : The Sun and 

expressive Mercury in a more 

intense sector can make you wary 

of discussing a sensitive matter 

with acquaintances, which makes sense. If it is an 

especially delicate issue, then seek out the one 

person you can trust to be your confidante. 

LEO 

(July 24 - Aug. 23) : If you sense a 

friend is in denial about an issue 

in their life and this is impacting 

your friendship, then the current 

star map suggests it may be time to be honest 

with them. But it might also be wise to discuss 

this in as gentle a way as you can. As sobering 

Saturn aligns with hazy Neptune. 

ViRGO 

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23) :The way to 

resolve a relationship issue may 

be to adopt a practical approach. 

Yet it can be easier said than done 

if you have an emotional attachment to this 

person. And it might be possible to concoct 

various interpretations about this when it may 

be down to a misunderstanding. 

CAPRiCORN 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20) : If you are 

hoping to close a deal or come to an 

arrangement over the next day or 

so, then it might be worth looking 

into things in more depth. And if you aren't sure of 

what exactly is involved, then checking the details 

would certainly be in your best interests. 

AQUARiUS 

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : As the Sun 

moves to align with the articulate 

qualities of Mercury in your sign, 

a bright idea could enable you to 

rescue a project that might involve a friend or 

social group, especially if you take a leading role. 

If the general mood had become despondent, 

then your input may save the day. 

PiSCES 

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : A key blend 

of energies can be a call to 

reflect on your activities and 

how much they contribute to 

your satisfaction and happiness. The 

chances are that you might need to relegate 

certain options to the bottom of your list, 

and elevate certain others to the top.

SPORTS 

MONDAy, 

JANuARy 28, 2019 

9 

England went down by 381 runs against West Indies in the First Test in Barbados. 

Photo: AP 

Chase 8-fer powers Windies to 

record win against England 

Sports Desk: England were crushed. 

Not surprising. All 10 wickets fell in one 

day. Alright. Eight of those wickets fell 

to Roston Chase's off breaks that didn't 

turn on a flat wicket. How? Only England 

batsmen have answers to that. Or 

maybe, as they say, pressure can make 

weird things happen. The visitors folded 

up for 246, losing the opening game 

of the three-Test series by 381 runs, 

their third highest (in terms of runs) 

and the best at home, reports Cricbuzz. 

Chase may have finished with careerbest 

figures of 8 for 60 but England 

would know well it was nowhere close 

to the spell that Kemar Roach had displayed 

in their 77 bundle out. Nonetheless, 

it proved instrumental when the 

pitch had eased out for batting and 

England had found themselves well 

placed after a half-century stand by 

Keaton Jennings and Rory Burns. 

The left-handed duo maintained an 

approach that had reaped them 

rewards in the final session on Friday, 

with Jennings remaining cautious and 

Burns working the ball around to keep 

the scoreboard ticking. It worked well 

with the first hour of the morning seen 

off without any damage. However, Jennings 

eventually fell for the bait as he 

attempted to slash at a delivery angling 

away from him and edged it to slips. 

With the pitch causing little trouble, 

the first wicket didn't seem to bother 

England's momentum much as Jonny 

Bairstow scored freely in the company 

of Burns, who registered his maiden 

Test fifty. However, at the stroke of 

Lunch, Chase got England their second 

breakthrough. Burns played for the 

turn - which wasn't there - and allowed 

the ball to go between his bat and pad, 

losing his stumps. 

The manner of Burns's dismissal 

became a pattern for all of England. 

The players were playing for the turn 

that wasn't there and eventually got out 

edging to the close-in fielders or be 

trapped leg-before. Adil Rashid was the 

only batsman to get out holing out in 

the deep, courtesy a fine catch by 

Kraigg Brathwaite who did a juggling 

act near the boundary ropes. Chase's 

eventual figures of 8 for 60 was not only 

his best but also the best by a West 

Indian spinner since 1971. 

Several England players got starts but 

failed to hang in long, with Chase striking 

with regular deliveries that seemed 

anything but unplayable. Ben Stokes 

was trapped leg-before, Joe Root and 

Moeen Ali edged their cuts to the slip 

fielders, Jos Buttler flicked to mid wicket 

where John Campbell took a fine diving 

catch, and Ben Foakes swept directly 

to Shimron Hetmyer at forward short 

leg. 

There was very little aid for the pacers 

on the pitch. However, Shannon 

Gabriel impressed with his barrage of 

well-directed bouncers. He could have 

accounted for the wicket of Joe Root 

but replays suggested he had overstepped 

and the England skipper got a 

life when on 1. He couldn't make it 

count as he fell a few overs later on 22. 

Gabriel, however, made up for that by 

having Bairstow dismissed in his next 

over with the England batsman gloving 

a delivery down the leg to the 'keeper. 

England's innings finally came to an 

end when Sam Curran stepped down 

but Chase smartly bowled wide down 

the legside. Dowrich collected the ball 

and whipped the bails quickly. 

Brief Scores: Windies 289 (Shimron 

Hetmyer 81; James Anderson 5-46) & 

415/6 decl. (Jason Holder 202*; Moeen 

Ali 3-78) beat England 77 (Keaton Jennings 

17; Kemar Roach 5-17) & 246 

(Rory Burns 84; Roston Chase 8-60) by 

381 runs. 

Africa Cup of Nations 

record scorer Mulamba 

dies 

Sports Desk: Congolese 

Pierre Ndaye Mulamba, 

scorer of a record nine goals 

in an Africa Cup of Nations 

tournament, died Saturday 

in Cape Town aged 70, a 

Democratic Republic of 

Congo minister said, reports 

BSS. 

Mulamba starred for Zaire 

(now DR Congo) at the 1974 

finals in Egypt, which his 

country won after a replayed 

final against Zambia. 

It was the second and last 

time the vast, mineral-rich 

central African nation triumphed 

in the most prestigious 

football competition 

on the continent. 

According to reports, 

Mulamba had been unwell 

for some time and received 

medical care in India before 

returning to South Africa 

last August for further treatment. 

DR Congo sports minister 

Papy Niango said in a statement 

released in Kinshasa 

that Mulamba died early in 

the morning of January 26. 

Nicknamed Mutumbula 

(the assassin), Mulamba 

scored twice against Guinea 

and once against Mauritius 

in 1974 Cup of Nations 

group matches. 

Man City stays in hunt for quadruple 

after big FA Cup win 

Sports Desk: Pep Guardiola dismissed as 

"fantasy" the notion of his Manchester City 

players winning the quadruple this season, 

reports UNB. 

It's certainly a long shot but, on current 

form, it's hard to see how or when they'll 

next be beaten. 

City swept past fellow English Premier 

League team Burnley 5-0 in the fourth 

round of the FA Cup on Saturday, extending 

its run of wins to eight in all competitions. 

In that streak, the team has 33 goals 

and has not conceded a goal in the last six 

games - a first under Guardiola. 

Kevin De Bruyne scored one goal - a 

powerful strike from the edge of the box - 

and had a hand in two others, with 

Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva, and Sergio 

Aguero scoring along with an own-goal. 

"Who is going to stop them winning 

everything if they are in that mood?" 

Burnley manager Sean Dyche asked. 

City is second in the Premier League, 

four points behind Liverpool, and into the 

final of the English League Cup against 

Chelsea on Feb. 24. It also is through to 

the last 16 of the Champions League and 

was handed a favorable match against 

German outsider Schalke. 

Guardiola is managing to rotate his 

squad for games in this fixture pileup 

without his starting team losing any of its 

fluidity. City's bench against Burnley, for 

example, contained Aguero, David Silva, 

Raheem Sterling, and Leroy Sane. The 

latter two weren't even needed as City 

made it 108 goals in 36 games for the season, 

an average of exactly three per 

match. "Everyone has been involved this 

month. Everybody plays," Guardiola said. 

"All together, we can achieve it, arriving 

at the latter stages (of the season) in the 

right moment. It's the only way I understand 

when you are in four competitions." 

The FA Cup is the only domestic competition 

Guardiola has yet to win in England, 

after capturing the Premier League 

and League Cup last season. An embarrassing 

fifth-round loss to third-tier 

Wigan was one of City's few low points 

last season and Guardiola is taking the FA 

Cup seriously this time around. 

"I'm really pleased, for the commitment 

and the professionalism," the Spanish 

coach said. "We have a lot of games, not 

just in our legs, but in our minds." 

De Bruyne, who missed most of the first 

half of the season after suffering two knee 

injuries, was hugely impressive in his 

third start in the space of a week. The Belgium 

playmaker wants to play as often as 

possible to improve his match sharpness 

and he appears to be getting back to his 

best. 

"It's not easy for players when they've 

been a long time injured, for the rhythm, 

for the pace," Guardiola said. "You can 

believe you are ready because you train 

but you need time. That is why we try to 

handle the minutes. 

"But we know what Kevin is and we 

need him. He is clever, he saw passes, he 

is so aggressive in his game. That is why 

he helped us a lot." 

Dominant Djokovic wins magnificent 

seventh Australian Open 

Sports Desk: An imperious Novak Djokovic won a record 

magnificent seventh Australian Open title by routing Rafael 

Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 Sunday with a display of flawless tennis, 

reports BSS. 

The Serbian world number one dominated the Spanish 

second seed to win his 15th Grand Slam title in just 2hr 4min 

on Rod Laver Arena. It put Djokovic, 31, out on his own 

ahead of Roger Federer and Roy Emerson, who both won six 

Australian Open men's singles titles. Djokovic dropped to the 

court and kissed the ground after vanquishing his greatest 

rival. 

No two men have met more often in the Open Era, this was 

their 53rd meeting, and no pair have pushed one another 

harder or further.Their only previous final in Australia, in 

2012, developed into a record-breaking 5hr 53min slugfest - 

the longest in Grand Slam history. 

A repeat of that epic never materialised with Nadal uncharacteristically 

nervous at the start and Djokovic taking immediate 

advantage. The Spaniard had not had his service broken 

since the third set of his first round match but that streak 

ended in a flash as the Serb came sprinting out of the blocks. 

Djokovic was in imperious control on his own delivery and 

won his first four service games without conceding a single 

point, even inducing Nadal to miss a forehand completely on 

the way to grabbing the set in 36 minutes. 

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Djokovic 

racing through games on his own serve, while Nadal struggled 

to hold. The pressure told in the fifth game and Djokovic 

broke again when Nadal hit a lob volley long after an 

exchange at the net. Djokovic had only conceded two points 

on serve in the entire match to this point but Nadal had his 

first sniff at breaking when he got to 30-15 ahead and deuce, 

twice. Djokovic had to withstand pressure for the first time in 

the match, overcoming the threat with a roar and a fist pump 

to go 4-2 ahead. The on-song Serb was so fired up he came 

straight out and broke Nadal again to go to 5-2 before serving 

out for a two-set lead with three aces in a row with just 1hr 

16min on the clock. 

The statistics were as telling as the scoreline: Djokovic had 

served eight aces to Nadal's one and made just four unforced 

errors while the Spaniard had coughed up 20. 

When Djokovic broke again in the third game of the third 

set it was just a matter of how quickly he would finish off 

Nadal. 

The Serbian world number one dominated the Spanish second seed to win his 15th Grand Slam title 

in just two hours and four minutes on Rod Laver Arena. 

Photo: AP 

Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus and Bernardo Silva celebrate 

after scoring their side's opening goal during the FA Cup 4th round soccer match against Burnley at 

Etihad stadium. 

Photo: AP 

Sarfraz handed four-match 

suspension by ICC for racial 

comments 

Sports Desk: Sarfraz Ahmed, the 

Pakistan captain, was charged and suspended 

by the ICC for four international 

games after he was caught via the 

stump mics making a racist comment 

against the South African all rounder 

Andile Phehlukwayo in the Durban 

ODI. Sarfraz accepted the charge related 

to ICC's Anti-Racism Code, reports 

Cricbuzz. 

Sarfraz will miss the last two ODIs of 

the series against South Africa, including 

the ongoing game in Johannesburg, 

and the first two T20Is early 

next month. According to Article 7.3 of 

the Anti-Racism Code, Sarfraz will 

also undertake an education programme 

"to promote the understanding 

and awareness of issues directly 

relevant to the offence that he has 

committed". 

In the second ODI in Durban when 

Phehlukwayo was batting in the middle, 

Sarfraz was picked by the mic 

stump calling the all rounder "black 

guy" in Urdu. The Pakistan captain's 

comment roughly translated to: "Hey 

black guy, where's your mother sitting 

today? What [prayer] have you got her 

to say for you today?" 

After the game, Sarfraz took to Twitter 

and issued an apology and the Pakistan 

Cricket Board also made a statement 

expressing "regret over the 

remark made by their captain". 

Sarfraz has been charged under the 

Code, namely; "Engaging in any conduct 

(whether through the use of language, 

gestures or otherwise) which is 

likely to offend, insult, humiliate, 

intimidate, threaten, disparage or vilify 

any reasonable person in the position 

of a Player, Player Support Personnel, 

Umpire, Match Referee, 

Umpire Support Personnel or any 

other person (including a spectator) 

on the basis of their race, religion, culture, 

colour, descent, national or ethnic 

origin." 

"The ICC has a zero-tolerance policy 

towards conduct of this nature. Sarfaraz 

[sic] has promptly admitted the 

offence, was regretful of his actions 

and has issued a public apology, so 

these factors were taken into account 

when determining an appropriate 

sanction," David Richardson, ICC's 

chief executive said. 

Following the verdict, PCB has 

announced that Sarfraz will return 

home to Pakistan immediately with 

Mohammad Rizwan added to the T20 

squad for the series in South Africa. 

Veteran allrounder Shoaib Malik will 

be leading Pakistan for the remainder 

of the tour in Sarfraz's absence. The 

board also in a statement revealed that 

they were disappointed with the ICC's 

decision to suspend the player. 

"The PCB notes the ICC decision on 

Sarfaraz Ahmed with its utmost disappointment," 

the statement read. "PCB 

had anticipated that the matter had 

been resolved amicably between the 

two players and the two Boards following 

Sarafraz Ahmed's public 

apologies which were accepted by the 

player, the Board and South Africa 

cricket team. 

"The PCB will be pursuing this 

matter at the ICC forums with the 

objective to bring reforms to the Code, 

promoting amicable resolutions to 

issues as opposed to penalties. Having 

said that, the PCB reiterates its 

zero-tolerance approach towards 

racist comments and behavior." 

Osaka embraces pressure, 

eyes ‘Naomi Slam’ 

Sports Desk: Newly-minted Australian 

Open champion Naomi Osaka 

said she was not satisfied with back-toback 

majors Sunday and hoped to complete 

a "Naomi Slam" after her success 

at Melbourne Park, reports BSS. 

The bubbly 21-year-old laughed off 

suggestions her meteoric rise had put 

her under pressure, saying she was relishing 

the big time after rising from 72 

in the world to number one in the past 

12 months. 

Japan's Osaka becomes the first 

Asian to hold the top ranking after 

downing Czech Petra Kvitova in a tight 

final on Saturday night and adding the 

Australian crown to the US Open title 

she won last year. 

"This feels more like I'm used to it 

now," she told reporters as she posed 

with the trophy at a Melbourne beach 

on Sunday, 

"I know that sounds a bit strange 

because this is only the second one but 

the first time I won it definitely felt a bit 

more unreal." While her maiden Grand 

Slam was marred by losing finalist Serena 

Williams' umpire-baiting histrionics 

and boos from the Flushing Meadows 

crowd, Osaka was allowing her follow-up 

success in Melbourne to soak 

in."It means a lot. I think moments like 

this are what you train for as a little kid 

to play the Grand Slams," she said. "To 

win another one is definitely a dream 

come true." The rising star said she was 

hungry for more Slam titles. 

"The way the tennis world is, there's 

always the next tournament, the next 

Slam, and we all just want to keep 

training hard and winning more," she 

said. "So, I'm not really sure if I'm satisfied."Osaka 

became the first woman 

to win successive majors since Serena 

Williams in 2015 and the youngest 

since Martina Hingis in 1998. 

Williams went on to complete her 

second "Serena Slam" - holding all four 

majors in the same 12 month period - 

and Osaka was excited about the 

prospect of claiming the French Open 

and Wimbledon for a "Naomi Slam".

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

BANGLADESHTODAY 10 

THE 

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019 

US free news sites BuzzFeed, 

HuffPost feel the layoff pinch 

The two days long annual business conference Business Meet 2019 of Bank Asia Ltd. was held on 25- 

26 January 2019 at Royal Tulip Sea Pearl Beach Resort, Cox's Bazar. A. Rouf Chowdhury, Chairman 

of the Bank attended the program as Chief Guest. Mohd. Safwan Choudhury-Vice Chairman, Rumee 

A. Hossain-Chairman of Board Executive Committee, Mashiur Rahman-Chairman of Board Audit 

Committee, Maj. Gen (Retd) Mohammad Matiur Rahman, Romana Rouf Chowdhury, Dilwar H 

Chowdhury, Enam Chowdhury- directors and Md. Arfan Ali- President & Managing Director of Bank 

Asia Ltd. along with division and Branch Heads were present in the program. Photo: Courtesy 

Employers woo refugees amid 

Austria labour shortage 

Austria's right-wing 

government might defend 

tough anti-immigration 

policies but employers were 

out to attract refugees at a 

special jobs fair last week as 

the country faced pressing 

labour shortages. 

"Would you like to work 

in security? Please leave 

your CV with us" was a 

typical pitch. 

The event in Vienna 

attracted bosses from 

virtually all of Austria's 

leading employers, from the 

national railway OeBB to 

construction giant Porr, the 

postal service and Telekom 

Austria. 

Doughnuts, drinks and 

gadgets were also offered to 

1,200 refugees selected by 

Austria's 

public 

employment service AMS. 

They were mainly Syrians 

and Afghans who had 

arrived in Austria during 

the 2015 migrant crisis. 

The governmentsponsored 

event aimed to 

help Austrian firms deal 

with a chronic labour 

shortage. 

In a country of 8.7 million 

people there are now 

around 160,000 job 

vacancies, 

with 

unemployment expected to 

fall to 4.6 percent this year 

from 4.9 percent in 2018. 

Economic growth was 

steady at 2.7 percent in 

2018, but "the biggest brake 

on growth at the moment is 

lack of labour", the head of 

Austria's Chamber of 

Commerce (WKOe) 

Karlheinz Kopf, told AFP. 

"There is an urgent need 

for more labour in almost 

every sector, from 

manufacturing to tourism," 

he explained. 

That was borne out by the 

number of jobs on offer at 

the fair, including 500 at 

OeBB, 400 at the Hofer 

supermarket chain, 350 at 

German retail co-operative 

Rewe and 200 at facilities 

management company 

Simacek. 

According to official 

figures, 30,000 refugees are 

unemployed, a third of 

whom are less than 25 years 

old. 

"These are people who 

can be trained and who 

have enormous potential," 

Kopf argued. 

While many of the jobs on 

offer were fairly low-paid, 

the range of opportunities 

was wider than it might 

appear said Gerhard 

Zummer, head of training at 

the Austrian subsidiary of 

German engineering giant 

Siemens. 

His company had 

hundreds of posts vacant, 

spanning fields "from 

electrical engineering to 

cloud technology to the 

internet of things. 

"The important thing for 

us is to attract good 

candidates. Whether they're 

refugees or not isn't 

important, we look at their 

skills and then we can train 

them internally," Zummer 

said. 

But for those who came to 

Austria with advanced 

skills, it can be hard to find 

work matching their 

qualifications. 

"I was a maths teacher in 

my country," recalls 

Sherihan, originally from 

Hassake, northeastern 

Syria. 

"But I can't get my degree 

recognised here so I'm 

looking for an 

administrative post," she 

explained in excellent 

German. 

Supreme skateboard 

collection auctioned 

for $800,000 

A collection of all 248 

skateboards produced by 

streetwear brand Supreme 

has been sold for a record 

$800,000 at a Sotheby's 

online auction. 

Supreme, founded by 

British designer James 

Jebbia and established in 

1994 in New York's Soho 

neighborhood, gained a 

special status among 

skateboarding connoisseurs 

with its streetwear-inspired 

clothing. 

Starting in 1998, it also 

began offering quality, 

limited-series boards 

designed by big-name artists 

like Jeff Koons, Damien 

Hirst and Richard Prince. 

The collection, sold in a 

two-week online auction 

that ended Friday, included 

Louis 

Vuittonmonogrammed 

decks, a 

series of Last Supper decks 

and a tribute to Nike Air 

Jordan sneakers. 

Also in the collection was a 

custom-made Louis Vuitton 

trunk worth several 

thousand dollars. 

The entire Supreme 

production was brought 

together by Los Angeles 

collector Ryan Fuller, who 

began his yearslong quest in 

2005. 

Marcel Executive Directors Eva Rezwana, Head of Service Management System Muzahidul 

Islam, Head of Legal Affairs Masud Hossain Chowdhury, Brand Ambassador film actor Amin 

Khan and Media Adviser Enayet Ferdous attend the 'Declaration Programme of 12 Years 

Guaranty on Fridge Compressor' held at the conference room of Marcel Corporate Office in the 

capital on Sunday morning. 

Photo: Courtesy 

America's free online news 

heavyweights, BuzzFeed and HuffPost, 

this week were rocked by a new wave of 

layoffs, a sign of an advertisingdependent 

economic model under 

threat. 

At BuzzFeed, it was the second wave 

of job cuts in 14 months. In an internal 

announcement the company said that 

200 jobs were to be shed, which follows 

the 100 jobs cut in the first round, out 

of a staff of 1,700 people. 

Over at HuffPost, about 10 percent of 

journalists left editorial staff this week, 

or about 20 people in total. 

No explanation was publicly given for 

the cuts, but the reasons are clear. The 

HuffPost's parent company is Verizon 

Media (formerly Oath Inc), which owns 

other digital platforms such as AOL, 

Yahoo! and Verizon Media Services -all 

of which are suffering job cuts. 

"They were started pretty much with 

the idea of trying to assemble a great 

big audience and then sell advertising 

against those numbers," said Rick 

Edmonds, a media business analyst at 

the Poynter Institute. 

But "Google and Facebook have 

grown into much, much more of an 

audience. 

And they're also better at gathering 

DBBL holds Managers' Conference-2019 

The Managers' Conference-2019 of 

Dutch-Bangla Bank was held on 25 & 

26 January 2019 at Bangabandhu 

International Conference Center 

(BICC), Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla 

Nagar, Dhaka, a press release said. 

Sayem Ahmed, Honorable 

Chairman, Board of Directors of Dutch- 

Bangla Bank was present as the Chief 

Guest and inaugurated the Conference. 

In his speech, Sayem Ahmed provided 

Wall Street rallied at the open on Friday as upbeat 

earnings and political news helped buoy investor 

sentiment at the end of the week. 

Markets were also cheered by a Wall Street Journal 

report that the Federal Reserve could cease shrinking its 

bond portfolio sooner than expected. 

Ten minutes into the day's trading, the benchmark 

Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.8 percent at 

24,736.24. 

The broader S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq were 

both up 0.7 percent at 2,659.45 and 7,119.30 

respectively. The levels put the Dow on track to post 

gains for a fifth week in a row but still left the S&P and 

the Nasdaq in the red for the week. 

Dow member Intel sank 7.5 percent after 

disappointing earnings and analyst downgrades but 

information and targeting people." 

According to eMarketer forecasts, the 

search engine giant and the social 

network behemoth were set to capture 

57.7 percent of advertising revenue in 

2018, up sharply from 45.5 percent in 


Another tech titan, Amazon, is 

gaining momentum and has just 

climbed to the numbers three spot. 

"The free, ad-based model on which a 

lot of digital media projects are built is 

in jeopardy," warned Dan Kennedy, 

journalism professor at Northeastern 

University. 

Edmonds believes that neither 

BuzzFeed nor HuffPost are in danger of 

disappearing. But their status is 

tarnished in the eyes of many tech 

investors accustomed to a double-digit 

annual growth. 

The co-founder and CEO of 

BuzzFeed, who is also co-founder of the 

Huffington Post (now HuffPost), Jonah 

Peretti, sees a solution in a merger with 

one or more other market players. 

He has publicly floated the ideas of 

merging Vice, Vox, Refinery29 and 

Group Nine, all "pure players," all 

internet media. 

Each of them also advanced on the 

niche of video, but all have also been 

various guidelines for achieving growth 

target of the Bank for the year 2019. He 

also congratulated all the 

executives/officers of the Bank for 

achieving the targets in 2018. 

The Conference was presided over by 

Abul Kashem Md. Shirin, Managing 

Director & CEO of the bank. Branch 

Managers from 184 branches attended 

the conference. The Deputy Managing 

Directors, Md. Sayedul Hasan, Khan 

cutting staff in the past 18 months. 

"You'll never hear me say that a 

merger makes sense," Kennedy said. 

"Two media organizations with 

problems do not solve them by 

combining into one larger organization 

with problems." 

Another possibility is to change the 

business model to access other revenue 

streams. 

BuzzFeed is doing this by launching a 

daily program on Twitter, a weekly one 

on Facebook, and another program on 

Netflix. 

However BuzzFeed does not seem 

ready to change its format to offer more 

specialized content - the successful 

formula for other free information sites 

like Eater, Politico and Vulture. 

Of course the nuclear option is still 

available: switching to a paywall 

system, a move that increasingly has 

become a necessity for online news. 

"For any news-gathering operation to 

be dependent on advertising is 

perilous," said Christopher Daly, 

journalism professor at Boston 

University's College of 

Communication. 

"From my study of history, I would 

say the only truly reliable source of 

funding for journalism is the audience. 

Tariqul Islam, Md. Monzur Mofiz, 

Shahidur Rahman Khan, all CXOs, 

Divisional Heads and senior executives 

of Head Office also attended the 

conference. 

In the conference, the budgetary 

target for the year 2019 was critically 

analyzed. The Branch Managers are 

advised to take action plan and to be 

more sincere for achieving business 

target for the year 2019. 

Wall Street opens higher on upbeat earnings 

Starbucks gained 2.9 percent after better than expected 

fourth-quarter earnings and improved guidance for 


Patrick O'Hare of Briefing.com said markets' 

optimism might be based on wishful thinking. 

He noted, "there is chatter around the edges of some 

important matters that is helping the market climb a 

wall of worry on the pretense that some of its worries 

may soon be less worrisome." 

News reports indicated lawmakers in the United States 

and Britain were working to end the partial shutdown of 

the US government, now more than a month old, and to 

break the Brexit impasse. 

Official figures on durable goods orders and new home 

sales were not published due to the partial government 

shutdown. 

Guaranty Period on Marcel Fridge 

Compressor extended to 12 years 

The local electronics and electrical 

brand 'Marcel' has extended the 

guaranty period of its' fridge' 

compressors to 12 years from the 

previous 10 years as the assurance of 

highest standard of the compressors 

used in Marcel fridges. This extended 

guaranty facility are effective from 

January 20, 2019 for the customers of 

Marcel fridges all over the country, says 

a press release. 

Marcel authorities placed this 

announcement at a declaration 

programme, held at the conference 

room of the company's Corporate Office 

in the capital on Sunday (January 27, 

2019) morning. 

The programme was addressed, 

among others, by Marcel's Executive 

Director Eva Rezwana, Head of Service 

Management System Muzahidul Islam, 

Head of Legal Affairs Masud Hossain 

Chowdhury, Brand Ambassador film 

actor Amin Khan, Media Adviser Enayet 

Ferdous and the company's other high 

officials. 

Speaking at the function, Eva Rezwana 

said, Marcel extended the guaranty 

period of its fridge compressor with the 

aim of bringing the successful outcomes 

of several initiatives to the customers. 

The initiatives included: manufacturing 

compressors and its necessary parts at 

own factory with advanced tools and 

machineries; improving the quality of 

compressors continuously by the highly 

meritorious, skilled and experienced 

engineers of research and development 

department; following 'zero tolerance' 

policy by the Quality Control 

department and thus highly confident 

on the improved quality. 

At the event, the engineers of Marcel 

fridge compressors said that long-term 

performance of a fridge is largely 

depends on the quality of its 

compressors. 

Compressors will provide long-time 

service when its system function and 

accuracy will be ensured, mentioning it 

they said that thus Marcel has brought 

more perfection in the cooling and 

accuracy system in its compressors. 

HFC-free globally recognized 

environment-friendly R600a 

refrigerants have been used in the 

compressors of Marcel fridges. 

Service Management System's Head 

Muzahidul Islam said, Compressors that 

are used in Marcel refrigerators will 

provide services more than the 

guaranteed period if the customers 

follow the user guidelines properly. 

During transportation or placement, 

the fridges should not be careened more 

than 30-degree angles. In Addition, 

customers should start fridge minimum 

two (2) hours later after the 

transportation, he added. 

Dhaka Central Zone of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited organized Annual Get-together and 

Picnic with participation of the bank's executives, employees and their family members at 

Nandan Park of Savar, Dhaka on Friday, 25 January 2019. Md. Mahbub ul Alam, Managing 

Director & CEO of the Bank attended the program as Chief guest. Mohammed Monirul Moula, 

Additional Managing Director of the Bank addressed the program as special guest. Presided over 

by Md. Shafiqur Rahman, Senior Executive Vice President & Head of Dhaka Central Zone, J.Q.M. 

Habibullah FCS, Deputy Managing Director & Company Secretary, Md. Obaidul Haque, Senior 

Executive Vice President, Mohammod Ullah, Executive Vice President & Head of Dhaka East 

Zone, Mohammad Jamal Uddin Mazumder, Executive Vice President, Md. Aminur Rahman, 

President of Islami Bank Officers' Kolyan Samity & Senior Vice President, Md. Shah Jahan, 

Senior Vice President of the Bank along with Head of Branches under Dhaka Central Zone were 

present on the occasion. 

Photo: Courtesy

MISCELLANEOUS 

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019 

11 

Joypurhat Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Milton Chandra Roy as the chief guest distributed crest 

among senior citizens at a program organized by Joypurhat Rural Development Movement 

(JRDM) recently. 

Photo: Masrakul Alom 

Pope challenged on sex abuse as 

young take stage in Panama 

Young people challenged Pope Francis 

on the Catholic Church's sex abuse 

scandal and the plight of Christians in 

the Middle East as the youth took 

center stage Saturday in the final 

events of World Youth Day in Panama, 

reports UNB. 

Organizers said some 600,000 

people turned out for Saturday's main 

event, an evening vigil service in the 

Metropark area of east Panama City. 

Many of them were spending the night 

in tents or just on sleeping mats to be 

in place for an early morning final 

Mass formally ending the religious 

festival. 

After looping through the cheering 

crowds in his popemobile, Francis told 

the young he understood their 

anxieties and fears for a future where 

jobs are scarce and education not 

always available. 

"It is easy enough to criticize and 

complain about young people if we are 

depriving them of the jobs, education 

and community opportunities they 

need to take root and to dream of a 

future," he told the pilgrims, many of 

whom clutched rosaries, swayed in 

prayer and draped themselves in flags 

from across the Americas and beyond. 

The vigil was the culmination of a 

busy day for Francis that included a 

luncheon with 10 young pilgrims 

representing each of the continents. 

The Vatican described the atmosphere 

as familiar and festive, and the young 

people said they were surprised at 

Francis' informality and interest in 

their questions. 

Brenda Noriega, a Mexican-born 

youth minister from San Bernardino, 

California, said she told Francis that 

the sex abuse scandal in the United 

States was a "crisis right now we 

cannot avoid talking about." She said 

Francis called abuse a "horrible crime" 

and assured her that the church was 

committed to supporting victims. 

She said Francis also stressed the 

need for prayer, noting that he sent 

U.S. bishops on a retreat with his own 

preacher earlier this month ahead of 

his big summit on abuse prevention in 

February at the Vatican. 

"For me as a youth minister, that 

means a lot," Noriega told reporters 

after the luncheon. "Youth ministers, 

we have been with people who have 

been angry but sometimes we forget 

about prayer. We react too easy and 

too fast. So I think what His Holiness is 

telling us and the church is to first 

pray, build community and not forget 

about accompaniment." 

It was the first time the abuse 

scandal has come up publicly during 

Francis' four-day visit to Panama. The 

abuse scandal hasn't erupted publicly 

in Central America in the same way it 

has in the U.S., where the Catholic 

hierarchy is facing a crisis in 

confidence over its decades-long 

failures to protect young people from 

priests who rape and molest children. 

During the luncheon, held on the 

campus of Panama City's main 

seminary, the guests peppered Francis 

with questions. 

Palestinian pilgrim Dana Salah said 

she asked Francis about the flight of 

Christians from the lands of Jesus' 

birth. She said the pope assured her 

"'Palestine will always remain the land 

of Jesus.'" 

Emilda Santo Montezuma, an 

indigenous Panamanian, said she 

spoke to Francis about the 

environment and the rights of 

indigenous peoples - two issues 

particularly dear to Francis' heart 

which will be the focus of a meeting of 

Amazonian bishops at the Vatican 

later this year. Francis' support, she 

said, would embolden indigenous 

people to fight for their rights. 

Organizers said some 600,000 

people turned out for Saturday's main 

event, an evening vigil service in the 

Metropark area of east Panama City. 

Many of them were spending the night 

in tents or just on sleeping mats to be 

in place for an early morning final 

Mass formally ending the religious 

festival. 

After looping through the cheering 

crowds in his popemobile, Francis told 

the young he understood their 

anxieties and fears for a future where 

jobs are scarce and education not 

always available. 

"It is easy enough to criticize and 

complain about young people if we are 

depriving them of the jobs, education 

and community opportunities they 

need to take root and to dream of a 

future," he told the pilgrims, many of 

whom clutched rosaries, swayed in 

prayer and draped themselves in flags 

from across the Americas and beyond. 

The vigil was the culmination of a 

busy day for Francis that included a 

luncheon with 10 young pilgrims 

representing each of the continents. 

The Vatican described the atmosphere 

as familiar and festive, and the young 

people said they were surprised at 

Francis' informality and interest in 

their questions. 

Brenda Noriega, a Mexican-born 

youth minister from San Bernardino, 

California, said she told Francis that 

the sex abuse scandal in the United 

States was a "crisis right now we 

cannot avoid talking about." She said 

Francis called abuse a "horrible crime" 

and assured her that the church was 

committed to supporting victims. 

JRDM honours 

senior citizens 

in Joypurhat 

Masrakul Alom, Joypurhat 

Correspondent: Joypurhat's 

non-governmental 

association Joypurhat Rural 

Development Movement 

(JRDM) with the financial 

support of PKSF provided 

special assistance and 

honour, distributed winter 

and various other materials 

among the senior citizens of 

PuranPail UP under the lifeimprovement 

program of 

the senior citizen. 

Sadar Upazila Nirbahi 

Officer Milton Chandra Roy 

addressed the distribution 

program as the chief guest 

while Executive Director of 

the organization Razia 

Sultana chaired the occasion 

held at PuranPail 

Government Primary School 

ground on Thursday. 

Puranapall UP Chairman 

Khorshed Alam Saikat said 

the special guest. Among 

others, JRDM Monitoring 

Officer Ershadul Kabir, 

Deputy Director Shawkat 

Ali, Assistant Director 

(Development) 

NM 

Waliuzzaman and Program 

Organizer Ariful Islam were 

also present at the occasion. 

Special lecture on 

Bangladesh India 

bilateral Realtion 

held at JnU 

Asalm Hossain JnU 

Correspondent: A special 

lecture on "Bangladesh - 

India relation : Present 

perspective and future 

directions held at Jagannath 

University on Sunday. 

Former Professor of 

Jawaharlal Nehru 

University and secretary 

general of Society For Indian 

Ocean Studies, Baladas 

Ghosal delivered the speech 

on different issues of 

Bangladesh India relation 

and future possible direction 

of the bilateral relation. 

Chairman of political 

science department and 

president of director of 

South Asian Study Circle 

Professor Arun Kumar 

Goswami conducted the 

special lecture. Proctor of 

JnU Nur Mohammad, 

Professor of Biochemistry 

department Rafiqul Hawue, 

assistant professor of 

political science department 

Moynul Hoque and others 

attended the special lecture. 

Besides, students and 

faculty members of political 

science department 

attended the lecture. JnU 

chapter of South Asian 

Study Circle, arranged the 

special lecture. 

In Trump ally Stone's case, Mueller 

finds crime in cover-up 

Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone may 

be accused of lying and tampering with 

witnesses, but it's equally notable what he's 

not charged with: colluding with the 

Kremlin in a grand conspiracy to help 

Trump win the presidency in 2016, reports 

UNB. 

The case is the latest in a series brought 

by special counsel Robert Mueller that 

focuses on cover-ups but lays out no 

underlying crime. It's a familiar pattern in 

Washington, where scandals from 

Watergate to Iran-Contra and Whitewater 

have mushroomed into presidencyimperiling 

affairs due to efforts to conceal 

and mislead. 

In the Russia investigation , one Trump 

aide after another has been accused of lying 

to investigators, or encouraging others to 

do so, about Russia-related contacts during 

the campaign and transition period. 

Mueller may well have evidence of 

criminal coordination between Trump 

associates and Russia that he has yet to 

reveal, but so far, he's focused repeatedly on 

those he believes have tried to throw federal 

or congressional investigators off the trail. 

Stone's indictment charges him with 

seven felonies, including witness 

tampering, obstruction and false 

statements, while leaving open the question 

of whether his or the Trump's campaign's 

interest in exploiting Russia-hacked emails 

about Democrat Hillary Clinton crossed a 

legal line. 

"There's sort of two possible ways this 

investigation could end up. One is he finds 

this big Russian conspiracy or collusion 

Venezuela defused a potential showdown 

with the United States, suspending a 

demand that U.S. diplomats leave the 

country as Washington called on the world 

to "pick a side" in the South American 

nation's fast-moving crisis, reports UNB. 

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro broke 

relations with the United States on 

Wednesday after the Trump administration 

and many other nations in the region 

recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as 

Venezuela's interim president, a move that 

Maduro called a coup attempt. 

Maduro gave U.S. diplomats three days to 

leave the country, but the Trump 

administration said it wouldn't obey, arguing 

that Maduro is no longer Venezuela's 

legitimate president. That set the stage for a 

showdown at the hilltop U.S. Embassy 

compound Saturday night, when the 

deadline was to expire. 

But as the sun set on Venezuela's capital, 

the Foreign Ministry issued a statement 

saying Maduro's government was 

suspending the expulsion to provide a 30- 

day window for negotiating with U.S. 

officials about setting up a "U.S. interests 

office" in Venezuela and a similar 

Venezuelan office in the United States. The 

U.S. and Cuba had a similar arrangement for 

decades before the Obama administration 

restored diplomatic relations with the 

communist-run island. 


Venezuelan government's account, 

reiterating only that its priority remains the 

safety of its personnel and that it has no 

plans to close the embassy. 

Earlier Saturday, Secretary of State Mike 

Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council: "Let 

me be 100 percent clear - President Trump 

and I fully expect that our diplomats will 

continue to receive protections provided 

with the Russians to influence the election," 

said Randall Eliason, a George Washington 

University white-collar criminal law 

professor and former federal prosecutor. 

"The other, I think very real possibility, is he 

just finds a cover-up." 

The Stone case is in some way 

reminiscent of Mueller prosecutions that 

have accused former Trump lawyer 

Michael Cohen of lying to Congress about 

his role in a Moscow real estate project; 

former White House national security 

adviser Michael Flynn of lying about his 

contacts with the Russia's U.S. 

ambassador; and ex-campaign aide George 

Papadopoulos of lying about his knowledge 

that Russia had "dirt" on Clinton in the 

form of stolen emails. 

In none of those cases did prosecutors say 

the things the defendants lied about were 

crimes themselves. 

The absence of a definitive answer to the 

collusion question, more than 20 months 

into Mueller's work, has given the president 

and his allies a wedge to attack the 

investigation. In the hours after Stone's predawn 

arrest at his Florida home Friday, 

Trump returned to his favored refrain of 

"NO COLLUSION" on Twitter. His lawyer, 

Rudy Giuliani, mocked the case as "nothing 

more than another false statement charge" 

and speculated without evidence that 

Mueller's inquiry was nearing an end. 

But with each new charge, Mueller 

continues to publicly untangle Trump 

campaign operations and their intersection 

with Russia's efforts to hurt Clinton and 

help Trump. 

Venezuela allows US diplomats 

to stay, defusing showdown 

under the Vienna Convention. Do not test 

the United States on our resolve to protect 

our people." 

In the Security Council meeting, critics and 

supporters of Maduro's government faced 

off in a reflection of the world's deep 

divisions over Venezuela, which is mired in 

political confrontation as well as an 

economic collapse that has caused millions 

to flee the country. 

During the debate, which was requested by 

the U.S., Pompeo urged all nations to end 

Venezuela's "nightmare" and support 

Guaido. 

"Now is the time for every other national to 

pick a side," Pompeo said. "No more delays, 

no more games. Either you stand with the 

forces of freedom, or you're in league with 

Maduro and his mayhem." 

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia 

charged that the Trump administration is 

trying "to engineer a coup" against Maduro. 

He said Venezuela doesn't threaten 

international peace and security, and he 

accused "extremist opponents" of Maduro's 

government of choosing "maximum 

confrontation," including the artificial 

creation of a parallel government. 

Nebenzia urged Pompeo to say whether 

the U.S. will use military force. 


Venezuelan government's account, 

reiterating only that its priority remains the 

safety of its personnel and that it has no 

plans to close the embassy. 

Earlier Saturday, Secretary of State Mike 

Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council: "Let 

me be 100 percent clear - President Trump 

and I fully expect that our diplomats will 

continue to receive protections provided 

under the Vienna Convention. Do not test 

the United States on our resolve to protect 

our people." 

GD-153/19 (7 x 4) GD-152/19 (6 x 4)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

MONDAy, DHAKA, JANUARy 28, 2019, MAGH 15, 1425 BS, JAMADIUl AwAl 21, 1440 HIJRI 

Newly appointed Chief of Bangladesh Naval Staff Abu Mozaffar Mohiuddin Mohammad 

Aurangzeb Chowdhury paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday at 

Ganabhaban. 


Dhaka seeks Beijing’s strong support 

to resolve Rohingya crisis 

DHAKA : Bangladesh has 

sought China's "strong support" 

so that Myanmar 

moves in the right direction 

for resolving Rohingya crisis 

as Myanmar is not working 

to create conditions for 

the return for Rohingyas to 

their place of origin in 

Rakhine, reports UNB. 

During her recent visit to 

Bangladesh, UN's human 

rights expert on Myanmar 

Yanghee Lee said it is evident 

that Myanmar is not 

working to create conditions 

for the return of 

Rohingyas but is engaging 

in a sustained campaign of 

violence, intimidation and 

harassment. 

While appreciating 

Chinese humanitarian 

assistance for the displaced 

people of Rakhine State, 

Foreign Minister Dr AK 

Abdul Momen on Sunday 

sought China's support 

when Chinese Ambassador 

to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo 

met the minister at his 

INTERESTING NEWS 

office at the Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs (MoFA). 

Ambassador Zhang said 

China is willing to play a 

"constructive role" in realising 

repatriation of displaced 

people and will 

maintain close communication 

with Bangladesh and 

Myanmar to find a practical 

solution to the crisis. 

Foreign Minister Dr 

Momen urged the 

Ambassador to take effective 

measures for speedy 

implementation of projects 

funded by China's development 

assistance, according 

to MoFA. 

Chinese Ambassador 

stated measures taken by 

Chinese government to 

reduce the trade gap 

between Bangladesh and 

China and increasing level 

of Chinese investment in 

Bangladesh for the development 

of industries. 

Ambassador Zhang 

expects deeper engagement 

with the Foreign Minister 

The Buried Village of 

Al Madam 

About two kilometers south-west of Al 

Madam, a small town along the old Dubai- 

Hatta road, is a spooky little abandoned settlement. 

It was once inhabited by the people 

of the Al Kutbi tribe, who are among the 

three prominent tribes living in the vicinity 

of Al Madam. For some reason the residents 

packed up their bags and left more than a 

decade ago. Local legends hold that it’s the 

nasty “jinn” that drove the people away. 

Jinn is a demon-like supernatural creature 

that the Arabs and Muslims believe in, 

but they are not always malevolent—after 

all, it was a jinn that helped Aladdin, the son 

of a poor tailor, kill the evil sorcerer and 

gave him riches allowing him to live the life 

of a prince in one of the best-known Arabian 

folktale Aladdin and the Magic Lamp. 

Locals believe that something supernatural 

happened at Al Madam. But in reality, 

it’s the unwelcoming sand of the desert. 

The village constitutes two rows of identical 

houses and a mosque at one end. 

Reports suggest that the houses were built 

in the late 1970s or 1980s as part of a housing 

project. And the houses were well-built 

too. There is hardly any crumbling walls or 

flaking paints even after more than a decade 

of abandonment. However, not one of the 

them have escaped the encroaching desert. 

Room after room, house after house is 

buried in sand halfway up to the ceiling. It’s 

the sand, and not jinn that drove the residents 

away. 

“The sand here is really inhospitable. 

People say there is something in the sand 

here, it invades the houses. Whether it is the 

nature of the sand or there is something 

more to it, we don’t know,” Ayub Al Kaabi, a 

resident of Al Shuwaib told Gulf News. 

to take the China- 

Bangladesh bilateral relations 

to a newer height. 

He expressed his commitment 

to work with the 

government of Bangladesh 

to implement the decisions 

reached through consensus 

between two leaders of 

China and Bangladesh during 

President of China Xi 

Jinping's visit to 

Bangladesh in October 


The Ambassador wished 

to strengthen practical 

cooperation between two 

countries and accelerate 

implementation of the projects 

for common development 

and prosperity under 

Belt and Road Initiative. 

Ambassador Zhang 

underlined the importance 

of the bilateral consultation 

mechanisms to steer the 

practical cooperation 

between the two countries. 

The Foreign Minister 

emphasized economic 

diplomacy and acknowledged 

tremendous contribution 

of China to 

Bangladesh's economic 

development. 

He expressed gratitude to 

China for signing 27 agreements 

and MoUs worth billions 

of dollar investment, 

during Xi Jinping's visit to 

Bangladesh in 2016 when 

bilateral relationship was 

elevated to strategic partnership. 

Bangladeshi 

'Khirshapat 

mango' gets GI 

registration 

certificate 

DHAKA : Khirsapat 

mango of Chapainawabganj, 

popularly known as 

Himsagar, has got 

Geographical Indication (GI) 

tag as the third Bangladeshi 

product after Hilsa and 

Jamdani, reports UNB. 

Industries Minister Nurul 

Majid Mahmud Humayun 

handed over the GI certificate 

to Dr Md. Shafiqul 

Islam, chief scientific Officer 

of Bangladesh Agricultural 

Research Institute (BARI) at 

a ceremony held at the 

Industries Ministry on 

Sunday. 

Speaking on the occasion 

Minister Nurul Majid said, 

"Rajshahi is famous for mangoes 

for long. We thank 

those who conduct research 

on mangoes. The support of 

the government to mango 

related research and agrobased 

industrialization will 

continue. We have to go forward 

to achieve our goal." 

The GI recognition will 

benefit mango growers, 

traders and agro-based 

entrepreneurs, he hoped. 

"Our own products will 

spread across the world after 

fulfilling our demand. We 

have an opportunity to earn 

huge foreign exchange by 

processing delicious mangoes," 

he said. 

The Minister also said 

other 

traditional 

Bangladeshi products, 

including different varieties 

of mangoes, should also get 

registered as GI products 

soon. He also instructed the 

Patents, Designs and 

Trademarks Directorate to 

issue GI certificate in favour 

of Chapaibnabganj's 

'Ashwina' and 'Lengra' mangoes. 

State Minister for 

Industries Kamal Ahmed 

Majumdar said the GI registration 

of Bangladeshi goods 

will bring goodwill for the 

country and boost demand 

of our products in the globe. 

Slovak 

PM greets 

Hasina 

DHAKA : Prime Minister of 

Slovak Republic Peter 

Pellegrini has congratulated 

Sheikh Hasina on her reappointment 

as the Prime 

Minister of Bangladesh, 

reports UNB. 

In his message, the Slovak 

Prime Minister has also 

expressed conviction that the 

relations between Bangladesh 

and Slovak Republic would be 

processing in all areas of mutual 

interest, said the Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, Foreign 

Minister of Uzbekistan 

Abdulaziz Kamilov and 

Minister of Foreign and 

European Affairs of the Slovak 

Republic Miroslav Lajckk congratulated 

Dr AK Abdul 

Momen on his appointment as 

the Foreign Minister of 

Bangladesh. 

The Slovak Foreign Minister, 

in his message, has expressed 

conviction that the relations 

between Bangladesh and 

Slovak Republic will develop in 

all areas of common interest 

and the two Foreign Ministries 

will contribute to this endeavour. 

In a separate message, 

Foreign Minister of 

Uzbekistan mentioned that the 

two peoples are bound by common 

values and religious sentiments. 

The Uzbek Foreign Minister 

has expressed his conviction 

that the two countries would 

be able to create favourable 

conditions by joint efforts for 

the consistent and effective 

development of cooperation. 

1.42m tonnes of fuel to be 

imported in 6 months 

under G-to-G deals 

DHAKA : Bangladesh will 

import around 1.42 million 

tonnes of petroleum from 

eight state-owned companies 

of different countries 

under the government-togovernment 

(G-to-G) 

arrangements in the first 

half of the current year, 

reports UNB. 

According to sources at 

the Energy and Mineral 

Resources Division under 

the Power, Energy and 

Mineral Resources 

Ministry, the government 

will require to spend about 

US$806.769 million, 

equivalent to Tk 6772.87 

crore, to procure this bulk 

refined petroleum from 

January to June this year. 

They said the Energy and 

Mineral Resources Division 

and state-owned 

Bangladesh Petroleum 

Corporation (BPC) will 

import the bulk petroleum. 

Of the total fuel, the BPC 

will buy 1.19 million tonnes 

of gasoil (diesel) while 1 

lakh tonnes of Jet A- 

1,30,000 tonnes of petrol 

((mogas) and 1 lakh tonnes 

of furnace oil. 

The Cabinet Committee 

on Public Purchase last 

week approved a proposal 

of the division allowing the 

corporation to import the 

bulk fuel. 

The committee also 

approved the premium of 

the fuel import proposals 

which are $2.95 per barrel 

for diesel, $3.95 per barrel 

for Jet A-1, $5.50 per barrel 

for petrol and $29.75 per 

tonne for furnace oil. 

As per the proposal, the 

state-owned corporation 

will import 90,000 tonnes 

of diesel, 40,000 tonnes of 

furnace oil and 15,000 

tonnes of petrol from BSP 

Zapin of Indonesia while 

1.10 lakh tonnes of diesel, 

10,000 tonnes of Jet A-1 

and 20,000 tonnes of furnace 

oil from PTLCL of 

Malaysia, some 90,000 

tonnes of diesel and 

20,000 tonnes of furnace 

oil from ENOC of the 

United Arab Emirate 

(UAE), and some 60,000 

tonnes of diesel and 

20,000 tonnes of furnace 

oil from Thailand's stateowned 

PTTT. 

On Sunday, students of Dhaka University rendered the classical song in two-day Music 

Festival. 


DHAKA : British High Commissioner 

in Dhaka Alison Blake on Sunday highly 

appreciated Bangladesh's achievements 

and "amazing" development stories saying 

the United Kingdom will remain a 

partner in Bangladesh's development 

journey, reports UNB. 

"I congratulated the Prime Minister 

(Sheikh Hasina) on Bangladesh's 

achievements and the amazing development 

stories," she told reporters after her 

meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK 

Abdul Momen at the Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs. 

The High Commissioner said she 

shared with the minister how her government 

was excited being able to work 

together to build stronger relationship 

with countries like Bangladesh. 

The British High Commissioner also 

appreciated government's fresh offer to 

have dialogue with political parties. 

"I welcome very much the government's 

attempt to establish a dialogue 

with all the political parties because 

Bangladesh has set a very ambitious target 

of a fully developed country status by 

2041," Blake said adding that there is 

enormous work before Bangladesh to 

achieve the goal. 

The High Commissioner also said they 

talked about growing bilateral trade and 

governance issues. "We're pleased that 

we'll be a partner (of Bangladesh to help 

achieve its goals)." 

"As Bangladesh achieves middleincome 

status and works towards the 

achievement of the SDGs, and as the UK 

leaves the EU, we'll continue to support 

the aspirations of both of our citizens for 

a more stable, prosperous, and democratic 

future," she said. 

Blake said the UK will work with 

Bangladesh to counter terrorism, 

improve conditions of trade and they will 

continue to support Bangladesh's RMG 

sector. "We're working on that... we'll 

continue to be good friends." 

The High Commissioner said they also 

talked about the things that they find difficult, 

particularly how both the countries 

can continue collaborating as 

Commonwealth countries. "We also 

talked little about rule of law and collaboration 

on the whole range of issues that 

unite both of our countries." 

The British diplomat said she was also 

able to recall the statement made by her 

minister after the December-30 national 

election in Bangladesh. 

DNCC by-polls: Atiqul collects 

nomination paper 

DHAKA : Awami League nominated mayoral aspirant 

Atiqul Islam on Sunday collected a nomination paper to contest 

the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) by-polls slated 

for February 28 next. 

On Atiqul's behalf, his chief electoral coordinator AKM 

Mizanur Rahman received the nomination paper from 

returning officer of DNCC by-election Abul Kashem at 

Election Training Institute (ETI) Bhaban in the city's 

Agargaon area, reports UNB. 

On Saturday night, Awami League at a meeting picked former 

BGMEA president Atiqul Islam as its candidate for the 

DNCC mayoral post. 

The Election Commission on January 22 last announced 

the schedules for by-polls to the DNCC mayoral post, and its 

councillor posts in 18 new wards as well as the councillor 

posts of Dhaka South City Corporation in its 18 new wards 

fixing February 28 for the balloting. 

According to the schedule, the last date for nomination submission 

is January 30 while the scrutiny will be held on 

February 2 and the last date for withdrawal of nomination is 

February 9. 

UK praises Bangladesh's 'achievements, 

amazing' development stories 

British Minister of State for Asia and 

the Pacific Mark Field, after the election, 

welcomed the participation of all opposition 

parties and said they will continue to 

support the people of Bangladesh in their 

aspirations for a more stable, prosperous, 

and democratic future. 

"We've a broad and important partnership 

with Bangladesh, and a significant 

Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK," said 

Mark Field. 

Talking about some violence and credible 

reports of irregularities, High 

Commissioner Blake said, "We're very 

much hopeful that these would be investigated." 

Asked whether they discussed the issue 

of convicted BNP acting chairman 

Tarique Rahman, she said, "We talked 

about the whole range of bilateral issues. 

It wouldn't be right to go into the detail." 

Foreign Minister Dr Momen, however, 

said the government surely wants to 

bring back those people who are killers 

and convicted and living abroad. 

High Commissioner Blake congratulated 

the Foreign Minister on his appointment 

and confirmed the strong and 

friendly relationship between the UK and 

Bangladesh. 

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

28-01-2019

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?