15-02-2019

friDaY
Dhaka : February 15, 2019; Falgun 3, 1425 BS; Jamadi-us Sanni 9,1440 hijri
www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com
Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; No.22; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00
international
Journalist, Duterte
critic posts bail
after libel arrest
>Page 7
art & culture
Salman Khan introduces
new comers Pranutan
and Zaheer Iqbal
>Page 8
sport
Delighted Martin Guptill
admits batting at slow
Napier pitch was difficult
>Page 9
Deal inked to prepare Payra
Port master plan
DHAKA : The Payra Port Authority
(PPA) has appointed a joint team of
Dutch company Royal Haskoning
DHV and Bangladesh University of
Engineering and Technology (BUET)
to prepare the detailed master plan for
overall development of the 3rd seaport
of the country, reports UNB.
A tripartite agreement titled
'Consultancy Services for Preparation
of Payra Port Detailed Master Plan'
was signed on Thursday at the seminar
hall of the Shipping Ministry in presence
of its Secretary Abdus Samad
and Netherlands Ambassador to
Bangladesh Harry Verweij.
PPA Chairman Commodore M
Jahangir Alam, Bureau of Research,
Testing and Consultation of BUET Prof
Shamsul Haq and Strategic Business
director of Royal Haskoning DHV
Erice Smit signed the agreement on
Big fire at
Suhrawardy
Hospital
DHAKA : A big fire broke out at
Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College
Hospital in the capital on Thursday
afternoon, reports UNB.
The fire originated at a storeroom on
the first floor of a new building of the
hospital around 5:50pm, said Rasel,
duty officer of fire control room.
Sixteen firefighting units are trying
to extinguish the flame. "It's a big fire,"
he said.
The fire has spread to two other
floors despite frantic efforts by the firefighters.
Patients at nearby women and children
wards as well as the ICU unit have
been evacuated safely, Rasel said.
It is not still clear what actually
caused the fire.
PM arrives in
Germany to join
Munich Security
Confce
MUNICH (GERMANY) : Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived here on
Thursday to attend the Munich
Security Conference (MSC) 2019 billed
for February 15-17, reports UNB.
A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh
Airlines carrying the Prime Minister
and her entourage landed at the
Munich International Airport around
1:10pm (local time).
Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany
Imtiaz Ahmed received the Prime
Minister at the airport.
On Thursday morning, Sheikh
Hasina left Dhaka on her weeklong visit
to Germany and the United Arab
Emirates (UAE).
On her way back from Germany, she
will visit the UAE to attend the
International Defence Exhibition
(IDEX-2019) to be held in Abu Dhabi
on February 17.
Juma
05:17AM
01:15 PM
04:16 PM
05:57 PM
07:11 PM
6:31 5:54
behalf of the respective parties.
29 BUET specialists and 61 from
Royal Haskoning will be in the consulting
panel who will prepare a total
of 24 study and development project
reports including the master plan
within 18 months for a cost of around
Tk 125 crore.
Payra Port, one of the "10 Fast Track"
projects being implemented by the
government with top priority, will be
built on the bank of Rabnabad channel
of Patuakhali district.
Under a mid-term-plan, the PPA will
implement construction of first terminal,
capital dredging of Ramnabad
Channel, coal and dry bulk terminal,
multipurpose terminal.
In the long-term-plan, the PPA
plans to implement transshipment
terminal, deep-water container terminal,
offshore terminal or supply
74 JOF candidates file petitions
with HC seeking reelection
DHAKA : Seventy-four Jatiya Oikyafront
candidates have filed election petitions
with the High Court seeking its directives
to hold reelection after cancelling the
results of the December-30 polls, citing
vote-rigging, vote robbery, casting fake
votes and driving agents out of polling
stations. They filed the petitions in three
days from Tuesday, reports UNB.
On Saturday, the candidates decided to
file district-wise election petitions with
the High Court against irregularities in
the election.
Eight Supreme Court lawyers were
assigned on Sunday to conduct the cases.
One of the lawyers Barrister Ruhul
Quddus Kazal said he filed petitions on
behalf of 12 candidates.
It was mentioned in the petitions that
even dead persons cast their votes in the
general election, he said. "Fake votes
were cast and in some centres, 97-98 percent
votes were cast."
Bringing allegations of other anomalies,
the petitions said it was not an election
at all and demanded cancelling the
election results.
Kazal said the petitions will be placed
before the HC bench concerned next
week for hearing.
Those filed the petitions include
Subrata Chowdhury (Dhaka-6), Mofizul
Islam Khan Kamal (Manikganj-3), Major
General (retd) AASM Amin (Kurigram-
2), Abdul Momen Chowdhury
(Chattogram-15), Saiful Islam Firoz (
Jhenidah-4), Abul Kalam Azad Siddiqui
(Tangail-7), Joynul Abedin (Barishal-3),
Romana Mahmud (Sirajganj-2), Zahir
Uddin Swapan (Barishal-1), Shah Reazul
Hannan (Gazipur-4), Naser Rahman
(Moulvibazar-3), Abdul Hai
(Munshiganj-3), Hafiz Ibrahim (Bhola-
2), Ruhul Amin Dulal (Pirojpur-3), Dr
Dewan Mohammad Salahuddin (Dhaka-
base, core port infrastructure, renewable
power generation, housing, education
health facilities, procurement
of Towage Harbour Tugs and internal
ferry terminal etc.
Other necessary infrastructures like
airport, rail connectivity, ship yard and
ship repair facility, LNG and Liquid
Bulk Terminal will be built by other
ministries concerned.
For each of above components, the
consultant will deliver Feasibility
Study Report, ESIA (Environmental
and Social Impact Assessment).
The Detailed Port Master Plan will be
developed by the consultants through
Topographic Surveys, Site
Investigations and Modeling Studies.
Exact location of terminals and all
necessary port components and infrastructures
will be sketched on the
Master Plan.
Many panicked patients were rushed to safety after a fire broke out
in a new building of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and
Hospital on Thursday.
Photo: Star Mail
19), Hafiz Uddin Ahmed (Bhola-3),
Tajvir-ul-Alam (Kurigram-3), Md Saiful
Islam (Rangpur-6), Md Sadeque Reaz
(Dinajpur-2), Mostafa Mohsin Montu
(Dhaka-7), Nazrul Islam Azad
(Narayanganj-2, Moinul Islam Khan
Shanta (Manikgnaj-2), Irfan Ibne Aman
Omi (Dhaka-2), Nabiullah Nabi (Dhaka-
5), Ashraf Uddin (Narsingdi-5), Md
Amirul Islam Khan (Sirajganj-5),
Shahidul Islam (Tangail-1), Farhad
Hossain Azad (Panchagarh-2), Md
Hasan Razib Pradhan (Lalmonirhat-1),
Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury
(Chattogram-16), Md Akhteruzzan Mia
(Dinajpur-4), Md Shahjahan Mia
(Chapainawabganj-1), Mizanur Rahman
(Sunamganj-5), Md GK Gaus (Habiganj-
3), Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury
(Moulvibazar-4) Faruk Alam Sarker
(Gaibandha-5), Shafi Ahmed Chowdhury
(Sylhet-3), Md Anwarul Haque
(Netrakona-2), Shah Md Wares Ali
(Jamalpur-5), Nitai Roy Chowdhury
(Magura-2), Aninda Islam Amit
(Jashore-3), Md Abu Sufian
(Chattogram-8), Masud Arun
(Meherpur-1), Amin Ur Rashid (Cumilla-
6), AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon
(Noakhali-1), Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan
(Khagrachhari), Sabbir Ahmed
(Rangpur-3), Munshi Rafiqul Alam
(Feni-1), Joynul Abedin Farroque
(Noakhali-2), Saching Pru (Bandarban),
Sheikh Farid Ahmed Manik (Chandpur-
3), Abul Khayer Bhuiyan (Laxmipur-2),
Zakir Hossain Sarker (Kushtia-3),
Rafiqul Islam (Khulna-3), Shama Obaed
Islam (Faridpur-2), Anisur Rahman
(Madaripur-3), Azizul Bari Helal
(Khulna-4), Shah Md Abu Zafar
(Faridpur-1), Md Sharifuzzaman
(Chuadanga-1), Habibul Islam Habib
(Satkhira-1) and Ali Newaz Md Khaiyam
(Rajbari-1).
Thousands of devotees from home and abroad thronged the Ijtema ground to take part in the religious
event which begins today.
Photo: Star Mail
Four-day
Biswa Ijtema
begins today
GAZIPUR : Biswa Ijtema, one of the
largest Muslim congregations in the
world, begins on the bank of the Turag
River at Tongi here on Friday, reports
UNB.
The Ijtema to be held for four days
this time will begin with "a'm bayan"
(general sermons) after Fazr prayers.
On the first two days, followers of
Maulana Jubair Hassan will participate
in the Biswa Ijtema on Friday and
Saturday and they will leave the ground
after Akheri Munajat on Saturday afternoon.
Later, the followers of Maulana
Muhammad Saad Al Kandhalvi will
take part in the Biswa Ijtema on Sunday
and Monday and conduct their Akheri
Munajat on the last day.
Several lakh devotes are expected to
offer Juma prayers on the first day of
the Ijtema on Friday. Thousands of
devotees from home and abroad started
thronging the bank of the Turag
River to take part in the religious event
to seek divine blessings of the Almighty
Allah.
Meanwhile, preparations for smoothly
holding the Muslim congregation
have already completed.
An eight-layer security measure has
been taken for the event with the
deployment of huge members of different
law enforcement agencies in and
around the Ijtema ground. The venue
has been brought under CCTV surveillance.
There will be special train and
bus services to ease the communication
of the devotees.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police
Commissioner YM Belalur Rahman on
Thursday said the Ijtema ground is
under CCTV surveillance and watchtowers
have been set up to ensure security.
Bangladesh, KSA
sign MoU on military
cooperation
DHAKA : Bangladesh on Thursday
signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU with the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), aiming
to enhance military cooperation
between the two countries, reports
UNB.
Principal Staff Officer Lt Gen Md
Mahfuzur Rahman of the Armed
Forces Division of Bangladesh and
Deputy Chief of Staff of Saudi Armed
Forces Lt Gen Mutlaqbin Salim Al-azaima
singed the MoU on behalf of their
respective sides at the Saudi Ministry of
Defence in Riyadh, according to
Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the KSA
Golam Moshi was present at the signing
ceremony.
Based on the existing friendly relations
between the two countries and
following the foreign policy, the MoU
was signed to enhance international
peace and stability.
Myanmar again shows St
Martin's as its territory
DHAKA : Myanmar keeps distorting facts
showing Bangladesh's St Martin's Island as
part of its territory in Myanmar's government
maps prompting Dhaka to react
sharply and lodge a strong protest officially
against the 'deliberate' attempt, reports
UNB.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)
on Thursday summoned acting
Ambassador of Myanmar Aung Kyaw here
and strongly protested the matter.
Director General (South East Asia wing)
M DelwarHossain summoned the
Myanmar envoy to his office in the afternoon
and handed over a strongly-worded
protest note to him.
"While the Saint Martin's island of
Bangladesh is being presented on the governmental
websites of Myanmar as their
territory, Myanmar cannot deny her
responsibilities of this utter misrepresentation
just adding a disclaimer. This is
absolutely unacceptable," said a government
source.
The Myanmar side earlier affirmed
through a note verbale that they removed
all links which falsely mentioned about the
Saint Martin's Island.
"However, with great concern, it has been
noticed that the advanced interactive map
section of the website of the Department of
Population under the Ministry of Labour,
Immigration and Population of Myanmar
(www.dop.gov.mn) containing various
Geographic Information System
(GIS) data on Myanmar still
shows the similar data gradients for the
Saint Martin's island of Bangladesh as
those of Myanmar," said a government
source.
Besides, the website of Myanmar
Statistical Information Services
(www.mmsis.gov.mm) shows the Saint
HC orders removal of electric
poles from roads, highways
DHAKA : The High Court on Thursday
directed the authorities concerned to
remove all electric poles from the roads
and highways at the quickest possible
time (not more than 60 days).
The HC bench of Justice Sheikh
Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil
came up with the order after hearing of
writ filed in the form of Public Interest
Litigation (PIL) , reports UNB.
The court also issued a rule asking the
authorities concerned to explain why
order would not be given to remove all
the dangerous electric poles from the
roads and highways across the country
after identifying them.
Secretaries to Roads and Highways division,
Energy and Mineral Resources
Ministry, Chairman of Power Development
Martin's island of Bangladesh with the
same colour as that of Rakhine state, while
a different colour has been used for other
parts of Bangladesh.
"The continuation of such misrepresentation,
despite the assurances on the part of
Myanmar for effective measures to permanently
redress the issue, could therefore be
construed as a deliberate attempt of
Myanmar," according to a source at the
MoFA.
All entities, particularly the government
organisations, are supposed to publish only
authentic information on their websites
and official documents.
Owners of the websites/documents have
to take all responsibilities of any contents
reflected therein, regardless of its preliminary
sources.
On October 6 last year, Maritime Affairs
Unit Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Ministry Rear Admiral (retd) M
KhurshedAlam summoned Myanmar
Ambassador in Dhaka U LwinOo on the
same issue and handed over similar protest
note to him.
On the day, Myanmar Ambassador Lwin
acknowledged the matter saying that it was
a 'mistake' to show the St. Martin's Island
as part of their territory.
The Island was never part of Myanmar if
anyone looks back at the history since 1937
and Dhaka says there is an 'ulterior motive'
behind drawing and sharing the map of
Myanmar on websites.
It was part of British-India when
Myanmar got separated back in 1937 and
that means it was part of India. A clear line
was drawn in between.
And in 1947, officials said, it was part of
Pakistan, and after the Liberation War the
Island became part of independent
Bangladesh.
Board, Chairman of Rural Electrification
Board, managing director of Dhaka
Power Distribution company
(DPDC), Northern Electricity Supply
Company Limited and West Zone
Power Distribution Company, have
been asked to respond to the rule within
four weeks.
Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon
stood for the petitioner while deputy
attorney general Mukhlesur Rahman
for the state.
On February 9, Supreme Court lawyer
Barrister Sumon shared a live video on
his Facebook wall on the electric poles in
the middle of Shibpur highway in
Narsingdi district while he was returning
to Dhaka from Sylhet. Later, he filed
a writ in this regard on Wednesday.

NEWS
FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 15, 2019
2
A human chain was formed in front of a private TV channel yesterday in protest of breaching tobacco control law in
'Debi' cinema.
Photo : TBT
Bangladesh needs to increase investment
to close infrastructure gaps: ADB
DHAKA : Asian Development Bank
(ADB) Vice-President Shixin Chen has
said the main challenges ahead of
Bangladesh are to increase
investments-both public and private-to
close infrastructure gaps and to invest
in human capital with a focus on
boosting skills of the labor force,
reports UNB.
"Bangladesh has made huge strides in
reducing poverty and sustained
average growth of more than 6.5% over
the last decade, achieving a record 7.9%
last year," Chen said.
He assured officials of ADB's
commitment to remain a dependable
partner of Bangladesh, responding
flexibly to the country's evolving needs,
according to an ADB press release
issued on Thursday.
During the 3-day visit to Bangladesh,
England U-19
cricket team visit
UK-UNDP project
in Chattogram
CHATTOGRAM : England
Under-19 cricket team
visited a project of the UK
government and United
Nations Development
Program (UNDP) in
Pahartoli on Tuesday,
reports UNB.
The Tk667crore project,
continuing since 2008, aims
at improving the living
standard of marginal people
and eradicating poverty.
After concluding their visit,
the English youths played a
cricket match with local
teens. They were greeted
warmly when at the project
site where the team also
exchanged views with locals.
British High Commission
officials said the team
expressed their excitement
seeing the UK's role in socioeconomic
development of
the poor through the project
which provides training,
builds road, drain, toilet,
supplies education
materials, ensures mothers'
nutrition, safe water, and
solar light, among others.
Programme Manager
Farzana Mostafa, British
High Commission Senior
Press Secretary Meher Nigar
Zerin, Press and Publication
Officer Narayan Chandra
Debnath and UNDP
delegation and Project
Manager Dr Sohel Iqbal,
among others accompanied
the cricket team.
Man jailed for
selling shrimps
with jelly in belly
CHANDPUR : A mobile
court here on Wednesday
sentenced a man to two-day
imprisonment and seized
two maunds of shrimps
injected with jelly substance
from Biponibag Bazar in the
district town on Wednesday,
reports UNB.
The mobile court led by
Executive Magistrate
Mainul Islam conducted the
drive in the area and seized
the shrimp.
Chen met with Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina and reaffirmed ADB's plans to
strengthen its partnership and boost
assistance to the country.
He congratulated the Prime Minister
on her election victory and
acknowledged the country's economic
and social progress in recent years.
He also held discussions with
Economic Advisor to the Prime
Minister MashiurRahman, and
Secretary of the Economic Relations
Division and ADB Alternate Governor
Monowar Ahmed.
ADB's current Country Partnership
Strategy for 2016-2020 aims at a
program of more than $8 billion,
compared with $5 billion during 2011-
2015.
ADB said its operations will address
infrastructure development (transport,
An East Texas woman who was shot dead along
with her husband and three other family
members sought a divorce last year.
Ashley Raileen Horn filed to divorce Randy
Joe Horn in October of 2018, according to
Montgomery County court records. The case
was dismissed less than a month later.
Beyond the request for divorce, the slim
court file offers few clues about what lay
between the 27-year-old woman and 54-yearold
man who were found dead along with
Ashley's grandparents, Carlos and Lynda
Delaney, and a 15-month-old girl in the elder
couple's home about 75 miles (120 kilometers)
northeast of Houston.
On Monday, the Polk County Sheriff's office
launched an investigation into the killings after
a neighbor came upon across three bodies
outside the Blanchard house and told her son
to call police. After arriving, deputies found two
more people dead inside.
Sheriff's Capt. Rickie Childers declined to
comment on the divorce filing Wednesday,
saying that more information would not be
released until medical examiner's reports come
back. Sheriff's officials have said no suspects
are being sought in the case but have declined
to characterize the shootings as homicides and
a suicide. They have also identified Ashley by
energy, and urban services sectors),
rural infrastructure, skills
development, and climate and disaster
resilience.
It will also continue to support
Bangladesh's regional cooperation and
integration efforts, particularly in
electricity sharing with neighbors, and
developing regional transport
corridors, it said.
In its 45-year-long partnership, ADB
has mobilized more than $25.2 billion
in loans and grants to help bring better
infrastructure, public services, and
social development outcomes to the
people of Bangladesh.
In 2018 alone, ADB committed a
record $2.15 billion in assistance to the
country.
This included a grant of $100 million as
the first phase of a projected $200
Texas wife sought divorce before
she, 4 others were killed
Apple and Google are facing criticism for
offering an application that lets men in
Saudi Arabia track and restrict women's
movements, reports UNB.
The app, called Absher, is listed in Apple's
app store and the Google Play store as a
Saudi eServices Mobile Application,
offering service that can "safely browse
your profile or your family members, or
labors working for you, and perform a wide
range of eServices online."
Apple CEO Tim Cook told U.S. National
Public Radio that he would investigate the
situation. "I haven't heard about it," he said.
"But obviously we'll take a look at it if that's
the case."
Absher platforms for individuals and
businesses have more than 11 million users,
according to the Saudi Interior Ministry
website.
The ministry designed the app as an e-
government and e-services portal,
including functions like requesting a
her maiden name, Delaney.
Court records show that Horn petitioned to
divorce her husband on Oct. 15, 2018 while
they were living in Splendora, Texas. The case
was dismissed without prejudice in early
November after she filed paperwork to
withdraw. The court records do not make clear
what motivated either filing.
Sheriff's officials have also declined to discuss
any suspected motive for the killings.
Beyond the request for divorce, the slim
court file offers few clues about what lay
between the 27-year-old woman and 54-yearold
man who were found dead along with
Ashley's grandparents, Carlos and Lynda
Delaney, and a 15-month-old girl in the elder
couple's home about 75 miles (120 kilometers)
northeast of Houston.
On Monday, the Polk County Sheriff's office
launched an investigation into the killings after
a neighbor came upon across three bodies
outside the Blanchard house and told her son
to call police. After arriving, deputies found two
more people dead inside.
Sheriff's Capt. Rickie Childers declined to
comment on the divorce filing Wednesday,
saying that more information would not be
released until medical examiner's reports come
back.
Apple, Google face criticism for
app that lets Saudi men track
and restrict women
passport, birth certificate, vehicle
registration or other documentation. But
actually it also allows Saudi men to track
women's travel, as well as restrict their
destinations and prevent them from
traveling anywhere outside the country at
all.
"We call on Apple and Google to assess
the risk of human rights abuses on women,
which is facilitated by the App, and mitigate
the harm that the App has on women,"
Amnesty International told the
Washington Post in a statement.
Human Rights Watch senior researcher
on women's rights Rothna Begum said the
app was "really designed with the men in
mind. Of course, it's incredibly demeaning,
insulting and humiliating for the women
and downright abusive in many cases."
Under Saudi Arabia's guardianship
system, Saudi women aren't allowed to
travel without permission from their male
guardian, typically a relative.
Two killed in
Rajbari road
crash
RAJBARI : Two people were
killed and eight others
injured when a bus plunged
into a roadside ditch at
Shialdangi village in
Pangsha upazila early
Thursday, reports UNB.
The deceased were
identified as Milon
Pramanik, 22, son of Badsha
Pramanik and Jalal Uddin
Pramanik, 28, son of Shaheb
Ali of Bogura district.
Jahangir Alam, officer-incharge
of Rajbari Highway
Police, said the accident took
place around 2 am when a
Baliaknadi-bound minibus
from Bogura fell into the
roadside ditch while giving
side to a microbus coming
from opposite direction,
leaving two dead on the spot
and eight others injured.
The injured were taken to
a local hospital, he said.
Bullet-hit body
of convicted
robber found
in Laxmipur
LAXMIPUR : Police
recovered the bullet-hit body
of a convicted fugitive
robber from Charkadira in
Kamalnagar upazila early
Thursday, reports UNB.
The deceased Moin Uddin
Manu, son of Sultan Ahmed
Patwari of the upazila, was a
top-listed robber, said
Alamgir Hossain, officer-incharge
of Kamalnagar Police
Station.
Being informed that two
gangs of robbers were
exchanging bullets over
establishing supremacy in
the area, a team of police
went to the spot and found
the bullet-hit body of Moin
Uddin.
Police also recovered a
firearm and two-round
bullets from the spot, said
the OC.
Moin was wanted in
several cases and was also a
convicted fugitive in a case.
31 rescued
before being
trafficked to
Malaysia
COX'S BAZAR : Police
rescued 31 people from
Shonadia in Maheshkhali
upazila on Wednesday night
while they were taking
preparation to go to
Malaysia illegally through
the Bay of Bengal.
Shafiul Alam Chowdhury,
inspector (investigation) of
Maheshkhali Police Station,
said a team of police
conducted a drive in the area
and rescued them, reports
UNB.
Of the recused, 14 are
women and six children.
However, police could not
arrest anyone in this
connection as the traffickers
managed to flee the scene.
Police also recovered a
firearm and two-round
bullets from the spot, said
the OC.
Powerful storm dumps
more rain and snow
across the West
Heavy rain again raised the risk of mudslides
in Southern California burn areas where
evacuations were ordered during a powerful
storm that flooded roads, toppled trees and
cut power further north, reports UNB.
The system known as an atmospheric river
snaked through southern Oregon, Northern
California and western Nevada while feeding
on a deep plume of moisture stretching
across the Pacific Ocean to near Hawaii, the
National Weather Service said.
The tempest followed more than a week of
severe weather in the Pacific Northwest and
was the latest in a series that has all but
eliminated drought-level dryness in
California this winter.
Mandatory evacuations were in effect for
areas near a burn scar in the Santa Ana
Mountains southeast of Los Angeles where
officials said the risk of debris flows was high.
Tim Suber said he has lost count of how
many times his hillside neighborhood in
Lake Elsinore has been evacuated between
last summer's devastating wildfire and this
winter's succession of storms.
"I'm not going this time," Suber said
Wednesday after Riverside County sheriff's
deputies warned him that he could end up
trapped if roads flood. "I've got 35 chickens
and a daughter who won't leave them
behind. So we're staying."
The real estate agent said he's confident
culverts and washes in the area will handle
any runoff after crews removed dozens of
truckloads of dirt following the last storm.
But just in case, "my car is gassed up and
ready to go at a moment's notice," said
Suber, 54.
Winter storm warnings were posted in the
snow-laden Sierra Nevada, where the
forecast said up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) of new
snow could be dumped at elevations above
9,000 feet (2,743 meters).
The National Weather Service recorded
winds gusting to 132 mph (213 kph) atop the
Mount Rose ski resort southwest of Reno,
Nevada.
A backcountry avalanche warning was
issued throughout the Sierra.
"We are still trying to dig out of the last
system, and we have another big storm
here," said Kevin "Coop" Cooper, spokesman
for Kirkwood Mountain Resort south of Lake
Tahoe.
Five passengers suffered minor injuries
when a Delta Air Lines flight headed from
Southern California to Seattle encountered
severe turbulence in the storm and was
forced to make an emergency landing in
Reno. Photos on social media showed a
drinks cart upended and snacks and soda
cans littering the aisle. One passenger
tweeted the plane did two nose dives in
"crazy turbulence" but the crew "handled it
perfectly."
Snow heavily impacted stretches of vital
Interstate 5 in far Northern California,
causing closures and forcing tire-chain
requirements.
A local state of emergency was declared in
Shasta County because of significant storm
damage, a Sheriff's Office statement said.
Redding, the county seat, turned its library
into a warming center.
Power outages also hit thousands of utility
customers in the region.
Widespread roadway flooding occurred
north of San Francisco Bay. To the east, a
swath of California's Central Valley was
under a flood warning.
Minister for Science and Technology Yafes Osman inaugurate the
three-day long BCSIR science fair at BCSIR Dhanmondi campus yesterday.
Photo : Courtesy
U.S. Treasury imposes fresh
sanctions against Iranian
entities, individuals
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
Wednesday announced sanctions against
two Iran-based entities and their
associated individuals, reports UNB.
The designated New Horizon
Organization supported the efforts of
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Qods
Force (IRGC-QF) to recruit and collect
intelligence, while Net Peygard Samavat
Company attempted to install malware to
compromise the computers of U.S.
personnel, Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin said in a statement.
All property and interests in property of
those sanctioned targets that were subject
to U.S. jurisdiction would be blocked, and
U.S. persons were generally prohibited
from engaging in transactions with them.
In a parallel move, the U.S. Department
of Justice on the same day charged Monica
Witt, a former U.S. service member, with
revealing to Iran a highly classified
intelligence program, according to a
statement released by the department.
The same indictment charges four
Iranian nationals, among whom three are
linked to Net Peygard Samavat Company,
with computer crimes targeting members
of the U.S. intelligence community.
Washington has intensified its sanctions
against Iran after President Donald
Trump's decision to exit the Iran nuclear
deal last May, a move that has been
criticized widely by the international
community.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said
Wednesday that Iran would stand firm in
the face of U.S. sanction pressures.
Washington is targeting Iran with an
"economic, propaganda and psychological
war," Rouhani was quoted as saying by
Press TV. However, the Iranians will
defend their dignity and independence,
and will not "surrender to the enemy," he
said.
The designated New Horizon
Organization supported the efforts of
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Qods
Force (IRGC-QF) to recruit and collect
intelligence, while Net Peygard Samavat
Company attempted to install malware to
compromise the computers of U.S.
personnel, Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin said in a statement.
All property and interests in property of
those sanctioned targets that were subject
to U.S. jurisdiction would be blocked, and
U.S. persons were generally prohibited
from engaging in transactions with them.
In a parallel move, the U.S. Department
of Justice on the same day charged Monica
Witt, a former U.S. service member, with
revealing to Iran a highly classified
intelligence program, according to a
statement released by the department.
The same indictment charges four
Iranian nationals, among whom three are
linked to Net Peygard Samavat Company,
with computer crimes targeting members
of the U.S. intelligence community.
Washington has intensified its sanctions
against Iran after President Donald
Trump's decision to exit the Iran nuclear
deal last May, a move that has been
criticized widely by the international
community.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said
Wednesday that Iran would stand firm in
the face of U.S. sanction pressures.

METRO
FriDAY, FEbrUArY 15, 2019
3
A discussion meeting was held on LGED activities over developing primary education. Photo : Courtesy
3 oil company high-ups jailed for
1 year for bounced cheque
CHATTOGRAM : A court here on
Thursday sentenced three top officials
of a vegetable oil company to one year's
imprisonment in a cheque dishonour
case, reports UNB.
It also fined the convicts-Managing
Director of Rubaiya Vegetable Oil
Industry Ltd Harun-or-Rashid, his wife
and company chairman Anjuman Ara
and director and their son Hasnain
Harun-around Tk 10 crore. They were
tried in absentia.
The convicts had turned defaulters as
they did not return the loan they took
from the Agrabad branch of Islami
Bank Bangladesh Limited, said bank's
counsel AM Zia Habib Ahsan.
They gave the bank a cheque for Tk
GD-281/19 (5 x 3)
we`ÿ r/Rb- 821(2)/14/2/19
GD-282/19 (6 x 3)
96,654,187, which bounced.
Senior officer Mohammad Forkan of
the branch filed a case against the
company's top officials with the Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate court on
August 30, 2012.
Later, the case was transferred to the
Joint Metropolitan Session Judge
Court-7.
The charges were framed against the
convicts under sections 138/140 of
Negotiable Instruments Act.
After examining the records and
witnesses, Judge Jesmin Akhter Koly
handed down the verdict.
Earlier on June 4 last year, the trio
was sentenced to one year's
imprisonment in two more cheque
dishonour cases. The court had also
fined them Tk 9.43 crore in the cases.
According to the prosecution, the
convicts provided two cheques for Tk
9.43 crore to one Yeakub Ali for
purchasing iron rod which bounced.
"The monitoring process has started.
We'll be able to ensure the attendance
of doctors, if the monitoring tasks can
be done proper. If their attendance can
be ensured, there'll be no allegation,"
he said.
About the recent visits of Anti-
Corruption Commission officials to
several hospitals, the minister said they
(ACC) found doctors absent there. "If
anyone remains absent, it's considered
as corruption," he added.
'Tough action
against expatriates'
harassment at
airports'
DHAKA : Airport officials
will face tough actions if
they harass expatriates,
warned State Minister for
Expatriates Welfareand
Overseas Employment
Imran Ahmad on Thursday,
reports UNB.
While visiting Hazrat
Shahjalal International
Airport, he also asked the
airport authorities to remain
alert to prevent harassment
of expatriates. The minister
also visited expatriate
welfare desk, different
passengers' counters,
customs checking points
and asked airport officials to
ensure highest level of
service for the expatriates.
2 crushed under
train in city
DHAKA : Two people were
crushed under wheels of
separate trains in Shewra
rail line area on Thursday.
One of the deceased was
identified as Arafat Hossain,
45, reports UNB.
Nazrul Islam, in-charge of
Dhaka Airport Rail Station
police outpost, said that an
unidentified elderly man was
killed after being hit by a
train on a trail track around
5:30am. Besides, a
Mymensingh-bound train hit
Arafat around 9:30 am,
leaving him dead on the spot.
The bodies were sent to
Dhaka Medical College and
Hospital morgue for
autopsy.
Conduct UZ
elections neutrally,
CEC asks officials
DHAKA : Chief Election
Commissioner KM Nurul
Huda on Thursday asked the
election officials to conduct
the upcoming upazila
elections neutrally, reports
UNB.
"As employees of the
republic, we should keep in
mind that we are
accountable to the republic
and the constitution as well
as not responsible to any
political party or person," he
said.
Each UZ health
complex to get
six doctors:
Minister
SANGSAD BHABAN : The
government has already issued
a directive to keep at least six
doctors posted in every upazila
health complex to ensure the
healthcare services for the
grassroots, Health and Family
Welfare Minister Zahid
Maleque told Parliament on
Thursday, reports UNB.
"We've taken steps to
provide six doctors to each
upazila. A directive in this
regard has already been
issued. The process will be
completed within a few days,"
he said replying to a
supplementary question from
opposition MP Fakhrul Imam
in the House.
The minister said most
allegations that come against
the health sector are regarding
doctors, particularly the
attendance of upazila-level
ones. He, however, said the
government is taking
adequate steps in this regard.
To ensure the attendance of
doctors at the upazila level,
Zahid Maleque said,
monitoring cells have been set
up in his ministry, the
Directorate General of Health
Services and its divisional
offices.
GD-277/19 (4 x 4)
GD-279/19 (9 x 4)
Climate change may
destroy Sundarbans' tigers
in 50 years: Study
DHAKA : A new study has warned that the
Sundarbans' famed 'Royal Bengal Tigers'
could be gone within 50 years, especially
from the Bangladeshi part, because of
constant rise in sea levels and climate
change.
The study titled 'Combined effects of
climate change and sea-level rise project
dramatic habitat loss of the globally
endangered Bengal tiger in the Bangladesh
Sundarbans', carried out by a team of
Bangladeshi and Australian scientists,
revealed that constant rise in sea levels and
climate change could bring a catastrophic
situation to the mangroves of Sundarbansthe
iconic Bengal tiger's last coastal
stronghold and the world's biggest
mangrove forest
It has been published in the journal
Science of The Total Environment, reports
UNB.
"Fewer than 4,000 Bengal tigers are alive
today," said James Cook University's
Professor Bill Laurance, a co-author of the
study. "That's a really low number for the
world's biggest cat, which used to be far
more abundant but today is mainly confined
to small areas of India and Bangladesh," he
said.
"Spanning more than 10,000 square
kilometres, the Sundarbans region of
Bangladesh and India is the biggest
mangrove forest on Earth, and also the most
critical area for Bengal tiger survival," said
lead-author Dr Sharif Mukul, an assistant
professor at Independent University
Bangladesh.
"What is most terrifying is that our
analyses suggest tiger habitats in the
Sundarbans will vanish entirely by 2070,"
said Dr Mukul.
The researchers used computer
simulations to assess the future suitability of
the low-lying Sundarban region for tigers
and their prey species, using mainstream
estimates of climatic trends from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change. Their analyses included factors
such as extreme weather events and sealevel
rise.
"Beyond climate change, the Sundarbans
are under growing pressure from industrial
developments, new roads, and greater
poaching," said Professor Laurance. "So,
tigers are getting a double whammy-greater
human encroachment on the one hand and
a worsening climate and associated sea-level
rises on the other," he said.
But the researchers emphasise there is still
hope. "The more of the Sundarbans that can
be conserved-via new protected areas and
reducing illegal poaching-the more resilient
it will be to future climatic extremes and
rising sea levels," said Professor Laurance.
"Our analyses are a preliminary picture of
what could happen if we don't start to look
after Bengal tigers and their critical
habitats," said Dr Mukul.
25,36,8500,111,14,11-4/19-543 14/2/19

EDITORIAL
FrIDAY,
FeBrUArY 15, 2019
4
They say democracy dies in darkness … so can idealism
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Friday, February 15, 2019
Whither Bangladesh ?
Since its independence, Bangladesh has surprised
many with the progress it has achieved despite the
manifold obstacles, calamities and problems it had to
face. Looking ahead, the over 160 million people of
Bangladesh, in particular the younger generation, are
entitled to ask, what kind of nation do we want to be? How
do we rekindle the spirit of 1971 in a way that contributes
significantly to the progress of the country and fulfills the
aspirations of the younger generation? Do we want to
become the next Singapore or South Korea or are we
content with the current rate of progress?
These answers can only come after some deep
introspection and a healthy discourse by all Bangladeshis,
including those living abroad. There is no certainty that
Bangladesh will become the next Singapore or South Korea
in 20 or 30 years, but there is the guarantee that it can at
least in large measure achieve its objective of meeting that
goal. It is understandable that a country like Bangladesh,
which still suffers from poverty, weak infrastructure, poor
governance, corruption, over-population, rapid
urbanisation, natural disasters and numerous other
challenges, cannot be expected to become an overnight
success.
But we must also be mindful of the position Singapore
and South Korea were in fifty years ago and where they are
today. There was no magic formula that propelled them to
their stellar political, economic and social success that they
experience today. It took years of hard work, dedication,
dynamism and desire to reach the point they have.
There has been enormous progress made in the socioeconomic
development arena since Bangladesh's
independence nearly 42 years ago, moreover the fact
remains that there is still a long way to go in terms of
concrete progress. For instance, between 1980 and 2010,
the UN Human Development Index (HDI) grew by 81%,
making Bangladesh one of the fastest growing developing
countries in the world. Putting that in perspective and
taking into consideration devastating natural disasters,
overpopulation, poor infrastructure and weak governance,
the growth in HDI is an incredible achievement. This
growth would not have been possible without the
combined efforts of the government, the vast NGO sector
and the assistance provided by our development partners.
In a recent article, The Economist news magazine was
glowing in its praise of Bangladesh's socio-economic
progress since its independence; it complimented
Bangladesh on being able to lift millions of people out of
poverty. It cited the remarkable progress in declining child
and maternal mortality. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen
remarked that Bangladesh had surpassed India in "every
parameter of human development" due largely to genderbased
equality.
Despite enormous strides in the social and economic
sphere, the central question still remains: where will
Bangladesh be in 2023 or 2033? Are we likely to see a
nation on the rise due to greater economic and social
growth and improved governance? Are we likely to see a
much better allocation of resources and better
infrastructure, with improved connectivity providing more
roads, highways, bridges, commuter trains and buses
enabling hassle-free and quick access across the country?
Will greater maturity and wisdom be exercised in politics?
Will a younger generation choose to put aside party
differences and ideologies for the real progress of the
country ?
One thing that has been contributing in remarkable
economic development is the rising sense of competition to
acquire wealth and affluence at any cost. It is no longer
confined to a few but have been permeating fast among the
entire population of the country. But unfortunately this
competition is solely focused on the economic front. That
is why while economic progress is clearly visible ,progress
in the domain of other fields of life is on the retreat. Love,
sympathy,fellow feeling, communal harmony, cooperation,
morality, ethics, human dignity etc that are essential to
achieve social cohesion and peace are seemingly under
stresses and strains. Bangladeshis need a real economical
freedom. It can be achieved if we have a fair and corruption
free administration that will engineer the new generation
and direct to a new path of economical development.
We need new bloods into our politics . Politicians, the
private sector, the armed forces, civil society, NGOs and
those members of society who are able to play a direct or
indirect role in making their country stronger and more
dynamic, must pause for a moment and question their
conscience, and ask themselves if they have that true sense
of patriotism and selflessness to commit themselves to
making things better for their country and its people.
At the end of the day, there has to be a collective and
whole-hearted wish to bring about change for the better. If
that inherent desire is missing and the aim is to gain power
and influence and make money unlawfully, Bangladesh
will be unable to reach new heights of prosperity. It will
continue to make slow progress and, in the end, it will fall
even further behind other developing countries which have
been successful in improving the quality of governance in
their respective countries. There should be no reason why
a country like Bangladesh, geographically situated at a
strategic point which links South and Southeast Asia,
cannot become a rising tiger economy.
Government figures state that there are about 8 million
Bangladeshi overseas workers in more than 155 countries,
who remitted over $14 billion in 2012. The remittance
figure has only grown higher and higher since that time.
Bangladesh has also become one of the world's leading
exporters of ready-made garments, ranking second in the
world after China. According to a recent McKinsey report,
its apparel exports could cross $36 billion by 2020.
Goldman Sachs branded Bangladesh as one of its Next 11
economies after the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China)
countries. In addition, JP Morgan identified Bangladesh as
a "Frontier Five" economy. Standard & Poor's and Moody's
have rated Bangladesh, apart from India, ahead of all the
other countries in South Asia.
The first requirement for Bangladesh, however, should
be to get its house in order. Positive thinking can beget
positive results. Even if one person in a thousand can
contribute constructively, that would have a tremendous
impact in a country of over 160 million nationals. One
must not underestimate the triumphant spirit of the people
of Bangladesh or their capacity to be decent and upright
citizens. In sum, the destiny of Bangladesh is in the hands
of its people.
Sixteen months ago, the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia announced that
women would have the right to
drive. Serendipitously, it also appointed
its first woman as a government
spokesperson, a post I proudly held for
the Saudi Embassy in Washington until
a few weeks ago.
As the Embassy Spokesperson, I
supported Ambassador Prince Khalid
bin Salman in a far more public-facing
approach towards engaging the
American public, particularly through
the press. As I transition back to my
previous work in socioeconomic
development, I wanted to share a raw
perspective about the roller coaster ride
I experienced. These are observations
government officials typically save for
memoirs, but I think we can all use a
dose of constructive feedback right
about now.
The perspective that I gained this year
is not just that of a Saudi, or a woman,
or a newly minted communications
expert, or a diplomat. I am a native
Mississippian. I'm human before any
gender designation. I'm not a career
diplomat, as my directness will attest.
And my background is in development
work. It was safe to say, I had a bit of a
learning curve taking on this job.
I'm an intellectual by default but also
a pragmatist. I realize this is why the
Ambassador hired me. I didn't fit the
mold, but he made a bet that someone
with my background could engage
across the spectrum of opinions that
exist on the Kingdom- which is what I
did. I met critics and supporters, people
with years of experience following
Saudi Arabia, and those with only the
most superficial prejudices. In each
engagement, I sought to help people
learn more about Saudi Arabia. In turn,
I sought to learn more about
Washington, about media, and about
how to advance Saudi-U.S. relations.
I never lost my idealism. It is what
shuffled me into my first day of work on
Sept. 26, 2017, bright-eyed and bushytailed,
ready to report for duty. The
truth is I was shaking in my boots. For
one, I wasn't sure how to act around
royalty, given my middle-class
background. And what did it mean to
be a diplomat? Would I have to sugar
coat everything? Did I have to say yes,
even if I didn't agree? How was I going
to handle the journalists?
Working with royalty proved
humbling, not for the reasons one
would imagine. My colleagues treated
me with more dignity and graciousness
than I've ever had the privilege of
Asian scriptures have always
influenced the West. Swiss
psychiatrist and psychotherapist
Carl Jung analyzed the I Ching (Book of
Changes - translated by Richard
Wilhelm into German), its hexagrams
and tai chi mandala when he was
developing his archetypes. Intellectuals
such as Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz,
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Georg
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Arthur
Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche
studied Asian philosophical scriptures
and influenced Western thought, but
were shy of declaring their sources in
Asian thought because of the scientific
community's Western-centrism.
Even today the repercussions for the
West of the Chinese Empire's collapse in
1912 - after 2,100 years of imperial
dynasties - are underestimated. But an
interesting dimension unfolds when one
applies Jung's collective unconscious
perspective to group dynamics and
systems science.
When in 1900 German Emperor
Wilhelm II delegated a punitive
expedition to China in response to the
killing of his ambassador in the Boxer
War (the Chinese Empire's effort to
regain sovereignty from colonial
powers), the Chinese Empire
increasingly destabilized systemically,
leading to its 1912 collapse (after the
Xinhai Revolution) and a geopolitical
chain reaction of social change in
Europe.
In 1914 European aristocracies entered
World War I, resulting in the Russian
Empire crumbling in the 1917 October
Revolution (called the "November
Revolution" in Russia), and in 1918 the
German and Austro-Hungarian empires
collapsed, as China was descending into
disorder and turmoil, becoming
entangled in revolutionary
reorganization processes, resonating
and partaking in the collective
unconscious flux.
Then democratic, socialist/communist
movements took over in Germany and
Austria, but didn't fill the power vacuum.
So fascism took advantage of Europe's
economic and political malaise.
In 1912, president Sun Yat-sen
established the Republic of China. Then
in the 1940s Mao Zedong - backed by
Chinese society's disfranchised segments
- battled Chinese president Chiang Kaishek
and his conservatives for control of
experiencing. With the stress of the
role, I can't say I was always capable of
reciprocating to the same degree; hence
the humbling aspect. And, I was
treated as an equal - not only 'allowed'
to present an opposing view, but
expected to do so. On the day of my
appointment, I received as many
congratulatory messages as I did of
ones saying: 'I'm praying for you.' I
didn't understand the reasoning for any
prayers until several months into the
role. Turns out, I did in fact need those
prayers - for patience.
In the world of journalism, I thought
I would encounter editors, reporters,
anchors and hosts on a quest to
uncover the truth - and I did. But too
often, I met with media professionals
who mistakenly thought they were
policy makers or intelligence officials,
determined to advance a political
objective instead of providing accurate
information. I am not the expert on
journalistic ethics. So, I ask this
question sincerely: What is the press's
objective? Is it to be the first to publish,
sell, build the consumer base - and then
check veracity later? Is it opinion
convergence, whereby everyone agrees
on what is "truth"? Do journalists still
"report out" stories, or do they write
their accounts ahead of time and leave
room to add the facts as they learn them
later? People say: Heavy is the head
that wears the crown. I say: Heavy is the
conscience that holds the pen.
Saudi Arabia is not perfect. It never
was and never will be. We make
mistakes, sometimes horrifically tragic
ones, like that of Jamal Khashoggi's
murder, God rest his soul. But the
Kingdom holds itself to account. When
crimes are committed, we investigate
them. When we determine who is
responsible, we arrest and prosecute
them. When we find out our lack of
oversight allowed horrible things to
happen, we make fundamental
changes to ensure such a tragedy never
happens again. Many Saudis across
various facets of society are still
FATImAH BAeSHAn
processing Khashoggi's death. This is
the sort of thing people read about in
other countries, not our own.
Here is a news flash: no country is a
Utopia. This statement is not deflective,
apologetic or defensive. It is realist.
Saudi Arabia also has great stories to
tell. It is modernizing rapidly. In the last
few years, more has been done to
provide new economic opportunities,
cultural opportunities, educational
opportunities than in decades
previously. Not every media story about
Saudi Arabia should be negative.
I feel proud to be someone who
appreciates the best of both worlds - the
warmth, hospitality, traditions, and
society-focus of Saudi culture, and the
critical thinking, process-oriented,
outspokenness, and individualism
ingrained by an American education
system. Perhaps some of that is our
fault. For too many years, we did not tell
our own story and allowed others to
I'm an intellectual by default but also a pragmatist. I realize this is why
the Ambassador hired me. I didn't fit the mold, but he made a bet that
someone with my background could engage across the spectrum of
opinions that exist on the Kingdom- which is what I did. I met critics
and supporters, people with years of experience following Saudi
Arabia, and those with only the most superficial prejudices. In each
engagement, I sought to help people learn more about Saudi Arabia.
the country. In the 1930s the Austrian
socialist group Schutzbund skirmished
with the fascist Heimwehr, costing many
lives.
Meanwhile, in Germany, Adolf Hitler
ascended and expanded his power from
Munich to Berlin, taking over in 1933 in
democratic elections. Hitler and the
Nazis were obsessed with Friedrich
Nietzsche (1844-1900) because the
intellectual's sister, Elisabeth Förster-
Nietzsche (Nazi sympathizer, head of
The Nietzsche Archive), had rearranged
her late brother's texts, applying
Nietzsche's individualistic Übermensch
(enlightened Buddha-like being) to all
Germans collectively, tailoring it for the
Nazi ideology and reinterpreting the
German collective unconscious: German
Herrenmensch (master race) by
eugenics.
After two atomic bombs stopped the
Nazi ally Japan, the Japanese had to
experience their tenn? (emperor - a
living god, which was alien to the West)
being publicly denounced. General
Douglas MacArthur urged the tenn? to
abdicate from being a direct descendant
of Amaterasu (goddess of the sun) and
declare himself a human being as head
of Japan's modern democratic society.
This US dictate imposed on Japan
continues to undermine that country's
spiritual self-esteem and religious
identity, leaving the Japanese deprived
of their age-old spirituality, which has
been subliminally replaced by
Westernized technology and
consumerism.
A stark difference between Eastern
and Western thought is the mystical
presence of leaders as living gods (tenn?,
Dalai Lama, Chinese emperor), while
Western leaders, functionally adored as
emperors, die as normal human beings,
narrate on our behalf, irrespective of
truth, which became customary.
Another challenge is that Americans
often measure Saudi Arabia according
to U.S. history and through distinctly
American ideals rooted in theoretical
secularism and democracy. The
Kingdom has its own values and past,
anchored in Islam, tribalism and a
monarchy. Neither is right or wrong.
Each reflects its culture.
For over a year, I got a front-car view
of this roller coaster. I saw journalists,
averse to meeting with Saudi officials in
broad daylight, chum it up behind
closed dining-room doors at night, and
then make absurd comparisons of the
Kingdom's leadership to movies they
once watched. I've sat fuming in my
office after having spent hours on calls
with journalists, only to find my
commentary sliced and diced into a
pre-written story that included no
reflection of the facts I relayed. I've been
cornered with impossible deadlines
and quoted out of context - on and off
the record. I've seen pages of outright
lies substantiated with "anonymous
ImmAnUel FrUHmAnn
as sinners. Since Tenn? Hirohito's death
in 1989 - he had spent part of his life as a
living god - modern-day Japan has been
stagnating economically. It is as if the
death of Japan's last Shinto god had
deleterious effects on the Japanese
spiritual identity, its cultural core.
Hirohito's son Tenn? Akihito's accession
in 1989 cemented the US definition of
the tenn? as a normal human being with
a representative function - not the livinggod-like
spiritual center his father was.
Despite their belief in the tenn?'s godlike
power, the Japanese feared the
Soviets would invade in 1945 and do to
him what they did to the czar in 1917,
while in China internal forces pushed the
late-1911 Chinese Revolution,
overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in early
1912, after colonial powers had
compromised Chinese emperors'
spiritual authority and the Chinese
people had considered their imperial
family unable to protect them against
Western imperialists, given the 19th
century's British East Indian Company
and the Opium Wars. Considering
religion dangerous, later Mao even
erased all Confucian-Daoist structures,
replacing them with communist
ideology and personality cults for
Communist Party leaders. Whoever did
not surrender "vanished."
While in China, Mao's class warfare
raged against the Chinese Republic's
conservative president Chiang Kai-shek -
who emigrated with his supporters to
Taiwan (which the People's Republic of
China perpetually claims) - in Austria,
aristocracy was forbidden in 1919
according to the First Wave of Anti-
Elitism, following Russia. In Germany,
the Second Wave of Anti-Elitism peaked
in absorbing many aristocrats by Hitler's
Nazi regime directed against the Jews,
sources," written by people who could
not even point out Saudi Arabia on the
map, much less take the time to visit the
country. All to build a Twitter following
and base, fueled by false reporting on
what they touted as the hottest story in
town.
Does such behavior do honor to the
sacred institution of journalism and the
preservation of freedom of speech - a
right timelessly enshrined in the
Constitution? Has it always been this
way, and I just didn't get the memo on
my first day as Spokesperson? Is
journalism an institutional discipline,
or only a cat and mouse game, and
ultimately a business?
I cite the First Amendment because it
is the stick so many in this arena selfrighteously
use to beat Saudi Arabia,
without any context or space for
cultural differences. The reality is every
society draws a line when it comes to
free speech, and rightfully so, whether
by public opinion, congressional policy,
or royal order. The recent troubles of
Kathy Griffin, Facebook and the Saudi
royal who attacked a local soccer player
with a racist comment all serve as
examples. I feel proud to be someone
who appreciates the best of both worlds
- the warmth, hospitality, traditions,
and society-focus of Saudi culture, and
the critical thinking, process-oriented,
outspokenness, and individualism
ingrained by an American education
system. When juxtaposed, our societies
have far more similarities than
differences. As a by-product of the Deep
South, I can say we both deal with
segregation. We both have a mass
middle conservative base. We both
struggle to thwart terrorism, which is
defined by violence - whether
committed by an ISIS suicide bomber
or an American mass shooter or the
KKK - and not by the ideology, the skin
color, religion or geography of the
perpetrator.
The truth is we are more alike than
not. We both can do better as nations.
I know Saudi Arabia will do better. The
Kingdom is asking tough questions of
itself, so that it improves, but others
should make an effort to understand it.
That doesn't mean we need positive or
negative depictions - our aim is not a
perfect portrait; just an accurate one. As
I step off this ride, I remain idealistic.
And I hope those who hold the pen will
present a more objective portrayal of
the news. Far more than Saudi Arabia is
at stake.
Source : Gulf News
The systemic ripple effects of social change
Since Tenn? Hirohito's death in 1989 - he had spent part
of his life as a living god - modern-day Japan has been
stagnating economically. It is as if the death of Japan's last
Shinto god had deleterious effects on the Japanese spiritual
identity, its cultural core. Hirohito's son Tenn? Akihito's
accession in 1989 cemented the US definition of the tenn?
as a normal human being with a representative function -
not the living-god-like spiritual center his father was.
an age-old spiritual and educated elite
persecuted by Christians Europe-wide
over centuries and systematically
murdered in the millions under the
Nazis within 12 years.
It should be remembered that the term
"pogrom" (organized massacre) derives
from 1880s Russian riots against Jews.
After Vladimir Lenin's 1917 Communist
Revolution and dictatorship of the
proletariat, followed by civil war,
educated people were considered
dangerous for the revolution. Wearers of
spectacles were killed immediately; few
intelligentsia able to administer the
Soviet Union survived, resulting in
chaos, famines, and millions of deaths.
Later, Georgian communist Josef Stalin,
the party's general secretary, ruled the
Soviet Union with an iron fist and further
terror.
In the 1950s a Third Wave of Anti-
Elitism unfolded with Mao's urge to
erase all Confucianist traditions by killing
seniors considered knowledge bearers.
So already in its run-up to the Cultural
Revolution (1966-1976) - starting in a
Fire Horse year - China subliminally
stimulated the Western Youth Culture,
possibly via collective unconscious
impulse. The Western student/social
revolution of 1967-68 was pushed via
strongly in Chinese-influenced
California (ever since an origin of change
and trends subliminally driven by
resonating with China), with
repercussions on the civil-rights
movement, which mainland Chinese
still are waiting for and Britishinfluenced
Hongkongers fight to
preserve.
According to my narrative of crosscontinental
interdependence and
unconscious flux, I even see a Fourth
Wave of Anti-Elitism around Beijing's
Tiananmen Square Massacre (Chinese
authorities' crackdown on the
democracy movement - known among
Mainlanders as 1989's "June Fourth
Incident") peaking in the fall of the Berlin
Wall in November 1989 and the end of
the Iron Curtain.
Relevance for today? Eye-catchingly
soon after China quakes, the world
shakes.
Source : Asia Times

STRATEGIC ISSUES FRIDAY,
FeBRUARY 15, 2019
5
Afghan peace talks need regional cooperation
Daud Khattak
Eyes are fixed on the
February 25 scheduled
meeting between the Qatarbased
Taliban leadership
and representatives of the
U.S. government, led by
seasoned diplomat Zalmay
Khalilzad, an Afghan-
American who held the
ambassadorial positions in
Afghanistan and Iraq during
the Bush administration.
Optimists have sound
justifications to welcome
these numerous rounds of
talks and celebrate their
prospects. Never before have
the Taliban spokesmen
talked as softly of peace as
they are speaking now; the
U.S. administration is
expressing
an
unprecedented hopefulness;
Pakistan is coming out with
oft-repeated statements of
sincere hope to see a peaceful
and stable Afghanistan. Even
the Afghan government,
which may be uneasy,
continues to wait and see
what will unfold in the days
ahead.
Chalk it up to the marvels
of Khalilzad's diplomacy,
U.S. President Donald
Trump's push-and-pull
tactics, Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani's increased
flexibility, or Pakistan's
urgent need for billions of
dollars to stabilize its
dwindling economy -
whatever the cause, the
Afghan reconciliation is well
on track and moving ahead.
But there are still many
obstacles before the
proverbial cup touches the
lips: possible rifts among the
Taliban, disagreement from
the Ghani administration if it
continues to feel left out of
the ongoing reconciliation
process, and dissent among
Afghan ethnic, political and
regional power centers. But
above all these, a major
barrier to peace is the
persistence of regional
rivalries. These rivalries not
only had provided lifeblood
to the post-Russian conflict
in Afghanistan but also
scuttled, in one way or
another, any peace effort
launched from any forum
since then.
The changing geostrategic
and geopolitical situation
demands more proactive
roles from regional countries
to secure their interests in
Afghanistan in case the
United States leaves the
country after agreeing on a
framework with the Taliban,
whose major demand, the
lynchpin of their 18-year
insurgency, is the withdrawal
of foreign troops.
The post-Soviet
withdrawal era, in this
regard, is a grim reminder
for all the neighbors and
regional powers to keep their
eyes fixed on Afghan turf to
secure their stakes whether
Afghanistan plunges into
another conflict or reverts to
lasting peace and stability to
help bridge regional
connectivity. Depending on
their stakes in both war and
peace, neighbors and
regional powers can be
expected to be either
facilitators or spoilers of the
peace process.
The two-day gathering in
Moscow in early February,
which came hard on the
heels of Khalilzad's "highly
productive" parleys with the
Taliban representatives in
Doha, points, for pessimists
at least, to that storm in the
building. In Russia, Afghan
leaders, minus the Ghani
administration, joined heads
with the Taliban to discuss
key issues such as the Afghan
Constitution, women rights,
and a ceasefire.
Already feeling left out
from the two rounds of talks
in Abu Dhabi and Doha,
Ghani may become the
elephant in the room if he
continues to feel ignored. His
frustration was visible when
Tolo News asked about the
Moscow talks. "The meeting
in Russia was nothing more
than a fantasy. No one can
decide without the consent of
the Afghan people," an
apparently upset Ghani told
the Afghan television
network.
Earlier, soon after the
conclusion of talks in Doha,
Khalilzad had assuaged
Ghanis's concerns in his
well-quoted tweet that
"nothing is agreed until
everything is agreed, and
'everything' must include an
intra-Afghan dialogue and
comprehensive ceasefire."
The impetus for the
February summit in
Moscow, the second since
November 2018 to discuss
Afghan peace, was visible
from the statement of
Russian Foreign Minister
Afghanistan won't have peace unless its neighbors agree to stop
their meddling.
Photo: Sgt. Antony J. Martinez
Sergei Lavrov, who was
quoted as saying that the
United States was trying to
"monopolize" the peace talks
by keeping the regional
countries "in the dark."
Of late, besides expanding
its outreach to the Taliban,
Russia is warming up to
erstwhile foe Pakistan,
believed to be a key backer of
the Taliban insurgency in
Afghanistan. Moscow's
Special Envoy for
Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov
landed in Islamabad on
January 28 to discuss the
Afghan peace efforts with
Pakistani officials.
Since the February 5 to 6
Moscow summit is seen as a
competing track for U.S.-
Taliban talks in Doha,
analysts believe Russia may
play a spoiler by pitting other
Afghan leaders against the
Ghani government in case
the former superpower sees
its interests at stake. The
Moscow meeting was fueled
by "Russian political sniping
against the [United States],"
Afghan affairs expert
Thomas Ruttig told Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty
earlier this month.
Additionally, the Taliban
handed over to Russia the
two Moldovan pilots of the
M-17 helicopter that had
crashed in western
Afghanistan in 2015. The
pilots had been captives with
the Taliban since then. Their
release points to closer
understanding between
Russia and the Taliban.
Meanwhile, the
longstanding India-Pakistan
animosity could be the
second biggest threat for
Afghan peace and stability
from a regional perspective.
The two neighbors, who are
declared nuclear powers,
fought their last war with
each other in the Himalayas
from May to July 1999.
However, an undeclared
India-Pakistan war has been
going on in Afghanistan
since the Taliban takeover of
Kabul in 1996.
The perception of India
encirclement among
Pakistan's military
establishment is forcing the
country to harbor the
Taliban leadership, to the
annoyance of both the
United States and
Afghanistan. It is possible
that Taliban inclusion in
the Afghan government
would help ease Pakistan's
worries, but there is no
denying that most common
Afghans - and their leaders
- see faraway India as
friendlier than next-door
neighbor Pakistan.
The answer to the riddle
lies deep in history and
politics. While Afghans did
not recognize the colonialera
Durand Line dividing
the ethnic Pashtuns,
Pakistan calls it the
permanent and settled
border with Afghanistan.
What are Japan’s foreign and defense
policies under Shinzo Abe
Daud Khattak
The Abe administration has a number of
important foreign policy areas to focus
on during this third and final term. After
Abe was re-elected this past fall as
president of the ruling Liberal
Democratic Party, he set the course to
become the longest serving Japanese
prime minister. On the foreign policy
side, he has made big strides with key
trade deals - such as the CPTPP
[Comprehensive and Progressive
Agreement for Trans-Pacific
Partnership] and Japan-EU EPA
[Economic Partnership Agreement] -
and also a host of important security and
defense reforms. Abe has also been the
most-travelled Japanese leader by far
and continues to have an adept hand at
pursuing Tokyo's interests in the
diplomatic arena.
In his final term, there are no "new"
priorities per say - but Abe must
continue to manage a series of complex
relations and potentially challenging
issues. The alliance with the U.S., which
I'll discuss a bit more below, obviously
remains a crucial area for Abe and he will
need to manage two critical junctures in
the coming two years with looming trade
negotiations and also burden-sharing
discussions in 2020. Abe also will
continue to keep focus on the regional
security environment, including the
evolving situation on the Korean
Peninsula and ties with China, which
have stabilized but remain mired in
mistrust. The Abe administration is also
focused on finalizing a peace treaty with
Russia with hopes for a compromise on
their decades-long dispute over the
Northern Territories. And finally, Abe
must manage a challenging
international economic environment -
starting as host of the G-20 this year -
amidst rising protectionist policies and
the potential for more trade wars.
The foundation and strategic rationale
for the U.S.-Japan alliance has not
changed under the Trump
administration. The alliance remains
resilient both through its multilayers
(economic, security, people to people,
etc.) but also its ability to evolve over
time (as evidenced by the significant
2015 U.S.-Japan revised bilateral
defense guidelines, which aimed to
evolve the alliance to ensure a more
seamless and forward-looking posture).
But while the alliance - and its trajectory
- remains more or less solid, there have
been some growing concerns in Tokyo
on weakening U.S. credibility both on
the regional and global stage. This
started with the decision from
Washington to withdraw from the
Trans-Pacific Partnership and has been
followed on with a series of other
concerning moves, including an
increasingly harsh tone on the value of
U.S. alliances. Tokyo was also blindsided
by the decision by the Trump
administration to apply tariffs on
Japanese steel and aluminum products -
under the guise of national security. But,
despite taking some criticism at home
and abroad for being too deferential to
Trump, Abe has managed the alliance
adeptly under a dynamic and
unpredictable environment. During
Abe's first official meeting with Trump in
2016, Japan managed to secure a strong
commitment to the U.S.-Japan security
treaty and its application to the Senkaku
islands (reaffirming earlier
commitments from previous
administrations). Tokyo has also been
largely pleased with the tougher stance
on China, although it is growing
increasingly concerned about damage to
the global economy from tensions
between Washington and Beijing on
trade. But despite this largely positive
picture, there are two big challenges to
the alliance coming up before 2021
(when Abe's third term is slated to
expire): the negotiations on a trade
agreement on goods; and burdensharing
negotiations.
Jonathan B. Miller speaks on the future direction of Japan's
foreign and defense policies.
Photo: Jonathan B. Miller
Mandarin has seen massive popularity growth in Hong Kong, but Cantonese, the city's mother
tongue, won't be erased so easily.
Photo: Ilario
Hong Kong identity and the
rise of Mandarin
Kevin T. Bielicki
"They say if you want to kill a city, you
kill its language" said Claudia Mo,
Member of the Hong Kong Legislative
Council, in a recent video for Vox
Borders. Mo was referring to the fact
that in recent years, Hong Kong's
evening news has been broadcasted in
Mandarin, China's national language,
even though the vast majority of Hong
Kongers speak Cantonese.
Since Hong Kong returned to
Chinese control in 1997, the
importance of Mandarin in the special
administrative region has grown
dramatically due to Hong Kong's
growing interconnectedness with
China. Since the turnover, an average of
150 Chinese mainlanders have
immigrated to Hong Kong each day,
and with the mainland's large economy
and huge population, being able to
speak Mandarin has all but become a
requirement for any job involving
finance, trade and tourism. In 1996 it
was reported that 65,892 residents in
Hong Kong spoke Mandarin as their
first language; 20 years later, in 2016,
that number has risen to 131,406
residents: a 99.4 percent increase. This
has led to many headaches in Hong
Kong's education sector, where parents
debate whether they should be sending
their children to schools taught in
Mandarin or Cantonese.
Currently about 70 percent of Hong
Kong's primary schools use Mandarin
as the language of instruction and there
have even been reports of videos being
used in classrooms that demonize
Cantonese and promotes Mandarin. In
large part this is because in Hong Kong
Mandarin is slowly coming to be seen
by some as a more useful language than
Cantonese. Maria Wang, a Hong
Konger whose native tongue is
Cantonese and mother of three, has
decided to send her daughters to a
Chinese International School where
they only speak Mandarin or English.
In an article with Quartz she was
quoted as saying, "Mandarin speakers
can write better Chinese" and
mentioned that "There's a lot of
working relations with China now."
Her thoughts echo those of Kevin
Yeung Yun-hung, Hong Kong's
education chief, who caused
controversy when he suggested on the
radio that experts should consider
whether Chinese language should be
taught in Mandarin, adding that "the
future development of Chinese
language learning across the globe will
rely mainly on Mandarin." The
question that was asked to Yeung was
in response to an article released early
last year by a former official from
China's State Language Commission,
which said that the city's official
language should be Mandarin since it
the "commonly used language of the
Han people."
While Yeung's comments may have
been ill received by the vast majority of
Hong Kongers, what he is saying is
based in fact: today Mandarin is by far
the most spoken and used dialect of
Chinese. There is no such thing as one
Chinese language; rather "Chinese"
refers to the many different dialects
which are spoken throughout China's
provinces. Many of these dialects are
completely unintelligible from one
another, which made governing the
vast nation incredibly difficult. Thus, in
1909 the national government made
Mandarin, the dialect spoken in Beijing
and used by the courts, China's first
national language. When the
Communist Party took control of the
mainland they continued to use
Mandarin as their official language as
well, having the dialect taught
throughout the country and the
countryside, which slowly diminished
China's many other dialects, including
Cantonese.
Migrant laborers from other Indian states walk with their belongings in Srinagar, Kashmir.
Photo: Dar Yasin
The Migrants Indian Democracy Forgot
The Indian government's push for
the passage of a key bill allowing
proxy voting rights for India's 25
million-strong diaspora - also
known as non-resident Indians or
NRIs - has shone the spotlight on the
200 million migrant workers within
India who remain far removed from
the voting process.
Proxy voting rights will allow
India's overseas demographic to
vote from the country where they are
currently based, a privilege that still
remains elusive to internal migrants.
Civil rights groups feel that
domestic migrants, who are direct
stakeholders in the country's future,
deserve attention over the privileged
NRIs, who have a lesser stake in
India's good governance and are
only at best only fringe beneficiaries
of its policies.
Article 326 of the Indian
Constitution states that every adult
citizen is entitled to be registered in
the electoral roll from her
parliamentary and assembly
constituency. The disenfranchising
of domestic migrants is thus a
serious infirmity in the electoral
process of the world's largest
democracy, apart from being highly
discriminatory.
Upcoming elections to the 17th
Lok Sabha will choose 543 members
of parliament from single-member
constituencies across the country. It
will also decide the fate of the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA
government, which romped home to
victory in 2014 with a historic
mandate. However, the Modi
government is currently buffeted by
headwinds due to policy missteps,
lack of jobs, and a rising tide of
Hindutva or right-wing radicalism
that is making the educated middle
class nervous.
According to current electoral
laws, internal migrants cannot vote
unless they travel back to their home
constituencies. This expense
prevents a majority of them from
voting. An analysis by the Migration
Policy Institute, which studies
migration trends across India,
points out that a state of continuous
drift prevents migrant workers from
exercising their political rights.
Because migrants are not entitled to
vote outside of their place of origin,
some are simply unable to cast their
votes.
A 2011 study on the political
inclusion of seasonal migrant
workers by Amrita Sharma and her
co-authors found that 22 percent of
seasonal migrant workers in India
did not possess voter IDs or have
their names registered in the voter
list. The study noted that "many
migrants leave their home at an age
as early as 13-14. The voter ID is
issued at an age of 18 or more. When
they become eligible to get a voter
ID, their work life is at its peak and
their trips to home short in
duration."
Many migrants are reported to not
have the time to get their voter IDs
made and a staggering 83 percent of
long distance migrants reported
missing voting in elections at least
once because they were away from
home seeking better livelihood
opportunities. Because of this,
migrant workers are often left
unable to make political demands
for entitlements or seek reforms,
states the report.

NATIONAL
FRIDAY, FeBRUARY 15, 2019
6
Vice Chancellor of Barishal University Prof. Dr SM Imamul Haque as the chief guest addressed a
discussion meeting marking the 5th Public Administration Day of BU on Wednesday. Photo: BU
Public Administration Day
observed in BU
The 5th founding anniversary of Public
Administration Department of Barishal
University (BU) was observed on
Wednesday. Vice Chancellor of BU
Prof. Dr SM Imamul Haque
inaugurated the day-long celebration
by cutting a cake, a press release said.
Marking the occasion an elaborate
rally was held at the initiative of the
Public Administration Department.
After the rally a discussion meeting
was held at the Kirtankhola
auditorium in the university.
President of the Public
Administration Department Tasnuva
Habib Jisan chaired the meeting
while Vice-Chancellor of the
University SM Imamul Haque was
present as the chief guest at the
occasion. Treasurer Professor AKM
Mahbub Hasan was the special guest
at the meeting.
The chief guest in his speech said
that, all subjects are good for acquiring
knowledge and we are gathering
knowledge to improve ourselves. So
you need to express your behavior,
attitude and communications in such a
way that everyone can understand that
you are a student of a university.
Among the various regional
universities, Barishal University is at
the top of the list. It's pride for you. I
have already declared this university as
a "smoke-free, drug-free and razakarfree"
university. In future, dope test will
be required for the students for
admission in Barishal University. The
Vice-Chancellor urged everyone to be
aware against drug and said that we all
need to work hard to implement Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina's
announcement of zero tolerance
against drugs. Only then can this
country be free of drugs. Among others,
teachers and students of Public
Administration Department were
present at the program.
At the end of the program, Vice
Chancellor inaugurated the
construction work of guest room of
Bangabandhu Hall of the University.
During the time, Chairman CSE
Department and Provost of
Bangabandhu Hall Rahat Hossain
Faisal, Director of TSC Dr. Khorshed
Alam, Executive Engineer Murshed
Abedin and other senior
administration officials were present at
the occasion. Meanwhile, a contract
was signed between "Bangladesh Legal
Aid and Services Trust (BLAST)" and "
Law Department of the University" at
the office room of the VC. Senior
officials of Barishal University were
present at the ceremony.
Sanak-TIB, Jamalpur district unit on Thursday formed a human on Thursday demanding two new
inter-city trains and to prevent black marketing of ticket and irregularities in Jamalpur.
Photo: M Sultan Alam
Human chain demands two new
inter-city trains in Jamalpur
M Sultan Alam, Jamalpur
Correspondent: A human chain was
formed in Jamalpur on Thursday
demanding two new inter-city trains
and to prevent black marketing of ticket
and irregularities.
Socheton Nagorik Committee,
Sanak-TIB Jamalpur organized the
human chain program at Dayamoyi
chattar of the city. SanaK President
Professor Mir Ansar Ali chaired the
27 held in Dinajpur
special drives
DINAJPUR: Law enforcers, in
special drives arrested 27
persons including 10 drug
traders from different areas of
the district in 12-hour ending
at 8am last morning, reports
BSS.
Law enforcers also seized
252 bottles of Phensidyl and
100 pieces of Yaba tablets
during the drives. Police said
they were picked up from
different areas of the district
on different charges.
During the drives, Dinajpur
Sadar police arrested six
persons including two drug
traders along with 52 bottles
of Phensidyl, Parbatipur
Thana police arrested two
persons, Birganj Thana police
arrested three persons.
occasion while among others, President
of Jamalpur District Press Club Shafiq
Zaman, Advocate Yusuf Ali, Sanak
member Professor Qayed-uz-Zaman,
Tamanna Salehin Kabita, Swajan
member Russel Mia and TIB Area
Manager Arif Hossain addressed the
occasion.
Speakers at the human chain said
that Dhaka-Jamalpur railroad is
profitable but the government's silence
is the main obstacle to the development
of rail service. The number of trains is
less than the demand, so it is not
possible to prevent black marketing of
ticket and irregularities. To overcome
this obstacle, demand for two new
inter-city trains between Dhaka and
Jamalpur between 8am and 12pm were
announced. Sunak, Swajan, Yes Group
and members of different organizations
participated in the human chain.
BMS Rangpur unit celebrates
founding anniversary
RANGPUR: The Rangpur district unit command of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangshad
(BMS) celebrated founding anniversary of BMS on Wednesday recalling the gallant role
of freedom fighters in liberating the country from Pakistani clutches in 1971, reports BSS.
Senior officials and civil society figures joined the celebration along with the freedom
fighters as the function yesterday was chaired by former Commander of BMS Rangpur
district unit command Mosaddek Hossain Bablu.
"The nation will be indebted forever to the freedom fighters . . . the best sons and
daughters of the soil," Rangpur's Divisional Commissioner Muhammad Joynul Bari aid
inaugurated the celebration by cutting a cake at District Muktijoddha Complex Bhaban.
The discussion, also joined by Deputy Commissioner of the district Enamul Habib, was
followed by a colourful 'Ananda Utsab' and cultural function.
Freedom Fighters Sadrul Alam Dulu, Golam Mostafa, Matiar Rahman, Haji Md. Atiar
Rahman, Mahbubur Rahman, Jasim Uddin Ahmed, Abul Masud Chowdhury, Azizul
Islam, Mostafizar Rahman, among others, spoke. The speakers said the freedom fighters
never thought of getting something in return while fighting against the Pakistani
occupation forces to liberate the country. The officials said the government, however,
took massive programmes like increasing allowances, constructing Muktijoddha
Complexes at district and upazila levels and residential houses for the financially
insolvent Freedom Fighters to ensure their welfare.
Notable litterateur
Principal Shafiuddin
Sardar passes away
Sheikh Tofazzal Hoassain,
Natore Correspondent:
Notable litterateur and
novelist Principal
Shafiuddin Sardar passed
away at his residence in
Shukul Patti area of Natore
on early Thursday. He was
85 years old. People of all
walks of life including the
Deputy Commissioner,
politicians and lecturers
rushed to his house after
getting the news.
Principal Shafiuddin
Sardar was born on 1st May,
1935 in Hatbila village of
Naldanga upazila in Natore.
He was a magistrate during
his early days of life. Later he
retired as the principal of
Rani Bhabani Government
Mohila College.
Principal Shafiuddin
Sardar wrote 37 novels and
60 books including Bengali
history and 1971 liberation
war. Shafiuddin Sardar was
suffering from various
diseases, including kidney
and lungs problem. He left
behind 4 sons, 5 daughters
and hundreds of well
wishers. He will be laid to
rest at the central graveyard
of the district.
Rajshahi Silk Factory
resumes production
RAJSHAHI: Production in
Rajshahi Silk Factory has
been resumed after around
16 years of interception
creating a high hope among
all concerned particularly
labourers here, reports BSS.
Currently, the factory is
operating six looms on trial
basis which has, so far,
produced 2,600 yards of silk
clothes. Step has been taken
to make five more looms fit
for functional. It is expected
that the looms will go on
operation within next one
month.
The observation came in a
discussion at conference hall
of Bangladesh Sericulture
Research and Training
Institute (BSRTI) in Rajshahi
city on Wednesday.
Bangladesh
Silk
Development Board (BSDB)
organized the meeting
attended by Mayor of
Rajshahi City Corporation
AHM Khairuzzaman Liton
and Chairman of Zila
Parishad Muhammad Ali
Sarker as chief and special
guest respectively.
Chaired by BSDB Director
General Abdul Hakim, the
meeting was addressed,
among others, by its Members
Syeda Zebinnissa Sultana,
Abdul Mannan and Nasima
Khatun, Secretary Jayedul
Islam and Chief Extension
Officer Rabiul Islam and
BSRTI Director Monsur Ali.
On the occasion, they also
visited the factory and BSRTI.
Mayor Liton expressed
hope that the defunct factory
would resume its function in
full-length as soon as
possible.
Sundarganj Press Club
accords reception to
outgoing upazila
Agriculture Officer
Rafiqul Islam, Gaibandha
Correspondent: Sundarganj
Press Club held a reception
programme for outgoing
upazila Agriculture Officer
Agriculturist Rashedul
Islam in Gaibandha on
Wednesday. The reception
programme was held at the
Press Club office in Al Jabed
Market of the upazila.
Outgoing Upazila
Agriculture Officer Rashedul
Islam, Press Club General
Secretary and Headmaster A
Mannan Akanda,
Headmaster of Jarmandi
Girls' High School, Ajit
Kumar Sarkar, JaPa General
Secretary of Dohband
Union Swapan Kant Roy,
Journalist Alauddin
Majumder Shaheen, Hazrat
Belal, Samiul Islam,
Mozaffar Hossain, PPI
Sadek Hossain and all
deputy assistant agricultural
officers addressed the
occasion. Later farewell gift
was given to outgoing
upazila Agriculture Officer
on behalf of the Press Club.
Meeting on strengthening union
alliance held in Bakshiganj
GM Fatiul Hafiz Babu, Bakshiganj
Correspondent: A meeting on strengthening
the Merurchar union CBO Alliance
Committee in Bakshiganj was held on
Thursday. The meeting was held in
cooperation with donor association Oxfam
in Bangladesh and with the initiative of
private association REE CALL 2021 project
at the Merurchar UP conference room.
At the meeting Merurchar UP Chairman
Zahidul Islam Jihad, UP Secretary Abu
Hanif, Coordinator of REE CALL 2021
project Jyoti Akhter, Field Facilitator Nasrin
Akhter, Community Mobilizer of EU CSO
Project GM Fatiul Hafiz Babu, the
Merurchar union CBO Alliance Committee
President Shahina Begum, General
Secretary Mojibur Rahman, Vice President
Mamtaz Uddin, Treasurer Shahida Begum
and Member Akter Ali addressed the
meeting. Among others, members of the
union council and members of the Union
CBO Alliance Committee were also present
at the meeting.
Speakers at the meeting said that there are
12 CBOs Merurchar union. The members of
these CBOs sought the help of the concerned
people to ensure the benefits of various
government and non-government
organizations by forming alliances for their
own fate. Through the REE CALL
2021project, they are developing skills in
different training programs.
At the time, the members of the upazila for
the cooperation of the local UP chairman to
strengthen the CBOs. Merurchar Union
Parishad chairman Jahidul Islam Jihad in
his speech assured them of his overall
cooperation.
Merurchar UP Chairman Zahidul Islam Jihad addressed a meeting on
strengthening the Merurchar union CBO Alliance Committee in
Bakshiganj on Thursday.
Photo: GM Fatiul Hafiz Babu
Food distributed among
orphans in Kamalganj
Pintu Debnath, Kamalganj Correspondent: On the occasion of Valentine's Day, social
organization 'Shopno Feriwala' distributed food products among orphans and poor mothers
in Kamalganj on Thursday.
Kamalganj Municipality Mayor Md. Jewel Ahmed was present as the chief guest on the
occasion of distribution of food at Kamalganj Municipality auditorium. President of the
organization Shahinur Rahman chaired the occasion and Shajib Deb Roy conducted the
occasion. Among others, Women leader Munna Roy, journalist Subrata Debra Sanjay,
municipal councilor Rafiqul Islam Ruhel, Golam Mohit, Dewan and Rahim Mohin were also
present at the occasion.
On the occasion, food items were distributed among more than one hundred and fifty
orphans and poor mothers.
Kamalganj Municipality Mayor Md. Jewel Ahmed as the chief guest
distributed food items among orphans and poor mothers in Kamalganj on
Thursday.
Photo: Pintu Debnath
Sundarganj Press Club General Secretary A Mannan Akanda handed
farewell gift to outgoing upazila Agriculture Officer Agriculturist Rashedul
Islam in Gaibandha on Wednesday.
Photo: Rafiqul Islam

7
FRIDAy, FEBRUARy 15, 2019
A handout picture released by the Iranian news agency Fars News on February 13, 2019, shows a bus
that was reportedly blown up by a suicide attack in southeastern Iran on February 13, 2019. - A
suicide attack on a Revolutionary Guards bus in southeastern Iran killed at least 20 people, the
official news agency IRNA reported.
Photo : AP
Suicide bomber targeting Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard kills 27
Indian PM Modi to
visit South Korea
Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will visit
South Korea on Feb. 21-22
on the invitation of South
Korean President Moon Jaein,
the external affairs ministry
announced here Thursday,
reports UNB.
The visit is part of the new
momentum in high-level
exchanges between India
and South Korea which was
witnessed during Moon's
visit to India for bilateral
summit in July 2018, said an
official statement.
According to it, Modi's
forthcoming visit will provide
an important occasion
for the two leaders to review
the recent developments in
bilateral relations and
exchange views on regional
and international issues of
common interest.
5 IS militants
killed in
northern Iraq
Five Islamic State (IS) militants
were killed Thursday
in operation by Iraqi security
forces in Iraq's northern
province of Nineveh, a security
source said, reports
UNB.
A joint force from the Iraqi
army and police commandos
carried out a preemptive
operation at a mountainous
area in southwest of Nineveh's
provincial capital
Mosul, which itself is located
some 400 km north of Baghdad,
and destroyed eight
tunnels, Saad Maan,
spokesman of interior ministry,
said in a statement.
The attack killed four IS
militants at one tunnel,
while the fifth blew up himself
after the troops surrounded
him, Maan said.
The security situation in
Iraq has been dramatically
improved after Iraqi security
forces fully defeated the
extremist IS militants across
the country late in 2017.
A suicide car bomber claimed by an al-
Qaida-linked group attacked a bus carrying
members of Iran's elite Revolutionary
Guard paramilitary force
Wednesday, killing at least 27 people
and wounding 13 others, state media
reported, reports UNB.
Tehran immediately linked the attack
in Iran's restive southeastern Sistan
and Baluchistan province to an ongoing
U.S.-led conference in Warsaw largely
focused on Iran, just two days after the
nation marked the 40th anniversary of
its 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The bombing also raised the specter
of possible Iranian retaliation targeting
a Sunni militant group called Jaish al-
Adl that claimed the attack, which
largely operates across the border in
nuclear-armed Pakistan. Recent militant
assaults inside Iran have sparked
retaliatory ballistic missile strikes in
Iraq and Syria.
The bombing Wednesday night
struck the bus traveling on a road
between the cities of Khash and
Zahedan, a mountainous region along
the Pakistani border that is also near
Afghanistan. Images after the blast
published by semi-official news agencies
showed the explosion tore the bus
apart, as passers-by used the light of
their cellphones to illuminate the
debris.
The state-run IRNA news agency, citing
what it described as an "informed
source," offered initial casualty figures
of 20 dead and 20 wounded. The Revolutionary
Guard later reported on its
website that 27 were killed and 13
wounded. The Guard, which answers
only to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, issued a statement
saying a vehicle loaded with explosives
targeted a bus carrying border guards
affiliated with its force.
Sistan and Baluchistan province,
which lies on a major opium trafficking
route, has seen occasional clashes
between Iranian forces and Baluch separatists,
as well as drug traffickers.
However, in recent months, there's
been an uptick in assaults by the Sunni
extremist group Jaish al-Adl, or the
"Army of Justice." Since its founding in
2012, it has abducted or killed border
guards in hit-and-run assaults from its
havens in Pakistan. It kidnapped 11
Iranian border guards in October. Five
later were returned to Iran and six
remained held. Jaish al-Adl claimed
Wednesday's bombing in a statement
online. Iranian state-run and semi-official
media also blamed the group for
the attack.
While Iran has been enmeshed in the
wars engulfing Syria and neighboring
Iraq, it largely has avoided the bloodshed
plaguing the region. However,
attacks have happened.
In 2009, more than 40 people,
including six Guard commanders, were
killed in a suicide attack by Sunni
extremists in Sistan and Baluchistan
province. Jundallah, a Sunni extremist
group whose members have joined
Jaish al-Adl, claimed responsibility for
that attack.
In the case of Jundallah, Pakistan
assisted Iran in apprehending its
leader, whom Tehran executed in
2010. Iran has sought the cooperation
of Pakistan in recent cases involving
Jaish al-Adl as well. However, a
bombing like this inside of Iran likely
will draw an immediate reaction from
the Guard, a massive paramilitary
organization that both controls Iran's
ballistic missile program and vast
chunks of its economy.
Journalist and Duterte critic
posts bail after libel arrest
The award-winning head of a Philippine
online news site that has aggressively covered
President Rodrigo Duterte's administration
was freed on bail Thursday after her
arrest in a libel case, reports UNB.
National Bureau of Investigation agents
served the warrant against Maria Ressa late
Wednesday afternoon and escorted her from
the Rappler Inc. office to NBI headquarters,
where she stayed overnight in an office. The
move against Ressa, who was one of Time
magazine's Persons of the Year last year, was
denounced by her outfit, Rappler Inc., and
media watchdogs as a threat to press freedom.
Duterte's government said the arrest
was a normal step in response to a criminal
complaint. "What we're seeing is death by a
thousand cuts of our democracy," Ressa told
reporters after posting bail in the Manila
regional trial court that issued a warrant for
her arrest. She accused the government of
abusing its power and of using the law as a
weapon to muzzle dissent. "I'm appealing to
you not to be silent ... you have to express
outrage."
Duterte has openly lambasted journalists
who write unfavorable stories about him,
including about his anti-drug campaign that
has left thousands of mostly poor suspects
dead. Rappler's 2012 article included allegations
that a businessman was linked to illegal
drugs, human trafficking and a murder case,
citing an unspecified intelligence report. The
story also said a car registered in his name had
been used by the country's chief justice, who
was later ousted in an impeachment trial.
Wilfredo Keng denied the allegations in a
statement and welcomed the justice department's
indictment of Ressa and a former
Rappler researcher, Reynaldo Santos Jr.,
adding he was determined to see the legal
battle through. He said he has no criminal
record.
"Rappler, Ressa and Santos continue to
hold themselves high above any accountability
to provide credible and justifiable reason
for why they continue to harass an ordinary
private citizen and businessman despite having
absolutely no basis for their claims,"
Keng said in a statement.
"With one click of a button, they destroyed
my reputation and endangered my life,"
Keng said. Amnesty International Philippines
said Ressa's arrest was based on a
"trumped up libel charge." "This is brazenly
politically motivated, and consistent with the
authorities' threats and repeated targeting of
Ressa and her team," it said.
Maria Ressa, the award-winning head of a Philippine online news site
Rappler that has aggressively covered President Rodrigo Duterte's
policies, shows a warrant of arrest after being arrested by National
Bureau of Investigation agents in a libel case on Feb. 13, 2019, in
Manila, Philippines.
Photo : AP
Swedish foreign ministry
investigates ambassador
to China
The Swedish Embassy in
China says its ambassador is
under internal investigation,
reports UNB.
The embassy said Thursday
that Ambassador Anna
Lindstedt has returned to
Stockholm to meet with officials
from the foreign affairs
ministry. She is not under
criminal investigation.
Lindstedt left Beijing on
Wednesday, according to
the embassy, which declined
to give further details.
Her departure comes after
Angela Gui, the daughter of
detained Swedish book publisher
Gui Minhai published
an account Wednesday
detailing a "strange" meeting
with a pair of Chinese businessmen
arranged by Lindstedt.
Gui wrote on Medium,
an online publishing platform,
that the businessmen
threatened her after offering
to help secure her father's
release from prison in China.
Gui Minhai, a naturalized
Swedish citizen, co-owned a
Hong Kong store which sold
gossipy books about Chinese
leaders.
China's coal hub
discovers huge
coal reserves
North China's coal-rich
Shanxi Province discovered
more than 2.44 billion tonnes
of coal reserves last year,
exceeding the output for the
same period, local authorities
said Thursday, reports UNB.
Shanxi allocated 357 million
yuan (around 53 million
U.S. dollars) in 2018 on the
exploration of mineral products,
according to the provincial
land and resources
department.
By the end of 2014, the
province had found over 294
billion tonnes of coal
reserves. But its coal output
did not see a boost. It produced
893 million tonnes of
coal in 2018, compared to
832 million tonnes in 2016.
Shanxi has been reducing
its outdated coal production
capacity in recent years due
to structural adjustment in
energy. The coal hub has
phased out more than 88
million tonnes of outdated
coal production over the past
three years, and the figure is
expected to surpass 100 million
tonnes by 2020.
Bus plunges into ravine in
North Macedonia, killing 14
A bus carrying workers in North Macedonia
crashed into a ravine outside the capital of
Skopje Wednesday, killing 14 people and
injuring about 30, officials said.
Venko Filipce, the newly renamed European
nation's health minister, said seven
people were pronounced dead at the scene
and the rest died after being taken to a hospital.
Six of those injured had life-threatening
conditions.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev declared two
days of national mourning.
The bus was carrying about 50 people
when it veered off a highway linking Skopje
with the western town of Tetovo and plunged
10 meters (30 feet) into a small ravine, landing
upside down. The cause of the crash,
about 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Skopje,
wasn't yet known.
Firefighters and residents of a nearby village
rushed to the scene of the crash to help
pull survivors, including the driver, from the
wreckage.
Witness Samet Musliu told private Telma
TV that rescuers had to cut open the bus to
reach the injured.
"There was a strong smell of gasoline and
we were afraid the bus would explode," he
said.
The bus had been carrying workers back
from Skopje to the town of Gostivar, about
80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of the
capital, where most of them lived, said Gostivar
Mayor Arben Taravari.
Police and investigators stand near the bus wreckage at the crash site at
village of Laskarci, west of Skopje, North Macedonia, Wednesday, Feb. 13,
2019. Macedonia's health minister says some have died and many are
injured in the bus crash, carrying workers on a highway west of the
capital, Skopje.
Photo : AP
Trump still coy on border deal - but
claims victory anyway
Congressional bargainers formally
completed a bipartisan border security
pact late Wednesday and President
Donald Trump labored to frame it as a
political win, even though it contains
only a fraction of the billions for a
"great, powerful wall" that he's been
demanding for months, reports UNB.
Trump is expected to grudgingly
accept the agreement, which was completed
just before midnight. The measure
- 1,768 pages of legislation and
explanation - would avert another government
shutdown and give the president
what Republicans have been
describing as a "down payment" on his
signature campaign pledge.
Earlier in the day, Trump said he was
still waiting to learn what its final language
would be before making a decision.
But he's not waiting to declare victory,
contending at the White House on
Wednesday that a wall "is being built as
we speak."
Indeed, work on a first barrier extension
- 14 miles in Texas' Rio Grande
Valley - starts this month, approved by
Congress about a year ago along with
money to renovate and strengthen
some existing fencing. But that's a far
cry from the vast wall he promised during
his campaign would "go up so fast
your head will spin."
Sounding like he was again in campaign
mode, he told a law enforcement
group on Wednesday, "It's going to be a
great, powerful wall. ... The wall is very,
very on its way."
Carried away by his own enthusiasm,
perhaps, he added, "You are going to have
to be in extremely good shape to get over
this one. They would be able to climb
Mount Everest a lot easier, I think."
Trump has a history of balking at
deals after signaling he was on board.
But barring White House discovery of
any objectionable provisions, he was
expected to acquiesce, according to
UN chief underscores radio’s
role in communications
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underscored the importance of radio, saying it
reaches more people than any other media platform even in the world of digital communications,
reports UNB.
"It conveys vital information and raises awareness on important issues. And it is a personal,
interactive platform where people can air their views, concerns, and grievances. Radio can
create a community," Guterres said in his video message on the occasion of the World Radio
Day, which falls on Wednesday. For the United Nations, especially its peacekeeping operations,
the UN chief said, radio is a vital way of informing, reuniting and empowering people
affected by war.
"On this World Radio Day, let us recognize the power of radio to promote dialogue, tolerance
and peace," he said. World Radio Day 2019 is celebrating the theme of "Dialogue, Tolerance
and Peace." The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) has said an event open to the public would take place at its headquarters on this
day. Two radio stations would be broadcasting live, including Radio UNESCO, a temporary
radio station dedicated to the Day. In addition, 10 "Speed Workshops" will be offered for all
to gain hands-on experience in radio production, UNESCO said. Feb. 13 was chosen for
World Radio Day as United Nations Radio was established on this date in 1946. The day aims
to raise greater awareness on the importance of radio, to encourage decision-makers to establish
and provide access to information through radio, and to enhance networking and international
cooperation among broadcasters.
White House officials and other Republicans
close to the White House who
spoke on condition of anonymity
because they weren't authorized to discuss
the matter publicly.
Trump and his aides have also signaled
that he is preparing to use executive
action to try to secure additional
money for the wall by tapping into
existing federal dollars without any
congressional sign-off so he can show
supporters he's continuing to fight.
That could lead to resistance in Congress
or federal court.
But assuming there are no surprises in
the final text, "I think he's going to sign
it," conservative Rep. Mark Meadows, R-
N.C., a close ally of the president, said
Wednesday. He warned, though, that "it
would be political suicide" if Trump
signed the deal and then failed to take
action to secure additional funding for
the wall using his executive powers.
Swallowing the deal would mark a
major concession by Trump, who has
spent months insisting the situation at
the southern border represents a
national security crisis that demands
an impregnable wall. He also had
insisted he would accept nothing less
than $5.7 billion for the barrier - a
demand that forced the 35-day partial
shutdown that left hundreds of thousands
of federal workers without paychecks
and Republicans taking the
brunt of the blame. There is no appetite
for a repeat.
The deal, which lawmakers reached
this week, would provide less than $1.4
billion for border barriers while keeping
the government funded through the
end of September. While some conservatives,
Fox News commentator Sean
Hannity among them, have balked at
the deal, other allies of the president
have urged him to sign it and move on.
Tibet sees growing number of visitors
in Tibetan new year holiday
About 511,700 visits were made by
tourists to southwest China's Tibet
Autonomous Region during the 10-day
holiday of the Tibetan New Year, up
11.6 percent year on year, local authorities
said Thursday, reports UNB.
This year's Tibetan New Year, or
Losar, fell on Feb. 5 and coincided with
the Spring Festival. During the holiday,
the region's tourism industry brought in
around 353 million yuan (52.2 million
U.S. dollars), a year-on-year growth of
17.7 percent, according to the regional
tourism development department.
"This is my first trip to Tibet. The
scenery is breathtaking, and the locals
are very friendly," said Luo Xiaohui, a
visitor from south China's Guangdong
Province.
She added that she could not have
found a better time to visit Tibet than
the Tibetan New Year, which is normally
celebrated by religious rituals, horse
races, family gatherings and feasts.
In a bid to attract more tourists during
the winter, the region has rolled out
a spate of preferential policies including
waiving admission charges for
some scenic spots from Nov. 1 last year
to March 15.
Official data showed more than 30
million tourists visited Tibet last year, a
year-on-year increase of 31.5 percent,
the highest figure since 2013.

ART & CULTURE
FrIDAy,
FeBrUAry 15, 2019
8
Film Academy clarifies
controversial Oscars plans
Gully Boy
A coming-of-age story based
on the lives of street rappers
in Mumbai.
Genre
Directed By
Written By
Stars
Runtime
Studio
: Drama
: Zoya Akhtar
: Reema Kagti,
Zoya Akhtar
: Alia Bhatt,
Ranveer Singh,
Kalki Koechlin
: 148 minutes
: Excel
Entertainment
StOrylIne :
Gully Boy is a film
about a 22 year old
Muslim kid from a
ghetto in Bombay. The
boy is a rapper, and the
story is his journey
from realising his love
for rap, to chasing his
dream, and to inadvertently
transcending his
class. Authentic Hip
Hop in India is a recent
phenomenon and like
anywhere else in the
world, is rising from
the streets. It is the
only true political space
in music right now and
it's coming from people
that have nothing
to lose, the
colonised poor.
-IMDb
ArIeS
(March 21 - April 20) : You're motivated
to make your life more comfortable
and to enjoy family or domestic life
more completely. It's a potentially excellent time
for tapping into deeper needs, desires, and
wants. It's a beautiful time for comfortably working
on any recent money-making.
tAUrUS
(April 21 - May 21) : A bit of healthy
competition might motivate you now,
and you're drawn to engaging activities.
You're expressing yourself with intention.
With your action-oriented frame of mind, you
can be especially interested in starting something
new or building upon a fabulous idea.
The officers of the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences' board of governors
has sent a letter to is membership
attempting to assuage concerns about the
decision to hold four Oscar presentations
off the live air telecast on Feb. 24.
"As the Academy's officers, we'd like to
assure you that no award category at the
91st Oscars ceremony will be presented in
a manner that depicts the achievements of
its nominees and winners as less than any
others," the letter states. "Unfortunately,
as the result of inaccurate reporting and
social media posts, there has been a chain
of misinformation that has understandably
upset many Academy members. We'd
like to restate and explain the plans for
presenting the awards, as endorsed by the
Academy's Board of Governors."
The officers then went on to break down
how these presentations will work:
- All 24 Award categories are presented
on stage in the Dolby Theatre, and included
in the broadcast.
- Four categories - Cinematography,
Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling,
and Live Action Short - were volunteered
by their branches to have their nominees
and winners announced by presenters,
and included later in the broadcast. Time
spent walking to the stage and off, will be
edited out.
- The four winning speeches will be
included in the broadcast.
- In future years, four to six different categories
may be selected for rotation, in collaboration
with the show producers. This
year's categories will be exempted in 2020.
- This change in the show was discussed
and agreed to by the Board of Governors in
August, with the full support of the branch
executive committees. Such decisions are
fully deliberated.
The letter states that show producers
have "given great consideration to both
Oscar tradition and our broad global audience.
We sincerely believe you will be
pleased with the show, and look forward to
celebrating a great year in movies with all
Academy members and with the rest of the
world."
The letter was signed by president John
Bailey, vice presidents Lois Burwell, Sid
Ganis and Larry Karaszewski, Nancy
Utley, treasurer Jim Gianopulos and secretary
David Rubin.
"Relegating these essential cinematic
crafts to lesser status in this 91st Academy
Awards ceremony is nothing less than an
insult to those of us who have devoted our
lives and passions to our chosen profession,"
the open letter read.
Many have called for the Academy to
reverse course on the matter, but given
that it was a board decision, the only way
to reverse it would be to convene the body
for another meeting in the next seven days.
The 91st Oscars will be held on Sunday,
Feb. 24.
-VARIETY
H O rOScOPe
lIBrA
(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23) : This is the time
of the month for checking in with
your goals and performance. You can
be pleasantly productive today, and you have a
rather competent air about you that compels
others to follow your lead. You're active today,
but you're also pacing yourself well.
ScOrPIO
(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : This day brings
general ease with communications,
facility with words, and natural
ability to get your ideas or message across.
You can be a little more creative or playful
with your words, and bolder when it comes to
sharing your views.
Salman Khan introduces
new comers Pranutan
and Zaheer Iqbal
Actor Salman Khan, a veritable
godfather to many a newcomer
in Bollywood, is now launching
debutants Pranutan Bahl and
Zaheer Iqbal in the film
Notebook. While Pranutan is the
granddaughter of noted yesteryear
actor Nutan and daughter
of actor Mohnish Bahl, Zaheer is
the son of Salman's friend.
Salman took to Twitter to
share the poster of the film with
the caption, "Bina mile kabhi
pyaar ho sakta hai? Introducing
@PranutanBahl & @iamzahero
in this unique love story directed
by @nitinrkakkar
#Notebook, releasing 29th
March 2019, trailer out on 17th
Feb. @SKFilms Official
@Cine1Studios @MuradKhetani
@ashwinvarde @TSeries."
The film is a love story set in
Kashmir and has been directed
by Nitin R Kakkar. Zaheer is the
son of Salman's childhood
friend Iqbal and was an assistant
director on his film Jai Ho.
Salman has been personally
supervising Zaheer's training for
the last few months. In fact, he's
even named him 'Zahero'.
Salman had introduced him in
May last year with the tweet,
"How these kids grow up so
soon... ALWAYS keep giving
your best #ZAHERO no matter
what. Stand tall and always
bend backwards for those u love
and those who love u, Yeh yaad
rakhna that the most important
thing in life is Respect and
Loyalty. @iamzahero." He had
also shared a childhood picture
with him while building up the
hype. Salman had shared his
friend's picture too with the
tweet, "N this is my childhood
frnd Iqbal, as a teen he was my
bank, I still owe him 2011 rs."
-Hindustan Times
Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas
first look
Looks like Gully Boy is not the only thing that released on
Valentine's Day. The first poster of Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas,
Sunny Deol's son Karan Deol's Bollywood debut, also took
the Internet by storm. Sunny Deol, who introduced the first
looks of Karan Deol and his co-star Sahher Bambba from
the film on social media, wrote on Instagram that his mixed
feelings about launching his son are all about being nervous"
and "proud". His heartfelt note for Karan Deol on
Instagram read: "As a father I am nervous at the same time
I am proud to present my sons first poster. Today Karan
begins his cinematic journey, wishing him love, luck and
success." In the poster, Karan and Sahher can be seen sharing
a loved-up moment.
Sharing another poster, Sunny Deol described Pal Pal Dil
Ke Paas as a story of romance filled with adventures: "An
adventurous love story filled with magical moments. Get
ready for a story which will be forever etched in your heart."
Sunny Deol's half-sister actress Esha Deol also showered
Karan with blessings for his Bollywood debut.
Last year, Sunny Deol spoke to news agency PTI and said
that he may be launching Karan in Bollywood but how he
how he shapes his career should be up to him: "When I
came in the industry was I mentally prepared? I am sure he
is coming in his own way the way I came in. Rest is up to
him - how he portrays himself, the subjects he chooses, how
he does the job and that is all up to him."
When Karan Deol was introduced as an aspiring actor in
2017, he received a warm welcome from Bollywood with
stars such as Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rishi Kapoor
and others sending him best wishes on Twitter. Even
Dharmendra could barely control his excitement about his
grandson's Bollywood debut, who told IANS: "He has confidence
and I want him to fly with his confidence. I wish he
gets successful in his career and life."
Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas marks Sunny Deol's first collaboration
with Zee Studios after a hiatus of 18 years, when Gadar
released. It is also Sunny Deol's third movie as a director.
Produced by Zee Studios and Sunny Sounds Pvt Ltd, Pal Pal
Dil Ke Paas is expected to hit screens on July 19, 2019.
-NDTV
GeMInI
(May 22 - June 21) : A relationship,
joy, or creature comfort can be the
focus. You could very well feel a
stronger desire to make or spend money now!
Even so, it feels right now that you are more in
control of your moods as opposed to feeling at
their mercy.
cAncer
(June 22 - July 23) : Activities related
to networking and innovative
work can fare particularly well, and
they can be pleasantly lively. You're focused
on dealing with unmet needs with the Moon
in your sign for a couple of days, but you're
also getting back in the game.
leO
(July 24 - Aug. 23) : The Moon connects
to fireball Mars today, and while you're
going under the radar in some way,
you're also quite focused on your goals and ambitions.
In fact, you can make significant progress in
business and practical affairs. You simply need a
break from situations that drain you emotionally
as you rebuild energy on an emotional level.
VIrGO
(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23) : The day should be
spirited and hold some room for exploration
and discovery, even if this only
happens on a mental level. You can be feeling energized
by team efforts and activities with others, or
cooperative activities that break the routine, boost
your spirits, and/or expand your mind.
SAGIttArIUS
(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Be careful not to
become over-confident when it comes to
taking risks now. For best results aim to
act from the heart rather than merely react or
respond to changing circumstances. Rebelliousness
is not likely to serve you well, but making courageous
changes can work out to your advantage.
cAPrIcOrn
(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20) : Do something
fun and interesting that you may
not have felt motivated to do in
other way. You're inclined to seek out company,
and others notice and seek you out in turn.
You have more than usual courage and a
strong sense of adventure now.
AQUArIUS
(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Watch for impatience
on the road or with mechanical devices
today, since distractions can lead to
mess-ups. However, do embrace the chance to make
happy changes. Your appeal is high today, and with
some care, this can be a time for pushing a matter
that's been a long time coming! You're certainly
standing out for your unique ideas or perspective.
PISceS
(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : You can find
yourself drawn to activities that
entertain and offer you a fun and
healthy challenge. There may be a pleasant buzz
or added sizzle in a love relationship now, especially
on a mental level. Communications can
be spicy, exciting, and motivating.
Disney's 'Frozen 2' trailer
promises a darker sequel
At least now we know that
the sequel to Frozen will
merely be called Frozen II.
But, yes, we've got a poster,
a trailer, and a few still
images from Walt Disney's
presumably blockbuster
sequel. This is very much
announcement teaser. And
the announcement is
essentially "What happened
to LEGO Movie 2
and Ralph Breaks the
Internet does not apply to
Frozen II."
There's no dialogue of
consequence, no real hint
of a plot, and plenty of context-free
"grimdark"
imagery. Yes, this is a classic
"dark sequel" tease,
except (fortunately?) it's
not narrated by a new villain
who lectures our
heroes about the hypocrisy
of their current status quo.
Aside from a climactic beat
where Anna grabs a sword
and slashes at "you" (that'll
look nice in 3-D), we have
no idea what the conflict is.
The key pitch of this teaser
is that, yes, there's a new
Frozen movie on the way
and it looks drop-dead gorgeous.
The first half of the
teaser is a single sequence,
with Elsa attempting to
essentially walk on water.
Disney is selling the visual
upgrade as well as the usual
"we're going to Empire
Strikes Back this thing!"
dark sequel pitch.
It's been six years since
the first movie. As we saw
with The LEGO Movie 2, a
much-loved original doesn't
guarantee a hit sequel.
And as we saw with Ralph
Break the Internet, a Walt
Disney Animation sequel
won't automatically earn
more than a Walt Disney
Animation original.
Maybe they all went to leg
it out over Thanksgiving or
maybe they smelled blood
in the water. This knockout
teaser will go a long way
toward disputing that second
notion.
This Frozen II teaser is a
flag in the sand. Frozen II
opens on November 22.
Man, how I love hearing the
old theme music being used
in a trailer to the sequel.
-Forbes

SPORTS
FRIDAy,
FeBRuARy 15, 2019
9
Asensio and VAR help Madrid
snatch victory against Ajax
Guptill scored a brilliant ODI hundred which helped New Zealand beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in the
opening game.
Photo: AP
Delighted Martin Guptill admits batting
at slow Napier pitch was difficult
Sports Desk: Martin Guptill is happy
to work his way through the travails of
a slow Napier pitch and score an ODI
hundred, which helped New Zealand
beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in the
opening game of the three-match
series. The hosts had notably lost the
ODI against India here couple of weeks
back, with Mohammed Shami and
Kuldeep Yadav picking seven wickets
between them, and Guptill is glad that
New Zealand could find a way past the
atypical slowness in the McLean Park
pitch, reports Cricbuzz.
"Today wasn't a wicket where you
could hit through the line of the ball,"
Guptill said of his 116-ball 117 on
Wednesday (February 13). "It was slow
and we had to work hard on it. We were
able to get through the first ten overs
without losing a wicket, and then push
on for a big partnership, that set up the
game. "It has been a funny old summer.
We haven't really had the flat wickets
with good carry and bounce like in the
previous years. So some of them have
been quite hard work and you had to
find a way to get through."
New Zealand put on 103 runs for the
first wicket - the first time they stitched
a century opening stand since December
2017 - but it came at a slow pace.
That the target was only 233 allowed
the openers to take their time.
"Bangladesh bowled really well in the
first ten overs," Guptill admitted. "They
didn't give a lot of bad balls away. We
had to work hard for our runs. The way
Henry and I rotated the strike, I
thought, it helped the partnership
develop.
"Hitting through the line of the ball
isn't much of an option sometimes ... So
if you can try to just rotate the strike
and work with the guy at the other end
and build a partnership. You can go a
long way to set up a large total or chase
a big total down."
McLean Park has a unique East-West
pitch, and the game against India here
was stopped for over half an hour
owing to sun being in the batsmen's
eyes. Guptill admitted that it wasn't
easy batting out there during sunset but
he was able to "push through" and that
it was "playable" unlike the last time.
"Today was good. We were able to
push through a tough period. It wasn't
easy to bat out there. The sun coming
down. But we were able to bat through
that, and make sure we set the platform.
We also ensured it got easy for us
towards the end.
"We just batted through, to be fair. I
have batted at that time before. It is not
much fun. But if you push on through,
you can get through it. It was playable.
It was a spin bowlers bowling at the
time so it wasn't Lockie [Ferguson]
bowling at us, which wouldn't have
been too much fun. We would have
asked for it there."
Sports Desk: Real Madrid needed a
late winner from Marco Asensio and
VAR's debut in the Champions
League to beat a spirited Ajax 2-1 in
the first leg of the last 16 on Wednesday,
reports BSS.
Ajax have not beaten Madrid in 24
years and thought they were on their
way at the Johan Cruyff Arena when
Nicolas Tagliafico headed home after a
Thibaut Courtois error.
But referee Damir Skomina judged
Dusan Tadic to be offside upon review
and Madrid showed no pity on their
youthful opponents, Karim Benzema
and Asensio scoring two precious away
goals in the second half.
Hakim Ziyech's equaliser at least
keeps Ajax in touch heading into the
second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu
but Asensio's 87th-minute winner was
a sucker-punch in a match the Dutch
team had largely dominated.
Their ruled out opener will only add
to the sense of what might have been
and it was no surprise to see a cluster of
red and white shirts surrounding the
officials at the final whistle.
VAR has been introduced to the
Champions League for the first time in
this year's knock-out stages and leaflets
were distributed to the media before
kick-off, one of the points explaining
how reviews should only be for "clear
and obvious mistakes".
UEFA later tweeted Ajax's goal was
"correctly overturned for offside" but
Tadic's intervention on Courtois was
minimal and it seemed generous to
deem it enough for a call to be reversed.
"We can't see the replay," Madrid
coach Santiago Solari said. "We have to
be confident in what the referees say."
"I saw it," said Ajax's Erik ten Hag.
"In my opinion it was not offside and I
don't see it as a foul on the goalkeeper
either."
Still, there was more than an hour to
play and Ajax were twice too easily
undone on the counter-attack. Frenkie
de Jong, who will join Barcelona in the
summer, and Matthijs de Ligt, who
could follow him, were each dealt a lesson
in the ruthlessness of top European
football.
It was put to Solari afterwards that
Ajax had deserved more.
"That is your opinion - we had to
work, to suffer, to create," he said.
"You have to survive the pressure
sometimes. These things are part of
the game too."
Gareth Bale was reinstated to the
Madrid starting line-up but there was
no place for Marcelo, who missed his
first Champions League knock-out
game in four years.
Ajax fans had put on an impressive
display of fireworks late on Tuesday
night outside the Spanish team's hotel
and perhaps it paid off because a
drowsy Madrid were run ragged in the
first half. Tadic had the first chance as
Sergio Reguilon's poor pass was headed
into his path, a sliced finish beating
Courtois' right hand but not the post.
The best opportunity fell to the
excellent Donny van de Beek, after
the ball was shifted along the line like
a rugby move until the midfielder was
left spare six yards out. Courtois
saved with his legs.
Hero one minute, villain the next,
Courtois then fumbled De Ligt's header
from the corner and Tagliafico headed
in. There was no protest from Courtois
but Skomina pointed to his earpiece.
Tadic, who had brushed past the Belgian
as the header looped in, was ruled
offside.
The crowd jeered at half-time and
Benzema compounded their misery
soon after. It was a goal to sum up
Madrid's resurgence in recent weeks as
Luka Modric flicked a ball for Vinicius
Junior to race after. He tore past one,
jinked inside two more and teed up
Benzema, who found the top corner.
Ajax refused to fade. David Neres and
Tadic both went close before Neres
skipped free down the left and crossed
for Ziyech to slide in the equaliser.
Madrid wanted a free-kick for a foul on
Lucas Vazquez in the build-up but this
time the goal stood.
A draw might have appeased the
home fans but they were denied even
that as a slick move through midfield
freed Dani Carvajal down the right. His
curving cross found Asensio, who could
not miss.
Tottenham beats Dortmund in
Champions League 1st leg
Sports Desk: Son Heung-min has every reason to be constantly
smiling, and Tottenham has many reasons to be
thankful, reports AP
For a footballer so understated, so seemingly undemanding,
the forward has become indispensable for Tottenham.
Borussia Dortmund was reminded of that in the Champions
League on Wednesday night, when Son scored the opener
to spark a 3-0 victory in the last-16 first leg. It was Son's
ninth goal in 11 games against Dortmund, including his time
in Germany playing for Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen.
In his fourth season at Tottenham, the 26-year-old South
Korean has emerged as one of English football's most influential
players. In the 13 games Son has scored this season,
Tottenham has gone on to win.
"Next time when Son scores, I go to the dressing room and
shower," Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino joked,
"and wait for the game to finish." There was little for Pochettino
to laugh about a month ago when top-scorer Harry Kane
damaged ligaments in his left ankles. But Son is helping to
dispel suggestions Tottenham is overly reliant on Kane,
inspiring this commanding lead over Dortmund that was
secured by late goals from Jan Vertonghen and Fernando
Llorente. Son's contribution - 11 goals in his last 12 games - is
even more remarkable considering he started the season at
the Asian Games and took a couple of weeks out in January
to go to the Asian Cup with South Korea.
"Son is a player that of course has a lot of quality and is a
very talented player," Pochettino said. "But he is always available
to learn, improve and listen to what you expect from
him. He is capable of adapting the quality in different situations."
He proved that right at the start of the second half
after Tottenham had been run ragged in the opening 45 minutes
and was on the back foot after an error-strewn performance.
In the dressing room, Pochettino got the video clips out
during the break. "We showed a few actions defensively and
positions in the offensive situations," Pochettino said. Within
two minutes of the restart, Tottenham was in front after
Dortmund left Son unmarked to volley into the net to make
it four goals in as many games since returning from the Asian
Cup. "I just had to touch the ball," Son said, praising Jan Vertonghen,
who provided the cross.
Son celebrated with a trademark Tottenham handshake,
but went over to Serge Aurier rather than Vertonghen.
"I feel sorry," Son laughed after the game alongside Vertonghen,
"because I didn't run to him and I ran to the other
side." Vertonghen got his own chance to celebrate as Tottenham
scored two late goals inside three minutes.
Vertonghen raced into the penalty area and arrived at the
back post to volley in Aurier's cross in the 83rd minute.
"Technically he's just unbelievable," Son said of Vertonghen,
who was playing at left wingback rather than in central
defence. "He can play every position. He deserves a goal
and an assist."With Dortmund struggling, Llorente scored
the third in the 86th when he got a slight touch with his head
to turn in Christian Eriksen's corner.
It was a night to forget for United States international
Christian Pulisic, who will be playing in London for Chelsea
next season, and Jadon Sancho, the 18-year-old former Manchester
City attacker who faded in the second half.
"We lost focus," Sancho said. "Son is a good player but
hopefully we can handle him better in the second leg."
It is the third setback in a week for Dortmund, which was
knocked out of the German Cup by Werder Bremen and then
drew with Hoffenheim in the league. "There are periods of a
season when things aren't top, top, top," Dortmund manager
Lucien Favre said. "We need to analyze and work hard to
avoid and correct these errors." But Dortmund has a fivepoint
lead in the Bundesliga over Bayern Munich, while Tottenham
is five points off the pace in the Premier League in
third.
Tottenham midfielder Son Heung-min scored the opening goal against Borussia Dortmund during
the Champions League round of 16 first leg, soccer match.
Photo: AP
Real Madrid snatched a 2-1 win over Ajax in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie
on Wednesday.
Photo: AP
Injured Hazlewood
confident of being
fit for World Cup
Sports Desk: Australian
pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood
said Thursday he was
confident of being fit for the
World Cup, with scans this
week set to determine when
he can make a comeback,
reports BSS.
The vice-captain missed
Australia's two recent Tests
against Sri Lanka with a
back injury and has also
been ruled out of their
upcoming one-day tours
against India and Pakistan.
Cricket Australia physiotherapist
David Beakley previously
said he was suffering
an early stage stress fracture,
similar to one that sidelined
him for six months last year.
Hazlewood told reporters
he was targeting World Cup
warm-up games for his
return, with a follow-up scan
on Friday set to shed more
light on his progress.
"I think we'll know a lot
more after tomorrow, to be
honest. Hopefully in the
coming weeks we'll start
working through it," he said.
"Hopefully it's going along
to plan. "Everything feels fine
so training's coming along
nicely, progressing every
week. I think we'll just work
back from the World Cup really
and make sure everything's
right for that, which gives me
plenty of time." Australia play
their first World Cup group
game against Afghanistan on
June 1, with three practice
matches scheduled at home
against New Zealand in May.
Fellow fast bowler
Mitchell Starc is also struggling
with injury after suffering
a "substantial" muscle
tear in the final Test against
Sri Lanka.
3 Bangladeshi bowlers
reported in BPL
Sports Desk: Three Bangladeshi bowlers
have been reported for their bowling action
during the last edition of Bangladesh Premier
League (BPL), reports UNB.
Sanjit Saha, Alis Al Islam and Nahidul
Islam now need to be assessed by a bowling
review committee of Bangladesh Cricket
Board (BCB) to get further instructions
regarding their participation in the upcoming
domestic events.
"Three local bowlers have been reported
with suspected action during the BPL. They
will not be available to bowl in the upcoming
domestic events unless they get a positive
response from the bowling review committee
of BCB," Amir Khan, the coordinator of
Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis
(CCDM), said on Thursday,
Sanjit, Alis and Nahidul played for Comilla
Victorians, Dhaka Dynamites and Rangpur
Riders respectively. Sanjit, a right-arm
orthodox bowler, was reported back in 2016
during the ICC Under-19 World Cup. He got
a chance to play for the Victorians after rectifying
his action. However, the 21-year-old
failed to impress umpires with his new
action.
Sanjit played three matches and took
two wickets while Alis played four matches
and took six wickets. Nahidul played nine
matches for the Riders and took three
wickets.
Alis, a new face, grabbed the limelight during
BPL when he took a hat-trick in his T20
debut for Dynamites against Riders. But
after that match, Riders submitted their concern
about the action of Alis. Later, the
umpires also reported a suspected action
against him.
Nahidul is the only all-rounder among the
three. He could draw the attention of the
teams in the coming days with his batting.
But the future of the other two is hanging in
the balance.
Garcia blames ‘emotional’ news
for Saudi tantrum
Sports Desk: Sergio Garcia apologised for his spectacular meltdown at the Saudi Arabia
International on Wednesday, blaming his tantrum for "emotional, personal news" that he
had received earlier in the week, reports BSS.
The Spanish star was thrown out of the tournament after damaging several putting greens
in frustration and caught on camera wildly attacking a bunker after a poor shot at the Royal
Greens course. Speaking ahead of this week's Genesis Open in Los Angeles, his first tournament
since his humiliating expulsion in Saudi Arabia, the 39-year-old former Masters champion
said his behaviour was inexcusable.
"I received some very emotional, personal news earlier that week that didn't help," Garcia
told The Golf Channel. "It was in the back of my mind. As I became frustrated on the course
everything erupted."
Garcia did not divulge details of the news that prompted his loss of control, saying only it
was a mix of "some emotional and personal things going on and a little frustration with the
greens."Garcia was kicked out of the European Tour event after reigning Masters champion
Patrick Reed and a number of other players complained Garcia had damaged six greens.
Garcia said he had snapped out of his rage during the round. He reportedly apologised to
Reed and other players following his expulsion. "It hit me like on the 10th hole. I started
thinking: 'What am I doing? Get your head back on top of your shoulders," Garcia said. "I
know I lost it. I feel terrible about it. I've been thinking about it for the last week, every day.
I'm an emotional player. If I channel it the right way, it's amazing. If I channel it the wrong
way, it's too extreme. My goal is make sure the bad gets better and the good stays."

ECONOMY & BUSINESS
10
FRIDAy, FEBRUARy 15, 2019
Chinese lose taste for French
wine as economy cools
A delegation of the Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed companies (BAPLC), led by its
President Azam J Chowdhury called on Mr. Tipu Munshi, MP, the Hon'ble Minister, Ministry of
Commerce at the Bangladesh Secretariat recently. BAPLC congratulated Mr. Tipu Munshi, MP on
assuming the office of the Minister, Ministry of Commerce. President BAPLC introduced the members
of the Executive Committee and took up some important issues of the listed companies with the
Minister. The delegation thanked the Minister for his patient hearing and wished himgreat success
in this important new leadership role. Anis A. Khan, Vice President, BAPLC and Managing Director
& CEO of Mutual Trust Bank Limited (MTB), EC Members Ruhul Amin, Chairman, Bangladesh
Industrial Finance Co. Ltd, Abdullah Al Mahmud, Managing Director, Hamid Fabrics Ltd, Shahriar
Ahmed, Managing Director Apex Foods Ltd. and Md. Amzad Hossain, Secretary-General of BAPLC
were also present at the meeting.
Photo : Courtesy
PARIS : Sales of French wine and spirits to China fell last
year, industry figures showed on Wednesday, in a further
sign that a Chinese economic slowdown is hitting
consumption.
The Federation for Wine and Spirit Exporters (FEVS)
said direct sales to mainland China, France's third-biggest
export market, slumped 14.4 percent in 2018 to 1 billion
euros ($1.13 billion).
But it said the drastic decline had been partly
compensated by an increase in exports to Singapore and
Hong Kong, from where some French wine is re-routed to
the mainland.
Sales to all three Asian markets contracted by 1.5 percent
last year to 2.5 billion euros, a reversal after years of
double-digit growth fuelled by the growing taste for
foreign alcohol, particularly high-end reds from Bordeaux.
China's economy grew at its slowest pace in almost three
decades in 2018 and lost more steam in the last quarter of
the year as the Beijing government battled to cut massive
debt and quell a US trade war.
Antoine Leccia, head of FEVS, put a positive spin on the
figures, saying exports to mainland China, Hong Kong and
Singapore were still the second-best on record, "which
confirms the long-term dynamics of the Chinese market."
French wine makers have experienced only one other
major blip in China over the last 15 years of explosive
growth.
In 2013 and 2014, an anti-corruption drive by the
Communist party coincided with a fall in demand for
luxury goods, with wine sales declining as a result.
"The only producer country which saw its exports (to
China) increase last year was Chile because there are no
import duties since 2016 thanks to a free-trade
agreement," Leccia added.
Italian and Spanish producers were also hit by the
downturn, he said.
Worldwide, French wine and spirits exports grew 2.4
percent last year to 13.2 billion euros, driven by appetite
for the country's three most famous products:
Champagne, Bordeaux wine and Cognac.
The largest export market remains the United States,
where sales increased 4.6 percent.
Exports are a key driver for the French wine and
spirits industry as it confronts falling consumption at
home. They are also one of the biggest foreign exchange
earners for the country. In under 20 years, wine
consumption per capita in France has fallen by more
than 20 percent, according to the latest figures from the
International Wine Organisation. The decline is
attributed to changing wine drinking habits - people
drink less, but higher quality - as well as a growing taste
for rival alcohols such as beer.
Israel in trade balancing act
between US and China
JERUSALEM : Torn between China and the
United States, which have been in a trade
war for the past year, Israel is performing a
tough balancing act between its two main
economic partners.
Washington has raised concerns over
China's increased role in infrastructure and
sensitive sectors such as technology of its
close ally Israel, with which it shares close
intelligence and military cooperation.
These have reportedly been aired during
visits to Jerusalem since January by both US
Assistant Secretary of Energy Dan
Brouillette and National Security Advisor
John Bolton. The latter's talks focused on the
northern Israeli commercial and naval port
of Haifa, according to Israeli media.
Hong Kong-based Shanghai International
Port Group won a tender four years ago to
manage a new wharf at the port complex
where US warships regularly dock.
Former Israeli ambassador to China
Matan Vilnai has said it was "madness" to
entrust China with the management of such
a "national security asset". Nadav Argaman,
head of Shin Bet, the domestic Israeli
security service responsible for
counterintelligence, has reportedly warned
against Chinese investments that could
facilitate espionage activities.
A former chief of the Mossad spy agency,
Ephraim Halevy, has delivered similar
warnings. Danny Catarivas, a foreign trade
expert at the Manufacturers Association of
Israel, says Washington is putting pressure
on Israel for tighter controls.
"The United States is now pushing and
insisting that Israel follow its example and
create a foreign strategic investment control
agency," he told AFP.
He said Israel's security cabinet has
decided to set up a committee -including
representatives of the intelligence services -
to oversee any foreign investment
considered "strategic". Asked by AFP, several
official spokespersons refused to comment,
with one saying that relations with China
were "hyper-sensitive".
Chinese exports unexpectedly
perk up in January
BEIJING : Chinese exports
unexpectedly rose last
month, according to official
data released on Thursday
just as China sat down for
crucial trade talks in Beijing
with its top trade partner the
United States.
Exports rose 9.1 percent in
January from a year earlier,
data from the customs
administration showed,
ahead of forecasts and
turning a corner after exports
fell in December, reports BSS.
China's imports, however,
continued to fall in January,
down 1.5 percent from a
year earlier, though at a
slower pace than a 10.2
percent decline forecast by
Bloomberg News.
Analysts cautioned that it is
difficult to compare trends at
the start of each year due to
the Chinese New Year
holiday, which came in early
February this year and can
affect business activity.
"The broad trend in
shipments still appears to be
pointing down," said Julian
Evans-Pritchard of Capital
Economics.
"The downbeat outlook for
global growth means that this
year is likely to be challenging
for Chinese exporters, even if
the ongoing US-China trade
negotiations culminate in a
deal," Evans-Pritchard wrote
in a research note.
Officials from the world's
top two economies are
holding negotiations in
Beijing on Thursday and
Friday in a bid to resolve
their thorny trade dispute.
China and the US have
already imposed new
duties on more than $360
billion in two-way trade,
which has weighed on their
manufacturing sectors and
shaken global financial
markets.
Pressure to seal an accord
ahead of a March 1 deadline
set by Donald Trump appears
to have eased slightly after the
US president indicated he
was open to extending a trade
truce depending on progress
in Beijing.
Trump in December
postponed plans to sharply
hike tariffs on $200 billion of
Chinese imports to allow
more time for negotiation.
A slew of bad economic
data has added to concerns
about China's economy,
which grew at its slowest
pace in almost three
decades last year.
Trump tariffs bring
in additional $9 bn
in first quarter
USA : The steep trade tariffs
President Donald Trump
imposed last year brought
an additional $9 billion into
the government's coffers
from October to December
but the deficit was still 42
percent higher than the
prior year, the US Treasury
reported Wednesday.
Trump has repeatedly
touted the tariffs imposed
last year, notably on $250
billion in annual imports
from China, as a windfall for
the US government, paid by
Chinese firms, when in fact
they are paid by American
companies. China now is
"paying billions of dollars a
month for the privilege of
coming into the United
States," Trump said
Tuesday.
Total customs duties
collected rose to $18 billion
compared to the same
period of 2017, while
December amount
doubled to $6 billion,
according to the monthly
budget statement.
Trump also imposed steep
punitive tariffs on steel and
aluminum imports, as well
as other goods like solar
panels and washing
machines, in a bid to protect
US industry, which drew
retaliation from American
trading partners.
But despite the increase in
duties collected, the US
fiscal deficit in the first
quarter of the 2019 fiscal
year, which began October 1,
widened by $94 billion to
$319 billion due to an
increase in spending of
nearly $100 billion, the
report showed.
The increased outlays
included big jumps for
Medicare, Social Security,
defense spending and an $18
billion increase in interest on
the public debt - For the
fiscal year ended through
September 2018, the deficit
was $779 billion.
Hamdard Laboratories has taken initiative to provide health service at Biswa Ijtema ground for the
Muslim devotees.
Photo : Courtesy
An Agreement signed between First Security Islami Bank Limited (FSIBL) and a2i (Access to
Information) for collecting utility bills through FSIBL Mobile Banking "FirstPay SureCash" & FSIBL
i-Banking, using the EkPay Payment Portal. EkPay is a project of a2i under ICT Ministry, providing
a single point payment platform for customers. Mr. Syed Waseque Md. Ali, Managing Director of
FSIBL, and Mr. Md. Mustafizur Rahman, PAA, Additional Secretary & Project Director of a2i signed
the agreement on behalf of their own organizations. Among others, Md. Mustafa Khair, Deputy
Managing Director of FSIBL, Ali Nahid Khan, SVP and Head, Md. Faridur Rahman Jalal, VP,
Alternative Delivery Channel Division, ABM Arshad Hossain, Additional Secretary, ICTD, Tohurul
Hasan, Programme Manager of a2i & Shahadat Hossain, National Consultant of a2i, along with the
other officials of both the organizations were also present on the occasion.
UK’s May fights to avoid another
defeat on Brexit strategy
The 308th Board Meeting of Standard Bank Ltd. was held on 14 February 2019 at SBL Board Room,
Head Office, Dhaka. Honorable Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed
presided over the meeting. It was attended by Vice Chairman Al-Haj Mohammed Shamsul Alam,
Directors Mr Kamal Mostafa Chowdhury, Ashok Kumar Saha, Ferozur Rahman, S. A. M. Hossain,
Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Gulzar Ahmed, Md. Zahedul Hoque, Ferdous Ali Khan, Kazi Sanaul Hoq, S.
S. Nizamuddin Ahmed, Najmul Huq Chaudhury and Md. Nazmus Salehin. Managing Director and
CEO of the Bank Mamun-Ur-Rashid, Additional Managing Director Md. Tariqul Azam and Deputy
Managing Director Md. Motaleb Hossain were present at the meeting.
Photo : Courtesy
UK : British Prime Minister Theresa
May was scrambling Thursday to avoid
another defeat on her Brexit strategy
amid opposition from members of her
own party who claim she is moving in
the wrong direction in efforts to
overcome the impasse blocking a deal.
Hard-line pro-Brexit lawmakers
in May's Conservative Party say a
motion to be voted on in Parliament
later effectively rules out the threat
of Britain leaving the European
Union without an agreement on
future relations, a move they say
undermines Britain's bargaining
position. They are threatening to
vote against the government, or
abstain, in a vote intended to buy
the government more time to seek
changes from the EU to a Brexit
divorce agreement that was
overwhelmingly rejected by
lawmakers last month.
International Trade Secretary Liam
Fox, a prominent Brexit supporter in
Cabinet, warned that a government
defeat, though not legally binding,
would send the wrong signal to the
EU. "They will be looking to see
whether Parliament is showing
consistency," he said.
"I think that there's a danger that we
send the wrong signals and I think that
we need to understand that the public
want us to leave the European Union
but they would prefer us to leave the
European Union with a deal."
May has refused to rule out a "nodeal"
Brexit as she attempts to win
concessions from the bloc. Most
businesses and economists the British
economy would be severely damaged if
the country crashed out of the EU on
the scheduled Brexit date of March 29
without a deal, bringing tariffs and
other impediments to trade.
International Trade Secretary Liam
Fox, a prominent Brexit supporter in
Cabinet, warned that a government
defeat, though not legally binding,
would send the wrong signal to the
EU. "They will be looking to see
whether Parliament is showing
consistency," he said.
The remaining 27 EU nations insist
that the legally binding withdrawal
agreement struck with May's
government in November can't be
renegotiated. Leaders of the bloc have
expressed exasperation at Britain's
desire for last-minute changes, and
failure to offer firm proposals.
European Council President Donald
Tusk, who chairs summits of EU
leaders, said in a tweet: "No news is
not always good news. EU27 still
waiting for concrete, realistic
proposals from London on how to
break #Brexit impasse."

MISCELLANEOUS
FRIDAY, FeBRuARY 15, 2019
11
A discussion meeting was held at National Press Club yesterday marking International Mother
Language Day.
Photo : TBT
Border security brawl seems
near a serene resolution
Congress is set to resolve its clattering
brawl with President Donald Trump in
uncommonly bipartisan fashion as
lawmakers prepare to pass a border
security compromise providing a mere
sliver of the billions he's demanded for a
wall with Mexico and averting a
rekindled government shutdown this
weekend, reports UNB.
With Trump's halfhearted signature
widely expected but hardly guaranteed,
congressional leaders planned votes
Thursday on the sweeping package.
Passage first by the Republican-led
Senate, then the Democratic-controlled
House, was virtually certain, with
sizable numbers of both parties'
members set to vote "yes." Bargainers
formally completed the accord
moments before midnight Wednesday.
"I'm sure it's going to pass. I don't
know of any drama," said House
Democrats' chief vote-counter, Rep.
James Clyburn, D-S.C.
Trump's assent would end a raucous
legislative saga that commenced before
Christmas and was ending, almost
fittingly, on Valentine's Day. The low
point was the historically long 35-day
partial federal shutdown, which Trump
sparked and was in full force when
Democrats took control of the House,
compelling him to share power for the
first time.
When Trump yielded Jan. 25 after
public opinion turned against him and
congressional Republicans, he'd won
not a nickel of the $5.7 billion he'd
demanded for his wall but had caused
missed paychecks for legions of federal
workers and federal contractors and
lost services for countless others. It was
a political fiasco for Trump and an early
triumph for House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi, D-Calif.
The fight left both parties dead set
against another shutdown. That
sentiment weakened Trump's hand and
fueled the bipartisan deal, a pact that
contrasts with the parties' still-raging
differences over health care, taxes and
investigations of the president.
The product of nearly three weeks of
talks, the agreement provides almost
$1.4 billion for new barriers along the
boundary. That's less than the $1.6
billion for border security in a
bipartisan Senate bill that Trump
spurned months ago, and enough for
building just 55 miles of barricades, not
the 200-plus miles he'd sought.
Notably, the word "wall" - which
fueled many a chant at Trump
campaign events and rallies as
president - does not appear once in the
1,768 pages of legislation and
explanatory materials. "Barriers" and
"fencing" are the nouns of choice.
The compromise would also
gradually pressure Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to
gradually detain fewer unauthorized
immigrants. To the dismay of
Democrats, it would still leave an
agency many of them consider abusive
holding thousands more immigrants
than it did last year.
The measure contains money for
improved surveillance equipment,
more customs agents and humanitarian
aid for detained immigrants. The
overall bill also provides $330 billion to
finance dozens of federal agencies for
the rest of the year.
Trump has talked for weeks about
augmenting the agreement by taking
executive action to divert money from
other programs for wall construction,
without congressional sign-off. He
might declare a national emergency,
which has drawn opposition from both
parties, or invoke other authorities to
tap funds targeted for military
construction, disaster relief and
counterdrug efforts.
The product of nearly three weeks of
talks, the agreement provides almost
$1.4 billion for new barriers along the
boundary. That's less than the $1.6
billion for border security in a
bipartisan Senate bill that Trump
spurned months ago, and enough for
building just 55 miles of barricades, not
the 200-plus miles he'd sought.
Notably, the word "wall" - which
fueled many a chant at Trump
campaign events and rallies as
president - does not appear once in the
1,768 pages of legislation and
explanatory materials. "Barriers" and
"fencing" are the nouns of choice.
The compromise would also
gradually pressure Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to
gradually detain fewer unauthorized
immigrants. To the dismay of
Democrats, it would still leave an
agency many of them consider abusive
holding thousands more immigrants
than it did last year.
52 Syrians detained
in Turkey over
suspected IS links
Turkish police on Thursday
detained at least 52 Syrians
in the northwestern
province of Bursa over their
suspected links to the
Islamic State (IS) militant
group, reports UNB.
Counter-terrorism units
launched simultaneous
operations in five locations
across the city to catch the
suspects, according to the
private Demiroren news
agency. Police also seized
organizational documents
and digital materials during
the raids, the agency said.
More than 300 people
were killed in deadly attacks
in Turkey over the years
blamed on the IS.
Iran vows revenge
for deadly terrorist
attack on IRGC
Iranian Foreign Ministry
said Thursday the
perpetrators of the recent
deadly terrorist attack on the
Iranian security guards
should await the revenge,
reports UNB.
Iranian military and
security forces will certainly
take revenge for the terrorist
attack soon, the spokesman
for Iranian Foreign Ministry,
Bahram Qasemi, was quoted
as saying by Press TV.
A suicide terrorist attack
targeted the personnel of the
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) in
Iran's southeastern Sistan
and Baluchestan province
on Wednesday. According to
the latest statement by the
IRGC, at least 27 guards
were killed and 13 others
were injured in the attack.
Jaish al-Adl Sunni rebel
group which is based in
Pakistan, has claimed
responsibility for the attack.
Several dozen miners
believed trapped after
Zimbabwe floods
Media in Zimbabwe say
several dozen artisanal
miners are missing after
rains flooded mines while
they were underground,
reports UNB.
State broadcaster ZBC
said late Wednesday that 38
miners were trapped
underground, while the
state-run Herald newspaper
put the number at 23.
Fentanyl deaths from 'Mexican
oxy' pills hit Arizona hard
Aaron Francisco Chavez swallowed at least
one of the sky blue pills at a Halloween party
before falling asleep forever. He became yet
another victim killed by a flood of illicit
fentanyl smuggled from Mexico into the
Southwest - a profitable new business for
drug gangs that has pushed the synthetic
opioid to the top spot for fatal U.S.
overdoses, reports UNB.
Three others at the party in Tucson also
took the pills nicknamed "Mexican oxy" and
police flagged down by partygoers saved
them by administering naloxone overdose
reversal medication. But the treatment came
too late for Chavez, who died at age 19.
The four thought they were taking
oxycodone, a much less powerful opioid,
investigators believe. The death of Chavez
and many others, officials said, illustrate how
Arizona and other southwestern states
bordering Mexico have become a hot spot in
the nation's fentanyl crisis. Fentanyl deaths
tripled in Arizona alone from 2015 through
2017.
"It's the worst I've seen in 30 years, this toll
that it's taken on families," said Doug
Coleman, the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration special agent in charge of
Arizona. "The crack (cocaine) crisis was not
as bad."
With plenty of pills and powder sold locally
out of the arriving fentanyl shipments that
are also distributed around the U.S., the drug
that has surpassed heroin for overdose
deaths has touched all Arizona demographic
groups. Chavez' family says he was working
at a restaurant as a prep cook with dreams of
becoming a chef and trying to turn his life
around after serving prison time for a
The Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in
Yemen on Wednesday denied four
allegations against the coalition, Saudi Press
Agency (SPA) reported, reports UNB.
The denial was made by Mansoor Al
Mansoor, spokesman of the coalition's Joint
Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) in Yemen
at a press conference.
The first case was reported by the Amnesty
International about a coalition missile that
hit a farm in Yemen's northwestern province
of Hajjah in October 2015, which turned out
to be wrong, Al Mansoor said.
He also rejected a second claim by the
Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights in August 2018 that the
coalition targeted a sports club in Yemen's
northern province of Saada, which killed 12
civilians and injured seven others.
JIAT's investigations have proven that the
club was a Houthi military position, and
attacking it was in line with the international
laws, the spokesman explained.
robbery conviction.
Also killed in the state over the last year by
the pills that go for $9 to $30 each were a 17-
year-old star high school baseball pitcher
from a Phoenix suburb and a pair of 19-yearold
best friends and prominent former high
school athletes from the mountain town of
Prescott Valley. The parents of one, Gunner
Bundrick, said their son's death left "a hole in
our hearts."
Popping the pills at parties "is a lot more
widespread than we know," said Yavapai
County Sheriff's Lt. Nate Auvenshine.
"There's less stigma to taking a pill than
putting a needle in your arm, but one of these
pills can have enough fentanyl for three
people."
Stamped with "M"on one side and "30" on
the other to make them look like legitimate
oxycodone, the pills started showing up in
Arizona in recent years as the Sinaloa cartel's
newest drug product, said Tucson Police Lt.
Christian Wildblood.
The fentanyl that killed Chavez was among
1,000 pills sneaked across the border
crossing last year in Nogales, Arizona by a
woman who was paid $200 to tote them and
gave two to Chavez at the party, according to
court documents. It's unknown if he took
one or both.
The four thought they were taking
oxycodone, a much less powerful opioid,
investigators believe. The death of Chavez
and many others, officials said, illustrate how
Arizona and other southwestern states
bordering Mexico have become a hot spot in
the nation's fentanyl crisis. Fentanyl deaths
tripled in Arizona alone from 2015 through
2017.
Saudi-led coalition
involved in Yemen's war
denies 4 allegations
Al Mansoor also denied a report by a team
of experts in Yemen issued in January which
accused the coalition of killing four people in
an attack on a fishing boat in April 2017.
No operation was carried out by the
coalition on this day, he stressed.
On a report presented by the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in
2018 that the coalition launched an airstrike
near the staff accommodation of the World
Food Program, Al Mansoor said the
information mentioned in the report was
distorted.
All investigations are based on evidence,
documents and satellite images, he stressed.
For the last three years, Saudi Arabia has
been leading the war in Yemen against the
Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in support of the
Yemeni exiled government.
For the last three years, Saudi Arabia has
been leading the war in Yemen against the
Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in support of the
Yemeni exiled government.
GD-278/19 (8 x 4)
Iqvmv-RtZt- 79/19
GD-280/19 (8 x 4)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY
FriDAy, DHAKA, FeBrUAry 15, 2019, FAlGUN 3, 1425 BS, JAMADi-US SANNi 9, 1440 HiJri
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan adorned Bangladesh Coast Guard officials with medals in different categories
marking the 24th anniversary of BCG at its headquarters on Thursday.
Photo: Coast Guard
Bangladesh Coast Guard observes
24th founding anniversary
Bangladesh Coast guard
observed its 24th founding
anniversary at the
Bangladesh Coast guard
headquarters in Dhaka's
Agargaon on wednesday. At
the occasion, Home
Minister Asaduzzaman
Khan was present as the
chief guest, a press release
said.
Public security Division
secretary of Home Ministry
Mostafa Kamal Uddin,
Director general of
Bangladesh Coast guard M
Ashraful Haq, Bangladeshi
navy Chief of staff Vice
Admiral Abu Mozaffar
Mohiuddin Mohammad
Aurangzeb Chowdhury and
ambassadors of different
countries were also present
at the occasion.
the home minister
adorned the officials with
medals in different categories
which include
'Bangladesh Coast guard
(service) Medal' and
'President Coast guard (service)
Medal'. It is to be noted
that Bangladeshi navy Chief
of staff Vice Admiral Abu
Mozaffar Mohiuddin
Mohammad Aurangzeb
Chowdhury have received
President Coast guard (service)
Medal as recognition of
his bravery and courageous
work while serving as the
Director general of Coast
guard during 2018.
speaking as the chief
guest, Asaduzzaman Khan
said despite various constraints
of the force, the
members of Bangladesh
Coast guard are playing a
commendable role in saving
lives and property of the
people living in the coastal
areas. Coast guard is performing
their duties to check
smuggling and trafficking of
illegal arms, drugs and narcotics
through sea, among
others, in an honest and efficient
manner, he added.
nearly 805 nautical miles
of deep sea and coastal areas
are now under Bangladesh
Coast guard. Coast guard
personnel are always
engaged in maintaining law
and order, maintaining fisheries,
protecting the country's
sea port, smuggling and
anti-drug operations, suppression
of robbery and the
protect the people during
natural disaster in the
coastal areas.
Bangladesh Coast guard
was established in 1995 following
a bill placed in parliament
by Prime Minister
sheikh Hasina, daughter of
Father of the nation
Bangabandhu sheikh
Mujibur rahman in 1994.
Father of the nation
Bangabandhu sheikh
Mujibur rahman showed
his tremendous farsightedness
and sagacity in running
the country as he framed the
landmark law "the
territorial waters and
Maritime Zones Act" in 1974
Unexploded Bombs Find
Everyday Use in Laos’ Villages
InterestIng news
the Vietnam war ended 40 years ago,
but left a deadly legacy, especially in
Laos. the Us military dropped more
than 2 million tons of bombs on the
country during the war between 1964
and 1973, making Laos the most heavily
bombed country in the world on a per
capita basis. there were more than
580,000 bombing missions on Laos,
equivalent to one bombing mission
every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for
nine years. not all of those bombs did
what they were supposed to do. An estimated
30 percent of ordnance failed to
explode, remaining live in the ground
years after the war. they continue to
detonate at unexpected places and at
unexpected times, such as when children
are playing. A major cause of casualties,
however, is villagers attempting
to open the big bombs to sell the metal
and the explosives inside to scrap dealers.
A high quality bomb casing weighing
up to 2,000 pounds can fetch more
than $100. empty bomb casings that
once contained deadly explosives are
visible all across the country in new
forms — from hollowed out canoes and
containers, to props holding houses
above flood.
when photographer Mark watson
took a bicycle trip across the country, he
was surprised to see these lethal devices
being reused in extraordinary ways.
“scrap from such widespread bombing
has been utilized in people’s homes and
villages,” watson said, “for everything
from house foundations to planter
boxes to buckets, cups and cowbells.”
gathering bomb scraps is a deadly
occupation, but the people were forced
into the trade by poverty.
"Lots of agricultural land is denied to
people because of the presence of UXO
(unexploded ordnance), and this is the
main problem. It prolongs poverty
because people can't do what they need
to do. If they know that UXO is present,
they will not plow deeply enough to get
a good quality crop," said David Hayter,
of Mines Advisory group (MAg), an
ngO working to detect and remove
mines and bombs.
as his vision was to make
Bangladesh a maritime
power. to fulfill the dream of
Bangabandhu, BCg is working
hard as per Prime
Minister sheikh Hasina's
instructions and with the
utmost effort of Home
Ministry and gaining confidence
of the coastal people.
Under the supervision of
the government of
Bangladesh and the
Ministry of Home Affairs,
Bangladesh Coast guard has
been able to seized illegal
goods worth more than tk
1545.12 crore in 2018. Of
them, the amount of success
achieved in the year 2018 for
saving the fisheries
resources is more than
503.39 crore taka.
As a step to modernize
Coast guard, Prime Minister
sheikh Hasina commissioned
two ships namely
Bsgs tajuddin and BCgs
syed nazrul in Chittagong
Patenga on 12 January,
2017. Apart from this, two
additional ships - BCgs
Mansur Ali and Bggs
Kamruzzaman and four
other ships will be commissioned
this year.
After the launch of Coast
guard in coastal areas, it has
set up 30 cyclone centers in
the last eight years. new vessels
are being created at the
narayanganj shipyard and
Khulna shipyard, which are
operated by the Bangladesh
navy for supply of modern
vehicles in the Coast guard.
In the visionary vision Prime
Minister, a strategic plan for
short, medium and longterm
preparations has been
formulated in the light of
Vision 2041, to create a worthy
Coast guard for a developing
country.
with the implementation
of this vision, the Coast
guard forces will be capable,
advanced and modern.
Under this plan, Offshore
Patrol Vessel (OPV), Inshore
Patrol Vessel (IPV), Fast
Patrol Boat (FPB), Harbor
Patrol Boat (HPB), High
speed Boat, Floating Crane,
Dockyard, Hospital, Base
and station Outpost are
being constructed so that
Coast guard becomes a selfsufficient
force. the development
of Coast guard is continuing
with the initiative of
the present government.
Coast guard is a specialized
force.
therefore, maintaining
the continuity of the Coast
guard's acquired skills and
experience by identifying its
specific aspects and
Operational Flexibility and
efforts are being made to
increase capability. In the
future, government will be
proud of Coast guard organization
and be a full-fledged
guardian at sea.
US to strengthen
relations with
Bangladesh
DHAKA : secretary of state
of the United states of
America Michael r Pompeo
has expressed his hope to
strengthen Bangladesh-Us
relations and cooperation,
reports UnB.
while congratulating Dr
AK Abdul Momen on his
appointment as the new
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Pimpeo also conveyed his
conviction to make stronger
the enduring ties between
the two great nations, said
the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs here on thursday.
the secretary of state also
appreciated the generosity
of the Bangladesh government
and people for continuing
to host and shelter over
one million rohingyas.
HC bars DSCC bid
to construct floor
above New Market
DHAKA : the Dhaka south
City Corporation's (DsCC's)
decision to construct a floor
above the single-storey
extended part of the new
Market was declared illegal
by the High Court on
thursday.
Justice sheikh Hassan
Arifand Justice razik-Al-
Jalil's bench delivered the
verdict, affirming a rule the
court issued last year on the
issue, reports UnB.
Barrister Anik r Haque
represented the writ petitioner
while Deputy Attorney
general Md Mokhlesur
rahman and barrister
sheikh shafik Mahmud
Puspa stood for the state and
DsCC respectively.
JOF's public hearing on election
a 'mass mockery': Quader
Traditional towels or gamcha are displayed on walls in Dhaka for selling.
DHAKA : Awami League general secretary
Obaidul Quader on thursday described
Jatiya Oikyafront's public hearing over the
December-30 general election as a 'mass
mockery', reports UnB.
He made the remarks while addressing a
press briefing at Awami League President
sheikh Hasina's Dhanmondi political office
in the city. Jatiya Oikyafront wants to depict
the "real scenario of vote robbery" in the 11th
parliamentary election before the country's
people and international community through
a public hearing on February 24 with Dr
Kamal Hossain playing the role of its judge.
Jatiya samajtantrik Dal (JsD) president
AsM Abdur rob came up with the information
while talking to reporters after a meeting
of Oikyafront steering committee at Dr
Kamal Hossain's Motijheel chamber on
wednesday.
About cases filed with the election tribunal,
Quader said, "we've earlier said when a political
party fails to wage any movement and
loses an election, it has no option but to lodge
cases and complaints. the aim of these activities
is to boost the demoralised party men."
He also said they will face the cases lodged
by the BnP-led alliance legally.
replying to a query about changes in the
party's nomination for the upazila parishad
elections, the Awami League leader said the
changes were made in a few places following
suggestions of the grassroots leaders.
He also said the national council of the
party will be arranged in due time.
"generally, the council is held on October 23.
we're planning to hold it in October. I discussed
the matter with the party president,"
he said.
Mentioning that the release of BnP chairperson
Khaleda Zia is a legal matter, Quader,
also road transport and Bridges Minister,
said, "BnP can free their party chief either
through a legal fight or a mass movement."
About the 9th wage board for journalists, he
said they will accelerate the process of placing
the recommendations in the shortest possible
time. the minister also hinted that the government
has a plan to include the electronic
journalists under the wage board.
ACC approves charge sheets in
Tk25cr embezzlement cases
DHAKA : Anti-Corruption Commission
(ACC) on thursday approved charge sheets
against seven people, including standard
Bank's former vice-chairman Harun-orrashid,
in three cases filed over embezzlement
of around tk 25 crores, reports UnB.
ACC spokesperson Pranab Kumar
Bhattacharjee said the approval came at the
commission's regular meeting. He said they
would submit the charge sheets in court "soon".
Others accused are M/s rahman steel
Corporation proprietor talukdar Abdur
rahman, Mercantile Bank's former vicechairman
Mrinal Pal, its former first assistant
vice-president Paritosh Kumar Dhar,
standard Bank's former first assistant vicepresident
Mohammad Jabedul Islam, its former
assistant officer Muhammad Jahurul
Dredging of 25 rivers
underway, Khalid tells JS
sAngsAD BHABAn :
state Minister for shipping
Khalid Mahmud
Chowdhury on thursday
told parliament that the
dredging of 25 rivers,
including 13 almost dead
ones, are now underway to
maintain the navigability
of river routes, reports
UnB.
"the ongoing dredging
work on the 25 rivers will
be completed by 2026," he
said.
the state minister came
up with the remarks while
responding to a question
from Awami League MP M
Israfil Alam (naogaon-60).
Of the 25 rivers, he said,
13 are almost dead and dry
rivers. "the dredging work
is being carried out to bring
back the navigability of the
rivers."
the 13 dead rivers are
Kongso, Mogra, Chalti,
Dudhkumar, rokti, Baulai,
raksa-nalar, Arial Khan,
Monu, Atrai, Buri, natun
and Moynakata.
replying to another
question from ruling party
MP Mujibul Haq
(Kishorganj-3), Khalid said
50 ferries are now in operation
on different routes
while the government has
a plan to increase its number
further.
"we've a plan to increase
the number of ferry on different
routes run under the
Bangladesh Inland water
transport Corporation
(BIwtC)," the state minister
said.
As part of the plan, he
said, two high-quality K-
type ferries are now under
construction that will go
into operation by June
2020.
Khalid said BIwtC
placed a proposal to the
ministry for constructing
two medium ferries with
its own finance. "the proposal
is now under the
approval process."
Besides, he said, six
improved-utility ferries
and six improved K-type
ferries for the BIwtC will
also be constructed.
the state minister said
the new ferries may go into
operation by June 2022.
Alam and former probationary officer
Mohammad saiful Hasan. ACC filed the cases
at sitakunda Model Police station.
the first one accuses them of embezzling tk
4.99 crores in the pretext of paying accommodation
bills. the second was filed over the
embezzlement of tk 10.3 crores and the third
one over the misappropriation of tk 9.76
crores.
the accused colluded with each and took
the money from the Madambibir Hat branch
of Mercantile Bank and Agrabad branch of
standard Bank Ltd in Chattogram using fake
documents and forgery, according to case
documents. ACC Assistant Director Jahid
Kalam and Assistant Director Mamunur
rashid Chowdhury were investigation officers
of the cases.
Photo: Star Mail
Writ seeks
compensation
for victims of
BGB firing
DHAKA : A writ petition was filed
with the High Court on thursday
seeking compensation for the
families of the victims who were
killed in firing by Border guard
Bangladesh (BgB) members during
a clash with 'cattle smugglers'
in Haripur upazila in
thakurgaon, reports UnB.
tapan Kumar saha, a lawyer
of the supreme Court, filed the
petition in the form of Public
Interest Litigation.
He said the petition will be
placed before the HC bench of
Justice FrM nazmul Ahasan
and Justice KM Kamrul Kader
next week for hearing .
Besides, the writ petition
also sought a rule seeking
explanation as to why killing of
three people and injuring at
least 20 others through firing
should not be declared illegal.
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.
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