24-02-2019

sunDaY 

Dhaka: February 24, 2019; Falgun 12, 1425 BS; Jamadi-us Sanni 18,1440 hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; No.31; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

international 

Sudan declares 

state of emergency, 

disbands Cabinet 

>Page 7 

art & culture 

Meghan Markle 

celebrates grand 

baby shower at NYC 

>Page 8 

sport 

Mushfiqur Rahim 

uncertain in Test series 

against New Zealand 

>Page 9 

Chemical godowns couldn't 

be removed for owners' 

unwillingness: PM 

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina on Saturday said it is regretful 

that chemical godowns in Old Dhaka 

could not be relocated for the reluctance 

of owners, reports UNB. 

"The government wanted to construct 

ultramodern godowns with all 

facilities in Kerniganj for preserving 

chemicals. As the owners were not 

ready to go there, the project couldn't 

be implemented'...this is the most 

regretful matter," she told reporters 

after visiting the victims of 

Chawkbazar fire at the burn unit of 

Dhaka Medical College Hospital in 

the morning. 

After the devastating fire incident at 

Nimtoli in Old Dhaka, the Prime 

Minister said, the government had 

taken project to construct godowns in 

Keraniganj area. 

"We had prepared a project and 

selected a place in Keraniganj...we 

had discussions with all stakeholders 

to relocate the chemical godowns 

from here to the new place so that 

incidents like Nimtoli one do not 

occur in Old Dhaka," she said. 

But, she regretted, many of the 

godowns owners showed reluctance 

to be shifted to the new place. "It's 

unfortunate that still there are chemical 

godowns in Old Dhaka despite 

repeated drives against it," she said. 

Hasina urged all concerned to 

DCCI Foundation 

announces Tk 25 

lakh financial aid 

to Chawkbazar 

fire victims 

DHAKA : The Dhaka Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry (DCCI) 

Foundation on Saturday 

announced to extend an interim 

support to the affected families and 

injured of Chawkbazar (Churihatta) 

fire incident with an amount of 

Taka 25 Lakh, reports UNB. 

In a press release, DCCI 

Foundation expressed deep shock 

and condolence at the unexpected 

loss of lives of 67 people who were 

killed in the fire incident on 

Wednesday night. 

DCCI Foundation also urged to 

come up with a sustainable solution 

discussing with all concerned stakeholders 

to avoid more incidents like 

Nimtoli tragedy happened back in 

2010. 

They also urged the government 

to take necessary measures to prevent 

such devastating accident in 

future. 

Sixty-seven people were killed 

and around 41 others injured in a 

fire that broke out at a chemical 

warehouse that raged through four 

other adjacent buildings in 

Chawkbazar on Wednesday night. 

-- 05:11AM 

Zohr 

12:15 PM 

04:20 PM 

06:02 PM 

07:16 PM 

6:25 5:59 

extend their all-out cooperation in 

removing chemical godowns from 

Old Dhaka. 

The Prime Minister said it would be 

most urgent to construct godowns 

with modern facilities for preserving 

chemicals where the owners will get 

their desired services. 

Regarding the announcement of 

mourning day, the Prime Minister 

said Sunday she will discuss the matter 

with the cabinet secretary to 

announce a mourning day in this 

regard. 

Hasina said the government has 

taken all-out efforts for the treatment 

of the fire victims as the country now 

has the most modern medicare facilities 

for such victims. "We'll do whatever 

is needed for their treatment." 

She said the government will implement 

the project to remove the chemical 

godowns from Old Dhaka to 

Keraniganj so that Old Dhaka could 

avoid such devastating fire incidents 

again. 

The Prime Minister put emphasis 

on restructuring the roads and bylanes 

of Old Dhaka so that fire fighting 

vehicles could enter there during 

any fire incident. 

"Let's make it sure that the ponds 

and canals are not filled...these have 

to be preserved for future purpose," 

she said. 

Designate a particular place for 

chemical trade: BNP to govt 

DHAKA : In the wake of devastating 

fire in the capital's Chawkbazar area, 

BNP on Saturday urged the government 

to allocate a specific place for 

chemical warehouses and its business, 

reports UNB. 

"Old Dhaka is a residential area. All 

the chemical warehouses and shops 

should be immediately relocated from 

there. A separate place for the chemical 

business and warehouses should be 

allocated soon," said BNP standing 

committee member Khandaker 

Mosharraf Hossain. 

Otherwise, he warned, the 

Chawkbazar's Churihatta tragedy may 

recur at any place in the old part of 

Dhaka. "We don't want to see such a 

tragic incident again." 

Mosharraf came up with the 

remarks while speaking at a discussion 

on two books by BNP chairperson's 

adviser Taimur Alam Khandaker at 

Hasina came down heavily on a section 

of television journalists for their 

attitude that caused obstructions to 

firefighters in carrying out their duties 

during the fire incident. 

"They (TV reporters) are asking 

questions one after another, I don't 

know whether that was the perfect 

time for asking questions, how you 

(TV reporters) are expecting answers 

from them (firefighters), so many 

types of questions! Was that the time 

for asking questions?" she asked. 

The Prime Minister requested the 

people who usually gather during 

such incidents not to put obstacles to 

the works of firefighters. "You could 

bring some water or sand while coming 

to the place of incident...that 

would be a little bit of help for all." 

She thanked all, including firefighters, 

doctors and other concerned, for 

acting promptly during the fire incident. 

Arriving at the DMCH at 10:30 am, 

Hasina directly went to the ICU of the 

Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute to 

see for herself the conditions of the 

nine critically injured people now 

undergoing treatment there. 

She also talked the family members 

of the injured and consoled 

them saying the government will do 

everything necessary for their proper 

treatment. 

the Jatiya Press Club. 

He criticised the government for not 

taking any step to shift the chemical 

shops and warehouses from Old 

Dhaka even after the Nimtoil fire that 

took 124 lives in 2010. 

"Police and those who conducted the 

rescue operation after Churihatta fire 

incident said they recovered hundreds 

of drums of explosive and chemical. If 

this is the case, what the government 

did over the last nine years after the 

Nimtoil tragedy. They (govt) talk 

about many things but don't implement 

those," the BNP leader said. 

He also slammed the government 

for not implementing the recommendations 

made by the probe committee 

formed following Nimtoil tragedy. 

A fire that broke out a four-storey 

Haji Wahed Mansion at Chakbazar's 

Churihatta on Wednesday night killed 

67 people and injured many others. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday visited Dhaka Medical College Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit to see 

the injured patients by Chawkbazar fire incident and consulated their relatives. 

Photo: Star Mail 

Process on to 

relocate chemical 

warehouses from 

Chawkbazar: 

Quader 

DHAKA : Road Transport and 

Bridges Minister Obaidul 

Quader on Saturday said a 

process is underway to relocate 

chemical warehouses from 

Chawkbazar area of Old Dhaka, 

reports UNB. 

"A preliminary process to shift 

the chemical godowns from 

Chawkbazar area has started. 

Not only from Chawkbazar, but 

all the chemical warehouses will 

also be shifted from Dhaka to 

another place gradually," he said. 

The probe report on the fire 

incident will be published within 

2-3 days and the action will be 

taken once the report is available, 

he said. 

Currently, the government is 

giving priority to three issuesone 

is handing over the bodies to 

families, providing treatment to 

the injured and identifying the 

bodies of the unidentified people 

through DNA tests, he added. 

Sixty-seven people were killed 

and around 41 others injured in a 

fire that broke out at a chemical 

warehouse that raged through 

four other adjacent buildings in 

Chawkbazar on Wednesday 

night. 

The officials of forensic lab of CID collected the DNA sample to identify the dead body so that the dead body 

can be handed over to their relatives. 


BNP's overhauling 

begins to wage a 

movement, says 

Mosharraf 

DHAKA : BNP senior leader 

Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on 

Saturday said they have started reorganising 

their party to launch a movement 

for getting its chairperson 

Khaleda Zia released from jail. 

"The work on overhauling our party 

has already begun. We'll strengthen the 

party by identifying our weaknesses. 

You (party activists) don't get upset," he 

said, reports UNB. 

Speaking at a discussion at the Jatiya 

Press Club on two books written by 

party leader Taimur Alam Khandaker, 

the BNP leader also said falsehood is 

established defeating the truth in a civilized 

and democratic society through 

the December-30 election. 

"Mother of democracy Khaleda Zia 

has been kept in jail. We must wage a 

movement to free her from jail after 

strengthening the party. So, wake up 

instead of getting demoralised," he said 

pointing at party leaders and activists. 

Mosharraf, a BNP standing committee 

member, said democracy in the 

country has been destroyed through an 

unprecedented farce while people's 

rights have been snatched. "I don't 

believe people will sit idle under such a 

situation." 

He said BNP leaders and activists 

have got a big scope to restore democracy 

in the country. "As a major party, it's 

our responsibility to restore democracy. 

I think people are ready for it so does 

BNP. But we need some time to 

strengthen our party." 

He said their party leaders and 

activists have got stunned, not frustrated, 

seeing the farce in the name of election 

and vote 'robbery' on December 

29. 

The BNP leader warned that the government 

will not be able to cling to 

power as it 'robbed' people's votes. 

"People will surely establish their rights, 

restore democracy and free Khaleda 

Zia. No autocrat regime could hang 

onto power in the past and this regime 

won't be able to do so either." 

Conspiracy on in name 

of mass hearing: Anisul 

DHAKA : Law, Justice and 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul 

Huq yesterday said conspiracy is going 

on against Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina in the name of holding mass 

hearing. 

"You all please remain alert. 

Conspiracy has not stopped. That sleeping 

alliance (Jatiya Oikyafront) is good 

at only one thing, and that is conspiracy. 

These are the same people, who plotted 

against Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur 

Rahman and now hatching conspiracy 

against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," 

he said. 

The minister said these while addressing 

a reception at the Supreme Court Bar 

Association Auditorium yesterday. 

Bangladesh Lawyers' Clerk 

Association accorded felicitation to Law 

Minister Anisul Huq, Railways Minister 

Nurul Islam Sujan, Housing and Public 

Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim and 

State Minister for Civil Aviation and 

Tourism Md Mahbub Ali. 

"Khaleda Zia on February 15, 1996, 

organised an election without voters but 

was forced to hand over power within 

one and a half months in the face of 

movement. They (BNP alliance) had 

raised question against 2014 election 

and tried very hard to build movement 

against that. But they failed as Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina served people 

very well. They joined 2018 election, but 

failed again," Anisul added. 

Referring to Jatiya Oikyafront's yesterday's 

mass hearing at the same venue, 

the minister said after getting defeated 

in national polls, they held 'auditorium 

hearing' at this auditorium. 

"No commoners were here at their 

programme. They (leaders) slept 

throughout the programme. In spite of 

these, they are claiming they held mass 

hearing here. They held mass hearing 

inside this auditorium as people were 

not with them. Sheikh Hasina held mass 

hearing in 1996 in Suhrawardy Udyan. 

These are the basic difference between 

Sheikh Hasina and them," he said. 

Reiterating his previous statement on 

forming a commission to identify perpetrators 

behind the killings of Father of 

the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman and most of his family 

members, the law minister said, "We 

need a commission in this regard." 

"We would certainly present this 

commission to people, so that the history 

could be written correctly and our 

future generation does not have to read 

distorted history anymore," he further 

said.

NEWS 

SUNDAY, 

FeBRUARY 24, 2019 

2 

Cyber Crimes Unit of Police arrest two members of a website hacking group from Gopalganj and 

Chandpur districts. 

Photo: UNB 

Mosharraf hints at reducing 

savings instrument interest 

DHAKA : National Board of Revenue 

(NBR) Chairman Mosharraf Hossain 

Bhuiyan yesterday said the government 

is considering reducing the interest 

rates of state-owned savings 

certificates, reports BSS. 

"The government has formed a 

committee to analyze all issues 

including interests for small savers. If 

the interest rate is reduced, it will be 

higher than that of banks as the 

government will consider the small 

savers' benefits," he said. 

But, he said, it is not possible to say at 

this moment whether the rate will be 

changed this year or not. 

The NBR chairman was speaking as 

the chief guest at the inaugural function 

of 'Savings Week-2019' at the National 

Sports Council in the city. The theme of 

the week is 'Sanchoy Shomriddhir 

Shopan'. 

Mosharraf, also the senior secretary 

of Internal Resources Division, said the 

number of taxpayers will increase as 

the TIN has been made mandatory for 

BCL infighting 

at CU leaves 

10 injured 

CHATTOGRAM : At least 10 

people were injured in a clash 

between two factions of 

Bangladesh Chhatra League 

(BCL) over the alleged 

abduction of a leader on 

Chittagong University (CU) 

campus on Friday night, 

reports UNB. 

Supporters of two groups- 

Ulka group and sixty nine 

group, both are shuttle-train 

based BCL groups, attacked 

each other and exploded 

crude bombs on the campus 

at, leaving 10 students 

injured, campus sources said. 

The clash ensued between 

the two BCL factions at Zero 

point and Gate no 1 areas on 

the campus around 10:30 pm 

after a news spread that 

Golam Rasul Nishan, vicepresident 

of the defunct BCL 

committee, also belongs to 

Ulka group, was abducted 

from Lalkhan Bazar in the 

city, said Md Akhtaruzzaman, 

in-charge of CU police camp. 

The Ulka group activists 

claimed vice-president of 

Sixty nine group Mansur 

Alam, Publications affairs 

secretary Iqbal Tipu and joint 

secretary Abu Torab picked 

up Nishan from the place 

around 10:30pm and 

released him 12:30 am. 

However, Mansur denied 

the allegation and said , "We 

don't know about the 

abduction incident and 

learned it from Facebook 

posts. If anyone blame on us, 

I must say it was done out of 

vengeance." 

The Ulka group activists 

claimed vice-president of 

Sixty nine group Mansur 

Alam, Publications affairs 

secretary Iqbal Tipu and joint 

secretary Abu Torab picked 

up Nishan from the place 

around 10:30pm and 

released him 12:30 am. 

However, Mansur denied 

the allegation and said , "We 

don't know about the 

abduction incident and 

learned it from Facebook 

posts. If anyone blame on us, 

I must say it was done out of 

vengeance." 

savings certificates. 

Besides, the anomalies related to the 

income tax ceiling and other issues will 

be eliminated with the introduction of 

online database system of savings 

certificates, he added. 

Due to attractive rates of yields, the 

sales of savings tools have increased 

significantly. Nearly 95 per cent of the 

total target of the sales of savings 

instruments has been achieved in the 

six months of current fiscal year, he 

mentioned. 

He informed that savings tools worth 

about Taka 250 billion have been sold 

in the first half of this fiscal. If savings 

department tries, it can sale another 

Taka 250 billion in the remaining 

months, he added. Department of 

National Savings (DNS) Director 

General Shamsunnahar Begum and 

senior officials of the DNS were present 

at the programme. 

Shamsunnahar Begum said they 

have introduced online database on a 

pilot basis. But gradually, all savings 

Asian markets mostly fell Friday, tracking 

losses on Wall Street as optimism over the 

China-US trade talks was trumped by a weak 

round of US data that revived concerns about 

economic growth, reports BSS. 

With high-level negotiations between the 

world's top economies still taking place in 

Washington there has been little concrete 

news about their progress, though some 

reports have said the two are heading towards 

an eventual deal. The lack of information on 

the crunch talks led dealers in New York to 

take their cue from figures showing home 

sales at a three-year low, while sales of durable 

goods missed expectations. All three main 

indexes on Wall Street ended lower. 

The data, coupled with disappointing 

readings from the eurozone and Japan, 

reminded investors that while China and the 

US are showing signs of reaching a deal, the 

world economy continues to stutter. 

"Trade talks remain on track, but with little 

details on what the next moves are as the 

March 1 deadline approaches, the market paid 

more attention to the lower-than-expected US 

data on Thursday," said OANDA senior 

market analyst Alfonso Esparza. 

The losses on Wall Street filtered through to 

Asia, where markets have enjoyed a broadly 

healthy week. Tokyo ended the morning down 

0.4 percent, Hong Kong slipped 0.6 percent 

and Shanghai eased 0.3 percent, while Seoul 

and Singapore each retreated 0.4 percent. 

Taipei and Jakarta were also down, though 

Sydney and Wellington rose. And Richard 

outlets will be brought under the 

process, she added. 

The target of the government's net 

borrowing from savings instruments is 

Taka 261.97 billion for the fiscal year 

(2018-19). The DNS sells four types of 

savings certificates and the rates of 

yield are up to 11.76 per cent. It also 

sells different types of bonds to local 

and expatriate Bangladeshis. 

Currently, around 20 million 

investors are involved in this segment. 

But, he said, it is not possible to say at 

this moment whether the rate will be 

changed this year or not. 

The NBR chairman was speaking as 

the chief guest at the inaugural function 

of 'Savings Week-2019' at the National 

Sports Council in the city. The theme of 

the week is 'Sanchoy Shomriddhir 

Shopan'. 

Mosharraf, also the senior secretary 

of Internal Resources Division, said the 

number of taxpayers will increase as 

the TIN has been made mandatory for 

savings certificates. 

Most Asia stocks dip with 

Wall St, dealers await 

trade talks news 

1.0 percent early this year, "the already shaky 

upturn would be in danger of ending," 

analyst Charlotte Heck-Parsch of BayernLB 

bank warned. 

"A key question is whether the US 

administration will also impose tariffs 

on car parts," said Pictet analyst Nadia 

Gharbi. "If excluded, that would reduce the 

negative impact on EU countries." 

German carmakers could try and cushion 

the effects of tariffs by producing more at 

their massive American factories, car 

industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer 

told AFP. 

But some brands, including Volkswagen 

subsidiaries Audi and Porsche, have no base 

in the US. Meanwhile tariffs would be the 

Turnill, global chief investment strategist at 

BlackRock, warned that the stellar gains seen 

so far this year were unlikely to continue for 

the next 10 months. 

"Don't chase the rally," he told Bloomberg 

TV. "Don't extrapolate the double-digit gains 

we've seen in the first six weeks of this year." 

On Thursday China's Commerce Ministry 

said the two sides would "go a step further in 

deepening their communication" regarding 

the trade talks but despite Donald Trump's 

tweets that things are going well, there is 

scepticism among observers. 

"I think the consensus of people that have 

been following this thing is that they're not 

making nearly as much progress as the 

president tweets that they've been making," 

said William Reinsch, a former US trade 

official now at the Center for Strategic and 

International Studies. 

With the March 1 deadline approaching, 

China's top negotiator Liu He is reported to be 

planning to meet Trump on Friday. 

On currency markets the dollar held gains 

against most other currencies as the soft US 

data sparked a shift by investors towards the 

safer option, while the pound remains under 

pressure from ongoing Brexit uncertainty. 

The Australian dollar was down but 

recovered pared losses that came on the back 

of a report that China had banned coal 

imports from the country, with tensions 

between the two becoming strained over 

Canberra's decision to ban telecoms giant 

Huawei's 5G equipment over security risks. 

After the federal government slashed 

its GDP growth forecast for 2019 to 

latest broadside against an already battered 

industry, pounded by "dieselgate", the US- 

China trade conflict, a general economic 

slowdown, the threat of a no-deal Brexit and 

the burden of massive investments in electric 

cars. 

With Germany and other EU members' 

growth slowing, "a tariffs hike would come at 

a time when confidence is already in decline 

and vulnerable," ING bank economist Raoul 

Leering noted. 

What's more, retaliation by Brussels with 

tariffs on American products "could well lead 

to further protectionist steps by the US 

government… which in turn will have a 

negative feedback into production and 

employment," he added. 

2 'members 

of hacking 

group' held 

in Bagura 

BAGURA : Cyber Crimes 

Unit of Police in separate 

drives arrested two 

suspected members of a 

website hacking group from 

Gopalganj and Chandpur 

districts, reports UNB. 

The arrestees are-Bashir 

Ullah Sarder, 21, and Azahar 

Uddin Abir, 19. 

Bogura 

Police 

superintendent Ali Ashraf 

Bhuiyan at a press briefing 

on Saturday said that the 

unit kept the two website 

hackers of 'Black Web' and 

'FobiMox' 

under 

surveillance for the last 2/3 

months. 

Later,the team arrested 

Bashir from a mess in 

Chandra Dighlia area in 

Gopalganj Sadar upazila on 

Thursday night. 

Following his information, 

the team arrested Abir from 

Chandpur on Friday 

morning. 

They also seized their 

computers, mobile phone 

sets and other equipment. 

The SP said that they 

hacked around 21 websites 

including the site of Bogura 

Government Azizul Haque 

College, Government Shah 

Sultan College and 

Lalmonirhat Government 

Girls' School. 

Two cases were filed under 

the Digital Security Act. 

Father, son 

killed in 

Chattogram 

road crash 

CHATTOGRAM : A man 

and his son were killed as a 

covered van rammed their 

motorbike at Kadamtoli in 

the city on Friday night, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased are- Md 

Sagir, 42, a grocery shop 

owner and his son Md 

Junayed, 12,a class five 

student of Agrabad 

Ganapurto Bidya Niketan 

School. 

Md Jahir Hossain, subinspector 

of Double 

Mooring Police Station, said 

that the accident took place 

around 11:45 pm in front of 

Dhonialapara mosque when 

the covered van hit the 

motorcycle carrying the duo, 

leaving them dead on the 

spot. 

Ferry services on 

Paturia-Daulatdia 

route resume 

MANIKGANJ : Ferry 

services on Paturia- 

Daulatdia route in the 

Padma River resumed after 

three and a half hours of 

disruption caused by dense 

fog on Saturday morning. 

"The ferry services were 

disrupted from 4:30 am due 

to poor visibility caused by 

thick fog," said Mohiuddin 

Russel, assistant manager of 

Bangladesh Inland Water 

Transport Corporation 

(BIWTC) at Aricha, reports 

UNB. 

Later, the ferry services 

resumed around 8am as the 

fog disappeared. 

Rohingya youth 

shot dead in 

Teknaf 

COX'S BAZAR : A Rohingya 

youth was shot dead by 

some miscreants at 

Shalbagan Ronhigya camp 

of Noyapara in Teknaf on 

Friday night, reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Mohammad 

Hamid, 36, son of Md 

Hossain. 

Inspector of Noyapara 

police out-post Abdus Salam 

said a gang of miscreants 

took Hamid to a nearby hill 

at gun point and killed him. 

Police recovered the body 

and sent it to Sadar Hospital 

for autopsy. 

Later,the team arrested 

Bashir from a mess in 

Chandra Dighlia area in 

Gopalganj Sadar upazila on 

Thursday night. 

Filipino rebel commanders 

become officials under 

peace deal 

Some of the fiercest Muslim rebel 

commanders in the southern Philippines 

were sworn in Friday as administrators of a 

new Muslim autonomous region in a delicate 

milestone to settle one of Asia's longestraging 

rebellions, reports UNB. 

President Rodrigo Duterte led a ceremony 

to name Moro Islamic Liberation Front 

leader Murad Ebrahim and some of his top 

commanders as among 80 administrators of 

a transition government for the five-province 

region called Bangsamoro. 

About 12,000 combatants with thousands 

of firearms are to be demobilized starting 

this year under the peace deal. Thousands of 

other guerrillas would disarm if agreements 

under the deal would be followed, including 

providing the insurgents with livelihood to 

help them return to normal life. 

"We would like to see an end of the 

violence," Duterte said. "After all, we go to 

war and shoot each other counting our 

victories not by the progress or development 

of the place but by the dead bodies that were 

strewn around during the violent years." 

About 150,000 people have died in the 

conflict over several decades and stunted 

development in the resource-rich region that 

is the country's poorest. Duterte promised 

adequate resources, a daunting problem in 

the past. The Philippine and Western 

governments and the guerrillas see an 

effective Muslim autonomy as an antidote to 

nearly half a century of Muslim secessionist 

violence, which the Islamic State group could 

exploit to gain a foothold. 

"The dream that we have fought for is now 

happening and there's no more reason for us 

to carry our guns and continue the war," 

rebel forces spokesman Von Al Haq told The 

Associated Press in an interview ahead of the 

ceremony. 

Several commanders long wanted for 

deadly attacks were given safety passes to be 

able to travel to Manila and join the 

ceremony, including Abdullah Macapaar, 

who uses the nom de guerre Commander 

Bravo, Al Haq said. Known for his fiery 

rhetoric while wearing his camouflage 

uniform and brandishing his assault rifle and 

grenades, Macapaar will be one of the 41 

regional administrators from the Muslim 

rebel front. 

Duterte would pick his representatives to 

fill the rest of the Bangsamoro Transition 

Authority, which will also act as a regional 

parliament with Murad as the chief minister 

until regular officials are elected in 2022. 

Members of another Muslim rebel group, 

the Moro National Liberation Front, which 

signed a 1996 autonomy deal that has largely 

been seen as a failure, would also be given 

seats in the autonomous government. 

Hainan to ban disposable plastic bags, 

tableware by 2020 

Disposable plastic bags and tableware that 

are non-degradable will be phased out by 

2020 in China's island province of Hainan, 

the provincial department of ecological 

environment announced Thursday. 

The production, sale and use of such 

plastic products, in addition to bags and 

tableware, will be prohibited by 2025 in the 

province, a popular tourist destination in 

South China. According to the government 

plan, Hainan will establish and perfect the 

regulations on banning plastic items by the 

end of the year. Administration and law 

enforcement will also be enhanced while 

ensuring the supply of alternative products. 

Besides phasing out factories in the 

province, plastic products from other areas 

will also be barred from entering the island. 

The R&D and promotion of biodegradable 

plastics have been stepped up to fully replace 

disposable plastic products, according to 

Deng Xiaogang, head of the department. 

Several commanders long wanted for 

deadly attacks were given safety passes to be 

able to travel to Manila and join the 

ceremony, including Abdullah Macapaar, 

who uses the nom de guerre Commander 

Bravo, Al Haq said. Known for his fiery 

rhetoric while wearing his camouflage 

uniform and brandishing his assault rifle and 

grenades, Macapaar will be one of the 41 

regional administrators from the Muslim 

rebel front. 

Duterte would pick his representatives to 

fill the rest of the Bangsamoro Transition 

Authority, which will also act as a regional 

parliament with Murad as the chief minister 

until regular officials are elected in 2022. 

Members of another Muslim rebel group, 

the Moro National Liberation Front, which 

signed a 1996 autonomy deal that has largely 

been seen as a failure, would also be given 

seats in the autonomous government. 

Detectives in a drive arrested six suspected drug traders from 

Aukpara Bastuhara Pallu in Ashulia on Friday night after a clash with 

them. 

Photo : Star Mail 

6 'drug traders' 

held in Ashulia 

SAVAR : Detectives in a drive arrested six suspected drug 

traders from Aukpara Bastuhara Pallu in Ashulia on Friday 

night after a clash with them, reports UNB. 

Five members of detective branch of police, including two 

DB sub-inspectors, were injured being attacked by the drug 

traders. 

Mohammad Abul Bashar, officer-in-charge of Dhaka 

District (North) DB branch, said being tipped off, a team of 

DB police conducted a drive in the area at night and arrested 

listed drug trader Nur Hossain, 18, along with 60 Yaba 

tablets. 

Nur's family members attacked the police team and beat 

up DB inspector Shahidul Islam. They also snatched Nur 

from police custody. On information, additional police went 

to the spot. When they tried to arrest Nur, the DB team again 

came under attack, he said. 

The injured are DB SI Faisal Murad, constable Lima 

Khatun, Mamun Haider and Shawkat. 

However, the team managed to arrest Nur and five other 

drug traders- Shah Alam, Rokeya, Anwara, Salma and Hosne 

Ara along with Yaba and hemp. The injured were admitted to 

Savar Upazila Health Complex. 

One killed in Barishal 

clash over land 

BARISHAL : A man was killed and several others were 

injured in a clash over land related dispute at Morichbunia 

village in Banaripara upazila on Friday night, reports UNB. 

The deceased identified as Ashish Baroi, 46, son of Amal 

Baroi. Khalilur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Banaripara 

Police Station, said that there had been a long standing 

dispute between Ashish and Sobha Ranjan Chowdhury of the 

village over land. 

As a sequel to the enmity, the two sides locked into an 

altercation which triggered a fierce clash. 

Ashish received stab injuries during the clash and died on 

the spot. Besides, several people of both groups, including 

Ashish's wife Snighda, were also injured. 

The injured were sent to Sher-e Bangla Medical College 

and Hospital. 

UN chief lauds efforts 

taken responding to 

Chawkbazar fire 

DHAKA : United Nations 

Secretary General Antonio 

Guterres has condoled the 

loss of lives and 

destructions caused by the 

devastating fire in 

Chawkbazar area of the city 

and commended the efforts 

taken by national 

emergency services 

responding to the fire and 

assist those in need. 

"I wish to assure you that 

the United Nations stands 

in solidarity and support at 

this critical time," the UN 

chief said in a message sent 

to President Abdul Hamid 

on Friday, reports UNB. 

Guterres expressed his 

condolences to President 

Hamid, the government 

and the people of 

Bangladesh for the loss of 

lives and destructions 

caused by the devastating 

fire on February 20. 

He wished the injured a 

speedy recovery and 

commended the efforts 

undertaken by the national 

emergency services 

responding to the fire and 

assist those in need, 

according to the message 

received from Bangladesh 

Mission to the UN. 

Sixty-seven bodies were 

recovered after a fire broke 

out in Chawkbazar area that 

raged through four other 

adjacent buildings there on 

Wednesday night.

METRO 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 

3 

Local journalists form a human chain in front of Keraniganj Press Club on Saturday, 

February 23 2019. 

Photo: UNB 

Experts to discuss ways to deal with 

disasters, displacement Sunday 

DHAKA : A two-day annual thematic 

meeting of the Platform on Disaster 

Displacement (PDD) begins here on 

Sunday on the theme "Striving together 

for addressing displacement due to 

slow and sudden-onset disasters". 

Bangladesh as the current Chair of 

the PDD in collaboration with 

International Organization for 

Migration (IOM) will host the event, 

reports UNB. 

The meeting will explore issues 

related to human mobilitydisplacement, 

migration and planned 

relocation-in the context of both 

sudden-onset disasters like tropical 

cyclones, tidal bore, tsunami, 

earthquake, landslide and volcanic 

eruption, according to the Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs. 

It will also explore slow-onset events 

and processes like sea level rise, river 

erosion, salinity, flood, drought, many 

of which are inter-related and are 

results of environmental degradation 

due to climate change. 

The meeting will discuss how 

protection can be best ensured for 

Bangabandhu 

transformed nation 

into entity through 

independence 

DHAKA : Awami League 

(AL) Advisory Council 

Member SA Malek 

yesterday described Father 

of the Nation 

Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman as the 

only leader who 

transformed a nation into 

an entity by establishing 

independent Bangladesh. 

He said this while 

addressing a discussion, 

organized by Bangabandhu 

Parishad on the occasion of 

the 'Shaheed Dibash and 

International Mother 

Language Day' at the 

National Press Club 

auditorium here. 

Applauding 

Bangabandhu, Malek, also 

the General Secretary of 

Bangabandhu Parishad, 

said as long as the Bengali 

nation and Bangladesh 

exist, Bangalees will recall 

him (Bangabandhu) with 

due respect from the 

bottom of the heart. 

Dhaka University (DU) 

Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof 

Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, 

National University 

Professor Habibur 

Rahman, Bangladesh Open 

University Pro-Vice 

Chancellor Professor 

Mokaddem Hossain, 

former Bangladesh 

ambassador to Nepal Dr 

Nimchandra Bhowmik, 

Chairman of Political 

science of Jagannath 

University (JnU) Arun 

Kumar Goswami, JnU Hall 

Provost Prof Dr Asim 

Sarkar and Rajshahi 

University Sociology 

Department Professor 

Sadekul Arefin also spoke 

on the occasion. 

Highlighting the 

contribution of the Father 

of the Nation, DU VC 

Akhtaruzzaman said 

Bangabandhu enriched our 

language by addressing in 

Bangla for the first time the 

United Nations General 

Assembly (UNGA) in 1974 

after the independence of 

Bangladesh. 

displaced persons and persons at risk of 

displacement, including through 

effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) 

and climate change adaptation and 

mitigation strategies in national, 

regional and international levels. 

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul 

Momen will attend the inaugural 

session of the event as the chief guest 

while Principal Secretary to the Prime 

Minister M Nojibur Rahman will be the 

guest of honour and Senior Secretary, 

Ministry of Disaster Management and 

Relief M Shah Kamal will be the special 

guest. 

State Minister for Foreign Affairs 

Shahrial Alam and State Minister for 

Disaster Management and Relief Dr 

Md Enamur Rahman would grace the 

concluding ceremony with their 

presence. 

Senior Secretary, Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs Md Shahidul Haque will be 

chairing the meeting. 

Over a hundred participants 

representing governments of the 

Steering Group of the Platform on 

Disaster Displacement, participants 

SYLHET : Planning Minister MA Mannan 

yesterday directed the concerned project 

directors and other officials of various 

development schemes under Sylhet Division 

to implement those in due time and speedily 

through minimizing wastages as much as 

possible. 

"One project director can't remain in 

charge of more than one project and this was 

the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina. Everyone will have to follow that 

directive to reach the benefits of 

development to the common people," he 

said. The planning minister said this while 

chairing a review meeting at Sylhet Circuit 

House on various development projects 

being implemented at Sylhet Division. 

Earlier, the minister held such meeting in 

Khulna. 

Implementation, Monitoring and 

Evaluation Division (IMED) Secretary Abul 

Mansur Mohammad Faizullah, Divisional 

Commissioner Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury, 

Director General of Bangladesh Bureau of 

Statistics (BBS) Dr Krishna Gain and the 

concerned project directors were present. 

The meeting was informed that out of the 

ongoing 58 projects in Sylhet Division, the 

progress of 23 projects is satisfactory, 30 

projects have so far witnessed slow progress 

while the rest of five projects have attained 

no progress or zero progress. 

Hailing those project directors who 

attained satisfactory progress in their 

from other governments as well as 

representatives from regional and 

international organizations, UN 

Agencies, civil society organisations 

and research institutions will attend it. 

The meeting will explore issues 

related to human mobilitydisplacement, 

migration and planned 

relocation-in the context of both 

sudden-onset disasters like tropical 

cyclones, tidal bore, tsunami, 

earthquake, landslide and volcanic 

eruption, according to the Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs. 

It will also explore slow-onset events 

and processes like sea level rise, river 

erosion, salinity, flood, drought, many 

of which are inter-related and are 

results of environmental degradation 

due to climate change. 

The meeting will discuss how 

protection can be best ensured for 

displaced persons and persons at risk of 

displacement, including through 

effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) 

and climate change adaptation and 

mitigation strategies in national, 

regional and international levels. 

Mannan asks project 

directors to implement 

schemes in time 

projects, Mannan directed to speed up 

implementation pace to the slow progressed 

and zero-progress witnessing project 

directors. 

"We've not come here to do 'blame game' 

or scolding the officials, or we don't have any 

intention to undermine anyone. Our goal is 

to speed up the implementation pace and 

thus complete the projects in due time," he 

added. 

Mentioning that the present era is now the 

'era of development', the planning minister 

said that the main objective of the state is to 

unleash development while the main 

objective of development is to ensure 

peoples' welfare. 

Earlier, the minister held a view-exchange 

meeting with the divisional officials and 

employees of BBS held at its office. 

Speaking at that function, the planning 

minister said there is no alternative to BBS 

for undertaking future plans and thus 

implementing those. "BBS is an important 

state organization to implement the SDGs. 

The BBS also plays a supporting role in the 

progress and development of the country". 

He also directed the officials and 

employees of BBS to play more responsible 

roles in collecting more reliable and accurate 

data through enforcing strict supervision at 

the field-level. Chaired by BBS Director 

General Dr Krishna Gain, Sylhet Divisional 

Commissioner Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury 

spoke as special guest. 

Dabanol Club recently organized various programmes in observance of the 

International Mother Language Day in Dhaka. The picture shows Former 

President and present Chief Advisor of the Club Ayub Akram Mukul, 

President and Senior Vice President of Bangladesh Chess Federation Gazi 

Saiful Tariq Saif, General Secretary Advocate Kazi Shamim Hossain, 

Publicity Secretary Moniruzzaman Khan Babul, Rampura Police Station 

OC Investigation Moniruzzaman Monir among others present at the occasion. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Woman killed 

as tree falls 

on her in city 

DHAKA : A woman was 

killed and seven other 

pedestrians sustained 

injuries as a coconut tree fell 

on them in front of Shishu 

Academy in Shahbag on 

Friday night, reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Mitu Ghosh, 25, 

betrothed to Dhononjoy 

Ghosh. 

Eyewitness said the 

accident took place around 

9:30 pm when the tree 

suddenly fell on a rickshaw 

that was carrying the 

betrothed couple, leaving 

her dead on the spot and 

injured him. 

The injured including 

Dhononjoy, Khorshed Alam, 

55, his wife Selina Begum, 

35, daughter Seherin Alam, 

18, Sanjir Alam, 10, Ranjan 

Ghosh, 30, Shopna, 32, and 

rickshaw-puller Mohsin, 28, 

were taken to Dhaka 

Medical College Hospital, 

said Inspector Bachhu Mia 

of DMCH police outpost. 

Later, one of the injured 

Shopna was taken to Square 

Hospitals as her condition 

deteriorated, he added. 

2 killed in Cox's Bazar 

over land dispute 

COX'S BAZAR : At least two 

people were killed and eight 

others injured by bullet in a 

clash between two groups 

over a disputed land at 

Bilhachua in Pekua upazila 

in the district on Saturday. 

The deceased were 

identified as NezamU ddin, 

son of late Abdur Rahman 

and Azizul Haque of 

Bilhachua area, reports 

UNB. 

Additional Police 

Superintendent Iqbal 

Hossain said they recovered 

two bodies from the spot 

after the clash. 

Besides, police recovered 7 

firearms and arrested eight 

people from the spot. 

Japan's crown prince 

hopes to continue 

father's legacy 

Japanese Crown Prince 

Naruhito says he hopes to 

continue the close 

relationship his father built 

with the people when he 

succeeds him as emperor 

later this year, reports UNB. 

Naruhito, who turns 59 on 

Saturday, will ascend the 

Chrysanthemum Throne on 

May 1 after Emperor Akihito 

abdicates. 

"I feel very solemn when I 

think about the future," he 

said at an annual prebirthday 

news conference 

Thursday. His remarks were 

embargoed from publication 

until Saturday. 

"While I continue to 

prepare for this role, I would 

like to maintain the past 

emperors' work. I would like 

to think about the people 

and pray for the people," he 

said. 

His wife, Masako will also 

assume a new role as 

empress. The former 

diplomat has suffered from 

stress and has often skipped 

public events, and it's 

unclear how she will manage 

her new role as empress. 

"Although Masako is 

steadily recovering, her 

condition still fluctuates. I 

would like Masako to 

continue to slowly widen her 

contribution in her role," 

Naruhito said, adding he 

hopes to support his wife 

just as she has supported 

him. 

Naruhito's younger 

brother, Prince Akishino, 

and his family are also 

expected to play a major 

role. The Japanese throne is 

only inherited by male heirs, 

and Naruhito's only child is a 

daughter. Prince Akishino 

and his young son Hisahito 

are next in the line of 

succession after Naruhito. 

Akihito's desire to leave 

the throne revived a debate 

about the country's 2,000- 

year-old monarchy, one of 

the world's oldest, as well as 

discussion about improving 

the status of female 

members of the shrinking 

royal population. 

Experts for monitoring 

dev projects for effective 

delivery of services 

DHAKA : Speakers at a dialogue in 

Gaibandha on Saturday said local 

government institutions and representatives 

can partner with community-based 

organisations for selecting beneficiaries and 

monitor development projects for the 

effective delivery of these services, reports 

UNB. 

The local government institutions of 

Bangladesh have been implementing a 

number of development projects under the 

head of social safety net programme (SSNP) 

to provide community-based services for the 

vulnerable sections of society, they said. 

However, the key challenges relate to 

ensuring quality of implementation of these 

projects and adequate provisioning of these 

services, the speakers viewed. 

Indeed, they said, the achievement of the 

SDGs hinges critically on this and there is a 

need for creating local database for selecting 

programme beneficiaries. 

This is also important in taking the benefits 

of development to the grassroots so that no 

one is left behind, they said. 

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and 

Oxfam jointly organised the dialogue with 

support from the SKS Foundation, said a 

CPD press release. 

The event was held under the project titled, 

"Enhancing the participation of communitybased 

organizations (CBOs) and civil society 

organizations (CSOs) in democratic 

governance of Bangladesh." 

The programme is being implemented by 

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Oxfam jointly organised a dialogue 

with support from the SKS Foundation in the city. Photo : Courtesy 

PM inaugurates 2 mega 

projects in Ctg today 

CHATTOGRAM : Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina is to inaugurate the construction 

work of a tunnel under the Karnaphuli river 

and a 17-kilometre-long elevated expressway 

under two mega projects involving Taka 

13,130 crore in Chattogram today, officials 

said. 

The 3.5 kilometres long four-lane tunnel, the 

first in the country, will be built at a cost of 

Taka 9,880 crore to make Chattogram 'One 

City Two Towns', modelled on east and west 

Shanghai of China, they said. 

The total length of the proposed tunnel will 

be around 9.092 kilometres, including 3.40 

kilometres of tunnel under the Karnaphuli 

River with an approach road of 4.89 

kilometres alongside 740 metres of bridges 

linking the main port city and western side of 

the Karnaphuli along with the heavy 

industry-prone eastern side of the river. 

The tunnel route will pass through the river 

close to Navy College on one side and Korean 

Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) and 

Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (Kafco) on 

the other. 

Bangladesh losses over Tk 

30,000 crore yearly for 

tobacco consumption 

DHAKA : Bangladesh is facing economic loss of Taka 30,570 

crore or 3.6 billion US dollars in a year due to use of tobacco, 

yesterday said a study titled, 'Economic Cost of Tobacco Use 

in Bangladesh: A health cost approach.' "Bangladesh has 

been facing economic losses due to tobacco related illness 

and premature deaths…Only the financial loss is 30,570 

crore or $ 3.6 billion US dollars annually that is 1.4 percent of 

the national income (GDP) of the fiscal year 2007-18," said 

the study. In the year 2013, about 1.26 million premature 

deaths occur due to tobacco related diseases, which is 13.5 

percent of the country's total death, it added. 

The study was conducted by Bangladesh Cancer Society, 

American Cancer Society, Cancer Research UK and the 

Department of Economics of Dhaka University. The findings 

of the study were revealed at a programme at Dhaka Club in 

the city. Children are the most affected due to tobacco. More 

than two million children are being subjected to indirect 

smoking, it added. The study said the environmental and 

health risk of tobacco cultivation, the threat of food security, 

threat of fire and damage, environmental pollution and other 

losses were not measured due to poor farmland use in 

tobacco cultivation. 

The study said the environmental and health risk of 

tobacco cultivation, the threat of food security, threat of fire 

and damage, environmental pollution and other losses were 

not measured due to poor farmland use in tobacco 

cultivation. 

the CPD and Oxfam, with support from the 

European Union (EU). The trigger 

presentation and discussions at the dialogue 

were based on an ongoing study conducted 

by the CPD. 

Towfiqul Islam Khan, a CPD Senior 

Research Fellow, made the keynote 

presentation titled, "The Role of Social 

Safety-Net Programmes in SDG Delivery at 

the Local Level". 

Mahabub Ara Begum Gini, MP, Whip, 

Bangladesh National Parliament, was 

present at the dialogue as the chief guest; Md 

Tofayel Hossain, Additional Deputy 

Commissioner (Revenue) and Additional 

District Magistrate, Gaibandha, was present 

as a special guest. 

Prof Mustafizur Rahman, a CPD 

Distinguished Fellow, summarised the key 

points emerging from the discussion as the 

Distinguished Discussant. Dr Debapriya 

Bhattacharya, another CPD Distinguished 

Fellow, chaired the dialogue. 

Public representatives, local level 

government officials, representatives of 

various civil society and grassroots 

organisations working in Gaibandha and 

private sector took part in the event. 

The keynote presentation focused on the 

role and budgetary allocation for social safety 

net programmes both nationally and for 

Gaibandha and why it is necessary to raise 

the quality and delivery of services, 

particularly for the marginalised groups in 

the society. 

It will cut the road distance between 

Chattogram and Cox's Bazar, apart from 

easing the traffic on Dhaka-Chittagong 

Highway entering the port city to go to other 

parts of Chattogram division. 

The multilane tunnel will connect 

Chattogram Port and Anowara Upazila and 

is expected to make communication between 

Chittagong and Cox's Bazar easier, besides 

reducing traffic congestion on two bridges 

over the Karnaphuli river. 

Chinese firm China Communication 

Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) has been 

appointed as consultant for construction of 

the tunnel, the source added. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese 

President Xi Jinping jointly laid its 

foundation stone on October 14 in 2017. 

The construction of the proposed Elevated 

Expressway starting from Lalkhan Bazar to 

Shah Amanat Airport worth Taka 3,250 

crore will also be inaugurated. 

Max Benkin JB has been appointed as 

contractor for construction of the elevated 

expressway. 

Police: 50 die from 

tainted liquor in 

India's Assam 

state 

Indian police say at least 50 

people have died and 

another 50 fallen sick after 

drinking tainted liquor in 

two separate incidents in 

India's remote northeast. 

Police officer Julie 

Sonowal says the victims 

were mostly tea plantation 

workers in Golaghat and 

Jorhat districts in Assam 

state, reports UNB. 

The workers consumed 

the tainted liquor laced with 

methyl alcohol, a chemical 

that attacks the central 

nervous system, on 

Thursday and started falling 

unconscious. They were 

rushed to nearby hospitals 

and the death toll has risen 

to 50 until late Friday, 

Sonowal said. 

The owner of a local brew 

making unit and four others 

have been arrested.

EDITORIAL 

SUnDAy, 

fEBrUAry 24, 2019 

4 

nature’s boon of Bangladesh 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

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

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Sunday, february 24, 2019 

Better logistics for 

fire fighting required 

A 

fire 

broke out in the sixth floor of a multistoried 

building in the Mothijheel commercial 

district some years ago in which four persons 

died . It was sheer luck that it happened in the early 

morning that enabled fire service men to take 

advantage of thin traffic and arrive quickly to put it 

out relatively easily. If it had occurred on a busier 

part of the day, things could be much different and 

for the worse perhaps taking a heavy toll in deaths 

and destructions. 

When a serious fire gutted two floors of Dhaka's 

most posh shopping mall, the Bashundhara city in 

2009, the fire department was seen woefully short of 

appropriate logistical abilities in reaching the fire 

engulfed upper stories of that building. After that 

experience, some steps have been progressively 

taken . But they can still go up as high as 10 stories at 

most . But there are many buildings in Dhaka-- 

nowadays --above ten stories. So, clearly the 

capabilities of the fire department must be increased 

to make it possible for the firemen to reach greater 

heights. Not only this, the fire service needs 

strengthening in all other areas as well in its 

operational dimensions ranging from increasing the 

number of fire fighters to acquiring all sorts of 

additional gears to do their jobs. 

Frequently, it is projected by experts that a higher 

intensity earthquake could flatten many otherwise 

claimed earthquake protected high rise buildings in 

Dhaka. Given the high probability of such an 

earthquake that the experts are predicting for Dhaka 

and other regions of the country, the fire service 

requires a massive restructuring and expansion of its 

capacities to work effectively amid any such 

devastation. 

Also, the fire service stations need to be located near 

all major or potentially big centres of trade and 

industries so that all of these existing or growing 

hubs of commercial or economic importance can 

come under adequate protection. Surely, the same 

will not materialise only from wishing for it. The 

objective will have to be backed up by substantially 

increasing allocations in national budgets to build 

on the present capacities of the fire department. The 

policy makers need to better realise that any 

investments made in this direction only adds to 

sustainable saving of scarce resources . 

There is no single estimate of the total amount of 

resources that get destroyed in fire incidents in 

Bangladesh, say, in a year. But the same must be 

great. For example, the Bashubdhara City mall fire 

caused a loss of at least 2 billion taka. Another 

estimate says that 264 lives were lost in the last 11 

years in garments industries as a consequence of fire 

accidents ; a total of 180 garments industries in 

Dhaka and Chittagong during this period suffered in 

varying degrees from fire incidents. In the fire 

incident at Nimtali in the densely populated area of 

old Dhaka on 4th June 2010, rows of houses and 

small factories were burnt to ashes and over a 

hundred people died. The latest similar fire incident 

at Chawkbazar on Wednesday in which death counts 

number 81, so far, only prove that hardly things of 

value were done over the years to cut the risks of fire 

incidents by relocating so called chemical and allied 

industries away from densely populated areas to 

safer places. It appears that the devastating Nimtali 

fire incident taught no lessons at all. Thus, it is 

apparent that incidents of fire are devouring so 

much in terms of human lives and properties. 

Not only acquiring the greater capacities to fight 

fires, is so very important. Fires need to be prevented 

by intense publicities in the mass media about what 

to do to prevent fires from breaking out in the first 

place. People should be made conscious about not 

throwing lighted butts of cigarettes carelessly here 

and there. They need to get it imprinted in their 

minds that not keeping their electrical lines in fine 

shape can cause devastating fires from short circuits. 

They must appreciate the value of putting out stoves 

after cooking. Institutions need to subject their 

employees to fire drills periodically so that they know 

their responsibilities such as turning off gas and 

power lines and exit from their threatened building 

in an approved manner at the fastest. Maintaining 

of fire exits or stairways, fire extinguishers, etc., 

should be made mandatory in all high rise buildings. 

Specially, steps have to be taken very quickly and 

efficientlyto remove highly risky stores of chemicals 

and inflammable materials from densely populated 

areas of Dhaka city to safer sites. The soonest this is 

done, the best. This is a must to prevent the tragic 

fire incident of the sort that engulfed part of 

Chawkbazar on Wednesday. 

The pride of 

Bangladesh is 

its rivers, 

with one of the 

largest networks in 

the world and a 

total of about 700 

rivers, including the 

G a n g e s - 

Brahmaputra River Delta. This gives the 

country a riverine nature which is 

reflected in the life style, custom, 

economy and history of the people of 

Bangladesh. The country (in South Asia, 

between 200 34/N and 260 33/N 

latitude and between 88001'E and 

92041'E longitude) is bordered by India 

to the north, east and west and Myanmar 

for a small portion in the south-east. The 

entire south of the country is occupied by 

the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh is located 

in a humid low-lying alluvial region with 

a sub-tropical monsoon climate. The 

heavy monsoon rainfall, coupled with the 

low altitude of many parts of the country, 

makes flooding an annual phenomenon 

in Bangladesh. More than two-thirds of 

the country's landmass can be classified 

as wetlands. Hence, it is evident that 

Bangladesh is a land which is dominated 

by wetlands. 

Wetlands are some of the most 

biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth 

that provide a range of ecological, 

cultural, socio-economic and commercial 

services and are home to a significant 

Alittle more than a month is left until 

March 29, the day the UK is set to 

leave the EU after spending nearly 

half a century as a member. The bloc 

emerged out of the ashes of World War II, 

which brought the continent to its knees. 

The pursuit of deeper economic 

integration, and the need to reinforce the 

principles of liberty and democracy, 

birthed the politico-economic union we 

have today. 

Even though the EU has had its fair 

share of crises, it boasts a $23 trillion 

gross domestic product, the secondlargest 

in the world. This collection of 

advanced economies and modern 

societies has become one of the three 

major engines of the global economy, the 

other two being China and the US. There 

is an exhaustive list of the advancements 

and achievements tied to the level of 

integration among EU members, of 

which the UK is a part. 

Well, until March 2017, when an illthought-out 

referendum meant to quiet 

Euroskeptics in the UK's Conservative 

Party resulted in a shocking 51.9 percent 

of voters choosing to leave the EU. As a 

result, in the past two years no major 

news segment has concluded without 

some mention of Brexit and the 

numerous developments that go along 

with it. 

The highly publicized tug of war in 

Westminster and Brussels has done little 

to calm nerves across the globe. Officials 

have continued to jostle on the particulars 

of this highly contentious divorce, amid 

calls for scuttling the entire ordeal to keep 

EnAyETUllAH KHAn 

number of plant and animal species of 

local and global importance. 

This unique ecosystem provide home to 

hundreds of species of aquatic plants, 

fishes, birds and other wildlife, these 

wetlands provide critical habitats for 

thousands of migrating birds, and are an 

important source of income and nutrition 

for millions of rural people. Although 

these wetlands are the arteries of the 

nation, they are threatened by 

anthropogenic activities. The wetlands of 

Bangladesh can be classified on the basis 

of their hydrology and ecology. A 

significant amount of wetland has already 

been degraded due to agricultural and 

industrial development throughout the 

country. A properly-implemented 

sustainable wetland conservation plan is 

urgently needed. 

Bangladesh is a signatory to the 

Convention on Wetlands. The deltaic 

country currently has two sites 

designated as 'Wetlands of International 

Importance' (RAMSAR sites) - the 

Sundarbans Reserved Forest and 

TanguarHaor, with a surface area of 

611,200 hectares. World Wetlands Day is 

celebrated on February 2 every year, 

commemorating the 1971 signing of the 

Ramsar Convention - an international 

treaty for the conservation and 

sustainable use of wetlands of the world. 

The World Wetlands Day 2019 convened 

Gradually, the wetlands are in decline due to different 

categories of threats like over-use, siltation and the use of 

more and more areas for agriculture and development to meet 

the demands of the growing population gradually. To ensure 

the wise use of wetlands, the values of wetlands, causes and 

effects of wetlands degradation, as well as the present 

wetlands management approach need to be analyzed. 

the status quo, while others appeal for a 

delay to iron out kinks. From before the 

referendum until now, the UK has 

become polarized and paralyzed by 

anticipation and numerous predictions, 

from doomsday scenarios to murky 

utopias once "free" from Brussels. Such 

fault lines are certain to last long into the 

future, regardless of whether the UK 

crashes out of the EU or slinks away 

quietly to some unknown fate. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May 

faces the daunting task of corralling votes 

in pursuit of an amicable break. The odds 

are not in her favor, as a raft of defections 

across the political aisle has further 

muddled the impossible mess in 

Westminster. Also, as many as 15 

government ministers have threatened to 

vote to stop the UK leaving the EU if no 

deal is agreed, daring May to fire them 

should they vote against her next week. 

Thus, it is increasingly likely that the 

UK will exit the EU without a deal. Or, by 

some stroke of luck, an 11th-hour appeal 

for a delay could spare the country from 

HAfED Al-GHWEll 

under the theme, 'Wetlands and Climate 

Change'. In Bangladesh, long-term 

studies of the response of wetland areas 

to probable impacts of climate change are 

lacking. More researches required to 

assess the future losses of wetland areas 

due to climate change. Such degradation 

need to be placed in the context of the 

continuous worldwide losses of wetlands 

due to human activities. 

Gradually, the wetlands are in decline 

due to different categories of threats like 

the innumerable ramifications of a nodeal 

Brexit. But what does that even look 

like?Theresa May faces the daunting task 

of corralling votes in pursuit of an 

amicable break 

Hafed Al-Ghwell 

First, there is a good chance that British 

consumers will see lighter wallets, since 

prices are currently lower as a result of 

EU membership. Telecommunications, 

travel and non-UK goods will likely cost 

more, especially when the value of the 

pound continues to slide. Consumers will 

have to spend more to get the same 

amount of goods. 

Trade is likely to slow considerably as 

points of entry get accustomed to new 

regulations and tariff regimes. There is 

also the potential that the UK will have to 

establish its own quality standards after 

dismantling EU import quality 

standards. 

Second, even though Brexiteers like to 

pontificate on the burdensome cost of EU 

membership, the benefits still outweigh 

the costs, and other countries contribute 

over-use, siltation and the use of more 

and more areas for agriculture and 

development to meet the demands of the 

growing population gradually. To ensure 

the wise use of wetlands, the values of 

wetlands, causes and effects of wetlands 

degradation, as well as the present 

wetlands management approach need to 

be analyzed. 

Wetlands management is not 

addressed separately in water 

management activities of Bangladesh. In 

order to balance human needs and 

wetlands conservation, a communitybased 

wetlands management approach 

has been taken in Bangladesh, but this is 

not enough to prevent the degradation of 

wetlands. Therefore, Bangladesh now 

needs a comprehensive strategy 

combining political, economic, social, and 

technological approaches to stop further 

degradation of wetlands. Therefore, 

wetlands management should be 

incorporated into a system of integrated 

land and water use and, indeed, into the 

socioeconomic system of the country. 

Policies, strategies, and management 

plans for sustainable use and 

conservation of wetlands of Bangladesh 

must be based on solid knowledge and 

understanding of their ecological and 

socioeconomic functions and processes. 

Enayetullah Khan, Editor-in-Chief 

UNB, Dhaka Courier and 

Chairman of WildTeam 

What are the consequences of a no-deal Brexit? 

The annual Munich Security 

Conference is usually a somnolent 

affair, a ritual renewal of vows 

between the United States and its 

European allies. This year, though, was 

different. 

Germany's outgoing Chancellor, 

Angela Merkel, finally said what she 

thinks of US President Donald Trump. 

Without using Trump's name, she 

described his "America first" foreign 

policy as one of ignoring allies and 

promoting nationalism - and noted that 

Germany tried that before the Second 

World War with catastrophic results. 

"Pieces of the classic, familiar order ... are 

falling apart," she said. "We cannot just 

smash it. We need to cooperate." The best 

course, she said, is to "stick with 

multilateralism - which was the lesson of 

the Second World War." 

The mostly European audience gave 

her a standing ovation. Ivanka Trump, 

Trump's daughter, who listened stonefaced, 

did not stand. 

Merkel had specific complaints, too. 

She said Trump was wrong to withdraw 

from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran 

("depressing"). She warned that Trump's 

plan to withdraw US troops from Syria 

could "strengthen Iran's and Russia's 

hand". And she derided Trump's threat to 

declare imported cars a national security 

threat so he could raise tariffs. "BMW's 

largest plant is in South Carolina," Merkel 

pointed out. 

For the first two years of Trump's 

presidency, Merkel tried to persuade him 

to accept the traditional pattern of US- 

European relations: Periodic disputes 

over trade, or military policy, papered 

British Prime Minister Theresa May faces the 

daunting task of corralling votes in pursuit of an 

amicable break. The odds are not in her favor, as a raft 

of defections across the political aisle has further 

muddled the impossible mess in Westminster. Also, as 

many as 15 government ministers have threatened to 

vote to stop the UK leaving the 

over with soothing words about 

transatlantic friendship and mutual 

interests. No longer. The post-war 

relationship, which kept the peace and 

brought prosperity to Europe through the 

Cold War and in the decades since, is 

under threat from Washington. 

Alarms are ringing in western Europe 

over Trump's unilateral, transactional 

foreign policy. And for good reason: The 

Trump administration has taken direct 

aim at the European Union (EU), a 

centerpiece of European statecraft since 

1957. If the EU collapses, some 

Europeans fear a new catastrophe: A 

fragmented Europe of feuding states, like 

the one that existed before the Second 

World War. 

Europeans admit they helped create 

some of their problems. They haven't 

spent as much on defence as they 

promised. Trump is right about that. The 

EU also hasn't delivered its promise of 

prosperity to southern tier countries such 

as Spain, Italy and Greece. The influx of 

millions of refugees and economic 

migrants has caused a populist backlash, 

and even helped elect authoritarian 

governments in Hungary and Poland. 

DoylE McMAnUS 

But the Trump administration is 

making those challenges worse. 

In addition to questioning the need for 

the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 

(Nato), Trump has attacked the EU as a 

threat to US interests. Asked last year 

who he viewed as America's global 

adversaries, the first name on Trump's 

list - before Russia, China, North Korea or 

Iran - was the EU. "I think the European 

Union is a foe, what they do to us in 

trade," he said. He has even charged that 

the EU was founded principally to harm 

the US. "They formed in order to take 

advantage of us," he said at a political rally 

last year. 

European diplomats charge privately 

that Trump's stance is mostly a strategy to 

gain the upper hand in trade 

negotiations. "He'd rather negotiate oneon-one 

with small countries than with a 

large group that's a peer competitor," one 

explained. But the EU isn't only about 

trade. It wasn't founded to sabotage US 

exports. It was founded to stop Germany 

and France from going to war again, as 

they did three times between 1871 and 

1945. "The EU is the peacekeeping 

organisation for Europe," a European 

more per capita than the UK does. Worse 

yet, even if the UK wished to maintain 

access to the Common Market after 

Brexit, London will still have to contribute 

to the EU purse. Third, UK universities 

and research institutes receive generous 

EU funding, which will likely dry up, 

affecting the country's ability to make 

contributions to, and benefit from, 

ground-breaking innovations, 

technologies and other breakthroughs. 

Fourth, as a net importer of energy, the 

UK's energy security is vital, especially as 

a means to invigorate an economy reeling 

from post-Brexit woes. As part of the EU, 

the UK could easily secure its energy 

needs, negotiating from a position of 

strength with the rest of the bloc. 

Unfortunately, crashing out of the EU will 

see energy costs rise - some estimates put 

that increase at about £500 million 

($653.7 million). Fifth, in matters of 

international security and geopolitical 

influence, a lone UK is far less influential 

on the global stage than as a member of a 

union with the world's second-largest 

economy. Also, working with other EU 

members via training, sharing 

intelligence and policy coordination has 

helped keep Britain safer. 

Sixth, immigration - one of the hot-button 

issues for Brexiteers - will also see some 

effects. Brexiteers claim that the mass 

migration of (especially blue-collar) labor 

into the UK burdened health and welfare 

systems while denying employment 

opportunities to indigenous workers. 

Source : Arab news 

‘America first’ looks like America alone 

Europeans admit they helped create some of their problems. They haven't 

spent as much on defence as they promised. Trump is right about that. 

The EU also hasn't delivered its promise of prosperity to southern tier 

countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece. The influx of millions of 

refugees and economic migrants has caused a populist backlash, and even 

helped elect authoritarian governments in Hungary and Poland. 

official told me. So when Trump and his 

aides wade into Europe's internal affairs 

and try to boost politicians who want to 

shatter the EU, that's not just a roughand-tumble 

negotiating tactic. It's an 

existential threat to a project that 

European governments have been 

working on for more than 60 years. "With 

friends like that, who needs enemies?" 

Donald Tusk, the Polish-born president 

of the European Council, tweeted last 

year. 

Even as Trump works to undermine 

the EU, he's asking the Europeans to do 

more for him and his priorities. He has 

pressed them, without success, to also 

quit the Iran nuclear deal, although most 

are honouring the new US sanctions. 

He wants them to send more troops to 

Syria, even though he's withdrawing US 

forces. He wants Germany to cancel a 

long-standing contract for a natural gas 

pipeline from Russia, and buy American 

gas instead. And when they object - when 

the Europeans say an alliance ought to be 

a two-way street - US administration 

officials have sometimes threatened 

retaliation through economic sanctions 

or tariffs. It's becoming a vicious cycle: 

The Trump administration pushes. The 

Europeans resist. The effect is to make it 

harder for old allies to cooperate in areas 

where they mostly agree. 

It looks like a marriage on the rocks - 

without a marriage counsellor. Unless 

you count former US vice-president Joe 

Biden, who went to the Munich 

conference and advised the Europeans 

just to wait Trump out. 

Source : Gulf news

5 

SUNDay, fEBRUaRy 24, 2019 

Can teenagers get vaccinated without 

their parents’ permission? 

What really causes cancer? 

So what's the best way to judge the risks? 

Jonathan R. Goodman 

RED meat, cellphones, plastic 

drinking bottles, artificial sweeteners, 

power lines, coffee… Which of these 

have been linked with cancer? If you 

are unsure, you aren't alone. The 

problem isn't a lack of information. 

Rather, we are bombarded with so 

much information and 

misinformation about what might 

cause cancer that it is often hard to 

separate myth from reality. Yet it is 

something we must all do, because 

cancer affects every one of us. 

Whether or not you have had it 

yourself, you surely know someone 

who has. For people in the UK, the 

lifetime chance of being diagnosed 

with the disease is 1 in 2. Globally, 

cancer is second only to 

cardiovascular disease as a cause of 

death, killing an estimated 1 in 6 

people. 

Cancer is not a single disease and its 

causes are many and complex, but 

Photo: Getty 

there are things we can do to reduce 

our risk - if only we could identify 

them. That isn't easy when even the 

experts don't always agree. 

Nevertheless, our knowledge has 

come a long way in recent years, 

thanks to a huge amount of research 

into both environmental factors and 

genetic susceptibility. So, what do we 

know - and don't know - about the 

causes of cancer? And, when faced 

with mixed messages, how can we best 

judge the risks for ourselves? 

Chelsea Whyte 

Measles outbreaks are spreading in two 

neighbouring US states, Washington 

and Oregon, with the former declaring 

a public health emergency. These states 

are among 17 that have laws allowing 

parents to opt out of vaccinating their 

children on the basis of personal 

beliefs. The latest outbreak has seen 

teenagers turning to social media to ask 

how they can get vaccinated against 

their parents' wishes. 

Legally, it is a difficult question, 

because children can't necessarily 

make their own medical decisions. 

Regulations vary from state to state, but 

in general, some minors can access 

certain treatments without parental 

consent. Vaccines are not always 

specified on this list, but in some states 

the law is vague enough that a minor 

could potentially have a legal right to a 

vaccination. 

In Oregon, anyone 15 or older can get 

hospital care, dental and vision 

services, and immunisations without 

parental permission. In Washington, 

minors can receive immunisations 

without their parents' consent if their 

doctor determines they are a "mature 

minor", which takes into account their 

age, ability to understand the treatment 

and self-sufficiency, although they need 

not be legally independent to qualify. 

Other states allow even younger 

children to access some vaccines. In 

California, 12-year-olds can consent to 

medical treatment for sexually 

transmitted infections (STIs). These 

include the vaccine for human 

papillomavirus (HPV), which has 

become a target for anti-vaccination 

campaigners. 

"There were lots of claims about 

things that are bad about the HPV 

vaccine, which really aren't founded in 

any scientific evidence. That created a 

lot of mistrust among parents," says 

Claudia Borzutzky, a physician in the 

adolescent medicine clinic at Children's 

Hospital Los Angeles. Californian 

minors can also consent to the hepatitis 

B vaccine. "We don't have the same 

resistance to hepatitis B as we do with 

other vaccines, which is mysterious to 

me because all our vaccines have the 

same efficacy. People forget it's an STI," 

says Borzutzky. 

Almost every state allows minors to 

consent to medical care related to 

reproductive health - birth control, 

pregnancy testing, abortion - and drug 

and alcohol abuse services. Some states 

also let minors access mental-health 

services and sexual-assault treatment 

without a parent's permission. 

For other services, like standard 

vaccinations, only certain minors can 

consent. For example, in New York, 

teens who are pregnant, married, 

homeless, in prison or legally 

emancipated from their parents can 

make their own medical decisions. 

Teenagers who want to get 

vaccinated should start by 

understanding what the law allows in 

their own state, says Borzutzky. Public 

health departments have information 

available on the rights of minors when 

accessing healthcare. Doctors and 

social workers at a clinic or school can 

also offer guidance. 

Enlisting such people to help 

persuade a parent to support their 

child's decision to get vaccinated may 

be the best strategy, especially because 

public funding for medical care isn't 

available to teens in all states, says 

Borzutzky. 

"We would always rather engage 

parents and have them on board for 

any healthcare we provide a young 

person, as long as the parent is going to 

be supportive," she says. "There are 

parents who will come around on 

vaccines, but it's not always in one visit. 

It may be over months or years." 

In some cases, teens may need to wait 

until they turn 18 to get vaccinated. But 

that may change, as law-makers wake 

up to the risks of an unprotected 

population. In the past few years, 

Washington and Oregon both passed 

laws requiring parents to be educated 

on the benefits of vaccines and the risks 

of foregoing them before opting out of 

vaccination. In light of the current 

outbreaks, both states are now 

considering bills to end non-medical 

exemptions all together. 

Running is the hot new 

fitness trend 

Margot Boyer-Dry 

ClassPass is a gym class 

subscription service that is 

basically like the Netflix of 

fad exercise trends. For a 

monthly fee you can 

arrange a series of one-time 

stints doing every 

imaginable workout: from 

pole dancing to 

hydrospinning. 

So its recent 

announcement of the 

fastest-growing category on 

the platform in 2018 may 

surprise you: it's the boring 

old treadmill. Offerings like 

interval classes from the 

Mile-High Run Club and 

something called "Tread 'n 

Shed" at Crunch Gym were 

particularly popular, but 

basically they all involve 

running indoors in a 

treadmill pack while an 

instructor intones mantras, 

shouts encouragement, and 

critiques your running 

form. 

Yes, it seems we've 

exhausted every possible 

exercise trend, from bikram 

yoga to SoulCycle, and now 

we've finally come full 

circle. Running is the hot 

new fitness trend - only this 

time it somehow costs lots 

of money. 

It's a trend that is being 

reflected across the world of 

fitness. Running classes at 

the fancy gym Equinox have 

amassed such a following 

that the chain is opening a 

line of treadmill-only 

studios. The "precision 

running labs" are, more or 

less, darkened rooms full of 

people running in place at 

the whims of a fiery, toned 

instructor. Under the 

supposedly appealing 

promise that "you don't 

have to go outside to blaze 

new trails", Equinox, ever 

on-brand, provides an 

exclusive running 

environment, transforming 

a run to "an out-of-body 

experience with immersive 

light and sound" and "air 

enriched by an O2 

vaporizer" - because what 

kind of loser breathes 

regular, un-enhanced 

oxygen? Thanks to the 

superhuman amenities and 

hands-on coaching, a single 

hour-long treadmill course 

can run about $35 a pop - 

compared with the outdoor 

running price of "free". The 

price has not been offputting: 

locations have 

already opened in Santa 

Monica, California, and 

Chestnut 

Hill, 

Massachusetts, and they 

will be followed this spring 

by New York and Los 

Angeles. But you don't need 

to live near a studio to pay 

someone to tell you to run. 

Peloton, the company best 

known for selling hi-tech 

exercise bikes, has 

expanded into the running 

market as well. Its prestige 

offering is the Tread, a 

t o u c h s c r e e n - e n a b l e d 

treadmill that lets you 

stream live and prerecorded 

fitness classes 

from the Peloton studio. 

Featuring a shockabsorbing 

slat belt, a 32in 

HD touchscreen and a 

carbon-steel frame, this 

$4,000 machine, which 

also requires a $40-permonth 

membership to 

stream classes, is garnering 

rave reviews. (The Verge 

reviewer Lauren Goode 

called it the treadmill "I 

want but can't afford"). It 

has competitors, too: Life 

Fitness sells another 

software-enabled machine 

for upwards of $2,600, 

while NordicTrack, the 

home-fitness brand of 

early-90s fame, makes one 

for $3,000. If you want, 

there are even more ways to 

spend your money as the 

running sector continues to 

grow, with new, 

"disruptive" technologies 

(as if an uneven sidewalk 

weren't disruptive enough). 

There's Zwift, a treadmill 

with a screen that offers 

avatar runs on virtual 

courses, and IPO, a 

machine whose belt keeps 

up with your natural pace. 

Will the running 

resurgence ultimately lead 

the treadmillers outside to 

the trail, for them to 

It seems we've exhausted every possible exercise trend, from bikram yoga 

to Soulcycle. 

Photo: Ruslan Dashinsky 

discover you can run almost 

anywhere for nothing? Or 

will we keep rotating 

through the cultural vortex, 

iterating our way through 

its cycle? Best not to 

overextend yourself looking 

for answers - try as you 

might, you can't outrun a 

trend. 

Vaccination is a simple way to prevent the spread of measles. 

Photo: Jose Luis Pelaez 

How to upgrade your thinking 

David Robson 

PAUL FRAMPTON was 

looking for love. A 68- 

year-old divorcee, he was 

delighted to strike up a 

friendship on an online 

dating site with someone 

claiming to be the Czech 

glamour model Denise 

Milani. They soon 

arranged to meet during 

one of her modelling 

assignments in South 

America. 

When he arrived in La 

Paz, Bolivia, however, he 

was disappointed to find 

that Milani had been 

asked to fly to another 

shoot. But could he pick 

up the suitcase she had 

left? He did, and was 

subsequently arrested 

and charged with 

smuggling 2 kilograms of 

cocaine. 

It may seem like an 

obvious honey trap, yet 

Frampton wasn't exactly 

lacking in brainpower. An 

acclaimed physicist, he 

had written papers on 

string theory and quantum 

field theory. How could 

someone so clever have 

been so stupid? 

Recent psychological 

research shows that 

Frampton's behaviour 

isn't as exceptional as it 

first appears. IQ does 

correlate with many 

important outcomes in 

life, including academic 

success and job 

performance in many 

workplaces. But it is less 

useful at predicting "wise" 

decision-making and 

critical thinking, including 

the capacity to assess risk 

and uncertainty and weigh 

up conflicting evidence. 

Indeed, as I discuss in 

my new book The 

Intelligence Trap, 

intelligence and expertise 

can sometimes make you 

more likely to err. This has 

important consequences, 

leading not only to errors 

like Frampton's, but also 

to the political polarisation 

we see on burning issues 

such as Brexit or climate 

change. 

Even the most intelligent people can make ridiculous mistakes. 

Photo: Matt Chase

NATIONAL 


6 

BMET scholarship among meritorious 

students distributed in Kamalganj 

PINTU DeBNATH, KAMALGANJ CoRReSPoNDeNT: 

BMeT scholarship among 

meritorious students was distributed at 

Manipuri cultural complex in 

Kamalganj on Friday. Bangladesh 

Manipuri Muslim education Trust 

organized occasion while. Moulvibazar 

Government College Principal 

Professor Dr. Md. Fazlul Ali was 

present as the chief guest at the 

ceremony. 

Bangladesh Manipuri Muslim 

education Trust president headmaster 

Md Abdul Matin chaired the occasion 

while Divisional Head of Zoology 

Department of Moulvibazar 

Government College Md. Selim, 

Retired Upazila Health officer Dr. Md. 

Qayyum Uddin, Jagatsree 

Gopalakrishna, M Saifur Rahman and 

retired Principal of the School and 

College Nurul Islam were present as 

special guests at the occasion. 

Among others, women leader Bilkis 

Begum, Kamalganj Press Club Vice 

President Sabbir elahi, Manipuri 

Muslim Teachers Forum General 

Secretary Md. Shahab Uddin, Advisor 

to BMeT Mohammad Khurshed Ali 

and Md. Abdul Majid were also present 

at the occasion. 

on the occasion, 10 students were 

awarded with BMeT scholarships and 

crests for the year 2019, educational 

materials were provided among 

meritorious in school level, 5 artists 

were provided gifts and prizes were 

distributed among the top three in each 

category of the painting competition. 

Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Abu Yusuf and Additional Superintendent 

of Police Fahima Quader Chowdhury led a rally marking the Saving Week- 2019 in Noakhali 

on Saturday. 

Photo: Manik Bhuiyan 

Savings Week 2019 begins in Noakhali 

MANIK BHUIYAN, NoAKHALI CoRReSPoNDeNT: 

A Saving Week- 2019 (February 23 

to March 1) began in Noakhali on 

Saturday in a bid to create more 

awareness among the people about 

savings and further enhance the 

quality of services. 

Marking the occasion, a rally and a 

post-rally discussion at its office to 

mark the launching of the week with 

the theme of Savings is the ladder of 

Triennial council 

of UPSA held in 

Jhalakathi 

MANIK RoY, JHALAKATHI 

CoRReSPoNDeNT: 

Triennial council of Union 

Parishad Secretary 

Association (UPSA) was 

held at Jhalakathi Deputy 

Commissioner's conference 

room on Saturday. 

The council session was 

held in two phases. In the 

first phase, outgoing 

President Uttam Kumar 

Datta chaired a meeting 

regarding the organizational 

issues. In the second phase, 

Alamgir Hossain served as 

Prosperity. Additional Deputy 

Commissioner (General) Md Abu 

Yusuf and Additional Superintendent 

of Police Fahima Quader Chowdhury 

led the rally. District Savings office and 

Bureau officials and students of 

various educational institutions took 

part in the rally which paraded the 

main streets of the town. 

Later a discussion meeting was held 

at the Deputy Commissioner's 

the election Commission in 

the election for the 

formation of the new 

committee. Md. Maqsudul 

Haque was elected 

unopposed to the post of 

General Secretary. 

But for the post of 

president, Moniruzzaman 

Moniruzzaman and Md. Maqsudul Haque were elected 

as president and general secretary respectively of 

Union Parishad Secretary Association (UPSA) in 

Jhalakathi on Saturday. 

Photo: Manik Roy 

conference room. Assistant Director 

District Savings office and Bureau 

Mahmudur Rashid chaired the 

discussion while Additional Deputy 

Commissioner (General) Md. Abu 

Yusuf was present as the chief guest at 

the occasion. Among others, former 

Principal of Noakhali Government 

College Professor Kazi Rafiqullah and 

journalist Foyjul Islam Jahan were also 

present at the occasion. 

A Seminar titled "Sustainable and responsible tourism development in CHT region" was held in 

Rangamati on Saturday. Chattogram Hill Tracts Development Board organized the seminar at the 

conference room of Rangamati Tourism Holiday Complex. 

Photo: Md. Shafiqur Rahman 

RAJSHAHI: Seedling transplantation 

of Irri-boro paddy has got a highest peak 

as the farmers put in their level best 

efforts to complete the transplantation 

process in due time, reports BSS. 

At present, the farmers are passing 

their busy days in seedling 

transplantation and nursing of the newly 

transplanted tender plants everywhere in 

all eight districts under Rajshahi division 

including its vast Barind tract. 

Department of Agriculture extension 

(DAe) has set a target of producing 33.17 

lakh tonnes of Boro rice from 8.11 lakh 

hectares of land under the division in the 

current season. Already, the farmers 

bagged 14 votes, Uttam 

Kumar Datta bagged 11 

votes, Dinesh Roy got 01 

vote and A Latif Mollah 

got 0 votes. 27 UP 

members casted their 

vote while one member 

was absent. 

transplanted seedlings on more than 6.72 

lakh hectares of land. 

They also raised seedbeds on 48,138 

hectares of land against the target of 

41,838 hectares of land fixed by DAe. 

"We are very much hopeful about 

exceeding the target of seedling 

transplantation like the seedbed," expects 

SM Mustafizur Rahman, Additional 

Director of DAe, while talking to BSS 

here today. 

The marginal farmers were provided 

necessary fertilizers like Di-ammonium 

Phosphate (DAP) and Murat of Potash 

(MoP) as incentives to facilitate smooth 

Boro paddy farming. 

Narsingdi Government 

College Principal 

assaulted 

MD SeLIM MIA, NARSINGDI 

CoRReSPoNDeNT: 

Narsingdi Government 

College Principal Dr. 

Anwarul Islam was 

assaulted by masked 

miscreants by dirt and 

chairs. This incident 

happened in the office of 

the college principal 

around 12pm on Saturday. 

For the past 5 months 

Chhatra Sangram Parishad 

accused the principal of 

irregularities and was 

restricted him to go to the 

college. College Principal 

Dr. Anwarul Islam told the 

journalists that he was 

suffering from insecurity in 

the face of student leaders. 

In the meantime for the 

last 5 months he was 

conducting the college 

activities from Dhaka by 

informing the ministry. on 

February 21, he placed 

wreaths at the college 

Shaheed Minar in presence 

of local parliament 

member Nazrul Islam 

Hiru. In the meantime, the 

local lawmaker asked him 

to go to college, and on 

Thursday morning he 

came back to the college. 

on Saturday noon, a group 

of 5-6 masked miscreants 

entered the principal's 

room and started to shout 

at him in foul language. At 

that time they threw bucket 

of dirty water on the 

principal and also threw 

chairs and glasses towards 

him. He was hit on the 

forehead, he said. Later the 

attackers fled. 

Later, police of Narsingdi 

Sadar Model Police Station 

visited the incident. There 

was a tumult and anger 

among college teachers 

and students in this 

incident. They said they are 

insecure due to this 

incident. 

Boro paddy transplantation gets momentum in Rajshahi division 

Agriculturist Rahman said steps have 

been taken to ensure smooth Boro rice 

cultivation this season. The farming is 

going on in full swing across the region as 

they are optimistic of harvesting the crop 

early, he added. 

"I have already cultivated Boro on eight 

bighas of land this season", said Lokman 

Hossain, a farmer in Mohadebpur 

upazila, adding, "I will bring some more 

lands under the farming within a very 

short time." 

The DAe has distributed some 20-kg 

seeds of Boro rice, 20-kg DAP and 10- 

kg MoP fertilisers free of cost to each 

farmer. 

Moulvibazar Government College Principal Professor Dr. Md. Fazlul Ali as the chief guest distributed BMET 

scholarship among meritorious students in Kamalganj on Friday. 

Photo: Pintu Debnath 

Coast Guard detains 

11 Myanmar 

nationals with one 

lakh yaba pills 

Bangladesh Coast Guard 

on Thursday detained 11 

Myanmar nationals with 

100,000 yaba pills from a 

fishing trawler on the Bay of 

Bengal in Teknaf upazila of 

Cox's Bazar, a press release 

said. 

Tipped off, a coast guard 

team conducted a raid on 

the south-east side of Saint 

Martin's Island, chased a 

fishing boat and seized it and 

detained 11 Myanmar 

nationals on board and 

recovered the yaba tablets 

after searching the boat. 

The boat was crossing the 

maritime boundary into 

Bangladesh from Myanmar. 

Coast guard filed a case 

with Teknaf Police Station 

against the detainees and 

handed them over to the 

police station. 

'Youth must be given priority 

to attain SDGs' 

RANGPUR: The political parties 

should implement commitments to 

youth in their manifestos for the 11th 

parliamentary elections giving priority to 

them to attain the Sustainable 

Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, 

reports BSS. 

Leading development experts, 

economists, youth and civil society 

members expressed the view at a 

dialogue styled "electoral Commitments 

and Youth Agenda" held at a city hotel 

on Friday evening. 

The Citizen's Platform for SDGs, 

Bangladesh Centre for Policy Dialogue 

(CPD), Nagorik Uddyog and Jaago 

Foundation jointly organised the event 

aiming at determining preferences of 

local youth to attain the SDGs. 

Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar 

Rahman Mostafa attended the dialogue 

as the chief guest with Core Group 

Member of the Citizen's Platform for 

SDGs and distinguished Fellow of CPD 

Professor Mostafizur Rahman in the 

chair. 

Former Prof of the Department of 

economics at Rangpur Carmichael 

College Malay Kishore Bhattacharya and 

Member of the Central Committee of 

Sushashoner Janno Nagorik Akbar 

Hossain were present as guests of 

honour. 

Chief executive of Nagorik Uddyog 

Zakir Hossain delivered welcome speech 

narrating goals and objectives of the 

dialogue. 

Convener of the Citizen's Platform and 

distinguished Fellow of CPD Dr 

Debapriya Bhattacharya delivered 

keynote presentation. 

Debapriya discussed manifestos 

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard in a drive detained 11 Myanmar 

nationals with 100,000 yaba pills from a fishing trawler on the Bay of 

Bengal in Teknaf upazila recently. 


presented by different political parties 

pledging various commitments 

concerning youth before the 11th 

parliamentary elections. 

He said political parties committed in 

election manifestos to enhance capacity 

of youth, create employment 

opportunities and formulate a policy for 

young entrepreneurs, increase rooms for 

quality education, research and many 

others. "The youth are the catalyst of 

accelerating development and they have 

capacity to identify challenges being 

faced by the society and contribute to 

mitigating such barriers with their 

innovations," he added. 

Dr Debapriya further said Bangladesh 

in advancing forward on its journey to 

implement the SDGs by 2030 and 

suggested policymakers to act 

appropriately for mobilising the youth 

power to attain sustainable 

development. 

The open discussion session turned 

attractive with participation of youth, 

professionals and civil society 

organisations, academics and 

journalists. 

The chief guest said the youth must be 

given priority while implementing 

commitments in the election manifestos 

along with promoting youth 

entrepreneurship and producing skilled 

youth workforce for achieving the SDGs. 

30 held in Dinajpur special drives 

DINAJPUR: Law enforcers, in special drives arrested 30 persons including 

seven drug traders from different areas of the district in 12-hour ending at 8am last 

morning, reports BSS. 

Law enforcers also seized 2,000 liters of locally-made liquor, 299 pieces of Yaba 

tablets and 2,000 pieces of cow fattening 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 eight persons including two 

drug traders along with 2,000 liters of locally-made liquor, Birganj Thana police 

arrested two persons, Birampur Thana police arrested four persons, Khansama 

Thana police arrested two persons, Kaharole Thana police arrested three persons, 

Parbatipur Thana police arrested three persons, Ghoraghat Thana police arrested 

two drug traders and Hakimpur Thana police arrested three persons. 

Several cases, including charges of subversive activities, are pending with 

different police stations against the arrested persons, the sources added. 

Meanwhile, members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in a drive detained 

three drug traders along with 299 pieces of Yaba tablets and 2,000 pieces of cow 

fattening tablets around 6am from Hili Railway Station in Hakimpur upazila of the 

district. 

Later, the detained persons were handed over to the Hakimpur Thana police, 

BGB said. The arrested persons were sent to jail.

INTERNATIONAL SUNDAy, 

FEBRUARy 24, 2019 

7 

In this July 9, 2018, file photo, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir attends a ceremony for Turkey's 

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey. Sudan's President 

has declared a state of emergency on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, for a year and disbanded the government 

amid deadly protests. Al-Bashir - who seized power in a 1989 coup- also said Friday that for now he 

will not change the constitution to allow himself to seek a third term in office. 

Photo : AP 

Sudan declares state of emergency, 

disbands Cabinet 

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, facing 

deadly protests, on Friday declared 

a state of emergency for a year, disbanded 

the federal government and 

replaced all state governors with senior 

army officers, reports UNB. 

Al-Bashir - who seized power in a 

1989 coup- also said that he will postpone 

pushing for constitutional 

amendments that would allow him to 

seek a third term in office. 

Facing genocide charges, al-Bashir's 

rule has been rocked by civil wars and 

increasing street demonstrations. A 

heavy security crackdown has left 

scores of protesters dead. At least 57 

people have been killed since December. 

"Our country is passing through a 

difficult and complicated phase in our 

national history," al-Bashir said in a 

speech aired live from the presidential 

palace in Khartoum. "We will get out of 

it stronger and more united and determined." 

In a rare acknowledgment, al-Bashir 

described the demands of the protesters 

as "legitimate" but said there are 

attempts to exploit the youth protests 

"to take the country to the unknown." 

The state of emergency will give the 

security forces a free hand in cracking 

Pakistani police 

arrest 2 men trying 

to blow up gas line 

Pakistani counterterrorism 

police say they have arrested 

two insurgents attempting 

to blow up the main gas 

pipeline in the central city of 

Bahawalpur, reports UNB. 

Police spokeswoman 

Nabila Ghazanfar said Saturday 

the two men, who 

were not identified, belong 

to the separatist group 

Baluchistan Liberation 

Army. She said they confessed 

to successfully conducting 

similar sabotage of 

gas pipelines in the adjacent 

district of Rahim Yar Khan. 

Ghazanfar said police 

seized 2 kilograms (4.5 

pounds) of explosives, a timing 

device, detonators and 

connecting cords from the 

men Friday night. 

There was no immediate 

statement from the BLA and 

the men were not immediately 

available for comment. 

Rebels have long been 

waged a low-level insurgency 

in southwestern 

Baluchistan province. But 

it's a new phenomenon to 

stage an attack outside their 

provincial boundaries to hit 

vital installations to press 

their demands. 

Baluch insurgents want 

greater autonomy. 

Severely ill children 

left in limbo by 

Venezuela-US crisis 

Carlos Acosta thought his 

prayers had been answered 

when he was able to fly his 

son out of Venezuela, where 

hospitals lack basic supplies, 

to Spain for a needed bone 

marrow transplant, reports 

UNB. 

That was until Acosta's 12- 

year-old son Jesus, along 

with at least eight other 

severely ill children, became 

the unintended victims of 

U.S. sanctions against companies 

tied to the embattled 

government of Venezuelan 

leader Nicolas Maduro. 

down on protesters and carrying out 

detentions, and places heavier restrictions 

on the press and opposition parties. 

The announcements were instantly 

met with street demonstrations, 

demanding the longtime president to 

step down. Witnesses said riot police 

fired tear gas and arrested a number of 

protesters. 

Sudan has been gripped by nationwide 

protests since Dec. 19. The 

demonstrations, which show no sign of 

abating, were triggered by rising prices 

and shortages but quickly turned to 

calls for al-Bashir to step down. 

Al-Bashir's term ends in 2020 and he 

has repeatedly promised over the years 

not to make new runs for the presidency. 

Without amending the constitutions, 

he can't run for a third term. 

His announcement came days after a 

parliamentary committee tasked with 

amending the constitution to scrap 

presidential term limit canceled its 

meetings. 

The Sudanese Professional Association, 

which is spearheading the country's 

demonstrations, warned of any 

measures that could "turn against" the 

demands of the Sudanese people, and 

US President Donald Trump. 

vowed that it will respond with more 

escalation in street protests. 

"The demands of this revolution are 

crystal clear," the statement said, "the 

regime and its head must step down." 

However, al-Bashir warned the opposition 

of the "zero-sum" game that creates 

chaos, pointing to a wave of the 

Arab Spring uprisings that led to civil 

wars in countries like Libya and 

Yemen. 

As he was speaking in the presidential 

palace in Khartoum and in other 

districts, dozens of protesters were 

already taking to the streets chanting, 

"just fall." 

Shelving intentions to amend the 

constitution to pave the way for a third 

term in office appeared to be the only 

political concession al-Bashir has made 

so far after two months of nonstop 

demonstrations. "What al-Bashir presented 

are tactics to keep his regime 

alive," said the leader of Umma Party, 

Mubarak al-Mahdi. "Declaring a state 

of emergency means suppressing freedom 

of expression and demonstration 

and tightening grip on the revolution." 

Sudan's main opposition groups call 

for a four-year transitional government 

followed by elections. 

Trump sets up abortion obstacles, 

barring clinic referrals 

The Trump administration on Friday set up 

new obstacles for women seeking abortions, 

barring taxpayer-funded family planning 

clinics from making abortion referrals. The 

new policy is certain to be challenged in court, 

reports UNB. 

The final rule released Friday by the Health 

and Human Services Department also would 

prohibit federally funded family planning 

clinics from being housed in the same locations 

as abortion providers, and require 

stricter financial separation. 

Clinic staff would still be permitted to discuss 

abortion with clients, along with other 

options. However, that would no longer be 

required. 

The move is the latest in a series of Trump 

administration efforts to remake government 

policy on reproductive health. The American 

Medical Association warned it could have an 

impact far beyond abortion, potentially 

affecting access to health care services now 

provided to low-income women by the clinics, 

including birth control, cancer screenings, 

and testing and treatment for sexually 

transmitted diseases. By law, the family planning 

program does not pay for abortions. 

"This is the wrong prescription and threatens 

to compound a health equity deficit in 

this nation," AMA president Barbara L. McAneny 

said in a statement. "Women should 

have access to these medical services regardless 

of where they live, how much money they 

make, their background, or whether they 

have health insurance." 

It could be some time before women served 

by the federal family program feel the full 

impact. Women's groups, organizations representing 

the clinics, and Democratic-led 

states are expected to sue to block the policy 

from going into effect. Administration officials 

told abortion opponents on a call Friday 

that they expect legal action, according to a 

participant. 

Abortion is a legal medical procedure, but 

federal laws prohibit the use of taxpayer 

funds to pay for abortions except in cases of 

rape, incest, or to save the life of the woman. 

Planned Parenthood, whose affiliates are 

major providers of family planning services 

as well as abortions, said the administration 

is trying to impose a "gag rule," and launched 

a full campaign to block it. Congressional 

supporters of the organization said it receives 

about $60 million a year from the federal 

program. 

"I want our patients to know this - we will 

fight through every avenue so this illegal, 

unethical rule never goes into effect," said 

Planned Parenthood's president, Dr. Leana 

Wen. 

She said the new policy would prevent doctors 

from referring women for abortions 

"even if your life depended on it." 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., 

declared: "Republicans must end their relentless 

assault on women's health care and 

rights." 

File : Photo. 

Pakistan FM's letter to 

UN warns of security 

deterioration 

Pakistan's foreign minister 

has appealed to the U.N. 

Security Council to draw 

attention to Indian threats of 

force in the wake of the Pulwama 

suicide bombing that 

killed more than 40 Indian 

soldiers in disputed Kashmir, 

reports UNB. 

Shah Mahmood Qureshi 

in a letter to the Security 

Council on Friday warned 

that the security situation in 

the region is deteriorating as 

India threatens to use force 

against Pakistan. 

Pakistan has denied any 

involvement in the attack. 

The Pulwama attack last 

week escalated tensions 

between the two nucleararmed 

south Asian neighbors 

and India blames Pakistan. 

It was the worst attack 

on Indian forces since the 

start of the Kashmir insurgency 

in 1989. 

3 UK Cabinet ministers 

may break with PM May 

over Brexit 

Three senior British Cabinet 

ministers are suggesting 

they may break with Prime 

Minister Theresa May and 

back amendments to delay 

Brexit unless a deal is agreed 

to in the next week, reports 

UNB. 

The ministers wrote in a 

Daily Mail article published 

Saturday that Parliament 

will move to stop a "disastrous" 

no-deal Brexit unless 

there is a breakthrough very 

soon. They warn Brexit 

backers the project will be 

delayed unless a deal is 

worked out. The three are 

Work and Pensions Secretary 

Amber Rudd, Business 

Secretary Greg Clark and 

Justice Secretary David 

Gauke. Their comments represent 

a serious Cabinet split 

and are seen as a warning to 

the hardline Brexit faction in 

the Conservative Party 

May has been steadfast in 

saying Britain will leave the 

EU bloc March 29. 

1 killed, 2 wounded in 

explosion in Nepalese 

capital 

An explosion outside a 

telecommunications company 

in the Nepalese capital 

killed one person and 

wounded two others, police 

said Saturday, reports UNB. 

The victims Friday night 

were passing by the main 

entrance of the Ncell mobile 

network operator company 

on the southern edge of 

Kathmandu when the blast 

happened. The explosion 

startled the neighborhood 

and shattered windows in 

nearby buildings. 

Told to leave, IS ‘caliphate’ holdouts 

in Syria stay devoted 

They were living in holes in 

the ground, with only dry flatbread 

to eat at the end. Those 

injured in an intense military 

campaign had no access to 

medical care, and those who 

were sick had no medicine, 

reports UNB. 

Yet, if it were not for the call 

from their leaders to leave, 

they would have stayed. 

Such is the devotion of several 

hundred men, women 

and children who were evacuated 

Friday from the last 

speck of land controlled by 

the Islamic State group, a 

riverside pocket that sits on 

the edge of Syria and Iraq. 

Hundreds, if not thousands, 

more remain holed up in 

Baghouz - the last redoubt of 

the militants' self-proclaimed 

caliphate that leaders once 

Dozens die from tainted 

liquor in India’s northeast 

At least 84 people have died and another 

200 have been hospitalized after drinking 

tainted liquor in two separate incidents in 

India's remote northeast, authorities said on 

Saturday, reports UNB. 

The victims of one of the most deadly bootleg 

liquor-related incidents ever in India 

were mostly tea plantation workers in 

Golaghat and Jorhat districts in Assam state, 

government official Julie Sonowal told The 

Associated Press. 

The workers consumed the tainted liquor 

laced with methyl alcohol, a chemical that 

attacks the central nervous system, on 

Thursday and started falling unconscious. 

They were rushed to nearby hospitals and 

the death toll rose to 84 by Saturday, according 

to Assam Home Commissioner Ashutosh 

Agnihotri. 

Himanta Biswa Sharma, Assam's health 

minister, said around 200 people who fell 

sick after drinking the toxic liquor are in hospitals, 

some in critical condition. 

Manab Gohain, a doctor at the Jorhat 

Medical College Hospital, said 34 patients 

have died in the past 24 hours. 

The owner of a local brewing unit and eight 

others have been arrested, police official 

Mukesh Agarwal told the AP. Awarwal said 

police are pursuing other people believed to 

be connected to the racket as part of an ongoing 

investigation. 

"We shall not spare anyone involved in 

manufacture and distribution of the tainted 

liquor," Sharma, the health minister, said. 

Deaths from illegally brewed alcohol are 

common in India because the poor cannot 

afford licensed brands from government-run 

shops. Illicit liquor is cheap and often spiked 

to increase potency. In India's Uttar Pradesh 

state earlier this month, about 80 people 

died from tainted bootleg liquor. 

A doctor attends to a victim, who had consumed bootleg liquor, at a 

hospital in Jorhat in northeastern state of Assam, India, Saturday, Feb. 23, 

2019. At least 84 people have died and another 200 have been hospitalized 

after drinking tainted liquor in two separate incidents in India's remote 

northeast, authorities said on Saturday. 

Photo : AP 

Mueller sentencing memo in 

Manafort case not yet public 

Special counsel Robert Mueller's sentencing 

memorandum for former 

Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort 

was not publicly available late Friday, 

suggesting the document may still 

be under seal, reports UNB. 

Mueller's team was to have weighed 

in by the end of the day on Manafort's 

punishment in one of his two criminal 

cases. But the memo was not publicly 

filed by midnight Friday, an indication 

that the document includes sensitive 

information and that prosecutors are 

seeking a judge's approval to redact, or 

black out, that material. 

The sentencing recommendation 

comes as the 69-year-old Manafort, 

who led Donald Trump's 2016 campaign 

for several critical months, is 

already facing the possibility of spending 

the rest of his life in prison in a separate 

case. It could also shed more light 

on how Manafort fits into Mueller's 

larger Russian investigation, which is 

nearing an end. 

In recent weeks, court papers have 

revealed that Manafort shared polling 

data related to the Trump campaign 

with an associate the FBI says has ties 

to Russian intelligence. A Mueller prosecutor 

also said earlier this month that 

an August 2016 meeting between Manafort 

and the associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, 

goes to the "heart" of the Russia 

probe. The meeting involved a discussion 

of a Ukrainian peace plan, but 

prosecutors haven't said exactly what 

has captured their attention and 

whether it factors into the Kremlin's 

attempts to help Trump in the 2016 

election. Like other Americans close to 

the president charged in the Mueller 

probe, Manafort hasn't been accused of 

involvement in Russian election interference. 

His criminal case in Washington 

stems from illegal lobbying he carried 

out on behalf of Ukrainian interests. 

As part of a plea deal in the case, 

Manafort admitted to one count of conspiracy 

against the United States and 

said would stretch to Rome. 

They include militants, of 

course, but also their family 

members and other civilians 

who are among the group's 

most determined supporters. 

Many of them traveled to Syria 

from all over the world. 

And they stuck around as the 

militants' control crumbled. 

At least 36 flatbed trucks 

used for transporting sheep 

carried the disheveled, haggard 

crowd out of the territory 

to a desert area miles (kilometers) 

away for screening. 

They were the latest batch of 

evacuees from the territory 

following airstrikes and 

clashes meant to bring about 

the militants' complete territorial 

defeat. 

For now, the civilians are 

expected to be sent to a displaced 

people's camp, while 

suspected fighters will go to 

detention facilities. Previous 

evacuations have already 

overwhelmed camps in 

northern Syria, and at least 

60 people who left the 

shrinking territory have died 

of malnutrition or exhaustion. 

In a dusty area surrounded 

by grass, women engulfed in 

black robes from head to toe 

and children in dirty jackets - 

many of them crying for food 

- formed one line. Men wearing 

tattered headscarves 

formed another. Foreign 

men were in yet a third. 

One woman had given 

birth in one of the trucks. An 

old man was carried in a 

blanket by two others to the 

screening line. 

one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. 

Prosecutors aren't expected to recommend 

leniency because a judge 

found earlier this month that Manafort 

lied to investigators after agreeing to 

cooperate. 

Each count carries a maximum of five 

years in prison, a much lower potential 

punishment than in Manafort's separate 

tax and bank fraud case in Virginia. 

A jury convicted Manafort of eight 

felony counts last year, and Mueller's 

team endorsed a sentence of between 

19.5 and 24.5 years in prison in that 

case. 

Macron visits French farm fair 

amid rural anger, decline 

President Emmanuel Macron pledged Saturday to protect European farming standards 

and culinary traditions threatened by aggressive foreign trade practices that 

see food as a "product like any other." 

Macron's speech at his country's premier agriculture fair was aimed at assuaging 

French farmers' anger at government policies seen as favoring urban elites and 

neglecting the heartland cherished for producing famed cheeses and wines, 

reports UNB. 

Europe's "civilization of eating well, of gastronomy, of the art of living" is now 

threatened by world powers that pursue aggressive trade policies and "consider 

food a product like any other," without taking into account environmental, health 

or culinary concerns, Macron said. Macron proposed using blockchain technology 

to trace the source of food and putting Europe in the "avant-garde of agricultural 

technology."

ART & CULTURE 

SUNdAY, 

feBrUArY 24, 2019 

8 

Meghan Markle celebrates 

grand baby shower at NYC 

Movie of the Week 

Searching 

After his 16-year-old daughter 

goes missing, a desperate father 

breaks into her laptop to look for 

clues to find her. 

Genre: Mystery & Suspense 

Directed By: AneeshChaganty 

Written By: AneeshChaganty, Sev 

Ohanian 

Stars:John Cho, Debra Messing, 

Joseph Lee 

In Theaters: Aug 31, 2018 wide 

On Disc/Streaming: Nov 27, 2018 

Runtime: 101 minutes 

Studio: Screen Gems 

After David Kim (John Cho)'s 

16-year-old daughter goes 

missing, a local investigation is 

opened and a detective is 

assigned to the case. But 37 

hours later and without a single 

lead, David decides to search 

the one place no one has looked 

yet, where all secrets are kept 

today: his daughter's laptop. In 

a hyper-modern thriller told via 

the technology devices we use 

every day to communicate, 

David must trace his daughter's 

digital footprints before she 

disappears forever. 

-Rotten Tomatoes 

Meghan Markle's Baby Shower 

Cost $200,000, and Her Friends 

Foot the Bill. While your friends 

won't even text you back, Meghan 

Markle's friends are the kind who 

has paid for a $200,000 NYC 

baby shower without blinking an 

eye. A new report from Vanity Fair 

estimates the total cost of 

Meghan's grand baby shower getaway 

to be a whopping 200 grand. 

But critics worrying about 

Meghan spending British taxpayer 

$ need not fret, because her pals 

foot the bill. 

VF says that Serena Williams 

organized the whole shebang, 

which apparently included booking 

and paying for the $75,000-anight 

penthouse suite at The 

Mark. If it sounds fancy, that's 

Varun Dhawan and Shraddha 

Kapoor shoot on top of 

London's iconic O2 arena 

Soon after wrapping up the Punjab schedule, the 

team of 'Street Dancer 3D' including lead actors 

Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor headed 

towards London, where they are shooting a major 

chunk of the film in a 40-day schedule. The team 

kick-started the shooting from February 10 and 

the latest news is that the makers have shot a song 

for the upcoming dance film on top of London's 

iconic O2 arena, the ninth largest building in the 

H o roSCope 

ArIeS 

(March 21 - April 20) : Use any feelings of 

inner satisfaction to make positive changes 

now and in the coming weeks. The Sun has 

just entered your privacy sector, and this can point to 

the need to assess those attitudes, relationships, or situations 

in your life that may no longer be viable or that 

no longer serve you well now and in the weeks ahead. 

TAUrUS 

(April 21 - May 21) : It's a time for 

embracing your feelings and letting 

them guide you! Others may 

demand your attention, and there can be a 

scurry of activity. By day's end, you're in perfect 

shape for communications projects, publishing, 

and smart thinking. 

GeMINI 

(May 22 - June 21) : This is a very creative 

time for you, in fact, and you 

enjoy the added benefit of coming to 

ideal solutions and practical ideas now. 

Although you could be nursing a desire to 

escape in the first half of the day, your focus 

shifts as the day advances. 

CANCer 

(June 22 - July 23) : Your true feelings 

on a matter can overcome you, and 

while your emotions might surprise 

you, they also get you into a better position to 

make choices and decisions. You'll enjoy some 

beautiful opportunities to learn new things and 

make real progress on your projects now. 

Leo 

(July 24 - Aug. 23) : The goal is to see a 

matter related to your income, financial situation, 

possessions, valuables, or sense of 

self-worth more clearly. This epiphany about your 

needs and wants can be highly motivating, so that ultimately, 

your decisions and choices are easier to make. 

Later today, quiet study or research can turn up the 

answers you need, and perhaps some great rewards. 

VIrGo 

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23) : You're going to get 

attention, so make sure it's of the positive 

variety! Your attention is rather 

me-focused now, and it's necessary at this time of 

year. Even so, you've just begun a relationshiporiented 

month-long cycle that will find you honoring 

your closest relationships. 

because it is-the suite is two full 

floors and is the "largest hotel 

penthouse suite" in the US. Fun 

fact, it's also the most expensive 

hotel room in America. Go big or 

go home, I guess. 

Amal Clooney the international 

human rights lawyer is reportedly 

co-hosting today's event with 

Serena Williams. There's no way 

stylist Jessica Mulroney would 

miss her best friend Meghan's 

baby shower. She just arrived at 

the Mark in the snow for the 

soiree. Over the weekend, 

Harper's Bazaar reports that 

Mulroney and Meghan caught up 

over macarons at Laduree on the 

Upper East Side. 

Meghan's close friend and former 

Suits co-star Abigail Spencer has 

been seen visiting with the 

Duchess all week. An unexpected 

addition to the guest list, Gail King 

arrived at the Mark earlier with a 

vibrant present in hand. Misha 

Nonoo and Meghan have been 

friends for years, so it's no surprise 

to see her arriving at Mark ahead 

of the shower. Nonoo has much to 

celebrate this week. In addition to 

this party, she recently got 

engaged to her boyfriend Michael 

Hess. 

To ensure this was the most A-list 

baby shower of all time, Meghan 

flew to New York on a private jet, 

which costs about $100,000. 

Thankfully, VF said another 

friend spotted her there by lending 

her the plane and covering the 

cost. -Cosmopolitan 

world. The song was shot on the rooftop of the 

dome-shaped O2 arena. Reports suggest that this 

is the first time a Bollywood film song is being 

shot at the top of the stadium. Besides the rooftop, 

the song will also feature the interiors of the stadium. 

The song is reportedly a fun-romantic track. 

Only 20 members from the crew besides Varun 

Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor were allowed on 

the rooftop for the shoot. Also, the crew was 

attached to the harnesses to ensure their safety so 

no one loses their balance. The team had to trek 

for 10 minutes to get on top of the building. 

Directed by Remo D'Souza, the film also stars 

Prabhudheva, Nora Fatehi, Shakti Mohan, 

VartikaJha, SonamBajwa, Punit Pathak, 

DharmeshYelande and RaghavJuyal. The film 

will be shot in 3D and converted to 4DX later. The 

first schedule of the film was shot in Amritsar last 

month. The film is slated to hit the screens on 

November 8, 2019. 

LIBrA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23) : The Full Moon today 

can put you into dramatic touch with your 

inner world, in fact, and private and previously 

hidden matters can come to light, making it a 

good time in the coming weeks to heal and deal with 

them. Even so, you have a lot to do related to work, 

chores, or health and wellness in the weeks ahead. 

SCorpIo 

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : Trends are robust for 

discovering or rediscovering romance. 

However, there can be some moodiness 

and restlessness, as you are hungrier than usual for 

affection. Avoid jumping too quickly to conclusions 

now as there is likely to be a change of mind or further 

details to consider on a matter next month. 

SAGITTArIUS 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Do what you can to 

avoid exaggerating your intentions, but 

pay keen attention to what emerges now, 

whether it's new information or strong intuition 

coming from within! The need to put your past 

behind you is strong so that you can make necessary 

changes in both your personal and professional life. 

CAprICorN 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20) : It's an excellent 

time for promotional efforts or important 

announcements or publications. 

Knowing what's in your heart can help you make 

healthy decisions. An idea that you've been working 

on might blossom now. Indeed, with the Sun 

freshly transiting your communications sector. 

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) : It's a high exposure 

time for you. As well, the Sun has 

just moved into your sign, beginning 

a month-long cycle of personal power. This is 

the time for making changes that shape your life 

in empowering ways. Today can be both sentimentally 

touching and usefully practical. 

Jussie Smollett Arrested, in 

Custody of Chicago Police 

Jussie Smollett has been arrested and 

faces criminal charges for allegedly filing a 

false police report and for disorderly conduct. 

Chicago police tweeted Thursday 

morning that the "Empire" actor was 

under arrest and in custody of detectives. 

Smollett claimed that he had been 

attacked by two men on Jan. 29 - he said 

they beat him, tied a rope around his neck, 

and doused him with bleach. He also 

claimed that they shouted racist and 

homophobic slurs during the assault. 

However, police now believe that Smollett 

paid two acquaintances, 

brothersOlabinjoOsundairo and 

AbimbolaOsundairo, to help him orchestrate 

the attack. The men have reportedly 

been cooperating with investigators. 

In a Feb. 14 interview on "Good 

Morning America," Smollett hit back at 

skeptics. "If I had said it was a Muslim or 

a Mexican or someone black, I feel like the 

doubters would have supported me a lot 

more," Smollett said during the TV interview.A 

press briefing by Police Supt. 

Eddie Johnson and Cmdr. Edward 

Wodnicki will take place on Thursday 

morning and a bail hearing is scheduled 

for 1:30 p.m. 

Smollett's legal issues are mounting. 

The FBI is also looking into whether the 

actor sent a threatening letter the 

"Empire" studio in Chicago in the days 

before the attack. Fox, the network that 

airs "Empire," was initially supportive of 

Smollett, but sources tell Variety that the 

show's producers are considering suspending 

the actor. If Smollett filed a false 

police report, that is a Class 4 felony in 

The 1975 have been crowned the big 

winners at the Brit Awards, picking 

up the night's top prizes for best 

British album and group - and 

addressing male misogyny in the 

industry as they did it.Accepting the 

award for best group, frontman Matt 

Healy said: "Male misogynist acts 

are examined for nuance and examined 

as traits of difficult artists, 

while women and those who call 

them out are treated as hysterics 

who don't understand art." 

In the other main categories, 

George Ezra and Jorja Smith took 

home the male and female artist 

prizes, while Tom Walker was 

crowned best breakthrough 

act.Performances came from Little 

Mix, George Ezra, The 1975 and Jess 

Glynne and H.E.R, as well as Hugh 

Jackman and Pink - who closed the 

show with a medley of hits after 

picking up the outstanding contribution 

award.Starting off in a dressing 

grown and then entering the stage 

from the ceiling, Pink ended a defiant 

set surrounded by dancers and 

offering a raised fist.Ahead of her 

performance, Pink said it was an 

honour to follow in the footsteps of 

others who have won the prize, 

including Fleetwood Mac and Sir 

Elton John. 

Little Mix - who won the publicvoted 

best video prize for Woman 

Like Me, their collaboration with 

Nicki Minaj, jumped up and down at 

their table as their name was called 

out. In best female artist speech, 

Jorja Smith, who was also nominated 

for best breakthrough act, said 

her win was "for all the little girls 

and women who are just being themselves", 

and added: "I didn't expect 

this at all." 

In the international categories, the 

winners included Ariana Grande, 

Drake and Beyonce and Jay-Z. 

Ahead of the awards, DuaLipa and 

Illinois. He could face between one to 

three years in prison and may also be 

ordered to compensate the Chicago Police 

Department for the cost of its 

investigation. 

-VARIETY 

Brit Awards 2019: The 1975 win best 

British album and best group 

Anne-Marie had been favourites, 

with four nominations 

each.However, these failed to translate 

into wins, with Lipa winning the 

one prize and Anne-Marie 

none.Other awards went to Ed 

Sheeran, for global success, and Sam 

Fender, who was named the Brits 

Critics Choice winner. -Sky News

SPORTS 

SUNDAy, 

FEbRUARy 24, 2019 

9 

Mushfiqur went on to feature in the third ODI despite scans revealing a broken rib. 

Mushfiqur Rahim uncertain in 

Photo: AP 

Test series against New Zealand 

Sports Desk: Already stuttered by 

injuries to Shakib Al Hasan and Taskin 

Ahmed, Bangladesh are now sweating 

over Mushfiqur Rahim's fitness ahead 

of the three-Test series against New 

Zealand. Mushfiqur's rib injury resurfaced 

during the second ODI, making 

him doubtful for the third ODI, in 

which he went on to feature despite 

scans revealing a broken rib, reports 

AP. 

Mushfiqur also sustained two more 

injuries during the ongoing tour: a side 

strain and a wrist injury, and it's the latter 

that's concerning and the team 

management is unsure of where his 

recovery stands. Bangladesh head 

coach Steve Rhodes said that he isn't 

sure of whether Mushfiqur is available 

or not. 

Pacer Taskin Ahmed was also ruled 

out of the entire series, being replaced 

by newcomer Ebadot Hossain for 

Tests. Mohammad Mithun-who sustained 

a hamstring tear-is expected to 

PSG hoping to 

send fans asleep 

Sports Desk: Paris Saint 

Germain admitted Friday 

they would be happy to send 

fans asleep after their dominance 

of the French Ligue 1 

title chase was reflected in a 

new multi-million euro 

sponsorship deal with a 

hotel giant, reports BSS. 

The French champions, 

who enjoy a 14-point lead at 

the top of the table and are 

well placed to reach the 

Champions League quarterfinals, 

agreed a new shirt 

sponsorship deal with the 

French multinational Accor. 

PSG president Nasser Al- 

Khela

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

10 

SUNDAy, FEBrUAry 24, 2019 

European markets 

tread water as trade 

talks play out 

Eurozone stock markets 

gave a lacklustre 

performance Thursday after 

gains in much of Asia as 

traders eyed talks between 

China and the US they hope 

will finally resolve a longrunning 

trade war, reports 

BSS. 

Frankfurt was a touch 

higher at the close and Paris 

ended flat, while London lost 

nearly one percent, penalised 

by a strong pound, which 

tends to weigh on the 

earnings of multinationals, 

and by poorly-received 

results including from British 

Gas owner Centrica. 

The pound rose against 

both the dollar and the euro 

after recovering from early 

weakness prompted by Fitch 

warning that it could slash 

Britain's credit rating owing 

to the economic hit from a 

potential no-deal Brexit. 

Wall Street shares were 

lower in the late New York 

morning trade, weighed 

down by "a mixed bag of 

domestic economic and 

earnings reports", according 

Tokyo shares 

open lower 

after falls on 

Wall Street 

Tokyo stocks opened 

slightly lower on Friday, 

tracking overnight falls on 

Wall Street. 

The benchmark Nikkei 

225 index fell 0.31 percent or 

65.96 points to 21,398.27 in 

early trade while the broader 

Topix index lost 0.44 

percent or 7.09 points at 

1,606.41, reports BSS. 

Global investors became 

cautious after seeing 

weaker-than-expected US 

economic data, sending 

major US indices - Dow, 

S&P and Nasdaq - to all lose 

0.4 percent overnight. 

The dollar stood at 110.68 

yen, nearly flat from 110.69 

yen in New York. 

The softer open came after 

a four-day winning streak 

for the Tokyo market, which 

has already pushed some 

players to sell shares to lock 

in profits. 

"Investors have become 

wary after seeing overnight 

falls in US shares, and the 

Tokyo market is expected to 

start the day lower," Okasan 

Online Securities said in a 

commentary. 

to Charles Schwab analysts. 

"US stocks are cooling off 

from the sharp rally since the 

December lows, with a 

plethora of economic data 

appearing to foster global 

growth concerns and counter 

lingering U.S.-China trade 

optimism," they said. 

In Asia, stock markets 

mainly climbed on a report 

that Beijing and Washington 

were working on an outline 

for a deal. 

Both sides returned to the 

bargaining table Thursday, 

with just eight days 

remaining in a self-imposed 

deadline to avoid an 

escalation in the trade war. 

"Markets look towards the 

US-China trade talks for 

direction," said IG analyst 

Joshua Mahony. 

"Markets are becoming 

less sensitive to the fact that 

these talks are 

taking place, in some ways 

reflecting the weariness and 

scepticism that comes 

with each meeting." 

Global equities have 

enjoyed a stellar start to the 

year on hopes for the 

negotiations 

and 

expectations the Federal 

Reserve will ease up on its 

pace of monetary tightening 

as growth at home and 

globally slows. 

The upbeat mood was 

enhanced Thursday as 

Bloomberg News said US 

and Chinese negotiators 

were sketching out a number 

of memoranda of 

understanding on key issues 

including intellectual 

property and technology 

transfer. 

Without naming sources, 

the report said no final 

agreement was expected in 

Washington this week but 

that China's top negotiator 

Liu He would meet US 

President Donald Trump on 

Friday. 

While there has been no 

concrete sign of progress in 

the trade talks, Trump has 

insisted the talks are going 

"very well" and has indicated 

he could push back a 

deadline for a deal to be 

done. 

MD. Quamrul Islam Chowdhury 

appointed as new Managing Director 

& CEO of Mercantile Bank Ltd 

Mercantile Bank Ltd has appointed Md. Quamrul Islam 

Chowdhury as the new Managing Director & Chief Executive 

Officer of the bank. Earlier Quamrul Islam Chowdhury was 

the Additional Managing Director & Chief Business Officer of 

the Bank, a press release said. 

Md. Quamrul Islam 

Chowdhury is a career 

banker has versatile 

experience in 03 (three) 

leading commercial banks 

in Bangladesh. After 

successfully completing his 

Bachelor of Commerce 

(Honors) and Masters 

Degree with major in 

Marketing from the 

University of Dhaka, he 

started his banking career in 

1983 as a probationary 

officer in National Bank. 

Afterwards, he moved to NCC Bank prior to joining 

Mercantile Bank. Since his joining in Mercantile Bank, he 

worked in different capacities by holding important positions 

with the wholesome dedication towards the development of 

the Bank with professional zeal. 

During his career, he attended numerous trainings, 

seminars and workshops on different aspects of banking held 

both in home and abroad. He visited many countries 

including USA, Japan, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia and 

Singapore to enrich his professional knowledge. 

Son of dusty I. Coast 

town is King of Kong 

"Kong. Visit the mosque," suggests a 

battered road sign outside a dusty little town 

in northern Ivory Coast which is getting a 

makeover thanks to its best-known son, 

reports BSS. 

Unusually for a town of its diminutive size, 

Kong has two historic mosques, both in the 

clay desert fashion known as the Sudanese 

style, with a brand-new high school, tarred 

highways, and a multitude of construction 

sites. 

Work in progress ranges from a general 

hospital, public housing projects and a 

market place, to a new bridge. 

A beneficiary of state funds, Kong lies in 

the heartland of the clan of President 

Alassane Ouattara, who follows in the 

footsteps of many African leaders in looking 

to his origins. 

An isolated settlement of 7,000 

inhabitants during a 1998 census, Kong was 

promoted into a prefecture - a regional 

administrative centre - in 2012, months after 

Ouattara came to power in Abidjan following 

a bloody post-electoral showdown with his 

predecessor Laurent Gbagbo. 

The change led to the establishment of 

offices for state administrative services and 

thus the arrival of civil servants. 

The latest census in 2014 put the 

population at 29,000 inhabitants and 

municipal employees say Kong is growing 

still. Getting there used to mean bumpy 

tracks, but the town will soon be linked by 

asphalt roads to the rest of the country. The 

preferential treatment has not gone 

unnoticed. 

"Is Kong a priority compared with larger 

towns lacking in infrastructure?" asks an 

opposition member of parliament, Patrice 

Kouassi. 

"I have nothing against development in the 

north, but it's a question of priorities. We 

have towns of similar size or towns with 

50,000 inhabitants, and they don't have the 

infrastructure of Kong." 

Kong is looking to recover its past glory. 

The town was once the capital of a 

flourishing empire founded in the 18th 

century by Sekou Ouattara, a trader and 

warrior, ancestor to Alassane Ouattara. 

"A natural outlet for the riches of the 

Sahara and the region between the Bandama 

and Comoe rivers," the town maintained 

close ties with Timbuktu and Djenne, said 

Georges Niamkey Kodjo, author of "Le 

Royaume de Kong" ("The Kingdom of 

Kong"). 

The empire stretched over hundreds of 

square kilometres (square miles) from the 

north of Ivory Coast to the south of Mali and 

the west of Burkina Faso. 

Though nothing remains of it but a section 

of wall, Kong was once home to an Islamic 

university, while the two mosques attest to 

its religious status. 

A terrible fate befell the city towards the 

end of the 19th century. Kong's elders 

rejected an alliance with Samory Toure, a 

warrior-preacher who took up Islam, 

battling animists and French colonial forces 

to establish an empire of his own. 

Toure's army massacred the citizens of 

Kong for failing to cooperate and burned 

their grand mosque to the ground, 

implementing the scorched-earth tactics that 

marked his last years before being captured 

by the French in 1898. 

The warrior ruler died in exile in Gabon 

two years later, the mosque in Kong was 

eventually rebuilt to exactly the same design, 

but the spread of French colonial power into 

Ivory Coast ignored a town of no use as a 

railhead. 

Why Germany 

is vulnerable 

to US car 

tariffs 

After years tangled in the 

"dieselgate" emissions 

cheating scandal, German 

carmakers could suffer huge 

losses if the United States 

carries out its threat to levy 

tariffs on European car 

imports, reports BSS. 

Giants Volkswagen, BMW 

and Mercedes-Benz parent 

Daimler exported a total of 

494,000 cars from Germany 

to the US in 2017, or 45 

percent of all European auto 

exports to America. 

At 22 billion euros ($25 

billion), Germany accounted 

for 55 percent of the value of 

all European cars sold to the 

US that year, Pictet bank 

calculated in a research note. 

"If tariffs were imposed that 

would make it much harder 

for the import brands to offer 

those high incentives" like 

discounts in the US market, 

analyst Peter Nagle of IHS 

Markit told AFP. 

"The US brands could take 

advantage of those pricing 

mismatches." 

Meanwhile, Pictet noted 

that American "demand for 

European cars declines by 

around 1.5 to 3.0 percent 

when prices rise by one 

percent". 

Over the long term, the 25- 

percent tariffs mooted by 

President Donald Trump 

could halve the number of 

German cars shipped to the 

US as demand falls, the 

Munich-based Ifo institute 

predicted. 

Rating agency Moody's 

reckoned tariffs could prove a 

drag on German GDP growth 

of around 0.2 percentage 

points, while Pictet's estimate 

was higher, at 0.3 to 0.4 

percentage points. 

"Amongst the EU countries, 

Germany is by far most 

strongly affected by potential 

new US tariffs on car 

imports," Ifo economist 

Gabriel Felbermayr judged. 

He suggested that the tariffs 

would cost the European 

economy nine billion euros 

per year, including five billion 

in Germany. 

And the consequences for 

Europe's largest economy 

"would extend far beyond the 

directly affected firms," an EY 

study published in December 

found, "given the high 

significance of the car 

industry in Germany and its 

weight in German-American 

trade relations." 

US stocks dip 

as Nike, Tesla 

stumble 

Wall Street stocks 

retreated Thursday 

following lackluster 

economic data and 

stumbles by some highprofile 

companies, 

including Tesla and Nike, 

reports BSS. 

The Dow Jones 

Industrial Average finished 

with a loss of 0.4 percent at 

25,850.63. 

The broad-based S&P 

500 also shed 0.4 percent 

to close at 2,774.88, along 

with the tech-rich Nasdaq 

Composite Index, which 

dropped to 7,459.71. 

Fresh economic data 

showed manufacturing in 

the eurozone and Japan 

shrank in February, which 

was seen as evidence of 

global economic 

sluggishness amid the US- 

China trade fight. 

Talks resumed in 

Washington between 

Chinese and US officials to 

try to reach a deal on trade 

following a months-long 

conflict. 

Analysts are skeptical the 

two sides can entirely settle 

the dispute before March 1, 

although President Donald 

Trump has said the US 

could postpone tariffs set 

to come into effect that 

date. 

Tesla Motors sank 3.7 

percent after Consumer 

Reports withdrew its 

recommendation on the 

company's Model 3 car, 

citing problems with the 

vehicle's reliability. 

Dow member Nike fell 1.1 

percent after a high-profile 

sneaker failure involving 

star college basketball 

player Zion Williamson. 

Under fire Huawei and foldable screens 

in focus at top mobile fair 

Phone makers will focus on foldable 

screens and the introduction of blazing 

fast 5G wireless networks at the world's 

biggest mobile fair starting Monday in 

Spain as they try to reverse a decline in 

sales of smartphones, reports BSS. 

Huawei will also be in the spotlight at 

the four-day Mobile World Congress 

(MWC) in Barcelona as the Chinese 

telecom giant fights US efforts to 

persuade its allies not to use the 

company's technology to build their 5G 

networks due to concerns that its gear 

could facilitate Chinese spying. 

The firm is the leading manufacturer 

of equipment for the fifth-generation 

cellular networks which operators are 

starting to install. The technology - 

known as 5G - will bring nearinstantaneous 

connectivity for 

smartphones and devices from 

automobiles to robots. 

"This year we are going to see real 5G 

ready launches happening in different 

countries and the focus will be on 

where, when, how and what are the 

consumer benefits going to be of 5G in 

2019," said Ian Fogg, a mobile industry 

analyst at OpenSignal, which collects 

and analyses data from mobile 

networks. 

Huawei and other firms are 

scheduled to carry out 5G smartphone 

demos at the fair even though the next 

generation wireless network will not be 

widely available for several more years. 

"Bangladesh International Dental Exhibition & Meeting (BIDEM-2019)" - An exhibition on dental 

products and accessories took place at Intercontinental, Dhaka from 21 February, 2019 and continued 

till 22 February, 2019. This exhibition was hosted by Bangladesh Dental Merchandise Trading 

Association (BDMTA) and the event was managed by Postmaster Communication. This exhibition 

was aimed to showcase new and innovative products and solutions, catering to the requirement of 

dental industry. In this exhibition, dental products and accessories of brands like Kuraray, Komet, 

Heard way, 3M, Nordiska Dental, Meta Biomed, Dia Dent, Nexobio, Sun,morita, Tropical Gin, I- 

Dental,Cerkamed etc. were displayed in variety. An enormous gathering of professionals was 

noticed in the exhibition. The exhibition was collocated with technical seminars and dental conferences. 


Global stocks mixed 

as US-China trade 

talks resume 

Global stocks were mixed 

Thursday following 

lackluster economic data as 

high-stakes trade talks 

between the US and China 

resumed in Washington, 

reports BSS. 

Frankfurt was a touch 

higher at the close and Paris 

ended flat, while London 

lost nearly one percent, and 

US stocks fell. 

Fresh economic data 

showed manufacturing in 

the eurozone and Japan 

shrank in February, which 

was seen as evidence of 

global economic 

sluggishness amid the US- 

China trade fight 

In its eurozone report, 

IHS Markit cited a 

"combination of 

intensifying headwinds and 

concerns" including global 

trade war worries, Brexit 

and the downturn of the 

auto sector, most 

worryingly in Germany. 

Wall Street stocks 

finished lower following US 

economic data that Bill 

Lynch of Hinsdale 

Associate described as 

Samsung, the world's biggest seller of 

smartphones, unveiled a handset that 

folds open to be a tablet on Wednesday 

in San Francisco, becoming the first 

major manufacturer to offer the longawaited 

feature. 

China's Xiaomi and several other 

firms are expected to follow Samsung's 

lead and present foldable devices of 

their own in Barcelona although it was 

not clear if they would be prototypes or 

commercially available devices such as 

Samsung's. 

Foldable phones come as handset 

makers are scrambling to introduce 

new features to attract customers. 

Global smartphone sales fell 4.1 

percent in 2018 to a total of 1.4 billion 

units due to an economic slowdown in 

China, which consumes about onethird 

of the world's phones, and a lack 

of major innovations that encourage 

people to upgrade their devices, 

according to research firm IDC. 

Sales fell by 0.5 percent in 2017 for a 

first annual decline. 

"People have been holding on to their 

phones longer. A lot of it is consumer 

frustration that devices aren't changing 

a tonne and prices keep going up," said 

senior IDC research analyst Ryan 

Reith. 

Apple as usual will not be present at 

the show and Huawei this year will 

present its new flagship at an event in 

Paris in March instead of at the fair. 

"mostly pretty weak." 

US stocks have been on a 

tear since late December as 

the Federal Reserve has 

sent dovish signals on 

monetary policy and US 

and Chinese officials have 

moved closer to a trade 

agreement. 

Lynch said "the fact that 

we've been up eight 

consecutive weeks, sooner 

or later we will have to go 

down." 

Talks resumed in 

Washington between 

Chinese and US officials to 

try to reach a deal on trade 

following a months-long 

conflict. 

But analysts now are 

skeptical the two sides can 

entirely settle the dispute 

before March 1, although 

President Donald Trump 

has said the US could 

postpone tariffs set to come 

into effect that date. 

Shares in the world's 

leading container shipping 

group, AP Moeller-Maersk, 

plummeted nearly 10 

percent in Copenhagen 

after the Danish firm 

released a weaker than 

expected profit forecast, 

citing uncertainty over the 

US-China trade war. 

"Markets look towards 

the US-China trade talks for 

direction," said IG analyst 

Joshua Mahony. 

"Markets are becoming 

less sensitive to the fact that 

these talks are taking place, 

in some ways reflecting the 

weariness and skepticism 

that comes with each 

meeting." 

Among individual 

companies, Tesla Motors 

sank 3.7 percent after 

Consumer Reports 

withdrew 

its 

recommendation on the 

company's Model 3 car, 

citing problems with the 

vehicle's reliability. 

Dow member Nike fell 1.1 

percent after a high-profile 

sneaker failure involving 

star college basketball 

player Zion Williamson. 

Playing for Duke University 

in a game against archrival 

University of North 

Carolina, Williamson left 

the game with an injury 

With the three biggest smartphone 

makers not unveiling new devices in 

Barcelona, the rest of the industry will 

have a rare opportunity to grab the 

spotlight at the fair. 

Huawei received a boost in its battle 

to ease concerns over its technology in 

the lead up to the congress after the 

Financial Times reported on Monday 

that British intelligence has concluded 

security risks posed by using 

equipment made by the firm can be 

managed. 

And mobile communications 

industry body GSMA, which organises 

the fair, urged European governments 

not to ban Huawei from helping to 

build their 5G networks. 

Australia, New Zealand and Japan 

have followed Washington's call for a 

Huawei ban, but the picture in Europe 

is more nuanced, not least because 

Huawei's 5G capabilities are ahead of 

those of its rivals, analysts say. 

Major countries such as Germany 

fear banning the Chinese firm would 

cause a considerable setback in 

Europe's efforts to deploy 5G and stay 

competitive in communications. 

The fair will be an opportunity for the 

Chinese firm "to show that it is 

continuing to do their work, that it's 

still innovating, and that it does things 

well differently from its competitors," 

said Dexter Thillien, an analyst at Fitch 

Solutions. 

Sri Lanka economic 

growth slowest in 17 

years - central bank 

A political crisis in Sri 

Lanka last year led to the 

slowest economic expansion 

in 17 years, the central bank 

said Friday, reports BSS. 

Growth for 2018 was cut 

from a forecast above 5.0 

percent to about 3.0 percent 

because of damage to the 

economy from a conflict 

between the president and 

prime minister, Central 

Bank of Sri Lanka governor 

Indrajith Coomaraswamy 

said. 

President Maithripala 

Sirisena sacked Prime 

Minister 

Ranil 

Wickremesinghe in October 

and dissolved parliament 

even though he did not have 

a majority to back the move. 

The showdown was only 

ended by the Supreme Court 

in December when it held 

that Sirisena's actions were 

unconstitutional and illegal. 

The bank governor said he 

expected better growth in 

2019 as the outflow of 

foreign capital had reversed. 

"All in all, we are in a 

better place this year," he 

said, warning however that 

there could be fiscal slippage 

because the government was 

likely to offer sweeteners to 

the people during a 

presidential election this 

year.

MISCELLANEOUS 


11 

Dr. Md. Sabur Khan, High-Commissioner for Bangladesh for World Business Angels Investment Forum 

(WBAF), and the Chairman, Daffodil International University delivers his presentation on "Entrepreneursin-Residence 

(EiR) Programmers to Cultivate Intrapreneurship" at 'WBAF World Congress 2019' held at 

Istanbul in Turkey. 

Photo : Courtesy 

Trump picks ambassador 

to Canada for UN post 

President Donald Trump announced 

Friday that he has selected Kelly Craft, 

the U.S. ambassador to Canada, as his 

nominee to serve as the next U.S. 

ambassador to the United Nations, 

reports UNB. 

Trump said in a pair of tweets that 

Craft "has done an outstanding job 

representing our Nation" and he has "no 

doubt that, under her leadership, our 

Country will be represented at the 

highest level." 

Two people familiar with the matter 

who spoke on condition of anonymity to 

discuss personnel matters had told The 

Associated Press that Trump had been 

advised that Craft's confirmation would 

be the smoothest of the three candidates 

he had been considering to fill the job 

last held by Nikki Haley. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch 

McConnell, R-Ky., had backed Craft for 

the post, and she also has the support of 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and 

national security adviser John Bolton, 

the people said. Trump's first pick to 

replace Haley, State Department 

spokeswoman Heather Nauert, 

withdrew over the weekend. 

McConnell praised Craft as "an 

exceptional choice for this critical post." 

He added, "She has a long record of 

service to her state and the nation and 

I'm confident she will continue to serve 

with distinction as America's voice to 

the world at the United Nations." 

Record number of 

Australian children 

relying on antidepressant 

medication: data 

The number of Australian 

children 

taking 

antidepressants has doubled 

in six years, according to the 

government statistics 

released on Saturday, reports 

UNB. 

Data from the Department 

of Health and Human 

Services (DHHS) revealed 

that the number of child 

antidepressant recipients in 

financial year 2017-18 was 

101,174, up from 50,804 in 

2011-12. 

It marks the first time that 

the figure has breached 

100,000 and highlights 

Australia's mental health 

crisis. The number of 

antidepressant recipients rose 

across all age groups in the 

six-year period but the growth 

was strongest among those 

younger than 18 years old, the 

data showed. In 2007-08, the 

number of children using 

antidepressants was fewer 

than 30,000. 

Sebastian Rosenberg, an 

expert from the Australian 

National University's Centre 

for Mental Health Research, 

warned that there was no 

statistical evidence on 

whether the nation's mental 

health treatment programs 

were working. "We don't have 

the data, we are outcomeblind," 

he told News Corp 

Australia on Saturday. 

"Mental health is a young 

person's problem and 

yet we know very little about 

the mental health and welfare 

of young people." 

Ian Hickie from the 

University of Sydney's Brain 

and Mind Centre agreed with 

Rosenberg, saying that "we 

are still getting to the tip of the 

iceberg" when it comes to the 

mental health crisis. 

Craft, a Kentucky native, was a 

member of the U.S. delegation to the 

U.N. General Assembly under President 

George W. Bush's administration. She is 

also friends with McConnell's wife, 

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, 

and thanked Chao for her "longtime 

friendship and support" at her 

swearing-in as ambassador. 

As U.S. ambassador to Canada, she 

played a role in facilitating the U.S.- 

Mexico-Canada trade agreement, a 

revamp of the North American Free 

Trade Agreement. 

Trump had also considered U.S. 

Ambassador to Germany Richard 

Grenell and former U.S. Senate 

candidate John James of Michigan for 

the post. 

Nauert's withdrawal from 

consideration came amid a push within 

the administration to fill the position, 

given a pressing array of foreign policy 

concerns in which the United Nations, 

particularly the U.N. Security Council, is 

likely to play a significant role. From 

Afghanistan to Venezuela, the 

administration has pressing concerns 

that involve the world body, and officials 

said there had been impatience with the 

delays on Nauert's formal nomination. 

Trump said Dec. 7 that he would pick 

the former Fox News anchor and State 

Department spokeswoman for the U.N. 

job, but her nomination was never 

formalized. Notwithstanding other 

Vietnamese authorities are not amused by 

the antics of two impersonators of North 

Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President 

Donald Trump, reports UNB. 

The duo has been making rounds of 

Hanoi, taking pictures with curious 

onlookers ahead of the second summit of 

the two leaders next week. However, on late 

Friday, a Kim lookalike, the Hong Kongbased 

impersonator who uses the name 

Howard X, posted on Facebook that about 

15 police or immigration officers demanded 

a mandatory "interview" with them 

following a talk they gave at the state-run 

VTC station. 

"They then said that this was a very 

sensitive time in the city due to the 

Trump/Kim summit and that our 

impersonation was causing a 'disturbance' 

and ... suggested that we do not do the 

impersonation in public for the duration of 

our stay as these presidents have many 

enemies and that it was for our own safety." 

According to Howard X, there was a 

back-and-forth with an unnamed 

Vietnamese officer who "did not seem 

pleased with my answer" and threatened 

the impersonators with deportation, saying 

concerns that may have arisen during 

her confirmation, Nauert's nomination 

had languished in part due to the 35-day 

government shutdown that began Dec. 

22 and interrupted key parts of the 

vetting process. Nauert cited family 

considerations in withdrawing from the 

post. 

With Nauert out of the running, 

officials said Pompeo had been keen on 

Craft to fill the position. Although 

Pompeo would like to see the job filled, 

the vacancy has created an opportunity 

for him and others to take on a more 

active role in U.N. diplomacy. On 

Thursday, for example, Pompeo was in 

New York to meet with U.N. chief 

Antonio Guterres. 

Craft, a Kentucky native, was a 

member of the U.S. delegation to the 

U.N. General Assembly under President 

George W. Bush's administration. She is 

also friends with McConnell's wife, 

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, 

and thanked Chao for her "longtime 

friendship and support" at her 

swearing-in as ambassador. As U.S. 

ambassador to Canada, she played a role 

in facilitating the U.S.-Mexico-Canada 

trade agreement, a revamp of the North 

American Free Trade Agreement. 

Trump had also considered U.S. 

Ambassador to Germany Richard 

Grenell and former U.S. Senate 

candidate John James of Michigan for 

the post. 

Kim, Trump impersonators draw 

ire of Vietnam's authorities 

Vietnam has announced an unprecedented 

traffic ban along a possible arrival route of 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of 

his second summit with President Donald 

Trump in Hanoi next week, state media 

reported, reports UNB. 

The Communist Party's mouthpiece Nhan 

Dan newspaper late Friday quoted 

Vietnam's Department of Roads as saying 

the ban will first apply to trucks 10 tons or 

bigger, and vehicles with nine seats or more 

on the 170-kilometer (105-mile) stretch of 

Highway One from Dong Dang, the border 

town with China, to Hanoi from 7 p.m. on 

Monday to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by a 

complete ban Tuesday on all vehicles from 6 

they were breaking immigration rules. 

Finally, he said they were driven back to 

their hotel and told to stay put until 

authorities decide how to treat them. 

"Although I am not surprised that I got 

detained for doing my impersonation in 

Vietnam, it's still pretty annoying. What it 

shows is that Vietnam has a long way to go 

before they will be a developed country and 

I wonder if they ever will under these 

conditions," he wrote on his Facebook 

page. "If the Vietnamese authorities are 

willing to give this kind of harassment over 

something as trivial as an impersonation to 

a high profile foreigner, imagine what all 

the Vietnamese artists, musicians, film 

producers and all the political activists have 

to endure for simply wanting to release a 

controversial film, songs or for simply 

speaking up about real injustices in this 

country." Vietnam is a tightly controlled 

communist country that tolerates no 

dissent. Howard X was also questioned by 

Singaporean immigration authorities when 

he and his colleague appeared in the citystate 

for the first Kim-Trump summit last 

June. The impersonator's real name is Lee 

Howard Ho Wun. 

Vietnam issues traffic ban for 

Kim's possible arrival route 

a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The summit is slated for Wednesday and 

Thursday. It gave no other details. The move 

implies that Kim may take a train and 

disembark at the Dong Dang railway station 

and proceed by car to Hanoi. It is not known 

if he will travel by train from Pyongyang via 

China or fly to a nearby Chinese city. Kim's 

overseas travel plans are routinely kept 

secret. The People's Committee in Lang Son 

province, where the Dong Dang railway 

station is located, issued a statement Friday 

instructing the road operator to clean the 

stretch of the highway and suspend road 

works among other things to serve "a 

political task" on Feb. 24-28. 

Trump's wall 

prototypes to come 

down along US- 

Mexico border 

The eight border-wall 

prototypes President 

Donald Trump inspected 

during a visit to California in 

March are going to be torn 

down to make way for a 

second barrier separating 

California and Mexico, the 

U.S. Department of Customs 

and Border Protection said 

Friday, reports UNB. 

Construction crews have 

replaced one layer of fencing 

along a 14-mile (23- 

kilometer) stretch of the 

border separating Mexico 

and California. Crews 

recently started work on 

replacing and extending 

secondary fence as well. 

Border Patrol Agent 

Theron Francisco said 

Friday it isn't clear when the 

prototypes will come down. 

But he added money has 

already been set aside for 

their removal. The San 

Diego Union-Tribune 

reported Friday they cost 

between $300,000 and 

$500,000 apiece to build. 

"There is money already 

allocated to either take them 

down or build infrastructure 

around them. But the 

decision has been made at 

the national level to take 

them down, and the 

secondary replacement 

project will take their place," 

Francisco said. 

Trump declared an 

emergency last week to shift 

billions of dollars to fund 

border wall construction. 

The Democrat-controlled 

House of Representatives is 

set to vote next week on 

whether to block that 

declaration. Some members 

of the Republican-controlled 

Senate have indicated it 

could pass that body as well. 

If it does, Trump has 

promised to veto the 

measure. 

Afghan troops kill 

9 Taliban militants, 

confiscate narcotic 

drugs 

Afghan security forces have 

killed nine Taliban militants 

and seized nearly 900 kg 

narcotic drugs during 

separate operations, the 

Afghan Ministry of Interior 

Affairs said Saturday, 

reports UNB. 

"In one raid, four Taliban 

militants were killed and 

over 300 kg illicit opium 

confiscated after the Afghan 

National Security and 

Defense Forces raided a 

Taliban hideout in Shewan 

village, Bala Buluk district in 

western Farah province 

Friday night," the ministry 

said in a statement. 

The security forces also 

destroyed four militants' 

motorcycles. In neighboring 

Herat province, the Afghan 

National Police (ANP) seized 

more than 570 kg of 

narcotics and opium and a 

vehicle after the ANP laid an 

ambush and engaged with 

drug traffickers along a main 

road on Friday. 

No one was hurt during 

the brief exchange of fire, the 

statement said, adding the 

suspected men escaped 

from the site. In eastern 

Logar province, the Special 

Operations Forces of ANP 

attacked a Taliban hideout 

in Baraki Barak district on 

Friday night. The statement 

confirmed "three guns and 

ammunition were found by 

the ANP following the 

clashes." 

The Taliban militant 

group hasn't made 

comments on the report yet. 

Severe weather 

warned for popular 

Aussie coastal spots 

as cyclone weakens 

Authorities warned of 

severe weather and 

hazardous surf conditions 

for Australia's southern 

Queensland and far 

northern New South Wales 

states on Saturday, despite 

the cancellation of a 

Tropical Cyclone Oma alert 

as the major storm 

weakened, reports UNB. 

Legal loophole may be closing for 

bishops who hide sex abuse 

The legal loopholes that have allowed 

Catholic bishops to escape sanction when 

they cover up clergy sex abuse cases may be 

closing, reports UNB. 

Two U.S. cardinals have confirmed that 

the Vatican is working on a "clarification" to 

a 2016 law that was supposed to hold 

bishops and religious superiors accountable 

when they fail to protect their flocks but 

never really did. 

Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston told a 

press conference Friday during Pope 

Francis' sex abuse prevention summit that 

he had been "guaranteed" that the new 

document would "come out very soon." 

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich said the 

document would "standardize" procedures 

within the various Vatican offices to 

investigate bishops and order their removal. 

The new document would further clarify 

the law Francis issued in 2016, entitled "As a 

Loving Mother," which he passed instead of 

creating a special tribunal section inside the 

Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of 

the Faith to handle abuse of office cases. 

Cupich said the law had been applied in 

"recent cases," but the Vatican has provided 

no information about how it has been 

implemented or how many bishops have 

been sanctioned as a result of it. 

For decades, the Vatican has been 

criticized by abuse victims and their 

advocates for having turned a blind eye to 

Mamun Chowdhury, 

Habiganj Correspondent: 

Habiganj Palli Bidyut Samity 

held its 35th annual member 

meeting in Shayestaganj 

upaizla on Saturday. 

President of the Board of 

Directors of Habiganj Palli 

Bidyut Samity Mizanur 

Rahman presided over the 

annual meeting. A the 

occasion, Vice president of 

the Board of Directors of 


Shafiqur Rahman, secretary 

Jalal Uddin Rumi, treasurer 

Tahmina Begum, area 

director Md Abdul Matin 

Master, area director 

Ekhalasur Rahman, area 

director Mohammad 

Mizanur Rahman , Area 

Director Kazi Ariful Ambia, 

Area Director Md. Shafiul 

Alam, Area Director Khairul 

Bashar, Female Director Mst 

Zakia Akhtera and Female 

Director Mokhar Somi 

Begum were present as 

special guests at the 

Gunfire heard in cities as Nigerians 

finally go to the polls 

Gunfire opened Nigeria's delayed election on 

Saturday as President Muhammadu Buhari 

seeks a second term in Africa's most populous 

nation. Among the country's first voters, he 

said he was ready to congratulate himself in a 

race seen as too close to call, reports UNB. 

Police said the blasts in Maiduguri, the 

capital of Borno state, shortly before polls 

opened were for "security purposes" in a show 

of force to deter the Islamic extremists that 

plague the region. Still, voting turnout 

appeared to be light as authorities tried to 

calm panicked, skeptical residents. 

Gunfire also was heard in Port Harcourt in 

Nigeria's restive south, where the military 

presence was heavier than in past elections. 

One convoy in Delta state contained more 

than 25 vehicles with battle-ready soldiers. 

Buhari brushed aside reporters' questions 

about whether he would accept a loss to top 

challenger Atiku Abubakar , a billionaire 

former vice president. The president, voting 

in his northern hometown of Daura, jokingly 

checked the name on his wife's ballot. A 

smiling Abubakar, after voting in his 

hometown of Yola in the northeast, told 

reporters that "I look forward to a successful 

transition." He previously pledged to accept 

the results, provided they are credible. 

Buhari called the voting process smooth, 

but some polling stations in other parts of the 

the bishops and religious superiors who 

failed to punish sexual predators in the 

priesthood. While the Vatican began 

cracking down on the abusers themselves 

under Pope Benedict XVI, the superiors who 

enabled the crimes and allowed abusers to 

continue raping children largely got a pass. 

Acting on a proposal from his sex abuse 

advisory commission, Francis and his group 

of cardinal advisers agreed in 2015 to create 

a tribunal section within the Congregation 

for the Doctrine of the Faith to prosecute 

bishops and superiors when they botched 

cases. A press statement issued at the time 

said the pope had pledged to provide the new 

office with adequate staffing and resources. 

But the tribunal posed a host of legal and 

bureaucratic issues and ran into opposition 

from bishops and the Vatican bureaucracy. 

The congregation, which already handles sex 

abuse cases, apparently was never consulted 

about the feasibility of creating such a 

tribunal before it was announced to the press 

to great fanfare. 

A year later, Francis issued "As a Loving 

Mother" that made no mention of a tribunal 

but merely reminded the four Vatican offices 

that already handle bishop issues that they 

were also responsible for investigating and 

punishing negligence cases. It made clear 

that a negligent act or omission on handling 

an abuse allegation was grounds for 

dismissal. 

Habiganj Palli Bidyut Samity holds 

35th annual member meeting 

occasion. 

Among others, Zila 

Parishad member Abdur 

Rashid Talukder Iqbal, 

Awami League organizing 

secretary Abdullah Sardar, 

Publicity Revenue secretary 

Syed Ashraf Uddin Mamun, 

former municipal panel 

chairman Rahel Mia Sardar, 

Khairul Alam councilor, 

Municipal Jubo League 

general secretary TM Afzal, 

College Chhatra League 

President Joynal Sardar, 

General Secretary of the 

Upazila Press Club Maulana 

Abdul Kadir and Upazila 

Journalist Forum President 

Abdul Huq Renu were also 

present at the occasion. 

At the occasion, the 

message of Bangladesh 

Electricity Board Chairman 

Major General (Retd) 

Moinuddin was read out by 

President of the Board of 

Directors Mizanur Rahman. 

Treasurer Tahmina Begum 

read out the financial report 

of the association for the 

year 2017-2018. It was 

stated in the reports that 

Habiganj Palli Bidyut 

Samity has made a profit of 

6 crore 65 lakh 29 thousand 

962 taka. 

At the occasion various 

levels prizes were distributed 

among the electricity 

consumers. Pran and 

Zamzam Group got the first 

prize for using the 

"maximum power" of the 

industry. Apart from this, a 

total of 70 various 

organizations received prizes 

for using electricity. 

It is to be noted that 


initially started functioning 

in 1982 with the goal of 

providing electricity to the 

people of 4 upazilas of the 

district. Later, 5 more 

upazilas of Habiganj and 

part of Sylhet and 

Sunamganj districts were 

included in the Habiganj 

Palli Bidyut Samity. 

Lottery draw prizes among the subscribers were distributed during 35th 

annual member meeting of Habiganj Palli Bidyut Samity in Shayestaganj 

upaizla on Saturday. 

Photo: Md Mamun Chowdhury 

country were late to open and some officials 

worried that heavy security could intimidate 

potential voters. 

"What's going on?" asked Buhari's 

campaign spokesman, Festus Keyamo, saying 

electoral commission workers arrived at his 

polling station in Delta state an hour and a 

half late. Voting had yet to start in other parts 

of Delta and Anambra states. 

Multiple election observer groups reported 

delays, including in Lagos, Africa's largest 

city. In north-central Kaduna, lines were long 

but impatient while waiting for materials to 

arrive nearly three hours late. One state 

governor waited nearly an hour for a voting 

card reader to work properly, the Daily Trust 

newspaper reported. 

Traffic restrictions were in place across the 

country, which also closed its borders. 

Ibrahim Mustapha, one Yola voter, was 

annoyed. "Transport is very hard to get," he 

said. Many Nigerians said the election will be 

decided by economic issues after a rough 

term for Buhari that saw a rare, months-long 

recession. The president "has failed," said 

David Ojo, a barber in Danbatta in northern 

Kano state who joined excited voters in 

supporting Buhari in 2015. They assumed the 

former military dictator would solve the 

insecurity crisis and that prosperity would 

follow, Ojo said. Neither has occurred.

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

SuNDAY, DHAkA, FEBRuARY 24, 2019, FAlguN 12, 1425 BS, JAMADi-uS SANNi 18, 1440 HiJRi 

Toxic chemicals of industrial factories directly mixing with the water of Banshi river causing severe pollution. 


Worker killed 

in Habiganj 

sand mining 

accident 

HABIGANJ : A worker 

was killed and five others 

were injured after they 

were buried under sand 

during illegal sand mining 

in the sadar upazila's 

Gorurbazar area on 

Saturday, reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified 

as Jony Mia, 22, son of 

Taiab Ali, resident of sadar 

upazila's Richi village. 

The injured said they 

were extracting sand from 

Khoai River in the morning 

when a large amount of 

sand slid down and buried 

them. 

Locals rescued the 

injured and took them to 

Habiganj Sadar Modern 

Hospital where Jony succumbed 

to his injuries. 

PM releases postage stamps 

marking 'Bangabandgu' 

title anniv 

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

on Saturday released two commemorative 

postage stamps, a first-day cover and a data 

card, marking the golden jubilee of conferring 

the 'Bangabandhu' title on Father of the 

Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, reports 

UNB. 

She released the two Tk 10 stamps, the Tk 

10 first-day cover and Tk 5 data card at her 

official residence Ganobhaban in the city in 

the afternoon. A special canceller was used 


Posts, Telecommunications and 

Information Technology Minister Mustafa 

Jabbar, Principal Secretary Md Nojibur 

Rahman, PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul 

Karim, Posts and Telecommunications acting 

Secretary Ashoke Kumar Biswas and 

General of Bangladesh Post Office Sushanta 

Kumar Mondal were, among others, present 


The stamps, first-day covers and data 

cards will be sold from Philatelic Bureau of 

Dhaka GPO from Saturday and those will be 

available at other GPOs and head post offices 

across the country later. 

There is also an arrangement for special 

cancellers in four GPOs to be used for the 

first-day covers. 

On February 23, 1969, on behalf of the 

Sarbadaliya Chhatra Sangram Parishad (All 

Parties Students Action Committee), its 

president Tofail Ahmed at a mass reception 

conferred the title of 'Bangabandhu' (Friend 

of the Bangalis) on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

The mass reception had been arranged at 

the historic Ramna racecourse (now, 

Suhrawardy Udyan), a day after Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman was released from jail 

unconditionally. 

Bangladesh faces a challenge in ensuring 

welfare of its aging population 

DHAKA : Bangladesh economy's 

impressive growth trajectory over the 

last decade has been buttressed by the 

demographic dividend deriving from a 

large portion of its population - 

around 65 percent on average - being 

of working age, reports UNB. 

However, experts think the growing 

prosperity has also resulted in an 

increase in the population's longevity 

as people live longer these days and 

that poses a new challenge for the government 

as the number of dependents 

keeps rising without corresponding 

steps to ensure their rights, dignity 

and necessary facilities. 

According to government statistics, 

around 7.5 percent (12.5 million) of 

the country's total population constitutes 

the elderly people while the 

number is expected to increase 

sharply and reach around 20 percent 

(over 40 million) by 2050. 

Under the circumstances, the country's 

population experts and rights 

activists think the government should 

take proper programmes and policies 

to cater to the specific needs, including 

health, finical, civic amenities, of the 

growing number of ageing population. 

Prof AKM Nurun Nabi of Dhaka 

INTERESTING NEWS 

Funiculars are an odd mode of transport, 

but at the same time, they are one 

of the most energy-efficient one. The 

system consist of two counterbalanced 

cars attached at the ends of a long cable 

that goes up a slope and over a pulley 

and then comes back down. So when 

one car goes up, the other comes down. 

The weight of the two cars counterbalances 

each other, so that only a minimal 

amount of energy is required to pull up 

the ascending car, which is usually provided 

by an electric motor. Some historic 

funiculars made the system even more 

energy-efficient by using water as the 

motive force. 

These funiculars have water tanks 

built under the floor of each car that 

University's Population Sciences 

department said the population 

trends in Bangladesh show that the 

country is well into third phase of 

demographic transition, having shifted 

from a high mortality-high fertility 

regime to a low mortality-low fertility 

one, offering a window of opportunity 

to the country, referred to as the 'demographic 

dividend'. 

"The demographic dividend usually 

continues for 30 to 35 years. Although 

the demographic transition creates the 

demographic dividend, it also brings 

significant challenges with it," he 

observed. 

In Bangladesh, Nabi said various 

projections suggest that by 2025 one 

in 10 persons will be elderly and by 

2050 one in five persons will be elderly. 

The population scientist said the 

policymakers need to take effective 

steps for ensuring various necessary 

services for the poor, middle-class and 

urban affluent ageing population by 

increasing the number of service providing 

institutions. "The ageing population 

must be integrated to society by 

involving them with their old profession." 

Water Powered 

Funiculars 

could be filled or emptied to weigh them 

down just enough to allow movement. 

Usually, the tanks are empty at the 

beginning of the journey. After passengers 

had boarded both cars, the operator 

at the upper station is informed of the 

number of passengers that had entered 

the ascending car. He then knows the 

exact amount of water that needs to be 

filled into the tank of the upper car to 

make it heavier than the car at the bottom 

of the hill. Once a sufficient imbalance 

is achieved, the brakes are released 

and the funicular is set into motion solely 

by gravity. At the end of the journey, 

the descending car is emptied of water 

and the process is repeated. Many 

water-powered funiculars were later fitted 

with electric motors. Thankfully, 

some still operate to this day. 

Nabi put forward some more suggestions, 

including creating endowment 

funds by building partnership 

between different segments of society 

and sectors of economy, introducing a 

priori-deduction system from wages 

at earlier ages as a forced savings for 

old age allowance, establishing community 

ageing deposit scheme, 

restructuring the retirement age and 

finding way out for resulting in crisis 

in occupational mobility. 

Chairman of the Bangladesh 

National Human Rights Commission 

(NHRC) Kazi Reazul Hoque said special 

measures and polices alongside 

raising awareness are essential to 

ensure the welfare of ageing people as 

their number keeps growing due to a 

rise in the average lifespan. 

"I feel the rights of elderly persons 

are not being ensured now that much 

way. The older persons deserve more 

attention and care from the state as 

well as society," he observed. 

The NHRC chairman said ageing 

people, especially women ones, are 

very vulnerable group in the country 

and the policymakers need to take 

steps to protect the vulnerable people 

and ensure their rights. 

Nasir Ali Mamun 

to join Cosmos 

Art Echo Sunday 

DHAKA : Legendary 

Bangladeshi portrait photographer 

Nasir Ali Mamun 

will attend the Cosmos Art 

Echo, a monthly talk show 

organised by Cosmos- 

Atelier71 at Cosmos Center 

in the city's Malibagh area 

on Sunday, reports UNB. 

He will deliver a speech 

titled 'Me and My 

Generation' around 

5:30pm. 

Mamun is best known for 

his iconic portraits of recognised 

celebrities. He works 

exclusively in black and 

white. During his 48 years 

of career, his portraitures 

have been highly acclaimed 

in 58 solo exhibitions at 

home and abroad. 

Mamun has also 

authored two books on 

photography and about a 

dozen on interviews. He 

was also the first photo editor 

at a daily newspaper in 

the country. 

He received 'Lifetime 

Achievement Award' from 

Chobi Mela International 

Festival of photography 

and 'Celebrating life' by 

Standard Chartered Bank 

Limited and The Daily Star 

in 2017. A year later, he was 

honored with Shilpakala 

Padak by the President. 

Mamun is currently 

working to establish PHO- 

TOSEUM, a museum 

based on photography in 

Bangladesh. 

Russia loading fuel at VVER-1200 nuclear power plant reactor 

DHAKA : Russia's state-run nuclear 

corporation Rosatom began fuel loading 

at its unit-2 of Novovoronezh Nuclear 

Power Plant II which is similar to 

Rooppur nuclear power plant in 

Bangladesh. 

In a press statement, Rosatom said the 

unit-2 of Novovoronezh Nuclear Power 

Plant II is equipped with the VVER-1200 

reactor which is another referential unit 

of under implementation Rooppur 

Nuclear Power Plant, reports UNB. 

The first batch of 163 fuel assemblies 

were loaded successfully and the remaining 

assemblies to be loaded within the 

next five days, it added. 

Rosatom said the initial fuel loading, 

Due to dust, air pollution in the Dhaka City increasing day by day. The Dhaka City is the top polluted city 

in the country. The photo was taken from Postogola area on Saturday. 


Myanmar yet to create safe 

atmosphere for Rohingya 

repatriation: FM 

SYLHET :Although 

Myanmar has agreed to take 

back eight lakh Rohingyas, it 

is yet to create a congenial 

atmosphere for their repatriation, 

Foreign Minister 

AK Abdul Momen said on 

Saturday. 

"Initiatives are underway 

to send back 8 lakh, out of 

the 12 lakh Rohingyas," he 

said at a prize-giving ceremony 

at Mirabazar Model 

High School in the city, 

reports UNB. 

More than 7,00,000 

Rohingya fled to 

Bangladesh after Myanmar 

security forces launched a 

brutal offensive following 

militant attacks on border 

outposts and a military base 

in late August 2017. 

which started on Feb 19, marks the 

beginning of the reactor start-up. 

The reactor will then achieve first criticality 

- the moment when a chain reaction 

is launched in the reactor for the first 

time and the core parameters required 

for the reactor's further operation are 

established. 

The next stages include connection to 

the grid, power ascension testing and the 

commencement of commercial operations. 

"This operation marks the beginning of 

the reactor start-up, which means that all 

operations related to the construction of 

unit-2 at the Novovoronezh NPP II have 

been accomplished," said Andrei Petrov, 

Myanmar security forces 

have been accused of murder, 

rape, torture and rape 

during the crackdown but 

they deny the charges. 

An unspecified number of 

Rohingya members were 

killed. Médecins 

Sans Frontières said 

more than 6,700 Rohingya, 

including at least 730 

under-five children, were 

killed in the first month of 

the crackdown. 

The United Nations 

described the military offensive 

as a "textbook example 

of ethnic cleansing". 

Bangladesh and Myanmar 

have signed agreement to 

repatriate the Rohingya. But 

members of the minority, 

still haunted by the horror in 

the Rakhine state, have 

resisted the move to send 

them back. They have 

sought the UN's intervention 

and demanded creating 

a safe environment for 

them. 

"The repatriation has been 

delayed as Myanmar is yet 

to create a congenial atmosphere," 

Foreign Minister 

Momen said. "But we've 

taken measures to send 

back the Rohingya to 

Myanmar safely." 

Despite having lived in the 

country for generations, 

Myanmar does not recognise 

the Rohingya as citizens 

and calls them 'Bangalis' to 

imply that they are 'illegal 

immigrants from 

Bangladesh'. 

Director General of Rosenergoatom, 

operator of the plant. 

He mentioned that further operations 

will prepare the unit for first criticality 

and electricity production. The unit is 

scheduled to begin commercial operation 

by the end of this year. 

The VVER-1200 is the flagship of 

ROSATOM's (Russia's state atomic energy 

corporation) generation III+ PWRtype 

reactor and the world's only generation 

III+ design in series construction. 

Unit - 2 at the Novovoronezh NPP II is 

going to be the third in the series following 

unit-1 at the same NPP, launched in 

2016, and unit-1 at the Leningrad NPP II, 

launched in 2017. 

Youth's 

body 

recovered 

in Sylhet 

SYLHET : Police here on 

Saturday recovered the body 

of a young man from 

Kotapara area of 

Gowainghatupazila in the 

district, reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified 

as Sabul Namo, 25, son 

of Pakhi Namo of Fadlipur 

village in the upazila and a 

mason by profession. 

Sabul went out from his 

house after receiving several 

phone calls from one of his 

neighbours Nuruddin 

around 8:30 pm on Friday 

night and never returned 

back, said Abdul Jalil, officer-in-charge 

of Gowainghat 

Police Station. 

Later on early Saturday, 

locals spotted the body. 

After being informed, 

police recovered the body 

and sent it to Sylhet Osmani 

Medical College Hospital for 

autopsy. 

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

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

24-02-2019

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