14-11-2019

thursday 

DHaka: November 14, 2019; kartik 29, 1426 BS; Rabi-ul awal 16,1441 Hijri 

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; No.283; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

international 

Impeachment 

hearings go live on 

TV with first witnesses 

>Page 7 

art & culture 

'Friends' Reunion 

Special in the Works 

at HBO Max 

>Page 8 

sport 

Spanish star 

striker Villa retires 

from football 

>Page 9 

100pc electricity coverage 

within 'Mujib Year': PM 

Dhaka ranks 

4th worst in 

Air Quality 

Index 

DHAKA : Bangladesh's capital 

city was ranked fourth worst in 

the Air Quality Index (AQI) on 

Wednesday morning, reports 

UNB. 

Dhaka had a score of 195 at 

10am, indicating that the air 

quality was unhealthy. 

India's Delhi, Pakistan's 

Lahore and Vietnam's Hanoi 

occupied the first, second and 

third spots respectively. 

When the AQI value is 

between 151 and 200, every city 

dweller may begin to experience 

health effects. Members of sensitive 

groups may experience 

more serious health effects in 

this situation. 

The air quality is categorised 

as good when the AQI score 

remains between 0-50 while the 

air is moderate when score is 51- 

100. When the number is 

between 101 and 150, the air is 

classified as unhealthy for sensitive 

groups. 

The AQI, an index for reporting 

daily air quality, tells people 

how clean or polluted the air of a 

certain city is, and what associated 

health effects might be a 

concern for them. 

Bangladesh's overcrowded 

capital has been grappling with 

air pollution for a long time. The 

quality usually improves during 

monsoon. 

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

on Wednesday said the government will 

be able to provide electricity to every 

house during the 'Mujib Year', which will 

be celebrated from March 2020 to 

March 2021, reports UNB. 

"God willing, we'll be able to ensure 

cent percent electricity coverage within 

the Mujib Year. No-one will be left in the 

dark," she said. 

The Prime Minister said this while 

inaugurating newly-constructed power 

plants and launching cent percent power 

coverage in 23 upazilas under 10 districts 

through video conferencing from her 

official residence Ganobhaban. 

The power plants are: Anwara 

300MW Power Plant, Rangpur 113MW 

capacity Power Plant, Karnaphuli 

110MW Power Plant, Shikalbaha 

105MW capacity Power Plant, Patia 

54MW Power Plant, Tetulia 8MW Solar 

Power Plant and Gazipur 100MW 

Power Plant. 

The 23 upazilas which came under 

cent percent power coverage are: 

Gabtali, Sherpur and Shibganj in Bogura 

district, Lohagara in Chattogram, 

Madhukhali, Nagarkanda and Saltha in 

Faridpur district, Fulchhari, Gaibandha 

Sadar and Palashbari in Gaibandha district, 

and Madhappur and Nabiganj in 

Habiganj district. 

Besides, Kaliganj and Maheshpur in 

Jhenaidah district, Karimganj under 

Kishoreganj, Baraigram, Lalpur and 

Singra under Natore district, Barhatta 

and Mahonganj in Netrakona district, 

Bhandaria, Kaukhali and Indurkani 

under Pirojpur district are also coming 

under cent percent electricity coverage 

from Wednesday. 

Sheikh Hasina said that apart from 

electricity production, the transmission 

and distribution are also important and 

the government is implementing various 

projects in this regard. 

She requested the people to maintain 

austerity in using electricity as the government 

provides huge subsidy in this 

sector to give people electricity at cheaper 

price. 

Sheikh Hasina said 234 upazilas have 

so far come under cent percent electricity 

coverage. She hoped that it would be 

possible to bring rest of the upazilas 

under cent percent coverage during the 

Mujib Year. 

The Prime Minister said that after 

coming to power in 1996, the Awami 

League-led government took initiatives 

to involve the private sector in generating 

power and meeting the growing 

demand. 

"As a result, power generation capacity 

was increased to 4,300MW in 2001 

from 1,600MW," she said, adding that 

the government has also implemented 

massive programmes from 2009, 

increasing the generation capacity to 

22,562 MW. 

The Prime Minister said the government 

adopts all of its plans to provide the 

fruits of development programmes to 

the grassroots people. 

"We're implementing all our programmes 

keeping an eye on that matter. 

That means we don't want to keep our 

development in urban areas or capital 

city, we want to change the fate of the 

people living in the rural areas," she said. 

She said the government wants to 

develop the socioeconomic status of 

the people of the rural areas, provide 

employment and ensure all kind of 

facilities including healthcare and 

education. 

"We've given highest priority in ensuring 

food security, and we've ensured 

that. Now, we're trying to make the people 

aware of food nutrition and have 

taken various programmes in this 

regard," she said. 

Khaleda's condition still 

unchanged: Selima 

DHAKA : BNP Chairperson Khaleda 

Zia's sister Selima Islam on Wednesday 

said the former prime minister will go 

abroad for better treatment if she is 

freed on bail as her condition is 'not' 

improving. 

Talking to reporters after meeting her 

sister at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib 

Medical University (BSMMU), Selima 

said, "She (Khaleda) will go abroad if she 

gets bail, and we also want to send her 

abroad as her condition is not improving." 

She said the fingers of Khaleda's 

hands and legs are getting bent and she is 

suffering from acute pains. "She neither 

can stand up nor can sit up straight. 

Under the circumstances, she needs 

advanced treatment." 

Selima said doctors are regularly visiting 

the BNP chairperson, but there is 

no sign of improvement in her falling 

physical condition. "She can't move, 

and lift her hand to eat." 

Five family members, including 

Selima, her younger brother Shamim 

Eskandar, his wife Kaniz Fatema and son 

Ovik Eskandar, went to meet Khaleda 

around 3:30pm and had over an hourlong 

meeting, said BNP chairperson's 

media wing member Shamsuddin Didar. 

Khaleda has been in jail since she was 

convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust 

corruption case on February 8, 2018. 

She was found guilty in another corruption 

case later the same year, though 

her party claims both cases are politically 

motivated. The BNP chief has been 

receiving treatment at the BSMMU 

since April 1 this year. 

Charge sheet filed in Buet 

student Abrar murder case 

DHAKA : The Detective Branch (DB) of 

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on 

Wednesday submitted charge sheet 

before the Chief Metropolitan 

Magistrate's Court accusing 25 people 

in Buet student Abrar Fahad killing 

case, reports UNB. 

Investigation Officer of the case, DB 

Inspector Waheduzzaman, submitted 

the charge sheet, Additional 

Commissioner and chief of CTTC unit 

Monirul Islam told reporters at a briefing 

at the DMP Media centre. 

Abrar Fahad, 21, a second-year student 

of electrical and electronic engineering of 

Buet, was beaten to death reportedly by 

Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders at 

Sher-e-Bangla Hall of the university. 

Laborers grinding stones in machine while others are busy to unload those from boats at Volaganj of Sylhet. 

A large portion of those stones are supplied in capital city. 

Photo : PBA 

No war criminals 

at Victory Day 

programmes: 

Minister 

DHAKA : Home Minister Asaduzzaman 

Khan on Wednesday said war criminals 

and people with controversial 

roles in the Liberation War will not 

be allowed to attend Victory Day programmes 

across the country, reports 

UNB. 

"Directives have been given to the 

local administration to take necessary 

steps in this regard," he said 

while talking to reporters after a 

meeting on law and order situation at 

the Secretariat. 

He said all government and private 

organisations should follow the rule 

while hoisting the national flag. 

The minister said additional security 

measures will be taken for the 

President, Prime Minister and 

Cabinet members in the National 

Mausoleum area. 

Special security will be arranged for 

foreigners and surveillance cameras 

will be installed on the Dhaka-Savar 

road to prevent any act of sabotage. 

Special meals will be served in prisons, 

hospitals, orphanage and old 

homes on the occasion of the Victory 

Day. Fire Service men will remain 

alert at 411 spots while medical teams 

and ambulances will be kept standby 

in some important places of the city 

as well as Savar. 

The Minister urged all to refrain 

from decorating any organisation or 

establishment with lights on Dec 14 

to pay tribute to the martyred intellectuals. 

Better logistics can 

help Bangladesh 

boost exports:WB 

Nusrat sexual harassment case 

Deposition now to 

begin Jan 29 

DHAKA : Bangladesh needs to improve 

its transport and logistics systems to 

meet the needs of its growing economy 

and boost export growth, said a new 

World Bank report launched on 

Wednesday. 

The report - Moving Forward: 

Connectivity and Logistics to Sustain 

Bangladesh's Success - was launched at 

a hotel in the capital, reports UNB. 

It points out that by making logistics 

more efficient, Bangladesh can significantly 

boost export growth, maintain its 

position as a leading ready-made garments 

and textile producer, and create 

more jobs. 

The report notes that congestion on 

roads and seaports, high logistics cost, 

inadequate infrastructure, distorted 

logistics service markets and fragmented 

governance hamper manufacturing 

and freight, further eroding 

Bangladesh's competitive edge and 

putting its robust growth path at risk. 

"Bangladesh's congested transportation 

and often unsophisticated logistics 

systems impose high costs to the economy," 

said Mercy Tembon, World Bank 

Country Director for Bangladesh and 

Bhutan. 

"By making its logistics more efficient, 

Bangladesh can significantly optimise 

its connectivity, business environment, 

and competitiveness, putting the country 

on the right path to become a 

dynamic upper middIe-income country," 

she added. 

The report argues that efficient logistics 

has become one of the main drivers 

for global trade competitiveness and 

export growth and diversification. For 

Bangladesh, improving its logistics performance 

provides an opportunity to 

increase its world market share in garments 

and textiles, which account for 84 

percent of its total exports, expand into 

new markets, and diversify its manufacturing 

and agriculture into high-value 

products. 

It notes that improving 

Bangladesh's logistics requires a system-wide 

approach based on greater 

coordination among all public institutions 

involved in logistics and with 

the private sector, increasing the 

effective capacity of core infrastructure, 

and removing distortions in 

logistics service markets to reduce 

costs and improve quality. 

At a regional level, harmonising its 

logistics systems and aligning its customs 

with that of its neighbours could 

turn Bangladesh into an important 

node for regional freight flows and further 

boost its trade. 

"There's no doubt that reforms and 

investments for better transport and 

logistics will yield Bangladesh substantial 

economic benefits and strengthen 

its competitive advantage," said Matias 

Herrera Dappe, Senior Economist at the 

World Bank and author of the report. 

04:55 AM 

Zohr 

11:45 PM 

03:40 PM 

05:18 PM 

06:45 PM 

6:11 5:14 

Passengers of a trapped launch in Meghna river on Tuesday night, were rescued after 8 hours 

of the incident and sent to Dhaka later. 

Photo : Star Mail 

FENI : The formal trial in a case filed 

over sexual harassment of madrasa 

girl Nusrat Jahan Rafi, who was later 

burned to death, against her 

madrasa principal SM Sirajuddoula 

will now begin on January 29 next. 

Judge of the Women and Children 

Repression Prevention Tribunal 

Mamunur Rashid passed the order 

as Shirin Akhter, mother of Nusrat 

and plaintiff of the case, could not 

appear before the court on 

Wednesday for testimony, reports 

UNB. 

The court framed charges against 

the former principal of Sonagazi 

Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa on July 

17 under the Women and Children 

Repression Prevention Act. 

According to the case statement, 

Sirajuddoula sexually harassed 

Nusrat in his office on March 27 last 

and the following day her mother 

filed the case against the principal. 

Nusrat was set on fire on April 6 on 

the roof of a madrasah she attended, 

allegedly by people loyal to its principal 

Sirajuddoula whom she had 

accused of sexually harassing her. 

She succumbed to her injuries four 

days later at Dhaka Medical College 

Hospital. 

A tribunal on August 24 last sentenced 

all the 16 accused, including 

Sirajuddoula, to death for their roles 

in killing Nusrat.

NEWS ThURSDAY, 

2 

NoveMBeR 14, 2019 

State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Wednesday delivering 

his speech at a workshop jointly organized University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Computer 

Council (BCC). 

Photo : Courtesy 

Sundarbans: The physical 

buffer that needs a rest 

BAGERHAT : The Forest Department 

is planning to give the Sundarbans, 

which minimised the intensity of 

cyclonic storm 'Bulbul' as well as the 

extent of damages acting as a shield, a 

breathing space to heal its wounds by 

restricting the tourist flow into the 

world's largest mangrove forest, 

reports UNB. 

Md Mahmudul Hasan, divisional 

forest officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans 

East Zone, said the cyclone wreaked 

havoc on the forest before entering the 

localities losing its strength. "So, the 

ecosystem of the Sundarbans should 

be given a rest. For this, the entry of 

tourists to it was restricted from 

Tuesday." 

He also said the tourism activities in 

the Sundarbans will fully remain 

suspended for three days from 

November 25 to ascertain the damage 

caused by the cyclone. 

Moin Uddin Khan, a forest 

conservator of Khulna Zone, said the 

authorities have decided to restrict the 

tourist flow into the forest. "To give the 

forest a breathing space, it has been 

decided that package tours will remain 

suspended on November 25-27." 

The Sundarbans have been 

protecting the people of the coastal belt 

from different disasters, including 

cyclone, for ages acting as a natural 

shield, sometimes costing its flora and 

fauna. There is no exception in the case 

of cyclonic storm 'Bulbul' which lashed 

the coastal districts on Sunday. 

2 killed in Cumilla 

road crash 

CUMILLA : Two people 

were killed after a pick-up 

van plunged into a roadside 

ditch on Dhaka-Chattogram 

Highway at Korpai in 

Burichang upazila early 

Wednesday, reports UNB. 

One of the deceased was 

identified as Syed Hossain, 

30, hailing from Cox's Bazar 

while the identity of the 

other victim could not be 

ascertained immediately. 

It was because of the Sundarbans 

that the intensity of the cyclone as well 

as the extent of damages were 

minimised as it hit the forest first and 

then entered the localities losing 

strength. 

The Sundarbans, a rich ecosystem in 

the world with a biodiversity and a 

home to numerous plants and animals, 

including Royal Bengal Tiger, spreads 

on an area of 6,017 square kilometres. 

It was declared as a reserve forest in 

1978. 

Recently, the government has 

declared over half of the forest as 

sanctuaries in a bid to protect it. 

It was divided into two zones with 

the administrative activities of the East 

Zone running from Bagerhat and that 

of West Zone from Khulna. 

The very severe cyclone 'Bulbul' 

weakened into a severe one after 

crossing the forest Sunday and thus the 

damage was less, said meteorologists. 

They said there would have been 

greater number of casualties had the 

Sundarbans not been there to take the 

first strike of the cyclone. 

Similarly, the Sundarbans 

minimised the extent of damages when 

super cyclone Sidr had battered the 

coastal districts on November 15. 

The Sidr first lashed the mangrove 

forest and then entered the localities 

with reduced ferocity. 

Meanwhile, the Forest Department 

is yet to ascertain the damages caused 

by cyclone 'Bulbul' to the flora and 

SYLHET : Residents of 10 

villages of Lamakazi Union 

under Biswanath upazila are 

dependent on a single bamboo 

footbridge over the Kessha 

River for road 

communication, reports UNB. 

Crossing the rickety 

footbridge is not only 

dangerous but also hazardous 

for the people of Ishabpur, 

Noagaon, Munshirgaon, 

Bharmanjhuli, Pathonchak, 

Amtoil Gazir Mokam, Sonali 

Banglabazar 

and 

Boiragirbazar areas. 

Communication becomes 

more difficult during the rainy 

season when the river rises. 

People, especially school goers 

and the elderly, are the worst 

sufferers. 

Locals said they asked the 

authorities concerned to build 

a concrete bridge over the 

river but their appeals fell on 

deaf ears, forcing them to raise 

funds for a bamboo footbridge 

fauna of the Sundarbans. 

DFO Mahmudul Hasan said two 

forest officers of Chandpai and 

Sharankhola ranges were assigned to 

ascertain the damages to different 

species of trees, including Sundari, and 

animals under the zone. 

He said the two officials visited 

different parts of the forest on Monday 

and will submit their reports after 

more inspections. The DFO, however, 

said six residential buildings, 17 nonresidential 

buildings, 19 other 

establishments and three trawlers and 

speedboats were partially damaged by 

'Bulbul' while10 jetties were damaged 

completely. 

Some 180 raintrees were affected in 

Baidyamari area of the forest, he said. 

A number of local and foreign 

tourists were seen visiting the 

Sundarbans at Katka on Monday. 

Talking to UNB, Spanish tourist 

Estnr Baselona said she is impressed 

seeing the beauty of the largest 

mangrove forest and called it as a 'land 

of amazing beauty'. 

Nur Alam, a member of Bangladesh 

Paribesh Andolon, said the 

Sundarbans has been protecting the 

coastal people with motherly affection 

for ages. 

Alam, who visited different spots of 

the forest immediately after the storm, 

said the vast areas were battered by 

cyclone Bulbul, urging the authorities 

concerned to take initiatives to protect 

the forest. 

Where a rickety bamboo 

footbridge is the only hope 

over the river themselves. 

Kamal Uddin and Babul 

Mia, both farmers from the 

area, said the upazila sadar is 

about 10 kilometres from 

Lamakazi but the lack of a 

proper bridge over the river 

makes road communication 

hard. 

"Only a bridge is holding us 

back," Babul said. "The area 

has hardly been developed 

since independence." 

Kabir Hossain Dhala Mia, 

chairman of Lamakazi union 

parishad, said the residents of 

the area are deprived of 

development. 

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Designation Name 

Post 

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Sombag, Kalampur, P.S.-Dhamrai, Dist.-Dhaka , Bangladesh within 

8 days. E-mail: od@ocl-bd.com 

CAREER OPPORTUNITY 

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Europe, has following career opening in apparel sourcing at their 

Bangladesh Liaison Office: 

Senior Product Developer 

Candidate should be Fashion Design graduate from a reputed 

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of which at least 3-4 years should be with a leading European 

retailer. Candidate should have prior experience of handling multiple 

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their resumes within 15 days by e-mail/post to: s.Oliver Overseas 

Ltd, 10th Floor, Uday Tower, 57 & 57A Gulshan Avenue Circle 1, 

Dhaka 1212. E-mail: hr@bd.soliver.com 

'Robber' killed in 

B'baria 'gunfight' 

BRAHMANBARIA : A 

suspected robber was killed 

in a reported gunfight with 

police at Jatrapur 

Chaporbari in Ashuganj 

upaizla early Wednesday, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Saddam 

Hossain, 26, son of Kangal 

Mia of Sarail upazila. 

Jabed Mahmud, officerin-charge 

of Ashuganj Police 

Station, said they raided the 

area around 1:15am acting 

on a tip-off that a gang of 

robbers was there. 

The criminals opened fire 

as soon as police reached the 

spot, triggering a skirmish. 

At one stage, Saddam was 

caught in the line of fire 

while trying to flee the scene 

and died on the spot. 

Four policemen were also 

injured in the gunfight. 

Police arrested three 

people - Akash Mia, 27, 

Hridoy Mia, 25, and 

Ashraful Islam, 25 - from the 

spot. A pistol, an autorickshaw 

and a motorbike 

were seized from the spot. 

Man held with 

8 gold bars in 

Benapole 

BENAPOLE : Members of 

Border Guard Bangladesh 

(BGB) arrested a man along 

with eight gold bars from 

Amrakhali check-post here 

on Wednesday, reports UNB. 

The arrestee was identified 

as Rabiul Islam Jamil, 35. 

Tipped off, a team of BGB 

stopped a human hauler 

from Navaron and frisked 

Rabiul around 9am, said 

Amrakhali BGB in-charge 

Shafiqul Islam. 

Later, they recovered eight 

gold bars from him. 

He was handed over to 

Benapole Port Police Station. 

5 admission seekers 

held for cheating at 

SUST 

SHAHJALAL UNIVERSITY 

(SYLHET) : The Shahjalal 

University of Science and 

Technology (SUST) arrested 

five people from the campus 

on Tuesday for cheating in 

the admission process, 

reports UNB. 

The arrestees were 

identified as Sakidul Islam 

Shakil, Abir Morshed, Arif 

Khan Rafi, Zahid Hasan 

Tamim, Riadul Jannat 

Riyad. They hailed from 

Bogura and Rangpur. 

Prof Zahir Uddin, proctor 

of SUST, said the proctorial 

body caught them when they 

came to the campus for 

admission purpose in the 

evening. 

During interrogation, they 

told the university 

authorities that they had 

adopted unfair means in the 

admission test. They said 

they gave Tk 5 to 8 lakh to a 

syndicate for getting 

enrolled at the university. 

They were later handed 

over to police. 

Besides, the SUST 

authorities also arrested 

Samiul Islam Koushik, a 

first-year student of Food 

Engineering and Tea 

Technology for his 

suspected involvement in 

the syndicate. 

Develop curriculum with technological 

advancement: Palak 

State Minister for Information and 

Communication Technology (ICT) Division 

Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Wednesday urged 

the academicians to prepare curriculum to 

keep pace with rapid technological 

advancement. 

"It's a difficult task to update curriculum 

every year. In this case, universities can 

initiate top up training programmes to 

address the global needs," he said while 

addressing a workshop entitled 'Skills 

Development of ICT Engineers on IT 

Engineers Examination (ITEE) Targeting 

Japanese Market' at UGC. He also said 

Japan is an important market for us. "A 

significant number of jobs will be created in 

IT sector through this initiative." 

University Grants Commission (UGC) of 

Bangladesh and Bangladesh Computer 

Council (BCC) jointly organized the 

workshop to raise awareness and facilitate 

the IT Engineers Examination so that the 

Bangladeshi IT graduates can enhance 

their knowledge and skills, a press release 

said. 

The State Minister emphasized to adopt 

4IR (4th Industrial Revolution) 

programmes replacing labor oriented jobs 

to get developed nation status by 2041. "We 

are working to create a pool of quality 

manpower, enhance graduates' 

employability and meet objectives of Digital 

Bangladesh. Academicians need to carry 

out research on 4IR. ICT ministry in 

association with UGC will set up research 

and incubation centres, specialized labs in 

every university," he added. 

In his presidential speech UGC Chairman 

Professor Dr. Kazi Shaidullah said that last 

decades, skill requirements of jobs have 

changed enormously with the 

advancement of technology. "We need to 

take steps to prepare our youth force for the 

global markets," he said adding our 

graduates needs to be trained well with the 

updated knowledge and skills. He also said 

Japan has opened up market for our IT 

graduates. "We have to take full advantage 

of the opportunity," he said. 

UGC Member and convener of the 

workshop committee Professor Dr. Md. 

Sazzad Hossain, in his welcome address, 

said that knowledge and technology will be 

exchanged through ITEE and it will also 

help to transform our graduates into 

human recourses." 

The programme was addressed, among 

others, by NM Zeaul Alam, Senior 

Secretary, ICT Division, Hiroyuki Yamaya, 

Minister, Embassy of Japan, Parthapratim 

Deb, Executive Director, BCC, and Yuji 

Ando, Country Representative, Japan 

External Trade Organisation spoke at the 

workshop. UGC Members, Vice 

Chancellors from different public and 

private universities, faculty members of 

engineering departments, IT industrialists, 

were also present. 

3 arrested for rape 

in three districts 

DHAKA : Police arrested three persons from 

Barguna, Bogura and Jashore between 

Monday night and Tuesday for rape, reports 

UNB. 

In Jashore, police arrested one Muzibul 

Haq on Tuesday noon for murdering a 

teenage girl after rape at Bhangura village in 

Bagharpara upazila. 

He has confessed to rape and murder 

before the court, Additional Superintendent 

of Jashore police Touhidul Islam told the 

media. 

Police said Muzibul had a love affair with 

the 13-year-old sister-in-law of his 

neighbour. On November 3, Muzibul called 

the girl to the village, where he raped and 

killed her. 

Ziaur, the victim's father, filed a case with 

Bagarpara Police Station. 

In Barguna, police arrested a man from 

Langolkata village in Sadar upazila on 

Monday night for raping his own daughter. 

The arrestee was identified as Nizam Mir, 

a resident of the village. 

GD-1547/19 (4 x 3) 

GD-1549/19 (5 x 3) 

Abir Mohammad, officer-in-charge of 

Barguna Police Station, said Nizam raped his 

minor daughter on November 7 when his 

wife went to bring water at noon. 

After the incident, he attempted to rape the 

fourth-grader several times. 

Nizam confessed to his crimes during 

initial interrogation. The girl filed the case 

with police, the OC added. 

In Bogura, police arrested a teenager for 

allegedly raping a four-year-old girl at 

Baniajan village in Dhunat upazila in the 

morning. The arrestee was identified as 

Borhan Uddin Shyamal, 14, son of Jahangir 

Alam of the village. 

Locals said Shyamal called the girl to his 

room and raped her around 10am. 

On information, police arrested Shyamal 

and sent the girl to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman 

Medical College Hospital for treatment, said 

Ismail Hossain, officer-in-charge of Dhunat 

Police Station. 

A case was filed with the police station in 

this connection, the OC added.

METRO 

ThursDAY, 

3 

November 14, 2019 

regional Director of the World university rankings mr. ritin malhotra called on Dhaka university (Du) 

vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. md. Akhtaruzzaman yesterday at the latter's office of the university. Director of 

ICT Cell of Du Prof. Dr. mohammad Asif hossain Khan was present on this occasion. Photo : Courtesy 

bangladesh with 'happy 

Nepal, Prosperous Nepal' 

prog: President 

KATHMANDU : President Abdul 

Hamid on Wednesday said 

Bangladesh will provide all sorts of 

assistance to Nepal in implementing 

its 'Happy, Prosperous Nepal' 

programme, reports UNB. 

President Abdul Hamid said this 

while attending a meeting at a 

Kathmandu hotel with former prime 

minister of Nepal and co-chair of the 

Nepal Communist Party Pushpa 

Kamal Dahal. 

President's Press Secretary Joynal 

Abedin said the relation between the 

two countries is excellent, and hailed 

Nepal's journey towards democracy. 

Assuring Bangladesh's overall 

cooperation in implementing a 

'Happy, Prosperous Nepal' 

programme, Hamid said 

Bangladesh has also adopted Vision- 

2021 and 2041. From here, both 

countries can benefit from mutual 

cooperation. 

Hamid said Bangladesh and Nepal 

hold common opinions on different 

international issues and support 

each other. The relationship will 

remain stable in the future, he 

hoped. 

Dahal said the existing 

relationship between two counties is 

excellent. There are ample 

opportunities to further develop this 

bilateral relationship at multilateral 

level. 

He also emphasised increasing 

connectivity between the two 

countries by road, rail and sky, said 

Press Secretary Joynal Abedin. 

Chairman of National Assembly 

(upper house) Ganesh Prasad 

Timilsina also met President Hamid 

at the same place. 

During the meeting, the President 

said the support provided by the 

people of Nepal, especially their 

intelligentsia, had a positive impact 

on Bangladesh's Liberation War. 

He expressed his gratitude to the 

government of Nepal in this regard. 

He said Bangladesh is a big market 

of 170 million people and it wants to 

help Nepal bring trade balance as 

the bilateral trade has a potential to 

grow through duty-free access. 

Timilsina said Nepal's relations 

with Bangladesh are old and cordial. 

There is a similarity between the two 

countries' culture. 

He said both countries are facing 

the adverse effects of climate change 

but neither of them is responsible 

for that. The countries can work 

together to address the issue and 

play a vital role in various 

international forums. 

Parliament Whip Md Atiur 

Rahman Atik, Member of 

Parliament ABM Fazle Karim 

Chowdhury, Foreign Secretary 

Shahidul Haque, Bangladesh 

Ambassador to Nepal Mashfi Binte 

Shams, Secretary of the President's 

Office Sampad Barua, Military 

Secretary Major General SM 

Shamim-Uz-Zaman were present at 

the meeting. 

GD-1550/19 (7 x 4) 

GD-1546/19 (9 x 4) 

GD-1543/19 (12 x 4)

EDITORIAL 

ThUrSdAY, 

noVeMber 14, 2019 

4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Thursday, November 14, 2019 

Significance of 

increasing revenue 

collection 

The Finance Minister in a recent workshop 

drew attention to the need to 

strengthen the revenue administration. 

The reason for this should be obvious. The 

Finance Minister unfurled the budget for fiscal 

year 2018-19 some six months ago. The size 

of the budget was 4,64,573 crore It wasthe 

biggest ever budget in size in the country's history. 

Some analysts described the budget as ambitious 

and difficult to achieve. But other experts 

think that the revenue collection targets are 

not incapable of reaching if the government 

works with real determination to that end and 

the country's conditions remain reasonably 

conducive for greater revenue collection. 

But steady and sustainable improvement in 

revenue collection will have to depend essentially 

on strengthening the revenue administration 

appropriately and adequately, plus 

netting the tax dodgers and other offenders. Of 

course, there should be also maintained various 

persuasive campaigns to make eligible tax 

payers aware about their patriotic duty to pay 

taxes. In the long run, this psychological component 

can prove to be more fruitful in garnering 

the expected amount of revenues. 

The need of planned moves to improve revenue 

collection has become all the more 

important in the backdrop of the international 

aid climate. The developed countries are now 

saying that aid levels will not be allowed to 

drop substantially. But there cannot be so 

much reliance on such assurance. Thus, 

Bangladesh needs to adjust to the new situation 

by mobilizing its internal resources to fill 

the gap to be created from any unexpected 

slowdown in foreign aid. 

There is potential for Bangladesh to boost its 

revenue earnings substantially even under its 

present conditions with chances of fresh political 

volatility arising. Studies conducted by the 

National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the 

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) showed 

that some 10 million persons in Bangladesh 

earn more than the tax exemption limit. But 

income tax returns are submitted by less than 

one million of them which suggests that there 

is the prospect of realizing income tax from a 

vast number. Customs duties, so far, have been 

the greatest source of revenues. But earnings 

from this source is noted to be declining in the 

relative sense. This points to the urgent need of 

undertaking greater activities in the areas of 

income tax and value added tax (VAT) collection. 

A planned policy exercise will have to be conducted 

to increase collection of income tax by 

identifying new income tax payers and obliging 

them to settle their dues. A similar hard push 

will have to made and sustained to ensure the 

scrupulous payment of VAT by the existing 

VAT payers and expand the number of businesses 

who would pay this tax. VAT offices 

must be opened in each of the country's 64 districts. 

Many are still without VAT offices. 

Manpower and other facilities will have to 

raised and deployed swiftly in support of a 

revamped tax administration. 

Traditionally, an elected and political governmentis 

seen to be prone to be lenient in 

respect of revenue collection to keep pleased 

their supporters and vested interests as it 

nears the end of its tenure. But this will no 

more be possible in the changed circumstances 

of the country when the need for 

developmental or public financing has shot up 

a great deal. The government will be expected 

to go for vigorously increasing tax collection 

where the opportunities for the same exist 

explaining it to voters how crucial or patriotic 

it is for them to pay taxes well to prevent the 

economy from encountering serious stresses 

and strains in the future. 

world diabetes day on nov 14 : Concerted action 

needed to confront diabetes 

It may be his trickiest mission yet. US 

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark 

Milley is a dangerous-looking hunk of 

bone and gristle. Sternness marks his 

craggy mug; Special Forces and Ranger 

tabs decorate his uniformed shoulders; 

and under his bemedaled chest beats, no 

doubt, the heart of a boot-wearing, steakeating 

badass. 

But it will not be martial skills that 

Milley needs on his visit to South Korea. 

After a flying visit to Japan, he arrived in 

South Korea on Wednesday, and will be 

joined on Thursday by US Secretary of 

Defense Mark Esper. 

It's a safe bet that their visit will be 

marked by hand-holding photo-ops and 

predictable blather ("The alliance has 

never been stronger," etc, etc). But behind 

closed doors, it is to be hoped that both 

men packed their diplomatic A-games. 

The mechanics of the transfer of 

wartime operational control from US to 

South Korean command, expected 

around 2022, will hover in the background. 

In the foreground, the 

Americans want Seoul to cough up more 

for the 28,500 US troops stationed in 

South Korea. 

Above all they want Seoul to reverse its 

decision to nix an intelligence-sharing 

arrangement with Japan that Seoul has 

made clear will expire on November 23. 

Seoul, however, has recently stated that it 

will not do a U-turn. 

The pact, the GSOMIA (General 

Sharing of Military Information 

Agreement), is the only bilateral, securityrelated 

agreement linking two nations 

that are often - wrongly - dubbed "allies." 

True, both nations boast bilateral 

alliances with the US. True, they are both 

democracies that share related values and 

cultures. True, they are economically 

closely interlinked. And true, they both 

face off against a rising China and a dangerous 

North Korea. 

But they are convulsed by historical and 

historiographical disputes that - in South 

Korea at least - may trump all considerations 

listed prior. Korea's national gut is 

deeply roiled by anti-Japanese sentiment, 

dating back to 1910-45, when Japan colonized 

the Korean Peninsula. 

There is no question that it was an 

exploitative and often brutal rule. Japan 

invested in its colony for its own economic 

benefits. In the twilight years of that 

era, it suppressed native culture. It also 

mobilized countless Koreans into military 

service, forced labor and, most infamously, 

military brothels. Today, Koreans 

rightly accuse Japanese school textbooks 

of whitewashing history, and point fingers 

at revisionist figures in the political 

Prof. dr. GobindA ChAndrA dAS 

On November 14 this year, people 

around the world will unite to 

mark the World Diabetes Day, 

the global awareness campaign of the 

diabetes community led by 

International Diabetes Federation 

(IDF). Diabetes is one of the major 

health and development challenges of 

the 21st century. No country, rich or 

poor, is immune to the epidemic. 

According to the IDF, diabetes is a leading 

cause of blindness, amputation, 

heart disease, kidney failure and early 

death. Simple action can reduce the 

risk. 

Created in 1991 by IDF and the World 

Health Organization (WHO) in 

response to growing concerns about the 

escalating health threat posed by diabetes, 

the World Diabetes Day became 

an official United Nations Day in 2006. 

It is marked every year on Nov 14, the 

birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who 

co-discovered insulin along with 

Charles Best in 1922. 

The theme for World Diabetes Day 

2019 is 'Family and Diabetes'. In 2018, 

IDF selected the same as World 

Diabetes Day theme. It indicates that 

the family is important regarding the 

disease. 

IDF says it is raising awareness of the 

impact that diabetes has on the family 

and support network of those affected, 

and promoting the role of the family in 

the management, care, prevention and 

education of diabetes. 

The issues of management, care and 

prevention of diabetes and the role of 

family regarding education on this has 

been emphasized again in campaign on 

diabetes. It is very expensive for a family 

to buy insulin and monitor the disease 

every day. So, now it is being 

regarded as an urgent issue for a family 

to acquire knowledge for preventing 

diabetes for family members. 

It may be mentioned here that though 

Nov 14 is observed as the World 

Diabetes Day every year, WHO selected 

'diabetes' as the theme of World Health 

Day three years back. It indicates how 

much importance is given to the issue of 

diabetes disease. 

There are three reasons behind placing 

emphasis on diabetes marking the 

World Health Day. Firstly, it is to raise 

awareness on increasing trend and 

health burden of diabetes and its consequences 

in lower and middle income 

countrirs. 

Secondly, it is to determine specific, 

effective amd cost-saving strategies for 

facing diabetes, which will be helpful in 

prevention, diagnosis, treatment and 

cure of diabetes. 

Thirdly, it is to place the first global 

report on diabetes, inorming us about 

the burden condition of the disease and 

its consequsnces. It would ensure monitoring 

for developing health style, 

improve preventive capacity of the disease 

and build an effective management 

of diabetes. According to a survey of 

IDF, the number of people with diabetes 

reached over 42 crore across the 

world at the momemnt. It is important 

to identify the disease. Risk increases 

manifold if it is undetected. 

In Bangladesh, the number of diabetes-affected 

people is about one crore. 

Every year 1 lakh patients is being 

added to this number. If effective measures 

are not taken to prevent diabetes, 

the number of diabetes affected people 

will cross 55 crore by the year 2030, 

apprehended experts. If a patient leads 

a disciplined life, he/she will be able to 

control diabetes, they said. 

At present, Bangladesh is in 10th position 

in the world in terms of number of 

diabetes patient. People of all ages are 

being affected by the disease mainly due 

to lack of awareness. 

It is not sufficient to control sugar 

level as part of treatment of the disease. 

It is possible to be saved from future 

complications if the problems caused 

due to increase in sugar level are 

brought under control. Changing food 

habit and regular physical labour can 

play an important role in this regard. 

It is necessary to mention here that 

intake of medicine is not sufficient to 

cure the disease. The matter of physical 

exercise is very important. 

Excess stress has a direct role in inviting 

diabetes. According to research, 

stress is a major risk factor of diabetes. 

So, join chatting with friends, listn to 

music, do meditation and neurobic gym 

and make visits in order to reduce 

stress. It is needed to refrain from 

The issues of management, care and prevention 

of diabetes and the role of family regarding 

education on this has been emphasized again in 

campaign on diabetes. it is very expensive for a 

family to buy insulin and monitor the disease 

every day. So, now it is being regarded as an 

urgent issue for a family to acquire knowledge 

for preventing diabetes for family members. 

class who play down Japanese aggression 

or - as per the narrative at the infamous 

Yasukuni Shrine Museum - paint Japan 

as a victim. They also accuse Japan of not 

apologizing sincerely, of undercutting its 

own apologies, and of not being as fulsome 

with its apologia as Germany. 

Still, Germany committed genocide. It 

is difficult to point to a former metropole 

on the global scene that has said sorry 

more, or offered more compensation to a 

former colony, than Japan has to South 

Korea. 

Japanese officials - from emperors, 

prime ministers and cabinet secretaries 

on down - have apologized scores of 

times. Tokyo has granted hundreds of 

millions of dollars in compensation packages. 

And in the public domain (if not 

textbooks), there is plentiful information, 

and debate, about Pacific War-era atrocities. 

Most problematically - and perhaps 

puzzlingly - for Washington, South 

Korean sensitivities look lopsided given 

the lack of fury aimed over the 

Demilitarized Zone. 

Japan's 35-year rule was less destructive 

(in terms of both life and property) 

than the 1950-53 Korean War initiated by 

Pyongyang. North Korea today is an isolated, 

family-run, nuclear-armed dictatorship 

that suppresses millions of 

Koreans; Japan is an open democracy 

with constitutionally trammeled armed 

forces that oppresses nobody. 

But though the dictatorship in 

Pyongyang has proved longer-lived than 

Japanese colonialism, and North Korea 

has neither apologized for nor compensated 

for the war, South Koreans despise 

Japan more than their brother nation up 

North. 

A poll for a state-run think-tank last 

week discovered that, were war to break 

out between Pyongyang and Tokyo, 

45.5% of South Koreans would help 

North Korea, and only 15.1% Japan. 

In sync with these sentiments, the leftleaning 

Moon Jae-in administration has 

focused on trying to upgrade ties with 

North Korea while firing relentless salvos 

smoking and drinking wine. 

We can do exercise and go out for regular 

walk for reducing the risk of diabetes. 

Research finding says, exercise 

increases the number of insulin receptor 

in body cell. Human body is excited 

when stress increases. Slight relaxation 

exercise and other strategies for facing 

stress can control blood sugar level. 

From a research in Yale University, 

USA it has been found that those who 

sleep regularly less than six hours at 

night are in the risk of diabetes 2 times 

more than those who sleep 8 hours. For 

sound sleep you should stop tea, coffee 

and chocolate after afternoon. Leave 

your work at office. Don't bring office 

work at home. Don't watch TV at late 

night. Keep your mobile off when you 

sleep. 

For controlling diabetes, the matter of 

maintining healthy life style has been 

against Japan. Last year, the South 

Korean state unilaterally undercut two 

bilateral deals (both packaged with related 

compensation): a 2015 agreement on 

"comfort women" and a 1965 agreement 

on forced labor. 

In response, in July this year, Tokyo 

introduced trade curbs on exports to 

South Korea - slowing, but not halting, 

the flow of key materials. 

That infuriated South Korea. Citizens 

reacted with consumer boycotts, while 

Seoul retaliated with its own trade curbs. 

Seoul then punted the dispute from the 

historical, diplomatic and economic 

spheres into the security space, announcing 

it was ending GSOMIA. 

The surprise move prompted 

Washington to aim some undiplomatic 

language against Seoul. But Seoul was 

still not finished with Tokyo. 

It complained to the International 

Olympic Committee that Tokyo would 

not ban the "Rising Sun" flag at the 2020 

Olympics, while a new lawsuit brought by 

comfort women against Tokyo kicked off 

on Wednesday in a Seoul court. 

The ever-widening rift between the capitals 

represents a major headache for the 

United States, which seeks to forge a united 

front in Northeast Asia. 

Yet however much Seoul's bottomless 

fount of anti-Japaneseism exasperates 

them, Milley and Esper would be well 

advised to restrain their voices and not 

hammer too loudly upon the negotiating 

table. First, South Korea is, geo-strategically, 

part of a critical perimeter for the 

United States - the frontline of a deeply 

echeloned Pacific defense that is layered 

back through Japan, Guam and Hawaii 

before reaching the continental US itself. 

At the epicenter of Northeast Asia, 

South Korea is also well sited as a launch 

pad to interdict the assets of regional 

American competitors such as China, 

North Korea and Russia. 

And the Moon administration has kept 

faith with its overthrown predecessor, the 

Park Geun-hye administration, and 

maintained the US Terminal High 

emphasized across the world. 

Maintaining healthy life means intake 

of healthy foods, exercise and keeping 

mind healthy. Putting pressure on mind 

should be avoided if we want healthy 

mind. 

Holistic system of treatment, the 

combination of modern technology and 

ancient natural method, has now 

become poupular for prevention and 

control of diabetes across the world. 

There are two main key factors of this 

treatment: one is taking healthy diet 

and the other is physical exercise. 

Daily food taking depends on 

patient's age, state of disease and 

his/her present situation. And the matter 

about taking physical exercise is 

miscellaneous. Before all these, meditation 

in a proper method is needed to 

control mind. 

Mental stress is the main cause of illness 

and unhappiness. To lessen the 

mental pressure it is very much important. 

It has also been stated to collect the 

ray or life power from the cosmic 

power. To gain all these is not an easy 

task at all. 

By playing a leading role for the past 

one decade in holistic treatment 

(known as natural system of treatment), 

Holistic Health Care Centre has 

brought good news for thousands of 

patients with diabetes and coronary 

artery disease. As a result, the risk of 

diabetes is reducing. And those who are 

suffering over a long time with diabetes 

are now leading a happy life. 

Many patients have been able to 

reduce the level of taking insulin and 

many others have completely stopped 

taking insulin. In Bangladesh, holistic 

treatment is working as a helpful friend 

for the patients of diabetes and coronary 

blockage. 

Recently, workshops on method of 

fully controlling diabetes within 72 

hours have been held successfully in the 

country. Many patients, who took part 

in the events, got a unique experience of 

facing diabetes by fully leaving insulin. 

The author is Director, Holistic 

Health Care Centre 43R/5C West 

Panthapath, Dhaka 

US brass parachutes into Japan-Korea conflagration 

Andrew SAlMon 

Today, Koreans rightly accuse Japanese school textbooks of 

whitewashing history, and point fingers at revisionist figures in 

the political class who play down Japanese aggression or - as 

per the narrative at the infamous Yasukuni Shrine Museum - 

paint Japan as a victim. They also accuse Japan of not apologizing 

sincerely, of undercutting its own apologies, and of not 

being as fulsome with its apologia as Germany. 

Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) antimissile 

system on Korean soil. That decision 

has come at massive national cost. 

A furious China, which asserts that 

THAAD radars can snoop on its own territory, 

has banned K-pop concerts and 

refuses to permit Korean online games. 

Korean corporations, notably Lotte 

Group, have taken a drubbing in the market. 

Looking back, South Korean soldiers 

have done what Japanese troops never 

have: Shed blood alongside GIs. After its 

joint effort with Washington in the 

Korean War, Seoul dispatched the largest 

national contingent to fight for South 

Vietnam. It subsequently deployed a 

major contingent to northern Iraq. 

Most recently, South Korea has built, 

mostly at its own cost, the massive US 

bastion in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul - 

America's largest overseas base. 

Alliance management is no easy task. 

South Korea's peculiarities, perhaps, 

make it a trickier ally than most. But its 

strategic value remains. 

If the US top brass strong-arm Seoul 

into emptying its coffers to cover joint 

defense costs, while also demanding a 

humiliating about-face on GSOMIA, they 

run significant risks. 

Currently, South Korea is one of the 

few nations on Earth where both the 

right - who admire his conservative 

stance - and the left - who admire his 

engagement with North Korean leader 

Kim Jong Un - respect US President 

Donald Trump. Meanwhile, nationalist 

furies are deployed in full cry against 

Japan. 

But if currently quiescent anti- 

Americanism - which exploded in 2002, 

after the gruesome death of two schoolgirls 

in a road accident with US troops - 

reignites alongside anti-Japaneseism, 

Washington is in uncharted waters. That 

so-far-unrealized double whammy could 

seriously endanger long-term US strategic 

interests in Northeast Asia. 

Korean conservatives already fear that 

South Korea could be leveraged away 

from maritime, democratic Northeast 

Asia - Japan and Taiwan - toward continental, 

authoritarian powers - China, 

North Korea and Russia. 

That fear is bolstered by two issues. 

Economically, China has long replaced 

the United States as South Korea's main 

trade partner. Strategically, there are 

worries that an isolationist America could 

turn its back on the region, leaving the 

field to a rising China. 

Source : Asia times

HEALTH 

THURSDAY, novemBeR 14, 2019 

5 

The sunny winter morning is here so shake off your stress and focus on staying positive. 

Photo: Alamy 

How neuroscience can help educators 

from being less stressed 

Judy Willis 

Weeks into the winter holiday, many of 

us may be experiencing the stressful 

fallout of last term. For some, this is the 

exhaustion of burnout. For others, worries 

about the upcoming school year are 

already on the horizon. But there are 

simple steps you can take to build a 

positive mindset, strengthen your 

stamina and approach the new year 

with less anxiety and greater expectations 

of success. 

The approaches I offer here come 

from my background as a neurologist 

and teacher. The methods I suggest 

have been helpful for my own students 

in overcoming exam and work stress, 

and they are useful for teachers who 

face similar challenges. 

Teachers often hold themselves 

responsible for problematic student 

behaviour, failure to cover every 

required topic in depth or not adapting 

instruction to suit the needs of individual 

students. If you feel this way, know 

that you are not alone but part of a 

growing number of dedicated and 

resourceful educators who feel 

oppressed by increasing pressure and 

dwindling resources. Teachers who 

question their ability to fulfil excessive 

demands are often those who hold 

themselves to the highest standards. 

But when circumstances limit one's 

ability to be in control, self-doubt 

builds, confidence drops and burnout 

can emerge. Start rebooting your positive 

mindset by recognising that these 

concerns are not a reflection of your 

teaching skill. 

The brain has a system that strengthens 

the memories and emotions that 

are most frequently used or experienced. 

The term for this, neuroplasticity, 

refers to the brain's ability to change 

or adapt in response to thoughts and 

experiences. A little background on 

neuroplasticity: all memory is held in 

the brain's neurons and each neuron 

only holds a tiny bit of a memory. But 

when connections form among neurons 

holding the information, it 

becomes a brain circuit holding a 

retrievable idea. Neuroplastic construction 

is the brain's response to its own 

electrical activity. As neurons communicate 

through their connections 

(axons and dendrites) the information 

travels as electrical impulses. The more 

a circuit is activated, the greater the 

neuroplastic response of constructing 

We've barely any idea how AI will predict someone's death. 

thicker, stronger and faster connections. 

Thus the expressions "neurons 

that fire together wire together" and 

"practice makes permanent." 

It is this neuroplastic response that 

builds skills when learning is practised 

and applied. However, neuroplastic 

strengthening also takes place when 

emotional circuits are activated. When 

stress is frequent, the circuit producing 

that response becomes stronger - which 

means that after repeated frustrations 

and unachieved goals, your brain 

becomes more efficient at dropping 

into its stress response mode. 

If you've repeatedly experienced failure 

in your classroom, your brain will 

have built up a strong stress response 

circuit. But you can reboot your brain 

by strengthening the circuits needed to 

activate motivation and effort. Your 

weapon of mass reconstruction comes 

from one of your brain's own chemicals 

- dopamine. The satisfaction you feel 

when you persevere through a challenge 

or achieve a goal is a response to 

an increased level of dopamine, which 

brings feelings of pleasure and heightened 

motivation. You can build a more 

positive mindset circuit simply by setting 

yourself achievable challenges. 

Photo: Burger 

AI can predict if someone 

will die soon 

Donna Lu 

Artificial intelligence can predict a 

person's chances of dying within a 

year by looking at heart test results 

- even when they look normal to 

doctors. How it does so is a mystery. 

Brandon Fornwalt at healthcare 

provider Geisinger in Pennsylvania, 

US and colleagues tasked an AI 

with examining 1.77 million electrocardiogram 

(ECG) results from 

nearly 400,000 people to predict 

who was at a higher risk of dying 

within the next year. 

An ECG records the electrical 

activity of the heart. Its pattern 

changes in cardiac conditions 

including heart attacks and atrial 

fibrillation. The team trained two 

versions of the AI: in one, the algorithm 

was only given the raw ECG 

data, which measures voltage over 

time. In the other, it was fed ECG 

data in combination with patient 

age and sex. They measured the 

AI's performance using a metric 

known as AUC, which measures 

how well a model distinguishes 

between two groups of people - in 

this case, patients who died within a 

year and those who survived. The 

AI consistently scored above 0.85, 

where a perfect score is 1 and a 

score of 0.5 indicates no distinction 

between the two groups. 

The AUCs for risk scoring models 

currently used by doctors range 

between 0.65 and 0.8, says Fornwalt. 

For comparison, the 

researchers also created an algorithm 

based on ECG features that 

doctors currently measure, such as 

certain patterns from the recordings. 

"No matter what, the voltagebased 

model was always better than 

any model you could build out of 

things that we already measure 

from an ECG," says Fornwalt. 

The AI accurately predicted risk 

of death even in people deemed by 

cardiologists to have a normal ECG. 

Three cardiologists who separately 

reviewed normal-looking ECGs 

weren't able to pick up the risk patterns 

that the AI detected. 

"That finding suggests that the 

model is seeing things that humans 

probably can't see, or at least that 

we just ignore and think are normal," 

says Fornwalt. AI can potentially 

teach us things that we've 

been maybe misinterpreting for 

decades," he says. 

It's still unclear what patterns 

the AI is picking up, which makes 

some physicians reluctant to use 

such algorithms. This research 

was based on historical data, and 

it will be important to demonstrate 

in clinical studies that such 

an algorithm improves patient 

outcomes, says collaborator 

Christopher Haggerty. The 

research will be presented at the 

American Heart Association's Scientific 

Sessions in Dallas on 

November 16. 

Healthy step-parents relationship 

are a precursor to happy family 

Lizzie Cernik 

Tales of wicked stepmothers may be 

common in storybooks, but they are 

often a far cry from reality. Despite the 

potential challenges with step-parenting, 

many children develop close bonds 

with their mum or dad's new partner. 

The actor Dakota Johnson, now 30, is 

still on great terms with her stepfather, 

Antonio Banderas, who divorced her 

mother, Melanie Griffith, in 2014. At 

the Hollywood Film awards this 

month, the Spanish actor revealed just 

how close they still are. "She calls me 

Papi, and I love that, you have no idea." 

The Fifty Shades of Grey star described 

her childhood growing up with him as 

"the most fun a kid could have". 

They may present a contrast to the 

evil step-parent stereotype we see 

depicted in movies, but they certainly 

aren't alone. Since divorcing her husband 

six years ago, Frances Rose has 

maintained a close friendship with his 

daughter, Louise. "I first met her in 

2003 when she and her siblings were 

very young," she says. "Her mum handled 

the breakup extremely well with a 

lot of maturity, which made it easier to 

get to know her children." 

Aged five at the time, Louise didn't 

realise there was anything unusual 

about her situation. "We would go to 

Frances's house with Dad and it felt 

normal to me. I grew up having two 

houses, two support systems and a 

more varied upbringing." She quickly 

formed a strong relationship with her 

new stepmother, and the family was 

close. 

When Frances's marriage broke 

down 10 years later, she was devastated 

at the prospect of losing the connection 

with her stepchildren. "You're not biologically 

related, so you don't have any 

rights," she says. "I couldn't have my 

own children, and they really felt like 

my family. After we split up, I had no 

idea what was going to happen." 

She needn't have worried because 

maintaining that relationship was 

equally important for Louise. "I think 

it's good for any couple splitting up to 

put children first. Dad was supportive 

of my decision to stay in touch with 

Frances, which made the divorce easier. 

Knowing I could see her whenever I 

wanted without anyone being upset 

was great." 

After the breakup, Louise's mother 

regularly took her to see Frances before 

she got her driving licence. "She knew 

how important she was to me. I am 

very close to my mum and feel really 

lucky to have two incredibly strong 

female influences in my life." In the 

past few years, she has been on regular 

trips to festivals and galleries with her 

former stepmother, where they bond 

over their shared love of music and 

fashion. For her 18th birthday three 

years ago, Louise was treated to a trip to 

Thailand with her mum, followed by a 

break to New York with Frances. "Ever 

since I was young, both sides of the 

family have made an effort to do things 

with us. It's almost like my family time 

gets doubled." Frances also stays in 

touch with Louise's younger brother 

and sister, but says she never wants to 

force a bond with her stepchildren. "I'm 

always here and available for them if 

they want me." It's something that resonates 

with Andy, who split up with his 

wife in 2003 after a 10-year relationship. 

Although Andy was close to his 

stepdaughter Helen (not their real 

names), he was reluctant to push their 

relationship too hard after the divorce. 

"When my ex-partner and I got together, 

Helen was 16 and quite grown up," 

he says. "She's a wonderful person, so 

laid-back and respectful. We got on 

very well." 

The couple had been living in South 

Africa, but Helen was based in the UK 

when they separated. "I was really disappointed 

at the thought of not being 

able to spend time with her again, but I 

didn't want to risk coming between her 

and her mum or damaging that relationship." 

However, Helen was keen to 

reach out to her stepfather. 

A few years after the split, she visited 

Durban to see him. "She made a point 

of coming to see me, which was wonderful," 

he says. "I was so happy to 

spend time with her and properly 

reconnect." 

The visit wasn't long after the death of 

Helen's father, who Andy had been 

friends with throughout his marriage. 

"Years earlier, I had lent her dad some 

money. After he died, Helen not only 

reimbursed me, but also gave me some 

extra money from her inheritance. She 

didn't have to give me anything and it 

wasn't something I was ever expecting." 

They now chat regularly on WhatsApp, 

and Helen goes to visit Andy 

whenever she is in South Africa. "She is 

just a fantastic person to be around," he 

says. For stepfamilies, making the 

choice to stay in contact after a breakup 

is important. "Even though I don't 

speak to my ex-husband, Louise and I 

have formed a better friendship on our 

own terms since we split up," says 

Frances. "She is such a go-getter, and 

really career focused. We may not be 

related but I see parts of myself in her." 

While they were always close, Louise 

believes that the lack of pressure to 

spend time together has helped their 

relationship. "I don't think we would be 

as close as we are now if she hadn't split 

up with my dad. I am grateful to her for 

supporting me and making me feel like 

I can be independent and strong." 

When Frances remarried in 2017, all 

three of her former stepchildren joined 

the celebrations. "It was really nice to 

have them there with me. I've now got 

two adult stepchildren with my new 

partner and I get on well with them, 

too." 

Like Frances, Amanda Kane loves 

spending time with her stepson Daniel, 

despite splitting up with his father in 

2011. "The first time I met Dan, he travelled 

with us from his home in Ipswich 

to his dad's house in Preston. He was 

only six at the time, so it must have 

been a bit daunting." As soon as they 

were introduced, she invested time in 

their relationship, taking him on walks 

and trips to the cinema. 

"I remember being really excited to 

go up north," he says. "When I first got 

Dakota Johnson being carried by her stepfather Antonio 

Banderas in 1998. 

Photo: Ron Galella 

to know Amanda, we did lots of fun 

activities together. I really appreciate 

the effort she made with me while I was 

growing up because it benefited me so 

much." 

As Daniel got older, the couple 

moved to Norwich so they could spend 

more time with him. Over the years, 

their bond continued to develop, and 

he became closer to Amanda than his 

biological dad. By the time the couple 

split up, Daniel was in his early 20s. 

"There was never any doubt that I 

would carry on seeing Amanda. It's like 

I've grown up with two mums, and I am 

really close to them both. My mum 

offers me lots of emotional support and 

Amanda has always helped to drive me 

to succeed in what I do." 

Although she was initially worried 

about not seeing Daniel and his grandparents, 

Amanda has kept in touch. 

Since the divorce, she has enjoyed plenty 

of nights out with her stepson, and 

even took him to his first Download festival. 

Eight years on, Daniel has a child 

of his own, and she and her new partner 

regularly go for meals with his family. 

"We treat him and his partner to 

dinner and go to see his son. I am really 

proud of him. He's such a lovely dad." 

Many people who form close bonds 

with their stepchildren say that amicable 

relationships with their biological 

parents are important. 

Avoid sleeping in your make up 

Amy Fleming 

"A lot of my acne patients think that, 

because they have oily skin, they can't 

use a moisturiser," says Bav Shergill, a 

consultant dermatologist based in Sussex. 

But if you scrub the oils off your 

skin, it will end up producing more to 

compensate. "Moisturise your skin so 

that it is well hydrated and that will 

turn off your oil production more effectively 

than trying to scrub away the oil." 

"The usual suspects are sunscreens," 

says Erica MacCallum of facialists Eve 

Lom in New York. So if you use one daily, 

look for one labelled non-comedogenic 

(non-clogging) or oil-free. "And 

never sleep in your makeup." 

Sandy Skotnicki, a dermatologist 

based in Toronto, says that even hair 

products - "in particular argan and 

coconut oils" - can contribute to facial 

acne, so "it is important to wash them 

out before you sleep". 

Washing your face will help to get rid of spots. 

Photo: Chakrapong Worathat 

Exfoliation will help to keep pores 

clear and Shergill recommends skin 

products with 2% salicylic acid "and a 

little more glycolic acid, which can help 

exfoliate dead skin cells that could 

cause blockages". 

"People think acne is an infection, but 

it's not," says Shergill. "It is inflammation 

of the skin that allows an overgrowth 

of bacteria. The body tries to kill 

the bugs and causes the big red reaction, 

which is the spot." If one lasts for 

longer than 10 days, it can scar. "We 

need to get on and treat spots when 

they come up," says Shergill. "We often 

use drugs such as benzoyl peroxide. If 

you prefer an alternative treatment, 

tea-tree oil can be effective." As well as 

killing germs, tea tree has anti-inflammatory 

properties. To avoid irritation, 

Shergill recommends diluting it to 5%. 

"Never squeeze a spot," says Shergill. 

"The spots will express themselves 

when you wash your face." And squeezing 

"blind spots", where skin has grown 

over the top, is futile and can lead to 

scarring. 

When you eat cake, or other high-glycaemic-index 

(GI) foods, you are likely 

to produce extra insulin. There is evidence, 

says Shergill, that high-GI diets 

and insulin spikes "correlate with facial 

serum excretion - you make more oil. 

Whereas a low-glycaemic-load diet significantly 

reduces lesion counts. So a 

low-glycaemic-index diet is apparently 

very effective."

NATIONAL 

THURSDAY, NOvEMBER 14, 2019 

6 

Joypurhat Sadar Upazail Nirbahi Officer Milton Chandra Roy as the chief guest addressed a discussion 

marking the 49th founding anniversary of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh 

(IDEB) and Mass Engineering Day in Joypurhat on Wednesday. 

Photo: Masrakul Alom 

Joypurhat IDEB holds rally, 

discussion meeting 

Masrakul Alom, Joypurhat Correspondent: The 49th 

founding anniversary of the Institution of Diploma 

Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) and Mass Engineering Day 

were held in Joypurhat on Wednesday. Marking the occasion 

a grand rally and a discussion meeting organized by 

Joypurhat Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh 

(IDEB) were held. 

The rally was brought out from town hall (Zila Parishad 

auditorium) which paraded the main streets of the town. 

Earlier a discussion meeting was held at town hall which 

Fire Service and 

Civil Defense Week 

ends in Gaibandha 

GAIBANDHA: Fire 

Service and Civil Defense 

(FSCD) Week-2019 ended in 

the district on Tuesday with 

a call to create mass 

awareness to prevent fire 

incidents and other 

disasters, reports BSS. 

Marking the week, FSCD 

office here chalked out 

elaborate programmes 

included leaflet distribution, 

pasting posters, discussion 

meeting, vehicle rally in the 

district town, inspection of 

fire extinguishing equipment, 

volunteers gathering, 

certificate distribution, mock 

drill display and arrangement 

of cultural function. 

On Tuesday afternoon, a 

concluding ceremony was 

also held on the office 

premises of the town here 

with station officer Bakhtiar 

Uddin in the chair while 

deputy assistant director 

Amirul Islam Sarker 

addressed the function as the 

chief guest. Station officer of 

Palashbair upazila FSCD 

office and team leader Abu 

Taher spoke at the function, 

among others. Earlier, 

deputy commissioner Abdul 

Matin formally inaugurated 

the FSCD Week-2019 on 

Wednesday last as the chief 

guest and police super 

Towhidul Islam was present 

at the event as the special 

guest. 

was chaired by Joypurhat IDEB president engineer 

Rezaul Alam Siddique while Joypurhat Sadar Upazail 

Nirbahi Officer Milton Chandra Roy was present as the 

chief guest at the occasion. Among others, Principal of 

Joypurhat Govt. Technical College engineer Shariful 

Islam, vice president of IDEB district committee engineer 

Nadim Hossain, finance secretary engineer Mostafizur 

Rahman, organizing secretary Bipul Kumar Saha and 

research and IT secretary engineer Haider Ali were also 

present at the occasion. 

Jubo League celebrates 47th founding 

anniversary in Moulvibazar 

Moulvibazar Correspondent: Jubo League, youth wing of ruling Awami League, 

celebrated its 47th founding anniversary in a befitting manner in Moulvibazar on Wednesday. 

Marking the occasion, various programmes including a grand rally was brought out. 

Marking the occasion, Moulvibazar District Jubo League brought out a rally from the 

premises of Shaheed Minar which paraded the main streets of the town. Later Awami League 

General Secretary Mishbauer Rahman cut a cake at a temporary stage. During the time, 

District Awami League Vice-President Ajmal Hossain, Joint Secretary and Upazila Chairman 

Md Kamal Hossain, Joint Secretary and Municipal Mayor Md. Fazlur Rahman, Organizing 

Secretary Ajay Sen, District Jubo League President Nahid Ahmed and General Secretary Syed 

Rezaul Rahman Suman Rezaur Rali, Tanti League general secretary Liaquat Ali, former 

general secretary of Chhatra League Saifur Rahman Roni, Chhatra League President Amir 

Hossain Chowdhury and General Secretary Mahbub Alam were among others also present at 

the occasion. 

In observance of the 47th founding anniversary of Jubo League, a grand 

rally was brought out in Moulvibazar on Wednesday. Photo: TBT 

Experts for promoting education 

on reproductive health 

42 taxpayers 

accorded 

reception in 

Rajshahi 

RAJSHAHI: National 

Board of Revenue (NBR) 

has accorded a reception 

to 42 highest taxpayers in 

seven categories here 

yesterday as recognition to 

their contribution to boost 

the national revenue, 

reports BSS. 

On the occasion, 

Commissioner's Office of 

Rajshahi Income Tax Zone 

hosted a divisional level 

reception and crest-giving 

function at Shaheed AHM 

Kamaruzzaman Zila 

Parishad Auditorium with 

the main thrust of 

inspiring the taxpayers to 

pay more tax and boosting 

the number of taxpayers. 

A large number of 

taxpayers including 

members of the civil 

society, professional 

leaders and tax lawyers 

were present at the 

function. 

Commissioner of 

Rajshahi division 

Humayun Kabir 

Khondokar and Customs, 

Excise and VAT 

Commissioner Lutfor 

Rahman addressed the 

ceremony as chief and 

special guests respectively 

with Dr Khandakar 

Ferdous 

Alam, 

Commissioner of Income 

Taxes, in the chair. 

Tax 

Appellate 

Commissioner Md Masud, 

Joint Commissioner 

Ashique Rana, President 

of Rajshahi Chamber of 

Commerce and Industries 

Md Muniruzzaman and 

President of Income tax 

Lawyers Association 

Mozaharul Haque also 

spoke. 

Humayun Kabir 

underscored the need for 

creating mass awareness 

about more income tax 

collection in the greater 

interest of making the 

country economically selfreliant. 

He said many of the 

affordable people of the 

society are still afraid of 

income tax payment due 

to misconception and 

wrong counseling by 

frauds. 

Many people earn higher 

incomes in urban and semi 

urban areas and other 

places, but they do not pay 

taxes due to lack of 

awareness, he added. 

"We have no alternative 

to enhance tax collection 

for 

successful 

implementation of the 

need-based development 

programs for overall 

development of the 

nation," he opined. 

In his remarks, Income 

Tax Commissioner Dr 

Ferdous Alam gave an 

outline of the tax 

collection in the region 

and attributed that the 

number of taxpayers are 

being increased gradually, 

which is a good sign for the 

nation. 

BCG detains 1 with Myanmar 

currencies, hemp 

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard East Zone detained a drug peddler Md. Rubel, 27, along 

with 50 grams of hemp, 50,000 kyat (currency of Myanmar), 2 mobile phones and 1 

Myanmar sim card on Wednesday. Bangladesh Coast Guard arrested the drug dealer for 

allegedly selling drugs from east side of St. Martin's, a press release said. 

The detained drug peddler has long been involved in drug trade in various areas of St. 

Martin. The arrested drug dealer, Rubel, 27, is the son of the deceased Abdur Rashid, from 

Hajirpara area of Ramganj under Lakshipur district. It is to be noted that Coast Guard East 

Zone media officer Lt. Shah Zia confirmed the incident, saying that during investigation the 

drug dealer confessed that the hemps were for selling. The detained drug peddler and seized 

goods are in the process of being transferred to the Teknaf police station for further 

investigation. 

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard East Zone detained a drug peddler 

along hemps and Myanmar currencies from St. Martin's on Wednesday. 

Photo: Courtesy 

BGB detains 3 gold smugglers along 

with 16 gold bars in Benapole 

Jahirul Islam Ripon, Benapole Correspondent: Border guard Bangladesh (BGB) 

arrested three gold smugglers along with 3.5 KG (16 pieces) gold bars in separate drives in 

Amrakhali, Daulotpur and Ghiba Bordering area of Benapole Port police station on yesterday 

(Wednesday) noon while smuggling to India. 

The arrestees were identified as Rabiul Islam 36, son of Monir Uddin of RN Road area of 

Jessore, Dilip Kumar,30, son of late Gahor Kumar of Ghiba village and Minara Khatun, 25, 

wife of Ramzan Ali, a local resident of Barachara village. They were smuggling gold to India 

for money for a long time, the BGB said. 

49 BGB deputy commanding officer Major Nazrul Islam said that from a reliable source 

three BGB patrols team conducted a drive in Amrakhali area and arrested Rabiul Islam along 

with 8 pieces (785 grams) gold bars Dilip Kumer arrested with 2 pieces (2 Kgs) gold bars from 

Ghiba border and Monira Khatun was held with 6 pieces (700 grams) gold bar from 

Daulatpur border. 

The value of the gold is TK. 1 crore 75 lakh BGB added. 

The detainees were handed over to Benapole Port Police Station after the investigation. 

Three cases were filed with Benapoel Port police station. 

Members of Border guard Bangladesh (BGB) in a drive arrested a gold 

smuggler along with 8 pieces of gold bars from Amrakhali area on 

Benapole. 

Photo: Jahirul Islam Ripon 

RANGPUR: Health experts at a 

meeting here yesterday said lifeoriented 

and health education are 

crucial for adolescents for proper 

grooming up that eventually would 

help build a healthy nation, reports 

BSS. 

They expressed the view at the 

orientation meeting on 'Adolescent 

Reproductive Health and Life Skill' 

organised by the Maternal and Child 

Health (MCH) Services Unit of the 

Directorate General of Family 

Planning (DGFP) at a local hotel. 

The Civil Surgeons, Upazila Health 

and Family Planning Officers, 

Medical Officers, executives of 

Organisation of Gynecological Society 

of Bangladesh (OGSB), Bangladesh 

Medical Association (BMA) and 

NGOs, Heads of different secondary 

level educational institutions, 

religious leaders, adolescents and 

officials of different departments of 

Rangpur and Kurigram participated. 

Divisional Director (Health) Dr. 

Mostafa Khaled Ahmed attended the 

meeting as chief guest with Deputy 

Director of the Department of Family 

Planning (DFP) for Rangpur Dr. 

Sheikh Md. Saidul Islam in the chair. 

Regional Consultant of Family 

Planning Clinical Supervision and 

Quality Improvement Team of the 

DFP for Rangpur Dr. Ahmed Munaf 

Chowdhury narrated objectives of the 

event. 

Program Manager (Adolescent 

Reproductive Health) of the MCH 

Services Unit of DGFP Dr. Md. Joynal 

Haque discussed on "Present status of 

adolescents in Bangladesh and steps 

taken by the government for 

providing adolescent health services" 

in the meeting. 

President of Rangpur BMA Dr. 

Delwar Hossain, Deputy Director of 

the DFP for Kurigram Dr. Md. Nazrul 

Islam, Civil Surgeon for Rangpur Dr. 

Hirombo Kumar Roy, President of 

Rangpur unit of OGSB Professor Dr. 

Ferdousi Sultana addressed. 

The speakers discussed the 

importance of proper learning about 

reproductive health by adolescents 

since beginning of their physical and 

mental changes and creating 

awareness among parents to stand 

beside their children during puberty. 

They said adolescents' face 

challenges like - sexual, reproductive 

and mental health, violence and 

nutrition - due to lack of knowledge 

about using hygienic sanitary napkins 

which causes sexually transmitted 

diseases. 

They laid emphasis on inclusive 

GO-NGO efforts involving all 

stakeholders for proper 

implementation of the National 

Strategy for Adolescent Health 2017- 

2030 to ensure adolescent-friendly 

health services for normal growth of 

adolescents. 

The chief guest stressed the need for 

ensuring life skills-based education 

on reproductive health for 

adolescents to assist them in taking 

realistic decisions at tougher 

moments in life and inspire others in 

following their footsteps. 

The speakers discussed the 

importance of proper learning about 

reproductive health by adolescents 

since beginning of their physical and 

mental changes and creating 

awareness among parents to stand 

beside their children during puberty. 

"Parents should be aware of 

behavioral changes of adolescents 

and save them from addiction to 

playing games using electronic 

devices and educate on reproductive 

health, food habits, hygiene, 

sanitation and social values for 

making better citizens," he said. 

On the occasion of Eid-e-Miladunnabi a three-day programme was organized by Shingergari 

ZohuriaDarbar Sharif of in various areas of Nilphamari and Rangpur district recently. Marking the 

occasion, a grand rally, discussion meeting, seminar and doa mahfil were held. Photo: Courtesy

INTERNATIONAL 

THURSDAY, NoVemBeR 14, 2019 

7 

A photographer sets a white balance in the hearing room where the House will begin public 

impeachment inquiry hearings Wednesday, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 

2019. With the bang of a gavel, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff will open the 

hearings into President Donald Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe 

Biden's family. 

Photo : AP 

Impeachment hearings go live 

on TV with first witnesses 

The closed doors of the Trump 

impeachment investigation are swinging 

wide open. 

When the gavel strikes at the start of 

the House hearing Wednesday morning, 

America and the rest of the world 

will have the chance to see and hear for 

themselves for the first time about 

President Donald Trump's actions 

toward Ukraine and consider whether 

they are, in fact, impeachable offenses, 

reports UNB. 

It's a remarkable moment, even for a 

White House full of them. 

All on TV, committee leaders will set 

the stage, then comes the main feature: 

Two seasoned diplomats, William Taylor, 

the graying former infantry officer 

now charge d'affaires in Ukraine, and 

George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary 

in Washington, telling the striking, 

if sometimes complicated story of a 

president allegedly using foreign policy 

for personal and political gain ahead of 

the 2020 election. 

So far, the narrative is splitting Americans, 

mostly along the same lines as 

Trump's unusual presidency. The Constitution 

sets a dramatic, but vague, bar 

for impeachment, and there's no consensus 

yet that Trump's actions at the 

heart of the inquiry meet the threshold 

of "high crimes and misdemeanors." 

Whether Wednesday's proceedings 

begin to end a presidency or help 

secure Trump's position, it's certain 

Israeli strikes kill 

2 Gaza militants; 

death toll now at 12 

Israeli airstrikes killed two 

Islamic Jihad militants in 

Gaza on Wednesday as rocket 

fire toward Israel resumed 

after a brief overnight lull, 

raising the death toll in Gaza 

to 12 Palestinians in the 

heaviest round of fighting in 

months, reports UNB. 

The Israeli military said 

more than 250 rockets have 

been fired at Israeli communities 

since the violence 

erupted after an Israeli 

airstrike killed a senior 

Islamic Jihad commander 

accused of being the mastermind 

of recent attacks. 

Schools remained closed 

in Israeli communities near 

the Gaza border as rockets 

continued to rain down, 

albeit in lesser ferocity that 

during the relentless barrage 

the previous day. 

But in a sign that the current 

round could be brief, 

Gaza's Hamas rulers have 

yet to enter the fray. 

Although larger and more 

powerful than the Iranianbacked 

Islamic Jihad, 

Hamas is also more pragmatic. 

With Gaza's economy 

in tatters, it appears to have 

little desire for another 

round of fighting with Israel. 

Egypt, which frequently 

mediates between Israel and 

Gaza militants, has been 

working to de-escalate tensions, 

according to officials 

in Cairo. 

Seeking to keep the outburst 

under control, the 

Israeli military has restricted 

its operations to Islamic 

Jihad, and nearly all the 

casualties so far are members 

of the militant group. 

that his chaotic term has finally arrived 

at a place he cannot control and a force, 

the constitutional system of checks and 

balances, that he cannot ignore. 

The country has been here just three 

times before, and never against the 

backdrop of social media and real-time 

commentary, including from the president 

himself. 

"These hearings will address subjects 

of profound consequence for the 

Nation and the functioning of our government 

under the Constitution," said 

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, 

the chairman of the Intelligence 

Committee leading the inquiry, in a 

memo to lawmakers. 

Schiff called it a "solemn undertaking," 

and counseled colleagues to 

"approach these proceedings with the 

seriousness of purpose and love of 

country that they demand." 

"Total impeachment scam," tweeted 

the president, as he does virtually every 

day. 

Impeachments are rare, historians 

say, because they amount to nothing 

short of the nullification of an election. 

Starting down this road poses risks for 

both Democrats and Republicans as 

proceedings push into the 2020 campaign. 

Unlike the Watergate hearings and 

Richard Nixon, there is not yet a "cancer 

on the presidency" moment galvanizing 

public opinion. Nor is there the 

national shrug, as happened when Bill 

Clinton's impeachment ultimately didn't 

result in his removal from office. It's 

perhaps most like the partisanshipinfused 

impeachment of Andrew Johnson 

after the Civil War. 

Trump calls the whole thing a "witch 

hunt," a retort that echoes Nixon's own 

defense. Republicans say Democrats 

have been trying to get rid of this president 

since he first took office, starting 

with former special counsel Robert 

Mueller's investigation into Russian 

interference to help Trump in the 2016 

election. 

Democratic House Speaker Nancy 

Pelosi was initially reluctant to launch a 

formal impeachment inquiry. As 

Democrats took control of the House in 

January, Pelosi said impeachment 

would be "too divisive" for the country. 

Trump, she said, was simply "not worth 

it." 

After Mueller's appearance on Capitol 

Hill in July for the end of the Russia 

probe, the door to impeachment proceedings 

seemed closed. 

But the next day Trump got on the 

phone. 

For the past month, witness after witness 

has testified under oath about his 

July 25 phone call with Ukraine's newly 

elected president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 

and the alarms it set off in U.S. 

diplomatic and national security 

circles. 

Delhi’s air “severely” 

polluted 

Air quality in Delhi and surrounding areas 

once again turned to "severe" category on 

Wednesday morning, even as the overall Air 

Quality Index (AQI) hovered around 500. 

According to the "System of Air Quality 

Weather Forecasting and Research 

(SAFAR)", an AQI between 0-50 is 

termed as "Good," 50-100 as "Satisfactory," 

100-200 is considered as "Moderate," 

200-300 as "Poor," 300-400 as 

"Very Poor," and 400-500 is described 

as "Severe," and above 500 is categorised 

as "Emergency." 

Some areas near Delhi like Gurugram in 

neighbouring state of Haryana witnessed an 

AQI above 500, posing an "Emergency" situation, 

reports UNB. Noida, a city in neighbouring 

state of Uttar Pradesh also recorded 

an AQI of above 500. 

According to media reports, the prevailing 

air quality conditions in and around the Indian 

capital may lead to serious health problems 

like respiratory diseases and even heart 

ailments. The main reason attributed to the 

deteriorated air quality is the burning of 

crops residues by farmers in northern state 

of Punjab and Haryana. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal 

tweeted on Monday "We should stop stubble 

burning. People are suffering immensely. 

The Supreme Court has also directed. Pollution 

has again started increasing in Delhi due 

to stubble burning after some respite last 

week." 

Air quality in Delhi and surrounding areas once again turned to "severe" 

category on Wednesday morning, even as the overall Air Quality Index 

(AQI) hovered around 500. 

Photo : AP 

Police raise 

security around 

Hong Kong after 

night clashes 

Police increased security 

around Hong Kong and its 

university campuses 

Wednesday as they braced 

for more violence after sharp 

clashes overnight with antigovernment 

protesters, 

reports UNB. 

Many subway and rail stations 

were closed after the 

protesters blocked commutes 

and vandalized trains. 

Classes were suspended at 

universities, and parents of 

school students advised they 

could keep their children 

home. 

Police and protesters battled 

on multiple fronts 

overnight at the Chinese 

University of Hong Kong. 

Gasoline bombs and fires lit 

the nighttime scene, and the 

situation remained tense in 

the morning and early afternoon. 

A police official warned 

protesters were carrying out 

"insane acts" and Hong 

Kong was on the brink of a 

total breakdown after more 

than five months of protests. 

"Our society has been 

pushed to the brink of a total 

breakdown," Senior Police 

Superintendent Kong Wingheung 

said late Tuesday. 

He said Hong Kong's mass 

transit system and subway, 

known as MRT, was under 

stress from acts of violence 

and vandalism. 

"Masked rioters have lost 

control and committed 

insane acts like throwing 

trash, bicycles and large 

objects onto MTR tracks, 

hanging trash on overhead 

power lines," he added. 

Groups of riot police were 

deployed around central 

Hong Kong and its outlying 

territories to try and contain 

new violence, even as students 

at the Chinese University 

- located in the outskirts 

of the sprawling metropolis - 

prepared for new clashes 

with police. Many were 

armed with gasoline bombs 

while some carried bows 

and arrows. 

Crowd gathers in central 

Hong Kong, university 

campus tense 

Police increased security around Hong Kong 

and its university campuses Wednesday as 

they braced for more violence after sharp 

clashes overnight with anti-government protesters, 

reports UNB. 

Many subway and rail stations were closed 

for the morning commute as protesters 

blocked train doors from closing and vandalized 

train cars. Classes were suspended at 

universities, and parents of school students 

were advised they could keep their children 

home. 

Police subdued a few protesters as a 

crowd gathered for a third straight day in a 

central business and high-end retail district, 

public broadcaster RTHK reported. 

Both protesters and police remained in the 

area, and office workers watched from the 

sidewalks. 

Farther afield, students and others at the 

Chinese University of Hong Kong hunkered 

down for another possible clash with 

police. Gasoline bombs and fires lit up 

parts of the campus the previous night, as 

police battled back with tear gas and rubber 

bullets. 

Security Secretary John Lee said the use of 

force was needed to gain control of a bridge 

from which protesters were dropping objects 

onto a roadway below. 

"The police have a duty to ensure public 

safety is maintained," he told reporters. 

"That's why we had to take charge of the 

bridge formerly controlled by the protesters." 

Before the evening violence, a police official 

warned protesters were carrying out 

"insane acts" and Hong Kong was on the 

brink of a total breakdown after more than 

five months of protests. 

"Our society has been pushed to the brink 

of a total breakdown," Senior Police Superintendent 

Kong Wing-heung said late Tuesday. 

He said Hong Kong's mass transit system 

and subway, known as MRT, was strained by 

violence and vandalism. 

"Masked rioters have lost control and committed 

insane acts like throwing trash, bicycles 

and large objects onto MTR tracks, 

hanging trash on overhead power lines," he 

added. 

Groups of riot police were deployed 

around central Hong Kong and its outlying 

territories to try and contain new violence. 

Many students at CUHK, in the outskirts of 

the sprawling metropolis, were armed with 

gasoline bombs while some carried bows and 

arrows. 

Police increased security around Hong Kong and its university campuses 

Wednesday as they braced for more violence after sharp clashes overnight 

with anti-government protesters. 

Photo : AP 

As Hong Kong descends into 

chaos, China mulls its options 

A sharp escalation of violence in Hong 

Kong is once again raising the question 

of how China's central government will 

respond: Will it intervene, or allow the 

chaos to persist? 

The Liaison Office, which represents 

mainland authorities in Hong Kong, 

said Wednesday that actions in the 

semi-autonomous territory were "slipping 

into the abyss of terrorism." It 

pointed out that a man was set on fire 

Monday during an argument with 

demonstrators, leaving him in critical 

condition, reports UNB. 

On the same day, a police officer shot 

a protester who was then taken to a 

hospital, also in critical condition. 

The unabating tumult, now in its 

sixth month, may give China's ruling 

Communist Party the justification it 

needs to take more direct action, analysts 

said. 

"Beijing is hoping that the Hong 

Kong community will start blaming the 

protesters and support the restoration 

of order," said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a 

political science professor at Hong 

Kong Baptist University. 

The central government must wait 

for the right moment to step in, 

Cabestan said, adding that if China acts 

before public opinion is fully on its side, 

it could exacerbate existing discontent. 

While the movement began peacefully 

in June to oppose a now-withdrawn 

extradition bill, it has been increasingly 

defined by smaller groups of hard-core 

demonstrators bent on sowing chaos. 

Their actions, which have included setting 

cars on fire and smashing storefronts, 

have alienated many residents. 

The Liaison Office described the act 

of setting the man on fire as "flagrant 

terrorism," and pledged support for 

Hong Kong authorities taking measures 

to curb "various illegal acts of violence 

and acts of terrorism." 

Whereas Chinese authorities previously 

called the demonstrators "rioters" 

with behavior "close to terrorism," they 

are now calling them "murderers" and 

tying them more explicitly to terrorism. 

This label may presage more severe 

enforcement measures and impact how 

demonstrators are ultimately prosecuted. 

A former British colony, Hong Kong 

was returned to China in 1997 under 

the framework of "one country, two 

systems," a policy that promises Hong 

Kong certain democratic rights not 

granted to the mainland. But the 

arrests of pro-democracy activists and 

booksellers in recent years have raised 

fears among Hong Kong residents that 

Beijing is encroaching on the city's freedoms. 

During a key meeting of the party's 

Central Committee at the end of 

October, Chinese leaders proposed 

establishing and strengthening the 

"legal system and enforcement mechanism 

for safeguarding national security" 

in special administrative regions 

like Hong Kong and Macao. 

A meeting summary from China's 

official Xinhua news agency did not 

elaborate on what this would entail, but 

Chinese officials have variously pointed 

to Article 14, Article 18 and Article 23 of 

the Basic Law, Hong Kong's de facto 

constitution. 

Sri Lankan journalists fear situation 

may worsen after polls 

Forced to flee their country a 

decade ago to escape 

allegedly state-sponsored 

killer squads, Sri Lankan 

journalists living in exile 

doubt they'll be able to 

return home soon or see justice 

served to their tormentors 

- whose alleged ringleader 

could come to power 

in this weekend's presidential 

election, reports UNB. 

Exiled journalists and 

media rights groups are 

expressing disappointment 

over the current government's 

failure in punishing 

those responsible for crimes 

committed against media 

members during President 

Mahinda Rajapaksa's tenure 

from 2005 to 2015. 

And with Rajapaksa's 

younger brother Gotabaya 

Rajapaksa - the former 

defense chief suspected of 

being behind the attacks - 

favored to win Saturday's 

election, they do not believe 

the situation will change 

anytime soon. 

The current government 

led by President Maithripala 

Sirisena came to power in 

2015 and promised to end 

impunity on crimes against 

journalists and media 

organizations. But more 

than four years later, police 

investigations still have not 

led to any convictions on 

media attacks. "We are not 

satisfied with the measures 

taken by this government in 

probing the attacks on 

media," said Duminda Sampath, 

president of the Sri 

Lanka Working Journalists 

Association, the largest 

media organization in the 

country, adding that "none 

of the culprits accused of 

attacks on media have so far 

been exposed or punished." 

During Mahinda Rajapaksa's 

time as president, several 

journalists were assassinated 

by unidentified killers, 

while others were abducted 

in mysterious white vans 

and tortured before being 

either killed or released. The 

abductions and killings took 

place during the final years 

of Sri Lanka's long civil war, 

which ended in 2009. While 

there are no proper records 

to show how many were 

abducted or killed, Sampath 

said around 60 journalists 

fled the country during this 

period out of fear for their 

lives. 

The abductions of journalists 

and critics of the government 

in the white vans was a 

symbol of oppression during 

the presidency of Mahinda 

Rajapaksa, who is credited 

with ending the quarter century-long 

civil war. The war 

ended with the military 

crushing the Tamil Tiger 

rebels.

ART & CULTURE 

THURSDAY, 

NOVeMBeR 14, 2019 

8 

'Friends' Reunion Special in 

the Works at HBO Max 

Charlie's Angels (2019) 

When a young systems engineer blows the whistle on a 

dangerous technology, Charlie's Angels are called into 

action, putting their lives on the line to protect us all. 

Director : Elizabeth Banks 

Writers : Elizabeth Banks (screenplay), Evan 

Spiliotopoulos 

Stars : Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, 

Ella Balinska 

Release : 15 November, 2019 (USA) 

The still from 'Friends' 

Sources tell The Hollywood 

Reporter that a deal is far from 

done but the full cast and 

creators would participate. 

As mega-hit Friends continues 

to celebrate its 25th anniversary, 

sources tell The Hollywood 

Reporter that the six core stars 

and the creators of the NBC 

comedy from Warner Bros. TV are 

in talks to reunite on HBO Max. 

Talks are currently underway for 

an unscripted reunion special that 

would feature Jennifer Aniston, 

Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt 

LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and 

David Schwimmer, as well as 

series creators David Crane and 

Marta Kauffman. Sources caution 

that a deal is far from done and 

agreements with cast and creatives 

still need to be hammered out. 

When and if deals are completed, 

the challenge then becomes 

sorting out everyone's schedules. 

Of course, the talks could fizzle and 

the whole concept could fall apart. 

HBO Max and producers 

WBTV declined comment. 

News of a reunion special 

arrives as Friends has found new 

audiences at its streaming home 

on Netflix. The series is officially 

leaving the streamer at year's end 

and will make its debut on 

WarnerMedia-backed HBO Max 

when that $15 monthly 

Styled by Shaleena Nathani, 

the red puff sleeve dress was 

rounded out with matching 

lipstick, filled-in eyebrows and a 

hint of glitter on the eyelids. 

Deepika Padukone has a 

chosen set of colours she almost 

always falls back upon. One of the 

colours is white, and the other is 

red. So it comes as no surprise 

that the Piku actor was recently 

spotted in a red dress from the 

label Rosie Assoulin. Styled by 

Shaleena Nathani, the coldshouldered 

puff sleeve dress was 

rounded out with matching 

lipstick, filled-in eyebrows and a 

hint of glitter on the eyelids. 

The actor’s fondness for the 

outfit (and of course the colour!) 

was revealed as she shared on 

Instagram, “RED- is the colour 

subscription platform launches at 

a date to be determined. Sources 

say WarnerMedia paid $85 

million per year for five years 

($425 million) to reclaim 

streaming rights to Friends for its 

own platform. (Netflix, for its part, 

paid $80 million to $100 million 

to keep Friends on its service for 

2019 and was ultimately outbid by 

Warner Media.) 

Sources note that 

WarnerMedia Entertainment and 

direct-to-consumer chairman Bob 

Greenblatt has been the driving 

force pushing for the Friends 

reunion, which would pair well 

with HBO Max's debut and the 

comedy's new streaming home. 

Sources say that the cast is willing 

to do it is an accomplishment in 

and of itself. 

The cast and creators, for their 

part, have remained steadfast over 

the years since the series wrapped its 

10-season run that they would not 

do any sort of scripted revival. NBC 

staged a mini-Friends reunion in 

2016 as part of a special honoring 

legendary director and producer 

James Burrows. Five of the six stars 

— save for Perry — participated in 

the look back that also featured the 

casts of Will & Grace, Cheers and 

The Big Bang Theory. 

For her part, Aniston on Oct. 27 

shot down word of a Friends 

reboot (with a flat-out "no") but 

did tell daytime host Ellen 

DeGeneres, "We would love for 

there to be something, but we 

don't know what that something 

is. So we're just trying. We're 

working on something." 

Aniston returned to television 

with the Nov. 1 premiere of Apple 

TV+'s The Morning Show. The 

drama marks her first TV series 

regular role since she wrapped 

Friends. (On The Morning Show, 

Aniston stars opposite her Friends 

onscreen sister, Reese 

Witherspoon.) The actress also 

recently joined Instagram by 

posting a recent photo of her 

reuniting with her Friends co-stars. 

Friends producer Warner Bros. 

TV has been busy with a series of 

events to celebrate the show's 

25th anniversary this year, with 

replica couches placed at 

landmarks across the globe, popups 

of Central Perk, special 

theatrical screenings of beloved 

episodes and more. 

A Friends reunion would 

immediately provide the kind of 

must-see TV that an upstart 

streaming service like HBO Max 

would want. Disney, for example, 

on Tuesday launched its 

streaming service with its highly 

anticipated Star Wars scripted 

drama The Mandalorian. 

Source : hollywoodreporter.com 

Deepika says red increases heart 

rate, Ranveer Singh and we agree 

that makes people hungry. Red 

also instantly attracts attention, 

makes people excited, energetic 

and increases heart rate! All of 

the things I’m going for today!” 

Her husband, Ranveer Singh 

commented, “My spirit colour” 

and we cannot agree more. 

Prior to this, the actor was in 

Bengaluru to attend her friend’s 

wedding, and looked lovely in a 

Sabyasachi Mukherjee creation. 

She was seen in the designer’s 

quintessential ensemble — 

marked by floral designs and 

intricate detailed embroidery — 

that was carefully layered. The 

look was accessorised with 

statement choker and earrings, 

and rounded out with smokey 

eyes and hair tied in a neat bun. 

Source : indianexpress.com 

Storyline : 

Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska are working 

for the mysterious Charles Townsend, whose security and 

investigative agency has expanded internationally. With the 

world's smartest, bravest, and most highly trained women all 

over the globe, there are now teams of Angels guided by 

multiple Bosleys taking on the toughest jobs everywhere. 

|Source: IMDb] 

Kristen Stewart opens 

up on her journey 

in the spotlight 

Actress Kristen Stewart feels "so lucky" 

to be living in this particular time in 

history. Stewart has reflected on her 

journey in the spotlight and her "struggle" 

to come to terms with her identity, reports 

eonline.com. 

"I think I'm so lucky to live in this 

particular time of history," Stewart said. 

"I just think...if you were to look at kids 

right now, even just five years, seven to 10 

years younger than me, they would find 

my sort of struggle to come to terms with 

like identity and communication kind of 

silly." 

"And I feed off them, even though I 

think that I might've had something to do 

with feeding that, a little bit, because it was 

like...not the hardest thing to get to know 

myself it was just...it takes a few years to 

actually articulate who you are," she 

added. 

"And now that I'm living in a time where 

that's fully allowed, in a way that is 

expressed and honest...that wasn't that 

way five to seven years ago." 

On what makes her feel "strong", 

Stewart said she is so "lucky" to know for a 

fact that she is telling the right story that 

"defines" her. 

Source : glamsham.com 

Motichoor Chaknachoor 

actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui: 

I had to struggle to find love 

Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui on 

upcoming romantic comedy Motichoor 

Chaknachoor, the struggle to get everything 

in life and the global recognition he received 

for Sacred Games and McMafia. The film 

releases on November 15. 

In this interview with indianexpress.com, 

the versatile actor talks about how he has to 

struggle to get everything in life, and the 

global recognition he received with two 

International Emmy award nominations this 

year for Sacred Games and McMafia. 

Excerpts from the conversation: 

Photograph and now Motichoor 

Chaknachoor, you have been playing 

characters of the quintessential Indian man 

who struggles to find love in life. 

Yes, I always struggle to find love. This was 

the struggle in real life too. In fact, I have had 

to struggle for everything in life. I think it is 

because of my face that I had to struggle, 

especially to find love. I haven’t got anything 

easily. Nothing. 

There is a Nawazuddin Siddiqui genre 

now. People expect you to do something outof-the-box 

with every new project. Also, we 

have the new crop of actors who are inspired 

by your work and want to become like you. 

How does that make you feel? 

Motichoor Chaknachoor hits screens on on November 15. 

If someone is inspired by my work, it is a 

good thing. It gives me a sense of 

responsibility to keep doing work with the 

same passion and honesty with which I have 

done till now. It is also like a challenge that 

you have to surpass your own work. 

When we talk about the kind of films that I 

do, I don’t have a set genre attached to my 

name. I wish that never happens to me. 

In my initial days, I have done dark films 

which had characters with dark shades. I 

actually enjoy that kind of stuff personally. 

But an actor needs to expand according to the 

market as well. So, I make sure I also do films 

according to the trends that are working. And 

now, I think the trend is films about marriage 

and weddings, so I am doing Motichoor 

Chaknachoor. An actor needs to do all kinds 

of films. Experimentation is very important in 

our profession. 

From the very beginning of my career, I 

wanted to do romantic films, but I was never 

offered one. Maybe because they didn’t like 

the way I looked. Maybe I didn’t have a face to 

pull off a romantic role according to them. So, 

now when people have finally started offering 

me romantic films, I feel thankful, and I want 

to grab them all. 

Source : indianexpress.com 

H O R O S C O p e 

ARIeS 

(March 21 - April 20): You like to 

recycle in your home and your 

workplace. Be a part of the solution 

instead of the problem by picking up after yourself 

and making sure that you aren't leaving a mess 

wherever you go. The state of the environment is 

more of a concern every day. It's up to each 

individual to make a difference. 

TAURUS 

(April 21 - May 21): The source of 

your frustration may be people who 

seem to be sensitive and honest yet 

act abrasively and speak aggressively. Try not to 

be fooled by those who continuously offer one 

image while delivering another. Keep your guard 

up. Don't waste your time giving people more 

chances than they deserve. 

GeMINI 

(May 22 - June 21): Love and 

romance are most certainly in the 

cards today. Play the hand you're 

dealt and you should come away from the 

table victorious. There's some transformation 

that may take place regarding issues of the 

heart. Don't compromise yourself in any way. 

Settle for nothing but the best. This is a day to 

shine. 

CANCeR 

(June 22 - July 23): Issues regarding 

romance could be a big part of the 

picture today. The scales could tip 

either way in terms of your success at this game. 

The decision is up to you. You're probably better 

off keeping things light and entertaining. Reveal 

the scope of your passionate and powerful 

emotions on another day. 

LeO 

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Matters of the 

heart are in your favor today. You 

should prepare for a day full of social 

activities and good conversation. Your creative 

spirit may also be heightened. You can't go wrong 

picking the right item in a clothing store or flea 

market. Your taste for the elegant is impeccable, so 

feel free to indulge. 

VIRGO 

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): You might 

focus on romance today, but it's 

possible that you're having 

problems figuring out a way to express your 

feelings. There's power influencing the scene, 

and certainly no shortage of passion. You 

might find that there's a bit of superficiality to 

the situation that makes it hard to commit with 

all of your energy. 

LIBRA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): When it comes to 

issues regarding romance, don't hold 

back today. Things are working in your 

favor. You shouldn't hesitate to act forcefully and 

confidently. Show others that you're serious. Don't back 

down as things heat up even more. This is a sign that 

things are progressing in your favor and you shouldn't 

mistake this intensity for anything but true passion. 

SCORpIO 

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): The center of your 

power might find it difficult to commit 

to anything today. Issues regarding 

love and romance could arise, and you may feel the 

need to start something moving in this department. 

You may be indecisive about which way to go. 

Spruce up and get out in the social arena. You can 

let someone else take the lead from there. 

SAGITTARIUS 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): In matters 

involving love and romance, 

things might get a little sticky 

today. You might want to charge 

ahead with a plan, while a close partner wants 

to sit, discuss, and work things out together. 

Tempers might flare. You'd do well to be 

ready to compromise. A hotheaded approach 

will do more harm than good. 

CApRICORN 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): Love will probably 

be on your mind most of today, so 

give your heart your full attention. 

You're having trouble communicating with a loved 

one now, so try to be patient. He moves left and 

you move right. You move left and she moves 

right. Each time you bump into each other. Let the 

other person make the first move. 

AQUARIUS 

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): Issues regarding 

love and romance are in your favor. 

There's a strong force spurring you 

to take action. Heed this helpful 

energy. Feel free to display yourself openly in 

the social arena. Talk among friends could be 

rewarding for you now. All sorts of connections 

are favored for you today. 

pISCeS 

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20): Tension in the 

romance department may arise for 

you. You want to get things started 

in a relationship that's important to you, yet 

something always seems to stand in the way of 

the plan. Instead of trying to sidestep your way 

into the picture, take a direct approach. If you 

don't try, you're just as bad off as if you'd tried 

and failed. Go for it.

SPORTS 

THURSDAY, noVEMBER 14, 2019 

9 

Bangladesh begins their World Test Championship journey and it can't be tougher than anything 

else in the cricket world at this moment. 

Photo: AP 

Tigers hope amid despair as 

Indore Test begins today 

Resurgent 

Dutch on cusp 

of Euro 2020 

and return to 

big time 

Sports Desk: A thrilling 

crop of young players has 

Euro 2020 in its sights as the 

Netherlands prepare for a 

return to the big stage, while 

Teemu Pukki's Finland are 

on the brink of their first 

ever major tournament, 

reports BSS. 

Ronald Koeman's side 

need just a draw at Northern 

Ireland on Saturday to guarantee 

a spot at their first 

international tournament 

since coming third at the 

2014 World Cup. 

The Dutch had been in the 

doldrums since then until 

the arrival early in 2018 of 

Koeman, with the once 

mighty Oranje missing out 

on the previous European 

Championship and last 

year's World Cup in Russia. 

The 56-year-old has revitalised 

his country's dormant 

national team with the 

help of a crop of young players 

who are putting a famous 

footballing nation back on 

the map. 

Rising stars including 

Frenkie de Jong, Donny van 

de Beek and Matthijs de Ligt 

have joined more experienced 

campaigners Virgil 

van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, 

Daley Blind and Ryan 

Babel to go top of Group. 

Sports Desk: Bangladesh hopes 

against the hopes to push India vehemently, 

which many team had of late 

found incredibly tougher on Indian 

soil, as they take on the hosts in the first 

Test at Holkar Stadium in Indore 

today, reports BSS. 

With the Test, which starts at 10 am 

BST, Bangladesh begins their World 

Test Championship journey and it can't 

be tougher than anything else in the 

cricket world at this moment. 

Playing India against their home is 

always the toughest job and in recent 

years, the rise of Indian pacers made 

the whole situation more unbearable 

for the tourists. 

Bangladesh though did exceedingly 

well in the three-match T20 series, winning 

one match at Delhi, which was 

beyond imagination. That much needed 

victory came on the back of a tumultuous 

period of country cricket. 

Before the start of the tour, 

Bangladesh lost their best player and 

regular captain Shakib Al Hasan due to 

the ICC ban and beforehand he led a 

successful players' strike against BCB, 

leaving the country's cricket in an 

uncomfortable state. The T20 victory 

came as a relief. Even though they lost 

the series by 2-1 after coming agonizingly 

close to win the series deciding 

third game, Bangladesh at least could 

console them that they didn't India to 

make it a cakewalk. 

Test cricket however is all together a 

different proposition. Bangladesh, 

which turns to 19 in cricket's elite format 

on last November 10, so far played 

115 Tests and lost a staggering number 

of 86 matches. 

They won just 13, drew 16 and most 

of the draw came thanks to the rain 

blessings. Against India, Bangladesh 

played 9 Test and lost 7. The two 

matches they drew against India, largely 

courtesy for the rain. 

The stat itself suggested how vulnerable 

they are in Test cricket. Bangladesh 

even lost their last Test to Test cricket's 

newest nation Afghanistan by 224 runs 

and that too at their own den.If their 

last match is taken into consideration, 

even a diehard Bangladeshi fan would 

not see any chance of Bangladesh's 

honorable defeat against India, let 

alone the victory. 

That India whitewashed South Africa 

in three-match series recently with 

winning the last two Tests by innings 

margin, is the stat that made any team 

shivering down the spine. In the past 

when overseas teams were scared of 

India's spinners, of late they found 

India pacers tougher than the spinners. 

When one would judge the players' 

performance of both team, they would 

also see a gulf off difference. 

Compare that to India's premier willow 

wielders - Virat Kohli (26 hundreds), 

Ajinkya Rahane (11), Cheteshwar 

Pujara (18), Bangladesh's newly 

appointed Test skipper Mominul 

Haque has highest century for the side 

with 8 although Mushfiqur Rahim and 

Mahmudullah are committed cricketers, 

but in the longest format, they 

aren't exactly formidable names. 

India's bowling unit is with 800-plus 

scalps, while Mustafizur Rahman is the 

most experienced Bangladeshi bowler 

with 13 Tests. Bangladesh's recent Test 

form and traditional vulnerability coupled 

with India's form suggested that 

the match is going to be mismatch. But 

one thing is in Bangladesh's favourtheir 

unpredictability-when no one 

gives Bangladesh any chance, the 

Tigers used to alter this thing by pulling 

off massive surprise. The Delhi T20 victory 

was the burning example of that. 

"If we look back, no one gave it a 

thought that we would win a T20 

match, that too on India soil. But we 

have the belief on our ability. Whatever 

the situation is, every time we get down 

the field, we try to win the match. 

Sometimes it happens, sometimes it 

doesn't happen," Bangladesh middle 

order batsman Mohammad Mithun 

summed up the team's character. 

Bangladesh made it clear that they 

would try to play session by session and 

would try create pressure, knowing that 

even the best batting line up of the 

world could crumble under sustained 

pressure. India, who remained unbeaten 

so far and led the World Test Championship 

point table with 240 points, 

revealed they won't take Bangladesh 

lightly specially when all the points are 

very important. 

However, while Bangladesh's most of 

the big victories at home came in the 

designer pitch, which was slow and low, 

they would get a sporting wicket here in 

Indore. The Indore curator Samandar 

Singh Chouhan revealed the pitch 

would carry even bounce and both the 

pacers and spinners would get even 

advantage. It's the type of pitch in 

which Bangladesh always feel themselves 

vulnerable. But still they hope for 

the best. 

Squad: Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, 

Saif Hassan, Imrul Kayes, Mominul 

Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad 

Mithun, Mahmudullah Riyad, Liton 

Das, Nayeem Hasan, Mehidy Hasan 

Miraj, Taijul Islam, Abu Jayed Rahi, 

Ebadat Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, 

Al-Amin Hossain. 

India: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, 

Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, 

Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Bihari, 

Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, 

Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed 

Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, 

Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Rishab 

Pant. 

Spanish star striker Villa 

retires from football 

Sports Desk: Star striker David Villa, Spain's top goal scorer, announced on Wednesday he 

was quitting professional football at the end of the season, reports BSS. 

The 37-year-old is currently playing for Vissel Kobe in Japan after a glittering career at 

international and club level that has included stints at Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia. 

"I'm holding (this press conference) to announce that I have decided to end my professional 

career and that I have decided to retire," Villa told reporters in Kobe, his voice occasionally 

breaking with emotion. 

"I've been thinking about this for a long time. This is the result of discussions I had with my 

family and people around me… I wanted to retire from football, not be forced to retire from 

football," added the striker. Villa played in three World Cups and was a member of the Spanish 

side that lifted the trophy in 2010, and won the European Championships in 2008. He 

netted 59 times for Spain, a national record. His silverware also includes a Champions League 

title with Barcelona, as well as two La Liga wins and a World Club Cup medal. At Vissel Kobe, 

he played alongside fellow Spanish legend Andres Iniesta and German striker Lukas Podolski 

but the presence of the foreign stars has done little to bring success to the ambitious Japanese 

club. Vissel Kobe are currently languishing 10th in the J-League after 31 games - the same 

position they finished last year. 

Villa played in three World Cups and was a member of the Spanish side 

that lifted the trophy in 2010. 

Photo: AP 

French cycling's 

eternal runner-up 

Poulidor dies at 83 

Sports Desk: French 

cyclist Raymond Poulidor, 

who gained huge affection as 

an eternal runner-up in the 

Tour de France, has died at 

the age of 83, his wife told 

AFP on Wednesday, reports 

BSS. 

Poulidor had been hospitalised 

since early October 

and "he left us this morning," 

his wife Gisele told AFP 

from their home in western 

France. 

His astonishing career 

spanned 25 years but he will 

always be remembered for 

the races he failed to win. 

From 1964 to 1976 Poulidor 

finished second in the 

Tour de France on three 

occasions and was third five 

times in an era dominated 

by Eddy Merckx. 

So famous was his repeated 

failure to clinch the Tour 

that the phrase "to do a 

Poulidor" passed into the 

French language, synonymous 

with coming an 

unlucky second. 

Despite his Tour de France 

disappointments, Poulidor 

is forever ranked among 

France's cycling greats and 

at the same time is seen as a 

humble hard worker loved 

by the people who earned 

every one of his many triumphs. 

His long-time rival Merckx 

told AFP "a great friend has 

left us". 

"I am very sad. During my 

career we were rivals but 

afterwards we often spent 

time together. We holidayed 

together. It's a big loss." 

Among current riders, 

Romain Bardet, second in 

the Tour de France in 2016 

and third the following year, 

said: "He was an emblematic 

character, adored by the 

public." 

Pooran banned for 

four T20 matches 

for ball tampering 

Sports Desk: West Indies batsman 

Nicholas Pooran has been banned for four 

T20 internationals for tampering with the 

ball in a one-day match against Afghanistan, 

cricket's world body announced Wednesday, 

reports BSS. 

Pooran admitted to "changing the condition 

of the ball" after video footage showed 

him scratching the surface of the white ball 

with his thumbnail in Lucknow on Monday. 

"He will now miss the next four T20I 

games for the West Indies and will have five 

demerit points added to his record," said an 

International Cricket Council statement. 

Pooran said that he wanted to "issue a sincere 

apology to my teammates, supporters 

and the Afghanistan team for what transpired 

on the field of play on Monday in Lucknow". 

"I recognise that I made an extreme error 

in judgement and I fully accept the ICC 

penalty," he added. 

"I want to assure everyone that this is an 

isolated incident and it will not be repeated. 

I promise to learn from this and come back 

stronger and wiser." 

The 24-year-old will be forced to sit out the 

team's three T20 matches against 

Afghanistan and the first game of their subsequent 

three-match series against India. 

Pooran, who made 21 in a successful West 

Indies chase of 250 that led to a sweep of the 

three-match ODI series, is a left-handed 

wicketkeeper batsman. 

He was the man of the match in the second 

ODI for smashing 67 off 50 balls. 

Born in Trinidad, Pooran has played 16 

ODI matches since his 50-over debut earlier 

this year. He has represented West Indies in 

14 T20 games. 

Pooran admitted to "changing the condition of the ball" after video footage 

showed him scratching the surface of the white ball with his thumbnail in 

Lucknow on Monday. 

Photo: AP 

India counts Mustafiz when 

his spot is under threat 

Sports Desk: When India captain Virat Kohli rated left-arm 

fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman as their threat, Bangladesh 

looked in dilemma whether to include him in the first XI for 

the first Test, starting tomorrow in Indore's Holkar Stadium, 

reports BSS. 

Mustafizur was the weakest link of Bangladesh's bowling in 

the three-match T20 series as he leaked runs in abundance 

when the other fast bowlers kept the things right. 

Known as 'Cutter Master' for his ability to con the batsmen 

with mysterious slower cutter, slower, leg-cutter and slower 

bouncer, Mustafizur now is the bowler looking like out-ofsort 

and jaded. He has no performance to speak for him in 

the last two years as he struggles to keep him fit amid numerous 

injuries. 

But Kohli rates Mustafizur for the reason that they often 

don't get the chance to play the left arm fast bowler in the 

practice match or net. 

"He [Mustafizur] is a very good bowler. We've played 

against him quite a bit. But red ball…I think any left-arm 

seamer is a very different kind of bowler that we're used to 

playing a lot," Kohli said. 

"So yeah, it just requires extra focus because you don't play 

left-arm seamers that regularly when you don't have them in 

your team. So it's a challenge, but we must look forward to 

those challenges. Not that we get bundled out against leftarm 

seam, but we've found it more difficult purely because 

we don't play them on a regular basis. So he's going to be a 

threat, he's going to be a key player for Bangladesh," he 

added. 

"He's an experienced bowler and he's been around for a 

while, and he knows the Indian batsmen as well, having 

played the IPL and so on. But we've played against him a lot 

as well. So I think it will be about keeping focus and concentration 

against a good bowler and try to come out on top." 

When Kohli has something to say about Mustafizur, 

Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque couldn't give any guarantee 

of the fast bowler's place in the team. But there was a 

time when Mustafizur's place was certain. 

"I can't say what will be the squad. We are yet to discuss on 

it. Let's see whether he plays or not," Mominul said. 

Sterling sanction casts shadow as England 

aim to seal place at Euro 2020 

Sports Desk: England's plan to celebrate 

their 1,000th international by 

qualifying for Euro 2020 in serene style 

against Montenegro at Wembley on 

Thursday has been ripped up by Gareth 

Southgate's decision to drop Raheem 

Sterling, reports BSS. 

The Manchester City winger was 

involved in a physical confrontation 

with Liverpool defender Joe Gomez at 

England's training base on Monday as 

emotions spilled over from the highlyanticipated 

Premier League clash 

between the two clubs on Sunday. 

Sterling has been the star of a qualifying 

campaign dominated by off-field 

issues where the Three Lions have 

largely let their football do the talking 

on it. 

Bar a shock defeat to the Czech 

Republic last month, the World Cup 

semi-finalists have shown why they will 

be among the favourites to win a first 

major tournament in 54 years next 

summer. 

Sterling has scored eight of his side's 

26 goals in six games as he has blossomed 

into one of the world's best players 

for club and country since failing to 

find his best form at the World Cup 18 

months ago. 

He has also been a leading figure as 

England have stood up to the racist 

abuse suffered by a number of players 

in Montenegro and Bulgaria. 

One of Southgate's strengths since 

taking charge three years ago has been 

to foster a unity in the camp, far 

removed from the club-aligned cliques 

that hampered the chances of talented 

England sides of the past. 

That now faces its biggest test as the 

bubbling rivalry between Liverpool and 

City threatens to spill over. 

Southgate's first instinct was reportedly 

to send Sterling home, but the 

intervention of senior players, principally 

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, 

helped ease the feud and the 24- 

year-old has remained with the squad 

to train. 

"I always have to find the right solution 

for the group and that's a very difficult 

line," said Southgate on Tuesday. 

"We have a very good understanding 

of the way that we have worked over the 

last couple of years, which has brought 

us a lot of togetherness that is still 

there. "We are a united group. Now we 

have to turn our focus onto the football. 

We have a hugely important qualifier to 

reach a European Championship." 

Sterling has since apologised to 

Gomez and the rest of the squad. 

"I am man enough to admit when 

emotions got the better of me," he said 

in an Instagram post. 

"Me and Joe Gomez are good, we 

both understand it was a five to 10-second 

thing… it's done, we move forward 

and not make this bigger than it is." 

Sterling could even return to action 

as soon as Sunday when Southgate's 

men travel to Kosovo. 

England will hope there is nothing 

riding on that match for them as a point 

against the side ranked 61st in the 

world on Thursday will be enough to 

guarantee qualification. 

Even in Sterling's absence, Southgate 

is blessed with an array of attacking talent 

including Harry Kane, Jadon Sancho 

and Marcus Rashford that should 

continue England's free-scoring form. 

But Southgate's action has been criticised 

by some for bringing a private 

incident into the public eye and putting 

Sterling under more scrutiny as a 

result. 

"Why this couldn't be handled internally?" 

said former England defender 

Rio Ferdinand. 

"Now Raheem is left to defend himself 

from all of the haters that had had 

their keyboards turned off due to him 

becoming a very worthy ambassador 

for the English game." 

If England's long wait to win a major 

tournament is to come to an end, 

Southgate needs to continue getting the 

best out of Sterling. 

The question remains what lasting 

impact the developments of the last two 

days will have on their relationship 

going forward.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019 

10 

Chinese consumers smash 

'Singles' Day' shopping record 

Khulna Zone of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited organized a get together and fair of Rural Development 

Scheme customers at Daulatpur branch premises in Khulna recently. Abu Reza Md. Yeahia, Deputy 

Managing Director of the Bank inaugurated the fair as chief guest. Md. Maksudur Rahman, Head of 

Khulna Zone presided over the program while Zubair Azam Helali, Head of Rural Development Scheme, 

Sheikh Syed Ali, Chairman, Bangladesh Jute Association and Sheikh Maruful Islam, Chairman, Dighalia 

Upazila Parishad addressed as special guests. Sheikh Mamtaz Shirin, Vice Chairman of Dighalia Upazila 

Parishad and Sheikh Mohammad Ali, ward councilor of Khulna City Corporation also addressed the program 

among others. 


Social Islami Bank ltd arranged a 02- day long workshop on "Investment Classification and Provision" in 

its Training Institute at the Head Office recently. Quazi Osman Ali, Managing Director & CEO of the Bank 

inaugurated the program. Officials working at the concerned desk of different Branches attended the 

workshop. 


Hong Kong officials fine UBS 

for overcharging clients 

Swiss banking titan UBS has been fined $51 

million by Hong Kong authorities for 

overcharging global customers for almost a 

decade, saying it had failed to "act in its 

clients' best interests" , reports BSS. 

The city's Securities and Futures 

Commission (SFC) said the company 

manipulated the price of trades for bonds 

and structured products from 2008 to 2015 

and also applied excessive fees for some 

clients between 2008 and 2017. 

SFC chief executive Ashley Alder said in a 

statement: "Although each overcharge 

represented a fraction of each trade, UBS's 

misconduct involved deception and a 

pervasive abuse of trust resulting in 

significant additional revenue for UBS to 

which it was not entitled." 

Officials said that UBS was found to have 

falsified account statements by misreporting 

the spread amounts for the trades. 

"The SFC considers that UBS not only 

failed to observe the fundamental and 

overarching duty to act in its clients' best 

interests but also abused the trust of 

unsuspecting clients by failing to disclose 

conflicts of interest and overcharging them 

in opaque trades," it said in the statement 

released Monday. 

It added that the overcharge practices 

affected about 5,000 Hong Kong-managed 

client accounts in about 28,700 

transactions. 

UBS was fined HK$400 million ($51 

million) and the SFC said the bank would 

repay the full value of the overcharged 

amount together with interest, which would 

amount to about HK$200 million. 

The bank was among a number of lenders 

that were told in March to pay a combined 

HK$787 to settle cases linked to their work 

on initial public offerings in the city. 

Quarter of German 

firms in China planning 

to leave: survey 

Economic 

growth in 

Venezuela to 

begin in 2020: 

president 

Venezuelan President 

Nicolas Maduro vowed that 

the economic growth in the 

country would begin next 

year, reports BSS. 

"All data points to the fact 

that 2020 will become the 

year of the country's 

economic growth," Maduro 

said in a speech aired by the 

state TV. According to the 

president, "hyperinflation, 

caused by the economic war, 

is expected to slow down 

next year." 

Venezuela has been going 

through an acute socialeconomic 

crisis in the last 

several years, accompanied 

by hyperinflation and 

currency devaluation. 

This year the situation has 

been further complicated by 

the escalation of the 

confrontation between the 

government and the 

opposition. 

Chinese shoppers set new records for 

spending during the annual "Singles' 

Day" buying spree despite an economic 

slowdown and worries over the US 

trade war, with state media calling it a 

sign of China's rising economic 

strength, reports BSS. 

E-commerce giant Alibaba said 

consumers spent $38.3 billion on its 

platforms on Monday during the 

world's biggest 24-hour shopping 

event, up 26 percent from the previous 

all-time high mark set last year. 

The growth rate slowed slightly, 

however, from the 27 percent increase 

last year and 39 percent in 2017. 

Alibaba's main domestic competitor 

JD.com, which holds an 11-day 

promotion ending at midnight on 

November 11, said early Tuesday it had 

handled sales over that stretch totalling 

$29.2 billion, which was up 30 percent. 

US President Donald Trump has 

repeatedly said his tariffs on Chinese 

goods have put the country's economy 

on the ropes. 

But state-run Xinhua news agency 

said the "Singles' Day" performance 

UK economy avoids recession 

with 0.3% quarterly growth 

Britain's Brexit-facing economy avoided entering recession in 

the third quarter with growth of 0.3 percent, official data showed 

on Monday, reports BSS. 

Gross domestic product rebounded in the July-September 

period after a 0.2-percent contraction in the second quarter, the 

Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in an initial estimate. 

The technical definition of a recession is two straight quarters 

of negative growth. Economic activity was propelled largely by 

the construction and services sectors, while the production 

sector was flat. 

"GDP grew steadily in the third quarter, mainly thanks to a 

strong July," said an ONS spokesman. "Services again led the 

way with construction also performing well. "Manufacturing 

failed to grow as falls in most industries were offset by car 

production bouncing back," he added. 

The third-quarter performance however fell short of market 

expectations and the Bank of England's growth forecast - which 

had both stood at 0.4 percent. And despite rebounding growth, 

the ONS pointed to "signs" of a slowdown, as Britain readies to 

leave the European Union on January 31. 

bKash, FHI 360 ink deal for 

strengthening 2400 mothers 

Recently, bKash signed an agreement 

with Family Health International (FHI 

360), a US-based non-profit human 

development organization to disburse 

funds to 2400 lactating mothers under 

USAID's Strengthening Multisectoral 

Nutrition Programming through 

Implementation Science Activity, a 

press release said. 

Mizanur Rashid, Chief Commercial 

Officer of bKash and Jennifer Crum, 

Chief of Party, FHI 360, exchanged the 

proved China, once known as the 

"world's factory" for its reliance on 

manufacturing for export, had evolved 

into a globally powerful consumer 

market of its own. 

"Where there is a market, that is 

where the future lies," it said in a report. 

"From the 'world's factory' to the 

'world's market', a China that is 

continually moving towards highquality 

development will unleash 

greater consumption potential in the 

future, allowing China's dividends to 

benefit the whole world." 

Singles' Day, also called "11.11" for the 

November 11 date, was originally set as 

an unofficial day for unmarried 

Chinese. 

But Alibaba - which accounts for 

more than half of China's e-commerce - 

commandeered it as a discount sales 

event akin to the late-November US 

"Black Friday", which "Singles' Day" 

now handily surpasses. 

A range of other e-tailers and retailers 

also have jumped in. 

Alibaba's one-day promotion on its 

Taobao and Tmall platforms began at 

agreement on behalf of their respective 

organizations. Masrur Chowdhury, 

Head of Govt. Project & Business Sales; 

A.T.M. Mahbub Alam, GM, Business 

Sales; Mehmud Ashique Iqbal, DGM, 

Key Accounts; Md. Somel Reza Khan, 

Relationship Manager, Commercial 

from bKash and Khandaker Irshad 

Mahmud, Finance and Operation 

Director, Nazmus Sadat, Monitoring, 

Evaluation and Learning Advisor, and 

Dr. Ayan Shankar Seal, Technical 

midnight Sunday following a flashy 

stage show in Shanghai headlined by 

Grammy-winning US pop star Taylor 

Swift. 

China's economy is in an extended 

slowdown exacerbated by the US trade 

war, and the Singles' Day fire sale is 

viewed as a snapshot of consumer 

sentiment in the world's second-biggest 

economy. 

Consumers gave little indication of 

worry, charging out of the gate with $1 

billion spent via Alibaba platforms in 

the first 68 seconds. 

US-listed Alibaba earlier this month 

said revenue growth in its most recent 

financial quarter slowed to 40 percent, 

from 54 percent in the same quarter 

last year. 

Analysts however, note that it would 

be difficult for Alibaba to maintain past 

growth rates forever, and that 

consumption should remain solid in 

the future, facilitated by factors 

including technology and the 

government's push to encourage 

domestic consumption as an economic 

driver. 

Bank of France forecasts 

weaker Q4 growth 

The French economy is 

tipped to grow by 0.2 percent 

in the fourth quarter, a slight 

easing seen also across the 

wider eurozone, Bank of 

France data showed Tuesday, 

reports BSS. 

The bank's preliminary 

forecast put business activity 

in the second biggest 

eurozone country at a weaker 

pace than the 0.3 percent rate 

of expansion notched up 

since January. 

On Thursday, the European 

Union cited uncertainty 

related to trade conflicts, 

heightened geopolitical 

tensions, persistent weakness 

in the manufacturing sector 

and Brexit as it slashed its 

2019 growth forecast for the 

entire 19-member eurozone 

to just 1.1 percent. 

In July, the EU had forecast 

a slightly higher growth rate 

of 1.2 percent. 

Based on a monthly survey 

of business leaders, the 

French slowdown is likely to 

result from weaker activity in 

the construction and 

industrial sectors, a central 

bank statement said. 

For the entire year, the 

central bank and the national 

statistics institute INSEE 

forecast growth of 1.3 percent, 

down from the 2018 figure of 

1.7 percent. 

Advisor from FHI 360 were also 

present at the signing ceremony. 

FHI 360 has worked in Bangladesh 

for the last 40 years and has conducted 

more than 100 projects in family health 

& nutrition segment. Besides providing 

wide range of human development 

assistance, FHI 360 has also been at the 

forefront of helping Bangladesh move 

toward the digitization of payments 

and financial services, says a press 

release. 

Nearly a quarter of 

German companies 

operating in China are 

planning to relocate all or 

part of their business out 

of the country, according 

to a study released 

Tuesday with many 

blaming rising costs, 

reports BSS. 

The German Chamber of 

Commerce's annual 

survey of 526 member 

firms in China found that 

23 percent have either 

already decided to 

withdraw production 

capacity in the country or 

are considering it. 

One-third of those 

companies have planned 

to leave China entirely. 

The rest will transfer 

part of their business and 

production overseas, 

largely to lower-cost 

countries like India or in 

Southeast Asia.Operating 

costs in China have been 

rising as the country seeks 

to rebalance its economy 

from an export and 

investment-led model to 

one driven by consumer 

spending. 

Of the 104 companies 

that have decided to leave 

or are considering to, 71 

percent cite the rise in 

production costs - 

particularly for labour. 

A third blamed an 

unfavourable public policy 

environment and one in 

four said the China-US 

trade war is having an 

impact. 

"Business expectations 

have dropped to their 

lowest level in years," the 

study warned, with only a 

quarter of companies 

surveyed expecting to 

meet or exceed their goals 

this year. 

And more than a third 

said Beijing's efforts to 

"level the playing field" for 

foreign companies are 

"insufficient". 

"Competition has to be 

fair," said German 

Ambassador Clemens von 

Goetze at the launch of the 

study Tuesday. 

"Foreign companies, 

including German 

companies, and Chinese 

companies should play on 

a level field." 

The ambassador also 

said German companies 

had been "not so well 

informed" about China's 

huge Belt and Road 

Initiative - a $1 trillion 

global investment drive - 

and said they had not been 

able to benefit from the 

economic potential of the 

project. 

Recently ONE Bank Ltd and mBill Systems Limited signed a strategic Agreement for bill payment middleware services. Under the 

Agreement OK Wallet and Agent Banking customers will be able to pay various utility bills instantly. Rozina Aliya Ahmed, ADMD & 

Head of Liability Marketing of ONE Bank Limited and Md. Zahidur Rahman, Managing Director of mBill Systems Limited signed the 

agreement on behalf of their respective Organizations. Gazi Yar Mohammed, Head of MFS & Agent Banking of ONE Bank Limited 

and Anjuman Parvin, Director & CHRO of mBill Systems Limited along with other high officials of both organizations were also present 

in the ceremony. 

Photo: Courtesy

MISCELLANEOUS 

THUrSDAY, 

11 

NoveMBer 14, 2019 

Caption: Annual sports competition and cultural event-2019 are being held at Milestone School and 

College in Uttara Model Town in the capital. 


Neglected heartland seen as key 

to Brexit-dominated election 

In Hartlepool, a tough, proud English 

port town whipped by bitter North Sea 

winds, people have long felt ignored 

by politicians in far-off London. But 

not anymore, reports UNB. 

Political parties in Britain's Brexitdominated 

December election are 

battling fiercely to win Hartlepool and 

places like it: working-class former 

industrial towns with voters who 

could hold the key to the prime 

minister's office at 10 Downing Street. 

Hartlepool has elected lawmakers 

from the left-of-center Labour Party 

for more than half a century. But in 

2016, almost 70% of voters here 

backed leaving the European Union. 

More than three years later, the U.K. is 

still an EU member, and loyalty to 

Labour has been eroded by frustration 

at the political gridlock. 

"l've always been a Labour voter," 

said Diane Jordan, a hypnotherapist 

enjoying an evening of music and 

bingo at the Hartlepool Working 

Men's Club. "My parents were always 

Labour. My grandparents were always 

Labour. 

"I've never been on the Conservative 

side, but to me that's looking the best 

option at the moment, because they're 

the ones that are wanting to put Brexit 

through." 

That's good news for Conservative 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who 

pushed for the Dec. 12 election, more 

than two years early, in hope of 

breaking Britain's parliamentary 

deadlock over Brexit. He withdrew his 

EU divorce deal from Parliament last 

wewmAvBwm- 208, Zvs-13/11/19 

GD-1544/19 (6 x 3) 

month after lawmakers demanded 

more time to scrutinize it. If he gets a 

majority of the 650 House of 

Commons seats, he will be able to 

ratify the package and take Britain out 

of the bloc as scheduled on Jan. 31. 

Johnson's Conservatives are ahead 

in most opinion polls, but analysts say 

this election is particularly hard to 

predict because Brexit cuts across 

traditional party divides. The 2016 

referendum on Britain's EU 

membership split the country into two 

camps: leavers and remainers. 

Leavers, who are concentrated in 

small towns and post-industrial cities 

across England, are eager to cut 

Brussels red tape, reassert British 

sovereignty and take control of 

immigration. Remainers, who most 

often live in big cities and university 

towns, would rather stay in an alliance 

that has eased the flow of goods, 

services and people across 28 nations 

with half a billion inhabitants. 

Hartlepool, a former shipbuilding 

center 250 miles (400 kms) north of 

London where unemployment is 

more than double the national 

average, is a town full of leavers. 

Tom O'Grady, a lecturer in political 

science at University College London, 

said Conservatives need to win seats 

like Hartlepool to compensate for the 

likely loss of pro-EU areas in southern 

England and Scotland. 

"They're going to have to gain seats 

in the north of England and the 

Midlands from Labour if they're going 

to win a big majority," he said. 

But the Conservatives' challenge is 

complicated by the insurgent Brexit 

Party, led by veteran euroskeptic Nigel 

Farage. He rejects Johnson's deal with 

the EU because it would keep the U.K. 

bound to the bloc's rules until the end 

of 2020, and possibly longer. 

He'd rather leave the EU without an 

agreement, which would free Britain 

to strike new trade deals around the 

world. It would also, according to 

most economists, leave the country 

poorer, by imposing barriers to 

business with the EU, Britain's biggest 

trading partner. 

Farage accuses both Conservatives 

and Labour of watering down and 

delaying Brexit. Hartlepool, where the 

Brexit Party controls the town 

council, is the party's top target in the 

election. 

Richard Tice, the Brexit Party's 

chairman and its Hartlepool 

candidate, argues that backing the 

Conservatives here is "a wasted vote." 

Israeli strikes kill 2 

Gaza militants; death 

toll now at 12 

Israeli airstrikes killed two Islamic 

Jihad militants in Gaza on Wednesday 

as rocket fire toward Israel resumed 

after a brief overnight lull, raising the 

death toll in Gaza to 12 Palestinians in 

the heaviest round of fighting in 

months, reports UNB. 

The Israeli military said 

more than 250 rockets have 

been fired at Israeli 

communities since the 

violence erupted after an 

Israeli airstrike killed a 

senior Islamic Jihad 

commander accused of 

being the mastermind of 

recent attacks. 

Schools remained closed in 

Israeli communities near the 

Gaza border as rockets 

continued to rain down, 

albeit in lesser ferocity that 

during the relentless barrage 

the previous day. 

But in a sign that the 

current round could be brief, 

Gaza's Hamas rulers have 

yet to enter the fray. 

Although larger and more 

powerful than the Iranianbacked 

Islamic Jihad, 

Hamas is also more 

pragmatic. With Gaza's 

economy in tatters, it 

appears to have little desire 

for another round of fighting 

with Israel. 

Egypt, which frequently 

mediates between Israel and 

Gaza militants, has been 

working to de-escalate 

tensions, according to 

officials in Cairo. 

Seeking to keep the 

outburst under control, the 

Israeli military has restricted 

its operations to Islamic 

Jihad, and nearly all the 

casualties so far are 

members of the militant 

group. 

Annual Sports 

Competition being 

held at Milestone 

School and College 

As part of co-educational 

activities, Annual sports 

competition and cultural 

events-2019 are being held 

at Milestone School and 

College in Uttara Model 

Town in the capital. This 

fascinating event for 

students is being held at 

Milestone School and 

College Diabari campus, a 

press release said. 

The Annual sports 

competitions and cultural 

events began on 2 November 

2019 and will continue till 19 

November 2019. Students of 

the Bangla medium junior 

and senior section and 

sudents of the English 

medium junior and senior 

section are participating in 

this colorful annual 

program. Students are trying 

to express their talents by 

participating in various 

events. On 12 November 

2019 was the final phase of 

the participating students 

from the Bangla Medium 

Junior section studying on 

the Diabari campus. 

Manager of the 

administration and 

education affairs of 

Milestone School and 

College Rifat Alam was 

present in the impressive 

final ceremony as chief 

guest. The chief guest Rifat 

Alam distributed crests and 

prizes among the winners in 

the prize giving ceremony 

phase. 

Man killed 

in Satkhira 

road crash 

SATKHIRA : A man was 

killed in a collision between a 

three-wheeler and a 

motorcycle at Patkelghata 

Bazar on Wednesday 

morning, reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Amit Debnath, 

52, son of Jogendra Nath of 

Khalishkhali village in Tala 

upazila of Satkhira. 

The accident took place as 

the three-wheeler hit the 

motorcycle from behind 

around 10am, leaving Amit 

critically injured, said Kazi 

Waheed Morshed, officer-incharge 

of Petkelghata Police 

Station. Later, he was taken 

to Sadar Hospital where 

doctors pronounced him 

dead, the OC added. 

Iqvmv- R: Z: 426/2019 

GD-1545/19 (8 x 4) 

Bangladesh a country 

of opportunity: HBS 

DHAKA : Harvard Business School (HBS) 

Alumni have lauded the socio-economic 

development of Bangladesh achieved over 

the last decade - lifting millions out of 

poverty and accelerating economic growth 

and human development, reports UNB. 

The delegation of the HBS which visited 

Bangladesh recently described Bangladesh 

as a country of opportunity, said a press 

release on Wednesday. 

The visit was organised by Munir M 

Merali, member of HBS's Regional Advisory 

Board and AKDN's Resident Diplomatic 

Representative. 

The programme was developed in 

collaboration with HBS's Research Regional 

Centre in Mumbai, Harvard Club of India 

and Harvard Alumni Association. 

During their stay, the alumni held 

meetings and met Prime Minister's 

International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher 

Rizvi, Ambassador Farooq Shoban and 

Distinguished Fellow of Centre for Policy 

Dialogue (CPD) Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya. 

BGMEA President Rubana Haq, 

Chairperson, Association of Bankers, 

Bangladesh Syed Mahbubur Rahman and 

founder of Friendship NGO Runa Khan 

interacted and briefed them on the 

respective areas of expertise. 

Alumni were warmly welcomed at the 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs as they met 

Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque. They 

also met Indian High Commissioner to 

Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das at her 

residence. 

During the visit, the alumni visited the 

GD-1548/19 (5 x 3) 

Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and 

Industry, Dhaka (MCCI) where its President 

Nihad Kabir and fellow members welcomed 

and hosted a lunch reception. 

At the Harvard Alumni Networking 

evening, the concluding session of the 

visiting regional HBS alumni, a number of 

local and visiting alumni shared their 

distinctive business and personal 

experiences - making this an interactive and 

educational evening for all. 

Group Director of Rahimafrooz Munawar 

Misbah Moin, founding Managing Director 

of Shohoz.com Maliha Quadir, founder, 

Chairman and CEO of PRAAVA Health 

Sylvana Q. Sinha,Rubayat Khan of JEEON, 

and CEO of Nirapon Moushumi Marufi 

Khan were present. 

Members from the delegation who spoke 

included Anjali Raina, Executive Director 

and Vinita Bajoria of Harvard Business 

School India Research Centre India, 

Maneesh Yadav, CEO of Ask Financial 

Holdings and Gaurav Swarup, Managing 

Director of Paharpur Cooling Towers Ltd. 

Faridpur road crash 

death toll rises to 4 

FARIDPUR : Two people, injured in a road 

accident in Faridpur on Tuesday, succumbed 

to their injuries on Wednesday, reports 

UNB. 

With them, four members of the same 

family have been killed in the accident.

THURSDAy, DHAKA, NOVeMBeR 14, 2019, KARTiK 29, 1426 BS, RABi-UL-AWAL 16, 1441 HiJRi 

People to give reply 

to Ranga's despotic 

attitude : Dr Kamal 

DHAkA : strongly denouncing 

Jatiya Party secretary 

general Mashiur rahman 

ranga's derogatory comment 

on 'national hero' 

noor Hossain, gonoforum 

President Dr kamal Hossain 

on wednesday warned that 

people will give a fitting reply 

to his such autocratic attitude, 

reports UnB. 

In a statement, he said, 

"such an assertion about 

noor Hossain by ranga, a 

follower of dictator ershad 

and an MP of the current 

illegal parliament formed 

through a voter-less election, 

is not unusual." 

Dr kamal further said, 

"People will give a reply to 

such despotic attitude and 

activities unitedly in the 

days to come." 

Jatiya Party secretary 

general Mashiur rahman 

ranga at a discussion on 

sunday said, "who was noor 

Hossain? An addict... a Yaba 

abuser, a Phensedyl abuser! 

two democratic parties- 

Awami League and BnP-are 

overenthusiastic about him. 

this day is observed as noor 

Hossain Day!" 

On november 10, 1987 

noor Hossain, a leader of 

Awami Juba League, was 

killed in police firing when he 

had staged protest against 

the autocratic rule of then Lt 

gen HM ershad at the capital's 

zero point near gulistan 

by painting the historic slogan 

'gonotantra Mukti Pak, 

swairachar nipat Jak' (Let 

democracy be freed, down 

with autocracy) on his back 

and chest. 

On tuesday, both the ruling 

and opposition MPs harshly 

criticised ranga in parliament 

for his offensive 

remarks against shaheed 

noor Hossain asking him to 

apologise before the nation. 

BnP secretary general Mirza 

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on 

wednesday accused ranga of 

insulting the democratic movement 

and the pro-democratic 

people with his comments 

against noor Hossain, and 

asked him to apologise publicly. 

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday dressing Uttariyo to the 

President of Bangladesh Abul Hamid at a hotel of Nepal yesterday. Photo : Star Mail 

Drive to continue until 

eradication of crimes: PM 

sAngsAD BHABAn : Prime Minister sheikh 

Hasina on wednesday said the ongoing drive 

against casinos and all sorts of corruption, 

including bribery, will continue until the elimination 

of crimes from all spheres of the state and 

society, reports UnB. 

"the drive by law enforcement and other 

agencies concerned will continue until the elimination 

of crimes from all spheres of the state 

and society," she said replying to a starred question 

from Jatiya Party (JP) MP rowshan Ara 

Mannan during her question-answer session in 

Parliament. the Prime Minister said laws are 

being strictly enforced against all the criminals 

irrespective of their political identity and views. 

In reply to another question from JP MP 

Mujibul Haque, she said the Anti-Corruption 

Commission (ACC) has been working to bring 

the corrupt elements to book. "During the antigraft 

drive, legal actions are being taken against 

those found guilty, including government 

Alexander Mitchell: The Blind Engineer 

Who Gave Sight to Seafarers 

InterestIng news Desk 

sandbanks are a hazard to marine traffic. 

Often found near coastlines, near the 

mouth of a river and around ports, these 

shallow, submerged beds of sand keep 

changing their shape and position posing 

great navigation risk to ships. Because 

the sand tends to drift with the tides, it is 

difficult to anchor a warning lightship on 

a sandbank, much less get a firm foundation 

for a permanent lighthouse. 

the problem of erecting a lighthouse 

on sandbanks and shoals greatly disturbed 

Alexander Mitchell (1780 – 

1868), an Irish brick-maker who ran a 

successful brick-making business near 

Belfast. Belfast has a strong seafaring tradition, 

and Mitchell had no doubt heard 

many tragic tales of lives lost at sea and 

ships grounded on the mudflats. Mitchell 

decided to do something about it despite 

having no formal training in engineering, 

or lighthouse building. remarkably, 

Alexander Mitchell was also blind. 

Alexander Mitchell was born in 1780 in 

Dublin, the son of an Inspector-general 

of Army Barracks in Ireland, a duty that 

took him all over the country. At the age 

of seven, Alexander’s family moved to 

Pine Hill, near Belfast, where he got 

admission at the prestigious Belfast 

Academy. while learning arithmetic, 

geometry, and trigonometry at school, 

Alexander discovered his love for mathematics 

and he excelled at it. 

Alexander’s eyesight had always been 

poor, but it became progressively worse 

as he became older. At age sixteen, he 

could no longer read. His family helped 

him in his studies as young Alexander’s 

world slowly spiraled into eternal darkness. 

At twenty-two, he went completely 

blind. By some accounts, Alexander’s loss 

of eyesight was due to a childhood infection 

of smallpox. 

employees and politicians," she added. 

the national anti-graft body has already 

urged the singapore government to provide it 

information related to the Bangladeshis who are 

involved in gambling in casinos there, sheikh 

Hasina said. 

responding to a question from JP MP 

rustum Ali Faraji, she said the government has 

adopted a 'zero-tolerance' policy against all 

social criminal activities, including corruption, 

terrorism, drug abuse and gambling. "the drive 

of the law enforcement agencies will continue 

until the eradication of terrorism," she said. 

strict surveillance by law enforcement agencies 

continues so that no one can conduct illegal casino 

activities in the future, the Prime Minister 

said. "the ongoing drive against all sorts of 

criminal activities, including corruption, drugs, 

terrorism and gambling, will continue covering 

all the sectors and places-district, upazila and 

municipality," she said. 

Defaulted 

loans see no 

rise, claims 

minister 

sAngsAD BHABAn : Finance 

Minister AHM Mustafa kamal 

on wednesday claimed that 

the amount of defaulted loans 

has not increased in the country 

compared to that in 1991. 

He made the statement 

while responding to a supplementary 

question in 

Parliament. 

the minister said the 

amount of defaulted loans in 

1991 was tk 5,039 crore out of 

total disbursed amount of tk 

19,278 crore, which is 26.14 

percent. 

He also mentioned that currently 

the disbursed loan 

amount is tk 962,277 crore 

while the amount of defaulted 

loan is tk 112,425 crore, which 

is 11.69 percent. "that means 

the amount of defaulted loans 

has not increased," he said. 

Mustafa kamal, however, 

said there should not be any 

defaulted loan. "It would have 

been better if we could bring 

down the percentage of the 

defaulted loans to single digit. 

we'll take step as far as we can 

to this end," he said. 

He said some defaulted 

loans were created due to some 

system problems. "the interest 

rate of banks is higher due to 

the compound rate instead of 

simple one," he said. 

the minister said the 

Financial Institutions Division 

of the Finance Ministry has 

asked all the scheduled banks 

to form a monitoring cell to 

ensure close monitoring on 

classified loans worth tk 100 

crore and above. 

Protest continues 

at JU demanding 

VC's removal 

JAHAngIrnAgAr UnI- 

VersItY : A group of teachers 

and students continued 

demonstration defying a ban 

on wednesday seeking the 

removal of Vice-Chancellor 

Professor Farzana Islam, 

reports UnB. 

United under 'Jahangirnagar 

Against Corruption', the protesters 

took out a procession 

from the Murad Chattar 

around 1:30pm and marched 

through the campus before 

holding a brief rally in front of 

the old administrative building. 

Chhatra Union leader 

Oliur rahman said their 

"peaceful and logical demonstration" 

has been attacked 

but it could not be stopped 

even after the administration 

closed the halls. 

"the VC should step down 

not only for corruption but 

also for the current stalemate," 

he said. 

Prof kamrul Ahsan of philosophy 

department said 

the movement aimed at 

"saving the university". 

"But the VC and the 

administration don't want 

it. they've closed the university 

out of fear but protests 

will resume when the university 

will open," he said. 

"the government should 

investigate (charges of corruption) 

and help the university 

run smoothly." 

Prof rayhan rhyne, coordinator 

of the protest, said 

they had filed information 

and evidence of corruption. 

"But no probe body has 

been formed yet, demonstrating 

a lack of goodwill of 

the government," he said. 

Current situation 'suitable 

for AL leaders to join 

BNP': Fakhrul 

DHAkA : In a counter-attack on 

Information Minister Dr Hasan 

Mahmud, BnP secretary general 

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on 

wednesday said a situation has been 

created for Awami League leaders to 

join BnP. 

"the Information Minister is 

demonstrating his creativity by crafting 

new stories. the current situation 

is not conducive to joining Awami 

League from BnP. But an atmosphere 

has been created for Awami League 

leaders to join BnP," he said. 

Fakhrul came up with the comments 

while talking to reporters after placing 

wreaths at BnP founder Ziaur 

rahman's grave along with leaders 

and activists of the party's 

narayanganj city unit. 

On tuesday, the Information 

Minister told journalists at the 

secretariat that many BnP leaders are 

thinking of quitting the party and contacting 

Awami League leaders at different 

levels. 

Fakhrul said Awami League has 

proved through its activities that it has 

now become bankrupt as a political 

party. "they snatched people's rights, 

including voting one, and destroyed all 

the democratic institutions. they're 

now working to turn Bangladesh into a 

failed state." 

the BnP leader regretted that 

though once BnP and Awami League 

struggled against late HM ershad's autocratic 

rule, the party formed the government 

along with that autocrat and 

took it to parliament through 'vote rigging'. 

"their secretary general (Moshiur 

rahman ranga) a few days back badly 

attacked democracy. what he said 

against our beloved noor Hossain, a 

symbol of the anti-autocratic movement, 

is completely devoid of political 

etiquette," he said. 

Fakhrul also observed that ranga insulted 

the democratic movement and 

the pro-democratic people with his 

comments. "we strongly condemn his 

comments. we think he should apologise 

publicly and in Parliament." 

Jatiya Party secretary general 

Mashiur rahman ranga at a discussion 

on sunday said, "who was noor 

Hossain? An addict... a Yaba abuser, a 

Phensedyl abuser! two democratic 

parties-Awami League and BnP-are 

overenthusiastic about him. this day 

is observed as noor Hossain Day!" 

About the ruling party leaders' comment 

that BnP is facing intra-party 

conflict, Fakhrul said Awami Leaders 

are making such remarks as they 

themselves are being failed to handle 

their own party. 

"their party men are engaging in 

fight with each other and vandalism at 

the councils of their Jubo League and 

swechchasebak League. so, they're 

unnecessarily resorting to such lies to 

hide their imminent fall," he said. 

the BnP leader said they will intensify 

their movement for having 

their chairperson khaleda Zia freed 

from jail. 

Bachchu who is earning his livelihood by selling Khulshun (fishing trap) at Naldanga upazila of 

Natore. 

Photo : Star Mail 

Dhaka favours fair competition 

DHAkA : Foreign Minister Dr Ak Abdul 

Momen on wednesday said the wealth 

creation in the region must be for all 

with "fair distribution" with "fair competition" 

instead of geo-strategic or political 

rivals. "we need to have fair competition 

but not geo-strategic or political rivals," 

he said adding that they must 

guard against the tendency to look at this 

region in respect of trade or security issues 

only, reports UnB. 

the Foreign Minister was addressing 

the closing session of 'Dhaka global 

Dialogue 2019' at a city hotel. 

state Minister for Foreign Affairs Md 

shahriar Alam and Chairman, Observer 

research Foundation sunjoy Joshi also 

spoke at the session titled 'Convergence 

of regional initiatives for Optimising 

Common Benefits.' 

Member of Parliamentary standing 

Committee on the Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs, Bangladesh nahim razzaq moderated 

the session. 

the Foreign Minister said peace and 

stability are very critical for sustainable 

growth and development saying a simple 

thing in any part of the globalised 

world can create problem and thus hurt 

the growth goals. 

"Peace and stability are the essence of 

development. If there is no peace, there 

cannot be development," he said while 

responding to a question at the interactive 

closing session. 

the Foreign Minister cited examples 

across the world and said they have been 

suffering where there is no peace. "to 

maintain the sustainable development 

it's essential to have peace and stability." 

Dr Momen shared a few things for the 

common peace and prosperity of the region. 

First, he said, they need to create an 

environment of peace-harmony-stability 

of all countries, and they have to focus 

on the entire menu of sustainable development. 

next, Dr Momen said, they have to engage 

among themselves based on mutual 

trust and mutual respect for mutual 

benefit. the Foreign Minister said this 

kind of dialogue and think thanks must 

promote one thing and it is the mindset 

of respect for each other. 

He said they often look just in terms of 

the capacity of a few large economies or 

their needs but they must get the narrative 

right: addressing the key concerns of 

smaller communities or relatively weaker 

economies is a must in 'our' collective 

journey, for any sustainable world. 

"Countries should be engaged based 

on mutual trust and mutual respect, for 

mutual benefit," said the Foreign 

Minister. 

Dr Momen said in south Asia, through 

sAFtA, regional trade in goods and 

services is expected to rise robustly over 

the next few years. 

In south-east Asia, by the next year, 

AseAn would emerge as a seamless economic 

space up to Myanmar, he said. 

Under esCAP, Asia-Pacific regional 

economic integration is moving to the 

next level and BCIM is shaping up with a 

promise to unlock production-distribution-transportation 

opportunities. 

Dr Momen said Chinese ambitious 

Belt and road Initiative (BrI) is already 

in place to connect Asia with Africa and 

europe through land and maritime networks. 

"the Indo-Pacific strategy is also 

in progress." 

In today's globalised world, he said, no 

single country can prosper alone and 

what they need is to work closely - by 

drawing on each other's strength, capabilities 

and endowments. 

the Foreign Minister said many of the 

challenges that the region faces today, 

can best be addressed through collective 

efforts. He said Bangladesh is open to 

any global and regional initiatives which 

are economic in nature and help economic 

development. 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, 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; Fax: + 880244611604, Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

14-11-2019

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