11-02-2020

tuesday

DhAKA: February 11, 2020; Magh 28, 1426 BS; Jamadi-us Sanni 16,1441 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.17; No.16; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

German leader

Merkel's party in crisis

as successor quits

>Page 7

art & culture

Tiger Shroff, Shraddha

Kapoor to promote

'Baaghi 3' in Dubai

>Page 8

sport

We had a dream to lift

the trophy; our dream

came true: Akbar Ali

>Page 9

ICC Under-19 WC trophy

'great gift' for nation:PM

34 days to go

Coronavirus

Over 90,000 passengers

scanned so far : Maleque

DHAKA : Health and Family Welfare

Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday said

the government has so far scanned over

90,000 passengers, who travelled to

Bangladesh from abroad, aiming to prevent

coronavirus infection that emerged

in the central city of Wuhan in China.

"Since January 1, 2020, the Health

Service Division under the ministry has

completed medical scanning of 90,245 passengers

to prevent coronavirus," he told a

meeting at the Secretariat on Monday.

The Health and Family Welfare

Ministry arranged the meeting on

health awareness at its conference

room, said a press release of the ministry,

reports BSS.

Maleque said a total of 12,630 passengers

were scanned across the country

in the last 24 hours. Of those, he

said, 6,162 passengers were scanned in

Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet airports,

while 6,224 people in seaports

and 240 passengers in river ports.

Chaired by Health Education

Division secretary Md Ali Noor, the

meeting was attended, among others,

by additional secretary of the Health

Service Division Md Habibur Rahman

Khan and director general of the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS) Dr Abul Kalam Azad.

On February 7, the Health Service

Division made medical scanning

mandatory for the arriving passengers

from different countries. But no coronavirus-infected

person is yet to be

detected.

Jhalakathi PP murder

HC upholds death

sentence of 5 JMB men

JHALAKATHI : The High Court (HC)

on Monday upheld a verdict of the subordinate

court sentencing five members

of Banned militant group Jamaat-ul-

Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to death

for murdering a Jhalakathi Public

Prosecutor in 2007, reports UNB.

Justice Soumendra Sarker and

Justice Shahed Nuruddin 's bench

passed the order after hearing the

appeal filed by the convicts on Sunday

while the full verdict was released the

following day.

The convicts are - Bellal Hossain, Abu

Shahadat Md Tanvir alias Mehedi

hasan, Murad Hossain, Sagir Hossain

and Amir Hossain. Bellal is on the run.

Advocate SM Shahjahan and Md

Kamal stood for the convicts while

Deputy Attorney General Bashir

Ahmed represented the state.

The JMB men shot dead public prosecutor

Haidar Hossain on April 11,

2007.

On February 12, 2015, a Jhalakathi

court sentenced the five men to death.

Later, the convicts moved the High

Court challenging the verdict.

Zohr

05:19 AM

12:16 PM

04:14 PM

05:55 PM

07:10 PM

6:34 5:52

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Monday described the

clinching of the ICC Under-19 World

Cup trophy by Bangladesh Under-19

Cricket Team as the 'great gift' for the

nation in the Mujib Borsho (Mujib

Year) , reports UNB.

She said the young tigers will be

accorded a grand reception for winning

its maiden ICC Under-19 World

Cup title after they return home.

The Prime Minister made the

announcement at the outset of the

Cabinet meeting, held at the Prime

Minister's Office.

"Winning the ICC Under-19 World

Cup trophy by the Bangladesh

Under-19 Cricket Team is a big gift

for all and the nation in the Mujib

Borsho," she said.

On Sunday, the young Tigers wrote

history for Bangladesh cricket beating

four-time world champions India

by three wickets in the final of the

tournament at Senwes Park in

Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Sheikh Hasina recalled that the

Bangladesh national cricket team was

given a grand reception at the Manik

Mia Avenue in the capital in 1997 after

clinching the ICC Trophy 1997.

"Whenever Bangladesh team had won

any trophy, we gave a reception to them.

We'll also accord a mass reception to the

ICC Under-19 World Cup-winning

Bangladesh team," she declared.

The Prime Minister said the players

of the team worked hard in the last

four years ahead of the ICC Under-19

World Cup. "So, they showed an

excellent performance throughout

the tournament," she noted.

Hasina said the Bangladesh team

defeated four-time ICC Under-19

World Cup champions India in the

final. "They (Bangladesh players)

have huge courage... they're rising

gradually," she said.

Availing of govt services by villagers

to be made easier : Minister

DHAKA : The Local Government Division

(LGD) is going to take a project to ensure

the quick delivery of government services

at the grassroots level through strengthening

all wards under each union with better

logistic support, reports UNB.

Under the project, LGD will set up an

office at each ward of all unions so that villagers

could avail themselves of government

services fast without hazards. Local

Government and Rural Development

(LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam disclosed

the plan in an interview with UNB.

"The Local Government Division will

soon undertake a project to execute the

plan. Information about population, voter

list, the number of poor and orphans, the

rate of education and road condition, will

be available at the ward office once the

project is implemented," he said.

Minister Tajul also said a citizen charter

would be placed in front of each ward office

so that people can easily get necessary

information of the area.

The ward office itself will bear its own

expenses through different services,

including E-services, photocopy, healthcare,

electricity bill payment, visa service,

and through selling bus, rail and air tickets.

Besides, the authorities have taken an

initiative to implement a master plan at the

upazila level. The plan includes formulation

and approval of Nat’l Infrastructure

Development Scheme within 2021. The

plan is also aimed at formulation and giving

approval to Upazila Development

Scheme to ensure urban facilities in villages

within the current year.

About the development plan for municipalities,

the minister said they are working

to increase the capacity of municipalities

across the country.

"A database is being prepared for all the

city corporations and municipalities to

ensure the optimum use of government

funds and accountability of the officials

concerned," he said.

Regarding waterlogging problem in the

capital city, the minister said Dhaka Water

and Sewerage Authority (Dwasa) is being

monitored to make sure that they take

proper steps to fix the issue.

"Steps have also been taken to create

public awareness on prevention of dengue

and other mosquito-borne diseases and

make sure that municipalities and city corporations

are performing their respective

duties properly," Tajul Islam said.

The authorities are working to bring all

the activities of the Local Government

Engineering Department (LGED) under

automation. The development will ensure

transparency in project implementation,

he said.

Replying to another question, the minister

revealed that a specific regulation will

be formulated on road digging in Dhaka

Metropolitan area to reduce public sufferings.

About waste management, he said

City Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS)

and Fecal Sludge Management (FSM)

support cells have already been installed at

the Department of Public Health

Engineering for solid and human waste

management. The cells began providing

districts, upazilas, and municipalities with

technical assistance on solid and human

waste management.

Counter and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) arrested five members of banned outfit Ansar Al

Islam from Sabujbag area of the capital city on Sunday night.

Photo : TBT

Cleanliness work on Central Shaheed Minar going on ahead of International Mother

Language Day.

Photo : Star Mail

17 Chinese sailors

stuck in ship for 3

days in Sitakunda

CHATTOGRAM : Seventeen Chinese

sailors remained stuck for three days in

a ship docked at Sitakunda coast for

scrapping, reports UNB.

The 9,000-mt Uni Harvest cargo ship

of Japan sailed from China's Weifang

Port for Chattogram on January 20,

said Milton Ray, Upazila Nirbahi

Officer (UNO) of Sitakunda.

"The shipyard authorities had failed

to report about the sailors before the

ship was docked," he added.

The ship was brought to the shipyard,

owned by Md Abdullah and Haji Liakot

Ali of Sonaimuri union on Saturday

evening, for scrapping.

No-one of the sailors was allowed to

leave the ship due to Coronavirus outbreak

concern. The owner of the agency

that imported the ship claimed the 17

Chinese sailors are not infected with

coronavirus.

"The ship was beached at Lalbeg in

Sonaimuri to be scrapped as per rules,"

said Haji Liakot Ali.

Mentioning that the Chinese sailors

will be sent back directly to China once

their air tickets are confirmed, he said

sailors from other countries left the ship

after it had been beached.

The coronavirus that originated in

Wuhan, China, has killed at least 908

people. On Monday, China's health

ministry said another 3,062 cases had

been reported over the previous 24

hours, raising the Chinese mainland's

total to 40,171. More than Coronavirus

440 cases have been confirmed outside

mainland China, including two deaths

in Hong Kong and the Philippines,

reports AP.

HC declares all sorts

of gambling illegal

DHAKA : The High Court on Monday

declared illegal all sorts of gambling in

exchange of money across the country

and directed the government to take

steps against gambling organisers and

gamblers.

The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan

Arif and Justice Md Mahmud Hassan

Talukder passed the order following a

writ petition seeking an order to stop

gambling at 13 clubs, including Dhaka

Club, in the city. The court asked the

authorities concerned to bring an

amendment to the relevant act to end

gambling and make it a time-befitting

one after enhancing punishments for

gambling, reports UNB.

It also asked law enforcement agencies

to seize the equipment used for

gambling instantly.

In an observation, the HC said, "The

current government is conducting a

strong drive against casino business and

it appears to us that the purpose of the

drive is to discourage gambling and casino.

At the same time, punishment should

be raised to stop casino business and

gambling."

"In the 1867 act, there's a scope to take

action against gambling outside Dhaka

but the penalty under the act is very

insignificant - only three months' jail

with a fine of Tk 200. Besides, there's no

scope to take action against any gamblers

in Dhaka city," according to the HC

observation.

Barrister Redwan Ahmed Ranjib

stood for the petitioner while deputy

attorney general Bipul Bagmar represented

the state.

Following the court order, no-one

from now on will be allowed to play gambling

in exchange of money, said

Barrister Redwan.

Two lawyers filed a writ petition with

the High Court in 2016, challenging the

legality of indoor games like gambling,

dice and card at 13 clubs (Dhaka Club,

Uttara Club, Gulshan Club, Dhanmondi

Club, Banani Club, Officers Club Dhaka,

Dhaka Ladies Club, Cadet College Club,

Chittagong Club, Chittagong Seniors

Club, Narayanganj Club, Sylhet Club and

Khulna) defying the act.

On December 4, 2016, the High

Court issued a rule seeking explanation

as to why the authorities concerned

will not be directed to take steps

against the organizers of indoor games

like gambling, dice and card games in

exchange of money in the 13 clubs and

in the five districts.

No separate tribunal for

narcotic cases; bill okayed

DHAKA : The Cabinet on Monday

approved in principle the draft of an

amendment bill dropping the provision

of setting up separate narcotic

control tribunals to pave the way for

competent courts to try narcoticrelated

crimes, reports UNB.

Amid the backlog of huge narcotic

cases, the 'Narcotics Control

(Amendment) Bill, 2020' was

cleared at the weekly cabinet meeting,

held with Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her

office in the city.

"The bill was brought to have a

provision of holding trial of narcotic-related

cases in the courts having

the jurisdiction for quick disposal of

such cases and easing the backlog of

huge drug-related cases," said

Secretary (Coordination and

Reform) of the Cabinet Division

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman while

briefing reporters at the secretariat

about the outcome of the Cabinet

meeting.

He said it was supposed to form

necessary number of Narcotics

Control Tribunals in line with article

44 of the existing Narcotics

Control Act 2018.

But the Law and Justice Division

cannot set up any Narcotics Control

Tribunal yet or cannot entrust the

tribunal's responsibility with any

additional district judge or sessions

judge for administrative reasons,

said Mujibur Rahman.

"So, complexities have been created

in disposal of cases filed under

the Narcotics Control Act 2018

since it has become effective, and

the number of pending cases filed

under this law keeps growing day by

day," he said.

As per article 44 of the proposed

law, the courts, having jurisdiction,

can try the narcotic-related cases as

per the gravity of crimes as well as a

sessions judge concerned or a metropolitan

sessions judge concerned

can fix one or more than one courts

that have the jurisdiction to try narcotic-related

crimes in their respective

areas, he said.

In the bill, changes have been

brought in 22 articles of the exiting

act, said the Secretary.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet approved

in principle the draft of Bangladesh

Tourism Corporation Bill, 2020 to

remove some problems and obscurities

from the exiting Bangladesh

Parjatan Corporation Order, 1972.

NEWS

TuesdAY, FebruArY 11, 2020

2

Family members of late Omar Faruk Tuhin and his fellows formed a human chain in front of

National Press Club yesterday demanding hang of his killers.

Photo : TbT

Coronavirus outbreak: Much

of world's factories still shut

DHAKA : The longer than expected

shutdowns of Chinese factories because

of the coronavirus outbreak are having

a big impact on the world's second

largest economy and the global supply

chain.

A large number of carmakers are now

facing the threat of shortage of parts.

Many fear that assembly lines in Asia,

Europe and the USA could be hit hard

in a devastating blow that will likely

amplify the economic cost of the

outbreak, reports UNB.

Employers across China had been

ordered to remain closed after the

annual holiday as part of an attempt by

authorities to stem the spread of the

virus which originated in Wuhan of

Hubei province, home to many auto

parts suppliers.

There are also concerns about

supplies of Apple products as the

disruptions continue, reports the BBC.

Restrictions have been removed for a

number of companies but several

major manufacturers remain closed.

Ana Boata, the head of

macroeconomic research at Euler

Hermes, estimated that every week that

Chinese factories remain shut subtracts

$26 billion from global trade, according

to New York Times.

Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple,

has yet to reopen its largest Chinese

factory. Shenzhen's Longhua district,

where the plant is located, has said

production would restart as soon as

university

student

remanded

for rape

RAJSHAHI : A court here on

Monday placed a university

student on a two-day

remand in a case over raping

his girlfriend inside his mess

in Kajla Sakpara area in the

city.

Judge Selim Reza of

Metropolitan Magistrate

Court passed the order after

the accused, Mahfuzur

Rahman Sarod, 22, a second

year student of Economics

Department of Rajshahi

University, was placed

before the court with a

three-day remand prayer,

reports UNB.

Mahfuzur took the girl to

his mess on January 24 and

violated her while his friends

Plabon, Rafsan, Joy, Jibon

and Bishal recorded it in a

mobile phone, said SM

Masud, officer-in-charge of

Motihar police station.

Jubo League leader

killed in Pirojpur

road crash

PIROJPUR : A local Jubo

League leader was killed and

two others were injured

when a truck hit a motorbike

at Mallik Bari Bazar in Sadar

upazila Monday noon.

The deceased was

identified as Saiful Islam

Jemy, 35, organizing

secretary of Sadar upazila

unit Jubo League and son of

Tota Matubbar of the

upazila, reports UNB.

The accident took place at

noon when a truck hit a

motorbike from behind,

leaving Saiful dead on the

spot and two other riders

injured, said Nurul Islam

Badal, officer-in-charge of

Sadar Police Station.

officials have completed inspections at

the facility.

Several major car makers are also

among the manufacturers that have

extended the shutdowns of their

operations. Nissan and PSA, which

makes the Peugeot and Citroen brands,

have said their factories will remain

closed until Friday.

VW, BMW, Toyota and Honda have

all said they now plan to restart Chinese

production next week. At the same time

French car parts maker Valeo will keep

its three sites in Wuhan shut until at

least 13 February.

Global Impact of Shutdown

Apart from a disruption of the global

supply chain, many other sectors, such

as computers and electronics, textiles,

heavy machinery, shipping, transport,

and tourism among others will be

affected.

Traders in Bangladesh are already

feeling the pinch. UNB correspondents

have reported substantial increase in

prices of goods imported from China.

The fruits market has also been

affected.

Since the coronavirus outbreak has

forced car and car-parts factories to

remain closed, the impact will likely be

felt for days and many assembly lines

will likely grind to a halt if the situation

does not improve.

The auto industry employs an

estimated eight million people

worldwide. The longer the shutdown

extends, the harder the impact will be

on the sector.

China is the largest car market in the

world and the shutdowns will affect

sales both inside mainland China and

other countries.

Honda, General Motors, and

Dongfeng Motor all have factories in

Hubei province, where the outbreak is

thought to have started and is now in

lock down. One of Honda's two Chinese

joint venture manufacturing plants is in

Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei.

Last week South Korea's Hyundai

became the first major car maker to

halt production outside China because

of a shortage of parts caused by the

coronavirus.

Fiat Chrysler also warned that it may

have to suspend production in Europe

as it struggles to get enough

components from China.

On Friday, Suzuki said it may start

sourcing parts from outside China over

concerns that the outbreak could

disrupt production in India, its biggest

market.

But Germany will be the hardest hit if

the situation does not improve. The Ifo

Institute in Munich estimated that a

decline in Chinese growth rate of 1

percentage point would strip 0.6

percentage points from Germany's

growth, the New York Times report

said. This is in part because factories in

Germany depend heavily on parts

made in China.

sMes need boost from formal

banking channels, say speakers

DHAKA : Speakers at a seminar here have

said millions of small and medium enterprises

(SMEs), cottage and micro sector businesses

that have remained out of formal banking

channel need a big push with proper backing

from larger financial institutions. They said

introduction of smart cards like bank debit

cards with financial facilities could be an

option to begin with, reports UNB.

The seminar titled 'Uttaron-In Promoting

Sustainable and Inclusive Finance for SME

and Farmer and Discussion on SME Card'

was held on Sunday at the office of the United

Nations Industrial Development Organisation

(UNIDO). Experts from the Bangladesh Bank,

United Nations, BRAC, European Unionfunded

projects, NRB Bank, Uttaran and

Aurora attended the programme with their

views on financial inclusion of the SMEs. TM

Tajul Islam, a former consultant of the World

Bank, moderated the seminar.

Speaking as the chief guest, Khondkar

Morshed Millat, General Manager of the

Sustainable Finance Department of the

Bangladesh Bank, said the central bank has a

favourable policy to bring the SMEs and

cottage and micro industries under a greater

financial inclusion scheme. He said since the

SMEs and small industries are playing a vital

role any effort to bring them under an

integrated approach will get support from the

central bank that regulates the banking sector.

"But things have to be in place under the

existing policy and in conformity with banking

rules and regulations."

Millat said they are ready to discuss

possibilities to extend their support to the

ambition of bringing the vital cottage and

micro businesses under a greater financial

regime. The experts said currently only 35

percent of the country's 7 million SMEs can

avail of formal banking facilities and the rest

remains untapped despite huge potentials of

the sector. The country's burgeoning cottage

and micro industries terribly lag behind in the

case of financial inclusion by the formal

banking channels.

TIM Zahid Hossain, Advocacy Advisor of

the Ultra-poor Graduation Programme of

BRAC, in his keynote speech said their

experience in providing support to the

country's poorest section of people has a

tremendous positive impact. He said people

who are involved with the SMEs or cottage

industries could be helped by linking them

with the formal banking channels. Now Zahid

said the smaller businesses mostly take money

from NGOs and individual loan providers, but

if they are connected with the formal financing

institutions like banks and other non-banking

financial institutions their contributions to the

economy would be greater.

Jatiya Party Chairman Golam Quader addressing a general

meeting at diploma engineers Institute auditorium on

Monday.

Photo : TbT

24 Indian fishermen

released from

bagerhat jail

BAGERHAT : Twenty-four

Indian fishermen, arrested

for illegal entry into

Bangladesh maritime

boundary in November last

year, were released from jail

on Monday following a court

order.

Bagerhat jail authorities

handed them over to

officials of the Indian

embassy in presence of the

representatives of district

administration and police,

reports UNB.

The fishermen, residents

of different areas of South 24

Parganas of West Bengal,

will leave for their country

from Mongla, said Golam

Dastagir, superintendent of

Bagerhat district jail.

Members of Bangladesh

Navy detained the Indian

fishermen along with two

trawlers in the Bay of Bengal

on charge of intruding into

Bangladeshi maritime

boundary in two phases in

November. Later, they were

handed over to police and

sent to jail. Additional

District Magistrate Md

Shahinuzzaman said the

arrestees were freed from

jail following an order from

the home ministry after

completing all legal

procedures.

On January 29,

Bangladesh released 63

Indian fishermen from jail

who had been arrested in

October last year for illegal

entry into maritime

boundary.

rohingya 'robber'

killed Teknaf

'gunfight'

COX'S BAZAR : A Rohingya

man, described as a

notorious robber by the law

enforcement, was killed in a

reported gunfight with

members of the Rapid

Action Battalion (Rab) in

Teknaf on early Monday.

Nurul Amin was the son of

Maktaul Hossain of Leda's

Nurali Para area.

Rab said the gunfight took

place around 3am at Nurali

Para hills, reports UNB.

"Lance Naik Azharul Islam

and Sepoy Md Sohel were

injured in firing by a gang of

robbers from the hill,

prompting the elite force

members to fire in self

defence," said Rab-15

Teknaf camp's company

commander Lt Mirza

Shahed Mahtab. The

robbers fled after the

skirmish. Mahtab said Nurul

Amin had sustained gunshot

wounds during the gunfight.

"We took him to Teknaf

Hospital where he

succumbed to his injuries,"

the Rab officer said.

Three locally-made guns,

bullets, and 11 SIM cards of

Myanmar mobile operators,

among others, were

recovered from the site, the

elite force said. Bangladesh

is currently hosting more

than 1.1 million Rohingyas

who had fled their homeland

in Myanmar's Rakhine State

over the years to escape

persecution.

Many Rohingyas have

been found to be involved in

various criminal activities.

'robber' killed

in Cumilla

'gunfight'

CUMILLA : A suspected

robber was killed in a

reported gunfight with

police in an area near the

Cumilla-Sylhet Highway in

Burichang upazila early

Monday, reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Mazharul

Islam, son of late Moin

Uddin, a resident of

Mashikara village in

Debidwar upazila. He was

accused in several robbery

cases.

Md Mozammel Haque,

officer-in-charge of

Burichong Police station

said that they had been

tipped off about a robbery

bid. A team of police led by

him and DB Inspector

Ikhtiar Uddin conducted the

drive in Paschimosing area

around 3am.

3 burnt in Chattogram cylinder blast

CHATTOGRAM : Three people suffered burn

injuries as a LPG gas cylinder went off in a

house at Mogoltuli of Agrabad area in the city

on Monday, reports UNB.

The injured were identified as Shahadat

Bhuiyan, 55, Md Mizan, 38, and Golam Mawla,

51. Shahadat's cousin said a gas cylinder

exploded in their house, leaving the trio injured.

GD-272/20 (18 x 3)

Agrabad Fire Service Deputy Assistant

Director Farid Ahmed Chowdhury said on

information, they rushed to the spot and

rescued the injured people.

Sub-inspector Jahirul Haque of Chattogram

Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police

outpost said they were admitted to the Burn

unit of the hospital.

METRO

TuesdAY, FebruArY 11, 2020

3

state should bear educational expenses

of jr tigers: sultan Mansur

SANGSAD BHABAN : An opposition

bench MP on Monday said all the

educational expenses of the U-19

cricket team players should come from

the state coffer, reports UNB.

Gonoforum MP, elected from

Maulvibazar-2, Sultan Mohammad

Mansur Ahmed made the plea while

speaking in Parliament standing on

point of order.

"As long as they (cricket players of U-

19 team) will continue their studies,

the government, under the

supervision of the Education Ministry

and the Prime Minister, should pay

their all the expenses from the national

exchequer," he said. Bangladesh U-19

team beat Indian U-19 by three

wickets in the ICC U-19 World Cup

final on Sunday to clinch their maiden

trophy.

Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Huq

Chunnu initiated the discussion and

called for giving the U-19 players a gala

reception upon their return home. He

said the whole nation is now thrilled as

they had been on December 16, 21971

and January 10, 1972.

"Today, in the history of the 45 years

of World Cup, the boys have clinched

the WC trophy...the people of the

whole country are very much

delighted," Chunnu said. He

appreciated the Prime Minister for

extending all-out cooperation to the

sports for their advancement.

"Now all have reached a consensus

that a civic reception should be given

to them (U-19 players) for their

outstanding performance," he said.

Chunnu also demanded that

appropriate honorarium be given to

them from the national exchequer.

In 1971, Sultan Mansur said, the

people of the country beat Pakistani

forces to attain its independence and

this time it beat India to clinch U-19

World Cup.

2 teenage girls

'gang raped'

in city

DHAKA : Two teenage girls,

who were reportedly gang

raped, were admitted to

Dhaka Medical College

Hospital, reports UNB.

Pankaj, sub-inspector of

Kadamtoli Police Station,

said that a 13-year-old girl

was admitted to One Stop

Crisis Centre of DMCH

around 11pm on Sunday.

His colleague Inspector

Mahabub Alam admitted

another 15-year-old girl to

the DMCH.

Hospital sources said the

teenagers were gang raped

on Saturday night.

Air Quality Index: dhaka

ranks 6th worst

DHAKA : Bangladesh's capital Dhaka

ranked sixth among cities with worst air

quality on Monday morning, reports UNB.

It had a score of 177 at 08:40am in the Air

Quality Index (AQI). The air was classified

as 'unhealthy'.

India's Delhi, Pakistan's Lahore and

China's Shenyang occupied the top three

positions in the list of cities with worst air

with AQI scores of 272, 269, and 251

respectively.

When the AQI score is between 151 and

200, everyone may experience health

effects while members of sensitive groups

may experience more serious health

effects.

The AQI, an index for reporting daily air

quality, informs people how clean or

polluted the air of a certain city is, and what

associated health effects might be a

concern for them.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five

criteria pollutants - Particulate Matter

(PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and

Ozone (O3). The Department of

Environment has also set national ambient

air quality standards for these pollutants.

These standards aim to protect against

adverse human health impacts.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air

pollution. The air quality usually improves

during monsoon.

GD-266/20 (6 x 4)

GD-270/20 (6 x 4)

GD-271/20 (10 x 4)

GD-268/20 (10 x 4)

EDITORIAL

TueSDAY, FeBRuARY 11, 2020

4

Boeing’s tough challenges as civilian aircraft maker

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Accreting lands

from the sea

A

present

formidable problem for Bangladesh

apparently is land shortage. But there is also

good news. Although there has been a long

standing projection about a part of Bangladesh's

coastal areas sinking into the sea in the near future

from the greenhouse syndrome, regularly received

satellite imageries and other tangible supporting

evidences suggest that Bangladesh is rather about

to receive the gift of a huge land mass from its

adjoining sea from gradual deposition of silt

brought down by rivers.

The size of this land mass, eventually, could be as

big as the present size of Bangladesh or even

bigger. But it will depend considerably on what

the Bangladeshis themselves do-- like the people

of Holland did --for lands to rise from the sea and

for the same to be joined to the mainland.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC) is no doubt the most authoritative forum

as regards worldwide climate change and its

consequences. But only last year, IPCC had to eat

its own words and confess that some of its

projections were flawed such as the imminent

disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers that

could most dramatically raise sea levels in the

South Asian region. Scientific data also indicate

that nothing can be absolutely said, yet, about the

extent of sea level rise or the height of its

occurrences in different parts of the world.

Thus, it may eventually become quite possible for

Bangladesh to gain in elevation or new lands in its

coastal area in the likelihood of deposition of silt

in its coastal areas being faster or greater than the

anticipated sea level rise in this region.

Unfortunately, not much is noted in the country's

annual development plans (ADPs) to the effect

that successive governments have been paying

attention to this issue. Insignificant allocations

have been made over the years to build dams and

other structures to put a pace on the process of

accretion of coastal lands. This attitude,

undoubtedly, is a serious neglect of the vital

national interest.

Already, substantial territories have surfaced in

the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Some of these

places have completely surfaced and have human

habitations on them while others remain

submerged during tides to emerge with the ebbing

of the tide. The latter types of accreted lands are

likely to gain in elevation to be permanently joined

to the mainland. Indeed, a part of present day

Bangladesh including the districts of Faridpur,

Barisal, Noakhali, Patuakhali, etc., were formed in

this manner over time.

The country is likely to get a generous response

from the international community in matters of

fund availability and technical supports if it can

show that it is really keen to accrete more lands

and has put the endeavour under a systematic

policy framework.

Holland is one country which has the most

experience in getting lands out of the sea.

Bangladesh may not have to embark on projects

on the same scale as were carried out in Holland

because of its relatively better elevation. It can use

its huge reservoir of cheap manpower to build

simpler projects to get the same kind of results as

were achieved in Holland. But for this purpose it

needs to engage in a time-bound and result

oriented framework of assistance and

consultation with that country.

Even if Bangladesh ultimately requires

sophisticated engineering works along its coasts

like in Holland, it should engage in this task with

no loss of time. Government in Bangladesh should

go all out to get a major part of the international

fund now under mobilization to help out the

countries most likely to be affected by climate

change. These funds ought not to be spent largely

on attractive environmental projects such as

planting trees along the coasts, dredging of rivers,

etc., but on what would be the most effective long

term defences against sea level rise like the seawalls

in Holland.

Even if external aid is not forthcoming, the

government can proceed with dams and other

structures where these will yield almost immediate

benefits in the form of lands rising from the sea on

a sustainable basis. The taking up of such projects

and their successful execution are quite possible

for Bangladeshby mobilising its own resources

and applying its own expertise.

One may say that the cyclone hazards can be

serious in the coastal areas. But these hazards are

not as these used to be in the past. Few people

have died from these cyclones in recent years and

much less resources were destroyed from cyclones

. The creation of a network of cyclone shelters and

other forms of preparedness for disasters have led

to such favourable developments. With the

establishment of a greater number of cyclone

shelters and extending the system of

preparedness, there would be no reason for a far

bigger number of people than at present not to be

living and working safely in viable occupations in

the coastal areas including the already accreted

lands and the about to be accreted lands.

The dismissal of Dennis Muilenburg

as chief executive of Boeing might

have looked like an early Christmas

present to the employees and

shareholders of Boeing, but the

company's disease has gone way past the

point where any single corporate surgeon

can save the patient. For those who

bothered to look (and this evidently did

not include the US Federal Aviation

Administration), Boeing's increasing

degeneration has been evident for

decades, even as the stock price continued

to rise, as a consequence of quirky

accounting practices that masked the

company's deteriorating cash flow

position.

If the 737 Max 8 is killed off for good, it

will create a huge existential risk for

Boeing's future as a viable civilian aviation

manufacturer, as the company had

projected revenues from its 737-related

sales into its business plans for many years

to come (it goes without saying that the

Pentagon will keep the company afloat,

with Boeing effectively operating as a

military subdivision of the Department of

Defense).

The 737 Max 8 is not the first example

whereby Boeing has violated the principal

canon of aviation: namely, to manufacture

a plane that flies as simply and safely as

possible. While this principle has been

most egregiously flouted in the case of

Boeing's latest iteration of the "Next

Generation" series of 737 planes, the Max

8, the 787 Dreamliner has also remained

an ongoing headache for the company.

Over their economic lifespans, all

successful commercial airliners do two

things: They grow in size, first, by creating

mARSHAll AueRBAck

new models that carry more passengers.

Second, they adopt new technologies that

lower the cost per seat-mile (this is

becoming increasingly germane when

factoring the fuel economy into the cost,

given the US Environmental Protection

Agency's recent rulings that aircraft

emissions contribute to climate change,

hence opening the way for additional

regulation of the industry).

One wonders if Boeing - hamstrung by

its self-inflicted errors, notably the

degradation of its historic flight

engineering capabilities - will remain

sufficiently robust to allow it to continue to

capitalize, for example, on the growing allelectric

market (which could well become

a major feature of future regional air

travel). The two are not strictly related, but

clearly the longer the 737 problems

remain, the more impaired becomes the

capacity for Boeing to innovate in other

areas and profit from this growing trend in

"green aviation" (as well as offsetting

increasing regulatory headwinds).

In any event, there is ample evidence to

suggest that the company will continue to

lose global market share, notably to

Airbus, largely because of decisions made

early in the 737's life. The Max 8 problems

are largely the byproducts of bad

hardware design, not flawed computer

software. The plane sits too low to the

ground to handle the growing size of

engines or provide adequate takeoff and

landing clearance when lengthened.

Instead of acknowledging the need to

build a better airframe that would have

addressed the structural flaws (that is,

longer landing gear and more upward

bend in the wing), Boeing has relied on a

software fix called the "Maneuvering

The 737 max 8 is not the first example whereby

Boeing has violated the principal canon of aviation:

namely, to manufacture a plane that flies as simply

and safely as possible. While this principle has been

most egregiously flouted in the case of Boeing's

latest iteration of the "next Generation" series of 737

planes, the max 8, the 787 Dreamliner has also

remained an ongoing headache for the company.

niDHAl GueSSoum

Characteristics Augmentation System," or

MCAS for short. (The problems afflicting

the Max 8 are not an issue for its

competitor plane, the Airbus A320neo,

where manual overrides by the pilot are

built into the system, which in turn

prevent the types of crashes that

characterized the infamous Ethiopian

Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight.)

The MCAS modifications ostensibly

saved money for Boeing in the short term,

but that represented another instance of

an overly financialized company being

penny-wise and pound-foolish, given the

ongoing challenges associated with the

737 Max 8. Despite the oft-cited

"improvements" made to the 737 Max 8's

computer software, the plane still has not

received its safety certification from any

global aviation authority. In other words,

the "solution" still threatens Boeing's

future cash flow and further undermines

its credibility.

One can understand why Boeing is so

keen to re-certify as soon as possible: As of

the end of Q3 2019, the company had

negative operating cash flow of US$2.4

billion. The company is currently burning

cash at a rate of $1.5 billion to $2 billion a

month, largely as a consequence of

ongoing payments to suppliers, such as

Spirit AeroSystems (the company that

builds the 737 fuselages), lest the supply

chain collapse. Barron's also reported,

"About 275 [737 Max 8] planes have been

built and parked. Inventories have

consumed nearly $10 billion in cash in

2019." Boeing has continued to cover its

cash-flow shortfall by issuing more

corporate bonds, which explains the large

rise in debt. But the failure to get the 737

Max back in the air means that the

company can no longer credibly book

revenues from anticipated further sales of

the plane. In fact, if the plane is not recertified

by the spring of 2020, Boeing's

cash position could become perilous, as

nearly all airlines will have the ability to

cancel their orders and get their cash

deposits back, which is up to 70% of the

plane value prior to delivery.

Source : Asia Times

Why specialized education is a bad thing

Iwould like to tell you about the best

book I read in 2019; in fact, it is one of

the most important books I have read

in the last 10 years. It is titled "Range," and

its thesis is given by the subtitle: "How

generalists triumph in a specialized

world." The author, David Epstein, is an

investigative reporter with backgrounds

(studies and work) ranging from science

to sports.

The book does not bring us new

knowledge in science, economics,

technology or any major field. Yet it is

hugely significant because its ideas - and

the loads of supportive evidence it

presents - may change or at least

significantly redirect our world.

In a nutshell, Epstein shows that, to be

creative and innovative, people need to

have a wide range of learning and

interests. This applies from sports to

technology and from arts to science. Most

importantly, our educational approach,

from parenting toddlers to teaching

various university curricula, needs major

reforms in this optic.

Epstein begins with sports, where he

compares for us - in storytelling style -

Tiger Woods, who got drilled in golf

techniques by his father from the age of

two or three, and Roger Federer, who

played various sports and didn't specialize

in tennis until his teenage years. Indeed,

Federer shows his versatility and

creativity, having benefited from his wide

and diverse training, whereas Woods,

while undoubtedly great, is more of a

specialized "technician." Epstein then

moves to arts and tell us the story of

Vincent van Gogh, who did not paint until

a few years before his death, having spent

years hopping from one career (teacher)

to another (book seller), even considering

becoming a pastor and a missionary.

However, in the last three years of his life,

he found his calling - and various

influences came together to lead him to

become an extraordinary artist. Likewise

for Paul Gauguin, who led another minirevolution

in painting ("synthetism") at

the same time as Van Gogh. Talk about

late bloomers who, to repeat and

emphasize, synthesized entire lives of

varied influences.Epstein then moves to

science and technology. First, he tells us: "I

found a raft of studies that showed how

technological inventors increased their

creative impact by accumulating

experience in different domains,

compared to peers who drilled more

deeply into one." One telling fact is that

Nobel laureates are at least 22 times more

likely to have a regular artistic hobby than

"typical" scientists (Einstein played the

violin, to mention only the most famous

example). The impact of diverse

backgrounds and experiences in research

labs was noticed when a reporter decided

to spend a year in a few laboratories,

observing and attending regular team

meetings. He noted that teams that had

members from different fields and where

people did not hesitate to invoke practices

and examples far from the topic under

examination were much more successful

in solving problems - and did so in the

epstein begins with sports, where he compares for us - in

storytelling style - Tiger Woods, who got drilled in golf

techniques by his father from the age of two or three, and

Roger Federer, who played various sports and didn't

specialize in tennis until his teenage years. indeed, Federer

shows his versatility and creativity, having benefited from

his wide and diverse training, whereas Woods, while

undoubtedly great, is more of a specialized "technician."

Bill HAnveY

most innovative ways. But it was in the

domain of education that I felt the book

was presenting a very significant, critical

and potentially revolutionary thesis.

First, Epstein shows us, with case

studies and substantial evidence, that

parents and kindergarten educators must

let children discover things on their own,

instead of directing them. Children who

were creative had been allowed to

discover things on their own and make

mistakes. Likewise, pupils in elementary

schools learned more deeply and lastingly

when their teachers did not show them

how to do things. This "slow learning"

lasts much longer and develops more

creativity.

The negative impact of drilling and

specialization is felt even more acutely at

the university level. Tests of British

students showed that they "were no better

at thinking critically when they came out

of university than when they went in."

Furthermore, on wide-ranging tests,

"none of the majors, including

psychology, understood social science

methods. Science students learned the

facts of their specific field without

understanding how science should work

in order to draw true conclusions….

Business majors performed very poorly

across the board, including in economics.

Economics majors did the best overall

(because) economics is a broad field by

nature, and economics professors have

been shown to apply the reasoning

principles they've learned to problems

outside their area."Epstein tells us that

three-quarters of American college

graduates end up in careers unrelated to

their study majors, and this includes

science graduates, but they all get drilled

in a single discipline. Moreover,

psychologists insist that the most

important changes in youngsters'

personalities occur between age 18 and

the late 20s, and yet we are specializing

them before they have settled into a given

mode of thinking or way of being. No

wonder that a recent Gallup survey of

more than 200,000 employees in 150

countries found that 85 percent were

either "not engaged" with their work or

"actively disengaged."

Source : Arab news

Smartphones with wheels: Your car knows when you gain weight

Today's cars are equipped with

telematics that constantly sends

vehicle performance and

maintenance data to the manufacturer.

Your location data will allow companies

to advertise to you based on where you

live, work or frequently travel.

Data gathered from voice-command

technology could also be useful to

advertisers. The data on your driving

habits could be valuable to insurance

companies. By controlling our data,

carmaker can limit where we get repairs

or service done. They decide which

service centres receive our information.

Cars produced today are essentially

smartphones with wheels. For drivers,

this has meant many new features:

automatic braking, turn-by-turn

directions, infotainment. But for all the

things we're getting out of our connected

vehicles, carmakers are getting much,

much more: They're constantly collecting

data from our vehicles.

Today's cars are equipped with

telematics, in the form of an always-on

wireless transmitter that constantly sends

vehicle performance and maintenance

data to the manufacturer. Modern cars

collect as much as 25 gigabytes of data per

hour, the consulting firm McKinsey

estimates, and it's about much more than

performance and maintenance.

Cars not only know how much we

weigh but also track how much weight we

gain. They know how fast we drive, where

we live, how many children we have -

even financial information. Connect a

phone to a car, and it knows who we call

and who we text. Today's connected cars

are paving the way for autonomous

vehicles and vehicle-to-vehicle

communications, and eventually vehicleto-infrastructure

communications

making our roads safer. The issue of

ownership is murky. Drivers usually sign

away their rights to data in a small-print

clause buried in the ownership or lease

agreement. It's not unlike buying a

smartphone. The difference is that most

consumers have no idea vehicles collect

data. We know our smartphones, Nests

and Alexas collect data, and we've come

to accept an implicit contract: We trade

personal information for convenience.

With cars, we have no such expectation.

What carmakers are doing with the

collected data isn't clear. We know they

Debates around privacy often focus on companies

like Facebook. But today's connected cars - and

tomorrow's autonomous vehicles - show how the

commercial opportunities in collecting personal data

are limitless. Your location data will allow companies

to advertise to you based on where you live, work or

frequently travel. Data gathered from voice-command

technology could also be useful to advertisers.

use it to improve car performance and

safety. And we know they have the ability

to sell it to third parties they might

choose. Indeed, Ford's chief executive,

Jim Hackett, has spoken in detail about

the company's plans to monetise car data.

Debates around privacy often focus on

companies like Facebook. But today's

connected cars - and tomorrow's

autonomous vehicles - show how the

commercial opportunities in collecting

personal data are limitless. Your location

data will allow companies to advertise to

you based on where you live, work or

frequently travel. Data gathered from

voice-command technology could also be

useful to advertisers.

The data on your driving habits - how

fast you drive, how hard you brake,

whether you always use your seat belt -

could be valuable to insurance

companies. You may or may not choose

to share your data with these services. But

while you can turn off location data on

your cell phone, there's no opt-out feature

for your car.

Carmakers use data to alert us when

something needs repair or when our cars

need to be taken in for service. What they

don't tell us is that by controlling our data,

they can limit where we get that repair or

service done. For almost a century, car

and truck owners have been able to take

their vehicles to whichever shop they

choose and trust for maintenance and

repair.

Source : Gulf news

ACHIEVEMENT

DEVELOPMENT

TUESDAY, FEbrUArY 11, 2020

5

Widespread corruption and deteriorating economy have contributed to rise in sexual bribery.

Photo: bloomberg

Sexual exploitation of

Zimbabwe women

Nyasha Chingono

Zimbabwe has recorded an

unprecedented number of women

reporting being forced to exchange

sex for employment or business

favours.

More than 57% of women

surveyed by Transparency

International Zimbabwe (TIZ) said

they had been forced to offer sexual

favours in exchange for jobs,

medical care and even when

seeking placements at schools for

their children. The report, seen by

the Guardian, found women in the

informal sector experienced

sextortion as the main form of nonmonetary

bribes by various

officials.

About 45% of women said they

had received requests for sexual

favours to access a service and 15%

had used sex to get employment.

The report, entitled Gender and

Corruption, found women were

increasingly vulnerable to sexual

abuse amid the deteriorating

Zimbabwean economy.

"57.5% of these respondents

noted that sexual favours are the

form of non-monetary bribe they

had experienced. Sextortion is thus

a part of the bribery culture in

Zimbabwe. Women who do not

have money to pay for bribes are

thus forced to use sex as a form of

payment. 15% used employment

favours as a form of bribery," reads

the report. Women in business

were also found to have faced

sexual harassment when seeking

government tenders. "At times you

get asked for sexual favours in

return for tenders or business.

What makes the situation difficult,

especially for state contracts, is how

women in business are perceived

by men in control of these

processes. When they see a woman,

for most of them sex is the first

thing that comes to their mind.

Hence women are sexualised and

seen as sex-preneurs rather than

entrepreneurs," TIZ reports.

Studies carried out by TIZ in 2019

showed women are vulnerable to

sexual abuse when seeking land for

residential, business or agricultural

use. Sextortion is a global

phenomenon that causes serious

harm, robbing women of dignity

and opportunity, and undermining

confidence in public institutions,

according to rights groups.

Zimbabwe ranks 158 out of 180

countries included in the

Transparency International

corruption perceptions index.

"Sex is a currency in many

corrupt deals in Zimbabwe. Sexual

harassment is institutionalised, and

women have been suffering for a

long time. There is need to actively

deal with all forms of sexual

harassment in all sectors," says the

report.

The study shows women are

being coerced into corruption,

while many fear reporting

sextortionists as some police are

thought to be part of the corruption

chain. "For some respondents it

was fear of reprisal that stopped

them from reporting whilst others

indicated that there was no reward

for reporting corruption. Regarding

sextortion, respondents cited the

justice system as too masculine,

hence they opted not to report.

"All the key informants who took

part in the research indicated that

Zimbabwe lacks a robust

corruption reporting system. They

also highlighted the need for a

system to promote and protect

whistleblowers," TIZ reported.

"Even the police officers require

some form of payment to help you.

They may ask for transport or fuel

to enable them to investigate. In the

end they also get bribed by the

perpetrators."

Globally, the poor suffer most

from extortion, paying the highest

percentage of their income in

bribes, according to the World

Bank. Zimbabwe loses close to

$2bn (£1.5bn) to corruption

annually. Although Zimbabwe

has made progress in advancing

gender equality through the

establishment of various

institutional, legal and policy

frameworks, the country still

ranks low on the UN gender

inequality index. Sexual extortion

is rarely recognised as a form of

corruption, yet gender activists

say it reduces women's access to

land and markets and reinforces

social and economic

marginalisation.

Lack of political will to deal with

corruption has frustrated the

efforts of the Zimbabwe anticorruption

commission, which has

a mandate to investigate corruption

cases in the country.

Conflict and climate shocks spark

rush to Somalian capital

A soldier provides security as people forced from their homes gather at

a camp in the Garasbaley area on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia.

Photo: Farah Abdi Warsameh

Moulid Hujale

The number of Somalis being pushed

out of the countryside and into the

capital Mogadishu has reached an

unprecedented high, putting pressure

on the city's already poor

infrastructure and threatening its

faltering recovery from three decades

of conflict. More than 800,000

internally displaced people dwell in

informal settlements across

Mogadishu, according to the office of

the mayor. They are crammed into

makeshift shelters with little or no

sanitation and limited access to the

most basic services. There are

"critical" levels of malnutrition,

according to an assessment by

Somalia's food security and nutrition

analysis unit.

Scattered over 700 sites across the

capital, families mainly consisting of

women and children share common

latrines and survive on one meal a day.

Last week, Goobjoog News, a local

radio station in Mogadishu, reported

that about a dozen children had died

of starvation in one encampment in

Kahda district. Among them, said the

station, were young twins whose

mother had been killed in last month's

truck bomb explosion.

Every morning, women from the

these camps head into the city centre,

looking for casual jobs such as clothes

washing. With no family or clan

connections to the local host

community, they face abuse and

sexual exploitation. Mogadishu,

second on Demographia's 2015

ranking of the fastest growing cities in

the world, has limited capacity to

integrate such a large number of

displaced people into its urban

development system. "The most

significant challenge posed by conflict

and natural disaster induced

displacement is its impact on rapid

and unplanned urbanisation and the

rural exodus," said Dr Hodan Ali, head

of Benadir regional administration's

durable solutions unit. "Mogadishu is

emerging from 30 years of conflict.

The infrastructure, basic services and

local government capacity are

extremely limited and, as such, its

ability to meet the needs of the most

vulnerable and impoverished

members of the city is small."

Capitalising on the gap left by a weak

government and the lack of a formal

camp management system, an illicit

business has sprung up, with

"gatekeepers" soliciting land for new

arrivals, linking them up with aid

agencies, and in return taking a cut of

what little aid they may receive.

Humanitarian organisations with

limited access to the camps due to

security restrictions are left with little

choice but to collaborate with the

unofficial gatekeepers, in effect paying

- and empowering - illicit middlemen.

More people arrive in Mogadishu

daily, driven to the city by multiple

climate shocks and violence between

al-Shabaab, Amisom and the Somali

national forces. Last year alone, more

than 100,000 people arrived in the

capital, many of them returnees from

refugee camps in Kenya and Yemen.

Nationally, over 2.6 million Somalis

are displaced within the country, with

Mogadishu hosting the largest

concentration of people forced from

their homes. Many in the city have not

had a permanent home since the civil

war broke out in 1991.

However, with funding from donors

including the UK government and EU,

the local authority has been trying to

strengthen its urban resilience

capacity to absorb and integrate the

city's mass displacement camps. The

Mogadishu municipality.

Indonesia’s concern on

coronavirus outbreak

rebecca ratcliffe

There is growing concern that the

new coronavirus may be going

undetected in Indonesia, where

officials have not confirmed a single

case of infection among the 272

million-strong population despite the

country's close links to China.

As of Thursday, Indonesia said it

had no confirmed cases of the

coronavirus and that 238 people

evacuated from Wuhan, the centre of

the outbreak, had not shown

symptoms, although it said they

hadn't been tested.

More than 630 people have been

killed by the virus in China, while

confirmed infections have passed

30,000 globally. Most cases are

concentrated in China, though the

virus has been recorded in countries

across Asia, as well as Europe,

Australia and the US.

A study by academics from

Harvard University analysed the

number of passengers taking flights

from Wuhan to destinations around

the world, and found that the

number of cases identified in both

Indonesia and Cambodia appeared

below what might be expected. The

study, published quickly to improve

scientists' understanding of the

outbreak, has not been peer

reviewed, but adds to mounting fears

that cases are not being identified.

It also suggested that cases

recorded in Thailand, where 25

people have tested positive, were

below the number scientists might

expect to see. Cambodia has so far

confirmed one case of coronavirus.

Professor Ian Mackay, a virologist at

the University of Queensland, said

that if cases were not being spotted,

then there was a risk of further

infection and new outbreaks

emerging. "You'd be thinking close

contacts - family, close friends maybe

business meetings - could be then

infected by these cases and this could

set up a little hotspot of infection."

Scientists do not believe the disease

is airborne, he said. "So it's not really

simple to pick up - you do have to

have some face-to-face time with

someone in order to pass that virus

on." Hopefully, Mackay added,

people will report to a doctor if they

are sick, and they will then be

quarantined accordingly once their

travel history is observed.

Reports have questioned the ability

of Indonesia, the world's fourth most

populous country, to test for the

virus, though the Indonesian health

ministry said on Wednesday that it

has all the necessary resources.

Indonesia, which receives

significant Chinese investment, relies

heavily on Chinese tourism. The

country's Chinese-Indonesians are

estimated to make up roughly 3% of

the population. There is also concern

over the thousands of Chinese

tourists, including 200 people from

Wuhan, who are reportedly stranded

in Bali after direct flights to mainland

China were banned by Indonesia.

None of the tourists were showing

symptoms, according to officials, but

they are not in quarantine.

Citizens evacuated evacuated from

Wuhan, however, remain under

A study has found the number of cases of coronavirus in Indonesia is below

what would be expected.

Photo: Chaideer Mahyuddin

observation at a military base on the

remote Natuna island, where

residents have protested against their

presence.

Stranded Africans in China

Jason burke

Thousands of African students in

Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus

epidemic, face dwindling food

supplies, limited information and

lockdowns restricting them to their

campuses or hostels.

Two weeks after restrictions on

movement were imposed, residents

are running short of basic necessities,

say students in the central Chinese

city. Several people described

profound anxiety, insufficient food

and a lack of information. Many

complained about the lack of

assistance received from their own

embassies but refrained from

criticising Chinese authorities.

There are more than 80,000

African students in China, often

attracted by generous government

scholarships. About 5,000 are

thought to be in Wuhan, where there

are scores of further education

establishments

offering

qualifications that are prized in

Africa.

A 21-year-old student from

Cameroon living in Jingzhou city was

reported on Tuesday to be among

new cases. He is thought to have

contracted the illness on a trip to

Wuhan two weeks ago before the

lockdown was imposed on the city

but is not in any danger, university

officials said.

More than 56 students from

Malawi, mostly on scholarships, are

among those trapped in Wuhan.

Bright Chipao, the president of the

Association of Malawians in the city,

said the students were desperate.

"There is panic among us as we don't

know how long we are going to

survive. We are also increasingly

running out of foodstuffs," he said.

Chipao said the students lacked

masks, food and water. Prices had

tripled in the city, he said. The

students have asked the Malawian

government to airlift them out of the

city and return them home, citing the

example of other countries in Africa.

However Chinese authorities have

asked local embassies to tell their

citizens not to seek to return home to

avoid further spread of the disease.

Many educational establishments

have imposed rigorous curbs on

students, restricting them to their

campuses or hostels. A statement

from one colleges read: "Considering

your safety, please stay inside your

dormitory during this period … Most

of the materials are in short supply.

Please save resources, cherish your

life."

Kondwani Chembezi, a Malawian

student at Wuhan University of

Technology, said he and his

In Wuhan, people have complained of a lack of food and information.

roommate had only 2 gallons (9

litres) of water and some food. He

said: "Wuhan is becoming a death

zone each passing day as the

numbers of infected persons, as well

as death toll, keep rising. There's a

great atmosphere of panic and

despair as others have been

repatriated to their nations, yet

others remain here trying to survive

this unpredictable period.

"Going [to buy things] is a grave

personal risk as no one knows who

has been exposed to the virus -

anyone can be a carrier. Prices of

commodities have really gone high -

three or more times the usual price.

It's a hustle to actually buy what you

need as the demand is also high."

A Kenyan postgraduate student

who has been in Wuhan for five years

said the biggest problems were a

shortage of reliable information and

of food.

He said: "The worst part about it all

is not knowing what is going on

because all the information we are

getting is from online sources or from

friends from other universities … We

have been forced to have one meal a

day.

"Our institute gave us some rice,

milk, oil and some vegetables but

advises we also use them sparingly

because when they are over we

might not be able to get more."

Many students contacted by the

Guardian were reluctant to talk or

be named, as they feared expulsion

or other sanctions. A Ugandan

Photo: Getty Images

doctor in Shanghai said she and

her colleagues felt better on

Monday after a "worrying

weekend". "We're wearing our

masks, washing our hands and

avoiding crowded places," she

said. "But most importantly we're

trying to be positive and not live in

constant fear and panic."

NATIONAL

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2020 6

'Futonto Kishore Sangha'

celebrates 8th anniversary

'Utsho Srity' free dental

campaign held in Shibpur

s m akash, ChattoGRam

CoRRespondent:

a meeting titled 'the role of

social organizations in

building a good society' was

held marking the 8th

founding anniversary of

'futonto kishore sangha' at

bangabandhu auditorium in

Chattogram press club on

monday.

the meeting was chaired by

president of the organization

mohammad saddam

hossain. Chattogram

education board secretary,

professor abdul ali was the

chief guest at the occasion

while among others, dr.

mohammad masum

Chowdhury, deputy director

of the district social services

office md. shahidul islam,

md. morshed alam, CCC

Councilor no. 8, senior

lawyer sahab uddin,

abdullah al belaland

renowned social worker,

mizanur Rahman babu were

among others also present at

the occasion.

the chief guest in his

speech said that, twenty-first

century's wealth is

'knowledge'.the nation that

Freshers' reception held

at Kumudini Medical

Technology Institute

Rayhan saRkaR, miRzapuR

CoRRespondent:

freshers' reception of mid

level ophthalmic personnel

(mlop) course of kumudini

medical technology institute

which is a newly-established

medical care center of

kumudini hospital was held

at bp pati auditorium of

kumudini Women's medical

College on monday.

managing director of

kumudini Well fair trust of

bengal (bd) limited Rajib

prasad saha was present as

the chief guest at the occasion

while kumudini medical

technology

institute

principal dr. s. m.

shahidullah chaired the

occasion. among others,

administrator of kumudini

medical technology institute,

pratibha mutsuddi, academic

advisor professor dr. ma

Jalil, director dr. pradeep

kumar Roy and dr. uddhab

mallick were also present at

the occasion.

Seminar on

'Decentralization

in Rural India'

held at JU

saVaR: a seminar titled

'decentralization in Rural

india: Where the shoe

pinches' was held at

Jahangirnagar university

(Ju) campus yesterday,

reports bss.

organized by Ju public

administration department,

the seminar was presided

over its Chairman associate

professor dr. Jebunnessa,

held at the conference

room of the department, the

seminar was addressed

among others by former psC

member and pro- Vice

Chancellor of bangladesh

university of professionals

(bup) professor dr m abul

kashem majumder and dean

of social science faculty

professor Rasheda akhter.

the Centenary Chair

professor of the public

administration in the

department of political

science of the university of

Calcutta, professor dr

prabhat kumar dutta

presented the keynote paper

in the seminar.

in the keynote paper, prof.

dutta discussed about local

government system of india,

structure of village

administration,

decentralization of indian

government and legal

framework of local

administration of india.

dr. Jebunnesa in his

presidential speech said by dr

dutta in his keynote speech

elaborately touched local

government system and

administrative

decentralization of india and

the teachers and students of

Ju public administration

department will immensely

be benefited by the seminar."

Chattogram Education Board Secretary, Professor Abdul Ali as the chief

guest addressed a meeting marking the 8th founding anniversary of 'Futonto

Kishore Sangha' in Chattogram press club on Monday. Photo: S M Akash

has knowledge will lead on

the planet earth. distribution

of merit scholarship awards is

an exemplary program for the

development of the talent of

the young people of

bangladesh in the world of

knowledge science

technology. he also said that

as long as bangladesh will be

there, there will be president,

prime minister, minister, mp,

army chief, industrialist,

many more, but there will be

no more heroic freedom

fighter. so you made a history

today by honoring the

freedom fighters.

among others, mohiuddin,

bappi, fahim, anas, mahin,

aiman, tawfiq, munna,

lincoln, asafaq, iqbal, bappa,

arif, zia, asafaq, faisal,

ibrahim, Ronk, kaiser

ahmed and saiful moktar

were also present at the

occasion.

Freshers' reception of Kumudini Medical Technology Institute was held at

Kumudini Women's Medical College on Monday. Photo: Rayhan Sarkar

Money won't be needed to file case and

GD in police station: Gaibandha SP

Rafiqul islam, Gaibandha

CoRRespondent:

Gaibandha

superintendent of police

mohammad touhidul

islam said at the palashbari

police station 'open house

day' that no money would

be required to get legal help

from the police, including

filing a case and Gd.

the 'open house day'

was organized at the hall

room of palashbari police

station in Gaibandha on

monday and was chaired

by officer-in-Charge

masudur Rahman.

mohammad touhidul

islam further said that, call

at my mobile if anyone

wants money or a broker

chases after you in

anticipation of service to

the police. inform me and i

will take necessary action

against them immediately.

he also said that to assist

the police with information

on any kind of crime and

seek police help from the

police. each police station

in the district will be a

broker-free people's police

station.

among others, former

mp alhaj tofazzal hossain

sarkar, president of

palashbari Community

policing alhaj abu taleb

sarkar tara, upazila Vice

Chairman Rafiqul islam

Ripon, police station oC

(investigation) motiur

Rahman, up Chairman

aminul islam Rintu,

toufiqul amin mondal

titu, alhaj abdul mannan

sarkar, touhidul islam

mandal, mizanur Rahman

Chutku and Rusho

Chowdhury were also

present at the occasion.

Gaibandha Superintendent of Police Mohammad Touhidul Islam as the

chief guest addressed a Open House Day' in Palashbari Police Station

on Monday.

Photo: Rafiqul Islam

Blankets were distributed among poor and distressed people in Pirganj

upazila of Thakurgaon on Sunday. About 800 blankets were distributed

on the premises of the Vadua High School ground and was organized

by Good Neighbors, Pirganj CDP. Upazila Chairman Akhtarul

Islam was the chief guest at the occasion while among others, Upazila

Nirbahi Officer Rezaul Karim, Gyne Consultant of Upazila Health

Complex Dr Nazrul Islam, Saidpur UP Chairman Ekramul Haque and

Manager of Good Neighbors, Pirganj CDP, Raymond Quia were also


Photo: Bishnupada Roy

khoRshed alam, shibpuR

CoRRespondent:

'utsho srity' free dental

campaign was held at

majlispur bahumukhi high

school in shibpur upazila

on monday. the campaign

was organized in the

courtesy of momen khan,

father of the late utsho

khan and with the full

support of the people for

dental treatment in the

area.

shibpur upazila awami

league president and

upazila parishad Chairman

alhaj harunur Rashid

khan was present as the

chief guest at the occasion

while upazila awami

league general secretary

shamsul alam bhuiyan

Rakhil chaired the

occasion. among others,

shibpur model police

station officer-in-Charge

molla azizur Rahman,

masRakul alom, JoypuRhat

CoRRespondent:

Joypurhat district

administration organized a

seminar and quiz

competition on science and

technology for protecting

nature and environment on

monday in the district under

the overall supervision of

national museum of science

and technology, ministry of

science and technology.

marking the occasion,

additional deputy

Commissioner (General)

moninurzzaman addressed

the occasion as the chief

guest at Ramdeo bazla

Government high school

library auditorium. the

occasion was chaired by

upazila nirbahi officer

milton Chandra Roy while

the keynote paper was

presented by abu

mohammad Rezaul hasan,

associate professor of

physics, Joypurhat

abdul hamid khan, pabna

CoRRespondent:

a view exchange meeting

was held with jute farmers,

jute related businessmen and

stakeholders to discuss the

development

and

implementation of the

mandatory use of jute wrap in

the jute sector for

implementation of act 2010.

deputy Commissioner

kabir mahmud spoke as the

chief guest at the meeting

held at the deputy

commissioners' conference

room organized by the district

administration and

directorate General of Jute,

pabna on monday. the chief

guest in his speech said that

jute is the golden fiber of

bangladesh, once it was in

great demand. due to the use

of harmful polythene, the use

of jute has been reduced day

by day. the process of

Shibpur Upazila Awami League President and Upazila Parishad Chairman

Alhaj Harunur Rashid Khan as the chief guest addressed a meeting marking

'Utsho Srity' free dental campaign at Majlispur Bahumukhi High

School in Shibpur upazila on Monday. Photo: Khorshed Alam

headmaster of majlispur

bahumukhi high school

Rafiqul islam, h sister of

palash mp nazma khanam

increasing the use of jute is

again under strict control all

over the world. in

bangladesh, the use of jute

has been made mandatory for

many products. appropriate

measures will be taken to

enforce the law.

dora and al leader shahin

khan were also present at

the occasion.

medication and

additional deputy

Commissioner (General)

shahid pervez chaired the

occasion while among others,

additional district magistrate

zahid newaz, additional

deputy director of

agriculture extension, pabna

toothpaste were distributed

among the people in the

area for free dental

treatment and treatment.

Seminar and quiz competition on science

and technology held in Joypurhat

Joypurhat Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Moninurzzaman as

the chief guest addressed a seminar and quiz competition on science and

technology in the district on Monday.

Photo: Masrakul Alom

Government College. professor of physical head master Rostam ali

assistant Commissioner sciences department of helali were also present at

bedboti mistry and district Joypurhat Government the occasion.

information officer Women College, nirmal later, crests were given to

mahfuzar Rahman Chandra Ravi das, assistant the certifiers and

conducted the seminar and professor of physics, participants among the

quiz competition.

Joypurhat Government winners of the seminars and

among others, assistant College abdul Jalil and quiz contests.

View exchange meeting on mandatory

use of jute wrap held in Pabna

Pabna Deputy Commissioner Kabir Mahmud as the chief guest addressed

a view exchange meeting on the development and implementation of the

mandatory use of jute wrap in the jute sector for implementation of Act

2010 in Pabna on Monday. Photo: Abdul Hamid Khan

saiful islam, distinguished

educationist mirza shahidul

islam, district jute farmer

association president sunil

kumar and upazila jute

farmer association president

shahadat hossain were also


Vice-chancellor of Barishal University, Professor Dr Sadequl Arefin as the chief guest was present

at a feshers' reception, farewell ceremony and Sociology Fest-2020 organized by

Department of Sociology of the university on Monday.

Photo: Courtesy

INTERNATIONAL

TUESDAY,

fEBrUArY 11, 2020

7

Kashmiri journalists displays a placard during a protest against the communication blackout in

Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. Journalists in disputed Kashmir urged the Indian government

on Monday to allow them to report freely and expressed concern about alleged police harassment

since the region's semi-autonomy was rescinded in August amid an unprecedented lockdown.

Photo: AP

Kashmir journalists accuse Indian

police of muzzling press

Journalists in disputed Kashmir urged the Indian government

on Monday to allow them to report freely and

expressed concern about alleged police harassment since the

region's semi-autonomy was rescinded in August amid an

unprecedented lockdown, reports UNB.

The Kashmir Press Club, an elected body of journalists in

the region, said security agencies were using physical attacks,

threats and summons to intimidate journalists. The group

said the government should "ensure freedom of speech and

expression as guaranteed in the constitution instead of muzzling

the press."

On Saturday, police summoned two journalists for questioning

in Srinagar for reporting about a strike call issued

by the pro-independence Jammu-Kashmir Liberation

Front. The Kashmir Press Club denounced the police

action.

"The harassment and questioning of journalists in Kashmir

on flimsy grounds" by the police is "a damning verdict on the

appalling condition in which media is operating," the group

said in a statement.

It also criticized restrictions on the internet and surveillance

by police, calling them "tools designed and aimed to

UK calls virus

“serious” health

threat; will detain

people

Britain has declared the

new coronavirus that

emerged from China a

"serious and imminent

threat to public health" and

announced new measures

Monday to combat the

spread of the disease,

reports UNB.

The U.K. Department of

Health and Social Care said

people with the virus can

now be forcibly quarantined

and will not be free to

leave. It named two British

hospitals as isolation facilities

for those affected and

designated the Chinese city

of Wuhan and the surrounding

Hubei province

where the virus first

emerged as a "infected

area."

"The incidence or transmission

of novel coronavirus

constitutes a serious

and imminent threat to

public health, and the

measures outlined in these

regulations are considered

as an effective means of

delaying or preventing further

transmission of the

virus," the agency said in a

statement.

It added that the changes

were designed to ensure the

health and safety of both

patients and medical workers

who came into contact

with infected people.

The change comes after a

British man who caught the

virus at a business conference

in Singapore in January

appears to be linked to

at least seven other confirmed

cases in Europe.

Five British citizens,

including a 9-year-old boy,

contracted the virus in the

French Alpine ski town of

Contamines-Montjoie after

staying in the same chalet

as the British man. French

medical authorities tested

scores of children and their

families Sunday from the

area for the new virus and

temporarily closed three

schools where the boy had

spent time.

ensure only the government-promoted version is heard."

India's decision to strip the region of its special status in

August brought journalism to a near halt in Kashmir. A communications

shutdown affected media operations, and most

newspapers published in Srinagar, the region's main city,

have been unable to issue online editions.

Foreign journalists have been denied permission to visit

the Himalayan region.

India is ranked 140th out of 180 countries in the World

Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders,

a global media watchdog.

The conflict over Kashmir began in the late 1940s, when

India and Pakistan won independence from the British

empire and began fighting over their rival claims to the

region.

Since 1989, a full-blown armed rebellion has raged in the

Indian-controlled portion seeking a united Kashmir - either

under Pakistani rule or independent of both countries. India

accuses Pakistan of training and arming the rebels, a charge

Islamabad denies.

About 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and

an Indian military crackdown.

Australian Parliament to call

for Israel to return principal

The Australian Parliament is expected to

pass a motion calling for Israel to immediately

extradite a former school principal

wanted on dozens of charges of child sex

abuse, reports UNB.

The motion was introduced Monday by

lawmakers from both the government and

opposition in the House of Representatives

and increases pressure on Israel to end a

legal wrangle over Israeli Australian dual citizen

Malka Leifer that has drawn out over six

years.

Several government and opposition lawmakers

argued in favor of the motion, but

the vote will be held at a later date. No lawmaker

has spoken against the motion.

"I say to anyone, both in Australia and

Israel, that anyone who is assisting further

delays is choosing to help an adult evade

consequences after they've robbed children

of innocence and dignity," Josh Burns, an

opposition lawmaker who proposed the

motion with government lawmaker Dave

Sharma, told Parliament.

"Anyone who who is helping Leifer should

be held to account as well," he added.

Leifer, now 52, fled Australia in 2008 as

child abuse allegations surfaced from her

time as a teacher and principal at an ultra-

Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne during

the previous five years.

Australia requested her extradition in 2014

on 74 charges of child sex abuse and more

than 60 Israeli court hearings have followed.

The Jerusalem District Court last month

granted Leifer's attorneys' request to review

a psychiatrists' ruling that she is fit to stand

trial for extradition. Sharma, who introduced

the motion with Burns, said the government

and Parliament "will not rest until justice is

done in this case." "We have been exceptionally

patient in this case, but enough is

enough," Sharma, a former Australian

ambassador to Israel, said in a statement.

"To our friends in Israel we say: It is time

to act. Do the right thing and support justice

for victims in both our countries," Sharma

said.

The motion names three alleged victims:

sisters Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly

Sapper.

The Associated Press does not usually

identify alleged victims of sexual abuse,

but the sisters have spoken publicly about

their allegations and are campaigning for

justice.

"It is important that this issue remains outstanding

in the minds of the Israeli legal and

political establishment," Erlich said in a

statement. "We feel validated and encouraged

that this frustrating process will not be

ignored by Australia until the extradition is

honored by Israel," she added.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said after

meeting Erlich and Meyer at Parliament

House in October that he would raise with

the Israeli government the need for a quick

resolution to the extradition process.

In Israel last month, a psychiatric panel

said it determined Leifer had lied about suffering

a mental condition and said she was fit

to stand trial. The Israeli Justice Ministry

said in light of those findings it would move

to expedite her extradition.

The Australian Parliament is expected to pass a motion calling for Israel to

immediately extradite a former school principal wanted on dozens of

charges of child sex abuse.

Photo: Y-net news

4 Haqqani militants

arrested in raid in E.

Afghanistan

Four militants of the

Haqqani militant group

have been arrested during

an operation in

Afghanistan's eastern Khost

province, the command of

special forces said Monday,

reports UNB.

"The Special Operations

Forces arrested four

Haqqani network members

in Khost. They also seized

some amount of weapons

and ammunition during the

raid," the Afghan National

Army Special Operations

Corps said in a statement.

The statement said the

raid was conducted after a

credible intelligence report

indicated the presence of the

militants in a village and no

gunshot occurred during the

operation in the province,

150 km southeast of Kabul.

As a Taliban-linked group,

the Haqqani network is

mostly operating in eastern

provinces and capital Kabul,

and has been responsible for

many high-profile attacks

against security forces.

The network, which was

designated as a terrorist

group by the United States

in 2012, has yet to make

comments.

Israeli court sentences

radical Islamic cleric to

28 months

An Israeli court on Monday

sentenced a radical Islamic

cleric to 28 months in prison

for "inciting to terror" in a

series of speeches he made

after a deadly attack in 2017

on Israeli police at a contested

Jerusalem holy site,

reports UNB.

Raed Salah, head of the

outlawed northern branch of

the Islamic Movement in

Israel, was convicted in

November on incitement

charges for exhorting others

to follow the example of the

gunmen who killed the two

Israeli policemen in that

attack.

The attack, carried out by

two Arab citizens of Israel at

the Jerusalem shrine known

to Muslims as the Noble

Sanctuary and to Jews as the

Temple Mount, triggered a

flareup of deadly violence

between Israeli forces and

Palestinians.

The cleric has denounced

the charges against him as

false and said following his

sentencing that all the proceedings

in the case were

"far from the truth."

Israeli Public Security

Minister Gilad Erdan tweeted

that Salah's sentencing

"illustrates that terror supporters

and inciters belong

in prison for a long time and

not in the Knesset," Israel's

parliament.

Salah has had repeated

run-ins with Israeli authorities.

He completed a ninemonth

prison sentence earlier

in 2017 for "incitement to

violence" and "incitement to

racism."

Israeli Public Security

Minister Gilad Erdan tweeted

that Salah's sentencing

"illustrates that terror supporters

and inciters belong

in prison for a long time and

not in the Knesset," Israel's

parliament.

Salah's organization, the

northern branch of the

Islamic Movement in Israel,

counts an estimated 20,000

members, but its support is

broader among Israeli Arabs

and it has has also gained

popularity by running a network

of charities, kindergartens,

health clinics and

social services - a model that

has been established elsewhere

in the Middle East

and beyond by the Muslim

Brotherhood group, which

has been banned in several

Arab countries. Israel outlawed

the group in 2015,

accusing it of inciting Arabs

to violence.

Members of Israel's Arab

minority, who make up

about 20% of the population,

have citizenship but

suffer widespread discrimination

in jobs, housing and

social services.

German leader Merkel's party

in crisis as successor quits

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's designated

successor unexpectedly threw in the

towel Monday, plunging her conservative

party into deeper crisis as it struggles to

agree on its future political direction after

losing votes to the far right, reports UNB.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told leading

members of the Christian Democratic

Union that she won't be seeking the chancellorship

in next year's election, upending

Merkel's plans to hand her the reins after

more than 15 years in power.

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert told

reporters in Berlin that Germany's longtime

leader stood by her decision not to

run for a fifth term in 2021, despite the latest

development.

Kramp-Karrenbauer's announcement

reflects the growing split with the Christian

Democrats exposed last week in its handling

of the election of a governor in the state of

Thuringia. There regional party lawmakers

voted with the far-right Alternative for Germany

party to oust the left-wing incumbent,

ignoring advice from Berlin leadership.

The move broke what is widely regarded as

a taboo in post-war German politics around

cooperating with extremist parties.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is still Germany's

defense minister.

It was unclear how the latest developments

would affect Merkel's earlier plans

for her succession. A shift to the right in

Merkel's center-right party could trigger a

break with Merkel's junior coalition partners

in Germany's federal government,

the center-left Social Democrats, and

increase the chances the country will hold

the next general election early.

Among the names currently being bandied

around as future party leaders were Health

Minister Jens Spahn and Friedrich Merz,

who were beaten to the leadership by

Kramp-Karrenbauer in December 2018.

Armin Laschet, the governor of North

Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous

state, is also being mentioned as a possible

contender.

While Spahn and Laschet are considered

centrists in the Merkel tradition, Merz has

tried to appeal to the conservative wing of the

party that has flirted with the far-right Alternative

for Germany. A lawyer and former

party veteran, Merz was sidelined by Merkel

before she became chancellor in 2005.

The far-right Alternative for Germany party

welcomed Kramp-Karrenbauer's resignation,

as did Germany's former domestic

intelligence chief, Hans-Georg Maassen, a

vocal figure on the right of Merkel's party

since his ouster in 2018.

Peter Altmaier, Germany's economy minister

and a close Merkel ally, said the Christian

Democrats were in "an unusually serious

situation."

Current polls have Merkel's conservative

block holding steady at about 28% support

nationally, followed by the left-leaning

Greens at about 22%. Yet the Social Democrats

are struggling with only about 14 % support,

about the same as the far-right Alternative

for Germany.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, chairwoman of the German Christian

Democratic Union (CDU), adresses the media during a press conference at

the party's headquarters in Berlin, Germany. Angela Merkel's designated

successor will quit her role as head of the Germany's strongest party and

won't stand for the chancellorship following a debacle in a regional

election.

Photo: AP

China virus cases rise again,

66 more on ship in Japan

China reported a rise in new virus cases

Monday, denting optimism that disease control

measures including isolating major cities

might be working, while the operator of a

cruise ship in Japan reported dozens of new

cases, reports UNB.

Britain declared the virus an "imminent

threat" and said it would forcibly detain

infected people if necessary. France tested 45

children and their parents after five British

tourists contracted the virus at a ski resort.

More Chinese workers and shoppers went

back to offices and markets following the

Lunar New Year, which was extended to discourage

travel and reduce the risk the virus

might spread.

Hong Kong canceled an arts festival

including two concerts by the Boston Symphony

Orchestra.

China reported consumer inflation spiked

to an eight-year high in January, possibly

boosted by panic buying and hoarding as

word of the outbreak and anti-disease measures

spread. The latest developments:

The mainland death toll rose by 97 to 908

in the 24 hours through midnight Sunday

and 3,062 new cases were reported.

That was up 15% from Saturday and broke

a string of daily declines. A government

spokesman had said Sunday those declines

showed containment measures were successful.

The fatality toll has passed the 774

people believed to have died in the 2002-03

epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome,

another viral outbreak that originated

in China. The total of 40,171 cases on the

mainland vastly exceeds the 8,098 sickened

by SARS.

More than 440 cases have been confirmed

outside mainland China, including two

deaths in Hong Kong and the Philippines.

China has built two hospitals and sent

thousands of extra doctors, nurses and other

health care workers to Wuhan, the city of 11

million people in central China that is the

epicenter of the outbreak. Most access to

Wuhan was suspended Jan. 23. Restrictions

have spread to cities with a total of 60 million

people. Global stock markets slid following

warnings that investor optimism that the

disease and its economic impact were being

brought under control might be premature.

The operator of a cruise ship quarantined

in Yokohama, near Tokyo, said an additional

66 cases were found aboard. That is in addition

to 70 reported earlier.

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said the

Japanese government was considering testing

all 3,711 passengers and crew on the Diamond

Princess, which would require them to

remain aboard until results are available.

Health authorities are scrambling to deliver

medicine requested by more than 600 passengers.

"We are doing the utmost to keep everyone

in good health," Kato said.

The British government declared the virus

a "serious and imminent threat to public

health," which it said gives authorities powers

to forcibly detain infected people if necessary.

The change comes after a British man

who caught the virus in Singapore in January

appeared to be linked to at least seven

other confirmed cases in Europe.

Five Britons, including a 9-year-old boy,

contracted the virus in the French Alpine ski

town of Contamines-Montjoie after staying

in the same chalet as the British man.

French medical authorities tested 45 children

and their families Sunday from the area

and temporarily closed three schools where

the boy spent time.

More Chinese went back to work following

the Lunar New Year holiday, which was

extended to discourage travel in an attempt

to contain the virus.

Zhang Peng, who works for a livestreaming

company in Beijing, went to the office for the

first time since the holiday. The company

checked employees for fever and handed out

masks. "I thought the situation is fairly good

now," Zhang said. "I went to work by subway

today and underwent various checks in the

station. And my company did a good job of

prevention and control."

Iris Ke, who works for an advertising

company, said she plans to wait until next

week to go back to the office. "We just need

to have a little more sense of self-protection,"

said Ke. "Life goes on anyway. How

come we stop going outside or stop working

simply because of fear of disease? We

can't do that."

At the Sanyuanli market in Beijing, the

Chinese capital, shoppers in face masks

mixed with delivery drivers who were collecting

orders of meat, fruit and vegetables.

Stalls were stocked with pork, mutton,

seafood and vegetables. "The number of customers

here is down a lot, maybe by more

than half," said Liu Ying, who sells walnuts,

cashews and other specialties.

ART & CULTURE

tUeSDAy, FeBrUAry 11, 2020

8

Oscars 2020 highlights

Parasite creates history

Bong Joon Ho's Parasite won four awards at the

Oscars – Best Picture, Best International Film, Best

Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Several Bollywood celebrities, including Priyanka

Chopra Jonas, directors Hansal Mehta and Ashwiny

Iyer Tiwari among others congratulated team

Parasite for becoming the first non-English and South

Korean film ever to win the best picture award at the

Oscars.

Helmed by Bong Joon Ho, the movie — a cleverly

crafted, stylish genre-bending story — broke the “one

inch long subtitle barrier” that its director famously

had talked about in the run up to the Oscars to sweep

the top categories that also included the international

Parasite emerged as the big winner as the film won

four awards - Best Picture, Best International Film,

Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

The 92nd Academy

Awards was held at

Dolby Theatre in Los

Angeles. The big winner

of the ceremony was

Parasite as the film won

the Best Picture award.

This year, a total of nine

movies were nominated

in the Best Picture

category – Jojo Rabbit,

Ford V Ferrari, Little

Women, Parasite,

Joker, Marriage Story,

Once Upon a Time in

Hollywood, 1917 and The Irishman.

Parasite won four awards at the Oscars –

Best Picture, Best International Film, Best

Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Joaquin Phoenix took home the Best Actor

award for his performance in Joker. Renée

Zellweger won the Oscar for her performance

Priyanka Chopra and Hansal Mehta

congratulate Parasite for historic win

Priyanka Chopra and Hansal Mehta were among the Bollywood celebrities

who took to Twitter to praise the film, Parasite, after its Best Picture win at

the Oscars. Photo: Priyanka Chopra/Instagram, Hansal Mehta/Instagram

in Judy. Brad Pitt and Laura Dern emerged as

winners in the Supporting Actor and Actress

category, respectively. Brad won for his

performance in Once Upon a Time in

Hollywood and Laura for Marriage Story.

The opening number of the ceremony was

performed by Janelle Monáe as she honoured the

best movies of 2020. The Oscar ceremony saw

performances by Cynthia Erivo, Chrissy Metz,

Idina Menzel, Eminem, Randy Newman and

Elton John.

Billie Eilish performed The Beatles song

Yesterday through the In Memoriam segment.

The Best Adapted Screenplay Award was won

by Taika Waititi for Jojo Rabbit and Parasite’s

Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won won the award

for Best Original Screenplay. Roger Deakins won

the Oscar in the Best Cinematography category

for his work in 1917. Best Film Editing was won by

Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker for

Ford v Ferrari.

Source : indianexpress.com

feature, best director and original screenplay trophies.

In her Instagram story, Chopra praised the film for

“shattering the glass ceiling” with its win.

“It’s so emotional to see an international film like

‘Parasite’, in Korean with English subtitles, not only

receive such a warm embrace from audiences around

the world but also this kind of

recognition from one of the most

prestigious film academy’s in the

world,” she wrote.

“It’s time for representation. As

people and as entertainers, we are

one through entertainment. Our

craft has the power to transcend

borders and languages and tonight

Parasite demonstrates exactly that.

Congratulations to the entire film

for shattering the glass ceiling and

making history as the first non-

English film to win best picture,”

she added.

Tiwari, who recently helmed

Panga, said the big win for

Parasite proves no dream is

unachievable.

“The world of storytelling is

evolving literally so and it’s for us

to see. There is hope that no matter who you are or

where you come from no dream is unachievable, we

just have to keep living and breathing it everyday.”

Filmmaker Rima Das took to Twitter and wrote,

“Parasite the first non-English-language best picture

#Oscars winner. Happiness. “BongJoonHo”.


emma

Storyline :

Based on the classic Jane

Austen novel

Release

Director

Writers

Stars

Language

: 21 February

2020 (USA)

: Autumn de

Wilde

: Eleanor Catton

(screenplay by),

Jane Austen

(based on the

novel by)

: Anya Taylor-

Joy, Tanya

Reynolds, Josh

O'Connor

: English

tiger Shroff, Shraddha

Kapoor to promote

‘Baaghi 3’ in Dubai

Bollywood actors Tiger Shroff and

Shraddha Kapoor will be in Dubai to

promote their latest film ‘Baaghi 3’ on

February 28. The actors will be in town to

attend Matrix Fight Night (MFN), a mixed

martial arts competition to be held outside

India for the first time.

MFN was founded by Shroff and sister

Krishna, who will also attend the event,

along with their parents, actor Jackie

Shroff and Ayesha. Tiger and Krishna

jointly run the MMA Matrix Fitness Centre

in Mumbai.

“Mixed martial arts is from where I

derived my strength and focus to reach

where I am today. I am both happy and

proud that, in such a short span of time,

Matrix Fight Night 2020 will be performed

in Dubai, which has seen some of the best

MMA competitions in the cage,” said

Tiger. “I am doubly excited to be in Dubai

as I will also be promoting my film.”

Krishna adds: “Watching Tiger grow up,

taking to MMA, got me naturally affiliated

with the sport without realising it.

Together, we hope that our MFN dream

will motivate many out there to strengthen

both their bodies and minds, be it a man or

woman”.

The MFN will be held at Al Nasr Sports

Club from 7pm. Tickets, starting at Dh75,

are available online.

Source : gulfnews.com

Kashmera Shah: Arti said she doesn’t

see a partner in Sidharth Shukla

Kashmera Shah, who recently went inside the

Bigg Boss 13 house as Arti Singh's connection,

opened up about re-living the Bigg Bis

experience, Sidharth Shukla and more.

Bigg Boss 13 recently welcomed contestants’

family and friends to play the game on their

behalf. Arti Singh’s sister-in-law Kashmera

Shah was one of the connections. As readers

would know, Kashmera was a housemate in

the first season of Bigg Boss.

In an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com,

the actor opened up about re-living the Bigg

Boss experience. She said, “It was an amazing

time. I have been wanting to go back for a long

time but never got an opportunity. This time it

was more interesting as I got a chance to play

the game for someone else. It was an added

responsibility as I did not want to spoil her

game. She has been doing so well all this while

and has been surviving alone.”

When we told her that many in the audience

did feel that Arti Singh ruined her game by

changing her equations, Kashmera Shah said, “I

don’t think so. Arti actually was safe that week. If

she had been eliminated, I would have been a

little upset. For me, Arti has not been really

playing the game. She has been in the

background all this while. I got her to the

forefront at least. She is not a mellow person so I

told her that she needs to stand up for herself. She

shouldn’t be taking anyone’s atrocities. I spoke to

her about women empowerment. She needs to

Jane Austen's

beloved comedy

about finding your

equal and earning

your happy ending,

is reimagined in this.

Handsome, clever,

and rich, Emma

Woodhouse is a

restless queen bee

without rivals in her

sleepy little town. In

this glittering satire

of social class and

the pain of growing

up, Emma must

adventure through

misguided matches

and romantic

missteps to find the

love that has been

there all along.

-IFC Midnight

speak and even fight for herself, and most

importantly have the desire to win. I think she

has improved her game in the last few days.”

Recently, Arti Singh was in the limelight

after she questioned co-contestant Sidharth

Shukla for not saving her from nomination. On

the same, Kashmera said, “He has saved Arti

so many times. As a player, it’s his right to

make a decision he wants. I would have saved

Arti but why would Sidharth do that? He

doesn’t owe her anything. Also, Arti has never

been in a position to save him, so if he felt

Paras Chhabra deserved it, I am sure he must

have a solid reason for the same. Sid is a very

logical person and he might have seen him as

an equal and so saved him.”

When Kashmera Shah was inside the house,

she had even tried to strike up a matrimony

alliance between Arti Singh and Sidharth

Shukla. When asked what was Arti’s brother

Krushna Abhishek’s take on the same, she

smiled to say, “Krushna was happy that I took

the initiative. Honestly, as a family, it has been

a confusing time for us. We did not really

understand what was happening between

them. After the fun video on how Arti is around

Sid all the time, I decided to ask her about it.

Krushna supported me for the same but Arti

had to give the final answer. I really got along

with Sid but Arti flatly refused saying that she

doesn’t see a partner in him.”


Arti Singh and Sidharth Shukla are among those who have made it to the finale

week in Bigg Boss 13.

H o r o S C o P e

ArieS

(March 21 - April 20) : Some welcome

visitors from far away could come to

see you today and cause temporary

chaos in your home. You'll be glad to see them,

however, Aries, as they'll have some great news and

fascinating information to pass on to you and your

family. You'll want to introduce them to other

friends who share your interests.

tAUrUS

(April 21 - May 21) : News could

come your way, perhaps through

local magazines or newspapers,

about possible renovations occurring in your

community. These changes could be rather

controversial, Taurus, so don't be surprised if you

hear a lot of gossip and a number of opinions,

both pro and con, on the matter.

GeMini

(May 22 - June 21): If you've been

striving for success in the field of writing,

speaking, or publishing, Gemini, you

have the chance for a real breakthrough today. A large

sum of money or an opportunity to earn it in one of

these fields might come your way, and you'll

definitely want to take advantage of it. It may involve

legal papers, such as contracts. This definitely boosts

your ego, your mood, and your motivation.

CAnCer

(June 22 - July 23): Success and

good fortune might be in the wind

for you today, Cancer. Whatever it is

will probably have you feeling especially elated

and satisfied with your accomplishments. You'll

want to tell everyone, but this could prove

frustrating since some of the people you want to

tell might not be reachable today.

leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): A number of new

people could come your way, Leo, perhaps

through projects of some kind with which

you're involved. Some of them may appear to be

trustworthy and some may not. Today, however, your

instincts are highly attuned and you'll be better than

usual at sizing up people you don't really know. Make the

most of this ability, and don't let logic get in its way.

VirGo

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

attend one or more huge social

gatherings, such as balls or banquets,

might come your way today, Virgo. You might want

to attend in the company of a small group of friends.

This could be business related or involve a group

with which you're affiliated. Nonetheless, it shows

the promise of developing into an enlightening

experience in one way or another.

liBrA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): A number of people in

interesting fields, such as law, education,

or writing and publishing, could cross

your path today, Libra. This could involve your job, or

perhaps these people attend a social event that you host

in your home. Either way, some fascinating and useful

information could come your way that alters your

thinking and nudges it subtly in a new direction.

SCorPio

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): A chance to take a long

journey, perhaps to a distant state or foreign

country, could suddenly present itself to you

today, Scorpio. This trip is apt to be far more significant than

a simple vacation. It may be career related or involve an

opportunity to expand your education. It could also concern

a relationship. Whichever it is, you're likely to make the trip

and it will probably change your life in subtle ways.

SAGittAriUS

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Some traumas,

phobias, or hang-ups from the past

that have been limiting you in some

way could suddenly come to the surface today,

Sagittarius. You might get the most insight by

analyzing your dreams. The release could be so

profound that you have to spend some time alone

today, perhaps away from the house, in order to

fully grasp it all.

CAPriCorn

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): Today you're likely to

be longing for a little break from your daily

routine, Pisces, and for an evening alone

with a love partner. You're feeling sensual and

passionate, but you also have much to report concerning

new opportunities that have recently come up. Some of

these, if implemented, could well change your life in a

profound way. You'll want your partner's opinion.

AQUAriUS

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): Although you may have

been feeling somewhat out of sorts for the

past few days, Aquarius, today you could

feel as if you just got a new lease on life.

You’re in excellent physical, mental, and emotional shape,

so you should be raring to go. Both immediate and longterm

goals should be easy to achieve while your energy is

strong today. Begin working on them; don't put them off.

This high level of motivation should continue for a while.

PiSCeS

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20): Today you're likely

to be longing for a little break from your

daily routine, Pisces, and for an evening

alone with a love partner. You're feeling sensual and

passionate, but you also have much to report

concerning new opportunities that have recently come

up. Some of these, if implemented, could well change

your life in a profound way. You'll want your partner's

opinion, since it concerns him or her as well.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2020

9

Bangladesh Under-19 captain also credited the fans for propping them up in the tense final against

India.

Photo: ICC

We had a dream to lift the trophy;

our dream came true: Akbar Ali

Sports Desk: In a country where

success is not very common, every

achievement is celebrated with huge

pomp and glory. And when it is the

occasion of clinching their maiden trophy

in an ICC event, that celebration was

boundless. Bangladesh's senior team is

currently playing a Test against Pakistan

in Rawalpindi but the focus was all on the

young side in South Africa, who had

sealed their spot in the final against India,

reports Cricbuzz.

People gathered in numbers around

different parts of the country to witness

the final together, backing their

youngsters like they had done in the past

mostly for the senior cricket team, who

had given them hope, but hardly ever

managed to give them the ultimate

satisfaction of crossing the line and the

last hurdle despite coming close on a

number of occasions. However, it was

different with the juniors, who managed

to hold their nerves to clinch the ICC

Under-19 World Cup trophy with a

three-wicket win over India in the raininterrupted

final at Potchefstroom,

etching their name in history books.

The celebration began immediately

after left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan's

flick fetched them the winning run. The

fans who gathered at the stadium to back

the boys in green and red were an

extension to the party that gripped the

country within minutes after the

historical win. "The way they (fans)

supported Bangladesh cricket team, I

Sports Desk: Lionel Messi

gave a hat-trick of assists on

Sunday as Barcelona ended

their turbulent week with a

thrilling 3-2 victory over Real

Betis to stay in touch with

Real Madrid at the top of La

Liga, reports BSS.

Madrid's 4-1 win at

Osasuna earlier in the day put

pressure on Barca to

respond, only for Betis to

twice lead at the Benito

Villamarin through a penalty

from Sergio Canales and

brilliant solo effort from

Nabil Fekir.

Yet both times Barcelona

hit back as Frenkie de Jong

and Sergio Busquets pulled

them level before Clement

Lenglet headed in with 18

minutes left, all three goals

teed up by Messi.

Fekir and Lenglet were

then sent off in a frantic

contest by the end of which,

Barca had the victory they so

desperately needed following

a difficult few days for the

club.

Messi had put himself at

the heart of a political spat

this week by publicly taking

exception to comments made

by sporting director Eric

Abidal, who suggested the

players were the cause of the

decision to sack Ernesto

Valverde last month.

Barcelona were then

beaten by Athletic Bilbao and

knocked out of the Copa del

Rey before the semi-finals for

the first time in 10 years on

Thursday.

"In Bilbao we played well

but they knocked us out,"

said Barca coach Quique

think they deserve one title. We are

happy to deliver that," Akbar Ali, the

Under-19 skipper, said after his matchwinning

effort against India at Senwes

Park. "And they deserve it because of

their passion for this sport so I would

expect the support in future too," he said

adding that the support they received

despite coming far from their country

was phenomenal. We were expecting

equal supporters. The crowd was our

12th man."

Akbar added that he felt this was

beginning of a new journey for them and

added that he expected the same kind of

hunger when they joined the senior side.

"I hope that it will be stepping stone for

our future cricket and it's just a beginning

and need to keep that momentum and

hungrier for the senior side. When we

will go to the senior side we should have

that hunger in us," he said.

Akbar himself batted with enough

patience to make sure they didn't

crumble under pressure with his

unbeaten 43, saying that they did not

want to complicate things despite being

pushed by the Indians in the middle

when they were struggling at one point at

63 for 3. "No, we wanted to keep things

simple. I mean, Tamim and Emon gave

us a very good start and then Ravi came

to the party and he bowled exceptionally

well. So I have to give the credit to him.

We knew it was going to be a tough chase

because India is a very challenging side.

And I think, when I entered into the

Setien. "This win will give us

motivation and extra energy

for the future."

To make matters worse,

winger Ousmane Dembele

suffered another hamstring

injury, which is likely to keep

him out for the rest of the

season, while centre-back

Samuel Umtiti appeared in

court too, for alleged

damages to a rented villa.

It meant defeat against

Betis was unthinkable,

particularly for Setien, who

could ill-afford another

setback against the team he

managed for two years

between 2017 and 2019.

Instead, Barca turned the

tide, with a chaotic

performance that might have

been punished by better

opponents, but that keeps

them three points behind

Real Madrid, who had earlier

won at a canter in Pamplona.

Gareth Bale returned to

the starting line-up after

four matches out of the

squad and a fortuitous

deflection meant he assisted

Isco's equaliser after Unai

Garcia had given Osasuna a

surprise lead.

Sergio Ramos then headed

Madrid in front before

substitutes Lucas Vazquez

and Luka Jovic made the

scoreline more emphatic.

"I'm pleased with all the

players and what they're

doing," said Zidane. "It's

very good to stay in front."

crease, we knew we needed a big

partnership. Emon supported me very

well," he said adding that Emon showed

character by returning back to bat despite

all the physical discomfort.

"I would say he showed his character.

He was not at his ... even at his 30%, so he

batted for the team. I would say when he

was in the dressing room, we lost two

new batsmen more, and Indians were

getting over us, and when he came back

we already lost six wickets, and then the

way he batted after that, I am very proud

of him."

Akbar also said that he was happy he

could seize the opportunity in the middle.

"Initially I did not get much chance in the

first half of the tournament, against

Pakistan I did not get much runs, in

quarterfinals when I was not out there. I

was waiting for the chance and in the

final, it came. And the plan was there.

The plan was not to lose my wicket and

be the finisher in this match. When we

started our journey we had a dream to lift

the trophy. So it's like a dream coming

true. I don't know what should I say, I

cannot describe my feelings," he said.

While the win per se was a fabulous

one for Bangladesh, the scenes following

the victory run left a sour taste with the

two teams getting into a squabble,

engaging in physical altercations. Akbar

apologised on behalf of his teammates for

the same, for the ugly end to an otherwise

fantastic tournament. "What happened,

it should not have happened.

Barca beat Betis to keep pace

with Real Madrid

Barca's exit in the Copa del

Rey overshadowed Madrid's

own shock defeat at home by

Real Sociedad in the

quarter-finals, a loss that

brought a dramatic end to

their 21-match unbeaten

run.

But Zidane will be relieved

to see his team swiftly back

on track with a performance

full of the kind of resilience

that Real's rivals have so

lacked in recent weeks.

Bale also keeps coming

back under Zidane and the

30-year-old had chances to

add a goal to a spirited

display before going off to a

decent reception from the

away support in the second

half.

Lionel Messi gave a hat-trick of assists on Sunday as Barcelona ended their

turbulent week with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Real Betis. Photo: AP

Germany recall

for Euro 2020 of

'no interest' to

Bayern's Mueller

Sports Desk: Thomas

Mueller insisted Sunday that

he is not interested in a recall

to the Germany team for

Euro 2020 despite

impressive recent displays

for Bayern Munich, reports

BSS.

"That is of absolute no

interest to me at all. All I am

focused on is playing well for

this shirt," said Mueller after

Sunday's goalless league

draw with Leipzig. Along

with fellow 2014 World Cup

winners Mats Hummels and

Jerome Boateng, Mueller

was abruptly told by

Germany head coach

Joachim Loew in March that

his international career is

over. Mueller has been in

great recent form with seven

goals and nine assists in his

last 15 games for Bayern.

Loew sees the next

generation, including

Bayern winger Serge

Gnabry, Manchester City's

Leroy Sane and Dortmund's

Julian Brandt, ahead of the

30-year-old Mueller.

Rusty Bangladesh suffers humiliating

innings defeat to Pakistan

Sports Desk: Bangladesh continued their

dismal run in the longer version format,

tasting a yet another innings and 44-run

defeat to Pakistan inside three and half days

in the first Test at Rawalpindi on Monday,

reports BSS.

This was Bangladesh's sixth defeats in Test

cricket in a row but the startling revelation

was that amongst those six, five defeats came

at innings margin, proving the country's

sheer vulnerability in this format.

To make the matter worse, it is the Tigers'

seventh innings loss in eight away Tests. The

latest defeat was Bangladesh's 89th in 118

Tests, amongst which 43 was by innings

margin.

Bangladesh's defeat was almost ensured

on the third day but it was to see whether

they could avoid the innings defeat.

At a time when their Tigers created a

history, beating India in a nerve-wrecking

final to lift the ICC Under-19 Cricket World

Cup, the fact was expected to act as an

inspiration for the senior team.

But that was not to be. Resuming the day

on 126-6, still trailing by 86 runs to avoid the

innings defeat, Bangladesh could add just 42

runs to their overnight total and was

subsequently dismissed for 168 in 62.2

overs.

They could only survive 17.2 overs on the

fourth day before crumbling to the innings

defeat. Skipper Mominul Haque was the

highest scorer for the side with 41 while Liton

Das made 29.

Shaheen Shah Afridi made the

breakthrough on day four, taking the scalp of

Mominul before Yasir Shah cleaned up the

tail to complete the dominating victory. Yasir

ended with 4-58.

Bangladesh was bowled out for 233 in its

first innings with Mohammad Mithun

making the highest 63. Pakistan however

rode on Babar Azam (143) and Shan

Masood's (100) century to post 445 in reply,

which proved to be enough to seal an innings

victory.

Naseem Shah who on day three claimed a

hat-trick and sparked Bangladesh's batting

collapse with 4-26 was adjudged man of the

match. He had a muscle pull however which

prevent him from bowling at full throttle.

"I had an MRI, I had a muscle pull but the

scan is clear. I should be able to resume

bowling in two days. Picking up a hat-trick in

front of your home crowd is special. They

added to the support and festivities. It was

great fun. I only hope I will be able to live up

to the expectation of fans and team-mates,"

Naseem said after the match.

The second Test is in Karachi from April 5-

9, when Bangladesh would go to Pakistan for

the third phase of tour. Ahead of that Test,

Bangladesh will also play an ODI match.

Bangladesh continued their dismal run in the longer version format, tasting a yet another innings

and 44-run defeat to Pakistan inside three and half days in the first Test at Rawalpindi on Monday.

Photo: BCB

Congolese teen

Kuminga awaits

his chance at

NBA stardom

Sports Desk: He will not

finish high school until 2021,

but Congolese teen

Jonathan Kuminga is

already considered by some

to be the young player who

most interests the NBA,

reports BSS.

At 17, Kuminga waits for

his moment in a small

establishment in Hillside,

New Jersey, 30km

southwest of New York. He

might be a millionaire in a

matter of years, but for now,

the 6-foot-6 (2.03m)

playmaker spends most of

his time in a modest red

brick building, studying and

training.

Chris Chavannes, who

coaches Kuminga at noted

prep program Patrick

School, pointed out some of

the obstacles facing the

highly touted prospect in the

number 1 jersey during a

workout."He comes from a

place where there was not as

much talent and where it

was not as intense, so he

must integrate our

demands, physical and

mental," Chavannes said.

"But he loves basketball,

so the transition will not be

so difficult for him."

Kuminga has the frame,

according to Al Harrington,

who is among the few

players to make the leap

directly from high school to

the NBA."Physically, he

already has the body to play

in university or in the NBA,"

Harrington said. "It's very

rare to see such a

combination, a guy of his

size able to dribble quickly

and post himself"

Chavannes added.At ease

with the ball and patient as

plays develop, the young

Congolese student.

Bogdanovic hits winner for Jazz,

Celtics win seventh straight

Sports Desk: Bojan Bogdanovic shook off a

frustrating shooting night by nailing a clutch

three pointer at the buzzer to lift the Utah

Jazz to a 114-113 win over the Houston

Rockets Sunday, reports BSS.

Bogdanovic is averaging 21 points per

game this season but the Croatian star

finished with eight points against the

Rockets. He sank just two field goals.

But he made it count when it mattered the

most. The Jazz executed the final play to

perfection as Bogdanovic shot over James

Harden for the winning basket.

"They made a heck of a shot," Houston

coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We had two guys

on him. I was afraid we were going to foul

him (because) it was so close. Hats off to that

shot."

With just over four minutes left,

Bogdanovic hit a three pointer and then

Donovan Mitchell nailed a jumper to give the

Jazz a 107-100 lead.

But the Rockets weren't finished. Harden

answered with a nifty pass to Robert

Covington who sank a three to put Houston

ahead 110-109 with 28 seconds left.

Mitchell responded with two free throws

as the Jazz got back in front. Houston's PJ

Tucker then sank a corner three-pointer

with 1.6 seconds left that pushed the

Rockets back in front before Bogdanovic

had the final say.

Jordan Clarkson paced the Jazz with 30

points off the bench while Mitchell added 24

and six assists. Rudy Gobert had 12 points

and 15 rebounds.

Russell Westbrook led the Rockets with 39

points and Harden finished with a triple

double of 28 points, 10 assists and 10

rebounds for the Rockets, who shot just 10 of

33 from three-point range over the last three

quarters.

Elsewhere, Kemba Walker scored 27

points and hit a pair of key three pointers late

as the Boston Celtics stretched their winning

streak to seven games with a 112-111 win over

Oklahoma City.

Walker hit two threes from almost the

exact same spot in the final three minutes to

seal the win for Boston in front of a crowd of

18,200 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

With the Celtics ahead by four and the

clock running down he nailed a three pointer

to put the gap at seven.

Thunder guard Chris Paul - who ended the

game on 22 points - knocked down a jump

shot at the other end but Walker answered

with another three from the same distance a

few seconds later as the Celtics regained

control.

Paul then made a three-pointer at the

buzzer to cap the scoring and make it a onepoint

game.

"Good, tough teams," Celtics coach Brad

Stevens said. "A lot of smart basketball and

then we almost gave it away at the end. But,

you know, up to that point I think we played

really hard and really well."

Jayson Tatum scored 19 of his 26 points in

the second half for Boston, who have now

won 10 of their last 11 contests.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo

Gallinari scored 24 points each to lead the

Thunder, who suffered just their second loss

in 11 games. Dennis Schroder had 22 points,

but the rest of the Thunder players combined

for just 19 points.

The three Celtics who missed Friday's win

over Atlanta with various injuries - Jaylen

Brown, Gordon Hayward and Daniel Theis -

all returned for Sunday's game.

Hayward, Tatum, and Theis each had

double-doubles. Brown contributed 17

points.

But the Rockets weren't finished. Harden

answered with a nifty pass to Robert

Covington who sank a three to put Houston

ahead 110-109 with 28 seconds left.

Mitchell responded with two free throws as

the Jazz got back in front. Houston's PJ

Tucker then sank a corner three-pointer with

1.6 seconds left that pushed the Rockets back

in front before Bogdanovic had the final say.

Jordan Clarkson paced the Jazz with 30

points off the bench while Mitchell added 24

and six assists. Rudy Gobert had 12 points

and 15 rebounds.

Thunder rookie forward Darius Bazley left

the game in the first quarter after spraining

his knee and did not return.

Also, Lou Williams scored 25 points and

Paul George had 22 as the Los Angeles

Clippers rebounded from a demoralizing

defeat one night earlier for a one-sided 133-

92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Clippers won without Kawhi Leonard,

who took the game off so he didn't have to

play two nights in a row.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

TUeSDAY, FeBrUArY 11, 2020

10

Owl-right start for eCB's

Lagarde in first 100 days

Dr. Syed ejaz Ahmed, Dean, Faculty of Math & Science, Brock University and Prof. Milan Pagon, Vice

Chancellor (Acting), IUB singed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutions. Photo: Courtesy

IUB signs MoU with Brock University, Canada

Brock University, Canada and

Independent University, Bangladesh

(IUB) signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) through a

signing ceremony organized at the

university campus very recently, a

press release said.

His Excellency Benoit Préfontaine,

honorable High Commissioner of

Canada in Bangladesh graced the

occasion as the Chief Guest.

The objectives of the MoU between

IUB & Brock University is to

strengthen the academic collaboration

between the two institutions by

developing academic and cultural

interchange in areas related to

education, conducting faculty &

student exchange program, by

exchanging of scholarly materials and

information, participation in joint or

collaborative research projects and

grants & establishing 2+2 program.

This program is primarily articulated

for the B.Sc. in Computer Science and

Engineering of both the institutions. In

the near future Brock University has

the intention to expand this program

with the other departments of IUB as

well.

Dr. Syed Ejaz Ahmed, Dean, Faculty

of Math & Science, Brock University

and Prof. Milan Pagon, Vice

Chancellor (Acting), IUB singed the

MoU on behalf of their respective

institutions.

The signing ceremony was also

attended by Corinne Petrisor,

Counsellor (Commercial) & Senior

Trade Commissioner, High

Commission of Canada; Leigh- Ellen

Keating, Director, International

Services, Brock University; Nigel

Dixon, Special Projects Coordinator,

International Services, Brock

University; Megha Srivastav,

Relationship Manager, International

Market Development, Brock

University; Trustee S M Al-Husainy;

Trustee A Quaiyum Khan; Deans of

different Schools, Treasurer, Registrar,

Controller of Examination,invited Unit

Heads and faculties from CSE at IUB.

On this occasion, Benoit

Préfontaine stated that this MoU will

help establishing strong bilateral

relationship between these two

countries with a core focus on

mutually benefiting outcomes in

higher education sector.

Prof. Milan Pagon, in his speech,

welcomed everyone and gave a brief

introduction of IUB. Talking about the

MoU, he specified that IUB is signing

MoU with world's leading institutions

to enhance the higher education

quality of Bangladesh.

Trustee S M Al-Husainy and

Trustee A Quaiyum Khan also thanked

Brock University for extending hands

towards the collaboration.

The event was conducted by Ms.

Asifa Islam, Senior Officer,

International Program and Relation,

IUB.

Wearing an owl brooch to

her January press

conference, Christine

Lagarde made clear her

determination to run the

European Central Bank

differently from her

predecessors as it hunts for

a way out of crisismanagement

mode, reports

BSS.

"I'm neither dove nor

hawk, and my ambition is to

be this owl that is often

associated with a little bit of

wisdom," the bank's first

female president told

reporters the previous

month.

Central bank watchers

have long resorted to

ornithological categories to

sort policymakers.

Those favouring generous

support to the economy are

dubbed "doves" and those

backing tough love "hawks".

The battle lines have been

drawn especially clearly

over the ECB's 21-year

history, as the euro single

currency brings together

countries with vastly

different economic histories

and cultural foibles around

money.

Lagarde took over after a

turbulent few months for

the Frankfurt institution

and her chief aim for her

first 100 days in office - a

milestone she reached

Saturday - was to smooth

the divisions and avoid any

upsets on her own account.

By the end of 2019,

predecessor Mario Draghi's

repeated salvos of

unprecedented stimulus

measures to buttress the

flagging eurozone had

divided members of the

ECB's governing council

like never before.

Doves believe the Italian

economist's generous doses

of medicine helped the

eurozone survive years of

struggles after the 2008

financial crisis.

Meanwhile, hawks

accused him of having taken

the central bank far beyond

the limits of its treaty

mandate to maintain price

stability and having

encouraged reckless

borrowing by governments.

Among Lagarde's first

acts on taking office in

November was to whisk the

whole governing council to

a conciliatory "retreat" at a

plush hotel outside

Frankfurt.

She aims to "show she's

listening to others'

arguments, rather than

imposing her own views on

them right from the

beginning," said Eric Dor of

France's IESEG business

school.

"I would have preferred

her to emerge from her

predecessor's shadow

more" rather than

maintaining Draghi's

policies for now, said

Markus Ferber, a German

conservative in the

European Parliament.

With the ECB forecasting

a gradual pickup in growth

and inflation, Lagarde "will

be judged on how

successfully she is able to

manage what is likely to be a

slow process of monetary

policy normalisation," said

Nomura economist George

Buckley.

The bank will eventually

have to wind down its

"quantitative easing" bondbuying

programme, which

has so far pumped almost

2.7 trillion euros ($3.0

trillion) into the financial

system.

At the same time, Lagarde

has launched a year-long

rethink of the ECB's

monetary policy tools and

goals.

Observers expect to see

the central bank add

flexibility to its just-belowtwo-percent

inflation target.

And Lagarde's promise to

include

climate

considerations in monetary

policy has set traditionalists'

teeth on edge.

In the near term, she will

have to address the risks

posed by the novel

coronavirus outbreak to the

eurozone economy in a

possible first major test.

So far, Lagarde has "spent

more time dealing with

politics than monetary

policy," said Frederik

Ducrozet of Pictet Wealth

Management.

National Skills Competition was launched at a ceremony at Hotel renaissance Dhaka on Saturday.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal inaugurated the competition as the chief guest. Salman Fazlur

rahman, Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser delivered speech as special guest.

Manmohan Parkash, Country Director, Asian Development Bank (ADB) spoke as guest of honour

while Md. Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Secretary of the PMO chired the programme and delivered concluding

speech.

Photo: Courtesy

Md. Tariqul Azam, Additional Managing Director of Standard Bank Limited inaugurated a ten daylong

training on "Banking Foundation" for SBL Cash Officers organized by the Training Institute of the

Bank. Among others Md. Amzad Hossain Fakir, Faculty of SBL Training Institute was present on the

occasion.

Photo: Courtesy

China virus roils commodity markets

China's virus has roiled

commodity markets as

traders assess the epidemic's

economic impact on a nation

heavily dependent on raw

materials, reports BSS.

Base metals such as copper

have in particular suffered

since mid-January, while oil

has recovered somewhat

after heavy falls and haven

investment gold has

benefitted.

"Commodity prices, and

energy prices in particular,

have been hard hit by the

outbreak of coronavirus in

China and the prospect of

lower global commodities

demand," said analyst

Caroline Bain at Capital

Economics research group.

"There is still too much

uncertainty to factor the

Venezuela 2019 inflation close

to 10,000pc, says central bank

Inflation reached almost 10,000

percent in crisis-hit Venezuela in 2019,

according to official government

statistics, a figure well below the

International Monetary Fund

prediction of 200,000 percent but still a

source of grinding hardship, reports

BSS.

Venezuela's central bank said inflation

was 9,585 percent, slightly higher than

the figure of 7,374 percent published by

the opposition-controlled parliament.

It comes during a year in which the

bolivar was devalued by 98.6 percent,

virus into our forecasts," she

added, as China delayed the

release Friday of its latest

trade data. Copper,

considered a barometer of

the economic cycle, has

slumped almost ten percent

since mid-January, when

fears over the virus began to

heavily influence direction of

financial markets.

China is the world's biggest

importer of major

commodities and has a

voracious appetite in

particular for base metals.

In line with most

commodity and equity

markets this week, copper

has however managed a

rebound to stand at $5,660

per tonne on Friday from

$5,567 a week earlier.

Also since the middle of

last month, aluminium

remains 5.0 percent lower in

value and tin 8.0 percent

down despite their prices

beginning to recover.

Sucden analyst Liz Grant

said commodity prices are

starting to fight back also

after China on Thursday said

it would halve tariffs on $75

billion worth of US imports.

"While this move is in part

connected to the phase 1

US/China trade agreement,

it was also widely viewed as

an attempt to ease investor

anxiety around the economic

impacts of the virus," she

said.

For gold, the situation was

different. Considered a

haven investment in times of

economic unrest, the

precious metal initially

effectively making the US dollar the

currency of choice inside Venezuela.

The central bank had remained silent

on the question of inflation for three

years until May 2019 when it

announced a figure of 130,000 percent

for 2018 and admitted that GDP had

fallen by half since 2013.

Venezuela has suffered five years of

recession and a crippling economic

crisis that has decimated the value of

salaries and savings, caused poverty to

soar and more than four million people

to leave the country.

profited from fears of a virusfuelled

economic slowdown.

By Friday however, gold

stood at $1,566.93 an ounce,

down from $1,589.16 a week

earlier.

Among soft commodities,

most this week "fell owing to

fears of lower Chinese

demand" according to Bain,

the analyst pointed to a few

exceptions.

"The price of sugar rose

owing to a lower Asian

harvest and lumber

benefitted from data

pointing to strong growth in

the US housing sector," she

said.

In London, a tonne of

white sugar for delivery in

May has increased by 13

percent since the start of the

year.

President Nicolas Maduro blames

Venezuela's economic woes on a US oil

embargo against the South American

country.

Oil generates 96 percent of

Venezuela's revenue but the country

produces only 900,000 barrels a day

compared with a high of 3.2 million just

over a decade ago.

Maduro's critics blame the

government for mismanagement, heavy

handed policies and a failure to

maintain infrastructure for Venezuela's

falling oil output.

Volvo Cars

posts record

sales year

Chinese-owned Swedish

auto maker Volvo Cars said

Thursday it sold a record

number of cars in 2019 and

expected continued growth

in 2020 despite concerns

over the new coronavirus,

reports BSS.

For the sixth consecutive

year the company broke its

sales record.

"I am very pleased to see

that for the first time in our

history we sold more than

700,000 cars," CEO Hakan

Samuelsson said.

Sales increased in all of its

three main markets, going

up 7.0 percent in Europe,

10.1 percent in the United

States and 18.7 percent in

China.

Revenue for the year rose

8.5 percent to 274 billion

Swedish kronor.

The car maker, which is

owned by China's Geely,

reported at net profit of 7.1

billion kronor ($740 million,

673 million euros), up from

6.8 billion kronor the

previous year.

Volvo Cars did not give an

expected sales figure for

2020, only saying it

expected "continued growth

in sales and revenue."

The company sells more

cars in China than any other

country and said the new

coronavirus "at this stage,

will impact the first quarter

results."

It would strive to offset any

impact over the remainder

of the year, it added.

The virus outbreak, which

started in the city of Wuhan,

has claimed over 560 lives

and more than 28,000

people are known to be

infected nationwide.

Bulgaria changes

legislation to join

euro ‘waiting room’

Bulgaria's parliament

adopted on Thursday changes

to the country's central bank

law so as to allow its accession

to the "waiting room" of the

eurozone, reports BSS.

Since 1999, Bulgaria has

operated an IMF-led currency

board arrangement that pegs

its lev to the euro at a fixed

rate of 1.95583.

The Balkan country would

seek to join the ERM2

Exchange Rate Mechanism -

known as the "waiting room"

to the eurozone - at this same

rate as soon as April, Finance

Minister Vladislav Goranov

has said.

Once in, however, ERM2

rules require Bulgaria's

central bank to allow currency

fluctuations of up to 15

percent above or below the

central rate. Parliament voted

on Thursday to allow the

central bank to now operate

on that basis.

As long as Bulgaria is in

ERM2, the central lev-euro

rate would be negotiated with

the European Central Bank,

the eurozone member states

and Denmark, the changes

read.

The EU's poorest member

state would need to spend at

least two years in the

mechanism before it is

allowed to join the eurozone.

"This obligatory text lifts the

last obstacle to Bulgaria's

entry into the euro 'waiting

room' in end-April,"

economist Petar Ganev of the

Sofia-based Institute for

Market Economy said.

Last month, International

Monetary Fund head,

Bulgaria's Kristalina

Georgieva, said the country's

accession to the euro "by 2023

is entirely possible".

Contradictory

interpretations of the legal

amendments had sparked

speculation about a possible

devaluation of the lev before

euro adoption.

Bulgarians still have bitter

memories of the country's

worst banking and financial

crisis in 1996-1997 when 14

banks went bankrupt and

inflation soared to 300

percent.

The IMF-led currency

board and the fixed rate

helped the country control

that hyper-inflation and

maintain one of the lowest

debt ratios in the EU of 19.9

percent of GDP at end-2019.

In order to reassure

Bulgarians, parliament

adopted last week a resolution

saying that it would only allow

euro accession at the current

rate of 1.95583 leva.

Key US services sector

improves in January

The dominant US services sector accelerated for the second

straight month in January, but several industries got off to a

slow start in 2020, according to an industry survey released

Wednesday, reports BSS.

While activity and new orders rose last month, services

firms continue to struggle to find workers, the Institute for

Supply Management's non-manufacturing report showed.

ISM said its non-manufacturing index rose 0.6 points to

55.5 percent last month, which is the highest since August

2019 and above the 12-month average.

But while 12 industries reported growth in the month, six

experienced a slowdown, the report said.

The employment index fell by 1.7 points, as only six

industries reported growth.

As one survey respondent said: "Dramatic workforce

shortage continues."

Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics said "the

employment index puts something of a dampener on the

report," since it points to a slowdown in hiring in the overall

economy.

And even the trade truce with China signed last month has

not helped the sector much.

"We hoped that would give the employment numbers in

the non-manufacturing sector a lift, but that hasn't

happened," Shepherdson said in an analysis.

Services is by far the largest segment of the US economy,

and any reading of the ISM index above 50 indicates growth.

MISCELLANEOUS

TUeSDAY, FebrUArY 11, 2020

11

Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman distributed certificate among the students

of 10th batch of 'Post Graduate Diploma in Genocide Studies' course of the Centre for Genocide

Studies of Dhaka University. Director of the centre Prof. Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, Director of CArAS Prof. Dr.

Abdul bashir, Prof. Dr. Delwar Hossain, among others, were present on this occasion. Photo : Courtesy

In a win for the world, 'Parasite'

takes best picture Oscar

Subtitle this: "Parasite" is the first non-

English language film to win best

picture in the 92-year history of the

Academy Awards, reports UNB.

Bong Joon Ho's masterfully devious

class satire took Hollywood's top prize

at the Oscars on Sunday night, along

with awards for best director, best

international film and best screenplay.

In a year dominated by period epics-

"1917," "Once Upon a Time ... In

Hollywood," "The Irishman"-the film

academy instead went overseas, to

South Korea, to reward a contemporary

and unsettling portrait of social

inequality in "Parasite."

True to its name, "Parasite" simply

got under the skin of Oscar voters,

attaching itself to the American awards

season and, ultimately, to history. The

win was a watershed moment for the

Academy Awards, which has long been

content to relegate international films

to their own category.

Multiple standing ovations greeted

Bong's several wins. "I am ready to

drink tonight," Bong said, prompting

roars from the crowd. Unexpectedly

called up again for best director, Bong

saluted his fellow nominees,

particularly Martin Scorsese, and

concluded: "Now I'm ready to drink

until tomorrow."

The win for "Parasite" - which had

echoes of the surprise victory of

"Moonlight" over "La La Land" three

years ago - came in year in which many

criticized the lack of diversity in the

nominees and the absence of female

filmmakers. But the triumph for

"Parasite" enabled Hollywood to flip

the script, and signal a different kind of

progress. In doing so, the film academy

turned away another history-making

event, again denying Netflix its first

best-picture win despite two

contenders in "The Irishman" and

"Marriage Story," and a big-spending

awards campaign blitz.

All of the acting winners - Brad Pitt,

Renee Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix and

Laura Dern - went as expected.

Few categories were more certain

coming into Sunday's Oscars than best

supporting actor, which Pitt has had

locked down all awards season. While

Pitt (who in 2014 shared in the best

picture win for "12 Years a Slave," as

GD-269/20 (6 x 3)

was a producer) has regaled audiences

with one-liners in the run-up to the

Oscars, he began his comments on a

political note.

"They told me I have 45 seconds to

speak, which is 45 seconds more than

the Senate gave John Bolton this

week," Pitt said, alluding to the

impeachment hearings. "I'm thinking

maybe Quentin does a movie about it."

Pitt said the honor had given him

reason to reflect on his fairy-tale

journey in the film industry, going back

to when he moved to Los Angeles from

Missouri. "Once upon a time in

Hollywood," said Pitt. "Ain't that the

truth." Most of the early awards went

according to forecasts, including Dern

winning for her performance as a

divorce attorney in Noah Baumbach's

"Marriage Story." Accepting her first

Oscar, Dern thanked her in-attendance

parents, "my legends, Diane Ladd and

Bruce Dern."

For the 87th time, no women were

nominated for best director this year, a

subject that was woven into the entire

ceremony - and even into some

attendees' clothing. Natalie Portman

wore a cape lined with the names of

female filmmakers who weren't

nominated for best director, including

Lulu Wang ("The Farewell"), Greta

Gerwig ("Little Women") and Mati

Diop ("Atlantics").

Coming on a rare rainy day in Los

Angeles, the ceremony was soggy and

song-heavy. Some performances, like

Eminem's performance of "Lose

Yourself," were unexpected (and drew a

wane response from Martin Scorsese).

All of the song nominees performed,

including Elton John who won with his

longtime songwriting partner Bernie

Taupin for their "Rocketman" tune.

The hostless ceremony opened on a

note of inclusion, with Janelle Monae

performing "A Beautiful Day in the

Neighborhood" and her own song,

"Come Alive," with an assist from Billy

Porter. "I'm so proud to be standing

here as a black queer artist telling

stories," Monae said. "Happy Black

History Month."

Two former Oscar hosts, Chris Rock

and Steve Martin, provided the

opening monologue. "An incredible

demotion," Martin called it. Martin also

reminded that something was missing

from this year's directing nominees.

"Vaginas!" Rock replied.

There were milestones, nevertheless.

In winning best adapted screenplay for

his Nazi satire "Jojo Rabbit," the New

Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi

became the first indigenous director

ever to win an Oscar. He dedicated the

award to "all the indigenous kids in the

world who want to do art, dance and

write stories." "We are the original

storytellers," Waititi said.

"Joker" composer Hildur

Gudnadottir became only the third

woman to ever win best original score.

"To the girls, to the women, to the

mothers, to the daughters who hear the

music opening within, please speak

up," said Gudnadottir. "We need to

hear your voices."

Awards were spread around to all of

the best-picture nominees, with the

lone exception being Martin Scorsese's

10-time nominee "The Irishman."

"1917," acclaimed for its technical

virtuosity, took awards for Roger

Deakins' cinematography, visual effects

and sound mixing. The car racing

throwback "Ford v Ferrari" was also

honored for its craft, winning both

editing and sound editing. Gerwig's

Louisa May Alcott adaptation "Little

Women" won for Jacqueline Durran's

costume design. "Once Upon a Time ...

in Hollywood" for Barbara Ling's

production design.

Netflix came in with a leading 24

nominations. Along with the win for

"Marriage Story," the streamer's

"American Factory" won best

documentary. The film is the first

release from Barack and Michelle

Obama's Higher Ground Productions.

No studio has spent more heavily this

awards season than Netflix, which is

seeking its first best picture win after

coming up just shy last year with

"Roma."

Pixar extended its domination of the

best animated film category, winning

for "Toy Story 4." It's the 10th Pixar film

to win the award and second "Toy

Story" film to do so, following the

previous 2010 installment.

It was an early award for the Walt

Disney Co. which despite last year

amassing a record $13 billion in

worldwide box office and

owning the network the

Oscars are broadcast on,

played a minor role in the

ceremony. The bulk of its

awards came from 20th

Century Fox ("Ford v

Ferrari") and Fox

Searchlight ("Jojo Rabbit"),

both of which the company

took control of after its $71.3

billion acquisition of 21st

Century Fox last year.

Disney's ABC, which is

broadcasting the show live,

hoped a widely watched field

of nominees - including the

$1 billion-grossing "Joker,"

up for a leading 11 awards -

will help viewership. Last

year's show garnered 29.6

million viewers, a 12%

uptick.

In a year of streaming

upheaval throughout the

industry, this year's Oscar

favorites were largely movies

released widely in theaters.

They also predominantly

featured male characters and

came from male directors.

After a year in which

women made significant

gains behind the camera, no

female directors were

nominated for best director.

The acting categories are

also the least diverse since

the fallout of

#OscarsSoWhite pushed the

academy to remake its

membership. Cynthia Erivo

("Harriet") is the only actor

of color nominated.

Spl security measures

for smooth observance

of Language Martyrs'

Day: Minister

DHAKA : Home Minister

Asaduzzaman Khan on

Monday said special security

measures will be taken in

and around the Central

Shaheed Minar, all the

divisional cities, districts and

upazilas for smooth

observance of Language

Martyrs' Day, reports UNB.

The Home Minister came

up with the information

while talking to reporters

after a meeting over the law

and order situation with the

law enforcement agencies at

the Secretariat.

The Central Shaheed

Minar and its adjoining

areas will remain under

CCTV surveillance, he said .

Fire extinguishing

arrangements will be kept in

different important areas

including the Central

Shaheed Minar to take

instant action in case of any

emergency while first aid,

drinking water and mobile

toilets will be available in the

Shaheed Minar area, he

added. Replying to a

question about the draft of

the Narcotics Control Act-

2020, which was approved

in principal in the Cabinet

today, the Minister said "I do

not want to say anything in

this regard."

Son gets life term

for killing mother

in Habiganj

HABIGANJ : A court here

on Monday sentenced a man

to life term imprisonment

for killing his mother in

2004 in Noahati village in

Madhabpur upazila, reports

UNB.

The convict is Dipu Sarkar,

son of Rajmohon Sarkar, 40,

of the area. Habiganj

Additional District and

Sessions Judge SM Nasim

Reza also fined the convict

Tk 10000, in default, he will

to serve two more

imprisonment.

According to case details,

on April 15, 2004, Dipu beat

her mother Roushan Bala

Sarkar to death with a

bamboo stick as she did not

give him rice. Locals took

her to Madhabpur Upazila

Health Complex where

doctors declared her dead.

On July 16, sub-inspector

Shyamol Chandra Pal,

Madhabpur Police Station,

filed a case against Dipu.

Int'l Plastic Fair

2020 postponed

DHAKA : The 15th

International Plastic Fair

2020, which was supposed

to begin in the city on

Wednesday has been

postponed by the organisers,

reports UNB.

Bangladesh Plastic Goods

Manufacturers and

Exporters Association

(BPGMEA) and Yorkers

Trade and Marketing

Services, Taiwan were the

joint organisers of the 4-day

fair at International

Convention City,

Bashundhara.

Plastic industry insiders

said the outbreak of

coronavirus in China has

forced the organisers to

postpone the mega expo

where a huge number of

Chinese businessmen and

traders participate every

year to showcase their

products, technology and

services.

However, the BPGMEA in

a press statement said the

fair was postponed for

"unavoidable situation".

It also mentioned that the

fair will now be held on June

4-7 June in 2020 instead of

February 12-15.

2 dengue patients

hospitalised in

24 hrs

DHAKA : Two new dengue

patients were hospitalized in

the last 24 hours until 8am

on Monday, said the

Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS).

Iraqi officials: US will grant

vital Iran sanctions waiver

The United States has signaled to Iraq its

willingness to extend sanctions waivers

enabling the country to continue

importing vital Iranian gas and electricity

imports, three Iraqi officials said this week,

a move that would be a key test of

Baghdad-Washington ties, reports UNB.

The decision comes amid strained U.S.-

Iraqi ties following last

month's Washingtondirected

airstrike in

Baghdad that killed a highprofile

Iranian general and

a senior Iraqi militia leader.

A previous waiver,

granted in October, is set to

expire on Feb. 13. The three

officials said the U.S. State

Department, which issues

such waivers, has conveyed

its readiness to extend the

waiver for another three

months - if Iraq is able to

formulate a timeline by the

end of the week, detailing a

plan to wean itself off

Iranian gas dependence.

"The American side has

announced to us their

readiness," said one of the

officials.

The officials interviewed

are all senior members of

Iraq's government,

including one who is close

to the negotiations with the

Americans. They spoke on

condition of anonymity

because they were not

authorized to speak

publicly about the matter

before it becomes official.

Iraqi officials said the

new waiver would be a test

of Baghdad-Washington

ties after tensions soared

following a Jan. 3 U.S.

airstrike near the Baghdad

airport that killed a top

Iranian general, Qassem

Soleimani, and senior Iraqi

militia leader Abu Mahdi

al-Muhandis. Since then,

Iraqi Shiite political leaders

have pushed a non-binding

resolution through

parliament to pressure the

government to oust U.S.

troops from the country.

Washington has

responded to Iraq's

requests to initiate troop

withdrawals with blunt

refusal, even threatening

primary sanctions that

could cripple Iraq's

economy. Tensions have

cooled in recent weeks,

with both sides stepping

back from saber-rattling

rhetoric. rival Iraqi blocs in

parliament have also

selected a prime ministerdesignate,

Mohammed

Allawi, to replace outgoing

Premier Adel Abdul-

Mahdi.

Iraq remains highly

dependent on Iranian

natural gas to meet

electricity demands,

especially during the

we`ÿ r/Rb- 783(2)/10/2/2020

GD-267/20 (7 x 3)

scorching summer months when imports

account for a third of consumption. Late

payments by Baghdad for Iranian power

and gas have resulted in interruptions in

recent years. In the summer of 2018, that

was one factor that lead to destabilizing

protests in the southern oil-rich province

of Basra.

TUESDAY, DHAKA, FEBRUARY 11, 2020, MAgH 28, 1426 BS, JAMADI-US-SANNI 16, 1441 HIJRI

Distinguished guests from the academia, civil society organizations, research centers, and Bangladesh

Navy participated in the workshop which was organised by BIMRAD.

Photo: Courtesy

Bangladesh needs more know-how

to maintain growth: UK

DHAKA : British High Commissioner

to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton

Dickson on Monday saidBangladesh

needs more know-how, more jobs and

more capital to maintain the remarkable

growth noting that FDI can provide

that, reports UNB.

"Foreign investments can help upskill

a workforce," he said mentioning

thatBangladesh has done remarkably

well in the 50 years since independence

- something the country can be genuinely

proud of.

The British High Commissioner

made the remarks while delivering alecture

on 'The Importance of

International Trade' at the Department

of International Business, University of

Dhaka.

Over 200 students from Department

of International Business, Dr. Shobod

Deba Nath, Associate Professor,

Chairman, Department of International

Business, University of Dhaka, Derek

griffiths, Head of Trade and

Investment Bangladesh, Department

for International Trade, British High

Commission Dhaka, and other faculty

members of Dhaka University and staff

of the British High Commission Dhaka

attended the lecture.

After the lecture, students had the

opportunity to ask questions to the

British High Commissioner on UK-

Bangladesh diplomatic and trade relationship,

ease of doing business, and

impact of Brexit on Bangladesh trade.

Prior to his lecture, the British High

Commissioner met Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman, Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Dhaka.

The British envoy said many of the

managers in Bangladesh's private

banks have developed their careers in

HSBC or Standard Chartered - two

British banks.

He said the City of London, home to

some of the world's best known financial

institutions, can help access capital.

On the UK's withdrawal from the EU,

the High Commissioner said on

January 31 they left the European

Union after 47 years of membership.

"For the first time since 1973 we are a

fully sovereign nation able to control

our own destiny. That includes trade,"

he said. High Commissioner Dickson

said between now and the end of the

year they will work with the EU to negotiate

a free trade agreement, drawing on

other recent agreements, such as the

one between the EU and Canada."That

should be the core of our future relationship."

The High Commissioner talked about

the phenomenal rise of Bangladesh's

RMg industry saying overtime the

comparative advantage can be eroded

by competitors.

"That's why, to maintain growth,

Bangladesh needs to move up the value

chain and diversify its exports. And

what's good for Bangladesh is also good

for the UK - that's the basis of Free

Trade - if our companies can supply or

partner yours to help them become

more competitive."

On UK-Bangladesh trade relationship,

the High Commissioner emphasised

that as they become global

Britain, they will be developing new

partnerships and building on historic

friendships.

"There are few places in the world

where these opportunities are greater

than here in Bangladesh thanks to the

thousands of personal connections

between us," he said.

The High Commissioner said, "As

Britain we were there at the start.

Recently I was reading some of the

British media commentary from 1971. It

is clear that UK opinion during the liberation

struggle was overwhelmingly on

the side of Bangladesh."

He said January 1972 saw

Bangabandhu greeted in Downing

Street by the then British Prime

Minister, Edward Heath.

He then returned to a newly independent

Bangladesh in an aircraft of the

British Royal Air Force.

The High Commissioner said fifty

years on, Bangladesh has the fastest

growing large economy in the world.

Workshop on

maritime

research

system held

Bangladesh Institute of Maritime

Research and Development (BIMRAD)

organized a workshop on 'Exploring

Research System on Maritime Issue' at

Sagarika Hall, Naval Headquarters

Complex, Bangladesh Navy on Monday.

The workshop was presided over by the

Chairman of BIMRAD, Admiral (retd.)

Nizamuddin Ahmed.

The Director general Commodore Kazi

Emdadul Haq and other officials of BIM-

RAD were also present in the workshop.

Distinguished academics from the

renowned universities, representatives of

civil society organizations and young

naval officers also attended the workshop.

The keynote presentation on the theme

was delivered by Dr. Haseeb Md.

Irfanullah, a visiting fellow at Center for

Sustainable Development (CSD) of

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. His

discussion touched several aspects of the

research system in the context of maritime

domain of Bangladesh. In the following

learning sharing session, the participants

opined to improve the quality of

research in Bangladesh, especially in the

maritime and blue economy sector. The

participants agreed that more efforts

should be given to translate the research

findings into viable policy options to

develop the socio-economic conditions of

the nation. The speakers emphasized on

the necessity of inter-institutional collaboration

to revitalize the failing research and

development activities of Bangladesh.

Md. Jobaer Alam, the chairman of the

Department of Oceanography of the

University of Dhaka attended the workshop

among others.

Another China returnee shifted to

Kurmitola Hospital from Ranpur

DHAKA : Another Bangladeshi student,

who returned from China on

Sunday morning, was shifted to

Kurmitola general Hospital from

Rangpur on Monday noon, reports

UNB.

The student is Alamin, son of

Rezaul Islam, a resident of Madanpur

in Kaliganj upazila of the district.

Dr Narayan Chandra, Assistant

Professor of Medicine Department of

Rangpur Medical College Hospital

said Alamin was shifted to the

Kurmitola general Hospital for necessary

tests.

Early Monday, the ailing student

was hospitalised around midnight

and kept at the Corona Unit of the

isolation ward of RMCH.

Alamin, who studied at a private

university in China, landed at Hazrat

Shahjalal International Airport at

7am. He went home after medical

checkup at the airport.

He was later taken to the hospital at

night after he complained of vomiting

and sickness.

China returnee student Tajbid

Hossain, 25, son of Altaf Hossain of

Mirzaganj village in Domarupazila of

Nilphamari district, was admitted to

RMCH on Saturday morning with

fever and respiratory problems.

His blood and other samples were

tested in Dhaka and found no infection

of coronavirus, said Dr Narayan

Chandra.Tajbid returned home on

January 29.

Novel coronavirus, which originated

in China's Hubei province, has

spread to two dozen countries and

claimed more than 900 lives until

Sunday. More than 40,000 cases

have been reported so far, mainly in

China. Dhaka has confirmed that a

Bangladeshi worker in Singapore has

been infected with coronavirus.

Young Tigers await grand

reception : Quader

DHAKA : The government has

decided to accord a grand reception

to junior Tigers at Suhrawardy

Udyan for clinching the ICC U-19

world Cup trophy, said Road

Transport and Bridges Minister

Obaidul Quader on Monday, reports

UNB.

Quader, also Awami League

general Secretary, came up with the

announcement while talking to

reporters at the secretariat.

Congratulating the junior cricket

team, he said, "The decision was

taken at a cabinet meeting today to

celebrate the victory. The junior

Tigers will be accorded a grand

reception at Suhrawardy Udyan as

they earned the world Cup Trophy

for the first time since the independence

of the country." The Young

Tigers made the history beating the

four-time champions India by three

wickets in a dramatic final of the ICC

Under-19 world Cup on Sunday at

Potchefstroom, South Africa.

London’s Only Lighthouse

INTERESTINg NEwS DESK

On the north bank of River Thames,

just across the iconic O2 arena (formerly

known as the Millennium Dome), stands

London’s only lighthouse. It was built in

1866 for the purpose of testing new types

of lamps and lighthouse technology, as

well as training prospective lighthouse

keepers. The hexagonal brick tower with

a traditional light at the top was part of

the training school and workshop facilities

that operated on this wharf.

The lighthouse is located on the estuary

of River Lea, in an area called the Trinity

Buoy wharf. For two centuries, the

Corporation of Trinity House—the official

authority for lighthouses in England,

wales, the Channel Islands and gibraltar,

who is also responsible for the provision

and maintenance of navigational aids and

maritime communication systems—used

this land for docking and repair of lightships,

storage facility for the many buoys

that aided navigation on the Thames, and

as maintenance depot, as well as for testing

new lighthouse technologies.

There were actually two lighthouses

here. The other one was built in 1852, but

was demolished in the late 1920s. This

earlier lighthouse was used by Michael

Faraday, who is best known for discovering

electromagnetic induction, to conduct

many experiments on lighthouse optics.

Faraday was appointed scientific advisor

to Trinity House in 1836 and for nearly

thirty years he worked closely with lighthouses.

It was Faraday who had the first

lighthouse built at the Trinity Buoy wharf

to test his equipment. Faraday’s work

improved optical lenses, electrical generators

and ventilation chimneys within

lighthouses. Today, a small museum

stands on the wharf dedicated to the work

of Faraday. It’s a small hut that recreates

how he would have worked during the

19th century.

Fire at New

Elephant

Road building

DHAKA : A fire broke out in

a flat of a six-storey building

at Bata Signal in New

Elephant Road area of the

city, reports UNB.

Fire Service Control Room

sources said the fire broke out

on the ground floor of the

building around 3:18 pm.

On information, three units

of fire fighters rushed to the

spot and doused the flame at

3:30pm.

The origin of the fire could

not be known immediately.

No casualty was reported.

Five Ansar-al-Islam

militants remanded

DHAKA : A Dhaka court on

Monday placed five members

of banned militant outfit

Ansar-al-Islam on four-day

remand each in a case lodged

under Anti-terror Act.

The remanded militants

are- Md Nizam Uddin, 21, Md

Rayhan Bhuiyan, 20, Md

Hanif Uddin Sumon, 19,

Sheikh Iftekharul Islam alias

Arif, 25, and Mufti Muslim

Uddin alias Muslim, 27.

Dhaka Metropolitan

Magistrate Shahidul Islam

passed the order as investigation

officer (IO) and Counter

Terrorism and Transnational

Crime (CTTC) unit Sub-

Inspector Sohel Mahmud

produced the five accused

before the court and pleaded

to place them on 10-day

remand each.

Visitor seen at the fifth Dhaka Art Summit which is being held at Dhaka Shilpakala

Academy.

Photo : TBT

Sericulture bringing

economic prosperity

to Jamuna chars

SIRAJgANJ : A number

of people in the Jamuna

char areas have stepped

onto the path of improving

their living standards

through boosting local silk

yarn production, reports

UNB.

Many residents of erosion-affected

river islands

are being economically

benefitted by farming silkworm.

Sirajganj district

Sericulture Extension

Office says it is possible to

earn Tk 15,000-20,000 in

a month by investing Tk

1,500-2,000.

Rural people involved in

sericulture have formed a

Resham Samabay Samity

with the help of the office.

After receiving training,

102 people, including

woman from erosionaffected

char areas in

Shahjadpur, Chowhali,

Belkuchi, Kazipur and

Sadar upazilas are rearing

silk worm (Polu poka) to

produce silk cocoon.

Besides, 215 silk worm

farmers have taken preparations

by planting mulberry

tree.

Bangladesh Sericulture

Development Board has

distributed 59 polu farming

houses worth Tk

40,000 among the farmers.

Besides, process is

underway to distribute 30

more houses.

Currently, the board is

also distributing silk worm

eggs free of cost. It cost Tk

200 to collect 100 eggs,

according to the officials of

the board. Mulberry trees

are also being supplied.

The farmed silkworm

cocoons are being collected

by the board at Tk 350

per kg.

Reshma, Jahir Ali and

several others who are

involved with silk worm

production, said that silk

worm farming will create

employment for many in

the areas.

The farmers of the char

areas are benefitting economically.

Mulberry trees

grow easily in the soil of

the area. A huge potential

has been created in these

areas, said Shahadat

Hossain Hira, official of

Belkuchi upazila

Sericulture Extension

Office.

Anisur Rahman of

Chowhali office said that as

the farmers found success

in the experimental initiatives

taken by the board,

they are now expecting

good results in future. But

the board's shortage of

manpower prevented

them from spreading sericulture

across the entire

char area.

Anisur called for the special

attention of government

to this sector for

bringing economic prosperity

in the remote river

islands.

Noakhali

woman gives

birth to

quadruplets

NOAKHALI : A woman

gave birth to quadruplets at

a private hospital in the district

town on Saturday.

Family members of

Nasrin Akhter Brishti, wife

of Md Mohon of Ujjalpur

area, are celebrating the

birth of the four babies - a

daughter and three sons,

reports UNB.

Meanwhile, the newborns

were not fully well due to

premature birth.

"As their physical condition

deteriorated, the babies

were referred to Dhaka

Shishu Hospital," said paediatric

Karnajit Mazumder

of goodhill Complex

Hospital.

Brishti's elder brother Md

Azad said that following

labour pain, her sister was

admitted to the hospital in

the evening where she gave

birth to a girl and three boys.

They were kept at the ICU

considering their health

condition, he said.

Karnajit said the newborns

were suffering from

respiratory problem

because of their premature

birth and light weight.

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Executive Editor : Sheikh Efaz Ahmed, 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: Bangladesh Timber Building (3rd Floor) 270/B, Tejgaon I/A Dhaka-1208. Tel : +8802-8878026, Cell : 01832166882; Fax: + 880244611604, Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

11-02-2020

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