08-01-2021

FrIday
Dhaka : January 8, 2021; Poush 24, 1427 BS; Jamadi-ul awal 23, 1442 hijri
www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net
Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; N o.267; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00
InternatIonal
Scenes of violence
at US Capitol
shock world
>Page 7
sports
Messi double gives
Barca renewed hope
in La Liga title chase
>Page 9
art & culture
Raima Sen opens up
on a 'psychologically
tiring job'
>Page 10
PM refreshes vows
against graft
Covid-19
Bangladesh reports
1000 new cases,
death toll 7718
DHAKA : Bangladesh on Thursday
reported 31 coronavirus-related
deaths and 1,007 new cases.
Fatalities have risen to 7,718 since the
first death was reported in the country
on March 18.
The country’s caseload now stands
at 519,905, said the Directorate
General of Health Services (DGHS).
So far, 3,317,810 tests, including
15,634 new ones, have been carried
out. The overall infection rate now
stands at 15.67 percent and the mortality
rate is 1.48 percent, reports
UNB.
However, 464,446 patients - 89.33
percent - have so far recovered.
The country’s infection number
reached the 500,000-mark on December
20. The first cases were reported on
March 8. The death toll exceeded 7,000
on December 12.
The government has been urging
people to follow health safety measures.
It has also adopted a “no mask, no
service” policy to prevent the spread of
the virus.
Govt playing tricks
over vaccine
procurement : BNP
DHAKA : BNP leader Ruhul Kabir
Rizvi on Thursday alleged that the
government has been playing tricks
to plunder public money in the name
of procuring coronavirus vaccine.
“The Health Secretary is saying it’s
a G2G (Government to Government)
agreement with India while Beximco
saying it’s a commercial one. Whom
do you believe? We think the government
has started playing tricks over
the corona vaccine,” he said, reports
UNB.
Speaking at a discussion, Rizvi said
the government has created a scope
to make huge money by procuring
the vaccine from India through
Beximco. “The health secretary was
instructed to say it’s a G2G agreement
to hush up the government’s
ploy.”
The Center for Nationalism
Studies arranged the programme on
border killing at Dhaka Reporters’
Unity (DRU).
Rizvi, the BNP senior joint secretary
general, said Beximco signed the
deal with the Serum Institute of
India for collecting the vaccine and
thus made huge money. “Many people
will get shares of this money.
That’s why the Health Secretary is
trying to cover up the matter.”
Zumma
>(Contd. on page-2)
05:24 AM
01:30 PM
03:50 PM
05:30 PM
06:50 PM
6:42 5:27
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
yesterday renewed her vows for tougher
and continued crusade against corruption
for expedited development pace and
sought the countrymen’s vigil against any
impediment to upset the nation’s journey
forward, reports BSS.
“There are elements who look for ways to
grab people’s
wealth using
different techniques,
(but)
we have taken
strict stance
against corruption,”
she said
in a nationwide
t e l e v i s e d
address coinciding
with the
beginning of
the third year of
the third term
of her government.
S h e i k h
Hasina said the
corrupt elements
irrespective
of their
political or party
links and influence “are not being and will
not be” spared to clear the development
highway obstacles and reminded all that the
Anti Corruption Commission was carrying
on its mission “independently”.
The premier simultaneously sought
everyone’s sharp vigil against any obstacle
that could hinder the rapidness of the
current development pace saying the
nation was now embarked on a journey
on the development highway.
Dhaka seeks Islamabad’s official
apology for its 1971 genocide
DHAKA : Bangladesh has reiterated
the importance of resolving outstanding
bilateral issues with Pakistan,
including offering of an official apology
from Pakistan for the genocide it committed
during Bangladesh’s Liberation
War in 1971.
Dhaka also sought completion of the
repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in
Bangladesh, and settling the issue of the
division of assets.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md.
Shahriar Alam raised the issues whennewly
appointed High Commissioner of
Pakistan to Bangladesh Imran Ahmed
Siddiqui met him on Thursday.
The State Minister cordially welcomed
the High Commissioner and highlighted
that enhancing relations with all neighbouring
countries was a foreign policy priority
of the government.
“We are firmly committed to removing
all hurdles on the way of development,”
she said adding that, at the same time, her
government would do everything needed
to ensure people’s civic and democratic
rights, upholding the rule of law.
Sheikh Hasina said her government
prevented the rise of militancy with an
iron hand and
kept its cultural
and spiritual
heritage of
being a nation
of interfaith
harmony.
“The followers
of all religions
faiths and casts
have been living
together maintaining
mutual
respect and they
will do so in the
future as well,”
she said.
The premier
said the
C O V I D - 1 9
pandemic left a
huge scar
throughout the
globe when the cyclone Amphan,
repeated and prolonged flooding alongside
the pandemic exposed Bangladesh
economy to a deeper crisis, which “we
managed to overcome with firmness”.
“The world is yet to be freed from the
coronaviris crisis (but) by the grace of
Almighty Allah the death rate and infection
rate caused by the pandemic continued
to remain much low in Bangladesh,”
she said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the
nation on the occasion of the second anniversary of
the Awami League government and stepping to the
third year of current tenure. Photo: Star Mail
>(Contd. on page-2)
“In line with that spirit, we look forward
to engaging with Pakistan,” he said.
Shahriar also urged Pakistan to grant
access to more Bangladeshi products by
utilizing the existing SAFTA provisions,
relaxing the negative list and removing
trade barriers. The current trade balance
tilts towards Pakistan.
High Commissioner Siddiqui conveyed
the very best wishes of the people and the
government of Pakistan to the State
Minister and said he would give due diligence
to advancing bilateral relations in
every possible area of cooperation.
Both sides agreed on the need to
hold the long-pending Foreign Office
Consultations, which was last held in
2010. The State Minister assured the
High Commissioner of all cooperation
and assistance during his tenure
in Dhaka.
A fire service unit brought down an inferno at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Scared
people were running to and fro as they panicked after seeing the fire. Photo: Star Mail
People shelter in the House gallery as violent Trump supporters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S.
Capitol on Wednesday in Washington.
Photo :AP
Rebel AL candidates
will not get party
nomination in
future: Quader
DHAKA : Awami League General
Secretary and Road Transport and
Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today
said those contesting as independent candidates
against the AL nominees in the
local government elections will not get
party nomination in future, reports UNB.
He said this at a press conference
held at his official residence here.
Calling on all concerned to refrain from
activities against the discipline and interests
of the party, he said: “Awami League
is a large political party. It is normal to
have more than one qualified candidates
to get party nomination in any election.
So, there is an opportunity to evaluate
those who are deprived of nomination in
an organizational manner according to
their qualifications.”
He said the party has separate nomination
boards headed by Sheikh
Hasina and comprising senior leaders
to finalize Awami League candidates in
each election.
Quader also mentioned that the
party nomination is finalized considering
the opinion of the grassroots
leaders, recommendations of the concerned
district and upazila level leaders,
government-private and party
survey reports as well as the qualifications,
sacrifices and popularity of the
candidates.
As there are allegations that some
responsible party leaders and public
representatives are supporting the rebel
candidates of the party, the Awami
League general secretary said and
instructed all concerned to refrain from
anti-organization activities. “Otherwise,
the organization (AL) will take strict
organizational actions,” he added.
NEW DELHI : The air transportation of
Covid-19 vaccines to different parts of
the country is expected to begin by this
evening or tomorrow as Indian government
has prepared a detailed draft to
this end.
“For vaccine transportation across
the country, a common draft has been
made. It will shortly be shared with
stakeholders. The transportation of vaccine
is likely to begin by today or tomorrow,”
the NDTV reported today quoting
official sources.
The report said that the Indian government
has made several mini-hubs in
the country for transportation of
COVID-19 vaccines. “There are a total
41 destinations (airports) across the
Chaos, violence, mockery as
pro-Trump mob occupies
Congress; 4 killed
WASHINGTON : Four people died as
supporters of President Donald Trump
violently occupied the U.S. Capitol.
Washington, D.C., Police Chief Robert
Contee said the dead on Wednesday
included a woman who was shot by the
U.S. Capitol Police, as well as three others
who died in “medical emergencies.”
Police said both law enforcement and
Trump supporters deployed chemical irritants
during the hourslong occupation of the
Capitol building before it was cleared
Wednesday evening by law enforcement.
The woman was shot earlier
Wednesday as the mob tried to break
through a barricaded door in the Capitol
where police were armed on the other
side. She was hospitalized with a gunshot
wound and later died.
D.C. police officials also say two pipe
bombs were recovered, one outside the
Democratic National Committee and one
outside the Republican National
Committee. Police found a cooler from a
vehicle that had a long gun and Molotov
cocktail on Capitol grounds.
The pro-Trump mob took over the presiding
officer’s chair in the Senate, the
offices of the House speaker, and the
Senate dais, where one yelled, “Trump
won that election.”
They mocked its leaders, posing for
photos in the office of House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, one with his feet propped on
her desk, another sitting in the same seat
Vice President Mike Pence had occupied
only moments before during the proceedings
to certify the Electoral College vote.
This began as a day of reckoning for
President Donald Trump’s futile attempt
country finalised for delivery of vaccines”.
It added that Pune will be the central
hub from where the distribution of vaccines
will take place across the country.
Passengers aircraft will be allowed to
transport vaccines in the belly of the
carrier.
“Since the Pune airport is under the
Indian Air Force, they will also be a part
of it,” the sources told the private TV
channel.
Giving details, sources told NDTV
that Delhi and Karnal will be made
mini-hubs for northern India for distribution
of the vaccines while Kolkata
and Guwahati will be mini-hubs for the
eastern region and Chennai and
to cling to power as Congress took up the
certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s
victory. It devolved into scenes of fear and
agony that left a prime ritual of American
democracy in tatters.
Trump told his morning crowd at the
Ellipse that he would go with them to the
Capitol, but he didn’t. Instead he sent
them off with incendiary rhetoric.
“If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not
going to have a country anymore,” he said.
“Let the weak ones get out,” he went on.
“This is a time for strength.”
His lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, told the
crowd, “Let’s have trial by combat.”
What happened Wednesday was nothing
less than an attempted coup, said Rep.
Diana DeGette, D-Colo. Sen. Ben Sasse,
R-Neb., a frequent Trump critic, said:
“Today, the United States Capitol - the
world’s greatest symbol of self-government
- was ransacked while the leader of
the free world cowered behind his keyboard.”
Sasse went on: “Lies have consequences.
This violence was the inevitable
and ugly outcome of the president’s addiction
to constantly stoking division.”
Authorities eventually regained control,
as night fell, and Congress resumed its
process of confirming Biden’s Electoral
College win.
Heavily armed officers brought in as
reinforcements started using tear gas in a
coordinated effort to get people moving
toward the door, then combed the halls
for stragglers, pushing the mob farther
out onto the plaza and lawn, in clouds of
tear gas, flash-bangs and percussion
grenades.
Govt finalizes transport module for Covid-19
vaccine distribution across India
Hyderabad will be the designated
points for southern India, the NDTV
quoted Aviation Ministry as saying.
An internal meeting with several
stakeholders and the Ministry of Civil
Aviation and Health Ministry with
Cargo and airport operators has already
taken place regarding the transportation
of Covid-19 vaccines across the
nation.
The Drug Controller General of India
(DCGI) on Sunday gave final approval
to two Coronavirus vaccines-Covishield
and Covaxin- manufactured in India by
Serum Institute of India (SII) and
Bharat Biotech Ltd for “restricted emergency
use” to fight coronavirus.
The Union Health Secretary Rajesh

FrIdAY, JANUArY 8, 2021
2
Govt playing tricks
over vaccine
procurement : BNP
>(From page-1)
He said Beximco Pharmaceutical
Company did not made
the deal with India to protect
people’s interests or to tackle
the pandemic by bringing the
vaccine. “They did it as part of
a terrible conspiracy to steal
public money.”
The BNP leader said the
Ecnece meeting on Tuesday
approved a project of around
Tk 6,000 crore to buy the
corona vaccine, paving the
way for huge corruption. “We
can say the entire amount of
this money will be plundered...
a large amount of the
money will illegally go to government
high-ups.”
He alleged Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina and Awami
League General Secretary
Obaidul Quader have been
staying home to remain protected
from the virus by pushing
people towards death.
“Those who rule the country
with such selfishness can never
be friends of people.”
About border killing, Rizvi
said the incidents of killing of
Bangladeshis by the Indian
Border Security Force (BSF)
is growing due to the government’s
“knee-jerking” foreign
policy.
“The current government
which came to power without
voters’ support and mandate
has surrendered its soul to
India. They’ve been working
as a slave of those who has
kept them in power,” he
observed.
The BNP leader criticised
the government for what he
said its failure to control the
unusual price hike of essentials.
He said their party leaders
and activists at thana level
formed human chains today
(Thursday) protesting the
continuous rise in the prices
of essentials and demanding
the resignation of the Commerce
Minister. “It’s a
demand of people that the
prices of essentials be reduced
immediately.”
Imam Ulema Somonnoy Oikya Parishad formed a human chain in front of National Press Club yesterday
demanding arrest to the killers of Hefazat Amir Shah Ahmad Shafi.
Photo : TBT
PM refreshes vows against graft
>(From page-1)
Sheikh Hasina said her government put in its all efforts to contain Mujibur Rahman. “The coming March 26 will mark the golden
the pandemic and ensure the import of its vaccine as quick as possible.“Frontline
jubilee of our Independence. We will celebrate it with all festivity
warriors like physicians, health workers, and law InshaAllah if the coronavirus disappears. Simultaneously the Father
enforcement agency members will have the priority in getting the of the Nation’s birth centenary functions will continue,” the premier
inoculate as soon as the vaccines are available” in the country, the said.The Prime Minister said that remarkable developments since
premier said. She reiterated her clarion call upon all to follow health her government’s assumption to power in 2009 by now was established
guidelines, meanwhile, such as wearing of facemasks properly.
Bangladesh as a self-dignified country in the global stage.
The premier said Bangladesh kept stabilized its economic performance
“(Yet) we have miles to go. The path might be smooth or uneven.
defying COVID-19 onslaughts and “according to our esti-
We have to reach the desired target however difficult the path is, as
mates this year our GDP growth rate will stand at 7.4 percent. the Bangalee is a nation of heroes,” she said.
She said different international agencies predicted Bangladesh to “If we work hard and perform our duties with honesty and patriotism,
be on the top of the countries with higher GDP growth in Asia while
We will be successful, InshaAllah.” The premier urged the
the International Monitory Fund (IMF) report said Bangladesh was nation to take a fresh vow to build a welfare-oriented and non-communal
third top scorer among the nations across the globe.
Bangladesh eradicating hunger, poverty and illiteracy as
Sheikh Hasina pointed out that the Bangladesh GDP last year dreamt by Bangabandhu. The state-run Bangladesh Television,
grew by 5.24 percent when the per capita income stood at Bangladesh Betar and private TV and radio channels broadcast live
US$2,064. The new year in the Gregorian calendar marked the her address.Sheikh Hasina was sworn-in as the Prime Minister for
beginning of the third year of the incumbent government’s current the fourth time, third in a row, on January 7, 2019 after her
term when the nation awaited golden jubilee celebrations of the Bangladesh Awami League secured a landslide victory in the general
Independence amidst Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
elections held on December 30, 2018.
Obituary
Colonel (Retd.) Abul
Kasem, the valiant
Freedom Fighter, has
passed away. He died on
Tuesday while undergoing
treatment at the Combined
Military Hospital. Abul
Kasem was
born on 30
June 1948 in
Gazipur village
of Muradnagar
upazila of
Cumilla district.
Abul
Kasem, a very
m e r i t o r i o u s
student in his
student life, took part in the
war of liberation in 1971
when he was a final year
student of Dhaka Medical
College, a press release said.
After the liberation war,
he passed the final examination
of dental surgeon
and joined the Bangladesh
Army as a lieutenant. He
retired in 2007 as a colonel
in the Army Dental Corps.
From his retirement until
his death he served as Vice-
Principal of the
Public Health
Dental College.
He is survived
by his wife, a
daughter and a
son. He has
always devoted
himself to the
service of the
people from his
student days till his death.
After Janaza at Dhaka CMH
Mosque and Shukrabad
Mosque, he was buried with
due state honors at Banani
military graveyard on
Wednesday.
10
06
22
07/01/2021
GD- 37/21 (5x 3)
GD- 40/21 (9x 4)

fRiDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
3
Doa, milad
mahfil for AKM
Jahangir today
DHAKA : A milad and doa
mahfil will be held on Friday
seeking eternal peace of the
departed soul of former state
minister and former member
of the parliament AKM
Jahangir Hossain.
The milad will be held at
3:30 pm on the premises of
Priyangon Jame Mosque of
Mazar Road at Mirpur in the
city.
All well-wishers, friends
and family members are
requested to attend the doa
and milad mahfil.
One killed in
Narayanganj gas
cylinder blast
NARAYANGANJ : A man
died after sustaining severe
burn injuries in gas cylinder
explosion at a shop in the
district town yesterday
afternoon.
The deceased was identified
as Rafiqul Islam, 50.
He used to refill gas at the
shop, situated just opposite
to Zila Parishad Bhaban.
Eye witnesses said the gas
cylinder exploded at around
1 pm when Rafiqul was
refilling the cylinder at the
shop. He died on the spot.
Fatullah Thana police
recovered the body.
49 researchers get PhD,
MPhil degrees from DU
DHAKA : As many as 34 researchers have
got PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degree while
15 others were given MPhil (Master of
Philosophy) degree recently from the Dhaka
University (DU).
The degrees were given to the researchers
from a syndicate meeting with Vice-
Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor
Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman in the chair on
December 30, said a press release here.
The PhD degree holders are: Abdul
Quddus and Ahmed Jamal Anwar under the
department of Philosophy, AKM
Nazimuddin under the Department of
Applied Mathematics, Abu Saleh under the
Department of Political Science, Nurjahan
Begum, Supravat Kumar Sarkar and Md.
Mahmud Hasan under the Department of
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology,
Mahmudul Hasan under the Department of
Chemistry, Mosharraf Hossain under the
Department of Mathematics, Pranami
Chowdhury, Farhana Islam khan and
Shafiul Azam Shafi under the Department of
Botany, Nazrul Islam, Md Nazmul Haque
and Shah Manjur Rashed under the
Department of Microbiology, Bhakta Kumar
Biswas under the department of
Management Information Systems, Shawkat
Imam Khan under the Department of
Zoology, Ayatun Nesha, Amrita Bhowmik
and Soma Hayat under the Department of
Biochemistry and Microbiology, Monira
Sultana under the Institute of Health
Economics, Gaos Al Kaderi under the
department of English, Mohammad Selim
Chowdhury under the institute of
Educational and Counseling Psychology, Md
Ehsan Uddin under the department of
Disaster Management and Vulnerability
Studies, Sayma Ahmed under the
Department of Geography and
Environment, Md Billal Hossain under the
Institute of Education and Research, Md
Zahangir Alam under the Department of
Bengali, Rupali Khatun under the
Department of Islamic History and Culture,
Mohammad Zakaria and Sajeda Homaira
under the Department of Islamic Studies,
Debashis Bepari under the Department of
Music, Md Sajidur Rahman under The
Department of Soil, Water and Science,
Fahad Hussain under the Department of
Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology and
Josan Ara under the Department of Clinical
Psychology.
Researchers who got MPhil degrees are:
Ataur Rahman Shahan under the
Department of Arabic, Rahima Akter and
Chameli Samad under the Department of
World Religion and Culture, Mahjabin
Sultana Mitul and Julia Parveen under the
Department of Public Administration,
Tasnuva Haque under the Department of
Educational and Counseling Psychology,
Jannatul Ferdous and Lutfun Nahar under
the Department of Clinical Psychology, Md
Tanvir Islam under the Department of
Political Science, Tanzila Islam under the
Department of Applied Chemistry and
Chemical Engineering, Md Shahedul Islam
from the Department of Management,
Jahanara Dewan under the department of
Islamic Studies, Sanjay Kabiraj under the
department of Music, Basharat Hossain
under the Department of Economics and
Anushila Biswas under the Department of
Culture.Besides, Mahbub Jahan Khan got
DBA degree under the Institute of Business
Administration.
Dhaka University Employees' Association organized a mask distribution program at the premises of Nabab Nawab
Ali Chowdhury Senate Building on Wednesday. Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University (Education) Professor ASM
Maksud Kamal distributed masks among the officers and employees as the chief guest. Photo: Public Relations, DU
Govt sets target to
produce 4,500 MT
jute seed in next 5
yrs: Razzaque
DHAKA : In an attempt to
achieve self-sufficiency in
jute seed production,
Agriculture Minister Dr M
Abdur Razzaque on
Thursday said the government
has fixed a target to
produce around 4,500
tonnes of jute seed in next
five year as the country is
now producing only 775
tonnes of jute seed against
its annual demand of over
5,000 tonnes.
"The agriculture ministry
has fixed a target to produce
4500 tonnes of jute seed by
2025-26 fiscal years," he
said in a view-exchange
meeting on implementation
of roadmap for achieving
self-sufficiency in jute seed
production at the ministry
conference room here.
Under the plan, the government
will produce 4,500
tonnes of jute seed locally to
meet country's annual
demand of 5,215 tonnes of
jute seed, according to an
official release.
As part of total jute seed
demand, Dr Razzaque said
"Bangladesh Agricultural
Development Corporation
(BADC) is supplying only
775 tonnes -515 tonnes of
Tosha jute seed and 260
tonnes of local jute seed."
So, the country has to
import all the necessary jute
seed from neighboring
India, said the minister,
adding "We will be no more
dependent on foreign countries
for jute seed import, so
we have to be raised the production
of jute seed."
Turkish Ambassador
calls on DU VC
Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Osman Turan
called on Dhaka University (DU) Vice-
Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman on
Wednesday at the latter's office of the university.
DU Treasurer Prof. Mamtaz Uddin
Ahmed, Coordinator of Turkish Cooperation
and Coordination Agency Dr. Ismail
Gundogdu, DU Proctor Prof. Dr. A K M
Golam Rabbani and DU PR Director
Mahmood Alam were present on this occasion.
During the meeting they discussed matters
of mutual interest and exchanged views
regarding expansion of ongoing joint collaborative
academic and research activities
among Dhaka University and the universities
of Turkey. They also held fruitful discussion
about the possibilities of exchange of
faculties, researchers and students among
DU and Turkish universities. In this regard
they laid emphasize on signing MoUs among
DU and leading universities of Turkey, a
press release said.
DU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.
Akhtaruzzaman apprised the Ambassador of
brief history of Dhaka University and its academic
and research activities. He said,
Bangladesh and Turkey are two friendly
countries and have been enjoying historical,
social and cultural relations for long time. He
sought cooperation from the Ambassador for
providing a Visiting Professor from Turkey
to teach Turkish Language courses at the
Institute of Modern Languages of DU. He
also sought help and support from Turkey
for development and modernization ofDU
Energy Institute and generating renewable
energy to make DU campus green and clean
under DU Masterplan.
Turkish Ambassador Mr. Mustafa Osman
Turan assured DU VC of providing all possible
cooperation and said, we have historical
ties with Asia especially Bangladesh. We
want to enhance our collaborations with
Dhaka University. Besides ongoing collaborations,
we are interested to extend more
support to new areas of academic and
research programs of Dhaka University,
Turkish Ambassador added.
DU VC Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman
thanked the Turkish Ambassador for his visit
to and keen interest in strengthening academic
and research cooperation with Dhaka
University.
Bagerhat district administration hands
over compensation for Land acquisition
BAGERHAT : Bagerhat district administration
has started paying compensation to people
affected by land acquisition for some
development projects including Bagerhat
Police Bureau Investigation (PBI) office construction,
reports UNB.
Deputy commissioner of Bagerhat district
ANM Foyjul Haque visited the houses of the
affected people and handed over the cheques
in Dashani and Bagi village of Sharankhola
upazila on Thursday.
The deputy commissioner handed over the
cheques of Tk 8.10 crore to Manirul Alam
and Raushan Ara as compensation for one
acre land where the government has will
build a PBI office.
Later, he also handed over Tk 54 lakh to 23
affected owners for construction work of a
sustainable embankment project along
Baleshwar River in Sharankhola upazila.
Bagerhat Additional deputy commissioner
Khandaker Mohamamd Rezaul Karim,
Additional deputy commissioner (Revenue)
Mohammad Shahinuzzaman and additional
superintendent of Bagerhat police Mizanur
Rahman were present among others.
Land Secretary Md. Mostafizur Rahman addressing at the conference room of the Ministry of Land yesterday.
Photo : Courtesy
Land office to
be a place of
trust - Land
Secretary
Land Secretary Md
Mustafizur Rahman PAA
said that one of the objectives
of the land ministry is
to make the land office a
place of trust for the people.
We are moving to that direction
under the leadership of
Land Minister Saifuzzaman
Chowdhury.
Land Secretary Md.
Mostafizur Rahman PAA
came up with this remark
while addressing the officers
present at the conference
room of the Ministry of Land
yesterday after observing a
presentation titled
' M o d e r n i z a t i o n ,
Digitization, and
Transformation of Land
Ministry' in the conference
room of the Ministry of
Land.
Md Mustafizur Rahman
further said that we have to
work together to reduce the
sufferings of the people
while they take land service.
The land secretary divided
the officials present into different
teams and directed
them to work for the quick
solution to the various problems
existing in the land sector
including modernization
of human resource management
in the land sector,
reducing of human suffering
in buying and selling of
properties.
Land Ministry's Land
Services Digitization
Monitoring Cell chief Md.
Doulutuzzaman Khan said
in the presentation that the
ongoing digital land services
are - e-Mutation system,
Land Service Hotline
(16122) and Grievance
Redress System, Online
Land Development Tax system,
Mobile app,
Inheritance calculator, the e-
book of land ministry,
Digital Record Room,
Online settlement system,
etc. In addition, several
other digital services including
Government land management
system, Case management
are ready for piloting
All Additional Secretaries
of the Ministry of Land
including concerned officials
were present at the event.
DIU declares 'Corona
Special Waiver' of
Tk. 22 Crore for Students
Aiming to help the students during COVID-
19 pandemic, Daffodil International
University (DIU) has announced 'Corona
Special Waiver' of Tk. 22 crore. DIU has
decided to increase the area of scholarship in
the form of waiver besides its regular scholarship
of 25 categories. This special scholarship
will be provided until the situation is
resolved or it may be continued till the
degree completion depending on the financial
crisis. The university authority presumes
that this pandemic not only disrupts students'
educational pathways, but also their
daily lives. Besides, many guardians are in
serious problem with their business, industry,
services and profession due to pandemic
throughout the country which impacts the
students mentally, a press release said.
DIU doesn't want to let their students to
face any interruption or difficulties to continue
their studies. That's why the university
has taken the initiative to help their students
during the COVID-19 outbreak and DIU
management has decided to increase the
area of scholarship in the form of waiver
Occupying road, seized motor cycles have been kept on main road of Old Dhaka.
besides regular facilities of 25 categories for
smooth continuation of their education.
Only students of Bachelor and Masters
Programs who registered in the spring-2021
semester will get this waiver. The waiver will
be applicable for both local and international
students. Students who are enjoying waiver
in different categories at this moment will
also be eligible for this waiver and this special
waiver will be added with their existing waiver
as additional except the students who are
already getting 91% to 100% percent waiver
facility.
Students must have to fill up an online
application form for this particular waiver
and must have to complete registration for
the Spring-2021 semester before applying.
There are also stipulations that students in
the trimester of the Bachelor's program must
have to take at least 12 credits and students
in the Bi-semester must have to take 15 credits.
On the other hand, the students of the
trimester of the master's program have to
take 9 credits and the students of the Bisemester
have to take 12-13 credits.
Jabbar releases commemorative
stamps on Agartala case
DHAKA : The Postal
Department has issued
commemorative stamps
on the occasion of the
Agartala conspiracy case.
A commemorative
stamp worth Taka 10, an
opening envelope worth
Taka 10, a data card worth
Taka five and a special seal
were issued in this regard.
The Minister of Posts
and Telecommunications,
Mustafa Jabbar, unveiled
the commemorative stamp
and opening envelope yesterday
and released the
data card. The minister
used a seal in this regard,
said a press release.
In the statement, on the
occasion of the Agartala
conspiracy case, the minister
highlighted the historic
role of Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
in his 24-year struggle to
establish a non-communal
and independent state for
the Bengalis.
He said the full name of
the case filed on January
3, 1968, that year was
'Rashtra v. Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman Gong case'. The
then government of
Pakistan had filed the case
accusing 35 people including
Awami League leader
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
But it is better known as
the Agartala conspiracy
case. The case mentioned
that the alleged conspiracy
started in Agartala, the
capital of the Indian state
of Tripura.
Jabbar said that the
general public became
rebellious against the
Agartala conspiracy case.
In the face of strong mass
movement, Ayub Khan's
government was forced
to withdraw the Agartala
conspiracy case.
As a result of the mass
movement of 1969, the
head of government
Ayub Khan was forced to
hold roundtable meetings
with political parties
all over Pakistan. The
statement said that Ayub
Khan was forced to withdraw
the Agartala conspiracy
case on February
22, 1969 and release all
the accused including
Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman, he
added.
He said General Ayub
Khan, the ruler of
Pakistan, fell in January.
This case has turned
into a mass movement,
which was one of the
major events behind the
liberation war of
Bangladesh.
C o m m e m o r a t i v e
stamps, opening
envelopes and data cards
can be collected from the
Philatelic Bureau of
Dhaka GPO from other
GPOs and major post
offices in the country.
Photo : Star Mail

FRIDAY, JAnuARY 8, 2021
4
Three major threats the world must address in 2021
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Friday, January 8, 2021
Economic outlook
The highest ever record of over$ 41.03 billion (and growing)
in the foreign currency reserve of the Bangladesh Bank (BB)
as was disclosed by its latest bulletin, ought to bolster
optimism in all circles that our macro economy remains in a good
position and far from suffering serious strains as were feared
earlier. This amount of reserve is considered sufficient to tide
over any balance of payments (BOP) difficulties for about a year.
Our main export product, readymade garments (RMG), after
absorbing the initial shocks of the pandemic in March and April,
has been showing signs of a resurgence from May-June. The
sector is likely to acquire a far greater momentum in the coming
four months. Inward remittances from our expatriate workers
are also on the rise, spectacularly in recent months.
The locked down economy in many other sectors have already
opened and showing signs of 'full' capacity utilization sooner
than later. All of these developments cannot but have positive
effects on the country's micro level economy as well.
No less optimistic is the pipeline of external assistance for the
economy. The government has so far sought low-interest loans
worth $2.4 billion from six global lenders to finance stimulus
packages for the economy and the poor people and to assist the
other victims of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the finance
ministry has already received assurance from the local offices of
the international lenders that the expected funds would be
approved and released as soon as possible.Officials said that the
government sought loans worth $750 million each from the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, $500
million from the Asian Development Bank, $250 million from
the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, $100 million from
the Islamic Development Bank and $50 million from the
International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation.
The government sought the loans as budget support from the
WB and the ADB to provide support to low income groups in
the society under social safety net programmes.A country can
utilise the funds received as budget support as its priority
without any question from the lenders. The funds are also
released quickly.
On the other hand, the government sought loans from the
IMF to maintain the stability of the balance of
payments.Officials of the finance ministry said that the
government sent letters to the lenders and initially received
positive responses.They said that the loans would mainly be
used to finance the stimulus packages announced for the poor,
businesses and exporters, to provide subsidy to various sectors
and support to low income groups.A portion of the loans will
also be used in the health sector to increase its efficiency in
fighting the coronavirus pandemic, they said.
The country's repayment of foreign loan and interest in the
first half of the last fiscal year approached $845million, up from
$747million in the same period a year ago, according to
preliminary data from the Economic Relations Division's
(ERD) Foreign Aid Budget and Accounts Wing.In the current
fiscal year, the government has kept aside $1.85 billion for
external debt servicing - $1.2 billion in principal and
$570million in interest. The amount was $1.59 billion in the last
fiscal year.
External debt to GDP ratio has been on the rise-from 12.8
percent two years back to 14.7 percent in 2018-19- but remains
far below the risk ceiling of 40 percent, ERD data showed.
External debt has been on the rise, reaching close to $38.5
billion in June-end last year, up from $26 billion three years
back.
Last year, the International Monetary Fund said Bangladesh
had a low risk of external debt distress and had the scope to
borrow more to finance large infrastructures. Economists and
research organisations like the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)
on several occasions have warned that Bangladesh, though not
yet in a position that points to a debt trap, could face debtservicing
pressure if foreign loans for big projects are not
negotiated with extra caution. However, latest developments
proved CPD's warnings as ultraconservative and not so
relevant.
China pledged $21.5 billion for 27 infrastructure projects
during President Xi Jinping's visit to Dhaka in 2016, but
disbursement has so far been around six percent of the
country's foreign debt-not a level to worry about. But
disbursement of Chinese loans are likely to be faster in coming
months. But this would be agood prospect indicating greater
absorption capacity of government of Bangladesh (GOB) plus
the dividends arising from earlier or timely completion of mega
ptojects.
ERD officials are upbeat about Bangladesh's history of never
defaulting on foreign loans and its status as a less-indebted
country. A joint secretary of the divisionsaid disbursement
increased during the last two to three years and that is why
repayments have gone up. He sees nothing unusual in the rising
trend in external debt servicing because the same is in tandem
with expansion of the country's gross domestic product (GDP)
as well.
From fiscal year 2012-13 to fiscal year 2016-17, the release of
foreign assistance was from $3 billion to $3.5 billion. In the
following fiscal year, Bangladesh set a new record in the use of
foreign assistance. The release of foreign funds amounted to
$6.16 billion, rising to $6.21 billion in fiscal year 2018-19. A
number of agreements relating to big projects have been signed
and disbursement also started. So, repayment is also rising.
Domestic borrowing of the government, from banks in
particular, has ballooned. In the current fiscal year, the
government set aside Tk57,068 crore or 18.2 percent of its
operating budget for interest payments of domestic and foreign
loans. If both domestic and external debts are put together, the
repayment of principal and interest amounts would account for
above 33 percent of GDP. But compared to other countries,
including India and Pakistan, the debt-GDP ratio is not yet a
cause for worry in Bangladesh.
"There is a debate on what should be the optimal ratio of debt
to GDP ratio. The issue is where you are using the debt-to make
bridges or to buy tanks as in Pakistan," says Dr Biru Paksha
Paul, who has served the Bangladesh Bank as chief economist.
Big projects have brought fortunes for countries like Singapore
because they implemented them efficiently, he said.
US President Donald Trump wants to
increase military spending, including
a costly upgrade to the country's
nuclear arsenal to meet the threat from socalled
"revisionist" powers, Russia and
China. But the move could pose significant
risks to the American economy.Image:
iStock/curraheeshutter
Already-limited arms-control treaties are
being shredded as the major powers sit on
close to 13,500 nuclear weapons. Image:
iStock
Large parts of the world - outside of China
and a few other countries - face a runaway
virus, which has not been stopped because
of criminal incompetence by governments.
That these governments in wealthy
countries cynically set aside the basic
scientific protocols released by the World
Health Organization and by scientific
organizations reveals their malicious
practice.
Anything less than focused attention to
managing the virus by testing, contact
tracing, and isolation - and if this does not
suffice, then imposing a temporary
lockdown - is foolhardy. It is equally
distressing that these richer countries have
pursued a policy of "vaccine nationalism" by
stockpiling vaccine candidates rather than a
policy for the creation of a "people's
vaccine."
For the sake of humanity, it would be
prudent to suspend intellectual-property
rules and develop a procedure to create
universal vaccines for all people.
Although the pandemic is the principal
issue on all of our minds, other major issues
threaten the longevity of our species and of
our planet. Here are three of the most
important.
In January 2020, the Bulletin of the
Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock to
100 seconds to midnight, too close for
comfort. The clock, created two years after
WHEN one hits a dead end street the
only option is to turn around and take
a detour. That is exactly what the
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is
now trying to do after failing to shake the
government through mass rallies. No more
storming of the citadel at least for now. Instead
the motley alliance has chosen to fight the
system from within.
There is nothing surprising about this
change of tack. Notwithstanding the hype built
around the size of the rallies, they were not
enough to bring down the government,
however vulnerable it may appear. While
there was no mass uprising against the PTI
government, the division within the
opposition alliance over its narrative remained
a sticking point. Nawaz Sharif's direct attack
on the military leadership may have
stimulated the alliance but that also blurred
the target. The battle lines were never clearly
drawn.
Not only some allied parties like the PPP but
also many within the PML-N ranks did not
seem convinced over the maximalist approach
that also involved exercising the nuclear
option of resigning from the legislatures.
While the backtracking from the extreme
position may be seen as a setback for the
movement it has also saved the PDM from
falling apart.
However, it remains to be seen if the PDM's
new strategy of fighting on both mass as well
as parliamentary fronts could work. Staying in
the system certainly gives the alliance more
space for political manoeuvring. But the
division among the coalition partners on
tactical issues seems unbridgeable. That
makes the long-term survival of the coalition
We are less than a week into 2021, but
if what has happened so far is an
indicator of things to come (and I
hope it is) we are in for a good year.
The impressive rollout of the coronavirus
vaccines, regardless of the maker, shows
what humanity can achieve when we decide
to collaborate for the greater good. COVID-19
won't be the last killer disease to sweep the
word, kill the vulnerable, destroy our
businesses and separate us from our loved
ones - but it is now safe to say that in this
global battle that began in Wuhan just over a
year ago, we are close to declaring victory.
While of course credit must first and
foremost go to the frontline workers, medical
researchers and developers of the vaccine,
one must also credit Saudi Arabia's
presidency of the G20, which has helped
coordinate and focus efforts among the
world's biggest 20 economies on finding a
way out of the crisis.
The Kingdom's unique leadership abilities
were also displayed at AlUla, where a historic
reconciliation took place ending the 42-
month rift with Gulf neighbor Qatar. Critics
nOAM ChOMSKY AnD VIJAY PRAShAD
the first atomic weapons were developed in
1945, is evaluated annually by the Bulletin's
Science and Security Board, who decide
whether to move the minute hand or keep it
in place.
By the time they set the clock again, it may
well be closer to annihilation. Alreadylimited
arms-control treaties are being
shredded as the major powers sit on close to
13,500 nuclear weapons (more than 90% of
which are held by Russia and the United
States alone). The yield of these weapons
could easily make this planet even more
uninhabitable.
The US Navy has already deployed lowyield
tactical W76-2 nuclear warheads.
Immediate moves toward nuclear
disarmament must be forced on to the
world's agenda. Hiroshima Day,
commemorated each year on August 6,
must become a more robust day of
contemplation and protest.
A scientific paper published in 2018 came
with a startling headline: "Most atolls will be
uninhabitable by the mid-21st century
because of sea-level rise exacerbating wavedriven
flooding." The authors found that
atolls from Seychelles to the Marshall
Islands are liable to vanish.
A 2019 United Nations report estimated
that 1 million animal and plant species are
threatened with extinction. Add to this the
catastrophic wildfires and the severe
bleaching of the coral reefs and it is clear
that we no longer need to linger over clichés
about one thing or another being a canary in
the coal mine of climate catastrophe; the
danger is not in the future, but in the
present.
It is essential for major powers, which
have utterly failed to shift from fossil fuels,
to commit to the "common but
differentiated responsibilities" approach
established at the 1992 UN Conference on
Environment and Development in Rio de
Janeiro.
Countries in north America and Europe have eviscerated
their public function as the state has been turned
over to the profiteers and civil society has been commodified
by private foundations. This means that the
avenues for social transformation in these parts of the
world have been grotesquely hampered.
ZAhID huSSAIn
It is telling that countries such as Jamaica
and Mongolia updated their climate plans to
the UN before the end of 2020 - as
mandated by the Paris Agreement - even
though these countries produce a tiny
fraction of global carbon emissions.
The funds that were committed to
developing countries for their participation
in the process have virtually dried up while
external debt has ballooned. This shows a
lack of basic seriousness from the
"international community."
Countries in North America and Europe
have eviscerated their public function as the
state has been turned over to the profiteers
and civil society has been commodified by
private foundations. This means that the
avenues for social transformation in these
parts of the world have been grotesquely
hampered.
Terrible social inequality is the result of
the relative political weakness of the
Walking back from a dead end
questionable.
Staying in the system gives the PDM more
space for political manoeuvring.
The strains between the PPP and the Sharif-
Fazlur Rehman duo remain a major
impediment in any sustainable and effective
joint action. The stakes for the PPP in the
system with its government in the country's
second largest province by population are
certainly much higher than the other two
parties. So it is not surprising that the PPP
would not support any reckless move that
could leave it in a politically disadvantageous
position.
But it is not just the PPP but also the
skepticism within the PML-N ranks that has
pushed the PDM to put the resignation issue
on the back-burner. No legislator would like to
give up their hard-won seat on the whims of
party leaders. So there is substance to the PPP
argument that the opposition could create
more problems for the Imran Khan
government using its joint strength in the
legislative assemblies.
As the largest party in the Punjab Assembly,
the PML-N can bring down the PTI
government in the province with some
political manoeuvring. That could have a
domino effect. It may not be easy but it is not
impossible. It is however not sure whether this
option will be acceptable to Nawaz Sharif and
his daughter who want the whole system to go.
Given the situation, the PTI's celebration
over what it sees as PDM's retreat is
premature. The alliance now perhaps presents
a bigger challenge to Imran Khan's
Given the situation, the PTI's celebration over what it sees as
PDM's retreat is premature. The alliance now perhaps presents a
bigger challenge to Imran Khan's government with its growing
vulnerabilities on various fronts. Punjab with a completely incompetent
administration continues to be the PTI's Achilles heel.
FAISAL J. ABBAS
government with its growing vulnerabilities
on various fronts. Punjab with a completely
incompetent administration continues to be
the PTI's Achilles heel.
It may not be incorrect to say that in recent
history the Buzdar government is perhaps the
most ineffective government in Pakistan's
biggest and most powerful province. The
collapse of various institutions of the
government has paralysed the provincial
administration. The opposition movement
has further exposed the government's various
fault lines and the PTI's faltering support base
in the province. It is evident that Punjab
remains the stronghold of the PML-N.
Maryam Nawaz has certainly revitalised the
party in the province.
But her organisational capacity remains
2021: Things can only get better
who until Tuesday were calling for an end to
the boycott will now begin questioning the
merits of the resolution that ended it - as if
resorting to diplomacy were a bad thing. The
truth is, you can always do more with an open
palm than a closed fist, and if we put aside the
comments of those so-called "Middle East
experts" in the US and Europe, who milked
the crisis for their own benefit, writing books
and speaking at conferences, we would
realize that a unified Gulf front represents a
great global opportunity from both a security
and a business perspective.
One would hope that with a new US
administration assuming office in two weeks'
time, the Iranians would take this
opportunity to behave better, to renounce
their commitment to destabilizing the region
and to join the rest of us in recognizing, with
the signing of the Abraham Accords between
Israel and a number of Arab states, a genuine
opportunity for peace and prosperity.
Yes, the dispute was real, and the
boycotting countries had genuine grievances,
many of which have been quietly addressed
by Qatar over the past three years and
communicated through the large number of
go-betweens and envoys they sent to patch
the rift with the Kingdom.
Will we now live happily ever after with the
Qataris? Of course not. Just look at the
European Union; who would have thought
that after nearly five decades we would see
something like Brexit? There will always be
differences between neighbors, and perhaps
one of the few good things that came out of
the recent rift was that it forced those issues to
the surface. Not all of them have been
addressed, but at least there are no more
hidden agendas or emotions, which hopefully
means that from here the only way is up.
Saudi leadership was also on display in
what Russia's deputy prime minister called a
"new year gift to the market." After this
week's meeting of the OPEC+ producers
alliance, the Kingdom is voluntarily cutting
oil production by a million barrels a day for
two months. The price is now stable at just
above $50 a barrel for the first time since last
February, and energy market stability is
crucial for a global economy desperate to
recover after a crippling coronavirus year.
working class. It is this weakness that
enables the billionaires to set policies that
cause hunger rates to rise.
Countries should not be judged by the
words written in their constitutions but by
their annual budgets; the US, for example,
spends almost $1 trillion (if you add the
estimated intelligence budget) on its war
machine, while it spends a fraction of this on
the public good (such as on health care,
something evident during the pandemic).
The foreign policies of Western countries
seem to be well lubricated by arms deals:
The United Arab Emirates and Morocco
agreed to recognize Israel on the condition
that they could purchase $23 billion and $1
billion worth of US-made weapons
respectively. The rights of the Palestinians,
the Sahrawi, and the Yemeni people did not
factor into these deals.
The use of sanctions by the United States
against 30 countries including Cuba, Iran
and Venezuela has become a normal part of
life, even during the Covid-19 public health
crisis. It is a failure of the political system
when the populations in the capitalist bloc
are unable to force their governments -
which are in many ways democratic in name
only - to take a global perspective regarding
this emergency.
Rising rates of hunger reveal that the
struggle for survival is the horizon for
billions of people on the planet (all this while
China is able to eradicate absolute poverty
and largely eliminate hunger).
Nuclear annihilation and extinction by
climate catastrophe are twin threats to the
planet. Meanwhile, for victims of the
neoliberal assault that has plagued the past
generation, the short-term problems of
sustaining their mere existence displace
fundamental questions about the fate of our
children and grandchildren.
Source: Asia Times
questionable. Her reliance on the young Turks
and her hardline approach may also upset the
old guard. The internal party power struggle
may have taken a back seat at the moment but
it has not vanished. The differing views on the
approach to the political struggle remain a
thorny issue within the party, and the decision
to postpone resignation from the assemblies
seems to have come as a relief to the party
ranks.
The PDM's campaign over the past four
months appears to have pushed the security
establishment into a defensive position. There
may not be any indication yet of the military
leadership distancing itself from the Imran
Khan government but the faltering
governance and mismanagement of the
Punjab government have long been cause of
concern for the security establishment.
Those concerns are regularly expressed by
retired army officers appearing on the
electronic and social media. The PDM's
change of tack and visible softening of its tenor
on the establishment is likely to have a positive
affect on the military leadership. Some kind of
political reconciliation may be appreciated but
there is no likelihood of the security
establishment pulling back from supporting
the government. The real problem for the PTI
government, however, is the prime minister
himself. There is no sign of him realising the
seriousness of the situation. In fact he has
hardened his position and does not show any
desire to defuse the situation. The prospect of
winning the majority in the Senate in the
March election seems to have aggravated his
lack of rationality.
Source: Dawn
However, all of this positivity should not
distract us from the dangers that remain. As
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
warned at AlUla, there are still "threats posed
by the Iranian regime's nuclear and ballistic
missile program and its plans for sabotage
and destruction." As if to illustrate his point,
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces
seized a South Korean tanker in the Strait of
Hormuz and forced it into the Iranian port of
Bandar Abbas - an example for the South
Koreans of the sort of malign behavior by
Iran that we in the region have endured for so
long.
One would hope that with a new US
administration assuming office in two weeks'
time, the Iranians would take this
opportunity to behave better, to renounce
their commitment to destabilizing the region
and to join the rest of us in recognizing, with
the signing of the Abraham Accords between
Israel and a number of Arab states, a genuine
opportunity for peace and prosperity.
Source: Arab news

The price of bitcoin is rising as more investors see the cryptocurrency as a store of value.
Photo: PavloGonchar
Bitcoin hits record high after a
decade
Graeme Wearden
Bitcoin has surged to a record high
amid rising interest from investors and
claims that the volatile cryptocurrency
is on the way to becoming a
mainstream payment method.Having
quadrupled in value during 2020,
bitcoin began 2021 strongly by
breaking through the $30,000
(£22,000) mark for the first time, less
than three weeks after first trading
above $20,000.
On Sunday, it hit a new high of more
than $34,800, on the 12th anniversary
of the bitcoin network being
created.Bitcoin's rapid climb has
rekindled memories of previous
parabolic rallies and crashes. During
2017, it leapt from about $1,000 to
peak over $19,000, before tumbling to
below $4,000 by the end of 2018.
But this latest rally comes as some
financial institutions show growing
interest in bitcoin as an asset class, and
as its supporters argue that it is
supplanting gold as a store of
value."The number keeps going up as
the market has seemingly never been
more bullish," said Paolo Ardoino, the
CTO of cryptocurrency exchange
Bitfinex. "We see a very bright future
ahead for all bitcoin holders."
With the US dollar at its lowest level
since spring 2018, advocates of
cryptocurrencies claim they protect
against inflationary money-printing by
central banks, which launched
unprecedented stimulus programmes
last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Some will argue that there is more to
come from both gold and bitcoin,
especially if governments keep piling
up debts and central banks do their
best to fund that borrowing through the
backdoor with quantitative easing, zero
interest rates and bond yield
manipulation, thanks to the scarcity
value relative to cash," said Russ
Mould, the investment director of UK
investment platform AJ Bell. "Others
will argue neither gold nor bitcoin have
intrinsic value, as they do not generate
cash," he added.Bitcoin received a
boost from PayPal last autumn, when
the bank announced it would allow
customers to buy, sell and use the
cryptocurrency. Analysts said this
could be driving the price surge, by
creating a shortage as PayPal buys up
newly created bitcoins.
There are more than 18m bitcoins in
existence, created by the miners who
provide the computational power
underpinning the blockchain, which
records transactions made using
bitcoin. The system has a hardwired
maximum of 21m coins. Sunday's latest
record high came 12 years to the day
after Satoshi Nakamoto, the
pseudonymous creator of bitcoin,
created the first entry in the bitcoin
blockchain.This "genesis block"
included a headline from the 3 January
2009 edition of the Times, reading:
"Chancellor on brink of second bailout
for banks".
City firms have shown more interest
in bitcoin recently. In December, the
UK investment management firm
Ruffer said it held £550m in bitcoin, as
a hedge to the risks in a "fragile
monetary system and distorted
financial market".
The hedge fund managers Stanley
Druckenmiller and Paul Tudor Jones
have also backed bitcoin as a financial
asset. Druckenmiller argued that it
could have "a lot of attraction as a store
of value to both millennials and the new
west coast money".
Sceptics warn that the crypto boom
could be heading for trouble. The
economics professor Nouriel Roubini, a
long-time critic of bitcoin, insists it has
no intrinsic value."The price of bitcoin
is totally manipulated by a bunch of
people, by a bunch of whales. It doesn't
have any fundamental value," he told
Yahoo Finance just before Christmas.
"We're close to the point where the
hyperbolic bubble is going to go bust."
TalkRadioresumes on YouTube
Alex Hern
YouTube has reversed a short-lived ban
of the digital station TalkRadio from its
platform, about 12 hours after it
removed the organisation's channel for
what it said were breaches of its
community guidelines.
The station, part of Rupert
Murdoch's TalkSport network, said it
had not been told by the platform what
the most recent breach was. A
TalkRadio spokesperson said: "We
urgently await a detailed response from
Google/YouTube about the nature of
the breach that has led to our channel
being removed from its platform.
"TalkRadio is an Ofcom-licensed and
regulated broadcaster and has robust
editorial controls in place, taking care
James Whale on TalkRadio.
to balance debate. "We regularly
interrogate government data and we
have controls in place, use verifiable
sources and give space to a careful
selection of voices and opinions."
On Tuesday evening, the streaming
platform broke its silence and
reinstated TalkRadio's account.
"TalkRadio's YouTube channel was
briefly suspended, but upon further
review, has now been reinstated," a
YouTube spokesperson said. "We
quickly remove flagged content that
violate our Community Guidelines,
including Covid-19 content that
explicitly contradict expert consensus
from local health authorities or the
World Health Organization. We make
exceptions for material posted with an
educational, documentary, scientific or
artistic purpose, as was deemed in this
case."
A TalkRadio insider told the
Guardian that the problem was
particularly acute for shows that host
public debates about the coronavirus.
"You can have a debate about an issue
and if, in someone's opinion, it
undermines official guidance in any
way, then it is classed as medical
misinformation," they said.
Photo: TalkRadio
YouTube's content moderation
system enforces a "three strikes" rule,
under which accounts can be issued
"strikes" for posting content that
violates content guidelines. A single
strike carries with it a number of
restrictions, but a channel receiving
three strikes in a 90-day period will be
removed from the platform entirely.
One previous strike had been issued on
TalkRadio's account for a discussion
featuring the Conservative MP Tobias
Ellwood, the Guardian understands.
The platform has a specific set of
policies around medical
misinformation related to Covid. At
least two of the station's hosts, Mark
Dolan and Julia Hartley-Brewer,
regularly speak out against lockdown
policies both on and off-air.
Shortly after news of the suspension
broke, the Cabinet Office minister,
Michael Gove, appeared on Hartley-
Brewer's show, and spoke out in
defence of TalkRadio's right to criticise
the government.
"I don't believe in censorship and
we have a free and fair press, and
we have commentators and
interviewers of distinction who do
criticise the government's position,"
Gove said, "From Lord Sumption to
Peter Hitchens and others, and long
may it remain so. I think it's
absolutely right that people should
ask questions."
YouTube's definition of medical
misinformation, while similar to that of
competitors such as Facebook and
Twitter, has drawn criticism in its own
right.
Commentators have noted that the
rule prevents criticism of organisations
that have themselves changed their
advice - in some cases significantly -
over the course of the pandemic.
In March 2020, for instance, many
tech platforms classed as
misinformation claims that maskwearing
could help prevent the spread
of Covid; now, those same tech
platforms class as misinformation the
claim that mask-wearing does not help
prevent the spread of Covid. In both
cases, statements from local and
international health authorities lay
behind the decision.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "This
was a decision for YouTube. Like
other UK stations, TalkRadio's radio
channel comes under our
broadcasting code. When we assess
programmes under our rules, we take
account of a broadcaster's right to
freedom of expression, and the right
of listeners to receive information
and ideas."
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
5
Is there still hope for driverless
car launch?
Gwyn Topham
By 2021, according to various Silicon
Valley luminaries, bandwagoning
politicians and leading cab firms in recent
years, self-driving cars would have long
been crossing the US, started filing along
Britain's motorways and be all set to
provide robotaxis in London.
1 January has not, however, brought a
driverless revolution. Indeed in the last
weeks of 2020 Uber, one of the biggest
players and supposed beneficiaries,
decided to park its plans for self-driving
taxis, selling off its autonomous division to
Aurora in a deal worth about $4bn (£3bn)
- roughly half what it was valued at in
2019. The decision did not, Uber's chief
executive protested, mean the company
no longer believed in self-driving
vehicles. "Few technologies hold as
much promise to improve people's lives
with safe, accessible, and
environmentally
friendly
transportation," Dara Khosrowshahi
said. But more people might now take
that promise with a pinch of salt.
Prof Nick Reed, a transport
consultant who ran UK self-driving
trials, says: "The perspectives have
changed since 2015, when it was
probably peak hype. Reality is setting in
about the challenges and complexity."
Automated driving, says Reed, could
still happen in the next five years on
highways with clearly marked lanes,
limited to motorised vehicles all going in
the same direction. Widespread use in
cities remains some way further out, he
says: "But the benefits are still there."
The most touted benefit is safety, with
human error blamed for more than
90% of road accidents. Proponents also
say autonomous cars would be more
efficient and reduce congestion.Looking
back, Reed says "the technology worked
… people had the sense, it does the right
thing most of the time, we are 90% of
the way there. But it is that last bit which
is the toughest. Being able reliably to do
the right thing every single time,
whether it's raining, snowing, fog, is a
bigger challenge than anticipated."
Waymo, the Google spin-off that has
led the field, could be a case in point:
having quickly wowed the world with
footage of self-driving cars, the
subsequent steps have appeared
small.In October last year it announced
the public could now hail fully driverless
taxis, "in the near term" without a safety
driver in any car - although the range
remains limited to the sunny suburbs of
Phoenix, Arizona, whose every
centimetre has been mapped by
Waymo computers.
Elsewhere, robotaxis have stalled.
Like Uber, the cab firm Addison Lee had
staked out bold ambitions, signing up
with the UK autonomy pioneer
Oxbotica in 2018 to get robotaxis into
London by 2021.That deal was quietly
dropped in March last year, under new
ownership. Addison Lee's chief
executive, Liam Griffin, said:
"Driverless cars are best left to the
OEMs [manufacturers], and don't form
part of our current plans."
The launch of an autonomous taxi
service by Ford has also been postponed
at least a year to 2022 because of the
pandemic."Globally, Covid-19 has
delayed trials and launches of
connected and automated vehicles,"
says Mike Hawes, the chief executive of
the Society of Motor Manufacturers and
Traders.
Regulatory changes could still allow
developments such as Automated Lane
Keeping Systems being rolled out in
2021 across everyday cars."ALKS is the
first version of automated driving
technology which could prevent some
47,000 serious accidents over the next
decade, while creating up to 420,000
new jobs," Hawes said.
The system could let the car take
control on UK motorways this year -
although insurers are trying to talk the
government out of giving the go-ahead.
Alexandra Smyth, who leads on
autonomous systems at the Royal
Academy of Engineering, said: "There's
lots of progress and interesting
developments with regulations and
codes of practice - all important
components that sit alongside the
technology itself. But realistically there
are still going to be errors and things
that don't perform as we hoped. Public
trust will be one of the major hurdles."
Fears were stoked after Uber's selfdriving
car killed a pedestrian in
Arizona in 2018. And despite Elon
Musk's continuing bold claims for Tesla,
and reports that Apple is still secretly
pushing to develop a personal
autonomous vehicle by 2024, the law is
5
unlikely to permit drivers to relinquish
the wheel soon.
According to Christian Wolmar, the
author of Driverless Cars: On a Road to
Nowhere? problems such as social
acceptance, cybersecurity and cost have
never been addressed.He says: "People
do not want to replace the car outside
the front door with an app it's just not a
viable concept. I think more and more
people are sceptical of the model that
we'll all be in robocars soon. Instead, the
industry is now talking about specific
uses."
If Oxbotica's Paul Newman, one of the
Oxford University professors
pioneering Britain's autonomous
industry, has any doubts over the long
term, he is not showing it - although he
says the level of autonomy where
"occasionally there might be a remote
assist" is a far more achievable ambition
than a world where the machines can
entirely get on with it.
Oxbotica is running a fleet of
autonomous Ford Mondeos on public
Uber plans to launch its driverless car initiative 'robotaxis'. Photo: Collected
Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the company's Shanghai factory in January.
roads in a trial in Oxford - but the
technological progress, he says, is not
about robotaxis: "It's purely about the
software, it's agnostic about the
vehicles." The driverless car world, he
says, is "a great moonshot": cars are a
huge market but also the hardest to
transform, long after autonomous
mining or rail or shuttle services are in
place.Newman compares the progress
with mobiles phones, recalling the first
he saw, wielded by Danny Glover in the
1987 film Lethal Weapon, which was
the size of a small suitcase.
"Is a future of driverless cars coming?
Assuredly as mobile phones. This is the
normal cycle that technology goes
through. We're still moving along that
graph," he said."We've gone through the
flashy stage, when we've said it's six
months away.
Photo: Aly Song
Tesla's remarkable turnover
in sales
Technology Desk
Tesla reported record deliveries of its
electric cars in the last three months of
2020, coming within a whisker of
achieving the half-million target for the
year set by its chief executive, Elon
Musk.The California-based
manufacturer's annual sales rose by
36% after a final quarter that exceeded
analysts' expectations, delivering a total
of 499,550 cars in 2020.
Tesla delivered 180,570 electric
vehicles between October and
December, falling just short of the
overall target Musk had set at the
beginning of the year, before the start of
the coronavirus pandemic.
Covid-19 forced the shutdown of the
company's Fremont US assembly plant
in the spring, but Musk urged
employees to increase production to hit
the target, and last week offered
incentives including free "self-driving"
options worth $10,000 (£7,300) on
Tesla cars whose paperwork and
delivery was completed in the last days
of December.
Despite apparently missing the
target, Tesla said it had "produced and
delivered half a million vehicles, in line
with our most recent guidance", and
Musk hailed it as a "major
milestone".He tweeted: "So proud of
the Tesla team for achieving this major
milestone! At the start of Tesla thought
we had (optimistically) a 10% chance of
surviving at all."

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
6
Good neighbors Bangladesh distributes
relief among 1300 families in Kalapara
GAUTAM HALDer, KALAPArA
COrreSPOnDenT:
International voluntary
organization Good
neighbors Bangladesh has
come forward to help 1300
families affected by
Cyclone Amphan in
Kalapara, Patuakhali. The
relief distribution started in
Dalbuganj union of the
upazila with the financial
support of Japan Platform.
Kalapara Upazila Project
Manager Kiran Barai
presided over the relief
distribution function at
Dalbuganj Union Parishad
premises on Thursday.
During the time, Program
Support Department
Good Neighbors Bangladesh distributed relief materials among 1300 families
affected by Cyclone Amphan in Kalapara on Thursday. Photo: Gautam Halder
Director Anand Kumar
Das, Income Generation
Manager Akhil Barai and
UP Chairman (Acting) Md.
Shahabuddin Hawladar,
CPP Union Team Leader
Md. riaz Mridha and
others.
Speaking on the
occasion, Project Manager
Kiran Barai said that the
distribution of relief was
not limited to the financial
support of the Japan
Platform. We have more
new activities on hand.
Which we will manage step
by step in 2021. We will
also work to make the
destitute, miserable and
helpless people self-reliant.
At the end of the meeting,
40 kg of rice, 2 kg of pulses,
2 liters of soybean oil, 5 kg
of potatoes and 2 kg of salt
were distributed among
1300 families affected by
Amphan
while
maintaining social
distance. Besides, Good
neighbors Bangladesh will
distribute food items to
6990 families in five
unions of the upazila
including Dalbuganj union.
Executive Magistrate and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Maruful Alam fined Tk 10,000 to two turtle sellers
from Sadar Fish Bazaar in Chitalmari of Bagerhat on Wednesday. Photo: Gobindo Mazumder
Emergency food assistance has been provided to among 1135 children's families in Kaharole on
Thursday.
Photo: Roshidul Islam
Food aid distributed among
children's families in Kaharole
rOSHIDUL ISLAM, KAHArOLe COrreSPOnDenT:
emergency food assistance has been
provided to the beneficiaries of the
project in times of Covid-19 outbreak
and shortage among 1135 children's
families by non-governmental
organization Asroy-realize Project
funded by BMz and netz Bangladesh
at the ramchandrapur Government
Two turtle
sellers punished
in Chitalmari
GOBInDO MAzUMDer, CHITAL-
MArI COrreSPOnDenT:
executive Magistrate and
Upazila nirbahi Officer Md
Maruful Alam fined Tk
10,000 to two turtle sellers
from Sadar Fish Bazaar in
Chitalmari of Bagerhat on
Wednesday afternoon. raju
Ahmed, Inspector of
Wildlife Conservation and
nature Conservation
Department of Khulna was
present at the time.
The turtle sellers nalin
Hira, 50, son of Bakul Hira
of Dori Umajuri village in
the upazila and Subhash
Haldar, 65, son of late
Haribar Haldar of Artapara
in Uzirpur upazila of Barisal.
39 turtles were recovered
from the two traders and
released into the
Madhumati river.
Upazila nirbahi Officer
Maruful Alam said the
rescued animals were
released into the
Madhumati river under the
Wildlife Conservation and
Protection Act. The same
action will be taken against
anyone who commits illegal
acts later.
Model Pilot High School Grounds on
Thursday.
The beneficiaries were provided with
25 kg (Br28) of rice, 2 liters of soybean
oil, 2 kg of lentils, 1 kg of sugar, 1 kg of
semolina, 1 kg of salt, 2 Lifebuoy soaps
and 3 masks. Kaharol Upazila
education Officer Md. Shahjahan
distributed food aid as the chief guest
on the occasion. Among others, Md.
Ashraful Haque, Headmaster of
ramchandrapur Government Model
Primary School, Project Director
Hopna Kisku, Project Manager Kerina
Soren, Unit Manager Hazrat Ali,
Admin Assistant Sanaul Islam,
Organizer Shanti Hasda, rahima
Khatun, Liton Mia and Area Manager
Jamilur rahman were also present at
the occasion.
Advocate Imtiaz Ahmed, president of the human rights organization 'Somajer
Proti Jubor Uddyeg', distributed 300 blankets to disadvantaged people on
behalf of his organization. Earlier, on his birthday, he distributed 200 blankets
among helpless people living on the road. He also provided food and cash to
about 1,500 people during coronavirus pandemic. He was a team member of
the steering committee of Bangladesh Awami League's Jatiya Sangsad Election
2018. Photo: TBT
193 landless families to get houses in Cumilla
CUMILLA: A total of 193 distressed,
homeless families of 17 upazilas of the district
are going to get brick-built houses as a gift from
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the occasion
of the 'Mujib Borsho', reports BSS.
On behalf of Ashrayan Project-2 of the
Prime Minister's Office, the Department of
Disaster Management (DDM) has been
constructing the houses, said Laksam
Upazila Project Implementation Officer
Debesh Chandra Das.
Main thrust of the initiative is to improve
the standard of living ensuring basic needs of
the landless, homeless and distress people.
The construction work of the houses has
already been completed and the houses will
be handed over to the beneficiaries by mid-
January, the officer said.
The distressed people, who have at least
one to ten decimals of land but no house,
were given the brick-built houses as gifts of
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he added.
Blankets distributed among cold-stricken
people in Mohanganj
MOHAnGAnJ COrreSPOnDenT:
On the occasion of the death
anniversary of Gias Uddin, former
headmaster of Adarshnagar
Shaheed Smriti High School,
Sajjadul Hasan, Chief executive
Officer of Bangladesh Biman and
son of Gias Uddin distributed
blankets among the helpless poor
people.
The event was organized by
Adarshnagar College on Thursday.
Sajjadul Hasan, was the chief guest
on the occasion. During the time,
Mirza Abdul Gani Adviser of District
Awami League, nurunbi
Chowdhury, Mohanganj Upazila
nirbahi Officer Arifuzzaman and
Sealdah Chairman Abu Bakkar
Siddiqui were among others present
at the occasion while chairman of
8th Ward Union Parishad Kamrul
Hasan presided over the function.
The foundation stone laying ceremony of a new Jame Masjid has been held at Dakshin Ukilpara village
under Jahanpur union of Dhamairhat upazila.
Photo: Rejuan Alam
Foundation stone laying ceremony
of Jame Masjid held at Dhamairhat
On the occasion of the death anniversary of Gias Uddin, former headmaster of Adarshnagar Shaheed
Smriti High School blankets were distributed among helpless poor people in Mohanganj on
Thursday.
Photo: TBT
reJUAn ALAM, DHAMAIrHAT COrreSPOnDenT:
The foundation stone laying
ceremony of a new Jame Masjid has
been held at Dakshin Ukilpara village
under Jahanpur union of Dhamairhat
upazila of naogaon. Upazila Chairman
Mohammad Azahar Ali Mandal laid
the foundation stone of the mosque on
Thursday as the chief guest.
During the time, UP Chairman Md.
Osman Ali, Upazila Awami League
organizing secretary Md. Khwaja
Moin Uddin, UP member Md.
rashidul Islam, President of the
Mosque Committee Md. Azizul Haque
and Secretary Babul Hossain were
among others also present at the
occasion.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
7
EU commission greenlights
Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine
A mob invading the U.S. Capitol. Police officers with guns drawn inside the House of Representatives.
Lawmakers hiding from intruders seeking to overturn a national election.
Photo : AP
Scenes of violence at U.S. Capitol
shock world
WASHINGTON : A mob invading the
U.S. Capitol. Police officers with guns
drawn inside the House of
Representatives. Lawmakers hiding
from intruders seeking to overturn a
national election.
These and other scenes from Capitol
Hill shocked the world Wednesday as
violent protesters loyal to President
Donald Trump stormed the nation's
halls of power in a brazen attempt to
undercut democracy and keep
Democrat Joe Biden from replacing
Trump in the White House in two
Coronavirus
toll at 1100
GMT Thursday
PARIS : The novel
coronavirus has killed at
least 1,818,946 people since
the outbreak emerged in
China last December,
according to a tally from
official sources compiled by
AFP at 1100 GMT on
Thursday.
At least 83,381,330 cases
of coronavirus have been
registered. Of these, at least
52,534,200 are now
considered recovered.
These figures are based on
daily tolls provided by health
authorities in each country
and excludes later reevaluations
by statistical
organisations, as has
happened in Russia, Spain
and Britain.
On Thursday, 13,629 new
deaths and 728,621 new
cases were recorded
worldwide. Based on latest
reports, the countries with
the most new deaths were
the United States with 3,426
new deaths, followed by
Brazil with 1,074 and the
United Kingdom with 964.
The United States remains
the worst-affected country
with 345,844 deaths from
19,974,883 cases. At least
6,298,082 people have been
declared recovered.
After the US, the hardesthit
countries are Brazil with
194,949 deaths from
7,675,973 cases, India with
148,994 deaths from
10,286,709 cases, Mexico
with 125,807 deaths from
1,426,094 cases, and Italy
with 74,159 deaths from
2,107,166 cases.
The country with the
highest number of deaths
compared to its population
is Belgium with 168 fatalities
per 100,000 inhabitants,
followed by Slovenia with
130, Bosnia-Herzegovina
with 123, Italy 123, and the
Republic of North
Macedonia 120.
Europe overall has
574,012 deaths from
26,569,711 cases, Latin
America and the Caribbean
507,687 deaths from
15,569,105 infections, and
the United States and
Canada 361,440 deaths
from 20,554,203 cases.
weeks, reports UNB.
The chaos halted Congress'
constitutionally mandated counting of
the Electoral College results, which
showed Biden defeated Trump, 306-232.
Police keep a watch on
demonstrators who tried to break
through a police barrier, Wednesday,
Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in
Washington. (AP Photo/Julio
Cortez)
In the morning, Trump rallied his
supporters outside the White House
and urged them to march to the
Capitol. Hours later, after they fought
police and breached the building, he
told them to "go home in peace." He
described them as "very special
people" whose cause he supported.
People listen as President Donald
Trump speaks during a rally
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Evan
Vucci)
Biden, speaking from Wilmington,
Delaware, called on Trump to go on
national television to demand "an end
to this siege."
"In an unprecedented step, Facebook and Twitter suspended President
Donald Trump from posting to their platforms Wednesday following the
storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
Photo : AP
Twitter, Facebook
muzzle Trump amid
Capitol violence
WASHINGTON : " In an unprecedented
step, Facebook and Twitter suspended
President Donald Trump from posting to
their platforms Wednesday following the
storming of the U.S. Capitol by his
supporters.
Twitter locked Trump out of his account
for 12 hours and said that future
violations by Trump could result in a
permanent suspension. The company
required the removal of three of Trump's
tweets, including a short video in which
he urged those supporters to "go home"
while also repeating falsehoods about the
integrity of the presidential election.
Trump's account deleted those posts,
Twitter said; had they remained, Twitter
had threatened to extend his suspension.
Facebook and Instagram, which
Facebook owns, followed up in the
evening, announcing that Trump
wouldn't be able to post for 24 hours
following two violations of its policies.
The White House did not immediately
offer a response to the actions.
While some cheered the platforms'
actions, experts noted that the companies'
actions follow years of hemming and
hawing on Trump and his supporters
spreading dangerous misinformation and
encouraging violence that have
contributed to Wednesday's violence.
Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University
communications professor and an expert
on social media, said Wednesday's events
in Washington, D.C. are a direct result of
Trump's use of social media to spread
propaganda and disinformation, and that
the platforms should bear some
responsibility for their inaction.
"This is what happens," said Grygiel.
"We didn't just see a breach at the Capitol.
Social media platforms have been
breached by the president repeatedly.
This is disinformation. This was a coup
attempt in the United States."
Grygiel said the platform's decision to
remove the video - and Twitter's
suspension - are too little, too late.
"They're creeping along towards firmer
action," Grygiel said, calling Trump
"Exhibit A" for the need for greater
regulation of social media. "Social media
is complicit in this because he has
repeatedly used social media to incite
violence. It's a culmination of years of
propaganda and abuse of media by the
president of the United States."
AMSTERDAM : The European Union's
executive commission gave the green
light Wednesday to Moderna Inc.'s
COVID-19 vaccine, providing the 27-
nation bloc with a second vaccine to
use in the desperate battle to tame the
virus rampaging across the continent,
reports UNB.
The European Commission granted
conditional marketing authorization
for the vaccine. The decision came
against a backdrop of high infection
rates in many EU countries and strong
criticism of the slow pace of
vaccinations across the region of some
450 million people.
"We are providing more COVID-19
vaccines for Europeans. With the
Moderna vaccine, the second one now
authorized in the EU, we will have a
further 160 million doses. And more
vaccines will come," European
Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen said in a statement.
The EMA recommended the
conditional authorization following a
meeting earlier Wednesday.
"This vaccine provides us with
another tool to overcome the current
emergency," said EMA Executive
Director Emer Cooke. "It is a testament
to the efforts and commitment of all
involved that we have this second
Security Council has critical role in
addressing fragility, conflict: UN chief
DHAKA : UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres has underlined the
critical role of the Security Council in
addressing links between fragility and
conflict, two of the greatest obstacles to
achieving sustainable development
across the world, reports UNB.
Guterres was speaking on
Wednesday during a high-level virtual
debate of the Council to examine the
challenges of maintaining peace and
security in fragile or conflict-affected
countries, reports UN News.
"By acting early and preventively, by
engaging strategically to address the
root causes of conflict, and speaking
with one voice, the Council can
mobilize the international community's
political and financial support, shed a
spotlight on critical areas of need, and
foster the commitment of conflict
actors where needed", he said in
French, speaking through an
interpreter.
The UN chief stressed that breaking
the cycle of poverty and conflict calls for
recognizing peace and sustainable
development are interdependent, while
also promoting inclusion.
"Guaranteeing equal opportunities,
protection, access to resources and
services and participation in decisionmaking
are not simply moral and legal
obligations. They are a necessary
condition if countries are to truly break
out of the conflict trap", he said.
The linkages between conflict and
Trump promises
'orderly transition'
on Jan. 20
WASHINGTON : President
Donald Trump now says
there "will be an orderly
transition on January 20th"
after Congress concluded
the electoral vote count
certifying President-elect
Joe Biden's victory and after
a day of violence when his
supporters stormed the U.S.
Capitol, reports UNB.
Trump says in a statement
tweeted by his social media
director Dan Scavino, "Even
though I totally disagree
with the outcome of the
election, and the facts bear
me out, nevertheless there
will be an orderly transition
on January 20th."
He adds: "I have always
said we would continue our
fight to ensure that only legal
votes were counted. While
this represents the end of the
greatest first term in
presidential history, it's only
the beginning of our fight to
Make America Great Again."
Trump's account is
currently locked by Twitter.
positive vaccine recommendation just
short of a year since the pandemic was
declared by WHO."
The EMA last month granted the
same conditional approval to a
coronavirus vaccine made by American
drugmaker Pfizer and Germany's
BioNTech. Both vaccines require giving
people two shots.
The EU has ordered 80 million doses
of the Moderna vaccine with an option
for a further 80 million. The bloc also
has committed to buying 300 million
doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Commissioner for Health and Food
Safety Stella Kyriakides said that the
vaccine authorization "will ensure that
460 million doses will be rolled out
with increasing speed in the EU, and
more will come. Member States have to
ensure that the pace of vaccinations
follows suit."
German Health Minister Jens Spahn
- who has in the past been critical of the
slow pace of the EMA - said shortly
before the announcement of the EMA
authorization that he expected the
Moderna vaccine to begin rolling out to
EU nations next week. Germany would
get 2 million doses in the first quarter
and 50 million in all of 2021, Spahn
told reporters in Berlin.
"The problem is the shortage of
fragility have been particularly visible
in Africa, including in the Horn of
Africa and the Sahel, the Secretary-
General continued. Climate change,
terrorism, transnational organized
crime and the proliferation of armed
groups have only worsened the
situation.
Last Saturday, gunmen killed more
than 100 villagers in western Niger,
which the UN strongly condemned.
The country's President, Mahamadou
production capacity with global
demand," he said.
Spahn said that if further vaccines
beyond the BioNTech-Pfizer and
Moderna shots are approved in the
EU, "we'll be able to offer everyone
in Germany a vaccine by the
summer."
He insisted that the strategy of bulkbuying
for the entire bloc had been the
right one as it had given manufacturers
certainty to go ahead with production
and ensured fair distribution among all
the 27 EU countries.
Early results of large, still unfinished
studies show both the Moderna and the
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines appear safe
and strongly protective, although
Moderna's is easier to handle since it
doesn't need to be stored at ultrafrozen
temperatures.
The EU agency gave the green light to
use the Moderna vaccine on people age
18 year and above. It said side effects
"were usually mild or moderate and got
better within a few days after
vaccination."
The most common side effects are
"pain and swelling at the injection site,
tiredness, chills, fever, swollen or
tender lymph nodes under the arm,
headache, muscle and joint pain,
nausea and vomiting," the EMA said.
Issoufou, was among leaders
participating in the virtual meeting.
"The international community
must mobilize to help the countries in
the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin to
move on from this fragile context, the
primary victims of which are women
and children," President Issoufou
said in French. He expressed hope
that these regions will figure
prominently in the Security Council's
agenda.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has underlined the critical
role of the Security Council in addressing links between fragility
and conflict, two of the greatest obstacles to achieving sustainable
development across the world.
Photo : AP
Phillips yelled at Republicans,
"This is because you!"
Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., told reporters he
was in the House chamber when protesters
began storming it. He said security officers
urged lawmakers to put gas masks on and
herded them into a corner of the massive room.
"When we got over to other side of the
gallery, the Republican side, they made us all
get down, you could see that they were
fending off some sort of assault, it looked
like," he said. "They had a piece of furniture
up against the door, the door, the entry to the
floor from the Rotunda, and they had guns
pulled." The officers eventually escorted the
lawmakers out of the chamber.
Shortly after being told to put on gas
masks, most members were quickly escorted
out of the chamber. But some members
remained in the upper gallery seats, where
they had been seated due to distancing
requirements.
Along with a group of reporters who had
been escorted from the press area and
Capitol workers who act as ushers, the
members ducked on the floor as police
secured a door to the chamber down below
with guns pointed. After making sure the
hallways were clear, police swiftly escorted
the members and others down a series of
hallways and tunnels to a cafeteria in one of
the House office buildings.
Describing the scene, Democratic Rep. Jim
Himes of Connecticut said "there was a point
there where officers had their guns and
weapons pointed at the door, they were
obviously expecting a breach through the
door. It was clear that there were pretty close
to pulling the trigger so they asked us all to
get down in the chamber."
As he walked out of the Capitol, Himes said
he lived in Latin America and "always
assumed it could never happen here."
"We've known for for years that our
democracy was in peril and this is hopefully
the worst and final moment of it," Himes
said. "But with a president egging these
people on, with the Republicans doing all
they can to try to make people feel like their
democracy has been taken away from them
even though they're the ones doing the
taking, it's really hard, really sad. I spent my
entire political career reaching out to the
other side. And it's really hard to see this."
Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley was also in the
balcony. "It's not good to be around terrified
colleagues, with guns drawn toward people
who have a barricade ... people crying.

First Security Islami Bank Ltd. inaugurated 2Agent Banking Outlets at Noadda Bangla Bazar,Naria,
Shariatpur and Nolin Bazar, Gopalpur, Tangailon 07 January, 2021. Syed Waseque Md Ali,
Managing Director of the Bank inaugurated thoseAgent Banking Outlets through Video Conference.
Among others, Md. Mustafa Khair, Additional Managing Director, Md. Zahurul Haque and Md.
Masudur Rahman Shah, Deputy Managing Director(s) along with other high officials were present
on the occasion. A DoaMahfil was organized in this regard.
Photo : Courtesy
Tokyo shares surge at open despite
rioters at US Capitol
TOKYO : Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei
index opened higher on Thursday as US
shares surged despite rioters storming
the US Capitol in an effort to overturn
the result of the presidential election.
The Nikkei 225 added 1.05 percent, or
284.52 points, to 27,340.46 in early
trade, while the broader Topix index
rose 1.22 percent, or 21.92 points, to
1,818.10.
The Tokyo market was expected to
stay buoyant after Wall Street racked up
healthy gains, in part on the expectation
of fresh US stimulus under a Democratic
administration, with the Dow Jones
index marking another record close by
gaining 1.4 percent. The dollar stood at
102.96 yen, nearly flat from 102.99 yen
seen Wednesday in New York.
Investors largely shrugged off scenes
of a shocking riot at the US Capitol
where angry Donald Trump supporters
forced their way into the legislative
compound, prompting evacuations of
lawmakers who were preparing to
ceremonially validate the election
US condemns Italy,
India, Turkey
digital taxes, issues
no tariffs
WASHINGTON : The
United States on Wednesday
criticized taxes imposed on
tech companies by Italy, India
and Turkey, but held off on
hitting the countries with
punitive tariffs.
The US Trade
Representative (USTR) said
the Digital Service Taxes
adopted by the three countries
"discriminates against US
companies, is inconsistent
with prevailing principles of
international taxation, and
burden or restricts US
commerce."
However, "USTR is not
taking any specific actions in
connection with the findings
at this time but will continue
to evaluate all available
options."
The decision comes on the
same day that 25 percent
tariffs on $1.3 billion of
French goods, including
cosmetics and handbags by
renowned brands, were due to
take effect, in retaliation over
that country's tax targeting
tech companies.
France has not backed
down from its plan to tax
online giants including
Google, Amazon, Facebook
and Apple.
victory of Joe Biden.
The incoming president may face a
deeply divided nation but should enjoy
relative political stability in Washington,
as his Democratic Party gained control
of both the presidency and Congress
after double victories in the key Senate
runoff elections in the state of Georgia.
"We expect (buying) to continue on a
receding sense of uncertainty over the
US politics," Okasan Online Securities
said.
"Of course, the occupation of Congress
by Trump supporters was
unprecedented chaos. But they will be
ousted in due time."
"We expect the Japanese indices to
lead the way and show solid
performance," Okasan added.
Players were also monitoring
developments in Japan as Prime
Minister Yoshihide Suga prepared to
issue a month-long state of emergency
in the greater Tokyo region in a bid to
slow the fast spread of coronavirus
infections.
Suga is largely expected to target
restaurants and bars, calling for them to
close by 8 pm, as dining has been singled
out as a particular risk factor in the
Japanese capital.
He is also expected to urge the public
to refrain from unnecessary outings
after 8 pm, but allow major events and
sports games to go on as long as they
limit the number of spectators.
Schools are expected to stay open
under the emergency order.
Among major shares, Toyota rose
0.67 percent to 7,870 yen.
Nintendo added 0.31 percent to
64,980 yen. Sony rose 1.31 percent to
10,465 yen.
Uniqlo-operator Fast Retailing rose
0.45 percent to 87,350 yen. Mitsubishi
UFJ Financial Group rose 3.60 percent
to 480.6 yen. Construction equipment
maker Komatsu surged 4.33 percent to
3,000 yen. Tokyo Electron, the world's
third-largest producer of tools to build
semiconductors, added 0.68 percent to
38,530.
'Don't leave me this way'
sing Britons in Spain as
Brexit kicks in
JIMERA DE LIBAR :
Bangers and mash, pints of
beer, a Europeans vs Britons
tug-of-war and renditions of
"Don't Leave me This Way"
and "We'll Meet Again". UK
expats in Spain marked
Britain's departure from the
European Union in true
British style.
Although many are
unhappy at the decision to
leave, with some facing
residency and other
bureaucratic problems,
Britons at the Bar Allioli in the
southern village of Jimera de
Libar decided to make the best
of a bad job and throw a party.
The tongue-in-cheek
celebration featured a menu of
all British favourites such as
fish and chips and beans on
toast.
"While most of us are not
altogether happy about the
whole thing, we might as well
celebrate in a fashion and
enjoy ourselves," said Paul
Darwent, a 65- year-old Briton
who runs the bar in the
Andalusian mountains about
an hour by car from the coast.
"The reality is it is going to
create a lot of problems for us
all," added Darwent, who has
lived in Spain for over two
decades, in a reference to
Britain's completion of its
divorce from the European
Union (EU) on December 31.
Around 370,000 Britons are
registered as living in Spain -
more than in any other EU
country - and thousands more
are believed to be settled in the
country without ever having
notified the authorities.
Many are retirees who live
on Spain's sunny southern
coast, drawn by the country's
warmer climate and lower cost
of living.
Britons can keep their
residency rights in Spain - as
long as they applied for
residency before December 31,
when Britain's transition
period out of the EU ended. To
qualify, they must have a
permanent address, a local
bank account, show sufficient
funds and have healthcare
cover.
Many, however, do not meet
the requirements, said Myra
Azzopardi, a paralegal and the
founder of the Citizens Advice
Bureau (CAB), a British
charity that helps expats with
legal issues.
"We are going to have a lot
of people who are going to end
up without residency and
without any way of getting
residency," she told AFP. Baz
Rhodes, a 58-year-old
paragliding guide from
Manchester who has lived in
Spain for 20 years, said Brexit
meant he and his wife had to
take out private health
insurance at a cost of 200
euros ($245 euros) a month. "I
am very, very annoyed," said
Rhodes, who attended the
party wrapped in a EU flag.
Because of pandemic
restrictions, the party was held
on the bar's outdoor patio,
which was decorated with
British, Spanish and EU flags.
Separate entrances for EU
and non-EU nationals were
set up to enter the bar to use
washrooms.
The musical backdrop to the
festivities included live
performances of The
Communards' "Don't leave me
this way" and Vera Lynn's
"We'll meet again".
Ireland seeks post-Brexit plain sailing
with direct shipping to EU
DUBLIN : Ireland has ramped up direct
shipping routes to mainland Europe since
the end of the Brexit transition period,
seeking new passages to the EU bypassing
freight jams feared at UK borders.
Every year 150,000 trucks use the "UK
landbridge" to transport three million
tonnes of freight between the Republic and
the European mainland.
Trucks sail by roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro)
ferries from Irish ports and mainland
Britain, driving onwards to shipping hubs
in southeast England, then on to
continental Europe.
Britain left the EU in January last year,
but remained bound by the bloc's rules
until December 31 as it sought to define the
terms of its new relationship with Brussels.
Even though tariff- and quota-free trade
was secured in a last-minute deal, Britain's
exit from Europe's single market and
customs union meant an end to frictionless
freight transit through UK-EU port
borders.
"Declarations, regulatory checks,
controls… will now be a factor because the
UK has left the EU," warned Tom Talbot,
of Irish Revenue, at Dublin Port on
Monday.
"Because of that there will be delays."
Many Irish hauliers are already charting
new routes guaranteeing freight remains
inside the single market and customs
union, and outside the scope of delay.
Rosslare Europort - Ireland's second
busiest freight hub - is already running 28
weekly services to or from mainland
Europe, up from 10 before the end of the
Brexit transition.
In December, Swedish firm Stenaline
brought forward plans to double sailings
between the southeastern town and
Cherbourg in northern France, as
coronavirus restrictions blocked lorries
entering the country from Britain.
And on Saturday, Danish shipping firm
DFDS opened a new route to the French
port of Dunkirk, sailing six times weekly in
each direction.
All three ro-ro ships departing direct to
France on Saturday were fully booked.
Md. Sanaullah
Shahid re-elected
as Chairman of
Shahjalal Islami
Bank
Md. Sanaullah Shahidhas
been unanimously re-elected
as Chairman of the Board of
Directors of ShahjalalIslami
Bank Limited in
it's313thBoard meeting held
on 06thJanuary 2021. In the
same meeting, Md. Harun
Miah and Md. Abdul
Barekre-elected as Vice-
Chairmen respectively of the
Board of Directors of the
Bank.
Re-elected Chairman of the
Board of Directors Md.
Sanaullah Shahid was born in
a noble Muslim family in
Dhaka City in 1963. Md.
Sanaullah Shahidstarted
business after completion of
Bachelor Degree in
Commerce. He is a Sponsor
Shareholder
of
ShahjalalIslami Bank Ltd.
&Sponsor Director of
Shahjalal Islami Bank
Securities Ltd..He is the
Chairman of Electra
International Ltd. (a Sole
Distributor of Samsung
Brand Electronics Goods),
Director of Electra Consumer
Electronics Ltd. and Federal
Securities & Investment Ltd.
He is also a partner of
Kashmir Chemical Co.,
Sazawa Brothers and Electra
Furniture. He traveled
different parts of the world in
connection with business. He
has also involved with various
Social Organization, a press
release said.
Re-elected Vice-Chairman
Md. Harun Miah is a
renowned Businessman
based in UK. He was born in a
respectable Muslim family of
Lama Chondarpur under
Golapganjupazila in Sylhet
District in 1961. He is the
Managing Director of
Kushiara Financial Services
Ltd. and Kushiara Travels
Ltd.. He is also the Directors
of Kushiara Cash & Carry,
ShahjalalIslami
Bank
Securities Ltd., Bangla Frozen
Food Ltd. and the Chairman
of Hotel Pritom Inn. He also
engaged in numerous Social
Organizations for a long
decade.
US leases long-sought
Alaska oil rights in
Trump's final days
NEW YORK : US President
Donald
Trump's
administration auctioned off 11
oil leases in the Alaska
National Wildlife Refuge on
Wednesday, in a last-ditch
move to expand drilling in the
areas coveted by some
petroleum producers before he
leaves office.
Major oil companies
however sat out bidding for
tracts in the environmentally
sensitive area, and nine of the
leases went to the Alaska
Industrial Development and
Export Authority, a state
agency, while two went to
small companies.
The sale raised $14 million.
The White House
announced the plan to go
ahead with the sale in mid-
November just weeks after
Trump lost his reelection bid to
former Democratic vice
president Joe Biden.
An area long sought by
petroleum interests and
defended
by
environmentalists, drilling in
the refuge was authorized in
the 2017 tax reform legislation.
But some major banks have
said they won't finance projects
in the refuge, and
environmentalists continue to
battle the plan in court.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021 8
US businesses condemn Capitol
'chaos,' blame Trump
WASHINGTON : Major US
corporations and businesses
groups on Wednesday
condemned the occupation of
the US Capitol by rioters angry
at President Donald Trump's
election defeat, with one
organization raising the
possibility of the president
being removed from office.
The statements came on a
shocking day for the United
States, which saw mobs
overrun Congress after a rally
by Trump, who had sought to
thwart the process of
lawmakers certifying election
results.
That was the final
administrative step before
Democratic President-elect Joe
Biden enters the White House
later this month, but the
normally ceremonial affair
spiraled into mayhem.
"The chaos unfolding in the
nation's capital is the result of
unlawful efforts to overturn the
legitimate results of a
democratic election. The
country deserves better," the
Business Roundtable said in a
statement.
The lobbying group, which
represents over 200 chief
executives, "called on the
President and all relevant
officials to put an end to the
chaos and to facilitate the
peaceful transition of power."
US Chamber of Commerce
CEO Thomas J. Donohue said,
"The attacks against our
nation's Capitol Building and
our democracy must end now.
"The Congress of the United
States must gather again this
evening to conclude their
Constitutional responsibility to
accept the report of the
Electoral College," which
determines the winner of the
presidential vote.
Jay Timmons, president and
CEO of the National
Association of Manufacturers
went further, calling on Vice
President Mike Pence to
"seriously consider" invoking
the US constitution's 25th
amendment, which would
allow him to temporarily
become president after Trump
is deemed incapacitated.
The group has been viewed
as supportive of Trump's
agenda of protecting American
manufacturers, but Timmons
said, "The outgoing president
incited violence in an attempt
to retain power, and any
elected leader defending him is
violating their oath to the
Constitution and rejecting
democracy in favor of
anarchy."
Without referring to the
assault on the Capitol, Trump's
Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin said on Twitter,
"Violence is always
unacceptable. We must respect
our constitution and
democratic process."
The attack saw flag-waving
Trump supporters break down
barricades outside the iconic
white-domed building and
swarm its halls, sending
sessions of the House and
Senate into an emergency
recess.
That interrupted the effort by
some lawmakers from
Trump's Republican party to
mount a quixotic attempt to
delay certification of Biden's
win.
In extraordinary images,
armed security personnel were
seen barricading the chamber
with weapons drawn, while
lawmakers huddled inside
wearing gas masks.
Labor leader Richard
Trumka, president of the
powerful AFL-CIO, called the
unrest "one of the greatest
assaults on our democracy
since the Civil War" from 1861
to 1865.
The ideal soldier of Bangabandhu, trustworthy & revived of freedom fighting
spirit, Trustable of vision implementation of honorable Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina, Md. Abdus Sabur has been newly appointed Chief Engineer
of Roads & Highways Department. Mr. Shafiqul Bahar Mojumder Tipu,
Acting Secretary General Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangshad Central
Command Council, conveying congratulations to honorable Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina & General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League
Obaidul Quader. Shafiqul Bahar Mojumder Tipu offers wreath of flower to
newly appointed Chief Engineer of Roads and Highways Department Mr.
Abdus Sabur at Roads & Highways Bhaban.
Photo : Courtesy
'Huawei must focus on the
development of Cloud' as per
the CEO - Ren Zhengfei
Ren Zhengfei, CEO and founder, Huawei, has
recently given a speech at the company's internal
event where he has raised and discussed
numerous critical topics of Huawei's operational
activities, a press release said.
In his speech, he stated that Huawei has come
to a stage where it needs to scale back its
battlefront and concentrate on areas of strategic
focus. He encouraged the employees to observe
Amazon and Microsoft's activities while using
the company's 30 years of experience on
network building infrastructure as a service
(IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS)
categories. A combination of these will help the
company to boost the Cloud service.
IaaS is the most flexible cloud services category
that allows users to rent IT infrastructure servers
and virtual machines, storage, networks, and
operating systems on a pay-as-you-go basis.
PaaS is a complete development and
deployment environment in the cloud and does
not provide much access to the operating system.
Huawei's cloud businesses are experiencing
intensified competition in various markets.
Huawei Cloud has introduced more than 200
services, and over 1.5 million developer uses it.
Nearly 20,000 partners got involved with it too.
Ren Zhengfei boosts the employees to go all out
and strengthen Cloud services.
Ren commented, "What we are discussing
now is how to seize the opportunity of
digitalization of government and enterprise, how
to achieve better development in both, and how
to achieve the world's leading position."
Huawei is powerful in its hardware sector.
Thus, Ren now wants the company to focus on
and strengthen its software and application
ecosystem. However, the company has been
tackling various barriers to develop on a bigger
scale due to US sanctions. Consequently, Ren
stated that the company would adjust its
strategies accordingly and strengthen its services
and products.
111 business establishments
fined for adulteration
DHAKA : As the part of authorities' move to
stop selling adulterated food items and goods
and free the consumers from clutches of
unscrupulous traders, the Directorate of
National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP)
on Wednesday fined 111 business establishments
Taka 5,71,000.
During the drives, they monitored 36 markets
throughout the country and fined and realized 4
lakh 66 thousand 500 taka from 106 companies
- for making food products at unhealthy places,
for not showing the price list, selling goods
without any MRP seal and expired foods,
including medicine, cheating with customers
while weighing products, using banned
ingredients in foods and not showing any price
list, said a press release.
The drives were conducted in Dhaka city,
Chattagram city, Shariatpur, Tangail, Narsingdi,
Netrokona, Madaripur, Chandpur, Cumilla,
Patuakhali, Bhola, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj,
Khulna, Jashore, Meherpur, Magura, Rangpur,
Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, Gaibandha,
Panchagarh, Kurigram, Rajshahi,
Naogaon,Natore, Sirajganj, Bogura and
Chapainawabganj of the country.
Besides, leaflets and pamphlets are distributed
among the public to raise awareness.

FriDAY, JAnuArY 8, 2021
9
Messi's double helped Barca reduce the gap behind La Liga's leaders Atletico Madrid to seven points.
Photo: AP
Messi double gives Barca renewed
hope in La Liga title chase
SportS DeSk:
ronald koeman said Barcelona can
still win La Liga after Lionel Messi
scored twice on Wednesday in a 3-2
win over Athletic Bilbao, reports BSS.
Messi's double helped Barca reduce
the gap behind La Liga's leaders
Atletico Madrid to seven points, even
if Atletico will be hard to catch, given
they also have two games in hand.
koeman admitted last week it would
be "very difficult" to close the gap but
was more optimistic after the victory
at San Mames.
"there is always a chance," he said.
"the season is very long and you can
have ups and downs. It may be that
one team that is doing very well will
later find it difficult."
Barca trailed to an early Inaki
Williams strike but responded with a
slick attacking performance that had
Messi at the heart of it.
It was his cross that led to pedri's
equaliser and then the Argentinian
could have had a hat-trick, only for
Juventus end AC Milan’s 27-game
unbeaten run in Serie A
SportS DeSk:
Federico Chiesa scored a
brace as Juventus inflicted a
first league defeat this
season on Serie A leaders AC
Milan, ending their 27-
match unbeaten run with a
3-1 win on Wednesday,
reports BSS.
Stefano pioli's side
maintained their one-point
advantage over city rivals
Inter Milan who missed a
chance to go top with a 2-1
loss at Sampdoria.
AC Milan had been
unbeaten since before the
coronavirus lockdown last
March, with a run of 12
matches without defeat to
complete last season where
they finished sixth, and 15
games this campaign.
But Chiesa, who joined
from Fiorentina last
october, bagged his first
brace for the champions,
scoring on 18 and 62
minutes in the San Siro with
Weston Mckennie getting a
third with quarter of an hour
to go. "this defeat hurts,"
said pioli.
"If there is an opponent
against whom we have
suffered it is Juventus, who
have won the Scudetto for
nine years in a row.
"But understanding how
bad you feel after a defeat
will also help us grow."
the hosts, chasing their
first 'Scudetto' since 2011,
had been hit hours before
kick-off with the news that
forward Ante rebic and
midfielder rade krunic had
tested positive for Covid-19.
the absence of the pair
was a blow for the side
already without key players
including their injured top
scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic
for an eighth league game.
Juventus pair Alex Sandro
and Juan Cuadrado were
also out with coronavirus as
the champions moved up to
VAr and the woodwork to intervene.
But this was a vintage display from
the 33-year-old, perhaps his best of
the season so far, at a time when his
future at Barcelona remains up in the
air.
only a late mistake took some of the
shine off Messi's night, a poor pass
allowing Iker Muniain to finish and
make the result look closer than it was.
Bilbao had scored in the third
minute and the 90th, each time
exposing Barcelona's defensive
frailties that remain unsolved.
Yet in between, koeman's team
were able to dictate the match and
demonstrate why going forward they
are still a force to be reckoned with.
"the team is growing, playing with
more confidence," said koeman.
"Sometimes we look close to our best."
pedri was excellent again, his
sumptuous backheel for Messi's first
goal another indication of the 18-yearold's
talent and his understanding
with his captain.
fourth, seven points behind
Milan, but having played a
game less.
"I saw the spirit of a team
that wants to lead and win,"
said Juventus coach Andrea
pirlo. "this match was
crucial for us."
Chiesa has come into his
own for pirlo's side who had
been dependent on
Cristiano ronaldo's goals
this campaign. paulo Dybala
provided the assists for both
Chiesa's goals. Chiesa rattled
the woodwork minutes
before picking up a clever
Dybala back-heel flick to
finish off after 18 minutes.
rafael Leao send through
for Davide Calabria to grab
the equaliser four minutes
before the break to keep
Milan's hopes alive.
But Dybala again teeded
up Chiesa to rifle in the
second before the pair were
replaced by Mckennie and
Dejan kulusevski.
kulusevski provided the pull
back for Mckennie to seal
the victory after 76 minutes.
Inter's eight-match
winning streak came to an
halt earlier under the rain in
Genoa.
Alexis Sanchez missed an
early penalty for Antonio
Conte's side who were
tripped up by goals from
former Inter players Antonio
Candreva and keita Balde.
"I'm sorry because I think
we deserved something
more. Lady luck was not on
our side today," said Conte
after their second league
defeat this season after
Milan last october.
Inter's leading scorer
romelu Lukaku started on
the bench as the forward
recovers from a muscular
problem. Sanchez started in
the Belgian's place but
missed the chance to give
the visitors an early
advantage with emil Audero
saving a penalty.
But Candreva made no
mistake from the spot after
22 minutes, sending Samir
Handanovic the wrong way
after Samp were awarded a
ousmane Dembele, meanwhile,
enjoyed one of those virtuouso nights
where his speed, invention and
confidence made him look every bit
like one of the world's most exciting
players.
"everything starts with the player
himself," said koeman. "He gives us a
lot."
Bilbao were playing their first game
under new coach Marcelino Garcia
toral, who led Valencia to win the last
completed Copa del rey by beating
Barca in the final.
He was springing off the bench and
clenching his fists in the third minute
after Williams raced in behind,
touching inside the scrambling
Clement Lenglet before driving home.
But Barcelona were invigorated.
Sergino Dest should have scored
after a neat exchange between Messi
and Antoine Griezmann before pedri
did, Messi's looping cross to the back
post cushioned back across for pedri
to nod in.
penalty for a Nicolo Barella
handball.
keita Balde added a
second after 38 minutes
following good work from
Mikkel Damsgaard, the
Danish winger sending the
Senegalese forward through
to coolly finish.
Lukaku came off the
bench with just over an hour
gone, two minutes before
Stefan de Vrij's header from
a Marcelo Brozovic corner
reduced the deficit for the
visitors.
third-placed roma closed
the gap on Inter to three
points, with a 3-1 win at
bottom side Crotone with
Borja Mayoral scoring twice
and Henrikh Mkhitaryan
adding a third from the
penalty spot.
Sassuolo beat Genoa 2-1 to
move fifth ahead of Napoli
who fell to a shock defeat by
the same scoreline to 10-
man Spezia, for their first
loss in their newly-named
Diego Armando Maradona
Stadium.
Federico Chiesa scored a brace as Juventus inflicted a first league defeat this
season on Serie A leaders AC Milan.
Photo: AP
pucovski, Labuschagne give
Australia upper hand
SportS DeSk:
Australia will be the happier of the two sides
at the end of the opening day's play in Sydney
after Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne
kept India down, whilst taking their side to
Stumps on 166 for 2. Australia look set to get to
a 300-plus total on the second day with the
pitch due to get better for batting, and with
Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne in the
middle, amidst a 60-run partnership for the
third wicket, they'd fancy their chances, reports
Ap.
An authoritative drive from Steve Smith to a
pitched up delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, for
his first boundary in the series, gave a glimpse
of how the Australian No.4 wanted to go about
his business. It was early in Smith's innings
that Ashwin was brought, expectedly, given the
wood he's had on the Australian batsman so far
this series. So much so, Ashwin gave
Labuschagne a single off the first ball of his
over just to get Smith on strike to have 5 balls
to bowl at him. Smith, however, much unlike
the previous tests where he was tentative, had
come out attacking with an aggressive mindset.
He used his feet well, didn't allow the bowlers
to get him into a rut, got the scoreboard ticking
and an initial burst of boundaries gave him lots
of confidence. It took Smith two tests to score
his first boundary this series, but his unbeaten
31 seemed effortless with an assured
Labuschagne, on 67, at the other, made his job
easier. Labuschagne batted with a good tempo
from the onset. He came in after David Warner
departed early and thereafter joined hands
with debutant Will pucovski to keep India at
bay in a century stand. Australia's gamble of
playing a not-so-fully fit Warner didn't pay off
as he slashed at everything early on to perish in
the fourth over before rain intervened. What
was supposed to be a passing shower
overstayed its welcome leaving only 55 overs
possible on thursday (January 7).
on resumption of play, India did well to dry
up the runs, tying down both pucovski and
Labuschagne. the pair, however,
counterattacked after pucovski was dropped
twice by rishabh pant on 28 and 32. pucovski
first got an outside edge off r Ashwin playing
for the turn against a straight one for pant to
miss a sharp chance after which he put down
one that lobbed up into the air off the
batsman's glove after a fumble. Australia's run
rate too was better than it had been all series
because of the intent shown by the top order.
there was a phase when India were spinning a
web around Labuschagne and pucovski, but
after the debutant was handed a couple of
chances, he broke the shackles to play some
fearless cricket. the pair was proactive, rotated
the strike well and found the boundary at will
in their stand as Labuschagne attacked Ashwin
who began bowling a lot more freebies.
pucovski, after the slew of repreives, played
fearless cricket complementing Labuschagne,
with the run rate on the rise. He punched
strongly through the covers as pucovski took
on the short ball as Australia gained some
momentum towards the end of the second
session.
Pucovski, after the slew of repreives, played fearless cricket complementing Labuschagne, with the
run rate on the rise.
Photo: AP
Boca, Santos
play out tense
Libertadores
stalemate
SportS DeSk:
Argentina's Boca Juniors
and Santos of Brazil played
out a tense 0-0 draw at an
empty Bombonera stadium
in Buenos Aires on
Wednesday in their Copa
Libertadores semi-final first
leg tie, reports BSS.
Boca's Colombian forward
Sebastian Villa came closest
to breaking the deadlock in
the first half but struck the
woodwork.
the winners following
next week's second leg in
Brazil will face either
Brazilians palmeiras or
Boca's arch city rivals river
plate in the January 30 final
at rio de Janeiro's
Maracana stadium.
palmeiras stunned 2018
winners river 3-0 in Buenos
Aires on tuesday.
Chances were at a
premium in the Bombonera
that was devoid of spectators
due to coronavirus
restrictions.
Villa crashed an early
chance off the woodwork
after he was teed up by
veteran former Manchester
United, Manchester City and
Juventus star Carlos tevez.
Six-time winners Boca
threatened early in the
second period when
eduardo Salvio's near post
shot was pushed behind by
Santos goalkeeper John
Victor. Just after the hour
mark, Santos enjoyed a spell
of pressure but Marinho's
low shot was saved by
goalkeeper esteban
Andrada before kaio Jorge
blazed over the bar.
Serena, Barty to headline
Australian open warm-up
tournaments
SportS DeSk:
World number one
Ashleigh Barty and 23-time
Grand Slam champion
Serena Williams will
spearhead the two WtA
tournaments in Melbourne
ahead of the Australian
open, with the top 32-
ranked women split evenly
across the simultaneous
events, organisers said
thursday, reports BSS.
the onslaught of Covid-19
has forced a radical change
to how the early 2021 tennis
season will look, with the
Australian open pushed
back three weeks to
February 8.
players will arrive in
Australia from January 15
and undergo a mandatory
two-week quarantine before
two WtA 500 and two Atp
250 events are held
alongside the Atp Cup, all at
Melbourne park.
organisers have branded
it the Melbourne Summer
Series and named each
tournament after areas of
Victoria state.
that will see the women
play the Gippsland trophy
and Yarra Valley Classic
from January 31-February 6,
marking Barty's first
appearance in 11 months
after opting out of the US
and european swing last
year over coronavirus fears.
As well as Williams, the
likes of world number two
Simona Halep, defending
Australian open champion
Sofia kenin and previous
Australian open winners
Naomi osaka, Victoria
Azarenka and Angelique
kerber will take part.
the leading men's stars,
including Novak Djokovic
and rafael Nadal, will
compete in the 12-team Atp
Cup, which will be run at the
same time and at the same
venue.
those that didn't qualify
will play in two Atp 250
tournaments - the Great
ocean road open and
Murray river open,
featuring top names
including David Goffin, Stan
Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov
and Nick kyrgios.
"there's no doubt this will
be an historic week of tennis,
and is the biggest-ever
Australian open lead-in
week we have seen," said
tennis Australia's major
events chief Cameron
pearson.
"While we know the
circumstances are unique
this year, it is a huge coup to
secure such strong playing
fields."
Top-ranked Johnson
motivated to improve
heading into 2021
SportS DeSk:
Ganguly leaves hospital
as oil brand's 'heart
healthy' ads pulled
SportS DeSk:
Indian cricket chief Sourav
Ganguly left hospital on
thursday as a cooking oil
company withdrew adverts
featuring him because of the
heart attack he suffered,
reports BSS.
Hundreds of youths
gathered outside the hospital
as the 48-year-old walked out
accompanied by his wife
Dona.
"I am absolutely fine and
hope that I will resume my
work soon," the Board of
Control for Cricket in India
president and former national
captain told reporters.
"I also hope to fly soon," he
added.
Ganguly suffered a heart
attack while working out in a
gym on Saturday and was
rushed to hospital where he
underwent an angioplasty
operation.
"His heart today is as strong
as it was when Sourav was 20
years old," cardiac surgeon
Devi Shetty told reporters.
"Sourav can participate in a
marathon, fly a plane, or even
get back to cricket if he wants
without this event being any
setback."
World number one Dustin Johnson, whose four 2020
victories included a Masters triumph, plans to keep his foot
on the accelerator in 2021, reports BSS.
"I mean, I like being the best," Johnson said Wednesday on
the eve of the US pGA tour tournament of Champions at
kapalua in Hawaii. "I want to continue the good play and
hopefully can have a little bit better year this year."
pGA tour player of the Year Johnson captured his second
major title at the pandemic-delayed Masters in November -
after winning the tour Championship in September.
the 36-year-old American, who won the tournament of
Champions in 2013 and 2018, thinks there is still room for
improvement in his game. "Short game, putting, wedges - I
still feel like I can get a lot better with the wedges," said
Johnson, who had three runner-up finishes in 2020 along
with his quartet of wins. "I continue to practice those, when I
do practice, I mean I'm always working on my wedges.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
10
Shakib
Khan on int’l
platform
Amazon
Prime
TBT RepoRT
National Film Awards 2019
Prime Minister to take part virtually
TBT RepoRT
National Film Award for 2019 was
announced a month ago who is
going to get the award. According
to the previous announcement, the
award will be given on January 17.
The award ceremony will be held
at the Bangabandhu International
Conference Center as always.
However, Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina will not be physically
present, she will take part in this
event virtually from Ganobhaban.
Deputy Secretary of the Ministry
of Information MD. Saiful Islam
said, the program will start from
10:30 am. The program will be
conducted in accordance with the
hygiene rules considering the
corona. On the other hand Prime
Minister used to hand over prizes to
the winners, but this time she will
be connected via video conference
from Ganobhaban.
The list of winners of the 2019
National Film Awards was
published in a notification on
December 2 last year. 'No Dorai'
and 'Fagun Haway' have been
selected as the best films.
The movie 'Maya: The Lost
Mother' was written and directed
by Masud Pathik and produced by
Information Ministry of
Bangladesh Government won the
award in the top eight categories.
The movie 'No Dorai' produced by
Star Cineplex is getting awards in
six categories. No Dorai literally
means "not afraid" in
Chittagonian dialect. The movie is
Star Cineplex's first venture into
film production. Impress
Telefilm's 'Fagun Haway' and
Desh Bangla Multimedia's 'Moner
Moto Manush Pailam Naa' are
getting three awards each.
Tariq Anam Khan and Sunerah
Bint Kamal won the Best Actor-
Actress award respectively. This
year, Lifetime Achievement Award
is being given to Sohel Rana and
Kohinoor Akhter Shuchanda.
Raima Sen opens up on a
'psychologically tiring job'
Actress Raima Sen found working on her upcoming
film Aliya Basu Gayab Hai a psychologically tiring
job. The film has only three characters and has
largely been shot in a warehouse.
"Working on 'Aliya Basu Gayab Hai' was a very
psychologically tiring job. It's not easy for an actor to
play a character like Aliya where you go through
psychological as well as physical stress, but the way
this film has come out, I feel it was all worth it," said
Raima.
"I had a great time working with my co-actors
Vinay Pathak who is also an old friend, and Salim
Diwan, a hard-working actor with great future
ahead. My director and producer Preeti Singh was
always clear with her thoughts, and that has helped
us a lot in our performances," she added.
Vinay enjoyed preparing and working on the film.
"It's a psychological thriller that has a twist in the
end. It's something I'd never done before. I can't
wait to see how today's audience, who in my opinion
are very evolved and observant, react to it," he said.
Added Salim Diwan: "I have been extremely fond
of thriller films in particular and so this project
brings me immense happiness. I am truly grateful to
be a part of this film for its thriller genre, its talented
star cast, and the whole team behind it."
"It has been an exhilarating experience, the whole
journey of making this film and I wish I could've
shared it with everyone much sooner. But as we are
conquering the pandemic and the adversities it has
brought, I'm more than excited to be sharing this
amazing film with you all in 2021," he further said.
- IANS
Shakib Khan's movie has already
been released on the domestic OTT
platform. This time, three of his
movies are being displayed on the
international video streaming
platform 'Amazon Prime'. However,
the movies are being screened there
as Indian cinema, not Bangladesh.
The three movies are Shikari,
TV reality show 'Bigg Boss 7'
winner Gauhar Khan has been a
part of many projects in the
Bollywood industry. Many
times his onscreen performance
has also been praised.
The way Gauhar Khan
delivers the dialogue, dancing
and acting, it is all praiseworthy.
Gauhar has also done
several web shows. She
Chaalbaaz and Bhaijaan Elo Re. SK
Movies, a well-known production
company in West Bengal, India, has
made three movies, including a joint
production.
The head of the organization Ashok
Dhanuka himself confirmed the news
to the media. He said the high-budget
movies have been showing on
recently appeared in the web
series 'The Office' (2019).
Now Gauhar Khan has
spoken about the web shows
she denied, because she did
not want to do bold scenes in
them.
Gauhar Khan has not been a
part of any film and web series
for the last one and a half
years, but she says that she
Amazon Prime since last December.
It is to be noted that these three
movies are considered as one of the
milestones in the career of
Dhaliwood's top hero Shakib Khan.
Shakib Khan introduces himself in
new ways in these movies, which have
been screened in cinema halls in West
Bengal and Bangladesh.
Grammy awards postponed until
March over Covid-19
The Grammy music awards slated
for January 31 in Los Angeles have
been postponed until March over
Covid-19, which has been rapidly
spreading in California.
The Recording Academy
released a statement saying it
rescheduled the show to March 14,
a week earlier than the date briefly
listed on its website.
"The deteriorating COVID
situation in Los Angeles, with
hospital services being
overwhelmed, ICUs having
reached capacity, and new
guidance from state and local
governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our
show was the right thing to do," organizers said. "Nothing is more
important than the health and safety of those in our music
community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on
producing the show." The ceremony's delay comes less than a
month before it was set to take place in the shadow of the
Gauhar Khan refuses
to perform bold
scenes onscreen
could not connect herself to
the roles that were offered to
her. He denied it to her, as she
objected to the bold scenes.
Gauhar says that I am very
clear that I do not have to do
any bold scenes. My job as an
actor is to bring good things to
the audience and justice to the
character I am playing in a
film or web series. Yes, I have
some conditions, especially
with the kind of content that I
am connected to. I will not
cross my lines, that too just to
be part of a web show or film.
Gauhar further adds, "As an
artist, I have to convey my
work very sensibly to the
audience, but there are some
things for me, like bold scenes
and showing myself
glamorous, for which I don't
feel comfortable. In such a
situation, I choose projects
with a lot of thought. "
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata
Hai's 'Naira' will die, will she
re-enter the show?
Neha Kakkar and
Rohanpreet Singh put 'fire' on
the stage of Indian Idol 12,
watching her husband perform
Bhangra, singer, video.
It is known that Gauhar
Khan will soon be seen in Saif
Ali Khan and Dimple
Kapadia's web series
'Tandava'. The audience is
very excited about the release
of this series.
Source : marcheduflims.com
pandemic, which has dealt
devastating blows to the
music industry.
The organization had said
the show set for late January
would be mostly virtual, but
had not released specific
plans.
Beyonce, Dua Lipa, Taylor
Swift and rapper Roddy
Ricch are the top nominees
at the normally star-studded
gala. Comedian Trevor
Noah was set to host the
2021 show, and it wasn't
immediately clear if that was
still the plan. The nominations were rolled out late last year by
stars across the globe speaking via video chat. Other awards
shows, like the Emmys and the Latin Grammys, have been
forced to go partially or fully virtual in light of pandemic
restrictions on large gatherings.
Source : AFP
H o R o s c o p e
ARIes
(March 21 - April 20) : Close
relationships should grow closer today,
and new relationships become close
ones. You're likely to feel extremely warm
and loving toward most of the people you know, and
they should reciprocate that feeling. Romantic
relationships, especially, could grow more intimate
and physical. You like the way you feel, Aries, but want
to express it outwardly through gifts or intimacy.
TAURUs
(April 21 - May 21) : Relations with
family or other members of your
household should be especially warm
now. Mutual goals and shared wins and
losses are likely to bring you closer. Communication
with friends and other acquaintances should be open
and honest without being blunt, Taurus, providing you
with a rewarding day. You probably won't spend much
of your day alone. Make the most of it.
GeMINI
(May 22 - June 21) : You should feel loving
today toward just about anyone you like and
respect. Clear communication with friends, lovers,
and children could enhance your understanding
of them, and vice versa. The bonds in these relationships will be
strengthened, perpetuating the good feelings you've felt all year.
Current bonds grow more devoted, while new ones become close.
Keep the lines of communication open.
cANceR
(June 22 - July 23) : Powerful feelings of
love well up today, particularly toward
family members. Communication between
you and those you love is likely to be
heightened, Cancer, as you learn to speak your mind while
not being too blunt. Romantic matters could thrive now,
as you will be in the mood to physically express your
feelings. Old friends form stronger bonds, while you
discover common interests with new friends.
Leo
(July 24 - Aug. 23): Messages from
close friends expressing their love and
admiration for you may seem to arrive
out of the blue. Your accomplishments
over the past few weeks may have caused them to see
you in a new light. Today you will experience the full
force of their feelings. The doors of communication are
open for you. You could decide to spend the day
getting to know your friends all over again.
VIRGo
(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): You're always one
to face things logically, Virgo, and today you
turn that logic, along with your intuition,
toward reassessing some of your values.
Your judgment is especially acute, so any decisions you
make or any new avenues you want to explore are likely to
be just what you need now. Relations with friends, lovers,
and family should be warm, loving, and close.
LIBRA
(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): You're likely to feel
especially friendly and outgoing today,
Libra. People you meet, particularly
through groups, are likely to be
strongly attracted to you. Friendships,
partnerships, and romantic relationships should
continue to grow closer, enhanced by your high
level of communication. In the evening, go out with
those you love. Your bond will be stronger for it.
scoRpIo
(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): You should be in a
warm and romantic mood today,
Scorpio. You will want to schedule an
intimate evening with your partner,
but you probably won't feel like staying in. You
desire an evening out, perhaps to a restaurant,
concert, or play. Regardless of how you usually feel,
tonight you won't have any reservations about
showing affection in public. Enjoy your evening.
sAGITTARIUs
(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): The mutual exploration of
spiritual and intellectual ideas could bring
you closer to friends and lovers. Fascinating
discussions open new horizons to all
participants. You may be overcome by the strong feeling of
unity. By day's end, you could experience a strong spiritual
longing to study whatever the topic of conversation was.
Don't hesitate. It can only help you grow.
cApRIcoRN
(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): You feel especially sexy
right now. A powerful feeling of love
and a need to physically express it could
be with you all day. If you're involved,
you want to spend a romantic evening with your
lover. If you aren't, you could channel the energy into
creative activities. Romantic novels and movies are
poor substitutes for the real thing, Capricorn, but if
they're all that's available, go for it.
AQUARIUs
(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Close relationships
could lead to a feeling of spiritual unity
today. In fact, Aquarius, you might feel as
if those who share your interests are
actually your family now. If you're involved, expect to
experience warm and passionate feelings toward your
partner. If not, don't be surprised if someone new
comes on the scene. Shared intellectual interests might
be what bring you together.
pIsces
(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Love, sex, and romance
are on your mind today, Pisces, so you will
want to spend as much time as possible with
your lover. You could also grow closer to
your friends, resulting in a powerful feeling of unity. Right
now you have the gift of being able to exercise good
judgment when it comes to values in life. If decisions need
to be made along this line, this is the time to make them.

friDAY, JANUArY 8, 2021
11
Japan declares
virus state of
emergency in
Tokyo region
TOKYO : Japan's government
declared a month-long coronavirus
state of emergency in the
greater Tokyo area on
Thursday as the capital reported
another record surge in daily
infections.
Prime Minister Yoshihide
Suga described a "great sense
of crisis" as he announced the
measure, which begins Friday
and is less strict than the harsh
lockdowns seen elsewhere or
even the country's first virus
emergency last spring, reports
BSS.
It primarily targets restaurants
and bars, which will be
asked to stop serving alcohol by
7 pm and close an hour later.
Suga made a special appeal
to young people to abide by the
requests, saying that more than
half of recent new infections in
greater Tokyo were among the
under-30s.
"Please act… in order to save
precious lives of your parents,
grandfathers, grandmothers
and friends," he said.
In Tokyo and three surrounding
areas that petitioned
the government to make the
move, businesses will also be
urged to maximise teleworking
with the goal of reducing commuter
traffic by 70 percent.
we`ÿ r/Rb- 493(2)/7/1/21
GD- 42/21 (6x3)
we`ÿ r/Rb- 494(2)/7/1/21
GD- 41/21 (6x3)
Analysis: Trump's rage ignites
mob assault on democracy
NEW YORK : The riotous mob that laid siege
to the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday was the
product of the destructive forces that President
Donald Trump has been stirring for years, culminating
in the disruption of a democratic ritual
that would formally end his unconstitutional
bid to stay in power.
The scene that unfolded - pushing through
police barricades, breaking windows, then
occupying seats of power - was one that
Americans are accustomed to watching in distant
lands with authoritarian regimes, reports
UNB.
But the violence, which included gunshots
fired in the Capitol, one death, and an armed
occupation of the Senate floor, was born from
the man who swore an oath to protect the very
democratic traditions that rioters tried to undo
in his name.
The rioters chose to storm the Capitol, a
building symbolic as a citadel of democracy,
and stirred echoes of the the angst and blood of
the Civil War era. Only this time it was instigated
by a duly elected president unwilling to
honor the foundational creed of a peaceful
transfer of power.
"This is an attempted coup d'etat incited by
the President of the United States," said presidential
historian Michael Beschloss. "We are in
an unprecedented moment when a president
who is willing to conspire with mobs to bring
down his own government. This is totally
against the idea of democracy for which the
nation has stood for over two centuries."
The certification of the Electoral College
votes that formalizes President-elect Joe
Biden's victory, a Constitutionally-enshrined
ceremony typically designed to show
American democracy's strength, was disrupted
within hours of Trump's incendiary demand
for action in a speech to his supporters, as he
implored them to "fight" to stop the "steal" of
the election and march on the Capitol.
"After this, we're going to walk down - and I'll
be there with you - we're going to walk down,
we're going to walk down to the Capitol,"
Trump said, "and we're going to cheer on our
brave senators and congressmen and women,
and we're probably not going to be cheering so
much for some of them."
As his presidency enters its final days,
Trump's speech was a valedictory that seethed
with anger, and roused those who took it as a
call to insurrection. Rioters overran and overmatched
Capitol security forces, breaking windows,
stealing mementos and mocking the
institution with photos showing them in seats
of power.
One in the mob seized House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi's dais, another her office. A sea of red
"Make America Great Again" hats stormed
through Statuary Hall, a part of the Capitol
familiar to tourists. One man carried a
Confederate flag under the same rotunda
where Abraham Lincoln - and, just last year,
the congressman and civil rights hero John
Lewis - had lain in state. A noose was photographed
not far from the Capitol's west front.
And the inauguration stand where Biden will
put his hand on a Bible in two weeks was used
by U.S. Capitol Police to fire pepper spray into
the violent crowd.
Few escaped Trump's rage - not even his
most loyal lieutenant, Vice President Mike
Pence, who had, for once, said he could not
honor the president's wishes that he overturn
the electoral vote count because there was no
legal authority for him to do so.
House rejects
objection to Biden's
Arizona win
WASHINGTON : The
House has voted overwhelmingly
to reject an
objection to Presidentelect
Joe Biden's win in
Arizona, joining the
Senate in upholding the
results of the election
there.
The objection failed 303-
121 on Wednesday night,
with only Republicans voting
in support.
Earlier Wednesday, supporters
of President
Donald Trump breached
the U.S. Capitol, forcing a
lockdown of the lawmakers
and staff inside. Trump
has claimed widespread
voter fraud to explain
away his defeat to Biden,
though election officials
have said there wasn't any.
Now that Arizona is out
of the way, Congress will
reconvene as the joint session
and make its way
through the rest of the
states that have objections.
Merkel 'furious'
over Capitol mob,
says Trump
shares blame
BERLIN : German
Chancellor Angela Merkel
said Thursday she was
"furious and saddened" by
the storming of the US
Capitol by supporters of
Donald Trump and said the
president shared blame for
the unrest.
"I deeply regret that
President Trump has not
conceded his defeat, since
November and again yesterday,"
she said.
"Doubts about the election
outcome were stoked
and created the atmosphere
that made the events
of last night possible," she
said, adding that her shock
was certainly shared by the
"millions of people who
admire America's democratic
tradition".
She welcomed a statement
by President-elect
Joe Biden as well as "many
reactions from both major
parties of the US" which
she said reassured her "that
this democracy will prove
to be much stronger than
the attackers and rioters".
She lamented the "tragic"
loss of life in the chaotic
scenes but said the fact that
lawmakers had returned to
work overnight was a "sign
of hope".
LGED's Gayahatta-Barapangasi road inUllaparaupazila is now a tourist spot.
LGED's road in
Ullaparainhabited
Chalan Beelnow a
tourist spot
B a d r u l A l a m D u l a l ,
Sirajganj Correspondent:
LGED's road in
Ullaparaupazila of
Sirajganj, which is inhabited
by Chalan Beel, has
now become a tourist spot.
Mohanpur, Udhunia,
Barapangasi Union of
UllaparaUpazila is located
in Chalan Beelarea. At
present there is extensive
mustard cultivation in the
area.
MP Tanveer Imamof
Sirajganj-4 Ullapara constituency
took initiative to
construct several sub-marginal
roads for implementation
through LGED for
the development of communication
system in the
area.Those roads are
flooded during the monsoon
season. At this time
the people of the area used
the common waterways.
When the road becomes
visible after the monsoon,
the people of the area use
it for nine months of the
year. During the inspection,
it was seen that these
roads are now developed
as tourist spot in the area
surrounded by mustard
fields.
Abdul Basher and
Mojibar of the area said, "I
have come to visit this
road with my children to
enjoy the beauty of the
mustard field in a secluded
environment.
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Friday, Dhaka, January 8, 2021, Poush 24, 1427 BS, Jamadi-ul Awal 23 , 1442 Hijri
RAB earns people’s confidence
and trust : Kamal
GAIBANDHA : Home Minister
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal MP yesterday
said Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)
more known as elite forces of the country
had earned people’s confidence and
trust for wellbeing of the nation.
“Members of the RAB are doing their
works on humanitarian grounds for
destitute people of the country in the
time of natural catastrophe to save them
side by side for maintaining peaceful law
and order situation in the country”, he
also said.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan
Kamal made the comments while
addressing a function on blankets distribution
to the distressed on the ground of
Kanchipara Degree College under
Fulchhari upazila in the district today on
the occasion of RAB Services Week
marking the Mujib year, the birth centenary
of the Father of the nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman.
Local law maker and Deputy Speaker
of the Jatiya Sangshad Advocate Fazle
Rabbi Miah, Whip of the Jatiya
Sangshad Mahabub Ara Begum Gini,
Umme Kulsum Smrity, MP, Director
General of RAB Chowdhury Al Mamun,
Deputy Inspector General of Police,
Rangpur Range Debdash
Bhattacharjwa, Deputy Commissioner
Abdul Matin and Superintendent Of
Police Towhidul Islam addressed the
function while Commanding officer of
RAB-13 Rangpur Reza Ahmed Ferdous
was the moderator.
RAB are also playing significant role to
stop drug trading, root out terrorism
and arrest the criminals and to rescue
the kidnapers across the country, the
minister also said.
As part of their activities, the RAB
arrested a large number of militants and
drug traders, he added.
Members of RAB are also ensuring
safety of all citizens and protecting social
peace on the basis of public participation,
he said adding that they are also
working relentlessly to bring law breakers
to justice and providing protection,
assistance advices and assurance to the
people.
Terming the RAB members as the
elite forces of the country the minister
said the RAB had already achieved
tremendous success in maintaining law
and order situation in the country since
its formation on March 26, 2004 .
At the time of COVID -19 pick hour ,
the country’s economic wheels were also
dynamic as pragmatic measures undertaken
by the government led by Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina, the minister
further added.
Later the minister formally distributed
high quality blankets among 8,000
distressed people of Balashighat and its
surrounding areas as the chief guest.
Large number of RAB members ,
police, political leaders, public representatives
and local elite including the journalists
attended the function.
Genetic mutations brought blossom in this banana tree even though it is in this dire
condition.
Photo: PBA
Probe report in sedition
cases against Mamunul,
Babunagari on Feb 3
DHAKA : A court yesterday fixed
February 3 to submit the probe report
over the sedition cases lodged against
acting secretary general of Bangladesh
Khelafat Majlish Maolana Muhammad
Mamunul Haque, Islami Andalan
Bangladesh nayeb-e-ameer Syed Fazlul
Karim and Hefajat-e-Islam Ameer
Junayed Babunagari, for making antisculpture
remarks..
A case was scheduled to be initiated
today. But the Bureau of Investigation
(PBI) did not file a report.
Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate
Baki Billah set a new date for the submission
of the report, reports BSS.
On December 7, Muktijuddho Monch
central committee president Aminul
Islam Bulbul filed the first case against
the three with the court of Dhaka Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate Satybrata
Shikder.
After recording statement of the plaintiff,
the court ordered deputy inspector
general (DIJ) of PBI to probe the case
and submit the report within January 7.
The plaintiff in the case alleged that
Mamunul at a function in capital's BMA
Bhaban on November 13 had threatened
to lay seize at Shapla Chattar area,
while Syed Fazlul Karim at a separate
program in Dholaikhal area, had called
for jihad to stop construction of
Bangabandhu's sculpture, he even
threatened to throw the sculpture into
Buriganga.
Junayed Babunagari in another program
at Hathazari in Chattogram had
also allegedly threatened to repeat a
Shapla Chattar blockade and tearing
down the sculpture of Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman.
Aminul Islam Bulbul in the case also
alleged that the accused were trying to
incite communal hatred by using the
religion and use this for gaining political
gains.
BNP's efforts to
keep it united is
better: Hasan
DHAKA : Sharply criticizing the comments
of BNP leaders, Information
Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday
said there is no unity in BNP and its
efforts to keep it united is better.
He said earlier, at first, they had tried
to form a big unity with rightists-leftistsextreme
rightists, reactionaries and bigots
against the government in 2018
polls.
"But, the parties which formed
alliance have no unity in their own parties.
BNP has no unity. The unity of the
alliance was broken like glass. As they
(BNP) didn't get any benefit by forming
greater unity, they should try to maintain
their own unity," he said.
The minister made the comments
while replying to queries of newsmen at
the meeting room of his ministry at secretariat
here. Earlier, the minister
unveiled the Muktijoddha Complex in
Ranguniya upazila of Chattogram and
distributed health protection equipments
in the upazila through online.
Hasan said the way in which BNP
leaders have been talking and fighting
over sitting in the front row at the press
conferences over the last few days
showed the signs of great disunity within
the party.
About a comment of BNP leader
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Corona vaccine
issue, the minister said the smock created
over the vaccine in the wake of a misinformation
has already been resolved.
But, BNP, like their previous activities, is
trying to create confusion among the
people, he added.
Testimony against
suspended DIG
Bazlur on Feb 4
DHAKA : A court here today set
February 4 for the testimony against
suspended Deputy Inspector General
(DIG) of Prisons Md Bazlur Rashid in a
case lodged over amassing illegal wealth
of around Taka 3.14 crore.
As no witness was present in the
court, the state appealed for time.
Judge Iqbal Hossain of Dhaka Special
Judge Court-5 passed the order accepting
the time plea.
The court on October 22 had framed
charges against Bazlur Rashid and set
November 22 to start recording deposition
of the prosecution witnesses.
Dhaka Senior Special Judge KM
Imrul Qayesh on September 1 took the
charge-sheet filed in the case into cognizance
and transferred the case to
Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 for further
proceedings. Investigation officer and
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)
deputy director Md Nasir Uddin on
August 26 had filed the charge-sheet.
The DIG was shown arrested on
October 20, 2019, as he along with his
wife appeared at ACC headquarters in
capital’s Segunbagicha in connection
with a case lodged for amassing illegal
wealth of Taka 3.14 crore.
In this age of hyper connectivity, residents of Dhaka's Motijheel area use local boats to
ferry on the waterways. The photo is taken from the backwaters of Bangladesh Bank
Headquarters.
Photo: PBA
Felani killing
Long wait for justice
yet to end
KURIGRAM : They have made their
all-out efforts to get justice despite
their limitations but the long wait of
the parents of Felani is yet to end.
Now despair has gripped the illfated
parents of Felani who was killed
by members of Indian Border Security
Force (BSF) along the Kurigram border
nine years back, reports UNB.
Bangladeshi girl Felani, who used to
work as a domestic help in New Delhi,
was shot to death by the BSF members
along Anantapur border point in
Kurigram district on January 7,
2011while returning home crossing
the barbed-wire fence along with her
father.
Later, BSF troops hanged her body
on the barbed-wire fence along the
border. Felani’s death triggered a
huge global outcry as a picture of her
body, which was hanging from the
barbed-wire upside down, went viral.
The BSF men handed over the body a
day after her killing.
Following widespread criticisms,
BSF started investigation into the incident
and submitted a charge-sheet
against its constable Amiya Ghosh
who shot the girl.
However, a special court constituted
by the BSF had acquitted Amiya
Ghosh of the charge on August 19,
2013. Later, in the wake of widespread
criticism of the acquittal, BSF decided
to revise the murder trial. However,
another judicial court upheld the previous
verdict and acquitted Amiya
Ghosh again on July 2, 2015.
Following this, Felani’s father Nurul
DHAKA : With the aim of reducing system
loss, pilferage and bill arrears,
Bangladesh Power Development Board
(BPDB) will bring 33 lakh consumers
under smart prepaid metering system by
2023.
“We have installed 12,20,947 prepaid
meters out of its total 33 lakh existing consumers,”
an official familiar with the
process told BSS here today.
He said, currently the BPDB runs two
different prepayment metering systemsunified
prepayment metering system
(CTS) and STS (UTS) prepaid metering
system.
Talking to BSS, chairman of BPDB
Engineer Belayet Hossain said installation
process of 5.5 lakh smart prepaid
meters is underway.
“We will bring all consumers under
smart prepaid metering system by the end
of 2023,” he said.
Islam with the help of human rights
organisation Manabadhikar Suraksha
Mancha (Masum) filed a writ petition
with the Supreme Court of India.
Later, Indian Supreme Court bench,
headed by the chief justice, showcaused
several bodies concerned,
including the Home Ministry, in this
regard.
Talking to UNB, Felani’s father, Nur
Islam, said, “I went from door to
doorseeking justice in the last nine
years but yet to get justice. The date of
the trial proceedings deferred several
times. How would I get justice in this
situation?”
The last date of hearing was March
18, 2020, but the hearing did not take
place due to Covid-19 pandemic, he
said.
Jahanara Begum, mother of Felani,
demandedjustice drawing the attention
of the government of the two
countries.
SM Abraham Lincoln, Kurigram
Public Prosecutor, said, “Like
Bangladesh, India also wants justice in
the case but the case lingereddue to
the delay in taking decisions by the
BSF. The hearing on the case deferred
several times. Now virtual hearing is
taking place due to Covid-19.”
“If the authorities concerned take
effective measures to hold virtual
hearing, then the case will be disposed
of soon. Otherwise, the writ petition
hearing will be held after the improvement
in the Covid-19 situation,” he
said. “I hope Felani’s family will get
justice,” he added.
33 lakh consumers to get PDB’s
prepaid meters by 2023
According to BPDB source, the BPDB
installed 11,51,899 smart prepaid meters
under unified CTS prepaid metering system,
of which 11,23,545 single phase and
28,354 three phase prepaid meters.
It said some 69,048 prepaid meters
were installed under STS (UTS prepaid
metering system, of which 67,717 single
phase and 1,331 three phase prepaid
meters have been set up.
The source said the state run organisation
has four distribution zones across the
country, which would be brought under
prepaid metering system in phases.
It said the BPDB has installed prepayment
meters under 67 sales and distribution
zones across the country.
Besides, currently 99 percent people of
the country are getting electricity facility,
as the government led by Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina wants to ensure balanced
electrification development in all places
Country witnesses
tremendous development
in last two years
DHAKA : The country witnessed massive
development activities in the last
two years under the dynamic leadership
of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The government beefed up development
projects, especially the mega ones
like Padma Bridge and metro rail, in line
with its election manifesto, in which it
has pledged to build a middle income
country by 2021 and a developed one by
2041. Remarkable successes of the AL
government in the last two years (2019
and 2020) include:
The construction work of the main
structure of Padma Multipurpose
Bridge has been completed by overcoming
all national and international barriers,
Private television channels began
broadcasting using Bangabandhu
Satellite-1, The 100-year Delta Plan has
been taken to take Bangladesh forward
like the developed world, A total of 35.21
crore textbooks were distributed at free
of cost in 2019 while 35.39 crore textbooks
were distributed in 2020,
Bangladesh's current per capita income
is US$ 2,064, Current life expectancy in
Bangladesh is 72.6 years, At present,
foreign exchange reserves stood at $
42.09 billion, For the first time in the
history of Bangladesh, the government
started giving 2 percent incentive on
remittances, In the year of pandemic,
the flow of remittance was upward
despite steady economic situation due
to COVID-19 pandemic. The expatriate
Bangladeshis sent 20 percent more
remittances in 2020 compared to 2019.
Remittances of US$ 2,174.18 crore
(US$21.74 billion) came to Bangladesh
in 2020, E-passport service has been
launched, At present, the power generation
capacity is 24,421 MW.
across the country.
“The power division has taken the initiative
through all distribution utilities to
implement a prepayment meter system,
with a view to reducing non-technical
losses, increasing revenue collection and
improving customer services,” State
Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral
Resources Nasrul Hamid told BSS.
He said the generation capacity has
reached to 24,421 MW, which was only
4942 MW in 2009.
However, the ministry official said there
were 87 projects under the Annual
Development Programme (ADP) in
2020-2021, of which 34 projects fall on
the high priority list, 26 projects on the
medium priority list and 27 projects on
the low priority list of the finance ministry.
The ADP allocation is Taka 26,546 crore
to implement power sector projects with
efficiency.
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.
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