08-02-2021

monday

DhaKa : February 8, 2021; Magh 25, 1427 BS; Jamadi-us Sani 25,1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; N o.298; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

InternatIonal

Myanmar junta blocks

internet access as coup

protests expand

>Page 7

sports

Djokovic has 'not

much respect' for

Kyrgios off the court

>Page 9

art & culture

Jaya in new web

series 'Chalchitro'

>Page 10

HC acquits all

convicts in

Pirojpur Badal

murder trial

DHAKA : The High Court (HC) on

Sunday acquitted all seven people convicted

by a lower court in a case lodged

over murder of one Badal Sarder in village

Vitabaria under Bhandaria upazila

in Pirojpur in 1998.

A High Court division bench comprising

Justice Krishna Debnath and

Justice ASM Abdul Mobin passed the

order, allowing jail appeals filed by the

convicts.

Jhalakathi District and Sessions

Judge on July 1, 2015, had convicted

and sentenced Sahid Shikdar, Dulal

Sikder, Badal Shikder and Nizam

Shikder to death and Salam Sarder,

Harun Sikder , Minu Sikder alias

Sahadat to life imprisonment in the

case.

"Of these convicts, one was behind

bars during the time the crime was

committed. But one witness in his testimony

implicated him for the crime and

he was convicted based on that deposition.

The High Court has passed its

order considering couple of such

things," defence counsel Sheikh Ali

Ahmed Khokon told BSS.

Badal was hacked to death on

September 1, 1998. His father later filed

the case.

DITF to be held if

Covid-19 situation

improves: Tipu Munshi

DHAKA : Dhaka International Trade

Fair (DIFT), 2021 will be arranged if the

coronavirus situation improves, said

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on

Sunday, , reports UNB.

The Minister came up with the

announcement at a virtual programme

at the secretariat. Chinese Ambassador

to Bangladesh Li Jiming handed over

the Bangladesh-China Friendship

Exhibition Center (BCFEC) to the

Minister virtually at the event.

"A possible date was fixed upon consultation

with the Export Promotion

Bureau(EPB) to arrange the trade fair

and we got primary approval in this

regard.

Then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

asked us to go slow due to the coronavirus

situation. The arrangement of

the trade fair fully depends on the corona

situation," said Munshi.

Although the trade fair was scheduled

to be held at its permanent venue at

Bangladesh-China Friendship

Exhibition Centre (BCFEC) in

Purbachal it is still uncertain when it

will be arranged.

Zohr

05:22 AM

12:18 PM

04:12 PM

05:52 PM

07:07 PM

6:37 5:49

Bangladesh kicks off nationwide

Covid-19 vaccination drive

DHAKA : The government rolled out

a countrywide mass Covid-19 vaccination

drive on Sunday .

Health Minister Zahid Maleque

inaugurated the nationwide inoculation

programme through a video conference

from the Health Directorate.

The vaccine will be administered at

1005 centers across the country.

Some 3.28 lakh people got registered

to receive a shot until 2:30 pm on

February 6, said a handout of

Directorate General of Health Services.

All the preparations, including the

arrangements of equipment and

booths, have been taken across the

country for carrying out the vaccination

drive. Healthcare workers have

been working to implement the vaccination

drive.

The Health Ministry rolled out the

inoculation drive at five government

hospitals in Dhaka on January 28, a

day after Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina inaugurated the Covid-19 vaccination

programme.

On January 27, Prime Minister

Rohingya crisis

Turkey says repatriation

only solution

DHAKA : Turkish Ambassador to

Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan on

Sunday said the only solution to

Rohingya crisis is their repatriation to

their place of origin in Myanmar.

"Turkey always supports

Bangladesh in resolving the Rohingya

problem and will remain in favour of

Bangladesh in the future, too," he said

while meeting Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina at the latter's official residence

Ganobhaban, reports UNB.

The Prime Minister expressed her

gratitude to the Turkish First Lady for

visiting the Rohingya camps in Cox's

Bazar soon after the Myanmar nationals

were forced to take shelters in

Bangladesh, said PM's Assistant Press

Secretary MM Emrul Kayas.

Noting the recent mutual visits of

the foreign ministers of the two countries,

she expressed satisfaction over

the existing bilateral relations and

hoped the ties would get stronger during

his tenure in Bangladesh.

Mustafa Osman who came to

Bangladesh taking his first-ever

assignment as ambassador expressed

his country's desire to increase bilateral

trade between the two countries.

Sheikh launched the Covid-19 vaccination

programme at Kurmitola

General Hospital through a videoconference.

At the inaugural event, five people

were vaccinated in the virtual presence

of the Prime Minister. Runu

Veronica Costa, a senior staff nurse at

Kurmitola General Hospital, was the

first to get the shot in the country.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque has

said 70 lakh doses of the Oxford-

AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine are

currently available in Bangladesh.

"The [Oxford-AstraZeneca] vaccine

is the safest in the world. The treatment

facilities are there in case any

side-effects of vaccination is seen," the

minister said Wednesday.

Bangladesh first received two million

doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca

vaccine from India as a gift and then

imported five million more doses

from the Serum Institute of India

directly.

For getting a shot, people will have

to register on www.surokkha.gov.bd.

He said various trade organisations

and businesspeople have expressed

their desire to invest in Bangladesh.

Mustafa Osman said a Turkish

organisation is going to invest US$

100 million in the LPG sector of

Bangladesh.

A webinar, aiming to boost investment,

was held on January 21 last

between Bangladesh's BIDA and

Turkey's BEIK with Turkey businesspeople

participating in it.

The Turkey envoy expressed his

gratitude for naming an important

avenue of Bangladesh after the name

of former Turkish President Mustafa

Kemal Ataturk.

Sheikh Hasina expressed her satisfaction

knowing the eagerness of

Turkey investors to invest in

Bangladesh and thanked the Turkish

government for repairing the naval

ship of Bangladesh, which was badly

damaged at Beirut blast in Lebanon.

Assuring the Turkish envoy of

extending all-out support during his

stay in Bangladesh and wished his

success and good health.

The Prime Minister also greeted the

Turkish President.

Trial in MC College

gang rape, extortion

cases to run

simultaneously : HC

DHAKA : The High Court (HC) on

Sunday directed the authorities to run

the trial simultaneously in two cases

over the gang rape of a woman and

extortion at MC College in Sylhet,

reports UNB.

The bench of Justice M. Enayetur

Rahim and Justice Md. Mostafizur

Rahman passed the order.

The HC also asked the Sylhet Police

Commissioner to ensure security of the

plaintiff, witnesses and their lawyers.

Advocate Sabrina Jerin and Advocate

M Abdul Kaiyum Liton stood for the

plaintiff while Deputy Attorney General

Sarowar Hossain represented the state.

Advocate M Abdul Kaiyum said

police submitted two separate

chargesheets - one to the Women and

Children Repression Prevention

Tribunal for rape and another to

District Sessions and Judges Court for

extortion.

"We suggested that trial in the two

cases should run simultaneously while

the Women and Children Repression

Prevention Tribunal rejected the appeal

on January 24," he said.

Later, the appeal was filed with the

High Court, Kaiyum said adding that

the HC directed to run the trial in the

cases at the same court.

On Jan 13, A Sylhet Woman and

Child Repression Prevention Tribunal

fixed January 17 for hearing on charge

framing in a case filed over the gangrape

of a woman at MC College.

On the previous day, the tribunal

accepted chargesheet against eight

accused in the case.

On December 3 last, police pressed

charges against eight accused in the

gang rape case.

Police in riot

gear stormed

a rally on

Sunday to

remove

hundreds of

Polytechnic

students who

were staging

the rally to

meet various

demands.

Photo : Star Mail

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary and Road Transport and

Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader

on Sunday issued a note of warning

to BNP, saying that none of the

party's wrongdoings would be left

unchallenged, reports BSS.

"BNP will not

get any benefit by

giving a threat of

movement to

Awami League

which reached

today's position

by waging movements

and struggles

on streets

and faced repression,

harassment

and imprisonment,"

he told a

press conference

on contemporary

issues at his official

residence here.

Quader said defeated leaders of BNP

who failed in both elections and movements

are now out to create a chaotic

situation in the country in the name of

political programme.

BNP's evil attempts will not succeed

as the party will not get any support of

Women's security

The muchawaited

coronavirus

(COVID-19)

vaccination

campaign

began on

Sunday across

the country.

The picture

was taken

from Khulna.

Photo : Star Mail

BNP's wrongdoings won't

go unchallenged: Quader

DHAKA : Bangladesh has its full commitment

to the Women Peace and

Security (WPS) agenda as a role model

of women empowerment, said Foreign

Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.

"The government of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina has been working tirelessly

to realise the inherent potentials of

women and girls for the overall development

of Bangladesh," he said on

Sunday, reports UNB.

As Bangladesh remains in the cusp of

graduation into a middle-income country,

Dr Momen said they remain firmly

committed to engaging women equally

in all spheres of national life.

The Foreign Minister was virtually

addressing the event celebrating 20

Years of UN Security Council Resolution

"Women, Peace and Security:

Championing women's role, achievements

and way forward" jointly organised

by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

and UN Women.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin

Momen, Senior Secretary, Ministry of

Women and Children Affairs Kazi

Rowshan Akhter, Principal Staff Officer

of AFD, Lt Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman, UN

Resident Coordinator Mia Seppo also

joined the event.

Dr Momen said the violence and trauma

that women suffered during

the people, he said, questioning what

will be the benefit of the people to hear

the story of failures of defeated candidates.

The AL general secretary said BNP

leaders do not have their own remarks

rather they readout the messages sent

from the bank of the Tames river

(London) as like as parrots.

Terming BNP's Nayapaltan office as

a factory of creating rumors, Quader

said Nayapaltan office's propaganda

and misinformation have created a

wall of mistrust among the BNP leaders

in reality.

BD fully committed to WPS agenda

Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971

have a lasting footprint in Bangladesh's

national psychology.

"The painful experience demonstrated

how women suffer during conflicts," he

said adding that it also taught how women

can contribute to the recovery and reconstruction

in the post-conflict situation.

Recognising the important role and

contribution of women "war heroes"

immediately after the independence

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman included

women in rebuilding the country, he

said adding, "From that perspective, we

could establish a clear co-relation

between women, peace and security."

Dr Momen said adoption of 1325

opened a much-awaited door of opportunity

for women who have shown time and

again that they bring a qualitative

improvement in structuring peace and in

post-conflict architecture.

"Since then, women, peace and security

agenda has become our national priority.

With a visionary woman leader at the

helm, our predominant focus has been to

ensure the development and eventual

empowerment of women," he said.

Dr Momen said Bangladesh has pioneered

in women's peacekeeping and sent

over 1,900 women in various peacekeeping

missions, including difficult ones.

MonDAY, feBruArY 8, 2021

2

Intruders steal

gold, cash from

Dhanmondi

DHAKA : A number of

masked intruders took away

gold ornaments and cash

from a total of 3 shops including

a gold jewelry at the first

floor of Rapa Plaza in the city's

Dhanmondi area in the early

hours of Sunday, police said.

The shops are- Rajlaxmi

Jewelers, Gentle Park and

Monsoon Rain.

"The theft took place

between 2am to 3am. We

found the grills of the ladies

toilet beside the gold shop

broken", Dhanmondi Thana

Officer-In-charge (OC) Md

Ikram Ali Mia told BSS.

Dhanmondi Thana Duty

Officer (SI) Krishna Kamal

Roy said, on information,

police visited the spot.

Police are already investigating

the case with due

importance. Filing of a case in

this regard is underway, the

official added.

According to the owner of

'Rajlaxmi Jewelers' around

500-700 bhori gold jewelries

kept on the display shelves

were stolen.

Five women to get

best joyeeta awards

in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI : Five women will get five best

joyeeta awards in Rajshahi divisional level

here on Tuesday.

They will be given the awards formally at

a function at Shilpakala Academy auditorium.

This was revealed at a press briefing held

at the conference hall of the Divisional

Commissioner's office today.

A total of 40 women, five each from eight

districts in the division, were nominated

preliminary for the joyeeta reception.

Of them, ten were nominated for the divisional

level and five best will be nominated

finally among them in five different categories

like economics, education and

employment, successful mother, prevention

of repression and social development

sectors.

The top five will be given certificates,

crest, rapper and Taka 25,000 each while

35 others certificates, crest and Taka 5,000

each.

The press conference was told that State

Minister for Women and Children Affairs

Fazilatunnesa Indira is likely to address the

reception-giving ceremony virtually as the

chief guest.

Additional Divisional Commissioner

Jakir Hossain, Divisional Director of Local

Government Division Ziaul Haque and

Deputy Director of Department of Women

Affairs Shobnom Shirin addressed the

press conference.

Jakir Hossain said the government has

taken various initiatives to create a womenfriendly

atmosphere in the country so that

they can play an important role for the

country's socioeconomic development.

Bangladesh has achieved tremendous

success in women's development and

empowerment to become a model in the

world. The womenfolk have proved their

abilities, expertise and efficiency in every

field of our national life.

The Joyeeta award will encourage women

to face various challenges more confidently

and become role models for society.

Joyeeta Onneshone Bangladesh - an initiative

introduced in 2013-14 financial year

by the government - has had a tremendous

impact on the society.

US trade gap soars in 2020

amid pandemic disruptions

WASHINGTON: The US trade deficit surged in 2020 to its highest

level since 2008, the government reported Friday, in the pandemic-roiled

year that upended the global economy, reports

BSS.

Business shutdowns and global shipping disruptions caused

by Covid-19 were a major factor for most of last year, leading to

the largest trade gap since the start of the global financial crisis,

according to Commerce Department data.

And even as activity began to pick up, exports lagged and services

continued to suffer, while the easing of US pandemic restrictions

fueled a rebound in imports.

The total US trade deficit in goods and services surged, adding

$102 billion to the 2019 total to reach $678.7 billion, as exports

fell more than imports, according to the data.

"Still-weak global demand and travel restrictions will keep

trade subdued in the near term, with total exports clearly lagging

imports," said James Watson of Oxford Economics.

The report showed exports of goods and services fell by nearly

$400 billion to $2.1 trillion last year, while imports fell just under

$300 billion to $2.8 trillion.

Weak net exports subtracted from GDP growth last year, and

economists caution it could get worse before it gets better, especially

since services like travel and hotels may be the last to

improve.

"Restrictions are being relaxed in the US, which will likely provide

further support to imports, but ongoing lockdowns across

Europe could weigh on export demand in the near term," said

Rubeela Farooqi of High Frequency Economics.

In the most fraught US trade relationship under former president

Donald Trump, the gap with China in goods trade alone

narrowed by $34.4 billion to $310.8 billion last year, on a modest

gain in exports and a small decline in imports, the data

showed. Trump promised his "America First" focus on domestic

industry and aggressive trade policies and high tariffs on allies

and rivals alike would boost sales of American-made products,

but the total trade gap increased every year he was in office with

the exception of 2019.

Bangladesh Krishak League brought out a procession yesterday welcoming Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina for early arrangement of Coronavirus vaccine.

Photo : TBT

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MOnDAY, feBrUArY 8, 2021

3

On the occasion of Mujib Borhso, a webinar titled 'Bangabandhu's Gender and Development

Thought' was organized by the Department of Women and Gender Studies of Dhaka University on

Sunday. Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Md. Akhtaruzzaman was attached as the chief guest

at the webinar.

Photo : Courtesy

Polytechnic

students blocked

Shahbagh square

on 4 points

movement

DU CORRESPONDENT

Demanding four points

including shortening

syllabus Polytechnic

students have blocked the

Shahbagh square of capital.

Police detained five

polytechnic students during

the agitation by blocking

Shahbagh square and take

them to the custody.

The police asked to leave.

But we did don't obey, they

are removed by charging

with sticks. Police arrested at

least five people at the time.

Among them are Limon and

Jannatul Ferdous who were

leading the movement.

Mizanur Rahman, a student

of the National Institute of

Engineering and

Technology, has confirmed

this matter.

The protest took place at 11

a.m. on Sunday. It was

attended by students from

different educational

institutions across the

country. At this time

Shahbagh became agitated

with the slogans of the

students.

During the protest, the

students said, "Everything in

the country has been

jeopardized in Corona, we

are in great confusion.

Additional fees should be

postponed for this year and

semester fees will be

reduced. Seats in different

technology universities need

to be increased. During this

time they demanded for

auto-pass or shortening the

syllabus.

Earlier, on February 3,

polytechnic students staged

a human chain and

demonstration in front of

district press clubs across

the country demanding

these four points.

55 Supreme Court

judges including CJ

receive COVID-19

vaccine

DHAKA : Chief Justice Syed

Mahmud Hossain and 54

other judges of both

Appellate and High Court

Divisions of the Supreme

Court yesterday received

their first dose of the

COVID-19 vaccine on the

first day of the nationwide

vaccination programme .

"Seven Appellate Division

judges and 48 Judges from

High Court Division

received their vaccines

today," Supreme Court

spokesperson Mohammad

Saifur Rahman told BSS.

Of the judges, Chief

Justice Syed Mahmud

Hossain received the vaccine

at the Shaheed Suhrawardy

Medical College Hospital in

the capital, while the other

54 judges were vaccinated at

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Medical University

(BSMMU) Hospital.

Daffodil Education Network

organizes Virtual Admission Fair

The four-day (February 3-6) virtual

admission fair 'Edugate', held for the first

time in Bangladesh, has been ended

successfully on February 6, 2021. Daffodil

Education Network has organized this fair

and it was inaugurated by Dr. Md. Murad

Hasan, MP, State Minister, Ministry of

Information on February 3, 2021. Dr. Md.

Sabur Khan, Chairman, Daffodil Family,

Prof. Dr. SM M Mahbub Ul Haque

Majumder, Acting Vice Chancellor,

Mohammad Nuruzzaman, CEO, Daffodil

Family also attended the program, a press

release said.

Dr. Shaikh Muhammad Allayear, Associate

Professor and Head, Department of

Multimedia & Creative Technology and

Convener of 'Edugate' informed that the fair

was organized to aiming to introduce the

students with inventions and innovative

teaching learning opportunities during

Corona and post-coronary 'neonarmal'

situations. The fair was attended by 31

organizations including branches of 20

educational institutions belonging to the

Daffodil Education Network comprising of

educational institutions of the Daffodil

family. The fair, which was held on a virtual

platform, and held daily from 10 am to 5 pm.

The virtual platform was developed by

Spiralworldbiz.com

Malaysia

andimplemented by Department of

Multimedia and Creative Technology of

Daffodil International University.

The career partner of the fair was Skill.Jobs

and Career Development Center and the

seminar partner was Human Resource

Development Institute (HRDI) and the event

partner was Spiralworld.biz, Malaysia.

During the corona period, the visitors got

opportunity to know the details about

admission process of all educational

institutes of Daffodil Family as well as other

institutes. From the 'Virtual Educate

Admission Fair', visitor has enjoyed all the

facilities and comforts rather than from

attending in physically. On the other hand,

educational institutions have set up virtual

stalls to provide information about their

quality and service to the interested students

through virtual interactions with them. In

addition, various seminars, symposiums,

workshops and plenary sessions also been

held virtually in this admission fair.

Varatia Parishad-Khilgaon thana committee organized a human chain program

demanding free coronavirus vaccine for Varatias.

Photo : Courtesy

40th BCS examinees demand

reevaluation of written test

DHAKA : A group of examinees, appeared in

the written test of 40th Bangladesh Civil

Service (BCS), demanded re-evaluation of

the result as a significant number of students

who passed two or three times in previous

exams, did not pass this time.

"The collapse, we think, must have

occurred due to OMR, overlapping or other

technical mistake because without such a

mistake such collapse is not possible. So, we

want reevaluation of the result immediately",

an examinee, Jobaer Ahmed, told a press

conference at Dhaka University Journalist

Association (DUJA) Sunday afternoon.

From the press conference, the job seekers

also gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the

concerned authority to respond to them and

threatened to go for a hunger strike

otherwise.

"I was astonished and I still cannot believe

that I did not pass the exam whereas I was

expecting a very good result as I did quite

well in the exam and had enough

confidence", said Saidul Khan, an examinee

who was recommended three times for Noncadre

and expecting for cadre this time.

"Same things happened to around one

thousand examinees as some of my close

contacts, who expected 570 or more number

in the test based on their paper and previous

experience, did not even get the pass marks

(450) this time," he added.

Another astonishing thing is that the

Public Service Commission (PSC) evaluated

8,000 exam papers within 10 to 12 days

while they took one year to evaluate 21,000

papers, said Saidul, adding: "We came to

know through some sources that some

Assistant Directors and Deputy Directors

evaluated the papers instead of professors."

Around one hundred job seekers took part

in the press conference.

Earlier, they held a sit in program in front

of Bangladesh Public Service Commission

(PSC) from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Sunday

to press home their demand.

On January 27, PSC published the result

where a total of 10,964 candidates could

manage to obtain the pass marks in the

written test of the 40th BCS.

Twenty thousand and 26 candidates took

part in the written test after passing the

preliminary test held on May 3, 2019,

participated by 3 lakh 26 thousand

candidates while 4 lakh 12 thousand 532

candidates applied for it.

Al Jazeera report is politically

motivated, biased: Editors' Guild

DHAKA : The Editors' Guild of Bangladesh

on Sunday termed the Al Jazeera's

documentary titled "All the Prime

Minister's Men" as an example of "bad

journalism", saying that it violated

journalistic ethics in many ways and was

politically motivated and biased.

"Though the entire documentary was

made centering a family, the title was "All

the Prime Minister's Men," said a

statement signed by Editors' Guild

President Mozammel Babu yesterday.

The Editors' Guild, an association

formed to protect editorial freedom and

promote responsible journalism in the

country, said that the documentary was

titled "All the Prime Minister's Men"

without any evidence mentioning

allegations published earlier by different

media, which is "bad journalism".

The documentary which is politically

motivated and biased can never be an

example of investigative journalism, the

Editors' Guild observed.

"The documentary is based on some

informal talks. No acceptable evidence was

Rezaul urges all

to receive vaccine

without fear

DHAKA : Fisheries and

Livestock Minister SM

Rezaul Karim, MP,

yesterday urged the

countrymen not to being

confused with the negative

publicity, done by various

vested-quarters, over the

COVID-19 vaccine.

"People should not be

confused with the issue of

the COVID-19 vaccine as

these vaccines have been

disseminated to the rural

areas including cities across

the country amid the

pandemic to ensure public

health-safety," he said.

The minister made the call

while exchanging views with

reporters after taking the

first dose of coronavirus

(COVID-19) vaccine at

Sheikh Russel National

Gastroliver Institute and

Hospital in city's Mohakhali

area.

He added that over 120

states across the globe are

still unable to receive these

vaccines but Bangladesh has

been able to receive the

vaccines in the quickest

possible time for the

diplomatic success and

prudent management of

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina during the crisis on

earth.

Highlighting that some

dishonest individuals are

showing baseless fear about

the vaccine alongside

expressing insecurity about

the unavailability of getting

the vaccine in the right time,

he urged everyone not to

worry about these issues.

He called upon all to avoid

all concerned propaganda

and rumors over the

COVID-19 vaccine and take

the vaccines without any

fear and confusion

maintaining proper health

guidelines as receiving

vaccines is a time-befitting

step in the very recent time.

College student

stabbed dead

by 'friends' at

Savar

SAVAR : A college student

was stabbed to death by his

'friends' allegedly over a love

affair near Bank Colony

mosque at Savar on

Saturday night, reports BSS.

The deceased was

identified as Rohan,17, son

of Abdus Sobhan of

municipality area and a

student of Savar College.

Rohan's cousin Limon

alleged that Rohan had an

affair with a girl who was

often stalked by his friends

and Hridoy, a resident of the

municipality area, gave him

death threat over the matter.

Quoting witnesses, Savar

Model Police station

inspector Al Amin said when

Rohan went to a tea stall in

the area his friends stabbed

him around 9 pm.

presented to prove that," the statement

said.

Millions of Euros, according to the

documentary, were invested in Hungary

and France, but no source of the fund was

shown in that, it said, adding, "There were

only verbal statements about money

transactions to help get government

projects. Al Jazeera could not show any

official statements of the European Union

or countries concerned in support of those

allegations".

The original copy of email threatening

Sami with life was not shown in the

documentary, which made the credibility

of reported threat questionable, the

Editors' Guild pointed out.

The Editors' Guild also questioned the

acceptability of the report as it did not have

statements from the governments of the

countries - Hungary, France and Malaysia

- where the people were shown to have

travelled with forged documents, passports

and laundered money.

The footage shown in the documentary

was captured with hidden camera, which

Cooking Workshop with Professional

Chef Arranged by DPS STS School Dhaka

DPS STS School Dhaka has recently

organized a unique workshop on cooking for

their students and parents. The muchanticipated

online workshopwas titled 'DPS

STS Batter & Bake Workshop with Ms.

Urvashi Jain!'.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19

pandemic, DPS STS has been actively

exploring alternative methods to directlearningin

classrooms so that the growth of

the students remains unhampered. A

plethora of webinars and online workshops,

on various aspects of distant-learning and

self-development, have already improved

the DPS STS students' and guardians'

educational experience. Under the

supervision of certified professional baker

and pastry chef, Ms. Urvashi Jain from

India, thelatest workshop saw enthusiastic

participation of students and parents who

DPS STS School Dhaka has recently organized a unique workshop on

cooking for their students and parents. The much-anticipated online

workshopwas titled 'DPS STS Batter & Bake Workshop with Urvashi

Jain!'.

Photo : Courtesy

Dr Zafrullah receives vaccine, urges all to take

DHAKA : Receiving the vaccine on the first

day of Covid-19 mass vaccination drive,

Gonoshasthya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah

Chowdhury on Sunday urged all to take it

without fear. Dr Zafrullah, also a freedom

fighter, was vaccinated at Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU)

around 1:15pm, reports UNB.

Later, talking to reporters, he said, "I'm

fine. There's no reason to get panicked. I urge

the country's people to get vaccinated

whenever your date comes. It's your duty to

receive the vaccine." Zafrullah called upon

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to receive the

vaccine soon to encourage people to follow

suit. "Many people have been vaccinated.

Had the Prime Minister taken the vaccine

should not be done by a standard media

outlet, the Editors' Guild said, adding, "The

documentary goes against journalistic

norms as there were no statements of the

accused shown in it".

"The Editors' Guild thinks that Al

Jazeera's comments-they (accused) were

contacted but could not be reached for

comments-were unacceptable after their

two-year-long investigation," it said.

Purchasing spyware is a government

policy but the documentary showed no

evidence of it being purchased from an

Israeli company, the statement said,

adding that the documentary cunningly

showed a blurred image of supposedly

Israeli officials, saying they did not want to

be named. The statement said, "One of the

interviewees in the hour-long

documentary was punished by a

Bangladeshi court."

The Editors' Guild welcomes any report

or programme that is made based on

evidence. But a motivated report hampers

democracy and journalism as well, the

statement added.

are passionate about the culinary arts. Many

baking tips and tricks, along with a special

cheese cake recipe, were presented to the

attendees during the workshop. The

workshop also came as an occasion for

students and guardians to engross

themselves in more engaging

communications amidst the proximity

restrictions, a press release said

Madhu Wal, Principalof DPS STS School

Dhaka states, "Cooking is one of the most

exciting things to experiment with for the

kids; besides, you have everything you need

to play with right at your kitchen! We are

very glad to see how our students have

enjoyed the workshop thoroughly. It came as

a break for many of them from their long,

monotonous homebound routines. We are

also thankful to Ms. Urvashi Jain for her

warm and vibrant presence all the while".

Every village to be turned

into towns: Palak

NATORE : State Minister for Information and Communication Technologies Zunaid Ahmed

Palak on Sunday said with implementation of the 'Amar Gram Amar Shohor' project, the

government is working to turn villages into towns.

"Through the 'Amar Gram Amar Shohor' project, we will make our villages into cities with

ensuring urban facilities," he told a blanket distribution function here.

He also laid the foundation stone of Khirpota High School building in Singra Upazila.

Palak said the present government has taken up the 'Amar Gram- Amar Shohar' project

aimed at ensuring all urban facilities for rural people to give them a better life.

He said all civic amenities of urban areas would be made available for rural people. The

urban facilities include access to electricity, expansion of trade and business, development of

all modes of communication, pure drinking water, healthcare facilities and coverage of

Internet and technology based communication.

today, the people of the country would have

gotten more confidence in the vaccine," he

observed.

Zafrullah said BNP leaders and activists

also should receive the vaccine since they

have to run here and there in the field. "They

(BNP leaders and activists) have to remain fit

and healthy, if they want to wage a

movement." He, however, said Khaleda Zia

should receive it taking doctors' advice since

she has many health complications and

arthritic problems.

The freedom fighter urged the government

to take necessary steps so that common

people, including rickshaw-pullers,

shopkeepers, domestic helps and daylabourers,

get the vaccine.

MONDAY, FeBRUARY 8, 2021

4

The murder of Tripoli - and attempted murder of Lebanon

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Monday, February 8, 2021

PM moving forward

undaunted against

corruption

We have been observing with great satisfaction the

crackdown that was initiated from last March

with actions against casino operators. Gradually,

the crackdown spread into other sectors as well. But at that

time, overthinking and undue pessimism was noted in

some quarters that the crackdown would soon peter out

and all would be business as usual. But blissfully the

juggernaut against crime and corruption launched from the

highest level of power in the country has only grown

stronger and stronger.

Day after day the dragnet against the czars of corruption,

fraud, illegal amassing of wealth, bribery, misuse of official

power, etc. has ben rolling on sparing nobody. Most

importantly, the drive has shaken off attempts at influence

peddling in favour of identified guilty ones notwithstanding

their political connections or profiles. Indeed, in the entire

history of Bangladesh there is no record of a government

moving so undauntingly or fearlessly against members of its

own political party such as the present anti crime and anti

corruption drive under the leadership of Prime Minister

(PM) Sheikh Hasina.

Indeed, people of the country are one in hoping that no

power will be able to prevent the PM from staying the course

all the way. The same have only reaffirmed the reality that in

Bangladesh today nobody is the above the law and the arm

of the law will grab any one otherwise wrongfully perceived

as untouchable.

While deeply appreciating this fact, there is one aspect to

which the people expect their government's attention must

be directed fully. This is their keen expectation that not only

the sultans of crime and corruption be caught with their

arrests and starting of cases against them. People expect that

simultaneously the arrested ones or their family members

must not be allowed to use their illegally amassed wealth in

the slightest to cover up their misdeeds or to go on enjoying

their ill gotten wealth in other ways. We have seen very

recently initiatives taken by a specialised agency of the

government to freeze the bank accounts of certain crime

lords and their family members. But we believe that such

initiatives must not be limited to tokenism only.

For example, the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has

started a case against a delinquent and murderer in the

police service, one former OC Pradeep on charges of owning

a mere 4 crore Taka in excess of his declared sources of

income. But realistically and according to fair media reports

he indirectly owns properties worth hundreds of crores of

Taka not to speak of hundreds of crores he money

laundered into other countries to be stashed away in secret

accounts or for buying real estate. People want that ACC

should start investigating all such monies and properties in

entirety , gained through crime and corruption and lay claim

to these or make any further sale or use of such properties

by them, impossible.

Media has reported credibly on the great corruption

indulged in by the so called managing director of as non bank

financial institutions. (DFIs). He allegedly misappropriated

thousands of crores of Taka in this manner from other DFIs

and laundered them abroad to buy properties and other

assets. This man is currently living comfortably in Canada

and the hands of the law cannot reach him there.

Our point is : should our legal process be limited to only

starting or investigating cases against them ? Or should we

feel a smug satisfaction that some of them could be arrested

? No, certainly not. There would be people's satisfaction and

appreciation from only knowing that these nabobs of

corruption and crime will never be in a position to enjoy or

use their ill gotten wealth again, even partly.

Government's relevant agencies and the Central Bank

must track down each and every secret or open bank account

of such individuals within the country and freeze them

instantly. All out efforts must be made in collaboration with

foreign governments and authorities to bring back to

Bangladesh the monies and values of properties of these

persons in foreign territories. The same would then be

deposited in our public treasury for spending as deemed fit

by our government. No leniency should be tolerated in the

process. Any effort to help the accused in these matters from

bribery and other means, also will have to be sternly

investigated, prevented and punished. Of course the accused

may be allowed to spend with official permission only

reasonable amounts from the seized or frozen funds to pay

for their allowable legal expenses and family maintenance.

But the seized amounts of cash and properties to remain on

settlement of the cases against them, the same must be

deposited in the public exchequer for spending on country's

development activities and projects for the welfare of

common people. We believe that doing such things, fully and

successfully, will earn for the government of the day in

Bangladesh sky high recognition for a good deed done and

lasting support from the rank and file of the people.

We also call on the governments and people of those

countries which are proving to be shelter givers of the crime

lords of our country to wake up to their responsibilities.

These front rank countries of the world are regarded as so for

their achievements in so many things. But such profiles are

likely to be tarnished soon as more and more people in

developing countries like ours find out that the

administrations and certain people in these countries do not

mind complicity with law dodgers in our country for

pecuniary gains. So, it needs to be wake up time for the

authorities in those countries as well.

Lebanese citizens no longer have jobs

to go to. Instead they attend

funerals - for the victims of political

assassinations, COVID-19 deaths,

suicides, malnourished children, victims

of state negligence, and those who simply

lost the will to live.

With each passing day there is an

inferno of new tragedies for a nation that

would be flourishing if not for the corrupt

criminals who have destroyed Lebanon in

pursuit of their own interests, while an

uncaring world scarcely pretends to pay

attention.

I was shocked to the core by media

reports from my home city of Tripoli

about a man who offered his three-yearold

daughter to the Red Cross because he

lacked the financial means to keep her

alive, before local benefactors stepped in

to help his family. Then there was the

footage of young men in floods of tears as

they explained that they had emerged to

protest because of their inability to feed

their children. These painful guestures of

humiliated desperation from Tripoli, a

city that has been systematically

marginalized for too many decades, were

almost too painful to watch.

People in Tripoli today are starving -

and I use this word in its literal sense.

Many have gone an entire year without

any stable source of income. Youth

unemployment is nearly universal.

Education, healthcare, welfare and

municipal services are on their knees.

Respectable families send their children

out begging and selling products on the

streets. We can never condone violence,

THE Indian farmers have been

protesting for months now in

Delhi's vicinity against legislation

they view as anti-farmer and detrimental

to the country's agriculture. The protest

and the Indian government's response to

it is being watched with interest in

Pakistan. The mainstream media may not

have accorded it much coverage, but its

portrayal on social media has a certain

'Modi had it coming' feel to it.

Some songs, mostly in Punjabi, have

also started doing the rounds with lyrics

bordering on incitement. One song

actually offers the 'farmer brothers' to

borrow 'equipment' that we on this side of

the border have a surplus of. At this point,

the visuals of the song cut to a car trunk

full of weapons. Not sure if these are just

some young artists striking out on their

own or if the 'Burnol' brigade is at it again.

While it is alright to feel empathy with

the Indian farmers and derive satisfaction

at the Indian government's discomfiture,

would it not be more useful to learn from

their follies and figure out how we in

Pakistan can handle the same issues of

agriculture 'reform', because it is just a

matter of time before we are in a similar

quandary?

So, what is it that hundreds of

thousands of Indian farmers are

protesting against? A legislation

introduced by the government. But what

is it about? In a nutshell, among other

things, the Indian government wants to

do away with what is called the 'support

Tractors at the gate

price' mechanism. For the uninitiated, all

it means is that in order to encourage the

farming community to continue to

produce essential crops, ie staple food

such as wheat or cash crops like cotton

and sugarcane, governments, prior to the

sowing season, announce a 'support price'

at which they guarantee to buy these crops

from the farmers.

It would be useful to learn from the

follies of the other side.

Ideally, this should set the minimum

price, and theoretically, the farmer is free

SHAHzAD SHARjeeL

RIcHARD L. KINg

to sell it to anyone in the open market at a

higher price. However, this is not how it

works, and the proponents of the free

market deem it as 'interference' with the

market mechanism. They would have us

believe that we end up paying higher

prices for wheat flour or sugar because the

'support price' does not abide by the

demand-and-supply rule and is a political

gimmick to keep the rural vote bank

happy. Read: Why are Indian farmers

protesting, and what can Modi do?

It is also argued that if you let the 'selfcorrecting'

market mechanisms work, it

would be a win-win situation for

everyone. How, you may ask? Well, when

you have surplus export, and the world

lines up to buy from you because your

prices are internationally competitive,

sans the support price of course; in a lean

year you make up for the shortages by

importing from countries at competitive

prices because the globalised economy is

forcing everyone to play by the same rules

of non-interference in the market.

Wish all of this was as simple and true.

We have all just recently witnessed how

our government first allowed wheat to be

exported, only to wake up to the fact that

we did not have sufficient stocks to meet

our own need and then imported it at a

higher price. The same with sugar.

Secondly, let us suppose that the Indian

government succeeds in finding some

middle ground with its farmers and the

country does away with subsidies etc. In a

lean year, would we ever consider

importing wheat from India because it

involves fewer logistics and will be

cheaper? The answer is no because they

won't play cricket with us until we stop

bringing up Kashmir, and we will not buy

even the Covid vaccine from them till we

have Kashmir - do the two sides care for

what the Kash miris want? Selfcorrec

ting markets are supposed to be a

win-win for everyone, but some like to not

just win but also annihilate. They make a

killing when the cabinet approves export

and another when it approves imports

from the farthest possible destination.

Coming back to the farmers' protest in

India and why it is a matter of when not if

we will have our very own peasants'

uprising across the country, just pick up

any loan agreement with any of the IFIs

that has to do with agriculture or

productivity reforms. We are legally

bound to do away with the support price

mechanisms and subsidies.

Actually, we are already in violation of

many such agreements and the IFIs

continue to release loan tranches by

misleading their boards who in turn play

along to 'contain' the Chinese influence.

The world may one day decide to learn

from our prime minister and refuse to be

'blackmailed' and insist we undertake the

reforms against which we have taken

loans. The farmers would then protest,

only the boot will be on the other foot and

our ministers would scamper to find the

'foreign hand'.

Source: Dawn

Abe's invitation to speak to Joint Session of US Congress is a mistake

In a few days, Prime Minister of Japan

Shinzo Abe will be arriving in the U.S.

on a state visit. He has been invited to

speak to a Joint Session of Congress, a

rare honor that should not be accorded to

a Japanese prime minister of a nation

that has not reconciled itself to its past.

Instead, under Abe, it is rewriting and

white washing Japanese history -

particularly during World War II. This

attempt to minimize Japanese atrocities

committed during the war dishonors the

sacrifice of our brave men and women

who sacrificed their lives to liberate

millions from Japanese oppression.

In many nations it is a crime to deny the

European Holocaust that exterminated

six million Jews. On the other side of the

world during World War II, the Asian

Holocaust perpetrated by the Japanese

led to the slaughter of more than 20

million Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese,

Malaysians, Singaporeans and

Indonesians. Recent Japanese textbooks

denied the massacre of upward of

300,000 Chinese in the Rape of Nanking

one of the worst atrocities in human

history. What the textbook calls a mere

"Incident" was chronicled by late San

Francisco Bay area author Iris Chang,

such as rioting and attacks on public and

private buildings, but in Tripoli we have

reached a point at which broken citizens

feel they can manifest their anger only

through such desperate measures.

Hezbollah's constellation of media outlets

and mouthpieces exploited these acts to

discredit the people of Tripoli, with

disgusting accusations that protesters are

associated with Daesh and other shadowy

forces. After the Beirut port explosion six

months ago, Tripoli - at least temporarily

- became Lebanon's principal maritime

entry point. However, as a result of

endemic corruption, incompetence and

inaction, there has been a failure to pump

in the necessary infrastructural

investment that would allow the city to

properly fulfil this role.

There are suspicions that certain

political forces actively blocked such

investments, not wanting Tripoli to

escape its chronic marginalization. For

decades citizens were fed empty promises

that nonexistent investments in the port

would fuel an economic boom, but

Tripoli's own representatives failed the

While it is alright to feel empathy with the Indian farmers

and derive satisfaction at the Indian government's discomfiture,

would it not be more useful to learn from their

follies and figure out how we in Pakistan can handle the

same issues of agriculture 'reform', because it is just a

matter of time before we are in a similar quandary?

who laid out the torture, rape and murder

of innocent civilians in such horrific detail

that it is said to have had a role in Chang's

taking her own life. Japan under Abe is

denying history instead of atoning for its

actions.

Abe has rejected the incontrovertible

fact of the Japanese enslavement during

World War II of hundreds of thousands of

women as sex slaves, most of them from

Korea. In March 2007, in response to a

United States Congress resolution by

Silicon Valley-based congressman, Mike

Honda, a Japanese-American, Abe denied

any government coercion in the

recruitment of "comfort women." This is

in line with a statement Abe made almost

ten years before on the same issue, in

which he voiced his opposition to the

inclusion of the subject of military

prostitution in several school textbooks.

He denied any coercion in the "narrow"

sense of the word. Force, explicit and

implicit, was used in recruiting these

women. What went on was serial rape,

not prostitution. The Japanese army's

involvement is documented in its own

defense files.

Japan performed medical experiments

on live ordinary civilians and POWs alike

BARIA ALAMUDDIN

city at every turn. Meanwhile there are

accumulating indicators of Turkish

ambitions to wield influence in Tripoli.

Although this is nothing new, the latest

round of Turkish attention follows the

Beirut explosion, including high-level

delegations and various Turkish NGOs

stepping up their welfare activities.

Opinions differ between those who

predict a new age of Turkish hegemony

for northern Lebanon, and skeptics who

doubt the competence of Turkish

diplomats to turn their ambitions into

After the Beirut port explosion six months ago, Tripoli - at

least temporarily - became Lebanon's principal maritime

entry point. However, as a result of endemic corruption,

incompetence and inaction, there has been a failure to pump

in the necessary infrastructural investment that would allow

the city to properly fulfil this role.

reality. With each passing day there is an

inferno of new tragedies for a nation that

would be flourishing if not for the corrupt

criminals who have destroyed Lebanon in

pursuit of their own interests, while an

uncaring world scarcely pretends to pay

attention. With the Gulf states walking

away from their traditional role in

supporting Lebanon, other regional

powerbrokers can easily exploit this

absence. "Nature abhors a vacuum. We

will be there to fill it," one Turkish

diplomat boasted. A foothold in northern

Lebanon would consolidate Turkish

in places such as the infamous Unit 731

based in Harbin, Manchuria. Between

3,000 and 12,000 men, women and

children died during these gruesome

human experiments. Just last month

Kyushu University, the former Kyoto

Imperial University, acknowledged the

live dissection of U.S. POWs when they

were captured on May 5, 1945, after a B-

29 was shot down.

Prime Minister Abe has visited the

Yasukuni Shrine dedicated to Japanese

war dead including Class A war criminals.

Imagine the outrage that would ensue if

Chancellor Merkel were to visit a museum

honoring Nazis in Berlin including the

remains of Hitler? Remember the

controversy when President Reagan

visited a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany

when it was learned that SS troops were

buried there? Abe stated his belief that

Class A war criminals are not criminals

under Japan's domestic law. How can

that be?

At the end of World War II, the U.S. was

keen on confronting Russia in the new

cold war by rebuilding Japan. We were

also interested in Japanese knowledge of

germ warfare. As a result, we pardoned

many convicted war criminals including

influence in Idlib and northern Syria,

affording access to cities such as Homs

and Hama. Turkey has also become

extraordinarily active in the eastern

Mediterranean, challenging Greek and

Israeli maritime claims, along with fierce

rivalry with Egypt.

Lebanese and Israeli intelligence

warnings about Turkish security

encroachments include one Beirut source

claiming: "The Turks are sending an

incredible amount of weapons into the

north." Mossad chief Yossi Cohen warned

Arab intelligence chiefs: "Iranian power is

fragile ... but the real threat is from

Turkey." Interior Minister Mohammed

Fahmi claimed last year that $4 million

smuggled into Lebanon on a flight from

Turkey had been intended to foment

unrest. Media outlets cite certain political

figures as being in the pay of Ankara,

along with alleged Turkish support for

pro-Muslim Brotherhood elements.

We can indisputably say that while

Lebanese and Arab institutions continue

to systematically abandon and

marginalize Tripoli, they have only

themselves to blame when predatory

powers such as Turkey, Iran, China and

Russia exploit this vacuum.

Meanwhile Lebanon is in mourning and

shock over the assassination of Shiite

publisher, journalist and activist Loqman

Salim, an outspoken critic of Hezbollah.

His murder is an appalling reminder of

Hezbollah's long, bloody trail of

assassinations of national figures in the

past two decades.

all 14 convicted medical staff at Kyushu

University. And not only that, the head of

Unit 731, General Ishii, and many of his

assistants became part of Japan's medical

establishment for years after the war. Our

government also set free Class A criminal

Nobusuke Kishi, the Minister of

Munitions responsible for using slave

labor including our POWs. Kishi was the

Japanese Albert Speer, Abe's grandfather,

and later a prime minister.

It was morally wrong to exonerate

perpetrators of atrocities then, and it is

morally wrong to honor a head of

government now who refuses to

acknowledge his nation's murderous past.

If the U.S. is to launch a" Pivot to Asia," it

will take more than repositioning our

military forces. We must reset our moral

compass if we want to earn the support of

Asians in a region on the rise.

It is time for all Americans, not just

Asian-Americans, who are concerned

about Abe's visit to make their voices

heard. Korean-Americans and a veterans

organization: American Defenders of

Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society

have set a good example.

Source: Asia times

mondaY, FebRuaRY 8, 2021

5

UK court to examine closely

domestic abuse cases

The number of contraceptive users across africa has grown 66% since 2012.

Photo: Tsvangirayi mukwazhi

Covid jeopardizes family planning

in poor nations

lIz FoRd

Sixty million more women and girls in

the world's poorest countries are now

using modern contraceptives, after an

eight-year global effort to expand

family planning services.But the

FP2020 global partnership, launched

in London in 2012, warned that the

coronavirus pandemic and the

resulting financial crisis imperils

further progress.

According to the FP2020's final

progress report, published on Tuesday,

320 million women and girls are using

some form of modern contraception in

the 69 focus countries, up from 260

million in 2012.

The partnership had hoped to reach a

figure of 120 million additional women

and girls by 2020, but the increase was

almost a third higher than had been

projected over that period before the

initiative began.

The number of users across Africa -

which had the lowest uptake in 2012 -

has grown by 66%, from 40 million to

more than 66 million women and girls.

In central and west Africa, users

doubled, while in eastern and southern

Africa, the number grew by 70%.

However, Covid-19 could cast a long

shadow on progress. In April, twothirds

of the 103 countries surveyed by

the World Health Organization

reported disruptions to family planning

services. The UN population fund

(UNFPA) projected that as many as 47

million women and girls in 114 poorer

countries could lose access to

contraception.

While the worst-case scenario was

averted through "partners working

heroically to maintain services", said

Beth Schlachter, executive director of

FP2020, the report noted that "the

threat to reproductive health remains

severe", and would not be resolved

soon.

The pandemic had "unleashed a host

of corollary effects: a global increase in

gender-based violence and child

marriage, a global drop in women's

workforce participation and girls'

school enrolment, and a global

economic recession", said the report.

"The budgetary implications for

family planning programmes are stark.

Domestic government allocations and

expenditures are threatened in

numerous countries, and donors are

already anticipating a decrease in their

financial commitments or an inability

to deliver on their commitments," it

said. "A pandemic-related global

recession will have knock-on effects

throughout the world, potentially

imperilling family planning resources

Research says it needs to be limited by 6% per year.

for years to come."According to the

report, before the pandemic the

outlook for international funding for

the next decade was that it would

remain stagnant or even shrink.

Schlachter said the partnership had

"bent the curve of progress sharply

upward", not only in reaching more

women and girls but in expanding the

choice of contraceptive methods

available to them, firming up supply

chains and reaching more young

people. Without Covid-19, the target

figure could have been achieved over

the next four or five years, she said.

Funding was a concern, she said. "We

are not sure that there is going to be

additional funding."National

governments would need to prioritise

family planning in their budgets. But

advocates would also need to form new

partnerships with groups working in

other development sectors, Schlachter

said, such as those trying to mitigate

the climate crisis or halt biodiversity

loss. "We have to expand aspirations,

how we work with other partners," she

said. "We know that when women and

girls use contraceptives they generally

have smaller families. A rights-based

approach to family planning sets us up

for world where women are making

decisions … that has a positive impact

on population growth.

Photo: Collected

Countries intend to increase fossil

fuel production

A special issue of the Production Gap Report - from leading

research organizations and the UN - finds that the COVID-19

recovery marks a potential turning point, where countries

must change course to avoid locking in levels of coal, oil, and

gas production far higher than consistent with a 1.5°C limit.

The report, first launched in 2019, measures the gap

between Paris Agreement goals and countries' planned

production of coal, oil, and gas. It finds that the "production

gap" remains large: countries plan to produce more than

double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than would be

consistent with a 1.5°C temperature limit.

This year's special issue looks at the implications of the

COVID-19 pandemic - and governments' stimulus and

recovery measures - on coal, oil, and gas production. "This

year's devastating forest fires, floods, and droughts and other

unfolding extreme weather events serve as powerful

reminders for why we must succeed in tackling the climate

crisis. As we seek to reboot economies following the COVID-

19 pandemic, investing in low-carbon energy and

infrastructure will be good for jobs, for economies, for health,

and for clean air," said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of

the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

"Governments must seize the opportunity to direct their

economies and energy systems away from fossil fuels, and

build back better towards a more just, sustainable, and

resilient future." The report was produced by the Stockholm

Environment Institute (SEI), the International Institute for

Sustainable Development (IISD), the Overseas Development

Institute, E3G, and UNEP. Dozens of researchers

contributed to the analysis and review, spanning numerous

universities and additional research organizations.

"The research is abundantly clear that we face severe

climate disruption if countries continue to produce fossil

fuels at current levels, let alone at their planned increases,"

said Michael Lazarus, a lead author on the report and the

director of SEI's US Center. "The research is similarly clear

on the solution: government policies that decrease both the

demand and supply for fossil fuels and support communities

currently dependent on them. This report offers steps that

governments can take today for a just and equitable

transition away from fossil fuels."

"The pandemic-driven demand shock and the plunge of oil

prices this year has once again demonstrated the

vulnerability of many fossil-fuel-dependent regions and

communities. The only way out of this trap is diversification

of these economies beyond fossil fuels.

hannah SummeRS

A landmark hearing in the court of

appeal is under way to examine how

cases of domestic abuse are handled by

judges in the family courts in England

and Wales.It concerns four conjoined

appeals which feature allegations

including marital or partner rape and

coercive control, which emerged during

private proceedings to address disputes

centred on access to children.

The appeals have been brought by

mothers who have made serious claims

against the fathers of their children,

and challenge the decisions made by

circuit judges at the family courts

during the last 18 months.

Two of the cases relate to decisions by

Judge Robin Tolson, who was criticised

last year by a more senior judge based

in the Family Division of the high court

over his handling of rape allegations.

Ms Justice Russell upheld a woman's

appeal after she complained Tolson

had deduced she could not have been

raped because she took "no physical

steps" to stop her assailant.

Barrister Christopher Hames QC,

representing one of the four women,

says his client is challenging Tolson's

decision to make "absolutely no

findings" in respect of her "myriad of

allegations", including complaints of

non-consensual sex, coercive control

and that her partner "slapped her hard"

when she was heavily pregnant.

The court of appeal heard how the

mother had had an on-off relationship

with her ex-partner, who had

wrongfully retained their child at his

home overseas after the mother had left

them there for a visit.

Hames said Judge Tolson ignored an

important admission by the father that

on a few occasions he used physical

violence.He told the court of appeal on

Tuesday that Tolson had found the

father's account to be consistent,

despite police evidence to the contrary.

Hames asserted that Tolson's reference

to the mother's mental health issues as

her "demons" flavoured his entire

approach to her and her evidence.

He said: "It was clear the judge was

not keeping an open mind about the

allegations the mother made. He didn't

analyse the evidence appropriately at

all. He failed to take a holistic

evaluation of all the evidence before

him."

Hames said Tolson had wrongfully

placed emphasis on the fact the alleged

non-consensual sex preceded "many

other occasions of consensual sex" and

the decision by the mother to leave the

child abroad with the father.

"It should not be taken that just

because a woman has consented to sex

in the past that she should be taken as

consenting every time … I would have

hoped that this is an assumption long

assigned to the judicial dustbin."

The appeal raised issues of how

claims of coercive and controlling

behaviour are handled in the family

courts."In this appeal, as in other cases,

the real question is not limited to what

happened, but whether those events

were abuse themselves and/or whether

there is sufficient evidence of patterns

of behaviour which is demonstrative of

an abusive relationship," Hames told

appeal judges Sir Andrew McFarlane,

Lady King and Lord Holroyde in a

written case outline.

Hames said Tolson had commented

that incidents of note were

"insignificant in themselves" and

ignored that victims of abuse do not

always recognise themselves as victims

and as a result may not report abuse to

the authorities.

On behalf of the respondent, barrister

Janet Bazley QC highlighted

"extravagant claims" made by the

mother including that the father had a

personality disorder and that one of his

older children was a risk to their child.

Bazley said Tolson had concluded it

was impossible to reconcile sending a

very young child to live with their father

for an extended period with her claims

and concerns about the father's ability

to provide adequate care.

The court also heard that the mother

had told psychiatrists the father was a

"good man and not abusive".Barrister

Amanda Weston QC, who is

representing a second woman

challenging a ruling by Tolson, said he

had been wrong to find her client's

allegation of rape "deeply

Two of the four appeals being heard concern decisions made by

Judge Robin Tolson.

Photo: Gary lee

unconvincing" because she had had

consensual intercourse with the father

on other occasions.

"The judge failed to consider the rape

allegations in the context of a pattern of

coercive control," she said in a written

outline of the case."The judge was

wrong to find the mother's case

'weakened' because she did not

Infectious disease research alarmingly low

GaReTh WIllmeR

Leading pharmaceutical companies are

neglecting to address many other

infectious diseases that pose a

pandemic risk, amid a surge in research

into COVID-19, a report has found.In

the 20 drugs companies scrutinised by

the Access to Medicine Foundation,

there were empty R&D pipelines for ten

out of 16 emerging diseases identified

by the World Health Organization

(WHO) as a threat to public health.

The number of experimental drugs

and vaccines targeting COVID-19

swelled from zero to 63 since the start

of the pandemic in early 2020, the

report found. However, there were only

13 projects focused on all the other

infectious diseases put together,

including five for Ebola and four each

for Zika and chikungunya.

The level of drug development is

"alarmingly low" for these diseases,

says the report, despite the WHO

identifying them as priority diseases for

R&D and the COVID-19 crisis

highlighting the importance of

readying strategies for potential

outbreaks.

Jayasree Iyer, executive director of

the Access to Medicine Foundation,

Inside a pharmacy in India.

said: "The current way that the industry

looks at pandemic preparedness is not

going to save us from all these new

pathogens that are coming our way.

"We urge companies to make sure

that they fill their pipelines with

projects targeting R&D priorities."

Along with COVID-19, HIV/AIDS,

tuberculosis and malaria account for

more than half of projects in the

communicable disease pipeline, while

cancers dominate the pipeline for noncommunicable

diseases.

Incentives for investing in research in

other areas are currently limited, said

Iyer, though governments and

investors are increasingly aware of

issues and global partnerships such as

the Coalition for Epidemic

Preparedness Innovations have been

established to tackle future epidemics.

More positively, pharma companies

are moving to "systematically make

new medicines rapidly accessible to the

poor", according to the Access to

Medicine Foundation. Eight of the 20

companies covered have strategies to

ensure all projects are paired with plans

to increase access in lower-income

countries soon after launch, compared

to one in 2018.

However, at present, less than half of

the medicines and vaccines analysed

are covered by such an access plan, the

report found. Even those that do are

Photo: Trinity Care Foundation

often targeted at middle-income

countries, such as Brazil, China, India

and Mexico. Novartis was the only

company found to provide equitable

access strategies in at least one lowincome

country for all products

assessed, while GSK had the widest

pipeline of late-stage products

incorporating access plans.

"What I think we're in right now is a

pivot point where companies recognise

that they can no longer design products

only with high-income populations in

mind," said Iyer. "But that also needs to

translate into practice."

COVID-19 has raised questions about

equal access to medicines due to fears

that it could take years for vaccines to

reach some developing countries. The

report found "little evidence" in the

early months of the pandemic of

structures that would ensure access to

treatments in these countries.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has

exposed some of the chronic problems

with access to medicine and the

industry's response to it. It makes us

understand how fragile supply chains

are, and how fragile R&D is," said Iyer.

"Unless we take access planning and

prioritisation seriously… then we're not

pandemic-prepared as a society or

industry."

Thomas Cueni, director-general of

the International Federation of

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and

Associations (IFPMA), and chairman

of antimicrobial resistance body the

AMR Industry Alliance, said he was

confident that much was being done to

strengthen access to medicines,

including international collaborations.

He pointed to global partnerships

such as COVAX, which aims to ensure

equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines,

and Access Accelerated, which seeks to

improve access to treatments for noncommunicable

diseases.

Many pharmaceutical companies will

use differential pricing to improve

access to COVID-19 products in lowerincome

countries, said Cueni: "IFPMA

and its members are committed to

delivering COVID-19 vaccines to

national populations on an equal basis,

regardless of their ability to pay."

He added: "The COVID-19 pandemic

has made it very clear that the world

needs to be better prepared for global

threats posed by infectious

diseases".The report also highlights the

continued threat of antibiotic

resistance, while it says the pipeline for

antibiotics is running dry.

MO NDAY, FebrUArY 8, 2021

6

Covid-19 vaccination starts in Galachipa

ShaKiB haSan, GalaChipa CorreSpondent:

Galachipa upazila parishad

Chairman Md Shahin Shah took the

first corona vaccine at patuakhali

Galachipa upazila health Complex

hospital.

he took the vaccine at 11 a.m. on

Sunday (february 8) at the start of the

corona vaccination program in the

health Complex hall room. after one

by one upazila nirbahi officer ashish

Kumar, Galachipa police officer in

Charge (oC) Md Monirul islam,

upazila health and p. p. officer. Md.

Monirul islam, president of Galachipa

press Club Samit Kumar dutta Malay

took the Covid-19 vaccine.

Galachipa hospital authorities said

there are three separate booths. there

are 6 nurses and 12 volunteers in the

three booths. today, 60 people will be

vaccinated in booth three. of these, 500

government and private officials have

registered for vaccination.

in this regard, dr. Md. Monirul

islam said that all preparations have

been completed for the successful

completion of the vaccination program.

So far, 135 people have been infected

with corona and 10 have died in

Galachipaya upazila and 13 in

rangabali. upazila parishad Chairman

Md Shahin Shah said, "i thank hon'ble

prime Minister Sheikh hasina." he

quickly arranged a corona ticker

between us. "i am mentally healthy

after receiving the vaccine," he said. to

encourage everyone to get vaccinated, i

am the first to take the vaccine myself

and i want to convey this message to

people - get vaccinated and stay

healthy. i am proud to be the first

vaccinator of the upazila.

Corona vaccine distribution has started at Dumki of Patuakhali on Sunday. Photo: Md Naeem Hossain

Commencement of corona vaccine at dumki

Md naeeM hoSSain, duMKi CorreSpondent:

Corona vaccine distribution has

started at dumki of patuakhali. Senior

teacher of patuakhali Science and

technology university a K M Mostafa

Zaman was present as the Chief Guest

at the inaugural function of the

immunization program when uno

Sheikh abdullah Sadid presided over

and upazila health officer dr. Mir

Sahedul hasan Shaheen conducted

the programe at health Complex at 10

am on Sunday.

the speakers lauded the visionary

leadership of prime Minister Sheikh

hasina for getting the vaccine faster

than other country in the world. later,

Shahjahan Munshi, a heroic freedom

fighter, aKM Mostafa Zaman, a senior

professor of pStu, Bashir uddin, an

employee of the health complex,

journalist Md. naeem hossain,

awami league leader Md abul

hossain and former BiWta officer

tM alam received the vaccine in the

first stage. dumki upazila health

officer Mir Shahidul hasan Shahin

said, he had received 2,200 vaccines at

the initial stage. they will provide

these vaccines on priority basis.

Galachipa Upazila Parishad Chairman Md Shahin Shah took the first corona vaccine at Patuakhali Galachipa Upazila

Health Complex Hospital on Sunday.

Photo: Shakib Hasan

Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. SM Iftekhar Azad took the first corona vaccination

in Saltha upazila on Sunday.

Photo: Md Shafiqul Islam

health officer takes first Covid-19 vaccine in Saltha

Md Shafiqul iSlaM, Saltha CorreSpondent:

upazila health and family planning

officer dr. SM iftekhar azad

inaugurated the corona vaccination

program in Saltha, faridpur by taking

the first vaccine. he received the

vaccine at 11 am on Sunday at a

vaccination booth on the ground floor

of the upazila health Complex. then

the local journalist Monir Mollah took

the vaccine. in the first phase, 2,625

people will be vaccinated against

corona.

after taking the vaccine, upazila

health and family planning officer dr.

SM iftekhar azad and journalist Monir

Mollah said, "We both got vaccinated

around 11:30 am." Both of us were kept

under observation for 30 minutes. our

body is fine. no side effects were

observed. We have taken many vaccines

before. the corona vaccine looks like all

those vaccines. So there is nothing to

panic about this vaccine.

during the time, upazila parishad

Chairman Md. Wadud Matubbar,

upazila nirbahi officer Mohammad

hasib Sarkar, upazila assistant

Commissioner (land) Marufa Sultana

Khan hiramani, Saltha police Station

oC Subrata Goldar, up Chairman

habibur rahman lablu were among

others also present at the occasion.

'futanto Kishore Sangha' vows to provide services

and opportunities to build a hunger-free society

dr. Khairul alam gets first Covid-19

vaccine in Matiranga

aBul haSheM, MatiranGa CorreSpondent:

after a long wait, vaccination against

the global epidemic corona has started.

following this, Covid-19 vaccination

program has been inaugurated in

Matiranga of Khagrachhari like all over

the country.

the vaccination program was

inaugurated at Matiranga upazila

health Complex around 11:30 am on

Sunday.

Matiranga upazila health and family

planning officer dr. Khairul alam took

the first vaccine after the inauguration.

after that, Matiranga upazila assistant

Commissioner (land) Ms farzana akter

(Bobby) and Matiranga health Complex

cleaner Chandrika tripura got

vaccinated in the first step.

Matiranga upazila nirbahi officer

trla dev said everyone should be

vaccinated against corona without any

hesitation. Vaccination will keep

everyone safe. he said that all those who

have applied for vaccination will get the

vaccine in phases.

Matiranga upazila assistant

Commissioner (land) Ms farzana

akhter (Bobby) said, "i have taken the

second vaccination in this upazila."

asked how he felt about being

vaccinated, he said, "i'm fine. no

problem." We should all get this vaccine.

Matiranga upazila health and family

planning officer dr. Khairul alam said,

"i have taken the first Covid-19 vaccine

in Matiranga upazila." feeling we have

'run out of gas' emotionally. i am still

healthy. i urge everyone to get this

vaccine. there are no major side effects

of this vaccine.

he added that the 1st dose will be

given to 100 people every day for 12

days. the same person must take the

second dose of compulsory vaccine 4

weeks after the first dose. a maximum

of 150 people will be vaccinated during

the inauguration today. later, step-bystep

vaccination activities will continue.

We have a trained medical team. if there

is any problem after vaccination, it will

be acted upon quickly.

S M aKaSh, ChattoGraM

CorreSpondent:

on the occasion of the ninth

founding anniversary of

traditional social organization

of Chattogram 'futanto

Kishore Sangha', a discussion

meeting was held on the topic

of 'end of Services and

opportunities in Building a

hunger and poverty free

Society'.

the ceremony began on

friday morning, february 5,

with a day-long free medical

camp, through which many

vulnerable people get the

medical care they need. the

members of the poorest

families receive medical

services and free medicine.

Since 2012, 'futanto Kishore

Sangha'has been conducting

various public service activities

On the occasion of the ninth founding anniversary of traditional social

organization of Chattogram 'Futanto Kishore Sangha', a discussion meeting

was held in the district on Sunday.

Photo: S M Akash

for the welfare of the backward

people. in its continuation,

Corona hosted a reception for

meritorious people for their

contribution to humanitarian

work, a reception for freedom

fighters in addition to Corona

front-runners, and a reception

for prominent people of the

society for their contribution to

social work.

Mohammad Saddam

hussein, president of 'futanto

Kishore Sangha'ha, presided

over the discussion while

Mohammad Muslim,

additional Sub-inspector of

Bangladesh tourist police was

present as the chief guest at the

occasion.

during the time, Shahidul

islam, deputy director,

Chittagong district Social

Service office, runa qasim,

Cultural and Sports Secretary,

Chittagong district Bar

association and fahim, anas

Mahim, ayman, Bappi, Sipu,

himu Munna and other

responsible leaders of the civil

society.

Matiranga Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Khairul Alam took the first vaccine in the

upazila on Sunday.

Photo: Abul Hashem

1,000 cold-hit people get blankets

from tMSS in Shaghata

GaiBandha: a total of 1,000 cold

affected poor people of Shaghata

upazila in the district got blankets as

warm clothes from tMSS, a nongovernment

organization, on Saturday,

reports BSS.

to distribute the blankets, tMSS

(thengamara Mohila Sobuj Sangha)

held a function at Bharatkhali Girls'

high School ground in the upazila with

head teacher of the school Sultan faruk

lipton in the chair.

local lawmaker and deputy speaker

of the Jatiya Sangshad advocate fazle

rabbi Miah attended the function and

addressed it as the chief guest and

director of tMSS dr. hosne ara

Begum, upazila chairman Jahangir

Kabir and uno Mohiuddin Jahangir

were present at the event as the special

guests.

the meeting was also addressed by,

among others, former chairman of

fulchhari upazila habibur rahman,

Shaghata upazila engineer of local

Government engineering department

Md. Sabiul islam and officer in charge

of Shaghata thana Md. Belal hossain.

Speaking on the occasion, fazle

rabbi Miah said tMSS has been

contributing much to push forward the

nation to attain the development goals.

he thanked the tMSS and its

director and officials for standing

beside the cold affected people of the

upazila with warm clothes during the

current winter season to mitigate their

sufferings.

after getting blankets from the tMSS

the beneficiaries expressed their

gratefulness to the officials of the

organization.

MonDAY, FebRUARY 8, 2021

7

Emirati 'Hope' probe

approaches Mars

DUBAI : The first Arab interplanetary

mission is expected to reach Mars' orbit

Tuesday in what is considered the most

critical part of the journey to unravel the

secrets of weather on the Red Planet.

The unmanned probe - named "Al-

Amal", Arabic for "Hope" - blasted off

from Japan last year, marking the next

step in the United Arab Emirates'

ambitious space programme, reports

BSS.

Here are some facts and figures about

the oil-rich nation's project, which draws

inspiration from the Middle East's

golden age of cultural and scientific

achievements.

The UAE, made up of seven emirates

including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has 12

satellites in orbit, with plans to launch

several more in coming years.

In September 2019 it sent the first

Emirati into space, Hazza al-Mansouri,

who was part of a three-member crew.

They blasted off from Kazakhstan,

returning home after an eight-day

mission in which he became the first

Arab to visit the International Space

Station.

But the UAE's ambitions go much

further, with a goal of building a human

settlement on Mars by 2117.

In the meantime, it plans to create a

white-domed "Science City" in the

deserts outside Dubai to simulate

Martian conditions and develop the

technology needed to colonise the

planet.

The UAE has plans to launch an

unmanned rover to the moon by 2024

and is also eyeing future mining projects

beyond Earth, as well as space tourism.

It has signed a memorandum of

understanding with Richard Branson's

space tourism company Virgin Galactic

and announced the creation of a "space

court" to settle commercial disputes

relating to space industries.

The "Hope" probe lifted off from

Japan's Tanegashima Space Center on

July 20 last year.

The 1,350-kilogramme (2,970-pound)

probe - about the size of an SUV - took

seven months to travel the 493 million

kilometres (307 million miles) to Mars.

Officials say that the "most critical and

complex" manoeuvre will begin on

Tuesday at 1530 GMT, to slow the

spacecraft enough to be captured by the

gravity of the Red Planet.

The probe will for the first time fire all

six of its Delta-V thrusters, for a

duration of 27 minutes, to slow its

cruising speed of 121,000 kilometres per

hour to about 18,000 kph.

The process will consume half of the

spacecraft's fuel, and it will take 11

minutes for a signal on its progress to

reach Earth.

If successful, one loop around the

planet will take 40 hours.

The "Hope" probe will remain in this

phase for approximately two months,

during which further testing will take

place, until it is ready to enter the

"science" orbit - when its data collection

work begins.

The first Arab interplanetary mission is expected to reach Mars' orbit

Tuesday in what is considered the most critical part of the journey to

unravel the secrets of weather on the Red Planet. Photo : Internet

4 skiers killed, 4 injured by

Utah avalanche, police say

SALT LAKE CITY : An avalanche killed

four skiers and injured four others

Saturday in a popular recreation area,

making it one of the deadliest avalanches

in Utah history, authorities said.

The Unified Police Department told local

media that it was alerted to the avalanche

about 11:40 a.m. after receiving a faint distress

call from an avalanche beacon in

Millcreek Canyon, reports UNB.

The skier-triggered avalanche swept up

eight people in their early twenties to late

thirties who were in two groups touring the

backcountry, Unified Police Sgt. Melody

Cutler told the Salt Lake Tribune.

The avalanche took place at an elevation

of 9,800 feet (2,987 meters). It had a depth

of 2.5 feet (0.7 meters) and a width of 250

feet (76 meters).

All eight skiers had avalanche beacons,

the department told the KSTU TV station.

The survivors were able to dig themselves

out of the snow and ice, but their

medical conditions are unknown, the

department said. The survivors were able

to find and dig out the other four, but they

had already died, the department added.

Search and rescue teams from several

agencies are working to recover the bodies.

The victims' names have not yet been

released.

Drew Hardesty with the Utah Avalanche

Center told the Tribune that the victims

were experienced skiers who were well

known in the community.

The Utah Avalanche Center had deemed

the avalanche risk in the area "high."

Hours before the avalanche, it tweeted out

a warning that there was "High Danger.

Large natural avalanches overnight.

Dangerous avalanche conditions. Keep it

low angle."

Florida: Slain FBI agent remembered

for protecting children

MIAMI GARDENS : A slain FBI agent was

remembered for her strength, infectious

laugh, love of family and commitment to protecting

children during a memorial service

Saturday.

Agents Laura Schwartzenberger, 43, and

Daniel Alfin, 36, were gunned down Tuesday

while serving a search warrant at the Broward

County home of a child pornography suspect.

The service for Schwartzenberger was held at

the Miami Dolphins' football stadium. A separate

service for Alfin will be held there Sunday.

"There are no good words to make sense of

a loss like this, no good words for a day like

Tuesday, or like today," said FBI Director

Christopher Wray. "There's a heaviness in our

hearts and a burden unlike any other, because

there is nothing more devastating to the FBI

family than the loss of an agent in the line of

duty."

Schwartzenberger's casket was draped

with an American flag as it was brought out

to the field as bagpipers played. The flag

was later folded into a triangle and presented

to her family by Wray. She was given a

21-gun salute during the service. "Laura

chose to be part of a team that spends their

days in darkness confronting the very worst

parts of humanity. It's a job with high

stress, high emotional toll and high

burnout," Wray said of the agent, who was

originally from Pueblo, Colorado. "Laura

never stopped. She'd talk to anybody and

everybody about protecting children from

predators online."

Federal government officials who attended

the service with Wray were Acting U.S.

Attorney General Monty Wilkinson and

President Joe Biden's Homeland Security

Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.

"During her 15 years as an FBI Special

Agent, Laura Schwartzenberger was selfless,

tireless, brave and committed to protecting

some of society's most vulnerable:

its children," Wilkinson said in statement.

Sherwood-Randall also praised

Schwartzenberger's service to the nation,

calling her "an American hero who dedicated

her life to keeping our country, our citizens

and especially our children safe."

Batik dye causes

blood-red flood

in Indonesia

PEKALONGAN : An

Indonesian village was inundated

by crimson-coloured

water after flooding hit a fabric

dyeing centre in central

Java, sparking a social

media frenzy.

Residents of Jenggot, near

the town of Pekalongan,

were seen wading through

blood-red water on Saturday

and many shared images of

the rare phenomenon

online.

Officials later confirmed

the unique colour came from

harmless fabric dye used by

several batik factories in the

area, reports BSS.

Pekalongan itself is well

known for its batik textiles

industry, with many cottage

industries flourishing across

the town.

"They did not dump the

dye on purpose, but several

home industries were flooded

and the dye packages

were carried away by the

water", local disaster agency

official Dimas Arga Yudha

told AFP Sunday, adding

that the batik dye was not

toxic or dangerous.

Local officials deployed

pumps to drain the flooded

area it was cleared in less

than an hour.

Floods are very common

across the Indonesian archipelago,

especially during the

rainy season.

In January at least 21 people

died and more than

60,000 were evacuated after

a series of major floods hit

South Kalimantan.

DR Congo militia

kills at least 12

in new attack

BENI, DR Cogo : Fighters

believed to belong to the

ADF militia have killed at

least 12 people in the

Democratic Republic of

Congo's east, local sources

said Sunday, reports BSS.

The gruesome attack took

place overnight Friday-

Saturday after a month of

relative calm in the area.

"Fighters from the Allied

Democratic Forces massacred

farmers from the village

of Mabule in their fields,"

Donat Kibuana, the administrator

of the Beni region in

North Kivu province, told

AFP.

At least eight men and four

women "had their throats

savagely slit in their fields by

these ADF terrorists," said

Roger Masimango, from a

local network of civil society

groups.

"We're still searching,

because we aren't hearing

from some of the farmers,"

he added.

An expert in the area, who

asked to remain anonymous,

said 14 bodies had

been found and more people

were missing after the

assault.

An army offensive

launched in the Rwenzori

mountain region had caused

a "relative decline" in the

number of deadly attacks

since early January, administrator

Kibuana said.

He added that "many villages

are empty" of people

who have fled the fighting.

But the ADF - one of the

most violent among dozens

of armed groups in the eastern

DRC - is believed to have

killed 21 civilians on

February 5 in Rwenzori.

The UN's human rights

office in the DRC said

Wednesday that defence

and security forces had

made "significant efforts to

dismantle" the militia.

Nevertheless, it said 468

deaths in the east were

attributed to the group in the

second half of 2020, including

108 women and 15 children.

Originally Ugandan

Muslim rebels, the ADF settled

in the DRC in 1995.

In recent years they have

given up on attacks in

neighbouring Uganda, but

have carried out repeated

massacres in the Beni

region of the DRC, killing

more than 1,000 people

since October 2014.

In this image made from video, protesters flash the three-fingered salute while they gather to march

Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, in Yangon, Myanmar. Myanmar's new military authorities appeared to have

cut most access to the Internet on Saturday as they faced a rising tide of protest over their coup that

toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's elected civilian government.

Photo : AP

Myanmar junta blocks internet

access as coup protests expand

Saudi says intercepted

armed drone launched

by Yemen rebels

YANGON, MYANMAR :

Myanmar's new military authorities

appeared to have cut most

access to the internet on Saturday

as they faced a rising tide of protest

over their coup that toppled Aung

San Suu Kyi's elected government,

reports UNB.

Numerous internet users noted a

slow disappearance of data services,

especially from mobile service

providers, that accelerated sharply

late Saturday morning. Broadband

connection also later failed, while

there were mixed reports on

whether landline telephone service

and mobile voice connections were

still working.

Netblocks, a London-based service

that tracks internet disruptions,

said Saturday afternoon that "a

near-total internet shutdown is

now in effect" in Myanmar, with

connectivity falling to just 16% of

normal levels.

The broad outage followed

Friday's military order to block

Twitter and Instagram because

some people were trying to use the

platforms to spread what authorities

deemed fake news. Facebook

had already been blocked earlier in

the week - though not completely

effectively.

The communication blackout is a

stark reminder of the progress

Myanmar is in danger of losing

after Monday's coup plunged the

nation back under direct military

rule after a nearly decade-long

move toward greater openness and

democracy. During Myanmar's previous

five decades of military rule,

the country was internationally isolated

and communication with the

outside world strictly controlled.

Suu Kyi's five years as leader

since 2015 had been Myanmar's

most democratic period despite the

military retaining broad powers

over the government, the continued

use of repressive colonial-era

laws and the persecution of minority

Rohingya Muslims.

The blockages are also adding

greater urgency to efforts to resist

the coup. In one of the largest

protests so far, about 1,000 people

- factory workers and students

prominent among them - marched

RIYADH : Saudi Arabia intercepted an

armed drone launched towards the kingdom

by Yemen's Huthis, state media

said Sunday, a day after the US moved to

delist the rebels as a terrorist group.

The Saudi-led military coalition "intercepted

and destroyed an armed drone,"

said spokesman Turki al-Maliki in a

statement carried by the official Saudi

Press Agency.

"It was launched systematically and

deliberately by the terrorist Huthi militia

to target civilians and civilian objects

in the south of the region."

The incident was not immediately

claimed by the Iran-backed Huthis.

The US State Department on Friday

said it had formally notified Congress of

its intention to revoke a terrorist designation

against the rebels, which had

been announced at the end of the administration

of former president Donald

Trump.

The delisting move came a day after US

President Joe Biden announced an end

to US support for Saudi-led offensive

operations in Yemen.

Humanitarian groups were deeply

opposed to the designation, saying it

jeopardised their operations in a country

where the majority of people rely on aid,

and that they have no choice but to deal

with the Huthis, who control much of

the north.

Saudi Arabia, which entered the

Yemen conflict in 2015 to bolster the

internationally recognised government,

has repeatedly been targeted with crossborder

attacks.

Last month, it said it had intercepted

and destroyed a "hostile air target" heading

towards the capital Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia intercepted an armed drone launched towards the kingdom

by Yemen's Huthis, state media said Sunday, a day after the US moved to

delist the rebels as a terrorist group.

Photo : Internet

down a main street in Yangon, the

country's biggest city, and were

met by more than 100 police in riot

gear.

They shouted "down with dictatorship"

and other slogans,

marched with their hands in the air

and flashed three-fingered salutes,

a symbol of defiance adopted from

protesters in neighboring Thailand.

There was no violence reported.

Similar-sized demonstrations

took place in at least two other

areas of the city. At Yangon's City

Hall, protesters presented flowers

to police, some of whom carried

assault rifles.

Other reports that slipped

through the communications

blockade said protests were held in

other cities, including Mandalay,

the second largest.

Telenor Myanmar, a major

mobile operator, confirmed it had

received Friday's order to block

Twitter and Instagram. In a statement,

Twitter said it was "deeply

concerned" about the order and

vowed to "advocate to end destructive

government-led shutdowns."

Biden hosts first of

chats to talk 'directly'

with Americans

WASHINGTON : US

President Joe Biden on

Saturday launched a series

of conversations with ordinary

Americans by calling a

woman who lost her job due

to the pandemic, in an effort

to showcase his direct contact

with his fellow citizens,

reports UNB.

"The White House will

launch a new effort for the

president to regularly communicate

directly with the

American people," White

House spokeswoman Jen

Psaki said Friday.

Due to Covid-19, the conversation

was held via telephone

from the Oval Office

in Washington to Michele, a

mother from Roseville,

California who lost her job at

a start-up company because

of the economic crisis

sparked by the pandemic.

She had written to Biden

to tell him about her struggles

and her search for a new

job.

"Like my dad used to say, a

job is about a lot more than a

paycheck. It's about your dignity,

it's about your respect,

it's about your place in the

community," the 78-year-old

president told Michele, in a

video of the call posted online

by the White House.

Biden also took the opportunity

to promote his $1.9

trillion stimulus package that

his Democratic party is

preparing to adopt in

Congress, despite the lack of

Republican support, as well

as the massive vaccination

campaign he has promised.

"We're so glad that we have

you focusing on that," said

Michele, whose last name

was withheld, adding that her

parents had just made their

appointment to get their

Covid-19 vaccinations.

MOnDAY, FeBRUARY 8, 2021 8

The Rajshahi Branch of Shahjalal Islami Bank Ltd. distributed Blankets among winter hit & poor

people at Rajshahi area recently as a part of CSR activities of the Bank. The Manager of Rajshahi

Branch of the Bank Md. Abdulla Al Mahmud Siddiqui distributed Blanket among the winter hit people.

Among others the Local businessmen and the Prominent People were also present in the Blanket

distribution ceremony.

Photo: Courtesy

ECB's Lagarde says cancelling

Covid debts 'unthinkable'

PARIS : European Central Bank (ECB) chief

Christine Lagarde on Sunday rejected calls to

cancel debts run up by eurozone members to

buttress their economies during the Covid-

19 crisis, reports BSS.

The ECB has taken unprecedented steps to

cushion the economic blow from the

pandemic in the 19-nation euro area,

launching a massive bond-buying scheme

that has so far totalled 1.85 trillion euros

($2.2 trillion).

"Cancelling that debt is unthinkable,"

Lagarde told France's Le Journal du

Dimanche weekly. "It would be a violation of

the European treaty which strictly forbids

monetary financing of states," she said,

calling it one of the "founding pillars" of the

euro single currency.

She was reacting to a call Friday by more

than 100 economists for the ECB to further

boost the economic recovery of eurozone

members by forgiving their debts.

In the letter published in several leading

European newspapers, the economists noted

that a quarter of the public debt of nations

that use the euro - 2.5 trillion euros ($3.0

trillion) - was now held by the ECB.

"In other words, we owe ourselves 25

percent of our debt and, if we are to

reimburse that amount, we must find it

elsewhere, either by borrowing it again to

'roll the debt' instead of borrowing to invest,

or by raising taxes, or by cutting expenses,"

they wrote.

The economists proposed instead that the

ECB forgive the debts in exchange for the

countries pledging to spend an equivalent

amount on greening their economies and on

social projects.

Lagarde, a former French finance minister,

admitted that "all eurozone countries will

emerge from this crisis with high levels of

debt."

But, she said, "there is no doubt that they

will be able to pay it back."

She forecast that 2021 would be a year of

"recovery" but acknowledged that the

eurozone would not return to pre-pandemic

levels of activity "before mid-2022".

In the meantime, she said, it would be "far

more useful if the energy spent on

demanding a cancellation of the debt by the

ECB was spent on debating the use of the

debt."

"What will public spending be used for? In

which sectors of the future should we invest?

These are the key questions today," she

argued.

Turkmenistan, Taliban hold talks

over energy, infrastructure projects

ASHGABAT : Turkmenistan hosted

Afghanistan's Taliban for talks Saturday, the

Turkmen foreign ministry said, with the gas-rich

state seeking security guarantees for major

projects linking the two countries and the wider

region, reports BSS.

Turkmenistan has forged strong ties with

Afghanistan's official government in recent years

but has engaged in the past with the Taliban to

win the group's backing for its projects in the

country. A statement attributed to the Taliban

and posted on the Turkmen foreign ministry's

website said the group had "expressed full

support for the implementation of…

infrastructure projects aimed at ensuring wellbeing

and prosperity for Afghan people".

A series of tweets by the Taliban's spokesman

late on Saturday acknowledged the talks in the

Turkmen capital Ashgabat and said "security of

the boundaries of both countries" had also been

discussed. Turkmenistan and Afghanistan last

month inaugurated the latest wave of transport,

power and communications links as the ex-

Soviet republic touts its role rebuilding

Afghanistan's conflict-torn economy.

One ongoing project is the Turkmenistan-

Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) power project

sourcing electricity from Turkmenistan, which is

part-financed by the Asian Development Bank.

Another is the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-

Pakistan-India pipeline, known as TAPI, which

is vital to Turkmenistan's bid to ease dependence

on China's purchases of its natural gas. The TAPI

pipeline would transport more than 30 billion

cubic metres of natural gas annually from

Turkmenistan's giant Galkynysh gas field, with

energy-hungry India and Pakistan accounting

for the bulk of purchases.

The section running through Afghanistan will

be more than 700 kilometres (430 miles) long

and the project has been weighed down for years

by security and investment doubts.

The Afghan government has been locked in

peace talks with the Taliban that began in

September in Qatar, but they have so far failed to

achieve any breakthrough. US Special

Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation

Zalmay Khalilzad visited Turkmenistan as part

of a tour at the beginning of the year that also

took in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Qatar, where

the Taliban has a representative office.

The new US administration of President Joe

Biden has said it will review a US-Taliban deal

signed last year, and has accused the Taliban of

not reducing violence or cutting ties with Al-

Qaeda as agreed.

Nigeria cautions financial institutions

against crypto-currency dealing

LAGOS : Nigeria's apex bank has warned all

financial institutions in the country to desist

from dealing in crypto-currencies as it is

illegal, reports BSS.

The warning was in furtherance of a

2017 circular, which cautioned Deposit

Money Banks (DMBs), Non-Bank

Financial Institutions (NBFIs), other

Financial Institutions (OFIs) and the

public about inherent risks in such

transactions, the Central Bank of Nigeria

(CBN) said on Saturday in a statement

made available to Xinhua in Lagos,

Nigeria's economic hub.

"CBN hereby wishes to remind regulatory

institutions that dealing in crypto-currencies

or facilitating payment of crypto-currency

exchange is prohibited," the bank said.

"Accordingly, all DMBs, NBFIs and OFIs

are directed to identify persons transacting

in or operating crypto-currencies exchange

within their systems and ensure that such

accounts are closed immediately," it added.

The apex bank warned that breaches of

this directive will attract "severe regulatory

sanctions," without giving further details.

A crypto-currency is a digital or virtual

currency that uses cryptography and is

difficult to counterfeit because of this

security feature.

Tesla to recall

over 36,000

vehicles in

China

BEIJING : U.S. electric

vehicle maker Tesla has

initiated a large-scale

recall of 36,126 Model S

sedans and Model X

SUVs in China due to

potential touchscreen

functionality failure and

safety risks, according to

the country's top quality

watchdog, reports BSS.

The recall began on

Feb. 5 and involves

20,428 imported Model

S sedans manufactured

between Sept. 18, 2013

and Feb. 20, 2018, as

well as 15,698 imported

Model X SUVs produced

between March 12, 2016

and Feb. 16, 2018,

according to a statement

from the State

Administration for

Market Regulation.

The safety risks come

from the 8 GB eMMC

storage cards installed in

the aforementioned

vehicles. The memory

cards could potentially

wear out, causing

touchscreen

malfunctions and defects

in rearview cameras,

defroster controls and

turn signal lighting, read

the statement.

The manufacturer will

upgrade the 8 GB eMMC

storage cards to 64 GB

cards free of charge and

ensure that new

software versions are

installed in the recalled

vehicles to eliminate

risks, it said.

Brexit and Covid slash UK

exports to EU: report

LONDON : Brexit and coronavirus

have slashed the volume of surface

freight leaving Britain for the

European Union by 68 percent from

last January, according to figures

published in The Observer on

Sunday, reports BSS.

The stark drop in goods carried on

ferries and through the Channel

tunnel was registered by lobby group

the Road Haulage Association

(RHA) after a survey of its

international members, said the

weekly.

RHA chief executive Richard

Burnett has sent a letter to minister

Michael Gove warning that the new

checks required since Britain fully

left the EU's single market on

January 1 were deterring exporters

from shipping to the continent.

He said the government had only

hired around 20 percent of the extra

border staff needed to process the

extra paperwork.

"Michael Gove is the master of

extracting information from you and

giving nothing back," Burnett told

the newspaper.

"Pretty much every time we have

written over the last six months he

has not responded in writing."

Britain sent around £294 billion

($403 billion, 335 billion euros) of

goods to the EU in 2019, accounting

for around 43 percent of its total

exports, according to official figures.

The situation threatens to get

worse in July, when Britain

implements its full range of physical

border checks.

Trade experts told the paper that

the sharp fall in exports was the

"coincidence of Brexit and the

Walton ‘Television Branding Stars’

awarded 31individual, org. awarded

Country's electronics giant Walton honoured

31 individuals and organisations with

'Television Branding Stars Award' as a

recognition of their outstanding performance

in promoting Walton TV and creating digital

awareness among customers through

conducting creative branding of the Digital

Campaign, says a press release.

In this context, Walton Television

Department arranged an programme titled

"Television Branding Stars Award' held at

Walton Corporate Office in the capital on

Thursday evening (February 4, 2021).

The awardees were received crests and

certificates from Walton Corporation's

Managing Director S M Mahbubul Alam.

The function was also attended, among

Rahel Ahmed joins

Nagad as CEO

Rahel Ahmed has joined

Nagad, the digital financial

service arm of the Bangladesh

Post Office, as the chief

executive officer (CEO), a press

release said.

Prior to joining the country's

one of the top digital financial

services, Ahmed was the

managing director and the

CEO of Prime Bank Ltd. He

served the private commercial

bank for three years as the top

brass of the management

team. He was also the deputy

managing director and deputy

CEO of the bank and had

played a key role in the

digitalisation of the bank.

He has had more than two

decades of experience in the

banking industry at home and

abroad. He earned kudos for

pioneering a collateral-free loan

in the information and

communication technology

industry in Bangladesh.

Ahmed started his career as a

management trainee at ANZ

Grindlays Bank in 1995. He

worked in various capacities at

the corporate banking division

of the bank. He led the local

corporate and international

corporate divisions of Standard

Chartered Bangladesh. From

2008 to 2014, Ahmed held

important positions at the

Emirates Islamic Bank and

First Gulf Bank PJSC in the

United Arab Emirates.

Ahmed, who obtained an

MBA from Maastricht School of

Business in the Netherlands,

attended numerous professional

workshops and seminars at

home and abroad and earned

huge awards and honors.

Speaking about joining

Nagad, the second largest

carrier of the mobile money

carrier in the country, Ahmed

said Nagad had been able to

bring about a major change in

the digital financial service

industry of Bangladesh within

less than two years of its

inception.

Riding on its innovative

planning, Nagad has come up

with new services, which have

become popular among the

people in the country and won

recognition of many

international organizations.

"I will strive to transform

Nagad into the leading

payments company in

Bangladesh by blending my

experience in the financial

others, by Walton Hi-Tech Industries

Limited's Deputy Managing Directors Nazrul

Islam Sarker, Eva Rezwana Nilu, Amdadul

Haque Sarker and Md. Humayun Kabir,

Executive Directors Mohammad Rayhan,

Anisur Rahman Mallick, Ariful Ambia, Dr.

Sakhawat Hossen, Amin Khan and Al Imran,

Deputy Executive Director Shahjalal Hossain

Limon, Walton TV Product Manager Tanvir

Mahmud Shuvo and other officials of the

company. Walton TV is conducting Digital

Campaign across the country to accelerate its

digital customer database initiative for

delivering online based warranty and best

after sales services swiftly.

During the campaign, customer's name,

contact number and Walton TVs' model

Md. Saiful Islam, manager of Walton Plaza Mazar Road branch at Mirpur in

Dhaka and Atanu Roy, area manager in Mirpur Zone, receive crest, certificate

and Tk 1.5 lakh worth cheque as the first prize of 'Television Branding Stars

Award' from the company's higher officials at a programme held at Walton

Corporate Office in the capital recently.

Photo: Courtesy

sector and my plan with the

activities of Nagad. At the same

time, we will make an effort to

contribute to the digitalization

in the financial industry in the

country."

Nagad now serves about

three crore active clients, and

about Tk 300 crore is now

transacted through its platform

on average every day. Nagad

has presented the government

an efficient digital platform to

disburse various allowances

among the poor and the

marginalized people.

Nagad has become very

popular among the clients

because of the opportunity to

open an account just by dialing

*167#, to pay utility bills

without any charge, and cashout

funds at the half of the

market rate.

number have been stored on Walton server.

As a result, television customers' will not have

to keep the warranty paper and also they will

get the desired after sales service even.

Customer database will also help the service

center's representatives getting customers'

feedback about their respective Walton

products' service.

To encourage customers' participation in

the campaign, the local brand has been

offered guaranteed discounts up to 50

percent on the purchase of any model of

Walton LED TV, Smart TV and Voice Control

Smart TV.

Walton sales team's representatives have

been branding the campaign through Walton

Plazas as well as distributors across the

country. Among them, 31 individuals as well

as organisations were honored with with

'Television Branding Stars Award' in three

category of area manager, regional sales

manager and divisional market monitor.

At the event, the awardees, including 11

area managers, 11 Walton Plaza branches, 2

regional sales managers, 2 distributors, one

divisional head and 4 divisional market

monitors, were received crests and

certificates.

Walton TV's Chief Executive Officer

Engineer Mostafa Nahid Hossain said that

the demands and sales of Walton television

across the country were returned to upward

trend surpassing the negative impact of

coronavirus pandemic.

pandemic".

Britain and Europe have imposed

tight travel restrictions during the

latest wave of the pandemic, with

France temporarily imposing a total

ban on vehicles entering from

Britain shortly before Christmas.

Truckers heading over the Channel

to France now require a negative

Covid test before making the

crossing.

A government spokesperson told

The Observer that "we do not

recognise the figure provided on

exports".

"Thanks to the hard work of

hauliers and traders to prepare for

change, disruption at the border has

so far been minimal and freight

movements are now close to normal

levels, despite the Covid-19

pandemic," they added.

China's central

bank conducts

50 bln yuan of

reverse repos

BEIJING : China's central

bank on Sunday conducted

50 billion yuan (about 7.73

billion U.S. dollars) of

reverse repos to keep

liquidity stable in the

banking system ahead of

the Spring Festival holiday,

reports BSS.

The interest rate for the

14-day reverse repos was set

at 2.35 percent, according to

a statement on the website

of the People's Bank of

China.

With no reverse repos

maturing on the same day,

the move led to a net

liquidity injection of 50

billion yuan into the market.

A reverse repo is a

process in which the

central bank purchases

securities from commercial

banks through bidding,

with an agreement to sell

them back in the future.

China's central bank has

pledged to make its

prudent monetary policy

more targeted and flexible

to adapt better to the needs

of high-quality development

and put more focus on the

efficiency of financial

services to support the real

economy.

China's Yunnan

reports rising

foreign trade

in 2020

KUNMING : Foreign trade

of southwest China's

Yunnan Province posted

steady growth in 2020

thanks to a slew of

supportive policies, local

customs authorities said,

reports BSS.

Yunnan's foreign trade

rose 15.4 percent year on

year to more than 268

billion yuan (about 41.4

billion U.S. dollars) in

2020, according to

Kunming Customs.

Of the total, its exports

rose 46.4 percent year on

year to 151.88 billion yuan,

while imports dropped by

9.7 percent year on year to

116.16 billion yuan.

The Association of

Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN) remained

Yunnan's largest trading

partner, with foreign trade

rising 7.6 percent year on

year to more than 123

billion yuan.

Meanwhile, trade with

countries along the Belt

and Road, the United

States and the European

Union also saw robust

growth.

Private enterprises in

Yunnan enjoyed a strong

performance last year, with

their imports and exports

standing at nearly 153.18

billion yuan, an annual

increase of 39.6 percent.

MONDAY, FEbrUArY 8, 2021

9

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said his side should not be considered Premier

League title contenders after twice blowing the lead to draw 3-3 at home to Everton. Photo: AP

Man Utd not title contenders, says

Solskjaer after everton draw

england all out

for 578 in first

India test

SPOrtS DeSk:

england were bowled out

for 578 by India on the third

morning of the opening test

in Chennai on Sunday with

Jasprit Bumrah and

ravichandran Ashwin

claiming three wickets each,

reports BSS.

Bumrah trapped overnight

batsman Dom Bess lbw for 34

with the score on 567 after

england had resumed on 555-

8.

Ashwin bowled number 11

James Anderson for one to

wrap up the england innings

after the opposition bowlers

had toiled for 190.1 overs

during more than two days in

the field.

england captain Joe root

on Saturday became the first

player to score a double

century in his 100th test

before being dismissed for

218.

Djokovic has 'not much

respect' for kyrgios

off the court

SPOrtS DeSk:

World number one Novak

Djokovic said Sunday he had

little respect for Nick

kyrgios's off-court antics

after the polarising

Australian recently called

him "a tool", reports BSS.

kyrgios has waged a

running battle with the Serb

in recent times, sparked by

Djokovic's ill-fated Adria

tour exhibition series last

year as the coronavirus

pandemic raged.

After lashing his

"stupidity" when several

players who took part

contracted Covid-19,

kyrgios also quickly weighed

in when Djokovic was

sensationally disqualified

from the US Open for hitting

a woman line judge in the

throat with a ball.

And last month, he

dismissed him as a "tool"

after the Serb issued a list of

demands for quarantined

players who arrived on

charter flights for the

Australian Open.

Djokovic, who is gunning

for an 18th Grand Slam title

at the Australian Open, said

he had mixed views on the

combustible kyrgios.

"I think he's good for the

sport. Obviously he's

someone that is different.

He goes about his tennis, he

goes about his off court

things in his own authentic

way," he said.

"I have respect for him. I

have respect for everyone

else really because everyone

has a right and freedom to

choose how they want to

express themselves, what

they want to do.

"My respect goes to him

for the tennis he's playing.

"Off the court, I don't have

much respect for him, to be

honest. "that's where I'll

close it. I really don't have

any further comments for

him, his own comments for

me or anything else he's

trying to do."

kyrgios's feud with

Djokovic dates back to 2019,

he when he told the No

Challenges remaining

podcast: "I just feel like he

(Djokovic) has a sick

obsession, wanting to be

liked."

SPOrtS DeSk:

Manchester United manager Ole

Gunnar Solskjaer said his side should

not be considered Premier League title

contenders after twice blowing the lead

to draw 3-3 at home to everton on

Saturday, reports BSS.

Victory would have pulled United

level on points with leaders

Manchester City, but they have now

won just one of their last four games to

allow their local rivals to open up a

commanding advantage at the top of

the table. City enjoy a two-point lead

but also have two games in hand over

United, the first of which comes away

to defending champions Liverpool on

Sunday.

"We're not talking about winning

titles, this team has come a long way,"

said Solskjaer, who side finished 33

points behind Liverpool last season.

"We shouldn't be considered as title

chasers. that's one for you (the media).

We've got to get better as a team and

see where we end up.

"Going forward we were very good,

Medvedev, rublev

fire russia to maiden

AtP Cup victory

SPOrtS DeSk:

A relentless russia

crushed Italy 2-0 to win

their maiden AtP Cup

Sunday with Daniil

Medvedev and Andrey

rublev in red-hot form

leading into the Australian

Open, reports BSS.

russia were the only

nation in the 12-team event

to boast two top 10 players

and they had swept past

Japan, Argentina and

Germany en route to the

decider. Italy faced the same

juggernaut on rod Laver

Arena, with rublev

destroying Fabio Fognini 6-

1, 6-2 in just 61 minutes

before Medvedev

overpowered Matteo

Berrettini 6-4, 6-2 in 79

minutes.

"Such a pleasure to be part

of this team," said russia

captain evgeny Donskoy.

"It's not a tough job to be

captain of such a strong

team."

but we need to stop conceding easy

goals."

everton's late show extends their

unbeaten run on the road to seven

games and moves Carlo Ancelotti's

men back up to sixth, three points off

the top four.

Ahead of the game, the Munich air

disaster - in which seven United

players were killed 63 years ago - was

remembered with wreaths laid by both

captains. A slow start followed that

sombre note, but the match burst into

life after edinson Cavani's excellent

movement created space for the

Uruguayan to head home Marcus

rashford's pinpoint cross at the far

post on 24 minutes.

Ancelotti cut a frustrated figure on

the touchline during the first-half as his

side constantly played themselves into

trouble rather than seeking out the

pace of richarlison and Dominic

Calvert-Lewin on the counter-attack.

"We were a little bit shy in the firsthalf,"

said Ancelotti.

"We had the opportunity in counterattack

in the first-half, but we were not

clinical in passing forward.

"We didn't deserve to lose. I think the

draw was fair because the effort and

spirit in the second-half was really

good." the one time a long ball did find

richarlison he nearly caught out David

de Gea with an audacious effort from a

narrow angle.

United were dealt a blow six minutes

before the break when Paul Pogba

hobbled off with a thigh muscle injury

to be replaced by Fred. Pogba would

have been a far better option on the

edge of the box when the Brazilian

dragged a shot wide moments later.

However, Bruno Fernandes is

United's star man from that range and

showed why with a sumptuous lobbed

effort over robin Olsen for his 18th

goal of the season.

At that stage, Solskjaer's men looked

in complete command, but they got a

warning of what was about to come in

first-half stoppage time when Calvert-

Lewin slotted wide when one-on-one

with De Gea.

Lyon see off Strasbourg to

move top of Ligue 1

Sports Desk: Memphis Depay scored

twice as Lyon piled the pressure on their

title rivals by moving top of Ligue 1 on

Saturday with a straightforward 3-0 win

over 10-man Strasbourg, reports BSS.

rudi Garcia's men now sit one point

ahead of previous leaders Lille, who visit

struggling Nantes on Sunday, with

reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain

three points further back ahead of their

game at arch rivals Marseille.

Lyon have lost just one of their last 21

Ligue 1 matches as they bid for a first

league title since the most recent of their

seven straight crowns in 2008.

"We had a very good game. I enjoyed

watching my team play," said Lyon coach

Garcia.

"We wanted to string together our

fourth consecutive victory and put

pressure on our rivals who play on

Sunday."

the visitors were left with a mountain

to climb early on at the Groupama

Stadium, as Adrien thomasson lost his

composure and was booked twice in the

space of 40 seconds in the 14th minute.

Depay turned in the opening goal six

minutes later, scoring for the 12th time in

the league this season.

Strasbourg goalkeeper eiji kawashima

denied the Dutch forward a second soon

after, but Lyon did double their

advantage on the half-hour mark as karl

toko ekambi dinked in after collecting

thiago Mendes' pass.

Former Manchester United winger

Depay, who had gone four games without

a goal before kick-off, curled in the hosts'

third with a free-kick in the 68th minute.

Strasbourg, who are winless in four

outings, appeared resigned to their fate

from very early in the match and Lyon

completed victory despite barely

breaking sweat.

elsewhere, european hopefuls Lens

and rennes played out a drab goalless

draw at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

the hosts move into sixth, two points

behind fifth-placed rennes, but having

played a game more.

Lorient beat reims 1-0 to continue

their fine run of form, which includes a

remarkable 3-2 victory at PSG last

weekend, to move three points clear of

the bottom three.

Memphis Depay scored twice as Lyon piled the pressure on their title rivals by moving top of

Ligue 1 on Saturday with a straightforward 3-0 win over 10-man Strasbourg. Photo: AP

World number one Novak Djokovic said Sunday he had little respect for Nick Kyrgios's off-court

antics after the polarising Australian recently called him "a tool".

Photo: AP

'Suffering' Nadal's

Aussie Open in

doubt with back

injury

SPOrtS DeSk:

rafael Nadal admitted

Sunday he had been

"suffering" for 15 days with

a sore back and could not

guarantee he'll play the

Australian Open, with the

injury threatening to derail

his bid for a record 21st

Grand Slam, reports BSS.

the world number two

sat our Spain's AtP Cup

campaign in warm-up

week, and he hasn't played

a competitive match since

the AtP Finals in London

in November.

His only appearance

since was an exhibition

game against Dominic

thiem in Adelaide nine

days ago, where he first

experienced stiffness in his

back.

"Not great obviously," he

said of the back injury on

the eve of the first Grand

Slam of the year. "It's true

that for the last 15 days I

have been suffering.

"In the beginning, the

muscle was just a little bit

tired but I feel (now) a little

bit more stiff than usual."

the 34-year-old has been

hitting the practice courts

at Melbourne Park in a

desperate bid to be fit and

firing for the Australian

Open, which starts

Monday.

Nadal insisted the injury

was "not serious" but

remained unsure whether

he would take to the court

for his first-round match

against Laslo Djere of

Serbia which is scheduled

for tuesday.

"the muscle is still tight,

so it is difficult to play with

freedom of movement," he

said.

evergreen ronaldo lifts

Juventus to third in Serie

A, Napoli sink in Genoa

SPOrtS DeSk

evergreen striker Cristiano

ronaldo scored the day after

turning 36 as Juventus

overtook roma to go third in

Serie A on Saturday with a 2-

0 win over the capital side as

Napoli slumped in Genoa,

reports BSS.

Juventus move five points

behind leaders Inter Milan,

who beat Fiorentina 2-0 on

Friday, with a game in hand.

Second-placed AC Milan

are one point off top spot

before hosting struggling

Crotone on Sunday.

Napoli missed the chance to

pull level on points with

roma, falling to their second

defeat in three league games,

2-1 against resurgent Genoa.

ronaldo put Juventus

ahead on 13 minutes with his

16th league goal of the

campaign to extend his lead

as Serie A's top scorer this

term ahead of Inter's romelu

Lukaku. the Portuguese

striker, who scored a double

in the Italian Cup in midweek

against Inter, ended his threematch

league run without a

goal.

the five-time Ballon d'Or

winner missed other chances

as he was denied by the

crossbar in the 23rd minute

and roma goalkeeper Pau

Lopez seven minutes before

the break.

Juventus's second goal

Sparkling Spieth shares Phoenix

Open lead with Schauffele

SPOrtS DeSk

Former world number one Jordan Spieth, seeking a first

victory in more than three years, fired a scintillating 61 at

tPC Scottsdale on Saturday to share the Phoenix Open

lead with Xander Schauffele, reports BSS.

Spieth had 10 birdies in his 10-under par 61, tying his

career-low round on the US PGA tour for an 18-under par

three-round total of 195.

Overnight leader Schauffele fired a six-under par 65.

A victory would mark a return from the wilderness for

Spieth, who won the 2015 Masters and US Open before

his 22nd birthday but hasn't landed in the winner's circle

since capturing his third major title at the 2017 British

Open at royal Birkdale.

"I have no expectations on the results tomorrow, I really

don't," said Spieth, who has dropped to 92nd in the world

amid his struggle to rebuild his game and regain his

confidence. "I built some freedom now seeing these

results the first few days here to where I feel really good

about the path I'm on.

"I feel good about what the long-term ahead looks like for

me. And sometimes that has been in question, to myself."

came 20 minutes from time

when roger Ibanez turned

into his own net while trying

to stop ronaldo getting to a

Dejan kulusevski cross.

"We'd prepared for this sort

of game," said coach Andrea

Pirlo, whose side drew 2-2

with roma the last time the

teams met.

"In the reverse fixture,

roma employed the same

tactic against us and this time

we wanted to turn the game

on its head tactically.

"Morale is high. Defensively

we're strong and we're more

alert than we were before."

Pirlo has settled into his role

as Juventus boss after a

stuttering start to the

campaign, with six wins in

seven league games in 2021.

"You learn from matches and

defeats. You learn something

from every game, especially as

it's so tactical in Italy and you

can't play every game the same

way," said the former Italian

World Cup winner. ronaldo

later tweeted: "Happy to score

and help the team against a

tough opponent! 3 important

points!"

Meanwhile, Paulo

Fonseca's roma have still not

beaten any of the other top

eight teams this season.

Former captain edin Dzeko

returned after being sidelined

following a falling out with

Fonseca, but the Bosnian's

presence did not lift his side.

roma are two points

behind Juventus in fourth,

having played one game more

than the turin giants.

"We had more shots on goal

(14 to 3), more corners (9 to

2), but it's the team that scores

goals that wins," said

Fonseca.

MoNDAY, feBRUARY 8, 2021

10

Jaya in new web series

'Chalchitro'

TBT RepoRT

Jaya Ahsan, a Bangladeshi actress and producer. Starting her career as a

model and, later, as a television actress, she currently works mostly in

Bangladeshi and Indian Bengali films.

She is going to set foot in the web series. She will be seen acting in

the web series 'Chalchitro' which will be broadcasted on Hippix, a

new streaming zone of Bangladesh's OTT platform.

The series, directed by Chitravanu Basu, is going to be based on

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's story 'Bipod' written in the

context of Ponchaser Monontor (Bengal Famine of 1943).

The main character in this story is a girl named Haju, who starts

stealing food out of hunger. Jaya will be seen in this role.

Besides, Sabyasachi Chakraborty will be seen in this

web series.

However, it is not known when the shooting of this

series will start or when it will be streaming. The

'Hippix' web platform was launched on January 30.

Jaya Ahsan and Rituparna Sengupta were present at

the ceremony.

The original series of 'Hippix's 'Symphonic Siblings' with

two brilliant talents is coming soon. More new series will also be

seen on this new OTT platform. It remains to be seen how much this

Hippix will be able to compete with other OTT platforms, including

Hoichoi.

Jaya Ahsan won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actress

four times for her performance

in the films Guerrilla

(2011), Chorabali (2012),

Zero Degree (2015) and

Debi (2018). At the

Madrid International

Film Festival 2020, she

won the Best Female

Actor award in the

Foreign Films category for

her role in the film

Robibaar (2019).

TBT RepoRT

Popular actor Omar Sunny has

been elected as president of

'Bangladesh Film Club Limited'

Noble lends

for 2021. The polls held at

Bangladesh Film Development

Corporation (BFDC) on

Saturday (February 6).

He was announced as the

voice in drama

'Parbo Na Bhulte

Tomakay'

Omar Sunny

elected as BFCL

president

winner after getting 278 votes

while his rival candidate Atiqur

Rahman Liton got 158 votes.

Apart from Omar Sunny, his

full panel has won. Mahmudul

Haque Palash, Nazrul Raj,

Syed Rafiuddin Selim,

Engineer MA Jahan, Shri Ajit

Roy Nandi, and Md. Abdullah

Zeyad, Zahid Hossain,

Mozaharul Islam Obaid, MA

Kamal and Jahangir Alam

Jahangir have been elected as

executive members from

Omar Sunny's panel.

Newly elected President Omar

Sunny said he was grateful to

the honorable members of the

Film Club.

Voting begins at 2pm on

Saturday after the club's

annual general meeting is held

at 11am and continue till 6 pm.

Actress Rozina, Mausumi,

Shilpi, Sangeeta, Zeba, Ratna,

Polly, Nijhum Rubina, Raha

Tanha Khan, Subah, and

many others came to cast their

votes at this time. However,

many voters were absent this

time due to the coronavirus

pandemic.

Salman Khan

Music is one thing that

will never die

Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan, who has been

roped in as brand ambassador of the music reality

show Indian Pro Music League, says music is

something that will continue to entertain the

audience, no matter what.

Salman has recorded several film songs in a

career of over three decades, and he released three

special songs - Pyaar Corona, Tere bina and Bhai

bhai - last year during lockdown. Asked if he would

sing on the upcoming show, he replied: "You

(audience) will see it. When you watch the show,

you will realise what is there in it. It is a unique

music league where we will try to present different

forms of music to the audience."

"During lockdown, the only thing which was

there was music. Everyone was creating music

during that period, including me. I made three

songs and we uploaded these on my YouTube

channel, which have been appreciated by people.

Music is one such thing which will never die off,"

said the Bollywood superstar.

The league will comprise six teams led by

celebrities from Bollywood, cricket, and the music

world. These include Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha

Kapoor, Govinda, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia

Deshmukh, Bobby Deol, and Suresh Raina.

Big names from the music world such as Asees

Kaur, Mika Singh, Akriti Kakar, Shaan, Neha

Bhasin, composer Sajid, Shilpa Rao, Kailash Kher,

Bhoomi Trivedi, Javed Ali, Payal Dev, and Ankit

Tiwari will be the captains of these teams.

The show will go on air in February. It will air on

Zee TV and Zee5.

On the film front, Salman will next be seen in

Sajid Nadiadwala's Kick 2 with Jacqueline

Fernandez and Mahesh Manjrekar's Antim: The

Final Truth. His line-up also includes Tiger 3 with

Katrina Kaif and Pathan with Shah Rukh Khan,

John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, besides

Farhad Samji's Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali with Pooja

Hegde, and Prabhu Deva's Radhe: Your Most

Wanted Bhai with Disha Patani.

Source: The Hindu

TBT RepoRT

Featured musician Mainul

Ahsan Noble who made his

debut in the music industry

through the competition of

India's ZeeBangla's reality

show ' Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2019'.

He covered songs sung by

others in this show which

helps him gain popularity in a

very short time. Noble became

embroiled in controversy early

in his music career.

Noble has left everything

behind and focused on basic

songs. This time he sang a

song of the drama. Ahmed

Rizvi has written the lyrics of

this song with the title

'Osohay'. Ahmed Humayun

composed the melody and

music. Not only that, Noble

will appear as a singer in a part

of the drama called 'Parbo Na

Bhulte Tomakay'. The drama

is composed and directed by

Zakaria Soukhin.

Noble said, I tried to sing the

song with my best. The lyrics

have been great. Hopefully,

the listeners will like the song.

The recording of this song

was completed at the end of

last month. The shooting of

the song is currently going on.

The shooting of the drama

'Parbo Na Bhulte Tomakay'

has also been completed. The

drama has been shot in

different places in Uttara.

Mushfiq R.Farhan and Keya

Stacy Osei-Kuffour to

write Marvel's Blade

starring Mahershala Ali

Playwright Stacy Osei-

Kuffour has been tapped to

pen Disney and Marvel's

Blade reboot. Two-time

Oscar-winning actor

Mahershala Ali is playing the

titular half-vampire, halfmortal

superhero.

According to Variety, the

deal makes Osei-Kuffour,

best known for writing

HBO's Watchmen, Amazon's

Hunters, and the Hulu series

Pen15, the first Black woman

Payel have played the lead

roles. Also starring Joynal

Jack, Tanzim Hasan Anik and

others.

The song and drama will be

released on Soundtech's

YouTube channel on

Valentine's Day.

to pen a Marvel Studios

project.

Created by writer Marv

Wolfman, Blade first made

an appearance in the 1973

comic book The Tomb of

Dracula #10 as a supporting

character.

He is a vampire hunterhalf-mortal,

half-immortalwho

tries to free the world

from vampires as a way of

avenging his mother, who

was killed by a vampire as

she gave birth to him.

Diversity behind the scenes

is the focus of Marvel's Phase

Four, under which

filmmaker Nia DaCosta has

been roped in to direct

Captain Marvel 2, becoming

the first Black woman to

helm a Marvel Cinematic

Universe movie.

No director is attached

with Blade reboot yet.

Source: Wion

H o R o s c o p e

ARIes

(March 21 - April 20) : Have you been

thinking about attending a seminar of some

kind, Aries, perhaps business related? You

and a partner might go together. This is a

good time to do this, as your thinking is particularly clear

and retentive and you find it easier than usual to

concentrate. Discussions with your partner afterward

could be the icing on the cake. Tomorrow you will feel like

you can take the world by storm.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : Your dreams might

be especially intense now, and some could

even be prophetic. You may have recently

dreamed of an old friend you haven't seen

for a while. Don't be surprised if you suddenly hear from

this person, Taurus. You might also come up with some

previously unknown ideas for advancing yourself

professionally. Don't let the unorthodox source of these

insights stop you from using them.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : Social events involving

both old and new friends could prove especially

satisfying at this time, Gemini. You will be able

to catch up with those you haven't seen for a

while. You might also be introduced to new people who prove

valuable business contacts in the future. Expect good news,

stimulating conversation, and a lot of reminiscing about the

past with warm and congenial companions.

cANceR

(June 22 - July 23) : Today you might

decide to get some annoying but

necessary chores done, Cancer. You

have the energy and stamina to finish

them and probably will, although you may go crazy

from boredom in the meantime. Your mind should

be especially active, so don't be surprised if during

the course of doing your chores you find the

answers to questions you've been asking yourself

for a long time.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Some information

that you've been seeking for a long time

might finally be unEarthed today through

your diligent efforts, Leo. This is going to

increase your ability to take on whatever challenges

you're planning to address. Your already sharp business

acumen is likely to be enhanced by whatever you

discover. Be prepared for a lot of hard work and

continued success over the next few months.

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Virgo, some volatile

emotional matters that may have reared their

heads over the past few days could finally be

settled to the satisfaction of all involved. The

subject of money may come up. Happiness reigns in the

home, as all the members of your household are basically

pleased with the way their lives are going. The appearance of

some well-loved visitors may add to the contentment.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Some solid, honest

communication between you and those

you love is likely to clear up some

confusion. Roles are more clearly defined,

emotional problems clarified, and chores are more

fairly allotted. This is going to make a big difference in

your daily life. The removal of relationship issues will

guarantee that the atmosphere is more harmonious

from now on.

scoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : You might need to do

some of the less exciting chores involved

with creative or artistic projects today,

Sagittarius. You're in the right frame of

mind to get them done. Your efficiency is at a peak. A

practical, no-nonsense manner marks all your

interactions. By day's end you should feel more than

satisfied with what you've done. You're apt to be

prepared for the next phase of the project.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): You might need to do

some of the less exciting chores involved with

creative or artistic projects today, Sagittarius.

You're in the right frame of mind to get them

done. Your efficiency is at a peak. A practical, no-nonsense

manner marks all your interactions. By day's end you should

feel more than satisfied with what you've done. You're apt to be

prepared for the next phase of the project.

cApRIcoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): You may have let

household tasks and chores go for a

few days, Capricorn, so today you

might decide to get them all done at

once. You have the energy and the stamina to do

it. However, take care not to get too caught up in

little details that only you tend to notice. This can

keep you from getting the most important chores

done.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Some letters and

calls that you may have agreed to do for

a group you're affiliated with might

have to be taken care of today,

Aquarius. Don't be surprised if you spend a lot of

your time on the phone. It might take a little

persistence, as some of the people you need to reach

may not be in. But you're likely to get everything

done. Your determination is strong.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : You may need to take

care of paperwork related to financial

matters today, Pisces. You will pay bills,

make deposits, or balance checkbooks.

Whatever you need to handle, you will get it done, and

done well. You might even find that you're better off

financially than you thought you were. In the evening, go

to a movie and forget about money for a while.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) started vaccinating against the corona virus as part of a

nationwide vaccination program against the corona virus (Covid-19).Additional Director

General (Medical) of BGB, Brigadier General Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam Khan was the 1st BGB

member to be vaccinated against the corona virus invented by Oxford-AstraZeneca in the

United Kingdom at the training ground of BGB Headquarters, Border Guard Hospital,

Pilkhana, Dhaka on Sunday.

Photo: Courtesy

Oxford/AstraZeneca jab effective

against UK Covid variant, study finds

LONDON : The COVID-19 vaccine developed

by Oxford University and produced

by AstraZeneca has shown efficacy

against the UK variant of the coronavirus,

according to an ongoing study by

researchers.

Oxford University scientists who developed

the ChAdOx1-nCoV19 vaccine have

found that it remains effective against at

least one of the new variants of the disease,

called the B.1.1.7 'Kent' coronavirus

strain after the south-east England region

where it was first discovered late last year.

"Data from our trials of the ChAdOx1

vaccine in the United Kingdom indicate

that the vaccine not only protects against

the original pandemic virus, but also protects

against the novel variant, B.1.1.7,

which caused the surge in disease from

the end of 2020 across the UK," said

Andrew Pollard, Professor of Paediatric

Infection and Immunity, and Chief

Investigator on the Oxford vaccine trial.

However, in related findings,

we`ÿ r/Rb- 603 (2)/7/2/21

GD- 212/21 (4x3)

AstraZeneca said it is yet to be fully determined

whether the vaccine protects

against severe disease caused by the highly

transmissible coronavirus variant

found in South Africa.

Following the pre-print study of a small

sample, due to be published next week,

the company expressed confidence that

the vaccine would offer protection against

serious cases because it created neutralising

antibodies similar to those of other

coronavirus vaccines.

"All viruses accumulate mutations over

time, and for influenza vaccines, there is a

well-known process of global viral surveillance,

and selection of strains for an annual

update of the vaccines," explained

Sarah Gilbert, Professor of Vaccinology,

and Chief Investigator on the Oxford vaccine

trial.

Prof Gilbert said that coronaviruses are

less prone to mutation than influenza

viruses. It is always expected that as the

pandemic continues, new variants will

begin to become dominant amongst the

viruses that are circulating and that eventually

a new version of the vaccine, with

an updated spike protein, would be

required to maintain vaccine efficacy at

the highest level possible, she said.

"We are working with AstraZeneca to

optimise the pipeline required for a strain

change should one become necessary,"

Gilbert said.

"This is the same issue that is faced by

all of the vaccine developers, and we

will continue to monitor the emergence

of new variants that arise in readiness

for a future strain change," she said.

Between October 2020 and mid-

January 2021, the researchers used

swabs taken from volunteers with both

symptomatic and asymptomatic infection

enrolled in phase II/III vaccine

efficacy study to work out which strain

of the coronavirus they had been infected

with after receiving either the vaccine

or the control.

Egypt releases Al-Jazeera

journalist detained since 2016

CAIRO : Egyptian authorities on Saturday freed an Al-Jazeera

journalist after more than four years in detention, his family

lawyer said.

Mahmoud Hussein walked free from a police station Saturday

afternoon, a few days after a court ordered his conditional release

pending investigations into charges of publishing false information

and belonging to a banned group, lawyer Gamal Eid said,

reports UNB.

The lawyer said Hussein will have to report to a nearby police

station twice a week.

The journalist's daughter, el-Zahraa Hussein, confirmed the

news in a Facebook post, saying her father had arrived home. Al-

Jazeera also reported his release.

Hussein, an Egyptian working for the Qatar-based satellite network,

was detained at the Cairo airport in December 2016, when

he arrived on a family vacation from Doha, the network said.

Since the 2013 ouster of Muslim Brotherhood President

Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian authorities and pro-government

media have portrayed the Al-Jazeera network as Egypt's national

enemy for its sympathy toward Islamists, especially the outlawed

Muslim Brotherhood group.

The network, especially its Arabic service, and its staff have been

embroiled in the wider political rift between Cairo and Doha.

Egyptian authorities have blocked Al-Jazeera's news website since

2017, along with dozens of other news sites deemed too critical of

the government. Hussein's release came a month after Egypt,

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain ended their

dispute with Qatar, which started in 2017 and included the four

countries severing their diplomatic diplomatic and economic ties

with energy-rich Qatar.

On-the-loose tiger

captured alive

after Indonesia

zoo escape

PONTIANAK : An escaped

tiger that killed a keeper at a

zoo on Borneo island has

been captured alive after a

day on the loose, police said,

reports BSS.

The white Bengal tiger was

found wandering in a jungle

surrounding Sinka Zoo in

the town of Singkawang,

West Kalimantan on

Saturday, following its

escape through a hole.

Another tiger that broke

free was shot dead earlier.

"We found and captured

the second tiger by sedating

it with a tranquillizer," local

police chief Prasetiyo Adhi

Wibowo told journalists late

Saturday.

Telegram, the

world's most

downloaded app!

NEW DELHI : It's official.

Telegram is now the world's

most downloaded app on

Google Play Store. It's also

now the most preferred

instant messaging app for

Indians, reports UNB.

Telegram was downloaded

over 63 million times in

January this year, with 24%

of the total downloads coming

from India alone, according

to the latest report by the

US-based mobile analytics

firm, Sensor Tower. The

downloads have also helped

Telegram move from the

ninth spot to the top position

on Google Play Store.

"Telegram was the most

downloaded non-gaming

app worldwide for January

2021, with more than 63 million

installs, 3.8 times its

downloads in January 2020.

The countries with the largest

number of Telegram installs

were India at 24 percent, followed

by Indonesia at 10 percent,"

the Sensor Tower

report said.

In fact, Indians have started

migrating to Telegram as

well as Signal, another

instant messaging app, since

WhatsApp late last year

rolled out notifications

informing users about an

update in its Terms of Service

that would pave the way for

the app to share data with its

parent company Facebook.

Both Signal and Telegram

claim to have "state-of-theart

end-to-end encryption" as

part of their services and are

free to download. Ironically,

Signal is headed by Brian

Acton, one of the co-founders

of WhatsApp. Signal has features

like voice calling, video

calling, stickers support and

the person-to-person chat

interface, similar to that of

Apple's iMessage.

"Though WhatsApp is a

household name in India,

it's clear now that people

have started migrating to

other more privacyfocused

messaging apps.

So, it's privacy over convenience,

for Indians, particularly

the urban class,"

Delhi-based technology

expert Rahul Gaba told

UNB last month.

KCC mayor inaugurates

corona vaccination

program in Khulna

TitashChakraborthey,

Khulna Correspondent:

Khulna City Corporation

Mayor Talukder Abdul

Khaleq inaugurated the

corona vaccination program

in Khulna on Sunday

morning by being the first

to receive the vaccine at

Khulna Medical College

Hospital.

In Khulna district, 29

teams are working for 13

centers in the metropolis

and a total of 29 teams are

working in each of the three

upazilas. Each team has

two vaccinators and four

volunteers. Vaccination

will be given every day

from 8 am to 4 pm. On an

average, six to six and a half

thousand people a day will

be vaccinated at one hundred

and fifty people in

each center.

During the time, Khulna

Divisional Commissioner

Md. Ismail Hossain NDC,

Deputy Commissioner

Mohammad Helal Hossain,

Khulna District Council

Chairman Sheikh Harunur

Rashid, Medical College

Principal Prof. Dr. Md.

Abdul Ahad, Khulna

Medical College Hospital

Director Dr. ATM Manzur

Morshed,Police Super SM

Shafiullah, Civil Surgeon

Dr. Niaz Mohammad,

Medical College Vice

President Dr. Mehedi

Newaz, KCC Chief Health

Officer KM Abdullah,

General Secretary of

MohanagarAwami League

MDA Babul Rana and other

government officials and

political leaders were present.

.

MONDAY, feBrUArY 8, 2021

11

Calls grow for US to rely on

rapid tests to fight pandemic

WASHINGTON : When a Halloween party

sparked a COVID-19 outbreak at North

Carolina Agricultural and Technical State

University, school officials conducted rapid

screening on more than 1,000 students in a

week, including many who didn't have symptoms.

Although such asymptomatic screening isn't

approved by regulators and the 15-minute

tests aren't as sensitive as the genetic one that

can take days to yield results, the testing director

at the historically Black college credits the

approach with quickly containing the infections

and allowing the campus to remain

open, reports UNB.

"Within the span of a week, we had crushed

the spread. If we had had to stick with the PCR

test, we would have been dead in the water,"

said Dr. Robert Doolittle, referring to the polymerase

chain reaction test that is considered

the gold standard by many doctors and Food

and Drug Administration regulators. With

President Joe Biden vowing to get elementary

and middle school students back to the classroom

by spring and the country's testing system

still unable to keep pace with the spread of

COVID-19, some experts see an opportunity

to refocus U.S. testing less on medical precision

than on mass screening that they believe

could save hundreds of thousands of lives. As

vaccines slowly roll out, they say the nation

could suppress the outbreak and reopen much

of the economy by easing regulatory hurdles

to allow millions more rapid tests that, while

technically less accurate, may actually be better

at identifying sick people when they are

most contagious.

"Our whole testing approach, which has

failed, has tried to tackle this pandemic as

though it's a bunch of little medical problems,"

said Dr. Michael Mina, a Harvard University

testing specialist. "Instead, we need to take a

big step back and say, 'Wait, this isn't a lot of

medical problems, it's an epidemic. And if we

resolve the epidemic, we resolve the medical

problems.'"

Palestinian leader's path to

elections is fraught with peril

RAMALLAH, West Bank : Palestinian President

Mahmoud Abbas' call for elections has thrown

his political future into peril, forcing him to

negotiate competing demands to engage with a

friendlier U.S. administration, mend the rift with

his militant Hamas rivals and keep his unruly

Fatah movement from breaking apart, reports

UNB.

The presidential decree issued last month,

calling for what would be the first Palestinian

elections in 15 years, stemmed from negotiations

launched with Hamas last year aimed at

shoring up ranks in the face of unprecedented

crises.

The Trump administration had cut off all aid

and proposed a Mideast plan that overwhelmingly

favored Israel and would have allowed it to

annex parts of the occupied West Bank. A U.S.-

brokered normalization agreement between

Israel and the United Arab Emirates last summer

put annexation on hold but left the

Palestinians increasingly isolated in the region.

So Abbas embarked on talks with Hamas, the

Islamic militant group that seized Gaza from his

forces in 2007. Those discussions culminated in

the presidential decree calling for legislative elections

on May 22 and presidential elections on

July 31.

It's far from clear the elections will actually be

held. Doing so will require an agreement

between Abbas's secular Fatah movement and

Hamas, which have been bitterly divided for

more than a decade despite multiple attempts at

reconciliation. The two sides plan to meet in

Cairo this week.

The outcome of the talks will largely depend

on the 85-year-old Abbas. He has spent decades

nonviolently seeking a Palestinian state in the

West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories

seized by Israel in the 1967 war.

Khulna City Corporation Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleq received the first

corona vaccine at Khulna Medical College Hospital in the district on

Sunday.

Photo: Titash Chakraborthey

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Monday, Dhaka, February 8, 2021, Magh 25, 1427 BS, Jamadi-us Sani 25, 1442 Hijri

Bangabandhu recalled at

historic Brigade Parade

Ground in Kolkata

DHAKA : Information Minister Dr

Hasan Mahmud has handed over crests

of honor to a number of Indian citizens

who were recognized with the 'Freedom

Fighter Friendship Award' for their outstanding

contribution to Bangladesh's

Liberation War.

The minister handed over the crests

last evening recalling a line from

Bangabandhu's speech - 'Bangladesh-

India friendship will exist forever'- at the

historic Brigade Parade Ground in

Kolkata where Bangabandhu gave the

historical speech in presence of about 10

lakh people on February 6, 1972.

Ministry of Information of Bangladesh

with the help of Bangladesh Deputy High

Commission in Kolkata, India organized

the function marking the grand celebration

of the birth centenary of

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,

50th anniversary of the independence of

Bangladesh and the historic rally of

Bangabandhu at the Brigade Parade

Ground, Kolkata, on February in 1972.

Panchayet and Rural Development

Minister of West Bengal Subrata

Mukharjee, who was a young MLA of

West Bengal in 1972 and a witness of

the historic rally, addressed the function

as guest of honour while Member

of Parliamentary Standing Committee

on Ministry of Information Saimum

Sarwar Kamal and Bangladesh High

Commissioner to India Mohammad

Imran addressed the function as special

guests. Bangladesh Deputy High

Commissioner in Kolkata Towfiq

Hasan chaired the function while first

secretary (press) Dr Mofakkharul

Iqbal gave welcome speech, said a

release received.

Hasan, in his speech, recalled the contribution

of the friendly state India in the

Liberation War.

He said the whole West Bengal had

met on the historic Brigade ground on

that day (February 6, 1972). "As per my

Covid vaccine

own information, about 15 lakh people

were present in that historic public rally.

And I think the celebration of our victory

was completed with the reunion of

the people of West Bengal with Mujib in

the brigade of that day. I feel proud to

recognize the personalities again who

were recognized in the Brigade," he

added.

The minister said Bangladesh is now

moving forward and left behind

Pakistan in every index including

human and economy. Now the people

of Pakistan are becoming disappointed

by seeing the unprecedented development

of Bangladesh under the dynamic

leadership of Bangabandhu's worthwhile

daughter Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina, he said.

The information minister said they

(Pakistani) want to be like Bangladesh.

And, here is the great achievement,

added Hasan, also Awami League joint

general secretary.

Subrata Mukharjee said,

"Bangabandhu was close to the people

of the West Bengal. On that day in 1972,

the Brigade ground was filled up by 1

pm. Indira Gandhi came along with

Bangabandhu at Brigade from

Rajbhaban at 3 pm. I was near the stage

and it was greatest public rally which I

had seen.

"Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman and the then Indian Prime

Minister Indira Gandhi gave speeches in

front of about 10 lakh people on

February 6, 1972 on the Brigade ground.

Bangabandhu's time-honored speech

contained the joys of independence, the

pain of losing relatives, unconditional

gratitude to India and everlasting harmony

and criticism of the anti-independence

forces," he added.

Dr Hasan and Subrata handed over

the honorary crests in the function to the

Indian personalities for their outstanding

role in the Liberation War.

Invest more economic

zones, ICT, jute

sectors: PM to Norway

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Sunday asked Norway to

invest more in Bangladesh's economic

zones, especially in the ICT and jute

sectors, to get easy access to markets

in South and South East Asia, reports

UNB.

"Bangladesh is located in an important

geographical location. It'll be possible

to have access to the market of

the South Asia and South East Asia if

investments are made in Bangladesh,"

she said when Norwegian

Ambassador Espen Rikter-Svendsen

paid a courtesy call to her at her official

residence Ganobhaban.

PM's Assistant Press Secretary MM

Emrul Kayas briefed reporters after

the call on.

He said that the Prime Minister

urged Norway to invest in the country's

special economic zones, particularly

in the ICT and environmentfriendly

jute sectors, as a congenial

environment for doing business is

now prevailing in Bangladesh.

She said the government has been

extending all out supports to ship

recycle industry when the ambassador

said they are assisting Bangladesh to

this end.

She also told the ambassador that

Bangladesh has already started

nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

expressed her gratitude to Norway as

it extended support to Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman during the War of Liberation

in 1971 and in rebuilding the country

after the war.

Espen Rikter-Svendsen said his

country is among the first to recognise

Bangladesh as an independent country

immediately after the Liberation

War.

Mentioning that Norway has been

assisting Bangladesh since its emergence

as an independent nation, he

said that his country is one of the

largest development partners of

Bangladesh.

'Get vaccinated for yourself, others'

DHAKA : Prime Minister's Special

Assistant Barrister Shah Ali Farhad

on Sunday encouraged all to receive

the coronavirus vaccine, reports

UNB.

"Please register. And get vaccinated.

If not for you, for your fellow

human beings. For the loved ones

we couldn't say goodbyes to," he

appealed in post on his verified

Facebook account.

He said now is not the time for

politics over the vaccine issue.

"Please. No responsible human

being can speak ill of a lifesaving

tool like vaccine," he said.

Sharing his joy over the vaccination

drive, Farhad said this is indeed

a turning point. "I remember every

day since March 8 last year when

the first case of Covid-19 was detected

in Bangladesh."

He said he was present at the

emergency meeting on the same day

with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,

where she and her sister, Sheikh

Rehana, told them unequivocally

that Father of the Nation,

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman was the leader of the people.

"And they couldn't, in good

conscience, allow any Mujib Borsho

events or gatherings in his name

which could potentially put even

one of his people at risk," Farhad

recalled.

He remembered distinctly, the

initial confusion and chaos, not

just here, but all across the world.

"The surging cases, the lockdowns,

the food relief drives, the

shortage of PPEs, people turning

on their frontline worker neighbours,

not adhering to health

rules, lack of ICUs and ventilators,

and so on. And of course, the pain

of not being able to say goodbye to

our loved ones."

But as a nation, Farhad said, "We

showed our resilience. We fought

back. Strongly. We remedied our

shortcomings. Our Prime Minister

led the efforts from the front. Our

frontline workers, our doctors, our

nurses, our medical technologists,

our community health workers, our

local officials, our administrators,

our police, our armed forces, our

youth, our volunteers, all came

together."

When many countries are still

grappling with securing vaccines

for their people, and most

advanced nations showing their

insensitivity by stockpiling large

amounts of vaccine at the cost of

depriving their fellow least developed

and developing nations,

Farhad said they were able to

secure this lifesaving tool for the

people. "It was the Prime Minister

and her team which explored all

possible avenues. It wasn't easy.

Let me tell you that," he mentioned.

Workers of

jute mills in

Khulna

staged demo

yesterday to

reopen the

closed mills.

Photo : Star Mail

West Indies have pulled off a historic win in Chattogram against

Bangladesh, chasing down a target of 395 runs on Sunday at

Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Photo : Star Mail

West Indies pull off historic

win in Chattogram

DHAKA : The West Indies have pulled off

a historic win in Chattogram against

Bangladesh, chasing down a target of 395

runs on Sunday at Zahur Ahmed

Chowdhury Stadium.

Bangladesh paid a heavy price for

Shakib Al Hasan's injury. The all-rounder

could not bowl in the second innings of

the match, reports UNB.

The Tigers also missed the service of

extra pace-bowlers as they took the field

only with one pacer in the playing XI.

Kyle Mayers, the 28-year-old left-handed

batsman, registered a double ton on

debut to guide his side to the recordbreaking

win.

This was the first time a team had won

in Bangladesh chasing a target of more

than 350 runs. Also, this was the first

instance of a debutant hitting a ton in Test

for the West Indies after Kirk Edwards

who did it in 2011 against India.

And Mayers partnered Booners in the

fourth wicket stand to post 216 runs on

the board, which proved to be a decisive

partnership.

While Mayers remained unbeaten for

210, Booner, who also made his debut in

this game, scored 86.

The West Indies scored 395 for seven in

127.3 overs. For Bangladesh, Mehidy

Hasan Miraz bagged four wickets conceding

113 runs, the best bowling figures for

the hosts in this innings. But it was not

enough for them to take a lead in the twomatch

series.

Earlier, in the first innings of the match,

Bangladesh posted 430 riding on the

maiden Test 100 of Mehidy (103).

Shadman Islam (59) and Shakib (68) also

hit a 50 each.

Jomel Warrican was the best bowler for

the tourists, scalping four wickets while

Cornwall took two.

In reply, despite some good batting displays

from captain Kraigg Brathwaite (76)

and Jermaine Blackwood (68), the West

Indies managed to score 259 runs in their

first innings after losing last five wickets in

six runs.

For Bangladesh, Mehidy bagged four

wickets while Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul

Islam and Nayeem Hasan took two wickets

each.

Bangladesh posted 223 for eight in the

second innings. Captain Mominul Haque

hit a century in the second innings and

Liton Das came up with a 50 (69).

However, all of their efforts went in vain

as Mayers made an outstanding reply to

the hosts.

Both the teams will now lock horns in

the second game of the series in Dhaka

starting from February 11.

Norwegian

Ambassador

Espen

Rikter-

Svendsen paid

a courtesy call

to the Prime

Minister

Sheikh

Hasina at

her official

residence

Ganobhaban

on Sunday.

Photo : Star Mail

UN calls for collaboration to protect

girls, women to end FGM

DHAKA :The United Nations (UN) has

called for collaboration at all levels, and

across all sectors of society to protect millions

of girls and women at risk of female

genital mutilation (FGM) every year.

The need is even more pressing amid

concerns that two million additional

cases of FGM may occur over the next

decade as the coronavirus pandemic

shutters schools and disrupts programmes

that help protect girls from the

harmful practice, reports UN News.

In a message commemorating the

International Day of Zero Tolerance for

Female Genital Mutilation, Secretary-

General Antonio Guterres highlighted

that by working together, "we can eliminate

female genital mutilation by 2030."

"As the United Nations embarks on a

Decade of Action to deliver the

Sustainable Development Goals, let's

make this the decade of zero female genital

mutilation", he said.

"Doing so will have a positive ripple

effect on the health, education and economic

advancement of girls and

women", Mr. Guterres added.

The heads of the UN Children's Fund

(UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund

(UNFPA) also highlighted that eliminating

FGM and achieving gender equality

are interdependent, mutually reinforcing

goals. "Simply put, if gender equality

were a reality, there would be no FGM.

This is the world we envision", UNICEF

Executive Director Henrietta Fore and

UNFPA Executive Director Natalia

Kanem said in a joint statement.

They urged strong collaboration and

unity, at all levels and across all sectors,

as well as adequate funding and decisive

action to protect girls and women at risk.

"We know what works. We tolerate no

excuses. We have had enough of violence

against women and girls. It is time

to UNITE around proven strategies,

FUND them adequately and ACT", they

stressed.

A harmful and abhorrent practice that

amounts to a human rights violation,

FGM - also called cutting - involves the

partial or total removal of the external

female genitalia for no medical reason.

In cultures that condone FGM, it is usually

performed by a traditional practitioner

with crude instruments and without

anesthetic.

Covid-19 in Bangladesh

15 more deaths, 292

fresh cases recorded

DHAKA : Fifteen more people died of

Covid-19 and 292 others got infected by

the deadly virus in Bangladesh in the

last 24 hours till 8 am on Sunday,

reports UNB.

With the fresh ones, the death toll

from the virus in the country reached

8,205 while the mortality rate stood at

1.52 percent, the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS) said in a handout.

It said the daily Covid-19 infection

rate in the country is now 2.35 percent.

Meanwhile, the new cases pushed up

the national tally to 538,062. Until

Sunday morning, 483,372 patients

(89.84 percent of the total reported

cases) have recovered.

So far, 3,749,012 samples, including

12,404 during the past 24 hours, have

been tested. Bangladesh reported its

first Coronavirus cases on March 8 and

the first death on March 18 last year.

Corruption growing

in Bangladesh: GM

Quader

DHAKA : Jatiya Party Chairman GM

Quader on Sunday said corruption is on

the rise in Bangladesh due to lacking in its

democratic system, reports UNB.

"It's a shame for the nation as

Bangladesh is identified as a corrupt

country by global organisations. Our

heads hang in shame before the world

due to such news (on corruption)," he

said. "Corruption is growing in Bangladesh

due to shortcoming in its democratic system,"

the Jatiya Party chief observed. GM

Quader made the remarks while exchanging

views with additional secretaries general

of Jatiya Party at its chairman's Banani

office.

He said Jatiya Party has been doing politics

to free Bangladesh from corruption.

"Our party is moving forward with its own

politics. The Jatiya Party will never bow

down to any fear, greed or allure," GM

Quader said. Jatiya party secretary general

Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, former secretary

general and opposition chief whip Moshiur

Rahman Ranga and additional secretaries

general were present at the meeting.

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Executive Editor : Sheikh Efaz Ahmed, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka.

Editorial and News Office: Bangladesh Timber Building (3rd Floor) 270/B, Tejgaon I/A Dhaka-1208. Tel : +8802-8878026, Cell : 01736786915; Fax: + 880244611604, Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

08-02-2021

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