16-02-2021

tuesday

Dhaka : February 16, 2021; Falgun 3, 1427 BS; Rajab 3,1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; N o. 306; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

InternatIonal

Trump looks to

reassert himself after

impeachment acquittal

>Page 7

sports

Papon criticizes team

performance after

losing series against WI

>Page 9

art & culture

Priyanka talks about

favouritism, suggests

'extending the table'

>Page 10

FFs' allowance to be

raised to Tk 20,000

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Monday announced that the

minimum monthly allowance of valiant

freedom fighters will be raised to Tk

20,000 from the existing Tk 12,000,

reports UNB.

The Prime Minister made the

announcement while inaugurating the

transfer of allowanceto 168,000 valiant

freedom fighters and their families

through electronic fund transfer system

from the Bangladesh Bank every

month using the management information

system (MIS).

Held at the Osmani Memorial

Auditorium, Sheikh Hasina joined the

programme from her official residence

Gonobhaban.

"Now, I think, Tk 12,000 is nothing.

There're many slots at the bottom of the

freedom fighters' list. We'll increase the

amount to Tk 20,000 bringing the lower

slots of the list in one place," she said. But

to make it happen, it will require some

time as the government also needs time

to allocate money for this purpose in the

national budget, Hasina said adding,

"But, we'll surely do it."

Currently, the families of martyred war

heroes are getting Tk 30,000 per month

while that of war-wounded ones Tk

25,000. The families of Bir Srestha, the

highest gallantry award winners in the

Liberation War, are receiving Tk 35,000

while that of Bir Uttams Tk 25,000.

20-30 lakh more doses

of Covid-19 vaccine to

arrive Feb 22

DHAKA : Some 20-30 lakh more doses

of Covid-19 vaccine will arrive in

Bangladesh on February 22, said

Nazmul Hassan Papon, the Managing

Director of Beximco Pharmaceuticals

on Monday, reports UNB.

Papon came up with the information

while talking to reporters after getting a

shot at Kurmitola General Hospital.

"No initiative has been taken yet to

bring Covid-19 vaccine under private

management as everyone is getting vaccine

free of cost. So, there is no need to

bring vaccine under private management

now," he said.

He also urged people to get vaccinated.

The 2nd consignment of vaccine

will arrive under the agreement

Bangladesh signed with the Serum

Institute of India (SII) through

Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. to procure

three crore doses of Covishield.

On January 25, Bangladesh received

the first consignment of 50 lakh doses of

Covishield, the Covid-19 vaccine developed

by Oxford-AstraZeneca and manufactured

by Serum Institute of India (SII).

The vaccine doses were imported from

India by the government through

Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Zohr

05:18 AM

12:18 PM

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6:30 5:55

Rohingya men, women, and children are onboard of a ship to be sailed for Bhasanchar.

2010 Rohingya relocated to

Bhasanchar in the fourth phase

Manik Bhuiyan, noakhali CoRResPondent

In the fourth phase, 2,010 Rohingyas

reached Bhasanchar in Noakhali. They

arrived there on Monday (February 15) at

around 2.15 pm. Among them there are

485 women, 577 men and 948 children.

At around 9 am on the same day, five

ships left the Patenga Navy's Ready

Response Berth in Chittagong for

Bhasan Char. Earlier, they reached

Chittagong by road on Sunday. At night

they were kept in a temporary camp at

BAF Shaheen College ground.

In the fourth phase, about 4,000

Rohingyas will be brought to

Bhasanchar step by step.

Bhasanchar police officer in charge

(OC) said. Mahe Alam said that after

the initial medical examination, the

Rohingyas were unloaded from the

ship, gathered at the ware house and

briefed. After that, they were transferred

to the cluster of Bhasan Char.

It may be mentioned that on

December 4 last year, in the first phase,

1,642 Rohingyas, including men,

women and children, officially reached

Hatiyar Bhasanchar in Noakhali. They

are kept in clusters 7,8,9,10 prepared

for Rohingyas. Among the Rohingyas

who came to Bahasanchar in the first

phase, there are 810 children, 368

males and 464 females.

In the second phase on December 29,

another 1,604 Rohingyas reached

Bhasanchar from Cox's Bazar. Among

them are more than 130 relatives of the

Rohingyas who went to the first phase.

On May 7 last year, another group of 26

Rohingyas floating in the waters of

Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal was

transferred to Bhasan Char. They were

rescued from a floating boat in the Bay

of Bengal in Cox's Bazar. The rescued

team consisted of 92 men, 157 women

and 28 children.

One thousand seven hundred and

seventy six Rohingyas arrived in

Bhasanchar on January 29. There are

404 males, 510 females and 872 children.

On January 30, another 1,046

Rohingyas arrived in the second term in

the third phase. Of these, 347 were

males, 405 females and 715 children.

Earlier, on April 19, 2019, the construction

of a shelter at a cost of Tk

3,095 crore was completed for the relocation

of Rohingyas to Bhasanchar on

Suu Kyi detention extended as

protests continue in Myanmar

YANGON : Myanmar's military leaders

have extended their detention of

deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi,

whose remand was set to expire

Monday and whose freedom is a key

demand of the crowds of people continuing

to protest this month's military

coup, reports UNB.

Suu Kyi will now be remanded until

Feb. 17, according to Khin Maung Zaw,

a lawyer asked by Suu Kyi's party to represent

her. He told reporters of the

extension outside a court in the capital,

Naypyitaw.

Suu Kyi's extended detention is likely

to further inflame tensions between the

military, which seized power in a Feb. 1

coup, and the protesters who have taken

to the streets of cities across the

Southeast Asian nation seeking the

return of the government they elected.

Protesters continued to gather across

Myanmar on Monday following a night

in which authorities cut the country's

internet access and increased the security

presence in major cities seeking to

curtail demonstrations.

Thousands of engineers marched on

the streets of Mandalay, the country's

second-largest city, chanting and holding

signs that read: "Free our leader,"

"Who stands with justice?" and "Stop

arresting people illegally at midnight."

In Yangon, the country's most populous

city, fewer protesters gathered on

Monday due to the loss of the internet

and reports of military vehicles on the

streets.

Nevertheless, several hundred anticoup

demonstrators were outside the

Central Bank of Myanmar building,

where there were also military trucks

full of soldiers, riot police, water-cannon

trucks and armored personnel carriers.

Demonstrators carried placards that

read "#SupportCDM #SaveMyanmar."

CDM refers to the civil disobedience

movement that has seen doctors, engineers

and others in Myanmar refuse to

work until the military releases elected

political leaders and returns the country

to civilian rule.

When the military seized power, it

detained Suu Kyi and members of her

government and prevented recently

elected lawmakers from opening a new

session of Parliament. The junta, led by

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said it

stepped in because the government

failed to properly investigate allegations

of fraud in last year's election, which Suu

Kyi's National League for Democracy

party won in a landslide. The state election

commission refuted that contention,

saying there is no evidence to

support it.

Photo: Collected

the banks of the Meghna River in Hatia.

Although the project was supposed to

be implemented by November 30,

2019, all the infrastructure construction

was completed earlier.

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Fall in Bangladesh's export, govt

expenditure a big concern : CPD

DHAKA : Centre for Policy Dialogue

(CPD), a civil society think tank, has

said the decline in government's

expenditure and fall in export have

been the major concerns and discomfort

for the country's economy,

reports UNB.

The CPD came up with the observations

while presenting an assessment

report titled 'State on the

Bangladesh Economy in FY2020-21

(First Reading)' on Monday.

The virtual function was

addressed, among others, by CPD

Executive Director Dr Fahmida

Khatun, Distinguished Fellow Dr

Mustafizur Rahman, and Research

Director Dr Golam Moazzem. Its

Senior Research Fellow Tawfiqur

Islam Khan presented the keynote

paper.

The CPD said public expenditure

fell by a large amount during the first

four months of FY2021 compared to

the pre-Covid situation.

It found a substantial fall in development

expenditure, with a 35.1 percent

decline in annual development

programme (ADP) expenditure compared

to the corresponding period of

FY2020.

Operational expenditure was also

lower, the CPD said, adding, "This

happens due to the needs triggered

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by pandemic."

With a view to saving about Tk

33,661 crore from the ADP in

FY2021, the Finance Division has

allowed ministries and agencies to

spend only 75 percent of the fund

allocated by the government for ADP

in FY2021, the CPD mentioned.

"The remaining 25 percent can't

be spent on operation under any

circumstances," it said adding that

the rest 25 percent of the allocation

has been put on hold since the

Finance Division fears that it will

be difficult to achieve the revenue

target to achieve under the pandemic.

According to the CPD, export

Bangladesh's earnings declined by

16.9 percent and missed the growth

target by a large margin of 12.2 percent.

"The volatility in export earnings

continued during the FY2021," the

CPD observed adding that the total

export earnings declined by (-) 1.1

percent during the July-January

period of FY2021.

"This implies that the total export

earnings will require to grow by 70.4

percent during the remainder of

FY2021 if the annual growth target of

21.8 percent has to be reached," it

mentioned.

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TUeSDAY, febRUARY 16, 2021

2

UK hits target: Gives

at least 1 vaccine

shot to 15 million

LONDON : The U.K.

announced Sunday that it had

reached its goal of giving at least

one COVID-19 vaccine shot to

the most vulnerable people in

the country, increasing pressure

on ministers to clarify

when they will ease a lockdown

imposed in early January,

reports UNB.

More than 15 million people,

or 22% of the U.K. population,

have received their first shot.

The figure includes most people

in the government's top

four priority groups, including

everyone over 75, frontline

healthcare workers and nursing

home staff and residents.

Over 537,000 of them have

also received their second dose.

"15,000,000! Amazing

team," Nadhim Zahawi, the

vaccines minister, said in a

tweet that featured a red heart

and three syringes. "We will not

rest till we offer the vaccine to

the whole of phase1 the 1-9 categories

of the most vulnerable

and all over 50s by end April

and then all adults."

British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson plans to unveil

his roadmap for easing restrictions

on Feb. 22 amid signs

that infection rates, hospitalizations

and deaths have fallen

sharply since England's third

national lockdown began on

Jan. 4.

Average new US virus cases below

100K for 1st time in months

ATLANTA : Average daily new coronavirus

cases in the United States dipped below

100,000 in recent days for the first time in

months, but experts cautioned Sunday that

infections remain high and precautions to slow

the pandemic must remain in place, reports

UNB.

The seven-day rolling average of new infections

was well above 200,000 for much of

December and went to roughly 250,000 in

January, according to data kept by Johns

Hopkins University, as the pandemic came

roaring back after it had been tamed in some

places over the summer.

That average dropped below 100,000 on

Friday for the first time since Nov. 4. It stayed

below 100,000 on Saturday.

"We are still at about 100,000 cases a day. We

are still at around 1,500 to 3,500 deaths per day.

The cases are more than two-and-a-half-fold

times what we saw over the summer," Dr.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, said on NBC's

"Meet the Press." "It's encouraging to see these

trends coming down, but they're coming down

from an extraordinarily high place."

On Saturday, the seven-day rolling average

for deaths was around 2,500. That number

peaked at more than 3,300 earlier in the winter,

according to Johns Hopkins.

The U.S. saw a spike of more than 5,400

deaths reported Friday - nearly half from Ohio,

where authorities said earlier in the week that

they planned to add deaths to the state's tally

over the course of a few days after discovering

as many as 4,000 unreported COVID-19 fatalities.

Walensky added that new variants, including

one first detected in the United Kingdom

that appears to be more transmissible and has

already been recorded in more than 30 states,

will likely lead to more cases and more deaths.

"All of it is really wraps up into we can't let

our guard down," she said. "We have to continue

wearing masks. We have to continue with

our current mitigation measures. And we have

to continue getting vaccinated as soon as that

vaccine is available to us."

The U.S. has recorded more than 27.5 million

virus cases and more than 484,000

deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins data.

With parents and political leaders eager to

have children around the country back in

school for in-person learning, it is important

that people continue to observe precautions,

Walensky said.

"We need to all take responsibility to

decrease that community spread, including

mask wearing so that we can get our kids and

our society back," she said.

The CDC released guidance on Friday outlining

mitigation strategies necessary to reopen

schools or to keep them open.

Some teachers have expressed concern

about returning to the classroom without having

been vaccinated, but the guidelines do not

say that's necessary. Dr. Anthony Fauci said on

ABC's "This Week" that it would be "optimal" if

teachers were vaccinated but that other measures

laid out in the 24-page document can

lessen their risk.

"Practically speaking, when you balance the

benefit of getting the children back to school

with the fact that the risks are being mitigated,

if you follow the recommendations and these

new guidelines from the CDC, hopefully, I

think that will alleviate the concerns on both

sides," he said.

Chaatra Union activists toppled the banner-festoon placed in front of Raju sculpture of TSC by the

followers of Md. Humayun Kabir, the general secteray of Awami League. The banners were carrying

words commemorating International Mother Language Day.

Photo: Star Mail

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TUESDAY, fEBRUARY 16, 2021

3

Bam Ganatantrik Jote staged demo in front of National Press Club on Monday to recover the

trafficked money.

Photo: TBT

Delhi eyes greater ties with Dhaka: Doraiswami

Dhaka: India has said it is committed to

taking forward the strong relations with

Bangladesh in the next 50 years and

beyond focusing on mutual benefits and

expanding it to all the sectors, noting

that India never shows any 'big-brother'

attitude towards Bangladesh, reports

UNB.

"For us, the friendship with

Bangladesh is the cornerstone of our

foreign policy. How could we be acting

in a big-brotherly way? Honestly

speaking, Bangladesh is a big country

with 170 million people. So, there's no

reason to have this apprehension," said

Indian High Commissioner to

Bangladesh Vikram Kumar

Doraiswami on Monday.

He said Bangladesh is special as

friend always have strong development

partnership, and he has no idea why this

apprehension is there.

The Indian diplomat was speaking at

'DCAB Talk' organised by the

Diplomatic Correspondents

Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the

Jatiya Press Club. DCAB President

Pantho Rahman and General Secretary

AKM Moinuddin also spoke at the

event. Doraiswami said they have to

look at a shared future, a future where

170 million people of Bangladesh and

1.3 billion Indians can see what more

the two countries can do together.

"Better cooperation between us should

be the fundamental plan for our shared

Chattogram BRTA

office catches fire

CHATTOGRAM : A fire

broke out at the office of

Bangladesh Road Transport

Authority (BRTA) at

Natunpara in Chattogram

city on Sunday night, reports

UNB.

Mohammad Tanvir

Ahmed, station officer of

Bayezid Fire Station, said

the fire broke out in a room

located on the first floor of

the BRTA building around

10:30 pm.The room was

designated for making

nameplates of vehicles.

On information, two

firefighting units rushed to

the spot and extinguished

the blaze around 1:30 am.

Fire service men said the

fire might have originated

from electric short circuit.

However, the extent of the

damages could not be

ascertained yet.

Hasan Shikdar

new Rajuk

Chairman

DHAKA : The government

has appointed Dr Sayeed

Hasan Shikdar, chief

(additional secretary) of the

Planning Division as the

new chairman of Rajdhani

Unnayan Kartripakkha

(Rajuk).

The Public Administration

Ministry issued a gazette

notification in this regard on

Monday, reports UNB.

Hasan Shikdar will replace

Md Sayeed Noor Alam who

recently went on retirement.

On January 12, 2020, the

government made Sayeed

Noor Alam the chairman of

Rajuk.

future." The High Commissioner hinted

further directives from the top

leadership on the shared future and

responsibility during the planned visit

of Indian Prime Minister Narendra

Modi in March next.

He said they have not formally

announced the visit but it is planned

following the invitation extended by

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina. "We're working on a number of

outcomes." High Commissioner

Doraiswami talked about partnership in

the energy sector, people-to-people ties

and larger political relationship and all

these things are negotiated. "Many

things are needed to be finalised." He

said there will be historic component,

government-to-government

component and cooperation in specific

areas during the planned visit as the two

countries want to take forward the

relations in the next 50 years and

beyond.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has

already thanked Prime Minister

Narendra Modi for accepting her

invitation to visit Bangladesh in person

in March 2021 to join the celebrations

on the occasion of the 50th anniversary

of Bangladesh's Independence and 50

years of Bangladesh-India diplomatic

relations. High Commissioner

Doraiswami said they need to

remember and carry forward always the

understanding that the relationship

LGRD Minister Tajul Islam addressing a programme on Monday.

Photo: TBT

Trial of Pakistan's 1971 genocide

can take place anytime, indicates

Indian envoy

DHAKA - Indian High Commissioner to

Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami on

Monday indicated the trial of Pakistani

genocide committed during the 1971

Liberation War can take place anytime as

there is no statute of limitations in terms of

times.

"I think we should be clear about it

without getting into legal formalities...in

other words, even [if] something

happened long ago," he said.

The High Commissioner said there is no

statute of limitation on any kind of

arrangement that may have been arrived in

and this is something entirely within [the

jurisdiction of] the government of

Bangladesh to assess the history and see how

this goes forward.

Doraiswami came up with the remarks

when asked which provision of the 1974

tripartite agreement is holding back to

try the Pakistani generals who

committed genocide during the War of

Liberation in 1971. "History is history,"

said the High Commissioner noting that

between the two countries is based on

history, friendship based on respect and

affection and the two countries share so

many things. "We share the

responsibility to take forward this

relationship." He said a strong, stable,

prosperous and flourishing Bangladesh

is in India's fundamental national

interest. Therefore, the High

Commissioner said, all of the ideas that

they are somehow not in the interest of

Bangladesh's development are not just

true and can be dismissed to the

conspiracy theorists.

"Your development is good for us.

There's absolutely no doubt in

anybody's mind about this. There's a

bipartisan consensus in India about the

importance of Bangladesh," he said

adding that Bangladesh remains one of

their most important relationships and

every government and each Prime

Minister of India invested in the best

possible ties with Bangladesh.

High Commissioner Doraiswami said

they recognise that the benefit of the

relations must be mutual.

"Both sides must benefit from our

relationship. This is exactly what we're

committed to doing. We want a stronger

development partnership with

Bangladesh; expand our relations in

trade as trade has to be the future,

stronger people-to-people ties and

every sector of human activities," said

the High Commissioner.

the question is historically very relevant

in this historic year when Bangladesh is

set to celebrate the 50 years of its

Independence.

The Indian diplomat was speaking at

'DCAB Talk' organised by the Diplomatic

Correspondents Association, Bangladesh

(DCAB) at the Jatiya Press Club. DCAB

President Pantho Rahman and General

Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke at the

event.

Bangladesh has recently reiterated the

importance of resolving outstanding

bilateral issues with Pakistan, including an

official apology from Pakistan for the

genocide it committed during Bangladesh's

Liberation War in 1971.

Bangladesh also sought completion of the

repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in

Bangladesh, and settling the issue of the

division of assets.

Bangladesh also made it clear that it

cannot forget the atrocities committed by

Pakistan in 1971 and the pain will remain

there forever.

India offers Covid

vaccine for

Bangladesh army

DHAKA : Indian High

Commissioner to Bangladesh

Vikram Kumar Doraiswami

on Monday said India has

offered Covid-19 vaccine shots

for Bangladesh Army, reports

UNB.

"It has been offered. We

aren't yet clear whether the

offer is accepted but we'll be

very happy to supply it," he

told reporters at DCAB Talk

at the Jatiya Press Club.

The High Commissioner

said Bangladesh is a friendly

country and if vaccine doses

need to be supplied on a

military-to- military basis,

the Indian army will be

happy to supply that.

Earlier, India supplied two

million doses of Oxford-

AstraZeneca vaccine

produced in India to

Bangladesh as a gift.

Bangladesh is also

purchasing the vaccine

doses from the Serum

Institute of India. The High

Commissioner highlighted

various aspects of the

relationship between the

two countries, including

connectivity, trade, water

sharing, border killing and

people-to-people contact.

Goethe-Institute, Her Story

Foundation to host virtual

reading circle on Priyabhashini

DHAKA : German cultural organization

Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, in partnership

with HerStory Foundation, is going to host a

virtual circle reading of the autobiography

'Nindito Nondon' by late sculptor, author, and

Birangana of 1971 Liberation War Ferdousi

Priyabhashini on Wednesday, marking her

75th birth anniversary, reports UNB.

The virtual reading circle, a monthly event

by the initiators, will welcome the readers at

7 pm and the session will take place at online

platform Zoom.

"Birangana Ferdousi Priyabhashini's

autobiography 'Nindito Nondon' is not only

a memoir but also a historical document

narrating the birth of the nation. The horrific

past and loss of respect during 1971 were

forgotten after tasting the sweet

independence.

Her autobiography brings up the chilling

stories of torture of '71 as well as the shining

presence of freedom fighters and the war,"

the organizers said via a press release. The

reading circle will be joined by Fuleshwary

Priyanandini, daughter of the author and

eminent sculptor.

She is currently pursuing her passion for

artworks and writings, focused on topics

namely gender equality, complexities of

relationships, family and social abuse and

discrimination and child abuse.

DU Disciplinary Board meeting held recently.

Comprehensive

database for

migrant workers

launched

DHAKA : The Ministry of

Expatriates' Welfare and

Overseas Employment

(MoEWOE) on Monday

launched a digital platform,

Returning Migrants

Management of Information

Systems (ReMiMIS), to

collect, analyze, and store

data of returning migrants

to Bangladesh.

To address the needs of a

nationwide returnee

database, International

Organization for Migration

(IOM) is supporting the

government of Bangladesh

to develop the ReMiMIS

under the project titled

"Sustainable Reintegration

and Migration Governance

in Bangladesh", known as

Prottasha, funded by the

European Union (EU).

The overall objective of the

project is to contribute to the

sustainable reintegration of

the returnees and the

progressive achievement of

Sustainable Development

Goal 10.7 to facilitate

orderly, safe, regular and

responsible migration and

mobility of people including

through the implementation

of planned and wellmanaged

policies in

Bangladesh.

The comprehensive

ReMIMIS system will

contribute to better

migration data management

and development of targeted

reintegration support

programs.

In addition, stakeholders

will have access to

information on the skills

profiles of returning

migrants and potentially

contribute to skills transfers

to communities/ sectors in

demand.

According to Sister Library authority - the

platform, powered by female excellence, is a

space to celebrate female creativity. The

flagship library, founded by indigenous artist

Aqui Thami in Bombay, holds one thousand

works of women writers, artists, and zine

makers. It is an evolving and generative

artwork that engages with an in-depth

reflection on the visual and reading cultures

of modern times.

The goal of the project is to bring together

readers, in order to explore literary

contributions, showcase the artistic quality,

and celebrate women in the creative world -

as well as to foster interests and

understanding of the accomplishments of

female writers and artists, according to the

Sister Library.

Following Aqui's visit in 2020, a Dhaka

chapter of the library was opened in the

Goethe-Institut Bangladesh which has been

hosting female authors and regular circle

readings.

Following registration, participants will

receive English/ Bangla text, along with the

free digital conferencing platform ZOOM

link to join the event.

Further information regarding the reading

circle can also be found at the Goethe-

Institut Bangladesh Facebook and

Instagram page.

Photo: TBT

Revoking Zia's title only to

stigmatise govt: BNP

DHAKA : BNP senior leader Gayeshwar

Chandra Roy on Monday said the

government will gain 'nothing, but a big

stigma' if it revokes Ziaur Rahman's

gallantry title Bir Uttam, reports BSS.

Speaking at a protest rally, he also

warned that the government's hands will

be 'burnt into ashes' with public wrath if it

tries to touch Zia's title out of political

vengeance.

"They (govt) can't understand how big

a stigma they're trying to paint on their

foreheads...there're some people like

Sheikh Hasina who like to gain stigma,"

he observed.

BNP's Dhaka district unit arranged the

programme on the ground floor of BNP's

Nayapaltan central office in protest

against the Jatiya Muktijoddha Council's

(Jamuka's) move to revoke Bir Uttam title

conferred on party founder Ziaur

Rahman for his contributions to the

Liberation War.

Gayeshwar, a BNP standing committee

member, said their party should come up

with proper action programmes in the

days to come to 'restore' democracy and

people's ownership of the country.

"This's the People's Republic of

Bangladesh and people are the owners of

this country. We've to move on the right

direction with action programmes to

restore the ownership of people. We'll

surely face many obstacles, but we've to

reach our goal overcoming all those" he

observed.

The BNP leader criticised law enforcers

for what he said their repressive acts

against the opposition leaders and

activists, and urged them to play a neutral

role as the servants of people.

Gayeshwar described the current Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government

as a puppet of India and said it has

created a scope for the neighbouring

country to exploit Bangladesh. "That's

why India has been trying to keep Sheikh

Hasina in power for a long time so that

her government can serve its interests."

BNP senior joint secretary general

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, joint secretaries

general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal,

Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel and publicity

affairs secretary Shaheed Uddin

Chowdhury Anee, among others, spoke at

the progarmme.

Violence, intimidation, harassment

by security personnel in Myanmar

unacceptable: UN Chief

DHAKA : An increased use of force and the

reported deployment of armoured vehicles

to major cities throughout Myanmar have

sparked the deep concern of UN Secretary-

General Antonio Guterres, reports UNB.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his

spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, the UN

chief called on the military and police of

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to

ensure that the right of peaceful assembly

is "fully respected" and demonstrators are

"not subjected to reprisals", according to

UN News. "Reports of continued violence,

intimidation and harassment by security

personnel are unacceptable", he spelled

out.

The unfolding situation follows a military

takeover on 1 February.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the

situation of human rights in Myanmar,

Thomas Andrews, tweeted, "it's as if the

generals have declared war on the people of

Myanmar: late night raids; mounting

arrests; more rights stripped away' another

Intrnet shutdown; military convoys entering

communities".

TuEsdAy, FEBRuARy 16, 2021

4

As the rich thrive during Covid

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Death from fake liquor

consumption

Although Bangladesh has been blissfully a

relatively moderate alcohol consuming

country by comparison, alcoholism here is

not so small a social problem either that it can

be ignored. Despite limited prohibition on liquor

as a Muslim country, nonetheless people here in

large number can legally have access to liquor as

habitual drinkers, for health reasons, pleasure,

etc. In most cases they buy permission for liquor

consumption from the relevant agency of the

government for a fee and this has to be renewed

on timely basis. Thus, this system keeps

alcoholism in check from liquor's restricted

availability. Bangladesh is not like many other

countries where liquor is too plentiful, available

in unrestricted amounts to anyone.

But although the consumption of liquor in

Bangladesh has remained under controls for the

regulations involved, its consumption

nevertheless in not so free from risks. For

example, many drinkers in the country are

simply priced out in buying imported and

expensive liquor. The common people here

simply cannot afford the same. They take

'country liquor' which is made in unsafe manner

using mainly raw sprit combined with other

locally available ingredients. The making of the

same is also considered as unhygienic and

unhealthy. Thus, from taking such country

liquor on long term basis or habitually, the users

often fall prey to serious intestinal diseases

mainly cirrhosis of liver. Therefore, the

production and consumption of country liquor

also call for regulations and their enforcement to

protect against health risks.

The comparatively smaller number of drinkers

of foreign imported liquor so far had escaped

such worse health risks. Served in posh

restaurants and among the elite such

consumption of liquor proved relatively safe and

hazard free. But the worrisome feature of the

present situation is even such caterers of foreign

liquor can no long count on the safety of the

liquor they peddle. According to mainstream

media reports, death from drinking liquor

claimed as of foreign origin, has shattered the

idea that the drinking of such foreign stuff in

elegant bars and eateries is free from health

risks.

Reportedly, 33 persons were identified as dead

after drinking such so called foreign made liquor

in Dhaka and other cities of the country over the

last one month. The victims include 13 who died

recently after such liquor consumption in a well

known and reputed resort in Gazipur in the

outskirts of Dhaka. Thus, the issue has become

a full blown one of much significance and calls

for strictest immediate law enforcement actions

by the police and others.

The authorities who should be concerned

needs to show much greater activism in the

matter because once the news of deaths from

liquor consumption reaches widely among

foreign tourists and members of the foreign

community in Bangladesh, the negative

repercussions of the same are likely to be

heavier. Bangladesh has not been noted

particularly hospitable for its restriction on

liquor, night life and other attractions that

foreigners look forward to in host countries. If

on top of these disadvantages, our country gets a

bad name as one where people in considerable

number die from liquor consumption, then the

same will not create incentives among

foreigners to work and live here.

Reportedly, the police last week also detected

an unauthorized liquor making factory in a

suburban area of Dhaka city. They found there

one person who was making fake liquor of

famous foreign brands and putting them in used

or empty bottles and labelling them likewise

with fake labels. There is every reason to reliably

assume that the products of such a clandestine

factory were destined for the upscale

restaurants and caterers where the recent liquor

related deaths occurred.

The authorities need to review these

developments with a great deal of seriousness

and root out the same with iron hands at the

fastest.

WHILE the Covid-19 pandemic has

had a devastating effect on the lives

and livelihoods of people across

the world, the health crisis has been a boon

for the richest. Millions have died and the

global economy has shrunk pushing more

people into poverty. Yet the fortunes of the

planet's richest have seen an astronomical

rise over the past one year. Since the

outbreak of the pandemic, the poor have

become poorer and the rich richer.

It's evident that the impact of the global

health emergency has been uneven. The

pandemic has worsened the existing

inequality among countries as well as within

countries. As UN Secretary General António

Guterres said: "While we are all floating on

the same sea, it's clear that some are in super

yachts, while others are clinging to the

drifting debris."

While the richest nations may have been

hit harder by the pandemic they will be able

to recover much faster than underdeveloped

countries, further widening the gap between

rich and poor nations with grave

implications for world peace.

An Oxfam report released last month and

titled The Inequality Virus has made some

startling revelations about the gnawing

economic disparity in the times of

pandemic. While hundreds of millions of

people have lost their jobs and are finding it

hard to survive, the richest have remained

the least affected. It is estimated that the

total number of people living in poverty

could have increased by between 200m and

500m in 2020.

The pandemic has worsened the existing

Future Iran nuclear talks should include the GCC and regional issues

During its summit in AlUla last month, the

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) made public

its position on future talks with Iran, stating

that any future negotiation process should

address Tehran's regional conduct and

missile program "all in one basket" along

with its nuclear program. It also stressed the

need to include GCC countries in this

process.

The GCC's concerns go far beyond the

confines of the current Joint Comprehensive

Plan of Action (JCPOA) text. They are related

to the overall scope of the 2015 agreement

and its exclusion of key actors that are

immediately affected by it.

While it is exceedingly important to close

the gaps in the old text, Iran's missile

program is equally worrisome, especially as

the regime has beefed up its arsenal with

cruise missiles, drones and new generations

of ballistic missiles.

For the region, the most immediate threat

is Iran's regional conduct, i.e., supporting

sectarian militias regionally and all types of

terrorists globally.

In addition, there is an urgent need to

address the environmental risks associated

with Iran's nuclear program, even if it were

non-military. Some of its nuclear reactors are

built or planned along earthquake fault lines.

Japan's Fukushima disaster demonstrated

the risk earthquakes pose to nuclear

installations. The Bushehr nuclear facility is

only 200 km from major population centers

in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. If nuclear

effluents pollute Gulf waters, it could spell

Modi, Virat Kohli congratulate Indian

cricket team on Gabba victory:

Youngsters first to breach 'Fortress

Gabba' in 32 years

Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Preity

Zinta and more congratulate Indian cricket

team on Gabba win

In pictures: India's Finance Minister

Nirmala Sitharaman presents union budget

From 'RRR' to 'Pathan': All the Bollywood

film release dates confirmed so far

It's a gentleman's game, they always said.

In recent times, it is not easy to be

consistently convinced.

From Darren Sammy's allegations of

racism by players of his IPL SunRisers

Hyderabad team last year to the Aussie art of

sledging that has no time frame, sometimes

it feels like Trevor Chappell is constantly

bowling an underarm.

Maybe, it also has something to do with

how all around us, mutual respect and

humility have become the twelfth man.

Sport and communities- the link is strong,

neither exists as an island. Which is perhaps

why it feels like a rabbit has been pulled

from the hat. Ajinkya Rahane- dignified and

classy, has in recent days shown us many

things, but none as important as the

message, you do not have to shout to be

heard. Many these days have the wrong

memo.

What happened on the field is history,

what took place off it showed that not all

inequalities between the rich and the poor.

But, despite the downturn in the global

economy, billionaires' wealth worldwide

increased by a staggering $3.9 trillion

between March 18 and Dec 31, 2020.

According to the report released at the

World Economic Forum, the world's 10

wealthiest billionaires have together seen an

increase in prosperity by $540bn over this

period. The figures show their cumulative

wealth standing at $11.95tr. The top 25 US

corporations earned 11 per cent more profits

in 2020 compared with the previous year.

Two American billionaires, space

technology entrepreneur Elon Musk and

Jeff Bezos of Amazon increased their net

wealth by $128.9bn and $78.2bn

respectively in this period. But it is not only

American billionaires who got wealthier.

India's richest man Mukesh Ambani also

saw his wealth double, reaching $78.3bn

between March and October 2020.

"During that period, the average increase

in Ambani's wealth in just over four days

represented more than the combined

annual wages of all of Reliance Industries'

195,000 employees," according to the

Oxfam report. From being the 21st richest

dR. ABdEL AZIZ ALuWAIshEG

disaster for desalination plants.

All of these issues are urgent and need to be

addressed in the talks with Iran: Its rush to

acquire military nuclear capability, a

runaway missile program, expanding rogue

regional activities, and nuclear safety. There

appears to be a regional and global consensus

that any future talks should have a wider

scope to include most of these issues. There is

also a growing consensus to include regional

actors, although no agreement yet on the

shape of that participation.

Most of the JCPOA's original participants

have voiced support for widening the scope

and participation of any new talks. US

President Joe Biden has said that, if Iran

returns to compliance with the agreement,

Washington would rejoin and then seek to

build a broader pact to also deal with Iran's

development of ballistic missiles and support

for proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and

elsewhere. US Secretary of State Antony

Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake

Sullivan have also made similar comments.

JyOTsNA MOhAN

French President Emmanuel Macron on

Friday told Al-Arabiya TV that Saudi Arabia

should be involved in any new negotiations

with Iran about its nuclear program. He

cautioned against repeating the mistake of

excluding the countries of the region, other

than Iran, from discussions when the 2015

deal was negotiated. He added that talks with

Tehran would be very "strict" and warned

that little time remains to prevent Iran

Iran has voiced opposition to both widening the scope of

the talks and including other regional actors. This opposition

contradicts its own pronouncements about the need

for dialogue with its neighbors. President hassan Rouhani

has publicly expressed and sent missives suggesting that

Iran and the GCC countries turn a new page and start talking

about their differences.

developing a nuclear weapon.

Germany also believes that the 2015

JCPOA is no longer enough and needs an

overhaul, calling for a broader accord to rein

in Tehran's ballistic missile program and its

regional activities. Foreign Minister Heiko

Maas in December told Der Spiegel: "A form

of 'nuclear agreement plus' is needed, which

also lies in our interest." He added: "We have

clear expectations for Iran: No nuclear

weapons, but also no ballistic rocket program

which threatens the whole region. Iran must

also play another role in the region … We

need this accord because we distrust Iran."

Behind every Rahane stands a Wall

heroes wear a cape, some are also in white

flannels.

Back home after the series win against

Australia, Rahane was asked to cut a cake

shaped like a Kangaroo- the Australian

national animal. He refused.

That he was even presented with one

shouldn't be all that surprising - everything

today is black or white. One wonders if the

roles were reversed how many effigies of

Australian players would have been burnt at

the mere sight of a peacock themed cake.

What Rahane said holds true not just for

sport, "it is important to respect the

opposition and their sentiments regardless

of whether you win or lose." It is a timely

reminder that to give respect is to command

respect, both two sides of a coin.

Rahane had also presented the Australian

spinner Nathan Lyon with a signed Indian

Team jersey for his 100th test. Suddenly, in

a world gone awry, Rahul Dravid and VVS

Laxman didn't seem part of a bygone era. All

that was left was to hear Richie Benaud at

the MCG.

Without any fuss the stand-in captain has

already embraced his role as the deputy

once again, for him the Australia series is

now history, the English are at the doorstep.

The captaincy debate though continues.

Many argue it is time for Virat Kohli to

follow in Sachin Tendulkar's footsteps- the

best batsman in the world isn't always a

stellar captain.

ZAhId hussAIN

person on Earth he now occupies the sixthrichest

slot. Interestingly, India has been

among the countries hardest hit by the

pandemic with its economy facing its worst

recession since independence.

It is almost the same story in other parts of

the world. According to Oxfam, between

It is almost the same story in other parts of the world. According

to Oxfam, between March and August 2020, billionaires in the

Middle East and North Africa increased their wealth by 20pc,

which amounts to more than double the IMF's emergency

financing to the region for the same period.

March and August 2020, billionaires in the

Middle East and North Africa increased

their wealth by 20pc, which amounts to

more than double the IMF's emergency

financing to the region for the same period.

Meanwhile, the sales of private planes grew

as commercial travel was banned.

This grotesque concentration of wealth

has come at a huge human cost. While it

took just nine months for the top

billionaires' fortunes to return to pre-Covid-

19 levels, for the world's poorest, economic

recovery could take more than a decade, the

report points out.

The pandemic has exposed the extreme

inequality that exists in today's world.

Billions of people were already living below

the poverty line before the onset of the

coronavirus. Over 3bn people reportedly did

not have access to healthcare, and threequarters

of workers had no access to social

To be fair, despite Virat Kohli returning

home for paternity leave after the first test,

India's fightback had his legacy stamped all

over it. He has built a team that has the

tenacity and fire to win despite the pressure

of a billion prayers that many times seem as

anything but prayers.

Whether it was the comeback after what

sounded more like a tambola/bingo number

36 in the first test or the constant racial

abuse that Mohammed Siraj faced at the

Sydney Cricket Ground, the resurgence left

many cricket pundits, not to mention former

Aussie greats and Michael Vaughan with egg

on their face.

The young blood knew they had nothing

to lose. Those who fight the good fight, can

only win respect.

Yet is Kohli's aggression - in his words "a

representation of a new India" the kind of

message a society on edge needs? Without

taking away anything from his batting or his

do-or-die spirit, the brashness and the

arrogance that filters through at times is not

just a representation, it is unfortunately the

new India.

Sourav Ganguly swinging his jersey at the

Lords balcony in 2002 was controversial

and yet it never gave this feeling, even

though he is widely regarded as the captain

who took Indian cricket's fight to the

opposition. The aggression now feels

different, perhaps there is much more at

stake today.

protection. That made them more

vulnerable to the impact of the contagion.

The circumstances appear even bleaker as

disparity increases.

This situation could have easily been

averted. As pointed out by the report, "the

increase in the 10 richest billionaires' wealth

since the crisis began is more than enough to

prevent anyone on Earth from falling into

poverty because of the virus, and to pay for a

Covid-19 vaccine for everyone".

Unfortunately, this won't happen in the

existing world order which favours the

wealthy.

There is no likelihood of people living in

poverty returning even to its pre-crisis level

for over a decade. This is an extremely

depressing situation that has serious

political and social implications. Inequality

means that more people are sick, fewer are

educated and fewer live happy and dignified

lives. Great disparities in income poison our

politics and drive extremism and racism. It

leaves many more people living in fear and

hopelessness.

It will be the developing countries that are

most affected by the looming catastrophe.

An increase in inequality is almost certain.

The report points out: "According to the

World Bank, 501m more people will still be

living on less than $5.50 a day in 2030 if

governments allow inequality to increase by

just two percentage points annually, and the

total number of people living in poverty

would be higher than it was before the virus

hit."

Source: Dawn

France, Germany and the UK are in talks

with the US to coordinate their positions on

modalities for the resumption and scope of the

talks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

has also voiced support, saying: "The matter is

progressively moving toward a situation where

we can have an agreement that is essential for

peace and stability in the Gulf and the world …

I believe that everyone, all those who entered

the JCPOA and other interested parties, must

work together to reduce uncertainties, to face

difficulties and obstacles."

Iran has voiced opposition to both

widening the scope of the talks and including

other regional actors. This opposition

contradicts its own pronouncements about

the need for dialogue with its neighbors.

President Hassan Rouhani has publicly

expressed and sent missives suggesting that

Iran and the GCC countries turn a new page

and start talking about their differences.

It is not yet clear where Russia and China

stand on the agenda of the future talks or

regional participation. Iranian Foreign

Minister Javad Zarif last week visited Russia,

but there was no mention of this issue in the

public statements made during his trip.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told

a Jan. 26 joint press conference with Zarif:

"Particularly we discussed cooperation on

construction of new power units of the

Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran," as

well as trade, economic, energy, agriculture,

transport and industrial fields.

Source: Arab news

Rahane though has been influenced more

by the player Dada made a debut with even

though in Australia, it was Cheteshwar

Pujara who stood like 'The Wall'.

Rahul Dravid may not have been at Gabba

when it was breached but half the team

wouldn't have been there either if not for

him.

From Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar,

Prithvi Shaw, Shubham Gill, Shardul

Thakur, Hanuma Vihari to even Siraj at

some point, this band of boys have all come

up through Dravid's system- the U-19 and

India 'A' programmes that he has nurtured

for the last six years before also becoming

the Director of the National Cricket

Academy. A man doggedly laying the

foundation when foundations all around are

shaky.

The greying side- burns only add to the

stature of a man who could have also joined

the commentary box, the rite of passage for

many former cricketers. Yet, when it was

presumed that he was silently going into the

sunset, the former player was actually

helping another generation dream of a new

dawn.

But that doesn't mean we don't have our

own warriors, only their fight is subtle. As

Gopichand, Dravid and now Rahane have

shown, history will be kind to a class act

more than it will be to a T-20 cameo.

Source: Gulf news

tuESdAy, FEbRuARy 16, 2021

5

Coronavirus variants

and mutations

JoNAtHAN CoRum

As an infected cell builds new

coronaviruses, it occasionally

makes tiny copying errors

called mutations. Scientists can

track mutations as they are

passed down through a

lineage, which is a branch of

the viral family tree.

A group of coronaviruses

that share the same inherited

set of distinctive mutations is

make vaccines less effective.

This group of coronaviruses

came to light in Britain, where

it was named Variant of

Concern 202012/01. The

variant is also known as

20I/501Y.V1, or simply called

B.1.1.7.

Coronaviruses from the

B.1.1.7 lineage are thought to be

roughly 50 percent more

infectious. After its discovery in

as 20H/501Y.V2, from the

B.1.351 lineage of

coronaviruses, was first

identified in South Africa in

December.

Scientists are concerned

about the variant because

clinical trials of vaccines are

showing that they offer less

protection against B.1.351 than

other variants. People who

recover from other variants

Each coronavirus contains nearly 30,000 letters of RNA.Photo: Collected

called a variant. If enough

December, it quickly emerged may not be able to fend off

mutations accumulate in a

in other countries and surged B.1.351 because their

lineage, the viruses may evolve

at an exponential rate. It is antibodies won't grab the

clear-cut differences in how

doubling in the United States viruses tightly. The F.D.A. is

they function. These lineages

every ten days. Preliminary preparing a plan for updating

come to be known as strains.

evidence suggests that B.1.1.7 is vaccines if the variant surges in

Covid-19 is caused by a

about 35 percent more deadly the United States.

coronavirus strain known as

than other variants. On the A variant known as

SARS-CoV-2.

other hand, vaccines appear to 20J/501Y.V3 is from the P.1

Over the course of the

work well against it.

lineage, an offshoot of the

pandemic, a number of

B.1.1.7 appears to be more larger B.1.1.28 lineage. The

variants of SARS-CoV-2 have

infectious thanks to several variant was first reported in

arisen. Some of them are

mutations in its spike protein, Japan, in four people who

raising worries that they may

which the coronavirus uses to contracted P.1 on a trip to

draw out the pandemic or

attach to cells. A variant known Brazil. The lineage emerged in

GREtCHEN REyNoLdS

We can thank early human

evolution that many of us can

enjoy running as much as we

do. Watch anyone with a

ponytail run, and you can see

their hair repeatedly describe

a figure-eight in the air,

responding to the forces

generated by the running.

But their heads stay still, their

eyes and gaze level.

If it weren't for some

unique evolutionary

advances, our heads would

do the same as that ponytail,

flopping like a swim noodle

when we run, according to a

clever new study of how - and

why - our upper bodies seem

to work the way they do when

we run, but not when we

walk. The study, which

involved treadmills, motion

capture, hand weights and an

eon's worth of back story,

finds that an unusual

coordination between certain

muscles in runners'

shoulders and arms helps to

keep heads stable and

runners upright.

The new findings may

answer lingering questions

about the role of our upper

bodies in running and why

we, unthinkingly, bend and

swing our arms with each

stride. They also add to the

mounting evidence that, long

ago, distance running began

shaping human bodies and

lives in ways that still

reverberate today.

The possibility that we

humans are born to run has

inspired many studies, books,

lectures and debates in recent

years, including the journalist

Christopher McDougall's

2009 best seller, "Born to

Run." The idea is based on

fossil research indicating that

early humans evolved to have

distinctive leg bones and

other characteristics that

would have aided distance

running. The findings suggest

that those of our ancestors

who could run well

dominated in the procuringfood

and procreating

sweepstakes, so that natural

selection started favoring

physical characteristics

associated with running.

Much of this research came

from the mind and laboratory

of Daniel Lieberman, a

professor of human

evolutionary anatomy at

Harvard University and

author of the new book

"Exercised," which delves

into exercise and evolution.

At first, most of his and other

scientists' work related to

evolution and running

centered on lower bodies,

since legs play such an

obvious part in how we get

from one place to another.

But Dr. Lieberman also was

interested in runners' upper

bodies and, especially, their

heads. As a longtime

marathon runner himself, he

knew that a stable head is

critical for successful

running, but not necessarily a

simple thing to achieve.

Running is propulsive. You

push off, rise and then brake

forcefully against the ground

with every stride, placing

forces on your head that

could make it flop

uncontrollably, like that

bobbing ponytail.

How we manage to keep

our heads stable, however,

has not been altogether clear.

Like most cursorial species,

or animals that run, including

dogs and horses, we have a

well-developed nuchal

ligament, a tissue that

connects the skull and neck.

That is not the case in species

that aren't natural runners,

like apes or swine.

When he was a young

scientist, Dr. Lieberman

recalled, he enticed pigs -

who are inelegant runners -

onto treadmills to study their

biomechanics. Their heads

jiggled like bobbleheads

when they were forced to run,

prompting Dr. Lieberman

and his colleagues to

conclude they lacked a nuchal

late 2020 in Manaus, the

largest city in Brazil's Amazon

region. It quickly became the

predominant variant there and

in several other South

American cities.

P.1 is a close relative of the

B.1.351 lineage, and it has some

of the same mutations on the

coronavirus spike protein. It

may be able to overcome the

immunity developed after

infection by other variants. The

D614G mutation emerged in

eastern China early in the

pandemic and then quickly

spread around the world,

displacing other coronaviruses

that did not have the mutation.

The D614G mutation is

thought to make the

coronavirus more infectious,

but it does not appear to make

the disease more severe or help

the virus escape vaccines. The

E484K mutation arose

independently in multiple

lineages, including B.1.351 and

P.1. Scientists are also

concerned that the mutation

was recently found in some

samples from the B.1.1.7

lineage from Britain.

The mutation occurs near

the top of the coronavirus

spike, where it alters the shape

of the protein. This change may

help the spikes evade some

types of coronavirus

antibodies. The mutation

appears in several lineages,

and was first observed in

Denmark in March. It's

possible that the L452R

mutation gives the coronavirus

an advantage at spreading over

other variants, but the results

of experiments that will

demonstrate that have yet to

come.

A variant discovered in

California, called CAL.20C,

surged in late 2020. The

variant spans the B.1.427

and B.1.429 lineages, and

carries the L452R mutation

listed above. But it's not yet

clear whether it is more

infectious.

Running is a total body affair

we can thank our heads and shoulders that we evolved to run as well

as we do.

Photo: Getty Images

ligament, a finding borne out

by anatomical studies.

But we humans also have

the challenge of being

upright, on two legs.

Presumably to balance

ourselves while running, we

began, at some point, to

swing our arms. Dr.

Lieberman guessed that the

arm swing helped to stabilize

our heads. But, if so, there

would have to be

coordination between the

muscles in our forearms and

shoulders, he thought, even

though these muscles do not

physically connect. They

would need to fire together

and with comparable force

during running, if they were

to be successful in stabilizing

our heads. He was uncertain

about how to test that theory,

though, until his colleague

Andrew Yegian, a college

fellow in the department of

human evolutionary biology

at Harvard, suggested

weighting runners' arms and

heads. Add mass there, he

said, watch how the muscles

respond, and you would be

able to tell if the arms and

shoulders were working

together to steady the head or

not.

So, for the new study,

which was published last

month in the American

Journal of Physical

Anthropology, Dr.

Lieberman, Dr. Yegian and

their colleagues fitted 13 men

and women with sensors on

their upper bodies that track

muscle activity and asked

them to, first, walk and then

run on a treadmill while the

researchers filmed them with

motion-capture technology.

Then the scientists handed

the volunteers light hand

weights and asked them to

run again. Finally, they

strapped weighted masks to

the volunteers' faces and had

them run once more, before

comparing how everyone's

muscles had responded to

each of these interventions.

Connecting with others on social media has helped ease the fear and loneliness of pandemic

living.

Photo: Collected

The pandemic induced depression and anxiety

StEvEN PEtRow

Depression crept up on me over the

summer and into the fall, so slowly that I

wasn't aware of the change in my wellbeing

- until suddenly I was. For most of

that time I chose to tough it out, largely

keeping quiet about my downward

trajectory. I knew I wasn't alone. A few

months into the pandemic, the Centers

for Disease and Control and Prevention

warned that mental health diagnoses -

anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide -

were on the rise. By year's end, a

government survey found that the

nation's mood had continued to darken.

Still, many people I know continue to

say they are "fine" - or defiantly "fine,

fine, fine," as one friend answered when I

checked in with him. To be honest, "fine"

had been my go-to response when

someone asked how I was doing, even as

depression and what I often call its first

cousin, anxiety, set in. Years ago, a

psychotherapist helped wean me off

"fine" as an answer to the question, "How

are you?" He explained, "Fine is neither

an emotion or a feeling," urging me

toward greater self-awareness and a

more honest response like "happy" or

"content," or "angry" or "sad."

Apparently, I had forgotten that lesson.

In the run-up to Election Day my

outlook had dimmed sufficiently that I

could see the depth of this darkness. For

instance, every time my friend Amy

phoned I realized I was taking a nap,

preparing to take one, or just finishing

one. That's long been one of my telltale

signs that all's not well. "Maybe I can

sleep through the rest of the pandemic," I

said to her one day, joking but not joking.

About that time, a fellow writer asked

on Facebook how people were faring,

after admitting she found herself

struggling. A deluge of posts expressing

worry and sadness and loneliness

resulted. That outpouring of emotion

told me many of us had been hiding our

true feelings; it also indicated the

Use perfume with a conscience

SALI HuGHES

There are interesting

developments around

sustainability in perfumery

and it's high time. For years,

I've felt a free pass is given to

perfume, as though lavish

single-use bottles and

excessive outer packaging

are an implicit right of the

luxury perfumer. But with

privilege should come

greater responsibility and an

obligation to innovate. Some

notable houses, from Tom

Ford and Chanel, to

Penhaligon's and Guerlain,

are stepping up with

refillable and recyclable

bottles, and, in Guerlain's

case, meticulous practices in

ingredient provenance.

The eco-conscious bottle

for Acqua di Parma's newest

launch, Colonia Futura, was

two years in planning. Made

from partly recycled glass

and topped with a recycled

and recyclable plastic cap,

the entire bottle is divisible

for straightforward sorting

into recycling. It's also

labelled with scrap dust

from marble quarries before

being packed in FSCcertified

cardboard. But the

smell, of course, is

paramount. Made from

more than 99% natural

ingredients, the perfume has

the brand's signature

freshness - grassy, vibrant,

importance of someone going first, as if

to break the ice by admitting, "I'm not

OK."

Soon after, I raised my hand by posting

on my Facebook feed, "Yes, this is a hard

time for me." I provided some additional

detail, like the fact that a topsy-turvy

stomach had whipped me into such an

anxious state I'd become convinced I had

pancreatic cancer instead of a simple

bellyache. What turned out to be merely

a pulled calf muscle started off - in my

mind - as a Covid-induced blood clot

about to break free.

Fear had become my constant

companion. Even though I'd gone public

about my struggles with depression

before, I still worried about talking

openly about my state of mind, largely

because of the stigma surrounding

mental health issues. I reached out to

David Cates, a clinical psychologist and

behavioral health consultant to the

University of Nebraska Medical Center's

Biocontainment Unit and National

Quarantine Center. He explained what I

already knew but had sidestepped.

"Acknowledging that something is wrong

is the first step to addressing a problem,"

he said. "It allows us to begin problemsolving.

When someone else

acknowledges their difficulties, whether

one-on-one or in a public forum, it can

make it easier for us to acknowledge our

own."

That Facebook post of mine - the one

where I raised my hand - helped me

tremendously. And apparently many

others. More than 200 friends responded

with their own painful confessions.

"Anxiety, depression and loneliness x

100," wrote one, who added, "body aches

which at 3 a.m., betwixt and between

anxiety nightmares - become sure signs

of debilitating disease eating away my

insides." Another posted, "In my mind

I've had five major diseases yet all my

labs are fine."

Friends posted about insomnia,

nausea, lack of focus, eye tics, agita,

Perfume houses have an obligation to innovate and some are stepping

up.

Photo: Alex Lake

but smart and expensivesmelling

with a price tag to

match (£73.80 for 50ml).

It's gender-neutral, but I

suspect the fanbase will

skew towards masculine (it's

a little Chanel Pour

Monsieur, to my nose, which

is never bad).

More my poison is

Ormonde Jayne's Tolu, a

warm, resinous fragrance

that I already loved but, now

it's refillable, I can do so with

a clear conscience. The

brand's Forever Bottles (instore

and just launched

online) aren't cheap (£110

for 50ml), but one gets a

beautiful glass atomiser in a

choice of seven striking

colours (I went for gold),

topped with a weighty metal

lid engraved with the

recipient's name, filled with

any of Ormonde Jayne's

exceptionally fine signature

fragrances for men and

women. I love the smooth

mellowness of Tolu, but

Ormonde Woman is another

oft-worn favourite.

Whichever you choose

(samples are available from

the website), it's an

exceptional gift and when

empty, can be refilled for

20% off the original price.

anxiety, relationship issues and being

"angry, cranky and crazy." Almost as

quickly as one friend would acknowledge

a condition, someone else would

volunteer: "me too."

My admission had the intended

consequence: It created an opening for

others. "You've put words to what I think

is a collective sentiment," posted a

neighbor whom I see often, but who had

never before discussed any of these

feelings with me. "Everyone seems to feel

disconnected from others, irritable and

frightened," a colleague wrote, helping to

make universal our ongoing challenges.

Since then I've posted regularly: "It's

Friday check-in time. How are you all

doing this week?" Friends and followers

have continued to acknowledge their

trials and tribulations as well as their

successes and triumphs. I also scheduled

a virtual appointment with my primary

care physician, who told me to take an

antacid for my stomach upset, which has

helped.

Now, in the depths of winter, more

people I know are acknowledging their

mental health issues in public. "I must

admit I am feeling a little despairing this

morning," wrote one woman I know,

adding, "I am sure I am not the only one.

If you are, too, you are not alone." Her

friends quickly followed up. "The weight

is heavy today. Thanks for connecting."

And another: "I see you. Sitting silently

beside you."

So many of us think we are the "only

one." That we're by ourselves, invisible. I

find it comforting that many of my

friends are finding connection with each

other through social media. "I feel

terrible and feel terrible for everyone

posting here, but there is some

consolation in seeing that we're not

alone," posted a friend.

To see each other, we need to make

ourselves visible. To help each other, we

need to acknowledge we need a hand,

too. I'm trying.

Less ornate, but

refreshingly practical, are Jo

Loves' new, improved,

reusable Fragrance

Paintbrushes. Think a clicky

pen - a bit like a concealer

wand - dispensing fine,

lasting fragrance in a clear

gel, directly on to the skin.

The initial outlay is £40 (a

complete pen and spare

cartridge), with a pack of 3 x

7ml refills costing £35. My

favourite is Green Orange &

Coriander, bright and

springy, but with a slightly

steamy, spa-like quality, that

smells - dare I say it? -

optimistic.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021

6

Recently Nilphamari District SP Md. Mokhlesur Rahman visited the safe old age home of Kishoreganj

Upazila with his family. Kishoreganj Police Station OC Md Awal Hossain, ASI, DB Police and many others

were present at the time. SP Md. Mokhlesur Rahman brought a variety of cooked food for the parents of

the old age home and gave the gift of love. He exchanges views with all parents, asking good and bad. He

promised to be by the side of the safe old age home with happiness and sorrow. Talking to him, I realized

that he is a very good man. He has a lot of love for people in his mind.

Photo: TBT

BRAC holds

Spring Festival

in Cox's Bazar

DHAKA : Humanitarian and

Crisis Management

Programme (HCMP) of

BRAC, one of the largest

NGOs in the world,

celebrated the Basanta

Utshab (Spring Festival) by

holding cultural programme

and Pitha Utshab in Cox's

Bazar on Monday.

At the Area Office of

HCMP of BRAC, BRAC

employees commenced the

day by singing Rabindra

Sangeet in the morning, said

a press release.

Hasne Ara Begum,

Technical Head of Gender

Based Violence (GBV);

Kirtee Bejoya, admin officer

OF HCMP; Borhan

Mahmud, deputy project

manager under the HCMP;

and others from different

projects performed songs in

the programme.

Hasina Akhter Huq, Area

Director of HCMP,

inaugurated the event while

the Pitha Utshab began at

sea beach at 4pm.

Different types of Pithas

such as naksi, puli, pati

shapta, and moda were

exhibited at the festival.

The Basanta Festival

concluded with the holding

of colourful cultural

programme in the evening.

Mohammed Norul Alam

Raju, programme head of

HCMP; Md Abdul Matin

Shardar, head of host

community of HCMP;

among others were present.

Mannan urges

researchers to

conduct more

research

DHAKA : Planning Minister

MA Mannan yesterday

urged the young generation,

especially teachers and

students, to pay more

attention on conducting

researches.

"Bangladesh has made

many infrastructural

developments over the years

and the country will attain

more progress in future. But,

we also need to put

emphasis on research

because we are still far

behind regarding basic

research," he said.

The planning minister

said this while speaking as

the chief guest at a seminar

on "Presenting final results

of researches in 2021" at the

National Economic Council

(NEC) conference room in

the city's Sher-e-Bangla

Nagar area. Chaired by

planning division secretary

Mohammad Jainul Bari,

additional secretary of

planning division Foujia

Jafrin attended the seminar

as special guest.

Underscoring the need for

conducting more basic

researches, Mannan said,

"We're not in a very good

position in terms of

research.

Two get death penalty for

killing easy-bike driver in

Madaripur

MADARIPUR : A court here today sentenced

two brothers to death and also fined Taka 50

thousand each in a murder case of a easybike

driver Sultan Bepari in Sadar upazila of

the district in 2018, reports BSS.

The trial of the other two accused is going

on in the juvenile court of the district because

they are minors.

District and Sessions Judge Nitai Chandra

Saha handed down the sentence this

afternoon.

The convicts are Johnny Bepari, 22 and

Shariful Bepari, 20, sons of Quddus Bepari of

Sutarkandi village under Rajoir upazila of

the district.

According to the prosecution, on April 29,

2018, four people boarded the easy-bike of

Sultan Bepari of Gachbaria Elala from

Ghatakchar in Madaripur sadar upazila and

took him to Tribhagadi area of Sadar upazila.

They hacked the easy-bike driver to death

and left his body there. But, on suspicion of

the incident, locals detained the convicts as

they took away the easy bike after killing

Sultan. Later, the locals handed over them to

police.

Police recovered the body and sent it to the

morgue of Madaripur District Sadar

Hospital for autopsy.

At the same time, the police brought the

four detainees to Sadar Model Police Station.

Following the incident, the victim's wife

Hafiza Begum filed a murder case against the

four people at the Sadar Model Police Station

in connection of the incident.

Police submitted charge-sheet against the

accused after conducting investigation of the

case. Testifying witnesses and evidences,

Judge Nitai Chandra Saha gave the verdict

today.

Integrated efforts to free Padma

River from pollution stressed

RAJSHAHI : Integrated efforts of all quarters

have become crucial to protect the Padma

River from pollution and encroachment as

the river is the pride and tradition of Rajshahi

city.

Utmost emphasis should be given on

creating awareness among the public in

general about the significance of conserving

and protecting the river from further

degradation. The views were expressed at a

motivational meeting titled "Proper Waste

Management in the River adjacent areas to

protect Padma River from Pollution" at

Munsguard Park on Borokuthi river bank in

the city today.

Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) organised

the meeting largely attended by political and

professional leaders, members of the civil

societies and other think tanks.

Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton

addressed the meeting as the chief guest as

well as focal person with Panel Mayor

Shariful Islam Babu in the chair while Chief

Conservancy Officer Sheikh Mamun

welcomed the participants.

Valiant Freedom Fighters Mustafizur

Rahman Khan and Professor Ruhul Amin

Pramanik, Environment and River

Researcher Mahabub Siddiqui, former

Principal of Rajshahi College Prof Habibur

Rahman and Director of Institute of

Environmental Sciences in Rajshahi

University Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar also

spoke. Mayor Liton urged the people not to

dump any more waste and garbage in the

river or its bank because the city corporation

has implemented a massive development and

beautification works along the river bank. He

mentioned the conservation of the river has

become urgent for protecting biodiversity

and ecosystem in the region.

Living and livelihood conditions of tens of

thousands of households along both sides of

the river are dependent on the river, so there

is no way but to protect and conserve the

mighty river from further degradation.

"We've a plan to reclaim around 12 square

kilometres of char land of the Padma river for

developing a satellite town adjacent to the city

protection embankment," he said, adding

that the satellite town might be built on the

left bank of the river as its main flow turned

towards the right bank.

He said the part of the river near the left

bank, where flood water remains for less than

a month every year, would be turned into a

huge lake. The lake would stand between the

satellite town and the city protection

embankment and there would be a bridge to

the newly developed city, he added.

Country emerges as a role model

of development -Khasru

NETRAKONA : State Minister For Social Welfare Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru yesterday said

Bangladesh was liberated as an independent state under the leadership of father of the nation

Bangabandhu and nowadays the country emerged as a role model of development under the

leadership of his competent daughter Sheikh Hasina. "We got independence of the country

under the courageous and far-sighted leadership of Bangabandhu and now, our country

became as a role model of development under the dynamic and charismatic leadership of

premier Sheikh Hasina" Khasru said while inaugurating Gagrakhali cannel digging project at

Birampur area under Netrakona sadar upazila. The government allocated taka 39 lakhs and

95 thousands for digging the cannel, an official source told BSS.

Works of the excavation works are expected to be completed within March next, Upazila

Fisheries Officer Debashis Gush said. After implementation of the project, production of

native fishes would be boosted in the water bodies and the local people will get the facilities

to irrigate their farm lands around the cannel, he added. Chaired by upazila nirbahi officer of

Netrakona sadar upazila Masuda Akter, the inaugural function was addressed, among others,

by Additional Superintendent of Police Mursheda Khatun, District Fisheries Officer Dr.

Fazlul Kabir, Upazila Fisheries Officer Debashis Gush and Office Secretary of the district

Awami League Mazharul Islam.

Man shot dead

in Pabna

PABNA : A man was shot

dead by some unidentified

miscreants at Ataikuanda

Bunepara in Sadar upazila

of Pabna on Sunday,

reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Amirul Islam,

30, son of Mantaj Bapari

in the upazila.

Masud Alam, additional

superintendent of Pabna

Police, said the miscreants

opened fire on Amirul

while he was returning

home around 7 pm.

Police suspected Amirul

was killed over previous

enmity.

On information, police

recovered the body and

sent it to local hospital

morgue for autopsy.

Advocate Subhash

Chandra Sheel elected

as mayor of Banaripara

municipality

S MIZANUL ISLAM, BANARIPARA

(BARISAL) CORRESPONDENT:

The peaceful election of

Barisal's Banaripara

Municipality on Sunday,

February 14, Awami

League's boat symbol

candidate, incumbent

Mayor Advocate Subhash

Chandra Sheel has been

privately elected mayor.

He got 5427 votes, the

nearest candidate (rebel)

Md. Ziaul Haque Mintu

(coconut tree symbol) got

796 votes and BNP

candidate got the top

symbol of paddy 289

votes. 9 councilors of

general constituency have

been elected in 1st ward

Md. Zahid Sardar, 2nd

ward Md. Monir Hossain,

3rd ward Md. Zakir

Hossain Mollah, 4th ward

Gautam Samaddar, 5th

ward Md. Akbar Hossain,

8th ward Md. Sumon

Khan, 8th ward Md. : Firoz

Alam, Md. Zahid Hasan in

8th ward and Md. Imam

Hossain in 9th ward.

Besides, Daisy Begum in

Ward 1, Monira Akhter in

Ward 2 and Alo Rani

Banik in Ward 3 have been

elected as reserved women

councilors. This

information was given by

Md. Nurul Alam,

Returning and Senior

District Election Officer of

Barisal.

Preventing all sorts of

repression against women,

children underscored

GAIBANDHA : Speakers at a function here

today underscored the need for halting all

sorts of repression and violence against

women as well as children to ensure a

gender-balanced and equity-based society,

reports BSS.

All should come forward to forge social

resistance against the violence against

women and children, they opined.

They came up with the comments while

addressing an advocacy session on the

prevention of violence against women

including children on the premises of Char

Chowmohon Government Primary School

under Fulchhari Upazila in the district this

afternoon.

Friendship, a non-government voluntary

organisation, organised the function under

Inclusive Citizenship Sector funded by

Friendship Luxembourg and ERIKS

Development Partner.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Muhammad

Towhidul Islam attended the function and

addressed it as the chief guest.

Regional manager of the project Md.

Nayeem Kamran, regional coordinator

Zahid Anwar also spoke at the function,

among others, while local union parishad

chairman Md. Azizur Rahman presided over

the ceremony.

The speakers said building social

awareness among the community people,

especially among parents and teachers, has

become an urgent need for prevention of

child marriage and dowry for substantial and

sustainable reduction of violence against

women. SP Muhammad Towhidul Islam

said the government alone as well as any

single organization is not capable to free the

womenfolk from violence and repression, so

community participation is very important

in this regard.

A write up composed by founder and

executive director of Friendship Runa Khan,

was also read out in the function.

In the write up the founder and executive

director of Friendship said due to various

grounds including lack of education and

good communication system and other

facilities the char dwellers are in backward

position and pass their days facing more

hardships and difficulties.

A large number of Char women,

adolescents, public representatives, local

elite and newsmen participated in the

function.

Over one-lakh get

COVID-19 vaccine in

Rangpur division

RANGPUR - More than one-lakh citizens

have so far been immunised with the

COVID-19 vaccine in a festive mood

under the excellent management of

different government hospitals in all eight

districts of Rangpur division, reports BSS.

"More 31,618 people- 13,573 males and

8,045 females- were inoculated with the

COVID-19 vaccine today raising the total

number of vaccine recipients to 1,06,638

in the division," Divisional Director

(Health) Dr. Md. Ahad Ali told BSS here

today.

The total of 1,06,638 citizens, who have

so far been immunised with the COVID-

19 vaccine till Monday in all eight districts

of the division, include 73,497 males and

33,141 females.

"All of the vaccine recipients are feeling

well without notable side effects though

61 of them experienced insignificant

temporary adverse events for only a few

minutes following immunisation (AEFI)

since February 7 last in the division," Dr.

Ali said.

Earlier, 15,218 citizens were immunised

with the vaccine on Sunday, 17,542 on

Saturday, 19,380 on Thursday, 14,224 on

Wednesday, 10,237 on Tuesday, 5,503 on

Monday and 2,912 citizens on the first day

of Sunday (February 7) last.

The district-wise break-up of total

1,06,638 vaccine recipients stands at

20,213 in Rangpur, 11,155 in Panchagarh,

14,460 in Nilphamari, 6,909 in

Lalmonirhat, 9,543 in Kurigram, 11,607

in Thakurgaon, 22,626 in Dinajpur and

10,125 in Gaibandha.

Expressing his full satisfaction over

systematic management for vaccination

at all booths in the government hospitals,

Dr. Ali said common people are huge

eagerness in taking the COVID-19 vaccine

in all eight districts of Rangpur division.

Senior Reporter of Bangladesh Sangbad

Sangstha (BSS) Md. Mamun Islam and

his wife Khaleda Yasmin took the vaccine

today at Rangpur Medical College

Hospital.

"We're feeling absolutely alright

without experiencing any side effects

since taking the COVID-19 vaccine at 11

am today," the couple said, adding that

everyone should take the vaccine safely to

free the country from coronavirus.

Earlier, 15,218 citizens were immunised

with the vaccine on Sunday, 17,542 on

Saturday, 19,380 on Thursday, 14,224 on

Wednesday, 10,237 on Tuesday, 5,503 on

Monday and 2,912 citizens on the first day

of Sunday (February 7) last.

Dr Md Joynal Abedin Jewel, consultant

cardiologist, working at Rangpur

Dedicated Corona Isolation Hospital,

took the COVID-19 vaccine along with his

colleagues and staff at Rangpur Sadar

Upazila Health Complex here on

February 9 last.

"I did not experience any side effects

like my other colleagues," said Dr. Jewel,

and called upon all citizens to take the

vaccine without hesitation to ultimately

free the society and the country as a whole

from the deadly virus.

Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service

and Prevention Task Force and Principal

of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr

AKM Nurunnobi Lyzu expressed

satisfaction over the huge interest among

common people in taking the vaccines in

the division.

At the same time, he specially called

upon everyone to properly abide by the

health directives even after taking the

vaccine despite the COVID-19 vaccination

campaign progressing smoothly amid a

declining infection rate in Rangpur

division.

Blankets have been distributed in Birganj, Dinajpur in collaboration with Member of Parliament MP

Manoranjan Shill Gopal. Joint General Secretary of Upazila Awami League Md. Shamim Firoz Alam,

General Secretary of Sports of Upazila Awami League Md. Yasin Ali, General Secretary of Hindu-

Buddhist-Christian Unity Dipankar Raha Bappi spoke under the chairmanship of Naren Das at 10

am on Sunday 14th February. All the presidents, general secretaries and journalists of the fishermen

of the upazila were present.

Photo: Uttam Sharma

TueSDAY, FebRuARY 16, 2021

7

President Donald Trump arrives a section of the border wall near the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in

Alamo,Texas on Tuesday, Jan.12, 2021.

Photo:AP

Trump looks to reassert himself

after impeachment acquittal

WASHINGTON : Donald Trump took in

the win at Mar-a-Lago, surrounded by

friends and family. His lawyers celebrated

with hugs and smiles. One joked, "We're

going to Disney World!"

Now acquitted in his second Senate

impeachment trial, Trump is preparing for

the next phase of his post-presidency life.

Feeling emboldened by the trial's outcome,

he is expected to reemerge from a

self-imposed hibernation at his club in

Palm Beach, Florida, and is eyeing ways to

reassert his power, reports UNB.

But after being barred from Twitter, the

former president lacks the social media

bullhorn that fueled his political rise. And

he's confronting a Republican Party

deeply divided over the legacy of his jarring

final days in office, culminating in the Jan.

6 storming of the Capitol. Searing video

images of the day played on loop during

his impeachment trial, which ended

Saturday.

Trump remains popular among the

GOP base, but many Republicans in

Washington have cooled to him. Never

before have so many members of a president's

party - seven GOP senators, in his

case - voted for his removal in a Senate

trial.

Some may work to counter efforts by

Trump to support extreme candidates in

next year's congressional primaries.

Undeterred, friends and allies expect

Trump to resume friendly media interviews

after weeks of silence. He has met

with political aides to discuss efforts to help

Republicans try to take control of the

Australia preparing

for arrival of first

COVID-19 vaccines

CANBERRA : Australia's first

shipment of COVID-19 vaccines

is set to arrive in the

country within days, reports

UNB.

Minister for Health Greg

Hunt said about 80,000 doses

of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

would arrive in Australia

"before the end of the week, if

not earlier."

"Because this is the most

precious of cargoes, we are

being cautious with our details

in a highly competitive global

world," he told reporters in

Canberra on Sunday afternoon.

Australia has acquired 20

million doses of the Pfizer vaccine,

which remains the only

vaccine to be approved by the

Therapeutic Goods

Administration (TGA).

Hunt said the TGA would

conduct safety checks on the

vaccines upon arrival and that

Australia remained on track to

begin administering vaccines

to priority groups at the end of

February.

"The TGA will ensure that the

numbers are correct, that they,

in particular, haven't had any

inflight actions that damage

quality such as a loss of temperature,"

he said.

Under the planned rollout the

government aims to have every

Australian who wants a vaccine

inoculated against COVID-19 by

October. However, Deputy

Prime Minister Michael

McCormack conceded that the

rollout would not "go flawlessly"

while recently touring a vaccine

storage facility, according to The

Australian

Corporation.

Broadcasting

House and Senate in the 2022 midterms

elections. He remains fixated on exacting

revenge on Republicans who supported

his impeachment or resisted his efforts to

overturn the results of the November election

won by Democrat Joe Biden.

"I imagine you'll probably be hearing a

lot more from him in the coming days,"

senior adviser Jason Miller said.

In a statement after the vote, Trump

offered few clues, but was defiant as he told

supporters their movement "has only just

begun."

"In the months ahead I have much to

share with you, and I look forward to continuing

our incredible journey together to

achieve American greatness for all of our

people," he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who spoke with

Trump on Saturday night, acknowledged

that Trump is "mad at some folks," but

also "ready to move on and rebuild the

Republican Party" and "excited about

2022."

In their conversations, Graham has

stressed to Trump, who has threatened to

start his own party to punish disloyal

Republicans, that the GOP needs him to

win.

"I said, 'Mr. President, this MAGA

movement needs to continue. We need

to unite the party. Trump-plus is the

way back in 2022,'" Graham, R-S.C.,

told "Fox News Sunday."

"My goal is to win in 2022 to stop the

most radical agenda I've seen coming

out of the Democratic presidency of

Joe Biden. We can't do that without

A landslide caused by a strong earthquake covers a circuit course in

Nihonmatsu city, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, Sunday,

Feb. 14, 2021 .

Photo: AP

Duchess of Sussex expecting

2nd child, a sibling for Archie

LOS ANGELES : The Duke and Duchess of

Sussex are expecting their second child, their

office confirmed Sunday, reports UNB.

A spokesperson for Prince Harry, 36, and

Meghan, 39, said in a statement: "We can

confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are

overjoyed to be expecting their second

child."

In a black-and-white photo of themselves,

the couple sat near a tree with Harry's hand

placed under Meghan's head as she lies on

his lap with her hand resting on her bump.

The baby will be eighth in line to the British

throne.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said:

"Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of

Wales and the entire family are delighted

and wish them well."

The duke told chimpanzee expert Jane

Goodall in 2019 that he would only have two

Donald Trump, so he's ready to hit the

trail and I'm ready to work with him,"

Graham said.

Graham said Senate Republican

leader Mitch McConnell, who vote to

acquit but then delivered a scalding

denunciation of Trump, "got a load off

a chest, obviously." Graham said later

in the interview: "If you want to get

something off your chest, fine, but I'm

into winning."

At his Palm Beach club on Saturday

night, Trump was in a joyous mood as

he enjoyed dinner on a patio packed

with people. After a mellow last several

weeks, one member described a

party atmosphere not felt since before

the election.

Still, Trump isn't in the clear yet. No

longer protected by a Justice

Department opinion against the prosecution

of sitting presidents, he now

faces multiple, ongoing criminal investigations.

In Georgia, the Fulton County district

attorney has opened a criminal

investigation into "attempts to influence"

the election, including Trump's

call to Secretary of State Brad

Raffensperger demanding that the

official find enough votes to overturn

Biden's victory.

In New York, Attorney General Letitia

James is investigating whether Trump

and his company improperly inflated the

value of his assets on annual financial

statements in order to secure loans and

obtain tax benefits.

children for the sake of the planet.

Goodall said: "Not too many," and Harry

replied: "Two, maximum."

Harry and American actor Meghan Markle

married at Windsor Castle in May 2018.

Their son Archie was born a year later.

In early 2020, Meghan and Harry

announced they were quitting royal duties

and moving to North America, citing what

they said were the unbearable intrusions and

racist attitudes of the British media. They

recently bought a house in Santa Barbara,

California.

In November, Meghan revealed that she

had a miscarriage in July 2020, giving a personal

account of the traumatic experience in

hope of helping others.

A few days ago, the duchess won a privacy

claim against a newspaper over the publication

of a personal letter to her estranged

father.

India's COVID-19

tally reaches

10,916,589 as

active cases rise

NEW DELHI : India's

COVID-19 tally rose to

10,916,589 on Monday as

11,649 new cases were registered

during the past 24

hours, said the latest data

from the health ministry,

reports UNB.

The death toll mounted to

155,732 as 90 COVID-19

patients died since Sunday

morning.

There are still 139,637

active cases in the country,

while 10,621,220 people

have been discharged from

hospitals after medical treatment.

The number of active

cases has been on the rise for

the past three consecutive

days.

India kicked off a nationwide

vaccination drive

against COVID-19 on Jan.

16. So far nearly 8.3 million

people, mainly health workers,

have been vaccinated

across the country.

Meanwhile, 206,716,634

tests have been conducted

till Sunday, out of which

486,122 tests were conducted

on Sunday alone, said the

latest data issued by the

Indian Council of Medical

Research (ICMR) on

Monday.

The national capital Delhi,

one of the most COVID-19

affected places in the country,

has been witnessing a

comparatively lower number

of cases over past several

months. As many as 150 new

cases and two new deaths

were registered in the city

through Sunday.

So far 10,891 people have

died in the national capital

due to COVID-19, confirmed

the Delhi's health department.

Two types of vaccines are

being administered to the

people in India, namely the

Covishield vaccine made by

the Serum Institute of India

(SII), and the Covaxin vaccine

made by the Bharat

Biotech International

Limited.

Rain sets off Indonesia

landslide; 2 dead, 16

missing

NGANJUK: Torrential rains

triggered a landslide on

Indonesia's main island of

Java, killing at least two people,

as emergency personnel

digging with their bare hands

and farm tools desperately

sought to unearth more victims

on Monday, officials said,

reports UNB.

Hundreds of rescuers,

including soldiers, police and

volunteers, took part in the

search for the missing in the

village of Selopuro in East

Java's Nganjuk district to

search for possible victims,

said National Disaster

Mitigation Agency spokesperson

Raditya Jati.

The mud that rolled from

the surrounding hills late

Sunday struck at least eight

houses, leaving 21 people

buried under tons of mud.

Fourteen other people were

injured.

Jati said rescuers retrieved

two bodies and pulled three

injured people from the mud

and rushed them to a hospital.

Rescue personnel were searching

for 16 villagers still missing.

Jati said a lack of heavy

equipment that was unable to

reach the village and bad

weather were hampering the

search efforts.

Overnight rains also caused

more rivers to burst their

banks in other districts of the

province on Monday, sending

nearly 1 meter (about 3 feet) of

muddy waters into more residential

areas, forcing hundreds

of people to flee from their submerged

homes, Jati said.

Severe flooding was also

reported in many other

provinces in the vast archipelago

nation over the past few

days.

Seasonal downpours cause

frequent landslides and floods

each year in Indonesia, a chain

of 17,000 islands where millions

of people live in mountainous

areas or near fertile

flood plains.

Powerful Japan quake sets

off landslide, minor injuries

TOKYO : Residents in northeastern Japan

on Sunday cleaned up clutter and debris in

stores and homes after a strong earthquake

set off a landslide on a highway, damaged

buildings and parts of bullet train lines and

caused power blackouts for thousands of

people, reports UNB.

The 7.3 magnitude temblor late Saturday

shook the quake-prone areas of Fukushima

and Miyagi prefectures that 10 years ago had

been hit by a powerful earthquake that triggered

a tsunami and a meltdown at a nuclear

power plant.

More than 140 people suffered mostly

minor injures, many of them by falling

objects and cuts while stepping on broken

glass. Three people were confirmed with

serious injures but there were no reports of

deaths, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu

Kato said.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility that

runs the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power

plant that was hit by the March 2011 disaster,

said the water used to cool spent fuel rods

near the reactors had spilled because of the

shaking. But there were no radiation leaks or

other irregularities, TEPCO said.

The quake did not cause a tsunami because

the epicenter was deep at 55 kilometers (34

miles) beneath the ocean.

Noriko Kamaya, a Japan Meteorological

Agency spokesperson, said in a news conference

that the quake is considered to be an

K…DK=200

GD–263/21(4x3)

GD–266/21(5x3)

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aftershock of the 9.1 magnitude quake in

2011.

Power had been restored by early Sunday,

although some bullet train services were still

halted. East Japan Railway Co. said the bullet

train on the northern coast will be suspended

through Monday due to damage to

its facility.

TV footage and video shared on social

media showed boxes, books and other items

scattered on floors. In the northern

Fukushima city of Soma, a roof at a Buddhist

temple collapsed.

Workers were clearing up a major coastal

highway connecting Tokyo and northern

cities where a major landslide occurred.

Several other roads were also blocked by

rocks.

Saturday's powerful rattling less than a

month before the 10th anniversary of the

2011 triple disaster was a frightening

reminder of the earlier tragedy for the residents

in the region.

"It started with minor shaking, then suddenly

became violent," said Yuki Watanabe,

a convenience store employee in the

Fukushima town of Minamisoma, told the

Asahi newspaper. "I was so frightened," she

said, adding it reminder her of the 2011

quake.

As she ran outside, she heard banging noise

coming from behind the store as glass bottles

from the shelves smashed against the floor.

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TuESDAY, FEBRuARY 16, 2021 8

City of London pays early

price of hard Brexit

Esquire Electronics Ltd - the sole distributor of Japan's renowned electronics brand GENERAL

recently held its Annual Sales Conference 2021 at Lakeshore Hotel, Dhaka. Managing Director of the

Company Arifur Rahman was present in the event along with other high officials and showroom

managers of Esquire Electronics Ltd. The event was also attended virtually by Mr. Ishikawa Kenichi

- Managing Director of Fujitsu General (Asia) Pte. Ltd. along with few other high officials at their

end.

Photo: Courtesy

Markets, oil drop in Asia but

bitcoin targets $50,000

HONG KONG: Markets fell in Asia on Friday

in holiday-thinned trade with investors

awaiting developments in US stimulus talks,

while bitcoin hit a new record as it crept

towards $50,000, reports BSS.

Oil prices also retreated from their 13-month

highs after investors were given a reality check

on expectations for demand this year, despite

expectations the global economy will see a

strong recovery.

Equities across the planet have rallied this

year on the back of vaccine rollouts, falling

infection and death rates, and optimism Joe

Biden will push through most of his $1.9

trillion rescue package.

Hopes for his spending deal were given a

boost Thursday by news that first-time claims

for unemployment benefits fell less than

estimated last week.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit new records

again, though the Dow was marginally lower.

With most of Asia closed for the Lunar New

Year holiday, business was limited. Tokyo,

Sydney and Wellington were all in the red.

But Axi's strategist Stephen Innes said: "With

vaccination rollouts on turbo boost and the

current lockdown abatement doing what it is

supposed to do by taming the virus spread,

there is a solid chance that reported Covid-19

The Bangladeshi giant

electronics brand Walton is

going to start its distributor

business journey in the

European market through

starting export of LED

television under its own

brand to Romania, says a

press release.

In this context, the local

multinational electronics

brand arranged a

cases could shift close to zero in the second

quarter."

He added that Biden's fiscal package and a

planned infrastructure programme that is in

the works would provide a "double lift off. As a

result, the economic mood music should attune

higher in March, and the recovery could be set

to surge in the second quarter."

Bitcoin continued to hit new highs, peaking

at $48,930 Friday, having been given another

boost after MasterCard and US bank BNY

Mellon moved to make it easier for people to

use the cryptocurrency. That came days after

Tesla announced it had bought $1.5 billion in

Bitcoin and would soon accept it in payment.

However, there was a warning from a former

top US regulator about buying into the unit.

Sheila Bair, who was chair of the US Federal

Deposit Insurance Corporation during the

global financial crisis, said: "Stay away from it."

She told Bloomberg Radio: "It's volatile. It's

at nosebleed levels now. We don't know how

sustainable that is.

"If you're a very wealthy person with some

money to risk, fine, but no - I don't have a lot of

confidence in it."

Oil prices extended Thursday's drop, having

risen for more than a week to highs not seen

since January last year.

American Express

probed over sales

practices

NEW YORK : American

Express disclosed a pair of

federal probes over its sales

practices, according to a

securities filing Friday,

reports BSS.

AmEx said it was

cooperating with a January

2021 grand jury subpoena

from the US Attorney's Office

in the Eastern District of New

York over its sales practices

for small business cards.

That disclosure followed

reports the company had used

questionable tactics to sign up

small businesses.

The credit card company

also has received a civil

investigative demand from

the US Consumer Financial

Protection Bureau over its

sales practices to consumers,

AmEx said in a filing in with

the US Securities and

Exchange Commission.

"We are cooperating with all

of these inquiries and have

continued to enhance our

controls related to our sales

practices, " AmEx said in the

filing.

Walton starts TV export with

own brand name to Romania

programme titled '1st Walton

Television Brand Business in

Romania' on a virtual

platform held at Walton

Corporate Office in the

capital on Sunday (February

14, 2021).

In the event, a distributor

business deal was inked

between Walton and KTN

Technology, a renowned

consumer electronics

importer and marketing

enterprise in Romania.

Walton's International

Business Unit President

Edward Kim and KTN

Technology's General

Manger Florian Tirla inked

the deal on behalf of their

respective organisations.

The programme was

addressed by Walton Hi-

Tech Industries Limited

Chairman SM Nurul Alam

Rezvi, Directors SM

Mahbubul Alam and Nishat

Tasnim Shuchi.

Among others, Walton Hi-

Tech's Executive Directors

SM Zahid Hasan and Walton

TV's Chief Executive Officer

Engineer Mostafa Nahid

Hossain, Senior Deputy

Operative Director Syed Al

Imran were also present.

From KTN Technology,

Chief Financial Officer

Simona Corbeanu and Sales

and Marketing Manager

Mihai Corbeanu also

attended the signing

ceremony virtually.

Following the business

deal, KTN Technology

became Walton brand's firstever

distributor in Romania

and also in the Europe

Market.

Through KTN, Walton

started the export of its

locally finished LED

television to Romania with

its own brand name.

Walton's Business Head in

Romania Syed Al Imran said

that KTN Technology placed

orders for Walton brand LED

TV, refrigerator, washing

machine, microwave oven,

kettle and blender to market

those products in the

Romanian market. This year,

he said, KTN planned to

import around 1.14 lakh units

of LED television of Walton

brand.

Imran also informed that

the first shipment of Walton

brand TV was set for the

Romanian market within

this month. From April next,

Walton higher officials attend a programme titled "'1st Walton Television

Brand Business in Romania' on a virtual platform held at Walton Corporate

Office in the capital on Sunday.

Photo: Courtesy.

the shipment of Walton

brand refrigerator, washing

machine, microwave oven,

kettle and blender will be

started.

Addressing the funciton

Walton Hi-Tech Chairman

SM Nurul Alam Rezvi

assured KTN Technology of

providing them all kinds of

support with all the services

and the best quality products

aimed to make strong

footprint of Walton brand in

the Romanian market.

Walton Hi-Tech Director

SM Mahbubul Alam said,

"We have multilayer QC

(Quality Control) system as

well as strong RnD (research

and development) structure.

World's latest technology's

and advanced designed LED

and Smart LED televisions

are manufactured at Walton

factory. European standard

are being followed during the

production process. And

thus, Walton made television

are being exporting to

world's many countries,

including many European

countries. You can trust on

Walton brand products' best

quality. Walton is very happy

to get KTN Technology as a

new player in our successful

journey.

Walton director also said,

Walton brand occupied lion

market share in the

Bangladesh's electronics

market. He hoped that the

same market share of Walton

brand like the domestic

market will be secured in

Romania and also in the

global electronics market.

Another Nishat Tasnim

Shuchi thanked KTN

Technology for trusting

Walton brand to do business

as well as making a big

opportunity for us to export

TV to Romania under the

Walton's own brand.

She hoped that we will be

able to export not just

television but every other

products under Walton

brand name in Romania and

all over the world as well.

KTN Technology's General

Manager Florian Tirla said,

picture quality as well as

television's quality of Walton

is very impressive. The

television market size in

Romania is around 1.5

million units each year, he

informed adding that the

market competition is very

tough. But I believed that

Walton TV's good quality,

our long-term business

experience in the Romania's

television market and also

marketing support will help

Walton brand become

successful. Our collaboration

will bring a win-win situation

for both of us in the

Romanian market.

LONDON : Europe's financial capital

is feeling the cold of Brexit but UK

officials insist the City of London is

suffering a temporary blip and is wellpositioned

to profit from new trading

horizons, a press release said.

For the first time last month, as

Britain's withdrawal from the EU took

full effect, London's financial district lost

its European share trading crown to

Amsterdam.

Researchers at IHS Markit attributed

the decline to a "relatively hard Brexit",

and the UK government's failure so far

to persuade Brussels to grant full

trading rights to City-based firms under

a regime known as "equivalence".

London's daily trading volumes in

other areas such as derivatives and

foreign exchange still vastly outweigh its

European neighbours, and Catherine

McGuinness, policy chair at the City of

London Corporation, played down the

development. "We've always known that

some EU-facing business would have to

leave the City of London following

Brexit, whatever the shape of the deal,"

she told AFP.

"However, significantly fewer jobs

have shifted from the City because of

Brexit than was expected, and we

remain very confident about the

fundamental strengths of the City for

the future," McGuinness said.

London "continues to go from

strength to strength" in emerging

financial technology (fintech) and tech

investment, as well as green finance, she

added.

In January, according to the Financial

Times, an average of 9.2 billion euros

($11.2 billion/o8.1 billion) of shares

were traded each day on Euronext

Amsterdam together with two other

Dutch share markets.

That was more than four times their

December figure, and overtook

London's daily average of 8.6 billion

euros, the newspaper said.

A spokesman for the Dutch Financial

Markets Authority told AFP it was not a

surprise. "We think it's a logical

consequence because we already had a

strong trading standing with the

Euronext Amsterdam," he added.

Financial services - a key driver of the

British economy - were largely omitted

from the last-minute Brexit trade deal

agreed between London and Brussels in

late December.

So from January 1, Britain's financial

sector lost access to the EU's single

market and its European "passport", a

means for UK financial products and

services to be sold in the EU.

Both sides are instead working to

carve out an "equivalence" regime under

which each would recognise the other's

financial regulation, and so far Brussels

has approved only two areas of trading

out of dozens that the City needs.

Anish Puaar, an analyst at Rosenblatt

Securities, said London's relative

decline was "symbolic in the post-Brexit

era". "But beyond that the impact is

pretty minimal," he said on Twitter.

Puaar said fund managers will

"probably not" care in apportioning

assets but the greater danger is for a

fragmentation of markets in Europe,

which would make trading more

inefficient and drive up costs.

Bank of England governor Andrew

Bailey also addressed fragmentation in a

speech last week, urging the EU to hurry

up on the equivalence negotiations for

the sake of pandemic recovery on both

sides of the Channel.

Rebutting some of the demands made

by Brussels in return for the City to

regain access to EU states, Bailey said

Britain had no intention of creating "a

low-regulation, high-risk, anything-goes

financial centre and system".

But the EU wants cast-iron legal

assurances that Britain will not diverge

in its financial regulation at the expense

of European firms, and stresses that the

hardline model for Brexit now in

operation was a choice made by

London. "It cannot be business as

usual," the EU's chief Brexit negotiator

Michel Barnier said on Thursday, a day

after Bailey's speech. "When you look at

the consequences in the financial

services, you can clearly see that there is

no added value to Brexit and many,

many consequences, unfortunately," he

said.

However, the UK central banker

played down fears of an exodus of jobs

from London.

Last month, Bailey said up to 7,000

jobs had so far been relocated to rival

centres on the continent including

Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt -well

down on doomsday predictions of as

many as 50,000 losses.

Mark Simpson, an expert on financial

services at the law firm Baker &

McKenzie, agreed that by the metric of

job losses, London did not need to panic

yet.

eCourier introduces New Services

and unveils New Logo

Well-known logistics

company eCourier

introduced multiple new

services

eCourier, an initiative by

Dotlines Bangladesh

Limited, organized an event

for the launch of logistics

industry re-defining new

services at Best Western La

Vinci Hotel, Dhaka

recently. The event also

unveiled the new logo of

eCourier . Mohammad

Sahab Uddin, Vice

President, eCab & Munir

Hasan - Head, Youth

Programme - Prothom Alo

were present as special

guests of the event, a press

release said.

eCourier, a pioneer in

introducing technology

enabled logistics services

over the last 5 years, to

transform and re-define the

logistics industry has

launched an end-to-end

360 portfolio of delivery

services.

The brand-new services

Philippine central

bank maintains

interest rate at

2.0 pct

MANILA : The Philippines'

central bank on Thursday

maintained its interest rate for

the overnight reverse

repurchase facility at 2.0

percent, reports BSS.

The Bangko Sentral ng

Pilipinas (BSP) said the

monetary board also kept the

interest rates for the overnight

deposit and lending facilities

at 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent,

respectively.

"The monetary board noted

that inflation is likely to

remain elevated in the coming

months, reflecting the impact

of supply constraints on

domestic prices of key food

commodities such as meat

and vegetables (and) the

recent uptick in international

oil prices," the BSP said in a

statement.

The BSP said the latest

baseline projections showed

inflation returning to the

target range of 2 to 4 percent

over the policy horizon as

supply-side influences

subside. The BSP said the

monetary board also noted

that "inflation expectations

continue to be anchored

within the inflation target

band."

comprise of air parcel, line

haul, corporate delivery,

merchant delivery, person

to person (P2P) delivery

and warehouse services. All

services are being offered

with end-to-end tracking

facilities enabling

corporates, merchants and

in general consumers to

fulfill their delivery needs

Shell unveils green strategy

after oil output peak

LONDON : Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell

declared Thursday that its oil output is locked

in decline after peaking in 2019 as it outlined

green plans to switch away from fossil fuels,

reports BSS.

The London-listed company will invest up to

$6.0 billion (4.9 billion euros) per year in green

energy products such as biofuels, electric car

charging and renewables, it said in a strategy

update.

The group said it anticipates a "gradual

reduction" in oil output of 1.0-2.0 percent each

year, including divestments.

Total carbon emissions for the company

peaked in 2018, it added.

The global oil sector, nursing vast losses due

to the Covid-19 pandemic, is accelerating plans

to switch into greener energy and slash carbon

emissions in the face of with intensifying

climate change fears.

"Our accelerated strategy will drive down

carbon emissions and will deliver value for our

shareholders, our customers and wider

society," Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden

said Thursday.

"We must give our customers the products

and services they want and need - products that

have the lowest environmental impact.

"At the same time, we will… make the

transition to be a net-zero emissions business

in step with society" by 2050, van Beurden

added.

Shell is matching a commitment by rival BP

under one single umbrella.

The new delivery services

are expected to boost speed,

flexibility and accuracy of

the delivery while the

warehouse is expected to

provide storage solutions.

And with all these new

services eCourier becomes

the first 360 logistics brand

in Bangladesh.

The logistics giant also

decided to redesign their

logo to fit the current

narrative of their

organization. The flexible,

fluid, modern new logo

along with the colors (blue,

yellow, purple) are said to

resonate with commitment,

vibrancy and ambition,

respectively.

as the Anglo-Dutch group's update sparked

more accusations of corporate "green washing"

from environmental campaigners.

"Shell… brazenly says it will dodge oil

production cuts and will simply let output

dwindle," noted Mel Evans, head of

Greenpeace UK's oil campaign.

"Without commitments to reduce absolute

emissions by making actual oil production cuts,

this new strategy cannot succeed nor can it be

taken seriously."

The sector's transition demands big

investments at a time when oil majors are

looking to make sizeable savings and axe

thousands of jobs.

Thursday's update came one week after Shell

posted huge annual losses as the coronavirus

pandemic slashed energy demand and prices in

2020. After lockdowns began to spread

towards the end of last year's first quarter, oil

prices dropped off a cliff, even briefly turning

negative.

Prices have rebounded sharply however to

13-month highs, levels last seen just before the

pandemic took hold.

Shell dived into a net loss of $21.7 billion

(18.1 billion euros) last year as factories shut

and planes were grounded.

The loss compared with a net profit of $15.8

billion in 2019.

Shell is axing up to 9,000 jobs in a costcutting

drive to combat the turmoil, which is

mirrored elsewhere in the sector.

TueSDAY, FeBRuARY 16, 2021

9

papon criticizes team performance

after losing series against WI

SportS dESk:

Bangladesh Cricket

Board (BCB) president

Nazmul Hassan papon

came down heavily on the

team management and

players after the tigers

were whitewashed in the

two-match test series

against West Indies,

reports BSS.

Bangladesh lost the first

test by three wickets,

despite setting a fearsome

395-run target before

tasted a 17-run defeat in

the second and final test.

the defeat in the test

series came after

Bangladesh whitewashed

West Indies in the threematch

odI series.

papon said the BCB

would look into the

Bangladesh team

performance in the series

and he personally would

talk to all of the players, not

only just captain and

coach.

In the wake of the

frustrating defeat, he also

emphasized on bringing up

changes by saying, "this

can't be allowed to

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon came down

heavily on the team management and players after the Tigers were whitewashed

in the two-match Test series against West Indies.

Photo: Courtesy

continue" as Bangladesh

had lack of planning.

"What's really going on, I

don't know…..Akram khan

(Cricket operations

Chairman) doesn't know. I

asked what the plan was

and how we would bat

today. No one knows, I

don't know what the

selectors said. Because we

can't go there (due to biobubble).

this is the

situation. You have to

know what happened. I

don't know much. I will let

you know as soon as I

know," an angry BCB

president said after the

match.

"I admit that the problem

is everywhere. After

watching two test series, I

understood that there is a

problem," he added.

He went on to saying: "I

need to know first what is

happening here. What was

their strategy? these

things need to be known

first. I could not get

involved with the team.

one day there was a talk

with the whole team in a

zoom meeting but it was

not enough."

papon was critical about

Bangladesh's plan to field

just one pacer, where Abu

Jayed rahi thrived

impeccably in the second

test.

"once there was a time

that we were just spin

oriented team but now we

have some good pacers.

Even in the squad, there

were five pacers but we

played just one pacer," he

remarked.

djokovic defies injury to reach

Australian open last eight

SportS dESk:

Eight-time winner

Novak djokovic fought

through what he had

described as a

tournament-ending injury

to beat Milos raonic and

reach the Australian open

quarter-final Sunday,

reports reuters.

Naomi osaka and

Serena Williams survived

scares to go through but

US open champion

dominic thiem was a

major casualty when he

fell to Bulgaria's Grigor

dimitrov.

Simona Halep avenged

her crushing French open

defeat by polish teenager

Iga Swiatek to set up a

meeting with Williams,

while taiwan's Hsieh Suwei

reached her first Slam

quarter-final at the age of

35.

kohli, Ashwin fifties boost India

victory charge against England

SportS dESk:

Virat kohli and ravichandran Ashwin hit

half-centuries to push India's second

innings lead over England to a daunting

416 on day three of the second test on

Monday, reports BSS.

India reached 221 for eight at tea in

Chennai after resuming the day on 54-1.

Ashwin, on 68, and Ishant Sharma, on

nought, were batting.

kohli and Ashwin put on 96 runs for

djokovic, the world No

1, had raised the alarm

over an abdominal injury

after his five-set battle

with taylor Fritz, but he

showed few outward signs

in his 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-1,

6-4 win.

However, the 17-time

Grand Slam winner said

he had spent "every single

hour" since Friday's win

trying to recover, and

wasn't sure he would play

until he warmed up before

the match.

djokovic becomes just

the second player after

roger Federer to win 300

Grand Slam matches.

the defending

champion will next meet

German sixth seed

Alexander Zverev, who

beat Serbia's dusan

Lajovic 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3

as he seeks his first Grand

Slam title.

Earlier, Japan's osaka

edged a thriller with fellow

major-winner Garbine

Muguruza, and Williams

came through a physical

test against Aryna

Sabalenka to maintain her

bid for a record-equalling

24th Grand Slam title.

In an empty rod Laver

Arena, with fans barred on

the second day of a fiveday,

state-wide

coronavirus lockdown,

osaka was on the verge of

elimination at 3-5, 15-40

on her serve in the third

set.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns against Canada's Milos Raonic during

their Australian Open last 16 match in Melbourne Sunday. Photo: Reuters

But the three-time

major champion rattled

off four points in a row

and then twice broke

Muguruza's serve to

prevail 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

this was osaka's first

meeting with last year's

the seventh wicket, resisting for over two

hours, after spinners Jack Leach and

Moeen Ali hit back in the morning

session with two wickets apiece.

kohli, who failed to score in the first

innings, took 20 balls to get off the mark

but moved on to his 25th test fifty.

He finally fell to Ali's off spin, trapped

lbw for 62 and walked back after an

unsuccessful tV review.

Ashwin, who claimed his 29th fivewicket

haul to help bundle out England

beaten finalist.

osaka now faces an all-

Asian quarter-final with

Hsieh, who beat Marketa

Vondrousova 6-4, 6-2 to

reach her first Slam

quarter-final in 16 years of

trying.

Williams, 39, was also

meeting Sabalenka for the

first time and she had to

weather an onslaught

from the Belarusian to

reach the last eight 6-4, 2-

6, 6-4.

the American will play

Halep in the quarter-final.

But a fatigued-looking

thiem, coming off a fiveset

win over Australia's

Nick kyrgios, slumped in

straight sets to dimitrov

who took it 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in

just over two hours.

dimitrov's victory

against thiem, the third

seed and last year's

runner-up, sets up a

quarter-final with surprise

package Aslan karatsev,

who is into the last eight

on his Grand Slam debut.

karatsev beat Felix

Auger-Aliassime in five

sets to become the first

player in 25 years to reach

the quarter-final on his

Grand Slam debut.

the 27-year old, a

virtual unknown before

the tournament started,

battled back from two sets

down to upset the

Canadian 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-

3, 6-4.

Halep won just three

games against Swiatek, 19,

at last year's roland

Garros, but she turned the

tables with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

win.

for 134 in response to India's 329 first

innings, survived two drop catches on 28

and 56.

In the first session, Cheteshwar pujara

went for seven after a freak run out when

his bat jammed behind the crease while

attempting to get back following a flick to

short leg.

Sharma, who made 161 in India's first

innings, added one to his overnight 25

before being stumped by wicketkeeper

Ben Foakes off Leach.

Adidas reveals

new ball for

UEFA Champions

League

SportS dESk:

the last 16 of the UEFA

Champions League, the

biggest tournament in

European club football,

starts next tuesday. Ahead

of the last 16 competitions

sportswear maker Adidas

unveiled a new design ball

made for the knockout

stage of the competition on

Monday,reports BSS.

First introduced in 2001,

the 'starball' design is based

on the UEFA Champions

League logo and has

become a symbol of world

football's top club

competition. the new

official ball will be used in

all the remaining UEFA

Champions League

matches this season,

including the Atatürk

olympic Stadium final on

29 May 2021.

Earlier, on december 14

last year the knockout

opponents were finalised at

5 pm Bangladesh time

Leon, Switzerland.

Barcelona and paris Saint-

Germain (pSG) are set to

face the biggest test in the

quarter-finals.

Spanish giants real

Madrid will take on

Atalanta in the knock out

stage while Cristiano

ronaldo's Juventus will

play against FC porto.

Sevilla and Borussia

dortmund will play in

another match.

Champions League

round of 16 ties

16 February & 10 March

Leipzig (GEr) vs

Liverpool (ENG)

Barcelona (ESp) vs paris

(FrA)


porto (por) vs Juventus

(ItA)

Sevilla (ESp) vs Borussia

dortmund (GEr)


Lazio (ItA) vs Bayern

(GEr)

Atlético (ESp) vs Chelsea

(ENG)


Borussia

Mönchengladbach (GEr)

vs Manchester City (ENG)

Atalanta (ItA) vs real

Madrid (ESp)

Pakistan's players and team officials pose for photographs with the trophy

after winning the T20 series against South Africa at the Gaddafi Cricket

Stadium in Lahore on Sunday.

Photo: Agency

pakistan end South Africa’s

unbeaten Asia record with

t20 series win

SportS dESk:

pakistan won the first match by three runs

while South Africa took the second by six

wickets,reports BSS.

tail-ender Hasan Ali hit two sixes in the

penultimate over to help pakistan clinch the

twenty20 series against South Africa with a

four-wicket win in the third and final match

in Lahore Sunday.

Hasan finished with a seven-ball 20 not

out as pakistan overhauled a 165-run target

in 18.4 overs to win the series 2-1, South

Africa's first t20 series defeat in Asia.

South Africa had previously won five and

drawn one t20 series in Asia.

South Africa's late blip meant david

Miller's robust 85 not out and spinner

tabraiz Shamsi's four wickets, which

seemed to have put the tourists on the road

to victory, were in vain. Miller smashed

seven sixes and five fours off just 45 balls to

lift South Africa from a tottering 48/6.

He helped add 116 for the last four wickets,

taking South Africa to 164/8.

Shamsi then picked up 4/25 in four

incisive overs and pakistan needed 53 off the

last six overs and 28 off the last three.

With 16 needed off the final two overs,

Andile phehlukwayo bowled a waist-high

no-ball which Hasan hit for six to ease the

pressure.

He then hit a four and a six to seal victory.

Mohammad Nawaz finished with 18 not

out, while skipper Babar Azam scored 44

and in-form Mohammad rizwan made 42.

the victory is pakistan's 100th in 163

matches, the first team to complete a

century of wins in t20s.

Babar's counterpart Heinrich klaasen

blamed his side's poor batting early on.

pakistan, who opened with Haider Ali

instead of Azam, raced to 51 off 6.1 overs

before Shamsi dismissed Haider (15),

removed rizwan leg-before and bowled

Hussain talat for five to halt the home

team's progress.

rizwan, who hit 104 not out and 51 in the

first two matches, struck seven boundaries,

including two towering sixes, off 30 balls.

pakistan won the first match by three runs

while South Africa took the second by six

wickets, both also played in Lahore.

South Africa lost their first six wickets for

48 and their seventh at 64.

Nawaz dismissed reeza Hendricks (two)

and Jon-Jon Smuts (one).

then debutant Zahid Mahmood removed

klaasen (nought) and Janneman Malan (27)

off successive deliveries in his first over.

When phehlukwayo went for a duck,

South Africa had lost four wickets for seven

runs in just nine balls.

Miller added 17 for the eighth wicket with

Bjorn Fortuin (10) before adding a further

58 for the next in just five overs with Lutho

Sipamla who scored eight not out.

Miller hit four sixes in the last over bowled

by Faheem Ashraf, which yielded 25.

Leg-spinner Mahmood took 3/40, leftarm

spinner Nawaz claimed 2/13 and

paceman Hasan finished with 2/29.

Messi happy leading Barca revival but

pSG a reminder of what could await

SportS dESk:

Lionel Messi put his arm

around Ilaix Moriba, the 18-

year-old born in the same

year Messi made his

Barcelona debut and who

was now being given his

own chance to play for the

club's first team, reports Ap.

Ilaix had just set up the

opening goal against Alaves

on Saturday when he was

congratulated by his 33-

year-old captain, whose task

it is on tuesday to lead this

youthful Barca to an

unfancied victory against

paris Saint-Germain in the

Champions League last 16.

From nurturing the next

generation of Barcelona

talents to confronting one of

Europe's richest, most

ambitious clubs, the fork in

the road for Messi's future is

becoming clear.

pSG may not be Messi's

preferred choice this

summer, especially if

Manchester City decide the

Argentinian is the final

piece of the jigsaw for a

team already ahead of the

rest in the premier League.

But the two clubs remain

his most realistic

destinations, both united in

representing almost

everything that staying put

at Barcelona would not.

Clubs ready, in theory, to

win the biggest trophies

immediately and able to

spend whatever it takes to

do it.

Meanwhile Messi's

suspicions in August, when

Lionel Messi put his arm around Ilaix Moriba, the 18-year-old born in the

same year Messi made his Barcelona debut and who was now being given

his own chance to play for the club's first team.

Photo: AP

he sent the burofax

requesting he depart for

free, have arguably been

confirmed. Barcelona

appear neither ready to win

the biggest trophies

immediately nor able to

spend what is needed to do

it.

As it stands, koeman's

team sit third in La Liga,

eight points behind Atletico

Madrid. they were beaten

by Athletic Bilbao in the

Spanish Super Cup and trail

Sevilla 2-0 after the semifinal

first leg of the Copa del

rey.

And yet while nobody

knows what Messi will

decide, perhaps not even

Messi-who told La Sexta in

december he "wouldn't be

right to say what I'm going

to do because I don't know

either"-there is reason to

think Barca's chances have

not only survived the

disappointments but been

improved in spite of them.

Barcelona stabilised

When Messi explained to

goal.com why he wanted to

go last summer, he

reiterated his desire for a

"winning project" but also

said he "wanted to live my

last years in football

happily". He admitted how

hard it was to tell his family

they were leaving.

For the first few weeks of

the season, he seemed

distracted, like a player

giving his all while

simultaneously wishing he

was somewhere else.

Yet Barcelona stabilised

under koeman-never

perfect and always far from

the finished article-but with

a renewed sense of purpose

emerging.

koeman has enabled

struggling players to

flourish and promising

youngsters to shine.

pedri, the 18-year-old

attacking midfielder, has

stood out, his eye for a pass

chiming with Messi's

quickness of thought.

"In pedri, Messi has found

a reason to enjoy the game

again," wrote diario Sport

in January.

Ansu Fati sparkled before

injury struck in November

while in defence, the 21-

year-old ronald Araujo,

who is also expected to miss

the first leg with an ankle

problem, emerged as

koeman's most reliable

central defender.

TUesDAY, feBrUArY 16, 2021

10

Cinema hall owners to get

low-interest loans: BB

TBT reporT

The cinema hall owners will be

given a long term loan at low

interest. Bangladesh Bank (BB)

has set up a special refinancing

scheme worth Tk 1,000 crore for

cinema hall renovation,

modernization and construction

of new halls.

Bangladesh Bank issued a

policy setting the interest rate of

the refinancing fund on Sunday.

Owners of the metropolitan

area halls will get loans at 5

percent interest and outside the

metropolitan area will get loans

at 4 percent interest.

Earlier on January 26, the

board of directors of Bangladesh

Bank approved the fund.

Priyanka Chopra, who made it big in Bollywood

without any kind of family support, opened up

about the favouritism that exists in the industry.

She also addressed the subject in her recently

released memoir, Unfinished.

On Lilly Singh's chat show A Little Late with

Lilly Singh, Priyanka was asked if she has faced

hurdles in her career due to favouritism. "Yeah,

actually, I have written about it in my book quite

a bit. The terrible thing about favouritism is... It's

okay, everyone wants to take care of their

families, right? We all want to take care of our

friends and families, create opportunities. I want

to do it," she said.

However, Priyanka maintained that supporting

one's friends and family members should not mean

shutting out others completely. "I think for people

who have a large table, wouldn't it be better if we

According to the policy,

Bangladesh Bank will provide

these loans to commercial banks

at 1.5 percent interest. Banks will

again be able to disburse these

loans at the customer level at an

interest rate of 5 percent with a

maximum loan of Tk 5 crore.

The owners do not have to pay

any installment of these loans in

the first year. The maximum

time available for remit is 6

years.

Cinema hall owners will be

given loan or investment facility

for different periods for their

convenience. Bangladesh Bank

will provide a refinancing facility

for renovation, modernization of

existing cinema halls, purchase

of parts and construction of new

cinema halls. The scheme will

also be applicable to the

construction of new cinema halls

in various shopping complexes.

Tk 500 crore will be given in

the first phase. After confirming

the expenditure, another Tk 500

crore will be given in the second

phase. The bank will assure each

customer the guarantee of loan

or investment facility for each

cinema hall, however, "owners

will not be given more than Tk 5

crore."

Those who want to get a loan

from this scheme have to apply to

Bangladesh Bank by March 31,

2022. The scheme will be

managed by the Department of

Off-site Supervision of

Bangladesh Bank.

Priyanka talks

about favouritism,

suggests ‘extending

the table’

just start extending the table instead of just

monopolising it? That's kind of the thing about

favouritism. It lacks giving other people the

opportunity to also have a seat at the table," she

said.

After winning the Miss World crown in 2000,

Priyanka made her Bollywood debut with The

Hero: Love Story of a Spy in 2003. She has acted in

a number of films, including Fashion, Dostana,

Barfi!, Mary Kom and Bajirao Mastani. Her most

recent Hindi release was The Sky is Pink.

In the last few years, Priyanka has been busy with

her career in Hollywood. She has a number of

projects in the pipeline, including Amazon series

Citadel, The Matrix 4, Text For You, a romantic

comedy with Mindy Kaling and an unscripted

Amazon series tentatively titled Sangeet, which she

will executive produce with husband Nick Jonas.

Meanwhile, Priyanka made her debut as an

author earlier this month with a memoir titled

Unfinished, which she wrote during the lockdown.

The book traces her journey, from childhood years

to high school in the US where she faced racist

bullying to winning Miss World and finally,

straddling careers in Bollywood and Hollywood.

Source: Hindustan Times

Goethe-Institute, HerStory

Foundation to host virtual

reading circle on Priyabhashini

German cultural organization

Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, in

partnership with HerStory

Foundation, is going to host a

virtual circle reading of the

autobiography 'Nindito

Nondon' by late sculptor,

author, and Birangana of 1971

Liberation War Ferdousi

Priyabhashini on Wednesday,

marking her 75th birth

anniversary, reports UNB.

The virtual reading circle, a

monthly event by the initiators,

will welcome the readers at 7 pm

and the session will take place at

online platform Zoom.

"Birangana Ferdousi

Priyabhashini's autobiography

TBT reporT

Popular singer Runa Laila and her husband

actor Alamgir on Saturday received COVID-

19 vaccine.

They took the vaccine at the National

Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology

Hospital in the capital's Sher-e-Bangla

Nagar on Sunday.

After receiving the vaccine, Runa Laila

said that the vaccination system was very

good. "I got vaccinated without any

problem. I urge all to get the Covid-19

vaccine," she also said.

Nine people including our entire family

and staff received the vaccine jab, the

Subcontinent's popular music star said.

Meanwhile, MP-actor Suborna Mustafa

received the vaccine jab from the very

beginning of the Covid-19 vaccination

campaign.

The day after Suborna was vaccinated,

playwright and MP Asaduzzaman Noor

received the vaccine. After that,

entertainment stars Mamunur Rashid,

Tariq Anam Khan, Nima Rahman, bandartist

James, Shabnaz, Nayeem and many

others have received the vaccine.

Gina Carano, the "Mandalorian" actress who

was dropped from the "Star Wars" spinoff over

what the studio called "abhorrent and

unacceptable" social media posts, said on

Friday she will make a film with conservative

company The Daily Wire.

Walt Disney Co's Lucasfilm studio said on

Wednesday it would no longer work with her

'Nindito Nondon' is not only a

memoir but also a historical

document narrating the birth of

the nation. The horrific past and

loss of respect during 1971 were

forgotten after tasting the sweet

independence.

Her

autobiography brings up the

chilling stories of torture of '71 as

well as the shining presence of

freedom fighters and the war,"

the organizers said via a press

release.

The reading circle will be

joined by Fuleshwary

Priyanandini, daughter of the

author and eminent sculptor.

She is currently pursuing her

passion for artworks and

writings, focused on topics

namely gender equality,

complexities of relationships,

family and social abuse and

discrimination and child abuse.

According to Sister Library

authority - the platform,

powered by female excellence, is

a space to celebrate female

creativity. The flagship library,

founded by indigenous artist

Aqui Thami in Bombay, holds

one thousand works of women

writers, artists, and zine makers.

It is an evolving and generative

after she posted on Instagram drawing

parallels between persecution of Jews in Nazi

Germany and the treatment of people who

hold conservative political views today.

The Daily Wire said Carano will produce and

star in an upcoming film exclusively for

subscribers to its website, which was cofounded

by conservative political

artwork that engages with an indepth

reflection on the visual

and reading cultures of modern

times.

The goal of the project is to

bring together readers, in order

to explore literary contributions,

showcase the artistic quality,

and celebrate women in the

creative world - as well as to

foster interests and

understanding of the

accomplishments of female

writers and artists, according to

the Sister Library.

Alamgir, Runa Laila receive

Covid-19 vaccine

Carano to make film with conservative outlet

commentator Ben Shapiro. In a statement on

the site, Carano said she was sending a

message of hope to everyone living in fear of

cancellation by what she called "the totalitarian

mob." "I have only just begun using my voice

which is now freer than ever before ... They

can't cancel us if we don't let them."

Carano also came under fire for posts on

Twitter in November in which she derided

mask-wearing amid the Covid-19 pandemic,

and for promoting baseless claims of voter

fraud after the US presidential election.

Quoting sources, the Hollywood Reporter

said Lucasfilm had been going to unveil Carano

as the star of her own Disney+ series during a

December investor's day presentation but

scrapped those plans following her November

tweets.

A Disney spokesperson did not immediately

respond to a request for comment on that

report.

Shapiro said The Daily Wire aimed to

"provide an alternative not just for consumers,

but for creators who refuse to bow to the mob."

"We're just as eager to show Hollywood that if

they want to keep cancelling those who think

differently, they'll just be helping us build the

X-wing to take down their Death Star," he said

in a statement on the Daily Wire website.

Source: Reuters

H o r o s c o p e

ArIes

(March 21 - April 20) : The bizarre

nature of the day may leave you feeling a

bit bewildered, Aries. Don't sweat it.

Focus on your romantic nature and

incredibly nurturing heart. Use your instinctive

healing abilities to care for a close friend in need.

Today is an especially good day to connect with others

and openly share your feelings. Confide in people you

trust. Consider calling your mom.

TAUrUs

(April 21 - May 21) : You will be in

an especially affectionate and loving

mood today, Taurus. Your romantic

nature is heightened and your

nurturing qualities are strong. You're extra

sensitive and receptive. You might find that you

have no problem communicating your truest

feelings to others. Connect with those you feel

especially close to, and enjoy an intimate evening.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : Annoyances of daily

life may rub you the wrong way today,

Gemini. Other people's strong opinions and

odd quirks may be difficult to swallow and

your fuse may be a bit shorter than usual. Emotions could

also run high, and you may do battle with the feelings in

your own heart. Perhaps someone you care about deeply

is creating unnecessary friction in your relationship.

cANcer

(June 22 - July 23) : Be open and honest

about your feelings toward others today,

Cancer. Your receptive nature should be

ready. Take a break and let others come

to you. Unexpected events may pop out of nowhere.

Opportunities for new growth in love and romance

are definitely at your fingertips as long as you're ready

to receive them. Don't try to force the issue if the time

and place aren't right. Let it flow.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Your heart beats

extra strong today, Leo, but it may not

seem like anyone knows it but you.

You may feel like you aren't really

fitting in with the energy of the day. Don't get

down on yourself for it. Realize that not everything

is going to go according to your plans. Let things

come to you. The unexpected is bound to happen,

so don't try to resist the impending change.

VIrGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): This is a fantastic day

for you, Virgo. Join close friends and share

a night on the town and fine meal. This is

a chance to begin a new cycle of romance.

Reflect on past relationship problems, examine their

causes, and toss them away so you can invite in a new,

uplifting energy for the next cycle of romance. Start a

new relationship or strengthen the one you're in.

LIBrA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Your warm, sensitive

nature is perfectly suited to today's

aspects, Libra. Your emotional energy is

strongly tied to your heart, and you will

find that there's a longing to be close to others. Indulge

in conversation with close friends and let your

imagination run wild. Your creativity is especially

piqued today, so start an art project or write a song that

inspires or perhaps changes the world.

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): Your heart may be

especially sensitive today, Sagittarius. You

may feel a bit vulnerable. Your romantic

nature is particularly strong, so treat yourself

to a pampered evening, including a good meal with someone

you love. All relationships with women will go smoothly now.

You might want to give your mother a call if you haven't

spoken with her in a while. She would love to hear from you.

cAprIcorN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): All aspects of love

and romance will go especially well

today, Capricorn. You might take this

opportunity to make a bold move

toward the object of your affection. Go with an

unconventional approach and move fearlessly. Your

relationships will go well. Nurture your romantic

side and communicate your feelings. Love will act

suddenly and unexpectedly. Go with the flow.

AQUArIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Your connection with

others is especially strong today,

Aquarius. You will enjoy an important

nurturing role. Reconnect with your

mother and let her know how you're feeling. Curl up

with loved ones tonight and surprise someone with a

romantic gesture. Try something unconventional. Your

feelings may be strong and erratic. You may be feel like

pulling back into your protective shell. If so, do it.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : You might feel

especially playful today, Pisces. You can

expect to feel a great deal of love and

affection from others. Be aware that you will

have a strong tendency to indulge in food and drink, so try

to keep things in moderation. You may have an aversion to

work and lack self-discipline. Overcome this by looking

forward to intimate plans with someone tonight.

Public transports of Dhaka city practice unauthorized pace within the narrow

roads and it is costing lives. The photo is captured from the Karwan

Bazar area.

Photo: Star Mail

we`ÿ r/Rb-627(2)/15/2/21

GD- 267/21 (6x3)

GD- 261/21 (10x3)

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US expresses "deep concerns"

over WHO probe into virus origin

WASHINTON :National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said

Saturday the United States has "deep concerns" about the

way the early findings were communicated following the

World Health Organization's investigation into the origins of

the coronavirus in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, reports

UNB.

"It is imperative that this report be independent, with

expert findings free from intervention or alteration by the

Chinese government," Sullivan said in a statement, calling

for China to "make available" the data it holds from the earliest

days of the outbreak.

Washington expressed concerns after President Joe Biden,

who took office on Jan. 20, ceased the process of withdrawing

the United States from the WHO, which former President

Donald Trump had criticized as being China-centric.

Following the investigation launched in late January, a

WHO expert rejected on Feb. 9 the possibility of the virus

having accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan.

The Trump administration had advanced a theory that the

Wuhan Institute of Virology might have given birth to the

virus, claiming some researchers there developed symptoms

consistent with COVID-19 in the fall of 2019.

Sullivan said all countries, including China, should "participate

in a transparent and robust process for preventing and

responding to health emergencies."

China fired back in a statement released Saturday by its

embassy in Washington, saying the United States "gravely

damaged international cooperation on COVID-19" by pulling

itself out of the WHO and is "pointing fingers" at the U.N.

health body and countries supporting it.

The WHO team of experts returned from Wuhan, where

the virus was first detected in late 2019, on Feb. 10. It is

expected to release a final report on its probe in the coming

weeks.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during an interview

Sunday with CBS News that he supports the Biden

administration raising concerns about the WHO investigation.

"We need to see the data. We need to see all the evidence.

So I thoroughly support what President Biden has said about

that," he said.

Virus may never go away but

could change into mild annoyance

NEW DELHI: What if COVID-

19 never goes away? Experts say

it's likely that some version of

the disease will linger for years.

But what it will look like in the

future is less clear, reports UNB.

Will the coronavirus, which

has already killed more than 2

million people worldwide,

eventually be eliminated by a

global vaccination campaign,

like smallpox? Will dangerous

new variants evade vaccines?

Or will the virus stick around for

a long time, transforming into a

mild annoyance, like the common

cold?

Eventually, the virus known

as SARS-CoV-2 will become

yet "another animal in the

zoo," joining the many other

infectious diseases that

humanity has learned to live

with, predicted Dr. T. Jacob

John, who studies viruses and

was at the helm of India's

efforts to tackle polio and

HIV/AIDS.

But no one knows for sure.

The virus is evolving rapidly,

and new variants are popping

Malaysia's GDP contracts

5.6 pct in 2020, biggest

decline since 1998

KUALA LUMPUR :

Malaysia's gross domestic

product (GDP) contracted

3.4 percent year-on-year in

the fourth quarter of last

year, rendering a 5.6-percent

GDP drop for 2020, the

biggest decline since 1998,

reports BSS.

The Malaysian Central

Bank said in a statement on

Thursday that the negative

growth in Q4 was largely

attributable to the imposition

of the Conditional

Movement Control Order

(CMCO) on a number of

states since mid-October last

year to contain the spread of

the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The restrictions on

mobility, especially on interdistrict

and inter-state travel,

weighed on economic

activity during the fourth

quarter," said the central

bank, despite the fact that

continued improvement in

external demand provided

support to growth.

Except for manufacturing,

all economic sectors continued

to record negative

growth. On the expenditure

side, moderating private

consumption and public

investment activities

weighed on domestic

demand.

"On a quarter-on-quarter

seasonally-adjusted basis,

the economy registered a

decline of 0.3 percent," said

the bank.

up in different countries. The

risk of these new variants was

underscored when Novavax

Inc. found that the company's

vaccine did not work as well

against mutated versions circulating

in Britain and South

Africa. The more the virus

spreads, experts say, the more

likely it is that a new variant

will become capable of eluding

current tests, treatments and

vaccines.

For now, scientists agree on

the immediate priority:

Vaccinate as many people as

quickly as possible. The next

step is less certain and depends

largely on the strength of the

immunity offered by vaccines

and natural infections and how

long it lasts. "Are people going

to be frequently subject to

repeat infections? We don't

have enough data yet to

know," said Jeffrey Shaman,

who studies viruses at

Columbia University. Like

many researchers, he believes

chances are slim that vaccines

will confer lifelong immunity.

GD-264/21 (7x4)

German shares almost

unchanged at start of

trading on Thursday

BERLIN : German stocks

were almost unchanged at the

start of trading on Thursday,

with the benchmark DAX

index increasing by 25.42

points, or 0.18 percent, opening

at 13,958.39 points, reports

BSS.

The biggest winner among

Germany's 30 largest listed

companies at the start of trading

was sportswear manufacturer

Adidas, increasing by

1.65 percent, followed by carmaker

Volkswagen with 0.87

percent and dialysis specialist

Fresenius Medical Care with

0.76 percent. On Thursday,

Volkswagen announced to further

expand its cooperation

with software giant Microsoft

in order to build a cloud-based

software platform to transfer

data between networked cars

and to "deliver automated

driving experiences even faster

at global scale."

GD- 262/21 (7x 3)

TueSDAY, feBruArY 16, 2021

e-GP-Re-Tender Notice

11

BD-Myanmar border road

[From page-12]

The purpose of the project is to increase BGB patrols on the

Bangladesh-Myanmar border to ensure strict border security to

prevent illegal entry from Myanmar. And also to rehabilitate

BWDB Polder-67/ A, 67, 67 / B, 68 and develop flood control

and drainage systems in the project area so that the general

public inside the polders can benefit. It will simultaneously

reduce water logging.

Locals say the road will help the BGB secure the border. In

particular, to prevent the smuggling of Yaba patrol can use fast

vehicles. Yaba control will be possible if border patrols are

strengthened.

The same was said by the BGB's Teknaf 2nd Battalion Commander

Lt. Colonel Mohammad Faisal Hasan Khan. He said

that river Naf is very important. It is the border of Myanmar

and Bangladesh. From where Yaba is entering from Myanmar.

The BGB will be able to carry out its duties easily after the construction

of the border road. This will prevent the smuggling of

Yaba. Border roads can be used for Rohingya infiltration. At the

same time, smart digital devices are being installed on the border

roads. The BGB captain thinks that monitoring has become

easier with this device.

He said plans were afoot to erect a 40-foot-high watch tower

on the border road as well as a barbed wire fence. Cox's Bazar

Water Development Board executive engineer Prabir Kumar

Goswami said the 60-kilometer border road from Shahpari

Island in Teknaf to Ukhia was moving ahead with the BGB's

proposal. The project will be completed in June 2023 at a cost

of more than BDT 2,600 crore.

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9644 14/2/2021

Tuesday, Dhaka, February 16, 2021, Falgun 3, 1427 BS, Rajab 3, 1442 Hijri

Max 5 persons to attend Feb 21

programme under single banner

DHAKA UNIVERSITY : This will be an

Amar Ekushey unlike anything

Bangladesh has seen. No more than five

persons will be allowed to pay tributes

to language martyrs on this Feb 21

under a single banner as the country

fights to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Other than various organisations,

two persons at a time will be

allowed to pay respects at the Shaheed

Minar, reports UNB.

The International Mother Language

Day is celebrated on February 21 every

year. On this day in 1952, Bangalees laid

down their lives to secure their right to

speak in their mother tongue.

Millions of people across Bangladesh

and the world pay rich tributes to the

martyrs on this day. But this year the situation

is different because of the Covid-

19 outbreak.

The decision to limit the number of

people came from a meeting of Dhaka

University's Environmental Council in

presence of active student organisations

of the campus on Monday. The meeting

was held at Nabab Nawab Ali

Chowdhury Senate Bhaban. Dhaka

University Vice-Chancellor Professor

Md Akhtaruzzaman presided over it,

according to a press release issued by

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday

said BNP now becomes the hawker of

democracy, though they snatched votes

in the election on February 15, 1996.

"On this day in 1996, BNP staged a

farce in the history of Bangladesh by

holding a voter-less election, which was

the stigmatised part of the history of the

country's elections," he told a rally joining

a videoconference from his official

residence here.

Dhaka North City Unit of Awami

League arranged the rally on Russel

Square, Dhanmondi, in the capital,

protesting the election held on February

15, 1996.

Speaking as the chief quest, Quader,

also road transport and bridges minister,

said after assuming power in 1991,

BNP started breaking all the election

pledges that it gave to people over

Aerial view of the border road that is projected to be completed by 2023.

SAFiul AlAM, Cox'S BAzAR

Teknaf is the southernmost border

locality of Bangladesh. This border

upazila was a sanctuary for smugglers

including Yaba, Rohingya infiltration

and human trafficking. In many ways, it

was not possible to prevent this crime.

The Border Security Force (BGB) was

looking for an alternative to foster

national security. As part of this, work

on border roads has been started across

the border area. Work on this road is on

the full swing under the Water

Development Board.

Locals say the completion of the road

will help the BGB fulfill its responsibilities

in curbing drug trafficking and

Rohingya infiltration. The BGB official

said the road would be upgraded using

digital devices to strengthen BGB

patrols as well as border surveillance.

According to the Water Development

the university. Everyone has to follow

health rules, maintain social distance

and wear a mask while paying tributes

to the language heroes.

The meeting also discussed the university's

preparedness to open-up its

dormitories on March 13. Only MA and

honours final-year residential students

will get the opportunity to stay in halls

on a priority basis in line with their

exam schedules. They have to leave the

dormitories as soon as their examination

is over.

DU VC Akhtaruzzaman sought the

cooperation of the leaders of various

student organisations to implement

these initiatives in a smooth, orderly

and systematic way. Leaders of the different

student organisations thanked

the university authorities for taking

these initiatives and assured their cooperation

in this regard.

Among others, Pro-VC (Administration)

Dr Muhammad Samad, Treasurer Mumtaz

Uddin Ahmed, Proctor AKM Golam

Rabbani, Dhaka University Teachers'

Association (DUTA) President Md Rahmat

Ullah, general secretary Md Nizamul Hoque

Bhuiyan and leaders of various student

organisations operating on the campus were

also present in the meeting.

BNP becomes vendor of democracy

despite snatching votes in 1996: Quader

reestablishing democracy in the country.

Mentioning that BNP is now

involved in anti-state propaganda, the

AL general secretary said people will not

spare any anti-state and anti-liberation

conspiracy. He said BNP is continuously

lying in the name of opposing the government.

Issuing a note of warning to the party

men, Quader said: "No wrongdoers can

get place in the Awami League and you

all (AL men) must maintain the party's

discipline."

BNP sees darkness in broad daylight

and that is why it does not find

any development and achievement of

the government, he said Awami

League pledged to bring smile on the

faces of the poor people by implementing

the ideology of Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman.

Board, the work on the 60-kilometer

border road in Teknaf Ukhia will be

completed by June 2023.

According to the Water Development

Board, Ukhia-Teknaf are two upazilas

bordering the Naf River in southeastern

Bangladesh. Myanmar is located to the

east of Ukhia-Teknaf Upazila. In order

to protect the agricultural crops of the

two upazilas, embankments and

drainage infrastructures were constructed

at Polder-67/ A, 67, 67 / B, 68 along

the right bank of Naf river under the

coastal dam project in the late sixties to

prevent normal tide and salinity from

entering the sea.

Flood control dams have also been

used by Border Guard Bangladesh

(BGB) to patrol Rohingya. But due to

lack of significant repairs for a long time,

the efficiency of the polders is declining

and the people living inside the polders

are being deprived of its benefits and the

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday inaugurated the electronic allowance transfer program to the freedom

fighters electronically through a video conference from Ganobhaban.

Photo: Star Mail

How did PK

Halder flee abroad,

inquires HC

DHAKA : The High Court on Monday

inquired how Proshanto Kumar Halder

fled the country although his passport

had been seized, reports UNB.

The court also sought a list of officers

who were on duty at the immigration

office of airport and Anti-Corruption

Commission (ACC) while Halder , the

former director of International Leasing

and Finance Service Ltd (ILFSL), fled

abroad. At the same time, the court also

inquired about the latest development

in the PK Halder case.

Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and

Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim's bench

passed the order after a list of 394

Bangladesh Bank officials who worked in

three divisions of the central bank since

2010 was submitted before the court.

Advocate Md Khurshid Alam Khan

stood for the ACC while Deputy

Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin

represented the state and Advocate

Khan Mohammad Shamim Aziz moved

for Bangladesh Bank.

Earlier on January 21 this year, the

HC sought list of officials (from 2008 to

2020) in the ACC and three departments

of Bangladesh Bank. It had also

asked to investigate if the officials had

any failure in preventing money laundering

and whether any steps had been

taken against them.

The HC on Oct 21 last year directed

the authorities concerned to arrest PK

Halder as soon as he returns to the

country as he reportedly amassed Tk

3,600 crore and laundered the money

abroad while performing his duties as

director at ILFSL.

Photo: TBT

Impressive progress made on BD-Myanmar border road

dams and infrastructures are in a

severely damaged condition, making it

difficult for BGB members to patrol the

border.

In order to implement the national

strategy on Myanmar refugees and illegal

immigrants in Bangladesh, an interministerial

meeting was held at the

Ministry of Home Affairs on October 26,

2010 to take necessary steps to prevent

illegal Rohingya infiltration along the

Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

requested the Ministry of Water

Resources and they subsequently forwarded

it to Bangladesh Water

Development Board (BWDB) to take

necessary steps in this regard. In this

context, the border road project was prepared

in the light of the recommendations

of the technical committee formed

on behalf of BWDB.

>(Contd. on page-11)

Blogger Abhijit murder trial

judgement today

DHAKA : A Dhaka court is set to pronounce

the judgment in a case lodged over

murder of blogger and writer Avijit Roy

today. Judge Mujibur Rahman of the

Special Anti-Terrorism Tribunal on

February 4 set tomorrow (February 16) to

pass its judgement as both the prosecution

and defence concluded their arguments in

the case on that day. Twenty-eight prosecution

witnesses out of the total 34 have

been testified in the case and were crossexamined

on different hearing dates.

"We've been able to prove the case

against six accused beyond any reasonable

doubt and we believe the court

would sentence them to death," prosecutor

Golam Sarwar Zakir told BSS.

Defence counsel Nazrul Islam, however,

said the accused would get acquitted.

Avijit Roy was hacked by a group of

militants near Suhrawardy Udyan in the

TSC area of Dhaka University around

9.30 pm on February 26, 2015. He was

rushed to Dhaka Medical College

(DMC) Hospital where he succumbed to

DHAKA : Six amici curiae (friends of

court) yesterday gave their legal opinions

on a writ petition that sought High

Court directive to ban broadcast of Al

Jazeera, a Qatar-based news channel, in

the country.

After holding hearing on the matter,

the High Court division virtual bench of

Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and

Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah

adjourned the proceedings till February

17. The amici curiae during today's hearing

gave their opinions on legitimacy of

the writ, jurisdiction of BTRC, concerned

acts, references and security of

the state, among others, reports BSS.

Earlier on February 10, the High

Court had appointed senior lawyers AJ

Mohammad Ali, Kamal Ul Alam, Abdul

Matin Khasru, Fida M Kamal, Prabir

Niyogi and Dr Shahdin Malik as amici

curiae in the case.

Supreme Court lawyer Md Enamul

Kabir Emon filed the writ on February 8. In

the petition, the petitioner pleaded for High

Covid-19 claims 11

more lives, infects

446 in Bangladesh

DHAKA : Covid-19 claimed 11 more

lives and infected another 446 in

Bangladesh in the last 24 hours till

Monday morning, showing higher rates

both in death toll and infection than that

of Sunday, reports UNB.

With the latest figures, the Covid-19

fatalities in the country rose to 8,285

and the caseload to 541,038, according

to the Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS).

In a handout, the DGHS said the daily

coronavirus infection rate in

Bangladesh rose to 3.15 percent from

Sunday's 2.53 percent, while the overall

infection rate stood at 14.01 percent, a

little bit lower than yesterday's 14.05.

However, the mortality rate remained

almost steady at 1.53 percent for the past

few days, including Monday, said the

handout, adding that 487,870 patients

(90.17 pc) have recovered from the virus

infection so far. As of now, 3,862,254

samples have been tested, including

14,138 in the past 24 hours.

his injuries at about 10.30pm.

On February 27, Avijit's father, noted

educationist Ajoy Roy, filed a murder

case with Shahbagh Police Station.

On March 13, 2019, Dhaka

Metropolitan Magistrate Sarafuzzaman

Ansari filed the charge-sheet implicating

six persons. On April 11, 2019, Dhaka

Special Anti-Terrorism Tribunal Judge

Mujibur Rahman accepted the chargesheet

against the six accused.

The judge of the Special Anti-Terrorism

Tribunal, Dhaka On August 1 ordered to

start the trial by framing charges against

the accused. The accused are Major

(sacked) Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque

alias Zia, Mozammel Hussain alias Simon,

Abu Siddique Sohail alias Shakib alias

Sajid alias Shahab, Akram Hossain alias

Abir, Md. Arafat Rahman and Shafiur

Rahman Farabi. All accused are leaders

and activists of banned militant outfit

Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). Major Zia

and Akram Hossain remained fugitive

since the murder.

Amici curiae give opinions on

writ against Al Jazeera

Court's directive on the authorities concerned

to ban the broadcasting of Al

Jazeera in the country and also court's

order to remove the contents of Al Jazeera's

report titled "All the Prime Minister's Men"

from all social media, including Facebook,

YouTube and Twitter.

Falgun/Valentine's

When spring was in the air,

and love came second

Bangladeshi migrant worker killing

Saudi employer gets

death penalty

DHAKA : A Criminal Court in Riyadh

on Sunday sentenced a Saudi employer

to death for killing of Bangladeshi

migrant worker Abiron Begum in 2019.

The convict was identified as Ayesha Al

Jijani. The court also fined Ayesha's husband

Bashem Salem 50,000 Saudi riyal

and sentenced him to 38 months in jail.

Another convict Walid Bashed Salem

was sent to Juvenile Correction Centre for

7 months. Abiron Begum, who went to

Saudi Arabia for work, was killed in 2019.

Health department

driver sued by ACC

DHAKA : Anti-Corruption Commission

(ACC) on Monday filed two cases

against the driver of the health department

Abdul Malek and his wife Nargis

Begum, reports UNB.

Assistant director of the ACC, head

office Syed Nazrul Islam filed two cases

yesterday. In the first case, the accused

Abdul Malek in the statement of assets

filed with the Commission announced

assets worth around TK 94 lakh. But ACC

found more than TK 1 crore 50 lakh which

were obtained in a dishonest manner and

inconsistent with the known source of

income. The case was filed against him for

committing a punishable offense under

sections 26 (2) and 26 (1) of the Anti-

Corruption Commission Act-2004.

Speeding up introduction

of e-commerce trade

license : Tipu Minshi

DHAKA : Commerce Minister Tipu

Minshi on Monday said they are working

with the Local Government Ministry to

speed up the introduction of trade license

for the industry so that e-commerce businesses

could access finance as well as

other opportunities, reports UNB.

The minister said this while

Chairperson of Business Initiative

Leading Development (BUILD) Abul

Kasem Khan paid a courtesy call on him at

his ministry.

Mentioning e-commerce should be

automatically recognised as enterprises,

the Minister also added that the highpotential

sector is not getting promoted as

expected since they need trade license.

"We'll work to reduce the current minimum

paid-up capital to 0.5 million

from 2.5 million for the one-person

company in the Companies Act (2nd

Amendment) Bill, 2020 to allow more

small businesses to take part in registration,

thus enabling their formalisation,"

the minister also added.

DHAKA : Although the ongoing global

pandemic made all events around the

world adopt at least the 'new normal'

methods, the festivities in the capital

marking Pahela Falgun 1427 and

Valentine's Day 2021 on Sunday were

observed vividly in Dhaka by the cultural

organizations and institutions with

enthralling programmes, reports UNB.

Different socio-cultural organizations

arranged several staged and virtual

events throughout the day, though the

constant and usual essence of the traditional

Amar Ekushey Book Fair was

absent as the book fair was shifted into

March 18 this year.

Still, netizens from all walks of life

joined the cultural events and celebrated

the first day of Spring wearing yellow

and red sarees, panjabis and a new addition

to the fashion this year - masks, to

protect themselves from COVID-19

while they attended the events with their

beloveds.

The day began with Jatiya Basanta

Utshab Udjapon Parishad's traditional

'Basanta Utshob 1427' at Sohrawardi

Uddyan open stage in the capital from 7

am to 10 am and 3:30 pm to 7 pm, following

heath guidelines. The organisation

has been regularly arranging the

event at Bakultala of fine arts faculty of

Dhaka University since 1991, but this

year, the Dhaka University authority did

not permit the organizers to use the

venue for the event, ostensibly due to the

pandemic situation.

Dhaka DocLab chairman and eminent

cultural activist Nasiruddin

Yousuff inaugurated the festival, while

Jatiya Basanta Utsab Udjapan Parishad

general secretary Manzarul Islam

Chowdhury Sweet presented the welcome

speech.

"Spring has always been the most

festive season in our country, and this

event is a jovial celebration to welcome

the season and the first day of Falgun.

For the last 27 years, Jatiya Basanta

Utsab Udjapan Parishad has been

organising the event which also got

the late veteran actor Aly Zaker as an

initiator. He will always be remembered

through festivities like these,

and I thank the organizers for arranging

the event successfully, overcoming

the odds," Nasiruddin Yousuff said at

the event.

Dipen Sarkar presented Chaturanga,

accompanied by Zakir Hossain on tabla,

followed by a presentation by the

artistes of Sur Saptak performing chorus

songs. Nusrat Binte Noor, Nabanita

Zahid Chowdhury and others also performed

several songs at the event.

Dance artistes of Bangladesh

Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA)

Swapnabikash, Nrityaksha, and Mudra

Classical Dance presented dance recitals

with several songs.

Besides, Jatiya Basanta Utsab

Udjapan Parishad also held programmes

at Simanta-Sahara Mancha at

Gendaria and Uttara Mancha at

Azampur Government Primary School

in the afternoon till night.

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

16-02-2021

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