28-02-2021

sunday

DhAKA : February 28, 2021; Falgun 15, 1427 BS; Rajab 15,1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.17; N o. 317; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

InternatIonal

US implicates Saudi crown

prince in journalist Jamal

Khashoggi's killing

>Page 7

sports

Tuchel reveals Man

Utd defeat left him

in a ‘dark place’

>Page 9

art & culture

Shafiq, Ayesha

lent voice to 'Buk

Chin Chin 2.0'

>Page 10

Dhaka, Delhi against

any activity "inimical"

to each other's interests

DhaKa : Bangladesh and India on

Saturday reaffirmed not to allow the

territory of either country to be used for

any activity "inimical" to each other's

interests, reports BSS.

Both sides discussed early completion

of pending fencing along the Bangladesh-

India border as agreed by the Prime

Ministers of the two countries.

The two countries discussed the

issues at the 19th home Secretary-level

talks held virtually against the backdrop

of 'Mujib Barsho' and 50 years of

Bangladesh Liberation War and establishment

of diplomatic ties between the

two countries.

The Indian side was led by ajay

Kumar Bhalla while that of Bangladesh

by Mostafa Kamal uddin.

The home Secretaries held comprehensive

discussions on border security,

management, joint monitoring mechanisms

and training.

Bangladesh and India agreed to further

enhance cooperation to control

cross-border crimes and promote

developmental works.

Bangladesh and India attach highest

importance to their bilateral relations,

according to the Press Information

Bureau of India.

Mushtaq's custodial death

Leftist leader held in

Khulna 'over FB post'

KhuLna : Police have arrested a

leader of Khulna Sramik, Krishak,

Chhatra-Janata Oikya Parishad 'for

his Facebook post condemning the

custodial death of writer Mushtaq

ahmed', reports BSS.

Detectives picked up coordinator of

Khulna Sramik, Krishak, Chhatra-

Janata Oikya Parishad Ruhul amin

and its organizer niaz Murshed from

their residence on Friday night and

later freed niaz at 12:30 am.

niaz Murshed told reporters that a

team of DB police and KMP picked

them up from their rented house and

took to them DB office.

Deputy Commissioner of Khulna

DB police BM nururzzamn said a DB

inspector filed a case against Ruhul

amin under the Digital Security

act(DSa) for various reasons including

destabilizing the state.

he will be produced before a court

with a remand prayer, he said .

Meanwhile, leaders and activists of

Sramik, Krishak, Chhatra-Janata

Oikya Parishad brought out a protest

procession in the city protesting

Ruhul amin's arrest.

Zohr

05:12 AM

12:16 PM

04:20 PM

06:04 PM

07:16 PM

6:25 6:00

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed a press conference virtually from her Ganabhaban residence

in the capital on Saturday marking the United Nation's final recommendation regarding Bangladesh's

graduation to a developing country from the LDC one.

Photo: Star Mail

Graduation to developing

country is outcome of

12-yr efforts: PM

DhaKa: Describing the country's graduation

to a developing one as historic

and a matter of pride, Prime Minister

Sheikh hasina yesterday said it has

resulted from her government's tireless

planning, toiling and efforts in the last

12 years, reports BSS.

"Today's achievement to a developing

country from the leased development

one is the outcome of our 12 years' tireless

planning, hard working and

efforts," she said.

She was addressing a press conference

joining virtually from her

Ganabhaban residence in the capital

marking the united nation's final recommendation

regarding Bangladesh's

graduation to a developing country

from the LDC one.

Younger sister of the premier, Sheikh

Rehana, and Transport and Bridges

Minister ObaidulQuader were also

present at the Ganabhaban end.

The Prime Minister has given the full

credit of the graduation to the countrymen,

saying that the milestone has been

achieved due to united efforts of all.

"The people of the country have done

it and we have only created the scope

giving policy supports," she added.

Referring to the final recommendation

relating to giving Bangladesh the

DhaKa: awami League General

Secretary and Road Transport and

Bridges Minister ObaidulQuader yesterday

said Ziaur Rahman had created

scopes for the communal forces to do

politics in the country by destroying the

spirit of Liberation War, reports BSS.

"Ziaur Rahman had opened the doors

to extreme communalism in the country,"

he told the council of

ullaparaupazila, Sirajganj unit of aL by

joining it virtually from his official residence

in Dhaka.

Quader said BnP founder Ziaur

Rahman had banished the values of

independence and imposed a ban on

Liberation War's slogan 'Joy Bangla'.

after the Liberation War, the role of

Ziaur Rahman became questionable to

the freedom fighters as he had made

himself controversial, he added.

Quader said in spite of being a sector

commander in the Liberation War,

status of a developing country from the

least development country, she said,

"We have achieved all the qualifications

to turn Bangladesh into a developing

country."

The premier said that she fells proud

being part of the achievement as a

daughter of Father of the nation and

thanked the countrymen at home and

abroad and the development partners.

The premier dedicated the achievement

to the new generation and youths

who move forward Bangladesh towards

more prosperity and development.

She said Bangladesh has secured its

position as a dignified and confident

country in the world stage through to

the graduation.

Describing the achievement as a special

step to make Bangladesh a developed

country, the premier stressed the

need for making Bangladesh's position

firm and sustainable in the outer world.

"Let us all irrespective of parties and

opinions make a commitment to turn

Bangladesh into a "Golden Bangladesh"

at the advent of the august moment of

the Birth Centenary of Father of the

nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman as dreamt by Bangabandhu,"

she said.

>(Contd. on page-2)

Zia opened doors to radicals, banished

Liberation War spirit : Quader

Ziaur Rahman had patronized the antiliberation

forces after the independence

and that is why the history itself

brought him to the witness box.

Mentioning that Zia was the main

beneficiary of the world's most brutal

political assassination on august 15, he

said the BnP founder rehabilitated the

perpetrators of august 15 carnage,

gave them jobs at different missions

and cooperated the killers to flee

abroad.

he said Ziaur Rahman is the father of

distorting the history of Liberation War.

Turning to own party politics, the aL

general secretary called for holding councils

of the tenure-expired district, thana,

union and ward units of the party.

he said devoted party men should be

evaluated while forming new committees

while wrongdoers and controversial

persons cannot be given any room

in the party.

4 killed in two road

accidents

DhaKa : at least four persons have

been killed in two separate road accidents

in Khulna and Satkhira in the

past 24 hours, police said Saturday,

reports unB.

In Satkhira, two brick kiln workers

were killed after a tractor trolley hit

them in the Taltola area of Satkhira district

town early on Saturday morning.

The deceased were identified as

Maanirul Islam, 40, son of abdus

Samad Kha, and Mohammad ali, 35,

son of Ishraf ali of Bakchara village in

Sadarupazila.

Quoting witnesses, sub-inspector of

Sadar Police Station Mehedi said the

accident occurred round 5 am when the

victims were on their way to a brick

kiln. The two died on the spot, the official

said, adding the bodies have been

sent to SatkhiraSadarhosptial morgue

for autopsy.

In Khulna city, two men were killed

when a truck hit their bike in arongghata

on Friday night. The deceased were identified

as Miraz, 28, and Mohamamd

Fahad, 26, of Barishal district.

The accident occurred around 11.30

pm when a Ruphsa Bridge-bound truck

hit the bike, killing the biker and the pillion

rider on the spot, said Rezaul

Karim, officer-in-charge of arongghata

Police Station.

The bodies were taken to Khulna

Medical College and hospital. Road

accidents in Bangladesh continue to

claim hundreds of lives every year.

Dipu Moni urges private sector

to invest in education sector

DhaKa: For a sustainable and commercially

viable research ecosystem,

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni yesterday

urged the private sector to invest

in the education sector, reports BSS.

"Still we have gap between the industry

and academia, and to reduce the gap

we should do a mapping to identify skill

requirements. Despite Covid-19 has

manifold socio economic impacts, however

it has created a lot of opportunities

and a tripartite collaboration among

industry-academia and research can

reap these benefits in future ," she

added.

The education minister said this

while speaking as chief guest at the

online seminar titled "Industryacademia

Linkage: The new Frontier",

arranged by Dhaka Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (DCCI) , said a

press release.

Chairman of university Grants

Commission (uGC) Prof. Dr. Kazi

Shahidullah joined the event as special

guest.

Dipu Moni said, "We need to change

Mushtaq's death

DhaKa : Left-leaning student bodies,

including Bangladesh Chhatra

Front, Chhatra Federation and

Bangladesh Students Rights

Protection Council, on Saturday

staged demonstrations on the Dhaka

university campus protesting the

death of writer Mushtaq ahmed

under police custody, reports unB.

Chhatra Front activists brought out a

procession from TSC, marched to

Shahbag intersection and took position

there for a while.

Later, they paraded the TSC area

chanting slogans demanding abolition of

the Digital Security act (DSa).

Chhatra Front President al Kaderi Joy

also condemned the police attack on students

during protests on Friday.

Earlier, Chhatra Federation members

held a rally at Shahbag demanding quick

inquiry into the custodial death.

Bangladesh Chhatra Federation President

our mindset for better industry and academia

linkage."

To cope up with the challenges of

Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), she

emphasized on more vocational and

technical education.

In his speech, DCCI President Rizwan

Rahman said, rapidly changing of technological

progresses due to the 4IR,

digitization and SDG centric economic

transformation are reshaping the economic

landscape of Bangladesh including

industries and jobs.

university-industry collaboration has

emerged as a new means to elevate the

country's competitiveness in terms of

developing skilled workforce and innovation

ecosystem, he added.

he said, most of the employers

believe critical thinking and problemsolving

skills will grow in prominence

and fifty percent of all employees need

re-skilling by 2025.

The DCCI president said universities

and private sectors need to work

together to convert our youth population

into skilled human capital.

Protests rage in Dhaka

for 2nd day

Golam Mostafa said the government is trying

to silence everyone's voice.

Meanwhile, members of Bangladesh

Students Rights Protection Council held

a sit-in programme protesting

Mushtaq's death and urged the authorities

to repeal the Digital Security act.

On Friday evening, at least 35 of protesters

and police were injured in a clash

between police and activists of the leftleaning

organisations who gathered in

Dhaka university area to stage protests.

Twenty of the injured were the protesters

and 15 policemen.

The incident took place when the protesters

brought out a torchlight procession

in the area around 7pm. Police

obstructed and detained some of the

protesters from the spot, leading to a

clash between the two sides. at one stage,

police fired teargas there, forcing the protesters

to take position in front of the

Dhaka university central mosque.

Everyone from children to the elderly is crossing the road in a risky way even though there is a

footover bridge overhead. Due to the unawareness of the city dwellers, road accidents are constantly

happening and many people are losing their lives. Some are becoming crippled. The picture

was taken from Shahbag in the capital on Saturday.

Photo: Star Mail

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021

2

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited organized a discussion and doa program on the occasion of Shaheed Day and International

Mother Language Day on 21 February, 2021 Sunday at virtual platform. Professor Md. Nazmul Hassan, Ph.D, Chairman of the

bank addressed the program as chief guest. Professor Dr. Md. Salim Uddin, FCA, FCMA, Chairman, Executive Committee and

Major General (Retd.) Engr. Abdul Matin, Chairman, Risk Management Committee of the bank addressed the program as special

guests. Professor Md. Kamal Uddin, Ph.D, Dr. Qazi Shahidul Alam, Syed Abu Asad, Md. Quamrul Hasan, Professor Dr.

Mohammad Saleh Jahur, Professor Dr. Md. Fashiul Alam, Khurshid-Ul- Alam, Directors of the bank were present on the occasion.

Mohammed Monirul Moula, Managing Director and CEO of the bank presided over the program while Muhammad

Qaisar Ali and Md. Omar Faruk Khan, Additional Managing Directors addressed the program. Md. Mosharraf Hossain,

Deputy Managing Director conducted the program while JQM Habibullah, FCS, Company Secretary and AAM Habibur

Rahman, Deputy Managing Directors along with other top executives and more than 500 employees of the bank attended the

program.

Photo : Courtesy

Four more reported

COVID-19 positive in

Rangpur division

RANGPUR: Four more people

were tested COVID-19positive

yesterday raising the total

number of coronavirus infected

patients to15,840 in all eight

districts of Rangpur division,

reports BSS.

Health officials said the four

new cases were reported after

94 sampleswere tested at the

laboratory. The daily infection

rate is 4.26 percent todayin the

division, where a declining

trend in infection rate continues.

All of the four new patients

were reported positive after

diagnosing 94samples at M

Abdur Rahim Medical College

(MARMC) in Dinajpur yesterday.

"The four new infected

patients include two each from

Nilphamari andDinajpur districts,"

Principal of MARMC

Professor Dr. Syed Nazir

Hossainsaid.

On the other hand, the testing

process remained suspended

today for aninadequate

number of collected

samples at the COVID-19

Laboratory

at

RangpurMedical College

(RpMC) in Rangpur city.

Talking to BSS tonight, Focal

Person of COVID-19 and

Assistant Director(Health) for

Rangpur division Dr. ZA

Siddiqui said the number of

COVID-19patients rose to

15,840 as four new positive

cases were reported from

acrossthe division today.

"The district-wise break up

of total 15,840 patients stands

at 4,044 inRangpur, 794 in

Panchagarh, 1,331 in

Nilphamari, 965 in

Lalmonirhat, 1,020

inKurigram, 1,512 in

Thakurgaon, 4,712 in Dinajpur

and 1,462 in Gaibandha,"

Dr.Siddiqui added.

Graduation to developing country

(From page-1)

To make the development sustainable,

she said that the government has formulated

the eight five-year plan and included

different strategies in it to ensure sustainable

development.

The Prime Minister said the Bangalee is

a nation of bravery and it had achieved its

independence in only nine months,

adding, "Bangladesh will soon establish

as a developed, prosperous and dignified

country in the world if the pace of development

continues."

The economy will gain pace further if

the mega projects such as Padma Bridge,

metrorail, elevated expressway, tunnel

under the Karnaphuli river, Rooppur

Nuclear Power Plant and Moheshkhali-

Matarbari coordinated development projects,

100 economic zones and over 200

high-tech parks and IT village are implemented.

Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh has

achieved the status of a developing country

after successfully fulfilling all the three

criteria such as per capita income, human

resources and economical and environmental

vulnerability assessed by the United

Nations in its this year's triennial

meeting.

Earlier, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa

Kamal handed over the UN recommendation

to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at

Ganobhaban.

The UN in its first triennial meeting

three years back first recognised that

Bangladesh has fulfilled all the three criteria

in 2018, she continued.

Cabinet members, including Information

Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud and

Commerce Minister TipuMunsi, were

also present at the Ganabhaban end.

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim

moderated the function while cabinet

members and the country's senior journalists

got connected to the event from

the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) at Tejgaon

here.

46 listed companies

get ICMAB award

The Institute of Cost and Management

Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) has

awarded 46 listed companies, along with two

non-listed government banks, one non listed

specialized financial institution and four nongovernmental

organizations (NGO), for their

performance and role in 2019, reports BSS.

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, as the chief

guest of the event, handed over the awards to the

winners at a city hotel on Thursday evening, said

a press release.

ICMAB President Md Jasim Uddin Akond

presided over the program. Bangladesh

Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC)

chairman Professor Shibli Rubayat-Ul-Islam,

Commerce Secretary Dr Md Jafar Uddin and

South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA)

President A K M Delwer Hussain also spoke on

the occasion as special guests.

ICMAB corporate Award committee chairman

Md Abdul Aziz FCMA, Vice Chairman Md

Mamunur Rashid FCMA and ICMAB secretary

Md Munirul Islam FCMA also spoke the program.

The annual 'Best Corporate Award',

which the ICMAB started in 2007, is given

based on the review of the contestant entities'

corporate governance and other qualitative and

quantitative information published in respective

annual reports.

The 15 award categories were Nationalized

Commercial Bank, Private Commercial Bank,

Private Commercial Bank (Islamic Operation),

non-bank financial institution, general insurance,

Life Insurance, Pharmaceuticals, Cement,

Textile, multinational company, Others

Manufacturing, Power Generation, NGO, Agro

and Food Processing "mw Trading and

Assembly.

In the state owned commercial bank category

Rupali Bank won the gold award, while

Sonali Bank and Agrani Bank jointly won silver

award.

In the Private Commercial Bank Category 1st

(gold) BRAC Bank Limited, 2nd (silver)

Eastern Bank Limited and 3rd (bronze) Dutch-

Bangla Bank Limited.

'Digitisation of MF will

help sustainable growth'

Digitialisation of microfinance services could open up a new class

of opportunities for financial inclusion and sustainable growth,

both key drivers of the country's journey toward becoming a high

income nation by 2041.

This was the consensus of an eminent panel of speakers during

a webinar entitled "Unlocking the power of digitization in the

MFI sector" organized by Standard Chartered recently.

While traditionally a human intensive operation, significant

opportunities to digitalise processes ranging from disbursements

to repayment collections, client information capture,

training and monitoring are opening up due to adoption of

technology at the grassroots. Mobile financial services are a

vital part of this ecosystem, but remains a necessary yet not sufficient

condition for microfinance institutions to scale up their

operations. Through digitalisation, the microfinance institutions

remain keen on achieving greater efficiencies that can

ultimately be passed on to their beneficiaries in terms of lower

cost of financing and greater convenience. Speakers at the

webinar included Naser Ezaz Bijoy, CEO, Standard Chartered

Bangladesh; Md. Fashiullah, Executive Vice Chairman,

Microcredit Regulatory Authority; Zahida Fizza Kabir, CEO,

Sajida Foundation; Kamal Quadir, CEO, Bkash; Prof. Dr.

Hosne Ara Begum, and Md. Saleh Bin Sums, Executive

Director, PADAKHEP Manabik Unnayan Kendra.

82 more test

positive for

COVID-19 in Ctg

CHATTOGRAM: A total of

82 people were testedpositive

for coronavirus in the last 24

hours after testing 1821 samples

atseven COVID-19 laboratories

in the district, reports

BSS.

The number of coronavirus

(COVID-19) positive cases

reached 34,857 marksand the

infection rate is 4.5 percent.

Civil surgeon Dr Sheikh

Fazle Rabbi told BSS that

among the total 34,857coronavirus

infected persons,

27,348 are the residents of the

port city andthe rest 7509 are

residents of different upazilas

of the district.

Among the newly detected

patients, 74 are from

Chattogram city and eightfrom

different upazilas of the

district, hospital sources said.

GD-327/21 (8x4)

Electrification boosts rural economy

despite COVID-19 pandemic

RANGPUR: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic,

power-run small, medium and large scale

enterprises are boosting rural economy by

virtue of rural electrification in Rangpur division,

reports BSS.

Officials of Bangladesh Rural

Electrification Board (BREB) at its Rangpur

zonal office said Eight PalliBidyutSamities

have provided around 34 lakh different types

of power connections covering 31.95 lakh

beneficiary families in rural areas of the division.

The provided power connections include

30.54 lakh residential, 1.90 lakh commercial,

43,552 charitable institutions, 29,299 small

and medium scale and cottage industries, 712

large industries, 86,633 irrigation pumps,

835 streets lights and 372 other connections.

"Local entrepreneurs have set up 29,299

power-run cottage, small and medium scale

enterprises and industries and 712 large

industries in the zone," Superintending

Engineer of BREB at its Rangpur zonal office

Engineer AB Mahmud Hossain told BSS

today.

Braving the COVID-19 pandemic, entrepreneurs

are continuing to establish cottage,

small and medium scale power-run enterprises

and industries to create jobs for unemployed

youths, cut poverty and improve the

living standard of rural people.

"We have already brought 100-percent villages

under power supply coverage in the Ongrid

area bringing a landmark change in living

standard, rural economy and lifestyle of

rural people of Rangpur division," Engineer

Mahmud said.

All 9,298 targeted villages in 514 unions in

the On-grid area of BREB's Rangpur zone

GD-328/21 (4x3)

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were brought under 100-percent power supply

networks in 55 upazilas of the division by

July 31 last year also paving the way for rural

people to set up and run enterprises.

"We are working to bring other 118 char villages

in the Off-grid area under electricity

coverage by March to make the 'Electricity for

All', Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's one of

the 10 special initiatives, a complete success

in the Mujib Barsho," he said.

Taking advantage of rural electrification,

entrepreneurs are running 3.07 lakh powerrun

commercial establishments, cottage,

small and medium enterprises, agri- based

and heavy industries while farmers are operating

irrigation pumps in rural areas.

"The power-run enterprises and industries

are booming fast to boost rural economy

across Rangpur division even during the

COVID-19 pandemic," Engineer Mahmud

said.

Talking to BSS, farmer Ariful Haque of village

Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar said he cultivates

Boro rice and other crops on his lands

using own electricity-run irrigation pumps. "I

spend Taka 3,000 per acre of my sandy land

for cultivating Boro rice using an electricityrun

irrigation pump while other farmers

spend up to Taka 10,000 per acre using

diesel-run shallow tube wells," Ariful said.

Anwarul Islam of village

ChandanpatMatiyapara under Rangpur

Sadarupazila said he set up a welding workshop

at nearby Chandanpat Bazar and started

welding works using electricity six years ago.

"I earn Taka 20,000 a month after paying

electricity bills ranging between Taka 1,500

and 2,500 per month," Anwarul said.

SuNDAY, FeBruArY 28, 2021

3

The Minister for Social Welfare, Nuruzzaman Ahmed as the chief guest addressed the 53rd Annual

General Meeting of Bangladesh Veterans Welfare Association and Zara Science Institute (Baigam) at

Praveen Bhaban in Agargaon on Saturday.

Photo: Courtesy

RU teacher debarred

from academic activities

RAJSHAHI: A teacher of

Rajshahi University (RU) has

been debarred from academic

activities for six years on charge of

sexual harassment, reports BSS.

The decision was taken

against Bishnu Kumar

Adhikary, an assistant professor

of the Institute of Education

and Research, in the 504th

Meeting of Syndicate, the highest

policy-making body of the

university, yesterday.

Syndicate Member Prof Abdul

Alim confirmed the issue saying

allegation related to sexual

harassment has been brought by

the two students against the

teacher in June, 2019.

On the basis of the allegation,

RU has formed an

enquiry committee and after

investigation the committee

found the allegation authentic.

Based on the probe report, the

syndicate barred the teacher

from all the academic activities

including class and examination

for six years.

DU admission-seekers

demand to reinstate

previous GPA requirements

12th Speech Contest in Japanese

Language held in city

Dhaka: The '12th Speech Contest in

Japanese Language' was held in city on

Saturday where top 10 Japanese language

learners out of 21 contestants impressed the

audience with their unique topics, rich contents

and fluency in the language at the final

round of the contest, reports UNB.

This year's speech contest was co-organised

by the Embassy of Japan, the Japanese

Universities Alumni Association in

Bangladesh and Japan Foundation.

Among the 10 final contestants, Md Tarek

Rahman with the speech titled "Friendship

between Japan and Bangladesh" in

advanced category got the biggest applause

from the four Japanese judges and won the

first prize.

Mikasa Sanjana also delivered a splendid

speech "Japanese Animation" was awarded

the first position in the Beginner's category.

This year's contest was sponsored by

Kaicom Solutions Japan, Saito Nenshi

Bangladesh LTD., Pan Pacific Sonargaon

Dhaka, Sumitomo Corporation Asia &

Oceania Pte. Ltd., Nagasaki Restaurant,

Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., Mizuoh, YKK

Bangladesh Pte Ltd., as well as the Japan

Commerce & Industry Association in Dhaka.

Navy chief returns from UAE

DHAKA: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M

Shaheen Iqbal returned here yesterday from

the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after

During his stay in the UAE, the Chief of

Naval Staff participated in various state

events, organized on the occasion of

attending the International Defense NAVDEX-2021 and IDEX-2021. Besides, he

Exhibition (IDEX-2021) and Navy Defense inspected Bangladesh Navy warship

Exhibition (NAVDEX-2021) at the invitation

of Commander of UAE Naval Forces,

reports BSS.

Assistant navy chief (operations) and navy

administrative authorities welcomed him at

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in

the capital, said an ISPR press release.

Prottoy.The visit of the Chief of Naval Staff

played an important role in forging friendly

relations with other countries participating

in the exhibition, including the UAE.

The Chief of Naval Staff left Dhaka for the

UAE on February 18 on a 10-day official

visit.

DHAKA: A group of admission seekers

under the 2020-21 academic session yesterday

demanded to reinstate previous Grade

Point Average (GPA) requirements for

Dhaka University's (DU) entrance test,

reports BSS.

They also demanded to cancel the primary

selection system for uniform university

admission test at a press conference held at

Dhaka University Journalists' Association

(DUJA) this noon.

While reading out a written statement

Sanwar Hossain, a student of Madan Mohan

College Sylhet, said, "We did not get the

opportunity to sit for the HSC exam this year

due to the pandemic situation and thus the

result was unexpected for many students."

"The decision of increasing GPA requirements

is completely inhumane. We hope the

DU authority must reconsider the decision,"

he added.

DU authorities have increased the minimum

requirement for applying in all the

units. Students applying from the science

group are required to have a minimum SSC

and HSC combined GPA of 8.5 compared to

a combined GPA of 8 in previous years.

Applicants from the arts and business

studies groups require a combined GPA of 8,

compared to 7 and 7.5 respectively in previous

years while the Fine Arts faculty has also

seen a jump from SSC and HSC combined

GPA 6.5 to 7.

From the press conference, they

announced to stage a human-chain at the

foot of Raju Memorial Sculpture tomorrow

around 12pm to press home their demand.

Among others, Merin Ahmed Manisha of

Azimpur Girls College, Rasel Ahmed of

Brindaban Government College of Habiganj,

Arohe Anamika of Kushtia Government

Girls College and Md Tanjim of Govt

Tolaram College were present at the press

conference.

Canadian envoy

meets FBCCI

President

DHAKA: Canadian High

Commissioner in

Bangladesh Benoit

Préfontaine yesterday paid a

courtesy call on Sheikh

Fazle Fahim, President of

the Federation of

Bangladesh Chambers of

Commerce and Industry

(FBCCI), reports BSS.

During the meeting held

at FBCCI Icon Tower in the

capital's Motijheel both

Préfontaine and Fahim

stressed the need for exploring

bilateral trade and

investment opportunities as

well as boosting mutual

cooperation between the

two countries, said a press

release.

Corinne Petrisor, counselor,

also senior trade commissioner

and Kamal

Uddin,

Trade

Commissioner of Canadian

High Commission, FBCCI

Directors Sujib Ranjan

Dash and Md. Munir

Hossain, were present, on

the occasion.

'Bangabandhu Cup Badminton Tournament 2021', organized by Titas Gas in observance of Mujib Borsho

was held at Department of Transportation in Mirpur area of the capital on Saturday. Managing Director

of Titas Gas T&D Co Ltd. Ali Iqbal Md Nurullah was present at the occasion.

Photo: Courtesy

PM sincere for river

development: Khalid

DHAKA: State Minister for Shipping

Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury

yesterday said Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina has been working relentlessly

for the river development of the

country as she announced in her

election manifesto to dig 10,000

kilometers of waterways for restoring

navigability of the rivers through

dredging, reports BSS.

"No leader except Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman thought of river dredging in

the country. Bangabandhu collected

seven dredgers for digging waterways"

he said .

Khalid said Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina has procured 32 dredgers

since 2008 and process is underway to

procure 35 dredgers more. She is

cordial and sincere to bring back the

navigability of the rivers through

dredging," he said.

He came up with the remarks while

speaking at an inaugural programme

of launching the ferry service on

Aricha-Kazirhat route in the River

Padma on Kazirhat High School

premises in Pabna.

The Aricha-Kazirhat ferry service was

inaugurated as a gift on the birth

centenary of Father of the Nation for

the commuters travel in the northwest

of the country in fulfillment of

the Prime Minister's pledge.

He expressed his gratitude to the

Prime Minister and deep respect to

Bangabandhu for getting the final

recognition of the United Nations for

Bangladesh's transition from a least

developed country.

"We have gone to a place of dignity

under the dynamic leadership of

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," he

said, adding that if Bangabandhu had

survived, the countrymen would have

got the happiness of independence

long ago.

He added that the government has

established rights at sea under the

leadership of Sheikh Hasina.

The premier has announced a Delta

Plan to keep the country's rivers

vibrant and active, he continued.

With Bangladesh Inland Water

Transport Authority (BIWTA)

Chairman Commodore Golam Sadeq

in the chair, the programme was

addressed, among others, by

lawmakers Shamsul Haque Tuku,

Ahmed Firoz Kabir and Naimur

Rahman Durjoy and Zila Parishad

Chairman Rezaur Rahim Lal.

E-commerce takes a hit due

to coronavirus pandemic

DHAKA: Amidst the inevitable turmoil and compulsive

silence due to spread of coronavirus in the country, the e-

commerce amongst others has taken a hit owing to the virus.

Endowed with blessing in disguise, twenty-one-year-old

Atashi availed the opportunity and made the pandemic

situation a tool to start e-commerce business. Bangladeshi

student Atashi studying music at a Kolkata school had to

return home from India due to prevailing Coronavirus

situation. After returning home she was passing her time

idly, and got bored as she has nothing to do at her home.

Even, she could not meet her friends due to COVID-19,

reports BSS.

One day an idea came to her mind, and she planned to do

business through online. She communicated one of her

friends living in Dhaka and told her to send some three pieces

and sarees. After getting those items, at first, she

communicated her local friends and some sisters at Rajshahi

city. She sent pictures of her products. And surprisingly, her

all items were sold out within only three days. She earned

Taka 3,000 against her investment of Taka 15,000.

It was the month of July when she started the e-business.

Now, she is passing a very busy time with her business. She

earned Taka 20,000 in the last month by selling garment

items.

A large number of women have become financially solvent

through e-business amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Most of the business and institutional establishments were

shut down in the country as well as the world due to the

Canadian high commissioner Benoit Préfontainepaid a courtesy call on President of the

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Sheikh Fazle Fahim at

his office on Saturday.

Photo: Courtesy

Pro-AL panel wins Dhaka

Bar election

DHAKA: Awami League-backed

SammilitaAinjibiSamannoy

Parishad (white panel) candidate

Abdul Baten has been elected as

the president in the 2021-22

session election of Dhaka Bar

Association, reports BSS.

The white panel won a total of

15 posts, including nine

secretariat and six member

posts, besides the post of

president. While, the BNP

backed JatiyatabadiAinjibi

Parishad's blue panel has won a

total of eight posts, including the

post of general secretary.

Dhaka Bar Chief Election

Commissioner Advocate

Abdullah Abu announced the

results after counting the votes

on Friday night.

Abdul Baten of the white panel

got 4,473 votes for the post of

president, while Mosleh Uddin

Jasim of the blue panel got 3,934

votes. For the post of general

secretary, KhandakerHazrat Ali

of the blue panel got 4,261 votes

while Firozur Rahman Montu of

the white panel got 4,073 votes.

The winners of the white panel

are: President Advocate Abul

Baten, Senior Assistant General

Secretary AKM Salahuddin,

Assistant General Secretary SM

Moniruzzaman (Tareq),

Treasurer AKM Ariful Islam

Kawsar, Library Secretary

Sharmin Sultana Happy, Cultural

Secretary Shaila Parveen Piya,

Office Secretary Zakir Hossain

(Lincoln), Sports Secretary

Mohammad Rafiqul Islam and

Social Welfare Secretary

ASImrulKayesh.

The winners of this panel in the

member posts are - ABM Faisal

Sarwar, Baharul Islam,

Mohammad Mohin Uddin, Jewel

Chandra Modak, Sultana Razia

epidemic that brought about a massive change to the normal

lifestyle.

Like other parts in the world, demand and popularity of the

online as well as e-commerce business has started rising to a

greater extent in Bangladesh.

As a result, some young entrepreneurs have built an online

business platform with exceptional and diversified local

products properly utilizing information and communication

technologies.

'Women and e-Commerce Forum' has already become one

of the largest online business platforms as the number of

participating members in the platform has exceeded around

10 lakh making many women as successful entrepreneurs.

Like Atashi, 40-year-old OlySarker became unemployed

due to Coronavirus. She ran a dance school. But her school

was shut down and her income also stopped. She fell into a

deep financial crisis as her husband also became

unemployed.

In last June, she started selling food items through an

online food valley. She just cooked the items and delivered

those to deliverymen. In the first month she earned Taka

10,000. Now her income is raising gradually.

Oly said it was very difficult to run the family as 'me and my

husband have no income'. "Later, I've started selling food

items. Now, I'm so busy at my kitchen," she added.

She viewed that the e-business is playing a vital role in

creating identity of the women which is very important in

terms of women empowerment.

Ruma and Mohammad Ahsan

Habib. The winners of the blue

panel are: Senior Vice President

Kamal Uddin and Vice President

Mohammad Anisur Rahman Anis

and General Secretary

Khandaker Mohammad Hazrat

Ali.

The winners of this panel in

member posts are- Babul Akhter,

MRK Russell, Md Hosni Mubarak

Rocky, Sohag Hasan Rony and

MosammatTaslima Akhter.

Earlier, polling was held at

Dhaka Bar Bhaban on

Wednesday and Thursday from 9

am to 5 pm with one-hour break.

Out of a total of 17,756 voters,

8,706 people cast their votes.

The counting of votes then

started on Friday afternoon.

A total of 46 candidates

contested from the Awami

League-backed white panel and

BNP-backed blue panel.

SUnDAY, FEbRUARY 28, 2021

4

Biden administration sending wrong message to Iran regime

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Sunday, February 28, 2021

Maintaining food

security

Though the UN has warned that coronavirus protective

measures could jeopardise food security around the

world, Bangladesh is unlikely to face such a problem if the

government can ensure people's access to food as it still has

enough stock of basic foodgrain.

But experts also said the government should not be

complacent with its food stock as it has a big challenge to ensure

its availability at the doorsteps of the affected people through

various social safety net programmes and food ratioing system,

and keep the prices of the essentials affordable through proper

market intervention in a bid to ensure food security.

According to the experts, the government's measures to

provide people with food aid are not sufficient when millions

involved in the informal sector have become temporarily

unemployed with the gradual loss of their buying capacity due

to the varying degrees of shutdown of economic activities. They

also warned that food security will not be ensured even after

having adequate volume of food grains as the system may fail to

ensure its availability at every nook and corner always within

the buying capacity of all.

Contacted, Sarwar Mahmud, the Directorate General (DG) of

Food, said the country is unlikely to face any food crisis even if

the coronavirus situation prevails for a long timed due to

adequate stock of food grains, including rice, wheat, potato and

other essential commodities. "We're not worried about food

security since Bangladesh is not a major food-deficit country.

We got a bountiful Aman and Boro rice production," he added.

Agriculture Secretary Md Nasiruzzaman said coronavirus has

no impact on Bangladesh's agriculture sector and they do not

think the country's food security will be at stake if the corona

situation prolongs."We've got a bumper production of Aman

and Aush crop. We'll also have had a good production of Boro.

We produced almost all crops and vegetables this season much

more than what we did last year. So, we won't face any food

crisis under any situation," he said.

Nasir said farmers produced around 23 lakh metric tonnes of

onion last year while they expect it to be more than 25 lakh

metric tonnes this year. "We got over one crore metric tonnes of

potato last year while the farmers produced around 1. 09 crore

metric tonnes of the crop this year against the local demand for

70,000 metric tonnes."

Besides, he said, farmers also this year produced over 5,000

metric tonnes of vegetables more than what they did last year.

"Agricultural activities remain unaffected amid the coronavirus

shutdown as farmers usually work maintaining social

distancing. Most of our crops, except Boro paddy, jute and

maize, have already been produced. So, there's no reason to be

worried about any food crisis."

Commerce Minister at a recent press confrere said the

government has enough stock of food grains and daily

household items. "There's no scope for shortage of food since

the government has stockpiled about 40 percent more goods

this year than it had last year," he said. The minister said 2.6

lakh tonnes of pulses were imported in 2018-19 financial year,

while 2.1 lakh tonnes pulses have already been imported over

the last seven months.

He said they have also imported enough edible oil and onion

to meet the local demand of the items. The former caretaker

government finance adviser Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam said the

country may not face any food crisis as the stock looks enough

to deal with the coronavirus situation. "But the main worries are

whether people will have the access to food or the food will be

available for people at affordable prices."

He said people's buying capacity is declining with limiting of

most economic activities to prevent the virus. "Besides, many

people have lost their sources of earning and become

temporarily jobless. So, it's the main challenge to ensure food

for them by widening the social safety net programmes." The

noted economists said the government must strengthen its food

aid support mainly for the day-labourers and those involved in

informal sector alongside the BGF and OMS programmes for

the poor to ensure food safety of all citizens.

He said the government announced a stimulus package of Tk

5,000 crore for the RMG sector, but it did not spell out any such

package for those engaged in informal sector, the source of 85

percent of total employment in the country.

Mirza Aziz said the rich should come forward and corporate

houses should use their CSR funds to stand by the affected

people alongside the government to ensure food security.

Prof Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow at the Centre

for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said Bangladesh is in a better

position than may other coronavirus-hit countries in terms of

food production and food stock. "But food security means not

only having adequate food grains. The proper distribution of

food, availability of food and people's purchasing capacity

involves the total food security notion."

He said nearly 1 core day-labourers have lost their jobs while

the overwhelming majority of 2.70 crore people in the informal

sector has become temporarily unemployed and they are

gradually losing their purchasing capacity. "The government

should look into this matter so that these huge number of

people can have food."

Besides, Mustafiz said, many people returned to their village

homes during the pandemic but they have no income now. "So,

the government must introduce food rationing system

alongside strengthening other programmes under social safety

net. Food security will be ensured when people will have access

to food." He said the government also must remain alert and

strengthen market monitoring so that unscrupulous

businessmen cannot create artificial food crisis taking

advantage of the situation.

The Iranian regime has begun

testing the Biden administration by

escalating its aggressive and

belligerent policies in the region. A

barrage of rockets on Saturday targeted

an airbase in Balad, north of Baghdad,

where a US defense company is based. A

few days before that, a dozen rockets

struck coalition forces at a US base next

to Irbil international airport, northern

Iraq. Six people were wounded and a

civilian contractor with the American-led

anti-Daesh coalition was killed. The

Kurdish authorities had to close the

airport for a short time and warned

residents to stay at home.

Shiite militant group Saraya Awliya Al-

Dam (the Guardians of Blood Brigade)

claimed responsibility for the attack on

Irbil. It has also threatened to cause

more bloodshed. According to the Site

Intelligence Group, a nongovernmental

organization that monitors the online

activities of armed organizations, the

militia group said in a statement: "The

American occupation will not be safe

from our strikes in any inch of the

homeland, even in Kurdistan, where we

promise we will carry out other

qualitative operations."

The Iranian regime most likely

sponsors this little-known militia group.

It is also likely that Saraya Awliya Al-

Dam launched the rockets in order to

win the approval of the Iranian regime.

Iran is already known to support a

conglomerate of militias known as the

Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).

These groups ratchet up the conflict in

Iraq by engaging in various crimes,

including torture, indiscriminate attacks

and unlawful restrictions on the

movement of people fleeing the fighting.

US aims to 'decolonize,' but does it really mean it?

There is a new administration in the

White House and a new watchword

in US foreign policy:

Decolonization. Imperialism, so the

reasoning goes, is to blame for all the ills

of the world so, to fix it, empires like

America must "decolonize." The US, it is

said, must see things from the

perspective of smaller foreign powers

that it has often been at odds with.

Those words might describe the

worldview of Robert Malley, the new

envoy to Iran (not a universally popular

appointment). But if Iran is one of those

smaller foreign powers, those in the State

Department behind the commitment to

decolonize are not only misguided, they

are woefully misinformed.

If imperialism equals occupying and

bullying neighboring countries, then

Iran, for example, has a long history of it.

In 1936, Tehran annexed the Arab Kaab

emirate in the south and renamed it

Khuzestan. In 1971, Iran occupied three

Emirati islands.

Yet President Joe Biden, Malley and

company don't perceive Iran as a

colonizer, only as colonized, which

suggests either a lack of historical

understanding or flagrant bias.

In his book "The Call from Algeria,"

Malley links the rise of Islamism to the

failure of communism in what he calls

the Third World. Leaving aside his use of

a term that is now deemed offensive,

Malley fails to see that Islamism is in fact

communism mark II. Both ideologies use

populist rhetoric and sanction violence.

Had the Soviet Union not collapsed,

They have also become skilled at using

sectarianism as a tool to gain power and

further Iran's parochial, religious and

political ambitions. The Tehran regime

has even pushed the Iraqi government

into recognizing the PMU members as

"legitimate" groups, incorporating them

into the state apparatuses and making

Baghdad allocate wages and

ammunition for them.

It is important to point out that the

Iranian regime still intends to take

revenge on the US for Qassem

Soleimani's killing. More than a year

after the Quds Force commander's

death, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

continues to mention him in his

speeches. He warned last month: "Those

who ordered the murder of Gen.

Soleimani as well as those who carried

this out should be punished. This

revenge will certainly happen at the right

time." Taking revenge for Soleimani's

killing is critical for the regime, partially

because Tehran has never faced such a

major humiliation in its four-decade

rule. It wants to show its proxies, militia

groups and hard-line base that it is not

Islamism would have remained a fringe

movement.

If Biden is persuaded by the

decolonization argument, the US will up

sticks and leave the Gulf, which is exactly

what the mullahs have been dreaming of

since 1979. The Iranians have hardly

made a secret of their intentions: With

the US and its military forces gone, the

way would be open for Iran to step in as

the dominant power in the region,

restructuring security and turning

neighboring countries into satellite

states.

Iran has often pressed for admission to

the Gulf Cooperation Council, which

currently comprises Saudi Arabia, the

UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.

In fact, Iran would like to go further and

replace the GCC with something bigger -

which would include not only the Gulf

but also the Red Sea and the Eastern

Mediterranean, which sounds more like

expansionism than decolonizing.

The Biden administration is dressing

up its decolonization policy as the

ditching of Donald Trump's "America

First" unilateralism. In reality, the US is

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh

Hussain Abdul-Hussain

weak. Furthermore, taking revenge

against the US would deter Washington

and other parties from targeting Iranian

officials in the future.

What is now crucial for the ruling

clerics of Iran is how the new US

administration will respond to these

attacks. Unfortunately, not only has the

Biden administration not taken a firm

stance, it last week announced that it

would not be pursuing the previous

administration's efforts to reimpose UN

Shiite militant group Saraya Awliya Al-Dam (the

Guardians of blood brigade) claimed responsibility for

the attack on Irbil. It has also threatened to cause more

bloodshed. According to the Site Intelligence Group, a

nongovernmental organization that monitors the online

activities of armed organizations, the militia group said in

a statement: "The American occupation will not be safe

from our strikes in any inch of the homeland, even in

Kurdistan, where we promise we will carry out other

qualitative operations."

being very choosy about just how

multilateral it wants to be.

Biden rejoined the Paris agreement on

climate change on his very first day in

office. But the US also plans to revive the

nuclear deal with Iran, which would

allow Tehran to export more than 2

million barrels of oil a day. How does that

In his book "The Call from Algeria," Malley links the rise

of Islamism to the failure of communism in what he calls

the Third World. Leaving aside his use of a term that is now

deemed offensive, Malley fails to see that Islamism is in fact

communism mark II. both ideologies use populist rhetoric

and sanction violence. Had the Soviet Union not collapsed,

Islamism would have remained a fringe movement.

KHALED AboU ZAHR

sanctions on the Iranian regime. This

move outraged several American

lawmakers, including Republican Sen.

Marco Rubio, who said: "Not long after

Iranian-backed forces attacked

Americans in Iraq, President (Joe) Biden

is desperately trying to re-enter a failed

deal and provide sanctions relief to the

Iranian regime. The president must

make clear that he understands that

Khamenei cannot be trusted to honor

international agreements, and that the

United States will not play into the hands

of the Iranians for the next four years."

By reversing the Trump

administration's call to reimpose UN

square with reducing fossil fuel energy,

one of the commitments enshrined in the

Paris agreement?

The Biden team has been selective at

the UN too, breaking with multilateral

decisions to pursue its own unilateral

policy. Security Council Resolutions 1559

and 1701 call for all militias in Lebanon to

disarm and disband. For "all militias,"

read Hezbollah in particular. Yet the

White House - especially when occupied

by the Democrats - prefers to talk to

Hezbollah rather than enforce UN

resolutions.

Similarly, on Yemen, the UN Security

Council has passed no fewer than nine

resolutions imposing an arms embargo,

travel ban and asset freeze on any

individual or entity connected to the

Houthi militia, which is accused of

sanctions, Biden also appears to be in

agreement with the lifting of the arms

embargo on Iran. Tehran's leaders

scored a major political victory against

the US, its allies and regional powers

when the UN Security Council in

August voted down a proposal to extend

its 13-year-old arms embargo on Iran.

The embargo was lifted in October in

spite of the fact the regime was violating

all of the restrictions of the nuclear deal,

according to the International Atomic

Energy Agency. The Biden

administration has also lifted

restrictions on Iranian diplomats

traveling to the UN headquarters in

New York.

By turning a blind eye to its

aggression, the US is only empowering

and emboldening Tehran.

In addition, after the first attack in

Iraq, the Biden administration

announced that it was ready to meet

with the Iranian leaders to discuss reentering

the 2015 nuclear deal. In a

statement, State Department

spokesman Ned Price said: "The United

States would accept an invitation from

the European Union High

Representative to attend a meeting of

the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a

diplomatic way forward on Iran's

nuclear program."

By turning a blind eye to Iran's

aggression, the Biden administration is

only empowering and emboldening the

Tehran regime, which will further

escalate its military adventurism and

destructive behavior in the Middle East.

obstructing the delivery of humanitarian

assistance. Yet new US Secretary of State

Antony Blinken has had the Houthis

removed from the US list of Foreign

Terrorist Organizations because, he

argued, the war in Yemen can only be

resolved by talking to the Houthis.

Pursuing decolonization and

combating climate change appear to give

the US the moral high ground. The

reality, however, is that foreign policy is

never cut and dried or black and white,

but rather a frayed mess of gray areas and

compromise.

The administration does not perceive

Iran as a colonizer, only as colonized,

which suggests either a lack of historical

understanding or flagrant bias.

The Biden administration seems set to

put on a show of "fixing" the world by

pursuing decolonization - a term it clearly

does not fully understand but will still use

to put a gloss on the fact that the US, like

all governments, has its own agenda. It

will embrace multilateralism when it is

expedient. It will "see things from the

perspective of smaller foreign powers"

when it is advantageous.

Under Biden, the US will pick and

choose where to dispense its largesse, as

all empires do. Impartiality has nothing

to do with it.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain is the

Washington bureau chief of Kuwaiti daily

Al-Rai and a former visiting fellow at

Chatham House in London. Copyright:

Syndication Bureau.

Gulf : News

Lebanon needs idealism, not pragmatism

Lebanon has long been described as

the Switzerland of the Middle East;

however, it actually has more in

common with France. Lebanon, like

France, is more than a country - it is an idea

and a history, an idea of exceptionalism

and a love story, but it is also a story of war

that unfortunately ends badly. Above all, it

will never be a neutral country. This

Greater Lebanon, whose centenary is

commemorated on Tuesday and which

was so criticized, nevertheless gave a lot

and enlightened the Middle East and the

Arab world with its diversity and openness.

A whole generation of prominent figures

from the Arab world will tell you that they

traveled for the first time to Lebanon and

there learned for the first time about

political ideologies, among many other

firsts.

That was Lebanon - a first for the Arab

world after hundreds of years under

Ottoman rule; a first bustling lesson in

living together and accepting diversity and

the exchange of opinions and ideas.

Unfortunately, it is now turning into a final

lesson as it plunges into darkness. There is

no need to tell this story (many know it and

would tell it much better than I) or to look

back on the civil war, whose echoes

strongly resound today. The stabbing of

this small country that is bigger than its

borders never ceased. The Syrian

occupation, with its extraction of freedom

and wealth, was followed by the current

occupation by Hezbollah. This is an armed

militia that holds hostage a country of

innovators, creators, entrepreneurs,

scoffers, cynics, and chauvinists, but

builders and good people.

Today, French President Emmanuel

Macron's visit is very symbolic, not only by

its date but also given the state of the

country. He seems to have a deep will to

help Lebanon. But what does he really

hope to accomplish in the land of the

cedars? Does he really think he can save it?

The reality is that Lebanon cannot be saved

by any pragmatic policy, which seems to be

a description of Macron's foreign policy.

Lebanon can only be saved by an idealistic

policy that nears wishful thinking. To help

Lebanon before saving it, we must begin by

As the date of the US presidential elections approaches

and the Europeans seek to renew their relations with the

Iranian regime, with the aim of resuming the trade

exchanges of the years the nuclear agreement was in

force, the risks are great for France to accompany

Lebanon on its profound change. There are fears that

Lebanese exceptionalism will disappear forever.

re-establishing its sovereignty. It does not

require a new government to provide

temporary stability. Even if all its ministers

did not belong to the old parties, once the

government is formed, how would it lead

the country into reforms when a parallel

state exists; when all the sensitive decisions

go against the interests of the state that is

Hezbollah?

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvardeducated

Iranian-American political

scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

The Lebanon that the Lebanese dream of

- a Lebanon that is open to all religions and

ideas and where trade flourishes - cannot

exist as long as Hezbollah and its allies hold

power. For the country to start a new page

of prosperity, this militia must be

disarmed. Indeed, Lebanon needs to be

saved, but first it must be rescued from this

armed group that holds it hostage and

pursues policies of assassination and

violence. We will not be able to build a new

Lebanon until the use of force is the monopoly

of the state. Today, violence and even

barbarism is the monopoly of an armed group

supervised by the Iranians. I am afraid

Macron will end up choosing pragmatism

over the ideal. The Lebanon that the Lebanese

dream of cannot exist as long as Hezbollah

and its allies hold power. As the date of the US

presidential elections approaches and the

Europeans seek to renew their relations with

the Iranian regime, with the aim of resuming

the trade exchanges of the years the nuclear

agreement was in force, the risks are great for

France to accompany Lebanon on its

profound change.

Source: Arab news

SuNdAY, FebRuARY 28, 2021

5

Learning to listen to patients' stories

Richard Schiffman

The pandemic has been a time of painful social isolation for

many. Few places can be as isolating as hospitals, where

patients are surrounded by strangers, subject to invasive

tests and attached to an assortment of beeping and gurgling

machines.

How can the experience of receiving medical care be made

more welcoming? Some say that a sympathetic ear can go a

long way in helping patients undergoing the stress of a

hospital stay to heal.

"It is even more important now, when we can't always see

patients' faces or touch them, to really hear their stories," said

Dr. Antoinette Rose, an urgent care physician in Mountain

View, Calif., who is now working with many patients ill with

Covid.

"This pandemic has forced many caregivers to embrace the

human stories that are playing out. They have no choice.

They become the 'family' at the bedside," said Dr. Andre Lijoi,

a medical director at York Hospital in Pennsylvania. Doctors,

nurses and others assisting in the care of patients "need time

to slow down, to take a breath, to listen."

Both doctors find their inspiration in narrative medicine, a

discipline that guides medical practitioners in the art of

deeply listening to those who come to them for help.

Narrative medicine is now taught in some form at roughly 80

percent of medical schools in the United States. Students are

trained in "sensitive interviewing skills" and the art of

"radical listening" as ways to enhance the interactions

between doctors and their patients.

"As doctors, we need to ask those who come to us: 'Tell me

about yourself,'" explained Dr. Rita Charon, who founded

Columbia University's pioneering narrative medicine

program in 2000. "We have fallen out of that habit because

we think we know the questions to ask. We have a checklist

of symptom questions. But there is an actual person in front

of us who is not just a collection of symptoms."

Columbia is currently offering training online for medical

students like Fletcher Bell, who says the course is helping to

transform the way he sees his future role as healer. As part of

his narrative medicine training, Mr. Bell has kept in touch

virtually with a woman who was being treated for ovarian

cancer, an experience of sharing that he described as being

both heartbreaking and also beautiful.

"Simply listening to people's stories can be therapeutic,"

Mr. Bell observed. "If there is fluid in the lungs, you drain it.

If there is a story in the heart, it's important to get that out

too. It is also a medical intervention, just not one that can be

easily quantified."

This more personalized approach to medical care is not a

new art. In the not-so-distant past, general practitioners

often treated several generations of the same family, and they

knew a lot about their lives. But as medicine became

increasingly institutionalized, it became more rushed and

impersonal, said Dr. Charon.

The typical doctor visit now lasts from 13 to 16 minutes,

which is generally all that insurance companies will pay for.

A 2018 study published in the Journal of General Internal

Medicine found that the majority of doctors at the prestigious

Mayo Clinic didn't even ask people the purpose of their visit,

and they frequently interrupted patients as they spoke about

themselves.

But this fast-food approach to medicine sacrifices

something essential, says Dr. Deepu Gowda, assistant dean

of medical education at the Kaiser-Permanente School of

Medicine in Pasadena, Calif., who was trained by Dr. Charon

at Columbia.

Dr. Gowda recalls one elderly patient he saw during his

residency who suffered from severe arthritis and whom he

experienced as being angry and frustrated. He came to dread

her office visits. Then he started asking the woman questions

and listened with interest as her personal history unfolded.

He became so intrigued by her life story that he asked her

permission to take photographs of her outside the hospital,

which she granted.

What is the main cause of

gaining weight?

Gretchen Reynolds

When children gain excess weight, the culprit is more likely

to be eating too much than moving too little, according to a

fascinating new study of children in Ecuador. The study

compared the lifestyles, diets and body compositions of

Amazonian children who live in rural, foraging communities

with those of other Indigenous children living in nearby

towns, and the results have implications for the rising rates of

obesity in both children and adults worldwide.

The in-depth study found that the rural children, who run,

play and forage for hours, are leaner and more active than

their urban counterparts. But they do not burn more calories

day-to-day, a surprising finding that implicates the urban

children's modernized diets in their weight gain. The findings

also raise provocative questions about the interplay of

physical activity and metabolism and why exercise helps so

little with weight loss, not only in

children but the rest of us, too.

The issue of childhood obesity is of

pressing global interest, since the

incidence keeps rising, including in

communities where it once was

uncommon. Researchers variously

point to increasing childhood inactivity

and junk food diets as drivers of

youthful weight gain. But which of

those concerns might be more

important - inactivity or overeating -

remains murky and matters, as obesity

researchers point out, because we

cannot effectively respond to a health

crisis unless we know its causes.

That question drew the interest of

Sam Urlacher, an assistant professor of

anthropology at Baylor University in

Waco, Texas, who for some time has

been working among and studying the

Shuar people. An Indigenous

population in Amazonian Ecuador, the

traditional Shuar live primarily by

foraging, hunting, fishing and

subsistence farming. Their days are

hardscrabble and physically

demanding, their diets heavy on bananas, plantains and

similar starches, and their bodies slight. The Shuar,

especially the children, are rarely overweight. They also are

not often malnourished.

But were their wiry frames a result mostly of their active

lives, Dr. Urlacher wondered? As a postgraduate student, he

had worked with Herman Pontzer, an associate professor of

evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, whose

research focuses on how evolution may have shaped our

metabolisms and vice versa.

In Dr. Pontzer's pioneering research with the Hadza, a tribe

of hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, he found that, although the

tribespeople moved frequently during the day, hunting,

digging, dragging, carrying and cooking, they burned about

the same number of total calories daily as much-moresedentary

Westerners.

Dr. Pontzer concluded that, during evolution, we humans

must have developed an innate, unconscious ability to

reallocate our body's energy usage. If we burn lots of calories

with, for instance, physical activity, we burn fewer with some

other biological system, such as reproduction or immune

responses. The result is that our average, daily energy

expenditure remains within a narrow band of total calories,

What we eat may be more important

than how much we move when it comes

to fighting obesity. Photo: Collected

Narrative medicine programs teach doctors and other caregivers.

helpful for avoiding starvation among active huntergatherers,

but disheartening for those of us in the modern

world who find that more exercise does not equate to much,

if any, weight loss. (Dr. Pontzer's highly readable new book

on this topic, "Burn," will be published on March 2. )

Dr. Pontzer's work focuses primarily on Hadza adults, but

Dr. Urlacher wondered if similar metabolic trade-offs might

also exist in children, including among the traditional Shuar.

So, for a 2019 study, he precisely measured energy

expenditure in some of the young Shuar and compared the

total number of calories they incinerated with existing data

about the daily calories burned by relatively sedentary (and

much heavier) children in the United States and Britain. And

the totals matched. Although the young Shuar were far more

active, they did not burn more calories, over all.

Young Shuar differ from most Western children in so many

ways, though, including their genetics, that interpreting that

study's findings was challenging, Dr.

Urlacher knew. But he also was aware

of a more-comparable group of

children only a longish canoe ride

away, among Shuar families that had

moved to a nearby market town. Their

children regularly attended school and

ate purchased foods but remained

Shuar.

So, for the newest study, which was

published in January in The Journal of

Nutrition, he and his colleagues gained

permission from Shuar families, both

rural and relatively urban, to precisely

measure the body compositions and

energy expenditure of 77 of their

children between the ages of 4 and 12,

while also tracking their activities with

accelerometers and gathering data

about what they ate.

The urban Shuar children proved to

be considerably heavier than their

rural counterparts. About a third were

overweight by World Health

Organization criteria. None of the

rural children were. The urban kids

also generally were more sedentary.

But all of the children, rural or urban, active or not, burned

about the same number of calories every day.

What differed most were their diets. The children in the

market town ate far more meat and dairy products than the

rural children, along with new starches, like white rice, and

highly processed foods, like candy. In general, they ate more

and in a more-modern way than the rural children, and it was

this diet, Dr. Urlacher and his colleagues conclude, that

contributed most to their higher weight.

These findings should not romanticize the forager or

hunter-gatherer lifestyle, Dr. Urlacher cautions. Rural,

traditional Shuar children face frequent parasitic and other

infections, as well as stunted growth, in large part because

their bodies seem to shunt available calories to other vital

functions and away from growing, Dr. Urlacher believes.

But the results do indicate that how much children eat

influences their body weight more than how much they

move, he says, an insight that should start to guide any efforts

to confront childhood obesity.

"Exercise is still very important for children, for all sorts of

reasons," Dr. Urlacher says. "But keeping physical activity up

may not be enough to deal with childhood obesity."

Dr. Gowda was particularly struck by one picture of his

patient, cane in hand, clutching onto the banister of her walkup

apartment. "That image represented for me her daily

struggles," he said. "I gave her a copy. It was a physical

representation of the fact that I cared for who she was as a

person. Her pain didn't go away, but there was a lightness

and laughter in those later visits that wasn't there before.

There was a kind of healing that took place in that simple

human recognition."

While few working doctors have the leisure time to

Photo: Collected

photograph their patients outside the clinic, or to probe

deeply into their life history, "people pick up on it" when the

doctor expresses genuine interest in them, Dr. Gowda said.

They trust such a doctor more, becoming motivated to follow

their instructions and to return for follow-up visits, he said.

Some hospitals have started conducting preliminary

interviews with patients before the clinical work begins as a

way to get to know them better.

Thor Ringler, a family therapist, started the "My Life, My

Story" program at the William S. Middleton Memorial

Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wis., in 2013. Professional

writers are hired to interview veterans - by phone and video

conference since the onset of the pandemic - and to draft a

short biography that is added to their medical record and

read by their attending physician.

"My goal was to provide vets with a way of being heard in a

large bureaucratic system where they don't always feel

listened to," Mr. Ringler said.

The program has spread to 60 V.A. hospitals, including in

Boston, where more than 800 veteran stories have been

compiled over the past three years. Jay Barrett, nurse

manager at the VA Boston Healthcare System, said these

biographies often provide critical information that can help

guide the treatment.

"Unless they have access to the patient's story," Ms.

Barrett said, "health care providers don't understand that

this is a mother who is taking care of six children, or who

doesn't have the resources to pay for medication, or this is a

veteran that has severe trauma that needs to be addressed

before even talking about how to manage the pain."

Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona, a family doctor who teaches at

the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, has

been studying veterans who were undergoing treatment for

pain. Those who were asked to tell about their lives

experienced less chronic pain and rated the relationship

with their physician higher than those who had not. The

doctors who solicited the stories also reported more job

satisfaction and were subject to less emotional burnout,

which has become an especially worrisome problem during

the Covid pandemic.

Demands have never been greater on health care

workers' time. But narrative medicine advocates say that it

only takes a few moments to forge an authentic human

connection, even when the communication takes place

online, as it often does now. Dr. Mehl-Madrona argues that

remote videoconferencing platforms like Zoom can actually

make it even easier to keep track of vulnerable people and

to solicit their stories.

Derek McCracken, a lecturer at Columbia University who

helped develop training protocols for using narrative

techniques in telehealth, agrees. "Telehealth technology

can be a bridge," he said, "because it's an equalizer, forcing

both parties to slow the conversation down, be vulnerable

and listen attentively."

The critical point for Dr. Mehl-Madrona is that when

people are asked to talk about themselves - whether that

happens in person or onscreen - they are "not just

delivering themselves to the doctor to be fixed. They

become actively engaged in their own healing."

"Doctors can be replaced by computers or by nurses if

they think their only role is just to prescribe drugs," he

added. "If we want to avoid the fate of the Dodo bird, then

we have to engage in dynamic relationships with patients,

we have to put the symptoms in the context of people's

lives."

Pandemic stress and multitasking can affect memory in a real way.

: Michelle Mildenberg

Why your brain feels broken

Jessica Grose

children's video calls along with my that not all of these options are

I don't know how else to put it, but

own schedule can lead to overload, feasible for parents, Inger Burnettlately

it seems like my brain is broken.

and is why my older daughter's guitar Zeigler, a clinical psychologist and

I'm not functioning with the mental

teachers probably think my husband associate professor of psychiatry and

quickness I'm used to. I find myself

and I are incompetent because we behavioral sciences at Northwestern

struggling to locate words I want to

only remember to log on for 50 University, said that we should be

use, like "vigilant" (it took me a full

percent of her lessons.

assessing all of our responsibilities,

day to remember it). Sometimes when

"For many of us, life has changed and seeing if there is anything at all we

I'm especially tired in the evenings, I

from being divided in well-defined can take off our plates. "A lot is being

will trail off midsentence, and when

areas of work, kids, activities, to a demanded of us," she said - and it's

my husband asks a follow-up question

situation where everything is a mix," not sustainable.

I will have completely lost my train of

Dr. Eckerström said, and that Dr. Burnett-Zeigler also

thought - it drives him bonkers.

muddling puts a strain on our recommended we try to avoid

I'm not the only one feeling fuzzy in

cognitive abilities.

multitasking as much as possible:

this way. Anecdotally, I have heard

It's not just the multitasking that Keep one window open at a time on

from many parents that the

makes us feel muddled, though. It's your computer, and resist the urge to

multitasking, stressors and lack of

also the stress. Chronically high levels toggle between work and signing your

sleep brought on by this Covid year

of the hormone cortisol, which is kid up for camp at the same time.

have created a kind of mental

associated with stress, can lead to "Attending to one thing for each

overload. And it's not just parents,

memory impairments in healthy moment can help to improve your

either. As a sketch on "Saturday Night

adults, said Moïra Mikolajczak, a ability to store information," she said.

Live" that could serve as our pandemic

psychology professor at the Université Finally, going outside, or even

anthem expressed it, "I was fine in the

Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, simulating the outdoors, may help

fall but now I've hit a wall and I'm

who studies parental burnout. when you're feeling mentally dull.

loco, as in my brain done broke-o."

Parental burnout is a distinct Studies have shown that spending

It turns out that many aspects of our

psychological phenomenon that's time in nature, and even looking at

pandemic lives could lead to impaired

beyond regular stress and exhaustion pictures of nature, can improve

executive functioning, which is a fancy

- to get that diagnosis you need to feel cognitive functioning. Though it may

way of describing the mental

so exhausted by your parental role be difficult to find the time, a 50-

processes that allow us to plan,

that you cannot function, you need to minute outdoor walk has been shown

organize and remember instructions.

feel disconnected emotionally from to improve memory and decrease

"A lot of things need to function well

your children, and this needs to be a anxiety, no matter what the weather

for our memory to work ideally," said

marked change in behavior for you. is (though you will probably enjoy it a

Marie Eckerström, a

Though she hasn't seen studies on it lot less if it's 25 degrees out).

neuropsychologist at the Sahlgrenska

specifically, Dr. Mikolajczak said that In the interest of feeling less broken,

Memory Clinic in Gothenburg,

she thinks it's "likely that parental my husband and I have started

Sweden, who studies cognitive

burnout causes memory delegating guitar to our 8-year-old.

impairment.

impairments." Work-related burnout We printed out the schedule and all

"Managing too many details can

has been associated with memory the Zoom passwords and pinned them

definitely make you feel 'foggy,' and

problems.

up on the bulletin board in her room;

make you feel like your memory has

Considering that the Covid-related she actually likes the additional

declined," she said. For example, the

strains on our lives aren't going away independence and responsibility. It's

fact that I have to organize some of my

in the near-term, what can we do to one small step toward … wait, what

feel less scattered? With the caveat was I saying again?

sundAY, FeBruArY 28, 2021

6

Akboria limited Corporate office was opened in Bogura trade Centre by Chamber of

Commerce president Masudur rahman Milon, Cip on saturday. photo: Md. Azahar Ali

Akboria Limited Corporate office

opened in Bogura Trade Centre

Md. AzAhAr Ali, BogurA Correspondent

Akboria Limited Corporate Office

opened in Bogura Trade Center last

Saturday. The opening program chief

guest was Bogura chamber of

commerce and industry president

Masudur Rahman Milon CIP.

The Corporate office was launched

by cutting the ribbon and a cake.

Others guests were Former Vice

President of Bogura Chamber of

Commerce and Industry Abul Kalam

Azad, Senior Vice President of Islami

Bank Bogura Branch Md. Rezaul

Islam, General Secretary of Zilla

Mohilla Krira Sangstha Dilruba

Amina Akhter Banu Sweety,

Chairman of Akboria Limited Hasan

Ali Alal. On the occasion were also

present Director Akboria Limited

Rajib Ahsan Caesar, CTO & Business

Analyst Andalibur Rahman,

Purchase Co-ordinator Adnanul

Islam, Chief Financial Officer Selim

Talukder, Head of HR Sm Nura

Alam, Head of Sales and

Distribution Ramzan Hossain, DGM

Amirul Islam Akhi, Zillur Rahman,

AGM Shamim Talukder, Abdul

Momin, Al Amin, Manager HR &

Admin Anwarul Haque, Assistant

yunus Ali Babul and others. At last

Special prayers are offered the

welfare for the people to God.

Bangabandhu sheikh Mujib dhaka Marathon 2021 has been held in rajbari on the occasion of Mujib

Year with great enthusiasm in rajbari. Kazi Keramat Ali, Mp of rajbari-1 constituency inaugurated

the marathon by flying balloons and pigeons as the chief guest on the ground of Aladipur high

school on saturday morning with the organization of 55 infantry division of Bangladesh Army and

overall management and cooperation of rajbari district administration. photo: Md Moniruzzaman

Nakshi kantha flourishes women

entrepreneurship in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: A new

potential life of Shahnaz

Khatun has been revealed

after being involved in making

Nakshi Kantha, a type of

embroidered quilt, within the

last couple of years, reports

BSS.

Currently, she's making

kantha in digital method after

the best uses of modern

technology quickly

transformed herself into a

latent entrepreneur.

Khatun, a resident of

Jogipara village under

Bagatipara Upazila in Natore

district, has started the kantha

making venture with a capital

of Taka 1,700 in 2019.

First of all, she became

inspired after seeing the

embroidered kantha making

process in a block boutique

shop at RDA Market in

Rajshahi. Since then she has

been doing the work in their

dwelling house successfully.

At present, she gets orders

in her house and earns profit

worth around Taka 5,000 to

7,000 per month after selling

her finished product.

"I need around one week for

finishing the sewing and

designing works of a kantha,"

Khatun said. She added that

her venture has created

employment scopes for many

women in her locality.

Like Khatun's venture,

nakshi kantha has been

godsend to many rural poor

women here as they are

sewing their new day's dream

by beating long time poverty

through stitching the

country's traditional kantha

commercially.

For generations, women

artisans have been sewing

Nakshi Kantha. More than

just needlework, it has

become the emotions,

memories and dreams of the

artisan. Once it was made only

for family use, but now it

helps flourish the cottage

industry in the district that is

transforming housewives into

entrepreneurs.

"I employ around 250

women in my industry," says

Dinesh Hasda, from

Kakonhat under Godagari

Upazila, who established his

business entity named

'Adivasi Santa kantha' as an

entrepreneur in 2013. "I

supply fabrics and yarns, and

the women artisans are paid

between Tk 1,600 and Tk

1,700 for sewing Nakshi

Kantha each depending on

the size," he said.

He said his business house

produces as many as 1000

Nakshi Kantha per month as

he himself designs kanthas

and supplies them to his

workers for sewing.

"Our finished products are

now being exported to around

17 overseas countries through

a non-government

development organization,

Prokritee Bangladesh, in

Dhaka," Dinesh Hashda said.

He told BSS that the

business volume is now on a

rising trend significantly and

on an average, Nakshi

Kanthas are being sold by

around Taka 25 lakh yearly

whereas his initial

investment was Taka one

lakh. "In this area, people

are known for their Nakshi

Kantha skills," remarks

Sheuly Basko, 38, a

housewife and Nakshi

Kantha artisan from

Sorsonipara village in

Godagari upazila.

the polli Mukta scout group cleaned up the accumulated garbage in different

areas of Kumarkhali Municipality from saturday morning till noon. After that,

they conducted an awareness campaign. engineer sheikh Md. rabiul Karim, Chief

Adviser of p0lli scout group, Md. sabuj hossain, secretary and unit leader, and

Al-Amin Munshi, took part in the cleanup program.

photo: M r nayan

Flowering indicates good mango

production in C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ: Mango trees

of all mango orchards have started

flowering in the district, famous for the

production of the seasonal delicious

mango fruit nationwide, reports BSS.

All mango orchards are in full bloom

here predicting an excellent production

of the most popular fruit in the region

this season, if the climatic conditions

remain favorable till its harvesting

period. After last year's good business,

mango producers this year have taken

early precautions hoping to have a

bumper production of mangoes this

year.

Deputy Director of the Department of

Agriculture Extension (DAE) Md.

Narail municipality

mayor, councillors

took oath

NARAIL: The newly-elected

municipality mayor, nine

councillors and three

councillors in women

reserved seats of Narail

municipality took oath on

Saturday noon, reports BSS.

Khulna divisional

commissioner Md. Ismail

Hossain NDC administered

the oath to the elected public

representatives at a function

at the conference room of

Khulna

divisional

commissioner office.

Narail municipality

chairman Anjuman Ara,

councillors- Md. Shamsul

Alam, Syed Masud Rana

Bablu Kazi Zahirul Haque,

Md. Anisur Rahman, Md.

Rezaul Biswas, Sharful Alam

Litu, Ehsan Habib Tufan, Md.

Raju Mollah, Md. Arab Ali

and three councillors in

women reserved seats-Anju

Monoara, Epi Rani, Jharna

Khanom took oath.

Additional divisional

commissioner Syed Rabiul

Islam and other officials of

divisional commissioner's

office were present in the

oath-taking ceremony.

Besides, the newly-elected

Kalia municipality chairman

Md.Wahiduzzaman Hira,

nine councillors and three

councillors in women

reserved seats of the

municipality took oath on the

same day.

The

divisional

commissioner urged the

newly-elected municipality

chairmen and councillors to

render their services with the

commitment of building the

nation free from all sorts of

curses like corruption,

terrorism, extremism and

drug-addiction.

BDRCS considering

to bring Kapasia,

Horipur unions

under DRM project

GAIBANDHA: Bangladesh

Red Crescent Society

(BDRCS) is actively

considering to bring two char

unions- Kapasia and Horipurof

Sundarganj upazila in the

district under Disaster Risk

Management (DRM) project,

funded by Swiss Red Cross

(SRC), reports BSS.

Under the project, a series

of development works like

extending of homestead,

tube-well

sinking,

construction of tube-well

platforms, filling up school

ground with earth,

installation of hygiene

latrines, making katcha roads

washed away by the flood

water, distributing asset and

cash support to the flood

affected people in the areas.

The officials of BDRCS and

the SRC disclosed it after

conducting a meeting with

Deputy Commissioner (DC)

Abdul Matin held at the

Circuit House of the town.

In the meeting, Deputy

Head of the delegation Sanjib

Biswas Sanjay sought whole

hearted cooperation of the

local government bodies,

upazila administrations to

make their project a grand

success in the unions.

Nazrul Islam said as the weather is

favourable for good flowering this year;

the mango trees have borne abundant

flowers.

Meanwhile, 70 percent trees have

already sprouted and more than 80

percent trees are expected to flower this

year, he added.

He further added that last year the

production of mangoes was 2,45,285

metric tonnes and this year it is likely to

cross that amount if the natural

calamities like hailstorm, prolonged

drought and storm do not hit.

According to the DAE office sources,

in the district, there are a total of

28,64,930 mango trees on 34,738

hectares of land in which 3,95,640 trees

on 5,133 hectares of land in Sadar

upazila, 17,38,750 trees on 20,350

hectares of land in Shibganj upazila,

3,42,845 trees on 4,205 hectares of

land in Gomostapur upazila, 1,46,270

trees on 1,840 hectares of land in

Nachole upazila and 2,61,475 trees on

3,210 hectares of land in Bholahat

upazila.

Some 250 varieties of mango are

grown in the district. Of them, 40

percent are Fazli, 30 per cent Ashina,

20 percent Gopalbhog, Langra,

Khirshapat and other good varieties.

The rest are lower varieties of guti

mangoes, the sources added.

Chairman of parliamentary standing Committee on Food Ministry dipankar

talukdar Mp inaugurated the expansion work of Kathaltali government

primary school building. distinguished guests along with other guests were

present at the inauguration of the school building expansion work in

rangamati on saturday. the work was carried out by the local government

engineering department.

photo: Md. shafiqur rahman

Mongla Port Authority Chairman

inspects port development projects

TITASH CHAKRABORTHEy, KHULNA CORROSPONDENT

Mongla Port Authority Chairman Rear

Admiral Mohammad Musa, after joining

OSP, NPP, RCDS, AFWC, PSC, started

inspecting the port projects continuously.

In the meantime, he inspected the Surface

Water Treatment Plant, VTMIS Project,

Container yard construction work and

repair work of Main Road under Mongla

Port.

Rear Admiral Mohammad Musa,

Chairman, Mongla Port Authority, said

"Establishment of Surface Water

Treatment Plant for Mongla Port project

which will contribute to the economic

prosperity of the country by providing

better services to the port users by

supplying potable water to various

establishments of Mongla Port including

its own water demand, foreign ships,

various industrial establishments

developed in Mongla Port.

If the VTMIS project is implemented,

Solas and ISPS codes will be followed as

per IMO regulations, safe movement and

Journalists working in Mirzaganj and Betagi press Clubs have held a human

chain in noakhali's Companiganj to demand exemplary punishment for the

killers of Borhan uddin Muzakkir, a correspondent of the daily Bangladesh

samachar and online portal Barta Bazar on saturday. photo: uttam golder

RANGPUR: For the first time since the

beginning of coronavirus (COVID-19)

pandemic, none was diagnosed with the lethal

virus in all eight districts of Rangpur division on

Friday. "After testing a total of 76 collected

samples of suspected COVID-19 infected people

of the division, none was reported positive on

Friday," Focal Person of COVID-19 and

Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur division

Dr. ZA Siddiqui told BSS yesterday.

Since the beginning, a total of 1,07,576

collected samples were tested till Friday in the

division, and of them, 15,836 were reported

positive at the average infection rate of 14.72

percent. "The infection rate remains below five

efficient management of foreign ships will

be ensured in the country, all information

of ships arriving at the port will be known

in advance.

If the VTMIS project is implemented,

Solas and ISPS codes will be followed as

per IMO regulations, safe movement and

efficient management of foreign ships will

be ensured in the country, all information

of ships arriving at the port will be known

in advance. As a result, security risks will

be reduced, port capacity will be increased

and port users will be more interested in

using Mongla port and handling more

ships in the port as well as increase

revenue.

In addition, the construction work of

Container yard No. 8 of the port is already

90% completed. The construction work

will be completed this year and 1050

containers can be kept in the yard and he

expressed satisfaction over the repair

work of the main road under Mongla port

and directed the concerned department to

complete the work in a sustainable

manner.

Rangpur division records no

COVID-19 infection Friday

percent during the last one month and below 10

percent during the last more than two months in

the division," Dr. Siddiqui said.

Among the total 15,836 infected people,

15,182 have so far been recovered at the average

recovery rate of 95.87 percent in the division

where the COVID-19 vaccination campaign is

running smoothly since February 7 last.

"The district-wise break-up of the total

infected patients now stands at 4,044 in

Rangpur, 794 in Panchagarh, 1,329 in

Nilphamari, 965 in Lalmonirhat, 1,020 in

Kurigram, 1,512 in Thakurgaon, 4,710 in

Dinajpur and 1,462 in Gaibandha," Dr. Siddiqui

added.

SUnDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021

7

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a virtual G-20 summit held over video

conferencing, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia recently.

Photo: AP

US implicates Saudi crown prince in

journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing

Saudi Arabia's crown prince likely

approved an operation to kill or capture

a U.S.-based journalist inside the

Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according

to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence

report released Friday that could escalate

pressure on the Biden administration

to hold the kingdom accountable

for a murder that drew bipartisan and

international outrage, reports UNB.

The central conclusion of the report

was widely expected given that intelligence

officials were said to have

reached it soon after the brutal Oct. 2,

2018, murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a

critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin

Salman's authoritarian consolidation

of power.

Still, since the finding had not been

officially released until now, the public

assignment of responsibility amounted

to an extraordinary rebuke of the

ambitious 35-year-old crown prince

and was likely to set the tone for the

Jammu and Kashmir:

Product development,

skill upgradation to boost

willow wicker sector

Kashmir Willow Wicker

products are set to attain new

heights through e-commerce

platforms like Amazon,

Myntra etc. under the World

Bank funded Jhelum Tawi

Flood Recovery Project

(JTFRP),reports UNB.

For the Willow Wicker

Project Ganderbal, domain

expert having vast experience

in working with natural plant

fibres -KADAM has been

engaged for the development

of the cluster.

The project will lead to creation

of self -sustaining

Producer Company (PC) of

the artisans that would be

directly linked to the markets.

Director Handicrafts and

Handloom Kashmir

Mahmood Ahmad Shah

along with Assistant Director

AD Handicrafts Ganderbal

today visited the cluster and

under took an overall assessment

of the project.

He was briefed that skill

assessment of at least 150

Artisans has been completed

and these artisans are being

further involved in product

development and skill upgradation

trainings.

Under the project 10

Cooperatives of the artisans

in the Cluster have been registered

and it is expected that

more cooperatives would be

formed and would be linked

with the project in future.

new administration's relationship with

a country President Joe Biden has criticized

but which the White House also

regards in some contexts as a strategic

partner.

The report was released one day after

a later-than-usual courtesy call from

Biden to Saudi King Salman, though a

White House summary of the conversation

made no mention of the killing

and said instead that the men had discussed

the countries' longstanding

partnership. The kingdom's state-run

Saudi Press Agency similarly did not

mention Khashoggi's killing in its

report about the call, rather focusing

on regional issues such as Iran and the

ongoing war in Yemen.

Khashoggi had visited the Saudi consulate

in Turkey planning to pick up

documents needed for his wedding.

Once inside, he died at the hands of

more than a dozen Saudi security and

intelligence officials and others who

had assembled ahead of his arrival..

Surveillance cameras had tracked his

route and those of his alleged killers in

Istanbul in the hours leading up to his

killing.

A Turkish bug planted at the consulate

reportedly captured the sound

of a forensic saw, operated by a Saudi

colonel who was also a forensics

expert, dismembering Khashoggi's

body within an hour of his entering the

building. The whereabouts of his

remains remain unknown.

The prince said in 2019 he took "full

responsibility" for the killing since it

happened on his watch, but denied

ordering it. Saudi officials have said

Khashoggi's killing was the work of

rogue Saudi security and intelligence

officials. Saudi Arabian courts last year

announced they had sentenced eight

Saudi nationals to prison in

Khashoggi's killing. They were not

identified.

Explosion strikes Israeli-owned

ship in Mideast amid tension

An explosion struck an Israeli-owned cargo

ship sailing out of the Middle East on Friday,

an unexplained blast renewing concerns

about ship security in the region amid escalating

tensions between the U.S. and Iran,

reports UNB.

The crew and vessel were safe, according to

the United Kingdom Maritime Trade

Operations, which is run by the British navy.

The explosion in the Gulf of Oman forced the

vessel to head to the nearest port.

The incident recalled the summer of 2019,

when the same site saw a series of suspected

attacks that the U.S. Navy blamed on Iran,

which Tehran denied. Meanwhile, as

President Joe Biden tries to revive nuclear

negotiations with Iran, he ordered overnight

airstrikes on facilities in Syria belonging to a

powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group.

Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm,

identified the stricken vessel as the MV Helios

Ray, a Bahamian-flagged roll-on, roll-off

vehicle cargo ship. Another private security

official, who spoke to The Associated Press on

condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence

matters, similarly identified the ship as the

Helios Ray.

Explosion on Israeli cargo ship

Satellite-tracking data from website

MarineTraffic.com showed the Helios Ray

had been nearly entering the Arabian Sea

around 0600 GMT Friday before it suddenly

turned around and began heading back

toward the Strait of Hormuz. It was coming

from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and still listed

Singapore as its destination on its tracker.

Israel's Channel 13, in an unsourced report,

said the assessment in Israel is that Iran was

behind the blast. Israeli officials did not

immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Iranian government did not comment

on the blast Friday. The blast comes as

Tehran increasingly breaches its 2015 nuclear

accord with world powers to create leverage

over Washington. Iran is seeking to pressure

Biden to grant the sanctions relief it received

under the deal that former President Donald

Trump abandoned nearly three years ago.

Iran also has blamed Israel for a recent

series of attacks, including a mysterious

explosion last summer that destroyed an

advanced centrifuge assembly plant at its

Natanz nuclear facility and the killing of

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian scientist

who founded the Islamic Republic's military

nuclear program two decades ago.

Capt. Ranjith Raja of the data firm Refinitiv

told the AP that the Israeli-owned vessel had

left the Persian Gulf Thursday bound for

Singapore. On Friday at 0230 GMT, the vessel

stopped for at least nine hours east of a

main Omani port before making a 360-

degree turn and sailing toward Dubai, likely

for damage assessment and repairs, he said.

The vessel came loaded with cargo from

Europe. It discharged vehicles at several ports

in the region, Raja added, including in

Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi

Arabia, with its last port of call at Dammam.

While details of the explosion remained

unclear, two American defense officials told

the AP that the ship had sustained two holes

on its port side and two holes on its starboard

side just above the waterline in the blast. The

officials said it remained unclear what caused

the holes. They spoke to the AP on condition

of anonymity to discuss unreleased information

on the incidents.

A United Nations ship database identified

the vessel's owners as a Tel Aviv-based firm

called Ray Shipping Ltd. Calls to Ray

Shipping rang unanswered Friday.

Caption: An explosion struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing out of the Middle East on Friday,

an unexplained blast renewing concerns about ship security amid escalating tensions between the

U.S. and Iran.

Photo: AP

'Hope other countries

follow your example':

WHO chief lauds

India, Modi

The World Health

Organization's (WHO's)

director general Tedros

Adhanom Ghebreyesus has

once again praised India's

efforts in fighting the coronavirus

pandemic.

Ghebreyesus also commended

Prime Minister Narendra

Modi for sending Covid-19

vaccines to more than 60

countries, hoping that other

nations will also follow

India's example, reports BSS.

"Thanks India and Prime

Minister @narendramodi for

supporting #VaccinEquity.

Your commitment to

#COVAX and sharing

#COVID19 vaccine doses is

helping 60+countries start

vaccinating their #healthworkers

and other priority

groups. I hope other countries

will follow your example,"

the WHO chief tweeted

late on Thursday night.This is

not the first time that

Ghebreyesus has praised

India. He had tweeted in

January and in September

last year after PM Modi's

address at the 75th session of

the United Nations General

Assembly (UNGA) acknowledging

India's contribution

towards fighting the pandemic.

Erdogan wins 'Global

Muslim Personality

Award' for 3rd time

Turkish President Recep

Tayyip Erdogan has won the

'Global Muslim Personality

Award' again. He was elected

the world's top Muslim

figure for the third time in a

row, reports BSS.

The award is given annually

by Muslim News Nigeria,

a Nigerian newspaper on

Islam.

The newspaper's publisher,

Rashid Abu Bakr,

announced Erdogan's award

in a statement, according to

the Turkish news Anadolu

Agency.

In a statement, Abu Bakr

said the Covid-19 epidemic

in 2020 had put the world in

a difficult position, affecting

human progress. Erdogan

was determined in his goals

and his achievement surpassed

the previous year.

By caring for and developing

the national potential of

the Turkish state and its

local economy, President

Erdogan has set an example

to the world, which is lacking

due to the absence of Islamic

ideals in human rights, politics,

justice and economic

equality.

25 dead, over 400

inmates flee after Haiti

prison breakout

More than 400 prisoners are

on the run in Haiti on Friday

after they escaped from a jail

near the capital Port-au-

Prince in a violent breakout

that left 25 people dead,

including the prison director,

reports BSS.

The victims included

bystanders who were caught

up in the violence, officials

said.

One of those who fled, a

powerful gang leader named

Arnel Joseph, was killed

hours after escaping. Joseph,

still wearing prison ankle

cuffs, was a passenger on a

motorcycle that was flagged

down at a checkpoint, police

spokesman Gary Desrosiers

said.

The motorcycle failed to

stop and Joseph pulled a gun

on officers who then shot and

fatally wounded him,

Desrosiers said.

Joseph was Haiti's mostwanted

gang leader before

his arrest in 2019.

Details of the escape are not

clear. Witnesses reported

hearing bursts of gunfire at

about midday on Thursday

and prisoners were then seen

running from the prison.

Staff at a nearby clothing

store told reporters that they

had been forced to give items

to the escaped prisoners.

Biden: Strikes in Syria sent

warning to Iran to 'be careful'

President Joe Biden said Friday that Iran

should view his decision to authorize U.S.

airstrikes in Syria as a warning that it can

expect consequences for its support of militia

groups that threaten U.S. interests or personnel,

reports UNB.

"You can't act with impunity. Be careful,"

Biden said when a reporter asked what message

he had intended to send with the

airstrikes, which the Pentagon said

destroyed several buildings in eastern Syria

but were not intended to eradicate the militia

groups that used them to facilitate attacks

inside Iraq.

Administration officials defended the

Thursday night airstrikes as legal and appropriate,

saying they took out facilities that

housed valuable "capabilities" used by

Iranian-backed militia groups to attack

American and allied forces in Iraq.

John Kirby, the Pentagon's chief

spokesperson, said members of Congress

were notified before the strikes as two Air

Force F-15E aircraft launched seven missiles,

destroying nine facilities and heavily damaging

two others, rendering both "functionally

destroyed." He said the facilities, at "entry

control points" on the border, had been used

by militia groups the U.S. deems responsible

for recent attacks against U.S. interests in

Iraq.

In a political twist for the new Democratic

administration, several leading Congress

members in Biden's own party denounced

the strikes, which were the first military

actions he authorized. Democrats said the

airstrikes were done without authorization

from lawmakers, while Republicans were

more supportive.

"Offensive military action without congressional

approval is not constitutional absent

extraordinary circumstances," said Sen. Tim

Kaine, D-Va. And Sen. Chris Murphy, D-

Conn., said lawmakers must hold the current

administration to the same standards as any

other. "Retaliatory strikes not necessary to

prevent an imminent threat," he said, must

get congressional authorization.

But Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the

ranking Republican on the Senate Armed

Services Committee, backed the decision as

"the correct, proportionate response to protect

American lives."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told

reporters Friday that Biden used his constitutional

authority to defend U.S. personnel.

"The targets were chosen to correspond to

the recent attacks on facilities and to deter

the risk of additional attacks over the coming

weeks," she said.

Among the recent attacks cited was a Feb.

15 rocket attack in northern Iraq that killed

one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S.

service member and other coalition troops.

At the Pentagon, Kirby said the operation

was "a defensive strike" on a waystation used

by militants to move weapons and materials

for attacks into Iraq. But he noted that while

it sent a message of deterrence and eroded

their ability to strike from that compound,

the militias have other sites and capabilities.

He said the strikes resulted in "casualties"

but declined to provide further details on

how many were killed or injured and what

was inside the buildings pending the completion

of a broader assessment of damage

inflicted.

An Iraqi militia official said Friday that the

strikes killed one fighter and wounded several

others.

Kirby said the facilities hit in the attack

were near Boukamal, on the Syrian side of

the Iraq border, along the Euphrates River.

"This location is known to facilitate

Iranian-aligned militia group activity," he

said. He described the site as a "compound"

that previously had been used by the Islamic

State group when it held sway in the area.

The Iraqi militia official told The

Associated Press that the strikes against the

Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades, hit

an area along the border between the Syrian

site of Boukamal facing Qaim on the Iraqi

side. The official was not authorized to speak

publicly of the attack and spoke on condition

of anonymity.

Speaking to reporters Thursday evening

shortly after the airstrikes were carried out,

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "I'm

confident in the target that we went after. We

know what we hit."

Biden's decision to attack in Syria did not

appear to signal an intention to widen U.S.

military involvement in the region but rather

to demonstrate a will to defend U.S. troops in

Iraq and send a message to Iran. The Biden

administration in its first weeks has emphasized

its intent to put more focus on the challenges

posed by China, even as Mideast

threats persist.

President Biden said that Thursday night's airstrikes against facilities tied

to an Iranian-backed militia group in Syria were meant to warn Iran that

it "can't act with impunity."

Photo: AP

US advisers endorse single-shot

COVID-19 vaccine from J&J

U.S. health advisers endorsed a one-dose

COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson &

Johnson on Friday, putting the nation on

the cusp of adding an easier-to-use option

to fight the pandemic, reports UNB.

The acting head of the Food and Drug

Administration said in a statement that

the agency will move quickly to follow the

recommendation, which would make

J&J's shot the third vaccine authorized for

emergency use in the U.S. Vaccinations

are picking up speed, but new supplies are

urgently needed to stay ahead of a mutating

virus that has killed more than

500,000 Americans.

After daylong discussions, the FDA panelists

voted unanimously that the benefits

of the vaccine outweighed the risks for

adults. Once FDA issues a final decision,

shipments of a few million doses could

begin as early as Monday.

"There's an urgency to get this done,"

said Dr. Jay Portnoy of Children's Mercy

Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. "We're

in a race between the virus mutating - and

new variants coming out that can cause

further disease - and stopping it."

More than 47 million people in the U.S.,

or 14% of the population, have received at

least one shot of the two-dose vaccines

from Pfizer and Moderna, which FDA

authorized in December. But the pace of

vaccinations has been strained by limited

supplies and delays due to winter storms.

While early J&J supplies will be small,

the company has said it can deliver 20 million

doses by the end of March and a total

of 100 million by the end of June.

J&J's vaccine protects against the worst

effects of COVID-19 after one shot, and it

can be stored up to three months at refrigerator

temperatures, making it easier to

handle than the previous vaccines, which

must be frozen.

One challenge in rolling out the new vaccine

will be explaining how protective the

J&J shot is after the astounding success of

the first U.S. vaccines.

"It's important that people do not think

that one vaccine is better than another,"

said panelist Dr. Cody Meissner of Tufts

University.

The two-dose Pfizer and Moderna shots

were found to be about 95% effective

against symptomatic COVID-19. The

numbers from J&J's study are not that

high, but it's not an apples-to-apples comparison.

One dose of the J&J vaccine was

85% protective against the most severe

COVID-19. After adding in moderate

cases, the total effectiveness dropped to

about 66%.

Some experts fear that lower number

could feed public perceptions that J&J's

shot is a "second-tier vaccine." But the difference

in protection reflects when and

where J&J conducted its studies.

J&J's vaccine was tested in the U.S.,

Latin America and South Africa at a time

when more contagious mutated versions

of the virus were spreading. That wasn't

the case last fall, when Pfizer and Moderna

were wrapping up testing, and it's not

clear if their numbers would hold against

the most worrisome of those variants.

Importantly, the FDA reported this week

that, just like its predecessors, the J&J

shot offers strong protection against the

worst outcomes, hospitalization and

death.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021 8

United Commercial Bank Limited (UCB) launched STM (Smart Teller Machine), state of the art technology

for the first time in Bangladesh on 23 February 2021. Chairman of Executive Committee of

UCB Anisuzzaman Chowdhury Ronny inaugurated the STM as Chief Guest. Among others Managing

Director of UCB Mohammed Shawkat Jamil; Additional Managing Director of UCB Arif Quadri;

Deputy Managing Director of UCB N. Mustafa Tarek; Deputy Managing Director of UCB Md.

Abdullah Al Mamoon; Senior Executive Vice President & Company Secretary of UCB ATM

Tahmiduzzaman along with other senior executives were present at the event. Photo : Courtesy

Nagad sets daily accountopening

record

About 1.80 lakh new clients

are joining the network of

Nagad every day just by

pressing a couple of buttons

on their mobile phones,

thanks to an innovation that

allows them to open the

account of a mobile financial

service without filling out

any documents. This is a

record in opening accounts

and an example of boosting

the financial inclusion using

technology.

New clients are joining

Nagad, the digital financial

service of the postal

department, in droves after it

introduced the opening of

accounts through dialling of

*167# and the setting up

four-digit PIN. Besides,

people can open an account

through the app of Nagad

after having their national

identification number

verified, a press release said.

After introducing the

effortless account opening

process, recently the second

largest MFS carrier has also

launched some campaigns,

which also rushing users to

join the network of Nagad.

The download of Nagad app

has gone up to such a level

that it is in the top chart of

the Google Play Store among

the apps from Bangladesh.

Recently, Nagad has

signed agreements with all

mobile phone operators to

allow their subscribers to

open MFS

account by

dialling

*167#. As

mobile

phone

operators

have the

information

of a NID of a

subscriber,

whenever a

prospective

user dials

*167# to

express his

or her interest to open the

MFS account, their

information is instantly

verified against the NID

database and the process to

open the account is

completed. The innovation

of Nagad has already caught

the attention of many

countries and global

agencies.

Even in near past, people

had to spend a considerable

amount of time and money

to open an MFS account and

had to wait for days and even

for weeks. In order to

improve the

situation,

Nagad

introduced

country's first

digital KYC

(know your

customer).

Later, Nagad

took the step

to open MFS

accounts in

just a minute

through the

Porichoy app

of the

government of Bangladesh.

Now, a mobile phone user

can easily become an MFS

account-holder by dialling

*167# and set the PIN.

Only on February 17, about

1.85 lakh people joined the

Nagad platform. A similar

pace of client registration

was observed before and

after the day. On average, 1.5

lakh people registered with

Nagad every day in the last

two weeks. As a result, the

effective number of clients of

Nagad has gone past 3 crore,

a development that is

significantly contributing to

the financial inclusion in the

country.

Speaking about the

unprecedented success

Nagad's Managing Director

TanvirAMishuk said, "We

had wanted from the very

beginning that we would

take Nagad to the people

across the country very

easily. Aiming that we have

reduced the cost and ease the

account opening process and

through it we also have

ensured liberty of using

financial service. We already

are observing the result of

our endeavour. Hopefully,

we will become the most

popular MFS operator in the

country very soon."

Electric carmaker start-up Lucid

Motors to go public

SAN FRANCISCO : US electric

carmaker Lucid Motors announced

Monday that it will go public via a

merger with a company that values it at

$24 billion.

The California-based start-up has

chosen to go through a SPAC, or

"Special Purpose Acquisition

Company," which is a company with no

commercial activity whose aim is to

raise funds by going public, a press

release said.

The SPAC, Churchill Capital Corp IV

(CCIV), contributed $2.1 billion, and

Lucid also negotiated $2.5 billion from

investors including BlackRock, Fidelity

Management & Research LLC,

Franklin Templeton and Neuberger

Berman.

"The transaction values Lucid at an

initial pro-forma equity value of

approximately $24 billion," the

carmaker said in a statement, and will

bring in "approximately $4.4 billion in

cash."

IPOs via SPACs exploded in the

United States in 2020. They allow

companies to go public with a windfall.

"Lucid is going public to accelerate

into the next phase of our growth as we

work towards the launch of our new

pure-electric luxury sedan, Lucid Air, in

2021 followed by our Gravity

performance luxury SUV in 2023," the

automaker's CEO, Peter Rawlinson,

said in the statement.

The funds will also enable the Silicon

Valley-based company to expand its

Arizona plants, which are expected to

produce approximately 365,000

vehicles per year within the next few

years.

Lucid employs nearly 2,000 people

and hopes to hire an additional 3,000

by the end of the year.

Revzol Lubricants paid honor to family of language martyr Abduds Salam who died on February 21,

1952 during the great language movement. Mosaddek Hossain, Head of country operation, Revzol

Lubricants handed over the plaque of honor and donation to Subedar Abdur Rafiq, younger brother

of language martyr Abduds Salam at the award giving ceremony of language festival 'VASA UTSOB

2021' held on 21 February 2021 at Noakhali.Renowned language soldier Professor Abdul Gafur inaugurated

the festival, language soldier and freedom fighter ManjurulHaqueShikder was the key speaker.

Observing International Mother Language Day 2021 the festival had different events along with

inter school hand writing competition, book fair and cultural completion. These events were organized

in coordination of social welfare organization United Brothers Forum (UBF). Photo : Courtesy

Electric carmaker

start-up Lucid

Motors to go public

SAN FRANCISCO : US electric

carmaker Lucid Motors

announced Monday that it will

go public via a merger with a

company that values it at $24

billion, reports BSS.

The California-based startup

has chosen to go through a

SPAC, or "Special Purpose

Acquisition Company," which

is a company with no

commercial activity whose aim

is to raise funds by going

public.

The SPAC, Churchill Capital

Corp IV (CCIV), contributed

$2.1 billion, and Lucid also

negotiated $2.5 billion from

investors including BlackRock,

Fidelity Management &

Research LLC, Franklin

Templeton and Neuberger

Berman.

"The transaction values

Lucid at an initial pro-forma

equity value of approximately

$24 billion," the carmaker said

in a statement, and will bring

in "approximately $4.4 billion

in cash."

UK unemployment edges up

to 5.1% on pandemic fallout

LONDON : Britain's unemployment rate

edged up to 5.1 percent in the final quarter

of 2020, official data showed on Tuesday, as

coronavirus lockdowns slashed economic

activity.

The rate compared with 5.0 percent in the

three months to the end of November,

which was a 4.5-year high, the Office for

National Statistics said in a statement.

Analysts expect unemployment to surge

when the UK government's furlough scheme

paying the bulk of wages for millions of

private-sector workers comes to a stop - as

currently planned - at the end of April.

Finance minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday

hinted at further employment support in the

coming months as England begins to exit its

third lockdown form early March.

Details are expected to come in his annual

budget next week.

"I know how incredibly tough the past

year has been for everyone and every job lost

is a personal tragedy," the chancellor of the

exchequer said in a statement.

"That's why throughout the crisis, my

focus has been on doing everything we can

to protect jobs and livelihoods.

"At the budget next week I will set out the

next stage of our plan for jobs and the

support we'll provide through the remainder

of the pandemic and our recovery."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on

Monday set out a four-step plan to ease

coronavirus restrictions, expressing hope

that life could get back to normal by the end

of June.

In a statement to parliament, he

outlined a "gradual and cautious"

approach to lifting curbs in England,

starting with the reopening of schools

from March 8 and non-essential retail

from April 12.

The ONS on Tuesday added that at 5.1

percent, the unemployment rate was 1.3

percentage points higher compared with

the final quarter of 2019.

The number of payroll employees

tumbled by 726,000 between February

and January 2021, it said.

"The rise in the unemployment rate… to

5.1 percent in December is another step up

on the climb towards the 6.5-percent peak

we expect by the end of the year," noted

Thomas Pugh, economist at Capital

Economics research group.

"But with the end of Covid-19 restrictions

now in sight, the jobless rate may be back

at 4.0 percent in 2023," he added.

Kwun Tong Apparels Ltd. of Adamjee EPZ and Lenny Fashions Ltd. & Lenny Apparels Limited of Dhaka

EPZ, the recently closed RMG factories, have paid dues to their workers. The relentless efforts of

BEPZA made it possible to pay the dues after the several rounds of discussions between the Executive

Chairman of BEPZA and the representatives of those companies. The British Virgin Island owned

Kwun Tong Apparels Ltd. had been operating business in Adamjee EPZ since 2006. But due to the global

economic downturn caused by Corona Pandemic, the company declared closed for not being able to

run the business. BEPZA asked Kwun Tong Apparels repeatedly to pay the dues of the workers of the

factory. In this context, the company recently paid Tk.18.58 crore to 5787 workers against their

Provident Fund (PF) and Gratuity. Hong Kong (China) owned Lenny Fashions and Lenny Apparels Ltd.

had been operating RMG industry in Dhaka EPZ since 1999 and 2010 respectively. At present, the

demand of the woven garments is decreased and the orders from the buyers is also stopped due to

Covid-19 situation. As a result, the two factories declared closed their business activities. Tk. 42.25

crore against the dues of 6730 workers have been paid due to tireless effort of BEPZA. Photo : Courtesy

Asian markets struggle

as inflation worries

offset recovery hopes

HONG KONG: Markets were

mixed Monday as investors

struggled to maintain an

initial rally, with falling

infection rates and more

good news on the vaccine

front playing off against

worries about high valuations

and inflation, reports BSS.

While the United States is

approaching 500,000

deaths, there is growing

optimism that there is light at

the end of the tunnel in the

Covid-19 crisis as

governments embark on

immunisation programmes

that will allow economies to

reopen.

Expectations that

President Joe Biden's vast

stimulus will be passed next

month are also keeping

spirits up, as a raft of data last

week on factory and services

activity indicated the

financial hit to the United

States and Europe might not

be as bad as feared.

News that the

Pfizer/BioNTech jab

appeared to prevent nine in

10 people from getting the

disease in Israel - which is the

most advanced in its rollout -

provided a positive

background. Israeli officials

also said the shot was 99

percent effective at preventing

deaths from the disease.

Foodpanda and Bidyanondo join

hands to reduce food wastage

Each year, an estimated one-third of all

food produced in the world is wasted.

Globally, this amounts to approximately

1.3 billion tons of food per year. In

Bangladesh alone, food waste comprises

most of all solid waste. Wasting food has

a cascading impact on all aspects of society:

it impacts food security for individuals

across the world, hampers economic

development, and intensifies the current

climate crisis. In an effort to minimize

food

waste, foodpanda

Bangladesh

has partnered

with Bidyanondo

Foundation,

a press release

said.

As part of this

collaboration,

volunteers from

the Bidyanondo

Foundation are collecting food items

from cancelled orders on the foodpanda

platform. These food items are being

collected from designated rider hubs

and distributed amongst the underprivileged.

This means that cancelled orders

will no longer go to waste. Beyond promoting

greater food security and reducing

food wastage, both the Bidyanondo

Foundation and foodpanda Bangladesh

pledge that all collected food is being

redistributed with food safety standards

and proper packaging in mind.

foodpanda also ensures that food

items returned by its riders to designated

hubs throughout the day will remain

fresh and safe for consumption, while

Bidyanondo Foundation volunteers

ensure that the stored items will be

picked up in a timely manner and distributed

among the needy in a way that

maintains proper hygiene.

"We're happy that Bidyanondo Foundation

has come forward to support us

in reducing food wastage. Through this

collaboration, not only will we be able to

reduce food wastage, but we will also

help feed vulnerable individuals over

time and

achieve better

sustainability

for the future.

We're hoping

that this initiative

will

help make a

p o s i t i v e

impact on the

c o m m u n i t y

and country

we love so much," said Ambareen Reza,

Managing Director and co-founder at

foodpanda Bangladesh.

Kishor Kumar Das, Founder and

Chairman of Bidyanondo Foundation

said, "Even after providing food to millions

of people in the One Taka Meal

program, we felt dissatisfied with food

charity for not being able to take any

effective action against food wastage.

The dream that we had for the last three

years by conveying the food quoted from

social events to the floating people, is

now starting its journey on a large scale

with foodpanda. Thanks to foodpanda

for joining this journey with Bidyanondo."

SUnDAY, FeBrUArY 28, 2021

9

tiger Woods of the U.S. on the 18th hole during the second round.

photo: reuters

Tuchel reveals Man Utd defeat

left him in a ‘dark place’

Tiger Woods recovering, in

'good spirits' after follow-up

procedures-tweet

SportS DeSk

Fifteen-time major winner Tiger Woods is

recovering and in "good spirits" after he

received successful follow-up procedures

on injuries sustained this week in a car

accident, according to a statement posted

to his Twitter account on Friday, reports

BSS.

Woods, considered one of the greatest

golfers of his generation, was being treated

at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los

Angeles following the crash on Tuesday,

which left him with a fractured right leg

and shattered ankle.

"Tiger and his family want to thank you

all for the wonderful support and

messages they have received over the past

few days," the statement read. "We will not

have any further updates at this time."

Woods, 45, who overcame numerous

surgeries to break an 11-year major

drought and win the 2019 Masters, had

hoped to compete at Augusta in April.

The accident stunned the world of

professional sport and prompted an

outpouring of support from fellow athletes

as well as former US Presidents Donald

Trump and Barack Obama.

We want this to end as soon as

possible: Taskin on isolation

in New Zealand

SportS DeSk

The Bangladesh national cricket

team reached Christchurch, New

Zealand on Wednesday afternoon to

play three ODIs and three T20Is

against New Zealand later next

month. They stayed in isolation

upon reaching there and pacer

Taskin Ahmed has hailed this as a

'whole new experience' for the team.

The team stayed 48 hours in

isolation after reaching

Christchurch. Each player remained

in their own room and wasn't

allowed to get out and meet others,

until Friday as their first corona test

came negative.

The players and support staff met

each other after two long days and

walked keeping a 2-meter distance

from each other today. Taskin

mentioned this is a whole new

experience for the team and they

want this to finish as soon as

possible.

"We never spent 48 hours like this

before. We got a chance to see

everyone after our first corona test

came negative and walked keeping a

2-meter distance among each other

today," Taskin said via a video

message.

"It still felt good. It felt like we

have been caged for the past two

days."

"Overall this has been a different

experience, but we want this to end

as soon as possible," Taskin added.

The players are mainly spending

their time by talking to their families

and watching movies. They are also

exercising in their own rooms

following the programs BCB set for

them.

The series will begin with ODIs on

March 20 at Dunedin.

SportS DeSk

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has

revealed he was left in a "dark place"

after Manchester United knocked

Paris Saint Germain out of the

Champions League during his time in

charge of the French club.

Tuchel has a chance to avenge that

painful loss against United when Ole

Gunnar Solskjaer's side visits

Stamford Bridge in a crucial Premier

League clash on Sunday, reports AP.

That will be the fifth time in just

over two years that Tuchel has faced

United.

The 47-year-old still has the mental

scars from PSG's 2019 meltdown

against United.

After a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford,

PSG were left stunned at Parc des

Princes three weeks later when they

conceded a penalty in stoppage-time

to suffer a 3-1 defeat and exit the last

16 on away goals.

"I can be very honest, after that

match I was two days in a very dark

place and I can tell you I was not able

to speak to anybody and to think

about anything else than this defeat,"

Tuchel said.

"That maybe was the worst defeat

that I experienced because it came from

nowhere. It was, in a way, in the

circumstances that it arrived. I was for

two days in a dark place for a coach to

be at."

It remains the only time the former

Borussia Dortmund boss has felt that

low after a result but he admitted it

proved a crucial learning experience.

PSG were able to bounce back and

win the Ligue 1 title before Tuchel led

them to a Champions League final

defeat against Bayern Munich last

season.

"I didn't experience anything like

this ever again or before," Tuchel

said.

"It was in the circumstances, this

game, how we arrived there, the

pressure around the club concerning

the round of 16, the history before

and the result of the first match and

the way the second match went with

the VAR decision in the last minute.

"It was like it came from absolutely

nowhere and that's why this hit was

hard to take. But, like I said, I was two

days in a dark place but then we gave

the players two days off and I think

that was the best for everybody.

"After that, it's like this in sports, it

can teach you that you have to stand

up and accept that a defeat is

sometimes necessary to grow and

develop and to ask yourself decisive

questions.

"That can hurt and the reward was

one year later, it was almost the

perfect reward when we arrived in the

final and we came a long way for that.

It was through adversity and it's often

said that it makes you stronger."

Chelsea, unbeaten since Tuchel

replaced the sacked Frank Lampard

in January, must beat United to keep

in touch in the top four race, while the

visitors need a win to maintain their

faint hopes of catching leaders

Manchester City.

the players and support staff met each other after two long days and walked keeping a 2-meter distance

from each other.

photo: BCB

Tanvir's five wickets put

Bangladesh Emerging on top

"I can be very honest, after that match I was two days in a very dark place and I can tell you I was not

able to speak to anybody and to think about anything else than this defeat," tuchel said. photo: Ap

US investors bet on ‘sleeping giant’

Serie A's return to glory days

SportS DeSk

Parma and Spezia have become the

most recent Italian clubs to pass into

US ownership with more than a

quarter of Serie A outfits now in the

hands of north American owners,

reports BSS.

Their bet? Growth in TV rights and

the modernisation of ageing stadiums

fuelling a new era of Italian football.

Two top flight games this weekend

will be derbies between US-owned

teams - Roma versus AC Milan and

Spezia against Parma.

If foreign investment has long been

part of the Premier League with only

four clubs still British-owned, the

phenomenon is more recent in Italy.

The harsh economic reality of the

coronavirus pandemic has made clubs

more open to potential investors,

experts told AP.

Roma's US-era began a decade ago

with James Pallotta, who sold on to

another American businessman Dan

Friedkin last summer.

Former European giants AC Milan

are also flying the US flag since

passing into the hands of the Elliott

Management group in 2018 after the

club's Chinese owners defaulted on a

debt to the hedge fund.

Fiorentina have been owned by

Italian-born US businessman Rocco

Commisso since 2019, while this

season the Krause group became the

the majority shareholder in Parma,

and financier Robert Platek and his

family purchased promoted Spezia in

February. Canadian Joey Saputo has

owned Bologna since 2014.

This North American interest is

based on an economic bet, the

awakening of the "sleeping giant" that

would be Serie A, according to Patrick

Massey of Portas Consulting, a British

firm which specialises in sport.

Italy were the centre of the football

planet in the 1980s and 1990s, in the

days when Argentina great Diego

Maradona played at Napoli.

The sum paid for Spezia, a reported

25 million euros ($30 million), is a

"good example" of the current

devaluation of Italian football,

compared to other European or MLS

clubs, according to Jordan Gardner,

an American investor who has worked

with several European clubs, and now

owns Danish side FC Helsingor.

Andrea Sartori, head of the sport

sector at audit firm KPMG believes

investors are counting on a future

increase in television rights for the

Italian league which are "very far from

those of the Premier League or La

Liga, in particular internationally".

The allocation of rights for the next

three seasons is underway in Italy.

Liga Serie A expect a certain stability

for broadcasting in Italy, 970 million

euros per year currently, but hopes for

an increase overseas (370 million

euros).

The other expected growth area is

the country's outdated stadiums, with

just a few in the ownership of their

club such as Juventus, Udinese,

Sassuolo and Atalanta.

This dream of renovated or even

new sports facilities, to increase ticket

sales and generate additional income,

seems to be shared by all clubs under

the American banner.

In Milan as in Rome, the project of a

new stadium has existed for years.

In Florence, Commisso has been

talking about a completely restored

stadium since arriving, despite

recently stating he has given up

because of administrative

difficulties.

SportS DeSk

Tanvir Islam was the star

of the show on day one of

the four-day match

between the Bangladesh

Emerging team and

Ireland A, reports BSS.

The left-arm offspinner

took five wickets

for 55 runs to do the bulk

of the damage and

restrict the visitors to

just 151 runs ar the

Zahur Ahmed

Chowdhury Stadium in

Chattogram.

In reply, Bangladesh

were 81/1 with opener

Tanzid Hasan looking

solid in an innings of 41

from 39 balls before

being dismissed.

Having won the toss,

Ireland A decided to bat

first and got off to a

steady start as their

openers James

McCollum and Jeremy

Lawlor saw off the

opening bowlers Khaled

Ahmed and Ebadot

Hossain without losing a

wicket.

It was when captain

Saif Hassan decided to

bring on Tanvir, that the

first wicket of McCollum

fell in the last ball of the

15th over as the opener

was out lbw for 19 with

the team score at 34.

Khaled was brought

back by his skipper for a

second spell and he

bowled with pace and

fire to dismiss the other

opener Lawlor.

In the 22nd over as he

was caught by Yasir Ali

after scoring 13 and with

the team's score on 42.

Two balls later, the

Ireland captain Harry

Tector was got for a

golden duck and it was

Tanvir who caught the

edge as it went into the

tanvir Islam leads the way after taking five wickets.

safe hands of the

wicketkeeper Akbar Ali.

The first session ended

with another wicket for

Bangladesh as pacer

Ebadat uprooted the

stumps of Stephen

Doheny after he scored

14 runs with Ireland in

dire straits at 62/4.

The visitors then

started the second

session a lot better as

Curtis Campher and

Lorcan Tucker formed a

partnership to take the

team past 100.

But this time it was the

captain who brought

himself onto the attack

with his part-time offspin

and got the

breakthrough by

dismissing Tucker for 20

as Ireland's score read

111/5.

Tanvir Islam then

struck again to claim his

third scalp, the wicket of

Mark Adair for 9 runs

but Campher was a

happy camper, scoring

runs on the other end.

With Camper on 39,

Saif once again got the

breakthrough as

Mahmudul Hasan Joy

took a neat catch and peg

Ireland further back at

127/7.

Two more wickets fell

in quick succession as

Tanvir had his fourth

wicket - that of Gareth

Delany (4) - and Ebadot

had his second as he

clean-bowled Jonathan

Garth for a duck.

Peter Chase, the last

batsman, played some

shots to stay not out on

14 and take his team past

150, but Tanvir had the

last laugh, taking his fifth

wicket, that of Graham

Hume for 10.

photo: BCB

sUNDAY, feBrUArY 28, 2021

10

Chobi Mela Shunno

goes virtual

Great news pouring on for connoisseurs of

art. International photography festival's 11th

edition 'Chobi Mela Shunno' has now gone

virtual, reports UNB.

Organised by Drik Picture Library and

Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, the

special hybrid edition of the biggest photo

festival kicked off in the capital on February

12 and concluded on February 21.

Now, the festival will be on the web for the

next six months, all thanks to renowned art

agency ARTcon. The virtual exhibition was

launched on the closing date of its physical

edition in Dhaka.

Art enthusiasts from home and abroad

have lauded the online initiative.

ARTcon founder and Chief Creative

Officer at Cosmos Books, ARK Reepon, told

UNB that the online exhibition "is

transcending the barriers of time, regions

and other roadblocks".

"We have converted the entire DrikPath

building and the artworks into virtual

reality so that audiences can explore the

exhibition as exactly what it was in the

physical format. Those who could not visit

the festival physically due to the pandemic

or other reasons will now be able to

experience it in the 3D virtual space,"

Reepon said.

He added, "The initial concept crossed our

minds when we were in talks with

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA)

regarding a similar initiative on the

upcoming 19th Asian Art Biennale

Bangladesh 2021, the physical exhibition of

which was postponed last year due to the

emergence of Covid-19.

"However, the idea of this virtual

exhibition was then welcomed by Drik and

after our meeting with Shahidul Alam

(renowned international photojournalist

and the initiator of Chobi Mela) before the

inauguration of the physical festival

And we could proceed to implement the

project with advanced technology."

Reepon said the virtual exhibition is

covering every single artwork showcased at

the physical event from February 12 to 21,

with more detailed descriptions and assistance

of virtual guides. "Every corner of the

exhibition venue, the DrikPath building, is

being projected, including the galleries,

staircases and rooftop spaces where the

artworks were showcased during the festival."

"We have implemented cutting edge

technology to differentiate the time barriers,

as some of the artworks were created to be

projected at daylight while some of them

required night ambience. So not only this

initiative is projecting, documenting and

preserving the hard works of the artists, it is

also providing an outstanding or even better

visual experiences," he said.

Expressing gratitude to the organisers,

Reepon said that this idea can also be

implemented for showcasing national

monuments such as the Parliament Building

where physical viewing is restricted due to

security reasons.

"We have the technology and sound

knowledge to provide the best visual

experience to audiences, so if the

government and organisations like BSA

proceed to make virtual collaborations with

ARTcon on projects like these, I think it will

be helpful to everyone, especially the elderly

and the handicapped," Reepon added.

Chobi Mela Shunno' in Dhaka was joined

by a total of 75 artists from countries

representing South Asia, this year.

Alongside host nation Bangladesh, artists

from India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

virtually participated at the event.

The photographs were showcased under

eight projects in a total of eight segments,

namely Off-Limits, The Rebel with A Smile,

Wishing Tree, Frozen Song, Crossroads

Collectives' Intervention, Baba Betar,

Chhapakhana Archive, Anatomies of

Tongues and projects under the Chobi Mela

Fellowship 2021, which was awarded to 14

young artists under the special segment

curated by Zihan Karim titled 'Bodh',

inspired from Jibanananda Das's poem of

the same name.

Tanzim Wahab, ASM Rezaur Rahman and

Sarker Protick, along with Anushka

Rajendran, Nazmun Nahar Keya and Zihan

Karim, curated this year's Chobi Mela.

Photographic artworks from a total of 32

local and foreign artists were showcased.

Participating collectives were Cheragi Art

Show (Jog Art Space) from Chattogram,

Daagi Art Garage from Dhaka, Kali

Collective from Dhaka and Colomboscope

from Sri Lanka.

One of the major highlights in this year's

edition has been 'Baba Betar' by artist Arfun

Ahmed, an experimental art-radio project.

This special edition of the festival also

observed and celebrated 'Drik Day' on

February 13, 'Pathshala Day' on February

14, 'Solidarity Day' on February 15 and

'Baba Betar Day' on February 16.

For the next six months, the virtual

exhibition can be experienced on

www.chobimela.org or by clicking on the

link https://artcon.com.bd/vr/chobimela/.

Since the inaugural edition in 2000, Chobi

Mela has been one of the most celebrated

photographic events in Asia.

Salauddin Lavlu , Sagor

president and general

secretary of Directors' Guild

TBT reporT

The noted director and actor

Salauddin Lavlu was elected as

president of Directors' Guild

election for the second

consecutive time, while

Kamruzzaman Sagar was

elected as the general secretary.

Salauddin Lavlu secured the

president position with 170

votes while his competitors

Ananta Hira got 149 votes and

Dipu Hazra was left with 12

votes only.

Kamruzzaman Sagor won

the general secretary post

TBT reporT

Shafiq Tuhin, the singer, lyricist

and music director along with

singer Ayesha Mousumi have

lent their voice to an 18 years old

song titled 'Buk Chin Chin

Korche Hai' from the film

with 170 votes while his

competitor Mostafa Kamal

Raj lost by just 9 votes.

Masum Aziz, Faridul Hasan

and Rafiqullah Selim won the

posts of vice-president.

Piklu Chowdhury and Firoz

Khan won as joint general

secretaries.

Ferari Amit was elected as

the organisational secretary.

Shahidunnabi won the

position of publicity and

publication secretary.

Training and Archive

Secretary position was won by

Mostafa Manon. Information

George Clooney, Julia Roberts

reunite for Ticket to Paradise

Hollywood stars George Clooney

and Julia Roberts are set to reunite

for upcoming movie Ticket to

Paradise.

The film, which hails from

Universal Pictures and Working

Title, will be directed by The Best

Exotic Marigold Hotel helmer Ol

Parker, reported Variety.

Clooney and Roberts will play a

divorced couple who teams up and

travels to Bali to stop their daughter

from making the same mistake they

think they made 25 years ago.

The two actors previously

collaborated on two Ocean's Eleven

films and also for 2016 movie

Money Monster.

Ticket to Paradise has a script

from Theodore Melfi based on an

idea by Parker and Daniel Pipski.

Working Title's Tim Bevan and

Eric Fellner will produce alongside

Deborah Balder Stone and Sarah

Harvey. Clooney most recently

featured in Netflix's sci-fi movie The

Midnight Sky. Roberts will next star

as Martha Mitchell in the TV series

Gaslit.

Source: The Indian Express

and Technology Secretary

position was secured by

Anisul Haque. Law and

Welfare Secretary is Niaz

Mahmud Akkas while Office

Secretary was won by Golam

Muktadir.

The Directors' Guild

election saw 397 voters

among which 359 people have

voted while 28 votes have

been cancelled.

Sazzad Hossain Sony has

been elected finance secretary

'Bastob' (2003). The titled of the

new version of the song is 'Buk

Chin Chin 2.0'.

Written by Kabir Bakul, the

original song was sung by

Andrew Kishore and Doly

Sayontoni. Popular actors

Manna and Purnima were lipsynced

to the song. The new

version's music is arranged by

Alvi Al Biruni.

Under the banner of Anupam

Records, the shooting of this bigbudget

music video has been

completed at Bangladesh Film

Development Corporation

(BFDC) recently.

Choreographer Habib has

made the video while Shupto

and Shakila Parvin will be seen

in the music video along with the

singers.

About the song, Shafiq Tuhin

and Abu Hayat Mahmud,

Imraul Huda Rafat,

Anisuzzaman

Anis,

Mahmudunnabi, Tariq

Muhammad Hasan, Mostafizur

Rahman Suman and Hafizur

Rahman Suruj have been

elected executive committee

members, uncontested.

Actor-director SM

Mohsin along with Naresh

Bhuiyan and Masum Reza

announced the result at 8

pm yesterday.

Shafiq, Ayesha lent voice

to 'Buk Chin Chin 2.0'

and Ayesha Mousumi said, "We

are very happy to lend our voice

to this popular song. Our main

aim is to introduce the old

legendary Bangla movie songs to

the new generation.

That's why we have lent our

voice to the song with new

arrangement. The music video of

the song is also very attractive.

Hopefully, 'Buk Chin Chin 2.0'

will be another smash hit."

The song will be released on

the YouTube channel of

Anupam Music soon.

Aishwarya Rai's Pakistani doppelganger

Aamna Imran stuns internet

Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has got another

addition to her list of doppelgangers. After Manasi Naik, Ammuzz

Amrutha and Mahlagha Jaberi, who got noticed for their

resemblance to the former Miss World, it is Aamna Imran who

has caught the attention of people on the internet. Aamna is a

beauty blogger from Pakistan who is quite active on social media.

On her Instagram account, Aamna often recreates

Aishwarya's looks from her movies. She also has a few videos

where she is seen enacting scenes from films like Ae Dil Hai

Mushkil, Devdas and Mohabbatein. One of her videos shows

her posing like Aishwarya with the song "Dil Dooba" from the

movie Khakhee playing in the background.

In 2005, actor Sneha Ullal was also compared to Aishwarya

when she made her debut in the movie Lucky No Time For

Love. The audience found her quite similar to Aishwarya and

even called her the 'second Aishwarya of Bollywood'.

Aishwarya was recently spotted at a family wedding where

she danced along with daughter Aaradhya and husband

Abhishek Bachchan. On the work front, Aishwarya is back to

the movies and has started work on her next film Ponniyin

Selvan, a historical drama by filmmaker Mani Ratnam.

Source: Hindustan Times

H o r o s c o p e

ArIes

(March 21 - April 20) : You might feel

more energetic than you have in a long

time, Aries. The day's planetary aspects

offer a powerful energy that will increase

your mental acuity and physical strength, and this can

really help you tackle and finish any tasks that have

been piling up. If you manage to accomplish so much

that you have time to spare, help others lighten their

load. Tend to your own first, however.

TAUrUs

(April 21 - May 21) : If there's something

you want to take on, Taurus, today's the

day. The celestial aspects will see an

increase in physical and mental strength

that can work wonders for you. Put any insecurity or

lack of confidence in the trash, and take the steps you

need to tackle your project or goal. You have the

ability to make sound judgments, so put your trust in

this talent. Take steps to get what you want.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : Jealousy might rear

its head today, Gemini. The key to it all is to

understand where and why you feel

insecure. If you're jealous of a mate, what's

going on in the relationship? Is trust an issue? If this

comes up at work, is it because you don't feel recognized

for your contributions? Examine the cause of jealousy.

It's almost always a symptom of a deeper problem.

cANcer

(June 22 - July 23) : Arts and crafts

may interest you today, Cancer. Even

if you lean more toward sports, an

artistic streak will likely run pretty

strong in you. The process of creating can be

richly satisfying, both in the process and in the

satisfaction of a finished product. Allow yourself

the opportunity to explore this, as the day's energy

will lend much to your abilities.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Getting along

with others may prove challenging

today, Leo. The influence from the

planetary aspects can have you

preferring to withdraw and isolate. You might feel

impatient and annoyed. If so, and being alone is an

option, go for it. If it isn't, you will need to curb the

tendency to be argumentative or confrontational.

Exercise patience and avoid conflict.

VIrGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Don't be surprised if

you're a little weepy today, Virgo. The

influence from planets can enhance your

sensitivity to almost everything, including

your own feelings. Take heart. It's bound to be shortlived.

Cry if you need to, since it can be cleansing. Try

not to wallow too much. Chances are good that things

will look better tomorrow. Take care of yourself today.

LIBrA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Fanaticism or

obsessive thinking may be something you

need to look at today, Libra. Common

areas for such behaviors are in the pursuit

of money, power, success, and romance. There's a fine

line between ambition and obsession. If you find that

you think of nothing else but one fixation, it may be time

to talk with someone about it. He or she may see what

you don't want to see.

scorpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : Don't act

impulsively today, Scorpio. It could be

easy to confuse this with spontaneity.

One has more thought put into it than

the other. With this day's influence, be certain to

look before you leap. Think everything through,

from decisions to projects to contracts. Read the

fine print more than once. When it comes to

relationships, be careful not to trust too quickly.

sAGITTArIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Is it time to take a more

drastic approach to a problem, Sagittarius? If

you've made several attempts to resolve your

trouble but to no avail, you might consider it.

As long as "drastic" doesn't mean "destructive," you may

find success trying something far more forward and

insistent. Be careful, however. Think things through

carefully first. Run any ideas you have past a trusted friend.

cAprIcorN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): Tap into your creativity

to unblock the emotional flow today,

Capricorn. This can be a powerful tool.

Creativity is a big part of who you are,

almost as big as communication. Your emotions link

to these two aspects and constantly interact beneath

the surface. If one gets blocked, release it by focusing

on the other. Express yourself through creativity and

consider talking to someone close.

AQUArIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : You may need to deal

with someone's disapproval today,

Aquarius. This will likely come from

someone you see as either a superior or

authority figure, perhaps a parent. While it's important

to listen to this person, if what they say involves your

job, personal life, or how you choose to live, it's no one's

concern but yours. No matter how you do things,

someone will disapprove somewhere.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Time alone is

essential for everyone, Pisces, but make

sure you recognize when you're isolated to

the point where it's unhealthy. If you

realize you're alone because you're avoiding something,

you might consider your alternatives. Things will only

fester under these conditions. Face whatever it is that's

upsetting you so you can begin to work things out.

SUNDAY, FeBRUARY 28, 2021

11

KSRM Industrial Group sets up

Shaheed Minar in Purbachal

Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam as the chief guest

addressed the inauguration ceremony of 'Patenga Boosting Pump Station' under Chittagong Water

Supply and Sanitation Project at Hotel Radisson Blu in Chattogram on Saturday. Photo: Courtesy

Brazil's capital goes into lockdown

to quell Covid-19 surge

The governor of Brazil's capital city,

Brasilia, decreed a 24-hour lockdown for all

but essential services on Friday to curb a

worsening Covid-19 outbreak that has filled

its intensive care wards to the brim, reports

BSS.

The drastic step came as right-wing

President Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly

downplayed the gravity of the pandemic

that has killed 250,000 Brazilians,

renewed his attacks on state governors for

destroying jobs with lockdowns.

"The lockdown will start today and be

total, it will be 24-hours a day," said a press

aide for the federal district's Governor

Ibaneis Rocha. A decree published at the

end of the day said the lockdown would

start right after midnight Saturday.

Shops, pharmacies, gas stations, churches

and funeral parlors will remain open, the

aide said, but everything else will shut

down, especially bars and restaurants,

which were blamed for increased spread

during the end of last year and Carnival holidays.

Intensive care wards in Brasilia, the thirdlargest

city in Brazil with 3 million inhabitants,

are as full as they were at the peak of

the pandemic last year, with more than

80% of the beds occupied, the health

department said.

The situation is as bad or worse in cities

across Brazil, with intensive care beds in

the capitals of 17 of Brazil's 26 states this

week reaching the most critical level since

the pandemic began a year ago, according

to a report by biomedical center Fiocruz.

Bolsonaro, who lives and works in

Brasilia, said governors imposing restrictions

were doing Brazilians a disservice.

"What the people most want is to work,"

he said on a visit to northeastern Brazil on

Friday, one day after Brazil recorded its second-worst

daily death toll. He threatened to

cut off federal emergency pandemic assistance

to states resorting to lockdowns.

"From now on, governors who close down

their states will have to provide for their

own emergency aid," Bolsonaro said.

Brazil has had 65,169 new cases of the

novel coronavirus reported in the past 24

hours, and 1,337 deaths from Covid-19, the

health ministry said on Friday.

The South American country has now

registered 10,455,630 cases since the pandemic

began, while the official death toll

has risen to 252,835, according to ministry

data, in the world's third-worst outbreak

outside the United States and India and the

world's second-deadliest.

Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls

taken in mass abduction

Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding

school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police

said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings

of students in the West African nation,

reports UNB.

Police and the military have begun joint

operations to rescue the girls after the attack

at the Government Girls Junior Secondary

School in Jangebe town, according to a police

spokesman in Zamfara state, Mohammed

Shehu, who confirmed the number abducted.

One parent, Nasiru Abdullahi, told The

Associated Press that his daughters, aged 10

and 13, are among the missing.

"It is disappointing that even though the

military have a strong presence near the

school they were unable to protect the girls,"

he said. "At this stage, we are only hoping on

divine intervention."

Resident Musa Mustapha said the gunmen

also attacked a nearby military camp and

checkpoint, preventing soldiers from interfering

while the gunmen spent several hours

at the school. It was not immediately clear if

there were any casualties.

Several large groups of armed men operate

in Zamfara state, described by the government

as bandits, and are known to kidnap for

money and to push for the release of their

members from jail.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari

said Friday the government's primary objective

is to get all the school hostages returned

safe, alive and unharmed.

"We will not succumb to blackmail by bandits

and criminals who target innocent school

students in the expectation of huge ransom

payments," he said. "Let bandits, kidnappers

and terrorists not entertain any illusions that

they are more powerful than the government.

They shouldn't mistake our restraint for the

humanitarian goals of protecting innocent

lives as a weakness, or a sign of fear or irresolution."

He called on state governments to review

their policy of making payments, in money or

vehicles, to bandits.

"Such a policy has the potential to backfire

with disastrous consequences," Buhari said.

He also said state and local governments

must play their part by being proactive in

improving security in and around schools.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

strongly condemned the abductions and

called for the girls' "immediate and unconditional

release" and safe return to their families,

calling attacks on schools a grave violation

of human rights and the rights of children,

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric

said.

South Korea allows

workers to squeeze

extra doses

South Korea's Disease

Control and Prevention

Agency has allowed health

workers to squeeze extra

doses from vials of coronavirus

vaccines developed by

AstraZeneca and Pfizer,

reports UNB.

The decision on Saturday

came after some health

workers who were administering

the AstraZeneca shots

reported to authorities that

they still saw additional

doses left in the bottles that

had each been used for 10

injections.

KDCA official Jeong

Gyeong-shil said skilled

workers may be able to

squeeze one or two extra

doses from each vial if they

use low dead-volume

syringes designed to reduce

wasted medications and vaccines.

However, she said the

KDCA isn't allowing health

workers from combining

vaccines left in different bottles

to create more doses.

Russian diplomats arrive

from virus-hit North

Korea on rail trolley

SEOUL : Eight Russian

diplomats and family members

- the youngest of them

a three-year-old girl - have

arrived home from North

Korea on a hand-pushed

rail trolley due to

Pyongyang's coronavirus

restrictions.

Video posted on Russia's

foreign ministry's verified

Telegram account showed

the trolley, laden with suitcases

and women, being

pushed across a border railway

bridge by Third

Secretary Vladislav

Sorokin, the only man in

the group.

They waved and cheered

as they approached their

homeland, the culmination

of an expedition that began

with a 32-hour train trip

from Pyongyang, followed

by a two-hour bus ride to

the border.

"It took a long and difficult

journey to get home,"

the ministry said in the post

late Thursday, speaking of

the final stretch.

The prize distribution of the final game of the Inter-Upazila Football League was held at Mohadevpur

in Naogaonon Friday evening.

Photo: M Shakhawath Hossain

SM Akash, Chattogram

Correspondent: A Shaheed Minarhas

been constructed in Sector 11 of

Purbachal New Town in the capital

with the funding of KSRM, a wellknown

steel manufacturer in the country.

This is the first Shaheed Minar in

Purbachal built at Joy Bangla Chattar.

It was built with the approval of

RAJUK at the initiative of Ikrimikari, a

children's publishing house. The

Shaheed Minar was designed by artist

Mahbubul Haque. According to the

entrepreneurs, a cultural zone will be

built around the Shaheed Minar in the

new city of Purbachal. Which will

spread the message of Bengali and

Bengali culture and tradition to the new

generation.

Built of steel sheet, this Shaheed

Minar has four pillars. The nozzles of

the two pillars will be connected with

the other two. As such, one of the two

pillars is 21 feet high and the other is 31

feet high. On the altar of the minaret

there will be a beautiful and beautiful

flower garden. There is still some work

to be done. However, it has been open

to the public since February 21. On the

morning of Ekushey, people of different

professions paid homage to the language

martyrs by placing flowers on the

altar of Shaheed Minar.

The Shaheed Minar was inaugurated

on 20 February around Joy Bangla

Chattar by drawing the alphabet and

alpana of artists, children and local

people.

It was inaugurated by language soldier

Ahmed Rafiq. Local MP Gazi

Golam Dastagir and Bir Pratik were

also present at the inaugural function.

In this context, KSRM Deputy

Managing Director Shahriar Jahan

Rahat said, 21 means Bangla. February

is language month. And Ekushey

February is the passion of Bangla and

Bengali. Which is mixed in the blood

stream of generation after generation.

In the month of language, KSRM wants

to be associated with that passion of the

nation from the side of Ikrimikri, the

entrepreneurial organization for the

construction of Shaheed Minar. The

memory of the heroes who gave their

lives for the language is further enlightened

by the construction of Shaheed

Minar. We want the heroism of the

martyrs to be more meaningful and

meaningful to the new generation.

Besides, humble homage to those

heroes whose self-sacrifice has made

the mother tongue Bangla the seat of

dignity.

Regarding KSRM's involvement in

the construction of Shaheed Minar in

Purbachal, Media Advisor Mizanul

Islam said, "KSRM has stood by the

entrepreneurs respecting the sacrifices

of Bahasa Shahid." The urge of KSRM

to preserve the memory of those who

sacrificed their lives for the protection

of the mother tongue will be remembered

with gratitude by generation

after generation.

Kakli, executive editor of Ikrimikori,

an entrepreneurial children's publishing

house, said about the main event, to

cherish the beloved alphabet acquired

at the cost of one's life; One of the ways

to pay homage to the martyrs. And for

that purpose, the Shaheed Minar has

been built at the Joy Bangla Chattar in

Purbachal with the love of KSRM and

people of all walks of life. Alphabet festival

will be organized regularly in this

Shaheed Minar every year with the participation

of all. It will be universal. We

want to build a cultural zone around

this Shaheed Minar in the new town of

Purbachal. Where Bengali language

and Bengali nationalism will be practiced.

A Shaheed Minar has been constructed in Sector 11 of Purbachal New Town in the capital with the

funding of KSRM.

Photo: S M Akash

Myanmar police deploy early to

crank up pressure on protests

Police in Myanmar on Saturday escalated

their crackdown on demonstrators

against this month's military

takeover, deploying early and in force

as protesters sought to assemble in the

country's two biggest cities, reports

UNB.

Myanmar's crisis took a dramatic

turn Friday on the international stage

when the country's ambassador to the

United Nations at a special session of

the General Assembly declared his loyalty

to the ousted civilian government

of Aung San Suu Kyi and called on the

world to pressure the military to cede

power.

There were arrests in Yangon and

Mandalay, the two biggest cities where

demonstrators have been hitting the

streets daily to peacefully demand the

restoration of the government of Suu

Kyi, whose National League for

Democracy party won a landslide election

victory in November. Police have

increasingly been enforcing an order

by the junta banning gatherings of five

or more people.

Many other cities and towns have

also hosted large protests against the

Feb. 1 coup.

The takeover has reversed years of

slow progress toward democracy after

five decades of military rule. Suu Kyi's

party would have been installed for a

second five-year term in office, but the

army blocked Parliament from convening

and detained her and President

Win Myint and other top members of

her government.

At the General Assembly in New

York, Myanmar's Ambassador Kyaw

Moe Tun declared in an emotional

speech to fellow delegates that he represented

Suu Kyi's "civilian government

elected by the people" and supported

the fight against military rule.

He urged all countries to issue public

statements strongly condemning the

coup, and to refuse to recognize the

military regime. He also called for

stronger international measures to

stop violence by security forces against

peaceful demonstrators.

He drew loud applause from many

diplomats in the 193-nation global

body, as well as effusive praise from

other Burmese on social media, who

described him as a hero. The ambassador

flashed a three-finger salute that

has been adopted by the civil disobedience

movement at the end of his speech

in which he addressed people back

home in Burmese.

In Yangon on Saturday morning,

police began arrests early at the

Hledan Center intersection, which has

become the gathering point for protesters

who then fan out to other parts of

the city. Police took similar action in

residential neighborhoods.

Security forces also tried to thwart

protests in Mandalay, where roadblocks

were set up at several key intersections

and the regular venues for rallies

were flooded with police.

Mandalay has been the scene of several

violent confrontations, and at least

four of eight confirmed deaths linked

to the protests, according to the independent

Assistance Association of

Political Prisoners.

On Friday, at least three people there

were injured, two of whom were shot in

the chest by rubber bullets and another

who suffered what appeared to be a

bullet wound on his leg.

According to the association, 771 people

have been arrested, charged or sentenced

at one point in relation to the

coup, and 689 are being detained or

sought for arrest.

The junta said it took power because

last year's polls were marred by massive

irregularities. The election commission

before the military seized

power coup had refuted the allegation

of widespread fraud. The junta dismissed

the old commission's members

and appointed new ones, who on

Friday annulled the election results.

Philippines extends

partial coronavirus

curbs in Manila until

March

Philippine President Rodrigo

Duterte has extended partial

coronavirus curbs in the capital

until the end of March, as

the country awaits the arrival

of vaccines, the presidential

spokesman said on Saturday

(Feb 27), reports BSS.

With South-east Asia's second-highest

tally of infections

and deaths, the Philippines

has suffered lengthy, strict

lockdowns in Manila and

provinces, hitting an economy

that was among Asia's

fastest growing before the

pandemic.

Curbs will stay for another

month in Manila, which

accounts for 40 per cent of

national economic output, the

spokesman Harry Roque said

in a statement.

Also under partial curbs are

Mr Duterte's southern home

city of Davao, and the northern

city of Baguio.

The curbs limit operations

of businesses and public

transport.

The decision follows a

report of 2,651 new virus

infections, the highest daily

increase in more than four

months.Despite calls to further

re-open the economy, the

firebrand leader has pledged

to maintain curbs in the virus

epicentre of Manila until

mass vaccinations begin.

The Philippines will be the

last regional nation to get its

first shipment of vaccines,

comprising 600,000 doses of

Sinovac Biotech's vaccines

donated by China, to be delivered

on Sunday, and earmarked

for healthcare workers

and troops.

Sunday, Dhaka, February 28, 2021, Falgun 15, 1427 BS, Rajab 15, 1442 Hijri

Covid-19 in Bangladesh

Daily infection

rate rises again,

fatalities fall

Dhaka : Bangladesh recorded 407

more Covid-19 infections until early

Saturday, meaning 545,831 people

have now tested positive for the virus

in the country since the start of the

pandemic, reports UNB.

and the daily infection rate rose to

3.30%, which was 3.13% on Friday.

also, the country saw five new

Covid-19 deaths, taking the national

tally to 8,400. and the fatality rate

stood at 1.54%, the Directorate

General of health Services said.

The overall infection rate stood at

13.54%. however, 496,107 patients -

90.89% - have recovered so far.

and 4,030,616 tests, including

12,348 new ones, have been carried

out since the first cases were reported

on March 8. Bangladesh launched a

countrywide coronavirus vaccination

drive on February 7.

By Saturday, 2,984,773 people had

received the first dose of the OxfordastraZeneca

vaccine. The second dose

has to be taken between 8 and 12

weeks of the first one.

The government is providing the

vaccine free of cost. It signed an agreement

with India's Serum Institute for

30 million doses of the vaccine.

The institute will provide five million

doses every month between January

and June. People, who are 40 or above,

can register for the vaccine at

www.surokkha.gov.bd. The on-spot

registration system has been scrapped.

health experts and the government

have been urging people to get registered

and follow safety guidelines even

after getting vaccinated.

Thousands of people who depend on public vehicles for their daily commute, have been hit hard by the

24-hour transport strike in Khulna.

Photo: Star Mail

assam CM for removing barriers

in export-import sector to boost

bilateral trade

NEW DELhI: The Chief Minister of

the Indian state of assam

SarbanandaSonwal has called for regular

contacts between the India-

Bangladesh trade representatives and

exporters for removing barriers in

export import sector to boost bilateral

trade.

"Regular communication and contacts

among the trade representatives

and people directly involved with

export and import between the two

countries are crucial to ease bilateral

trade and removing barriers in

import-export sector," he said.

The CM of assam has expressed the

views when Bangladesh high

Commissioner to India Muhammad

Imran called on him at his residence

on Friday, when they discussed various

bilateral issues with special focus

on export and import and bilateral

trade.

During the meeting, the Bangladesh

envoy referred to the present economic

progress achieved by Bangladesh during

Momen for stronger

BD-US economic ties

Dhaka: Foreign minister Dr ak abdul

Momen has said Dhaka wants stronger

economic relations with the United

States (US) along with more US investment

and leveraging tariff on imports

from Bangladesh, reports BSS.

Strong Bangladesh-US economic

relations are critical and Bangladesh

welcomes US investments, he said in a

meeting with US Chamber of

Commerce in Washington DC on

Thursday, a foreign ministry press

release said here yesterday.

The US Chamber of Commerce

organized a virtual discussion with

Foreign Minister Dr. Momen titled as

"Strengthening Bangladesh-US Trade

and Economic Cooperation".

During the discussion, the foreign

minister expressed Bangladesh's

desire to work closely with the Biden

administration on climate, trade and

investment, and security.

Momen called upon the US government,

to help US consumers and also

to assist millions of female workers in

Bangladesh's RMG sector, to put a

three-year moratorium on the tariff on

imports from Bangladesh.

he said the US companies can invest

in Bangladesh's renewable energy, shipbuilding

and recycling, automobile and

light engineering, chemical fertilizers,

agro-processing, pharmaceuticals,

ceramic and plastic goods, ICT, marine

resource extraction, tourism and medical

equipment sectors.

he also expressed his support for the

launch of the US-Bangladesh Business

the last couple of years under the able

leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh

hasina, daughter of Bangladesh's founding

father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman.

"Bangladesh has gone a long way

towards economic progress during

the last couple of years and now

remains on strong position economically,"

he said.

In this connection, he put emphasis

on enhancing people to people contacts

between the two countries

through youth and cultural exchange

programmes to let the people of the

Indian state of assam know how

Bangladesh has achieved the progress

especially in economic sector.

Earlier on Thursday, high

Commissioner Imran visited assam

and Meghalaya to witness various

important establishments built there

under Bangladesh-India joint initiatives.

as part of his visit, the

Bangladesh envoy also paid a courtesy

call on Deputy Chief Minister of

Council and highlighted partnership

opportunities in Bangladesh, opening

of the digital economy space, digital

payments and energy transition.

Momen highlighted the leadership

of Prime Minister Sheikh hasina for

her vision for economic growth and

transforming Bangladesh into a developed

country by 2041.

Nisha Biswal, senior vice president

(South asia) of US Chamber of

Commerce and former assistant secretary

of state opened the discussion

highlighting how Bangladesh has set a

path towards strong economic growth

and thus the interest from american

corporates engagement with

Bangladesh is growing.

The discussion, also featuring

Bangladesh ambassador to the US

Shahidul Islam and US Department of

State Deputy assistant Secretary

Laura Stone, focused on Bangladesh's

role as an evolving trade partner both

globally and regionally through

increasing US-Bangladesh bilateral

economic activities. Corporate leaders

from different sectors, including energy,

banking, insurance, digital economy,

financial services, healthcare,

aerospace and defense, and others

actively participated in the discussion.

The foreign minister is currently visiting

Washington DC on an official trip

to reach out the new US government

to further enhance the bilateral relations

and to convey Bangladesh's willingness

to work closely with the new

Biden administration.

Meghalaya, PrestoneTynsong at the

latter's office.

During the meeting, the high

Commissioner laid emphasis on different

bilateral issues including further

expansion of cooperation in various

sectors between the two countries.

The Bangladesh high Commissioner

saw himself the various activities of

Dawki-Tamabil custom port immigration

centres on Thursday and

exchanged views with the local government

representatives, lime

exporters and custom officials there.

During his four-day tour in the

two Indian north-eastern states, the

Bangladesh high Commissioner

paid courtesy calls on Meghalaya

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and

visiting Indian Lok Sabha Speaker

Om Birla. he also met Governor of

assam Jagadish Mukhi on Tuesday

and Governor of Meghalaya Sattya

Paul Malik on yesterday

(Wednesday).

9 hC benches to

conduct physical

courts from today

Dhaka: a total of nine benches have

been formed for conducting judicial

activities at the high Court (hC)

Division of the Supreme Court physically

from today.

The benches were formed as per the

specific judicial jurisdiction bestowed

upon Chief Justice Syed Mahmud

hossain, an official statement signed by

Deputy Registrar of the hC Division of

the Supreme Court Mohammad

aktaruzzaman Bhuiyan said here yesterday.

The benches comprise Justice Md

Imdadul haque azad, Justice Md ataur

Rahman khan, Justice Syed

Mohammad Ziaul karim, Justice

Sheikh abdul awal, Justice Sheikh

hasan arif and Justice ahmed Sohel,

Justice Md RuhulQuddus and Justice

kaziIbadat hossain, Justice SM

Mujibur Rahman, Justice khijir ahmed

Chowdhury, especially for civil cases,

and Justice Mohammad khurshid

alamSarker.

The benches will start judicial activities

at 10.30am on Sunday.

Earlier, on May 10, the Supreme

Court issued practice directions for the

appellate Division, high Court Division,

and the subordinate courts and tribunals

for hearing cases virtually amid

the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ferry services

resume on

aricha-kazirhat

route after 20 yrs

Dhaka : after nearly two decades,

ferry services resumed on the arichakazirhat

route on Saturday, reports

UNB.

State Minister for Shipping khalid

Mahmud Chowdhury inaugurated the

ferry services on the route at aricha

point in Manikganj district this morning.

With the resumption of the ferry services,

commuters can reach kazirhat in

just one and a half hours from aricha

point while the return journey will take

just an hour and 20 minutes.

The water boat services on the route

were officially relaunched with one Ro-

Ro and two medium-sized ferries.

While a passenger bus will have to pay

Tk 2,060 to cross the river, a truck driver

will have to shell out Tk 1400. Tk

1,000 has been fixed for a microbus, Tk

680 for a car, Tk 100 for a bike and Tk

25 will be charged from each commuter

for using the services.

Manikganj-1 MP Naimur Rahman

Durjoy, chairman of Bangladesh Inland

Water Transport authority

Commodore Golam Sadeque and

chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water

Transport Corporation Syed

MohamamdTajul Islam were present at

the inauguration ceremony.

The ferry service has been relaunched

as a government's gift to people travelling

to the north-western part of the

country on the birth centenary of the

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The aricha-kazirhat river route will

be considered an important link

between the northern-western region

and Dhaka and heavy vehicles of

Bangladesh armed forces as well as

vehicles heading to Ruppoor Nuclear

Plant will be allowed to cross the river

using the ferry services.

Dhaka : The International

Organization for Migration (IOM) has

launched a 24-month project for returning

migrants and vulnerable host communities

to use the troubled time to do

something crucial, even though it may

not pay off for years, reports UNB.

The project called "Building Social

Cohesion in host Communities in Cox's

Bazar through Skills Development" is for

acquiring the skills needed to land and

keep a job in the future, IOM said.

"We are committed to working with

our partners to build the resilience of

returning migrants and foster social

cohesion among their communities of

return," explained Patrick Charignon,

IOM Cox's Bazar Transition and

Recovery Programme Coordinator.

"We are convinced that through this

project we can provide unemployed

community members the skills needed

to build better futures for themselves,

their families and their communities."

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit

Bangladesh harder than any tropical

cyclone. Instead of uprooting trees and

hurling powerful tides from an angry

sea, what's been uprooted are entire

livelihoods-as well as the families trying

to survive in one of the world's most

crowded countries, said a media release

on Saturday.

Returning migrants and host communities

in the southernmost district of

Bangladesh are feeling the worst of the

onslaught.

There, some 700,000 people have lost

their source of income, just since the

mid-March 2020 COVID-19 outbreak.

Shimul (red silk

cotton) flowers

appear in trees

along with the

advent of

spring. The

photo was

taken from

Dhanutupazila

in Bagura on

Saturday.

Photo: Star Mail

IOM launches livelihoods project

for returning migrants, host

communities in Cox's Bazar

almost one year later, most have limited

access to jobs. Women are less likely

than men to secure any job at all.

adding to the struggle for jobs are the

many migrants forced home as jobs are

lost overseas.

according to the Ministry of

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas

Employment, over 400,000 migrant

workers have returned to Bangladesh

since March 2020.

The ripple effect is not only heightened

competition for work, but also a collapse

of a local economy due to inability to pay

back loans-including funds borrowed to

go abroad for work.

The primary driver of migration from

Cox's Bazar district is the lack of employment

opportunities. Sadly, the current

pandemic is further threatening the welfare

of millions of people in the country,

where there have been large-scale

redundancies of workers, especially in

the garment sector. Now, there is widespread

food insecurity.

according to the Bangladesh Bureau

of Statistics, Cox's Bazar is one of the

lowest-performing districts in

Bangladesh in terms of education and

skills training, with about 33 per cent of

the population living below the poverty

line.

Through the project, over 200 community

members will receive skill development

and livelihoods support.

To ensure the sustainability of the initiative,

the project will encourage the

trained beneficiaries to conduct their

own training sessions for other community

members.

Tulips bloom an

unconventional startup story

Dhaka : Think of tulips and you will

probably think of the Netherlands. But

move over the European country. a dazzling

display of the flowers has now

enveloped the landscape of Gazipur on

Dhaka's outskirts-thanks to the country's

first tulip garden there, reports

UNB.

In fact, a local flower farmer, Md

Delowar hossain, has made this possible.

Last year, he brought a thousand bulbs of

tulip from the Netherlands for experimental

cultivation. and this year, the plants

produced by the bulbs have bloomed in

his garden-'Moumita Flowers'.

"Tulip gardens in the Netherlands or

kashmir in India have been recognised

as tourist spots. This is also possible in

Bangladesh through extensive farming

of local tulips," says Delowar, who has

now started selling the flowers in the

domestic market.

Popular as cut flowers as well as ornamental

garden plants, tulips are oval

shaped flowers that are available in a

wide shape of colours, including red,

pink, yellow and white.

a marvelous sight to behold,

Delowar's tulip garden has already

become popular in the region. People

from Dhaka and adjoining areas have

been making a beeline to the garden

daily since it was thrown open for visitors

recently.

Not only the general public, VIPs like

the Bangladesh Education Minister,

agricultural Minister and local MPs

have visited Delowar's 'Moumita

Flowers'.

To meet the growing demand for

tulips, Bangladesh imports the flowers

from India, the Netherlands and China.

But Delowar says adequate domestic

production could well meet the country's

demand for tulips.

"Imported tulips are sold at Tk 700-

800 per hundred pieces in Bangladesh,

which means if the local ones are sold

even at Tk 400-500 per hundred pieces,

our farmers will earn huge profits. I am

willing to extend help to people keen on

tulip farming,"Delowar says.

Thanks to his tulip garden, 30 people

in the area have got employment opportunities.

Of course, he has also earned a

profit of Tk 40 lakh. "as tulips grow best

in cold weather, I think Panchagar

would be the best place for tulip cultivation,"Delowar

says.

During his recent visit to the tulip garden,

agricultural Minister Dr abdur

Razzaque said, "We want to utilise the

economic possibility that has been seeded

by Delowar's dream."

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

28-02-2021

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