29-03-2021

Monday

Dhaka : March 29, 2021; Chaitra 15, 1427 BS; Shaban 14,1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; N o. 346; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

InternatIonal

No timeline given for

extracting wedged

ship from Suez Canal

>Page 7

sports

Ronaldo fumes after

WC qualifying winner

denied, Belgium held

>Page 9

art & culture

amaan-Rikta's

new film 'Pori

Tomar Jonno'

>Page 10

Holy Shab-e-

Barat today

DHAKA : The holy Shab-e-Barat,

known as the night of fortune, will be

observed across the country tonight

with due religious fervour and devotion,

reports UNB.

The Muslim devotees would spend

the night at mosques and homes offering

prayers, reciting from the holy

Quran and seeking blessings to Allah

for long life, peace, progress and happiness

for themselves, their families, relatives

and friends as well as the nation

and the Muslim Ummah.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday

greeted all Muslims of Bangladesh and

elsewhere across the world on the occasion

of the holy Shab-e-Barat.

In separate messages, they urged the

Muslim devotees to observe the holy

Shab-e-Barat maintaining the health

guidelines as the infection rate of

COVID-19 is in rising trend.

Muslims consider Shab-e-Barat as one

of the three most sacred nights and

believe that on this night Almighty Allah

decides the fate of all human beings fixing

their 'rizq' (livelihood) for the next year.

On the night, the devotees across the

country would visit graves and pray for

their beloved ones seeking their eternal

peace. Many people will also visit

mazars and shrines all over the country.

Worrying Covid upsurge in BD

3,908 new cases,

35 deaths

DHAKA : A growing number of coronavirus

cases and an alarming uptrend

in the daily infection rate are posing big

challenges to Bangladesh in its fight

against the deadly virus, reports UNB.

A 2.75 percent rise in the infection

rate was recorded on Sunday (17.65

percent) compared to 14.9 percent a

day earlier.

The country's health authorities

reported 3,908 new cases and 35

Covid-related deaths during a 24-hour

period until Sunday morning.

Now, the local fatality tally stands at

8,904, according to a handout of the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS).

The country reported its first coronavirus-related

death on March 18 last

year. Bangladesh, which announced its

first cases on March 8 last year, has so far

reported 595,714 infections.

Zohr

holiday Notice

On the occasion of the holy Shab-e-

Barat, the office of The Bangladesh

Today will remain closed today

(Monday).

Therefore, no issue will be published

tomorrow (Tuesday).

04:45 AM

12:10 PM

04:28 PM

06:16 PM

07:28 PM

5:54 6:13

Quick steps needed to stop

fresh Covid surge: PM

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Sunday said she wants quick

steps to fight the fresh surge of Covid-19

pandemic in Bangladesh, reports UNB.

"A fresh surge of Coronavirus is visible.

Different variants of this virus have come

here. So, we'll have to take prompt steps

as we did in the past," she said while

addressing a virtual discussion.

Bangladesh Awami League arranged

the discussion at its Bangabandhu

Avenue central office, marking the

Independence Day.

Sheikh Hasina, also the president of

Awami League, presided over the discussion,

joining it virtually from her

official residence Ganobhaban.

The Prime Minister said health protection

guidelines and safe physical distance

will have to be maintained in

every programme like seminar, training,

workshop and other programmes.

"All should use face masks. All must

ensure it (masking up)," she said.

The AL chief asked leaders and workers

of AL and its associate bodies to stand

beside people during the Covid-19's second

blow as they did during last time.

"We see another Coronavirus blow is

coming," she said adding that they,

being members of a party founded by

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, have huge

responsibility towards people.

Bangabandhu Chair to be

established at Delhi University

Turning to food production, Sheikh

Hasina renewed her call to all concerned

not to keep even an inch of land

uncultivated in the country.

"We still don't know when the coronavirus

will go. But we'll have to have

preparations for it so that people do not

suffer from food crisis. [in the case good

production] we can help other countries,

if necessary," she said.

AL general secretary Obaidul Quader

made the opening remarks at the discussion

programme, while AL presidium

members Dr Abdur Razzaque and

Abdur Rahman, organising secretary

SM Kamal Hossain, cultural affairs secretary

Asim Kumar Ukil, international

affairs secretary Dr Shammi Ahmed,

central committee's member Prof

Marina Jahan, Dhaka Uttar AL general

secretary SM Mannan Kachi and

Dhaka South AL general secretary

Humayan Kabir spoke at the occasion.

AL publicity and publication secretary

Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap conducted

the discussion.

Assuring that the Covid-19 vaccination

programme will continue, the

Prime Minister said it is the duty of the

government to protect public health

and save the lives of people. "Prime

Minister Modi is giving us more vaccines

doses as gift. We'll also get the vaccine

doses we've procured," she said.

DHAKA : India has announced the

establishment of Bangabandhu Chair at

the University of Delhi.

In view of the 50th anniversary of the

Independence of Bangladesh as well as

the establishment of bilateral diplomatic

ties, both sides have agreed to jointly

commemorate these epochal events in

19 select countries, reports UNB.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

thanked the Indian side for considering

Bangladesh's proposal to name the historic

road from Mujib Nagar to Nadia

on the Bangladesh-India border as

"Shadhinota Shorok" commemorating

the historic significance of the road during

Bangladesh's Liberation War.

Both sides looked forward to inaugurating

the road soon as part of the

joint celebrations, according to joint

statement.

The Bangladesh side welcomed the

decision of the government of India to

announce 1000 "Shuborno Jayanti

Scholarships" for Bangladeshi students

for pursuing education/courses in

India.

The two countries noted with satisfaction

that the filming of the biopic on

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman, under the direction of Indian

film director Shyam Benegal, has commenced

and is expected to be completed

according to schedule.

Both sides stressed on the need to

commence work on the Liberation War

documentary at the earliest.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

extended an invitation to Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit India in

2022 in commemoration of the Golden

Jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic

relations.

To mark the 50th anniversary of

India-Bangladesh friendship, both

sides released respective commemorative

postage stamps. It was decided to

commemorate 06 December as Maitri

Diwas, the day when India recognized

Bangladesh in the year 1971.

Indian Prime Minister Modi extended

an invitation to 50 young entrepreneurs

from Bangladesh to visit India to

connect with the start up and innovation

ecosystems in India and meet the

venture capitalists.

During hartal enforced by hefajat-e-islam, Dhaka-Chattogram highway turned into

battleground on Sunday.

Photo : TBT

Poor crowded in

Ekushey book Fair

Shafiqul iSlam

The Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2021 is

going on in the upward trend of coronavirus.

Hefazat-e-Islam was on strike

across the country yesterday, so the

book fair was less crowded. Even in the

previous few days, there was no crowd

at the book fair. There were not many

people in the fair even on the

Independence Day on March 26. Most

of those who are coming are visitors.

Traffic in the capital was restricted for

several days due to state visit of Indian

prime minister Norendra Modi in

Bangladesh. Which has affected the

Amar ekushey Book Fair.

Saturday and Sunday was less crowded

than on other days. Although there

were some crowds in the evening, most

of them were visitors. Despite overcoming

various obstacles, the book fair has

been going on.

But there has been no response from

the general buyers, readers and visitors.

On sunday (March 28), the doors of the

book fair open from by 3 pm. It can be

seen that the book fair is very empty.

The number of visitors and readers is

very low.

Publishers and salesman are frustrated

with the lack of buyers. Amzad

Hossain Kajol manager of Oitijjhya

Publishing told that people are not

there at all. From the beginning of the

book fair, the public gathering is very

poor. Coronavirus on the one hand, the

golden jubilee of independence on the

other.

Hefazat was on strike across the

country on Sunday. As a result, the

vehicles are not moving much and peoples

not comes at book fair and our

books are not selling as expected.

Due to

corona

crisis,

Ekushey

book fair

drawing

poor

visitors

and buyers.

Photo : TBT

Hefazat men go on rampage in

Brahmanbaria, Train attacked

BRAHMANBARIA : Hefazat-e-Islam

actiivists attacked a Chattogrambound

train at Talshohor Rail Station

in Brahmanbaria town during the

Hefazat's countrywide hartal, reports

UNB.

Train communications between

Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-

Sylhet remained suspended since

morning following the attack.

Witnesses said the activists of

Hefajat-e-Islam intercepted

C h a t t o g r a m -

bound 'Sonar

Bangla Express'

train in the morning

and pelted

brick chips.

Besides, the

hartal supporters

also carried out

vandalism in

some private and

g o v e r n m e n t

establishments

including Zila

Parishad building,

municipality

building, Police Lines, Industrial

School, Land office, Alauddin Music

Academy, Foirtala Bus Stand in

Sadar upazila.

They also set fire to Alauddin Music

Academy building, land office in

Sadar upazila and Industrial School

building during the mayhem.

Rohingya Repatriation

Dhaka seeks Delhi's strong role in UNSC

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

has requested India, as a member of the

United Nations Security Council, to play a

"strong role" in the early repatriation of

the displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar,

reports UNB.

Prime Minister Hasina and her Indian

counterpart Narendra Modi have reiterated

the importance of safe, speedy and

sustainable return of Rohingyas to their

homeland for the greater security of the

region. India which shares border with

Bangladesh and Myanmar assured its

continued support in this regard, according

to joint statement issued on Prime

Minister Modi's two-day state visit that

ended on Saturday.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

expressed appreciation at the generosity

of Bangladesh in sheltering and providing

humanitarian assistance to the 1.1 million

Meanwhile, the hartal supporters

also attacked Brahmanbaria Press

Club and confined some journalists

to the club building.

President of Brahmanbaria Press

Club Riaz Uddin Jami was injured in

an attack by the hartal supporters.

Al Mamun Sarkar, general secretary

of district unit Awami League,

said "The hartal supporters have vandalized

different private and government

buildings and they also carried

out arson attack. These are part of

conspiracy."

The countrywide dawn-to-dusk

hartal enforced by Hefazat-e-Islam

protesting police action on their anti-

Modi processions in Dhaka,

Chattogram and other districts is

underway on Sunday.

forcibly displaced persons from the

Rakhine State of Myanmar.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed the

repatriation deal on November 23, 2017.

On January 16, 2018, Bangladesh and

Myanmar signed a document on

'Physical Arrangement', which was supposed

to facilitate the return of Rohingyas

to their homeland.

Bangladesh says the Rohingyas do not

trust their government, and Bangladesh

gave a number of proposals to build trust

among them.

Bangladesh is trying in multiple waysbilaterally,

multilaterally, tri-laterally and

through the judicial system-to find a lasting

solution to the Rohingya crisis.

Bangladesh proposed deployment of

nonmilitary civilian observers from

Myanmar's friendly countries-Japan,

China, Russia, India and Asean countries.

MoNDAy, MArCH 29, 2021

2

Truck driver killed

after collision between

two trucks in Sirajganj

SIRAJGANJ : A truck

driver was killed and

another injured as a fire

broke out after a collision

between two trucks on

Dhaka-Bogura highway at

Chandaikona Bazar in

Raiganj upazila of Sirajganj

district early Sunday,

reports UNB.

The deceased was

identified as Madan

Chouhan, 45 of Talo village

in Dupchachia upazila in

Bogura district.

Shahjahan Ali, officer-incharge

of Hatikumrul

Highway Police Station,

said the poultry feed-laden

truck from Bogura hit the

Narsingdi-bound clothesladen

truck after burst of

one of its wheels.

A fire broke out in the

pultry-feed laden truck

after the collision, leaving

the truck driver dead on the

spot and another injured

On information, a

firefighting unit rushed to

the spot and extinguished

the blaze.

The injured victim was

taken to a local hospital.

A case was filed in this

connection.

Global condemnation after bloodiest

day since Myanmar coup

YANGON : Defence chiefs from a dozen

countries on Sunday jointly condemned the

bloodbath in Myanmar a day earlier, when at

least 90 people - including several children -

were killed after security forces opened fire on

anti-coup protesters, reports BSS.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the

generals ousted and detained civilian leader

Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering mass protests

demanding a return to democracy.

The junta on Saturday staged a major show

of might for its annual Armed Forces Day as

the death toll since the February 1 coup

climbed to at least 423, according to a local

monitoring group.

The defence ministers of 12 countries

including the United States, Britain, Japan

and Australia condemned the Myanmar

military's use of lethal force against civilians.

"A professional military follows

international standards for conduct and is

responsible for protecting - not harming - the

people it serves," the rare joint statement said.

"We urge the Myanmar Armed Forces to

cease violence and work to restore respect and

credibility with the people of Myanmar that it

has lost through its actions."

Funerals were held Sunday for some of the

victims, after the bloodiest day since the

putsch.

In Mandalay, the family of Aye Ko, a fatherof-four,

commemorated his life at a service

after he was killed overnight.

"We are told by the neighbours that Aye Ko

was shot and thrown into the fire," a relative

told AFP.

"He was the only one who fed the family,

losing him is a great loss for the family."

Despite the dangers, protesters hit the

streets again in the cities of Bago and

Monywa, and in the small town of Moe Kaung

in Kachin State, according to local media.

A day earlier, violence erupted across the

country with the military using live rounds in

nine regions, including the largest city

Yangon, local monitoring group Assistance

Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)

said.

By sunset, AAPP said at least 90 people had

been killed. Local media, however, put the

death toll higher at 114.

"Junta forces shot machine guns into

residential areas, resulting in many civilians,

including six children between ten and sixteen

years old, killed," AAPP said.

"The fact the illegitimate military regime is

targeting children is a grave act of

inhumanity."

Rebels in eastern Myanmar's Karen state

said they had been targeted in air strikes late

Saturday, hours after the ethnic armed group

seized a military base.

Hsa Moo, an ethnic Karen and human right

activist said three people were killed and at

least eight were injured.

It was the first air assault in years in the

state, and targeted the Fifth Brigade of the

Karen National Union (KNU) - one of the

country's largest armed groups - which says it

represents the ethnic Karen people.

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

Uttara govt. officers quarter celebrates golden jubilee of Independence Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu's birth centenary and golden jubilee of independence was celebrated at Uttara government

officer's quarter premises on Friday, a press release said. To mark the day various program has

been taken, out of them a discussion meeting was held in honor to pay homage to Liberation War

heroes. Forhad Ahmmed Khan, Joint Secretary, Election Commission Secretariat presided while

former Additional Secretary Md. Zaydul Hoque Molla, ndc was present as chief guest in the function.

Ahmed Ullah Patwary. M. Sefayel Hossain, Sib Sankar Modak, Mahenoor Begum, Taposhi

Mojumder, Md. Delowar Hossain and veteran freedom fighter Sahadat Hossain took part among

others in the discussions meeting.

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MoNDAY, MArCH 29, 2021

3

Bangladesh Air Force brought out a rally in the capital city yesterday marking Bangladesh's transition to developing

country.

Photo : Courtesy

BNP leader

Nipun Roy

'detained' in

city

DHAKA : Police reportedly

detained BNP Executive

Committee member Nipun

Roy Chowdhruy from the

city's Rayerbazar area,

reports UNB.

Talking to UNB, Nipun's

father-in-law and BNP

standing committee

member Gayeshwar

Chandra Roy said a team of

Detective Branch (DB) of

Police picked Nipun up from

his Rayerbazar residence

around 3:45pm.

Gayeshwar said they still

do not know the reason

behind her detention. "I'm

away from the capital. My

family members said police

didn't tell them as to why

they are picking her up."

UN condemn "systematic" attacks

on peaceful protesters in Myanmar

DHAKA :The UN Special Adviser on the

Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu

Nderitu, and UN High Commissioner for

Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Sunday

issued a clear warning of a heightened risk of

atrocity crimes in Myanmar, following

another day of widespread bloodshed by the

Myanmar military, reports UNB.

The two senior UN officials strongly

condemned the Myanmar military's

widespread, lethal, increasingly systematic

attacks against peaceful protesters, as well as

other serious violations of human rights since

it seized power on 1 February 2021.

Thousands of people have also been

arbitrarily arrested - many subjected to

enforced disappearance. Saturday witnessed

the bloodiest day since the demonstrations

against the coup began, with security forces

killing at least 107 individuals - including 7

children - according to multiple credible

reports, with the number of deaths expected

to rise as reports are confirmed.

Hundreds more were wounded and

detained during these seemingly coordinated

attacks in over 40 locations throughout the

country, according to the statement issued

from New York and Geneva. Bachelet and

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"The shameful, cowardly, brutal actions of the

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The Special Adviser and the High

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Speakers urge

all to resist

conspiracy

makers

DHAKA : Speakers at a

human chain yesterday

urged all to resist those, who

are hatching conspiracies

against the country, reports

UNB.

"Now, the country is

moving forward under the

dynamic leadership of Prime

minister Sheikh Hasina but

Bangladesh Nationalist

Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-

Islami Bangladesh are

resorting to various

conspiracies to disrupt the

pace of development of

present government," they

said.

Bangladesh Swadhinata

Parishad (BSP) formed the

human chain in front of

National Press Club (JPC)

here with its Advisor

Barrister Zakir Ahmed in the

chair.

The people of the country

now understand their

conspiracy so that they

(country people) have called

off Sunday's strike, the

speakers added.

Dhaka city Awami League

leader MA Karim, President

of BSP Zinnat Ali Zinnah

and its General Secretary

Shahadat Hossain Toyel,

General Secretary of

Bangabandhu Sangskritik

Jote Arun Sarker Rana and

Journalist Manik Lal Ghosh

also spoke on the occasion.

Seven chhatra

adhikar parishad

men remanded over

clash with police

DHAKA : Separate Dhaka

courts on Sunday placed

seven leader and activists of

Bangladesh Chhatra o Jubo

Adhikar Parishad on

remand for different terms

in a case lodged over clash

with police in capital's

Motijheel area on March 25.

Dhaka Metropolitan

Magistrate Mohammad

Jasim placed Bangladesh

Chhatra o Jubo Adhikar

Parishad joint conveners Al-

Amin, Shakil and central

committee member Ibrahim

on two-day remand each.

Dhaka Additional

Metropolitan Magistrate

Tofazzal Hossain on the

other hand remanded


Adhikar Parishad joint

conveners Robiul Hasan,

Sajal, parishad's Dhaka

College committee leader

Nazrul Karim Sohagh,

Dhaka South unit leader Al

Amin for four-day each.

Leaders and activists of


Adhikar Parishad clashed

with police in capital's

Motijheel area on March 25.

They hurled brickbats

Speaker for gender-equality

programmes to attain

sustainable development

DHAKA : Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin

Sharmin Chaudhury yesterday underscored

the need for undertaking gender equality

based programmes to ensure inclusive and

sustainable development of the country as

the women are effective variable for change,

reports BSS.

"Equality based development is

fundamental right for every women…so,

sustainable development goals (SDGs) have

a direct linkage with women improvement ,"

she said while virtually joining to 'women of

Inspiration -2021 prize' distribution

ceremony at a city hotel here. Dr Shirin said

"although country's half of the population is

women, so the contribution of women in

socio-economy is evident." Junior Chamber

International (JCI) organized the

programme.

She told the function that Bangladesh is

now a role model in women empowerment

and promotion of women leadership, adding

that " but there are some critical challenges

like poverty, disparity, financial dependency,

lack of women participation in decision

making and women leadership are the global

challenge ahead of women development."

After emergence of COVID-19 pandemic,

the Jatiya Sangsad Speaker said, violence

has significantly increased on woman and

female children along with raising genderbased

disparity. So, formulation of

innovative policy and strategy conducive to

women empowerment is very much

essential, she added. Citing the achievement

of 'inspirational leadership award' by Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Speaker said the

winning of such commonwealth recognition

by the Prime Minister for her outstanding

leadership during the pandemic is glorious

for the nation. All sorts of initiatives like the

National Women Development Policy of

1997, inclusion of mother's name in passport

and grant of citizenship to the child through

mother have been introduced by Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina as a mark of

economic and social development outline for

the women.

Chaired by JCI Bangladesh vice-president

Ismat Jahan Lisa, the programme also was

addressed, among others, by Sagufta Yasmin

MP, Barrister Shah Ali Farhad and Deputy

Chief of Mission (DCM) at the United States

Embassy in Dhaka JoAnne Wagner.

2 BRTC buses torched

in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI : Unidentified criminals set two

stationary buses of Bangladesh Road

Transport and Corporation (BRTC) on fire at

Rajshahi Truck Terminal in the city's

Amchattar area on Sunday during the

countrywide daylong hartal enforced by

Hefazat-e-Islam, reports UNB.

Senior Station officer of Fire Service and

Civil Defense of Rajshahi Abdur Rauf said

the criminals set a bus of BRTC on fire

around 6:30 am and the fire spread to

another stationary bus of BRTC. On

information, fire fighters rushed to the spot

and extinguished the blaze. However, no

causality was reported till the filling of this

report. Saiful Islam Khan, officer-in-charge of

Shah Makhdum Police Station, said police are

investigating the incident.

The countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal

enforced by Hefazat-e-Islam protesting

police action on their anti-Modi processions

in Dhaka, Chattogram and other districts is

underway on Sunday.

State Minister for ICT addressing the inaugural program of

'Emporia'-the usable software of persons with disabilities under

Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities including NDD through

ICT Project.

Photo : Courtesy

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2021

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Monday, March 29, 2021

Defying international system,

universal culture

Notwithstanding wars, conflicts, dissensions,

discords, rabid nationalisms, and all kinds of

divergence, humankind could over the last

twentieth century and the on going twenty first one

develop certain universally upheld code of conduct in

relations between themselves. Thus, we have today an

internationally adhered to system or the uniform global

culture. Thus, even amid intense differences in

perceptions and actual hostile postures, state actors can

and actually do meet in warm spirit of friendliness to

further mutual interests.

Last year, we witnessed former President Donald

Trump of USA visiting North Korea and embracing its

supreme leader when USA and North Korea remained

practically in a belligerent or hostile state of relations.

Many other examples of receiving of heads of

government in foreign countries can be cited when both

guest and host countries otherwise remained in

potentially warlike conditions. For example, the

famous visit of a former US President Nixon to Beijing

in 1969. Writing about all of these events that helped

shape the international system over the last two

centuries are not possible within the limits of this

column.

Only what we wish to emphasize here is that we have

today an international system in place when unlike the

days of Timurlane or Genghis Khan the order of one

man isnot considered sufficient to behead millions of

innocent but physically conquered humans.

Humankind moved on towards justice, humanity and

civilized impulses. Today, even prisoners of war enjoy

mutually respected rights to life and repatriation .

Today, we have a globally recognized and more

importantly upheld 'civilized' world order based on

rights and responsibilities of the state as well as non

state actors.

Therefore, under today's international system and

dominant international culture, it matters not if a

leader of a certain country is not welcome to small and

inconsequential groups in another state. Such groups

cannot arrogate to themselves any right to physically

thwart the visit of that foreign leader just because they

wish for such an outcome.

The government and the majority approving people

of that country have every right to welcome him and

hold discussions with him and any physical challenge

thrown towards such an outcome would be construed

as criminal activities under domestic law and a flagrant

violation of currently and supremely upheld values of

the international system and culture.

From declaring their opposition to Indian Prime

Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh to what

lawless activities they have been engaging in the last

couple of days, the Hefajat-e-Islam party today is a

glaring example of the type of utterly uncivilized and

outdated forces that remain still in the body politic of

Bangladesh. Needless to say, they are but a tiny part of

the total population of our country. They are not

representative of Bangladesh in any way. But they have

destructive potential and our government must

appreciate this fact before more harms are done.

Not only they have issued a threat to the international

system and culture, they are now actively trying to fan

the flames of hatred and bigotry. In their mindless

rampage of violence, they are attacking state properties

(for example setting fire to buildings and destroying

railway's signaling systems, etc.). Indeed, hard boiled

observers of the Bangladesh situation are portending

that centering on PM Modi's visit, the Hefajat and its

veiled bed followers are gradually seeking to start a

destabilization process in the country which they

perceive could start an widespread agitation for the

toppling of the present government.

We, in Bangladesh, have been celebrating the half a

century of development and progress of our country in

all respects. It is too bad that a few among us remain

uncivilized and in the middle ages in terms of their

thought processes. Why should their abnormality lead

to the unfortunate creation of a notion internationally

that such obscurantist forces are gaining ascendancy in

Bangladesh. Ironically, any easy going attitude of our

government could help in the formation of such a

notion. Foreign investors may shy away from

Bangladesh on sensing that the uncivilized and

intolerant ones are creeping back to acceptance. Even

our great friend and benefactor from the time of

independence, India, may misunderstand us from any

wrong perception that their Prime Minister may not be

welcome in Bangladesh.

It is high time, therefore, to put a hard brake on such

most undesirable developments. The Hefajat members

and its allies must immediately be subjected to the due

processes of the laws. Specially the violence mongers of

the last few days need to be identified andpicked up

with no loss of time. Government should send clear

signals of its coming hardline to the Hefajat and its

cloaked supporters.

If China and Russia want global respect, stop

backing the bad guys

Nato member states at last week's

summit mustered a superficial show of

unity regarding "aggressive and

coercive" behavior around the world by

China and Russia, but there was

precious little unity of purpose on

specific policies and goals that could

compel Moscow and Beijing to evolve

into more constructive global powers.

America broadly views Beijing as the

primary long-term threat, but the

Europeans are keen to embrace China

as a trade partner. While many leaders

seek a more aggressive approach

toward Moscow, countries such as

Germany are engaged in projects that

will increase dependence on Russia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

very reasonably stated that the US

wouldn't "force our allies into an 'us or

them' choice with China." However, the

resulting policy divergences may

weaken the West's ability to wield

influence. Putin and Xi are experts at

running rings around Western

disunity.

We are at a pivotal moment for

superpower relations. Over the past

half decade the Chinese-Russian

autocratic model has been expanding

around the globe, while Western values

and institutions undergo a prolonged

existential crisis. While Western

leaders dithered and bickered, Russia

and China wasted no time in

aggressively projecting power outside

their borders, and ruthlessly cracking

down inside their borders. As President

Biden characterizes it: "This is a battle

between the utility of democracies in

the 21st century, and autocracies …

we've got to prove democracy works."

A decade ago Russia and China were

politically irrelevant in the Middle

East. Now Russia is exploiting its

presence in Syria and Libya to project

influence more widely, while China has

massively ramped up its diplomatic

activities and investments through the

Belt and Road initiative. While Blinken

and Biden have yet to visit the Middle

East, the Russian and Chinese foreign

ministers have both staged high-profile

regional tours.

Leading Gulf states are hardly likely

to jump into the Russia or China camp.

However, with Western states talking

about "pivoting away" from the Arab

world towards Asia, matters may gain a

momentum of their own. In 2020

China supplanted the EU as the GCC's

principle trading partner. Foreign

Minister Wang Yi has proposed an

ambitious-sounding "five-point

initiative" for Middle East security, and

discussed the long-touted China-GCC

free-trade deal.

However, China and Iran agreed in

2016 to boost bilateral trade by more

than 10 times to $600 billion over a

decade; in 2020 they reached a deal for

$400 billion of Chinese investment in

Iran; and on Saturday they signed a 25-

year strategic cooperation agreement.

As primary Asian powers, Russia and

China have a fundamental decision to

make about whether to continue

providing cover for Iran's nuclear

program and regional paramilitarism,

or cooperate with Western nations in

curbing these threats, particularly as

Iran's militancy, terrorism and arms

proliferation pose a strategic challenge

to their long-term Central Asian

interests.

China and Russia aspire to be global

powers, but if they don't want the

regions under their influence to be

perpetual hellholes of anarchy and

warfare, they will ultimately have to

resort to multilateral institutions and

international law mechanisms.

Moscow in Syria continues to be

culpable for the slaughter of civilians.

In what has been described as a "siegeand-starve

strategy," Russia, with

Chinese support, has used its Security

Council veto to gradually shut off all

Syrian humanitarian routes. In

northeastern Syria about 2.5 million

civilians lost all access to UNmandated

humanitarian aid during

2020. For 4.5 million civilians in

BARiA ALAMUDDiN

northwestern Syria, three out of four

humanitarian routes have been

severed, with the final Bab Al-Hawa

Turkish crossing likely to be cut in the

coming months - with the goal of

starving these regions into acceptance

of Assad regime supremacy.

The irony in Syria is that in order for

Russia to consolidate its influence, it

finds itself doing the dirty work for a

regime that it privately loathes,

alongside Assad's fundamentalist

Iranian and Hezbollah allies. Likewise

in Afghanistan, Russia secretly offered

bounties to the Taliban to kill American

Yet China and Russia are not the all-powerful monsters

we often make them out to be. The combined

GDP of NATO members is about $40 trillion, dwarfing

Russia's $1.7 trillion. Likewise, the collective

defense spending of NATO states exceeds $1 trillion,

compared with China's official defense budget of

about $180 billion and Russia's $65 billion.

troops.

The problem with always backing the

bad guys is that Russia ultimately

requires stability in these regions

where it has labored to gain influence,

in order to consolidate its gains.

Islamist extremism in the Caucasus

and Central Asia have long constituted

an existential threat for Russia and

China. They can ill afford to be

cultivating Tehran's ayatollahs and

Taliban terrorists.

Throughout Africa and Asia both

China and Russia also have a troubling

record of backing terrible regimes for

short-term gain. It is a lucrative route

to acquiring influence when they buy

off a corrupt elite in order to be allowed

to pillage natural resources and

monopolize port facilities. In the long

term they may simply discover that

they have acquired precarious real

estate in eternal hotbeds of instability.

Putin and Xi may believe that by

bankrolling bloodthirsty dictators

around the world they are cultivating a

like-minded model of governance, but

can they really expect loyalty and

respect from kleptocrats and

murderers?

MD ENAMUL HASSAN

Throughout the Middle East, the

Caucasus, sub-Saharan Africa and

Central Asia, Moscow may thus

increasingly be compelled to rely on the

Security Council and Western goodwill

to put out the fires it ignited.

The West's problem has been a

failure of leadership and strategy.

NATO's 30 states are often divided by

conflicting objectives and ideologies,

with a risk-averse political culture,

while China and Russia's patriarchal

systems can mobilize rapidly and

single-mindedly toward specific goals.

Yet China and Russia are not the allpowerful

monsters we often make them

out to be. The combined GDP of NATO

members is about $40 trillion,

dwarfing Russia's $1.7 trillion.

Likewise, the collective defense

spending of NATO states exceeds $1

trillion, compared with China's official

defense budget of about $180 billion

and Russia's $65 billion.

China and Russia aspire to be global

powers, but if they don't want the

regions under their influence to be

perpetual hellholes of anarchy and

warfare, they will ultimately have to

resort to multilateral institutions and

international law mechanisms. As long

as they spite the West by enabling

rogue states such as Iran, Syria and

North Korea, they will eventually reap

the consequences.

The goal is thus not to neutralize or

contain Russia and China, but to

persuade them to become constructive

global players who aren't trying to

subvert the rules of the global system,

but instead play a role in enforcing

them - not from a desire to be altruistic

and law abiding, but out of self interest.

When you always back the bad guys,

you shouldn't be surprised when they

burn down your home and steal your

possessions.

Baria Alamuddin is an awardwinning

journalist and

broadcaster in the Middle East

and the UK. She is editor of the

Media Services Syndicate and

has interviewed numerous

heads of state.

Sino-US reconciliation essential for

Since the establishment of the

diplomatic ties between China and

the US in 1972, both the countries

have constantly deepened the ties on all

fronts. Though there were always some

differences between them, they have

steadily been the largest trading and

strategic partners and continued

reaping dividends from the good

relations till Donald Trump became the

US President in 2016.

During the Trump era, the US

administration has unilaterally started

decoupling with China. In the name of

the trade-war, the Trump regime has

tried to hamstring the growth of the

Chinese economy. The US has spared

no efforts to strangle the Belt and Road

Initiative (BRI) by initiating the Indo-

Pacific Strategy.

A number of dignitaries of the US has

ramped up anti-China rhetoric and

blamed China for the pandemic. They

have made the Communist Party of

China (CPC), Hong Kong, Xinjiang,

Taiwan, and the South China Sea

regular targets of smearing China. Thus

the Sino-US relations have touched the

lowest point since after 1972.

Against such a backdrop, President

Joe Biden has assumed the power and

concentrated on licking the wounds of

the bilateral ties. In doing so, Biden has

first held long telephonic talks with his

Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and

reached consensus to get the ties back

on the right track. And both the sides

have declared to have a high level

strategic dialogue, giving rise to a sense

of relief to many.

The much-sought-after China-US

high-level strategic dialogue concluded

at Anchorage in Alaska on Sunday.

global interests

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political

Bureau of the CPC Central Committee,

and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi,

and U.S. Secretary of State Antony

Blinken and National Security Advisor

Jake Sullivan had a long strategic

communication in the dialogue.

They had discussions to implement

the consensus reached by the two

presidents in their telephonic

conversations in February. The world

has an eye on the just-concluded

dialogue as their reconciliation really

matters many of global interests

including peace, prosperity, fighting the

pandemic, and international relations.

People have heaved a sigh of relief

seeing the two major powers have come

aboard to reduce their tensions through

dialogue. The Chinese and the

Americans now want cooperation

instead of confrontation between the

two countries. But the dialogue has

ended up in announcing no tangible

and concrete outcomes.

Analysts are of the view that it has

produced nothing but words, and some

are saying that it was much ado about

nothing. Many are blaming the US

condescending tendency for its failure

to produce visible results. But I would

like to be optimistic and consider it a

good start for a thaw in relations

between the US and China.

China has termed the dialogue as

candid, constructive, and helpful for

reconciliation between the two major

economies of the world. It has said that

both the sides have had candid and

constructive exchanges on their

domestic and foreign policies and

bilateral relations. In my eyes, they

have at least reached unofficial

conclusion that the dialogue is helpful

and conducive to enhancing mutual

understanding.

Analysts believe that there is no

alternative to reconciliation of China

and the US as it is linked to many

interests of the whole world besides

their own benefits. The world is now in

severe crisis than ever before. The

Due to the pandemic, no major economy but China could

maintain its economic growth last year. Every country's economy

has suffered a huge loss, resulting in the slump down of

global economy. The Sino-US cooperation can contribute to

the recovery of the losses and turnaround of the economy.

coronavirus pandemic has caused grave

health and economic catastrophe at

almost every corner of the planet.

However, I think that with their

resources, experiences, state-of-the-art

technologies, and highly developed

medicine and skilled medical

professionals, the US and China can

easily defeat the virus and save

humankind, if they join hands.

Due to the pandemic, no major

economy but China could maintain its

economic growth last year. Every

country's economy has suffered a huge

loss, resulting in the slump down of

global economy. The Sino-US

cooperation can contribute to the

recovery of the losses and turnaround

of the economy. In this case, China can

inject impetus and confidence into the

global economy, especially that of

developing countries. The US also has

many things to do as the largest

economy of the world.

For the sake of saving humanity from

more bloodshed in different regions,

they must come together as both have

strong diplomatic ties with maximum

number of countries. They can jointly

exploit their leverages on conflicting

parties to put an end to wars. They can

also make the warring sides to leave

arms through using the United Nations

Security Council as both are permanent

members of the council.

Nobody can deny that there are some

obvious differences between China and

the US. But everybody must agree that

the differences can create no barrier to

forge ahead their cooperation, if the

countries have genuine wills and

commitments.

Without a shred of doubt, I could say

that the Sino-US reconciliation is

essential to saving human kind from the

curse of the virus, turning around

economy, and bringing about peace on

earth. If they continue walking to the

path of confrontation instead of

cooperation, any idiot can see that they

will be the ultimate losers and have to

pay through the nose in the long run.

Md Enamul Hassan is a news

editor and broadcast journalist at

China Media Group (CMG), in

Beijing, China.


5

Workers prepare anti-Covid face shields from recycled plastics at a workshop in Dar es Salaam,

Tanzania.

Photo: Reuters

Covid third wave may overrun

Africa's healthcare

Peter Muiruri

Rising cases of coronavirus in Africa

threaten to overrun fragile healthcare

systems and test the continent's muchtouted

resilience to the disease,

according to the World Health

Organization's regional office for the

continent.The global health body stated

that infections were on the rise in at

least 12 countries in Africa including

Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya and

Guinea.

Across the continent, doctors, nurses

and other healthcare workers are

stretched to the limit as the total

cumulative number of infections this

week rose above 4.1m, with more than

110,000 fatalities, a sharp rise on the

2.7m infections recorded at the end of

December. South Africa leads with

more than 1.5m reported cases and

more than 52,000 deaths.

The WHO said only 7 million people

had now been vaccinated in a continent

of more than a billion people.The

second wave of Covid-19, which began

towards the end of 2020, hit African

countries more aggressively, with a

30% rise in infections compared with

the first wave. However, fewer public

health measures were implemented

than in the first wave, according to a

study this week in the Lancet medical

journal.

By the end of 2020, the continent had

recorded 3-4% of the global total of

Covid-19 cases - and more than 65,000

deaths. But some scientists now worry

that a significant underestimate of the

true picture could distort the detection

of new variants.

In Kenya, positivity rates are up to at

least 20% and the country has some

123,000 reported cases with 14,000

cases reported this month alone. More

than 2,000 Kenyans have died from the

disease since March 2020.

The government and medical

personnel have now sounded alarm

bells, warning Kenyans of a tough time

ahead. "We are in the third wave of this

virus, and it's a wave that threatens to

erase all the gains we have made as a

country in fighting the pandemic over

the last one year," Kenya's health

ministry tweeted, amid reports that all

the country's intensive-care unit beds

had been filled by Covid-19 patients

and doctors had fallen ill with the virus

themselves.

Alfred Mutua, governor of Machakos

county, said all ICU and highdependency

unit beds as well as all

oxygen points in his area were at full

capacity with Covid-19 patients.

"People are waiting for others to die to

get a bed," he tweeted.

The WHO said there were inadequate

facilities for testing and isolation and

that healthcare workers were now

bearing the brunt of the pandemic

through "work overload, poor infection

prevention and control measures".

Healthcare worker infections account

for 3.5% of the total number of Covid-

19 cases in Africa.

"Covid-19 has heavily jolted the

health workforce in the African region.

Since the beginning of the pandemic,

267 health worker infections have been

recorded on average every day,

translating to 11 new health worker

infections per hour," the WHO.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners,

Pharmacists and Dentists Union

urged citizens to be cautious when

visiting medical facilities. "The acute

shortage of doctors across the

country is detrimental to health

services delivery amidst the

pandemic. This month has recorded

an increase in healthcare workers'

infection, there are currently 10

doctors admitted in various facilities

across the country and this indicates

the need for extra precaution by

members of the public," it said in a

statement.

Genetic make-up of destructive

crop pest unravelled

Stephanie Achieng'

Researchers have decoded the genetic

make-up of whitefly species that spread

plant diseases and damage crops,

raising hopes for tackling the

devastating pest.Whitefly, or Bemisia

tabaci, is one of the top 100 pests

known to damage crops such as

tomato, cassava and cotton,

threatening food security in low- and

middle-income countries, according to

scientists.

The unlocking of the whitefly's

genome or genetic make-up resulted

from the work of more than 50

scientists from the African Cassava

Whitefly Project (ACWP), led by the

Natural Resources Institute of the UKbased

University of Greenwich.

John Colvin, a professor of

entomology and plant virus

epidemiology at the Natural Resources

Institute, who leads the team, says:

A farmer in a manioc field tending the crops.

"African cassava whitefly species are

responsible for vectoring [or hosting]

the plant viruses that have caused two

ongoing and devastating pandemics:

cassava mosaic disease and cassava

brown streak disease.

"Estimates for resulting production

losses in nine East and Central African

countries including Kenya, Tanzania

and Uganda are as high as 47 per cent

and the areas affected are continuing to

expand, resulting in hunger, recurrent

famines and annual losses of more than

US$1.25 billion."

In a study undertaken between 2014

and 2021, researchers from the ACWP

collected cassava field populations of

the whitefly species in India, Nigeria

and Uganda. The colonies were then

selectively inbred in quarantine

facilities. Researchers determined the

order of the chemical building blocks

that make up the genetic information of

the whitefly, a process called genome

sequencing. Colvin tells SciDev.Net

that since the 1990s, an increase in

African cassava whitefly has occurred

Photo: Ollivier Girards

in the East and Central African cassava

growing regions.The researchers say

that whitefly is a threat to farmers

globally, and causes enormous annual

economic losses in vegetable, cotton

and grain legume cropping systems.

"The biggest group of stakeholders

affected by this problem are Sub-

Saharan Africa cassava growers, who

are predominantly subsistence

farmers," Colvin explains.Sharon van

Brunschot, visiting fellow in

agricultural entomology and plant

pathology at the Natural Resources

Institute, says that whitefly adults are

tiny and field populations are highly

heterogeneous, making it difficult to

sequence and successfully assemble the

genomes.

"We overcame these significant

technical obstacles and these are the

first high-quality genomes of B. tabaci

generated using long-read sequencing

technology and from highly inbred

whitefly colonies," van Brunschot tells

SciDev.Net. "These findings are far

reaching in today's context for creating

and implementing whitefly control

approaches in the immediatemedium-

and long-term."Joseph M.K.

Mulema, senior scientist, research at

the Centre for Agriculture and

Bioscience International says that the

discovery is fundamental in knowing

the whole genome of the whitefly.

He adds that the findings will

improve understanding of the genefor-gene

interactions that take place

between the vector and the viruses it

hosts, making it possible to create

various management interventions.

"Some of the crops to which they

transmit viruses such as cassava, sweet

potato, tomato, cotton, beans, cabbage,

kale and watermelon heavily support

livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa,"

explains Mulema.

"Policymakers need to fast-track

biosafety policies in countries where

they have been developed such as

Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, South

Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

They need to supportstate-of-the-art

molecular breeding programmes," says

Mulema.

Oil rich nations need to diversify

or risk unrest

Saeed Kamali Dehghan

Oil-dependent countries that are not

preparing to adapt to the global shift

away from fossil fuels risk their own

stability, warns a new report.Algeria,

Iraq and Nigeria are the most

vulnerable to "a slow-motion wave of

political instability", according to the

risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft.

"With the energy transition

accelerating, and Covid-19 levelling

out any recovery oil made over recent

years, time is running out for a

number of countries that have failed

to diversify their economies away

from exporting fossil fuels," said the

report, published on Thursday.

Chad and Kazakhstan were also

identified as countries with a high risk

of political upheaval as energy

transition engulfs their

economies.The west African states of

Angola, Gabon, Congo, Cameroon

and Equatorial Guinea, with "fragile

autocratic or semi-autocratic political

systems", were also named as high

risk by the analysts.

The researchers considered factors

including external breakeven costs,

countries' capacity to diversify and

political resilience.Most oilproducing

states failed to diversify

between 2014, when oil prices

plummeted, and the coronavirus

pandemic, the analysts found. The

situation in some countries has

worsened as exports have dropped

and foreign currency reserves have

been depleted.

The situation is similar whether or

not states are members of the Opec oil

cartelas most exporters increased

production to compensate for

Keith Hamilton

As the first WHO-organised joint

mission to Wuhan, China comes to a

close, critical questions remain on the

origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While

there is evidence that it has origins in

bat populations, how did the virus

evolve and enter the human

population? As a participant expert in

the WHO Wuhan mission, I can say

there is a long road ahead of us. Official

investigations to establish the origins of

COVID-19 credibly will be highly

complex and require years of research.

After a month in Wuhan, conducting

field site-visits and interviews, the

current evidence points towards a

natural origin from an animal source.

Zoonotic diseases are those infections

that can pass between species from

animals to humans, as well as from

humans to animals.

Most (60.3 per cent) emerging

infectious diseases affecting humans

had an animal origin and the majority

of these (71.8 per cent) came from

wildlife, according to a 2008 study.

While big disease outbreaks in humans

generate news headlines, there are

actually countless zoonotic events

occurring globally, which mostly go

unnoticed by scientists.

While COVID-19's original jump to

humans occurred quietly, the longterm

consequences of this transmission

are undeniable. As of March 2021,

there have been more than 2.5 million

confirmed deaths worldwide, 100

million reported human infections, and

reports of transmission from humans

revenue shortages. Currency reserves

dwindled, as in Saudi Arabia, for

example, which "has burned through

almost half of its 2014 dollar

stockpile".

Nigeria and Iraq have already

devalued their currencies, in effect

"rebalancing their imports and

exports at the expense of living

standards"."Recent devaluations are

a harbinger of the bleak options

ahead for oil producers: diversify, or

experience forced economic

adjustments," the report said.

Franca Wolf, Verisk Maplecroft's

senior analyst, said the energy

transition was "critical for the world",

but "a threat multiplier" for countries

reliant on exporting oil with little

capacity to diversify their economies.

"Standing still won't be an option

for these markets - the game has

changed," she said. "Political and

public pressure to tackle climate

change are the main drivers behind

energy transition, as we have seen in

the climate protest movement and

electoral success of green policies in

developed economies."

Among Gulf states, the United Arab

Emirates and Qatar were deemed

best equipped to weather the storm.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are also

predicted to be more politically

stable, with their resources and

economies better positioned to

diversify.

But James Lockhart Smith, Verisk

Maplecroft's head of market risk, also

raised a caveat over Gulf states.

"Authoritarian political stability is

An Iraqi labourer works at an oil refinery in the southern town of

Nasiriyah.

Photo: Haidar Mohammed Ali

into a variety of new animal species.

The World Bank's recent analysis

warned that COVID-19 has pushed an

additional 88 million people into

extreme poverty in 2020.

Compounding the seriousness of this

figure, between January 2020 and

January 2021, global food prices rose

by almost 20 per cent. Intensified

contact between animals and humans

increases the likelihood of zoonotic

transmission events. For example,

deforestation and climate change result

in natural habitat loss and push

animals, in their search for food or a

new home, into human settlements.

Illegal and poorly regulated wildlife

trade can also pose similar zoonotic

risks because it brings together a large

number of animals from diverse

species, generally unseen in nature. In

poor sanitary conditions, an

unprecedented transmission of

pathogens both within and among

species can occur.

Furthermore, wildlife trade has

resulted in severe detrimental effects

on biodiversity, species conservation

and depletion of national resources of

many countries. While it is an

important source of protein, income

and livelihoods for many local or rural

communities, this must be balanced

with the reality of zoonotic disease

spillover.

There are many gaps in the evidence

to explain the association between

human activity, wildlife trade, and

disease emergence, and therefore gaps

in how to reduce risk. With more

anything but stable over the long term

and, as lower-for-longer oil prices cut

into social spending, additional

pressure will pile on these deceptively

fragile political systems," he said.

A call to protect wildlife to prevent

future pandemics

Investigations to establish the origins of COVID-19 credibly will be highly

complex and require years of research. Photo: Keith Hamilton

research available, it will be easier to

establish legal, sustainable and

responsible wildlife use, based on a

foundation of scientific guidance,

standards, regulation, and risk

management tools.

The costs of investing in appropriate

surveillance systems and networks, and

in wildlife health management, are not

negligible, but the costs and risks of not

doing so are much greater.One Health

is not solely a buzzword thrown around

by international institutions, it is a

reframing of how humans interact and

value the animals and environment

around them. The World Organisation

for Animal Health (OIE), the standardsetting

organisation for animal health

and welfare, champions this approach

and is developing guidelines and

standards for wildlife trade which

support animal welfare and

biodiversity conservation.

We have released a Wildlife Health

Framework, calling on our 182 member

countries to commit to increased

involvement in wildlife protection, yet

with innovation in mind. The OIE will

work to develop new regulatory models

to manage zoonotic risk in wildlife in a

way that better respects and

incorporates local customs of

communities who regularly interact

with wildlife. Given the higher

inclusion of voices, implementing new

regulations will mean not only working

with national authorities, but also

working closely with local

communities.

We will also support our members to

improve surveillance systems of

zoonosis through the early detection,

notification, and management of

wildlife diseases. To ensure the

prevention of a future pandemic,

invigorated commitment to animal

disease reporting by all countries is

needed.

The global community currently does

not conduct regular disease

surveillance on wildlife. Yet if we do not

conduct research on diseases while

they are in the wild, it is impossible to

evaluate the risks and develop suitable

risk mitigation strategies.

To achieve these goals, it is essential

that countries increase their

investment in national veterinary

services, which are responsible for

ensuring animal health and welfare and

are often at the forefront of zoonotic

disease management. In turn, national

veterinary services need to increase

their collaboration with wildlife

authorities and expand their own

involvement in ensuring wildlife

health.


6

MP Adel attends Chhatra Samaj’s

founding anniversary

MAFE MOHIUDDIn, KISHOREGAnJ

UPAzIlA CORRESPOnDEnT

Ahsan Adelur Rahman Adel, MP of

nilphamari 4 constituency, said that

the students has glorious tradition.

The students have sacrificed their

lives not only for their rights but also

for the country and the nation. At

present the glorious tradition of the

students has faded a bit.

He added that the eyes of the

common man from other political

parties are now on the Jatiya Party.

People want to have confidence in

Jatiya Party in the coming days.

Therefore, the organization formed

by Ershad to fulfill the expectations of

the people of the country has no

alternative but to strengthen the

student society.

Ahsan Adelur Rahman Adel,

Member of Parliament for

nilphamari 4 constituency, was the

chief guest at a function organized by

Kishoreganj Upazila Jatiya Chhatra

Samaj at nilphamari on the occasion

of the 38th founding anniversary of

Jatiya Chhatra Samaj, an affiliate of

Jatiya Party.

Kishoreganj Upazila Jatiya Party

convener Rezaul Islam Swapan

presided over the function while

among others, Member Secretary

Rashidul Islam Rashid, former

general secretary Alam Hossain,

Baravita Union Jatiya Party convener

Fazlar Rahman, Jatiya Party leaders

Sujauddola lipton, Delwar Hossain

Dulal and Saidul Islam were present

at the occasion.

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard in separate drives from seized huge quantity of jatkas on

early Sunday.

Photo: Courtesy

Bangladesh Coast Guard seizes huge

quantity of jakta in separate drives

Bangladesh Coast Guard Station Mawa

conducted a special operation from the

Padma river adjacent to Mawa

Kabutarkhola area and seized a speed

boat with approximately 2,600 kg (70

lbs) jatka on early Sunday, a press

release said.

The seized speedboats were later

handed over to the Upazila Senior

Fisheries Officer and the jatkas were

distributed among the local poor. On

the other hand, about 6,200 kg (155

lbs) of jatka was seized in a special

operation conducted by BCG Station

Pagla at Fish Ghat no. 5 in

narayanganj Port at approximately on

early Monday under the leadership of

Station Commander Pagla lt. M

Ashmadul Islam. The seized jatkas

were later distributed among 30 local

orphanages and the poor. It was not

possible to arrest anyone as the real

owners of Jatka were not found in the

two raids.

Regular operations will be carried out

in the areas under the jurisdiction of

Bangladesh Coast Guard to control law

and order, curb robberies and ensure

public safety as well as prevent illegal

fishing and killing of jatka.

Ahsan Adelur Rahman Adel, Member of Parliament for Nilphamari 4 constituency as the chief guest

was present at a function organized by Kishoreganj Upazila Jatiya Chhatra Samaj at Nilphamari on

Saturday.

Photo: Mafe Mohiuddin

Reception accorded to newly elected mayors

and councilors of Shibchar Municipality

MD RAFIqUl ISlAM, SHIBCHAR CORRESPOnDEnT

Reception and charge taking

ceremony of newly elected mayors and

councilors of Shibchar Municipality of

Madaripur has been held. The event

was held at the local Chowdhury

Fatema Begum Municipal Auditorium

for about three hours from 10am on

Sunday.

Shibchar Municipal Council Mayor

Awlad Hossain Khan presided over the

function while Shibchar Upazila

Parishad Chairman valiant freedom

fighter AH latif Mollah was present as

the chief guest. Among others,

Shibchar Upazila Awami league

president Shahjahan Mollah, Shibchar

Upazila Awami league General

Secretary Dr. Mo Selim and Shibchar

Municipal Awami league President

Tofazzal Hossain Khan Tota were also

present at the occasion.

Abdul latif Mollah said, 'I was once

the elected chairman of this

municipality. Twice I got the

opportunity to serve the people. I hope

you are taking charge of this

municipality today, you will be by the

side of the people. You will work for the

development of the municipality.

Everyone will see everyone with equal

eyes.

Leaders and activists of Jubo League held demonstrations and protest rallies in Ishwardi in protest of

Hefazat-e-Islam's use of religion and Sunday morning-evening hartal on Sunday. Photo: Gopal Adhikari

Jubo league holds protest rally

against hartal in Ishwardi

GOPAl ADHIKARI, ISHwARDI CORRESPOnDEnT

Demonstrations and protest rallies have

been held in Ishwardi against the antiindependence

militant group in protest

of Hefazat-e-Islam's use of religion and

Sunday morning-evening hartal.

leaders of Jubo league marched in

front of the Ishwardi Upazila Awami

league office on Sunday (March 28th)

and marched in front of the city's main

road, addressing leaders against illegal

strikes and fundamentalism.

Speakers at the rally said the activists of

BnP, Jamaat and Hefazat-e-Islam are

conspiring to create an unstable

environment in the country and obstruct

the development progress of the people's

leader Sheikh Hasina's government. As

in the past, we will vigorously resist this

anti-government malpractice.

During the time, Shirhan Sharif Tamal,

president of Ishwardi Upazila Jubo

league, Touhiduzzaman Dolan Biswas,

former GS Masud Rana of Ishwardi

Government College, Sajib Malitha,

former co-editor of Pabna District

Chhatra league, Mosharraf Hossain,

former joint convener of Ishwardi

Municipal Jubo league were present at

the occasion.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossain MP held an exchange meeting with

the headmasters of government primary schools in Chilmari upazila on Sunday. Upazila Nirbahi

Officer ADM Raihan Shah chaired the occasion.

Photo: Golam Mahbub

Reception and charge taking ceremony of newly elected mayors and councilors of Shibchar Municipality

of Madaripur has been held on Sunday.

Photo: Md Rafiqul Islam

Sunflower farming prospects

bright in Rajshahi barind

RAJSHAHI: Prospects of sunflower

farming are very bright in Rajshahi

region including its vast Barind tract

as its soil texture and climatic

condition suitable for the cash crop

farming, reports BSS.

Sunflower is one of the less-water

consuming crops so the farmers are

seen very much interested towards its

farming in the dried Barind area.

Meanwhile, eye-blowing growth of

sunflowers has delighted farmers

because present farming conditions

have generated a prediction of

bumper production of the cash crop

in the region during the current

season.

The farmers are seen adjudging the

present farming as flying start as most

of them cultivated sunflower

commercially for the first time in the

region after getting seed as incentive

from the government.

Muhammad Rentu, a farmer of

Malsadanga village under Godagari

Upazila, has cultivated the crop on

three bigha of land and he is very

much hopeful about a good output.

He is expecting five to six mounds

yield of sunflower seed from per bigha

of land.

Rentu told BSS that many of his covillagers

also cultivated the crop for

the first time with hope of getting

extra benefit. They will start

harvesting the crop within the next

couple of weeks, he added.

Sunflower seed is sold at Taka 700

to 800 per kilogram in local markets

at present.

Atanu Sarker, Sub Assistant

Agriculture Officer, said around 50

bigha of lands have been brought

under sunflower farming only in

Dewpara Union under Godagari

Upazila during the current season.

More lands are expected to be

brought under the cash crop farming

in next seasons if the farmers were

benefited from the farming, he added.

He mentioned that many of the

lands remained fallow after

harvesting of transplanted aman

paddy due to water scarcity every

season. Amazingly, the farmers

availed the scopes of recouping the

losses through sunflower farming on

the fallow lands.

Talking to BSS Sirajul Islam,

Additional Director of the

Department of Agriculture Extension

(DAE), said farmers have cultivated

sunflower on 1,107 hectares of land in

all eight districts under Rajshahi

division during the current season.

Each of 9,000 farmers was given

one kilogram of high yielding seeds as

incentive for cultivation of the crop on

one bigha of land each in the division.

Anisar Rahman, a farmer of

Madandanga village of Kalikapur

union cultivated sunflower last year

and got a bumper yield. This year,

many others cultivated sunflowers to

get a good profit. Farmers of the area

hope they will get a bumper yield if

the weather remains in favour of

them.

MOnDAY, MArCh 29, 2021

7

As daily deaths near 4,000, worst

may lie ahead for Brazil

A giant container ship remained stuck sideways in Egypt's Suez Canal for a fifth day Saturday, as

authorities made new attempts to free the vessel and reopen a crucial waterway whose blockage is

disrupting global shipping and trade.

Photo : AP

No timeline given for extracting

wedged ship from Suez Canal

SUEZ : A giant container ship remained

stuck sideways in Egypt's Suez Canal for a

fifth day Saturday, as authorities made

new attempts to free the vessel and

reopen a crucial waterway whose

blockage is disrupting global shipping

and trade, reports UNB.

Meanwhile, the head of the Suez Canal

Authority said strong winds were "not the

only cause" for the Ever Given running

aground on Tuesday, appearing to push

back against conflicting assessments

offered by others. Lt. Gen. Osama Rabei

told a news conference Saturday that an

investigation was ongoing but did not

rule out human or technical error.

The massive Ever Given, a Panamaflagged

ship that carries cargo between

Asia and Europe, got stuck in a singlelane

stretch of the canal, about six

kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the

southern entrance, near the city of Suez.

Rabei said he could not predict when

the ship might be dislodged. A Dutch

salvage firm is attempting to refloat the

vessel with tugboats and dredgers, taking

advantage of high tides.

Rabei said he remained hopeful that

dredging could free the ship without

having to resort to removing its cargo, but

added that "we are in a difficult situation,

it's a bad incident."

Asked about when they expected to free

the vessel and reopen the canal, he said:

"I can't say because I do not know."

Shoei Kisen, the company that owns

the vessel, said it was considering

removing containers if other refloating

efforts failed.

Two attempts to free the vessel failed

Saturday, according to Bernhard Schulte

Shipmanagement, the ship's

management company, and a canal

services provider, Leth agencies, despite

hopes that a high tide might give the

vesslela boost.

Bernhard Schulte had said earlier that

"significant progress" was made late

Friday at the ship's stern where its rudder

was released from sediment.

It said around a dozen tugboats were

working Saturday alongside dredging

operations that were removing sand and

mud from around the left side of the

vessel's bow.

Some 9,000 tons of ballast water had

been already removed from the vessel,

the canal chairman said.

Since the blockage began, a maritime

traffic jam had grown to more than 320

vessels waiting on both ends of the Suez

Canal and in the Great Bitter Lake in the

middle of the waterway.

Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, the

salvage firm hired to extract the Ever

Given said Friday said the company

hoped to pull the container ship free

within days using a combination of heavy

tugboats, dredging and high tides.

He told the Dutch current affairs show

Nieuwsuur on Friday night that the front

of the ship is stuck in sandy clay, but the

rear "has not been completely pushed

into the clay and that is positive because

you can use the rear end to pull it free."

"The combination of the (tug) boats we

will have there, more ground dredged

away and the high tide, we hope that will

be enough to get the ship free somewhere

early next week," he said.

Expelled from US at night, migrant

families weigh next steps

REYNOSA : In one of Mexico's most

notorious cities for organized crime,

migrants are expelled from the United

States throughout the night, exhausted

from the journey, disillusioned about not

getting a chance to seek asylum and at a

crossroads about where to go next,

reports UNB.

Marisela Ramirez, who was returned to

Reynosa about 4 a.m. Thursday, brought

her 14-year-old son and left five other

children - one only 8 months old - in

Guatemala because she couldn't afford to

pay smugglers more money. Now, facing

another agonizing choice, she leaned

toward sending her son across the border

alone to settle with a sister in Missouri,

aware that the United States is allowing

unaccompanied children to pursue

asylum.

"We're in God's hands," Ramirez, 30,

said in a barren park with dying grass and

a large gazebo in the center that serves as

shelter for migrants.

Lesdny Suyapa Castillo, 35, said

through tears that she would return to

Honduras with her 8-year-old daughter,

who lay under the gazebo breathing

heavily with her eyes partly open and flies

circling her face. After not getting paid for

three months' work as a nurse in

Honduras during the pandemic, she

wants steady work in the U.S. to send an

older daughter to medical school. A

friend in New York encouraged her to try

again.

"I would love to go, but a mother

doesn't want to see her child in this

condition," she said after being dropped

in Reynosa at 10 p.m.

The decisions unfold amid what Border

Patrol officials say is an extraordinarily

high 30-day average of 5,000 daily

encounters with migrants. Children

traveling alone are allowed to remain in

the U.S. to pursue asylum while nearly all

single adults are expelled to Mexico

under pandemic-era rules that deny them

a chance to seek humanitarian

protection.

Families with children younger than 7

are being allowed to remain in the U.S. to

pursue asylum, according to a Border

Patrol official speaking to reporters

Friday on condition of anonymity. Others

in families - only 300 out of 2,200 on

Thursday - are expelled.

Reynosa, a city of 700,000 people, is

where many migrants are returned after

being expelled from Texas' Rio Grande

Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal

crossings. The Border Patrol has said the

vast majority of migrants are expelled to

Mexico after less than two hours in the

United States to limit the spread of

COVID-19, which means many arrive

when it's dark.

In normal times, migrants are returned

to Mexico under bilateral agreements

that limit deportations to daytime hours

and the largest crossings. But under

pandemic authority, Mexicans and

citizens of Guatemala, El Salvador and

Honduras can be expelled to Mexico

throughout the night and in smaller

towns.

Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott

acknowledged in an interview last year

that agreements limiting hours and

locations for deportations are suspended

"on paper" but said U.S. authorities try to

accommodate wishes of Mexican

officials. The U.S. also coordinates with

nongovernmental organizations.

The death toll from the collapse of a nine-story apartment building in Cairo has climbed to 18,

Egyptian state media reported.

Photo : AP

RIO DE JANEIRO : Brazil currently

accounts for one-quarter of the entire

world's daily COVID-19 deaths, far

more than any other single nation, and

health experts are warning that the

nation is on the verge of even greater

calamity.

The nation's seven-day average of

2,400 deaths stands to reach to 3,000

within weeks, six experts told the

Associated Press. That's nearly the

worst level seen by the U.S., though

Brazil has two-thirds its population.

Spikes of daily deaths could soon hit

4,000; on Friday there were 3,650,

reports UNB.

Having glimpsed the abyss, there is

growing recognition shutdowns are no

longer avoidable-not just among

experts, but also many mayors and

governors. Restrictions on activity they

implemented last year were halfhearted

and consistently sabotaged by

President Jair Bolsonaro, who sought to

stave off economic doom. He remains

unconvinced of any need for

clampdown, which leaves local leaders

pursuing a patchwork of measures to

prevent the death toll from spiraling

further.

It may be too late, with a more

contagious variant rampaging across

Brazil. For the first time, new daily cases

topped 100,000 on March 25, with

many more uncounted. Miguel

Nicolelis, professor of Neurobiology at

Duke University who advised several

Brazilian governors and mayors on

pandemic control, anticipates the total

death toll reaching 500,000 by July and

exceeding that of the U.S. by year-end.

"We have surpassed levels never

imagined for a country with a public

health care system, a history of efficient

immunization campaigns and health

workers who are second to none in the

world," Nicolelis said. "The next stage is

the health system collapse."

The system is already buckling, with

almost all states' intensive care units

near or at capacity. Dr. Jose Antonio

Curiati, a supervisor at Sao Paulo's

Hospital das Clinicas, the biggest

hospital complex in Latin America, said

its beds are full, but patients keep

arriving. The city's oxygen supply isn't

guaranteed, and stocks of sedatives

required for intubation in intensive care

units will soon run out.

"Four thousand deaths a day seems to

be right around the corner," Curiati

said.

On March 17 in northeastern Piaui

state, nurse Polyena Silveira wept

beside a COVID-19 patient who died on

the floor for lack of beds at her public

hospital. A photo capturing the moment

went viral and served as a national

wake-up call.

"When he was gone, I had two

minutes to feel sorry before moving to

the next patient," Silveira, 33, told the

AP. "In eight years as a nurse, I'd never

felt as much pain as that night. I'm near

my limit, physically and mentally."

Brazil's state-run science and

technology institute, Fiocruz, on

Tuesday called for a 14-day lockdown to

reduce transmission by 40%. Natalia

Pasternak, a microbiologist who

Brazil currently accounts for one-quarter of the entire world's daily COVID-19 deaths, far more

than any other single nation, and health experts are warning that the nation is on the verge of

even greater calamity.

Photo : AP

Death toll from

Egypt building

collapse climbs

to 18

CAIRO : The death toll from

the collapse of a nine-story

apartment building in Cairo

has climbed to 18, Egyptian

state media reported, reports

UNB.

The building collapsed early

Saturday. State newspaper Al-

Ahram said that search and

rescue workers recovered the

bodies over the course of the

day.

Excavators could be seen

digging through the debris in

the el-Salam neighborhood.

Police cordoned off the area,

keeping back the curious and

people apparently looking for

relatives in the building.

"They took four people out

in front of me, who looked like

they were almost gone," said

Mohamamed Mostafa, a

resident of the neighborhood.

At least 24 others were

injured and taken to hospitals,

according to a statement by

Khalid Abdel-Al, the

administrative head of Cairo

governorate. The death toll

provided by his office stayed

at nine as of Saturday evening.

It was not immediately clear

what caused the building's

collapse. An engineering

committee was formed to

examine the structural

integrity of neighboring

buildings, Abdel-Al said.

Building collapses are not

uncommon in Egypt, where

shoddy construction is

widespread in shantytowns,

poor city neighborhoods and

rural areas.

Suicide bomber targets

Mass in Indonesia,

14 wounded

INDONESIA : A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a

packed Roman Catholic cathedral on Indonesia's Sulawesi

island during a Palm Sunday Mass, wounding at least 14 people,

police said.

A cellular video obtained by The Associated Press showed

body parts scattered near a burning motorbike at the gates of the

Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, the capital of

South Sulawesi province, reports UNB.

The attack came as Indonesia was on high alert following the

arrest of Aris Sumarsono, known as Zulkarnaen, the leader of

Jemmaah Islamiyah in December.

Wilhelmus Tulak, a Catholic priest who led the Mass when the

bomb exploded at about 10:30 a.m., told reporters that a loud

bang shocked his congregation who had just finished the

Sunday service marking the beginning of the Holy Week before

Easter.

The first batch of churchgoers was walking out of the church

while another group was coming in when the blast happened, he

said.

He said that security guards suspected two motorists who

wanted to enter the church. One of them detonated his

explosives and died near the gate after being confronted by

guards. The wounded included four guards and several

churchgoers. National Police spokesperson Argo Yuwono told a

news conference in the capital, Jakarta, that police were still

trying to identify two attackers on a motorbike who used

powerful explosives.

He said that police were investigating whether they were

linked to a local affiliate of the banned Jemaah Islamiyah

network or were acting independently.

About 64 suspects had been detained by Indonesia's

counterterrorism squad, known as Densus 88, in several

provinces, including 19 last month in Makassar. The arrests

followed a tipoff about possible attacks against police and places

of worship.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority

nation, has been battling militants since bombings on the resort

island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Attacks aimed at foreigners have been largely replaced in recent

years by smaller, less deadly strikes targeting the government,

police and anti-terrorism forces and people militants consider as

infidels.

presides over the Question of Science

Institute, pointed to a local example of

success: The mid-size city of

Araraquara in Sao Paulo state last

month implemented lockdown and has

seen its cases and deaths recede.

Pasternak declined to estimate

Brazil's looming daily death toll but said

the trend is for continued growth if

nothing is done.

"We need coordinated action, and

that's probably not going to happen

because the federal government has no

real interest in pursuing preventative

actions," Pasternak said. "(Mayors and

governors) are trying to implement

preventative measures, but separately

and in their own ways. This isn't the

best approach, but it's better than

nothing."

Minas Gerais, Brazil's second most

populous state, has closed nonessential

shops. Espirito Santo state will enter

lockdown Sunday. Brazil's two biggest

cities, Rio and Sao Paulo, have imposed

extensive restrictions on nonessential

activities. Their state authorities

brought forward holidays to create a 10-

day period of repose, which started

Friday.

Restrictive measures, however, are

only as strong as citizens' compliance.

And Bolsonaro continues to undermine

their willingness by painting even

partial shutdown as an assault on one's

right to earn an honest day's wages. He

has lashed out at local leaders,

particularly governors, who dare defy

him.

Suicide bomber targets

Mass in Indonesia,

several hurt

INDONESIA : A suicide

bomber blew himself up

outside a packed Roman

Catholic cathedral on

Indonesia's Sulawesi island

during a Palm Sunday Mass,

wounding at least nine people,

police said.

A cellular video obtained by

The Associated Press showed

body parts scattered near a

burning motorbike at the

gates of the Sacred Heart of

Jesus Cathedral in Makassar,

the capital of South Sulawesi

province, reports UNB.

Wilhelmus Tulak, a Catholic

priest who led the Mass when

the bomb exploded at about

10:30 a.m., told reporters that

a loud bang shocked his

congregation who had just

finished the service.

Tulak said the church's

security guards suspected two

motorists who wanted to

enter the church. One of them

detonated his explosives and

died near the gate after being

confronted by guards.

He said the attack caused no

casualties

among

churchgoers.

Indonesia, the world's most

populous Muslim-majority

nation, has been battling

militants since bombings on

the resort island of Bali in

2002 killed 202 people,

mostly foreign tourists.

Attacks aimed at foreigners

have been largely replaced in

recent years by smaller, less

deadly strikes targeting the

government, police and antiterrorism

forces and people

militants consider as infidels.

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2021 8

Afzal Karim spoke as the chief

guest on the occasion

Mercantile Bank Limited launched five Sub-branches across the country to provide banking services to

the customers. Bank's Chairman Morshed Alam, M.P. virtually inaugurated the sub-branches as the

chief guest. Five sub-branches are Sindurpur sub-branch and Academy Road sub-branch in Feni,

Kalishuri Bazar sub-branch in Patuakhali, Dakpara sub-branch in keraniganj, Dhaka and Chatipatti subbranch

in Cumilla. M. Amanullah, Vice Chairman of the bank inaugurated Dakpara sub-branch in

keraniganj by cutting ribbon. Bank's Managing Director & CEO Md. Quamrul Islam Chowdhury opened

the banking activities of five sub-branches virtually by cutting ribbon in a ceremony arranged at the Head

Office of the bank. Al-Haj Akram Hossain (Humayun), Vice Chairman, A.K.M. Shaheed Reza, Chairman,

Mercantile Bank Foundation; M A Khan Belal, Chairman, Mercantile Bank Securities Ltd., A. S. M. Feroz

Alam and Mohammad Abdul Awal, Directors of the bank joined the program virtually. Mati Ul Hasan,

Additional Managing Director of the bank gave his vote of thanks. Invited guests and valued customers

of the bank, DMDs, five HOBs of controlling branch of the sub-branches, in-charges of the sub-branches,

Regional Heads and senior executives were connected virtually on the occasion. Photo : Courtesy

Bangladesh House Building

Finance Corporation

(BHBFC) celebrated the

golden jubilee and national

day of great independence

with due dignity and

formality. The day was

observed through various

formalities under the

leadership of Md. Afzal

Karim, Managing Director of

the organization. Considering

the overall situation, this time

the formality of the day was

limited to different areas of

the headquarters building of

the organization. In the early

hours of the day, the great

architect of independent

Bangladesh was honored by

laying a wreath at the portrait

of the Father of the Nation in

his own Bangabandhu

Pavilion on the 1st floor of

BHBFC's Purana Paltan

headquarters building. All the

general managers and senior

officials of the Organization

were present at the time, a

press release said.

After paying homage to the

portrait of the Father of the

Nation, a discussion meeting

on 'Golden Jubilee of

Independence, Significance of

National Day, Bangabandhu

and Independence' was held

at the training center

auditorium of the institute.

Arun Kumar Chowdhury,

General Manager of the

Corporation presided over the

discussion and Md. Afzal

Karim, Managing Director

addressed the meeting as the

Chief Guest and Special

Negotiator.

In his speech as the chief

guest, Md. Afzal Karim raised

the issue of self-identity and

deprivation of the subjugated

nation and gave details of

Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman's long

struggle for independence,

uncompromising leadership,

his unwavering organizational

ability and sacrifice. He

termed the undisputed and

patriotic successful leadership

of the father of the nation as a

great achievement and the

golden sun of Bangladesh's

independence as the greatest

achievement of national life.

He appealed to all to realize

the value of our great freedom

and to cherish in their hearts

the value of Bangabandhu's

lifelong struggle, pursuit and

sacrifice. At this stage, he

expressed deep gratitude for

the sacrifices of Bangabandhu

and his family members,

thirty lakh martyrs and two

lakh mothers and sisters for

independence.

In the 3rd phase of the day,

a prayer mahfil was held for

the souls of Bangabandhu, his

family members and all the

martyrs who sacrificed their

lives for the great freedom.

Imam of the Corporation's

Mosque conducted the prayer

mahfil. General Manager Mr.

Md. Khairul Islam, Mr. Md.

Jasim Uddin, Md. Atiqul

Islam, Chanu Gopal Ghosh

and Arun Kumar Chowdhury

discussed the significance of

the day and Bangabandhu's

contribution. Officers and

employees of various levels of

BHBFC also addressed the

meeting.

The program was

conducted by Assistant

General Manager Mr. Anand

Kumar Ghosh.

Modhumoti Bank Limited signed an agreement with Smart Printing Solutions Limited on Sunday, 28th

March 2021 at Modhumoti Bank Head Office, Gulshan, Dhaka.Mr. Md. Shafiul Azam, Managing

Director & CEO of Modhumoti Bank Limited and Mr. Mohammad Zahirul Islam, Managing Directorof

Smart Printing Solutions Limited signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.

Among others, Kazi Ahsan Khalil, DMD & Chief Business Officer and Shahnawaj Chowdhury, DMD &

Chief Operating Officer of Modhumoti Bank Limitedand high officials of both the organizations were

present. Under this agreement, Modhumoti Bank Limited will be able to avail modern print management

solution services fromSmart Printing Solutions Limited.

Photo : Courtesy

Govt plans to introduce area-based

utility billing in cities

DHAKA : The government

is planning to introduce

area-based utility billing

system in metropolitan

areas for enabling people

from low-income group to

pay less than the higherincome

and increasing

revenue collection.

To this end, the

government will divide into

zones all city corporations,

including Dhaka and

Chattogram, and will

introduce different utility

bills, including electricity,

gas, water and holding tax,

as per the people's living

standard and the

government's existing

services. Talking to BSS,

Local Government, Rural

Development and

Cooperatives Minister M

Tajul Islam said it is logical

to collect higher revenue

from the elite areas as their

income level is very high and

they enjoy higher facilities

than the other areas.

"Why people living in elite

areas and low-income areas

would pay the same price

with equal opportunities? A

kind of inequality is being

created because equal prices

are set everywhere," he

opined.

The minister said the rate

of revenue and the cost of

utility services should be

increased for the people

living in upper class areas.

Fixing same bill for utility

services, including revenue

and holding tax, in lower

facilitated areas is not

logical, he said.

Seeking cooperation of all

in this regard, the minister

urged to take the right

decision for the

development of the country.

Appreciating the initiative,

Dhaka University

Geography

and

Environment Department

Professor Dr M Maksudur

Rahman said this is a good

decision and it will help

increase revenue collection

in urban areas and reduce

the pressure on low income

group people.

"It is illogical to collect

same amount of revenue

from low income group

people and rich people at

the metropolitan areas. In

developed countries, people

pay taxes and other bills as

per income.

Developing and least

developed countries can not

start the same practice due

to mindset. Higher income

group people of these

countries always want to

pay taxes and other bills in

same payment structure,"

he added.

He said in developed

countries, generally the

dwellers of the posh areas

pay higher amount of taxes

and other bills. "If the

government can divide into

zones in metropolitan areas,

it will increase revenue

collection and improve the

living standard of the city

dwellers," he added.

Referring to a study, he

said at the slum areas people

in Bangladesh is paying

higher amounts of bills than

the posh areas people.

"At Korail slum area,

people are paying for water

20 to 25 times more than

the dwellers of Uttara area

as the slum people are

facing water crisis and they

are procuring at Taka 10 to

15 per bucket. But at posh

area, people are wasting

water," he added.

He said this initiative will

be a big challenge to divide

into zones, but it is a matter

of research. Giving thanks to

LGRD and Cooperative

minister for the initiative,

academician Ainun Nishat,

Professor Emeritus of BRAC

University, said zone based

utility billing system is

exiting in developed

countries, including the

USA and the UK.

For ensuring similar

rights for all city dwellers, he

said, it is logical to introduce

zone-based utility billing

system and it will lower

financial pressure on poor

dwellers and save the

wastage of different utilities,

including gas and water.

"If we introduce meter

system for all city dwellers in

case of water distribution

and impose bills at different

rates, it will be helpful for

the poor dwellers," he

added.

Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan exchanged views on bilateral business issues with

Agrani Bank Limited Chairman Dr Zaid Bakht and Managing Director Mohammad Shams-ul Islam on

Saturday.

Photo : Courtesy

On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Independence and National Day-2021 on March 26, the

Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) laid a wreath at the portrait of the martyrs of the Great

Liberation War at the National Memorial in Savar. Md. Abul Hossain, Managing Director of ICB, General

Managers with all the employees were present at the occasion.

Photo : Courtesy

Pandemic upsurge

hits Europe

recovery hopes

PARIS : An upsurge in new

coronavirus cases is forcing

governments across Europe

into new, damaging

lockdowns that threaten to

delay a much hoped-for

return to growth,

economists say.

The plan was that mass

vaccination programmes

would turn the tide on the

pandemic, allowing lockeddown

consumers free rein

after months penned up at

home.

Instead the virus has

embarked on a third wave

which is proving more

difficult to bring under

control.

French President

Emmanuel Macron warned

Thursday that the European

Union would have to do

more and beef up its already

massive 750 billion euro

($885 billion) virus recovery

fund as a result.

The EU had made a major

effort after the first wave last

year, Macron said, but

"following the second and

third waves… we will no

doubt have to add to our

response".

In September, as the

economy picked up sharply

after a rapid reverse in the

first wave, expectations were

high that by the middle of

this year it would be solidly

back on track, thanks

especially to the vaccine

rollout.

Australia ends pandemic

wage subsidy despite job

loss warnings

SYDNEY : Australia on

Sunday ended a pandemic

wage subsidy scheme despite

official warnings that up to

150,000 people could lose

their jobs as a result, reports

BSS.

The so-called JobKeeper

scheme, which initially saw

Aus$1,500 (around

US$1,150) a fortnight paid to

staff via their employers, was

announced last March after

Australia imposed a

nationwide shutdown that

left thousands queueing

outside unemployment

offices.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg

said the programme had been

an "economic lifeline" that

has achieved the aim "of

saving lives and saving

livelihoods" over the past

year.

He told reporters in

Melbourne there was "no

doubt that there will be some

businesses that will continue

to do it tough" but the

subsidies were always

designed to be "temporary".

Australia's unemployment

rate fell to 5.8 percent in

February - down from 7.5

percent in July - but the

Treasury estimates between

100,000 and 150,000 jobs

could be lost as a result of the

change.

Australian Council of Trade

Unions president Michele

O'Neil said many more

workers were likely to see

their hours and pay slashed.

"1.1 million workers face an

uncertain future without the

JobKeeper wage subsidy,

which has prevented

catastrophic job losses during

the pandemic and is now

being ripped away," she said.

"Cutting off JobKeeper

while so many workers are

still reliant on it is both cruel

and counter-productive to

our economic recovery."

At the height of the crisis,

the scheme was supporting

almost four million jobs.

Officials twice extended the

programme over the past 12

months, albeit at lower rates

as the spread of Covid-19 was

brought under control and

the economy began to

recover.

Australia has been

relatively successful in

managing the coronavirus -

recording roughly 29,000

cases and less than 1,000

deaths to date - with recent

outbreaks linked to border

quarantine facilities generally

being quashed quickly.

Its economy tipped into

recession in the first half of

2020 but grew 3.1 percent in

the September-December

quarter.

Goldman Sachs

dustup hits nerve

as pandemic blurs

work-life line

NEW YORK : A revolt by

junior Goldman Sachs'

bankers over work weeks that

can stretch to as long as 105

hours has inspired both

schadenfreude over

discontent at the storied

investment bank and wider

debate about the future of

work after the Covid-19

pandemic. The erosion

between office and home

boundaries during the

pandemic means many whitecollar

workers can relate on

some level to the complaints,

even if the plight of elite young

bankers seeking riches does

not inspire sympathy.

The issues underlying the

Goldman Sachs controversy

are "reflective of a broader

problem," said Temple

University sociologist Kevin

Delaney, author of "Money at

Work: On the Job with

Priests, Poker Players and

Hedge Fund Traders."

"People feel the boundaries

have disappeared between

work and leisure and work

and life. A lot of people are

struggling with it because they

are not sure when they are

allowed to take time off."

In the wake of the dustup,

Goldman Sachs Chief

Executive David Solomon

has urged staff to respect a

firm-wide policy of not

working on Saturdays, and

praised the young staffers

for speaking up.

mONDAy, mARCh 29, 2021

9

Cristiano Ronaldo threw his captain's armband to the ground in anger after being controversially denied an

injury-time winner as Portugal blew a two-goal lead against Serbia in World Cup qualifying. Photo: AP

Ronaldo fumes after WC qualifying

winner denied, Belgium held

SPORTS DESK

Cristiano Ronaldo threw his captain's

armband to the ground in anger after

being controversially denied an injurytime

winner as Portugal blew a twogoal

lead against Serbia in World Cup

qualifying on Saturday, while Romelu

Lukaku's 59th international goal

salvaged Belgium a 1-1 draw with the

Czech Republic, reports UNB.

The Netherlands saw off Latvia 2-0

after their opening Group G defeat by

Turkey, who backed up that

performance with an impressive 3-0

victory over Norway.

Portugal drew 2-2 in Belgrade,

despite Ronaldo believing he had

scored the winner in the third minute of

stoppage time when the ball appeared

to cross the goalline before Stefan

Mitrovic cleared.

But without technology in use, the

goal was not awarded and a fuming

Ronaldo was then booked for his

protests.

At the final whistle he stormed from

the pitch, throwing his captain's

armband to the ground.

"I always give and will give everything

for my country, that will never change,"

Ronaldo later posted on his Instagram

page.

"But there are difficult times to deal

with, especially when we feel that an

entire nation is being harmed."

Portugal coach Fernando Santos told

RTP: "We scored a goal that was not

given when the ball went in. In a match

of this level, that isn't possible."

Portugal had appeared to be cruising

to three points in Belgrade when 2-0 up

through Liverpool striker Diogo Jota's

first-half double.

But Nemanja Radonjic's half-time

introduction proved crucial for Serbia

as he set up Aleksandar Mitrovic and

Filip Kostic to net in the first 15 minutes

of the second period.

Belgium, the world number oneranked

side, sit behind the Czech

Republic on goal difference in the early

Group E standings.

Lukas Provod put the Czechs ahead

shortly after half-time in Prague with a

magnificent long-range strike, his first

international goal.

Ten minutes later, Lukaku collected

Kevin De Bruyne's pass, turned his

marker and drilled the ball under

goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik for his 19th

goal in his last 16 games for Belgium.

Luxembourg stunner

Roberto Martinez's men almost took

the lead 14 minutes from time, but after

Lukaku teed up De Bruyne, the

Manchester City midfielder smashed a

low shot against the post.

"If you look at Czech Republic's

results these last months, we knew that

it would be a tough game," Belgium

captain Jan Vertonghen told VTM.

"They created the good chances, won

almost every second ball. But at home

we are stronger."In the other Group A

game, Luxembourg pulled off a shock

1-0 win over a lacklustre Republic of

Ireland in Dublin.

Ireland were toothless in attack and

the visitors made them pay in the 85th

minute with Dynamo Kiev forward

Gerson Rodrigues's winner.

It was only Luxembourg's sixth

victory in World Cup qualifying since

their first involvement in 1934.

Frank de Boer's Netherlands gave the

5,000 fans allowed into the Johan

Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam something

to cheer as Steven Berghuis's 32ndminute

curling effort and Luuk de

Jong's second-half header saw off

Latvia.

"We know that goal difference will be

important in these qualifiers," said De

Boer, who also saw De Jong and Davy

Klaassen hit the woodwork in the first

World Cup qualifier to be refereed by a

woman-France's Stephanie Frappart.

Human rights protest

"We deserved to win with at least five

goals. We tried everything."

The Netherlands players followed

Norway and Germany by protesting in

support of human rights in Qatar,

where the 2022 World Cup finals will

be held.

Fenerbahce midfielder Ozan Tufan

scored twice as Turkey beat a

dangerous Norway side.

Leicester centre-back Caglar Soyuncu

also enjoyed a fine performance as he

netted the second goal and helped keep

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling

Braut Haaland quiet.

"Last year we've qualified for Euro

2020 and now we're fighting for a spot

in the World Cup," Soyuncu told

uefa.com. "We want to be there."

Russia, World Cup quarter-finalists

on home soil three years ago, moved

top of the early Group H table with a 2-

1 victory over Slovenia, who had started

their campaign by beating 2018

runners-up Croatia.

BCB allows

Mustafizur

to play IPL

SPORTS DESK

Ending all speculations, the

Bangladesh Cricket Board

(BCB) finally gave

Mustafizur Rahman the

NOC (No Objection

Certificate) to play the

upcoming Indian Premier

League (IPL), reports BSS.

Mustafizur was roped in

by star-studded Rajasthan

Royals for an amount of INR

I crore. Even though it

looked his chances to make

him available for final XI will

be tougher, the injury of

Jofra Archer brightened his

chance to the starting XI.

"Mustafizur is not in our

plan for the Sri Lanka tour

and so we gave him the NOC

to play the IPL," BCB chief

selector Minhajul Abedin

Naanu said today. "We think

it's better for him to play the

IPL."

Bangladesh will leave the

country on April 12 for a

two-match Test series

against Sri Lanka. The IPL

starts from April 11 with

Mustafizur's side Rajasthan

Royals playing their first

match against Punjab Kings

on April 12.

Earlier, Shakib Al Hasan

who was recruited by

Kolkata Knight Riders for a

whopping amount of INR

3.2 crore was granted NOC.

But Shakib's decision to

play IPL over national team

duty caused a huge furor

when BCB Cricket

Operations Chairman

Akram Khan disclosed that

the ace all-rounder was

reluctant to play Test cricket.

Cricket West Indies: Pandemic forced us

to borrow money to pay staff, players

SPORTS DESK

Cricket West Indies President Ricky Skerritt,

who is aiming to be re-elected after a two-year

term, has revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic

forced them to borrow money to pay players and

staff wages but the board's debt has reduced to a

third in his tenure, reports UNB.Skeritt will be

fighting for reelection against Guyana Cricket

Board secretary Anand Sanasie.

Talking about the state of CWI finances,

Skerritt said they have improved significantly

since he took over.

"The biggest problem we were facing is that

all of our future cash was spoken for before we

even got it. We were living on borrowed future

income. So, we had close to USD 20 million in

institutional debt. And we were borrowing to

pay back lenders. "It was all smoke and

mirrors. And that's understandable on shortterm

strategies when there are difficult times

for cash flow. But it had become endemic,"

Skerritt told 'ESPNcricinfo'.

The CWI boss went on to say that the board

had to borrow to pay staff which received a 50

per cent pay cut in the wake of the pandemic.

"So we've been having to tighten belts, focus

on cash rather than on profit and loss and get

West Indies cricket team.

rid of any sort of unnecessary costs. And we've

cut our debt down by at least a third now after

less than two years.

"And, with some difficulty, we have

improved our ability to meet our obligations,

we just could not meet most of our obligations

(previously).

"We were borrowing money to pay wages.

We did that for the first year that I was in

office. Right up until the early summer last

year we were literally having to borrow to just

pay players and staff," he said.

The West Indies team was first to tour amid

the pandemic, flying to England for a Test

series in July last year.

On the impact of the health crisis on the

game, Skerritt added: "The pandemic made

everything more devastating. But it also gave

us an opportunity and an excuse to focus on

what we really needed to focus on…getting all

stakeholders to understand that it would take

sacrifices from all of us, including a 50 per cent

pay cut for everybody.

"The pandemic forced us to do more with

even less. And I think that, in the final analysis,

we're going to come out of the pandemic more

informed and better aware of what's needed

going forward."

(File Photo)

Frappart becomes first woman to

referee men's World Cup qualifier

SPORTS DESK

Stephanie Frappart became the first

woman to referee a qualifying match for

a men's World Cup when she took

charge of Saturday's clash between the

Netherlands and Latvia in Amsterdam,

reports BSS.

France's Frappart, 37, has been a

trailblazer for women officials and in

December was the first to referee a men's

Champions League match, between

Juventus and Dynamo Kiev.

"Stephanie Frappart makes more

history! Congratulations on becoming

the first female to referee a men's #WCQ

(World Cup Qualifier)," tweeted FIFA.

Frappart, who also made history as the

first woman to referee in the French top

flight, was the lead official for the 2019

UEFA Super Cup final between

Liverpool and Chelsea. She made her

Europa League debut in October.

Saturday's match is the second time

Frappart has refereed a match featuring

Latvia as she took charge of their UEFA

Nations League game with Malta in

September.

French football referee Stephanie Frappart looks on during the World Cup

qualifying Group G match between the Netherlands and Latvia at the

Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam on Saturday.

Photo: AP

Sri Lanka pace bowling

consultant Vaas

withdraws resignation

SPORTS DESK

Sri Lanka's former pace

spearhead Chaminda Vaas has

withdrawn his resignation and

will resume his duties as their

fast bowling consultant after a

pay dispute that led to his

decision was resolved, Sri

Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on

Friday, reports UNB.

Vaas had quit his role over

remuneration on Feb. 22, days

after being appointed and

hours before the team's

departure for their tour of the

West Indies, stating his

resignation was effective

March 26.

The SLC had accused the 47-

year-old Vaas of "holding the

administration, the cricketers

and the game at ransom" by

resigning, citing the

administration's refusal to

accede to an "unjustifiable

demand for an increased USD

remuneration".

However, in Friday's

statement the it said: "SLC

wishes to inform you that

pursuant to a meeting held

between Vaas and the

management team... the

matters which led to his

resignation were amicably

resolved.

"SLC acknowledges the

valuable services rendered by

Vaas to SLC and the significant

contribution he has made to

the sport as an iconic player

and wishes him well."

GD-549/21 (10 x 4)

MoNDAY, MArcH 29, 2021

10

Amaan-Rikta's new film

'Pori Tomar Jonno'

'Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition'

inaugurated in Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

and her Indian counterpart

Narendra Modi on Friday jointly

inaugurated 'Bangabandhu-Bapu

Digital Exhibition' in Bangladesh

commemorating the two mostreputed

leaders of this

subcontinent Father of the

Nation of Bangladesh and India,


Rahman and Mahatma Gandhi,

reports BSS.

The 'Bangabandhu-Bapu

Digital Exhibition', a story of

Bangladesh and India

showcasing the bond of blood,

shared sacrifices that unite the

two great nations has been

arranged in the Bangabandhu

International Conference Centre

(BICC) in the capital.

Earlier, both the prime

ministers inaugurated the

exhibition in New Delhi on

December 17, 2020 during a

virtual summit. After

Bangladesh, the exhibition will

move to the United Nations for

display and later it will culminate

in Kolkata in 2022. On his arrival

at the BICC, Sheikh Hasina

received her Indian counterpart

Narendra Modi. Later, both the

s M AkAsH

A short film "Vampire talk" is going to be made in

India based on the story

written by Arika Maisha, a

girl from Chattogram.

Some new faces of the two

Bengals can be seen walking

hand in hand in this new on

the way. One can see who are

some of the new faces of the

two Bengals. By removing all

the barriers of the barbed

wire, a handful of modernday

phones have been

exchanged for new work

scripts.

The work of capturing that

screenplay on Camera will

start soon. A short-length

picture will be made, named "Vampire talk". The

film will be directed by Rahul Banik and

RajibBanik, two new faces from West Bengal.

Recently, an ad film made by them came on the big

premiers and Sheikh Rehana,

younger daughter of

Bangabandhu, went round the

exhibition and took part in a

photo session.

'Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital

Exhibition' curator and Indian

national Birad Rajaram Yagnik

briefed both the prime ministers

while they were visiting the

exhibition. The curator informed

that the exhibition will be shifted

to Shilpakala Academy in the

capital for a month after two days

display at the BICC.

Later, the exhibition will be

moved for three weeks to all the

divisional cities.

Historic quotes of the two great

leaders will also be exhibited on

the walls in the hall apart from

displaying photographs and digital

contents on different historic

events of the two countries. Key

points of interest of the exhibition

are a 'meeting wall' that displays

the only photo in the world that

has both Bangabandhu and Bapu

in one frame, a robotic signature of

both the leaders and their

favourite music.

Historical moments like

Mahatma Gandhi's salt march,

historic March 7, 1971 speech of

Bangabandhu are the areas of

main attractions.

The exhibition will show pain

and suffering of Indian and

Bangladeshi people in the

genocides by the forces General

Dyer in Jallianwala Bagh in 1919

and the genocide perpetrated by

the Pakistani army in 1971.

The 'genocide tunnel' will show

the depiction, the experiences of

the many Bangladeshis who

brutally tortured in the hands of

the Pakistani army in 1971 war of

liberation. Photographs on the

barbaric torture on Bangladeshi

women by the Pakistani army

during the country's War of

Independence in 1971 are also on

display. Photographs of

Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa

Mujib and Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on different historic

events are also displayed digitally.

Both the Prime Minister later

attended the cultural programme

and dinner hosted by Bangladesh

Prime Minister in honour of her

Indian counterpart. Bangladesh

PM's younger sister Sheikh

Rehana was present on the

occasion.

India to make a short film based

on Anika Maisha's story

screen at the hands of Kolkata International Micro

Film Festival and from there they got the love and

special respect of many people.

This time they will work on a

short film based on the story

written by Maisha, a girl from

Chattogram, Bangladesh. Film

directors Rahul said, "We are

really happy to have the

opportunity to make this film.

Apart from us, a young team like

Amit Pramanik, ShuvrodeepPalta,

Sohm Bhattacharya and

SayonBadyanerjee will also be

active in making this film".

RajibBanik said, "It's really

good to tie the story. But since the

language of the story and the

movie are two different things,

we have to tie the story in a new way with a little

more force. And if we can do it successfully, the

story will become like the mind of the viewer."

TBT reporT

Amaan Reza, a well-known

face of showbiz, has already

attracted a lot of attention by

working in advertisements

and films. His movie

'Gontobbo-The Destination'

was released in theaters a few

days ago.

And now he is busy with

several works including Iftekhar

Ahmed's 'Mukti' and Apurba

Rana's 'Jontrona'.

On the other hand, Farzana

Rikta made her debut from the

TBT reporT

The drummer for Grammy

Award-winning rock band

Alabama Shakes is in custody on

child abuse charges.

Just when I thought Bollywood's obsession

with heavy-duty action dramas in which the

hero single-handedly beats up 20 men was

wearing off, in came Mumbai Saga. If I could

just suggest a new title for this Sanjay Gupta

film, it would be 'Dishoom and Dishkiyaoon',

because that's what it is all about. You take

your eyes off the screen for five seconds and

somebody gets shot through the chest.

The first 20-30 minutes are nothing but

John Abraham fighting bad guys, with his face

smeared red - sometimes with splashes of

blood, and other times covered in red chilli

powder. But if you're not the sort of person

who likes to watch blood and gore for two

hours, then Mumbai Saga can be a headacheinducing

experience. Inspired by true events,

Mumbai Saga is set in the 90s, when Mumbai

was Bombay-the land of Bhaus and Bhais. The

film narrates the story of a common man,

Amartya Rao (Abraham) who resorts to

violence and turns into a menacing gangster

who takes on the mafia, corrupt politicians,

cops, and local goons, to safeguard his younger

brother Arjun (Prateik Babbar), after Arjun is

nearly killed by a gang.

It's hard to overlook the 'swag' of the film's

predominantly male cast. Suneil Shetty

appears in a short yet impressive cameo as

Sada Anna; Gulshan Grover stars as Nari

Khan, Rao's closest aide; Amole Gupte shows

up as the cunning gangster Gaitonde; and

Mahesh Manjrekar plays Bhau, the

kingmaker. All these men, together, add a lot

of gravitas to the story.

Abraham has effortlessly carried the film on

his shoulders. Emraan Hashmi as encounter

specialist Vijay Savarkar is on point. Hashmi's

face-off scenes with Abraham are quite 'paisa

vasool'. Babbar, Rohit Roy, and Samir Soni

also have decent parts to play and do a fairly

good job. I wish the only two women on the

roster - Kajal Aggarwal and Anjana Sukhani -

small screen to the big screen in

2015 with the film 'Kartooz'

directed by Nayak Bapparaj.

Then his 'Ekattorer Nishan' and

'Alta Banu' were released.

The new news is that this time

Amaan Reza and Farzana Rikta

are teaming up for the movie

'Pori Tomar Jonno' produced by

Shapla Media. The film is

directed by Mizanur Rahman

Labu.

It is learned that after

shooting in Uttara, the entire

movie will be shot in Cox's Bazar

in mid-April. The work of movie

Steven William Johnson, 35,

was arrested Wednesday after

being indicted on charges of

willful torture, willful abuse and

cruelly beating or otherwise

willfully maltreating a child

will end with continuous work.

Amaan said, 'This is an offtack

movie. And the story is above

Cox's Bazar. My name is Adnan

and my wife's name is Pori.

under the age of 18, news

outlets reported. Johnson was

taken to the Limestone County

Jail. Bond was set at $21,500. It

was not clear if Johnson has an

attorney who could comment

on the charges. Managers for

the band did not immediately

respond to an emailed request

for comment.

An arraignment date is set for

April 7. Johnson pleaded guilty

also had something more to offer in this male

dominated screenplay. They're mere

spectators. I also liked the endearing brotherly

bond between Abraham and Babbar.

However, in scenes with Aggarwal, Abraham

seemed to struggle a bit to let his emotional

side take over.Even though Mumbai Saga is

more of a visual spectacle with all the action

happening on screen, the heavyweight

dialogues are just as impressive.

Writer-director Gupta very consciously gives

Hopefully, it will be a nice film.

'And Rikta said,' I am doing the

character Pori. What a

wonderful character! My hero is

Amaan.

Alabama Shakes

drummer facing

child abuse charges

in March 2020 to violating a

domestic violence protection

order in Limestone County. He

received a suspended sentence

of a year in jail, with 24 months

on probation.

The Athens, Alabama-based

band has been on hiatus since

2018, when lead singer Brittany

Howard decided to focus on her

solo project.

Source: Indian Express

A heavy-duty action flick with

guns and goons: Mumbai Saga

screen time to each of his characters. For that

matter, even the one special song and dance

sequence - Shor - featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh,

is quite nicely shot and makes you groove. So if

you've followed Gupta's earlier gangster

outings - Shootout at Lokhandwala and

Shootout at Wadala, you'll likely enjoye

Mumbai Saga, too. If not, watch it as an

experiment and you may just end up liking it

because there's not much to complain about.

Source: Hindustan Times

H o r o s c o p e

ArIes

(March 21 - April 20) : There's an

emotional intensity inside you today that's

squirming to find a way out, Aries. Sudden

outbursts are likely, so take care to hold

your temper in check. Surround yourself with good

friends who can support your erratic feelings. Don't be

clingy. Seek friends who are thoughtful listeners, not

permanent crutches. They may be feeling the same strong

tension and don't need an extra burden.

TAUrUs

(April 21 - May 21) : Today may have

some crazy emotional ups and downs,

Taurus. There seems to be an intense

cloud seeping into every part of your day.

Don't try to fool people. They will see right through

you. Bursts of positive energy will pop out of nowhere

to remind you of your more important purpose. Try

not to get so bogged down in the heaviness of the day

that you fail to spot opportunities that arise.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : This day will be filled

with many exciting surprises for you, Gemini.

Approach it with gratitude and you will be

amazed at the number of things that just

naturally seem to flow your way. Your generous heart will be

rewarded in unexpected ways. Old friends are likely to show

up. Open yourself up to conversations. Act spontaneously

and with a great deal of passion.

cANcer

(June 22 - July 23) : There's a larger

trend operating in your life, Cancer. It's

asking you to break the rules and enter a

new realm - a new mindset or way of

living. Today that trend comes into focus, as emotional

outbursts call attention to the changes. Your heart may

want to go one way while your brain wants to go

another. Take deep breaths and infuse a wave of calm

into the situation before you proceed.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Pour yourself a

comforting cup of tea today, Leo. Take

a hot shower or a long bath. In short,

pamper yourself. You may be picking

up on the extra tension of the people around you.

Be conscious of this and make a mental note to

strip away the garbage that others dump on you.

You're a sensitive individual. Pat yourself on the

back and look out for sudden moves from others.

VIrGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): It may be that people

are a bit upset by some of your recent actions or

words, Virgo. The offhand remark you made a

couple weeks ago is catching up to you. What

you may consider friendly, lighthearted sparring may actual do

a bit of damage to someone's sensitive emotions, especially

today. Think before you speak. Others might not have as tough

a skin as they seem to have.

LIBrA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): This is an exciting

day for you, Libra. You can accomplish

quite a bit. Your intuition is especially

acute and your sensitivity is strong.

Computers might irritate you today. It's possible to

get all worked up if your laptop crashes. Save your

work often. Keep in mind that it's just a machine.

Don't let it get the better of you.

scorpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : You might be a bit

jittery, even without caffeine,

Scorpio. Sudden actions may cause

people to freak out, since people will

be on edge in general today anyway. Save the

surprises for another time. If you need to tell your

boss that you're going on vacation for a little

while, now isn't the time. There's a rough edge to

the astral energy. Relax to soothe your soul.

sAGITTArIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Things may be

coming at you from all angles today,

Sagittarius. Sooner or later you will be

forced to take action. It may seem like

the walls of the room are slowly caving in. The

pressure is building and the air is getting stagnant.

Go out for a run. Exercise will help you release some

of that pressure you feel.

cAprIcorN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): You may be excited

about an idea today, Capricorn, but

unfortunately no one else may be. You

spring up with enthusiasm only to

smack into a brick wall. One side of you may be

communicative and witty while the other is

confused. The two sides aren't really connecting well,

so perhaps you should just lay low. Hold on to your

ideas, and save their presentation for a later day.

AQUArIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Much of today will

be a continuation of yesterday, but

with perhaps a bit more intensity for

you, Aquarius. There's an added buzz

in the air, like static on a radio. This background

noise may not provide the best environment to

work in, but you should be able to navigate with no

problem. Tune out the chatter and move on.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Today is one of those

days when you might feel like four people

have a hold of each of your limbs, Pisces. The

people are tugging and you're getting

stretched in every direction. Someone wants you to go there,

someone wants you to come here. Take some time out for

yourself and clearly state your needs to others. Make it known

what the best situation for you would be.

Venezuelan opposition

leader Guaido tests

positive for COVID-19

HAVANA : Venezuelan opposition

leader Juan Guaido

said on Saturday he had tested

positive for the novel coronavirus.

"I would like to responsibly

inform the country that after

spending four days in quarantine

<…> I tested positive for

COVID-19," he said in a

Twitter post.

On Thursday, Venezuelan

authorities launched a criminal

investigation against

Guaido on suspicion of misappropriating

state funds

aimed at anti-coronavirus

efforts.

According to official

reports, the number of coronavirus

cases in Venezuela has

exceeded 155,000, a total of

1,543 people died.

Juan Guaido, a Venezuelan

opposition leader and the

speaker of the National

Assembly, whose appointment

to that position had

been cancelled by the country's

Supreme Court, declared

himself interim president on

January 23, 2019.

Subsequently, he

announced the launch of

Operation Freedom to topple

incumbent President Nicolas

Maduro.

More than 50 countries

voiced their support to

Guaido, including the

United States and most

European and South

American nations.

GD-547/21 (5x3)

GD-548/21 (5x4)

Southeast University (SEU) organized an online discussion session on March 28, 2021 to celebrate

the 50th Independence Day of Bangladesh. Prof. Dr. AFM Mafizul Islam, Vice Chancellor of

Southeast University chaired the program while Mr. Mustafa Jabbar, Minister, Posts and

Telecommunication Division graced the occasion as Chief Guest. Md. Rezaul Karim, Chairman, BoT,

SEUT delivered his speech as the Guest of Honor. Prof. Dr. ANM Meshquat Uddin, Adviser to BoT

delivered the Welcome Speech. Ekushey Padak Laureate Poet Mohammad Nurul Huda, also spoke

as a special guest. Among others, SEU Registrar, Deans, Chairmen and Directors of various departments,

teachers, officials and students were present in the program.

Photo : Courtesy

Without Trump, political

disinformation dips - for now

WASHINGTON : Twitter

said it permanently suspended

Donald Trump's

account after the January 6

Capitol riot because there

was a risk of further incitement

of violence, following

months of tweets disputing

Joe Biden's presidential

election victory.

False and misleading

claims about American politics

have since plummeted, a

trend Twitter and Facebook

- which also blocked Trump

but may reverse course - are

keen to take credit for.

With Trump muted, a

comparatively media-shy

Biden in the White House,

and no election cycle underway,

Americans remain

interested in economic

recovery and a Covid-19 vaccine

rollout but are not as

consumed by politics as they

were in 2020.



It is that shift in the news

cycle, rather than any fundamental

change in how people

spread inaccurate information,

that is responsible

for a lower volume of political

falsehoods, experts say.

"The single most important

thing was de-platforming

Donald Trump," according

to Professor Russell

Muirhead, co-author of "A

Lot of People Are Saying," a

book title that plays on one

of Trump's most popular

sayings, used when promoting

unproven theories.

"It has removed a daily

blizzard of misinformation

from the ecosystem,"

Muirhead told AFP. "Not

being bombarded is helping

people's misinformation

immune systems to reset

themselves and recover."

But the effect is likely temporary

in an online environment

where news shapes

misinformation. Conspiracy

theories about vaccines, for

example, have flourished in

2021.

"The business of government,

at its best, is not entertaining,"

said Muirhead.

"And the Biden administration

is determined to be unentertaining.

Over 22,000 pupils cannot

go to school due to Niger

unrest: UN

NIAMEY : More than 22,000 children in Niger's lawless west

cannot go to school and nearly 100,000 people have been

displaced by jihadist violence, the United Nations said

Friday, reports BSS.

The affected areas are in the Tillaberi region near the border

with Mali and Burkina Faso, the UN Office for the

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, referring

to an area repeatedly targeted by insurgents allied to Al-

Qaeda or the Islamic State.

The world's poorest nation according to the UN's development

rankings for 189 countries, Niger is also struggling with

Islamist insurgencies that have spilled over from Mali in the

west and Nigeria in the southeast.

Hundreds of lives have been lost, nearly half a million people

have fled their homes, and devastating economic damage

has been inflicted in the former French colony.

"As of January 31, 2021, 22,876 students of whom 10,513

are girls, cannot go to school" in the Tillaberi region alone,

OCHA said, adding that 312 schools in the zone "are closed

due to insecurity."

It said "over 95,000 people" had fled their homes due to

the unrest in Tillaberi, over 511,000 faced food insecurity

while more than 30,000 could not access health care in an

area "with big waves of measles, meningitis and Covid-19."

Nearly 300 "security incidents" were recorded in the

Tillaberi regio last year, claiming the lives of 200 civilians,

according to OCHA.

Demonstration

against virus law

draw hundreds

in Denmark

COPENHAGEN : Hundreds

gathered in central

Copenhagen on Saturday to

protest against a controversial

virus law and Denmark's plan

to create so called "corona

passports".

Marching through the

streets, the crowd of mostly

younger people, lit fireworks

during a march which an AFP

correspondent at the scene

described as mostly peaceful.

Police told the Ekstrabladet

newspaper that some 600

people had gathered and one

person was arrested for

throwing firecrackers towards

police officers.

Organised by Danish antirestriction

group "Men in

Black," the main issue for the

protesters was a new provision

to the penal code that

calls for a doubled sentence

for a crime that "has a background

in or is connected to

the Covid-19 epidemic".

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MoNDAy, MARCH 29, 2021

11

Over 97 pct Chinese parents say overparenting is common: survey

BEIJING : Over 97 percent of Chinese

parents agreed that overparenting is common

and 88.6 percent of them admitted

that they have done too much for their

children, showed a survey released by

China Youth Daily. According to the survey

conducted among over 1,500 Chinese

parents, they tend to heavily interfere in

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the daily lives of their children.

About 70 percent of the respondents

said that overparenting, or helicopter parenting,

would cause their kids to be more

reliant on them. As for the reasons behind

parenting, the survey suggested that 60

percent of parents want their kids to

outdo other children.



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Monday, Dhaka, March 29 2021, Chaitra 15, 1427 BS, Shaban 14, 1442 Hijri

Algae have grown green in the water of Hatirjheel. The picture taken from in front of FDC. Sunday, March 26th.

Hefazat's day-long hartal ends

amid by violence, clashes

DHAKA : The nationwide dawn-to-dusk

hartal, enforced by Hefajat-e-Islam,

passed off on Sunday amid sporadic incidents

of clashes, vandalism, arson attacks

and roads blockades at different parts of

the country.

However, the hartal that began around

6am and ended at 6pm had little impact

on the everyday life of people in the capital,

except the low presence of public vehicles

on the city streets. Rickshaws dominated

the streets of the capital as usual.

A large number of law enforcers

remained deployed at important city

points to fend off any trouble.

Only a few long-distance buses left

Dhaka for different districts while the

train service was normal with poor presence

of passengers.

Hefazat activists brought out processions

in the capital's different areas,

including Jatrabari, Paltan, Baitul

Mukarram, Lalbagh, Mohammadpur

and Basila, in support of the shutdown.

Hefazat activists blocked Jatrabari and

Signboard in the morning setting fire to

tyres.

The Hefazat supporters took position

on Basila Bridge in the capital's

Mohammadpur area and blocked the

Hasan urges madrasha teachersstudents

not to be used in

yielding political interest

DHAKA : Information and

Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan

Mahmud yesterday urged the madrasha

teachers and students not to be used in

yielding political interest of any person

or group, saying there was an ill political

motive to create anarchy in the country

making the Indian premier's visit as

mere an issue.

"The government is determined in

tackling any untoward incidents to protect

the life of common people and public

properties," he told newsmen at a

press briefing at the meeting room of his

ministry at Secretariat in the capital.

The minister said the vested quarter

staged untoward incidents centering the

visit of the Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi on the Independence

Day of the country.

But, they didn't observe the golden

jubilee of independence of the country,

said Hasan, also Awami League joint

general secretary.

He said it is really very condemnable

and unacceptable to use innocent children

and adolescent boys as the political

shields. "I would like to all who are

involved with Qawmi madrasha not to

be used as weapon as a group is trying to

misuse you. Avoid the group and don't

use the children," he added.

He said Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina highly esteems the Alem community.

The government of Awami

League (AL) has not only given recognition

of the certificates of Qawmi

Madrasas but also taken steps to provide

Qawmi Alems jobs, he added.

Hasan said the government of Prime

roads there. They also put barricades on

roads near Mohammadpur bus stand by

setting fire to tyres in the morning.

Pro-hartal pickets locked into a clash

with Chhatra League activists in Saat

Masjid area over blocking roads.

However, police brought the situation

under control by dispersing the hartal

supporters.

Police also foiled an attempt of blocking

roads by the pro-hartal elements in the

city's Lalbagh area.

According to reports reaching the UNB

news desk, the hartal supporters engaged

in clashes and vandalism and arson

attacks in different districts, leaving many

people injured damaging vehicles,

destroying different offices and public

property.

In Narayanganj, at least 30 people were

injured, including one with bullet, in a

clash between hartal supporters and

members of law enforcement agencies in

Mouchak area of Siddhirganj upazila.

Jayedul Islam, superintendent of

Narayanganj Police, said some hartal

supporters took position in Mouchak

area and put barricade on a road by placing

logs and burning tyres at noon.

At one stage, police and BGB men tried

Minister Sheikh Hasina has introduced

allowances of Taka 4,500 for Alems at

about one lakh mosque-based Maktabs

across the country. "Even, many students

of Qawmi Madrasha got government

jobs also. But, in earlier, no one

recognized the Qawmi Madrasha. They

only used them," he added.

The minister said religion and the

state as well are not safe in the hands of

those who commit crimes like killing of

their own emir. "You all know that the

family of Hefazat Islam late emir

Moulana Ahmed Shafi raised an allegation

and lodged a case that the trouble

mongers opened the oxygen tubes of

Shafi. For this, he was died," he added.

Replying to a query on recent activities

of BNP, Hasan said it is really saddened

that BNP indirectly has lent support to

the attacks and hartal on the

Independence Day while Jamaat supported

them directly.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul

Islam Alamgir has cleared their position

in his yesterday's press conference, he

added.

Replying to another query over a

statement of 20 persons, the minister

said, "I saw the statement. But, I feel

ashamed to call them intellectual as they

should give statement against those who

created anarchy on the day of golden

jubilee of Independence."

But, Hasan said, they gave statement

in favour of those who torched in public

properties, land office and police station.

They can't claim themselves as civil society,

and they have merged with extremist

sectarian groups, he added.

Photo: PBA

to disperse them, triggering a chase and

counter-chase.

The hartal supporters also hurled brick

chips at police and BGB men, forcing

them to take action, he said. A young

man, Sakib, suffered bullet wound during

the clash.

Besides, some students of

Madaninagar Madrasah put barricade on

Dhaka-Chittagong highway by burning

tires from Sanarpar to Shimrail crossing

in the morning, disrupting Dhaka's road

communications with Chattogram and

Sylhet.

A young man, Mohammad Shakil, was

injured when BGB opened fired as the

hartal pickets carried out attacks near

Sanarpar bus stand around 11:00am.

Following the incidents, local people

damaged some vehicles by throwing

stones and brick chips on Dhaka-

Chattogram highway.

The hartal supporters also blocked different

points on Dhaka-Chattogram and

Dhaka-Sylhet highways with burning

tyres, halting traffic movement for several

hours.

In Brahmanbaria, Hefazat-e-Islam

activists set fire to three buildings, including

the land office in Sadar upazila.

Closure of primary

schools, kindergartens

extended till May 22

DHAKA : The closure of all types of

government and private primary

schools and kindergartens has been

extended till May 22 to protect students

from coronavirus infection, a

statement of the Ministry of Primary

and Mass Education said.

"At this time, students will stay in

their respective residences to protect

themselves and others from coronavirus

infection. Besides, online education

activities will also continue,"

said the statement.

It further said that the students

have to abide by the instructions and

disciplines issued by the Prime

Minister's Office, Cabinet Division,

Ministry of Public Administration

and Health Services Department.

Earlier, the decision to reopen all

educational institutions at primary,

secondary and higher secondary levels

from May 23 was announced by

the Ministry of Education on March

25. All educational institutions of the

country have been closed since

March 16 last year due to the coronavirus

situation.

No fireworks on

Shab-e-Barat : DMP

DHAKA : Dhaka Metropolitan Police

(DMP) on Sunday imposed a ban on

carrying of all types of explosives,

crackers as well as explosion of firecrackers

in the capital, on the occasion

of the holy Shab-e-Barat, to be

observed tonight.

As per instruction from DMP

Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam,

the restriction will come into effect

from 6:00pm Monday to 6:00am

Tuesday, said a circular issued by the

DMP.

None will be spared for

committing anarchy,

violence: Kamal

DHAKA : State Minister for

Information and Communication

Technology Junaid Ahmed Palak

yesterday said that the digital

platform "Emporia" has been created

for the disabled people, with

an aim to establish a non-discriminatory

society to materialize

the dream of Father of the Nation


Rahman.

"Our brothers and sisters with

disabilities and special needs

have come to Dhaka from different

parts of the country to give

interviews at the job fair organized

by the ICT department.

'Emporia' will play a vital role in

reducing their time, cost and ease

out their interview process,"

Palak said.

The state minister was speaking

as the chief guest at the virtual

inaugural function of 'Emporia', a

software specially developed for

the use of persons with disabilities

in the country under the ICT

Department's 'Empowerment of

All Disabled Persons with

Neurodevelopment Disorders

(NDD) through Information

Technology' project.

He emphasized the need to use

DHAKA : Sounding a stern note of

action against terrorism and anarchism

Home Minister

Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday

said none will be spared for

committing violence and anarchy in

the country.

"Trouble makers, a section of

unruly militant outfit attacked various

government, private establishments

police and railway stations,

Brahmanbaria Press Club, residence

and office of the Zila Parishad

chairman in the last couple of days

," he told journalists at his office

after emerging from an emergency

meeting with chiefs of different

forces and intelligence agencies.

He said, Hefajat-e-Islam took

innocent and minor madrasa students

to the roads as shields and

damaged properties at Hathazari

upazila of Chattogram and

Brahmanbaria and created anarchic

situation.

In the name of Basher Kella

(Bamboo Fort) website, a vested

terrorists group has been instigating

for committing criminal acts

through social media across the

country, the minister said.

"We tried to face the matter with

utmost patience initially but from

now on we will deal it with iron

hands, he said adding that the government

has taken up all out measures

to stop such heinous and terrorists

acts.

Replying to a query , the minister

said various militant groups including

BNP might have involved in

such instigation for unleashing terrorism

and violence.

"It is clear that some militant

groups, who attempted to create

terrorism and anarchic situation

in the country earlier they are

again out to engaged themselves

in those activities ," Kamal said.

He said, "You have seen earlier

that there were some militant

organizations who were linked with

Jamaat- Shibir are now visible and

instigating for committing violence."

"Harkatul Jihad or Ansar Ullah

Bangla Team, whatever you say, all

the main leadership has come from

Jamaat-Shibir," the minister

opined.

Hefajat-e-Islam staged a protest

at Baitul Mukarram on Friday over

Indian Prime Minister Narendra

Modi's visit to Bangladesh.

Earlier, unruly Hefajat-e-Islam

activities clashed with police and

Awami League leaders and workers

with brickbats and sharp weapons

after Jummah prayers at Baitul

Mukarram National Mosque.

'Emporia' will act as a

bridge between disabled

and employers : Palak

technology as a powerful tool to

ensure equal rights for all citizens,

adding that the present government

is implementing various

measures to ensure equal opportunities

for every citizen of the

country, including the able-bodied

and the disabled.

He said that, "The ICT department

has taken initiatives to provide

various IT trainings to enable

the disabled to meet their needs."

He called upon all able-bodied

persons to come forward to

ensure equality and rights of persons

with disabilities.

Later, the state minister officially

launched the 'Emporia' software.

In the program, it was informed

that the 'Emporia' software was

created with the inspiration of

renowned autism expert Saima

Wazed Putul.

Bangladesh Computer Council

Executive Director Parthapratim

Dev presided over the function.

Senior Secretary of the ministry

NM Ziaul Alam, BCC Director

Enamul Kabir and CSID

Executive Director Khandaker

Zahurul Alam also spoke, among

others.

Navy officer assault case

SC stays HC bail to

Irfan Selim

DHAKA : The Appellate Division of the

Supreme Court on Sunday stayed for

four weeks the bail of Irfan Selim, son of

Awami League leader Haji Selim,

granted by the High Court in a case filed

over assaulting a Navy officer in

October last year, reports UNB.

Vacation chamber bench of the

Appellate Division, Chamber judge

Justice Obaidul Hassan stayed the bail

after hearing a petition.

On March 18, the High Court granted

bail to Irfan Selim in the case.

The HC bench of Justice Jahangir

Hossain Selim and Justice Md

Badruzzaman granted the bail.

Advocate Syed Ahmed Raza stood for

the petitioner while deputy attorney

general Dr Mohammad Bashir Ullah

represented the state.

On January 27, the High Court rejected

the bail of Irfan Selim in the case.

The court also issued a rule asking

why Irfan should not be granted bail.

The state has been asked to respond to

the rule within two weeks.

According to the case statement, a

private car hit Bangladesh Navy's

Lieutenant Wasif Ahmed Khan's

motorcycle near Labaid Hospital at

Dhanmondi on October 25, 2020 when

he and his wife were returning to their

Mohammadpur residence from

Nilkhet.

Later, some people including Irfan

came out of the car and physically

assaulted Wasif and verbally abused his

wife.

The Navy officer later filed a case with

Dhanmondi Police Station, naming

four people including Irfan.

On Sunday,

the followers

of traditional

religions

celebrate Dol

Utsav. The

picture is

taken from the

Dhakeswari

temple in the

capital.

Photo : Star Mail

Mild heat wave sweeps

over Sylhet division

DHAKA : Mild heat wave is sweeping over

Sylhet division and the regions of Dhaka,

Faridpur, Chandpur, Rajshahi, Jashore and

Kushtia, said Bangladesh Meteorological

Department (BMD).

The heat wave may abate from some

places, BMD said in regular bulletin on

Sunday. Weather may remain mainly dry

with partly cloudy sky over the country for

next 24 hours commencing from 6 pm on

Sunday, it said.

Rain or thunder showers may occur at one

or two places over Chattogram, Khulna,

Barishal, Sylhet and Dhaka divisions,

reports UNB.

Indian Armed Forces

war veterans' delegation

calls on Navy Chief

DHAKA : A 30-member delegation of

Indian Armed Forces war veterans, who

joined the Bangladesh's War of Liberation in

1971, yesterday paid a courtesy call on the

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Shaheen

Iqbal at his office at Sagarika Hall of

Bangladesh Navy Headquarters in city's

Banani area.

During the meeting, the Navy chief

remembered the contributions of those war

veterans with due respect and expressed

gratitude to them, said an ISPR press release

here. Major General (Retd) Narayan

Sankaran Nair led the delegation.

The delegation is on a visit here on the

occasion of the birth centenary of Father of

the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman and the golden jubilee of

Bangladesh independence.

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

29-03-2021

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