08-04-2021

thursday

Dhaka : april 8, 2021; Chaitra 25, 1427 BS; Shaban 24,1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.18; N o. 05; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

InternatIonal

Boat, snowmobile,

camel: Vaccine reaches

world's far corners

Rafiqul held for

'provocative speech'

in Netrakona

DHAKA : Members of Rapid Action

Battalion (Rab) arrested Rafiqul Islam

Madani for delivering 'anti-state and

provocative speech on virtual platform,

reports UNB.

Tipped-off, Rab men arrested

Madani, widely known as "Shishu

Bokta" from Purbatola area of

Netrakona district early Wednesday,

said ASP Imran Khan, Deputy Director

of Media of Rab Headquarters.

Madadi was arrested earlier on

March 25 from Motijheel area during a

demonstration protesting the visit of

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of

Independence and later he was freed.

Zohr

>Page 7

Journalist assaulted

for not apologising

to Mamunul

NARAYANGANJ : A local journalist has

been assaulted by some Hefazat e Islam

supporters 'for not apologising' to Hefazate-Islam

leader Mamunul Haque. Victim

Habibur Rahman works as Sonargaon

correspondent for a private television

channel who covered the Saturday's incident

in Sonargaon, reports UNB.

Habibur was admitted for treatment

at Sonargaon Upazila Health Complex.

On Saturday, Hefazat's general joint

secretary Mamunul Haque was confined

by the locals to a resort room at

Sonargaon with a woman he claimed to

be his second wife.

Meanwhile, some local journalists

shared Facebook lives from the scene

interviewing Mamunul Hauque.

An accusation was raised by the

Hefazat supporters that journalist

Habibur harassed Mamunul.

As the accusation got viral in social

media, Hefazat workers threatened to

beat him. On Monday Habibur was visiting

his Vatir chor village home in

Sonmandi union where local Hefazat

men attacked him.

04:28 AM

12:10 PM

04:30 PM

06:22 PM

07:37 PM

5:43 6:18

sports

France chases two

medals from the

1904 Olympics

>Page 9

Bangladesh shatters its all-time

records of daily Covid cases

DHAKA : Bangladesh registered the

highest number of daily infections with

7,626 new cases and 63 more deaths

during the last 24 hours till Wednesday

morning amid the deteriorating coronavirus

situation, reports UNB.

With Wednesday's figure, over 7,000

new Coronavirus cases were recorded

for the fourth consecutive day, according

to a handout issued by the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS).

With the new 63 deaths, the Covid-19

fatalities rose to 9,447 while the mortality

rate dropped slightly to 1.43 percent

from Tuesday's 1.44 percent.

The infection rate jumped to 22.02

percent from 21.02 percent on

Wednesday.

During the 24-hour period, 3,256

patients recovered, taking the number

of recoveries to 561,639, the DGHS

handout said.

Although the government enforced a

7-day lockdown from Monday restricting

people's movement, shutting

shops, markets and suspending operations

of public transport (bus, train

and domestic flights), people took it

lightly and movingaround freely defying

the restriction, posing risks of more

transmission.

However, the movement of city buses

resumed on Wednesday, two days after

the enforcement of the lockdown, as the

government has allowed public transport

services in city corporation areas.

Coronavirus claimed 568 lives in

Bangladesh in January this year, while

281 in February and 638 in March.

Bangladesh has so far recorded

659,278 coronavirus cases, the DGHS

handout added.

The number of daily cases and infection

rate had dropped below 5 percent

earlier this year but then the infection

rate continued to rise amid people's

reluctance about maintaining health

safety rules.

Hospitals are struggling to provide

treatment to the increasing number of

coronavirus patients with their limited

resources.

The government is increasing the number

of beds and Covid-designated hospitals

to deal with the situation.

Bangladesh reported its first cases on

March 8 last year and confirmed the

first death from the virus 10 days later.

The country has so far tested

4,882,565 samples, including 34,630 in

the last 24 hours, the DGHS said.

Among the latest victims, 41 died in

Dhaka division, 10 in Chattogram, 4 in

Rajshahi, two in each Khulna,

Mymensingh, one in Barishal and three

in Sylhet divisions.

So far, 5,439 coronavirus patients died

in Dhaka division, 1,684 in Chattogram,

517 in Rajshahi, 597 in Khulna, 280 in

Barishal, 332 in Sylhet, 381 in Rangpur

and 207 in Mymensingh divisions.

So far, 7082 men (74.97) and 2,365

women (25.03) died of Covid-19.

Myanmar refugees in Bhasanchar

coming under education program

Shafiqul iSlam

The government has taken initiative to

bring the children of displaced

Rohingyas from Myanmar who have

relocated to Bhasanchar in Noakhali

under education. A virtual inter-ministerial

meeting has been called on

Thursday (April 8) to decide in which

language these children will be taught.

The meeting will decide how to educate

these Rohingya children. Concerned

people said that it was a decision of the

government to bring Rohingya children

under literacy. The meeting has been

called to decide which methods and in

which language will be given.

The Minister of Education Dipu Moni

will preside at the meeting.

Representatives of the Chief Secretary to

the Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign

Affairs, Department of Public Security of

the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of

Primary and Mass Education, Ministry

of Disaster Management and Relief and

Secretary of the two departments of the

Ministry of Education will attend the

meeting. Besides the concerned people,

institutions, NGO, DC, UNO & others

representatives have been asked to

attend the meeting.

Experts say it will not be right to give

conventional education to Rohingyas in

Bangladesh. According to them, if the

Rohingyas are given mainstream education,

they will be recognized as citizens

of Bangladesh. In this case, their

argument is that many of the

Rohingyas knows Arabic.

According to the Ministry of

Education, about 15,000 displaced

Myanmar nationals have been relocated

from Cox's Bazar refugee camp to

Bhasanchar (Asrayan Project-3) in

Char Ishwar Union of Hatia Upazila in

Noakhali District.

When asked, Additional Secretary

(Secondary-II) Mominur Rashid Amin

told that various foreign organizations

and NGOs are educating Rohingya children.

But officially there was talk of

bringing them under a program. Now

after going to Bhasarchar, the matter

Rohingya children are learning informally. Photo : Collected

has become more intense.

According to the Ministry of

Education, Thursday's meeting in

Bhasanchar will discuss what type of

education can be given to the displaced

Rohingyas of Myanmar. Older

Rohingyas only known Arabic. Not only

adults but also children will be taught

and in which language these issues will

be discussed. There will be no problem

with the teaching infrastructure in

Bhasanchar.

There are plentiful facilities. A related

NGO representative at the Rohingya

camp in Cox's Bazar, said Rohingya

children were taught Burmese, English

and math.

Because when they return to their

country, they can continue their education.

It would not be right to give them the

conventional education of our country

art & culture

Shahnoor in

mega serial

'Jamindar Bari'

>Page 10

The movement of city buses resumed on Wednesday, the 3rd day of the 7-day countrywide lockdown

but the passengers were not seen following the hygiene rules.

Photo : TBT

HC summons PK

Halder, 128 loan

defaulters

DHAKA : The High Court (HC) on

Wednesday summoned 129 loan

defaulters, including Proshanta Kumar

Halder, the disgraced director of

International Leasing and Finance

Service Ltd (ILFSL), to explain how

they would refund the borrowed

money, reports UNB.

They have been asked to appear

before the court on May 24, 25 with

plans so that they can pay the money in

installments within a reasonable time.

The bench of Justice Muhammad

Khurshid Alam Sarkar passed the order

on March 16. Written copy of the order

was presented in the HC on

Wednesday.

Lawyer of ILFSL advocate Mahfuzur

Rahman said the 129 loan defaulters,

including PK Halder, have to pay ILFSC

approximately Tk 1,800 crore.

Among the loan defaulters, 100 were

asked to appear on May 24 and 29 on

the next day, he said.

On January 21, the HC summoned

another 280 loan defaulters to appear

before it on February 23 and February

25. Among the defaulters, 158 appeared

before the court.

The HC asked them to pay the money

or face jail.

The court also imposed restrictions

on foreign visit of 122 loan defaulters as

they failed to appear before the court on

March 9.

Faulty bridge may cause

more accidents on

Shitalakkhya : State Minister

DHAKA : State Minister for Shipping

Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has said

that a faulty bridge on the Shitalakkhya

River may cause more accidents on the

busy waterway in the future, reports

UNB.

Chowdhury said passenger launch

'Sabit Al Hasan' sank after being hit by

a cargo vessel.

"We'll release our statement based on

the investigation report," he said in his

chief guest's speech at the 'River Safety

Week-2021' on Wednesday.

Bangladesh Inland Navigation

(Passenger Transport) Organization

President Mahbub Uddin Ahmed said

the river is narrow where the accident

had occurred. The pillars of the bridge

are hindering the plying of vessels.

"This accident could have been averted

if the Master (skipper) had slowed

down the vessel considering the narrow

channel," he said.

State Minister Khalid said he fears

there could be more accidents on the

Shitalakkhya River because of the narrow

channel and the bridge.

City bus services resume

on day 3 of lockdown

DHAKA : Finance Minister AHM Mustafa

Kamal yesterday said the government is

feeling well over the latest GDP growth

projection by the International Monetary

Fund (IMF) as it has upped its projection.

"Our forecasts are always based on actual

facts and figures. But their (IMF, World

Bank) projections are usually based on

assumptions… yet, they (IMF) have mentioned

well and it's good news for us. The

"feel factor" is good and we all are feeling

well," he said.

The finance minister was responding to

questions from reporters after chairing

virtually two separate meetings on

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

and the Cabinet Committee on

Government Purchase (CCGP).

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)

has raised its projection for the economic

growth of Bangladesh to 5 per cent for 2021,

up from 4.4 per cent it forecast in October.

The Washington-based multilateral

lender came up with the projection in its

World Economic Outlook, which was

published on Tuesday.

According to the IMF, the country will

DHAKA : The movement of city buses

resumed on Wednesday, the 3rd day of

the 7-day countrywide lockdown, as the

government has allowed public transport

services in city corporation areas.

However, the movement of city buses

in different areas of capital Dhaka was

thin due to a small number of passengers,

reports UNB.

"City buses started going back into

operation on Wednesday morning but

the number of buses is low. As the number

of passengers is low, owners are

operating a little number of buses," said

Joint Commissioner (Traffic North)

Abu Saleh Sheikh Russel.

Traffic Inspector (Mohakhali)

Asaduzzaman said "Buses have been

moving since morning within city corporation

areas but the number of buses

and passengers are low. As the government

has suspended the ride-sharing

services, we're filing cases against those

found operating the services."

"We're also monitoring whether people

are following health guidelines," he

said. Talking to UNB, Ashrafuzzaman,

manager of Alif Paribahan, said: "We're

operating 60 percent buses maintaining

health protocols. Usually, 200 vehicles

operate on four routes. As the number

of passengers is poor and long-haul

bus services have been suspended,

we're now operating 60 percent buses."

But the resumption of bus services

has apparently reduced the sufferings

of office-goers and commuters in the

capital.

Although Covid-19 cases and its fatalities

reached a new high on Tuesday

people are found largely reluctant about

obeying health rules and lockdown

restrictions.

However, experts said it will be difficult

to contain coronavirus infections

and deaths if a strict lockdown is not

enforced as the situation is turning

worse day by day.

Many patients are moving from one

hospital to another for beds or oxygen

support as most hospitals are occupied.

Private cars, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws,

microbus and CNG-run autorickshaws

and many ride-sharing services

were seen plying the streets like the

previous two days.

Shopping malls are closed as per the

government instruction but shops were

seen open in many areas.

The UNB correspondent found shops

in lanes and by-lanes open despite the

lockdown.

Govt feels well over IMF's latest

growth projection: Kamal

return to its high growth trajectory next

year, when the gross domestic product

(GDP) is projected to expand by 7.5 per cent.

The GDP will grow by 7.2 per cent in 2026.

According to the IMF's projection,

India's GDP would grow by 12.5 percent in

2021, Sri Lanka by 4 percent, Nepal by 2.9

per cent, and Pakistan by 1.5 per cent.

Earlier on March 31, the World Bank

projected Bangladesh's GDP to grow as

high as 5.6 per cent in the fiscal year 2020-

21. The finance minister said the World

Bank and the IMF makes projections

about the global economies from time to

time while it is a flexible sort of thing as

they often raise and lower those.

But, he said, no matter the lending

agencies give what kinds of projections,

the government would have to accomplish

its own tasks and thus move forward.

"We'll have to accomplish our tasks pursuing

practical aspects instead of theoretical

aspects as to ensure how we can

unleash much more development. Our

goal is to implement the ideas of our policy

perspectives in a timely and nice manner,"

he added.

ThursDAY, April 8, 2021

2

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Community clinics, a blessing

for grassroots people, amid

COVID-19 pandemic

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GD-611/21 (5x3)

DHAKA : When the deadly

novel corona virus (COVID-

19) has created havoc on the

people's life and livelihood as

well as the country's health

system since its outbreak in

March last year, the

community clinics have been

appeared as a blessing for the

grassroots people at that

critical time.

In such a life-threatening

situation, the community

health care providers

(CHCPs) of the community

clinics are continuing to carry

out the mission of providing

medicare services to the

common people at the

grassroots level throughout

the country amid the

pandemic.

Many patients are visiting

the clinics with COVID-19

symptoms though it is

difficult to diagnose. The

CHCPs are rendering health

care services to the patients

risking their life.

The health service

providers said the community

clinics are providing medicare

services to the rural people

regularly when many public

and private hospitals in urban

areas are struggling to keep

up their services due to

various problems like

shortage of doctors, other

staff and necessary health

equipment.

But at that time, the rural

people are getting free

treatment and medicines as

well from the community

clinics across the country. The

clinics have become a blessing

for the people, especially for

women and children.

The common people are

getting 30 types of health

service including awareness

advices about the COVID-19

from the community clinics.

The clinics have become the

only resort for the people near

their houses from where they

receive medical treatment

during the lockdown (general

vacation) across the country.

The countrymen heaved a

sigh of relief when Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina has

taken prompt initiatives to

bring COVID vaccines in the

country at a time when the

rate of infection of the super

contagious disease is surging

alarmingly.

The people are showing

their eagerness to take the

vaccine though they were not

interested in it at the

beginning. Even, many

people are visiting their

nearby community clinics

(CCs) to take the inoculation

though it is provided from

designated facilities.

GD-608/21 (5x3)

Farmers expect bumper Boro

yield in Panchagarh

GD-610/21 (7x3)

PANCHAGARH : Farmers

and Department of

Agricultural Extension (DAE)

officials are expecting bumper

Boro production during the

current season.

The Boro fields now take

greenish look as the tender

paddy plants are growing well

in all five upazilas of the

district.

The farmers are busy and

passing their time for

nurturing Boro plants and

giving fertilizers on the fields

with the hope of bumper

yield.

DAE office sources said

there is no fertilizer and water

supply shortage while no

pests attack took place,

making the agriculture

officers hopeful about

bumper production.

DAE sources said 30,125

hectares of land have been

brought under Boro

cultivation in the district with

the production target of

1,33,750 tonnes of fresh rice

this season.

DAE deputy director Md

Mizanur Rahman told BSS

that Boro cultivation has

exceeded by over 200

hectares of land in the district,

though the department fixed

the target of cultivation on 30,

125 hectares of land.

The Bangladesh Agriculture

Development Corporation

(BADC) distributed high

quality Boro seeds to the

farmers at fair price.

The DAE has also

distributed Boro seeds,

fertilizers and other

agriculture inputs among 200

farmers at free of cost to make

the cultivation programme a

success.

GD-609/21 (5x3)

AvBGmwcAvi/wegvb/40

07/04/2021

GD-612/21 (6x4)

THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021

3

Palak for acquiring technological

knowledge to lead changing world

DHAKA : State Minister for Information and

Communication Technology Junaid Ahmed

Palak yesterday inaugurated Grameen

Phone's Digital Skills Academy "GP

Explorers 2.0" through an online meeting.

At the meeting, addressing the youngsters

of the country he said that, "By only adapting

we can never lead the changing world. We

have to prepare ourselves to create

opportunities of leadership through the

acquisition of technology," said a press

release here.

Terming human resources as crucial and

valuable he said that, "If we can build

efficient human resources, it will be possible

to bring radical change in all fields including

economy."

Mentioning that the youth should acquire

technological knowledge constantly, the

state minister said that, "It would not be

possible to manage one's career for the rest

of one's life by acquiring skills in a particular

subject during the Fourth Industrial

Revolution." He also said that the present

government has been working relentlessly to

establish Bangladesh as a technologically

strong country.

"8,000 Sheikh Russell Digital Labs have

been set up at the secondary and higher

secondary levels at the initiative of the ICT

department to provide basic knowledge in

technology including coding and

programming to the youth of the country,"

Palak said.

He also said that, "Sheikh Kamal IT

Training and Incubation Centers and 300

Schools of the Future were being set up in 64

districts and the Sheikh Hasina Institute of

Frontier Technology was being set up to

enable the new generation to lead the

technology world in future."

"The Global Village and communication

has been reduced by about 70 per cent due to

the pandemic situation. But even in such a

hostile situation, Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina's dynamic leadership and timely

steps have made it possible to keep

Bangladesh's GDP at 5.2 percent.

Bangladesh has been able to gain the status

of a developing country from a least

developed country," Palak added.

He then urged the youth to use their ability

properly to build a prosperous Bangladesh.

Grameenphone CEO Yasir Ajman, Head of

Human Resources Department Aftab Uddin

Mahmud, Human Resource Professionals

Solaiman Alam and Farhana Islam also

spoke, among others.

Clothes traders blocked Shaheb bazar road of Rajshahi city yesterday demanding to open shop.

Photo : Star Mail

Chattogram: AL man

dies days after attack

by Hefazat activists

CHATTOGRAM : A

member of the Awami

League, who sustained

injuries in an attack by

activists of Hefazat-e-Islam

on Saturday, died during

treatment at a hospital in

Chattogram in the early

hours of Wednesday, police

said.

The deceased was

identified as Mohammad

Muhibullah, 54, a member

of Awami League's Kodala

union unit in Rangunia

upazila, reports UNB.

Mahbub Milki, officer-incharge

of Rangunia Police

Station, said that Hefazat

activists brought out a

procession in the Kodal

area on Saturday in protest

against the "illegal

detention" of their leader

Mamunul Haque from a

resort in the Sonargaon

area of Narayanganj

district.

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul

Momen has said they should now

seriously considerregional or

multilateral

initiativesfor

therepatriation of Rohingyas to

Myanmaras itremains a compelling

priority for Bangladesh, reports UNB.

"Canada, with its global stature and

standing on human rights issues, may

consider taking a lead in such initiatives.

Bangladesh always stands ready to work

with Canada and other partners in this

direction," he said.

Dr Momen made the remarks while

addressing a webinar,"Evolving

Rohingya Crisis and International

Response: Canada's Future Role in

Repatriation and Accountability

Initiatives",held on Tuesday night.

The Foreign Minister said the

DHAKA : US Congressman Ted Deutch

(Democrat- Florida), an influential member

of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee,

has praised Bangladesh Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina for giving shelter to over one

million persecuted Rohingyas, reports UNB.

He emphasized that the House Foreign

Affairs Committee was fully seized with the

Rohingya issue and was willing to do more to

resolve this humanitarian crisis.

Congressman Deutch has expressed his

interest to bolster Bangladesh-US

cooperation on wide-ranging issues,

including climate change, counterterrorism,

and Rohingya issues.

He said this when Bangladesh

Ambassador to the United States, M

Shahidul Islam, met him at latter's Boca

Raton office in Florida recently.

Congressman Deutch also agreed to help

revitalize the Congressional Bangladesh

Caucus, an informal platform of

Bangladesh's friends in the US Congress that

has remained dormant since its Chair,

displaced Rohingyas are also desperate

to return homewithsafety and dignity at

the earliest possible.

"It's our collective responsibility to

help these distressed people materialise

their dreams and aspirations. Only

through our concerted efforts, sustained

repatriation can become a reality," he

said.

Bangabandhu Centre for Bangladesh

Studies in Canada (BCBS)in

cooperation with Conflict and Resilience

Research Institute Canada, organised its

first webinar on Rohingya crisis

resolution.

High Commissioner of Bangladesh in

Canada Dr Khalilur Rahman, Senator

Marilou McPhedran CM, Heather

McPherson,Brad Redekopp,

ProfessorJohn PackerandNeuberger-

PM shocked at

death of Sreepur

AL leader

Mustafizur

DHAKA : Prime Minister

and Awami League

president Sheikh Hasina on

Wednesday expressed deep

shock and sorrow at the

death of convenor of

Sreepur Upazila Awami

League under Gazipur

district Mustafizur Rahman

Bulbul, reports UNB.

She prayed for the eternal

salvation of the departed

soul and expressed

sympathy to the bereaved

family.

Mustafizur

Rahmanbreathed his last at

12amon Wednesday at a

Dhaka hospital. He was 67.

He left behind wife, a son,

two daughters and a host of

relatives and well wishers.

Meanwhile, AL general

secretary and Road

Transport and Bridges

Minister Obaidul Quader

also expressed deep shock

and sorrow at the death

ofMustafizur Rahman.

Congressman Deutch

lauds Hasina's role

over Rohingya issue

former Congressman Joseph Crowley, lost

his reelection bid in 2018.

Earlier, the Ambassador attended a

reception organized by the Bangladesh

Association of Florida.

Five City Mayors of West Palm Beach,

Boynton Beach, Pahokee City, Bele Glade,

South Bay, and two Commissioners of

Broward County and West Palm Beach

County were present.

The City Mayors and County officials

welcomed the opening of a new Consulate

General in Miami, Florida.

The Broward County Commissioner

presented the 'Key to the Broward County' to

the Ambassador.

The Bangladeshi American community of

South Florida expressed gratitude to Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina for opening

Bangladesh's third Consulate in Florida.

Community leaders, professionals, and

leading businessmen, including Mohammad

Zahir, Molla Fazlur Rahman, Junaid Akhter,

and Abdul Wahed Mahfuz were present.

Dhaka seeks serious regional, multilateral

initiatives over Rohingya repatriation

Jesin,Professor of International Conflict

Resolution, alsospokeon the occasion.

Dr Kawser Ahmed,Executive Director,

CRRIC,moderated the session.

The Rohingya crisis might turn into a

broader regional and global security

issue if not resolved sooner, the

speakerssaid.

They said Canada must step up with

pragmatic 'actions' and genuine

'willingness' regarding continuing

humanitarian assistance, imposing

effective economic sanctions and stop

investing in Myanmar, and support the

ICJ case.

A call for urgent multilateral action

would enable like-minded actors to

intervene in actualising safe and

dignified repatriation of Rohingyas to

Rakhine, they said.

DSCC Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh inaugurated the newly constructed Bashir Uddin

Sardar Park and Malitola Park in Islambagh on Wednesday.

Photo : TBT

1 killed in city

road crash

DHAKA : A man was killed

after an auto-rickshaw

rammed into a bus in the

capital's Nilkhet area on

Wednesday morning,

reports UNB.

The deceased has been

identified as auto-rickshaw

driver Golam Mostofa, 45, of

Rampura.

The accident occurred

when the auto-rickshaw hit

the front wheel of the bus at

the crossroad.

Inspector Bachchu Mia of

Dhaka Medical College

Hospital (DMCH) police

outpost said the driver of

Thikana Paribahan bus,

Jalal Mia, has been arrested

from DMCH area.

The body of the autorickshaw

driver has been

kept at DMCH morgue.

Ex-DUCSU GS

Morshed Ali

passes away

DHAKA : Former Dhaka

University Central Students'

Union (DUCSU) General

Secretary and control

commission member of

Communist Party of

Bangladesh

Bir

Muktijoddha Morshed Ali

passed away at

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Medical University Hospital

yesterday morning.

He was 78.

Morshed Ali left behind

his wife, a daughter and a

host of relatives and

admirers to mourn his

death.

Awami League General

Secretary and Road

Transport and Bridges

Minister Obaidul Quader

expressed profound shock

and sorrow at the death of

Morshed Ali.

In a condolence message,

he prayed for eternal peace

of the departed soul and

conveyed deep sympathy to

the bereaved family.

Brac engaging with

communities to build

Covid-19 resilience

DHAKA : BRAC provided

Covid-19 prevention

information to 37.56

million households and

conducted 13,985 safe

deliveries at BRAC

maternity centres in the

last one year.

Over 12 lakh households

in seven districts received

covid-19 prevention

messages between March

2020 and February 2021,

according to a statement on

Tuesday, reports UNB.

So far, BRAC has trained

and deployed 659

Community Support Team

(CST) members under

Dhaka North City

Corporation (DNCC) and

773 CST members under

Dhaka South City

Corporation (DSCC). In

addition, BRAC

community health workers

supported government

teams to track cases and

refer cases to national

facilities.

BRAC community

support team in the field

helping communities build

covid-19 resilience.

Due to upsurge the covid-

19 transmission, BRAC has

stepped up its communitydriven

response to deliver

essential healthcare

services to those most

vulnerable in an

undisrupted manner.

"BRAC will create

community resilience to

prevent transmission,

improve home management

and facilitate testing, taking

other stakeholders alongside

in the hotspots," said

Morseda Chowdhury,

associate director, BRAC's

Health, Nutrition and

Population Programme

(HNPP).

Referring to the

economic hardship novel

coronavirus has brought

upon particularly the low

and lower-middle income

people, she said that

hardware support in terms

of cash or kind nudges

behavioural

improvements.

Currently, community

support teams formed

under the HNPP are

operating in six districts

putting the communities at

the front and centre of the

mitigation strategy.

Funded by UK Foreign

Commonwealth and

Development Office

(FCDO), the project titled

"COVID-19 response

through community

mobilisation and

strengthening of

community clinics" is

operating in 51 upazilas in

Bagerhat, Bhola, Sherpur,

Narayanganj, Kishoreganj

and Bogra districts.

Under a separate project,

BRAC community support

teams are offering health

messages for behavioural

change of its programme

participants in two upazilas

in Gazipur. Implemented

with its own funding since

September 2020, the

initiative

titled

"Community-based Covid-

19 response project" offers

services in Kaliganj and

Kapasiaupazilas of

Gazipur.

In the project being

implemented in the first six

districts, community

support teams, each with

two community health

workers, are visiting doorto-door

to interact with the

households. Community

healthcare workers of the

government are also

involved in the process.

The teams offer

healthcare service

messages, including

maternal and child

healthcare service

packages. The teams try to

find out if any families have

members with covid-19

symptoms and refer them

to upazila health complex,

if found any.

BRAC has also taken

initiative to form COVID-

19 prevention committees

having both influential

figures and common

people from the localities as

members, all of whom

actively engage in

sensitising people on

coronavirus prevention

through awareness

messages.

To ensure treatment of

suspected or covid-19

patients, BRAC is also

offering training and

logistic support to the local

family planning centres

and community clinics.

So far, 27,000 covid-19

suspects have been

identified in these 51

upazilas. These committees

along with BRAC's

community support teams

are relentlessly spreading

awareness messages on

health and hygiene,

including those to prevent

coronavirus to 12 lakh

households in this area.

They also distributed 12

lakh masks and installed

50,000 hand washing

stations in these upazilas.

On the other hand, the

project being implemented

in two upazilas of Gazipur

aims to raise awareness of

the community to

minimise covid-19

transmission in the

Kaliganj

and

Kapasiaupazilas and refer

patients with symptoms to

the nearest healthcare

centres.

Former Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) General Secretary and control commission

member of Communist Party of Bangladesh and valiant Freedom Fighter Morshed Ali has been

awarded the Guard of Honor.

Photo: PBA

THUrSDay, aPrIL 8, 2021

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Thursday, April 08, 2021

Role of

remittance

ABangladesh Bank study reports that remittance sent

by expatriates is mostly used for consumption and in

the "non-productive" sectors in the country. The

survey conducted in 2011 found 90% of remittances were

used for meeting basic needs. Seventy-five percent of

households receiving remittance spent those on food, 42%

on loan repayment, 65% on education, 57% on treatment,

49% on marriage and 4% on running legal battles (multiple

responses allowed). Experts described these as failure of

successive governments to act on diverting the remittances

into "productive" sectors instead of consumption.

Nothing could be further from truth even if we assume

for the sake of argument that all remittances go to finance

consumption plus acquisition of assets such as land.

The criticism is flawed for several reasons. Remittances

in Bangladesh are generally a contribution to the family

budget, not capital flows. Given the socio-cultural and

educational background of the majority of migrant

households, they are generally ill-prepared to undertake

risky activities. Evidence from some countries including

Bangladesh shows that the pattern of expenditure is

invariant between remittance-receiving and non-receiving

households when controlled for income and socio-cultural

differences.

Spending remittances on consumption often contributes

to improved health, education and human capital,

enhancing both private and public welfare. It may be that in

many cases a significant part of the remittance-related

investment increases stock of wealth of the migrant

household in the form of land, housing and jewelry. But

these have indirect macro-economic effects on

development. They provide a monetary base for the supply

of credit that can be used as investment capital. Whether or

not the supply of additional credit will actually be used for

investment purposes depends on the efficacy of the banking

system, the government and, more generally, on the overall

investment climate.

In Bangladesh as elsewhere, remittances have a related,

but distinctive type of positive effect on the rural economy

where lack of effective demand is often a serious constraint

on economic growth. A large part of the remittances is

almost invariably spent on locally produced goods and

services. New demands for a variety of goods and services,

largely from a class within society that had previously little

purchasing power, have a powerful impact on production of

both tradable and non-tradable labor-intensive goods and

services, land markets, construction and spread of banking

and commerce. The consequent stimulus given to local

industry, through better utilization of installed capacity or

creation of new productive units, far exceeds the value of the

initial rounds of expenditure. By generating a multiplier

effect they stimulate aggregate demand, output and income.

Analyses of the dynamic macro-economic impact of

remittance induced expenditure show that its multiplier

effect on GNP could be as high as 1:2 or 1:3. In other words,

a remittance of $1 million could increase the country's GNP

by more than $2 to 3 million. Remittances in Bangladesh are

estimated to have a multiplier effect of 1:2.1 on GNP in the

long run.

Some caveats deserve mentioning. When remittances

lead to increased trading of existing goods, such as houses

and land, the expenditure may increase the stock of wealth

and investment of the family, not the country. However,

except in highly implausible cases where the supply of

production inputs is completely inelastic and factors are

immobile, increased demand due to remittance induced

expenditure lead over time to increased growth and

employment, even if it creates inflation in the short term.

Nonetheless, the slow response of input supplies could well

be a real problem, reducing the multiplier effect of

remittance expenditure on income and output. This may be

exacerbated if in the face of rising inflation at the local level

the central bank adopts a tighter monetary policy, thus

offsetting some of the local multiplier effect by stifling

demand elsewhere in the economy.

The nature of linkages between the remittance-receiving

localities and the national economy also influences the

remittances' multiplier effect on the overall economy. When

remittances are concentrated in limited areas, as is the case

in Bangladesh, the growth impulses of the multiplier are not

likely to be transmitted to the national economy. However,

to the extent that the remittance-receiving areas are

integrated with the rest of the economy, a good part of the

benefits of remittances tends to be passed on to other parts

of the country. The overall development effect of remittances

cannot be fully gauged by focusing on the remittancereceiving

communities alone without accounting for the

positive effect of remittances to the other parts of the

economy.

Summing up, remittances can make a positive impact on

output growth and overall economic performance under two

economy-wide conditions. First, the economy has an

integrated productive structure capable of responding

positively to the stimuli of remittances from abroad. Second,

the country has sound macro-economic policies, political

stability, and an investment-friendly environment,

including an efficient financial system and public

administration. Remittances, by themselves, cannot create

these conditions. Absent such conditions, remittance still

increase welfare by supplementing budgets of the recipient

households, providing the foreign exchange needed for

financing imports related to domestic consumption and

investment, and deepening the deposit base as well as the

income sources of the domestic banking system.

Wisdom of Crowds for innovative teaching

The most fundamental contribution

of education is to enable people to

better themselves to engage

themselves in socially productive tasks to

build a stronger nation economically and

otherwise. The assumption is that at the

end of an academic programme, the

learners, i.e., the students, would acquire

capabilities that, in turn, would add to

the competitive advantage of their

respective countries through

technological and also non-technological

means. This fits well in an input-output

model in which the inputs are the

students. They are also the outputs but

having gone through a transformation

system, i.e., an educational process that

makes them professionally more capable

through value addition. The question is

whether any value has been added

during the learning process, and if so,

what is its quantum. This is where the

question of teaching and assessment

comes in.

In recent times, questions have been

raised publicly about education's

effectiveness because it consumes a

substantial national GDP at the national

level. Accordingly, the demand for an

accountable and transparent teaching

and assessment system has been

noticeable. While we have witnessed an

unprecedented level of growth in Higher

education in Bangladesh over the past

three decades, change was mainly within

the private sector. Both the number of

higher educational institutions and the

number of students in this sector

reached an unprecedented level. The

country has already proved it is in a rapid

growth trajectory and is becoming one of

the world's most expanded economies.

Therefore, growth and development

must go hand in hand. Now is the time

for the nation to have a more robust

education policy, and institutions must

be more agile to adapt and change their

Dr P. r. DaTTa

Blended Learning Center (BLC) can be the Role Model for Online Education

The corona virus

(COVID-19)

pandemic is

the defining global

health crisis of our

time and the greatest

challenge we have

faced since the

Second World War. Second wave of

Corona began to hit in Bangladesh as well

as worldwide which effects and paralyzes

our normal life. County is now facing Lock

Down for second time.

At this pandemic the sector which is

facing lockdown in Bangladesh for more

than a year is education. Schools, colleges,

universities or even their residential halls

are still locked down. Online activities are

gaining momentum day by day.

Educational institutions for their survival

are also trying to continue academic

activities through online platform. Due to

lack of previous practice and incorporation

of well equipped modern facilities

maximum institutions are facing lot of

troubles and obstacles for smooth

operation of online academic activities.

But there is an institution, and that's not

in any developed country, rather in this

developing Bangladesh, which hasn't

waited much even for a single day to

continue its all sorts of academic and

administrative activities. That is Daffodil

International University (DIU). The

greatest weapon that DIU is currently

using is its own Blended Learning Center

(BLC), Learning Management System

(LMS) and Go Edu platform. DIU started

using online platform BLC from the day

one it faced lockdown. Not only that DIU

recognized as Digital University has the

earlier experience of conducting classes

through online platform since 2013.

100% academic activities of the

university are going on in full swing

smoothly using the BLC platform which

DIU started in 2013. As the teachers and

students have earlier experience and are

habituated with online platform for the

last 8-10 years, so it becomes very easy for

them to conduct academic and

administrative activities. As a part of

complete automation and digitalization,

the university has combined the strength

of its BLC platform for performing

academic activities and Smart Edu for

administrative purposes".

Blended Learning Center (BLC) is the

unique digital teaching and learning hub

of Daffodil International University. The

platform aims to connect teachers and

students effectively allowing teachers to

track progress of individual students and

better facilitate their learning.

Daffodil International University has

reputation as the pioneering digital

university in Bangladesh. As the process of

its digitalization DIU has been developing

BLC from 2013 and equipping students

and teachers compatible to work with this.

An efficient and active team is working for

the continuous development and training

of teachers and students. Apart from that

approaches to align with current needs.

To address global dynamism,

institutions must move with the trends

and time. Innovative teaching and

assessment are essential to provide

adequate scaffolding for knowledge and

develop a moral citizen. However, it

seems we are losing day by day the true

meaning of educational philosophy that

knowledge is an internal manifestation,

and all educational system must

recognise and discover this. Independent

learning is not the current norm of our

education; instead, it is tutors driven in

which students are bombarded with

information in a mechanical way.

Innovative teaching approaches are

imperative to enhance learners' learning

experiences. Assessment should not be a

one-time exercise at the end of a

programme but needs to be continuous.

As a course progresses, there should be a

diagnostic exercise to identify students'

strengths and weaknesses so that there is

definite progress in the students'

achievement - that weaknesses are

minimised, and their strengths are

maximised. Periodically, therefore, there

should be home tasks, class tests and

group assignments throughout the

programme. This assessment phase,

referred to as formative assessment, is

meant to enhance the students' learning

process, mainly through feedback. There

is another aspect to it that should not be

missed the sight of. In this phase, if

MD. aNowar HaBIB KazaL

the academic departments also poured

their heart and soul to equip themselves

with the tools and technologies available in

the BLC platform within the shortest time

possible. As a result, Daffodil

International University (DIU) had been

successfully conducting online classes

from the start of Covid-19 pandemic using

the BLC platform, LMS, and Go Edu

platform

At the beginning of the transformation

to fully online class, there were some

problems with the poor internet

connection for the students located in

remote locations of the country. However,

because of the low data functionality of

BLC, DIU has overcome the problem

within a very short time. Along with it,

DIU also worked on collaborating with

Grameen Phone and Robi to bring in a low

price data package for its students.

At this pandemic, the university has

been successfully completing all academic

and administrative activities through

online and served the majority of its

students located in remote locations of the

country. Presently the university could

successfully accommodate over 29000

users including students, teachers and

administrators, Over 7154 courses in the

BLC platform with a strong cloud based

infrastructure.

BLC is a well structured & robust e-

Learning Management System and is a

one stop solution to create, organize,

communicate & manage courses. BLC is

very simple to use & manage for teachers &

students with incredibly powerful plug-ins

and integrations. The platform comes with

a drag and drop Course Builder that helps

teachers to publish courses with ease. It is

convenient to add or create (link or

embed) course materials, new lessons

videos, audio, PowerPoint, drive

resources, any files from desktop, and

even interactive contents. The platform

contains over 25 inbuilt features along

with hundreds of plug-ins and integrations

that extends the possibilities for the

teachers to engage their students in

multiple and flexible ways.

Quizzes, assignments, forums and

online workshops provoke curiosity and

make students participate in courses

more. It comes with the most advanced

quiz creator allowing teachers to set any

kind of questions with ability to set timed

quiz and track the attempts of the

students. With this, the teachers can

maintain the quiz quality and integrity of

the quiz or examinations. The platform

also is integrated with Turnitin Plagiarism

checker to present teachers with the

properly conducted, the students,

through participation and contribution

to completing their group assignments,

can learn the outstanding contribution

that group culture/teamwork makes to

managerial effectiveness- an important

factor in organisational performance

often underestimated. Students are

examined and receive marks and grades

for their performance in the final phase

of assessment, referred to as summative

assessment.

The main thrust of teaching and

assessment is to establish the

effectiveness of teaching and learning as

it seems we are losing day by day the true meaning of educational philosophy

that knowledge is an internal manifestation, and all educational

system must recognise and discover this. Independent learning

is not the current norm of our education; instead, it is tutors driven in

which students are bombarded with information in a mechanical way.

such. A properly executed diagnostic and

formative assessment will show their

impact on how far the participants have

moved along the path of higher-order

skills as propounded by Bloom (Bloom's

Taxonomy). The summative assessment

will be the ultimate test to show how far

the transformation process has enriched

the students. If properly conducted, the

students will now be that much more

confident to face the world of

employment. If this were to happen at a

national level, society would be that

much stronger. But its impact does not

end here. As alumni, it is well known,

and students significantly influence their

alma maters in curriculum formation to

take their universities/colleges further

ahead. In turn, this will have its effect on

the teaching faculty as well. Assessment

is, thus, holistic and should not be seen

originality report of the students'

submissions.

With these many options, teachers are

able to set questions to assess the students

following Bloom's Taxonomy so that the

teachers can easily identify what level of

understanding they (students) are at

present and accordingly provide them

further guidelines. All assessment results

are accumulated automatically to a highly

customizable grade book which gives the

teachers an overview of how each student

is performing in the course. Students can

also see their records anytime from there

so that they can plan and prepare better

for the next assessments. In a word the

platform has increased the transparency

and integrity for both the students and

teachers. The examination section of the

university can also track and check these

records that allow them to ensure the

examination quality and integrity.

The BLC Platform also supports

multiple instructors for a single course.

This is helpful for teachers to collaborate

with one another in preparation for the

course and also improve the content

The greatest weapon that DIU is currently using is its own Blended

Learning Center (BLC), Learning Management System (LMS) and Go Edu

platform. DIU started using online platform BLC from the day one it faced

lockdown. Not only that DIU recognized as Digital University has the earlier

experience of conducting classes through online platform since 2013.

quality. Departments can also keep course

repositories separately in the platform so

that teachers can update their courses

from time to time before offering the

courses for the new semester.

Departments can also check these

repositories and provide guidelines to

teachers on the improvement scopes.

Moreover, the BLC platform has its own

analytics tool with three separate

dashboards: Teacher Dashboard, Student

Dashboard and Admin Dashboard. With

it, the teachers can check the performance

of their students and their courses from a

single dashboard and get a detailed report

on their courses with a few clicks.

Similarly, the students can also get insight

on their present performance from various

courses so that they can prepare well and

get organized or take help from their

teachers. The Admin Dashboard let the

university management gain insight and

report on the overall performance and

activities of the platform allowing them to

ensure teacher and student success. The

reports are segmented into useful insight

points like active teachers, course

completion, teacher engagement,

abnormal grades, innovative teachers,

active students, at risk students and so on.

These reports can also be sorted according

to the Faculties, Departments and

Semesters. Also it is possible to get reports

of a custom period of time.

One of the greatest upsides to teaching

online through BLC is that the classes can

as bureaucratically burdensome if it is

properly conducted and is weighed in

cost-benefit terms.

However, sadly, teaching, learning and

assessment paradigms in Bangladesh

seems in its fixed mindset and does not

want to move from their primitive nature

to a large extent. It still lacks a coherent

approach to provide a heuristic and

robust nature of learning experiences to

students. Most assessments are based on

rigorous examinations at the end of the

semester, while teaching is till one-way

communication and tutors driven. To

make teaching and assessment students

centric the institutions and educators

should focus on innovative practices that

are only possible when collective

intelligence is given consideration. The

wisdom of crowds in teaching and

assessment will enhance learners

learning experiences and knowledge.

The introduction of flipping classroom

& collaborative teaching will enable

learners to change active users'

knowledge from passive learners. That

will help them to become more confident

and master of their field. In the age of

globalisation & unprecedented

technological advancement, we must

focus on students' teaching experience

and create a growth mindset with the

multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary

understanding that makes compound

knowledge. Today's students are more

prone to social media network and

technological platforms. These become

an indispensable tool for many students

and educators to gather information and

communicate to the broader audience.

Many organisations and social network

users use crowds' wisdom to collect data

for the decision-making process.

The Writer is Executive Chair,

Centre for Business & Economic

Research, UK

be easily made visually appealing, with

videos from multiple sources like

YouTube, google, drive, edpuzzle, H5P

interactive content. To create courses for

the students, teachers can upload a variety

of multimedia files, images, PDFs, docs,

excel sheets and so on. Teachers also can

assign custom badges based on the

activities in the courses. Students find it

very encouraging and rewarding to engage

in the course activities to earn those

badges.

Students can interact freely with the

problem discussion forum sections, where

they can comment and ask questions to

the teachers, students can also review, rate

and give feedback on their courses.

Teachers also take periodic feedback and

surveys from the students from within the

BLC platform.

The BLC platform is currently based on

an intellectually designed cloud

infrastructure suggested by both locally

and internationally recognized experts

which enables the students to learn

regardless of their remote location or

internet connectivity and makes learning

interactive and lively. In the recent

semester DIU teachers have initiated a

total of 1647 courses through the BLC

platform where over 16000 active

students are engaged and continuing their

studies online. The university also has the

technology to conduct various learning

webinars aiming to develop both teachers

and students and through which students

get the opportunity to have classes with

world's renowned professors.

It is Daffodil International University

(DIU), relentlessly striving for the

betterment of higher education in national

and international levels. One of the

challenges that private universities face is

regarding credibility, transparency and

validity. The university is continuously

excelling in world rankings with its

education and researches. Even at this

pandemic situation, still Daffodil

International University is running with

its usual pace, even faster.

Lots of students fear about session jam

in the coming future. But, DIU has

inspired other institutions to run the

operations even in this crisis. Not only the

academic, any institution can be

encouraged by its effort like SmartEdu. In

the next challenging New Normal world,

where even survival might be a big factor,

Daffodil International University is

committed to build its students as fully

fitted with entrepreneurial mindset and

technological expertise. The University is

indeed leading the country's education

from the front during the pandemic. DIU

is now getting ready to contribute in

Udemy, CourseEra etc. famous online

learning platforms. It is therefore

progressing beyond national boundary

and to contribute worldwide.

Md. Anowar Habib Kazal, Senior

Assistant Director (Public Relations),

Daffodil International University

THurSdAY, APrIl 8, 2021

5

China-Iran relations and the issue of massive investment

William Figueroa

On March 26, Iran and China signed an agreement

expressing a desire to increase cooperation and trade

relations over the next 25 years. This Strategic Cooperation

Agreement, as it is officially known, has been hailed as a

massive overhaul of Sino-Iranian relations that will see China

invest anywhere from $400 to $600 billion in Iran, with

some estimates running as high as $800 billion.

Proponents of the deal hail the onset of mutually beneficial

relations between two influential Asian countries with a

shared desire to reduce and resist U.S. influence in the

region. China is seen as a vital lifeline for a country weakened

by sanctions and diplomatic isolation. After eight years of

courting the West with nothing to show for it, many Iranians

across the political spectrum are hungry for a new way

forward. China represents a change of course - whether as a

new potential partner or a "China Card" for leverage in Iran-

U.S. negotiations.

Opponents paint a much bleaker picture. Some analysts

have expressed concerns that the deal threatens U.S. goals in

the Middle East, or the fundamental stability of the region

itself. Others have gone further and explicitly called China

and Iran "the new Axis of Evil." On social media, Iranians

have decried rumors that the deal will lead to nuclear waste

dumped in the desert and islands in the Gulf sold to China.

The agreement has been called a "New Treaty of

Turkmanchay," referring to the 19th century treaty that saw

Qajar Iran cede territory to the Russian Empire. Others claim

that Iran will be flooded with Chinese workers and crimeridden

Chinatowns.

Between the clashing narratives of the agreement "selling

Iran to China" and "America defeated," what is the truth of

the matter? The text of the agreement has not yet emerged,

and likely will not be published, so all analysis must be

tempered with caution. However, a draft of the agreement

leaked last summer, and it is unlikely the text substantially

changed in the intervening six months. Furthermore,

multiple outlets report that their sources have said there is

little changed from the leaked agreement. What can be said

about the deal based on this leaked draft?

First off, nowhere in the text of this or any other official

document or pronouncement is any numerical figure

mentioned. There are also no provisions whatsoever for the

sale of islands, military bases, occupation, or anything that

would sustain the other alarmist claims. This has been

thoroughly debunked by multiple scholars, and a quick

glance at the text will confirm their claims. While the draft

itself appears to be genuine, the claims of $400 billion of

Chinese investment and massive military concessions can be

Why the 25-Year China-Iran Strategic Cooperation Agreement isn't a "big deal," literally or

figuratively.

Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi

traced to a poorly sourced Petroleum Economy article from

2019, which has since been taken offline.

First off, nowhere in the text of this or any other official

document or pronouncement is any numerical figure

mentioned. There are also no provisions whatsoever for the

sale of islands, military bases, occupation, or anything that

would sustain the other alarmist claims. This has been

thoroughly debunked by multiple scholars, and a quick

glance at the text will confirm their claims. While the draft

itself appears to be genuine, the claims of $400 billion of

Chinese investment and massive military concessions can be

traced to a poorly sourced Petroleum Economy article from

2019, which has since been taken offline.

hinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the

day after that the China-Iran Strategic Comprehensive

Agreement "neither includes any quantitative, specific

contracts and goals nor targets any third party, and will

provide a general framework for China-Iran cooperation

going forward."

he same day, Reza Zabib, head of East Asia at Iran Foreign

Ministry, called the agreement a "non-binding document." In

response to why the text has not been published, he claimed

that "there is a legal requirement to publish agreements;

however, the publication of non-binding documents is not

common." Both sides have now admitted that the plan

contains no "quantitative, specific contracts" and is a "nonbinding

document." In my view, this confirms what was

signed was little changed from the leaked agreement last

summer. The agreement can best be described as an

aspirational document. It is a signal that Iran may grow

closer to China, but not a guarantee. It provides no methods

for enforcement, measurable goals, or specific programs. It

calls for vague "cooperation" through "enhancement of

contacts" in several areas. China also pledged to increase

investment in Iran tenfold in 2016, with little progress to

show for it five years later. In fact, Chinese investment has

decreased substantially since then.

It is notable that both pledges came in the wake of a new

U.S. president with a new foreign policy. This does not mean

that China-Iran ties are driven by U.S. policy, but the tendency

to trumpet them, and exaggerate them, is partly driven by the

desire to project strength internationally.

Whether the agreement would be "mutually beneficial"

depends on what perspective one takes. For the Iranian state,

it provides several benefits: a stable partnership with China

means a stable market for oil at a time when U.S. sanctions

have seriously hurt its revenues. It also projects an image of

strength and represents an attempt to break out of the

diplomatic isolation imposed by the United States. For China,

it provides similar benefits - a stake in a major source of oil

(although Iran provides a tiny fraction of China's overall oil

imports), a large foreign market for Chinese goods (although

one that requires a lot of investment), and both real and

symbolic progress toward the realization of the Belt and Road

Initiative and the expansion of China's global reach.

From the perspective of the Iranian people, things look

very different. Questions of "selling Iran" aside, closer

relations with China remain unpopular with many segments

of the Iranian population, who often object to the flood of

cheap, low-quality Chinese goods, which wreak havoc on the

local economy and cause a "race to the bottom." Some do not

consider China a stable partner, pointing to the fact that it

has pulled out of many deals with Iran in the past. Rather

than asking if the agreement is mutually beneficial to China

and Iran, it would be better to consider a different version of

that question: "Who in Iran and China does it benefit?"

Reports in the Iranian media have reflected this hesitation.

The official Fars News agency described the agreement as

"somewhat ambiguous, and on the other hand, in some

cases, Iran has had bitter experiences in dealing with other

countries. It has pros and cons." The report discusses general

plans for cooperation between banks and infrastructure

projects related to the "New Silk Road" and the Belt and

Road Initiative, but acknowledges the agreement is a

"roadmap." Discussing technology transfer, it urges that "if

Iran wants to make progress… it should not wait for the other

side" and needs to develop "a long-term plan" before

entering into specific agreements. Chinese investors are

"encouraged" to invest in Iran's various free economic zones,

such as Maku along the Turkish border, Qeshm island in the

Strait of Hormuz, and the strategic Arvand Free Zone near

that Shatt al-Arab.

The Huawei factor in US-India relations

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister MotegiToshimitsu meet the press

in Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 29, 2020.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Is the China-Japan thaw over?

Shannon Tiezzi

Ahead of Japanese Prime Minister

Suga Yoshihide's first trip to

Washington, D.C. - and after an

inaugural 2+2 meeting with Biden

administration officials in Tokyo -

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi

warned his Japanese counterpart not to

be "misled by some countries holding

biased view against China."

"The two sides should cherish and

safeguard the hard-won overall

situation of improvement and

development of China-Japan

relations… and ensure that bilateral

relations do not flip-flop, stagnate or

backpedal, and do not get involved in

the so-called confrontation between

major countries.," Wang told Japanese

Foreign Minister MotegiToshimitsu in

a phone call on April 5, according to a

read-out from China's Foreign

Ministry.

The call between Wang and Motegi

was aimed at calibrating China-Japan

relations in the midst of early outreach

from the Biden administration in the

United States. Beijing was alarmed by

unusually stern language regarding

China during foreign and defense

minister talks in Tokyo in March, and

wants to warn Japan against similar

signaling during Suga's visit to the

United States, starting on April 16.

After a Japan-U.S. 2+2 meeting in

Tokyo on March 16, the two countries'

foreign and defense minsters issued a

joint statement that "acknowledged

that China's behavior, where

inconsistent with the existing

international order, presents political,

economic, military, and technological

challenges to the Alliance and to the

international community." The second

paragraph of the statement was

essentially a list of shared concerns

about Chinese behavior, from "China's

unlawful maritime claims and activities

in the South China Sea" to the need for

"peace and stability in the Taiwan

Strait" to human rights concerns in

Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

As Yuki Tatsumi commented in an

analysis for The Diplomat Magazine,

"the degree of specificity with which the

joint statement lays out the two

countries' concerns vis-à-vis China is

unprecedented." The inclusion of a

reference to the Taiwan Strait in the

statement was a particularly notable

first, given Japan's reluctance to

mention Taiwan in the past.

"We urge the United States and

Japan to immediately stop interfering

in China's internal affairs, stop forming

the anti-China clique, and stop

undermining regional peace and

stability," Zhao added.

Wang's phone call, while more

diplomatic in tone, conveyed a similar

message: Beijing is unhappy with

Tokyo's new forward-leaning stance, in

concert with the United States. "China

hopes that Japan, as an independent

country, will look at China's

development in an objective and

rational way, instead of being misled by

some countries holding biased view

against China," Wang said. He

acknowledged Japan's alliance with the

United States, but pointed out that

"China and Japan have also signed the

Japan-China Treaty of Peace and

Friendship, so Japan also has the

obligation to fulfill the treaty."

For his part, Motegi repeated the

Japanese insistence that "the Japan-

U.S. alliance does not target any

specific third party." He continued:

"Japan attaches great importance to its

relations with China and remains

committed to ensuring the steady

development of Japan-China

relations."

At stake is a fragile thaw in China-

Japan relations that began under

former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

China-Japan relations were in a deep

freeze throughout much of Abe's nearly

eight-year stint at prime minister,

thanks to his flirtation with historical

revisionism (including a controversial

visit to Yasukuni Shrine in 2013). Yet

even while Abe became a champion of

the resurrected Quad and the Trans-

Pacific Partnership - both seen in

Beijing as "anti-China" - he

simultaneously managed a tentative

warming in relations with Beijing.

ArindrajitBasu

Uncertainty and speculation on

Huawei's future role in India continues,

with journalists and pundits

attempting to predict the government's

decisions on future engagement with

the Chinese telecommunications giant.

Major business relief for the firm came

on March 6 when mobile carrier Bharti

Airtel awarded Huawei a telecom

infrastructure contract worth $41.12

million to expand its National Long

Distance Network (NLD), which is

presently run by Huawei. However, just

five days later, on March 11, a media

report quoted two anonymous

government officials claiming that the

center is likely to block mobile carriers

in the country from using telecom

equipment made by Huawei amidst

security fears.

Huawei, which was forced to lay off a

majority of its local staff in July 2020

due to sidelining by the Indian

government, remains resolute in its bid

to remain in the Indian market.

Speaking with the Business Standard

on January 16, Huawei India CEO

David Li made it clear that "Whenever

there's a chance, we make our point

that we have a good record and we

create value… Also, we are here as a big

contributor and are fully compliant."

He further stressed that while the road

map of the 5G auction is uncertain, they

will continue to engage with

stakeholders.

Since the breakdown in Sino-Indian

relations following the Galwan Valley

border clashes in June 2020, Chinese

technological presence and

investments in India have been facing

the heat. A slew of restrictions on

Chinese tech including the banning of

several Chinese apps and a press note

placing cumbersome restrictions on

foreign direct investment in India

(indirectly aimed at China) give the

impression that Huawei's inroads into

India may be faltering at the hands of

regulatory intervention, even though

India is yet to articulate a clear official

stance on the company's future.

All the while, there are many open

questions about how the Biden

administration in the United States will

maintain or alter the Trump

administration's decisions on Huawei

and on Chinese technology writ large,

from entity list export controls to

broader diplomatic engagement on the

security risks of Chinese technology

and Beijing's influence over the

Chinese tech sector.

The two countries' decisions around

Huawei thus have implications not just

for the future of Sino-Indian relations

or U.S.-China relations, but for

relations between India and the United

States as well. Huawei first entered

India as far back as 1999 when it set up

a research and development (R&D)

center in Bangalore focusing on

telecom hardware. This remains its

largest overseas R&D center. Since

then, it has made inroads both into the

retail market segment, where it sells

consumer goods like smartphones, and

into the telecom segment selling

equipment and software to network

carriers. While Huawei could easily be

replaced in the consumer segment (for

example, Huawei only has a 2.5 percent

share of the mobile phone market

across India), shunting Huawei out of

the telecom segment throws up more

complexities.

Several major network carriers rely

on Huawei for 4G network equipment,

including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone

Idea, which together hold just under a

55 percent share in the wireless telecom

market in India.

Despite oscillations around Huawei's

inclusion in the 5G sector, Bharti Airtel

went ahead with India's first 5G

network trial using Huawei equipment

in 2018. Vodafone Idea also announced

a partnership with Huawei, ZTE,

Ericsson, and Nokia for its 5G trials.

Experts believe that Huawei's inroads

into the market have been made

through deft negotiations - low prices

and long-term repayment schemes

combined with a challenging phase in

the market for Airtel and Vodafonet.

Mukesh Ambani (India's richest man),

who owns telecom giant Reliance Jio,

has provided tough competition to both

these players. This is the same man

who proudly claimed in a February

2020 meeting with former U.S.

President Donald Trump that Reliance

uses no Chinese equipment - a stance

that had been robustly endorsed by

then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike

Pompeo.

Vodafone Idea posted a loss of

around $600 million for the October-

December 2020 quarter, while Bharti

Airtel was able to post a consolidated

net profit for the quarter only due to a

one-time gain after the merger of a

subsidiary Bharti Infratel Ltd. with

Indus Towers. Further, both these

giants have huge outstanding dues to

the government, which increases the

necessity for financial thrift. Analysts

believe that any ban on Chinese

vendors, including Huawei and ZTE,

could push up procurement costs by 15-

20 percent as the European

alternatives, Ericsson and Nokia, are

more expensive and have limited gear

availability in India.

Huawei equipment is also considered

superior to that of its European

counterparts by industry players.

Speaking at the World Economic

Forum in 2019, Bharti Enterprise

(Airtel) Chairman Sunil Mittal was

quick to dismiss the notion that 5G

should be politicized, and further stated

that "[Huawei's] products in 3G and 4G

are significantly superior to Ericsson

and Nokia. I use all three of them."

It is no surprise, therefore, that the

Cellular Operators Association of India

(COAI) - which counts Airtel and

Vodafone as its members - have come

out in support of Huawei many times.

In December 2018, after the Telecom

Equipment and Services Export

Promotion Council argued for a ban on

the grounds of national security, COAI

sent a letter to the Department of

Telecommunication (DoT) arguing that

Huawei was "suitably equipped" to

A man walks past a billboard advertising Chinese technology firm

Huawei.

Photo: Mark Schiefelbein

build 5G capabilities in the ecosystem

and comply with government

requirements. In December 2020,

there was another letter to the DoT

asking for country-of-origin based

restrictions and import duty to be

waived for equipment vendors,

indicating that the department wants

Chinese vendors, including Huawei

and ZTE, to be a part of India's.

THuRSDAY, APRil 8, 2021

6

Six residences were destroyed by fire at Hazirtek area of Kadirur union under Begumganj upazila

yesterday.

Photo : Manik Bhuyan

Jute cultivation

going on in full

swing in

Jamalpur

JAMALPUR : Jute

cultivation this current

Kharip-1 season is

progressing in the district

amid much enthusiasm to

the farmers.

According to Department

of Agriculture Extension

(DAE) office till Wednesday

farmer cultivated jute on

1780 hectares of land in

seven upazilas of the district.

The Agriculture office

sources said target of jute

cultivation was fixed on

31,400 hectares of land in

the district this year which is

1250 hectares more than the

last year with the production

target of 3,78,474 bells of

jute.

The DAE office sources

said farmers cultivated four

varieties of jute this year and

the varieties are local, Tosha,

Mesta and Kenaf.

One held with

21.50 kg ganja

in Rangpur

RANGPUR : Rapid Action

Battalion (RAB)-13 seized

21.50 kg of smuggled ganja

and arrested a presumed

drug trader from Kadamtala

Bazar area in Kawnia upazila

of Rangpur on Tuesday

night.

"On a tip off, an

operational team of RAB-13

set up a check post there,

searched the suspected truck

bus and arrested the man

with the ganja one mobile

phone set and cash money

from a truck,," a press

release said.

The arrested drug trader

was identified as Md Rana,

22, of Pabna district.

During primary

interrogation, the arrested

person admitted that he had

been involved in drug

trading for a long time.

Initiative taken to produce quality

Boro seed in Gaibandha

GAIBANDHA : Department of Agriculture

Extension (DAE) has taken up an initiative

to produce quality seed of Boro paddy at

farmers' level in all the seven upazilas in the

district during the current Boro season.

The initiative is being implemented under

the project of production of quality seed of

paddy, wheat and jute at farmers' level

through the modern agriculture

technologies.

A total of 58 demonstration plots had been

set up in the field of the enthusiastic farmers

this year aimed at inspiring the fellow

farmers so that they are interested to

produce seed at their own initiative on their

land in coming seasons.

Of the total some 10 plots had been set up

in Sadar upazila, Gobindaganj upazila and

Sundarganj upazila each, 9 in Sadullapur

upazila, 7 in Palashbari and Shaghata upazila

each, 5 in Fulchhari upazila of the district.

DAE's Sub assistant agriculture officers

working in the field level are also assisting

the owners of the demonstration plots to

make the seed production in the plots

successful.

Besides this, district seed certification

agency officer agriculturist Showkat Osman

is also giving advice and technological

support to the owners of the plots to attain

the cherished goals of the plots.

The crops grew well in the plots that are

showing the growers to get desired output

against the crop.

Deputy director (DD) of the DAE

agriculturist Masudur Rahman said he was

monitoring the works of the SAAOs closely

to produce quality seed production in

farmers' level through setting up

demonstration plots.

The DD is also visiting the plots and

encouraging his departmental officers and

the growers to make the seed production in

the land a grand success, he added.

Coronavirus: 16,594 infected, 15,704

cured in Rangpur division

RANGPUR : A total of 16,594 people have

been infected with coronavirus (COVID-19),

and of them, 15,704 cured so far since the

outbreak of the pandemic in Rangpur

division.

Health officials said the number of

COVID-19 cases rapidly rose to 16,594 as 88

more patients, the highest number in the last

seven months, were reported after testing

378 samples at the infection rate of 23.28

percent on Tuesday in the division.

"The coronavirus infection rate continues

to show a hastily rising trend in recent weeks

amid a declining recovery rate in the

division," Focal Person of COVID-19 and

Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur

division Dr. ZA Siddiqui told BSS.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a total

of 1,16,819 collected samples of Rangpur

division were tested till Tuesday, and of

them, 16,594 people were found COVID-19

positive with an average infection rate of

14.20 percent.

The district-wise break up of total 16,594

patients stands at 4,236 in Rangpur, 811 in

Panchagarh, 1,434 in Nilphamari, 987 in

Lalmonirhat, 1,054 in Kurigram, 1,564 in

Thakurgaon, 4,953 in Dinajpur and 1,555 in

Gaibandha of the division.

The number of total recovered COVID-19

patients rose to 15,704 with the healing of 15

more infected people on Tuesday in the

division.

The average recovery rate currently stands

at 94.64 percent in the division.

"The 15,704 recovered patients include

4,024 of Rangpur, 776 of Panchagarh, 1,349

of Nilphamari, 959 of Lalmonirhat, 980 of

Kurigram, 1,489 of Thakurgaon, 4,666 of

Dinajpur and 1,461 of Gaibandha districts in

the division," Dr Siddiqui added.

Talking to BSS, Divisional Director

(Health) Dr Md Ahad Ali said the number of

fatalities remained steady at 318 with no

more death reported from anywhere in the

division on Tuesday.

The district-wise break up of the 318

fatalities stands at 73 in Rangpur, 115 in

Dinajpur, 34 in Thakurgaon, 32 in

Nilphamari, 15 in Kurigram, 20 in

Panchagarh, 18 in Gaibandha and 11 in

Lalmonirhat districts of the division.

Police have arrested a youth for allegedly beating up a member of the Harijan community (sweeper)

and snatching money from him in Jhikargachha, Jessore.

Photo : Rezowan Bappy

Record 24.86 lakh tonnes potato

produced in Rangpur region

RANGPUR : Braving the coronavirus

(COVID-19) pandemic, farmers

produced an all-time record 24.86 lakh

tonnes of potato in all five districts of

Rangpur agriculture region during the

current Rabi season.

Officials of the Department of

Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a

target of producing over 23.67 lakh

tonnes of potato was fixed from 93,350

hectares of land for the region this

season.

"However, farmers finally cultivated

potatoes on 97,315 hectares of land

exceeding the fixed farming target by

3,965 hectares or 4.25 percent,"

Additional Director of the DAE for

Rangpur region Agriculturist Khandker

Abdul Wahed, told BSS.

After completing harvest of potatoes

last week, farmers produced 24 lakh 86

thousand and 182 tonnes of the crop

exceeding the fixed production target by

one lakh 18 thousand and 492 tonnes or

five percent in the region this season.

Meanwhile, farmers are happy with

the excellent prices of potatoes since the

Bangladesh Coast Guard Station Mawa conducted a special operation in Kandipara Mawa Old Ferry

Ghat area and arrested Md. Mamun (24) along with huge quantity cannabis. Photo: Courtesy

BCG arrested drug

smuggler with

huge quantity of

cannabis

Bangladesh Coast Guard

Station Mawa conducted a

special operation in Kandipara

Mawa Old Ferry Ghat area and

arrested 01 drug smuggler

along with approximately 24 kg

of cannabis. It is learned on the

basis of secret information that

cannabis will be smuggled from

Mawa Old Ferry Ghat to Kathal

Bari area.

Based on the information

received, a special operation

was conducted by Station

Mawa and a few sacks were

found hidden under a life jacket

in a passenger trawler. After

searching the bags, the found

around 24 kg of cannabis and

arrested one person.

The arrested person is Md.

Mamun (24) Village: Mallick

Kandi, Post: Char Janaza,

Police Station: Shibchar,

District: Madaripur. Later, the

arrested person and the seized

cannabis was handed over to

Louhjong police station.

Following the Coast Guard's

Zero Tolerance Policy to

control law and order, public

safety as well as piracy, robbery

and drug control in the areas

covered by the Bangladesh

Coast Guard, regular

operations continue and will

continue in the future.

Three Panel Mayor

Selection in Bogura

Pourashova

MD. AZAHAR ALI, BOGURA

CORRESPONDENT

Three panel mayor selection

in Bogura pourashova on

Wednesday morning.

Twenty One general

councillors and seven

conserved women

councillors were present

there. They are Parimal

Chandra Das (1st) Alhaj

Sheikh (2nd) and Mst.

Shirin Sultana (3rd).

Parimal Chandra Das has

selected previous time as a

panel mayor. While

selecting the panel mayor all

the councillors and Mayor

Rezaul Karim Badsha

present there.

beginning of the harvesting season and

its record production at an average yield

rate of 25.55 tonnes per hectare of land

this season.

The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture

Development Corporation, Bangladesh

Agriculture Research Institute and

related agencies and institutions

provided quality potato seeds to farmers

to make the potato farming programme

a success.

"The field level DAE officials provided

latest technologies to farmers to assist

them in ensuring proper nursing of their

growing potato plants to get better yield,

also braving the cold wave," Wahed

added.

Potato grower Alhaj Khwaja Ahmed of

Rangpur said farmers got excellent yield

rate with all-time high prices of all

varieties of potato following huge

increase in export of potato from

Rangpur region this season.

Potato trader Hafizur Rahman at

Rangpur City Market farmers are selling

each sac containing 84 kilogram of

'Diamond', 'Cardinal', 'Raja', 'Granula',

RAJSHAHI : Large-scale

promotion of diversified

crops farming can be the

best ways of ensuring water

security in the droughtprone

Barind area, said

experts and development

workers.

Since the ancient time,

the Barind area is droughtprone

due to its geographic

location but the farmers

used to cultivate diversified

crops to cope with the

water-stressed condition.

They also meet up their

water demands from the

natural water bodies like

rivers, canals and ponds.

Prof Niamul Bari of the

Department of Civil

Engineering in Rajshahi

University of Engineering

and Technology said the

natural surface water

resources are facing an

endangered condition at

present due to multifarious

reasons.

In this situation, farmers

have become dependent on

groundwater for irrigating

the farming fields,

especially the Irri-Boro

paddy which is the highly

irrigation-consumed crop.

Prof Bari, however,

opined that water is being

adjudged as one of the vital

sources in the

transformation process of

development of the present

barind area besides

making it green during the

last couple of decades.

Lifting of underground

water must be reduced to

the minimum as the future

of agriculture depends on

availability of water amid a

formidable threat of

climate change when there

is an alternative to keeping

food production rate

increasing.

He said there should be

nature-based solutions for

water challenges in the

region. Emphasis should

be laid on the need for

integrated solutions in

water development plans

considering political, social

and local realities.

Apart from this,

emphasis should be given

to the cultivation of

drought-tolerant crops

instead of depending on

only Irri-Boro farming in

the area to lessen the

gradually mounting

pressure on underground

water.

Large-scale promotion of

less-water consuming

indigenous crops could be

the effective means of

mitigating water-stress

conditions in the droughtprone

Barind area.

Narrating the sufferings

caused by the abnormal

lowering of groundwater

National Agriculture

Award Winning Farmer

Nur Muhammad

mentioned that there are

enormous scopes of

increasing the acreage of

various low-water

consuming crops like

gram, wheat, maize, lentil,

burley and chickpea in the

Barind tract.

He mentioned that the

ongoing climate change at

alarming rates has severely

affected indigenous crops

farming and its diversity

creating a real threat to

food production.

There is no alternative to

encourage the farmers to

promote various cereal

crops and vegetables

instead of only Irri-Boro

paddy on the dried land to

face the water stress

condition as its

groundwater table has

gradually been declining.

Muhammad said

legitimate rights of the

farmers and others

concerned should be

protected for encouraging

them towards boosting

agricultural productions to

meet up its gradually

mounting demands.

Shahidul Islam,

and 'Astarisk' varieties of potato at Taka

1,050 to Taka 1,200 to earn excellent

profits this year.

Potato retailers Fazlur Rahman,

Zahidul Islam and Hamidul Haque at

different kitchen markets in Rangpur

city said they are selling potato at rates

between Taka 14 and 30 per kg

depending on the varieties and qualities.

President of Rangpur Chamber of

Commerce and Industry Mostafa

Sohrab Chowdhury Titu expressed

happiness over excellent potato output

and its better market prices this season

in Rangpur agriculture region.

He put importance on establishing

potato-based agro-industries and

preservation facilities of potato and

some other vegetables and enhancing

exports of those to ensure fair price for

farmers.

Talking to BSS, potato farmer

Shamsul Haque, Arman Hossain,

Mostafizur Rahman and Manik Mian of

different villages in Rangpur expressed

happiness over the super bumper potato

yield and its market price this season.

Diversified crops can ensure

water security in

drought-prone Barind area

Coordinator (Barind

Region) of Bangladesh

Resource Centre for

Indigenous Knowledge

(BARCIK) said utmost

emphasis should be given

on practicing sustainable

agriculture to attain the

sustainable development

besides achieving the

sustainable development

goals.

Simultaneously, species

of diversified crops needs

to be protected which is the

precondition to sustainable

development.

Ensuring water security

is very important to ensure

food security and

biodiversity and

sustainable culture.

Existing adverse impacts

of climate change and

other natural catastrophes

are posing a serious threat

to biodiversity, health

security and water security

in the Barind area.

Meanwhile, more than

12.58 lakh community

people of 2.66 lakh

households are being

motivated and encouraged

towards promotion of lesswater

consuming crops to

reduce the pressure on

underground water under

the 'Integrated Water

Resource Management

(IWRM)' project.

The project is being

implemented by DASCOH

Foundation in around

1,280 drought-hit villages

under 39 union parishads

and three municipalities of

eight upazilas in Rajshahi,

Naogaon

and

Chapainawabganj districts

since 2014, said Akramul

Haque, chief executive

officer of DASCOH

Foundation. The existing

adverse impact of climate

change is putting local

people into trouble since

the hand-driven tube-wells

are not functioning here in

dry season, he added.

ThursDAY, APril 8, 2021

7

indonesian women walk past a house damaged by flood in Waiwerang, on Adonara island, East Nusa

Tenggara province, indonesia, Tuesday.

Photo : AP

Indonesia landslides

death toll rises to 119,

dozens missing

INDONESIA : The death toll from mudslides

in eastern Indonesia has risen to 119 with

scores still missing, officials said Wednesday,

as rain continued to pound the region and

hamper the search.

The village of Lamanele on Adonara island

suffered the highest losses with 60 bodies

recovered so far and 12 missing. Mud

tumbled down from surrounding hills early

on Sunday, catching people at sleep, reports

UNB.

On nearby Lembata island, the downpour

triggered by Tropical Cyclone Seroja sent

solidified lava from a volcanic eruption in

November to crash down on more than a

dozen villages, killing at least 28 and leaving

44 unaccounted for, according to the National

Disaster Mitigation Agency.

Hundreds of police, soldiers and residents

dug through the debris with their bare hands,

shovels and hoes searching for those buried.

On Tuesday, relatives wailed as they watched

rescuers pull out a mud-caked body, place it

on a bamboo stretcher and take it away for

burial.

In all, landslides and flooding have killed at

least 119 across several islands in Indonesia as

well as 27 people in neighboring East Timor.

Thousands of homes have been damaged and

thousands of people displaced by the weather,

which is expected to continue until at least

Friday as the storm moves south toward

Australia.

Rescue efforts were being hampered by the

rains and the remoteness of the area, where

roads and bridges were damaged in many

places.

Rescue personnel with excavators and tons

of food and medicine were being deployed

from Makassar city on Sulawesi island, but

were hindered by a lack of sea transportation.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief

Doni Monardo called on the private sector to

support relief efforts.

Three helicopters began reaching isolated

areas of the islands on Tuesday, and President

Joko Widodo held a Cabinet meeting in

Jakarta to speed up the operation.

Wearing of mask

while driving alone

mandatory during

pandemic: HC

NEWDELHI : The Delhi

High Court on

Wednesday held that

wearing of a mask while

driving alone in a private

vehicle was mandatory

during COVID-19,

noting that the face

covering is like a

'suraksha kavach' amid

the pandemic. Justice

Prathiba M Singh also

refused to interfere with

the Delhi government's

decision to impose

challans for not wearing

a mask while driving a

private vehicle alone and

dismissed the pleas

challenging the same.

The court said the

mask was like a

'suraksha kavach'

(protective shield)

during the prevailing

pandemic.

Iran ship serving as Red Sea troop

base near Yemen attacked

DUBAI : An Iranian cargo ship believed

to be a base for the paramilitary

Revolutionary Guard and anchored for

years in the Red Sea off Yemen has been

attacked, Tehran acknowledged

Wednesday.

Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed the

attack on the MV Saviz, suspected to

have been carried out by Israel. The

assault came as Iran and world powers

sat down in Vienna for the first talks

about the U.S. potentially rejoining

Tehran's tattered nuclear deal, showing

that challenges ahead don't rest merely

in those negotiations, reports UNB.

The ship's long presence in the region,

repeatedly criticized by Saudi Arabia,

has come as the West and United

Nations experts say Iran has provided

arms and support to Yemen's Houthi

rebels amid that country's yearslong

war. Iran denies arming the Houthis,

though components found in the rebels'

weaponry link back to Tehran.

Iran previously described the Saviz as

aiding in "anti-piracy" efforts in the Red

Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a

crucial choke point in international

shipping. A statement attributed to

Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed

Khatibzadeh described the ship as a

commercial vessel.

"Fortunately, no casualties were

reported ... and technical investigations

are underway," Khatibzadeh said. "Our

country will take all necessary measures

through international authorities."

In an earlier state TV statement, an

anchor cited a New York Times story,

which quoted an anonymous U.S.

official telling the newspaper that Israel

informed America it carried out an

attack Tuesday morning on the vessel.

Israeli officials declined to comment

about the incident when reached by The

Associated Press, as did the Saviz's

owner.

However, Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday

brought up Iran in a speech to his Likud

party after being asked to form a

government following the country's

recent election. "We must not go back to

the dangerous nuclear deal with Iran,

because a nuclear Iran is an existential

threat to the state of Israel and a great

threat to the security of the entire world,"

Netanyahu said.

Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news

agency, believed to be close to the Guard,

reported the attack late Tuesday, saying

explosives planted on the hull of the

Saviz exploded. It did not blame anyone

for the attack and said Iranian officials

likely would offer more information in

the coming days.

In a statement, the U.S. military's

Central Command only said it was

"aware of media reporting of an incident

involving the Saviz in the Red Sea."

"We can confirm that no U.S. forces

were involved in the incident," the

command said. "We have no additional

information to provide."

The Saviz, owned by the state-linked

Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines,

came to the Red Sea in late 2016,

according to ship-tracking data. In the

years since, it has drifted off the Dahlak

archipelago, a chain of islands off the

coast of the nearby African nation of

Eritrea in the Red Sea. It likely received

supply replenishments and switched

crew via passing Iranian vessels using

the waterway.

Briefing materials from the Saudi

military earlier obtained by the AP

showed men on the vessel dressed in

camouflage, military-style fatigues, as

well as small boats capable of ferrying

cargo to the Yemeni coast. That briefing

material also included pictures showing a

variety of antennas on the vessel that the

Saudi government described as unusual

for a commercial cargo ship, suggesting it

conducted electronic surveillance. Other

images showed the ship had mounts for

.50-caliber machine guns.

The Washington Institute for Near-

East Policy has called the Saviz an

"Iranian mothership" in the region,

similarly describing it as an intelligencegathering

base and an armory for the

Guard. Policy papers from the institute

don't explain how they came to that

conclusion, though its analysts routinely

have access to Gulf and Israeli military

sources.

Boat, snowmobile, camel: Vaccine

reaches world's far corners

PORTLAND : After enduring 40-knot

winds and freezing sea spray, jostled

health care providers arrived wet and

cold on two Maine islands in the North

Atlantic late last month to conduct

coronavirus vaccinations, reports UNB.

As they came ashore on Little

Cranberry Island, population 65,

residents danced with excitement.

"It's a historic day for the island," said

Kaitlyn Miller, who joined a friend in

belting out "I'm not giving away my shot!"

from the Broadway show Hamilton when

the crew arrived.

Around the world, it is taking extra

effort and ingenuity to ensure the vaccine

gets to remote locations. That means

shipping it by boat to islands, by

snowmobile to Alaska villages and via

complex waterways through the Amazon

in Brazil. Before it's over, drones,

motorcycles, elephants, horses and

camels will have been used to deliver it to

the world's far corners, said Robin

Nandy, chief of immunization for

UNICEF. "This is unprecedented in that

we're trying to deliver a new vaccine to

every country in the world in the same

calendar year," he said.

Although the vaccination rollout has

been choppy in much of the world and

some places are still waiting for their first

doses, there's an urgent push to inoculate

people in hard-to-reach places that may

not have had COVID-19 outbreaks but

also may not be well equipped to deal

with them if they do.

"It's a race against the clock," said

Sharon Daley, medical director of the

Maine Seacoast Mission, which is

providing shots on seven islands off the

Maine coast.

And though coronavirus vaccinations

can present unique challenges, including

adequate refrigeration, health care

providers are fortunate to have an

infrastructure in place through the

systems they use to conduct childhood

vaccinations for measles and other

diseases, Nandy said.

In the rough and roadless terrain of

southwestern Alaska, the Yukon-

Kuskokwim Health Corp. chartered

planes and used snowmobiles this winter

to deliver the vaccine to nearly four dozen

villages spread out over an area the size of

Oregon.

The vaccination effort there began in

December, when temperatures still

hovered around minus 20 or minus 30

Fahrenheit (minus 20 to minus 34

Celsius) and workers had to ensure the

vaccine didn't freeze in the syringes'

needles. Despite the challenges, the

health corporation delivered thousands

of doses to 47 villages in a month. In one

village, residents were anguished after

COVID-19 killed one person and sickened

two others, including the local health

worker. "People were just really

desperate to get vaccinated there, and it

was pretty emotional to just kind of be

able to bring something to them, to

protect them," said Dr. Ellen Hodges, the

health corporation's chief of staff.

After enduring 40-knot winds and freezing sea spray, jostled health care providers arrived wet and cold on

two Maine islands in the North Atlantic late last month to conduct coronavirus vaccinations. Photo : AP

This Oct. 1, 2020, satellite photo from Planet labs inc. shows the iranian cargo ship MV saviz in

the red sea off the coast of Yemen. The iranian cargo ship, believed to be a base for the paramilitary

revolutionary Guard that has been anchored for years in the red sea off Yemen, has been

attacked, iranian state television acknowledged Wednesday, Wednesday, April 7, 2021. Photo : AP

Talks to save

Iran nuclear

deal get off

to good start

VIENNA : Iran, Russia and

the United States reacted

positively Tuesday to the

opening exchanges in a first

day of talks in Vienna aimed

at rescuing an international

agreement on Tehran's

nuclear programme.

US President Joe Biden has

said he is ready to reverse the

decision of his predecessor

Donald Trump to withdraw

from the landmark 2015

agreement, negotiated to

ensure that Iran never

developed a military nuclear

programme.

And after Moscow gave a

positive assessment of the

opening of the talks earlier

Tuesday Washington's

reaction a little later was also

upbeat. Iran too, described

the opening talks as

constructive.

"I can say that overall, the

meeting was constructive,"

the head of the Iranian

delegation, Abbas Araghchi,

said in a video on Iranian

broadcaster Irinn.

The United States was not

present at those discussions

because Iran has refused to

meet the US delegation so

long as its sanctions against

Tehran remain in place. The

European Union is acting as

an intermediary.

Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's

Vienna-based envoy to

international organisations,

said Tuesday's meeting

between those parties still in

the deal - Iran, China, Britain,

France, Germany and Russia -

had been "successful".

It would take time to restore

the agreement, he said.

Biden makes all adults

eligible for a vaccine

on April 19

WASHINGTON : President Joe Biden said

he's bumping up his deadline by two weeks for

states to make all adults in the U.S. eligible for

coronavirus vaccines. But even as he expressed

optimism about the pace of vaccinations, he

warned Americans that the nation is not yet

out of the woods when it comes to the

pandemic, reports UNB.

"Let me be deadly earnest with you: We

aren't at the finish line. We still have a lot of

work to do. We're still in a life and death race

against this virus," Biden said Tuesday in

remarks at the White House.

The president warned that " new variants of

the virus are spreading and they're moving

quickly. Cases are going back up,

hospitalizations are no longer declining." He

added that "the pandemic remains

dangerous," and encouraged Americans to

continue to wash their hands, socially distance

and wear masks.

Biden added that while his administration is

on schedule to meet his new goal of

distributing 200 million doses of the vaccine

during his first 100 days, it will still take time

for enough Americans to get vaccinated to slow

the spread of the virus.

But he expressed hope that his Tuesday

announcement, that every adult will be eligible

by April 19 to sign up and get in a virtual line to

be vaccinated, will help expand access and

distribution of the vaccine. Some states already

had begun moving up their deadlines from the

original May 1 goal.

"No more confusing rules. No more

confusing restrictions," Biden said.

Biden made the announcement after visiting

a COVID-19 vaccination site at Immanuel

Chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary in

Alexandria. During his visit, he thanked

everyone for administering the shots and for

showing up to receive them.

"That's the way to beat this," Biden said. "Get

the vaccination when you can."

The president also said no one should fear

mutations of the coronavirus that are showing

up in the U.S. after being discovered in other

countries. He acknowledged that the new

strains are more virulent and more dangerous,

but said "the vaccines work on all of them."

Biden also announced that 150 million doses

of COVID-19 vaccine have been shot into arms

since his inauguration on Jan. 20. That puts

the president well on track to meet his new

goal of 200 million shots administered by his

100th day in office on April 30.

Biden's original goal had been 100 million

shots by the end of his first 100 days, but that

number was reached in March.

Still, he acknowledged Tuesday that his

administration fell short of its goal to deliver at

least one shot to every teacher, school staff

member and childcare worker during the

month of March, to try to accelerate school

reopenings. Biden announced the target early

last month and directed federal resources

toward achieving it, but said Tuesday that the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

estimated that about 80% of teachers, school

staff and childcare workers had received a

shot. Vice President Kamala Harris and her

husband, Doug Emhoff, also spent the day

Tuesday focused on promoting the COVID-19

vaccine, each touring a vaccination center,

Harris in Chicago and Emhoff in Yakima,

Washington.

Harris praised the workers and those

receiving their vaccine at a site set up at a local

union hall, and spoke of spring as "a moment

where we feel a sense of renewal." "We can see

a light at the end of the tunnel," she said.

Some states are making plans to ease their

health restrictions, even as the country is

facing a potential new surge in virus cases.

On Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's

top infectious disease expert, warned that the

country is in a "critical time" because "we could

just as easily swing up into a surge."

"That would be a setback for public health,

but that would be a psychological setback,

too," he said during an interview with the

National Press Club. He noted that Americans

are experiencing "COVID-19 fatigue" after

more than a year of lockdowns and restrictions

to public life aimed at slowing the spread of the

virus.

THuRSDAY, APRiL 8, 2021 8

Brothers Furniture, one of the furniture brands, opened a showroom in Shylet Mira bazar.

Chairman of Brothers Furniture Limited Al-hajj Habibur Rahman Sharkar inaugurated the showroom

recently. Associate Elephant Road outlet Tanvir Ahmed, Assistant Manager Abdul Hi and other

officials of the organisation, among others, were present at the ceremony. Customers can avail 5 to

15 percent discount on all furniture purchases on the occasion of happy inauguration. The discount

offer will be available till 10 April 2021.

Photo : Courtesy

New small business

coalition targets Amazon

on antitrust

SAN FRANCISCO : A new

coalition of small business

groups on Tuesday launched

a campaign for tougher US

antitrust enforcement,

specifically calling for the

breakup of online commerce

titan Amazon, reports BSS.

The Small Business Rising

group includes the American

Booksellers Association,

National Grocers Association

and a number of local and

regional business

organizations.

The coalition website said

its goal is to "stop tech

monopolies, such as

Amazon, from cornering the

online market by breaking

them up and regulating

them."

The move comes amid a

growing backlash against

large technology firms which

have dominated key

economic sectors and seen

their influence grow during

the pandemic.

The new small business

group said it supported the

conclusions of a recent US

congressional report

highlighting the power of

tech platforms and calling for

tougher

antitrust

enforcement and new

legislation to make it easier

to dismantle some firms.

"By restoring competitive

markets, we can unlock the

potential of Americans to

grow successful businesses

and build an economy that is

more prosperous, equitable

Daraz set to carry on deliveries

with heavy protective measures

The new surge in the number

of COVID-19 cases has

confined the nation to

undergo a week-long

lockdown once again, with

much ambiguity regarding the

decision for the forthcoming

days. As this situation

continues to pose many

difficulties for all businesses,

the country's leading online

marketplace Daraz

Bangladesh

(https://www.daraz.com.bd/)

has prepared itself to continue

to serve its customers-this

time under heavier and more

responsible protective

measures, a press release said.

The exemplary e-commerce

platform faced obstacles

during the early phases of

and innovative," the group

said.

It specifically named

Amazon, saying the

company's "stranglehold

over online commerce is one

of the top threats facing

independent businesses."

The group said the

congressional investigation

"found that Amazon has

exploited its gatekeeper

power over online shopping

traffic to impose exorbitant

fees, demand oppressive

terms and extract valuable

data from independent

manufacturers and retailers

that depend on its platform."

Amazon pushed back at

the claim that it stifles

competition, arguing in a

statement that "self-serving

critics are pushing misguided

interventions in the free

market that would kill off

independent retailers and

punish consumers."

A company statement said

that "Amazon empowered

small and medium-sized

businesses to generate

hundreds of billions of

dollars in sales last year, and

their sales are growing

significantly faster than

Amazon's first-party sales."

Danny Caine, owner of the

independent Raven Book

Store in Lawrence, Kansas,

said Amazon was "writing

the rules of the game, and

they're playing the game at

the same time."

Caine supports moves by

COVID-19 but managed to

hang on through obtaining

timely recovery measures.

With a better understanding

of crisis management, this

time Daraz has already started

to implement preventive

measures like - ensuring the

use of protective equipment

like masks, gloves, and hand

sanitizers at all the DEX

facilities; consistent social

distancing by 6S; disinfectionbooth

at the entrance of the

facilities; measuring

employees' temperatures at

the entrance; carrying out

operations in shifts with 50%

HR capacity; cleaning the

entire facilities at 2-hour

intervals and more. Team

leaders at Daraz are strictly

President Joe Biden's

administration to rein in the

tech titans, and is hopeful

that legislation can receive

bipartisan support.

"It's like, neither party

particularly loves big tech

monopolies. And so I see an

opportunity there," Caine

told AFP.

According to Stacy

Mitchell, co-director of the

Institute for Local Self-

Reliance, five years ago

Amazon was taking an

average of 19 percent of

sellers' revenue - an amount

that has now risen to around

30 percent.

"That's a pretty big

increase in the small margin

world of retail," Mitchell said.

According to the group's

figures most sellers can't

make enough profit to

remain on Amazon for more

than five years.

Since a vast amount of

online shopping traffic starts

on Amazon, they "get to pick

winners and losers," she said.

"So it's really important

that we have regulations that

require that e-commerce

platforms be neutral and deal

fairly with the many

businesses that depend on

that infrastructure."

Gina Schaefer, who owns

13 hardware stores in the

greater Washington DC area,

is upset that when it comes to

online shopping it's "not a

level playing field."

monitoring the health

conditions of the

teammembers and are taking

actions with a slight display of

any COVID-19 symptoms in

anybody. No individual is

allowed to enter the workplace

premises without wearing

protective equipment.

Besides, the Daraz riders are

also trained and monitored to

maintain proper protective

equipment while on the roads

and completing deliveries.

For the pandemic to not

hamper regular consumption,

especially with Ramadan

around the corner, Daraz has

made sure there is a sufficient

supply of food and grocery

items, like - rice, lentil, flour,

TCB starts sale of

essentials in

Rajshahi division

RAJSHAHI : The Trading

Corporation of Bangladesh

(TCB) has been selling

essentials in open markets in

the city and eight other

districts under Rajshahi

division for keeping the

essentials' prices stable ahead

of the upcoming month of

Ramadan since the initial day

of this month.

The state-run trading is

selling at 30 important in

Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj,

Natore and Pabna districts.

The TCB launches the

selling operation ahead of the

holy month of Ramadan every

year to help the low-income

people deal with possible hike

in the prices of daily

commodities.

Senior Executive of TCB

Rajshahi Regional Office

Rabiul Murshed told BSS that

the government has been

giving essential commodities

to mark the month of

Ramadan. Sugar, Soybean,

lentil, date, gram and onion

are being sold.

An individual can buy a

maximum of two kilograms of

each of the goods from the

TCB sale centres. Rahima

Begum, who came for buying

TCB goods in Ranibazar area

today, terms the government

initiative as good. This step

will benefit many low-income

group people.

The dealers are selling

sugar, lentil and gram at Taka

55 per kg each, soybean oil at

Taka 150, date at Taka 80 and

onion at Taka 20 per kg.

Rabiul Murshed said that

they are selling different types

of consumer goods at fixed

prices through the appointed

dealers.

sugar, soap, sanitizer, etc. - for

its customers. Every

package is instructed to be

disinfected at the

customer's doorstep so that

a germ-free delivery is

confirmed. Besides, Daraz

is also encouraging

touchless delivery and

touchless transaction

among the customers for

their safety.

On occasion, Syed

MostahidalHoq, Managing

Director, Daraz

Bangladesh, said, "At

Daraz, we always put

people before profit. We

have declared Work-from-

Home for as many of our

employees as possible so

that they can lessen the

risks of COVID-19

contraction. But being the

most relied-on online

marketplace, we are also

compelled to caterto the

customers who have no

alternative. Hence, our

deliveries will continue

with hundred percent

disinfection precautions

safeguarded for each

package".

BB relaxes

private

importers

deferred

payment rules

DHAKA : The privatesector

businesses involving

foreign loan or supplier

credit would now get

deferred payment time

limit beyond one year.

"Any eligible importer

might submit an

application to the BIDA

(Bangladesh Investment

Development Authority)

for extension of usance

period or refinancing to be

allowed by suppliers or

lenders against permissible

deferred imports with

credit exposure to the

importers beyond one

year," as per a Bangladesh

Bank (BB) circular issued

on Tuesday.

Applications will have to

submit to BIDA (formerly

Board of Investment) at

least one month before

maturity of the deferred

imports concerned, the

circular added.

Earlier, importers used to

get such facility up to one

year.

High Commissioner of

Pakistan to Bangladesh

Imran Ahmed Siddiqui

hoped to work jointly with

BEPZA to increase more

Pakistani investment in the

EPZs. He made the remark

today (7 April 2021) during

his visit at BEPZA Complex,

Dhaka. The High

Commissioner wished more

success of BEPZA under the

visionary leadership of the

Honourable Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina. He praised

the management of EPZ and

BEPZA's contribution to

overall development of the

country.

Executive Chairman of

BEPZA Major General Md

Nazrul Islam, SPP, ndu,

afwc, psc, G welcomed the

High Commissioner at his

office and briefed on overall

activities of EPZs, workers

rights & benefits including

other operational issues.

BEPZA always provides its

best services to the investors

to run their business

smoothly, he added.

The Executive Chairman

of BEPZA informed that

BEPZA Economic Zone,

Samsung Electronics forecasts 44.19pc

jump in Q1 operating profit

SEOUL : South Korean tech

giant Samsung Electronics

flagged a 44.19 percent rise in

first quarter operating profit

Wednesday, largely driven by

robust sales of smartphones

and the launch of its flagship

Galaxy S21 series.

The company said in an

earnings estimate that it

expected operating profit of

9.3 trillion won ($8.3 billion)

for January to March, up

from 6.45 trillion won a year

earlier.

Samsung Electronics is the

flagship subsidiary of the

giant Samsung group, by far

the largest of the familycontrolled

empires known as

chaebols that dominate

business in South Korea, the

world's 12th largest economy.

It is crucial to the country's

economic health - the

conglomerate's overall

turnover is equivalent to a

fifth of the national gross

domestic product.

The coronavirus has

wreaked havoc with the world

economy, with lockdowns

and travel bans imposed

around the globe for many

months.

currently being developed at

Mirsharai of Chattogram, is

expected to be operational

by this year. He also

informed the High

Commissioner that BEPZA

is going to establish three

more EPZs at the different

parts of the country. He

requested Pakistani

investors through the High

Commissioner to come

TOKYO : Toshiba has received

a buyout offer from a British

private equity fund and will

consider the proposal, it said

Wednesday, with reports

suggesting the deal could be

worth about $20 billion.

Trading of Toshiba shares

was temporarily halted on

Tokyo's stock exchange at the

open, after the Japanese firm

confirmed the offer first

reported hours earlier by local

media, reports BSS.

In a statement, Toshiba said

it "received an initial proposal

yesterday" by CVC Capital

Partners for a buyout deal.

"We will request detailed

information and carefully

discuss" the offer, the firm

added.

The Nikkei newspaper said

CVC was considering a 30

percent premium over the

Japanese industrial group's

current share price, valuing the

deal at nearly 2.3 trillion yen

($20.8 billion) based on

Tuesday's close. The financial

daily said CVC would consider

recruiting other investors to

participate in the deal.

The proposal would take

Toshiba private, with delisting

intended to produce faster

decision-making by Toshiba's

But the pandemic - which

has killed more than 2.8

million people worldwide -

has also seen many tech

companies boom.

Analysts say the the

company has had a particular

boost from rolling out its

Galaxy S21 series in January,

more than a month ahead of

the flagship product's usual

forward and explore the

investment potentiality of

Uttara, Ishwardi, Mongla

EPZ and BEPZA Economic

Zone as well to invest in

diversified products.

Among others, Member

(Investment Promotion) of

BEPZA Md. Mahmudul

Hossain Khan, General

Manager (Public Relations)

Nazma Binte Alamgir,

management, which has

clashed with shareholders

recently, reports said.

The move, if successful,

would allow the firm to

concentrate resources on

renewable energies and other

core businesses, reports added.

Toshiba CEO and President

Nobuaki Kurumatani told

reporters Wednesday that "we

received the proposal but we'll

discuss it in a board meeting."

Reports suggested the

discussions would begin on

annual launch schedule.

"Key to the success of this

latest flagship has been its

lower $799 starting price,"

tracker Counterpoint

Research said in a report.

"Lower cost coupled with

trade-in offers that essentially

make the S21 device free, is

helping increase demand for

these 'entry-level' flagships."

Pakistan eager to work jointly with

BEPZA: High Commissioner

German shares

almost unchanged at

the start of trading

on Wednesday

BERLIN : German stocks

were almost unchanged at the

start of trading on

Wednesday, with the

benchmark DAX index

growing by 8.55 points, or

0.06 percent, opening at

15,221.23 points.

The biggest winner among

Germany's 30 largest listed

companies at the start of

trading was carmaker

Daimler, increasing by 0.94

percent, followed by

automotive supplier

Continental with 0.91 percent

and Deutsche Bank with 0.70

percent.

Shares of Delivery Hero fell

by 0.75 percent. The German

online food delivery company

was the biggest loser at the

start of trading on

Wednesday.

Germany recorded a deficit

of 189.2 billion euros (224.7

billion U.S. dollars) in 2020,

the country's Federal

Statistical Office (Destatis)

announced on Wednesday. It

was the highest deficit since

the country's unification in

1990 and clearly showed the

"consequences of the corona

crisis for the public budgets."

China's forex reserves

fall in March

BEIJING : China's foreign exchange reserves shrank to 3.17

trillion U.S. dollars at the end of March from 3.205 trillion

dollars at the end of February, official data showed

Wednesday.

The amount fell by 35 billion dollars, or 1.09 percent, from

the end of February, according to the State Administration of

Foreign Exchange (SAFE). In March, China's forex market

functioned stably with supply and demand of foreign

exchange basically in balance, said SAFE spokesperson

Wang Chunying.

Affected by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the

development of COVID-19 vaccine and expectations of major

countries' fiscal and monetary policies, the dollar index saw an

increase while bond prices of major countries fell last month,

Wang added. The spokesperson attributed the decline in forex

reserves to the combined effects of currency translation and

changes in asset prices. Wang, however, expects the scale of

China's forex reserves to remain generally stable, despite

uncertainties in the international financial market and global

economic recovery amid virus-induced risks.

General Manager

(Investment Promotion)

Md. Tanvir Hossain and

General Manager

(Enterprise Services) Md.

Khorshid Alam of BEPZA

and Commercial Secretary

of Pakistan High

Commission in Bangladesh

Muhammad Suleman Khan

were present during this

time.

Toshiba to weigh buyout

offer from UK fund

Wednesday, though Toshiba

did not immediately specify.

Toshiba has been hit by false

accounting scandals and huge

losses linked to its US nuclear

unit.

It was forced to sell its profitmaking

chip sector to make up

for huge losses.

Following painful

restructuring, its earnings

rebounded and the company in

January returned to the

prestigious first section of the

Tokyo Stock Exchange.

VAT realization: NBR

turns down Dhaka

Club's request

DHAKA : The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has turned

down the request of Dhaka Club Limited to stop activities of

realising Tk 33.74 crore as Value Added Tax (VAT) and

Supplementary Tax.

The revenue collecting authority in a letter recently

informed that there is no scope of waiver of VAT and

Supplementary Duty as per the VAT Law 1991 once it has

issued the demand notice following all legal procedures.

Second secretary of VAT Law and Policy Kazi Rezaul

Hasan issued the letter on March 29.

Earlier, the Dhaka Club requested the NBR to stop the

process to realise Tk 16,69,82,573 as VAT and Tk 7,04,53,658

as Supplementary Duty.

ThuRSDAy, APRil 8, 2021

9

Bangladesh Navy emerge top in

Bangladesh Games swimming

SPORTS DESK

Bangladesh Navy maintained their

supremacy by dominating the medal tally in

Bangabandhu 9th Bangladesh Games

swimming event at Syed Nazrul Islam

National Swimming Complex in the city's

Mirpur, reports UNB.

Bangladesh Navy secured 33 gold, 24 silver

and 14 bronze medals while Bangladesh

Army finished behind them by securing nine

gold, 17 silver and an equal number of bronze

medals. Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan

(BKSP) placed the third position in the medal

tally with one silver and four bronze medals.

Following the ten new national records in the

last three days, one more national record was

set on the fourth and last day of the meet.

Kajol Mia of Bangladesh Navy set the new

national mark in the men's 200m individual

medley clocking 2:13.49 seconds erasing the

old record of 2:14.94 set by Ariful Islam in

2019. Jewel Ahmed of Bangladesh Army and

Polash Chowdhury of Bangladesh Navy

bagged the silver and bronze medal

respectively in his event.

Meanwhile, in the men's 400m individual

medley, Jewel Ahmed of the Bangladesh

Army won gold clocking 4.48.53 seconds.

Kajol Mia and Polash Chowdhury of

Bangladesh Navy bagged the silver and

bronze medals respectively in this event.

In the women's 400m individual medley,

Sonia Akter of Bangladesh Navy won gold

with a time of 5:49.16 seconds while Naima

Akter Sonali and Moriom Akter of Army


respectively.

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In the men's 50m backstrokes, Ariful Islam

of Bangladesh Navy won gold clocking

00:30.07 second. Sukumar Rajbongshi and

Kamal Hossain of the Bangladesh Army

secured silver and bronze medal respectively

in this event.

In the women's 50m backstrokes, Mahfuza

Khatun of Bangladesh Navy won gold

clocking 00:35.84 second while Moriom

Akter of Bangladesh Navy and Irfana Khatun

of Munshiganj district sports association


respectively in this event.

In the women's 200m individual medley,

Sonia Khatun of Bangladesh Navy won gold

clocking 2:40.54 seconds while Moriom

Akter of Bangladesh Navy and Naima Akter

of Sonali of Bangladesh Army bagged the

silver and bronze medal respectively in this

event. In the men's 100m freestyle, Asif Reza

of Bangladesh Navy won gold clocking

00:53.33 while Mahfizur Rahman of

Bangladesh anvy and Sifat Ullah of

Bangladesh Army bagged the silver and

bronze medal respectively in this event.

In the women's 100m freestyle, Sonia

Khatun of Bangladesh Navy won gold

clocking 1:04.79 seconds while Junoyona

Ahmed of Bangladesh Navy and Sharmin

Sultana of Bangladesh Army bagged the silver

and bronze medal in this event.

In the men's 4x100m medley relay,

Bangladesh Navy comprising Nore Alom,

Shofikul, Mahmudunnobi Nahid and

Mahfizur Rahman won gold clocking 4:00.74

seconds while Bangladesh Army and Vati

Bangla Swimming Club bagged the silver and

bronze medal respectively in this event.

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BCB to announce squad

for Lanka series soon

SPORTS DESK

Minhazul Abedin Nannu and Habibul Bashar, two selectors of

the Bangladesh national cricket team, are busy and conducting

offices even during the lockdown. On the first day of the

lockdown on Monday, they spent several hours at the Sher-e-

Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. Two selectors were also present at

the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) office on Tuesday morning,

reports UNB.

Amidst lockdown, all the matches are called off. The national

team also has o activities. So, what is the reason for going to the

BCB office in the morning for two days in a row during the

lockdown? Chief selector Minhazul Abedin Nannu's said that

they are busy to finalise the Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka.

On Tuesday morning, Nannu on a phone conversation told

that the work of sorting out the roster for the Sri Lanka series was

nearing completion. They will either submit the team to the

board on Tuesday and if they do so then they will announce the

squad on Wednesday. There are doubts whether a net bowler

will be available in practice in Sri Lanka and whether local

cricketers will be available to play practice matches. So, a few

days ago, the chief selector told that the team will be comprised

of 18 to 20 people. However, on Tuesday he has moved away

from that stance. Nannu said, we are thinking of sending a team

comprised of 16-17 people.

The Bangladesh team has recently returned to the country

after a three-match ODI and T20 series in New Zealand. About

half of the cricketers in that team were present in the last Test

team against the West Indies. Besides, there were 8-9 more

players from that series, who remained in the country and did

not take part in the New Zealand tour. Now it remains to be seen

whether there will be major changes or not from Test squad of

the West Indies series.

Meanwhile, two rounds of the National Cricket League (NCL)

have been conducted. Will anyone be considered for doing well

there? Cricket analysts are raising such questions. The chief

selector did not say a word about it. However, he explained that

they will not go for a big experiment with the team now. The idea

of sorting out the team with established and tested performers is

going on, which gives us a hint that there might not be any major

changes from the West Indies series to the test squad, that will

travel to the island nation.

Vinicius double puts Real Madrid

on top against Liverpool

SPORTS DESK

Vinicius Junior scored twice

as Real Madrid made

Liverpool pay for more

defensive errors on Tuesday,

a 3-1 victory putting them in

sight of the Champions

League semi-finals, reports

BSS. Vinicius and Marco

Asensio both profited in the

first half after darting behind

Liverpool's makeshift backline

before a simple move

from a throw-in gave Vinicius

a simple finish in the second.

Mohamed Salah's strike

shortly after the interval

briefly made it a contest at

Valdebebas, with an away

goal certainly a significant

consolation for Liverpool to

take into the second leg at

Anfield next week.

But without fans and with a

miserable recent record at

home, Jurgen Klopp will

know his side have it all to do

to avoid his team's season

becoming solely about

scraping into the Premier

League's top four.

"We didn't play well

enough, that's my first

concern," said Klopp. "We

didn't deserve to win tonight,

but the good news is that

there is another match.

"We are going to fight, 3-1 is

not good, but we have a

chance." Except for two spells

after half-time and at the

finish, when their opponents

were holding on to what they

had, Liverpool were

overpowered by Real Madrid,

whose only disappointment

might be missing out on a

clearer margin ahead of the

return in eight days' time.

Before then, they go up

against Barcelona on

Saturday and this result, their

fifth consecutive victory,

should be another huge boost

to morale going into what will

be a crucial fixture in La

Liga's title race.

"Nothing is close, nothing

is won," Madrid coach

Zinedine Zidane said. "We

are alive in two competitions

and we will keep fighting. We

will start the second leg like

it's 0-0 because it will be

another very difficult game."

Madrid were without

Sergio Ramos, who

throughout was bellowing at

his team from the stands,

while Raphael Varane testing

positive for Covid-19 on

Tuesday morning meant

both sides were fielding

patched-up back fours.

The last time these two

clubs met, Ramos dislocated

Salah's shoulder and Madrid

went on to win their 13th

European Cup but Klopp

insisted there was no desire

for revenge in the minds of

his players.

They could have done with

some extra fire because

Madrid were superior in the

first half, more controlled in

possession and more

aggressive out of it. Liverpool

seemed caught between

trying to match Madrid's

intensity and slowing the

game down to gain a

foothold.

Kroos runs the show -In the

end they did neither, as the

openings came early. Luka

Modric wanted a penalty afer

being clipped just outside the

box and Trent Alexander-

Arnold was beaten too easily

by Ferland Mendy, whose

cross was headed just wide by

Vinicius. The excellent Toni

Kroos was given space at the

base of midfield to dictate the

tempo and it was a pair of

arrowed balls forward from

the German that put Madrid

in charge.

The first he fired between

Alexander-Arnold and Nat

Phillips for the scampering

Vinicius, who did brilliantly

to chest the ball beyond his

opponents and shoot low into

the Liverpool net.

Seven minutes later, Kroos

did it again, this time with the

aid of a badly misguided

Alexander-Arnold header,

locating Asensio, who lifted

over Alisson Becker to leave

himself with an open net.

A full stadium would have

sent a surge of momentum

through Madrid but there

was still a simmering buzz, as

their substitutes were

cheering louder and the

players pressed quicker and

passed harder.Liverpool.

Clement Genty has been researching the story of Albert Corey and here

holds up a photograph of the French marathon runner. Photo: Collected

France chases two medals

from the 1904 Olympics

SPORTS DESK

It has taken 117 years, but long-distance

runner Albert Corey may finally be nearing

home, bringing his two Olympic silver

medals with him, reports BSS.

Corey was declared an American by the

organisers when he won silver in the

marathon at the 1904 Olympics in St Louis,

Missouri. But now the French want him,

and his medals, back.

A local councillor in his home town of

Meursault is seeking to correct the record,

asking the French Olympic Committee to

press the issue with the International

Olympic Committee.

Clement Genty, a councillor, engineer

and amateur historian holds up a faded

black and white photo, in which Corey

looks like the archetypal amateur in his

oversized sleeveless vest, crumpled shorts

and laced leather shoes.

Yet this penniless son of Burgundian

winegrowers collected what should have

been France's only Olympic medals of the

1904 Games.

"A beautiful story," says Genty. "I learned

of his existence in a newspaper and did

some research."

Absent without leave -

Corey was born in Meursault in 1878, the

year that the village became the first in the

Cote d'Or area to be hit by phylloxera,

which ravaged the vines.

Etienne Corey, Albert's winemaker father

moved to the Paris suburbs and in 1896,

Albert enlisted in the French army.

There he discovered a talent for

endurance running. He broke the 160km

record in 1899 but on January 2, 1903, he

went absent without leave. A year later, he

turned up as a strike-breaker in the huge

Chicago slaughterhouses.

Getting into local athletics was not easy

for a man with broken English who had

arrived in Chicago, The Washington Times

wrote in 1905, "practically a tramp".

When he learned that the Olympics were

going to be held on American soil, he said

he had run the "Paris Marathon" in 1900.

This was true, but he played on the

confusion with the Olympic Marathon of

the same year to make people believe that

he had participated in a much more

prestigious event. Strychnine -

The ploy worked and he went to St Louis

representing the First Regiment Athletic

Association of Chicago.

Because the St Louis Games were so hard

and expensive to reach from outside North

America, they attracted few international

entrants. Corey would have been the only

Frenchman. "But he belonged to an

986

American club. He was therefore

considered American, according to the

rules of the time," Genty told to AFP.

These were the first Olympics at which

gold, silver and bronze medals were

awarded. The marathon was run in the

hottest part of a sweltering late August day

over a hilly, dusty course that, because the

race distance had not yet been

standardised, was 40km long.

With only one water stop along the

course, more than half of the 32

participants dropped out.

Corey, on the other hand, boasted "I

could have done one more lap".

He crossed the line third but the 'winner',

Fred Lorz, was disqualified for hitching a

lift in a car.

Gold instead went to British-born

American Thomas Hicks who, fuelled by

strychnine mixed with brandy, completed

the course in 3hrs 28min 53 sec to beat

Corey by six minutes. Corey was almost 13

minutes ahead of the bronze medalist.

Corey also won a silver with four

Americans in a team that won a 20-mile

relay - although he is not referred to as

American in the records for this one and the

medal was assigned to a 'mixed' team.

'Funny story' -

The US media was under no illusion that

Corey was anything other than French.

They hailed the "success story" of this

"Frenchman", a "slaughterhouse worker",

who became the "New Star for Marathon".

In October, 1908, the Buffalo Evening

Times wrote: "It must be nice to train like

Corey. The Frenchman who won the

Marathon race declared that he owed his

success to having trained on champaigne

(sic)."

Olympic historians have long classified

Corey as French but his marathon medal is

credited to the United States and the IOC

appears unwilling to change that.

"There is no question of changing the

country to which these medals are

awarded," its press office told AFP.

Corey's bid to win another medal at the

1908 Olympics in London failed, however,

when he declined France's invitation to

represent them in favour of opting to run

for the US, who then proceeded not to

invite him. He won the 1908 Chicago

Marathon but the following year, Corey was

hit by a car and never regained his former

level of performance.

He returned to France in the summer of

1910 and resumed a military career. He

died in 1926 in Paris, probably of

tuberculosis.His great-grandson Serge

Canaud, 69, learned of Corey's unknown

past, thanks to a phone call from Genty.

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THUrsDAY, AprIL 8, 2021

10

Bhabna

furious

about ugly

comments

TBT reporT

Ashna Habib Bhabna is an actress and dancer. She

is best known for these two identities. But she is also

a writer. She has already published several books.

Bhabna's new novel 'Golapi Zamin' has been

published at this year's book fair. Various media

outlets have published news about this novel.

Netizens have made comments in various vulgar

and obscene language in the comment room of

those news.

Bhabna was upset to see those ugly

comments. She shared her thoughts on

screenshots of some of the comments and

wrote, 'So much nonsense! Where are we

really? If you insult people on the internet, you

must be ugly on the inside. Could there be such

ugly people? Is it slowly becoming a very funny

thing? People who love themselves do not hurt

another person. The more we hate ourselves,

the more we laugh at others. Does that mean

we're so idle that our only job is to make bad

comments all the time? '

By the way, a book of poems by Bhabna has also

been published in this year's book fair. The name of

the book is 'Raster Dharer Gashter Kono Dhormo

Silo Na'. A total of 50 poems have been included in

the book.

Shahnoor in

mega serial

'Jamindar Bari'

TBT reporT

Shahnoor, a Bangladeshi actress and

model began her journey in Dhallywood

with Fasir Adesh. This film was an

unreleased film. Her first released film was

Jiddi Sontan which was released in

2000.

Recently this actress has joined the

cast of Boishakhi TV's mega serial

'Jamindar Bari'. She has been acting

in the role of Shampa Reza's elder

daughter Shane Noor in the drama.

About the serial, Shahnoor said,

"Director Sazzad Hossain Dodul

and Tipu Alam Milon's story has

made me interested for this serial.

My role is quite interesting. For

the first time, I've acted in a

wicked character. In the

'Jamindar Bari', I will dominate

everyone and they will get

jealous of me."'Jamindar Bari'

is being aired on Boishakhi TV

every Tuesday, Wednesday and

Thursday at 09:20pm. Directed

by Sazzad Hossain Dodul, the

other cast of the play included

Monoj Sengupta, Shampa Reza,

Shilpi Sharkar Apu, Aa Kha Ma

Hasan, Momena Choudhury,

Subrata Chakraborty, Nadia

Mim and Milon Bhattacharya.

Shahnoor has been seen

from the 70th episode of the

serial. 'Kuashar Shesh Chithi'

was Shahnoor's first TV

drama.

9th Liberation DocFest postponed

as covid cases surge

The 9th edition of Liberation DocFest has been postponed because

of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases around the country, reports

UNB.

Organisers of the event, originally

scheduled for April 6-10, recently

announced the postponement on

Facebook.

"Due to Bangladesh Government's

decision to go to nationwide

lockdown because of escalation of

covid pandemic again, Liberation

War Museum, the organiser of

Liberation DocFest decided to

temporarily postpone the festival,"

the post reads.

DocFest is an annual initiative

dedicated to the documentary

cinema to highlight the struggle

for liberation and human rights of

people in various parts of the

world and its contemporary

significance.

A new schedule for the event will

be announced soon, the organisers

said.

However, the 'Exposition of

Young Film Talent 2021', a storytelling lab for documentary

filmmakers will take place on Wednesday and conclude on April

10, as per its schedule. "We had to postpone this year's Liberation

DocFest at the very last moment due to the recent surge of

With release of films like

Sooryavanshi being pushed

indefinitely and top stars Akshay

Kumar, Vicky Kaushal and

Bhumi Pednekar testing positive

for COVID-19, the danger of

halting ongoing shootings of the

projects looms large and so does

the fear of many daily wage

earners losing employment amid

the surge in coronavirus cases in

Maharashtra.

As year 2021 appears to be a

repeat of 2020, industry insiders

say they are amping up safety

measures, including regular

RTPCR tests, to control the

spread of COVID-19 on the sets

of the on-ground productions as

they cannot afford to suspend

filming activities.

Not just Kumar, who was

shooting for Ram Setu, as many

as 45 members of the film's crew

have also tested positive. As a

precautionary measure, the actor

was admitted to a city hospital on

Monday.

On the other hand, Kaushal

and Pednekar were reportedly

shooting for filmmaker

Shashank Khaitan's Dharma

Productions film Mr Lele.

"It is a stressful time for all of us.

Major productions have been

affected, from Akshay's Ram Setu,

Dharma Productions' Mr Lele to

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai.

The entire shooting slate has been

affected. Everyone is now cautious

but clueless," Dubey told PTI.

Seema Pahwa, Govinda, Ritwik

Bhowmik, Rupali Ganguly,

Aditya Narayan, and Abhijeet

Sawant have also tested COVID-

19 positive. Aamir Khan and R

Madhavan are currently on the

road to recovery from the virus.

On March 30, 18 unit members

of reality show Dance Deewane

had contracted COVID-19,

forcing the makers to halt the

shoot for a week.

According to Dubey, one of the

reasons for the rising numbers in

film crews is extensive testing

COVID-19 and the subsequent nationwide lockdown. This

prompted the trustee members to postpone the festival but the

storytelling lab will continue online

as per its schedule," Md Shariful

Islam Shaon, Festival Programmer

at Liberation Docfest Bangladesh,

told UNB.

The workshop and pitching

session, in association with Dhaka

DocLab, will cater to 10 projects from

Bangladeshi documentary

filmmakers which were selected for

this year's workshop.

Marking the occasion of the

Golden Jubilee of Independence, the

festival is scheduled to introduce a

series of new screening sessions and

special ceremonies in a hybrid

format, due to the ongoing

pandemic.

A total of 1,900 films from 112

countries have been submitted to the

organisers this year. Among them,

110 documentaries will be screened

at the festival.

This year is also marking the

occasion of the Silver Jubilee of Liberation War Museum, which will

be observed with the screening of 12 documentaries from the last

five decades along with a special exhibition of 25 one-minute short

films when the festival will take place in the future.

Alarmed by rising COVID-19

cases during productions,

Bollywood takes safety measures

before a shoot. Producers are

ensuring the daily wage workers

are paid, even if they have tested

positive and are under home

quarantine, he added.

"The federation will step in to

help too, along with Junior

Artistes association if the need

arises," Dubey said.

The Mumbai Police on

Monday issued prohibitory

orders under section 144 of the

CrPC banning the assembly of

five or more people at public

places in the city from 7 am to 8

pm from Mondays to Fridays till

April 30.

The order also imposed a night

curfew on weekdays and a strict

lockdown on weekends

beginning from 8 pm on Friday

till 7 am on Monday.

For now, the show seems to be

going on as filming of two

movies, produced by Balaji

Telefilms - Goodbye starring

Amitabh Bachchan and

Rashmika Mandanna and Mohit

Suri's Ek Villain Returns, is on

track with more stringent safety

protocol.

Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh,

Creative Producer, Balaji

Telefilms, said the health of the

cast and crew is paramount for

the banner.

"Ever since the COVID-19

breakout happened, we've cut

down on the crew strength and

have strictly been adhering to the

safety norms prescribed by the

government for shooting," she

told PTI.

Victorian D'Souza, Health and

Safety officer, Momentum India,

has been on sets of some projects

for streamers like Netflix and

Disney+ Hotstar since the

pandemic broke out last year.

"We are well versed with every

kind of risk management. We

ensure the location is safe and

worthy of operational, SOPs are

met without compromising on

anything," D'Souza told PTI.

As per protocol, the health

officer said it is mandatory for

everyone who enters the set to

have an RTPCR (Reverse

Source: Indian Express

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.

ThursDAY, April 8, 2021

11

73 people fined for breaching

Covid safety rules in Bhola

BHOLA : Seven mobile courts of the

district administration fined 73 people

Taka 36,900 in different upazilas,

including the district headquarters,for

breaching Covid-19 safety rules.

According to the district

administration sources, seven teams

conducted the raids in seven upazilas

including the district town and fined 73

people Taka 36,900 for not wearing

masks, keeping business

establishments open and moving

outside without any reason.

Executive Magistrate of the district

administration Yusuf Hasan and

upazila executive magistrates of the

seven upazilas led the operation teams

from morning to 10 pm on Tuesday.

The mobile courts also distributed

masks free of cost among the poor and

helpless people.

Executive Magistrate of the district

administration Yusuf Hasan told BSS

that the number of corona infected

people is increasing each day as people

are reluctant to maintain health

guidelines. The district administration

is conducting mobile courts to create

awareness among the people about the

spread of COVID-19.

The mobile court will continue to

prevent anti-lockdown activities,

executive magistrate of the district

administration Yusuf Hasan added.

Six fined for violating

lockdown in C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ : A mobile court of

the district administration yesterday fined

six shopping centres for violating lockdown

and COVID-19 health rules.

Executive magistrate of the district

administration Rawshon Ara conducted

the mobile court in association with the

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-5) in various

areas of the district town, including new

market area, from 11:30 am to 1pm and

fined six business establishments and

shopping centres different amounts of

money for not wearing masks and keeping

business establishments open in violation

of the lockdown rules, RAB-5 sources said.

The shopping centres which were fined

included Walton showroom, Nawab

Mistannya Bhandar, Nasir Hardware, Al

Nasir Machineries, Saidur Traders and

Sayad Reksin House, the sources added.

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Thursday, Dhaka, April 8, 2021, Chaitra 25, 1427 BS, Shaban 24, 1442 Hijri

Biden ‘committed to strengthening’

ties with Bangladesh

DHAKA : US President Joe Biden and

Secretary Antony J.?Blinken?are "committed

to strengthening" the Dhaka-

Washington relationship as the two

countries address common challenges,

says a senior US official, reports UNB.

The two countries address some of

the most pressing regional and global

challenges together, including the

Rohingya humanitarian crisis and global

challenge to tackle climate change,

said the official.

"Bangladesh's impressive economic

sector provides a solid platform on

which to expand and deepen our relationship,"

said Marcia Bernicat, senior

official for economic growth, energy

and the environment. She made the

remarks while addressing virtual

launching of the U.S.-Bangladesh

Business Council on Tuesday.

Bernicat said the United States is

proud of the partnership that they have

built with the Bangladeshi people since

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led a proud

and determined people to achieve their

independence 50 years ago.?

"How fitting that we honor that

important anniversary today by launching

the U.S.-Bangladesh Business

Council," she said.

She said the US continues to look for

ways to help make Bangladesh more

attractive for investment, which in turn

provides for the transparency and rule

of law that all companies thrive in.???

Similarly, Bernicat said, they look forward

to welcoming Bangladeshi investment

into the United States from the

country's increasingly internationally

competitive companies.

She said President Biden has emphasized

the challenge of climate change,

stating that "the United States and the

world face a profound climate crisis"

and by placing climate change at the

center of our foreign policy, diplomacy,

and national security.?

The US official said Bangladesh's

leadership in addressing climate change

offers the United States - and the world

- a great partner to tackle this climate

crisis.?

Pragmatic efforts to

make D-8 "more vibrant,

active, effective"

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK

Abdul Momen on Wednesday said

Bangladesh will take all pragmatic initiatives

to open new avenues of cooperation

among the D-8 Member States

with the aim of making this Group even

more vibrant, active and effective,

reports UNB.

In order to minimise the worsening

effects of Covid-19 on the world economy,

Dr Momen said, Bangladesh wants

to explore all avenues for economic

recovery through collaboration among

the D-8 Member States.

"Bangladesh believes in a free and

equitable access to markets for not only

products but also services. It would

obviously facilitate D-8 governments

and private sectors to come together to

highlight how D-8 Member States can

deepen connectivity, networking and

collaboration in light of experiences of

the Covid-l9 era," he said.

The Foreign Minister was addressing

the D-8 19th Council of Ministers

(COM) as Chair of the COM.

Foreign Ministers of D-8 Member

States including immediate past chair

and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut

Cavusoglu and D-8 Secretary General

Ambassador Ku Jaffar Ku Shari joined.

Since the overall objective of the global

organisation is to improve Member

States' life and livelihood situation

through multiple approaches, Dr

Momen hoped to create a D-8 digital

marketplace, and create a suitable-forall

resilient post-pandemic cooperation

model to ensure the common interests

of all member states.

"As the whole world is experiencing an

unprecedented global public health and

economic crisis caused by the COVID-19

pandemic, I personally feel the urge

that, we, the D-8 Member States need to

stand together more than ever," he said.

After chairing the D-8 Organisation

for Economic Cooperation for two years

during the period of 1999 - 2001,

Bangladesh is going to hold the

Chairmanship of the D-8 for the second

time after two decades.

"This is happening at a time when we

are celebrating the birth centenary of the

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and we are

also observing the Golden Jubilee of our

independence," he said.

Moreover, Dr Momen said, recently

Bangladesh has fulfilled the UN criteria

for graduating from the LDC Group of

countries.

"We are indeed honoured and happy

for having the opportunity of chairing

the D-8 at this historic moment," he

said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will

lead the Bangladesh delegation at the

10th D-8 Summit on Thursday to be

participated by the leaders of Egypt,

Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria,

Pakistan and Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip

Erdogan will hand over the

Chairmanship of the D-8 to Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina.

As president of the Climate

Vulnerable Forum and the Vulnerable

Twenty Group of Finance Ministers,

Bangladesh has a leading voice and can

make irreplaceable contributions

toward a successful COP26, she said.

As a climate vulnerable country,

Bangladesh will require significant climate

adaptation and resilience, especially

in view of its increasingly ambitious

climate goals, Bernicat said.

The?US companies are well placed to

deliver many of the solutions

Bangladesh will need to sustainably

grow its economy, she said.

Bernicat said this is an exciting time in

U.S.-Bangladesh relations, and it is a

particularly timely moment to inaugurate

this organization to support closer

US-Bangladesh economic cooperation.

The US-Bangladesh Business

Council and the American private sector

will be invaluable partners to help

Bangladesh reach the ambitions laid

out in its Bangladesh Vision 2041,

including to become a high-income

country, she said.

Accidents on

waterways in

Bangladesh

declining: Minister

DHAKA : Home Minister Asaduzzaman

Khan on Wednesday said accidents on

waterways are declining in the country

because of changes in vessel designs,

implementation of necessary measures

and stronger monitoring, reports UNB.

"We used to see major accidents during

holidays every year. Now such accidents

have decreased. But I would not

say these have totally gone," he said

while addressing the inauguration of the

River Security Week 2021.

He virtually joined the inaugural function,

held at the conference room of the

Shipping Ministry, as the chief guest.

State Minister for Shipping Khalid

Mahmud Chowdhury was present as

the special guest.

Asaduzzaman said the main reasons

behind the fall in waterway accidents

are the changes in vessel designs and

stronger monitoring in addition to other

necessary measures.

He mentioned that the importance of

the shipping sector in the graduation of

a riverine and coastal country like

Bangladesh from a least developed

country to a developing one is immense,

and put emphasis on consolidation of

this achievement.

The minister said one of the major

responsibilities of the Shipping

Department is to develop an accidentfree

shipping system. "The department

has taken a number of effective measures

for the safety of public life and

property."

An online digital database containing

vessel survey data, registration reports

and all the information related to vessels

and sailors in the inland sector of

Bangladesh is being maintained, he

said.

Power workers are risking their lives by climbing high poles to keep the uninterrupted power supply in

the capital. The picture was taken from Rampura area on Wednesday.

Photo: PBA

Long-route passengers are reaching their destination in this way.

Cabinet purchases body

approves LNG, rice import

DHAKA : The Cabinet Committee on

Public Purchase approved seven proposals

including the import of liquified

natural gas (LNG) from a Swiss

company and rice from an Indian

company.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa

Kamal presided over the meeting.

State-owned Petrobangla, under

the Energy and Mineral Resources

Division, will import the 3.360 million

MMBtus of LNG from AOT

Trading AG, Switzerland at a cost of

Tk 243.3 crore with per MMBtu price

at $7.2855, reports UNB.

The Directorate General of Food

under the Food Ministry will import

50,000 metric tonnes of non-bashmoti

parboiled rice from PK Agri

Link Private Ltd, India, at cost of Tk

174.65 crore, with per MT price at

$411.93.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet committee

approved a proposal of the Roads and

Highways Department to award Tk

103.37 crore contract to the Joint

Venture of Reliable Builders Ltd, Md

Moyenuddin (Bashi) Limited

andOrient Trading and Builders Ltd,

for implementing package No-WP-

02 of the project on Improvement of

Shariatpur (Monohar Bazar)-

Ibrahimpur Road upto Ferry Ghat.

The committee approved awarding

Tk 106.84 crore contract to the Joint

Venture of Md Badrul Iqbal Ltd,

Hassan Techno Builders Ltd, and

Oyster Construction and Shipping

Company Ltd, for implementing the

works of the package WP-03 of the

Lockdown unproductive due

to mismanagement: BNP

same project.

Another project of the Roads and

Highways Department received

approval of the committee to award a

contract of Tk 788.38 crore to Afcons

Infrastructure Limited, India, for

implementing the package No-WP-

03 for upgrading Ashuganj

Riverport-Sarai's-Dharkhar-

Akhawra Highway into four lanes

and its maintenance work.

The committee approved a proposal

of Tk 243.18 crore of the Bridge

Authority under the Bridges Division

to award a contract for appointing

consultant for conducting feasibility

study about construction of bridges

on Shariatpur-Chandpur Highway

and Gazaria Munshiganj Road for

crossing the Meghna River to connect

Chandpur and Shariatpur districts.

A Joint Venture of Tecnica Y

Proyectos SA (TYPSA), Spain,

Nippon Koei Co Ltd, Japan,

DOHWA Engineering Co Ltd, South

Korea, Development Design

Consultants Ltd Bangladesh, BCL

Associates Ltd, Bangladesh and Dev

Consultants Ltd, Bangladesh, won

the contract.

The committee approved a proposal

of Public Works Department

for re-evaluation of the tender proposal

for the work package of WD-

01 of the Khulna Development

Authority's Khulna Shipyard Road

Widening and Development Works

by cancelling the recommendation

of Tender Evaluation Committee

(TEC).

DHAKA : BNP on Wednesday alleged

that the weeklong lockdown, enforced

by the government, is only causing public

sufferings instead of yielding any positive

outcome to contain Covid transmission

due to mismanagement,

reports UNB.

"The reality is that neither lockdown

nor the restrictions are being implemented

at the field level due to mismanagement

of the government," said BNP

acting office secretary Syed Emran Saleh

Prince.

Speaking at a press conference at

BNP's Nayapaltan central office, he also

said people remain at a high risk of coronavirus

infection because of the government's

contradictory moves.

"Everything is in a mess everywhere,

putting people in limitless troubles."

The BNP leader also alleged that the

government has enforced the lockdown

without any prior preparation.

He said long traffic jams on roads and

highways are the proof that the lockdown

has been ineffective. "People are

waiting in long queues for transports at

different places in the city. Basically,

everything is going on as before."

The BNP leader said the government's

policy makers took such a decision of

enforcing a lockdown sitting in air-conditioned

rooms without proper planning

as they do not need to think about

salary utility bills and money for managing

food. "But people have to ensure sufferings

as a result of this unplanned and

unprepared move."

Prince, also a BNP organising secretary,

said the government's response to

tackling the second wave of coronavirus

is uncoordinated, unplanned, shortsighted

and irrational as happened last

year. "This time the government got a lot

of time. But due to lack of prior preparation,

the situation turned chaotic as it

was last year."

He also said corona-infected people

are struggling to receive treatment for

lack of sufficient vacant seats, ICUs, ventilators

and oxygen supply at the hospitals

in the cities and different district

towns.

"Patients with corona infections are

dying on the streets as they are running

from one hospital to another for treatment.

"The government has to shoulder

the responsibility for this," the BNP

leader said.

Prince demanded the government

take effective steps to ensure adequate

healthcare facilities, ICUs, ventilators

and oxygen at hospitals and conduct

free Covid tests.

Photo : Star Mail

Indramohan Rajbongshi

Folk singer

Indramohan

Rajbongshi dies

DHAKA : Prominent folk singer,

researcher and Swadhin Bangla Betar

Kendra vocal artiste Indramohan

Rajbongshi died of Covid-19 at a hospital

in Dhaka on Wednesday, reports UNB.

Indramohan, who had tested positive

for Covid-19, breathed his last at

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical

University (BSMMU) around 10:20 am.

The Ekushey Padak recipient was

admitted to the hospital on Monday

with multiple health complications.

In the early 1950s', Rajbongshi started

to learn music from his grandfather

Krishna Das Rajbongshi.

In 1998, Rajbongshi established a folk

organisation, Bangladesh Lok Sangeet

Parishad (Folk Song Council).

He wrote about 100 folk songs for

children, songs on the Liberation War

and the Language Movement.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

expressed deep shock and sorrow at the

death of Indramohan Rajbangshi.

In a condolence message, she said that

the contribution of the Ekushey Padak

winning brilliant singer in flourishing the

country's folksongs will be remembered.

She prayed for the eternal salvation of

the departed soul and expressed sympathy

to the bereaved family.

Ridesharing bikers,

shop owners block

Dhaka roads in protest

DHAKA : App-based ridesharing bikers

and shop owners brought traffic movement

to a grinding halt in parts of Dhaka

Wednesday, protesting the government's

restriction order on their services

amid a record surge in Covid-19 cases,

reports UNB.

The pedestrians said bikers of

ridesharing services gathered at

Moghbazar intersection at noon and

staged a protestdemandingan end to the

ban on their servicesduring the weeklong

restriction on movement of people

and transport.

Traffic came to a standstill at that time

as the angry bikers began to

protest.Later, they tried to take position

in front ofDhaka Metropolitan Police

Headquartersbut failed as police gave

chase to disperse them.

Earlier, the bikers gathered at the

Mohakhali area at around 11am and

demonstrated on the streets,causing

traffic congestionfrom Mohakhali to

Bangladesh Navy Headquarters in

Banani.

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

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

08-04-2021

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