17-11-2021

wedneSday

DHaka: November 17, 2021; agrahyan 2, 1428 BS; Rabius-Sani 11,1443 Hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 197; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

US journalist jailed in

Myanmar for nearly

6 months is freed

>Page 7

SPortS

England will educate

themselves over Qatar

issues : Southgate

>Page 9

art & culture

Shakib to shoot

his new flim in

Hollywood

>Page 10

Security to Bangabandhu's family

JS passes SSF Bill

SANGSAD BHABAN : The Special

Security Force Bill, 2021 was passed in

Parliament on Tuesday incorporating the

issue of providing security to the family

members of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,

and very important persons.

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM

Mozammel Huq, who is in charge of the

Prime Minister's Office in Parliament,

moved the Bill and it was passed by voice

vote. The proposed law was brought up

as the existing law "the Special Security

Force Ordinance, 1986" was void following

a verdict of the higher court.

The new law was drafted revising the existing

one. Only one thing was included here,

which is providing security to the family

members of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and

very important persons. Bangabandhu's

family members means his two daughters,

grandchildren, and in some cases, spouses

or issues of the grandchildren.

4 Health Ministry

employees suspended

over missing of 17 files

DHAKA : Four employees of the Health

Education and Family Welfare Division

under the Health Ministry have been suspended

in connection with the missing of

17 files from the ministry, reports UNB.

Secretary to the Division Md Ali Nur

confirmed the matter to reporters at the

secretariat on Tuesday. The four suspended

staffers are computer operators Ayesha

Siddika and Josef Sardar of Procurement

and Collection Unit-2, office assistant of

administration-2 unit Badal Chandra

Goshwami and 3, office assistant of administration

-3 unit Mintu Mia.

The four-member probe committee

formed by the ministry over the incident identified

the four staffers. On October 27, it was

revealed that 17 files of the Health Ministry

had gone missing from the ministry's Health,

Education and Family Welfare division. A

General Diary (GD) was registered with

Shagbagh Police station in connection with

the the missing of files the following day.

16th Amendment

Hearing on review

petition soon

SANGSAD BHABAN : Law Minister

Anisul Huq on Tuesday said the hearing

on the review petition against the verdict

of the High Court on 16th amendment to

the Constitution will start very soon,

reports UNB.

He said this while speaking in

Parliament on the issue of a proposal to

send the Leader and Deputy Leader of the

Opposition (Remuneration and Privileges)

Bill, 2021 to scrutiny committee.

He said the case is now pending in the

Appellate Division as the government

sought the review on the ground of 'error

apparent on the face of the record'.

"There is enough merit to review this

case," he said. The minister said the government

has already requested the

Appellate Division to review the case.

Zohr

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Next year's public exams

won't be held as per

schedule:Dipu Moni

DHAKA :There is no scope to hold the

public examinations in the next year as

per schedule, said Education Minister

Dipu Moni on Tuesday, reports UNB.

"It is not possible to hold the public

examinations of 2022 in time but the

delay will not be like that of this year's

SSC examinations," she said.

"Measures will be taken to make up

the losses caused by delay in holding the

SSC examinations and the students will

not face any problem," she added.

The Education Minister came up with

the information while replying to a

question from local journalists when visiting

Chandpur Hasan Ali Government

High School exam center on Tuesday.

The much-awaited Secondary School

Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent

examinations began in the country on

Sunday, maintaining health protocols.

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul

Momen yesterday urged the United

Kingdom (UK) to send back to

Bangladesh the convicted 1971's war

criminals who are currently residing in

Britain. He made the request while visiting

British State Minister for Foreign

Affairs for South Asia, the Commonwealth

and the UN Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

met him at the Foreign Service Academy

here on Monday, a Foreign Ministry press

release said here.

During the meeting, Lord Ahmad discussed

his aspirations for the ever closer

Bangladesh -UK friendship with opportunities

for increased trade and investment,

closer security cooperation, cyber security

and UK support to critical climate projects

and quality education for girls.

Lord Ahmad is on a three-day visit to

Bangladesh to attend the 21st IORA

Council of Ministers meetings.

The UK minister of state congratulated

Bangladesh on assuming the chair of

Indian Ocean Rim Association. He also

recognized Bangladesh's efforts in managing

the COVID 19 pandemic.

Dr Momen thanked the UK

Government for removing Bangladesh

from the travel restrictions imposed in

the wake of the Delta variant of Covid-19.

The Bangladesh minister commended

the role of the UK Presidency for COP26

on climate change held in Glasgow this

Usually, the SSC examinations are

held in February but this year the exams

were delayed due to the pandemic.

Regarding vaccination of students she

said, "The Health Ministry is trying to

vaccinate all the HSC examinees.

Though we don't have sufficient infrastructures

in every district to continue

the inoculation drive with Pfizer vaccine

but the authorities concerned are trying

their level best."

A campaign to vaccinate school students,

aged 12-17, against Covid-19

kicked off at 12 centers in Dhaka on

November 1.

Some 40,000 students will be vaccinated

every day under the campaign.

However, Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina asked the officials concerned to

increase the number of centres across

the country under this campaign.

Momen urges UK to repatriate

convicted war criminals

month. Lord Ahmad acknowledged

Bangladesh's proactive role as the chair

of the Climate Vulnerability Forum and

recalled his conversations with Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina in Glasgow.

The UK minister of state informed the

Bangladesh minister about his country's

funding support of 120 Million GBP for

climate action in Bangladesh, with focus

on addressing the vulnerability of

women and girls.

Lord Ahmad also stressed the UK government's

priority in girl's education and

announced a new funding support of 54

Million GBP targeting female students

and disadvantaged children affected by

the pandemic. Dr Momen urged the UK

to continue to remain engaged on the

questions of Rohingya repatriation.

In reply, Lord Ahmad assured the minister

of standing by the Rohingyas to help

find a durable solution for their crisis.

He expressed satisfaction at the recent

understanding reached between the government

of Bangladesh and UN for the

latter's work on Bhashan Char.

The two ministers exchanged views on

cyber security issues and the challenges

for religious tolerance and communal

harmony.

They talked about further accelerating

the UN's work on promoting responsible

behavior in cyber space by involving the

concerned private sector.

The slum dwellers of the capital are also coming to be vaccinated. The Department of Health started

the program on Tuesday by vaccinating the residents of Karail slum.

Photo : Star Mail

Khaleda has to go back

to jail for permission to

go abroad:Law Minister

DHAKA : Law, Justice and

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul

Huq on Tuesday said the government

will consider BNP chairperson Khaleda

Zia's appeal to go abroad for medical

treatment if she makes a fresh petition

after returning to jail, reports UNB.

"No fresh order can be given over a

solved petition anymore. If she applies

again after going to jail, then we will consider

it. But there is no scope to consider

any fresh step under the section 401 of

the Code of Criminal Procedure in these

circumstances," he told Parliament.

The Law Minister said this replying to

the remarks of BNP MP Rumeen Farhana

during the discussion over a proposal to

send the Leader and Deputy Leader of the

Opposition (Remuneration and Privileges)

Bill, 2021 to the Scrutiny Committee.

During the discussion, Rumeen

demanded the government allow

Khaleda Zia to go abroad for medical

treatment considering her physical condition.

The BNP MP said the government

has the authority to give Khaleda Zia the

scope under section 401 of CrPC.

Anisul Huq suggested Rumeen

Farhana to see the decisions given under

the same section of CrPC in Bangladesh,

India and Pakistan.

He said law is equal for all. But Khaleda

Zia enjoys more facilities than what she is

entitled as a convicted prisoner. She gets

such facilities because of the humanity of

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

All kinds of winter vegetables are starting to arrive in full swing in the capital. The picture is taken

from Rampura Meradia Bazar on Tuesday.

Photo: PBA

Number of Bangladeshi

students on the rise in US

DHAKA : Some 8,598 Bangladeshi students

chose to study in the United States

during the 2020/2021 academic year,

according to the 2021?Open Doors

Report on International Educational

Exchange, reports UNB.

In celebrating International Education

Week (IEW) on November 15-19, the

U.S. Department of State's Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs and

Institute of International Education

released the 2021?Open Doors®?Report

on International Educational Exchange.

Bangladesh advanced three places

from 17th to 14th in the list of countries

sending students to the United States,

said the US Embassy in Dhaka on

Tuesday.

During an unprecedented pandemic

with a global decrease in international

students, Bangladesh only had a 2.7%

decrease from 2020.?

Promoting educational exchanges

between Bangladesh and the United

States is a strategic priority because international

education exchanges benefit

both nations, peoples, and professional

networks.

Speaking last night at a virtual seminar

on U.S. women's higher education institutions

to open IEW 2021 in Bangladesh,

U.S. Charge d'Affaires Helen LaFave

Middlemen, the biggest obstacle

in Bangladesh's food chain?

DHAKA : Agriculture is the economic

backbone of Bangladesh. But farmers say

that numerous revolutionary reforms

introduced in the sector over the past two

decades have failed to bring any major

change in their economic condition,

reports UNB.

The reason: The profiteering middlemen

who buy fruits and vegetables at

extremely low rates directly from farms,

but jack up prices in further sales-from

distribution to retailing through commission

agents and wholesalers.

And as this nexus takes a substantial

chunk of profit from their produce, farmers

are left with very little revenue in the

agricultural market hierarchy in the

country. Of course, consumers are also a

casualty as they pay a higher value for the

cheaper farm produce.

Market analysts also blame the nexus

of multi-layered middlemen involved in

the distribution process for the huge gap

in the prices of agricultural produce at

farm and retail levels. Another reason

being the high transportation cost to

cities like Dhaka.

said, "While COVID-19 has caused global

challenges, it is heartening and exciting

to see Bangladeshi students from across

the country pursuing higher education in

the United States."

LaFave said she hoped the event would

help Bangladeshi students find their path

to study in the United States.

She urged the audience to engage

EducationUSA advisers located in the

four American Spaces in Dhaka,

Chittagong, and Khulna for information

on higher education opportunities.

The U.S. Embassy, through

EducationUSA Bangladesh, is celebrating

IEW 2021 by offering several virtual

programs for Bangladeshi students and

scholars.?

EducationUSA advising centers in

Bangladesh will host webinars on topics

including sessions on women's colleges,

liberal arts education, a conversation

with Bangladeshi student associations at

U.S. universities, and other topics related

to both undergraduate and graduate

studies in the United States.

Speakers include U.S. Embassy officials,

U.S. university alumni and admission

officials, who will cover application

preparation, scholarships and financial

aid, and share perspectives with prospective

Bangladeshi students.?

In fact, vegetable prices are 100-300%

higher in the kitchen markets of the capital

than that at the farm level, according

to the Department of Agricultural

Marketing (DAM).

This has already been admitted by the

Bangladesh government. Agriculture

Minister Dr Abdur Razzak had earlier

said that "many people cannot afford sufficient

vegetable intake due to high prices

while the farmers are also not getting fair

prices of their produce".

Farmers often throw away their vegetables

when they find that the cost of

production is higher than that of sales,

according to the government.

"We have to create a modern marketing

system to eliminate this problem," he

had said, adding "value-addition and

market chain development are needed

for this".

Estimates show that a farmer gets

barely one-fourth or 26% of profit by selling

a kg of brinjal at Tk 30, while the middlemen

earn a whopping 66% by selling

the same quantity of the vegetable at Tk

90 per kg in Dhaka.

WEDNESDAY, NovEMBEr 17, 2021

2

The Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Center of the University of Dhaka (DU)

organized a Stakeholder Consultation on the upcoming project tiled "Capacity Building of

Universities in Bangladesh to Promote Youth Entrepreneurship (PYE)" project on Tuesday at the

Senate Hall, University of Dhaka.

Photo : Courtesy

ICE organize stakeholder consultation

on upcoming project

The Innovation, Creativity and

Entrepreneurship (ICE) Center of the

University of Dhaka (DU) organized a

Stakeholder Consultation on the

upcoming project tiled "Capacity

Building of Universities in Bangladesh to

Promote Youth Entrepreneurship

(PYE)" project on Tuesday at the Senate

Hall, University of Dhaka. The project

under the Ministry of Education (MoE),

Government of Bangladesh (GoB) will be

implemented by the University Grant

Commission (UGC) and University of

Dhaka (DU) in partnership with the

Korea Cooperation International Agency

(KOICA), other leading public

universities, and relevant stakeholders.

The overall objective of the project is to

improve the environment for potential

youth entrepreneurs through the

capacity building of Bangladeshi

universities on entrepreneurship

education. Some of the activities under

the project include: curriculum

development on entrepreneurship

education; capacity development of

faculties, professionals, and students;

advocacy and awareness initiatives;

entrepreneurial roadmap through

research, and infrastructural

development. Record of Discussion

(RoD) for the project titled "Capacity

Building of Universities in Bangladesh to

Promote Youth Entrepreneurship"

under the Government-to-Government

(G2G) modality has been already signed

between the Government of Bangladesh

and South Korean Government on

January 31, 2021.

A 11 member team of experts of the

project management consortium (PMC)

comprising Korea Polytechnic University

(KPU) and Korea Productivity Center

(KPC) is visiting Dhaka to conduct

"Front-end Survey" and develop "Action

Plan" with insights, experience and

opinions of relevant stakeholders as part

of the project from November 05-18,

2021.

Professor Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman,

Honorable Vice-Chancellor and

Chairman, ICE Center, University of

Dhaka started his welcome speech by

thanking everyone for their presence. He

said that by playing the national anthem

of Bangladesh and Korea in the

beginning of the event conveyed the

message of love, compassion and dignity.

He specifically mentioned the 17th goal of

the SDGs and said that collaboration

between Korea and Bangladesh will

strengthen the means of implementation

and revitalize the global partnership for

sustainable development. He hoped that

this is just the beginning which will be

continuing to make it more viable.

Young -Ah Doh, Country Director,

Korea Cooperation International Agency

KOICA) in her welcome remarks said

that this is the first consultation aimed to

create an environment to promote youth

entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. She

said universities can play a great role in

entrepreneurship Education (MoE);

University Grant Commission (UGC),

University of Dhaka (DU) and other

universities as implementation partners

of this initiative.

Md. Rashedur Rahman, Associate

Professor and Executive Director, ICE

Center, University of Dhaka moderated

the event and presented the project

details, scope, journey of the initiative,

and the partners who will play an

important role for the success of the

project. While talking about the vision of

the ICE Center, he highlighted the

philosophical framework 'Government-

Universities-Industries-Development

Organizations and Others (GUIDE)'

collaboration model towards our shared

vision for an innovation driven

entrepreneurial Bangladesh.

He requested the stakeholders to share

their voice, insights and ideas with

everyone which is crucial for the

entrepreneurial ecosystem of

Bangladesh.

He described ICE as a facility which

connects students, alumni, faculty

members and employees from the

different disciplines. He said that ICE

Center keeps on working to raise

awareness on the role of innovation in

Bangladesh's socio-economic

development.Derik Kim, Project

Manager, Project Management

Consortium (PMC) started his speech by

congratulating University of Dhaka for

celebrating its 100th year anniversary.

While introducing the experts group

from South Korea and his personal

experience as entrepreneur and advocate

for sustainable entrepreneurship, he

expressed his hope that this project will

be able to bring all the stakeholder

groups from govt., industry, academia

and others in one platform to develop an

effective entrepreneurship ecosystem in

Bangladesh.

8 students injured as

college dormitory floor

caved in Patuakhali

PATUAKHALI : Eight

students were injured and

rushed to the hospital after the

ground-floor veranda of Sheikh

Kamal dormitory of Patuakhali

Government College caved in,

witnesses said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Shamim

Ahmed, assistant super of the

hall said the incident took place

around midnight Monday

when the floor of the veranda,

where some students were

standing after a meeting,

collapsed suddenly injuring the

students. The soil beneath the

floor may have been eroded by

a water that came along with

sand brought from a water

body to fill the college

compound, said Executive

Engineer of Patuakhali

Education Engineer

Department Mohammad

Hadiuzzaman Khan.

MoU Signed between

AUST and Wuhan

Textile University

Ahsanullah University of

Science and Technology

(AUST) has signed an MoU

with Wuhan Textile

University (WTU), China on

Tuesday. The MoU was

signed online at the'21th

Conference on Overseas

Chinese Pioneering and

Developing in China' in the

Wuhan East Lake

International Conference

Centre, Wuhan, Hubei

province, China with a theme

of 'Building a Platform to

Promote Educational

Cooperation and Exchanges',

a press release said.

Prof. Dr. Muhammad

FazliIlahi, Vice-Chancellor,

AUST, Prof. Dr. Md.

Mahbubur Rahman, Pro-

Vice-Chancellor, AUST, Prof.

Dr. Mustafizur Rahman,

Treasurer, AUST; Prof. Dr.

Lal Mohan Baral, Head,

Department of Textile

Engineering, AUST were

present in the zoom session

and were introduced by the

moderator of the conference.

A recorded greeting speech

by the Vice-Chancellor

Professor Dr. Muhammad

FazliIlahi was broadcast

during the online signing of

the MoU. Pro-Vice-

Chancellor Professor Md.

Mahbubur Rahman signed

on behalf of the AUST and his

counterpart Professor Hunag

Yunping, Vice President,

WTU signed on behalf of

Wuhan Textile University.

Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) has signed an MoU with Wuhan Textile

University (WTU), China on Tuesday.

Photo : Courtesy

GD-1686/21 (4x4)

Sheikh Fahim new

IORBF chairman

DHAKA : Former FBCCI President

Sheikh Fazle Fahim has been elected as

the chairman of Indian Ocean Rim

Business Forum (IORBF).

IORBF is the primary body for business

representatives to formulate policies and

project recommendations to IORA

(Indian Ocean Rim Association) member

states.

Since the establishment of IORA in

1997, Bangladesh has been elected for the

first time as its Chair for 2021-2023. The

23rd Committee of Senior Officials (CSO)

meeting of IORA is taking place on

November 15-16 November, 2021 while

the 21st Council of Ministers (COM) is set

to take place on November 17, 2021, said

a press release.

More than 80 representatives,

including 12 ministers of 23 countries and

nine dialogue partners, will attend the

event in Dhaka.

In a speech given in the CSO meeting,

Fahim talked about his plans with the

IORBF to take it forward. While

discussing the geo-economic importance

of the Indian Ocean as a vital trading hub

for the entire world, Fahim pointed out

the challenges imposed on IORBF's

operations in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Fahim stressed on supply chain

disruptions, the rising cost of trade

logistics, decline of investments in the

private sector, economic stagflation and

inflation.

He then proceeded to suggest possible

solutions which can be implemented to

combat these challenges.

IORA works to improve regional

cooperation through the creation of

sustainable development within the

Indian Ocean region. IORA has 23

Member States and 9 dialogue partners.

The primary focus of IORA lies in

disaster risk management, tourism &

cultural exchanges, maritime safety &

security, fisheries management, trade &

investment facilitation, and academic,

science and technological cooperation.

Their two other focus areas are blue

economy and women's economic

empowerment.

Extended meeting of

Upazila Awami League

held in Baraigram

Sheikh Tofazzal hossain, Natore Correspondent

An extended meeting of the Upazila Awami

League has been held at Baraigram in

Natore on Tuesday at the Bonpara Pouro

Auditorium. The meeting was presided over

by the Acting President of the Upazila

Awami League Abdul Quddus Miaji and

conducted by General Secretary Adv

Mizanur Rahman. Member of Parliament

(MP) of Natore-4 (Gurudaspur-Baraigram)

constituency and District Awami League

President Prof. Abdul Quddus was the chief

guest. AL-leader Adv. Shahjahan Kabir,

Mayor KM Zakir Hossain, Principal Abdur

Razzak Mollah and Principal SM Asad Uz

Zaman were present as special guests.

Besides, AL-leader Adv. Arifur Rahman,

Lecturer Moazzem Hossain Bablu, Abu

Hena Mostafa Kamal, Bazlur Rahman,

Abdus Sobahan Harej, Momin Ali, Wazed

Ali Sonar and others addressed the meeting.

A three-member committee was formed at

the meeting to prepare the date, venue and

list of delegates for the annual conference of

the Upazila Awami League.

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WEDnESDAY, nOVEMBER 17, 2021

3

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Prof. Gamini Lakshman Peiris met State Minister for Shipping Khalid

Mahmud Chowdhury yesterday.

Photo : Courtesy

Tangail lawmaker

Ekabbar Hossain

passes away

DHAKA : Ekabbar Hossain,

member of parliament from

Tangail-7 constituency,

passed away at a hospital in

city on Tuesday. He was 76,

reports UNB.

Ekabbar, also the president

of Mirzapur upazila unit

Awami League, breathed his

last around 2 pm while

undergoing treatment at

Combined Military Hospital

(CMH), Dhaka, said his son

Barrister Tahrim Hossain

Simanto.

He left behind his wife, one

son, two daughters and a host

of relatives to mourn his

death.

Ekabbar, also a valiant

freedom fighter, returned

from the constituency

winning the four successive

general elections in 2001,

2008, 2014 and 2018.

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina expressed deep shock

at the demise of the Ekabbar

Hossain.

Rajshahi bids adieu to

Hasan Azizul Huq

RAJSHAHI UNIVERSITy : People from all walks of life,

mostly teachers and students, paid their last respects to

short-story writer and novelist Hasan Azizul Huq, who died

on Monday night at the age of 82, reports UNB.

As the Ekushey Padak-winning author's body was brought

to Central Shaheed Minar of Rajshahi University around

12pm, district commissioner Abdul Jalil was among the first

to pay his respect to the departed soul.

Abdul placed floral wreaths on Hasan Azizul's body on

behalf of Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Teachers and students of different departments as well as

representatives of several social and political organisations

of Rajshahi University also placed floral wreaths on the

body.

Hasan Azizul's 'Namaj-e-Janaja' will be held after zuhr

and he will be laid to rest in the university's central library

garden.

Hasan Azizul breathed his last around 9pm on Monday.

In August, Hasan Azizul was airlifted to Dhaka after he fell

seriously ill. He returned home a few days later. He had agerelated

health issues, heart problems and diabetes.

He was first admitted to National Heart Foundation

Hospital and Research Institute. A 16-member medical

board was formed for his treatment. Later he was shifted to

BSMMU where another medical board of five doctors was

formed.

Four-day rehab fair to begin

from Thursday in Ctg

MUNMUN AHMED, CHATToGRAM CITy CoRRESPoNDENT

The Chittagong Fair of the Real Estate and

Housing Association of Bangladesh

(REHAB) is going to start on Thursday,

November 18 in the port city of Chattogram.

The fair will be held for four days starting

from next Thursday. Abdul Qayyum

Chowdhury, vice chairman of REHAB and

chairman of Chittagong Regional Committee,

told reporters at a press conference on the

occasion of REHAB Fair-2021 at the

auditorium of Chittagong Club on Tuesday.

Kaiyum Chowdhury said, we want to create

a second market in the housing sector. Those

who want to exchange flats for new and better

quality flats can sell their old flats. In this case,

if the transfer fee to the government is 2%, it

will be beneficial for everyone. The demand

of people is increasing day by day,

considering this demand, if we can create a

second market, the country will be more

developed. Breath of relief will come down in

public life. Former Chairman REHAB and

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral

Resources Nasrul Hamid Chowdhury will be

the chief guest at the inaugural function of the

fair. Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation

M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury and Chairman

of Chattogram Development Authority M

Zahirul Alam Chowdhury will be present as

special guests.

15 organizations are participating as cosponsors

of the fair. They are Amin

Mohammad Land Development Limited,

Building Technology and Ideas Ltd. BTI, CA

Property Development Ltd :, Concord Real

Estate and Development Ltd., Epic

Properties Limited, Equity Property

Management Ltd., Finlay Properties Ltd.,

jumairaha Holdings Ltd. Ranks FC

Properties Ltd., Seth Properties Ltd.,

syanamara Properties Limited, cleared

Holdings Limited, implementation Housing

Estate Limited, Berger Paints Bangladesh

Limited and Sem UPVC Limited. A total of 46

companies are participating in REHAB

Chittagong Fair.

A press conference was held in Chattogram on the occasion of holding REHAB fair.

PM to meet

press over

UK-France

visit today

DHAKA : Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina will address a

press conference at 4:00 pm

on Wednesday on the

outcome of her two-week

visit to the United Kingdom

and France, PM's Press

Secretary Ihsanul Karim

said on Tuesday, reports

UNB.

Sheikh Hasina went on the

foreign visit on october 31

and returned home on

November 14.

In the UK the prime

minister attended the 26th

UN Climate Change

Conference of the Parties

(CoP) at Glasgow in

Scotland and Bangladesh

Investment Summit 2021 in

London. During her visit to

France she handed over the

first Unesco-Bangladesh

Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman

International Prize for the

Creative Economy as well as

joined the 75th founding

anniversary event of Unesco

and the Paris Peace Forum

in Paris.

Sheikh Hasina also had

meetings with British Prime

Minister Boris Johnson,

French President

Emmanuel Macron, French

Prime Minister Jean Castex,

French Prime Minister Jean

Castex, Australian Prime

Minister Scott Morrison and

other heads of state or

government.

Besides, she had meetings

with UK's Prince Charles,

First Minister of Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon,

Commonwealth Secretary

General Patricia Scotland,

Bill Gates, as well as other

important dignitaries from

different organisations and

business bodies.

The PM joined three civic

receptions accorded to her

by the Bangladeshi

expatriates living in

Scotland, London and Paris.

Photo : TBT

DCCI signs MoC with IBA

to facilitate research

DHAKA : A Memorandum of Cooperation

(MoC) between the Dhaka Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and Institute

of Business Administration (IBA), University of

Dhaka was signed yesterday at the DCCI.

DCCI President Rizwan Rahman and

Director of IBA Professor Mohammad Abdul

Momen signed the document on behalf of their

respective organisations.

According to the cooperation agreement,

mutually agreed training courses will be

arranged for DCCI. Both DCCI and IBA will

conduct sector-wise business research

activities, job fairs, seminars, workshops, and

business conferences. DCCI will provide

internship opportunities for the students of

IBA, said a press release here.

During the signing ceremony, DCCI

President Rizwan Rahman said that in this era

of rapid industrialization, it is now high time to

bridge the gap between industry and academia.

He also underscored need-based curriculum as

per the demand of industry.

"Skill development is the priority area for the

government as well as for the private sector

SANGSAD BHABAN :

The Public Debt Bill, 2021

was placed in Parliament

on Tuesday to make the

existing law a timebefitting

one, reports UNB.

Finance Minister AHM

Mustafa Kamal placed the

Bill and it was sent to the

respective scrutiny

committee for further

examination. The

Committee was asked to

submit its report within 15

days.

The Public Debt Act 1944

is a very old law, which was

extended on several

occasions.

The Bill said since the

because in order to compete with the global

standard, we must have better skills in every

sector," he added.

Rizwan also called for conducting extensive

research and development works under the

universities so that they can contribute to the

development of nation's economy.

Director of IBA, Prof. Mohammad Abdul

Momen said that there should be greater

collaboration between industry and academia.

He also said that to cope up with the

changing global geo-political and technological

transformation, there is a need to become

competitive in terms of skills and education.

Citing that research facilities of the

universities in Bangladesh are still unexplored

and under-utilized, Prof Momen invited the

private sector to invest for expansion of

university research in the country for the sake

of industry development.

DCCI Senior Vice-President NKA Mobin,

Vice-President Monowar Hossain and

Director Golam Zilani were also present on

the occasion.

'TikTok'

video maker

held in city

DHAKA : Members of Rapid

Action Battalion (Rab) have

arrested a TikTok video

maker from the city's

Mohammadpur area

allegedly for cheating people

using fake identity in social

media platforms, reports

UNB.

The arrestee is Md Abdur

Rakib alias TikTok Raj, 26,

son of late Abdur Rahim of

Naogaon's Niyamatpur.

According to a media

release of Rab

Headquarters, a team of

Rab-2 and Rab-5 arrested

him after conducting a drive

in Mohammadpur area on

Monday.

During the drive, a mobile

phone, seven SIM cards,

memory card, Rab uniform,

fake ID card, whistler, boots

etc. were seized from his

possession.

During primary

interrogation, Tiktok Raj

confessed to his involvement

in various criminal activities

in the virtual world with his

fake identity as a 'member of

law enforcement agency'.

He used to develop illicit

relationship with women

alluring them in social

media platform and realized

money after blackmailing

them, said the press release.

Tiktok Raj, who works as a

security in a hotel in Bogura,

used to threaten them of

circulating their indecent

photos on social media

platforms to realise money

from them. Legal processes

are underway in this regard,

said the release.

A strategic agreement was singed between Trust Axiata Digital Limited and Sonali Bank Ltd yesterday

at a city hotel.

Photo : ISPR

India-Bangladesh can explore

common opportunities: Doraiswami

RANGPUR : Indian High Commissioner

to Bangladesh Vikram K Doraiswami has

said India and Bangladesh can take more

initiatives to explore common

opportunities for better future of the next

generations.

"Both India and Bangladesh are closely

connected through business and

communications, enjoying a very good

tenure of relations and working together

for cooperation, peace, security, progress

and connectivity in the region," he said.

Narrating the shared history of

Bangladesh and India, he discussed the

prevailing huge bilateral opportunities

saying that the two friendly neighbours

might think what they could do in the

Army chief

leaves Dhaka

for UAE

DHAKA : Chief of Army

Staff General S M

Shafiuddin Ahmed left

Dhaka for the United Arab

Emirates (UAE) on a twoday

official visit on Tuesday.

During the visit, the army

chief will join a bilateral

meeting with army chief of

the UAE and discuss on

extending mutual

cooperation, said an ISPR

release.

Besides, General S M

Shafiuddin Ahmed will

witness the International

Dubai Air Show-2021 in

Dubai at the invitation of

Chief of Staff of the UAE

Armed Forces Lt. General

Hamad Mohammed Thani

Al Rumaithi. The army chief

will return home on

November 18.

Public Debt

Bill lands in

Parliament

debt system witnessed a

radical change, the Finance

Division designed the new

law.

According to the

proposed law, the

government will give a

precise guarantee against

the debt taken by the

government from people

that they would get back

the deposited money

anyhow.

next 50 years for their next generations.

Doraiswami was addressing a dinner

reception arranged in his honour by

Rajshahi-based Assistant High

Commissioner of India at Grand Palace

Hotel in the metropolis tonight.

Assistant High Commissioner of India

in Rajshahi Sanjeev Kumar Bhati

delivered the welcome speech.

Member of Parliament from Dinajpur-

1 constituency, Manoranjan Sheel Gopal,

Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Md

Abdul Wahhab Bhuiyan, Rangpur

Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Mohammad Abdul Alim Mahmud,

Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar Rahman

Mostafa, Deputy Commissioner Md Asib

DHAKA : Bangladesh and Tanzania have

agreed to work with Bangladesh in

agriculture, blue economy and other

economic sectors through establishing

official contacts.

Tanzania has expressed interest to know

about the aquaculture, fisheries sectors,

shipbuilding industry and horticultural

sector of Bangladesh.

They also highlighted the importance of

exchange of business delegations to develop

their trade and economy.

Tanzanian Minister of Livestock and

Fisheries Mashimba Mashauri Ndaki and

Minister of Blue Economy and Fisheries

Abdullah Hussein Kombo met Foreign

Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at the State

Guest House Padma on Monday evening

and discussed the ways of broader

cooperation.

Both the ministers are visiting Dhaka for

participating in the 21st Indian ocean Rim

A new provision was also

incorporated in the draft

law for running a Shariahbased

deposit system

alongside the normal

deposit system.

The public would be

informed about the profits

or interest against their

deposits.

If anyone does not

provide false information

in obtaining the issued

certificates under the

government security and

saving certificate schemes,

he or she would face

maximum six-month

imprisonment, Tk one lakh

fine or both.

Ahsan, President of Rangpur Chamber

Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu and

high officials were present.

Noted industrialists and business

community leaders and private sector

entrepreneurs, religious leaders of the

Hindu community, representatives of

the print and electronic media and elite

of the city and across Rangpur division

attended the dinner reception.

Indian students studying at Rangpur

Community Medical College and local

students and artists rendered colourful

programs like popular songs, group

dance, Indian classical dance

(Bharatanatyam) and other cultural

events.

Bangladesh, Tanzania keen to work

on blue economy, agriculture

Association (IoRA) Council of Ministers and

related meetings.

Dr Momen narrated the development

march of Bangladesh to the visiting

ministers.

He mentioned that under the visionary

leadership of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,

Bangladesh had attained remarkable socioeconomic

development.

Dr Momen thanked the Tanzanian

government for supporting Bangladesh

Chairship at Indian ocean Rim Association.

The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh

believes in economic growth and prosperity

for all.

He said Bangladesh has attained

remarkable success in many areas, including

creative economy for which UNESCo has

conferred The UNESCo-Bangladesh

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

International Prize to Bangladesh.

WEDNESDAY, NOvEMBER 17, 2021

4

The clock is ticking on Netanyahu's political life

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Management of

public parks and

recreational facilities

In big cities, most people now live in "jungles of concrete".

Whenever they have time, they visit a nearby park or an open

space for relaxation, recreation, exercise or picnic. All big

cities around the world have built beautiful parks, gardens and

large green spaces for such purposes. Who is not charmed or

moved by the splendor, serenity and beauty of the Stanley Park in

Vancouver, the Central Park of New York City, the Donoupark in

Vienna, the Regent Park in London, to name a few?

Most parks in Europe and North America contain lakes, ponds,

lush green lawns, seasonal flowers, manicured bushes and

shrubs, ornamental plants, varieties of trees, local flora and fauna,

fountains, sculptures, museums, amphitheatres, gymnasiums,

playgrounds, picnic spots etc. They are maintained with great care

and professionalism. The visitors also take care not to litter

around the parks or to destroy any of the ornamental plants or

objects.

These parks are normally maintained by specialized

organizations.Greater London has eight parks, officially called the

Royal Parks, which are managed by the Royal Park Agency. The

Department of Parks & Recreation of the City of New York is

responsible for the maintenance of the city's parks system, for

preserving the ecological diversity of the natural areas and for

providing recreational facilities for the residents and visitors. The

National Mall of Washington, DC, is managed by the National

Park Service (NPS).The Vancouver Park Board is responsible for

the management of more than 230 public parks in Vancouver

including the Stanley Park. It also controls a large public

recreation system of community centres, pools, gymnasiums, golf

courses, playgrounds, marinas etc.

These are only a few examples of management of public parks

and recreational facilities in some selected cities. The situation is

completely different in the city of Dhaka. Even though the city has

several parks and open spaces, including some historic ones, most

of them suffer from poor maintenance, neglect or encroachment

by unauthorizedpersons/bodies.

The Ramna Park is the largest and the oldest park in Dhaka.

Originally built during the Mughal period,it underwent several

renovationsat different times. Many government buildings,

hospitals, private clubs, a hotel, a children's parkhave been built

in the area. At present the park occupies only 68.5 acres. Although

it is a public park, numerous health clubs in different names have

occupied several spots inside it. This is one from of encroachment

and the clubs use these spots like private properties.

The Suhrawardy Udyan was originally a part of the Ramna

Park. It was formerly known as the Ramna Race Course. Many

historic events took place here. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman delivered his famous speech of March 7, 1971 in this

Udyan. The Pakistan army surrendered to the joint command of

the Mukti Bahini and the Indian army on December 16, 1971 in

the same area.ASwadhinataStambha (Independence Monument)

with an eternal flame has been built inside the Udyan. The area

now suffers from poor maintenance and has become a den for

drugs and other unsocial activities.Both the Ramna Park and the

Suhrawardy Udyan are maintained by the Public Works

Department (PWD). The Bahadur Shah Park, formerly known as

the Victoria Park, in Sadarghat is also very poorly maintained.

There are some new parks, lakes, open areas and playgrounds

in the residential areas like Dhanmandi, Gulshan, Baridhara and

Uttara.Unable to maintain properly, the Rajukallowed some local

societies to manage the parks and the lake sides. The local

societies while maintaining the parks often treat them as their

private properties and restrict the entry of the public at certain

times.

The playgrounds are similarly controlled by some local clubs,

often without authority. They restrict their uses to their members

only and charge a large sum of money as membership fees. They

earn huge revenue by renting out the playgrounds for sports and

other events to schools and outside organizations. Even

individual players or teams are charged for practicing in the

playgrounds. Nobody knows how the earned money is spent.

Several public open areas for recreation have been occupied by

vested quarters in different parts of the city.

Recentlyanother beautiful tourist attraction, namely the

HatirJheel, was opened to the public though not yet fully

complete. This area, when completed, will change the landscape

of Dhaka. If not properly maintained, its open areas will soon be

occupied by street vendors and the lakes will face the same

pathetic fate like those of Dhanmandi or Gulshan. It is time to

plan for its proper maintenance so that it remains a major

landmark and tourist attraction of the city.

As mentioned above, most of the parks, the playgrounds and

open spaces have turned into private properties, partly or

wholly.There have been huge public outcries against such

unauthorized encroachment but no serious attempt was made to

regain control of the encroached areas by the authorized bodies.

If the present situation is allowed to continue, very soon there will

be no open space left for the public in the city of Dhaka.

To remedy the situation, we should follow the system of

management practiced in London, New York or Vancouver. The

government should form a fully autonomous body, which may be

called Dhaka Public Parks & Recreation Authority, and make it

responsible for the maintenance of all the public parks, open

spaces, lakes, the HatirJheel, and theplaygrounds including the

stadiums and swimming pools within greater Dhaka. The

Authority will take full control of the public parks and other places

from the private clubs and illegalpossessions. It will renovate and

beautify them and maintain them like the parks and recreational

facilitiesinEurope and North America by employing properly

qualified and trained professionals. Last but not the least, these

facilities must be open to the public to whom they belong.

The political life of Israel's former

Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu should by now have

been confined to history. But desperately,

pathetically, and somewhat halfheartedly,

he is still clinging to the faint

hope of returning to the job he held for

over 12 years.

Last week's passing of a two-year

Budget Bill delivered a further body blow

to that glimmer of hope, and made

another return to the coveted job no more

than a distant possibility - although it

doesn't mean that he can't continue to

inflict damage on Israel's democracy and

society as he is dragged kicking and

screaming out of politics.

This was the first time a national budget

had been passed in the Knesset since

2018, after a three-day marathon and a

staggering 780 votes. In the intricacies of

Israeli politics the budget bill is usually an

opportunity for the opposition to question

not only the government's ideological

direction, but also its stamina and staying

power. The current government, led by

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, is a most

unlikely coalition of eight parties that

enjoys the slimmest possible 61-59

majority and has little or no ideological

commonality or coherence.

Its existence must therefore be regarded

as nothing short of a small, or rather not

that small, miracle. There is a reason for

that, and the reason is called Netanyahu.

What keeps it together is the deep concern

that the former prime minister, who leads

the opposition, will somehow make good

on the promise he made on the day the

present government was sworn in - that

he would be back. With that promise he

became the glue that keeps this

government together.

To Netanyahu's surprise, and that of

many others, the government is

functioning better than expected and has

found a way to avoid the landmines

scattered all over Israel's political arena.

As long as Netanyahu is still around, the

members of this coalition have an interest

in overcoming their differences, despite

the constant need to paper over these

disagreements without resolving them.

Since a budget bill in the case of Israel

constitutes a vote of confidence in the

government, and satisfying all factions

within the coalition requires a

masterwork of political maneuvering, its

passing last week is an indication of the

administration's resilience, at least for

now, and a sign that Israel has truly

entered the post-Netanyahu era.

Netanyahu is in the twilight of his

YOSSI MEKELBERG

political career, while at the same time he

struggles to avoid conviction and possible

imprisonment as a result of his corruption

trial. At the end of the day, Netanyahu

had little interest in the issue of the

budget, which is an essential tool of good

governance, but was more concerned with

unsettling the government. In his world,

everything revolves around him, and the

current coalition was formed by Bennett's

deception of his supporters, who -

according to the defendant in three cases

of fraud, bribery and breach of trust -

voted for the current prime minister

believing that he would form a coalition

with Netanyahu.

In reality, Netanyahu abused his

position for years by avoiding passing a

budget bill, as it gave him controlling

power and created a dependency on him

among his coalition partners. Netanyahu,

with his vast experience in manipulating

the political system to prolong his time in

power, understands perhaps more than

anyone that being away from power, and

especially not being in charge of the

K J NOh AND MIChAEL WONG

budget, weakens his position, and the

longer he is away from the country's

steering wheel the more this state of

affairs is normalized.

Netanyahu is in the twilight of his

political career, while at the same time he

struggles to avoid conviction and possible

imprisonment as a result of his corruption

trial. His mannerisms are becoming

pitiful, though it is hard to feel pity for

someone who has constantly attempted to

undermine the very foundations of Israel's

fragile and ailing democracy. He insists on

still being called prime minister, although

unlike in the US, in Israel former prime

ministers or holders of any other high

office do not keep their title when they

leave their job. He viciouslyincites against

a democratically elected government that

enjoys the support of the Knesset, and

constantlyquestions of its legitimacy,

similar to the way in which he attacked the

subsequently assassinated Prime Minister

Yitzhak Rabin - whose only "crime" was to

embark on the path of peace with the

Palestinians. Moreover, despite five years

of meticulous police investigations into

Netanyahu's activities, which were

painstakingly examined by the general

prosecution service before ending in

indictment, he and his political groupies,

who know that without him they have no

future in politics, are hounding those who

are in charge of the country's law

enforcement.

Source: Arab news

The climate crisis is about the Global South's present

COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, was an

event where less than 0.0004

percent of the population met to

negotiate our lives. World leaders,

through their decisions on how to limit

global heating, are the powers deciding

who gets to live and who gets to die.

Keeping temperature rise below 1.5

degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)

is not negotiable, and yet, we are not on

track to meet it. According to Climate

Action Tracker, even with the targets

pledged during COP26 we will be heading

towards 2.4C (4.3F) of warming.

Amid this, COP26 has been criticised as

the most "exclusionary" summit ever for

civil society organisations, people from

the Global South and those with

disabilities. COP26 Coalition, a UK-based

civil society coalition of environment

NGOs said two-thirds of the people who it

was helping travel to Glasgow were unable

to make it because of visa restrictions,

accreditation problems and COVID-19

vaccine inequity as a result of uneven

access to vaccines. This was especially

harsh on the Global South, with many

people denied a seat at the table. Activists

from the Global South who managed to be

at COP26 despite these hurdles have been

cut out of pictures and excluded by the

media. The exclusion of the Global South

is a common theme in climate

conversations and negotiations.

When we are excluded, our voices are

silenced, our experiences go unheard and

the reality of the climate situation in the

Global South is blurred. This exclusion

becomes a refusal to acknowledge the

China offers solutions to climate change

The Earth's greenhouse-gas (GHG)

concentrations are driving

catastrophic climate change, and

creating an existential threat to the planet.

But there is a way out.Last year, President

Xi Jinping pledged that China's carbondioxide

emissions would peak before

2030, and that the country would become

carbon-neutral before 2060.

China has a history of setting ambitious,

nearly impossible goals and then

achieving them -often before deadline - so

this pledge is significant.

Under the Communist Party of China

(CPC), Beijing has already created an

"economic miracle" in transforming

China into the largest economy in the

world. It ended extreme poverty while

creating the largest middle class in the

world. It has virtually eradicated Covid-19

through non-pharmaceutical methods,

while vaccinating up to 20 million people

daily, and pledging the largest number of

vaccines (2.2 billion) and distributing

more than a billion to the rest of the world.

It has also been applying similar focus

and national resolve to tackle climate

change.

China has the greatest program of

adopting renewable energy of any

Last week's passing of a two-year Budget Bill delivered a further

body blow to that glimmer of hope, and made another return to the

coveted job no more than a distant possibility - although it doesn't

mean that he can't continue to inflict damage on Israel's democracy

and society as he is dragged kicking and screaming out of politics.

proximity of the climate crisis and casts it

as a problem of the future when millions

are dying today. Young people around the

world are anxious about the future, and

rightfully so, but a warped focus on it

suggests that the general populace would

rather care about white children's future

than the Black, Brown and Indigenous

children's present. If this is to continue,

then we have already lost.

In my country, India, the climate crisis

is an unwanted caller that has taken up

space in our homes. She is not scheduled

to arrive at a later date - she is already

here. The world is currently at 1.2C (2.2F)

above preindustrial levels and this is

already brutal for so many people in India.

Less than 50 percent of Indians have

access to safe drinking water. Droughts,

coupled with increasing demand and

terrible groundwater management, make

access to this water even harder. Lack of

safe water means lack of sanitation,

especially during a pandemic. For some

villages, droughts are becoming a way of

life. Some 20 percent of the country faces

drought-like conditions.

Elsewhere, there is extreme rainfall.

country. It generates more renewable

power than North, Central and South

America - 42 countries - combined. It has

more solar parks and wind farms than any

other country. Last year it established

more wind power than the rest of the

world combined.

It has more electric vehicles than any

other country: it operates 420,000

electric buses, 99% of the world's total;

Shenzhen alone has 16,000 e-buses and

22,000 e-taxis. It aims to have 325 million

electric vehicles operating by 2050.

Its high-speed rail network spanning

38,000 kilometers is so extensive and

effective that air travel is starting to

become obsolete. No country has as

dense, large, and efficient system of clean

public transportation and high-speed rail

DIShA A RAvI

Just last month, the southern state of

Kerala experienced flooding and

landslides due to heavy rainfall. This killed

42 people and stranded thousands. In

northern India, heavy rain battered the

state of Uttarakhand, causing flooding

and killing at least 46 people. In my city,

Bengaluru, the airport was flooded due to

unprecedented rains. We in India have

experienced most of the morbid climate

When we are excluded, our voices are silenced, our experiences

go unheard and the reality of the climate situation in

the Global South is blurred. This exclusion becomes a refusal

to acknowledge the proximity of the climate crisis and casts

it as a problem of the future when millions are dying today.

calamities on the menu ranging from

cyclones, floods, and landslides to

heatwaves and drought just this year. We

know what it feels like to be affected by the

climate crisis in numbing detail.

I first noticed the preoccupation with

the future among activists at Fridays for

Future International when I joined the

movement in 2019. Our campaigns and

conversations focused on the future, and

they did not measure up to the emotion of

marginalised communities, such as the

ancient tribes who have had their land

snatched and laid siege to in the name of

coal in India's Hasdeo forest, or people

who have watched their homes wash away

in floods. Our messaging did not even

come close to covering what it means to be

as China. In addition, China has the

greatest carbon-sequestration

afforestation program in the world,

creating forests the size of Belgium every

year. It has doubled its forest coverage to

23% over the past 40 years. Satellite

analysis over the past 20 years by the US

National Aeronautics and Space

China has the greatest program of adopting renewable energy of

any country. It generates more renewable power than North,

Central and South America - 42 countries - combined. It has more

solar parks and wind farms than any other country. Last year it

established more wind power than the rest of the world combined.

Administration's Ames Research Lab

proves that China has contributed more to

greening the planet than any other

country in the world.

In other words, by almost every

sustainability index, China a world leader

- far ahead of the US, for example - and is

pioneering a way forward for the planet. It

will likely hit its targets ahead of time.

These things are happening because the

CPC has written sustainability and

an Adivasi (Indigenous) activist like

Hidme Markam who was imprisoned

earlier this year and charged under

counterterrorism legislation used to

punish environmental defenders. The 28-

year-old land and women's rights activist

had been protesting against extractive

mining and for locals' rights as well as

fighting for Adivasis jailed on false

charges.

Environmental activists including

myself (I was jailed for 10 days and

released on bail in February during the

ongoing farmer protests) are punished by

the Indian government for asking for a

liveable planet. Sudha Bharadwaj, a trade

union activist, lawyer, and teacher turned

60 in jail the day Prime Minister

Narendra Modi announced India's

commitments at COP26, with pledges

including carbon neutrality by 2070 and

an increase in the share of electricity

generated by solar, wind, and other nonfossil

fuel sources. Bharadwaj has worked

to secure better wages for workers and

land rights for Adivasis but was accused of

being a Maoist with plans to overthrow

the government. More than three years

after her arrest, her trial is yet to start.

On the same day as Modi's

announcement, a group of more than 50

Adivasis in Chhattisgarh state walked

30km (19 miles) to highlight the rising air

pollution due to coal-fired thermal plants

in Raigarh. People from these

communities have had their land and

forests taken away to build coal mines.

Source: Al Jazeera

ecological development directly into its

constitution. This is then implemented

into regional and local policy, such as

sustainable eco-city mandates,

transportation policy, energy

infrastructure, and advanced research, as

well as dedicated funding for alternative

energy development for companies to

start up and build clean energy

technology.

These commitments exist despite the

fact that China's historical and per capita

GHG and CO2 emissions are a fraction of

the world's total. According to the World

Bank, on an annual per capita basis,

China's share is less than half of the

United States; its household energy

consumption is one-eighth of America's.

Cumulative historical amounts matter

because CO2 does not dissipate but

accrues in the atmosphere: stocks, not

flows, are what matter. In accounting, you

look at one's total accrued debt, not one's

daily credit expenditures, to determine

what he or she owes to others. Likewise,

you have to look at historically accrued

GHG to understand harms, liabilities, and

mitigation responsibilities accurately.

Source: Asia times

wednesday, noVemBer 17, 2021

5

Connecting happiness with emotion

emine saner

"I feel I'm too sensitive for this world,"

says Lena, who can't cope with crowds

or bright lights. Melissa gets her

husband to watch films before her to

see if she will be able to handle any

violence, gore or scariness. When their

grownup children bring the

grandchildren round, she has to retreat

to another room because their "loud

laughter, the talking over each other,

their swearing and their smells

overwhelm me". Lucia says she can feel

"each and every fibre of her clothes"

and it feels very ticklish or

uncomfortable at times. Sometimes,

she has to stop during sex with her

partner because it becomes "too

ticklish".

Lena, Melissa and Lucia would all

describe themselves as highly sensitive,

a label that could be applied to up to

20% of us, according to the US-based

psychologist Elaine Aron, who started

studying high sensitivity in the early

90s, and published her influential book

The Highly Sensitive Person in 1996.

"When these people have

information coming in, they process it

much more deeply and more

elaborately," explains Genevieve von

Lob, a clinical psychologist who works

with many highly sensitive people,

especially children. "They tend to take

in much more information from lots of

different kinds of stimuli. And then

they're processing it more deeply than a

non-sensitive person - and because

they're taking in so much at once they

can get much more overstimulated,

overaroused and overwhelmed."

When the Guardian asked readers to

share their experiences of high

sensitivity, more than 300 people

responded. Over some 40,000 words,

they wrote about feeling drained by

their ability to tune into other people's

emotions, or exhausted from working

in open-plan offices or a visit to the

supermarket. It was common to report

crying at emotional adverts, but also to

be dismayed and deeply affected by

political events. "I found austerity

horrifying," writes one. "I work in a

it is hard to explain why the noise and light of the tV feels like being punched in the face. Photo: nathalie Lees

school that has been directly impacted

by cuts. I teach children who are

experiencing the effects of neglected

public services and parents who are

financially unstable. If poverty

continues to rise in this country, I know

I will be spending a lot more time

crying in my classroom."

Several people reported wearing

headphones "to block out the world",

and avoiding social media lest a cross

word ruin their day, or week. Criticism

at work can stay with them for years,

other people's perfume feels like an

assault and relationships can be tricky.

"It is difficult to explain to someone

why the noise and light of the television

in the morning feels like being punched

in the face, or why the texture of their

favourite scratchy blanket makes me

want to cry, without sounding like an

insane person," wrote one woman. "I

wish I were not a highly sensitive

person - it has made my life much more

difficult." Others remembered being

told to "toughen up" as a child, or had

lived for decades with the feeling there

was something wrong with them.

As a result, a lot of highly sensitive

people have low self-esteem, von Lob

says. "Often they might have been

bullied at school. Society tends to view

it as a weakness, and they can get these

labels like 'fragile' or 'overemotional'. I

think people who are highly sensitive

can often feel lonely and

misunderstood, and not normal. The

world feels too harsh, too loud for

them. It's not surprising that they

struggle to accept themselves and they

struggle to value their gifts because of

the messages they have received."

But while our noisy, frenetic, alwayson

world can be an unforgiving place,

there is some hope. Our understanding

of what it means to be highly sensitive

and how to cope with the unpleasant

side-effects is increasing.

Self-acceptance is key, says von Lob.

High sensitivity is innate, and not

something to be diagnosed or "treated",

though people can learn coping

mechanisms for when life becomes

overwhelming. "I can't emphasise

enough how much you need

unstructured downtime - plenty of

sleep and rest," says von Lob. The

highly sensitive "need to pace

themselves. Because they take in so

much more and they have more intense

emotions, they need time to process the

emotions in their body, so movement

can be really helpful - walks, or

kickboxing or dance or yoga, whatever

type of movement they enjoy. Because

they're people who are deep thinkers,

they've got very rich inner worlds, and

it's really important for them to have

those sort of meaningful, deeper

connections in relationships."

Time spent in nature can be helpful,

she adds. "And simplifying life, so

having less clutter around, less of a

busy schedule. That's why they work

well with self-employment or being

able to structure their own work day." It

is important, she says, not to compare

yourself with other people, "because if

you're comparing yourself with the

mainstream world of the non-sensitive,

you're never going to be able to do what

they do, but you've got your unique

strengths". Because being highly

sensitive is a strength - or a

"superpower", as more than one

respondent put it. "The advantages are

that it makes me a really good listener,

good at conversation," says Samira.

"I'm able to find underlying meanings

easily, I'm very intuitive and I have a

rich inner life with a strong emotional

vocabulary." Others report hearing

nuances in music that the average

person might miss, or being deeply

empathetic with friends. Highly

sensitive people tend to notice things in

the environment that may pass others

by, and get more from the arts.

Louise, a researcher, grew up

believing it was "wrong" to be so

sensitive. It was only in her 30s, when

she was unhappy in her job, that she

went on a sculpture holiday and

reconnected with her love of art. "That

holiday completely changed me - I met

similarly sensitive people and for the

first time realised that being sensitive

was OK. The people I met there didn't

think being 'soft' was bad, and were

comfortable discussing their own

sensitivity, their ability to find joy in

beautiful things, to feel deeply about

the world around them," she says.

"Meeting people who embraced their

quiet, joyful natures was transforming

and I came back embracing my own

sensitivity.

I started reading and creating again

and thought carefully about my career

and how it failed to nurture me. I gave

myself permission to be the sensitive

person I really was."

She started a PhD, and: "Several

years later, my life is transformed. My

sensitivity has become my strength and

it is the reason for the success of my

research, which involves working with

vulnerable people. My work is reliant

on deep thinking and deep human

connection. I am open about my need

for a quiet office and my employers

have been brilliant, understanding the

impact of overstimulation in larger

offices. I wish I had realised earlier in

my life that being highly sensitive could

be a strength, rather than a weakness."

There has been a question over

whether high sensitivity is a sign of

autism, but Michael Pluess, professor

of developmental psychology and

sensitivity researcher at Queen Mary

University of London, says that,

although both feature a more

responsive sensory system, "sensitivity

and autism are probably two fairly

separate things" (highly sensitive

children may originally be diagnosed as

having autism spectrum disorder).

Similarly, it's not about being an

introvert, as there are extroverts who

are also highly sensitive. Aron's work is

around the idea that sensitivity is a

personality trait, although other

researchers come at it from a biological

or physiological perspective.

Pluess doesn't like the term "highly

sensitive personality"; he prefers to

think of sensitivity as a continuum.

"Everyone is sensitive - we would not

be able to survive without being

sensitive to the environment - but some

people are more sensitive than others,

and having a higher sensitivity has

benefits and also challenges."

It's about knowing that being highly

sensitive is not a weakness, says von

Lob. In fact, it might be exactly what we

need, if only society could recognise

and nurture people with these traits.

There are thought to be as many men as

women who have high sensitivity, but

for cultural reasons to do with ideas of

"masculinity" these traits are not seen

as desirable - to the detriment of all of

us. "Some of the strengths are that

they are very self-aware, they have

this great capacity for empathy,"

says von Lob. "So that's really

good in leadership roles.

Differentiating between OTC medicine

and doctor consultation

Krissy Brady

Over-the-counter medications come

in handy for many short-term health

woes, from allergies and headaches

to minor injuries. And if you've been

turning to OTC options since the

pandemic started instead of going to

the doctor, you're not alone.

"Many of my patients haven't seen

their primary care physician or even

certain specialists in almost two

years," said Ken Perry, an emergency

physician based in Charleston, South

Carolina. "It's not uncommon for

patients to make their way to the

pharmacy to try to fix their ailments

on their own, and COVID has further

exacerbated this issue."For many

people, it's appropriate and safe to

find an OTC medication to help

alleviate their symptoms at home

without much concern for harm,

Perry said. But if you take certain

OTCs long-term and don't update

your doctor or pharmacist about

what you're doing, things can get

dicey. Say you're taking an over-thecounter

NSAID ? a nonsteroidal

anti-inflammatory drug ? for pain

relief, and you don't disclose this to

your doctor. If you go to your

doctor's office with pain that they

diagnose as arthritis or some other

inflammation, they may give you an

NSAID or equivalent prescription to

take. "If that patient takes both

medications, they can possibly cause

GI bleeding or even kidney damage,"

Perry said. If you're on prescription

medications, taking certain OTCs in

tandem can reduce their efficacy and

may cause adverse effects.

"Your age can also impact how

your body will react to an OTC

medicine," said Janice Johnston, cofounder

and chief medical officer of

the U.S. health care plan Redirect

Health. "By keeping your doctor upto-date

about your OTC usage,

they'll be able to give their expert

opinion on the best - and safest -

course of action for your overall wellbeing."

Plus, the persistent symptoms

you're masking with OTC

Pain relievers shouldn't be used for an extended amount of

time without checking in with a physician. Photo: Grace Cary

medications could be a sign of an

underlying condition that your

doctor can help you nail down and

treat. Each OTC medicine has

recommended dosages, and

information about when to inform

your doctor, printed right on the

label - but here are some general

guidelines on common OTCs to get

you started. Acetaminophen is a

common OTC medication best

known for relieving pain and

reducing fever.

"It's generally safe when taken as

directed for up to 10 days," Johnston

said. "However, you should check

with your health care provider if you

have any medical conditions or are

on any medications where

acetaminophen should be avoided."

(Think: if you have liver disease or

are taking warfarin, a blood thinner.)

According to the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration, there are over 600

OTC and prescription medicines

that contain acetaminophen. It's

crucial to read medication labels

carefully to make sure you don't

exceed the maximum daily dose, as

this can cause liver damage -

especially if combined with alcohol.

(When a prescription medicine

contains acetaminophen, the drug

label might not spell out the entire

word. It might also use the

abbreviation "APAP.")

Most healthy people can take

acetaminophen safely by not using

more than one medicine containing

acetaminophen in a day and

following the directions on the

medicine label.

"Contact your primary care

provider if your symptoms get worse

or new symptoms appear for more

than three days," said Jessica

Nouhavandi, co-founder and lead

pharmacist of the online pharmacy

Honeybee Health. Aspirin is used for

short-term relief of headaches, pain,

swelling or fever, and in daily low

doses for prevention of heart attack

and clot-related strokes.

It's generally safe to take as

directed for up to three days for

fever, or up to 10 days for pain. "If

you wish to use aspirin daily for

chronic pain, make sure to connect

with your physician first," said

Siddharth Tambar, a board-certified

rheumatologist with Chicago

Arthritis and Regenerative

Medicine. The same applies if you

want to take aspirin for heart attack

prevention, since there are many

health factors that need to be

considered. For people who are at

low risk for heart attack, for

example, the benefits of daily aspirin

therapy don't outweigh the longterm

toxicity risks that aspirin can

have on the gastrointestinal tract

(like stomach ulcers or internal

bleeding).

"The daily consumption of aspirin

can also cause easy bruising and

dangerous acid-base imbalances in

your blood," said Spencer Kroll, a

board-certified internal medicine

specialist and pharmacologist based

in New Jersey. This can severely

affect vital organs, such as your lungs

and kidneys. Aspirin is now

recommended as a chronic therapy

only for people with established

heart disease or who are very highrisk,

and it should only be taken

under the supervision of your

doctor, according to the Mayo Clinic.

NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and

naproxen, are also taken for

temporary pain relief and can

decrease inflammation, such as

fever, swelling and redness.

When taken as directed and for a

short period of time (up to three days

for fever and 10 days for pain),

NSAIDs are safe for most people. If

you take them for longer than that,

it's important to consult with your

doctor for further instruction,

Tambar said.

Long-term use can increase your

risk of heart attack, stroke and high

blood pressure, whether you have

heart disease or not, according to the

Mayo Clinic ? which is why it's so

important your doctor has your

NSAID use on their radar.

"You should also check with your

doctor before taking NSAIDs if you

have preexisting conditions or are

taking other prescription

medications," Johnston said. They

have the potential to cause

gastrointestinal bleeding, especially

in people who've had stomach ulcers

or bleeding problems before.

NSAIDs aren't recommended for

people who are planning to get

pregnant or have currently been

pregnant for 20 weeks or longer,

because these medications can cause

harm to the unborn baby,

Nouhavandi said.

Antihistamines are generally used

for short-term relief of allergy

symptoms (say, seasonal allergies).

They're broken down into two

categories - first- and secondgeneration.

First-gens cross the blood-brain

barrier and cause drowsiness, while

second-gens interact with fewer

drugs and are much less likely to

cause drowsiness, according to the

Cleveland Clinic.

"Many allergy medications are safe

for everyday use and often treat

symptoms better when used daily,"

Johnston said. For otherwise healthy

people with year-round allergies,

second-generation antihistamines

(like Allegra, Claritin and Zyrtec)

maintain their effectiveness even if

taken daily.

in a new survey, 1 out of 5 people said they're not willing to get the shot. here's

what that means for the pandemic.

Photo: Getty

COVID vaccine holdouts in the US

Catherine Pearson

Roughly 68% of Americans age 12 and up are

now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. And

now that federal regulators have cleared the

Pfizer vaccine for children age 5 to 11, the

number of people in this country who are

immunized against the virus will only

continue to climb.

But new data published in the journal

Nature suggests that convincing vaccine

holdouts could be difficult, if not impossible.

A detailed 36-question survey of more

than 6,000 adults from across the United

States found that 21% were unwilling to get

vaccinated - and among those, nearly half

said that nothing would change their mind.

So what does vaccine hesitancy mean for

the course of the pandemic, and what can we

do about it? Here's what you need to know.

For months now, epidemiologists and public

health experts have been warning that

national herd immunity - meaning that a

large enough portion of a community is

immune to a disease, leaving it few places to

spread - is unlikely. Herd immunity does not

mean a virus or disease is completely

eliminated. Rather, it's just contained and

manageable, with smaller, local outbreaks

possible from time to time.

The highly contagious delta variant has

pushed the threshold of people who need to

be vaccinated in order to achieve herd

immunity higher and higher. Scientists

initially believed that herd immunity might

be achieved when 60 or 70% of the national

population was vaccinated; now some

believe 85% to 90% of a population in any

given area may need to be immune to

COVID either through a recent infection or

vaccination - though even that is a best

guess. Without herd immunity, COVID will

likely become an endemic disease, like the

flu. That means it will continue to be with us,

but it will not disrupt daily life to the extent it

has. Experts say we'll likely experience a

return to relative normalcy. However, even

then, the unvaccinated still could get very

sick and die. One recent report found that

the unvaccinated in Texas were 40 times

more likely to die from COVID than the fully

vaccinated.

The colder winter months will be a critical

test of whether our current immunity levels

are enough to stave off another surge or to

prevent new variants from circulating. As

Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious

disease expert, recently said: "We can get

through this if we really put a lot of effort into

getting as many people vaccinated as we

possibly can."

First, it's important to note that the survey

- though published in early November - was

conducted last April, so it's possible that

people's minds have changed since then. But

it is also possible they have dug in more.

"We know that the longer that people are

hesitant, the longer they will continue to be

hesitant. It becomes what we call a

'commitment consistency' issue - where the

longer you say this is not something I'm

going to do, or this is something I disagree

with, the more it becomes ingrained in your

personality," said Rebecca Ortiz, who

researches health communication and social

marketing at Syracuse University.

However, Ortiz stressed that people who

are vaccine hesitant are by no means a "lost

cause." And anecdotally, there's certainly

evidence that vaccine holdouts can be

convinced to roll up their sleeves. Recent

data also suggests that one-third of people

who were vaccine hesitant in late 2020 were

willing to get vaccinated by early 2021.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBEr 17, 2021 6

Distric administration holds

view exchange meeting with

UP election in Islampur

oSMAN HARUNEE, ISLAMPUR CoRRESPoNDENT

A view exchange meeting was held in

Islampur on the occasion of Union Parishad

General Election-2021 scheduled to be held

on 26th November with the contesting

candidates on rules of conduct and law and

order.

Jamalpur Deputy Commissioner

Mursheda Zaman was the chief guest at the

meeting held at Faridul Haque Khan Dulal

Auditorium in Islampur on Tuesday

morning.

A view exchange meeting was held in Islampur on the occasion of Union

Parishad General Election-2021 scheduled to be held on 26th November on

Tuesday.

Photo: Osman Harunee

Drug traffickers becoming

aggressive in Shariatpur

STAFF REPoRTER

Drug dealer Shipon Sardar

and everyone in his family is

in drug business. They have

been caught with drugs more

than once by the law

enforcement agencies. But

the power and the gap

between the law are melting

again and again. After getting

out of jail, they got involved

in drug business again.

Against Shipon there are

multiple drug cases. He Kis

known in the area as Yaba

Kingpin. At the same time,

terrorist forces have been

formed. ordinary people of

the area who are unhappy

with their oppression. His

house is in Islampur union of

Damudya upazila of

Shariatpur. Victims of drug

trafficking come to Dhaka

and complain that the youth

of the area are on the verge of

destruction due to drug

trafficking. When ordinary

people of the area went to

protest, they were subjected

to various tortures and

threats. As a result, many

people are now enduring

these activities for fear of

their lives.

They allege that everyone

in Shipon Sardar's family is

involved in drug trafficking.

Under his leadership, his

father-in-law, brother-in-law,

wife and brother and other

relatives are involved in the

yaba business. Yaba is being

Shipon Sardar

sold through them in

different places of Shariatpur

district. At various times,

they were arrested by

members of the law

enforcement agencies with

drugs. But after being

released on bail, they started

dealing drugs again. In this

way, Shipon Sardar has

become the owner of crores

of takas by dealing in drugs.

He has built huge wealth and

luxurious houses with illegal

money.

At the same time, the

activities of the terrorist

forces are going on under his

leadership. The locals are

dissatisfied with their

extortion and various

criminal activities.

In this regard, Damudya

Police Station oC Farid

Hossain said, the police are

Candidates including Jamalpur District

Superintendent of Police Nasir Uddin

Ahmed, District Additional Magistrate

Sarkar Abdullah Al Mamun Babu, District

Election officer Golam Mostafa addressed

the meeting chaired by Islampur Upazila

Nirbahi officer Zahidur Rahman.

Speakers at the meeting gave directions

for maintaining an environment of free, fair

and peaceful elections and said that

necessary steps would be taken to break the

law.

active in dealing with drug

traffickers. Almost all the

drug dealers are being caught

by the police. However, they

are getting involved in the

same work again after being

released on bail.

Shipon Sardar's drug

business did not stop.

Meanwhile, uncle drug dealer

is running for the post of

member in Islampur Union

Parishad election this time.

Nannu Sardar and Shipon

Sardar are involved in yaba

business. Earlier, Nannu

Sardar had misappropriated

the money allocated for the

development of his village

majjid by dividing it without

doing any work. Together

with these drug dealers, drug

dealer Nannu Sardar is

running for the post of

member of Union Parishad.

There is no income but 20

families are given food every

day.

According to the locals,

such misdeeds are continuing

by influencing the voters.

Now Sipon Sardar has taken

initiative to distribute drugs

among the drug users again

during the free election

period. Locals said they did

not want to be named.

Shipon Sardar's misdeeds

will be stopped if the

members of the law

enforcement forces start their

activities.

26 candidates elected unopposed

in Malachhari UP election

DEEPoK SEN, MAHALCHHARI CoRRESPoNDENT

The third phase of UP elections will be held

in Mahalchhari upazila of Khagrachhari

district on November 28. Meanwhile, the

Upazila Election officer has confirmed the

news that 26 candidates, including the

chairman of four Union Parishads of the

upazila, have been elected unopposed

amidst widespread speculation surrounding

the election.

According to the Mahalchhari Upazila

Election office, after the announcement of

the election schedule, 13 people submitted

nomination papers for the post of chairman,

36 for the post of reserved women member

and 87 for the post of general member in 4

union parishads of Mahalchhari upazila.

Among them, 5 chairman candidates

withdrew their candidacies and a total of 29

candidates withdrew their candidacies

including 10 reserved women members and

14 general members.

According to sources, Rupendu Dewan,

the boat symbol candidate for the post of

chairman of Keanghat Union Parishad No. 3

of the upazila, has no rival and this Awami

League nominated candidate has been

elected unopposed as chairman. Besides, 6

candidates have been elected unopposed in

the reserved women's seat and 19 in the

general member post.

In the other 3 union parishads of the

upazila, Union Awami League president Gias

Uddin is contesting for the post of chairman

in the Myschhari union and the current

chairman Sajai Marma is contesting as an

independent candidate without getting the

boat symbol. There will be fierce

competition between these two candidates.

The present chairman of Sadar Union

Parishad No. 1 of the upazila is the current

president of Mahalchhari Upazila Awami

League, the most popular leader of the area

and the favorite leader of all people

irrespective of party affiliation, people close

to poor and miserable people, public leader

and present Labrechai Marma is contesting

as an independent candidate along with

Ratan Kumar Sheel, Chairman, President of

Bangladesh Awami League and nominee of

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Jubo League's

tri-annual

conference

held in

Gournadi

GIAS UDDIN MIA, GoURNADI

CoRRESPoNDENT

Mahilara Union Juba

League's tri-annual

conference was held at

Mahilara Government

Primary School Ground in

Gournadi on Monday.

Union Jubo League

President Kamal Hasan

presided over the occassion

while among othere Upazila

Jubo League President MA

Anisur Rahman, General

Secretary Syed Mahabub,

then Juba League President

Atiqur Rahman Shamim

and General Secretary Al-

Amin Hawlader and others

spoke.

Before

the

commencement of the

meeting, the activists of

Jubo League took part in the

colorful procession.

RMCH records

one more

fatality in

Covid-19 unit

RAJSHAHI: Rajshahi

Medical College Hospital

(RMCH) recorded one more

fatality in its Covid-19 unit

during the last 24 hours till

6am yesterday, reports BSS.

RMCH Director Brigadier

General Shamim Yazdani

said the female deceased

was a resident of Kushtia

district. She was suffering

from symptoms of Covid-

19.

The death toll due to

Covid-19 and its symptoms

reached 24 so far this month

with the new fatality.

However, the previous day's

fatality figure was also one.

However, Thursday's

death figure was zero after

four consecutive days. The

hospital recorded zero death

on November 7 after another

on october 31.

Earlier, the number of

casualties was 100 in

october, 167 in September,

340 in August, 566 in July

and 405 in June in the Covid

unit of RMCH, sources said.

Meanwhile, three more

patients were admitted to

the Covid-19 unit during the

last 24 hours, taking the

number of admitted patients

to 31, including five testing

positive for Covid-19, at

present.

Two other patients

returned home after being

cured in the unit during the

period.

Eight more people were

found Covid-19 positive after

testing 215 samples in

Rajshahi's two laboratories

on Monday, showing a 3.72

percent infection rate

against 4.04 percent on

Sunday.

48,520 hectares

land comes

under Boro

cultivation in

C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ: A

total of 48,520 hectares of

land will be brought under

Boro cultivation in the

district this season, reports

BSS.

Department of

Agricultural Extension

(DAE) officials here said

Boro paddy would be

cultivated on 12,100

hectares of land in sadar

upazila, 6,650 hectares in

Shibganj, 15,720 hectares

in Gomostapur, 8,200

hectares in Nachole and

5,850 hectares in Bholahat

upazila.

A total of 2,20,390

metric tonnes of rice has

been targeted to be

produced in the district,

they said.

Mahilara Union Juba League's tri-annual conference was held at Mahilara Government Primary

School Ground in Gournadi on Monday.

Photo: Gias Uddin Mia

IQAC's training workshop

inagurated at BU

A training workshop organize by

Institutional Quality Assurance Sol

(IQAC) titled 'Preparing SAR

improvement plan' was inagurated at

Barisal University. The workshop was

inaugurated at the Jibanananda Das

Conference Hall of the University on

Tuesday, a press release said.

Vice-Chancellor of BU Professor

Dr. Md Sadequl Arefin as the chief

guest inagurated the occasion.

During the time he said, education is

the backbone of a nation. With the

world-class competition around the

globe, a university would be focusing

on not only academic education but

also research and co-educational

activities.

otherwise, it will be impossible to

face this challenge. In this regard,

such training workshops will play a

helpful role in strengthening the

morale of the teachers and improving

the quality of education in the

university.

Barisal University IQAC Director

Vice-Chancellor of BU Professor Dr. Md Sadequl Arefin as the chief guest inagurated IQAC's training

workshop at the University on Tuesday.

Photo: Courtesy

20 more test positive for

Covid-19 in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: Twenty more people have tested

positive for Covid-19 in four districts of the

division on Monday, taking the caseload to

99,153 since the pandemic began in March last

year, reports BSS.

However, the new positive cases show a

rising trend compared to the previous day's

figure, said Dr Habibul Ahsan Talukder,

divisional director of Health, adding that a total

of 18 people were infected on Sunday.

Besides, on october 20 last, the infection

figure was just four, which was the lowest-ever

in the division since the second wave of the

pandemic hit the country.

Meanwhile, the recovery count rose to 95,577

in the division after 17 patients were discharged

from the hospitals on the same day.

The death toll reached 1,678, including 685

in Bogura, 322 in Rajshahi with 204 in its city

and 175 in Natore as no new fatality was

reported during the last 24 hours span, Dr

Talukder added.

Besides, all the positive cases of Covid-19

have, so far, been brought under treatment

while 23,050 were kept in isolation units of

different dedicated hospitals for institutional

quarantine. of them, 19,658 have been

released.

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard continued search for missing people from

capsized lighter vessel Fardin-1 at Mongla port on Tuesday. Photo: Courtesy

Prof. Dr. Md Mohsin Uddin presided

over the training workshop and the

research person was Jagannath

University IQAC Additional Director

and Chairman of the Department of

Social Work Prof. Dr. Rajina Sultana.

BU IQAC Additional Director to

perform the program. Rahima

Nasrin. During the day-long training

workshop, 18 honorary members of

the Self Assessment Committee of

different departments of Barisal

University received training.

BCG continues

search for

missing people

from capsized

lighter vessel

A lighter vessel Fardin-1

with 7 crew members sank

near Harbaria 9 bay on

November 15 at 9:30. In

the wake of the incident, a

special rescue team from

Bangladesh Coast Guard

Base Mongla and BCG

Station Harbaria rushed to

the spot at around 10pm, a

press release said.

This information was

given by the media officer

of Bangladesh Coast Guard

headquarters Lt.

Khandaker Munif Taki on

Tuesday. He said

Bangladesh Coast Guard

ship Sonar Bangla also

took part in the rescue

operation. It is to be noted

that the Coast Guard

members were able to

rescue 2 out of 7 crew

members and the

operation by the Coast

Guard to rescue 5 missing

persons is continuing. The

rescued persons are

Raihan Chowdhury and

Md. Rubel.

He further said that the

names of the missing

persons are Mohiuddin,

Robiul, Nur Alam, Jihad,

and Samsu.

American journalist Danny Fenster, who spent nearly six months in jail in military-ruled

Myanmar and was facing a sentence of 11 years of hard labor, was freed Monday and is on

his way home.

Photo : AP

Russian test blamed for

space junk threatening

space station

CAPE CANAVERAL : A

Russian weapons test created

more than 1,500 pieces of

space junk now threatening the

seven astronauts aboard the

International Space Station,

according to U.S. officials who

called the strike reckless and

irresponsible, reports

UNB.The State Department

confirmed Monday that the

debris was from an old Russian

satellite destroyed by the

missile.

"Needless to say, I'm

outraged. This is

unconscionable," NASA

Administrator Bill Nelson told

The Associated Press. "It's

unbelievable that the Russian

government would do this test

and threaten not only

international astronauts, but

their own cosmonauts that are

on board the station" as well as

the three people on China's

space station.

Nelson said the astronauts

now face four times greater risk

than normal. And that's based

on debris big enough to track,

with hundreds of thousands of

smaller pieces going

undetected - "any one of which

can do enormous damage if it

hits in the right place."

In condemning Russia,

Secretary of State Antony

Blinken said satellites were also

now in jeopardy.

The test clearly

demonstrates that Russia

"despite its claims of opposing

the weaponization of outer

space, is willing to ... imperil the

exploration and use of outer

space by all nations through its

reckless and irresponsible

behavior," Blinken said in a

statement.

US journalist jailed in

Myanmar for nearly

6 months is freed

BANGKOK : American journalist Danny

Fenster, who spent nearly six months in

jail in military-ruled Myanmar and was

facing a sentence of 11 years of hard labor,

was freed Monday and is on his way home,

reports UNB.

Fenster was handed over to former U.S.

diplomat Bill Richardson, who helped

negotiate the release, and the two landed

in Doha, Qatar.

"I'm feeling all right physically," a

bearded Fenster, in baggy drawstring

pants and a hat, said on the tarmac in

comments carried by the Al Jazeera

network. While still jailed, Fenster told his

lawyer that he believed he had COVID-19,

though prison authorities denied that.

Fenster, the managing editor of online

magazine Frontier Myanmar, was

convicted Friday of spreading false or

inflammatory information, contacting

illegal organizations and violating visa

regulations. He is one of more than 100

journalists, media officials or publishers

who have been detained since the military

ousted the elected government of Nobel

laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in February,

and his was the harshest sentence yet.

"This is the day that you hope will come

when you do this work," Richardson, a

former governor of New Mexico and past

ambassador to the U.N., said in a

statement emailed by his office.

"We are so grateful that Danny will

finally be able to reconnect with his loved

ones, who have been advocating for him all

this time, against immense odds."

Fenster has been in detention since he

was arrested at Yangon International

Airport on May 24 as he was headed to the

Detroit area to see his family.

"We are overjoyed that Danny has been

released and is on his way home - we

cannot wait to hold him in our arms," his

family said in a statement. "We are

tremendously grateful to all the people

who have helped secure his release,

especially Ambassador Richardson, as well

as our friends and the public who have

expressed their support and stood by our

sides as we endured these long and

difficult months."

It was never exactly clear what Fenster

was alleged to have done, but much of the

prosecution's case appeared to hinge on

proving that he was employed by another

online news site that was ordered closed

this year during a crackdown on the media

following the military's seizure of power.

Fenster used to work for the site but left

that job last year.

Fenster, a native of the Detroit area, has

a master's degree in creative writing from

Wayne State University, and had worked

for a newspaper in Louisiana before

moving to Southeast Asia, according to

Deadline Detroit, a news website to which

he was an occasional contributor.

His brother, Bryan Fenster, has said he

had "passion for writing about folks who

struggle and fight for social justice" and

was particularly interested in the plight of

people from the Muslim Rohingya

minority, hundreds of thousands of whom

fled Myanmar during a brutal

counterinsurgency campaign by the army

in 2017.

"We welcome the release of American

journalist Daniel Fenster from prison in

Burma, where he was wrongfully detained

for almost six months," U.S. Secretary of

State Antony Blinken said in a statement,

using an old name for the country. "We are

glad that Danny will soon be reunited with

his family as we continue to call for the

release of others who remain unjustly

imprisoned in Burma."

9-year-old Dallas boy dies after

Astroworld festival crush

US urged to help more

people escape Talibanled

Afghanistan

WASHINGTON : A coalition

of organizations working to

evacuate people who could

be targeted by the Taliban

rulers in Afghanistan

appealed Monday for more

assistance from the U.S.

government and other

nations as conditions

deteriorate in the country.

Members of the

AfghanEvac Coalition met in

a video call with Secretary of

State Antony Blinken to

press the case for additional

resources to help tens of

thousands of people get out

of Afghanistan, now faced

with a deepening economic

and humanitarian crisis in

addition to a precarious

security situation following

the U.S. withdrawal.

Participants said

afterward they were grateful

for what the State

Department has done so far,

including helping to arrange

a series of evacuation flights

for U.S. citizens and

residents since the

withdrawal, but more will be

needed in the months ahead.

"The State Department

doing enough isn't enough;

we need whole of

government solutions; we

need the international

community to step up and

we need it quickly," said

Peter Lucier, a former

Marine who served in

Afghanistan who works with

coalition-member Team

America. "Winter is coming.

There is a famine already. "

Private groups,

particularly with ties to the

veteran community, have

played an important role in

the evacuation and

resettlement of tens of

thousands of Afghans since

the U.S. ended its longest

war and the government fell

to the Taliban.

weDneSDAY, noveMBer 17, 2021

7

Trump ally Bannon taken into

custody on contempt charges

WASHINGTON : Steve Bannon, a longtime

ally of former President Donald Trump,

surrendered to federal authorities on

Monday to face contempt charges after

defying a subpoena from a House committee

investigating January's insurrection at the

U.S. Capitol.

Bannon was taken into custody Monday

morning and is expected to appear in court

later in the afternoon. The 67-year-old was

indicted on Friday on two counts of criminal

contempt - one for refusing to appear for a

congressional deposition and the other for

refusing to provide documents in response to

the committee's subpoena.

The indictment came as a second expected

witness, former White House Chief of Staff

Mark Meadows, defied his own subpoena

from the committee on Friday and as Trump

has escalated his legal battles to withhold

documents and testimony about the

insurrection.

If the House votes to hold Meadows in

contempt, that recommendation would also

be sent to the Justice Department for a

possible indictment.

Officials in both Democratic and

Republican administrations have been held

in contempt by Congress, but criminal

indictments for contempt are exceedingly

rare. The indictment against Bannon comes

after a slew of Trump administration officials

- including Bannon - defied requests and

demands from Congress over the past five

years with little consequence, including

during an impeachment inquiry. President

Barack Obama's administration also

declined to charge two of its officials who

defied congressional demands.

The indictment says Bannon didn't

communicate with the committee in any way

from the time he received the subpoena on

Sept. 24 until Oct. 7 when his lawyer sent a

letter, seven hours after the documents were

due.

Bannon, who worked at the White House

at the beginning of the Trump

administration and currently serves as host

of the conspiracy-minded "War Room"

podcast, is a private citizen who "refused to

appear to give testimony as required by a

subpoena," the indictment says.

Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, surrendered

to federal authorities on Monday to face contempt charges after

defying a subpoena from a House committee investigating January's

insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Photo : AP

HOUSTON : A 9-year-old

Dallas boy has become the

youngest person to die

from injuries sustained

during a crowd surge at the

Astroworld music festival

in Houston, reports UNB.

Ezra Blount of Dallas

died Sunday at Texas

Children's Hospital in

Houston, family attorney

Ben Crump said.

Ezra was placed in a

medically induced coma

after suffering serious

injuries in the Nov. 5 crush

of fans during a

performance by the

festival's headliner, rapper

Travis Scott.

He is the 10th person who

attended the festival to die.

"The Blount family

tonight is grieving the

incomprehensible loss of

their precious young son,"

Crump said in a news

release Sunday night. "This

should not have been the

outcome of taking their son

to a concert, what should

have been a joyful

celebration."

Treston Blount, Ezra's

father, described what

happened Nov. 5 in a post

on a GoFundMe page that

he set up to help defray

Ezra's medical expenses.

He said Ezra was sitting

on his shoulders when a

crowd surge crushed them.

The father lost

consciousness and when he

came to, Ezra was missing,

Blount said. A frantic

search ensued until Ezra

was eventually found at the

hospital, severely injured.

The child incurred severe

damage to his brain,

kidney, and liver after being

"kicked, stepped on, and

trampled, and nearly

crushed to death,"

according to a lawsuit his

family has filed against

Scott and the event's

organizer, Live Nation. The

Blount family is seeking at

least $1 million in damages.

The others who died

ranged in age from 14 to 27.

Some 300 people were

treated at the festival site

and 13 were hospitalized.

Houston police and fire

department investigators

have said they are

reviewing surveillance

video provided by concert

promoter Live Nation, as

well as dozens of clips

people at the show widely

shared on social media.

Investigators also planned

to speak with Live Nation

representatives, Scott and

concertgoers. Scott and the

event organizers are now

the focus of a criminal

investigation.

GD-1684/21 (10 x 4)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

8

‘Walton going to become top

global electronics brand’

"Bangladesh is now a vital

market for electronics and

computer products.

Consumers have more trust

to domestic made products

than the foreign ones.

Besides, the popularity and

demand of electronics and

IT products with the 'Made

in Bangladesh' tag are

increasing all over the world.

Bangladeshi company

Walton is exporting its

various products to more

than 40 countries. Now the

goal of Walton is to become

one of the world's top

electronics brands by 2030.

The company has taken

various initiatives to achieve

the target. We believe

Walton is going to be one of

the top global electronics

brands very soon."

Engineer Md. Liakat Ali,

Deputy Managing Director

(DMD) of Walton Digi-Tech

Industries Ltd., made the

remarks at an international

conference titled 'World

Congress on Information

Technology 2021' (WCIT

2021). The conference, held

from November 11 to 14 at

the Bangabandhu

International Conference

Center in the capital, was

organized by the ICT

Ministry. The congress was

attended by government

representatives as well as

local and foreign IT

entrepreneurs and experts.

Engineer Md. Liakat Ali

was the panel speaker at a

seminar titled 'Bangladesh

Going Global' held on the

congress. The program was

conducted by the Dhaka

University's Institute of

Business Administration

Director Professor. Dr. Syed

Ferhat Anwar. The

discussion highlighted

sustainable digital

partnerships, efficient

human

resource

development, investment

opportunities

in

Bangladesh, challenges and

prospects of domestic

companies in the IT sector,

opportunities for

Bangladeshi companies to

compete in the global

market and preparations for

the Fourth Industrial

Revolution.

In his speech, Walton

Digi-Tech's DMD Engineer

Md. Liakat Ali, on behalf of

IT product manufacturers,

highlighted the huge

potentials in the production

of electronics and IT

products and Walton's

success in this sector. He

said Walton is the only

Bangladeshi company in the

country that is currently

showing significant success

in manufacturing,

marketing and exporting

various IT products

including laptops, desktops,

computer accessories and

printed circuit boards.

Walton is working centering

the Fourth Industrial

Revolution.

Replying to a question on

efficient human resource

management in the country,

he said Walton has its own

initiatives for efficient

human

resource

development and

management and is working

closely with various

government initiatives in the

sector.

Managing Director of

Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park

Authority Dr. Bikarna

Kumar Ghosh, Managing

Director of Digicon

Technologies Ltd. Wahid

Sharif, Sales Director of

Southtech Ltd. Syeda

Wedad Quader and Founder

& CEO of Ulka Games Ltd.

Jamilur Rashid were among

others present on the

seminar.

Walton was the platinum

sponsor of the 'World

Congress on IT 2021'.

Walton DG-Tech Industries Limited's DMD Engineer Md. Liakat Ali is

speaking at the panel discussion of the seminar titled 'Bangladesh Going

Global' at the International Conference on 'World Congress on IT 2021'.

The Meeting with Mangers of ChattogramNorth and Chattogram South Zone

of First Security Islami Bank Limited recently held at Radisson

BluChattogram Bay View. The program was presided over by Syed Waseque

Md. Ali, Managing Director of the bank. Among others, Abdul Aziz,

Additional Managing Director, Md. Masudur Rahman Shah, Deputy

Managing Director,Mr. Mohammed Hafizur Rahman, Head of Chattogram

North Zone, Mr. Mohammed Kamal Uddin, Head of Chattogram South

Zone, K. B. M. Ismail Chowdhury, Head of General Services Divisionand

Branch Managers of the Chattogram North and South zones were participated

in the Conference. The program reviewed the operational performance of

individual branches for the period of July-2021 and onward and delivered

directions to attain targets set for next periods of the year. Photo : Courtesy

40 years of RFL Tubewell

Promise to provide pure drinking water to 40 villages

RFL tubewell, the first

product of country's leading

business conglomerate RFL

Group, has completed 40

years. On this occasion, the

group will provide pure

drinking water to 40 villages

in different parts of the

country. RFL Group

Managing Director RN Paul

made the announcement at a

function to mark the 40th

anniversary held at a hotel in

the capital's Badda on

Tuesday.

Addressing the occasion,

RN Paul said, "RFL tubewell

started its journey in the

eighties of the last century

when people weresuffering

from various water borne

diseases due to lack of pure

drinking water. Since then,

RFL has been meeting the

needs of drinking

waterformajority in the

country. We are proud to be

able to provide safe drinking

water to nearly 30 million

families. "

French inflation

climbs in October

PARIS : French inflation

rose 2.6 percent year-onyear

in October, official

data showed Tuesday, as

energy prices soared.

"This rise in inflation is

due to an acceleration in

energy prices (+20.2

percent) and services (+1.8

percent)," the Insee

national statistics agency

said in a statement.

In September, consumer

prices rose by 2.2 percent.

Governments the world

over are eyeing inflation

with concern.

As economies recover

from the pandemic and

people return to a

semblance of normality,

inflation is surging to levels

not seen in decades owing

to a spike in demand and

supply chain snarls.

Solution to post-Brexit

N. Ireland trade row

'still possible': PM

LONDON : Britain's prime

minister said Monday that

finding a solution with the

European Union to Brexit

agreement problems

regarding Northern Ireland

"still seems possible", but

reiterated he was ready to

trigger a suspension clause in

the deal.

The Northern Ireland

Protocol, the part of the Brexit

deal that deals with the

British province, was

designed to keep an open

border between Northern

Ireland and Ireland-a key

requirement of the 1998

peace deal that ended three

decades of violence over

British rule.

It imposes checks on goods

heading to the province from

mainland Great Britain-

England, Wales and

Scotland-to prevent them

travelling via EU member

state Ireland into the rest of

the bloc unchecked.

Unionists in Northern

Ireland argue the checks

effectively create a border in

the Irish Sea, compromising

the province's place in the

wider UK.

Britain and the EU are at

loggerheads over the rules,

which London signed up to in

2019 but now says are

unworkable, and which

Brussels maintains are

needed to protect the

integrity of the EU single

market.

Speaking at the Lord

Mayor's Banquet in London,

Prime Minister Boris

Johnson insisted his

government "would rather

find a negotiated solution to

the problems created by the

Northern Ireland Protocol,

and that still seems possible".

The EU has warned of

"serious consequences" if the

suspension goes ahead.

Talks to resolve the

deadlock broke up without

agreement last week, but will

resume in Brussels this week.

He added, "We have been

able to come to the present

situation because consumers

were with us. So, we have

responsibility to the country

and its people. As part of this

responsibility, we have been

conducting various CSR

activities. In continuation of

this, on the occasion of the

40th anniversary, pure water

will be provided to 40 villages

through tube wells in remote

and char areas of

Bangladesh".

Abdul Kuddus Miah,

business In-charge of RFL

tubewell, said that the name

RFL tubewell comes to mind

when the name of

tubewellcomes to the fore.

RFL tubewell has become

one of the leading brands in

the country due to its wide

presence, affordable prices

and excellent quality. RFL

tubewell has been the source

of drinking water of the

peopleall over the country for

40 years.

A day-long Training Program on "Prevention of Money Laundering & Combating the Financing of

Terrorism" was held on November 13, 2021 in Madaripur for the officials of different scheduled

Banks operating in Madaripur & Shariatpur Districts. Mercantile Bank Ltd arranged the Training

Program as Lead Bank under the guidance of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU). Shamim

Ahmed, Deputy Managing Director & Chief Anti Money Laundering Compliance Officer (CAMLCO),

Mercantile Bank Limited chaired the program while Mohammad Mahbub Alam, Deputy General

Manager, BFIU was the chief guest. Besides, Md. Anwarul Haque, Joint Director, Mohammad Main

Uddin, Joint Director and Md. Faisal Kabir, Assistant Director of BFIU along with Md. Moshaddeque

Hossain, Head of AML & CFT Division & Deputy CAMLCO of MBL, Javed Tariq, Principal of MBTI also

attended the training program.

Photo : Courtesy

Standard Bank's Additional Managing Director Md. Touhidul Alam Khan,

FCMA, delivering speech on "Journey towards Sustainable Banking and

Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh through Innovation" in '8th

International Sustainable Development Conference (SDC-2021)' held virtually

from November 12-14, 2021. He also participated in panel discussion on

"The Importance of Education for Sustainable Development" as panelist in

a session.

Photo : Courtesy

WASHINGTON : Pfizer, BioNTech and

Moderna are making combined profits of

$65,000 every minute from their highly

successful Covid-19 vaccines while the

world's poorest countries remain largely

unvaccinated, according to a new

analysis.

The companies have sold the vast

majority of their doses to rich countries,

leaving low-income nations in the lurch,

said the People's Vaccine Alliance (PVA),

a coalition campaigning for wider access

to Covid vaccines, which based its

calculations on the firms' own earning

reports. The Alliance estimates that the

trio will make pre-tax profits of $34

billion this year between them, which

works out to over $1,000 a second,

$65,000 a minute or $93.5 million a day.

"It is obscene that just a few companies

are making millions of dollars in profit

every single hour, while just two percent

of people in low-income countries have

been fully vaccinated against

coronavirus," Maaza Seyoum of the

African Alliance and People's Vaccine

Alliance Africa said.

"Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna have

used their monopolies to prioritise the

most profitable contracts with the richest

governments, leaving low-income

countries out in the cold."

Pfizer and BioNTech have delivered

less than one percent of their total

supplies to low-income countries while

Moderna has delivered just 0.2 percent,

Tokyo stocks trade

lower with eyes on

US-China talks

TOKYO : Tokyo stocks

traded lower after opening

flat on Tuesday following a

choppy US session, with

investors shifting their focus

to a US-China summit.

The benchmark Nikkei

225 index was down 0.26

percent, or 78.87 points, at

29,697.93 about half an

hour after the opening bell,

while the broader Topix

index, which opened higher,

was down 0.05 percent, or

0.93 points, at 2,047.59.

The Japanese market is

starting with a weak appetite

"following falls in US shares,

with (investors) watching

the online US-China

summit," senior market

analyst Toshiyuki

Kanayama of Monex said in

a note.

US President Joe Biden

and China's Xi Jinping were

holding talks during Tokyo

trading hours at a virtual

summit aimed at calming

tensions over Taiwan and

other flashpoints.

The two leaders have

spoken by phone twice since

Biden's inauguration in

January but with Xi not

travelling abroad because of

the pandemic, an online

video meeting was the only

option short of an in-person

summit.

Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna making $1,000 profit every second

the PVA said. Currently, 98 percent of

people in low-income countries have not

been fully vaccinated.

The three companies' actions are in

contrast to AstraZeneca and Johnson &

Johnson, which provided their vaccines

on a not-for-profit basis, though both

have announced they foresee ending this

arrangement in future as the pandemic

winds down. PVA said that despite

receiving public funding of more than $8

billion, Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna

have refused calls to transfer vaccine

technology to producers in low- and

middle-income countries via the World

Health Organization, "a move that could

increase global supply, drive down prices

and save millions of lives."

ONE Bank Limited recently signed a partnership agreement with Modhumoti Bank Limited. Under

the agreement, both parties will work together towards removing cash friction and building digital

eco system. OK Wallet customers can avail Cash-In, Cash-Out, bill payment and other OK Wallet

services through by Modhumoti Bank Agent Banking Outlets. In addition, OK Wallet customers can

enjoy add money and fund transfer facility at Modhumoti Bank account and withdrawal cash from

Modhumoti Bank ATM under this agreement. Md Monzur Mofiz, Additional Managing Director of

ONE Bank Limited and Md. Shafiul Azam, Managing Director & CEO of Modhumoti Bank Limited

signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. The high officials of both the

organizations were also present in the ceremony.

Photo : Courtesy

WeDNeSDAY, NoveMber 17, 2021

9

Williamson will join the test specialist group in Jaipur.

Seven venues confirmed

for 2022 Twenty20

World Cup in Australia

SportS DeSk

Next year's Twenty20 World

Cup will be held across seven

venues in Australia, officials

confirmed Tuesday, with Sri

Lanka and the West Indies

forced to play for a place in the

Super 12, reports BSS.

The tournament, which was

supposed to be held Down

Under in 2020 but was

pushed back two years due to

coronavirus, will take place

between October 16 and

November 13.

A total of 45 matches will be

contested across Adelaide,

Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart,

Melbourne, Perth and

Sydney, with the final under

lights at the Melbourne

Cricket Ground.

photo: Ap

Williamson to skip India T20Is,

Southee named captain

SportS DeSk

Kane Williamson, the New Zealand

captain, will miss the upcoming T20I series

against India in order to prepare for the

subsequent two-Test series, it was

announced on Tuesday (November 16),

reports AP.

New Zealand's three-match T20I series

against India begins on November 17 in

Jaipur and Williamson, who is with the

squad, will focus on the red-ball

preparations while Tim Southee will lead

the team in the Twenty20 games.

New Zealand, who finished runners-up in

the just-concluded Men's T20 WC 2021,

arrived in Jaipur on Monday. The second

T20I will be played in Ranchi on November

19 while the final game is on November 21

in Kolkata. The two Tests will be played in

Kanpur and Mumbai from November 25-

29 and December 3-7 respectively.

"With the opening game of the T20 series

on Wednesday evening, followed by games

on Friday and Sunday night - the decision

was made for Williamson to join the Test

specialist group already training in Jaipur

as they focus on red-ball preparation,"

stated a media release.

New Zealand Cricket also revealed that

Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn

Phillips and Mitchell Santner will be

available for selection for both series.

The release also added that Lockie

Ferguson, who missed the T20 WC due to a

right calf injury, has made good recovery

and is expected to be available for the T20I

series.

Top seed Sabalenka

crashes out as Sakkari

advances in Mexico

SportS DeSk

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka

crashed out of the WTA Finals

in Guadalajara on Monday,

losing a gruelling three-setter

against Greek fourth seed

Maria Sakkari, reports BSS.

Sakkari set up a semi-final

showdown with Estonia's

Anett Kontaveit after

outlasting Sabalenka 7-6

(7/1), 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 in 2hr

47min.

Sabalenka was left ruing a

failure to capitalise on key

moments and an eyewatering

19 double faults that

undermined her service

game.

The 23-year-old Belarussian

squandered the chance to take

the lead in the first set, allowing

Sakkari to recover from 3-5

down to force a tiebreak.

Sakkari then raced through

the tiebreak to win 7/1,

leaving Sabalenka needing to

win the next two sets to stay

alive in the tournament.

The top seed managed to

dig deep to take the second set

on a tie break after once again

letting Sakkari back into the

game to come back from 5-3

down to 5-5.

England will educate themselves

over Qatar issues: Southgate

SportS DeSk

Gareth Southgate says England will "educate

themselves" before deciding whether to

protest Qatar's human rights record after

sealing their place at the World Cup, reports

BSS.

Southgate's side qualified for next year's

tournament with a 10-0 demolition of San

Marino in their last Group I match on

Monday. Qatar's human rights record has

been criticised by Amnesty International in

relation to the World Cup and the treatment

of migrant workers building infrastructure

including stadiums for the tournament.

The Netherlands, Norway and Germany

national teams have made protests ahead of

the tournament and Southgate's team are

mulling whether to follow suit.

England defender Conor Coady said this

week that Southgate's squad would discuss

how to express their concerns about human

rights in Qatar once they have qualified.

Speaking at a press conference after the

San Marino game, Southgate said he and his

squad would investigate the "complex"

issues surrounding Qatar.

"We have to go and work with people and

represent the country in a foreign land and

when you are doing that you have got to be

100 per cent sure of your facts," he said.

"That's not easy because it's hard to work

through what is current and what is historic.

We have a responsibility to represent our

country in the right way.

"There are clear cultural differences

between the two nations. It is hugely

complex but we will take the time to educate

ourselves and if we feel there are areas we

can highlight and help, we have always tried

to do that and we will do that."

England finished their qualifying

campaign with an unbeaten record and they

will arrive at the World Cup in November

2022 as one of the favourites to lift the

trophy. Without major silverware since the

1966 World Cup, England have trended

upwards in the Southgate era, reaching the

Euro 2020 final earlier this year and the

World Cup semi-finals in 2018.

Thrashing San Marino, FIFA's lowest

ranked team, won't count for much in Qatar,

but it was a stylish way to finish off a

memorable year for England.

England won more games (15), scored

more goals (52) and kept more clean sheets

(14) in 2021 than in any calendar year in

their history.

"We gave a performance that was

enjoyable for the supporters that travelled,

was clinical in the way we went about it, and

then showed some exciting young players

coming through," Southgate said.

"Of course we will have much tougher tests

but I've been involved in nights like this with

England that have been horrible, where the

Kyrgios calls for Australian

Open to be cancelled

SportS DeSk

Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday

called for the Australian

Open to be cancelled, while

unexpectedly showing

sympathy to tennis world

number one Novak

Djokovic, who has refused to

reveal his vaccination status,

reports BSS.

The mercurial Australian

said he believed January's

opening Grand Slam of the

year should not go ahead out

of respect for the struggles

Melbourne, which hosts the

tournament, has endured

during the pandemic.

The city has spent more

than 260 days under

lockdown since coronavirus

emerged, and Kyrgios

suggested it was not worth

risking another setback.

"I don't think the Aus

Open should go ahead, just

for the people in Melbourne

-- you've got to send a

message," he said on his

podcast, 'No Boundaries'.

"How long did

(Melbourne) do in

lockdown? 275 days or

something?"

Victoria state Sports

Minister Martin Pakula

disagreed, saying he

"couldn't follow the logic" of

Kyrgios' comments.

"Melburnians, Victorians

and, frankly all Australians,

are absolutely gagging for

major events," he told

reporters. "Our economy

needs it, our state psyche

needs it."

The tournament went

ahead this year, but players

were forced to spend two

weeks in hotel quarantine,

crowds were restricted and a

five-day snap lockdown was

called mid-event.

Organisers are adamant it

will run as scheduled in

2022, with fully vaccinated

players expected to be able

to enter Australia without

being quarantined or

confined to bio-secure

bubbles.

Victoria Premier Daniel

Andrews has said

exemptions would be denied

to unvaccinated players,

casting doubt over whether

nine-time champion

Djokovic, who has refused to

reveal his vaccination status,

will defend his title.

Kyrgios has had a testy

relationship with the

Serbian, calling him "a tool"

at this year's Australian

Open over his demands to

ease hotel quarantine

restrictions for players.

But he appears to have

softened his stance, saying

Djokovic should be able to

compete regardless, while

referencing basketball star

Kyrie Irving who has missed

the start of the NBA season

after refusing to get a Covid

jab. "Kyrie, Novak ... these

guys have given so much,

sacrificed so much. They are

global athletes who millions

of people look up to," said

the Australian, who has

slipped to 90 in the world.

"I just think it is so

morally wrong to force

someone to be vaccinated.

"I'm double-vaccinated,

but I just don't think it's right

to force anyone (to be

vaccinated) and say 'you

can't come and play here

because you're not

vaccinated'," he added.

"There are other solutions

around it, (such as) to get

tested every day."

Despite calling for the

Australian Open to be

scrapped, Kyrgios said it was

his favourite Grand Slam,

but he has little love for the

French Open.

"The Australian is my

favourite Slam with the

home crowd, the pressure is

so different," he said.

"The French would be

terminated from the

calendar completely, it's the

worst slam."

Nick kyrgios on tuesday called for the Australian open to be cancelled,

while unexpectedly showing sympathy to tennis world number one Novak

Djokovic.

photo: Ap

Southgate's side qualified for next year's tournament with a 10-0 demolition of San Marino in their

last Group I match on Monday.

photo: Ap

GD-1689/21 (8 x 4)

WeDNesDAY, NoVeMBeR 17, 2021

10

Shakib to shoot his new

flim in Hollywood

TBT RepoRT

Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan has announced a

new film to be produced from his production house SK

Films. The yet-to-be-titled film will be directed by

Himel Ashraf.

Shakib came up with the announcement at the 16th

Oikko Channel i Music Awards in New York of the US

on Monday. Himel Ashraf along with actor Afzal

Hossain accompanied Shakib during the

announcement.

Shakib Khan said, "We

have planned a highprofile

film in coordination

with local and foreign

crews before. If Covid had

not come, the film would

have been already

completed and even

released. I have always

wanted my film;

Bangladeshi film reaches

the last corner of the

world. I am working with

this aim .. the day is not far

away." According to

director Himel, 70 per cent of the film will be shot in

Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and Hollywood in

the next year. The rest will be done in Bangladesh.

Story, script and dialogues of the film are also done by

Himel.

In 2017, Himel was supposed to team up with

Shakib Khan in a film, titled 'Priyotoma', under

the banner of SK Films, which was later

postponed. The project is now expected to begin

in 2022. Shakib left Dhaka on November 12 to

attend the 16th edition of Oikko Channel i Music

Tiger Shroff's sister Krishna is a fitness enthusiast

and has always been very vocal about how it

changed her life. Recently, Krishna opened up

about it and revealed that she turned to fitness after

a rather brutal break-up, and how she decided to

prioritise herself.

Talking to ET Times, Krishna said that she

decided to focus on fitness five-and-a-half years

ago. She said, "When I first stepped into a gym, I

was going through a really bad breakup. It was

actually my first break-up. He was my first

boyfriend, my first relationship. First experiences

are always a big learning experience. I lost myself. I

started prioritising him over me."

Awards in New York. A few of his photos was

roaming around on social media after he reached

there in his first ever US tour.

The slogan of this year's edition of the music award

ceremony is 'Shadhinotar Ponchash Bochhore

Bangladesher Gaan' (Songs of Bangladesh in 50 years

of Independence) celebrating the golden jubilee of

Bangladesh.

On the work front, Shakib recently wrapped up

filming of SA Haque Olike directorial 'Galui'. He costars

with actress Puja

Cherry in the romantic

period drama that

received government

grants for the fiscal

year 2020-21. 'Galui'

was mostly shot in

remote areas of

Jamalpur and Tangail

where Shakib

completed his part in a

span of straight 30-35

days. The actor was

last seen in Anonno

Mamun directed film

'Nabab LLB' costarring

Mahiya Mahi and Orchita Sporshia amid the

Covid-19 pandemic last year. 'Nabab LLB' is said to be

the first-ever high-profile Dhallywood film to have

released in OTT.

After that, Shakib was seen with actress Nusraat

Faria in a TV commercial of a paint company which

was released early in November.

In 2020, Shakib Khan released political actionthriller

'Bir', co-starring Shabnam Bubly, from his

production house SK Films which was the 50th

directorial debut of Kazi Hayat.

Krishna Shroff

opens up about

her brutal first

break-up

She added, "I wasn't just finding time for myself.

When that whole chapter ended in my life, I

decided I wanted to do something for myself, and it

had to be very transformational. Fitness has been

that for me. It has not been just physical, but

mental too. It has given me security and a sense of

confidence that I never had while growing up."

During the course of the interview, she also

mentioned that she and Tiger bond over food, apart

from fitness of course. She said that her entire

family is into fitness as well, and their household

works towards motivating each other. "We find that

motivation from one another. We all have always

been inclined towards an active lifestyle. Living in

our house is enough motivation to keep pushing

yourself. I am looking at my brother who is a

freaking superhuman. My mother and father are

ageing backwards. We all just try to keep up with

one another. It is definitely a healthy environment

to be a part of."

Krishna was recently seen in the music video of

the track "Kinni Kinni Vaari." In an earlier

conversation with indianexpress.com, Krishna had

shared that she has no plans of making her way as

an actor. "Probably not. Definitely not. For me,

anything I do has to spark an interest, strike a

chord. And Bollywood doesn't do that. There is so

much more to do. People need to start looking a

little beyond (Bollywood)," she shared.

Source: Indian Express

TBT RepoRT

Mahfuz Ahmed is a

Bangladeshi television actor.

He is also a film actor,

presenter, model and

producer. He was awarded

Bangladesh National Film

Award for Best Actor for his

role in the film Laal Sobuj.

This time he is all set to

make a comeback in acting

after a few years with a web

The upcoming 'Resident Evil:

Welcome To Raccoon City'

movie reboot will feature an

iconic zombie sequence from

the original video game. The

first 'Resident Evil' arrived on

the PlayStation 1 back in

1996, and while Capcom's

expectations were modest, it

soon became a word-ofmouth

smash. The story dealt

with an elite law enforcement

group dubbed S.T.A.R.S

film directed by Chayanika

Chowdhury.

Titled 'Antorale', the film

also stars Dhallywood actress

Pori Moni and Tariq Anam

Khan. Mahfuz was roped in

for the film on Saturday.

"Mahfuz Ahmed is a

legendary artist. He is my alltime

favourite," director

Chayanika Chowdhury told

on Monday while talking

about casting Mahfuz in her

investigating an abandoned

mansion and finding it filled

with monsters. Instead of

blasting through enemies,

players had to make use of

limited ammunition and

items. This style of genre was

dubbed survival horror, with

the surprise success of

'Resident Evil' inspiring other

titles like 'Silent Hill' and

'Parasite Eve. Resident Evil'

itself would launch a

Mahfuz set for comeback

with web film 'Antorale'

first web film 'Antorale'.

"I thought about the cast

for a pivotal role in 'Antorale'.

Names of several artists also

came across my mind. Later,

I chose Mahfuz Ahmed for it

and shared the script with

him. He liked the story and

agreed to it. It's a great

accomplishment for me that I

get my expected artists in my

projects," said Chayanika.

'Antorale', marking

Mahfuz's first ever

appearance in a web film, is

scheduled to go on floors in

January next year, the

director informed.

Talking about the

storyline of 'Antorale',

Chayanika said that it can

be said that it's a story

about inner sides of the

relationship that falls to

the genre of romantic

drama and also thriller at

the same time.

franchise that is still running

to this day, with 2021 seeing

the arrival of both the video

game 'Resident Evil Village'

and movie reboot 'Welcome

To Raccoon City'. This film

has no links to the previous

Milla Jovovich-led film series

and instead combines the

storylines of the first two

games in the franchise.

The 'Resident Evil 2'

portion of the movie will

apparently play like a zombie

version of Assault On

Precinct 13 - with John

Carpenter being a favorite of

'Welcome To Raccoon City'

Chayanika last directed

Mahfuz Ahmed in the drama

'Share Tin Khana Chithi' costarring

Shomi Kaiser, Abul

Hayat and Sharmili Ahmed

in 2018.

'Antorale' will also mark

Chayanika's reunion with

Pori Moni whom she directed

in her silver-screen

directorial

debut

'Bishwoshundori' co-starring

Siam Ahmed in 2020.

Chayanika further

informed that she earlier

faced delay in starting

'Antorale' due to the

pandemic after she got its

script prepared in 2019. In

June this year, she

announced Pori Moni in one

of its lead roles.

As for Pori Moni, the

actress has several projects

including Giasuddin Selim's

'Gunnin' and Rashid Polash'

'Pritilata' in the pipeline.

'No Land's Man' selected at 25th

PÖFF TBNFF

TBT RepoRT

Internationally acclaimed director

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's "No Land's

Man" has been selected at PÖFF-Tallinn

Black Nights Film Festival under

'Current Waves' section. Starring

Indian actor Nawazuddin

Siddiqui in lead, "No land's man"

deals with the identity crisis of a

South Asian Man.

The film, also features

Bangladeshi singer and actor

Tahsan Khan, and Australian

actor Megan Mitchel among

others. Farooki will also join as a

Jury member for the first feature

competition at the Tallinn Black

Nights Film Festival.

Taking to his Facebook

account, Farooki wrote, "The next stop

for No Land's Man is PÖFF | Tallinn

Black Nights Film Festival. The film is

in the Current Waves section in a

company of some good films. I will

present the film and will join the Q&A.

And oh I have another job in Tallinn

this year. I will again be on their jury.

This time for the first feature

competition." The prestigious film

festival held since 1997 in Tallinn, the

capital city of Estonia, holds both

competitive and non-competitive

programmes. According to the POFF-

Black Night Film Festival website, The

'Current Waves' is a non-competitive

programme which offers a panoramic

view of the trends and currents of

world cinema, including a

selection of festival

favourites and fresh films

that have caught the eye of

the festival's programme

team. The films selected at the

'Current Waves' have already

had their premiere or have

won awards in other

renowned film festivals.

In 2014, "No Land's Man"

was selected as the best

project at India's Film Bazaar.

Recently, the film was

nominated for the Kim Jiseok

Award at Busan International Film

Festival. This year PÖFF-Tallinn Black

Nights Film Festival will run from 12

November till 28 November.

New 'Resident Evil'

will recreate iconic

zombie moment

helmer Johannes Roberts -

while the other section deals

with S.T.A.R.S entering the

mansion. While familiar

characters like Jill Valentine,

Chris Redfield and Albert

Wesker will appear, details of

which monsters will turn up

are being kept mostly under

wraps. What has been

confirmed is that one of the

most chilling moments of the

original 'Resident Evil' game,

where the first zombie

players encounter turns to

look at them, will be

recreated.

Source: Collider

H o R o s c o p e

ARIes

(March 21 - April 20) : You may

experience some raw emotions

today, which you should use as your

ally instead of your enemy. Your heart may feel

rather abused, so do what you can to gently care

for it. Be careful of letting others get too close if

they simply don't know how to act around

something so fragile and pure. Protect yourself.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : Spiritual

concepts may seem elusive and

incomprehensible today. You

might have difficulty focusing on

books and your mind could

wander during lectures or meditation.

Conversation should shed light on what's

unclear to you. Ask friends who follow the

same path. If nothing else, you'll enjoy the

discussion.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : People may

be relying on you in many ways

today, so be careful that you don't

let anyone down. You may feel

like judges are evaluating your performance.

Try not to get too carried away with this

concept. What's most important is that you

do your best, not necessarily that you achieve

perfection.

cANceR

(June 22 - July 23) : Try not to get

caught in the crossfire of a heated

emotional battle today. Your happy,

freedom-loving nature is too precious

to be tainted by abrasive words and emotions. If

things begin to flare up, erect a mental protective

wall. These people may be too caught up in their

own drama to see how their actions affect the

people around them.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): You should feel

emotionally stable today, but you may

feel a bit unsure of yourself when it

comes to data. Someone is challenging

your way of thinking and demanding that you take

a step farther out on the fragile limb. You're happy

on the part of the branch that's much thicker and

more stable. Feel free to stay there if you don't feel

comfortable taking a chance now.

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Today you may

be obsessed with romance. Racy

novels could be especially appealing,

and you might try some experiments

with how you look in order to enhance your sex

appeal. If you try to schedule an intimate

encounter with a partner, don't be surprised if

there are obstacles, such as your friend's work. You

might have to wait until tomorrow!

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): You may be faced

with a choice between two different

realities. Friends and family are

choosing sides while you remain on the

fence. You're able to understand both sides of the

issue, making it difficult to put your energy in only

one camp. Perhaps you wish to serve as a bridge

between the two camps. Things don't have to be as

black and white as others see them.

scoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : Too much to do

around the house could have you

running around like crazy. You may

need to make a lot of calls, see too many

people, or execute some rather tedious paperwork.

This could have your nerves on edge by midafternoon,

so take a few minutes for yourself every two hours or

so. Step outside in the fresh air. This will calm you and

help you stay sane.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Your heart's in the

right place today, but somehow you

find it hard to execute the things you

want to do. Art and music projects are

especially difficult for you now. They require a

more cerebral approach than you'd like to admit.

Perhaps you're drawn to the spiritual nature of

things more than you're opposed to the rational

nature of things.

cApRIcoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): If you experience

resistance or frustration in a certain

area, you should take this as a sign that

you should follow a new route. Things

should flow smoothly and easily. This is one of those

days in which reality is going to conflict harshly with

fantasy, especially if you don't have them well

separated in your mind. Enjoy your imaginary

world, but deal with the practical world, too.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : An impromptu

gathering including some neighbors

could take place today. Someone

could start a round of gossip, and

this could turn you off. You might wonder if

they're going to start in on you when you leave!

Don't stick around. Listening to such talk could

give you a headache. Gossip is the last refuge of

people who have no life.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : You may

experience some push and pull

today. One minute you feel like you

should sit back and wait for things

to go your way, and the next you feel a stick

poking you to get moving. Life is a delicate

balance of incorporating these two modes of

operation. Neither way is more correct, so

recognize and honor both..

wEDNESDAY, NOvEMBER 17, 2021

11

An open discussion meeting through ESDO-Educo funded project was also held at Ranisankail

Upazila on Monday.

Photo: Courtesy

India's COVID-19 tally at

34,456,401, new cases in

one day lowest in 287 days

NEW DELHI : India's

COVID-19 tally rose to

34,456,401 on Tuesday, as

8,865 new cases were

registered during the past 24

hours across the country,

showed the federal health

ministry's latest data,

reports UNB.

The number of new cases

registered in a day is the

lowest in 287 days.

Besides, 197 deaths from

the pandemic have been

reported since Monday

morning, taking the total

death toll to 463,852.

There are still 130,793

active COVID-19 cases in the

country, a fall of 3,303 active

cases during the past 24

hours. "India's active

caseload is the lowest in 525

days," said the federal health

ministry.

A total of 33,861,756

people have been

successfully cured and

discharged from hospitals so

far, out of whom 11,971 were

discharged during the past

24 hours.

6 teens injured in

drive-by shooting near

Denver area school

AURORA : Six teenagers were

wounded Monday in a drive-by

shooting in a park near a

suburban Denver high school,

but all were expected to survive,

police said.

The victims, who range in age

from 14 to 18, are all students at

Aurora Central High School in

Aurora, a diverse city east of

Denver, said police chief

Vanessa Wilson. She said she

needed everyone to be

"outraged" by what happened

and come forward with any

information they might have to

help police find those

responsible, reports UNB.

Wilson asked neighbors and

other bystanders to share any

videos or photos from phones

or house surveillance systems

that might help detectives

identify the suspects, who

haven't been apprehended.

UK declares £18m for 12 countries

to end child marriage

DHAKA : The United Kingdom has declared

£18 million of new funding through partners

UNICEF and UNFPA for 12 countries,

including Bangladesh to end child marriage,

reports BSS.

This investment will strengthen laws and

policies, improve girls' access to sexual and

reproductive health services, support girls to

access formal and informal education and

tackle the harmful beliefs underlying child

marriage, said a press release sending from

British High Commission.

The earlier support for this work has

already helped avert 25 million child

marriages over the last decade.

The UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on

Tuesday also launched a major global

campaign to stop sexual violence against

women and girls in conflict around the

world. Foreign Secretary announced that

women and girls will be at the centre of her

foreign policy priorities, with more than £20

million of new funding to help stop violence

against women and girls around the world.

Speaking at an event for the Gender

Equality Advisory Council (GEAC) -

established under the UK's G7 Presidency to

support women and girls around the world -

the Foreign Secretary, who is also the UK's

Minister for Women and Equalities, also

announced that the UK will host a global

conference next year to unite the world in

action to prevent sexual violence in conflict.

Under the UK's Presidency, G7 countries

have committed to get 40 million girls into

education and this year the UK hosted the

Global Partnership for Education Summit,

raising o2.9bn to get children into school.

This included £430m pledged by the UK,

said the release.

Leaf Collection Center was inaugurated to facilitate the storage of raw tea

leaves for small scale tea growers in Bandarban. Chittagong Area

Commander and GOC of 24 Infantry Division Major General Md Saiful

Abedin was the chief guest at the inaugural function at Sharan Para area of

Chimbuk Road on Tuesday morning.

Photo: Safayet Hossain

Despite mistrust, Afghan Shiites

seek Taliban protection

KABUL : Outside a Shiite

shrine in Kabul, four armed

Taliban fighters stood guard

on a recent Friday as

worshippers filed in for weekly

prayers. Alongside them was a

guard from Afghanistan's

mainly Shiite Hazara minority,

an automatic rifle slung over

his shoulder, reports UNB.

It was a sign of the strange,

new relationship brought by

the Taliban's takeover of

Afghanistan. The Taliban,

Sunni hard-liners who for

decades targeted the Hazaras

as heretics, are now their only

protection against a more

brutal enemy: the Islamic State

group. Sohrab, the Hazara

guard standing watch over the

Abul Fazl al-Abbas Shrine, told

The Associated Press that he

gets along fine with the Taliban

guards. "They even pray in the

mosque sometimes," he said,

giving only his first name for

security reasons.

Not everyone feels so

comfortable.

Syed Aqil, a young Hazara

visiting the ornate shrine along

with his wife and 8-month-old

daughter, was disturbed that

many of the Taliban still wear

their traditional garb - the look

of a jihadi insurgent - rather

than a police uniform.

"We can't even tell if they are

Taliban or Daesh," he said,

using the Arabic acronym for

the Islamic State group.

Since seizing power three

months ago, the Taliban have

presented themselves as more

moderate, compared with

their first rule in the late 1990s

when they violently repressed

the Hazaras and other ethnic

groups.

Open discussion meeting

of ESDO-Educo project

held

An open discussion meeting

through ESDO-Educo

funded project was also held

on Monday in Ranisankail

Upazila Parishad hall. Since

last February 2021, three

projects have been

implemented by SDO in

Ranisankail Upazila with the

help of Educo Bangladesh.

The projects have been

implemented in a total of 40

government primary schools

and concerned communities

in all the unions and

municipal areas of the

upazila, a press release said.

The project activities are

also being conducted

through joint planning and

consultation with

community and upazila level

project supporting

government and private

stakeholders. Beneficiaries

and service providers will

also have to accept

suggestions and complaints

on issues such as what

extent has the implemented

project contributed to the

development of benefited

children, adolescents and

youth. This will help in

expanding and refining the

project.

Md. Sharifullai Salam,

Project Coordinator, ESDO

moderated the occasion.

During the time, Upazila

Parishad Vice Chairman Mst

Shefali Begum, Upazila

Youth Development Officer,

Union Parishad Chairman

and

journalist

representatives Ranisankail,

Thakurgaon were present as

guests in the open

discussion.

Among others, Sadia

Karim, Md. Mostafizur

Rahman and Motahar

Hossain were present as the

representative of Educo

Bangladesh while Nirmal

Kumar Majumder, Md.

Kariful Islam and project

staffs were present as the

representative of ESDO.

Kona represents

Bengali culture

in USA

Rokibul Hoque Dipu,

Magura Correspondent

Mahmuda Yasmin Kona is the

daughter of Fashiar Rahman

and Shamshunnahar Lucky of

Magura town. She is a student

of mass communication and

journalism department in

Bangladesh University of

professionals (BUP).

From her childhood Kona

was fond of recitation and

dancing. She was student of

Magura Shipakala academy

and recitation club Kantabithi.

After admission in BUP she

got involved in BUP literature

club and film club. She

became popular in the

university within very short

time for her different cultural

performance. In the mean

time Troy university of

Alabama state in USA called

her for scholarship in cultural

exchanging. Kona applied for

the scholarship. Through

different tests, 3 candidates

were selected from

Bangladesh for the

scholarship. Fortunately Kona

became one of the scholarship

holders.

Now Kona is performing

her cultural activities in

different cultural centers in

USA. Thousands of American

spectators as well as Bengali

spectators are enjoying

Bengali culture performed by

Kona.

Rangpur records no Covid fatality

for 12th consecutive day

RANGPUR: No fatality due to Covid-19 was

recorded for the 12 consecutive days on

Monday in the division where the pandemic

situation continues improving during the

last more than two and a half months,

reports BSS.

Health officials said the total number of

Covid-19 fatalities remained steady at 1,243

in the division.

The district-wise break up of the total

death stands at 293 in Rangpur, 80 in

Panchagarh, 89 in Nilphamari, 68 in

Lalmonirhat, 69 in Kurigram, 254 in

Thakurgaon, 327 in Dinajpur and 63 in

Gaibandha of the division.

"The average fatality rate currently hovers

at 2.24 percent in thebdivision," Acting

Divisional Director (Health) Dr Abu Md

Zakirul Islam told BSS yesterday

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases

reached 55,465 as six new patients were

found positive after testing 246 samples here

while the positivity rate is 2.44 percent on

Monday.

Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates

were 1.07 percent on Sunday, 2.94 percent

on Saturday, 3.38 percent on Friday, 3.79

percent on Thursday, 2.48 percent on

Wednesday and 2.76 percent on Tuesday last

in the division.

The total Covid-19 infected patients

include 12,485 of Rangpur, 3,818

Panchagarh, 4,455 of Nilphamari, 2,743 of

Lalmonirhat, 4,645 of Kurigram, 7,648 of

Thakurgaon, 14,805 of Dinajpur and 4,866

of Gaibandha in the division, Islam said.

"Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a

total of 2,97,206 collected samples were

tested till Monday, and of them, 55,465 were

found Covid-19 positive with an average

infection rate of 18.66 percent in the

division," he said.

Meanwhile, the number of healed Covid-

19 patients reached 53,272 with recovery of

12 more infected patients on Monday in the

division where the average recovery rate

currently stands at 96.05 percent.

The 53,272 recovered patients include

11,548 of Rangpur, 3,680 Panchagarh, 4,355

Nilphamari, 2,625 Lalmonirhat, 4,527

Kurigram, 7,334 Thakurgaon, 14,408 in

Dinajpur and 4,795 Gaibandha districts.

Among the 55,465 patients, 44 are under

treatments at isolation units, including 12

critical patients at ICU beds and five at High

Dependency Unit beds, after recovery of

53,272 patients and 1,243 deaths while 906

are remaining in home isolation.

"Meanwhile, the number of citizens who

got the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine rose

to 59,08,884, and among them, 34,28,349

got the second dose of the jab till Monday in

the division," Dr Islam added.

Talking to BSS, Chief of Divisional

Coronavirus Service and Prevention Task

Force and Principal of Rangpur Medical

College Professor Dr AKM Nurunnobi Lyzu

said the Covid-19 situation continues

improving in the division. "Despite the

improved pandemic situation, common

people should remain aware and properly

abide by the health directives to prevent

another probable spread of the deadly virus

during this winter," he said.

UN Security Council

extends mandate of

mission in South Sudan

UNITED NATIONS : United Nations Security

Council on Monday extended the mandate

of the United Nations Interim Security

Force for Abyei (UNISFA) until Dec. 15,

2021.

Unanimously adopting Resolution 2606

and acting under Chapter VII of the Charter

of the United Nations, the council reaffirmed

all previous resolutions and presidential

statements concerning the situation in Abyei

and along the border between Sudan and

South Sudan, underlining the importance of

full compliance with and implementation of

these. The council recognized that the current

situation in Abyei and along the border

between Sudan and South Sudan continues

to constitute a threat to international peace

and security.

It decided to remain actively seized of the

matter. UNISFA was set up by the Security

Council in June 2011 after a flare-up shortly

before South Sudan's independence.

An advocacy meeting on the code of conduct for the upcoming Union Parishad

elections has been held at Muksudpur in Gopalganj. The meeting was organized

by the Upazila Election Office on Tuesday. Gopalganj District Election

Officer Muhammad Faizul Mollah was the chief guest at the briefing held at

Faruk Khan Auditorium of the upazila while Upazila Nirbahi Officer Jobaer

Rahman Rashed presided over the function. Photo: S M Nazrul Islam

GD-1687/21 (5x3)

Mahmuda Yasmin Kona is now performing

Bengali cultural activities in different cultural

centers in USA.

Photo: TBT

GD-1688/21 (7x3)

Wednesday, Dhaka: November 17, 2021; Agrahyan 2, 1428 BS; Rabius-Sani 11, 1443 Hijri

Black Bengal Goat transforming

impoverished families into

prosperity in Chuadanga

CHUADANGA : Just three years ago Lima

Khatun was the face of extreme poverty in

her Bishnupur village Damurhuda upazila

in Chuadanga. She and her day labour

husband Monwar Hossain were struggling

to earn two meals a day for their fivemember

family, reports UNB.

In the past few months Lima pulled her

family out of poverty and started earning a

decent income thanks to rearing Black

Bengal goat.

The internationally-famed Black Bengal

goat, known as the poor man's cow, has

been playing an important role in alleviation

of poverty in Chuadanga district.

Every other house of this rural locality

now has small and large farms of Black

Bengal species of goat.

Bangladesh's local breed Black Bengal

goat is recognized as the best in the world in

terms of quality, according to a 2015 assessment

by the Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

and the International Atomic Energy

Agency (IAEA). Black Bengal goats have a

world-wide reputation as a source of quality

leather, delicious meat and nutritious milk.

Described by the UN as one of

Bangladesh's richest treasures Black

Bengal goats are known for their rapid

adaptation to any environment and for

giving birth to 3-4 kids twice a year.

This breed is known as 'Kushtia Grade'

in the international market. However,

recently this goat is being reared more in

Chuadanga district, which is now part of

the greater Kushtia. Not only black breeds,

but also Haryana, Jamunapari,

Totamukhi and Beetle breeds are being

reared by the people of this district.

Although several species of goats are

found in Chuadanga district, about 70 per

cent of them are Black Bengal goats.

Unemployed youth, new entrepreneurs

and poor farmers of this region are playing

a leading role in raising Black Bengal goats

and providing nutrition to the nation

along with earning their livelihoods.

As no extra expense is needed for keeping

these goats, women as well as men can

easily take care of them.

Getting back to Lima's story, one day

amid her struggles she went to see the

activities of Goat Breeding Society run by

the Wave Foundation after hearing good

things about it from her neighbours.

Lima first bought two goats with a loan

of 20,000 takas and built a shelter with a

platform for her goats. The two goats first

gave birth to one kid and within a year and

a half she sold the two goats for 30,000

takas. She bought more female goats

which gave birth to more kids. Gradually

the number of goats in Lima's farm

increased and currently she rears 23 goats.

Many people have similar stories to

share in the region which transformed

their life by raising this black goat.

After visiting the four upazilas of

Chuadanga, the Black Bengal Goat can be

seen on the roads and by-roads of even the

remotest area. Some people were seen

rearing goats in their homesteads or on

bamboo made platforms. Many farmers

said they are earning Tk two to three lakh

profit every year by rearing 20 to 30 goats.

Shahabuddin, a goat farmer from

Chuadanga municipality, said, "I have

been raising goats round the year along

with farming. Out of hobby I bought two

goats 24 years ago but now I have more

than 50 goats in my house. My family has

never been in need since I brought those

goats in my house,"

According to the Chuadanga District

Livestock Office, about five lakh goats are

grown annually in the district from which

about 23 thousand metric tons of meat is

produced. At present, goat meat price per

Kg is Tk 650 to 700 depending on the type.

The annual income from selling goat meat

and leather in the district is around Tk 2

thousand crore. Besides rom selling goat

skins, a large amount of foreign currency is

being earned.

"The Goat Development Farm was

established in 1997 in Chuadanga to conserve

the Black Bengal Goat breed of the

district. Every year goats are supplied from

this farm in different parts of the country

including 10 districts of Khulna division at

fixed price", said Arman Ali, Livestock

Officer of the firm. About one thousand

goats are currently being reared in this

farm, said Arman.

District Livestock Officer, Golam

Mostafa said, 'Chuadanga can be called a

sanctuary for the Black Bengal Goat as the

warm favourable climate here makes it the

most suitable area for goat rearing.

The members of the newly formed committee of Blue panel at FeeS of Dhaka University

present flower bouquet to the Vice-Chancellor.

photo: TBT

SC commutes death

sentence of Ramna

imam murder

case convict

DHAKA : The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday

commuted death sentence of a

man, convicted and sentenced to maximum

punishment in a case lodged over

murder of Ramna Police Station Mosque

Imam Hafej Mawlana Md Ishak in 2010,

to imprisonment for life.

An Appellate Division bench headed by

Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain

passed the order, dismissing a criminal

appeal of convict Kazi Bayezid in the case.

The apex court also fined him Taka 50,000,

in default, to suffer rigorous imprisonment

for two years more. Advocate Farid Ahmed

moved the plea before the court, while

Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Debnath

stood for the state, reports BSS.

According to the case documents,

Hafej Mawlana Md Ishak was abducted

on December 20, 2010, and his body was

later found at the morgue of Dhaka

Medical College Hospital. His brother

later filed the case with Ramna Police

Station and the police on April 9, 2011,

filed a charge-sheet against five.

Police in its report said Ishak had a dispute

with accused Abdur Rahim regarding

their salt business. Rahim and his men later

abducted Ishak and strangled him to death

at a house in the capital's Sheurapara.

Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 on

December 21, 2011, convicted and sentenced

Abdur Rahim Sarder, Kazi Bayezid,

Ekram Khan alias Masud and Murad to

death. The tribunal had also sentenced one

Nazimuddin to life imprisonment.

Khaleda Zia is seriously

ill: Mirza Fakhrul

SHAFiqUl iSlAM (JAMi)

BNP chairperson and former Prime

Minister Begum Khaleda Zia is critically

ill, said the party's secretary general

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. He urged

the government to immediately give

her the opportunity to get better treatment

in abroad. In a prayer meeting on

Tuesday morning, Mirza Fakhrul made

this demand to the government and

said that Khaleda Zia is in the hospital

in a very sick condition. Her family has

appealed for better treatment. We call

on the government to immediately

allow Begum Khaleda Zia to receive

medical treatment abroad.

He said, may your good intellect rise.

Please give the opportunity to Begum

Khaleda Zia to get treatment outside in

the interest of humanity. Otherwise, the

leader of democracy Khaleda Zia, if anything,

all her responsibilities but this government

has to bear. This is very clear.

He said that the doctors of this country

have already said that the treatment of

Khaleda Zia is for many kinds of ailments.

There is no medical center or hospital

in this country that can treat this

multi-disciplinary disease if its diseases

need to be treated properly.

She has been repeatedly asked to do so,

and her family has been asked to allow

her to be treated outside, at least in the

interests of humanity. We've talked

about this over and over, over and over

again. But she is not being given that

opportunity for treatment.

Khaleda Zia is currently taking treatment

at the CCU of Evercare Hospital

in Bashundhara under the supervision

a cardiologist Dr. Shahabuddin

Talukder. She was admitted on

November 13. The 76-year-old former

Prime Minister has been suffering from

various complications including arthritis,

diabetes, kidney, lung and eye problems

for many years.

The BNP has announced a nationwide

prayer mahfil program for Khaleda Zia's

recovery. As a part of it, a prayer meeting

was held on the ground floor of the central

office of Naya Paltan for Khaleda

Zia's immediate recovery. Later hundreds

of leaders and activists took part in

special prayers.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that

the leader of the country has been kept in

custody today after being convicted in a

false case in a mock trial and she is in

hospital today as part of a conspiracy to

de-politicize the policy of Awami government

and keep Madame Khaleda Zia out

of politics.

We know that Madam Khaleda Zia was

kept in an abandoned house in the

Central Jail for almost two and a half

years. She was not treated at that time.

She was under pressure from the people

when PG brought her to the hospital.

Committee formation

for Blue Panel

DU FEES holds

convention

TBT RepoRT

The Faculty of Earth and Environmental

Sciences (FEES) of Dhaka University held

a convention to form a committee for Blue

Panel (Awami League backed Teachers

Association). In a peaceful polling

environment, everyone unanimously

nominated the committee members for

the panel until the next convention takes

place. The elected representatives later

met the Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr.

Md. Akhtaruzzaman and Pro Vice-

Chancellor (Academic) Dr. ASM Maksud

Kamal of the university.

The nominated committee members

are Dr. Md. Zillur Rahman of the

Department of Disaster Science and

Management as the Convener; Dr. M.

Maksudur Rahman of the Department of

Geography and Environment as the

Senior Member; Dr. Md. Mostafizur

Rahman of the Department of Geology as

a Joint-convener; and Md. Jobaer Alam

of the Department of Oceanography as a

Joint-Convener. The departmental representatives

are Dr. Md. Faruk Hossain of

the Department of Geography and

Environment, Dr. Mahfuzur R Khan of

the Department of Geology, Md.

Shakhawat Hossain of the Department of

Disaster Science and Management,

Mahmudul Hasan of the Department of

Oceanography, and Dr. Fatima Akter of

the Department of Meteorology.

'Timeframe for income

tax return submission

won't be extended'

DHAKA : The timeframe for submission

of income tax returns at individual

level would not be extended beyond the

stipulated timeframe of November 30

this year, said officials at the National

Board of Revenue (NBR).

They said those who would not be

able to submit their tax returns within

this timeframe could apply before

the concerned authorities to allow

their submission of returns beyond

this timeframe as per the law.

Although Income Tax Fair is not taking

place this year like the previous

year, but such environment is prevailing

in each and every Taxes Zone to

facilitate the valued income taxpayers.

The taxpayers are now getting Tax

Identification Numbers (TINs) and

instant receipt of taxes once returns

are submitted in the Taxes Zones.

Talking to BSS, NBR member

(Income tax policy) Md Alamgir

Hossain said that the Income Tax Fair

is not taking place this year like the

previous year due to the COVID-19

pandemic.

Namaj-e-Janaza of noted writer Hasan Azizul Haque of Rajshahi

University central mosque was held.

photo : Star Mail

3214 acres of railway land under

illegal occupation: Minister

DHAKA : Some 3214 acres of land of

Bangladesh Railway are now under

the clutches of land grabbers across

the country, Railways Minister

Nurul Islam Sujan told Parliament

on Tuesday.

"The amount of unused (fallen)

land of Bangladesh Railways is

10,843.15 acres and 3,213.78 acres of

land remain under illegal occupation,"

he said replying to a written

question from BNP MP Aminul

Islam (Chapainawabganj-2).

Of the illegally occupied land, the

highest 620 acres are in Rajshahi district,

321 acres in Rajbari, 282 acres

in Sirajganj, 280 acres in Bagerhat,

210 acres in Kurigram, 183 acres in

Chattogram, 154 acres in Faridpur,

143 acres in Pabna, 128 acres in

Gaibandha, 113 acres in Nilphamari,

106 acres in Lalmonirhat, 103 in

Jhenaidah and 56 acres in Kushtia.

The amount of illegally occupied

land is less than 50 acres in other

districts, according to the statistics

placed by the Minister in the House.

Responding to a starred question

from Jatiya Party MP Shameem

Haider Patwary (Gaibandha-1), the

Railways Minister said drives are

being conducted to recover the

grabbed railway land.

In reply to a written question from

Awami League MP Didarul Alam

(Chattogram-4), the Railways

Minister said the government will

collect 400 more modern coaches --

200 broad-gauge and 200 metergauge-for

Bangladesh Railways

within the next two years with the

fund of European Investment Bank

and the Tenders Financing.

He said a project is underway now

to collect 150 meter-gauge and 100

broad-gauge passenger coaches

from South Korean and China

respectively.

Dengue cases keep rising

123 more

hospitalized

DHAKA : Bangladesh reported 123

new dengue patients being hospitalized

in 24 hours until Tuesday morning,

reports BSS.

Although dengue cases were supposed

to drop ahead of winter the country

is still seeing over 100 dengue cases

per day.

The number of fatalities from the

mosquito-borne disease this year

remained unchanged at 97 as no fresh

death was reported during the period,

according to the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS).

Of them, 89 people died in Dhaka division

alone, two each in Chattogram,

Mymensingh and Khulna divisions and

one each in Rajshahi and Barishal divisions.

Among the new patients, 94 were

undergoing treatment in hospitals in

Dhaka while the remaining 29 cases

were reported from outside the division.

Some 594 patients diagnosed with

dengue are receiving treatment in the

country as of Tuesday.

Of them, 478 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the

capital while the remaining 116 were

listed outside Dhaka.

Since January, some 25,897 patients

have been admitted to different hospitals

with dengue in the country. So far,

25, 206 dengue patients have left hospitals

after recovery, said DGHS.

In September, the country recorded

the highest number of 7,841 dengue

cases of the current year with 23 deaths.

In October, the number of dengue

cases came down to 5,604 with 22

deaths recorded.

How Char inhabitants turn around

after a devastating flood

BADSHAH SAikAT,

kURigRAM CoRReSpoNDeNT

Destitute people in the char areas of

Roumari upazila of Kurigram are trying

to recover from the floods. They are

giving effort to make up for their losses

by planting vegetables in the flooddamaged

land and in their backyards.

Besides, they are dreaming of changing

their fortune by raising chickens and

sheep. Residents of the surrounding

chars are also encouraged by their

developmental activities.

It has been observed on the spot

that people on the banks of Halhalia,

Sonavari and Jinjiram tributaries of

Brahmaputra have been facing severe

floods every year. This year's floods

have caused extensive damage to

their Aman seedbeds, paddy fields,

vegetables and poultry. The floods

destroyed houses and heaps of cattle

feed.

To reduce this loss, 270 families from

9 villages of the upazila got various

trainings and assistance under the ASD

project of Friendship. In the post-flood

period, they started cultivating vegetables,

raising poultry and raising sheep

in their households.

This is how their standard of living

are improving. After receiving various

trainings, they used the resources to

build a bamboo bridge and were able to

arrange a widow's allowance from the

UP chairman.

Rasheda Khatun, Beauty Khatun,

Swapna Begum, Khairun Nesha and

Abdur Rashid, members of Char FDMC

on the banks of Roumari Upazila, said,

"by cultivating good quality vegetables

we have been able to meet our food needs

and nutrition. Moreover, weare making

financial profit by selling extra vegetables

in the market."

Enamul Haque Montu of Baimamari

village in Jadurchar union said, "I got an

improved breed of sheep from

'Friendship'. After 6 months of keeping

that, I became the owner of three sheep.

By keeping this sheep, I will be self-sufficient.

Laili Begum, Abdul Mannan,

Amena Begum said the same thing."

"Friendship" transition fund (ASD)

project manager, Agriculturist

Ashraful Islam Mallick said that the

members' saving attitude, increase in

efficiency in saving fund formation and

local resources through advocacy assistance

to alleviate the geographical distress

of the people concerned and

develop local infrastructure and economic

development to improve the

members' income.

We are working to build capacity to

deal with disasters, including educational

discussions on ideas such as closures,

ideas about the National Assembly and

the Constitution, and so on. He further

said that we have imparted various trainings

to 720 members.

17-11-2021

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