22-11-2021

Monday

Dhaka: November 22, 2021; agrahyan 7, 1428 BS; Rabius-Sani 16,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 201; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Relatives of virus

dead question Japan's

stay-at-home policy

>Page 7

Munia murder case

PBI probe report

submission deferred

again to Dec 8

DHAKA : A Dhaka court on Sunday

allowed Police Bureau of Investigation

(PBI) an extended time until December 8

to submit its investigation report on

Bashundhara Group MD Sayem Sobhan

Anvir and seven others accused in a case

over the rape and murder of college student

Mosarat Jahan Munia.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Begum

Yasmin Ara set the new deadline of

December 8 after PBI failed to submit the

report on Sunday, as it was earlier asked

by the same court.

This was the second time PBI investigation

officer (IO) of the case Golam Muktar

Ashraf Uddin, also an inspector of the

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), failed

to submit the report after the first failure

on November 2.

On April 26, police recovered the body of

the 21-year-old Munia hanging from a ceiling

fan of her bedroom in a Gulshan flat.

Munia's elder sister, Nusrat Jahan Tania,

filed a case against Anvir that night accusing

him of incitement to suicide.

According to Tania, her sister, Munia,

was in a relationship with Anvir who regularly

visited her at the Gulshan apartment.

On July 19, the investigation officer of the

case Abul Hasan, also the officer-incharge

of Gulshan Police Station, submitted

a final report to the court giving a clean

chit to Anvir.

On September 6, Munia's sister filed

new rape and murder case against the

Bashundhara Group MD and seven others

with Dhaka's 8th Tribunal for

Prevention of Women and Children's

Repression.

AL picks candidates

for 4th phase

UP polls

DHAKA : The ruling Awami League (AL)

has published its list of candidates for the

4th phase of the Union Parishad (UP) elections

in the country. The candidates were

finalized at a meeting of AL Local

Government Public Representative

Nomination Board at Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina's official Ganabhaban residence

on Saturday last, said a press release.

Awami League Local Government

Public Representative Nomination

Board President and Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting. At

the meeting, AL-backed candidates were

nominated for 3 municipalities and 4th

phase UP polls of Rangpur, Rajshahi,

Khulna and Barishal divisions.

In Rangpur division, a total of 11 candidates

were selected for Panchagarh district

while 20 candidates for Thakurgaon

district. Twenty-one candidates will fight

from Dinajpur district while 12 others

were selected for Nilphamari district.

Twelve AL-backed candidates were

selected from Lalmonirhat district while

19 were nominated in Rangpur district.

In Kurigram district, 20 candidates were

selected and 18 others were nominated

from Gaibandha district.

Zohr

04:58 AM

11:50 PM

03:36 PM

05:16 PM

06:35 PM

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SPortS

Man Utd to sack

Solskjaer after

Watford humiliation

>Page 9

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday addressing a reception at Senakunja of Dhaka

Cantonment, virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.

Photo : ISPR

Bangladesh Army should

be People's Army: PM

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

on Sunday asked the members of the

Armed Forces to uphold the glory of the

country by contributing to its development

activities alongside protecting the sovereignty,

reports UNB.

"I believe you can earn admiration

everywhere by your discipline and professions

and can uphold the glory of the country

by contributing to the development

activities alongside protecting its sovereignty,"

she said while addressing a civic

and military gathering at a reception on the

occasion of the Armed Forces Day 2021.

The Prime Minister attended the reception

at Senakunja of Dhaka Cantonment,

virtually from her official residence

Ganobhaban.

Hasina said Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

said the Bangladesh Army should be the

People's Army. She hoped that the Armed

Forces will take the nation forward imbued

with the ideology of Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman and the spirit of the

Liberation War.

"We'll be able to move, raising our heads

high in the world arena. This is our main

goal," said the Prime Minister.

An audio-visual documentary was

screened on the occasion.

On this day in 1971, the Bangladesh

Armed Forces comprising Army, Navy and

Air Force, came into being and launched

an all-out attack on the Pakistani occupation

forces which sped up the victory in the

Liberation War.

DHAKA : The health condition of BNP

Chairperson Khaleda Zia, now undergoing

treatment at Evercare Hospital in the

capital with multiple complications, is

still critical but it is not true that she was

diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, said her

personal physician Dr AZM Zahid

Hossain, reports UNB.

He, however, said the BNP chief has

been suffering from liver problems

alongside kidney and cardiac ones.

"Madam's condition is the same as

before. There's no noticeable change in

her condition. We neither can call it a

slight improvement, nor stable. In a

word, she is still in a critical condition,"

Zahid told UNB.

He said physicians have kept her under

intensive monitoring in the Coronary

Care Unit (CCU) of the hospital. "Various

parameters of her health are fluctuating

and are taking the right measures

accordingly."

Zahid said the BNP chief is very weak

physically and she has to spend most of

her time lying in bed. "She's only allowed

soft food." Syeda Sharmila Rahman Sithi,

the wife of Khaleda's deceased son Arafat

Rahman, has been taking care of her at

the hospital, he said.

The doctor said it is now imperative for

Khaleda to go to any advanced centre

abroad for the proper treatment of her

Since the independence of the country,

this historic day is observed as the Armed

Forces Day every year. The Prime Minister

said the members of the Bangladesh

Armed Forces are always ready to make

the supreme sacrifices at any critical time

in the country alongside upholding the

sovereignty of the motherland.

"In addition to dealing with the

Coronavirus as well as manmade and natural

disasters, our armed forces have been

working sincerely for the development of

the country's socio-economic development,"

she said. She said the Army has

gained widespread acclaim for the construction

of the Access Control

Expressway, Marine Drive Road, eyecatching

Hatirjheel, the flyover and the

border roads.

The PM said the Navy has also earned

fame by building housing and infrastructures

for displaced Myanmar nationals in

Bhashanchar, while the Air force has

recently conducted the seed-ball throwing

activities in the country's coastal areas and

the remote places of Chittagong Hill Tracts

region under an afforestation programme.

She said Bangladesh has been ranked

among the top five countries in the world

in terms of economic progress and now

Bangladesh is the 41st largest economy in

the world.

"We've achieved unprecedented development

in all socio-economic indicators,"

she said, adding that works on all the mega

projects are progressing fast even during

the Corona pandemic.

Khaleda Zia's condition

improves slightly:Physician

multidisciplinary diseases. "All the doctors,

including those connected virtually

from the USA and the UK, are worried

about her condition as they think she

needs to go abroad as soon as possible."

About media reports on Khaleda's liver

cirrhosis problem, Zaid said the news is

not correct. "It's fact that she has been

suffering from liver, kidney, diabetes,

heart and other complications. But I

don't know from where the media got the

information that she was diagnosed with

cirrhosis."

Khaleda, a 76-year-old former prime

minister, was readmitted to Evercare

Hospital on 13 November, six days after

she had returned home from the hospital.

The BNP chief's physicians said she

has been suffering from rheumatoid

arthritis, diabetes, critical cardiac, kidney

ophthalmological and dental complications.

The hemoglobin level in her blood

has also dropped.

On behalf of the family, Khaleda's

younger brother, Shamim Iskander, submitted

an application to the Home

Ministry on 11 November urging the government

to allow her to go abroad for

better treatment.

Law Minister Anisul Huq, however,

recently said the BNP chairperson first

has to make a fresh application by going

back to jail to go abroad for treatment.

Rape threat

Students give

24-hr ultimatum

demanding bus

helper's arrest

DHAKA : Students of different colleges

in Dhaka gave the authorities concerned

a 24-hour ultimatum to arrest

the bus staff who reportedly threatened

to rape a female student, reports UNB.

Several hundred college students,

including those of Begum Badrunnesa

Government Girls College took to the

streets at 10 am to press home their various

demands, including the arrest of

the bus helper, and put barricades at

Bakshaibazar crossing, halting traffic.

They alleged that when a 2nd year

student of Badrunnesa College wanted

to pay half bus fare on Saturday, an

assistant of a driver of a bus of 'Thikana

Paribahan' threatened to rape her.

The Badrunnesa College students

took position at Bakshaibazar crossing

with placards, halting traffic on the

adjacent roads.

Later, students from other colleges

expressed solidarity with them and

joined the demonstration.

Tasnum Tabassum, a protester, said,

"We'll wait for 24 hours and will go on a

movement again if the authorities concerned

failed to arrest the bus helper

within the deadline."

Their other demands include ending

the harassment of students in buses,

stopover of all buses in front of colleges,

allocating seats for women passengers,

security and safety of female passengers

on buses.

Qudrat-e-Khuda, additional deputy

commissioner of Lalbagh zone, said

they will sit with the bus owners and

college authorities and look into the

allegation brought by the students.

"We'll check the allegation with the

help of technology," he said.

However, the traffic movement

returned to normalcy around 2 PM as the

students withdrew their blockades following

the assurance made by the police.

art & culture

Rani Mukerji on

financial instability

in Bollywood

>Page 10

Now petrol pump,

tank-lorry owners demand

rise in commissions,

transportation fares

DHAKA : As if taking a clue from the

public transports, the petrol pump and

tank-lorry owners are now demanding

that the government raises commissions

on fuel sales and transportation fares

following the recent hike in fuel prices,

reports UNB.

According to sources in the re-fuelling

business, the leaders of the Bangladesh

Petrol Pump and Tank-Lorry Owners

Workers Unity Council, a representative

body of the both operators and workers,

held a meeting on November 14 to negotiate

the demand with the Bangladesh

Petroleum Corporation (BPC).

But the meeting ended inconclusively,

the sources said. "But no concrete

decision has come from the meeting as

the BPC took time to hold an interministerial

meeting to take opinions

from the other ministries concerned",

said Nazmul Haque, president of the

unity council, also the president of

Bangladesh Petrol

Pump Owners

Association

(BPPOA) which

also held separate

meeting with the

BPC on the same

issue .

He, however,

informed that a 12-

point demand of

the unity council

was placed to the

BPC. The organisation

has been urging

the government for long to meet

their demands. "But the latest phase of

fuel price rise has pushed us into to an

unbearable situation," he told UNB.

Nazmul said they will go for action

programme to realisetheir demands if

the BPC fails to raise their commissions

within a week or two. The government

raised the prices of diesel

and kerosene to Tk 80 per litre from

Tk 65 with effect from November 4

this month.

In line with the rise in fuel prices, the

government raised fares of bus, trucks,

launches and other mode of vehicles run

by diesel.

As per demand, the petrol pump owners

want the government to raise the

commissions on retail sales to 7 per cent

from the existing 3 per cent on diesel

and 4 per cent on octane sales and in

terms of Taka, it is to be Tk 0.75 per litre

from the existing Tk 0.50.

Another elephant calf found

dead in Cox's Bazar

COX'S BAZAR : Forest officials have recovered another carcass of wild Asian elephant

calf on Sunday from Islamabad hill at Eidgaon upazila in Cox's Bazar. According to

locals, around 7 am some wood cutters found the elephant dead in a 2.5 feet deep hole

and informed the forest department, reports UNB.

Md Alauddin, Rajghat bit officer under Fulchari range said the male elephant was

approximately two years old and it was seven feet long, five feet wide and its trunk was

2.5 feet long. "The elephant might have died around Saturday night," he said. Faruq

Ahmed Bulbul, another officer from the Fulchari range, said the elephant might have

slipped into the hole while getting down the slope.

"The actual reason of death can be confirmed after the Cox's Bazar upazila livestock

officials conduct an autopsy but they have confirmed finding injury marks on its body,"

said Dr Prantosh Chandra Roy Assistant Conservator of Forest of Fulchari range.

Dipak Sharma Dipu, president of Cox's Bazar Forest and Environment Conservation

Council said in the last one year at least 10 elephants died in Cox's Bazar. He did not

rule out planned killing of the calf too. "Elephants are being killed all over the country

due to forest grabbing, cultivation in forest land and for selling elephant teeth," he said.

Students

of different

colleges in

the capital

city staged

demo

demanding

arrest of the

bus helper.

Photo :

Star Mail

monDAY, novemBer 22, 2021

2

Interoperable digital

transition platform will be

launched in January: Palak

DHAKA : State Minister for

Information

and

Communication Technology

(ICT) Division Zunaid

Ahmed Palak on Sudnay said

interoperable digital

transition platform will be

introduced in January

aiming to make money

transition smooth and

minimise its cost.

He said this while speaking

at the second session of a

workshop at Bangabandhu

International Conference

Centre here.

Bangladesh Women

Chamber and Commerce

and Industries (BWCCI)

arranged the capacity

building training workshop

for Anandamela platform

users.

Speaking as the chief guest,

Palak said the aim of the

interoperable digital

transition platform is to

provide digital services to the

country's people.

He said the government

will give Taka 5,000 to 2,000

to small women

entrepreneurs each for

developing their websites

and marketing their

products.

The state minister said

electronic money transfer

and ATM card use help rapid

development of ecommerce

sector in the country.

The size of country's

ecommerce sector is

expected to reach Taka

25,000 crore by 2023, he

added.

As the government has

taken various initiatives to

flourish startup culture, now

the startup ecosystem has

been built in the country, he

added.

The state minister said the

ICT Division is distributing

grants among startups under

the Idea Project.

The quilt traders have already completed all their preparations. They are

busy in making quilts. The picture was taken from the 2nd railway station

of Bogura yesterday.

Photo : TBT

Gallantry award holder

FFs of navy, air force

accorded receptions

DHAKA : Bangladesh Navy and

Bangladesh Air Force yesterday accorded

receptions to the gallantry award holder

freedom fighters (FFs) and their family

members, on the occasion of the Armed

Forces Day.

On the occasion, Navy Chief Admiral M

Shaheen Iqbal accorded a reception to 19

gallantry award holder FFs of the service

and their family members at Sagorika

Hall of naval headquarters in the city's

Banani area, said an ISPR press release.

Family members of Bir Shreshtha

Ruhul Amin, five Bir Uttams, five Bir

Bikrams and eight Bir pratiks of the navy

and their family members, PSOs of naval

headquarters and senior officials of the

Dhaka Naval Area were present at the

function.

The navy chief also awarded 38 navy

personnel for their praiseworthy and

courageous works at different sectors in

2020. Of the awardees, two received 'Nou

Bahini Padak (NBP)', four 'Osamanyo

Seba Padak (OSP)', five 'Bishishta Seba

Padak (BSP)' seven 'Nou Gaurav Padak

(NGP)', 10 'Nou Utkarsha Padak (NUP)'

and 10 received 'Nou Parodarshita Padak

(NPP)' awards.

Besides, Air Force Chief Air Chief

Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan also

accorded a reception to gallantry award

holder FFs of the Air Force and pilots of

the Kilo Flight and their family members

at BAF Shaheen Hall in the city's Tejgaon

area, said another ISPR press release.

A total of 25 members of the air force

and civil pilots of the Kilo Flight were

accorded at the function.

Air chief marshal inquired wellbeing

and exchanged greetings with the

gallantry award holder FFs of the Air

Force and pilots of the Kilo Flight and

their family members. Principal Staff

Officers and other senior officials of the

Air Force were present at the function.

JU 'C' unit entry test result published

SAVAR : The admission test result of Jahangirnagar University's

arts and humanities faculty under 'C' unit was published

yesterday with a pass rate of 62 per cent.

A total of 15,677 admission seekers, out of 25,143 participants,

passed the test held on October 18 on the university campus, said

Dean of the university's Arts and Humanities Faculty Professor

Mozammel Haque. The results can be viewed at the university's

website for admission, https://juniv-admission.org. This year, a

total of 3,08,606 admission seekers applied against 1,889 seats

under six faculty and three institutes of the university.

WTO members on

track to conclude trade

in services talks

GENEVA : World Trade

Organization talks on

facilitating trade in services

are on course to reach a

successful conclusion at the

WTO ministerial

conference starting later

this month, reporters were

told Thursday, reports BSS.

The negotiations,

launched at the end of

2017, aim to facilitate trade

in services by simplifying

administrative regulations

and technical standards.

"Participating members

are on the right track to

adopt a ministerial

declaration that will

announce the successful

conclusion of the

negotiations," said Jaime

Coghi, chair of the talks on

services domestic

regulation.

The WTO's 12th

ministerial conference

takes place at the global

trade body's headquarters

in Geneva from November

30 to December 3.

The 66 WTO members

negotiating on services

domestic regulation are

still finalising their

schedules of commitments

ahead of the conference.

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MOnDAY, nOVEMBER 22, 2021

3

HC issues contempt

of court rule against

DoE DG, 3 others

DHAKA : The High Court

(HC) yesterday issued a

contempt of court rule

against three people

including director general

(DG) of Department of

Environment (DoE) as they

failed to submit a report on

actions taken against people

grabbing and polluting river

Bongshi.

A High Court division

bench comprising Justice M

Enayetur Rahim and Justice

Md Mostafizur Rahman

passed the order, asking the

four to explain as to why the

court shall not draw a

contempt of court

proceeding against them for

failing to execute a court

order.

The other three accused

are Dhaka deputy

commissioner, Savar

assistant land commissioner

and officer in-charge of

Savar Police Station.

The High Court on

December 2, 2019, issued a

rule along with an order,

asking Bangladesh Water

Development Board, Rajuk,

DoE DG, Dhaka Deputy

Commissioner, Savar

upazila nirbahi officer, Savar

AC (Land), Superintendent

of Dhaka district police and

officer in-charge of Savar

Police Station to submit the

report. The court had come

up with the order after

holding hearing on a writ

filed by lawyer Md Bakir

Hossain.

SUST student stabbed

by mugger in Sylhet

SYLHET : A female

student of Shahjalal

University of Science and

Technology (SUST) was

stabbed by a mugger in

Surma residential area

near BGB gate in Sylhet

city early Sunday, reports

UNB.

The injured was

identified as Saima Alam, a

student of Civil and

Environmental

Engineering department of

the university.

Sources at the university

said Saima was stabbed in

the left leg by an

unidentified mugger when

she reached the university

dormitory from Sylhet

railway station around

5.30 am.

She was later rushed to

MAG Osmani Medical

College and Hospital.

University Proctor

Associate Professor Dr

Alamgir Kabir said provost

of the first female student

hall of the university Prof

Zayeda Sharmin informed

the proctorial team of the

incident. "We have visited

the inured student and

now she is doing well."

Sources at the university

said Saima was stabbed in

the left leg by an

unidentified mugger when

she reached the university

dormitory from Sylhet

railway station around

5.30 am.

He said that the law

enforcers have already

been informed by the

university authority.

Chairman of British Council Stevie Spring called on Dhaka University

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman on Sunday at the latter's

office of the university.

Photo : Courtesy

British Council Chairman

calls on DU VC

Chairman of British Council Ms. Stevie

Spring called on Dhaka University (DU)

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman on Sunday at the latter's

office of the university. She was

accompanied by Country Director of British

Council Mr. Tom Miscioscia, Director of

Education Mr. David Maynard and Project

Manager of English and Higher Education

Mohammad Delower Hossain.

During the meeting they discussed the

possibilities of strengthening ongoing joint

collaborative academic, research as well as

skill development programs on English

teaching and learning between the

University of Dhaka and British Council. DU

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman apprised the guests of

academic and research activities of the

university. Dhaka University authorities

have already signed MoU with different

renowned universities in UK for undertaking

joint collaborative academic and research

programs, he mentioned.

A conference will be held in London this

year to celebrate DU centenary and Her

Royal Highness Princess Anne Elizabeth

Alice Louise is being expected to inaugurate

it, the VC pointed out. He invited the British

Council Chairman to attend the event.

British Council Chairman thanked the VC for

inviting her.

President pays homage to

armed forces martyrs

DHAKA : President M Abdul Hamid yesterday

paid rich tributes to the martyred members of

Bangladesh Armed Forces on the occasion of

the Armed Forces Day-2021.

The head of the state paid the homage by

placing a wreath at the Shikha Anirban (flame

eternal) in Dhaka Cantonment yesterday

morning.

The president, also the Supreme

Commander of Armed Forces, placed the

wreath at the altar of Shikha Anirban at

8:00am. After laying the wreath, he stood in

solemn silence for a while to show profound

respect to the memories of the martyrs during

1971's Liberation War.

Later, a smartly turned out contingent of the

Army, Navy and Air Force presented a salute.

President Hamid also signed the visitors'

book there.

Earlier, on his arrival at Shikha Anirban,

chiefs of the three services and the principal

staff officer of the Armed Forces Division

received the president.

On this day during the War of Liberation in

1971, the Bangladesh Armed Forces,

comprising Army, Navy and Air Force, came

into being and launched an all-out attack on

the Pakistani occupation forces which sped up

the victory in the Liberation War.

After the independence of the country, this

historic day is being observed as the Armed

Forces Day (AFD) every year.

Former BCL leader sent to

jail in journo assault case

DHAKA : A court on Sunday sent

former president of Dhanmandi

Thana unit of Bangladesh Chhatra

League (BCL) to jail in a case lodged

for assaulting a journalist of private

TV channel Independent Television.

Dhaka Additional Metropolitan

Magistrate Asaduzzaman Noor passed

the order as police produced

Nazimuddin Ahammed Babu and

pleaded to keep him behind the bars

till the end of the probe in the case.

Babu and his men allegedly

assaulted Independent Television

senior reporter Rishad Huda on the

afternoon of November 20 as the

latter was going through the road

behind Aziz Super Market on his

motorbike and honked horn to

overtake a SUV occupied by Babu and

his men. Irked by the horn, they

started abusing Rishad, and as he

protested, they started beating him

mercilessly.

As the onlookers gathered at the

scene and protested, the former BCL

leader took the keys of Rishad's bike

and fled the scene. They asked Rishad

to meet them at Aziz Super Market to

take back his bike. When Rishad went

there, Babu and his men assaulted him

again, making police rescue him from

the place.

Rishad was rushed to Dhaka Medical

College Hospital and he later filed the

case against Babu, Tanvir, Eusuf Iqbal

and 10-12 unnamed persons with

Shahbagh Police Station.

Disabled rehabilitation and research association organized a discussion meeting on multi-media

role to prevent mental health.

Photo : Courtesy

Charges framed in

money laundering

case against

Lokman, 8 others

DHAKA : A court on Sunday

framed charges in a money

laundering case against nine

people including former

director in-charge of

Mohammedan Sporting

Club M Lokman Hossain

Bhuiyan, former Jubo

League leaders Enamul

Haque Arman and AKM

Mominul Haque Sayeed.

Judge Nazrul Islam of

Dhaka Special Judge Court-

10 passed the order and set

December 15 for starting

recording deposition of the

witnesses in the case,

assistant public prosecutor

(APP) Mahbubul Hasan told

BSS.

Criminal Investigation

Department (CID) on

November 19, 2019, filed the

case with Motijheel Police

Station against Lokman

Hossain Bhuiyan, accusing

him of amassing crores

through casino business and

laundering the money to two

Australian Banks.

The law enforcing agency

in their probe found

evidences of running illegal

casino and narcotics trades

in Mohammedan Sporting

Club against Lokman and

some other people.

CID after probing the case

filed charge-sheet against

the nine.

IU Day to be

celebrated today

ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY :

The authorities of Islamic

University in Kushtia will

celebrate its 43rd University

Day on the university

campus tomorrow marking

its 42th founding

anniversary.

The day-long celebration

includes hoisting of national

and university flags, a

colourful procession, a

discussion programme and

cultural event.

Celebrating the day, IU

Vice Chancellor Professor

Dr Shaikh Abdus Salam will

hoist the national flag while

its Pro vice-chancellor

Professor Dr Mahbubur

Rahman will hoist the

university flag in front of the

university

administrative

building premises around

10:00am.

Later, teachers, officials

and students of the

university will bring out a

colourful procession on the

campus.

After the procession, the

discussion and the cultural

programme will be held at

Bangla Moncha adjacent to

the faculty building on the

campus.

Islamic University was

established on November 22

of 1979 and started its

academic activities in 1985

with four departments, eight

teachers and 300 students at

Board Bazar in Gazipur.

Myanmar Navy frees

22 Bangladeshi

fishermen

COX'S BAZAR : Myanmar

Navy have released 22

Bangladeshi fishermen who

were detained with four

fishing trawlers while fishing

near the St Martin's Island

in the Bay of Bengal on

Saturday, reports UNB.

Saint Martin's Union

Parishad Chairman Nur

Ahmed said four fishing

trawlers with 22 fishermen

arrived at the St. Martin's

Island jetty Saturday

midnight with the help of

the Coast Guard and the

Bangladesh Border Guard.

However, neither the local

Coast Guard nor the BGB

members agreed to

comment.

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi

Officer (UNO) Parvez

Chowdhury said all the

fishermen are doing well.

Earlier, Myanmar Navy

seized four of the trawlers

owned by residents of the

area with 22 fishermen on

board around 10am

Saturday, from the east side

of the island when they were

out in the sea fishing.

World Children's Day

Children for urgent action on

issues that matter to them

DHAKA : Children and young people in

Bangladesh, Colombia, Fiji, Gambia,

Indonesia, and elsewhere on Sunday took

over newsrooms, newspapers, and broadcast

studios to report on issues that matter to

them, reports UNB.

Child journalist Rupkatha Rahman took

over as the editor of the Prothom Alo for one

day on the occasion of World Children's Day.

Children and young people are raising their

voices and demanding urgent action on the

issues that matter to them in a series of global

and local events to mark World Children's

Day, UNICEF's global day of action for

children, by children.

From headlining at the world expo, to

meeting with presidents, leading public

debates, and reporting from newsrooms,

young people are engaging world leaders,

businesses, and high-profile stars on issues

including climate, equality and kindness.

"Amid a global pandemic, rising poverty,

and social unrest, World Children's Day is a

time to celebrate young people's unwavering

hope and determination to build back better,"

said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director of

Partnerships Charlotte Petri Gornitzka. "The

road to recovery from COVID-19 must put

children and young people at the heart of

decision-making. As the leaders of tomorrow,

they have the right to shape decisions made

today."

This week, UNICEF and Gallup launched

the first-ever intergenerational poll on

childhood today, showing that young people

are 50 per cent more likely than older

generations to believe the world is becoming

a better place, but are impatient for action on

mounting crises such as COVID-19 and

climate change. To hear and amplify their

calls for a better world, presidents, ministers,

and businesses joined children and young

people at virtual and in-person events,

including: In West and Central Africa,

UNICEF kicked off its first annual 'Youth

Voices from the Sahel' public debate, focusing

on climate change, and bringing together

experts, political stakeholders, high-profile

individuals, and more than 100 young people

aged 8-25 to debate and deliver a set of

recommendations for leaders.

Children and young people hosted a

meeting with the Presidents of Botswana,

Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe at the

Kazungula Bridge where the borders of all

four countries meet.

The bridge was also lit up blue in symbolic

support for children. Heads of states,

ministers and members of governments met

with children in other countries including

Denmark, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Oman,

Turkey, and Switzerland.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors and highprofile

supporters used their global platforms

to help raise awareness and mobilize support

for children's rights and the issues affecting

young people, including: UNICEF Goodwill

Ambassador Millie Bobby Brown called for

children not to give up on adults in this year's

World Children's Day signature video.

In a reverse to the norm, Brown points out

how children are often given instruction from

adults, and now calls for adults to listen to

children. UNICEF China Ambassador Wang

Yuan (Roy Wang) released a new song to

inspire children and young people. UNICEF

Norway Ambassador Penelope Lea chaired a

conference with children, young people, and

government leaders on climate change and

sustainability.

On Saturday, at the LGED Headquarters, a reception was given to the

children of the LGED officers and employees who have obtained

GPA-5 in SSC, HSC and equivalent examinations for 2019-2020. The

chief guest was Md. Abdur Rashid Khan, President of LKSS and Chief

Engineer of LGED.

Photo : Courtesy

Vaccination programme begins

at Chattogram slums

CHATTOGRAM : After a vaccination drive at

Korail slum in Dhaka, health authorities

have started giving Covid jabs to the slum

dwellers of Chattogram city on Sunday,

reports UNB.

Some 2,000 residents of Jhautala slum in

Khulshi area will get the jabs under the

programme which started around 2 pm,

according to the Civil Surgeon's office.

The dwellers of all other slums in the city

will be brought under the vaccination

programme in phases, it said. Apart from the

slum dwellers, the third gender people will

also be brought under the vaccination

programme, and it will start on Monday. The

dwellers of Jhautala slum will be allowed to

get vaccinated without registration and the

campaign will continue till Thursday.

According to the Civil Surgeon office, the

vaccination drive will continue till 5 pm, and

a three-member medical team is there to

provide vaccine doses to the slum dwellers.

Dr Ilias Hossain, the District Civil Surgeon,

said the Jhautala slum residents will be able

to get their Covid shots on Sunday, Tuesday

and Thursday. Already some 300 doses of

Astrazeneca vaccine have been allocated for

the transgender people and the number of

doses will be increased depending the

number of vaccine seekers.

Zero to 7, Bangladesh's Covid

daily death toll increases again

DHAKA : After seeing a deathless day from

Covid-19, Bangladesh reported seven more

deaths in 24 hours till Sunday morning along

with 199 fresh infections.

Bangladesh on Saturday logged zero

Covid-linked deaths with 178 cases.

The daily case positivity rate declined to

1.16 per cent today from Saturday's 1.18 per

cent, said the Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS).

Six of today's deceased were men and

one was a woman. Five of the deaths were

reported from Dhaka division while one

each from Chattogram and Khulna

divisions.

With the fresh numbers, the total fatalities

rose to 27,953 while the caseload mounted to

1,574,088. However, the mortality rate

remained static at 1.78 per cent. The fresh

cases were detected after testing 17,135

samples, the DGHS added.

Besides, the recovery rate remained the

same as 97.72 per cent with the recovery of

192 more patients during the 24-hour

period. Health Minister Zahid Maleque on

Saturday said the government will

administer 6 crore more Covid-19 vaccine

doses by January next across the country.

"So far, 9 crore vaccine doses have been

administered and the government aims to

administer 6 crore more doses by January

next," he said.

With the administering of 6 crore more

vaccine doses, some 7.5 crore people of the

country will fully be vaccinated, Zahid

Maleque added. Zahid Maleque said, some

13 crore people in Bangladesh are eligible

to get vaccinated and 1 crore of them are

living abroad. After vaccinating 7.5 crore

people, he said, the remaining 3.5 crore

will soon be brought under the vaccination

campaign in phases.

monDAy, novEmbEr 22, 2021

4

When America talks, China doesn't listen

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Monday, November 22, 2021

Lingering skepticism about

Rampal power plant

On October 22, 2015 Bangladeshi and Indian

officials participated in a ceremony of laying

the foundation stone for the Rampal power

plant, a massive new coal-fired project that will sit on

the edge of the Sundarbans, the world's largest

mangrove forest to be run with imported coal. But

opposition to the plant has been mounting since the

project was first announced and the same has

intensified in recent months.

Our environmentalists are nearly all united on the

point that the plant on being commissioned, could

sound the death knell of the Sundarbans. They have

sent protest notes to the government saying that the

environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the

project is flawed and called for redoing it honestly and

truly transparently. UNESCO and other internal

organizations have called for an immediate review of

the project or preferably its dropping altogether.

Opponents say that the 1,320 megawatt project

could devastate the Sundarbans, Bangladesh's largest

forest and the nation's last stronghold of the Bengal

tiger. They contend that water diversion to the plant,

coupled with air and water pollution and heavy coal

barge traffic, could leave the Sundarbans - a UNESCO

World Heritage site - with an increasingly degraded

ecosystem.

First conceived in 2010, the Rampal power plant is

a partnership between the Bangladesh Power

Development Board and India's state-owned

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), which

will share fifty-fifty ownership of the plant, as well as

the electricity it produces. Critics justifiably contend

that despite being a joint project between India and

Bangladesh, Bangladesh will face the adverse

environmental and human impacts.

"Coal is big business in India, and no doubt there are

powerful interests at play," says Ashish Fernandes, an

expert on coal with Greenpeace India. "If Bangladesh

is locked into a coal-dependent energy paradigm,

companies like NTPC will make significant profits, at

the cost of [Bangladesh's] people and environment."

The Sundarbans plays a significant role in our

national economy and it is the largest source of forest

products in the country. Roughly the size of Lebanon,

the Sundarbans is home to at least 330 plant species,

315 bird species, 210 fish species, 49 mammal species,

and 59 species of reptiles. Many of the species are

endangered, including the Ganges river dolphin; the

masked finfoot, a water bird; and the Royal Bengal

Tiger. 'Situating a coal plant near a unique and

already stressed ecosystem is inexcusable,' says an

environmental activist.

The coal plant will suck up 9,150 cubic meters of

water from the Passur River every hour and run it

through a desalination plant. Since mangroves

depend on a brackish mix of fresh and salt water,

scientists not only fear that water levels in the Passur

river will run low, but also that the blend of fresh-andsalt

water could be disrupted, dooming swaths of the

Sunderban's mangroves. Furthermore, water

dumped back into Passur River will be up 20 to 25

degrees F warmer than the river water, threatening

aquatic species.

The water of the Sundarbans and surrounding areas

will be affected by discharging cooling water, effluents

from the ships, and leaching water of the coal from

ships. The Rampal plant will require around 4.72

million tons of coal every year, which the government

says will require a ship a day carrying coal through

wildlife-rich waters.

Another major concern is the air pollution and

toxins generated by the plant, including arsenic,

mercury, lead, nickel, and radium. The government

says the plant could discharge up to 52,000 tons of

sulfur a year, which, depending on the type of coal

burned, could lead to acid rain in the Sundarbans and

surrounding regions.

According to a recent press note from the

government, the plant will only burn "high-quality

imported coal," and "emissions of carbon, sulfur, fly

ash and several other sorts of air pollution will be kept

at a minimum level to avoid having any adverse

impact on the environment."

However, conservationists and scientists have

generally criticized the government's EIA for

downplaying threats and spreading misinformation.

Furthermore, critics say the government had already

tacitly approved the coal plant before the EIA was

even written or submitted to the Environment

Ministry for approval.

It was observed that the EIA process was "used as an

instrument to rationalize a predetermined project."

In last September, concerned Bangladeshis took

their opposition to the streets. At the end of the 400-

kilometer march, activist leaders released the "Long

March Declaration," which demanded that the

government must cancel the project immediately.

Nevertheless, the project is moving ahead. "We have

frequently said there are alternatives for producing

electricity, but there are no alternatives to the

Sundarbans," the declaration read.

US President Joe Biden spoke over

the phone with Chinese leader Xi

Jinping on Monday. The Chinese

dictator might have been on the other end

of the line, but he probably wasn't

listening. About a decade ago, Singapore

was criticizing the US government for

some failing or other. This writer had

occasion to ask an official at the US

Embassy why the Singaporeans weren't

also chastising the People's Republic of

China - since the Chinese were doing the

same thing as the Americans.

He said he had asked, and the

Singaporeans told him: "They [the

Chinese] won't listen to us."

The Americans should have figured this

out long ago. China rarely listens to the

United States. But it's hard for zealous

Americans to overcome their uniquely

American conceit that if they can just talk

with China - about anything, climate

challenges for example - that will

eventually establish a rapport that will

then open the door for discussing other

issues … that will then lead to a negotiated

agreement. No. It's not going to happen.

China will not listen to us Americans.

There is a reason a state of war still exists

on the Korean Peninsula (just a 68-yearold

armistice to cease combat operations).

China will not listen to us - unless it has to.

When do the Chinese listen to the US?

One American observer with four decades

of frontline experience in China puts it

this way:When we are stronger than

China in the categories of wealth and

power;When we have something they

want; When we can reduce the value of a

key asset (or assets) they hold. If the US is

not on course to any one of the three

above (all three would be great) China will

not listen to us. What is China doing when

it "listens"? Even when China "listens," it

is not the way Americans think of

"listening."China waits patiently for the

US finally to arrive at its own selfdiscovery

that the Chinese side is "correct

thinking." Noticed Xi Jinping's remarks

last week about "working with" the US to

re-establish mutual relations? In Beijingspeak

"working with" means we will help

you to accept what we want.

And sometimes China "listens" when it

wants to know what words we want to

hear from it in order for us to give it what

it wants. What are those words? "Winwin,"

"mutual respect," "mutual benefit,"

"new great-power relationship," "good for

American farmers/consumers/etc," to

name a few. In other words, when the

Chinese listen, it's just to be better

equipped to get the jump on us. So it's not

just useless, it can be harmful. But what

about all those painstakingly negotiated

agreements? Even if the US has the upper

hand and the Chinese do talk and

negotiate, and agree to do something,

there is scant evidence they keep their

GrAnT nEWsHAm

promises. Xi Jinping promising Barack

Obama at the White House in 2015 that

China would not "militarize" its artificial

islands in the South China Sea;

Xi's promise to do something about

Fentanyl flows into the US that are killing

tens of thousands of Americans every

year; The Genocide Treaty that Beijing has

signed; The People's Republic of China's

commitments to obey World Trade

Organization rules;

The PRC's commitments to abide by the

UN Convention on the Law of the Sea;

Climate-change agreements. Just look

at the recent US-China agreement on

climate. The vague promises to do nothing

in particular and are made by people who

won't still be alive when the commitments

come due and who know they won't be

held accountable - including by "climate

activists" (who know China won't listen to

them). The list of commitments they have

kept is much shorter. Maybe the only

international agreement the Chinese

Communists have kept is the PRC-North

Korea treaty. They've kept the North

Korean regime afloat for nearly 70 years.

Yet the Americans still haven't given up

trying to get Beijing to "listen" to them

Dr. JoHn C. HULsmAn

about North Korea. Despite the hard

lessons of decades of experience - and the

Donald Trump administration's

successful, if short-lived, attempts to turn

the tables on the PRC and not waste time

talking when the Communists weren't

listening - the Americans of all stripes are

once again hell-bent on talking with the

Chinese.

US military commanders are hot to reestablish

communications with the

People's Liberation Army - as if they can

"talk" their counterparts into good (by US

standards) behavior. The chairman of the

US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark

Milley, seems keenest of all - including to

tipping off Beijing if Biden is planning

something he doesn't approve of.

US business is insisting the Biden

administration start talking - and do

whatever is necessary to give the Chinese

what they want so they can get back to

"business as usual" with the PRC. And

Team Biden probably will. US Trade

Representative Katherine Tai and

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo are

both eager to "recouple" with China - and

chart a "middle way." Presumably they

mean "win-win"? John Kerry, the

"climate czar," apparently has never

stopped talking - and giving the Chinese

(and other American enemies) what they

want. Will we ever learn that the Chinese

won't listen? And that when they do they

aren't listening for the reasons we think

they are? And when they are negotiating

they're just wearing us down and setting

us up?

Source: Asia times

Zimbabwe is set on tackling climate change

The COP26 meeting of nations came

at an extraordinary time in world

history. Many countries are still

battling the pandemic, its impact on

public health and public finances. At the

same time, the urgency of the climate

crisis is forcing transformational changes

to economies. The discussions over these

two weeks have been critical to agree on a

collective way forward and I am proud to

represent Zimbabwe at this important

moment. In my country, we feel the

impact of climate change more than most.

Our temperatures have risen by

approximately 2 degrees Celsius over the

past century, which has seen a significant

increase in extreme weather. In the past

two decades alone, we have had to deal

with 10 droughts. If world leaders do not

step up climate action, developing nations

at the forefront of the fight against climate

change will see jobs lost, livelihoods

destroyed, and lives devastated. That is

something we must avoid and that is why

Zimbabwe is coming to the table with

ambitious plans to tackle climate change

and save our planet.

My government has now committed to

reducing emissions by 40 percent before

2030. This builds on a previous

commitment for a 33-percent emissions

reduction set in 2017. The new target will

see greenhouse gas emissions curbed to

44.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide

equivalent (Mt CO2e) by 2030, a

reduction of about 30 million tonnes. One

of our routes to achieve that is through

Greens sing the blues as reality triumphs at COP26

In the end, it comes down to a difference

in political philosophy. Like their

Marxist forebears, the green activist

community believes that the complexity of

the world can be distilled down to one clear

problem, with one clear policy solution.

Marxists saw the capitalist world system as

the problem and, armed with this

monocausal view of the world, they believed

a class-based analysis of capitalism would

lead to an overthrow of that system,

ushering in the proletarian Valhalla. One

hundred years and 100 million deaths later,

communism - in all its brutal forms - has

been utterly discredited.

Undaunted, the global left has moved

seamlessly onto the green agenda. Here,

global warming is the world's pre-eminent

problem, one whose solution requires the

sacrifice of whatever else comes to hand, in

order to prevent a ring of fire from engulfing

the world. Yet, this over-wrought

monocausality shares a great deal with its

Marxist ancestors. Indeed, the general

green solution to global heating amounts to

Marxism by the back door - to combat this

worldwide emergency, governments must

take over the commanding heights of the

global economy, enforce public mandates

on private individuals and industries alike,

And sometimes China "listens" when it wants to know what

words we want to hear from it in order for us to give it what

it wants. What are those words? "Win-win," "mutual

respect," "mutual benefit," "new great-power relationship,"

"good for American farmers/consumers/etc," to name a few.

EmmErson mnAnGAGWA

significant expansion of renewable energy

with the aim of having 26.5 percent of all

energy from renewable sources by 2030.

This includes investment in hydro energy,

solar energy and biomass.

We have also reaffirmed our

commitment to conserve the diverse

wildlife we have been blessed with. We

have 11 protected national parks, each one

provides a safe environment for our

wildlife, including African buffalo, African

bush elephant, the critically endangered

black rhinoceros, southern giraffe, African

leopard, lion, plains zebra, and several

antelope species.

Last year, mining was banned in all

those national parks. Moreover, my

government entered a partnership with

conservation non-profit African Parks,

signing a 20-year agreement in November

2020 for the management of Matusadona

National Park.

However, with all that ambition, we still

need to cope with the shocks of drought

and the impact of climate change through

necessary social safety nets. That is why I

and engage in economic dislocation if

necessary, all to solve the world's one

overriding issue. The problem with this

leftist fairy tale view is that, when push

comes to shove, the member states of the

world - that still retain the lion's share of the

globe's power, not the politically and

economically illiterate Greta Thunberg and

her ilk - all rightly see the world in more

complex terms. Predictably, the latest leftist

monocausal fairy came up against the wall

of political reality at Glasgow. Just as

unsurprisingly, reality won.

The key issue at the conference became

the desire of the activist world to begin

nothing less than the abolition of fossil fuels,

particularly the winding down of the use of

coal as a primary energy source, as it is

responsible for much of the carbon dioxide

have been appealing for multilateral

support to supplement our efforts.

Developed nations need to widen access

to climate finance as soon as possible.

Sadly, the longstanding pledge to

contribute $100bn annually to help

developing countries deal with the effects

of climate change has been elusive. The

If the sanctions are removed, we would have a fighting

chance at fulfilling our plans to become a middle-income

country by the end of this decade, helping thousands out of

poverty, stimulating innovation and once again allowing

Zimbabwe to play a leading role on the African continent.

wealthiest countries must set an example

and speed up this financing. All it

demands is political will.

Another step the leading economies

should take to support us, and others, is to

end the political and illegal use of

sanctions. In late October, UN Special

Rapporteur Alena Douhan called for the

removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe by the

EU and the US after finishing a factfinding

mission.

She echoed the arguments I have

articulated since taking office, that

sanctions and various over-compliance

with sanctions have had "an insidious

ripple effect on the economy of Zimbabwe

and on the enjoyment of fundamental

human rights, including access to health,

emitted into the air, causing a significant

portion of global warming. In typical leftist,

Wilsonian fashion, the initial wording of the

final communique at Glasgow called for the

world's member states to agree to "phase

out" coal. It was anticipated that this general

pledge would be followed up in the next of

this endless series of conferences with more

specific pledges on how to get to utopia from

The problem with this leftist fairy tale view is that, when

push comes to shove, the member states of the world - that

still retain the lion's share of the globe's power, not the

politically and economically illiterate Greta Thunberg and

her ilk - all rightly see the world in more complex terms.

where we are now. But the activist left had

not counted on the very real interest

calculations of the great powers that are the

primary users of coal: China, India and even

the US. It turns out that both India and

China think the world's problems are a little

bit more diverse and complicated than the

monocausal fairy tale beloved by the green

activist left. In the case of New Delhi,

economic growth amounts to its primary

food, safe drinking water and sanitation."

If the sanctions are removed, we would

have a fighting chance at fulfilling our

plans to become a middle-income country

by the end of this decade, helping

thousands out of poverty, stimulating

innovation and once again allowing

Zimbabwe to play a leading role on the

African continent.

I believe we have demonstrated our

willingness and desire to play a

responsible role in the international

community. We have made great progress

over the last three years and addressed

many of the reforms asked of us, including

providing compensation to landowners

who had their properties expropriated in

the 2000s, and tackling corruption. We

are applying to re-join the

Commonwealth of nations and I hope my

presence at COP26 is yet another sign of

Zimbabwe's reengagement efforts.

I was buoyed by warm bilateral

conversations with US President Joe

Biden, British Prime Minister Boris

Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin

Trudeau, President of the European

Council Charles Michel and others over

the first week of the conference.

But the time for words is over - we must

act now. My hope is the developing world

will be freed to both play its part in the

global fight against climate change as well

as be equipped to deal with its devastating

consequences.

Source: AL Jazeera

aspiration moving ahead. After centuries of

the most wrenching poverty, the Indian

economy is set to boom - with all that this

will mean for the country socially and

politically - thanks to its very favorable

demographic catch-up growth over the next

generation. To put this bounty in peril by

agreeing to give up coal without putting

anything in its place to make some

Westerners feel better about islands sinking

into the Pacific struck many there as the

height of fancy. For India, the ultimate

human right is high rates of growth over a

generation transforming the country once

again into a great power. It turns out the

government of Prime Minister Narendra

Modi thinks there are other primary issues

and interests out there besides global

heating. Likewise, following the tumult of

the later days of Mao Zedong's reign, Deng

Xiaoping rebranded the Chinese

Communist Party's political legitimacy as

being based on delivering on both

capitalism and nationalism, two traits

inherent in Chinese culture. Deng's bold

political risk was rewarded with the greatest

of success as the CCP's grip on power was

bolstered by its triumph on both key counts.

Source: Arab news

monDay, novemBeR 22, 2021

5

Measles progress in reverse as 22 mln miss vaccines

a medical practitioner putting gloves into a bin.

sanJeeT BagCChI

Healthcare systems in low- and

middle-income countries (LMICs) are

producing substantial carbon

emissions and plans for delivering

universal health coverage must tackle

this to avoid further escalation,

according to analysis published in The

BMJ.

The carbon footprint of healthcare

worldwide - the total amount of

greenhouse gases released into the

environment by health systems - is

equivalent to 2-2.4 Gigatonnes of

carbon dioxide (CO2), or around five

per cent of total global emissions,

studies have shown.

Healthcare in LMICs is a carbonintensive

activity which is "likely to

grow with the delivery of commitments

to universal health coverage",

according to researchers from

Switzerland, India, Belgium and Brazil

writing in The BMJ.

The World Health Organization

(WHO) estimated in 2017 that to

achieve the UN Sustainable

Development Goal targets for universal

health coverage, 67 LMICs would need

an additional annual investment of

US$371 billion by 2030.

"If the carbon impact of this

investment follows the average

emissions intensity for the 24 LMICs

[that the analysis assessed], achieving

universal health coverage could result

in an additional 382 million tonnes of

CO2 equivalent a year," The BMJ

analysis said. "This would increase the

global carbon footprint of healthcare by

about 16 per cent from 2.4 billion

tonnes."

Jerome Baddley, an author of the

analysis and a senior advisor on

environmentally sustainable

healthcare for Aga Khan Development

Network, in Geneva, Switzerland, told

SciDev.Net that most investments to

cut carbon emissions also reduced

costs, increased resilience and

improved public health.

"Embedding carbon reduction as a

core theme to the delivery of universal

health coverage would help ensure a

greater health and healthcare dividend

for any investments in growing

healthcare," he said.

The researchers attributed the high

carbon footprint of healthcare systems

in LMICs in part to unreliable

electricity grids, which leave health

facilities dependent on expensive and

polluting generators.

Ambulances and other

transportation vehicles often run on

fossil fuels and contribute to the

emissions, they said. Use of some

clinical products, such as pressurised

metered-dose inhalers and

anaesthetics, can also result in carbon

emissions, they added.

Speaking about the challenges in

developing low-carbon health facilities,

Baddley said: "This is not only about

facilities, but also products, travel,

suppliers, and models of care. For

example, primary care is lower carbon

than hospital care."

He said access to expertise to

calculate carbon footprints, target

action, and build the case for

investment had been challenging.

"Access to appropriate financing to

purchase the most efficient

technologies is also often a significant

challenge," he added. The researchers

advocate use of telehealth and digital

healthcare in LMICs to increase access

to healthcare and decrease carbon

emissions.

"Healthcare providers in LMICs

Photo: Rabiul hasan

Universal healthcare shouldn't cost the earth

should be expected by ministries of

health to calculate the carbon

footprints of their organisations and to

embed action in the delivery of

universal health coverage to reduce

emissions," they said.

They also recommend building zerocarbon

healthcare facilities, using lowcarbon

power sources, prescribing lowcarbon

products, packaging and

logistics, and minimising

transportation of patients.

"Government health regulatory

bodies must convert the [healthcare]

facilities to 'non-carbon emitting' ones

in a phased manner," said Diptendra

Sarkar, a public health specialist and

professor of surgery at the Institute of

Post Graduate Medical Education and

Research in Kolkata, India.

"It must soon become a 'climate

waste' disposal mechanism quite like

the 'biomedical waste' disposal

approach. Hospitals must set up

autonomous committees to ensure

regular audits," he told SciDev.Net.

At the UN climate change conference,

COP26, held in Glasgow this month,

governments from 45 countries

pledged to convert to "more sustainable

and low-carbon" healthcare systems.

Fourteen countries set a target to reach

net zero carbon emissions by 2050,

according to the WHO.

Marsha Wills-Karp, chair of the

department of environmental health

and engineering at the Johns Hopkins

Bloomberg School of Public Health, in

Baltimore, USA, told SciDev.Net: "The

recent COP26 commitment of

countries around the world to

developing climate-resilient healthcare

systems is a critical step in the right

direction of combatting the current and

future impacts of climate change on the

public's health.

Human rights abuses reported from

Kenya conservation efforts

DeveloPmenT Desk

Wildlife "conservancies" in

Kenya whose visitors

include Britain's Royals are

implicated in the eviction,

torture and murder of local

Indigenous people,

according to a devastating

new report by the US-based

Oakland Institute. Survival

has been pointing to horrific

abuse of this kind in

conservation projects in

Kenya for 10 years.

The new report

investigates the notorious

Northern Rangelands Trust

(NRT), an organization of

39 "community

conservancies" that now

cover 42,000 sq km - nearly

8% of Kenya. These were

formerly pastoralist

communities' grazing areas,

but they have been turned

into neo-colonial

"conservation areas,"

controlled by NRT, from

which Indigenous people

are violently excluded, and

which then draw in massive

funding from carbon

trading, donor country

grants, and from luxury

safari camps and lodges.

The areas now under

"conservancies" are the

ancestral grazing lands of

pastoralist peoples such as

the Samburu and Maasai,

who have been managing

these lands since time

immemorial.

Many of the

conservancies, including the

The areas under "Conservancies" are the ancestral

grazing lands of pastoralist peoples. Photo: Collected

private ones such as Ol Jogi

(owned by the billionaire

Wildenstein family) now

host luxury safari camps. Ol

Jogi reportedly costs

$210,000 to rent for a week;

another, Sarara lodge, is

described by one of its tour

operators as "a mission of

salvation, not only for the

wildlife and grasslands, but

also for the Samburu

people."

Fiore Longo, head of

Survival's Decolonize

Conservation campaign,

said today: "Disturbingly,

the NRT is increasingly

moving into the opaque and

dodgy carbon trading and

carbon offsetting as another

source of income, and this is

being held up as a model by

the EU in their new

NaturAfrica project, despite

the abundant evidence of

human rights abuses."

Kenyan ecologist and

conservation expert Dr.

Mordecai Ogada said today:

"NRT is an idea that started

small (and perhaps with

good intentions) but it has

now become a massive

financially and socially

unsustainable bubble,

straddling northern Kenya

with quasi-governmental

power.

Through

manipulation of cultural

structures, they have

trapped communities into

their

contrived

"conservation" model and

donors into their Byzantine

financial web. The longer

this edifice persists, the

more perilous its inevitable

unraveling will be."

Survival International's

Executive Director Caroline

Pearce said today: "Kenya's

"conservancies" have long

cultivated an image of

luxury in harmony with

nature, of untouched

African landscapes and

happy locals, often in

picturesque attire. But - as

Survival has long argued

and the Oakland Institute's

researchers amply

demonstrate - this is simply

a veneer for exploitation and

abuse of power at the

expense of Indigenous and

other local people.

"Survival has collected

testimonies from all around

the world, detailing how this

model of fortress

conservation leads to

Indigenous Peoples being

evicted from their own

lands, and being abused and

terrorized by those who

dispossess them. This is yet

another example of why

mainstream conservation

practices must change at a

fundamental level, and why

the world's tolerance for

appalling abuse masked as

friendly 'conservation' must

cease. The NRT must be

held to account."

Dann okoTh

Progress in the fight against measles

has been set back more than a decade

after 22 million babies missed their

measles vaccinations last year, leading

health bodies have warned. Measles is

one of the world's most contagious

human viruses, killing more than

60,000 people in 2020, but is almost

entirely preventable.

Although cases of the disease fell

more than in previous years, the risk of

outbreaks is mounting as COVID-19

disrupts global healthcare, says a report

by the WHO and US Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Missed vaccinations, combined with

declines in measles surveillance and

reporting, have created "dangerous

conditions for outbreaks to occur", the

health institutions said in a joint report.

Natasha Crowcroft, WHO senior

technical advisor for measles and

rubella, who co-authored the report,

said: "The world has now been set back

at least a decade in progress towards

measles elimination.

"We are very worried by what 2022

may bring with increasing malnutrition

and increasing risk of measles creating

a perfect storm for large outbreaks with

severe and tragic consequences for

children."

She warned that countries must "act

now" to strengthen disease surveillance

systems and close immunity gaps,

before travel and trade return to prepandemic

levels. In the last 20 years,

the measles vaccine is estimated to

have averted more than 30 million

deaths globally. Estimated deaths from

measles dropped from over a million in

2000 to 60,700 in 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused

significant disruptions to

immunisation services and changes in

health-seeking behaviours in many

parts of the world, even though

measures to mitigate the pandemic,

JulIa Conley

Climate policy experts on

Tuesday called for the final

days of the United Nations

Climate Change Conference

to be spent with world leaders

focusing on closing the

"credibility, action, and

commitment" gap that has

emerged as countries put

forward their goals for

reaching net-zero fossil fuel

emissions, with current

targets on track to allow

global heating far above the

1.5°C limit.

The climate policy

organizations Climate

Analytics and NewClimate

Institute released their

annual Climate Action

Tracker (CAT) on Tuesday,

showing that even with full

implementation of emissions

targets set for 2030, the

planet is expected to heat up

by 2.4°C by the end of the

century. Including

implementation of target

pledges made in recent days

at the U.N. Climate Change

Conference (COP26) in

Glasgow, Scotland, countries

will still be emitting

greenhouse gases at twice the

rate needed to limit global

heating to 1.5°C-falling short

of "clear benchmarks" put

forth by the

Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC).

like hand washing, mask-wearing and

social distancing, also reduced the

spread of measles virus, according to

the report.

More than 22 million infants

worldwide missed their first dose of

measles vaccine in 2020 - 3 million

more than in 2019 - making it the

largest increase in two decades, the

report said. Only 70 per cent of children

received their second dose, well below

the 95 per cent coverage needed to

prevent the virus from spreading, it

added.

While there was a decrease in

reported measles cases of more than 80

per cent, it was likely linked to a

deterioration in surveillance, with the

lowest number of specimens sent to

laboratories in over a decade, the report

suggests.

"There is no point in creating a

problem to solve another," Crowcroft

said in reference to prioritising COVID-

19 over other disease emergencies. "We

have to maintain a focus on measles at

the same time as COVID-19. For

measles, there is no standing still.

Either you're moving forward or you're

falling backwards. Any pause and it will

resurge." Major measles outbreaks

vaccinating babies against measles in liberia.

"To keep the possibility of

1.5°C alive, we need to cut

emissions by 45% below

2010 levels by 2030-in other

words, halve emissions from

present levels by then," reads

the 2021 Climate Action

Tracker, subtitled "Glasgow's

2030 Credibility Gap." "The

2020/2021 round of NDCs

[nationally determined

contributions] updates has

only reduced the emissions

gap in 2030 by 15 to 17%,"

according to the report.

Coal and gas are the

primary drivers of the

"appalling outlook" at

COP26, according to the

CAT. Coal must be phased

out of the power sector by

countries in the Organization

for Economic Co-operation

and Development (OECD)

completely by 2030, and

worldwide by 2040. But

"there is still a huge amount

of coal in the pipeline,"

according to the report, and

many governments are

supporting the rise of natural

gas-whose main component

is methane-as an alternative

to coal. "The biggest of the

coal countries, China, India,

Indonesia, and Vietnam,

must reduce their coal

pipelines, but they cannot

switch to gas instead," said

Bill Hare, CEO of Climate

Analytics. "We cannot let

fossil fuels be replaced with

more fossil fuels." While the

2015 Paris climate agreement

called on countries to submit

progressively more ambitious

targets each time they update

their NDCs-the efforts each

country agrees to make to

draw down their fossil fuel

emissions-a number of

countries including Australia,

Switzerland, and Thailand

have resubmitted the same

target they announced in

2015, while Brazil and

Mexico made even less

ambitious commitments.

One hundred and forty

countries have now

announced or are

considering net-zero

emissions targets, covering

90% of global emissions,

compared to 130 countries

which had set targets as of

May 2021.

"Today's leaders need to be

held to account for this

massive 2030 gap." But at

COP26, the CAT warned

Tuesday, the so-called "'good

news' of the potential impact

of announced net-zero

targets was bringing false

hope to the reality of the

warming resulting from

government inaction." "If all

the announced net-zero

commitments or targets

under discussion are

implemented, this would

occurred in 26 countries last year with

low- and middle-income countries

continuing to bear the biggest burden.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 18 of

the 26 most affected countries,

according to the report.

At the same time, measles

vaccination campaigns in 23 countries,

originally planned for 2020, were

postponed because of the COVID-19

pandemic, it found. Kevin Cain, CDC's

global immunisation director, said the

combination of vaccine gaps, measles

outbreaks, and declines in detection

and diagnostics, increases the

likelihood of measles-related deaths

and serious complications in children.

"Countries and global health partners

must prioritise finding and vaccinating

children against measles to reduce the

risk of explosive outbreaks and

preventable deaths from this disease,"

he urged. Peter Ofware, Kenya country

director at health and human rights

organisation

HealthRight

International, said countries in Sub-

Saharan Africa which are

disproportionately affected by the

disease must adopt a multi-sectoral

approach to get vaccination campaigns

back on track.

Photo: unmeeR

COP26 report reveals credibility gap between

climate commitments and 1.5°c target

If all the announced net-zero commitments are implemented, the global temperature

would rise 1.8°c by 2100.

Photo: Collected

bring our temperature

estimate for this 'optimistic

scenario' down to 1.8°C by

2100, with peak warming of

1.9°C," wrote the groups. "But

this is only IF these targets

are fully implemented, and

it's a big IF. Our analysis,

covering 40 countries, shows

only 6% of global emissions

are covered by targets with an

'acceptable' net-zero rating

for

target

comprehensiveness." Only

three countries-Chile, Costa

Rica, and the United

Kingdom-and the European

Union were given an

"acceptable" rating by the

CAT for the transparency,

scope, and architecture of

their net-zero targets.

Canada, the U.S., Germany,

and South Korea were given

"average" ratings while the

other nations in the CAT's

40-country analysis were

rated "poor," did not make

enough information available

to be rated, or put forward no

net-zero target. "The vast

majority of 2030 actions and

targets are inconsistent with

net-zero goals: there's a

nearly one degree gap

between government current

policies and their net-zero

goals," said Hare. "It's all very

well for leaders to claim they

have a net-zero target, but if

they have no plans as to how

to get there, and their 2030

targets are as low as so many

of them are, then frankly,

these net-zero targets are just

lip service to real climate

action.

"While the wave of net-zero

targets appears like

remarkable news, we can't sit

back and relax," said

Professor Niklas Hohne of

the NewClimate Institute. "In

the situation where, even

with the new pledges, global

emissions in 2030 will still be

twice as high as required for

1.5°C, all countries must

urgently look at what more

they can do."

"We have until the

weekend to turn this thing

around," said Jennifer

Morgan, executive director of

Greenpeace. "That means

countries agreeing how

they're going come back next

year and every year after that

until the gap to 1.5?C is

closed. The ministers

MONDAY, NOveMBeR 22, 2021 6

Distribution of Banga Bir General

osmani ‘Golden Award-2021’ held

Poetry Festival-2021 has been held for the first time in Kumarkhali on Saturday. Photo: M R Nayan

Poetry festival held at Shishu

Park in Kumarkhali

M R NAYAN, KUMARKHALI CoRRESPoNDENT

Poetry Festival-2021 has been held for

the first time in Kumarkhali of Kushtia.

The festival was organized by the

Upazila Poetry Council at the

Municipal Shishu Park on Saturday.

Barrister Selim Altaf George,

Presidium Member of Jubo League and

Member of Parliament for Kushtia-04

constituency inaugurated the festival

by flying balloons at 10 am under the

patronage of Shaheed Golam Kibria

Foundation.

Poet Syed Abdus Sadiq presided

over the poetry festival while among

others the special guests were

Upazila Awami League General

Secretary and Municipal Mayor

Samsuzzaman Arun, Upazila

Nirbahi officer (UNo) Bitan

Kumar Mandal, Upazila Mohila

Parishad President Mamtaz

Begum, Former Secretary

Akhtaruzzaman, Former Secretary

Poet Alkama Siddiqui, Retired Lt.

Col. Poet Shamsher Ali, Researcher

and Poet Adv. Lalim Haque,

Bauphal police in a drive arrested a leader of inter-district dacoit group

with arms and ammunition in the upazila on Sunday. Photo: Atul Paul

Inter district dacoit leader

arrested in Bauphal

ATUL PAUL, BAUPHAL CoRRESPoNDENT

Bauphal police arrestee Ismail Gazi (50), a

leader of inter-district dacoit group, with four

rounds of ammunition and a large quantity of

local weapons. He was arrested from his

house in Kashabpur village of Kashabpur

union of Bhauphal upazila on Sunday.

According to police and local sources,

Ismail was arrested during a raid based on

secret news and with the help of

technology. During this time 4 rounds of

ammunition, 4 spears, 4 pipes, 3 ramdas, 2

knives, 1 drill machine, 6 ranges and some

pluses including some pluses were

recovered from him. Police said they had

been trying to arrest Ismail for several

days. He is also accused of robbing a water

trawler on the river Tantulia. on Sunday,

a raid was carried out on a tip-off that

Ismail was armed and had no intention of

committing robbery.

Bauphall police officer in charge Md Al-

Mamun said that Ismail's name is in the

wanted list and there are several robbery

cases in different police stations. A case has

been filed against him at Arms Act at

Bauphal police station.

Aman paddy-rice procurement drive has started in Pirganj upazila

on Sunday. Former MP Imdadul Haque inaugurated the collection

program while among others Municipal Mayor and valiant freedom

fighter Ikramul Haque, Upazila Food Controller Zahirul Haque

Shah, Acting Food Warehouse Officer Asaduzzaman along with mill

owners, journalists and other dignitaries were present on the

occasion.

Photo: Bishnupada Roy

Journalist and Poet Abdur Rashid

Chowdhury, Poet Rabiul Haque

were also present at the occassion.

Meanwhile, poets, writers and poetry

lovers from greater Kushtia and outside

Kushtia have been coming to

Kumarkhali Municipal Shishu Park

since morning for the poetry festival.

With the passage of time, the gathering

of poets and poems in the park turned

into a fair. Performed by poet and

playwright Liton Abbas, more than a

hundred poets recited poems

throughout the day.

53,329 Covid-19

patients recover in

Rangpur division

RANGPUR: The number of

recovered Covid-19 patients

rose to 53,329 with the healing

of four more patients during

the last 24 hours ending at 8

am yesterday in Rangpur

division, reports BSS.

"The average Covid-19

recovery rate currently stands

at 96.08 percent in the

division where the pandemic

situation continues to improve

in recent months," Acting

Divisional Director (Health)

Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam told

BSS yesterday.

The 53,329 recovered

patients include 11,570 of

Rangpur, 3,680 Panchagarh,

4,362 of Nilphamari, 2,625 of

Lalmonirhat, 4,527 of

Kurigram, 7,345 of

Thakurgaon, 14,425 of

Dinajpur and 4,795 of

Gaibandha districts in the

division. Meanwhile, the

number of Covid-19 cases

reached 55,502 as two fresh

cases were diagnosed after

testing 150 new samples at the

positivity rate of 1.33 percent

on Saturday in the division.

Earlier, the daily Covid-19

positivity rates were 3.57

percent on Friday, 1.89

percent on Thursday, 3.77

percent on Wednesday, 3.86

percent on Tuesday and 2.44

percent on Monday last in the

division.

Currently, district-wise

break up of total 55,502

patients include 12,495 of

Rangpur, 3,820 Panchagarh,

4,457 of Nilphamari, 2,744 of

Lalmonirhat, 4,646 of

Kurigram, 7,653 of

Thakurgaon, 14,821 of

Dinajpur and 4,866 of

Gaibandha in the division.

"Since the beginning of the

Covid-19 pandemic, a total of

2,98,353 collected samples

were tested till Saturday, and

of them, 55,502 were found

positive with an average

positivity rate of 18.60

percent in the division," Dr

Islam said.

In the meantime, the

number of casualties

remained steady at 1,244 as no

new death was reported

during the last 24 hours from

the division. The district-wise

breakup of the 1,244 fatalities

stands at 293 in Rangpur, 81

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 casualty rate

currently stands at 2.24

percent in the division.

S MIZANUL ISLAM, BANARIPARA CoRRESPoNDENT

The distribution ceremony of Banga Bir

General osmani "Golden Award-2021"

has been completed on Friday,

November 19 in the hall room of Hotel-

71 (Bijay Nagar) on the golden jubilee of

independence.

Newly appointed Chairman of

Bangladesh Press Council Justice Md.

Nizamul Haque Nasim was the chief

guest at the award ceremony organized

by South Asian Social Education

Foundation. Former Information

Secretary, Chairman of BTRC and

Chief Adviser of South Asian Social

Education Foundation Syed Margub

Morshed presided over the function.

The chief negotiator Sher-e-Bangla

Agricultural University Vice Chancellor

Prof. D. Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan,

Special Guest Additional Secretary

(Finance) Peerzada Shahidul Harun,

Lalon Kanya Farida Parveen,

Chairman Lalon National Welfare

Council. Secretary General of the

organization RK Ripon gave a welcome

speech on the occasion. Speakers were

Narayanganj District Women's

organization Chairman Salma osman,

Sheikh Russell Shishu-Kishor Parishad

Secretary Lion Mojibar Rahman

Hawlader, Shariatpur Ittefaq

Representative Anol Kumar Dey,

Jhalakathi Journalist Md. Akkas Sikder

and others.

At the end of the discussion, the chief

guest handed over crests and

certificates to S Mizanul Islam, Daily

Ittefaq & Daily Bangladesh Today's

Representative senior journalist from

Banaripara for his special contribution

in journalism and social service.

Afterwards a pleasant cultural program

is served.

S Mizanul Islam, Daily Ittefaq & Daily Bangladesh Today's Representative senior journalist

from Banaripara recieved Banga Bir General Osmani "Golden Award-2021" held in the capital

recently.

Photo: TBT

Lowest Covid-19 positivity

rate continue in Ctg

CHATToGRAM: The lowest Covid-

19 positivity rate has continued in

Chattogram district.

The Covid-19 situation is

improving consistently during recent

months in the district, Civil Surgeon

Dr Ilias Chowdhury told BSS.

He said that Chattogram district

recorded lowest Covid-19 positivity

rate of 0.21 percent here while only

three fresh cases were reported after

testing 1,381 samples during the last

24 hours till Sunday morning.

Earlier, the district also recorded

lowest 0.45 percent Covid-19

positivity rate on Wednesday and

0.35 percent on Tuesday, Dr Ilias

Chowdhury added.

With the newly infected cases, the

number of coronavirus (CoVID-19)

patients stands at 102,350 in the

district.

"The number of cured patients

from the lethal virus stood at

90,601 in the district with the

recovery of 45 more patients in the

last 24 hours," Dr Ilias said, adding

that the percentage of recovery rate

is 86.76.

With no new deaths recorded in

the last 24 hours, the death toll is

steady at 1,330 in the district.

A total of 768 infected patients are

now undergoing treatment at

designated hospitals here, the

sources added.

Farewell ceremony and doa mahfil of HSC-2021 candidates of Golam Habib Women's Degree

College was held at the college premises in Chilmari upazila on Sunday. Photo: Golam Mahbub

RANGPUR: Experts at a meeting

yesterday stressed inclusive efforts of

the government and nongovernment

organisations concerned

in identifying obstetric fistula

patients to bring them under costfree

treatment facilities.

They opined this at the advocacy

meeting on fistula patients identification

organised by Divisional Director (Health)

office at Begum Rokeya auditorium of

RDRS Bangladesh here yesterday.

LAMB Hospital at Parbatipur

extended technical support in arranging

the event under the UNFPA Bangladesh

funded Elimination of Genital Fistula by

Capturing, Treating, Rehabilitating and

Reintegrating in Bangladesh (FRRei)

project.

officials and experts of the Health

Inclusive efforts stressed

to identify obstetric

fistula patients

Department, Department of Family

Planning, Department of Social Services

(DSS), Department of Women Affairs,

Department of Youth Development

(DYD), Department of Education and

journalists participated.

With Acting Divisional Director

(Health) Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam in the

chair, Divisional Director of the DSS Md

Abdul Motaleb attended the event as the

chief guest.

Additional Divisional Director of the

DSS Md Mossarraf Hossain and Deputy

Director of the Department of Family

Construction of 10 non-govt

school buildings on in

Ishwarganj

MYMENSINGH: The construction work of

four-storied academic buildings of 10 nongovernment

high schools is progressing fast

in Ishwarganj upazila of the district at a cost

of Taka 27 crore.

District Education Engineering

Department sources said the academic

buildings are being constructed at a cost of

Taka over 27 crore under the project titled

'Development of Selected Non-Government

High Schools'.

The schools are Jatia High School,

Tarundia Zagat Memorial High

School,Yasin High School, Moheshpur High

School, Abdul Khaleque Maksuda High

School, Roybazar Girls High School,

Atharabari MC High School, Didpur High

School, Shakhua Model High School and

Shohagi Higher Secondary School.

Planning for Rangpur Dr Sheikh Md

Saidul Islam were present as special

guests.

Acting Project Manager of the FRRei

project of LAMB Hospital Mahatab Liton

moderated the event.

Deputy Project Manager of the FRRei

project Dr Tahrima Hossain presented a

keynote paper on 'End obstetric fistula in

Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions:

Achievements and challenges' giving a

summary of the present fistula situation

and fistula elimination activities as a

resource person.

She discussed the causes behind the

intolerable but preventable disease,

available cost-free treatment facilities

and ongoing activities for rehabilitation

of obstetric fistula patients in Rangpur

and Rajshahi divisions.

The more than 87,000 personnel in U.N. peacekeeping missions are confronting greater threats

today because conflicts have become more complex and are driven by an increasing number of factors

ranging from ethnic tensions and the impact of organized crime to illegal exploitation of

resources and terrorism, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said Friday.

Photo : Internet

Iran's Mahan

Air says hit by

cyber attack

TEHRAN : Iran's secondlargest

airline, Mahan Air, said

it had been hit by a cyber

attack Sunday, the latest in

several targeting the company.

"Mahan Air's computer

system has suffered a new

attack," the company said in a

statement.

"It has already been the

target on several occasions

due to its important position

in the country's aviation

industry."

All of its flights were on

schedule, the statement

added, but the company's

website was down.

"Our internet security team

is thwarting the cyber attack,"

spokesman Amir-Hossein

Zolanvari told state television.

Mahan Air is Iran's main

private airline and the second

biggest after the national

carrier Iran Air.

It has been on the blacklist

of Iranian companies targeted

by US sanctions since 2011.

In addition to a domestic

network, it also serves

destinations in Europe and

Asia.

Iran last month accused

Israel and the US of a cyber

attack on its petrol distribution

system that caused havoc at

fuel pumps nationwide.

Israel's

internet

infrastructure has meanwhile

been hit by cyber attacks by

the Black Shadow hacking

group, including against the

largest Israeli LGBTQ dating

site and an insurance firm.

The hacking group has

not acknowledged any link

to Iran, but the attacks are

widely seen as part of a

years-long covert war

between Israel and Iran

including physical attacks

on ships and offensive

cyber moves online.

GD-1709/21 (6 x 3)

UN peacekeepers face greater

threats from complex conflicts

UNITED NATIONS : The more than 87,000

personnel in U.N. peacekeeping missions are

confronting greater threats today because

conflicts have become more complex and are

driven by an increasing number of factors

ranging from ethnic tensions and the impact

of organized crime to illegal exploitation of

resources and terrorism, the U.N.

peacekeeping chief said Friday, reports

UNB.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix said in an interview

with The Associated Press that even

compared to two or three years ago, "most of

our peacekeeping missions have a political

and security environment that has

deteriorated."

In addition and "equally important," he

said, is that the conflicts are "multi-layered"

and very often local and national, but also

regional and global.

He pointed to Africa's impoverished Sahel

region, which is seeing increasing terrorist

activity, as an example.

What is causing this change in how U.N.

peacekeepers have to operate are a number

of factors starting with increased political

divisions among the U.N.'s 193 member

nations, he said.

The drivers of conflict are increasing,

Lacroix said, and there are also what he

called "conflict enhancers," including digital

technologies, the impact of fake news and

misinformation on conflicts, and "armed

groups using increasingly sophisticated

means to undermine our actions."

The U.N. currently has 12 far-flung

peacekeeping operations - six in Africa, four

in the Middle East, one in Europe and one in

Asia - with the more than 66,000 military

personnel from 121 countries joined by over

7,000 international police and 14,000

civilians.

Lacroix said peacekeepers continue to

make "a huge difference" in countries where

they oversee cease-fires like Cyprus and

south Lebanon in terms of preventing

conflict, and "they also make a huge

difference in terms of protection of

civilians, even though we would like to be

able to do more.

Canada finds 4th body after

British Columbia mudslide

VANCOUVER : The British Columbia

Coroners Service has confirmed the

discovery of three more bodies near the

village of Pemberton, bringing to four the

number of people who died in a landslide

caused by heavy rains that swept vehicles off

the road, reports UNB.

The search continues for a fifth body, chief

coroner Lisa Lapointe said in a statement

Saturday.

The mudslide occurred Monday when a

wave of rock and debris covered a section of

the highway between Lillooet and

Pemberton.

The body of a woman was recovered

Monday.

Lapointe said another body was recovered

Wednesday and two additional bodies were

found on Thursday.

"Efforts continued Friday to locate a fifth

person reported as missing, but

unfortunately those attempts were

unsuccessful," she said.

The British Columbia government

announced Friday it is limiting the amount

of fuel people can purchase at gas stations in

some parts of the province and is restricting

nonessential travel as highways begin to

reopen following the storms.

Provincial Public Safety Minister Mike

Farnworth said nonessential vehicles will be

limited to about eight gallons (30 liters) per

trip to the gas station. The order is expected

to last until Dec. 1.

Russia, Israel plan to

create working group

to counter COVID-19

MOSCOW : Russia's

Consumer Rights watchdog

(Rospotrebnadzor) and the

Israeli Ministry of Health

reached an agreement

during negotiations held in

Moscow on creating a

special working group to

counter coronavirus, the

Russian service reported on

Sunday.

"Given the large amount of

data accumulated in Russia

and Israel on countering

COVID-19, an agreement

has been reached to create a

special working group on the

new coronavirus infection,"

the statement said.

An Israeli delegation

arrived in Moscow to discuss

issues of cooperation in

preventing and controlling

infectious diseases,

including coronavirus. The

parties exchanged relevant

data on the epidemiological

situation in Russia and

Israel and on circulating

strains of coronavirus, and

also discussed the issues of

vaccination against

coronavirus. The parties

noted that only vaccination

can stop the pandemic,

prevent severe disease.

Venezuela votes in

regional election under

international eye

CARACAS : Venezuela's

electoral system will be put to

the test Sunday when millions

of voters across the South

American country are

expected to decide thousands

of races in highly scrutinized

regional elections.

The contest will be observed

by more than 130

international monitors,

mostly from the European

Union, satisfying a

longstanding demand of the

opponents of President

Nicolas Maduro. It will mark

the first time in four years the

main opposition parties will

participate in an election, a

decision that came amid nowsuspended

negotiations

between the ruling party and

adversaries.

More than 21 million

Venezuelans are eligible to

vote in over 3,000 contests,

including for 23 governors

and 335 mayors positions.

More than 70,000 candidates

entered the races.

Maduro is not on the ballot.

His term ends in 2025. But

what is at stake is the

legitimacy of the National

Electoral Council, which has

often been accused of setting

conditions favorable of

Maduro's allies after years

marked by their decisions to

disqualify parties and some of

the most popular opposition

candidates.

International observers

have been deployed across

Venezuela to observe electoral

conditions such as fairness,

media access, campaign

activities and disqualification

of candidates. They are

expected to release a

preliminary report early next

week and an in-depth look

next year.

It is the first time in 15

years that EU observers

are in Venezuela. In

previous elections.

GD-1705/21 (10 x 4)

mONDAY, NOvember 22, 2021

7

Relatives of virus dead question

Japan's stay-at-home policy

TOKYO : Yoshihiko Takeuchi, who ran a

small restaurant on the island of Okinawa,

told only a few friends he had the

coronavirus. When he didn't answer phone

calls from public health workers for three

days, police went to his home and found him

dead in his bed.

He was among hundreds of people who

have died while subject to "jitaku ryoyo," or a

policy of having some COVID-19 patients

"recuperate at home."

In many countries, those with the virus

stay home to isolate and recover, but critics

say that in Japan, a country with one of the

most affordable and accessible health care

systems, people have been denied hospital

care, and the policy amounted to "jitaku

hochi," or "abandonment at home."

Takeuchi's sister and a daughter of another

man who died at home of COVID-19 have

started an online support group for grieving

relatives of such victims, reports UNB.

Japan has seen caseloads fall dramatically

in the past two months and the government

has drawn up a road map to improve its

pandemic response. A plan adopted Nov. 12

aims to have beds for up to 37,000 patients

nationwide by the end of November, up from

28,000. That compares with more than

231,000 coronavirus patients needing

hospitalization in late August, according to

government data. Many had to recuperate at

home.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also

promised to have health care workers

routinely visit COVID-19 patients with mild

symptoms at home.

Public anger over inadequate treatment in

the country with the world's largest number

of beds per capita is a factor driving such

changes. Kishida's predecessor, Yoshihide

Suga, resigned after only a year in office,

mainly because of widespread dissatisfaction

with the government's pandemic response.

Yoshihiko Takeuchi, who ran a small restaurant on the island of Okinawa,

told only a few friends he had the coronavirus. When he didn't answer

phone calls from public health workers for three days, police went to his

home and found him dead in his bed.

Photo : Internet

Speaking up takes courage in a conformist

society like Japan, and class action lawsuits

are rare. But Kaori Takada, Takeuchi's sister,

and others in her group believe their loved

ones were denied the medical care they

deserved. "I had to raise my voice," she said.

She is not sure what she will do.

Thousands are following the group's Twitter

account and others have come forward with

similar painful stories.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021

8

Al-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd has opened 195th branch at Boalkhali, Chattogram recently. Moslem

Uddin Ahmed Member of the Parliament of Chattogram-8 inaugurated the new branch as the Chief

Guest. Vice Chairman of Executive Committee of the Bank Mohammad Abdus Salam, Director

Ahamedul Haque and Md. Rafiqul Islam was present as special guest in the occasion. Deputy

Managing Director S M Jaffar presided over the ceremony. Boalkhali Mayor Zahurul Islam, Upazila

Chairman Md. Nurul Alam, Women Vice Chairman Shamim Ara, GM of N Mohammad Plastic Md.

Nazrul Islam, Chittagong Zonal Head of the bank Mohammad Azam, Vice President Md. Faisal Kabir

and other senior officials of the bank participated in the program. A large number of local people

and well-wishers were present in the inauguration ceremony. New branch manager Mohammad Ali

Khan thanked the audience.

Photo: Courtesy

NRBC Bank Ltd launched its Muladi Sub-branch at Muladi, Barisal recently.

Golam Kibria Tipu, MP, Barisal-3 has inaugurated the Muladi Subbranch

as Chief Guest while Golam Awlia, Managing Director and CEO of

the Bank presided over the inaugural ceremony. Md. Harun Khan,

President of Muladi Upazila Jatiya Party, Nur Mohammad Hussaini, UNO

of Muladi Upazila were present in the inaugural ceremony as Special

Guest. Besides, the banking services of 88th Branch of the Bank at

Habiganj has also been started on the same day. Ataur Rahman Salim,

Mayor of Habiganj Municipality inaugurated the Branch as Chief Guest.

High officials of the Bank and distinguished clients, businessmen, local

elites were present in the occasion. During the ceremony, a Munajat was

held seeking divine blessings of Almighty for the welfare, progress and

prosperity of the Bank.

Photo: Courtesy

Walton's country wide mobile fest

with attractive gifts

Bangladeshi handset maker

Walton has started countrywide

Mobile Fest. The aim of

the initiative is to create

awareness on the purchase of

legal registered mobile handsets

made in Bangladesh and

present various information

on Walton mobile phones to

The United Nations warned Thursday

that a surge in container freight rates

could mean higher prices for consumers

next year unless pandemic-fuelled

problems are untangled, reports BSS.

The UN's trade and development

agency (UNCTAD) said global import

price levels could increase by 11 percent

and consumer price levels by 1.5 percent

between now and 2023.

"Global consumer prices will rise

significantly in the year ahead until

shipping supply chain disruptions are

unblocked and port constraints and

terminal inefficiencies are tackled,"

UNCTAD said in its Review of Maritime

Transport 2021 report.

Global supply chains faced

customers in festive ways. The

fest includes various games for

all interested people and the

winners are being honored

with attractive gift items, a

press release said.

The month-long mobile fest

was kicked off from Kamrangirchar

area in the capital on

November 17. Two teams of

Walton Mobile are conducting

the colorful event with each

team has a well-equipped caravan

and necessary arrangements.

The teams will stay in

front of different mobile

phone markets across the

country and arrange events

unprecedented demand from the second

half of 2020 onwards as consumers

spent on goods rather than services

during coronavirus lockdowns.

But the upswing in demand hit several

practical constraints, including

container ship carrying capacity,

container shortages, labour shortages,

congestion at ports and Covid-19

restrictions.

The mismatch led to record container

freight rates "on practically all container

trade routes", according to the report.

"The current surge in freight rates will

have a profound impact on trade and

undermine socioeconomic recovery,

especially in developing countries, until

maritime shipping operations return to

European

stock markets

steady at open

LONDON : European equities

steadied at the open on

Thursday, despite losses

elsewhere on concerns over

soaring inflation, reports BSS.

London's benchmark FTSE

100 index dipped 0.3 percent

to 7,269.87 points, compared

with Wednesday's close.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's

DAX index rose 0.2 percent to

16,274.78 points and the Paris

CAC 40 was fractionally

higher at 7,158.08.

Concerns over runaway

global inflation continue to

stalk trading floors

worldwide.

Investors are increasingly

fearful massive financial

stimulus-coupled with

resurgent post-lockdown

demand and supply-chain

snarl-ups-could send prices

rocketing even further.

Data out Wednesday

showed inflation close to a

decade-high in Britain and an

18-year peak in Canada.

That came one week after

news that US inflation

surged to the highest level

since 1990.

such as easy and amusing

quizzes, cricket, football, basketball

games for all interested

participants.

Walton sources said that the

winners will have various gift

items including cricket bats

signed by national cricketer

Mehedi Hasan Miraz, T-shirts,

mugs and various souvenirs.

Details and updates of the Fest

can be found on Walton

Mobile's official Facebook

page- facebook.com/Walton-

Mobile.

Wasik Jahan Eshan, Marketing

Coordinator of Walton

Mobile, said: International

standard handsets are now

being manufactured in

Bangladesh with advanced

technologies and latest features

which are registered by

the direction of BTRC. The

ongoing Mobile Fest is raising

awareness among people so

that they purchase and use

registered valid handsets.

Besides, various information

of Walton mobiles are being

presented to them trough

amusing arrangements. The

fest has already received huge

response from the technology

lovers.

UN warns of soaring prices in 2022 due to freight rate spike

normal," said Rebeca Grynspan,

UNCTAD's secretary general.

"Returning to normal would entail

investing in new solutions, including

infrastructure, freight technology and

digitalisation and trade facilitation

measures," she said.

UNCTAD said the pandemic had

magnified pre-existing industry

challenges, particularly labour shortages

and infrastructure gaps.

It also exposed vulnerabilities, such as

when China's Yantian Port shut in May

due to a coronavirus outbreak, causing

significant delays, or when the giant

container ship Ever Given blocked the

Suez Canal in March, snarling global

trade.

Japan plans record

$490 b stimulus to

boost pandemic

recovery

TOKYO: Japanese Prime

Minister Fumio Kishida

announced a record 56 trillion

yen ($490 billion) stimulus

for the world's third-largest

economy Friday as he looks to

shore up its patchy pandemic

recovery, reports BSS.

The fresh stimulus,

expected to be approved by

the cabinet later in the day, "is

enough to deliver a sense of

safety and hope to the

Japanese people", Kishida

said in televised comments.

It will be the third round of

huge relief spending

unleashed by the government

since the pandemic beganwith

former prime ministers

YoshihideSuga and Shinzo

Abe pouring 40 trillion yen

and 38 trillion yen

respectively into the economy

in 2020.

"We have been able to build

economic measures that will

open the new society after the

pandemic," Kishida said at

policy talks between the

cabinet and ruling coalition.

He said the fiscal spending

of around 56 trillion yen was

expected to rise as high as 79

trillion yen including other

elements such as loans from

funds.

The spending will include

one-off cash handouts to

those aged 18 or under, and

will also raise the wages of

nurses and care workers, the

Nikkei business daily and

other major outlets reported.

World Congress on

Information Technology

(WCIT)

brought

opportunities for

Bangladeshi businesses to

engage with a wide number

of foreign partners. Local

organisations conducted

business to business (b2b)

meetings with their

counterparts from 67

countries during the fourday

summit, said ICT

Division in a news release on

Wednesday. Over hundred

of tech experts and policy

makers from 75 countries

participated in the four-day

summit virtually and inperson

at Bangabandhu

International Conference

Centre on November 11-14, a

press release said.

During the summit, World

Information Technology

and Services Alliance

(Witsa) conferred

Bangladesh Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina with

prestigious "Eminent

Person Award".

Former South Africa

President Nelson Mandela

received the award for the

first time in 2010.

Prime Minister's ICT

Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy

received the Asocio

Leadership Award from

Asian-Oceanian Computing

Industry Organization.

President Md Abdul

Hamid inaugurated the

India’s biggest-ever IPO Paytm

slumps by 27pc on market debut

MUMBAI : Indian mobile payments giant

Paytm lost more than a quarter of its value on

its market debut Thursday after raising $2.5

billion in the country's biggest-ever IPO, as

traders questioned whether the loss-making

firm would ever turn a profit, reports BSS.

Asia's third-largest economy has been in the

grip of an initial public offering frenzy, with

start-ups attracting billions of dollars in

investment in a bright spot in the Covidbattered

economy.

But while Paytm has established a leading

position in the fast-growing marketplace for

mobile payments it has lost money in each of

the past three years and its market debut

showed the limits of investor appetite.

Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, once

named India's youngest billionaire, wiped

tears from his eyes when the national anthem

was played at an opening ceremony before

trading began at the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Referring to the phrase in the anthem

"Bharat bhagyavidhata"-"the one who will

define the fortune of this country"-he said

Paytm has "actually done that".

But the company's shares dived at the open

and finished at 1,650 rupees ($21), down more

than 27 percent from their IPO price of 2,150

rupees.

"There is a lot of euphoria for the digital

space and that seems to now be subsiding,"

said SMC Global Securities analyst Saurabh

Jain. "These companies are coming out with

IPOs at scorching valuations and it's

anybody's guess what valuations are correct,"

he told AFP.

"It is very difficult for a company like Paytm

to turn profitable. They have the scalability but

they are not able to make money through their

business model." Following the debut,

Paytm's market capitalisation fell from an IPO

valuation of $20 billion to about $13.6 billion

at the close of trade.

Rakesh Mehta, a 49-year-old Kolkata-based

international conference on

November 11. Prime

Minister's ICT Adviser

Sajeeb Wazed Joy presented

the keynote paper in a

session on the first day of the

conference.

The world renowned

professionals in technology

participated in the

conference.

Among them, Internet

pioneers Vinton Gray Cerf

and Radia Joy Perlman,

World Wide Web founder

Sir Timothy John Berners-

Lee, Witsa secretary general

James H Poissant, AliPay

general manager Cheng

Guoming, We Robotics

founder Patrick Meyer and

Intel Corporation chairman

Omar Ishrak participated in

the meeting in hybrid mode.

Ferdousi Qadri, a

Magsaysay Prize-winning

scientist known as the Nobel

Prize in Asia among local

experts, and Senjuti Saha, a

microbiologist and director

of the Child Health Research

Foundation in Bangladesh,

also attended the event.

The conference

highlighted the successes

and achievements of Digital

Bangladesh.

It discussed the latest

rice exporter, said he had bought 12 shares

worth 25,800 rupees in Paytm, encouraged by

Sharma's bullishness about his firm.

"I was shocked to see the price when it

opened. I didn't get much of a chance to sell,"

Mehta told AFP.

"I was planning to sell 50 percent for listing

gains and hold the rest. Now I have no choice

but to hold on. If it goes anywhere close to my

purchase price, I will definitely sell. I wouldn't

want to risk holding it further."

Sharma-a schoolteacher's son who says he

learned English by listening to rock musicretains

a 14 percent stake in the business,

worth $2.4 billion at the IPO price but

approximately $540 million less by the close

of trade.

Other shareholders include Chinese tycoon

Jack Ma's Alibaba group and associate Ant

Financial, along with Japan's SoftBank and

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

Ant Financial sold 3.5 percent of its 28

percent stake in the IPO to meet regulatory

requirements that no shareholder should own

more than 25 percent of a listed company.

Alibaba continues to own another six percent.

Paytm's platform was launched in 2010 and

quickly became synonymous with digital

payments in a country traditionally

dominated by cash transactions.

It has benefited from the government's

efforts to curb the use of cash-including the

demonetisation of nearly all banknotes in

circulation five years ago-and most recently,

from the pandemic.

Nearly 22 million Indian shop owners, taxi

and rickshaw drivers and other vendors

accept payments as low as 10 rupees ($0.13)

using Paytm's ubiquitous blue-and-white QR

code stickers.

The platform had 337 million customers at

the end of June, according to the company's

regulatory filing. In 2020-21 it handled

transactions worth more than $54 billion.

Summit expands Bangladesh engagement in business

Sri Lanka ends farm

chemical ban as

organic drive fails

COLOMBO:Sri Lanka

abandoned its quest to become

the world's first completely

organic farming nation on

Sunday, announcing it would

immediately lift an import ban

on pesticides and other

agricultural inputs , reports

BSS.

The island country has been

in the grips of a severe

economic crisis, with a lack of

foreign exchange triggering

shortages of food, crude oil and

other essential goods.

Authorities had already

walked back restrictions on

fertiliser imports last month for

tea, the country's main export

earner.

But ahead of planned farmer

protests in the capital, Sri

Lanka's agricultural ministry

said it would end a broader ban

on all agrochemicals including

herbicides and pesticides.

State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak on behalf of Prime Minister's

ICT Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy received the Asocio Leadership Award from

Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization. Photo: Courtesy

additions of modern and

smart technologies like IoT,

BigData, Machine Learning,

and Robotics keeping in

mind the Fourth Industrial

Revolution.

State Minister for ICT

Zunaid Ahmed Palak said

the international conference

brings opportunities to

exchange of experiences

with stakeholders and

experts in technology from

different countries.

"The knowledge sharing

will contribute to the

growth, development and

development of IT

connectivity," he said.

United Commercial Bank Limited (UCB) received two excellence awards in

the category of 'Online Acquiring Business' and 'Domestic Debit Business'

from MasterCard recently. Planning Minister M. A. Mannan, MP handed

over the awards to Arif Quadri, Acting Managing Director, United

Commercial Bank Limited. The awards are the recognition to United

Commercial Bank Limited from MasterCard as valued partners and UCB's

contribution to innovation and success.

Photo: Courtesy

MonDAY, noveMber 22, 2021

9

Paine distressed

and embarrassed

by sexting scandal

SportS DeSk

Tim Paine Sunday said

Australian coach Justin

Langer wanted him to remain

as Test skipper, as he spoke of

his "distress" and

"embarrassment" over a

sexting scandal that cost him

his job, reports BSS.

The 36-year-old abruptly

quit on Friday ahead of the

Ashes series against England

over a series of lewd text

messages with a female

colleague in 2017 that he had

learnt were about to be made

public. Paine insisted it was

his decision to resign and he

wasn't pushed.

Late Glesnes strike lifts Philadelphia

in MLS Cup playoffs

SportS DeSk

Jakob Glesnes unleashed a stunning winner

from 25 yards out in the third minute of extratime

stoppage time on Saturday as the

Philadelphia Union downed New York Red

Bulls 1-0 in the first round of the MLS Cup

playoffs, reports BSS.

Norway's Glesnes came to the rescue of the

second-seeded Union, who were unable to

capitalize on their sharper play over 90

minutes and had plenty of worrying moments

in extra time.

New York struggled to create chances

throughout, failing to register a shot on goal

until Patryk Klimala made his way behind the

Union backline to force Andre Blake into a

save in the 95th minute. Kyle Duncan also had

a near-miss in the second half of extra time, his

effort from inside the area glancing off the left

post. The match looked to be heading for a

penalty shootout after Red Bulls keeper Carlos

Coronel saved a shot from Sergio Santos and

New York's Andrew Gutman's tackle denied

Cory Burke directly in front of Coronel's goal.

From a free kick on the left the ball finally fell

to Glesnes. He chested the ball down and, with

his second touch, belted his long-range arcing

shot out of reach of Coronel and into the net.

According to MLS, it was the latest goal scored

in any game in the league's 26-year history. It

sparked massive celebrations at Subaru Park,

where an hour before the game the Union

announced that Jamiro Monteiro and

Olivier Mbaizo were sidelined because of

MLS's Covid health.

the Argentina star took on a pass from kylian Mbappe on the edge of the box and sent it into the net

in the 87th minute as pSG's unbeaten run in the league stretched to five games.

photo: Ap

Sydney Sixers handed the

wooden spoon after ninth

defeat of the season

SportS DeSk

Two-time WBBL champions

Sydney Sixers finished with

the wooden spoon in the 2021

season after they were

condemned to the ninth loss

of the season by the table

topping Perth Scorchers. The

Scorchers with their

comprehensive eight-wicket

victory chasing 128, also

assured that next Saturday's

final will be played at the

Optus Stadium in Perth.

The last match of the season

was a final opportunity at

redemption for one of the

league's most intimidating

top-orders on paper. In

keeping with their indifferent

form, Shafali Verma and

Alyssa Healy began slowly,

meandering to 46 after 7

overs before both openers

were dismissed two balls of

each other by Alana King. The

legspinner took another

wicket, that of Nicole Bolton,

to finish with figures of 3 for

18 as the Sixers managed a

sub-par 128/4 with Ellyse

Perry finishing unbeaten on

39 off 37.

The target was hunted

down with ruthless efficiency

by the Scorchers batters with

Chloe Piparo scoring a breezy

unbeaten half-century in a 74-

run stand with Heather

Graham (34*).

Brief scores: Sydney Sixers

128/4 in 20 overs (Ellyse

Perry 39*; Alana King 3-18)

lost to Perth Scorchers 131/2 in

17.1 overs (Chloe Piparo 50*,

Heather Graham 34*; Stella

Campbell 1-24) by 8 wickets.

Bangladeshi archers

Rubel, Diya secure silver

SportS DeSk

The Bangladesh mixed team

comprising Rubel and Diya

lost by 1-5 sets to Korean pair

Seungyun and Royoo in the

final

Bangladesh had to be

content with runners-up

place in the recurve mixed

team event as the archers

secured a silver medal on the

last day of the Teer 22nd

Asian Archery Championship

at Bangladesh Army Stadium

in Dhaka Friday.

The Bangladesh mixed

team

comprising

Mohammad Hakim Ahmed

Rubel and promising archer

Diya Siddique lost by 1-5 sets

to Korean pair Lee Seungyun

and Royoo Su Sung in the

final.

Undoubtedly, it's a big

achievement for Bangladesh

winning the silver medal in

this prestigious stage after

surpassing India.

Earlier Tuesday, Rubel-

Diya pair made history by

reaching the final of an event

for the first time after an

intense 5-4 win over mighty

India in an exciting semifinal.

Coach Martin Frederick

was content with the archers'

performance on the day.

The German coach said,

"I'm happy with their

performance.

'I expected to score' - Messi

happy to get long-awaited

first Ligue 1 goal

SportS DeSk

Lionel Messi says he was happy to get his

first Ligue 1 goal for Paris Saint-Germain as

they beat Nantes 3-1 on Saturday, reports

AP. The Argentina star took on a pass from

Kylian Mbappe on the edge of the box and

sent it into the net in the 87th minute as

PSG's unbeaten run in the league stretched

to five games.

Messi, 34, now has four goals to his name

for the French giants, having in struck four

times in the Champions League since his

move from Barcelona.

But the six-time Ballon d'Or winner was

delighted to get off the mark domestically,

having drawn a blank in his previous five

matches in Ligue 1.

"I'm happy. We had a lot of chances, but

their goalkeeper made some good saves. But

we weren't afraid and we ended up winning,"

Messi said to Amazon Prime.

"I am happy to score this first goal, at the

Parc des Princes, in front of the fans.

"Even though I had already scored in the

Champions League, I expected to score in the

league.

PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino was pleased

to see his compatriot among the goals, but

expected his side to win by a bigger margin

despite seeing goalkeeper Keylor Navas sent

off midway through the second half.

"Yes, it was very important. We should

have scored a lot more goals. But these kinds

of matches are always open and when it is

like that everything can happen," the coach

said. "The team showed their character once

again [after Navas was sent off] and that was

great. Time is important to bond between

players and start to feel comfortable on the

pitch."

Pochettino added that he is unsure if

Sergio Ramos will be available to play

against Manchester City in the Champions

League next week.

"I don't know. His evolution is very

important. One thing to be at the training,

and quite another to be competitive," he said.

"He's in a good mood. But, please, don't

overinterpret too much. We must not

push too hard with him. It has to be done

little by little."

Man Utd to sack Solskjaer after

Watford humiliation: reports

SportS DeSk

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is to be sacked as

Manchester United manager, according to

widespread reports on Saturday following a

humiliating 4-1 defeat at Watford, reports

BSS.

Solskjaer admitted he was "embarrassed"

after his team's fifth defeat in their last seven

Premier League games.

The Times, The Guardian and the

Manchester Evening News reported that the

result of an emergency board meeting called

after the Watford defeat was to bring the

Norwegian's three-year spell in charge at Old

Trafford to an end.

Solskjaer signed a new three-year contract

in July and will reportedly be handed a o7.5

million compensation package.

The club's hierarchy stuck by Solskjaer

during the recent international break despite

humiliating home defeats to Liverpool and

Manchester City.

But worse was to come at Vicarage Road as

the struggling Hornets could afford to miss a

first half penalty twice and still run out

comfortable winners.

Solskjaer has managed to ride out the

storm during previous poor runs since taking

charge in 2018.

But United's latest slide comes after heavy

pre-season investment on Cristiano

Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane

that were expected to turn the team into titlewinners

for the first time since 2013.

Financial results released this week for the

first quarter of the season showed United's

wage bill has risen 23 percent.

However, that has not been rewarded on

the field as the Red Devils find themselves 12

points adrift of Premier League leaders

Chelsea down in seventh and out of the

League Cup. Much more was expected after

steady progress during Solskjaer's first two

full seasons in charge.

He secured back-to-back top-four finishes

in the Premier League for the first time since

the club's decline began with Alex Ferguson's

retirement as manager in 2013.

However, Solskjaer, who famously scored

United's winning goal in the 1999

Champions League final against Bayern

Munich, has failed to win a trophy since his

return to the club.

ole Gunnar Solskjaer is to be sacked as Manchester United manager,

according to widespread reports on Saturday following a humiliating 4-1

defeat at Watford.

photo: Ap

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021

10

Shamim, Shakila pair up for first

time in drama 'Molom Party'

Shironamhin announces new music

video to mark 25th anniv

TBT REPORT

Shamim Hasan Sarkar is a

very popular actor among

the viewers of this

generation. Young viewers

have a different acceptance

in him. Shamim also tries to

entertain the audience by

acting in the story of the

time. Shakila Parveen, on

the other hand, spends most

of her time working on

music videos.She has also

become quite popular by

working as a model in music

videos.

However, this is the first

time that Shamim Hasan

Sarkar and Shakila

Parveen have acted

together in a play titled

'Molom Party' directed by

Mohan Ahmed.

In the meantime, the

shooting of the play has been

completed in different

locations including Balur

Math in Uttara of the capital.

Regarding acting in the play,

Shamim Hasan Sarkar said,

'Shakila performs well. This

is first time I am working

with her. We tried to

highlight the story.I played

the role of Jasim in the play.'

Shakila Parveen said, "I

played the role of Nupur in

the play.This is my first

drama with Shamim.The

story is a little different.

That's why got intrested is

doing this character. I hope

the audience will like the

play. If I get a good story

and character, I will be

regular in drama. '

Meanwhile, Shamim

Hasan Sarkar has completed

the work of the play

'Makeupmaner Bou' directed

by Setu Arif.

TBT REPORT

Rock band 'Shironamhin' is gearing up to entertain

their fans with an exclusive music video titled 'Perfume'

from their new album of the same name to mark their

25th anniversary.

'Perfume' is going to be one of the most expensive

music videos in the country's band industry, according

to the band.

"We have plans to spend around Tk 15-18 lakhs to

produce the music video," Sheikh Ishtiaque, the

vocalist of the band, told on Saturday.

"The song 'Perfume' is based on the Greek

mythology. So, there will be at least 2 minutes visual

effects in the music video. We will be collaborating with

Dreamcast Production, Ma Er Doya Production and a

dedicated visual effects team for the music video. It will

be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the audience. I

think our fans will love our music video and the song,"

he said.

Ishtiaque said that they will start filming of the music

video from the second week of December and the post

production is expected to be done within March.

Meanwhile, Shironamhin is also planning a grand

surprise in collaboration with Brandmyth

Communication, for their fans on the occasion of their

26th anniversary in April 2022 as they couldn't

celebrate the band's silver jubilee this year for the

pandemic.

"We are teaming up with Brandmyth

Communication as they successfully hosted two big

concerts in the capital. We have plans to surprise the

fans with a grand concert and many other promotional

events. I won't reveal the details now but I think our

fans will love every bit of it," the vocalist said further.

The band has released seven songs on their official

YouTube Channel during the pandemic. Of these,

'KashfulerShohorDekha' which was released in May,

created a buzz among the fans.

Shironamhin was founded in 1996. The band's debut

album, 'Jahaji,' was released in 2004 and was a huge

hit. Their other hit albums include 'IchchheGhuri' in

2006, 'BondhoJanala' in 2009, 'Rabindranath' in 2010,

and 'Shironamhin' in 2013.

Their lineup includes, Ziaur Rahman in bass and

cello, Kazy Ahmad Shafin in drums and sarod, Diat

khan in guitar, Sheikh Ishtiaque in vocal and Symon

Chowdhury in keyboard.

Rani Mukerji on financial

instability in Bollywood

Rani Mukerji reprises the role of Vimmi "Babli" Saluja

in Bunty Aur Babli 2, a sequel to 2005's Bunty

AurBabli. In a recent interview, she detailed the trials

and tribulations she experienced before making it big

in the film industry.

While speaking to Bollywood Bubble, Rani

explained that back in the day, belonging to a

film family did not guarantee wealth.

People would sell their homes just to

release their films, and producers would

be "left on the roads" because they didn't

have money. "Being from a film family does

not always speak of any privilege," she said.

"People are poor also, they come from

humble backgrounds," she added.

Rani debuted in the film industry in 1996

with her father's Bengali film Biyer Phool. In

the same year, she debuted in Hindi

cinema with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat,

in which she was cast by noted

producer Salim Akhtar.

Rani claimed that

"Salim uncle" did

not cast her

because

she

was

"somebody's daughter, somebody's niece." She was

cast, she said, probably because he noticed a "spark" in

her.

"I was chosen because he thought I probably had the

spark to be able to face the camera.

And I did have to give an audition.

The director and the DOP

[director of photography] liked

the way I looked, and Salim

uncle was confident enough.

All actors who make it big in

the industry are newcomers

when they start off, and they

start somewhere. It was the

same case with me. I started

and I worked on myself and

worked hard. I am happy

that today I have fans

who support me

through thick and

thin."

Source :

India

Today

Shuvoo's

rap 'Koira

Dekha' for

'Mission

Extreme'

TBT REPORT

National award winner Dhallywood

superstar Arifin Shuvoo is bringing up

one surprise after another for his

upcoming film titled 'Mission Extreme',

which is awaiting release.

The actor has recently sung a rap song

titled "Koira Dekha", the track is

presented as the first 'action rap' in

Bangladesh. After going through a

tremendous physical transformation for

his role in 'Mission Extreme, he is set to

rap for the promotion of the movie. For

the first time such a song has been sung

for a movie in Bangladesh.

The song 'Koira Dekha' composed,

New artwork of what Will

Poulter could look like as

Adam Warlock in 'Guardians

Of The Galaxy Vol. 3' shows

just how good of a match the

actor might be. The third

'Guardians' film, once again

directed by The Suicide

Squad's James Gunn, is set to

see the rag-tag band of space

adventurers reunited for

another mission, having last

been seen saving humanity

from Thanos in 'Avengers:

Endgame'. The family-like

troupe of heroes have been

through a lot since their

second film, 'Guardians Of

The Galaxy Vol. 2', back in

2017, including losing their

timeline's version of Gamora

and picking up Chris

Hemsworth's 'Thor' for a joint

ride.

Recently, Poulter was

officially cast in the upcoming

MCU flick as Adam Warlock.

The character was previously

mixed, and mastered by Adit Rahman

with lyrics from Black Zang. Additional

arrangements for the track were done by

Mark Don. "Koira Dekha" was recorded

at the studio of Fatman Films. It was

released on November 20: as a

promotional song of the film on the

YouTube channel of the production

company Cop Creation.

Regarding the song, Adit Rahman

said, 'We did the song mainly for the

promotion of the film 'Mission

Extreme' and Shuvoo has sang it really

well. Although, he is an actor but

everyone will feel the song once they

hear it. The song will be released in

video format soon. The film 'Mission

Extreme' is jointly directed by Sunny

teased in the post-credits

scenes of 'Guardians Vol. 2' as

a secret weapon of Ayesha, the

Sovereign villain played by

Elizabeth Debicki. In the

comics, Warlock was a very

important

cosmic

superhuman in the Marvel

Universe, who fought both

with and against the

'Guardians'. The Midsommar

and Maze Runner star was a

surprising choice to fans, with

the actor often associated with

comedy, but director James

Gunn has been notoriously

thorough and accurate with his

choices of cast so far. Now, a

new piece of fan-made artwork

Sanwar and Faisal Ahmed. The story

of the film is inspired by some of the

brave operations of Counter Terrorism

and Transnational Crime (CTTC), a

specialised branch of Bangladesh

Police formed to tackle terrorism and

transnational crime.

The film will hit the theatres across 14

countries, including Bangladesh, UK,

Australia, France, Dubai, and Singapore

among others on December 3.

Alongside Shuvoo, Jannatul Ferdous

Oishee, Taskeen Rahman, and Sadia

Nabila star in the film. Prominent actors

Raisul Islam Asad, Fazlur Rahman Babu

and Shahiduzzaman Selim, Shatabdi

Wadud and Iresh Zaker also make

important appearances.

GOTG 3 art proves that

Poulter can be a great Adam

has given fans a chance to

imagine what Poulter could

look like in the role. The art,

posted to Instagram by user

spdrmnkyxxiii, shows the

actor's recognizable face with a

cosmic backdrop, surrounded

by glowing specks of energy.

Poulter is further transformed

by the power emitting from his

head and eyes, a sign of the

character's powers of energy

absorption. The artwork gives

Poulter an all-new goldskinned

look (like the golden

Sovereign that featured in the

previous film), and shows a

brief glimpse of how powerful

and mighty the young actor

can be in the MCU.

Source: IANS

H O R O S c O P E

ARIES

(March 21 - April 20) : A sudden but

fortunate change of job circumstances

could take place today. Perhaps you

suddenly get promoted or transferred. Perhaps an

important piece of information comes your way that

leads to advancement. Technology and data

exchange could also play a role in events. Friends or

colleagues may be involved. Whichever way you

look at it, this could be an auspicious day.

TAURUS

(April 21 - May 21) : A close friend

or your partner could propose an

impromptu trip and you might

decide to go. You're restless for

adventure. You may have been considering

several options, but your friend's idea seems

the most appealing. If this is a trip to a foreign

country, you might want to study the language.

You'll be surprised at how quickly you learn it!

GEMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : An unexpected

sum of money could cause chaos in

your home, but it's an exciting,

pleasant sort of pandemonium!

Perhaps this makes it possible for you to make

some necessary changes or buy some new

equipment, furniture, or appliances. Phone

some friends and give them the good news. You

might want to host a celebration!

cANcER

(June 22 - July 23) : Information

received today might make it possible

for you to change your job, residence,

or at least the way you think or operate. You might

feel nervous at the prospect, but you'll pull it off all

right. Don't be afraid to go with the flow and make

changes. This is only one hurdle in the course of

your personal development.

LEO

(July 24 - Aug. 23): An increase in

your technical skills could

bring you a new job or an

increase in income. You may

have felt a bit nervous and stressed lately,

but this should balance out now. You feel

focused and you're aiming carefully

toward your goals. You'll succeed if you

keep going as you are.

VIRGO

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): If you aren't

romantically involved, expect that status

to change today. You could meet more

than one attractive person! A new person

could come into your life or an old friend could suddenly

seem more appealing than you thought. If you're

involved, expect the energy around your partner to

change. He or she could seem happier, funnier, stronger,

so much so that you fall in love all over again.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Idealism and some

intriguing mystical revelations could

make you want to spread your ideas.

You may want to invite some friends

over to talk. For the most part, people will be

interested in anything you say. Don't force the

issue on those with doubts. They'll have to make

up their own minds and will do it in their own

time.

ScORPIO

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : The hopes and

goals of a group with which you're

associated inspire you. You might

make personal sacrifices in order to

assure their success. These sacrifices are temporary,

for you'll share in the group's good fortune. Personal

success is also in the stars, but it may require

disruptive change. Go with the flow and don't let

self-doubt hold you back.

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Sudden,

unexpected success could result in an

equally unexpected raise. Friends

may have pointed you in the direction

that put you in the right place at the right time.

Don't be surprised if this catapults you into entirely

different life circumstances. Make the most of this

break. Don't rest on your laurels or your success

could disappear as fast as it came.

cAPRIcORN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): A rush of optimism

and enthusiasm could propel you into a

more positive frame of mind, and you

could accomplish wonders. Your

circumstances may be turned upside down. A move

is possible, as is a change in your work. Don't cling to

the shore - flow with the current. Success and good

fortune are on the way as long as you let them

happen!

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Sudden insights

and revelations could enable you to

make some long-desired changes. A

lucky break might bring an unexpected

sum of money your way. Unusual dreams could

amuse you during the night. Keep track of them as

they might contain messages that can help you

accomplish whatever you want to do. This is a day of

fortunate developments and pleasant surprises.

PIScES

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : An old friend you

haven't seen in a long time could

suddenly reappear. You'll be surprised

by this person's achievements. This

meeting or the circumstances surrounding it could

mark a turning point for you. Perhaps this person

inspires you, or people you meet through him or her

make a difference to you. This is going to be a

strange, significant day. Make the most of it!

MONDAY, NOveMBeR 22, 2021

11

Chevron Bangladesh's illegal

building catches fire

TBT Report

A fire broke out in the Gulshan

Centre Point building on 20th

November 2021 at around 9 pm. As

a result, for not having firefighting

equipment and sprinkler system, it

couldn't fight automatically like

other compliance highrise

buildings. Later, after fighting for

almost an hour, 2 fire fighting units

were able to douse the blaze. No

casualties were reported.

It is to be noted that the USbased

international oil company

Chevron Bangladesh, which is

engaged in oil and gas exploration

and development in Bangladesh,

has recently moved into an illegal

controversial building, which was

invalid by the Supreme Court

according to a reliable source.

This news came into several

National Newspapers few months

back complaining that Chevron

Bangladesh moving to Gulshan

Centre Point which is an illegal

building. Many allegations are

there for years after years on this

building and came to the headlines

many times during the last couple

wewmAvBwm-236 Zvs-21.11.21

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GD-1713/21 (7x3)

of years. Furthermore, the Capital

Development Authority (RAJUK),

Department of Environment, Civil

Aviation, Fire Service and other

authorities have not given

permission for this building.

In this regard, the Capital

Development Authority (RAJUK)

said that this building is

unapproved and also there is no

approval to use it for any business

or commercial purposes. The land,

however, is earmarked in the

master plan of RAJUK to use only

as public facilities. While

investigating with technical

engineers, it was also noticed that

this building openly neglected Fire

rules which are very visible in car

parking and other public areas of

this building. To construct a highrise

building it's must to have

sprinkler, smoke & heat detectors,

alarms and other required

firefighting system in car parking

and all other public areas. But

there were no visible elements

found in these areas of this

building.

It was also reported that even

after knowing all these allegations

against this building few officials of

Chevron Bangladesh have taken

their desperate moves to relocate

their office in this building, by

putting the life of their people and

employees into danger. As it was

also reported in several

newspapers that Gulshan Centre

Point is not equipped with proper

Fire Fighting System and neglected

to follow Fire Fighting rules, but

still the officials of Chevron didn't

bother for the value of life.

IMF renews

$50 bn credit

line for Mexico

WASHINGTON: The IMF

announced Friday it has

renewed a two-year credit

line for Mexico for $50

billion, reports BSS.

The Mexican economy

remains exposed to risks,

including from the impact of

Covid-19, and the flexible

credit line (FCL) will provide

insurance against those risks

and bolster market

confidence,

the

International Monetary

Fund said in a statement.

The government considers

the credit line

"precautionary" and has

gradually reduced the

amount since 2017, when it

totaled nearly $90 billion,

the IMF said.

"The Mexican economy is

rebounding from its deepest

recession in decades,

spurred by strong US growth

and rising vaccination

rates," said Geoffrey

Okamoto, the IMF's first

deputy managing director.

"The authorities have

successfully maintained

external, financial, and fiscal

stability, despite the

p a n d e m i c - r e l a t e d

challenges."

Stocks, oil, euro

slide on Austria's

partial lockdown

NEW YORK: European

stocks fell Friday along with

the euro as Austria

announced a new partial

lockdown to try to curb

surging Covid cases, which

also triggered heavy losses

for oil prices, reports BSS.

The latest Covid-19 rules

in Austria and more limited

steps in Germany added

pressure to US markets,

although the Nasdaq

finished at an all-time high

on strength in tech shares.

The restrictions in Austria

will begin Monday and

vaccination against Covid-19

in the eurozone country will

become mandatory from

February, Chancellor

Alexander Schallenberg

said.

Fawad Razaqzada, market

analyst at ThinkMarkets,

warned of a "short-term

correction as investors wake

up to the risks facing the

eurozone economy," despite

the prospect of a weaker

euro boosting exports.

"It is not necessarily about

Austria," he said, pointing to

"concerns that similar

lockdown measures might

be introduced to other parts

of Europe."

Bourses in London, Paris

and Frankfurt all fell, with

travel sector firms especially

hard hit as British Airways

shed six percent or around

œ400m off the carrier's

market capitalization.

Bangabandhu

Memorial Arch

inaugurated in

Narayanganj

Mohammad Saimun Islam,

Narayanganj Correspondent

The

eye-catching

Bangabandhu Memorial Arch

has been inaugurated at the

entrance of Narayanganj

Deputy Commissioner's

Office on Sunday under the

supervision of the Deputy

Commissioner, valiant

freedom fighter and District

Commander Mohammad Ali

and valiant freedom fighter

Abdul Aziz officially

inaugurated the beautiful

archway.

While inaugurating the

newly constructed

Bangabandhu Arch in

collaboration with

Masuduzzaman, the head of

Narayanganj Multinational

Company Model Group,

Deputy Commissioner

Mostain Billah said that

various activities of

Bangabandhu from the

language movement of 1952

to the Great Liberation War

have been highlighted

through the arch. Through

this our new young generation

will get an idea about the

liberation war and the life style

of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu. This arch has

been presented as one of the

most important part of the DC

theme park under

construction adjacent to the

main gate in front of the

Deputy Commissioner's

Office.

During the time, District

Superintendent of Police

Zaidul Alam PPM (Bar),

Deputy Director (Local

Government), Additional

Deputy Commissioners,

District Administration

Officers, other district level

officials and Managing

Director of Model Group were

present along with hundreds

of heroic freedom fighters.

GD-1706/21 (10x4)

Memorial Arch has been inaugurated at the entrance of Narayanganj Deputy

Commissioner's Office on Sunday.

Photo: Mohammad Saimun Islam

GD-1708/21 (=5x3)

Education Engineering Department (EED)

Nilphamari

Monday, Dhaka: November 22, 2021; Agrahyan 7, 1428 BS; Rabius-Sani 16, 1443 hijri

There is only one week left of holding the Union Parishad elections in Monirampur, Jashore. But there is

no voting environment in the polling centers. Most polling stations are waterlogged. Photo : Star Mail

If BNP commits violence,

action will be taken,

says Kamal

TBT RePoRT

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan

Kamal has warned that the government

will take appropriate action in case of any

kind of violence in the BNP's program as

a tactic to use pressure to send Khaleda

Zia abroad. He also advised the BNP to

hold a 'democratic program like prayer

mahfil and human chain' in response to a

question from reporters at the secretariat

on Sunday. Journalists want to know-

BNP is threatening to block Khaleda Zia's

demand for medical treatment abroad?

In reply, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said

that BNP can hold prayer mahfil and

human chain; they are political parties,

they can give their programs. But our law

enforcement will always be ready to protect

people's lives and property. If they

try to create chaos in that place, or try to

destroy lives, then our law enforcement

will take appropriate action.

Meanwhile, BNP secretary general

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has

threatened to oust the government if

Khaleda Zia is not sent abroad for

treatment. Former Prime Minister

Khaleda Zia has been suffering from

various complications including

A fairy tale of road repair

works in Kushtia

KUSHTIA : Though the road construction

cost in Bangladesh is the highest

in the world, durable roads are hardly

constructed here. The Kushtia-Rajbari

regional highway which turned unfit

twice within eight months of renovation

is not an exception, reports UNB.

A portion of Kushtia-Rajbari regional

highway, which was renovated barely

eight months back has caved in at

Golchattar near Kumarkhali bus stand

for the second time, disrupting vehicular

movement and raising the risk of

accidents.

Local people alleged that they are

facing huge trouble every day while

crossing the road.

The regional highway was reconstructed

eight months back and a portion

of the road at Gol Chattar caved in

on June 20 and it was then reconstructed.

But again, another portion of

the road collapsed again, making it

unfit for vehicular movement, they

said.

The poor condition of the busy road

raised questions about the quality of

the work.

Thousands of buses, trucks, private

vehicles and other modes of vehicles

use the road every day and the broken

road has posed a great risk to both

pedestrians and transports.

Councilor of Ward N 5 of

Kumarkhali municipality said SM

Rafiq said the road is being damaged

frequently due to use of substandard

materials in road construction and

renovation work.

"The road is under the jurisdiction of

arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung and

eye problems for many years. She was

admitted to the CCU of Evercare

Hospital in Bashundhara from

November 13.

Her family has appealed to the government

to take her abroad for treatment.

But the government has said

that since Khaleda Zia has been

released on parole and conditional

release, she will not be allowed to go

abroad. However, if she goes back to

jail and applies, the government may

consider it.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself

has said that she has done what

she had to do in her executive capacity

as the head of government. Now the

rest is a matter of law.

Meanwhile, five allies of the 20-party

alliance led by retired Major General

Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, chairman

of the Kalyan Party, on Sunday took an

application to the home minister's

office to allow Khaleda Zia to be sent

abroad on humanitarian grounds. The

Home Minister assured that the application

would be forwarded to Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina following due

process.

the Roads and Highways Department

and so the municipality authority has

nothing to do with it," he said.

Sources at the Roads and Highways

Department said Johurul Islam construction

of Meherpur reconstructed

the road involving Tk 190 crore eight

months back.

Local people alleged that some workers

died and some got hurt after the

collapse of a roof of Kushtia Medical

College recently and it was constructed

byJohurul Islam Constructions but the

controversial contractor firm are getting

different work orders one after

another due to unknown reasons.

Executive Engineer of Roads and

Highways Department Md Shakirul

Islam said they will soon take steps to

renovate the damaged portion of the

road.

In a report on June 20, 2017, the

World Bank presented a list of infrastructure

costs, especially in road construction.

It shows the cost of per kilometre

road construction is $2.5 million to

$11.9 million in Bangladesh, which is

the highest in the world.

Officials at the Road Transport and

Highways Division and Local

Government Engineering Department

(LGED) told UNB over 2,000 km of

roads are needed to repair every year

only because of overloaded vehicles.

They said there are 2.85 lakh km

roads under the LGED while some

21.03 km highways and district roads

under the Road Transport and

Highways Division.

Indefinite transport

strike in Sylhet

from Monday

SYLHET : Bangladesh Road Transport

Workers' Federation (BRTWF) called an

indefinite strike in Sylhet from Monday

to press for their five-point demand,

reports UNB.

All modes of public transport, including

buses, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and

freight trucks will stay off the roads in

Sylhet from 6 am onwards, said BRTWF

organizing secretary (Sylhet division)

Zakaria Ahmed.

"On November 9, we handed over a

five-point demand to the deputy commissioner

of Sylhet. As no initiative has

been taken to meet those demands, all

modes of public transport in Sylhet will

be staying off the roads indefinitely from

Monday as per our previously

announced programme."

Their demands are: Sylhet Regional

Auto-tempo and Auto Rickshaw Driver

Workers' Alliance must complete its triennial

election and refund of cash collected

as nomination fee as well as suspending

the Deputy Director of Sylhet

Regional Labor Department, withdrawal

of the case filed against leaders of Sylhet

District Bus, Minibus Coach-Microbus

Workers Union; an end to the harassment

of drivers by traffic and highway

police in Sylhet; stopping toll collection

on damaged bridges and ensuring parking

facility for small vehicles.

HC seeks list of

all the rivers and

illegal occupiers

from government

DHAKA : The High Court on Sunday

directed the government authorities to

submit a proper list of the country's

rivers and division-wise list of illegal

occupiers, reports UNB.

The court asked the finance secretary,

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport

Authority (BIWTA), Water Development

Board (WDB) and all the district commissioners

to submit the lists within six

months. The HC bench of Justice Md

Mozibur Rahman Mia and Md Kamrul

Hossain Molla passed the order during a

hearing on a writ petition filed by

Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers

Association (BELA).

Lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan represented

BElA at the hearing while Deputy Attorney

General Nowroz Md Rasel Chowdhury

appeared for the state. Syeda Rizwana said

there is an inconsistency regarding the number

of rivers in Bangladesh.

"Even after the court passed many

directions the river areas are determined

wrongly which actually facilitates the illegal

grabbing. At some places the action to

evict occupiers is going on but not in all,"

she said.

According to the petition, WDB data

says there are 405 rivers in Bangladesh

while National River Conservation

Commission (NRCC) mentions 707 and

a private research says 1,182.

As the number of rivers remained

undetermined, so did the number of illegal

occupiers, it said. NRCC data shows

there are 57, 390 listed illegal occupiers

while reports in national dailies exceed it.

Recently the state minister for the

shipping ministry told the Parliament

there are 65, 127 river occupiers in the

country.

BNP wants Khaleda Zia's

illness so they can do

politics: Hasan

DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting

Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday

said BNP does not want Khaleda Zia's

recovery from illness rather they want

her illness so that they can do politics

with her sickness, reports BSS.

"Then they (BNP) can always demand

to send Begum Zia abroad for treatment.

But they are doing politics over Begum

Zia's health which is unexpected," he told

reporters after attending a roundtable

organised by the Association of

Television Channel Owners (ATCO),

marking the World Television Day at a

city hotel.

The minister said BNP observed

hunger strike yesterday at different

places of the country, including in Naya

Paltan, demanding to send Begum Zia to

abroad.

Many political leaders who are considered

by the people as abandoned have

spoken there and many tried to increase

their importance in politics, he added.

Hasan said crores of people are doing

their treatment in Bangladesh as there

are some world-class hospitals in the

country.

"Why should Begum Zia be sent

abroad for her knee pain or stomach

problems?" he questioned.

"Now it is a question that is Begum Zia

wants to flee," said Hasan, also Awami

League joint general secretary.

He said BNP leaders raised voice earlier

for sending Begum Zia abroad, but,

she returned home after becoming well

by the treatment of the country's doctors,

he added. The minister also wished her

early recovery.

Health Minister criticizes BNP for

not wearing mask at hunger strike

DHAKA : Health Minister Zahid

Maleque on Sunday criticized BNP for

not following health rules at their mass

hunger strike programme demanding

Khaleda Zia's treatment abroad, reports

UNB.

"They always criticize government

actions but they themselves didn't wear

masks nor maintained social distance,"

said Zahid Maleque in a programme held

at a city hotel.

On Saturday, the minister mentioned,

Bangladesh saw the long-awaited day of

zero Covid-linked death, and said this

has been possible with everyone's cooperation.

"A political programme attended by

Govt will responsible if anything

happens to Khaleda Zia: Rizvi

ShAfiqUL iSLAM (JAMi)

The government will be responsible if

anything happens to BNP chairperson

and former Prime Minister Begum

Khaleda Zia. BNP senior joint secretary

general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has even

warned the ruling party that the outcome

of the government will be 'terrible'. In a

prayer meeting on Sunday afternoon, he

said, "I am telling the government again

- there is still time, release Khaleda Zia."

Let her go abroad for better treatment.

You've got a lot going on. Those who are

doing wrong, Allah leaves them many

ropes firstly. Then when he pulls the

rope, you will fall down, but many will be

injured. Addressing the government,

Rizvi said, "I see the kind of commitment

of the nationalist forces. If anything happens

to the leader of Deshnetri, you (the

government) will not be able to stand for

a moment in this Bangladesh."

The prayer mahfil was organized by

the Jatiyatabadi Sechchasebakdal on the

thousands of people without wearing

masks, including leaders, members of

the party, may trigger Covid infections,"

he said.

Minister Maleque said two things are

clear from this: that the Covid situation

has been so efficiently handled by the

government that they did not feel the

necessity of wearing masks.

"Another point is they criticize the government

but they are the ones who don't

maintain the health guidelines, and that's

the matter of concern," he said.

The minister urged journalists to highlight

the importance of maintaining

health guidelines at religious and social

programmes.

ground floor of the BNP central office in

Naya Paltan to wish Khaleda Zia well.

Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia

has been suffering from various complications

including arthritis, diabetes, kidney,

lung and eye problems for many

years. She was admitted to the CCU of

Evercare Hospital in Bashundhara from

November 13. Her family has appealed to

the government to take her abroad for

treatment. But the government says that

since Khaleda Zia has been temporarily

released on parole, she has no chance to

go abroad. If he goes back to jail and

applies, the government may consider it.

Calling the present government 'antipeople',

Rizvi said at the prayer meeting

that no one would stand by them if they

were ousted. You don't realize your lords

are sheltering you. "After the arrest of

Khaleda Zia, we said that this government

could do slow poisoning to her," he

said. That is why you are not releasing

her today. Not allowing advanced treatment

abroad.

Dengue

110 more

hospitalized

in 24 hrs

DHAKA : As many as 110 new dengue

patients have been admitted to hospital

in 24 hours until Sunday morning, health

authorities said, reports UNB.

Although dengue cases were supposed

to drop ahead of winter, the country has

been recording more than 100 dengue

cases per day over the last few weeks.

On Saturday 142 people were hospitalised

with dengue fever. The number of

fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease

remained unchanged at 98 in the

current year as no fresh death was

reported during the period, according to

the Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS).

Of the deceased, 90 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, 75 are undergoing

treatment in hospitals in Dhaka

while the remaining 35 cases have been

reported from outside the division.

Some 531 patients diagnosed with

dengue are receiving treatment in the

country as of Sunday.

Of them, 415 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the

capital while the remaining 116 were listed

outside Dhaka.

Since January, some 26,453 patients

have been admitted to different hospitals

with dengue in the country. So far, 25,

824 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.

HC allows two girls to

stay with Bangladeshi

father in custodial battle

with Japanese mother

DHAKA : The High Court on Sunday

ruled that the two children of

Bangladeshi-born US citizen Imran

Sharif and Japanese mother Nakano

Erico will stay with their father, reports

UNB.

Mother Eriko can exclusively meet the

daughters, aged 11 and 10, three times a

year for 10 days at a time and Imran will

bear her travel and accommodation

expenses, said the court.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur

Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur

Rahman delivered the ruling until a writ

petition by the mother is fully disposed.

If Eriko wants to meet her children

beyond the court-prescribed time she

has do it at her own expenses, the court

said.

Imran Sharif was also instructed to

allow the children to talk to their mother

in video calls twice a month on holidays.

Following the writ petition, the High

Court also ordered Imran Sharif to give

Tk 10 lakh to Eriko for the expenses she

incurred to travel to Dhaka and stay here

within seven days.

The concerned social service officer has

been directed to continue monitor the

development regarding the children and

submit a report to the Registrar of the

High Court on the issue of children every

three months.

A sewerage

drain is

being

constructed

along the

Tejgaon-

Gulshan

Link Road in

the capital at

the initiative

of Dhaka

North City

Corporation.

Photo: PBA

22-11-2021

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