27-11-2021

satUrday

DhAkA: November 27, 2021; Agrahyan 12, 1428 BS; Rabius-Sani 21,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 206; 8 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Annalena Baerbock to

become Germany's first

woman foreign minister

>Page 3

aCHieVeMent

Anti-black bias in

funding should be

addressed

>Page 5

sports

Maradona tributes the

backdrop as rattled Napoli

aim to bounce back

>Page 6

the photo shows Liton Das plays a cut shot behind point against pakistan during 1st test

at Chattogram on Friday.

photo: BCB

Notre Dame College student's death

Main DSCC driver

arrested

DHAKA: Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on

Friday arrested the main driver of the

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC)

garbage-carrying truck from the city's

Jatrabari area over the death of a Notre

Dame College student, reports UNB.

The arrestee was identified as Md Harun

of Bancharampur in Brahmanbaria.

According to a media release from Rab

Headquarters, a team of Rab-3 made the

arrest during a drive in the city's Jatrabari

area in the early hours of Friday.

In primary interrogation, the detainee

confessed that he has been driving the

garbage truck regularly since 2020. On

Wednesday, his associate Russel Khan

drove the vehicle as he was absent on the

day. However, none of the drivers have a

driving license, the release added.

Legal processes are underway in this

regard, said the release. Earlier on

Thursday, Dhaka Additional Chief

Metropolitan Magistrate placed the

garbage-carrying truck driver Russel Khan

on a three-day remand in a case filed over

the death of a Notre Dame College student

in a road crash.

On Wednesday, Naim Hasan, a 17-yearstudent

of Notre Dame College, was killed

when a garbage truck of Dhaka South City

Corporation (DSCC) hit him at Golchattar

in the city's Gulistan area while crossing the

road.

Patrol police in the area detained the

driver of the vehicle Russel Khan while he

was fleeing and seized the truck, said Md A

Ahad, deputy police commissioner of

Motijheel division of DMP. A case was filed

at Paltan police station in this regard following

a complaint lodged by Naim's

father, he said.

Zohr

05:03 AM

01:30 PM

03:35 PM

05:15 PM

06:35 PM

6:21 5:11

Liton's maiden ton put Tigers

on top against Pakistan

SportS DeSk

Liton Das struck his maiden century to

put Bangladesh on top against Pakistan

after a disastrous start on day one of the

opening Test at Zahur Ahmed

Chowdhury Stadium on Friday, reports

BSS.

With Bangladesh being reduced to 49-

4 at the first hour of the game and a

below par total looked all likely, Liton

who was dropped from the T20 squad

following a poor Twenty20 World Cup

outing, brought the side back in contention

in an elegant show of batting.

He was ably supported by Mushfiqur

Rahim as the duo combined for 204-run

in an undefeated fifth wicket stand to lift

the side to 253-4.

Before the day's game was stopped,

owing to bad light, Liton was batting on

113 with Mushfiqur Rahim on 82.

They saw off the first half of the morning

session and the whole second and

third session to keep Pakistani bowlers at

bay. The first hour of the day belonged to

Pakistan fast bowlers who utilized the

early moisture of the pitch well to trouble

Bangladesh batsmen.

But Saif Hasan hit fast bowler Hasan

Ali a couple of boundaries in the second

over to hint a good start for Bangladesh

after captain Mominul Haque opted to

bat first.

His opening partner Shadman Islam

struggled against Afridi who moved the

ball admirably but Saif grew with confidence,

driving the left arm pacer through

mid-off for four.

Afridi broke through in the immediate

next delivery when Saif Hasan fended a

short delivery to short leg for 14.

Shadman also fell for 14, as Hasan Ali

had him leg-before after leaking runs in

his opening spell.

Off spinner Sajid Khan gave the side

big breakthrough when he reviewed successfully

to dismiss captain Mominul

Haque for 6.

Najmul Hossain Shanto then followed

him, giving a straight catch to point for 14

as Bangladesh crumbled under pressure

with 49-4.

Liton and Mushfiqur were cautious at

the start and survived some tricky

moments before they dominated

Pakistan bowlers.

As the pitch became easier, Liton and

Mushfiqur unleashed some brilliant shot

from the repertoire to make the Pakistani

bowlers disarray.

They went unscathed in the whole post

lunch session in which both of them

raised their half-century.

Govt cuts BRTC bus fares to

half for students: Quader

DHAKA: The government has decided

to reduce fares of BRTC buses by

50 percent for the students, reports

BSS.

Road Transport and Bridges

Minister Obaidul Quader disclosed

this during his regular press briefing

at his official residence here yesterday.

The decision came in view of the

demand made by the students, said

the minister.

Quader, also general secretary of

the ruling Awami League, said,

"Sheikh Hasina always gives maximum

priority to any justified demand

.Sheikh Hasina's government is the

government for the people."

The students can travel by

Bangladesh Road Transport

Corporation (BRTC) buses paying

fifty percent fare and this will come

into effect from December 1, the minister

said, adding: "The students must

have to carry their legal identity cards

issued by their respective educational

institutions during the travel."

He said the students will get the

concession while travelling between

7am and 8pm on the BRTC buses.

But the fare concession will not be

applicable during the holidays of the

educational institutions, he said. The

government will soon issue a gazette

notification to this end, he added.

About the private bus-minibus,

Quader said a meeting will be held at

the BRTA with private bus owners,

bus workers and federation leaders to

discuss how to give concession to the

students when they will travel on private

bus or minibuses.

"The private transport owners

hopefully will take a positive decision

being sensitive to the demand made

by the students and considering their

own social responsibility," said the

minister.

Tremor shakes capital,

country's other parts

DHAKA: A strong earthquake jolted different

parts of the country including the

capital Dhaka early yesterday, confirmed

by the European-Mediterranean

Seismological Centre (EMSC), reports

BSS.

The earthquake was felt around

5.45am. The epicentre of the earthquake

located at 175 km east of the Chattogram

port and its depth from the surface was

42 km, according to the international

seismological centre.

The international earthquake center,

however, said epicentre of the earthquake

has been determined in border

area of Myanmar-India. The intensity of

the earthquake was 5.8 in Richter scale

and its location is 60 km depth from the

surface.

Meanwhile, the scientific agency of the

United States government United States

Geological Survey confirmed that the

epicentre of the tremor 20km north-west

from the Hakha city of Myanmar.

Tremor's intensity was 5.8 in Richter

scale and its depth was 42.1 km from the

surface, said the USGS. Apart from the

capital, the tremor also was felt in

Chattogram, Noakhali, Feni, Bandarban,

Jamalpur, Khulna, Bagerhat, Kurigram,

Sylhet, Barishal and Rajshahi.

PM seeks ASEM partners'

investment in Bangladesh's

climate projects

DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina yesterday sought investment

from the Asia-Europe Meeting

(ASEM) partners in Bangladesh's longterm

climate projects such as Delta

Plan, reports BSS.

"I invite all interested ASEM partners

to invest in projects under our

long-term Bangladesh Delta Plan and

Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan," she

said.

The prime minister said this in a

video message aired on the last day of

the two-day 13th virtual ASEM

Summit streaming from Phnom Penh,

Cambodia.

She also called upon Asia and Europe

to work in unison to mobilize finances

and technology to effectively fight climate

change.

Marking ASEM's 25th anniversary,

the summit brought together

the leaders of the European and

Asian member countries, the EU

and the ASEAN Secretariat. The

overall theme of ASEM13 is

"Strengthening multilateralism for

shared growth".

Cambodia currently holds the rotating

ASEM presidency.

Sheikh Hasina said Asia and Europe

must join hands for mobilizing

finances and technology to combat climate

change, adding, "We need multilateral

cooperation now more than

ever for our shared and sustainable

development."

She said the advanced and industrialized

economies need to raise

their climate ambitions beyond

COP26, urging them not to shift

responsibilities that may otherwise

hamper "our own economic growth

take-off."

The prime minister said that

Bangladesh aspires to become a

regional connectivity hub, with potential

benefits for its neighbours.

SUTURDAY, noVeMBeR 27, 2021

2

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman as the chief guest inaugurated

the newly decorated and modernized seminar library, lecture hall and meeting room of the

Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies on Friday.

Photo: Courtesy

Shamima successfully cultivates

dragon fruit in Taraganj

RANGPUR: Shamima Akhter has

become the first officially recognised

female agri-entrepreneur by cultivating

dragon fruit successfully in Taraganj

upazila of Rangpur district, reports

BSS.

Talking to BSS, Shamima at her

house in Rahimapur Khansaheb Para

village of Kursha union in Taraganj

upazila said her father Shamsul Quader

Sarkar is a successful farmer.

"From an early age, I became

interested in my father's agricultural

work alongside my studies," she said.

Her father has won various

agricultural awards at the Rangpur

district level including the best farmer

of Taraganj upazila for cultivating

agricultural crops and fish.

She got married to engineer Farid

Uddin in 1995. After her marriage, she

went on a trip to Vietnam.

"After going to Vietnam and eating

dragon fruit there, I decided to cultivate

dragon fruit at home. I came back and

started collecting ideas from different

people about dragon fruit cultivation,"

she said.

Shamima first took advice from her

father in the early days of making a big

dragon orchard.

"I started gardening in 2016 by

planting about 600 dragon fruit

saplings on 55 decimals of land given to

me by my father. The saplings grow

slowly but superbly as they were cared

3,200 farmers get

agri-incentives in

Cumilla

CUMILLA: The Department

of Agriculture Extension

(DAE) yesterday distributed

seeds and fertilizers free of

cost as agricultural incentives

among 3,200 small and

marginal farmers of Laksam

upazila of the district last

morning, reports BSS.

Upazila Parishad

Chairman Advocate Yunus

Bhuiyan distributed the

seeds and fertilizers among

the farmers under the

agricultural incentive and

rehabilitation program as the

chief guest in front of the

Upazila Agriculture Office of

the Laksam upazila parishad

this morning.

The chief guest said the

present government is

farmer-friendly one as it has

taken various steps for

development of agriculture.

Upazila Agriculture Officer

Syed Shahinur Islam told

BSS that 3,200 farmers were

given two kgs of Boro hybrid

(ufshi) variety of paddy seeds

each and 800 farmers were

provided five kgs of seeds

high yielding (ufshi) boro

seeds, 10 kg of DAP fertilizer

and 10 kgs of MOP fertilizer

each have been distributed

free of cost.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer

(UNO) AKM Saiful Alam,

Women Vice-Chairman

Parashi Saha, Upazila

Agriculture Officer Syed

Shahinur Islam,

Mudafarganj South Union

Parishad Chairman Abdur

Rashid, Deputy Agriculture

Assistant officers, among

others, were present on the

occasion.

for properly," she said.

The female agri-entrepreneur says

that each tree bears 50-60 dragon fruits

a year. Each of the moderate and big

sized dragon fruit weighs between 600

to 700 grams.

"The big-sized dragon fruit sells at a

rate between Taka 700 to 1000 per kg,"

she said, adding the fruit has a huge

demand in local markets and aristocrat

hotels and restaurants in the capital

city.

Shamima said, "Many people from

different districts come to me to get

ideas about dragon fruit cultivation. I

inspire them to cultivate dragon fruit

adopting the latest technologies and

proper agronomic management," she

said.

Many people are cultivating dragon

fruit on their roofs of houses and

courtyards in the area now.

She said, "There is no need to apply

much fertiliser to the growing dragon

plants. If fertilizer is given once or twice

a year, it is no longer needed."

Insect infestation in dragon plants is

less due to less leaves. If properly cared

for, it will withstand a great deal of

adverse conditions to give excellent

production for a long time.

"If we can expand dragon fruit

farming among farmers and cultivators

across our country, the dependence on

import of foreign fruits will be reduced

to a great extent," she hoped.

As dragon plants belong to the

cactus species, pests attacks and

diseases are less. So why, this fruit can

be easily cultivated. Within one year of

planting saplings, the plants begin to

bear fruits.

"Due to the attractive colour and size,

nutritional value and lucrative market

prices, dragon fruit is in great demand

in local markets," Shamima said.

Talking to BSS, Deputy Director of

Rangpur Horticulture Center at

Burirhat Agriculturist Md Aftab

Hossain said that the dragon orchard

that Shamima Akhter has set up on 55

decimals of land in Taraganj upazila is

the largest dragon orchard in Rangpur

district.

"Shamima Akhter is the first officially

recognised woman agricultural

entrepreneur of Rangpur district. We

are extending our assistance to her for

cultivation of dragon fruit in her

orchard in many ways," he said.

Taraganj Upazila Agriculture

Officer Agriculturist Urmi Tabassum

said, "We are providing the latest

technologies and cooperating with

Shamima for farming dragon fruit

adopting scientific methods," she said.

Shamima is now earning a fair

income from farming dragon fruit in

her orchard and also encouraging

many others to cultivate dragon fruit in

Taraganj upazila and other areas in the

northern region.

53,380 Covid-19 patients recover

in Rangpur division

RANGPUR: The number of recovered Covid-19

patients rose to 53,380 with the healing of 14

more patients during the last 24 hours ending

at 8 am yesterday in Rangpur division, reports

BSS.

Health officials said the average recovery rate

of Covid-19 patients currently stands at 96.11

percent since the outbreak of the pandemic in

the division.

"The Covid-19 recovery rate continues rising

at a slower rate in the division where the

pandemic situation continues to improve in the

last three months," Acting Divisional Director

(Health) Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam told BSS

yesterday.

The 53,380 recovered patients include

11,594 of Rangpur, 3,683 Panchagarh, 4,362 of

Nilphamari, 2,625 of Lalmonirhat, 4,527 of

Kurigram, 7,354 of Thakurgaon, 14,440 of

Dinajpur and 4,795 of Gaibandha districts in

the division.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases

reached 55,539 as six fresh cases were

diagnosed after testing 198 new samples at the

positivity rate of 3.03 percent on Thursday in

the division. Earlier, the daily Covid-19

positivity rates were 2.44 percent on

Wednesday, 7.07 percent on Monday, 2.17

percent on Sunday and 1.33 percent on

Saturday last in the division.

"The district-wise break up of total 55,539

patients include 12,506 of Rangpur, 3,822

Panchagarh, 4,459 of Nilphamari, 2,746 of

Lalmonirhat, 4,646 of Kurigram, 7,662 of

Thakurgaon, 14,830 of Dinajpur and 4,868 of

Gaibandha in the division," he said.

"Since the beginning of the Covid-19

pandemic, a total of 2,99,395 collected samples

were tested till Thursday, and of them, 55,539

were found positive with an average positivity

rate of 18.55 percent in the division," Dr Islam

said. In the meantime, the number of

casualties remained steady at 1,245 as no new

death was reported during the last 24 hours

from the division. The district-wise break up of

the 1,245 fatalities stands at 293 in Rangpur, 81

in Panchagarh, 89 in Nilphamari, 68 in

Lalmonirhat, 69 in Kurigram, 254 in

Thakurgaon, 328 in Dinajpur and 63 in

Gaibandha of the division.

Members of Bayazid Bostami police station in a drive arrested a drug peddler

along with 1 lically made LG, 5 rounds of ammunition and 1000 pieces of yaba

pills from an area adjacent to Roufabad on Thursday night. Photo: Courtesy

GD-1735/21 (20x4)

Hundreds of flights were cancelled, some schools shut and tour groups suspended on Friday after

three coronavirus cases were reported in Shanghai.

Photo: AP

Flights cancelled, schools shut over

three Covid-19 cases in Shangha

SHANGHAI: Hundreds of flights were

cancelled, some schools shut and tour

groups suspended on Friday after three

coronavirus cases were reported in

Shanghai, as China continues its strict

zero-Covid policy, reports BSS.

Beijing has largely succeeded in

controlling the spread of the

coronavirus within its borders through

travel restrictions and snap lockdowns,

but frequent domestic flare-ups have

tested its no-tolerance strategy in

recent months.

The three positive cases are friends

who travelled to the nearby city of

Suzhou together last week, Shanghai

health authorities said at a press

conference Thursday evening -- adding

that all had been fully vaccinated.

Over 500 flights from Shanghai's

two major airports were cancelled on

Friday, data from flight tracker

VariFlight showed.

WHO says just

1 in 4 African

health workers

Covid jabbed

BRAZZAVILLE: Only a

quarter of health workers in

Africa are fully vaccinated

against Covid-19, the World

Health Organization said

Thursday warning that

majority of the continent's

frontline medical workforce

were dangerously exposed,

reports BSS.

By contrast, a recent study of

22 predominantly highincome

countries revealed

that more than 80 percent of

healthcare workers there were

fully vaccinated against

coronavirus, according to the

WHO.

"The majority of Africa's

health workers are still

missing out on vaccines and

remain dangerously exposed

to severe Covid-19 infection,"

WHO's Africa director

Matshidiso Moeti said after

revealing just 27 percent of

health workers on the

continent were jabbed.

"It is important to have

high vaccine coverage among

health workers not only for

their own protection but also

for their patients and to ensure

health care systems keep

operating during a time of

extreme need," the WHO said.

Only one country in Africa

had the necessary number of

health workers -- 10.9 per

1,000 population -- while 16

countries had fewer than one

per 1,000, according to the

WHO.

"Any loss of these essential

workers to Covid-19 due to

illness or death therefore

heavily impacts on service

provision capacity," the WHO

said.

The WHO intervention

came as scientists in South

Africa revealed that they had

detected a new Covid-19

variant with "a very high

number of mutations",

blamed for an "exponential"

surge in infections there.

For the first time since the

third wave peak in August,

cases in Southern Africa have

increased, jumping 48 percent

to November 21, compared

with the previous week.

The Shanghai government also

instructed that all cross-provincial

package tours involving the city -- a

major commercial and tourism hub --

would be cancelled.

Six Shanghai hospitals have also

suspended outpatient services.

"China has accumulated lots of

experience in 'dynamic zero-Covid', so

our strategy won't change," said Zhang

Wenhong, head of the Shanghai Covid

prevention expert task force, at a

Thursday briefing.

He warned that this could become a

"normalised anti-epidemic situation

that we may encounter again" in the

future.

Around 100 kilometres away,

Suzhou -- which has a population of

some 13 million people --- closed

down tourist attractions and required

residents to provide negative test

results to leave the city.

Authorities in Beijing are on high

alert for any potential outbreaks in the

lead up to February's Winter

Olympics, which will see an influx of

foreign athletes, media and officials.

All schools were closed in the small

satellite city of Xuzhou, which also

stopped its two million residents from

heading out of the city on bus services,

after a close contact of one Shanghai

patient was found there.

A university campus in

neighbouring Hangzhou was put

under lockdown after a staff member

was discovered to be a close contact of

a confirmed case, state media

reported.

With the leadership determined to

host a Covid-free Olympic Games,

Beijing's Olympic Park has already

been sealed off as part of the event's

"closed-loop" bubble, state media

reported.

Annalena Baerbock to

become Germany's first

woman foreign minister

BERLIN: Green party co-leader Annalena

Baerbock is to become Germany's first woman

foreign minister, her party announced

Thursday, as the country's incoming coalition

government takes shape, reports BSS.

The 40-year-old mother-of-two is expected

to take on the role in early December once the

new government -- made up of the Social

Democrats (SPD), the liberal FDP and the

Greens -- is formally installed.

Baerbock has signalled a more assertive

stance on China and Russia, putting respect

for human rights and the rule of law at the

centre of German diplomacy.

Green party manager Michael Kellner said

in a statement that co-leader Robert Habeck

has been tapped to head a "super ministry"

grouping together economy, energy and

climate protection.

He will also become vice chancellor.

Although Baerbock, a former medal-winning

trampolinist, failed in her bid to replace

Angela Merkel as chancellor in September's

election, she nevertheless led her party to a

record score of 15 percent.

The third-place result paved the way for the

Greens to return to governing after 16 years in

the opposition, in a novel three-way coalition

with Olaf Scholz from the SPD as the

presumed next chancellor.

The three parties -- known as the "traffic

light" alliance after their party colours --

unveiled their coalition agreement on

Wednesday, as well as the division of

ministerial posts.

The agreement must still be formally

endorsed by all three parties, expected to be a

formality. Scholz is set to be sworn in by the

Bundestag in the week starting December 6.

Five cabinet posts have been alloted to the

Greens. Although the appointments of

Baerbock and Habeck were widely expected,

the party was plunged into a last-minute

power struggle over who would fill the

remaining three jobs.

In keeping with Scholz's promise that the

next cabinet would have gender parity, only

one of those three could go to a man -- pitting

the party's radical "Fundi" wing against

Baerbock and Habeck's more pragmatist and

centrist "Realos" camp.

The tussle was resolved in evening talks on

Thursday, with Kellner announcing that

popular lawmaker Cem Ozdemir, who has

Turkish roots, would lead the agriculture

ministry. Ozdemir hails from the "Realo"

camp.

Several other top ministerial picks have also

been revealed in recent days, with FDP leader

Christian Lindner, a budgetary hawk, poised

to become the new finance minister at the

helm of the EU's top economy.

The incoming government's coalition pact

includes promises to spend heavily on climate

protection and infrastructure while sticking to

Germany's self-imposed debt limits.

Faced with a fierce fourth wave of

coronavirus infections that saw Germany pass

the mark of 100,000 Covid deaths on

Thursday, they also pledged to create a crisis

team to tackle the pandemic.

Outgoing Merkel however signalled she

didn't think current efforts went far enough,

saying on Thursday that "every day counts"

and quick action was needed to prevent

hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Green party co-leader Annalena Baerbock is to become Germany's first

woman foreign minister.

Photo: AP

Merkel gives stark warning

as Germany's Covid death

toll tops 100,000

BERLIN: German

Chancellor Angela Merkel

issued an urgent warning on

pandemic management on

Thursday to the new

government coming in to

succeed her, imploring it to

take quick, decisive

measures as the country's

total death toll passed

100,000, reports BSS.

Speaking one day after

Olaf Scholz presented his

new centre-left-led ruling

coalition due to take office

next month, the outgoing

Merkel told reporters that

"every day counts" as

Germany continues to

smash daily coronavirus

infection records.

"We need more contact

restrictions," Merkel said,

adding that she had "today

clearly told" Scholz that "we

can still manage this

transition period together

and look at all necessary

measures".

Calling Thursday a "sad

day" over the grim death

toll, Merkel, a trained

scientist, said she had

sought dialogue with Scholz,

a Social Democrat, and the

leaders of his coalition

partners Greens and the

libertarian FDP because of

the gravity of the situation.

Germany weathered

earlier bouts of the

pandemic better than many

other European countries,

but has seen a recent

resurgence, with intensive

care beds rapidly filling up.

Europe's largest economy

recorded 351 Covid fatalities

in the past 24 hours,

bringing the official death

toll since the start of the

pandemic to 100,119.

Canada worst on

climate of G7:

commissioner

OTTAWA: Canada has failed

in its efforts to cut

greenhouse gas emissions

linked to global warning, the

environment commissioner

said Thursday, ranking it as

the "worst performer"

among Group of Seven

industrialized nations,

reports BSS.

A series of reports by

independent parliamentary

watchdog Jerry DeMarco

looked at decades of

government climate action

that yielded an increase of

more than 20 percent in

emissions since 1990.

Canada "has become the

worst performer of all G7

nations since the landmark

Paris Agreement on climate

change was adopted in

2015," DeMarco, whose title

is

environment

commissioner, told a news

conference.

"We can't continue to go

from failure to failure; we

need action and results, not

just more targets and plans,"

he said.

DeMarco pointed to, for

example, a government fund

to help Canada's oil and gas

sector slash their CO2

emissions. Some 40 funded

projects allowed companies

to increase their production

and related emissions.

He also said reporting by

a dozen government

departments on sustainable

development was poor.

"They did not report results

for almost half their

actions," he said.

While Canada represents

about 1.6 percent of global

CO2 emissions, it is among

the top 10 largest emitters

globally and one of the

highest emitters per capita.

The nation is also the

world's fourth largest

producer and exporter of oil.

And Canada's energy

regulator projects that, while

domestic consumption

declines, its fossil fuel

production will grow

because of exports.

Environment Minister

Steven Guilbeault welcomed

the reports, but said the

c o m m i s s i o n e r ' s

"retrospective study" doesn't

take into account more than

100 recent measures

undertaken by Ottawa.

SuturDAY, novemBer 27, 2021

3

Rioters rampage in Solomons

capital for third day despite

peacekeepers

HONIARA: Police fired warning shots and

tear gas to disperse rioters attacking the home

of the Solomon Islands prime minister on

Friday, in a third day of political violence that

prompted the snap deployment of

international peacekeepers, reports BSS.

As Australian police and soldiers deployed

to secure the port, airport and other critical

infrastructure, mobs once again torched

buildings and looted the smouldering rubble

of shops in the usually sleepy seaside capital

of Honiara.

Thousands of people -- some brandishing

axes and knives -- rampaged through the

city's Chinatown, Point Cruz and business

districts, according to AFP correspondents on

the scene.

"We are living in fear," resident Josephine

Teakeni told AFP.

"At the moment it is very hard... children

will be missing out from schools, lots of

mothers will be jobless."

The explosion of violence is partly a result

of frustrations at Prime Minister Manasseh

Sogavare's government and chronic

unemployment made worse by the pandemic.

Also driving the unrest is long-running

animosity between residents of the country's

most populous island Malaita and the central

government based on Guadalcanal.

Crowds voiced their anger on Friday by

setting fire to at least one building near

Sogavare's home, before police fired warning

shots to drive the mob back toward the centre

of Honiara, AFP reporters witnessed.

In Chinatown, a large warehouse was set

alight, causing an explosion that sent scores of

people fleeing from the scene in panic.

A tobacco warehouse was also set alight as

smoke from previous days fires cast parts of

the devastated city of 80,000 people in an

acrid haze.

The overrun Royal Solomon Islands Police

Force said Friday they had made just two

arrests, despite two police stations being

among the many buildings burned.

The roughly 100 Australian peacekeepers

arrived overnight, just hours after Sogavare

begged neighbours for urgent help.

In a letter obtained by AFP, Sogavare told

his Papua New Guinea counterpart James

Marape that "certain elements" had

"attempted to overthrow a democratically

elected government" and called for a

peacekeepers to be sent for a "period of three

to four weeks."

Papua New Guinea agreed to send 34

peacekeepers to help staunch the violence.

In an address to the nation Thursday

Sogavare told citizens the Solomons had been

"brought to its knees" by the rioting, but

vowed to resist calls for his resignation.

The pro-Beijing leader claimed foreign

powers opposed to his 2019 decision to switch

the Solomons' diplomatic allegiance from

Taiwan to China were behind the

disturbances.

"Unfortunately it is influenced and

encouraged by other powers... I don't want to

name names, we'll leave it there, we know

who they are," he told Australia's public

broadcaster, without naming the powers or

providing evidence.

The unrest began Wednesday when

thousands of protesters besieged parliament,

setting fire to an outbuilding and seeking to

oust Sogavare.

It then descended into a violent free-forall,

as mobs of stick-wielding youths ignored a

curfew and rampaged through the capital,

stripping stores of goods and clashing with

police.

By late Thursday thousands of looters

openly defied police lockdown orders,

running through the streets carrying boxes,

crates and bulging sacks of goods as flames

crackled around them and plumes of thick

black smoke billowed high above the city.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman

Zhao Lijian expressed "grave concern" and

called on the Solomon Islands government

protect Chinese citizens.

Police fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse rioters attacking the home

of the Solomon Islands prime minister on Friday.

Photo: AP

UK PM asks France to take back

Channel-crossing migrants

CALAIS: British Prime Minister Boris

Johnson wrote to French President

Emmanuel Macron on Thursday asking

France to immediately start taking back all

migrants who land in England after crossing

the Channel, after at least 27 died when their

boat foundered off Calais, reports BSS.

Taking back migrants "would significantly

reduce -- if not stop -- the crossings, saving

thousands of lives by fundamentally

breaking the business model of the criminal

gangs" behind the trafficking, he said in a

letter sent to Macron on Thursday evening.

The record wave of illegal migrants

seeking to cross the English Channel is a

volatile issue for both leaders amid rising

anti-immigrant sentiment and controversy

over what critics say is a callous attitude in

both capitals..

Johnson's letter also set out areas for

greater cooperation with France, proposing

joint border patrols, aerial surveillance and

intelligence sharing.

"We are ready to begin such patrols from

the start of next week," Johnson said.

Britain and France had earlier called for a

coordinated European response to stop

people-trafficking in the Channel after the

deadliest accident since the waterway in

2018 became a key route for migrants from

Africa, the Middle East and Asia trying to

reach England from France.

Home Secretary Priti Patel spoke with

French counterpart Gerald Darmanin to put

forward plans for greater "collaboration and

innovation", according to a statement.

The two will meet this weekend and Patel

will send officers to Paris after having offered

to provide more people on the ground, it

said.

However even as Paris invited European

ministers to an emergency meeting at the

weekend, the response risked being

undermined by continued Franco-British

squabbling after Brexit.

Macron, after vowing France would not

allow the Channel to become a "cemetery",

spoke earlier to Johnson to agree on

stepping up efforts to thwart the traffickers

blamed for the surge in crossings.

And in a terse readout of the talks, the

Elysee Palace said Macron told Johnson that

France and the UK have a "shared

responsibility" and added he "expected the

British to cooperate fully and refrain from

exploiting a dramatic situation for political

ends". Patel had earlier refused to rule out

the controversial step of turning migrant

boats back across the Channel, under

legislation now making its way through

parliament. - 'Improve cooperation'.

Cuba inaugurates center to

preserve Castro writings

HAVANA: Cuba on Thursday inaugurated a

center to preserve the writings of its

revolutionary hero Fidel Castro as part of

commemorations marking the fifth

anniversary of his death, reports BSS.

The Fidel Castro Ruz center in the capital

Havana is the first and only Cuban building to

carry his name.

A law passed a month after his death in

2016 bans the naming of institutions, squares,

parks, roads or other public places after the

former president and Communist Party

leader. Also banned, following Castro's

wishes, is the erection of monuments, busts,

statues or plaques in his name or image --

though this has not prevented the proliferation

of murals and placards in honor of the late

leader on the streets of Havana.

The only exceptions to the rule are made for

institutions created solely for "the study and

dissemination of his thinkings and work."

SATuRDAY, NoVeMBeR 27, 2021

4

Saudi Arabia's exciting journey into a reimagined future

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Counting our blessings

while the same last

Amedia report some years ago said that due to ice rains

some 3 lakh inhabitants of the Canadian city of Toranto

were passing their days and night in very great agonies.

And this is typical of Canada. Too harsh winters are common

features of that country. The power lines of tram cars were so

covered with snow that year that the system became

dysfunctional and was completely shut down. 3 lakh inhabitants

of this city were trapped in their homes living without power in

darkness and freezing cold for days. Outside their homes the

temperature was reported to be minus 10-12 degrees centigrade.

The heavy snowfall turned the roads too slippery and dangerous

for motoring. Thus, it hardly required imagination to realize the

sorrow-filled conditions of people in this otherwise prime city of a

developed country which is Canada.Canda is a huge country

nearly fifty times the size of Bangladesh physically. But it has too

few people by comparison. This is mainly because big human

populations can be reared in countries easily where the weather

is moderate or not extreme like in Bangladesh. Such weather

make it possible for humans to live and grow up in large number.

The opposite is the case of countries where life of humans gets

hazarded by inhospitable weather. Thus, in this sense, we can say

that Bangladesh as a country is much more livable than Canada.

It enjoys moderate weather with much variety throughout the

year. It never is very hot like in the desert or very cold like in

Siberia. Even migratory birds come to Bangladesh from

thousands of miles away to feel the warmth of the sun, to get food

and enjoy the healthful surroundings. This example alone should

suffice to underline how livable our country happens to be. But

alas! A few of our countrymen recognize the blessings of the

Almighty on then as they remain captive to ideas of better living

in far away lands. A survey by the Economist, a traditionally

famous periodical paper of London, rated 140 cities round the

world to determine how livable or not these seemed to be in its

judgment . Bangladesh's capital city some years ago came out last

from the bottom or as the worst city in the results of the survey.

There is no need to say that there can be no happiness for

Bangladeshis from knowing about the Economist survey. The

same in no way shall contribute positively to the image of our

country internationally. But it is also pertinent to question the

objectivity of the exercise done by the Economist. For it cannot be

said that despite its renown, the Economist has been doing a fair

job in its ratings of countries or places . There are no reasons to

take the Economist's survey as an infallible guide to Dhaka's

present or the future. This survey was conducted in six major

areas namely stability, health services, education, infrastructures,

Under the first head--stability-- that vitally includes law and

order, political tumults, terrorist activities and related factors,

Dhaka can be described as almost a serene city at least by regional

comparisons. For citizens, law and order and concern for their

physical security and safety of their properties are very important

indicators to determine a city's livability or otherwise. In this

extremely important area, the Economist surveyors seemed to be

blind to the remarkably better position of Bangladesh's capital

city compared to major regional cities.

The position of Bangladesh in this area can be considered better

than even some big cities of developed countries. For example,

the number of serious crimes such as murders, rape and

robberies committed on average in New York City in a day would

be many times more than the average for the same in Dhaka

notwithstanding that Dhaka is home to over 16 million people

and most of them have an existence below or close to the poverty

line who should have every incentive to engage in crimes.

If one only remembers the incidents for days at a stretch from

which emerged rows and rows of charred homes and looted shops

in London in the early part of 2016 or when the famous subway

system in London came to a standstill from terrorist attacks four

years ago and hundreds of thousands of people were stranded and

had to sleep on pavements finding no room in London's hotels, ,

then one can see the point that Dhaka so far has not had law and

order slides on such a scale.

As for the environment, Dhaka continues to be far more livable

than many other cities. For example, Muscovites choked from

smokes and heat for some months in 2017 and were confined to

their homes . Many Canadian and US cities remain in sub zero

temperatures in winter that severely curtail unprotected human

mobility. Humans can get frost bitten and die quickly when

exposed to such freezing temperatures. Planes could not fly in

and out of London's famous Heathrow airport intermittently for

weeks in 2017 from throwing up of volcanic ashes in the

atmosphere. Airplane as well even road travel remained

suspended in some major North American cities in that year from

excess snowing on roads and runaways.

Dhaka faces no such great climatic or environmental hazards .

Even during the very serious flood in 1988 that engulfed Dhaka

city international travel to and from it through airlines remained

quite unhampered. It is also questionable how far the

Economist's assessments of Dhaka city in terms of culture and

even education reflect accuracy. Dhaka may not be culturally at

the top of the world's cities. But it is still distinguished for its

cultural vibrancy compared to many other cities of the world.

It may not be a centre of the globalized pop culture. But the

expressions of its own rich culture reared from antiquity, are quite

prominent and felt round the year in Dhaka. Its educational base

is weaker compared to cities of developed countries but should

not fare so badly in contrast to many other developing countries.

As for medical services, it has some world class hospitals no less

than the ones found in developed countries. Infrastructures such

as flyovers exist and more are fast coming up.

Therefore, it appears that there are many reasons to feel awfully

disheartened by the Economist's report on Dhaka city. It should

have rather praised Dhaka for tackling so much when it its

population density is the highest among the world's cities.

Even in its degraded conditions , Dhaka, realistically ranked,

should be seen as better endowed than many other cities in Asia

and Africa. One only has to grasp the point that a city which has

become so unlivable-- like in the Economist ranking-- does not

draw people to it at such a brisk rate. People rather tend to flee

away from such a city. That the rush to Dhaka city is turning only

stronger by the day is proof of the fact that its attraction for people

remains unchanged or its pull factors remain undiminished.

Dhaka is considered as one of the fastest growing city in the world

from the number of people migrating to it voluntarily from other

parts of The reality also is that many expatriates deliberately seek

to come to Dhaka for in this station they can save the most from

their salaries paid in foreign currency because costs of living in

Dhaka--including food and rent--are comparatively much

cheaper than in other famous international destinations like

London, Tokyo, Paris, etc.

Great things can come from sheer

imagination, provided a country's

leadership is able to understand the

public pulse and then rechart its national

destiny on the basis of a reimagined future.

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, an outcome of

such imagination by Crown Prince

Mohammed bin Salman, is steering the

Kingdom into a futuristic journey, with one

grandiose project after another. Oxagon is

the latest addition - a floating hexagonal

industrial complex that will, in a decade's

time, provide the world's first fully

integrated port and supply chain ecosystem

for NEOM.

NEOM itself is being built as a futuristic

city at a price tag of $500 billion on the Red

Sea coast in the northwestern Saudi

province of Tabuk. Powered by green

hydrogen, it seeks to provide a postmodern

experience in urban living that we can only

dream about - with robot maids, airborne

taxis, an artificial moon and much more.

The Line is NEOM's flagship project. It is

a linear city linking the coast of the Red Sea

with the region's mountains and upper

valleys that is being built along a 170 km line

- with no cars, no streets, no carbon

emissions and a hyperloop running down

the middle, providing a supersonic, frictionfree

travel service to its 1 million residents.

Oxagon represents a fundamental shift in

how the world views manufacturing. Its

smart factories will offer products in

sustainable energy, autonomous mobility,

water innovation, sustainable food

production, health and well-being, modern

methods of construction and technology,

and digital manufacturing, including

telecoms, space technology and robotics.

NEOM and its flagship projects will operate

in "digital air," with satellite

communications, cloud parks and a

hyperdata center. Together with two major

tourism and entertainment destinations -

the Red Sea Development Project and

AMAALA - they are geared toward

accomplishing Vision 2030's strategic goal

of making Saudi Arabia a hub of

international investment, business, travel,

tourism and trade.

The same goal underpins so many other

mega-tourism and entertainment projects

that celebrate and promote Saudi Arabia's

heritage and natural beauty, such as

Qiddiya near Riyadh, AlUla in the

northwest and Soudah in the Asir region.

There are also ambitious infrastructure

ventures, from multi-lane metros to smart

housing complexes and business districts

across major cities.

Being the center of the Islamic world,

Saudi Arabia already hosts millions of

ISHTIAQ AHMAD

Muslims for Umrah and Hajj every year.

However, its liberal visa policy introduced in

2019 is meant to attract other foreign

tourists who yearn to explore and seek

pleasure in a new territory. Vision 2030

seeks to attract 100 million tourists annually

by the end of the decade, with the National

Tourism Strategy announced in October

planning to invest $1 trillion in the tourism

sector.

But the Kingdom also wants more foreign

investors, hoping to raise $100 billion in

foreign direct investment by 2030. Under

the National Investment Strategy

announced at the Future Investment

Initiative Forum in October, it will spend $7

trillion to implement the Vision 2030

projects. The contributions will come from

the Public Investment Fund, with a net

worth of $450 billion, and the private sector,

including Saudi Aramco and the

petrochemical firm SABIC.

The FDI is hard to come by, but its

prospects have increased due to the

revamping of the regulatory framework and

progress in other enabling conditions,

MARIeNNA PoPe-WeIDeMANN

resulting in the issuance of more than 400

FDI licenses in the first quarter of 2021. In

February, the government also issued an

ultimatum to international companies to

either shift their regional headquarters to

the Kingdom by January 2024 or risk losing

their government contracts. The response

was prompt, with 40 multinationals,

including PepsiCo, Siemens and Unilever,

deciding to relocate to Riyadh - a trend that

is likely to accelerate.

Saudi Arabia has a clear advantage over

other Gulf states in terms of geography: It

has a landmass the size of Western Europe,

with two vast coastlines on key shipping

routes. The Red Sea ports, with NEOM and

Oxagon as the major industrial outposts,

will particularly help the Kingdom to

harness 13 percent of the world's trade

through the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia also has an edge over other

Gulf competitors in terms of demography:

The bulk of its 33 million population is

young, offering an enormous demographic

dividend. Vision 2030 seeks to tap this

potential by using the Saudi drive to

diversify its oil-based economy and become

one of the 15 largest economies in the world

by 2030 to significantly curtail youth

unemployment, especially by promoting

small and medium-sized enterprises and

raising women's participation in the

workforce, which has already increased

from 20 percent to more than 33 percent in

just two years.

Source: Arab news

Time for Japan to stop funding coal power in Bangladesh

Non-governmental organizations

have filed a formal complaint

against the Japan International

Cooperation Agency - the first of its kind -

to the US Securities and Exchange

Commission (SEC). The complaint

addresses JICA's false assertion that its

bond issued on US markets was free from

involvement in coal-fueled power

generation, when in fact its plans involve

continuing to fund coal-fired power plants

in Bangladesh.

While climate impacts are already

ravaging that country (in May 2020,

Cyclone Amphan caused widespread

damage and forced the relocation of 2

million people), JICA has announced

plans to fund Phase 2 of the 1,200-

megawatt Matarbari coal plant,

highlighting the economic development

outcomes that will come with the project.

Located on a densely populated island

in Cox's Bazar district that is home to

100,000 people, the Matarbari coal plant

will bring devastation to the community

instead of the development that JICA has

promised.

It is estimated that air pollution from

the Matarbari Phase 1 coal plant will cause

up to 14,000 premature deaths during its

operational years, according to

Greenpeace. Air quality in parts of

Bangladesh is already ranked as among

The UK is facing an epidemic of violence against women and girls

In November 2017, Dorset Police

launched a missing persons

investigation to find Gaia. But by then

they had already let her down.In 2015,

when she was just 17, Gaia told us that she

has been raped and that she wanted to

report it to the police. We are a close-knit

family and my cousins are like sisters to

me, so I sat with her through her police

interviews to support her. I also contacted

our local rape crisis centre in an effort to

ensure she had access to counselling and

advocacy support.

Gaia did everything she could to bring

the man who abused her to justice and

prevent other women and girls from being

victimised by him. But despite her

bravery, the police decided not to pursue

the case.

The "alleged perpetrator", Connor

Hayes, was already a known sex offender

when Gaia accused him of rape. Dorset

police were already aware of his other,

mostly underage, victims. But they still

decided to drop Gaia's case. Hayes was

eventually convicted for other offences,

but he only served a year in prison before

he was released to re-offend.

The police failure to prosecute Gaia's

case was a crucial factor in her health

challenges, disappearance and death. The

rape crisis centre, National Health Service

or NHS and social services also failed to

support Gaia and to help her cope with

this injustice. And, not much has changed

in the four years since we lost Gaia - in

Saudi Arabia also has an edge over other Gulf competitors in terms of demography:

The bulk of its 33 million population is young, offering an enormous demographic

dividend. Vision 2030 seeks to tap this potential by using the Saudi

drive to diversify its oil-based economy and become one of the 15 largest

economies in the world by 2030 to significantly curtail youth unemployment.

SHIBAYAN RAHA AND SHARIF JAMIL

the worst in the world. The project fails to

meet JICA's own Guidelines for

Environmental and Social

Considerations, which state that

communities affected by its projects must

be compensated at full replacement cost.

The guidelines also state that countries

hosting JICA projects must make efforts

to enable people affected to improve their

standard of living and their income

opportunities to be restored to pre-project

levels.

Two turbines of the Phase 1 plant were

built on land meant for shrimp farming,

crops, and salt production, the

disturbance of which have destroyed the

livelihoods of people in Matarbari. Those

displaced by the project were not given

prior notice as required by the Land

Acquisition Act of 1982, nor given any fair

compensation for damages.

Japan has some of the strongest

fact, things have got much worse.

Today, women and girls in the UK have

even less reason to believe the police

would take the necessary steps to ensure

our safety and hold those who harm us to

account. The national conviction rate for

even the most serious sexual offences

stands at less than 3 percent, and the odds

are even worse when the victim is Black or

a woman from a minority group. Why

would anyone trust the police under these

circumstances? But the police are only

one part of the problem. British society as

a whole is knee-deep in misogyny, and

this willful ignorance is adding fuel to the

epidemic of violence against women and

girls in our country. Indeed, the British

public appears to be highly confused

about what constitutes abuse and what

counts as consent. A third of men who

responded to a 2018 survey by YouGov on

attitudes to sexual consent, for example,

said if a woman has flirted on a date it

generally would not be rape, even if she

had not consented to sex. Twenty-one

emission standards at home, but the

overseas coal plants funded by its public

agencies apply lenient emission limits on

air pollutants. They rely on outdated

technology for reducing pollution,

emitting many times the amount of sulfur

dioxide and other toxins than an average

new coal plant in Japan.

At the recent COP26 climate talks in

Glasgow, newly elected Prime Minister

Japan has some of the strongest emission standards at home, but the

overseas coal plants funded by its public agencies apply lenient emission

limits on air pollutants. They rely on outdated technology for

reducing pollution, emitting many times the amount of sulfur dioxide

and other toxins than an average new coal plant in Japan.

Fumio Kishida spoke of Japan's

"determination" to address the "shared

human challenge of climate change with

all our strength." He committed the

equivalent of an additional US$10 billion

in public and private assistance over five

years toward Asia's decarbonization with

the aim of advancing zero-emissions

goals, taking the country's total financial

pledge to $70 billion.

But in contradiction to this statement,

Kishida emphasized the role of thermal

percent of female respondents echoed this

view. With the state having failed to

educate such a large segment of society on

the basics of consent, sexual abuse cannot

even be recognised when it is in front of

our faces. Is it any wonder then that the

British police appear unable and unwilling

to protect women and girls?

The British police and justice system

have arguably never been on the side of

sexual assault survivors. In recent years,

however, due to a toxic combination of

austerity and rising misogyny, they have

completely turned against them - they

have elevated disbelieving survivors from

Take the case of Dorset Police. According to data obtained by

our organization, Justice for Gaia, which was launched in the

days after my cousin's death to fight for justice for her and for

all survivors, of 2,058 sexual offences recorded by Dorset Police

between 2019-2020, only 46 resulted in criminal charges.

an art to an actual policy

Sarah Everard's rape and murder by a

police officer in London in March this

year, followed by scenes of extreme police

brutality directed at women at her vigil in

Clapham, was a gruesome reminder of

what most of us already knew: the police

do not protect us.

Sarah's murder turned the national

spotlight on police misogyny and violence

energy as a reliable power source in Asia

and expressed support for dubious

technological "fixes," including the

burning of coal combined with ammonia

and hydrogen to reduce carbon-dioxide

emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Japan's reluctance explicitly to rule out

coal-fired power sees the country trailing

behind other large economies on climate

action. Bangladesh's energy future lies in

renewables, not in coal or natural gas.

After 50 years of independence,

Bangladeshi energy experts should have

more of a say in preparing the energy

sector master plan than foreign experts

from JICA.

Japanese investment in Bangladesh

should take the form of scaling up its

renewable-energy transition to benefit

from the rapid decline in the cost of solar

and wind energy globally and for power

storage technologies. Coal and natural gas

are carbon-intensive fossil fuels, and will

become a burden for Bangladesh in the

long run.

Prime Minister Kishida and his Liberal

Democratic Party must prioritize action

on climate change by ushering in new

government policies to combat the crisis,

starting by ruling out funding Phase 2 of

the Matarbari coal plant.

Source: Asia times

in London and other urban centres, but

this is not solely an "urban" problem.

Police forces are working against women

and girls in every corner of this country.

Take the case of Dorset Police.

According to data obtained by our

organization, Justice for Gaia, which was

launched in the days after my cousin's

death to fight for justice for her and for all

survivors, of 2,058 sexual offences

recorded by Dorset Police between 2019-

2020, only 46 resulted in criminal

charges. Between 2015-2019, 13 Dorset

police officers or members of staff have

been arrested for serious crimes,

including rape, but most have been

released without any charges or

disciplinary action. Since 2020, one

Dorset police officer has strangled a local

nurse to death, another has been sacked

for sexually assaulting a colleague, and yet

another has been found guilty of abusing

his position "to engage in sexual activity

with members of the public". Another

Dorset officer is currently facing gross

misconduct charges related to the Sarah

Everard investigation. Today, it is an

undeniable fact that there is an epidemic

of violence against women and girls in

Britain, and the police are at the epicentre

of it. No institution that is unwilling to

hold perpetrators accountable within its

own ranks can be expected to tackle abuse

effectively in society.

Source: Al Jazeera

SaTurday, noveMber 27, 2021

5

Women must be heard on climate

FIona Harvey

Women must be enabled to play a

greater role at the Cop26 summit, as

the needs of women and girls are

being overlooked amid the global

climate crisis, a coalition of feminist

groups has said.

The Global Women's Assembly for

Climate Justice has laid out a call for

action at the UN general assembly,

including demands that world leaders

meeting at Cop26, in Glasgow this

November, must end fossil fuel

expansion and move to 100%

renewable energy.

More than 120 groups have signed

the call, to be presented at a six-day

online forum starting on Saturday,

which also includes demands to

promote women's leadership and

equity, protect the rights of

indigenous peoples, improve food

security, recognise a human right to

water, and to protect forests, oceans

and other ecosystems.

Osprey Orielle Lake, of the

Women's Earth and Climate Action

Network, and convener of the

assembly, said: "Every day, we can see

for ourselves forest fires burning,

massive flooding, extreme droughts,

people losing their livelihoods and

lives- - we are in a global climate

emergency.

"As the world prepares for one of

the most important climate talks

since the Paris agreement, we know

solutions exist, and that women are

leading the way." She said Cop26

must deliver a pathway to limiting

global heating to 1.5C, and help

people around the world - particularly

women and children, who are often

the worst affected - build resilience to

the impacts of the climate crisis.

"We need systemic change," she

added. "It's not going to work if we

just barrel through another Cop and

nothing happens." As women are

responsible in many countries for

gathering fuel, water and food, they

often suffer the most when shortages

are caused or made worse by the

climate crisis. As they are usually

lacking land rights, they are also more

likely to be displaced in climate

disasters. Studies have also found the

climate crisis exacerbates genderbased

violence against women.

Neema Namadamu, founder of the

Synergy of Congolese Women's

Associations, from the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, said: "I was

born in the forest, my whole being is

from the forest. Women are on the

frontline, working for climate justice

and affected by climate change. We

are planting trees - without trees there

is no life. We cook with fires and have

fires for light at night. We really need

to start working together."

Many of the remedies to the climate

crisis would also benefit women. For

instance, replacing cooking fires with

solar stoves would reduce indoor air

pollution that affects women and

children more as they spend more

time at home. Bringing clean

renewable energy to low-income

countries would enable more women

and girls to gain access to education,

as without electricity they often lack

the means to study after nightfall.

Mary Robinson, former UN high

commissioner for human rights,

former president of Ireland and chair

of the Elders group of world leaders,

has long been a critic of the lack of

women's representation at Cops, the

"conference of the parties".

She said: "We need to centre

women and girls in the climate

context - women need to be included

at the table. The UK promised the

most inclusive Cop, but it is not. The

Covid crisis has exacerbated and

cemented gender inequality, and we

need to build on the gender action

plan [agreed at the last Cop, in

Madrid, in 2019]."

The Guardian revealed last year that

the UK as host country was fielding an

all-male top team for Glasgow,

headed by the cabinet minister and

Cop president Alok Sharma, with 10

ministers, civil servants and other

officials who were all male. The

government came under heavy

criticism after the revelation, and

appointed Anne-Marie Trevelyan,

now trade secretary, as a "champion"

to focus on climate adaptation and

resilience. About 45% of the Cop26

unit are now women, but almost all of

the most senior public-facing roles are

taken by men.

During the two-week Cop26

summit, there will be a day devoted to

gender issues, which will include a

discussion of the gender action plan.

A Cop26 spokesperson said:

"Women and girls have a critical role

to play in the fight against the climate

crisis - as decision-makers, educators

and advocates at all levels. Progress is

being made, with women among

some of the most influential figures in

international climate diplomacy

today, but there is more to be done.

"The UK is committed to

championing diversity and inclusivity

throughout our Cop26 presidency

and advancing gender equality in

The words of the suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett adapted

into an environmental call to action at Parliament Square in

London.

Photo: Hannah McKay

climate action and finance." Dipti

Bhatnagar, of Friends of the Earth

International, said there were

concerns that women from lowincome

countries would face

obstacles coming to Glasgow, as

arrivals from red list countries must

quarantine in the UK.

The UK government is running a pre-

Cop vaccination programme for

delegates and has pledged to fund the

required quarantine stays for registered

attenders, including party delegates,

observers and media from the global

south who would otherwise find it

difficult to attend the conference.

However, Bhatnagar said: "Cop26

going ahead in person is very unsafe

and inequitable now. Many

organisations have demanded the UK

government postpone."

Community-led upgrade to a Nairobi

slum could be a model for Africa

PeTer MuIrurI

The people who live in

Mukuru, one of the vast,

sprawling "informal

settlements" in Nairobi,

used to dread the rains,

when the slum's mudpacked

lanes would dissolve

into a soggy quagmire of

sewage, stagnant water and

slimy rubbish.

But a few years ago, things

began to change. On a newly

paved road Benedetta

Kasendi is selling sugar cane

from a cart. It gives her a

clean platform, somewhere

she can keep her wares tidy.

Her biggest challenge now is

what to do with the sugarcane

waste as she does not

want to clog up Mukuru's

revamped sewers.

"You can have a piece of

sugar cane here. The place is

clean now," Kasendi tells

Patrick Njoroge,

programme officer at the

Akiba Mashinani Trust

(AMT), a fund that raises

capital for slum

improvement projects.

Njoroge has been working

for the past 10 years on a

masterplan for Mukuru, and

he knows how filthy the

place used to be.

"This road was more of an

open sewer. It is not a place

you could have wished to

spend an extra second.

Walking was dangerous as

one risked falling into the

sewer. This lady set up here

after the road was

rehabilitated - slum

upgrading spurs new

businesses, however small,"

says Njoroge.

A few metres away, Diana

Mwende lines up jerrycans

at a kiosk where free fresh

water is available. "I used to

walk 30 minutes to fetch

water. Today, that walk has

been reduced to two

minutes since these water

points were installed in our

Mukuru in 2010, before the upgrade to the slum began. Photo: Tony Karumba

neighbourhood," she says.

The improvements save

her more than time: "I used

to pay 400 shillings [£2.70]

for water every month and

1,000 shillings to access the

communal toilet. Now I

have a clean toilet by my

house."

Kasendi and Mwende are

among thousands who have

benefited from a

community-based

programme to upgrade one

of Africa's biggest informal

settlements and whose

success will be used to

transform similar slums in

Kenya and beyond.

The ambitious project

follows consultations with

more than 40 organisations

led by the Muungano

Alliance, an umbrella body

driving reforms in Kenya's

informal settlements, and

including universities, civil

societies, the private sector

and Nairobi county

government. The goal is to

make the slum a "healthy,

functional

city

neighbourhood".

Community involvement

in improving the sprawling

243-hectare (600 acre)

slum was the key. A resident

was chosen to represent

groups of households and

thousands of people were

asked for their views; 250

community mobilisers were

engaged to raise awareness

of the project. Residents

were trained to collect data -

a huge task given the size of

Mukuru, which has a

population generally

estimated to be at least

400,000. Every latrine,

water tap and electricity

pole in the settlement was

mapped.

One of the most urgent

issues was toilets, and there

were many requests to

replace the 3,800 filthy pit

latrines. Now, 1,000

households have access to

flushing toilets and running

water.

Kennedy odede

The UK's cut to its aid budget comes to

about £4bn a year. Such a dramatic

reduction is a blow to many, but most of

all to the local organisations who

perpetually find themselves last in line

for funding.

New research by the Vodafone

Foundation reveals that, too often, only a

small proportion of philanthropic

funding earmarked for African

development reaches local, African-led

civil society organisations. Instead, most

development funding favours

intermediaries in the global north and

international organisations.

Funding that does reach Africa is

typically distributed among locally

registered international NGO

counterparts and then allocated to

African-led organisations on a project

basis. This limits the scope and flexibility

of activities on the ground and promotes

aid reliance, instead of durable,

transformative change.

It's been a year since the racial

reckoning that erupted after George

Floyd's murder. At the time, I wrote that

calls for racial justice on the streets, in

government offices and boardrooms

must extend to the international

development sector.

A year on, the report on funding is a

sobering reminder that the racial bias

and microaggressions I have experienced

as an African leader and CEO are deeper,

more pernicious and prevalent than even

I, someone who lives this every day,

understood. To respond and rebuild,

racial bias needs to be replaced with trust,

redistribution of power,

acknowledgment of a global anti-black

bias, and flexible funding.

During Covid-19, we have seen the

power of local actors to effectively

respond to the pandemic and protect

marginalised communities, where topdown

institutions have failed. In some

ways, Covid-19 has erased the

boundaries between humanitarian aid,

as it is traditionally known, and longterm

development work.

For example, my organisation, Shining

Hope for Communities (Shofco), was

Feny nuroKTavIanI

Indonesia's population has

increased by 32.56 million

people over a decade with an

average population growth

rate of 3.26% per year. The

increasing human population

creates a predicament

regarding the availability of

land because the existing

lands must be utilized for the

increasing housing needs.

Meanwhile, lands are also

vital for food needs and

agricultural development.

Indonesia is experiencing a

speed loss of agricultural land

around 140,000 - 187,000

hectares per year, due to the

increase in residential and

industrial areas. The gap

between food demand, food

production, and land

availability need to be

resolved.

There is a hope to create

new agricultural lands from

such areas which people

rarely glimpse, namely the

suboptimal land. Suboptimal

land, often known as

marginal land or idle land, is

low-quality land that lacks

economic value and refers to

land that is not used due to

poor natural conditions, but

is capable of producing crops,

including agricultural

production.

Suboptimal land is rarely

used as land for agriculture

because it is considered to

have low productivity - it is

often infertile, marginal, low

potential, poor in resources,

degraded and difficult to

cultivate for productive

agricultural land.

However, limited and

decreasing fertile land forces

us to develop innovations in

meeting future food needs by

utilizing suboptimal land.

Around 157.2 million ha of

land in Indonesia is

suboptimal, consisting of

123.1 million ha of dry land

and 34.1 million ha of

wetlands, including

peatlands.

The sustainable use of

abandoned or degraded land

can be a solution to secure

food supplies. This is because

the harvest produced on

suboptimal land will increase

the availability and

accessibility of food,

Anti-black bias in funding

should be addressed

Children learn how to wash hands to prevent the spread of Covid at

Kibera slum in nairobi, March 2020. Photo: yasuyoshi Chiba

found by independent researchers to be

the most recognised responder to the

pandemic in Kenya's informal

settlements in 2020. Despite the fact that

Shofco is not a humanitarian agency, we

had boots on the ground and worked

with community leaders to mobilise a

rapid response to Covid-19, reaching 2.4

million urban slum dwellers with health

screenings, food relief, clean water, cash

support and more. Perhaps the deep

community trust that organisations like

mine have built is the true enabler for

long-term change. We need the sector to

put real funding behind the idea that

proximate leaders best understand

problems and therefore the solutions.

During Covid, we are seeing the walls

come down in the sector. Going forward,

all development actors will be expected to

know how to respond to crisis situations.

For this reason, it has never been more

important for development funders to

loosen restrictions and increase flexible

especially for the

surrounding area.

Imagine if population

growth is not balanced with

an increase in food supply

due to limited land

availability. A country with

too much dependence on

imports to meet its food

needs might disrupt its

stability.

The solution to this

problem is by utilizing

suboptimal land. Suboptimal

land can strengthen the

construction of local food

barns - which can overcome

three main issues: inequality

in food production centers,

long and ineffective food

distribution, and farmers'

welfare. In addition, local

food barns can meet food

security in an unexpected

disaster such as the current

pandemic.

Strengthening the use of

these marginal lands which

are accessible to locals to

produce food commodity

production can increase the

availability, consumption,

and sales of food

commodities and help

improve community

nutrition.

To maintain food security

by making use of suboptimal

land, we can apply "think

globally, act locally" to picture

broadly and take action

locally adapted to regional

conditions.

Thinking globally is

important when the market

cannot adequately serve the

(global) community's food

needs due to the interruption

of physical access caused by

disaster or disruption of

economic access due to price

spikes, or like during this

pandemic. Then, we can take

action locally by increasing

local food productivity by

utilizing suboptimal land

used as gardens or fields as

an alternative that is always

ready to be harvested.

Several studies have

identified effective ways to

convert suboptimal land into

productive lands, such as the

suitability of wetlands for

growing chilies and rubber

corn intercropping. At the

same time, agriculture on dry

land is suitable for rainfed

crops that depend on rainfall.

Agriculture on suboptimal

land can be done well by

paying attention to suitable

soil characteristics, effective

water management, and

appropriate planting

methods to optimally

produce

various

commodities, including

secondary crops, vegetables,

and fruits.

With the support of

knowledge and technology,

we can experiment on which

method is the most effective

for regulating the land. We

can combine traditional

techniques and modern

technology in overcoming

funding to local partners. It is imperative

that we reshape the development sector,

putting local actors at the centre, where

they are best placed to respond. As my

mother has always told me: "Those who

wear the shoes, know where it pinches."

As the pandemic rages on and deepens

the wedge of inequality worldwide, local

practitioners and marginalised

communities on the ground have run out

of patience for platitudes, debates or

lengthy strategic planning processes.

We are also out of patience for empty

promises to "do better" or "examine bias"

without significant shifts in funding and

donor accountability.

International donors and policymakers

must make immediate and

demonstrable efforts to shift power,

resources, and decision-making to local

organisations that are in tune with

community-level realities and alliances,

and are able to act in real-time, towards

change that is community-driven.

Use of unconventional

land for food security

Indonesia has a vast tract of suboptimal land that is rarely used. Photo: Collected

agricultural constraints on

suboptimal land.

The success of suboptimal

land in agricultural

development can be seen in

farm practices in South

Sumatra Province. Around

15% or 1.4 million ha of land

in South Sumatra Province

are dominated by swamp and

peatland, and 89.7% of the

wetlands are plant rice,

accounting for 73.7% of the

total harvested area. Wetland

cultivation has contributed to

local food security by

delivering the expected

results and sustainability.

As an alternative to

economic revitalization and

meeting the community's

food needs, farmers in South

Sumatra also use peatlands to

cultivate secondary crops and

horticulture such as rice,

corn, cassava, beans, and

various other vegetables.

Plantation practices on

peatlands are carried out in

an environmentally friendly

and sustainable manner.

Therefore, the suboptimal

land has potency significant

to be used as a strategic

choice for developing

agricultural production areas

in the future and as a source

of supporting national food

security. Especially to

compensate for the shrinking

of arable land and increased

production for food security

and

agribusiness

development.

SATURDAY, NOvEMBER 27, 2021

6

Naples-born Lorenzo Insigne wearing Napoli's special kit honoring Maradona earlier this month

Carlo Hermann.

Photo: AP/File

Maradona tributes the backdrop as

rattled Napoli aim to bounce back

SPORTS DESK

Napoli will pay tribute to Diego

Maradona on Sunday when they host

Lazio hoping to put two painful and

costly consecutive defeats behind them,

reports BSS.

The football world honoured

Maradona on the anniversary of his

death on Thursday but Napoli are using

this weekend's fixture to enable

Neapolitans to finally say goodbye at the

place where their icon was most at

home.

On Thursday Napoli told

supporters to arrive at the Stadio

Diego Armando Maradona over

three hours early so they could be in

the stands for an "intense"

commemoration ceremony

dedicated to the man who led a

previously mediocre team to their

only two Serie A titles and the 1989

UEFA Cup. Maradona remains a

God-like figure in Naples, where

children are still named Diego in his

honour and murals of the Argentine

can be found all over the city, despite

his grisly fall from grace at the end of

his turbulent seven years in

southern Italy, a failed drugs test

and details of a sordid private life

dogging him as he fled back to

Manchester United

likely to appoint Ralf

Rangnick as interim

manager for rest of

the season

SPORTS DESK

Manchester United are set to

appoint German Ralf

Rangnick as interim

manager on a six-month

contract, reports UNB.

The German is unlikely to

be in charge for Sunday's

Premier League match

against table-toppers

Chelsea due to work permit

reasons, but he might take

charge of the team as

manager against Arsenal on

December 2.

Manchester United has

been searching for an

interim manager since the

sacking of Ole Gunnar

Solskjaer after the

humiliating 4-1 defeat at

Watford on Saturday,

following a trophyless threeyear

season at the helm.

Michael Carrick,

Solskjaer's assistant, was

placed in temporary charge,

with United saying he would

be in place while they looked

to appoint an interim

manager to the end of the

season. Carrick took charge

of United on Tuesday for the

2-0 win at Villarreal, a result

that ensured they would

finish top of their

Champions League group.

Rangnick, 63, has built an

impressive coaching

reputation during his time in

Germany, chiefly through

spells at Stuttgart,

Hannover, Hoffenheim,

Schalke, and RB Leipzig.

It was with Schalke that he

enjoyed the most success,

finishing runners-up in

Germany's top flight in the

2004-05 season.

Buenos Aires in 1991.

Now Napoli fans will be able to

collectively express their love for

Maradona in the stadium where he

weaved magic at the peak of his career,

after being locked out by Covid-19 a year

ago. "Naples was always there for dad,

and he was always there for Naples,"

says his son Diego Maradona Junior in

a recent Sky Italia documentary.

"You see a sticker in a car, or a mural,

or a kid on the street who has a top with

Maradona written on the back, and that

fills me with pride because he gave the

people of my city unending joy."

Napoli will be hoping for a boost from

the pre-match events as they take on

Lazio off the back of losses at Inter

Milan and Spartak Moscow.

The 3-2 defeat at the San Siro last

weekend was Napoli's first of the league

season, cut the gap between the league

leaders and champions Inter to four

points and cost them their star striker

Victor Osimhen.

Osimhen is expected to be out of

action for three months after fracturing

his left cheek and eye socket in a

sickening clash of heads with Milan

Skriniar. To make matters worse their

hopes of making the Europa League

knockouts are still in the balance

following a fraught 2-1 defeat in

Moscow on Wednesday.

While Napoli prepare to give

Maradona the send off they would

have liked to a year ago, another

Argentine in the shape of Simeone is

making waves in Italy. After striking

against both Juventus and Napoli in

recent weeks, Simeone is having the

best season of his life on loan at

Verona under Igor Tudor and has

scored his nine Serie A goals in his last

eight matches. Verona travel to

struggling Sampdoria with the

European places in their sights thanks

to the 26-year-old's red hot form.

Key stats

1 -the number of games Juventus

have won by more than one goal

25 - Atalantahave a club recordequalling

number of points after 13

league fixtures ahead of the visit of Juve.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Cagliari v Salernitana (1945)

Saturday

Empoli v Fiorentina, Sampdoria v

Verona (1400), Juventus v Atalanta

(1700), Venezia v Inter Milan (1945)

Sunday

Udinese v Genoa (1130), AC Milan v

Sassuolo, Spezia v Bologna (1400),

Roma v Torino (1700), Napoli v Lazio

(1945).

Former Brazil Olympic boss

sentenced to jail for corruption

SPORTS DESK

Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the head of the

Brazilian Olympic Committee for more than

two decades, was sentenced to 30 years and

11 months in jail for allegedly buying votes

for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics,

reports UNB.

The ruling by Judge Marcelo Bretas

became public Thursday.

Nuzman, who also headed the Rio 2016

organizing committee, was found guilty of

corruption, criminal organization, money

laundering and tax evasion. The 79-year-old

executive won't be jailed until all his appeals

are heard.

He and his lawyer did not comment on the

decision. Bretas also sentenced to jail former

Rio Gov. Sergio Cabral, businessman Arthur

Soares and Leonardo Gryner, who was the

Rio 2016 committee director-general of

operations. Investigators say all three and

Nuzman coordinated to bribe the former

president of the International Association of

Athletics Federations, LamineDiack, and his

son Papa Diack for votes.

Cabral, who has been in jail since 2016 and

faces a series of other convictions and

investigations, told Bretas two years ago he

had paid about $2 million in exchange for up

to six votes in the International Olympic

Committee (IOC) meeting that awarded Rio

the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He said

the money had come from a debt owed to

him by Soares.

Cabral, who governed Rio state between

2003 and 2010, added that another

$500,000 was paid later to Diack's son with

the aim of securing three more votes of IOC

members.

Bretas' ruling labels Nuzman as "one of the

main responsibles for the promotion and the

organization of the criminal scheme, given

his position in the Brazilian Olympic

Committee and before international

authorities." The judge also said the sports

executive "headed and coordinated action of

the other agents, clearly as a leader" to

illegally garnish support at the IOC.

The judge said he will send the results of

the investigation to authorities in Senegal

and France, where Papa Diack and

LamineDiack live, respectively.

Rio's bid beat Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid

to host the 2016 Games.

The investigation in Brazil began in 2017

after French newspaper Le Monde found

members of the IOC had been bribed three

days before the 2009 session in Copenhagen

where Rio was picked to host the Games.

Former Brazil's Olympic Committee (COB) President Carlos Arthur

Nuzman sentenced to jail for corruption.

Photo: AP

Women's WC

Bangladesh suffer

first defeat losing

to Thailand

SPORTS DESK

High flying Bangladesh

suffered the first defeat in

their 3rd Group B match of

the ICC Women's Cricket

World Cup Qualifiers losing

to Thailand by 16 runs

under DL method in a rainmarred

match at the Harare

Sports Club ground in

Zimbabwe on Thursday,

reports UNB.

Earlier, Bangladesh made

a flying start in five-team

Group B of the ICC

Women's Cricket World

Cup Qualifiers upsetting

Pakistan by three wickets

and earned their everbiggest

victory crushing

USA by 270 runs, featuring

Sharmin Akhter's first- ever

century for Bangladesh in

women's cricket.

In the remaining group

match, Bangladesh will play

hosts Zimbabwe on

November 29.

Opener Sornnarin scored

the match highest 69 runs

off 113 balls featuring seven

fours, another opener

Natthakan made 69-ball 37

runs with three boundaries

while

NannapatKoncharoenkar

and NaruemolChaiwai

remained not out on 14 and

5 runs respectively.

Nahida Akhter and

FahinaKhatun of

Bangladesh took one wicket

each conceding 17 and 32

runs respectively.

Sent in to bat first in the

day's delayed start and raininterrupted

match,

Bangladesh Women's

scored moderate 176 runs

for 8 in in quota 50 overs

against Thai Women's,

featuring a half century by

FarganaHoque.

After departure of first

two batters -Bangladesh's

lone centurion Sharmin

Akhter (1) and captain Nigar

Sultana (1) -- for 14 runs in

6.3 overs, number four

batter FarganHoque pairing

with

opener

MurshidaKhatun

contributed 84 runs in the

3rd wicket stand to carry the

team total to 98 runs.

Fargana scored 51 runs in

81 balls hitting six

boundaries while Murshida

made 80-ball 46 runs with

the help of five fours.

Besides, LataMondal (29),

Rumana Ahmed (27) were

the other Bangladesh

batters reaching double

digit while another 12 runs

of the innings came from

extras.

Abahani spoil

Mariner's title

celebration

party

SPORTS DESK

A dramatic 3-4 goals defeat

to Abahani Limited spoiled

the title celebrations of

Mariner Youngs' Club as

well as ended their unbeaten

13-match unbeaten run in

the day's Super Five match

of the ongoing Premier

Division Hockey at the

MaulanaBhashani National

Hockey Stadium in the

capital on Thursday, reports

UNB.

Mariner, who had 39

points from 13 consecutive

wins, were needed just a

draw in the day's match to

secure the title of the

tournament. Now, they will

need to earn at least a draw

against Mohammedan in

their last and 15th league

match, scheduled to be held

on Saturday at the same

venue at 6:00pm.

Bjorn Kellerman and

Khorshadur Rahman scored

twice each for Abahani.

Bjorn scored in the 7th and

26th minutes of the game

while Khorshadur scored

two goals in the 59th and

60th minutes for the team.

Shohanur Rahman scored

a treble for Mariner in the

14th, 17th and 28th minutes.

With the day's feat,

Abahani earned 39 points

from 15 matches.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz out of Davis

Cup Finals due to COVID-19

SPORTS DESK

Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the head of the

Brazilian Olympic Committee for more than

two decades, was sentenced to 30 years and

11 months in jail for allegedly buying votes

for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics.

The ruling by Judge Marcelo Bretas

became public Thursday, reports UNB..

Nuzman, who also headed the Rio 2016

organizing committee, was found guilty of

corruption, criminal organization, money

laundering and tax evasion. The 79-year-old

executive won't be jailed until all his appeals

are heard.

He and his lawyer did not comment on the

decision. Bretas also sentenced to jail former

Rio Gov. Sergio Cabral, businessman Arthur

Soares and Leonardo Gryner, who was the

Rio 2016 committee director-general of

operations. Investigators say all three and

Nuzman coordinated to bribe the former

president of the International Association of

Athletics Federations, LamineDiack, and his

son Papa Diack for votes.

Cabral, who has been in jail since 2016 and

faces a series of other convictions and

investigations, told Bretas two years ago he

had paid about $2 million in exchange for up

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action at the Erste Bank Open.

to six votes in the International Olympic

Committee (IOC) meeting that awarded Rio

the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He said

the money had come from a debt owed to

him by Soares. Cabral, who governed Rio

state between 2003 and 2010, added that

another $500,000 was paid later to Diack's

son with the aim of securing three more

votes of IOC members.

Bretas' ruling labels Nuzman as "one of the

main responsibles for the promotion and the

organization of the criminal scheme, given

his position in the Brazilian Olympic

Committee and before international

authorities." The judge also said the sports

executive "headed and coordinated action of

the other agents, clearly as a leader" to

illegally garnish support at the IOC.

The judge said he will send the results of

the investigation to authorities in Senegal

and France, where Papa Diack and

LamineDiack live, respectively.

Rio's bid beat Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid

to host the 2016 Games. The investigation in

Brazil began in 2017 after French newspaper

Le Monde found members of the IOC had

been bribed three days before the 2009

session in Copenhagen where Rio was picked

to host the Games.

Photo: Reuters

Man City, PSG and Real Madrid among

Champions League qualifiers

SPORTS DESK

Manchester City beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-

1 on Wednesday but both clubs qualified for

the last 16 of the Champions League, along

with Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Sporting

Lisbon, reports BSS.

Gabriel Jesus tapped in from Bernardo

Silva's deft knockdown on 76 minutes to

settle an absorbing match at the Etihad after

Raheem Sterling had cancelled out

KylianMbappe's goal.

Before Jesus sent the crowd wild in

Manchester, Neymar shot wide to blow a

golden chance to put the Parisians ahead.

Lionel Messi had a low-key game and

Sergio Ramos, named among the

substitutes, was not called on to make his

PSG debut.

Pep Guardiola's City, the beaten finalists

last season, are guaranteed of winning

Group A, while PSG qualified in second place

despite the defeat because RB Leipzig

thrashed Club Brugge 5-0 in Belgium.

PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, in the city

where he is being linked with the vacant

Manchester United job, insisted his

expensively-assembled side were showing

improvement.

"We have to improve," added Pochettino.

"I am happy in the process. Things are better

than one month ago and much better than

two months ago. Little by little the team is

going to improve."

About the United rumours, the former

Tottenham coach said: "We are living in a

business that rumours are there, sometimes

positive, sometimes negative."

Guilty verdict and a goal -

Karim Benzema scored just hours after

being found guilty by a French court in a

blackmail case as Real Madrid eased past

Sheriff Tiraspol 3-0 to reach the knockout

stage.

The French striker notched his team's

third goal of a confident display in

Transnistria after David Alaba's free-kick

and Toni Kroos' strike as Real took revenge

for their shock 2-1 loss to Sheriff in Madrid

earlier this season.

Bangladesh Cricket League begins December 10

SPORTS DESK

The ninth edition of the Bangladesh Cricket

League, the franchise based first-class

tournament of the country, will get

underway on December 10, reports UNB.

The tournament alongside four-day

matches will also stage one-day games

between the four participating teams.

The tournament with the participation of

Walton Central Zone, BCB South Zone,

Islami Bank East Zone and BCB North Zone

- will first hold the four-day games. The two

teams who finish top in the league phase will

play the final. The teams will then play the

one-day competition in similar tournament

format and the top two teams will play the

final.

The players' draft for the upcoming season

of the tournament was held at the

Bangladesh Cricket Board media center

Wednesday. A total of 147 cricketers,

including the six retained by each team, were

put up for the draft where a total of 67

players got picked by the four teams. Only

Central Zone and East Zone completed their

squad of 24.

South Zone in total have 21 cricketers in

the dressing room while North Zone bagged

22 players. The teams have named

mainstream national cricketers in Tamim

Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur

Rahman but it is understood that none will

be available due to national commitment

and the packed schedule. North Zone

meanwhile picked the veteran

Mahmudullah who announced Test

retirement Wednesday.

It is understood that Mahmudullah has

quit longer version cricket in both

international and domestic circuit.

The squads:

Walton Central Zone

Retained: ShuvagataHom, Taibur

Rahman, Abdul Majid, Shahidul Islam,

Soumya Sarkar, Mukidul Islam

Picked: Mosaddek Hossain, Hasan Murad,

RobiulHaque, Mizanur Rahman, Jahurul

Islam, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Zaker Ali,

Salman Hossain, Abu Haider, Monir

Hossain, MunimShahriar, Al Amin Jr,

Mohammad Mithun, Nazmul Islam Apu,

Abdul Halim, Raqibul Hasan Noyon,

Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Nazmul Hossain

Shanto

BCB South Zone

Retained: Fazley Mahmud Rabbi,

AnamulHaque Jr, Mahedi Hasan, Kamrul

Islam Rabbi, Farhad Reza, Nasum Ahmed

Picked: Amit Hasan, TowhidHridoy,

Pinak Ghosh, Zakir Hasan, Mustafizur

Rahman, Nahidul Islam, Sumon Khan,

EnamulHaque Jr, SalauddinShakil,

Myshukur Rahman, Zahid Abed, Ziaur

Rahman, Shamsul Islam Anik, Nurul

Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz.

Chile approves Covid

shots for childen

aged 3 and up

SANTIAGO: Chile on

Thursday announced it

would start vaccinating

children aged three and up

against the coronavirus,

after

successfully

innoculating around 90

percent of its initial target

population, reports BSS.

Children under the new

rollout will receive the

Chinese CoronaVac shot

already used for kids aged

six to 15, the Public Health

Institute said.

For 16 to 18-year-olds,

Chile uses the

Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The decision to use

different shots was based on

studies with CoronaVac in

China that showed the

Chinese vaccine had a

higher rate of adverse

reactions in older children

than in younger ones, the

institute said.

Chile joins Venezuela,

Colombia and neighbor

Argentina in vaccinating

children from age three.

Nicaragua and Cuba are

vaccinating toddlers as

young as two.

Younger children will also

start getting vaccinated in

Europe, where the EU's drug

regulator on Thursday

cleared the Pfizer/BioNTech

shot for use in children aged

five to 11.

Chile, with a population

of 19 million, has so far

vaccinated some 13.8

million people, over 90

percent of its target group of

adults aged 18 and older.

Some 1.75 million people

have contracted the virus in

Chile, and 38,000 have died,

according to official figures.

More than 50 reported

dead in Siberia coal

mine accident

GRAMOTEINO: More than 50

people were reported to have

died Thursday after smoke filled

a Siberian coal mine and a

rescue effort ended in tragedy,

reports BSS.

Senior managers at the mine

in Russia's Kemerovo region

had been detained for suspected

safety violations, after the latest

deadly accident to hit the

country's vast mining industry.

Russian news agencies

quoted local authorities as

saying that 52 people were dead,

including miners and six

rescuers who had been part of

an aborted search operation.

"According to preliminary

information, no one is left alive

in the mine," state news agency

TASS quoted a source in the

local emergency services as

saying.

The Listvyazhnaya mine,

near the town of Belovo in the

Kemerovo mining region, filled

with smoke in the early hours of

Thursday with 285 people

inside.

Most were able to evacuate,

but officials had said 35 miners

were unaccounted for. It was not

immediately clear what had

caused the accident, though

some Russian media reported

that dust in a ventilation shaft

caught fire, causing the mine to

fill with smoke.

The Asian Specialized Hospital in Chittagong has been awarded the World Confederation of Business Houston Award (BIZ)

for its contribution in the field of medicine. The award was presented at a ceremony held in St. Regis, Doha, Qatar recently.

Managing Director Lion Salauddin Ali received the award on behalf of Asian Specialized Hospital. Photo: S M Akash

Life becomes easier, safer as solar

lamps illuminate Raipura

NARSINGDI: Solar street lamps

installed in Raipura municipality make

the lives of locals easier as they can now

move within their locality safely at

nighttime, reports BSS.

In the last monsoon, when Mukter

Hossain was returning home from

Raipura town in a stormy night,

conventional street lights went out of

order suddenly due to power

disruption. He got panicked thinking

how he would go home in such a rainy

night as darkness shrouded

everywhere.

But, Mukter noticed that some solarpowered

lamps were illuminating on

the streets, which made him

encouraged to go home on foot under

the light as there was no vehicle on

roads because of bad weather.

A resident of Hasimpur of Raipura,

Mukter had returned home that night

without facing troubles despite the

adverse weather.

"Locals are getting benefited because

of the solar lamps installed by Raipura

municipality. Now they can return

home during night easily," he said.

Mukter recalled that once many areas

of Raipura town were robbery-prone

and the locals became anxious while

getting out of their homes in fear of

dacoits.

But, he said, the number of robbery

incidents declined significantly after

recent installation of solar-powered

street lamps, improving the law and

order situation.

About the benefits of the solar lights,

Mukter said: "A solar light was installed

near our community graveyard. If any

person dies in the evening, he or she

can be buried even at night, using the

solar lamp."

Raipura Pourashava under the Local

Government Division installed 160

solar-powered lamps in its area under a

Taka two-crore project titled 'Solarpowered

street lamps installation in

Raipura Municipality aiming to cope

with adverse impacts of climate

change'.

The project was implemented in

fiscal 2019-20 with financial support

from Bangladesh Climate Change Trust

Fund (BCCTF).

Joynal Abedin, a shopkeeper, said

when the sun sets, the lanes of his

locality would have gone under

darkness and people wanted to avoid

those lanes at night.

"After the evening, people did not

want to come to my shop in front of the

municipality office. But, now they visit

my shop until midnight after

installation of solar lights," he said.

Shukur Mahmud, an employee of

Maa Enterprise at Raipura Bazar, said

the solar lamps help improve security

here as people now can move in

Raipura town more safely.

"Now we feel more secured after

installation of solar lamps. We thank

Raipura municipality for this," he

added.

Despite getting benefited from the

solar lamps, locals are worried about

the sustainability of the lamps. "These

lamps are useful for us but we do not

know how long those would sustain,"

Mukter added.

Dhiman Chanda Roy, project director

and former assistant engineer of

Raipura Municipality, said 160 solar

lamps were installed in the

municipality area under the Taka twocrore

project.

He said after implementation of the

project, the thieving and robbery

incidents have reduced significantly in

the town.

As a green technology, solar energy

helps cut carbon emission and cope

with adverse impacts of the climate

change and that is why the

Environment, Forest and Climate

Change Ministry stressed the need for

installation of solar lamps on streets,

Roy said.

Dr Muhammed Forruq Rahman,

manager-research and advocacy of the

Network on Climate Change,

Bangladesh (NCC, B), said as

Bangladesh's economy is currently

booming, energy needs to grow faster.

"Meeting the growing demand is a

core concern for Bangladesh. However,

Bangladesh energy mainly relies on

fossil fuels while more than 75 percent

of power is generated from natural gas.

Very recently, the government

instigated coal-based plants to produce

energy to fulfill its growing demand,"

he said.

Going forward, Bangladesh should be

looking for an alternative source - a

renewable source, Forruq said, adding

that Bangladesh needs to expand its

renewable energy market, by ensuring

technical and financial support from

the global community.

He said during fiscal 2019-20 with

financial support from the BCCTF,

some 12 solar-based projects were

approved.

Solar-powered street lamps

installation in Raipura municipality

would be a good example to promote

such activities throughout Bangladesh

avoiding fossil-based energy

dependence, the NCC,B manager said.

Bangladesh is eyeing to increase the

Under the government incentive and rehabilitation program in Rabi season, free distribution of

seeds and chemical fertilizers of various crops has been inaugurated among 2650 small and marginal

farmers of Gournadi upazila of Barishal on Friday.

Photo: Gias Uddin Mia

contribution of renewable energy to its

overall power generation to about 40

percent by 2050 from less than three

percent now.

As part of the target, Bangladesh's

INDC proposed for 12 million tonnes

unconditional reduction in GHG

emission from Business as Usual (BAU)

scenario by 2030 and a further 24

million tonnes conditional reduction in

GHG emission with support from the

international community taking the

base year 2011, according the Nationally

Determined Contributions (NDCs)

2021 submitted to United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC).

The National Solar Energy Roadmap,

2021-2041 has been drafted to frame a

long-term vision for the nation and set

possible capacity targets for the

country's solar energy initiative. The

roadmap outlines a few general as

well as specific and time-bound

measures to achieve the target by 2041.

22 more test

positive for Covid-19

in Rajshahi division

RAJSHAHI: Twenty-two more people

have tested positive for Covid-19 in seven

districts of the division on Thursday,

taking the caseload to 99,317 since the

pandemic began in March last year,

reports BSS.

However, the new positive cases show

a triggering trend compared to the

previous day's figure, said Dr Habibul

Ahsan Talukder, divisional director of

Health, adding that a total of sixteen

people were infected on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the recovery count rose to

95,701 in the division after 14 patients

were discharged from the hospitals on

the same day. The death toll reached

1,680, including 685 in Bogura, 323 in

Rajshahi with 205 in its city and 175 in

Natore as no new fatality was reported

during the last 24 hours span, Dr

Talukder added.

Besides, all the positive cases of Covid-

19 have, so far, been brought under

treatment while 23,084 were kept in

isolation units of different dedicated

hospitals for institutional quarantine. Of

them, 19,730 have been released.

Meanwhile, 50 more people have been

sent to home and institutional

quarantine afresh while seven others

were released from isolation during the

same time.

Drugs seized in

C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ:

Members of Border Guard

Bangladesh (BGB) seized

1,000 pieces of yaba tablets, 12

bottles of phensidyl, 300 grams

of heroin and nine bottles of

foreign liquor in two separate

drives from Chapainawabganj

frontier areas Thursday night,

reports BSS.

BGB said, being informed, a

patrol team of BGB 59

battalion from Ajmatpur

border out post conducted a

raid in Refugeepara frontier

area at 10pm and seized 1,000

yaba tablets and 12 bottles of

phensidyl in an abandoned

condition.

Later, another team of BGB

from the same BOP conducted

a raid in Tohakhana frontier

area at 11.15pm and seized 300

grams of heroin and nine

bottles of foreign liquor.

No Covid death recorded

in Manikganj for 77th

consecutive day

MANIKGANJ: The Covid-19

situation in the district is

continuing improving as no

death was recorded

yesterday for the 77th

consecutive day, reports

BSS.

District health department

sources said no new

infection was reported after

testing 25 samples at

Colonel Maleque Medical

College PCR Lab during the

last 24 hours till this

morning here.

Medical Officer of

Manikganj Civil Surgeon

Office Dr. Rounok Mushrafe

said a total of 8,214 persons

were detected Covid-19

positive in the district so far

after testing 48,022

samples.

SUTURDAY, NoveMBeR 27, 2021

7

Member of Parliament-15, Nilphamari-4 constituency Ahsan Adelur

Rahman Rahman Adel inaugurated the work of paving of Bahagili Steel

Bridge Bankim House Road near Magura GC (Kishoreganj-Taraganj) Road

and Janpad Road in Kishoreganj Upazila recently. Photo: Mafe Sheikh

Experts stress jackfruit processing

to ensure its value addition

RAJSHAHI: Agriculture experts and

researchers have unequivocally called for

promoting jackfruit processing for its value

addition and protection from being wasted

after the best uses of modern technologies,

reports BSS.

There are bright prospects of adding

value of the seasonal fruit so all the

government and non-government entities

concerned should come forward and work

together to materialize the existing

prospects.

They came up with the importance while

addressing a workshop titled "Value

Addition of Jackfruit through Postharvest

Technologies and its Marketing Strategy -

Ways to Move Forward" at Fruit Research

Station (FRS) here yesterday.

Postharvest Technology Division (PHTD)

of Bangladesh Agricultural Research

Institute (BARI) and NewVision Solutions

Limited hosted the workshop funded by

Postharvest Management and Marketing of

Jackfruits project of Krishi Gobeshona

Foundation (KGF).

PHTD Senior Scientific Officer Dr Golam

Ferdous Chowdhury and NewVision

Project Manager Kaiser Alam presented

two keynote papers on 'Postharvest Loss

Reduction Technologies of Jackfruit' and

'Value Chain Development and Marketing

Strategy of Jackfruit' respectively.

Additional Secretary to the Ministry of

Agriculture Kamalaranjan Das addressed

the meeting as chief guest, while PHTD

Chief Scientific Officer Hafizul Haque Khan

was in the chair.

FRS Principal Scientific Officer Dr Alim

Uddin welcomed the participants.

UK to ban travel from six

African countries due to

new Covid variant

LONDON: Britain on Thursday said it would ban travel

from six southern African countries, after South Africa

detected a new Covid-19 variant with a large number of

mutations, reports BSS.

"The early indication we have of this variant is it may be

more transmissible than the Delta variant and the vaccines

that we currently have may be less effective against it,"

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said.

Javid said the new variant, which South Africa

attributed to a surge in cases and had also been detected in

travellers from the country in Botswana and Hong Kong,

had not been found so far in Britain.

But he said British scientists were "deeply concerned"

and as a precaution a decision had been to suspend all

flights from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini,

Zimbabwe and Botswana from 1200 GMT on Friday.

"We will be requiring anyone that arrives from those

countries from 4:00 am on Sunday to quarantine in

hotels," he added.

"If anyone arrives before then they should self-isolate at

home and take a PCR test on day two and day eight.

"And if anyone has arrived from and of those countries

over the last 10 days, we would ask them to take PCR

tests."

Britain has been among the hardest hit by Covid-19,

with some 144,000 deaths since the start of the outbreak

early last year.

Positive cases remain stubbornly high -- more than

47,000 were recorded in a 24-hour period to Thursday --

but more than 80 percent of people aged 12 and

overdecision to use different shots was based on studies

with CoronaVac in China that showed the Chinese vaccine

had a higher rate of adverse reactions in older children

than in younger ones, have been double-jabbed with a

vaccine.

Nearly 29 percent have received a third booster dose, as

part of a government drive to ease pressure on hardpressed

health services during the winter months, when

other seasonal respiratory infections are high.

Britain's government was widely criticised for its travel

and quarantine policy earlier in the pandemic, Pourashava

under the Local Government Division installed 160 solarpowered

lamps in its area under a Taka two-crore project

titled 'Solar-powered street lamps installation in Raipura

Municipality aiming to cope with adverse impacts of

climat when it kept its borders open to foreign travellers

even as infection rates spiralled.

Dr Ferdous Chowdhury told the audience

that a jackfruit can weigh between 5 and 30

kilograms and contain hundreds of seeds

that are rich in protein, potassium, calcium,

and iron-all of which are important for

growth.

"It's a miracle. It can provide so many

nutrients and calories - everything," he

added.

Anyone might be surprised to know that

jackfruit - the national fruit of Bangladesh -

is a fruit in high demand all over the world,

he also said.

Reportedly, up to 50 percent of jackfruits

grown in Bangladesh valued at around

Taka 500 crore have been wasted because

the fruit is rotten if it's not eaten or

preserved within a few weeks, Dr Ferdous

said.

So, proper collection, management,

processing technology and conservation is

very important for substantial and

sustainable reduction of the yearly losses,

he continued.

The fruit itself is a good source of Vitamin

C, while the seeds are rich in protein,

potassium, calcium, and iron as about onefifth

of a pound of the fruit has

approximately 95 calories, he went on

saying. In his remarks, Kamalaranjan Das

said Jackfruit contains high-powered

antioxidants that protect the human body

from harmful cancer.

Taking part in open discussion, many of

the participants, including entrepreneurs,

bankers and government officials put

forward a set of recommendations on how

to promote jackfruit processing and its

marketing.

Saturday, Dhaka: November 27, 2021; Agrahyan 12, 1428 BS; Rabius-Sani 21, 1443 Hijri

Narayanjganj fire

One succumbs to

burn injuries, two

battling for lives

DHAKA: A garment worker on Friday

succumbed to his burn injuries he sustained

in a fire at a residential apartment

in Siddhirganj area of

Narayanganj, reports UNB.

The deceased was identified as

Mamun, 27. He died at 8 am at Sheikh

Hasina National Institute of Burn and

Plastic Surgery of Dhaka Medical

College and Hospital (DMCH), said

Bachchu Mia, in-charge inspector of

DMCH police outpost.

Mamun along with his two other

coworkers sustained burn injuries following

a sudden gas explosion at a flat

of the seven-storey building on

Thursday. Subsequently, he was

admitted to the institute on Thursday

with 100 percent burns.

The two more injured workers-

Parvej, 28, with 100 percent burns,

and Jibon, 20, with 30 percent burns, -

- are currently being treated at the hospital,

said Dr SM Ayub Hossain, resident

surgeon.

The fire broke out at the building

around 6pm on Thursday.

Riaz, a colleague of the victims, said

that the workers were at their residence

and getting ready for the night

shift when the fire broke out from a

sudden gas explosion.

Earlier, UNB ran a story mistakenly

saying that the three workers of Ananta

Group sustained burn injuries in a garment

factory fire.

However, Ananta Group said their

employees sustained burn injuries in a

rented apartment opposite to Adamjee

EPZ main gate across the canal, not in

their factory. The three coworkers were

residing in the rented apartment.

The group said necessary administrative

and logistic support from the

management has been extended.

"We'll continue to look after our

employees," it said.

The UNB, however, regrets the inadvertent

mistake.

BGB recovers

Tk 6 crore

worth Yaba

from Teknaf

DHAKA: The Border Guard

Bangladesh (BGB) recovered two lakh

pieces of Yaba worth Tk six crore during

a drive at Teknaf, the force said on

Friday, reports UNB.

The illegal drug was being smuggled

to Bangladesh from Myanmar through

Egarokani Alamgir Project area on

Thursday, said BGB-2 in a press

release.

A special patrol team of Whykong

BOP spotted three men crossing Naf

river with some plastic bags around

10:45 pm and started approaching

them immediately.

But the smugglers managed to swim

through the river and flee sensing the

presence of BGB as the location was

just 500 metres away from the

Myanmar border.

Later the patrol team recovered the

Yaba pills from the two bags they left

from the spot, said BGB-2.

Investing in girls education an absolute

game changer: Helen Grant

DHAKA: British Prime Minister's Special

Envoy on Girls' Education Helen Grant

has laid emphasis on investing in girls'

education which she thinks an "absolute

game changer" and ensures a safer, fairer

and better world for the girls giving them

greater say over their futures.

"Investing in girls' education is an

absolute game changer," she said, adding

that girls' education is a key priority for

the UK government.

Helen Grant, who was appointed in

January 2021 as the British Prime

Minister's Special Envoy on Girls'

Education, made the remarks before

wrapping up her recent visit to

Bangladesh.

While talking to a small group of

reporters at the residence of British High

Commissioner Robert Chatterton

Dickson, Helen listed poverty, climate

change; gender based violence, early

pregnancy and forced marriage as some

of the barriers that need to be addressed

through joint efforts.

As girls remain at greater risk of violence,

sexual abuse, child marriage due to

out of schools, she said investing in girls

is very important.

The government of the United

Kingdom (UK) has recently contributed

US$34.7 million to Unicef through the

British High Commission in Dhaka to

provide access to quality education for

the most disadvantaged and out-ofschool

children in Bangladesh.

The contribution by the UK

Government will boost Unicef's joint

work with the Government of

Bangladesh and partners to address

these challenges, and to especially support

disadvantaged students whose education

has been disrupted by the Covid-

19 pandemic, he added.

The partnership with the UK government

focuses on education for out-ofschool

children and will improve learning

particularly for girls, children with

disabilities and children from the most

disadvantaged areas.

It also places emphasis on improving

enrolment, retention and completion

rates in primary and secondary education.

Throughout, Unicef will continue to

work closely with the Government of

Bangladesh and key stakeholders, not

least, children and their parents.

The partnership will bring significant

change to the lives of the children who

need it the most, and will help to

strengthen the education system for

all.

The UK government funding will support

Unicef to implement the partnership

from 2021 to 2028.

Before leaving Dhaka, British Prime

Minister's Special Envoy Helen said

girls, who are educated, are able to

choose or are able to decide when they

will get married and can take other

important decisions.

It's US politics to keep countries

under pressure : FM

SYLHET: Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul

Momen on Friday said it is the American

politics to keep countries under pressure

with different issues like democracy,

good governance and terrorism, reports

UNB.

"If there's any weakness (in our democracy),

we'll try to address it. Let's think

how we can do that," he told reporters,

noting that there is nothing to worry

about for not being invited by the United

States for its Summit for Democracy.

After visiting the under construction

export cargo complex of Osmani

International Airport in Sylhet, Dr

Momen said the US wants to keep countries

under pressure while talking about

democracy, good governance and terrorism.

"That's their politics. So, nothing to

be worried about whether you're being

invited or not."

On Thursday, Dr Momen said

Bangladesh maintains a "very stable and

transparent" democracy and the US

might have invited those countries with

weak democracies for its Summit for

Democracy.

"We've had a stable democracy over

the last several years, a very clear and

transparent democracy. Free and fair

voting is happening," he said.

Dr Momen said there is nothing to be

worried as the people of Bangladesh will

work for further strengthening the

democracy, if required.

He said the US itself faced problems in

the recent past despite being an old

democracy.

Since day one, the Biden-Harris

Administration has made it clear that

renewing democracy in the United States

and around the world is essential to meet

the unprecedented challenges of time.

President Joe Biden stated on the

International Day of Democracy, "No

democracy is perfect, and no democracy

is ever final. Every gain made, every barrier

broken, is the result of determined,

unceasing work."

On December 9-10, President Biden

will host the first of two Summits for

Democracy, which will bring together

leaders from government, civil society,

and the private sector to set forth an affirmative

agenda for democratic renewal

and to tackle the greatest threats faced by

democracies today through collective

action.

The virtual summit will focus on

challenges and opportunities facing

democracies and will provide a platform

for leaders to announce both individual

and collective commitments,

reforms, and initiatives to defend

democracy and human rights at home

and abroad.

For the United States, the summit will

offer an opportunity to listen, learn, and

engage with a diverse range of actors

whose support and commitment is critical

for global democratic renewal,

according to White House.

Although hunting or killing deer is prohibited, it is slaughtered all year round for meat. Deer hunting in

Sundarbans has suddenly increased at an alarming rate. Even though there are patrol teams of the forest

department in the Sundarbans to catch the hunters, the hunting is not decreasing. The photo was taken from

Munshiganj area of Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira in Sundarbans recently.

Photo: Star Mail

One of the busiest roads in the capital has turned into a death trap due to slow pace of installation work of

underground power lines. Accidents can happen time. The photo was taken from Shantinagar area of the

capital on Friday.

Photo: Star Mail

Dengue

58 more hospitalized

in 24 hrs

DHAKA: Fifty-eight new dengue patients

have been hospitalised in 24 hours until

Friday morning, health authorities said,

reports UNB.

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, 56 are undergoing

treatment in hospitals in Dhaka

while the remaining two cases have been

reported from outside the division.

Some 446 patients diagnosed with

dengue are receiving treatment in the

country as of Monday.

Of them, 336 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the

capital while the remaining 110 were listed

outside Dhaka.

Since January, some 26,917 patients

have been admitted to different hospitals

with dengue in the country. So far, 26,

373 dengue patients have left hospitals

after recovery, said DGHS.

Covid kills 3 more

in Bangladesh,

infects another 239

DHAKA: Bangladesh reported three

more Covid-linked deaths along with 239

fresh cases in 24 hours till Friday morning,

reports UNB.

With this, the daily-case positivity rate

increased to 1.49 per cent today from

Thusday's 1.25 per cent, said the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS).

With the fresh numbers, the total fatalities

rose to 27,973 while the caseload

mounted to 15,75,424. Among the latest

deceased, two were women and one

man. Two of them were from Khulna and

one from Dhaka.

However, the mortality rate remained

static at 1.78 per cent.

The fresh cases were detected after

testing 16,916 samples, the DGHS added.

Besides, the recovery rate stood at

97.74 per cent with the recovery of 277

more patients during the 24-hour period.

On Saturday, Bangladesh logged zero

Covid-linked deaths with 178 cases..

Public health experts have, however,

warned that the current downward trend

of Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh could

well be the obvious calm before a cataclysmic

storm.

Their fear centres around children

below 12 who remain out of the vaccine

coverage and the elderly people, according

to the experts.

The experts fear a slow pace of vaccination,

waning vaccine immunity,

sheer disregard for Covid-safety protocols,

reopening of schools and

increased travel may set the stage for

another Covid wave in Bangladesh-a

trend many European countries are

witnessing now.

Govt to consider whether Khaleda

will be resent to jail: Hasan

COX'S BAZAR: Information and

Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan

Mahmud yesterday said since the BNP

has failed to realise the generosity of

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shown

towards convicted BNP leader Khaleda

Zia, it will be considered whether

Khaleda will be sent to jail again or not,

reports BSS.

He made the remark while talking to

reporters after arriving at Cox's Bazar airport

on his one-day tour to the beach

town.

Hasan, also the Awami League joint

general secretary, said Begum Zia is a

convicted one and she did not get bail in

court.

"Her (Khaleda's) sentence was not

commuted. Despite this, Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina, with her administrative

power, has given her (the BNP leader)

the opportunity to stay with her family

outside the jail," he said.

The information minister said: "But, in

the language (BNP secretary general)

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir spoke on

Thursday, it seems to us that they have

failed to realise the generosity of the

Prime Minister shown to Begum Zia."

Now the government must think

whether the premier will reconsider

her order and send Khaleda back to

jail, he said.

Terming Khaleda Zia a vindictive one,

Hasan said due to her vintictiveness, she

celebrated her fake birthday by cutting

cake on August 15 and during her reign, a

grenade attack was carried out by her son

to kill AL President Sheikh Hasina.

He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

went to Khaleda's house to mourn her

son's death, but she did not open the

door due to vengeance.

"The BNP has failed to understand the

sympathy the Prime Minister has shown

to such a vindictive person. So, we have

to think whether Begum Zia will be sent

to jail again," the AL joint general secretary

said.

About the students' movement

demanding half-fare on public transport,

the minister said he personally

is in support of the demand as he

enjoyed the opportunity to give halffare

on public transport during his

student life.

Member of Parliamentary Standing

Committee on the Ministry of

Information and Broadcasting Saimum

Sarwar Kamal, AL Religious Affairs

Secretary Sirajul Mustafa, President of

Cox's Bazar District AL Faridul Islam

Chowdhury and its General Secretary

and Municipality Mayor Mujibur

Rahman were, among others, present on

the occasion.

Massive fire rages on in

Ctg chemical factory

CHATTOGRAM: A massive fire broke

out at a chemical factory near Zahur

Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in

Chattogram on Friday morning, reports

UNB.

Fortunately, no casualties were

reported. However, a total of 12 fire

tenders pressed into service to douse

the flames were yet to contain the blaze

till last reports came in.

The fire broke out at Homeland chemical

factory near Zahur Ahmed

Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram

around 10.30 am. The blaze soon triggered

an explosion, according to locals.

By the time, the first fire tender

reached the spot, the blaze was already

out of control.

Soon, 11 more tenders from various

parts of Chattogram chipped in, but were

battling to bring it under control, our correspondent

reports from Chattogram.

Newton Das, deputy assistant director

of the Chattogram fire service, said that

"the 12 fire tenders are trying their best to

contain the blaze".

"The cause of the fire could not be

ascertained yet. But highly inflammable

chemicals stockpiled inside are giving us

a hard time," he said.

Number cloned: Ask for extortion

money from OC's phone in Dinajpur

DINAJPUR: The officer-in-charge of Dinajpur's Nawabganj police station has said that

a gang has cloned his mobile phone number 01320136651 to use it for extortion of

money from the public, reports UNB.

OC Ferdous Wahid said on Friday he is no longer using the number. He asked people

not to pay any money if someone calls from the number.

The fraudsters' gang is carrying out such activities ahead of the local union council

elections, he said. Using the number, the gang can commit various illegal activities

including criminal acts, fraud, threats, blackmail and more.

The police administration has requested everyone to be vigilant in this regard.

"We are warning the concerned people not to give money to anyone over that

number. We are also trying to identify the culprits and take legal action against

them", he said.

27-11-2021

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