27-11-2021
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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.