08-12-2021

WedneSday

DHAkA: December 8, 2021; Agrahyan 23, 1428 BS; Jamadi-ul Awal 3,1443 Hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 217; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

India, Russia boost

bilateral ties

with 28 pacts

Zohr

>Page 7

Students may lose around $17

trillion in lifetime earnings for

Covid learning loss:Report

DHAKA : Students now risks losing $17

trillion in lifetime earnings in present value,

or about 14 percent of today's global GDP,

as a result of COVID-19 pandemic-related

school closures, according to a new report

published on Tuesday by the World Bank,

UNESCO, and UNICEF, reports UNB.

The new projection reveals that the

impact is more severe than previously

thought, and far exceeds the $10 trillion

estimates released in 2020.

In addition, The State of the Global

Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery report

shows that in low- and middle-income

countries, the share of children living in

Learning Poverty - already 53 percent

before the pandemic - could potentially

reach 70 percent given the long school closures

and the ineffectiveness of remote

learning to ensure full learning continuity

during school closures.

"The COVID-19 crisis brought education

systems across the world to a halt," said

Jaime Saavedra, World Bank Global

Director for Education. "Now, 21 months

later, schools remain closed for millions of

children, and others may never return to

school.

The loss of learning that many children

are experiencing is morally unacceptable.

And the potential increase of Learning

05:09 AM

11:55 PM

03:35 PM

05:15 PM

06:35 PM

6:27 5:11

Poverty might have a devastating impact on

future productivity, earnings, and wellbeing

for this generation of children and

youth, their families, and the world's

economies."

Simulations estimating that school closures

resulted in significant learning losses

are now being corroborated by real data.

For example, regional evidence from

Brazil, Pakistan, rural India, South Africa,

and Mexico, among others, show substantial

losses in math and reading. Analysis

shows that in some countries, on average,

learning losses are roughly proportional to

the length of the closures.

However, there was great heterogeneity

across countries and by subject, students'

socioeconomic status, gender, and grade

level. For example, results from two states

in Mexico show significant learning losses

in reading and in math for students aged

10-15. The estimated learning losses were

greater in math than reading, and affected

younger learners, students from lowincome

backgrounds, as well as girls disproportionately.

Barring a few exceptions, the general

trends from emerging evidence around the

world align with the findings from Mexico,

suggesting that the crisis has exacerbated

inequities in education

Dhaka, Delhi eye unique

relationship resolving

pending issues

DHAKA : Bangladesh and India on

Tuesday emphasized expediting efforts to

resolve pending issues as the two countries

look forward to a "very high-level

relationship" finding new areas of cooperation,

reports UNB.

Visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh

Vardhan Shringla met Foreign Minister

Dr AK Abdul Momen at his office at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs after holding a

detailed discussion with his Bangladesh

counterpart Masud Bin Momen at

Foreign Service Academy.

Talking to reporters after the meeting,

Dr Momen said the two countries agreed

to work for the welfare of the people in the

two countries. He said the Indian side

talked about the border issue and assured

Bangladesh of keeping more careful watch

to avert any problem along the

Bangladesh-India border.

The Foreign Minister recalled the

respect shown by the Indian side to

Bangladesh throughout this historic year.

After his meeting with Shringla, Foreign

Secretary Masud Momen said they discussed

the issues of common interest, ways

for expediting efforts to address pending

issues. He said there are no major differences

between the two sides and discussed ways to

find new areas of cooperation. Foreign

Secretary Masud said they discussed ways to

keep the border more peaceful and ways to

have more trade between the two countries.

On Covid-19 cooperation, he said there is no

alternative to continuing cooperation

between the two countries as new variant

like Omicron is emerging.

Indian Foreign Secretary Shringla said

today Bangladesh is a very successful

example of a country which has done

remarkably very well in terms of steady

economic growth. "We'll be holding more

conversations. We certainly look forward

to very, very level relationship and highlevel

Summit," he said.

Responding to a question on the possibility

of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's

visit to India, Shringla said Prime Minister

Narendra Modi, during his visit here in

March this year, extended an invitation to

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit

India in 2022 in commemoration of the

Golden Jubilee of the establishment of

diplomatic relations.

The

construction

work

metrorail

is going on.

passersby

are facing

problem to

move. The

photo was

taken in

front of the

National

press Club

on Tuesday.

photo :

Star mail

SPortS

Reality bites again for

Barca ahead of rescue

mission away at Bayern

>Page 9

Murad Hassan quits

at PM's instruction

DHAKA : Disgraced State Minister for

Information and Broadcasting Murad

Hassan has resigned from the cabinet

following the instruction of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina for his offensive

and indecent remarks on women.

The under-fire junior minister submitted

his resignation letter to the Prime

Minister on Tuesday showing personal

reasons for quitting his job.

"Yes, State Minister Murad Hassan's

resignation letter, addressing the

Honorable Prime Minister, reached the

Information Ministry. It'll be forwarded

to the Cabinet Division for taking necessary

steps," a senior official told UNB

wishing anonymity.

Murad Hassan had been under

increasing criticism by various quarters

for his disrespectful remarks on women

in an interview on social media. A number

of audios and videos containing indecent

remarks by Murad Hassan also

went viral on social media during the last

few days.

A two-year-old phone conversation of

the junior minister with actor Mamnun

Hasan Emon and actress Mahiya Mahi

recently went viral on social media. In

that audio clip, Murad made "derogatory

comments" on the actress, threatened

her and gave her an alleged indecent proposal.

LNG terminal

defects, gas supply

disrupted

Shafiqul iSlam (Jami)

The supply of Liquefied Natural Gas

(LNG) to the country has decreased by 12

crore 10 lac cubic feet per day due to

defects of a terminal. Relevant sources of

Petro Bangla have confirmed this news.

The government has also lamented the

shortage of gas as a temporary problem.

It is learned that 52 crore cubic feet is

being supplied at present. It will be difficult

to increase this supply suddenly.

However, if the LNG supply is not

increased, the shortage will be felt in a

few days. So the government has already

expressed regret.

The government has said that the situation

will not be normal before January

15. It has been reported that it will take

some time to fix the mooring. Ships carrying

gas from abroad are unable to

anchor at the summit terminal due to the

rupture of the mooring buoy.

According to Petro Bangla sources, 641

million cubic feet gas was supplied from

LNG on November 18, the day the

Mooring of the Summit's LNG terminal

was torn down. The same amount of supply

continued till November 21. It started

to decrease from then. Later, 56 crore 80

lakh cubic feet on 29 November and 59

crore cubic feet on 30 November have

supplied. Then it came down to 52 crore

cubic feet. An official of the energy

department said that although the mooring

was torn, there was some LNG inside

the terminal. That was being supplied by

converting it to gas.

art & culture

Biopic on Bangabandhu

may be released in

March : Hasan

>Page 10

Khondker m Talha, ambassador of Bangladesh to france addressing

a program at uNeSCo headquarters in paris yesterday on the

occasion of 50 yrs of the independence of Bangladesh and 50yrs

of Bangladesh-india Ties.

photo : piD

Covid-19

Hasina places 5 proposals

to deal with impacts on

public health, nutrition

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on

Tuesday stressed the need for taking urgent

steps collectively to address the Covid-19

challenges and its impacts on public health

and nutrition.

"The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has created

a significant setback in our nutrition initiatives.

Urgent actions and united efforts

are needed to address the challenges of

Covid-19," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing

the Nutrition for Growth Summit

(N4G), Japan virtually.

Prime Minister of Japan Kishoda Fumio

also spoke at the Summit. Its theme is Food,

Health and Prosperity for All.

Sheikh Hasina placed five proposals before

the world for ensuring healthy and nutritious

diets for this growing population.

The international community needs to work

together to address the challenges of Covid-

19, including its impact on nutrition programs,

the PM said in her first proposal.

In her second proposal, Hasina called for

enhancing collaboration to advance

research for growing high-yielding nutritious

food.

The PM, in her third proposal, said for building

food banks at regional and global levels

to stay safe and secure during disasters.

In her fourth proposal, Hasina stressed the

importance of exchange of best practices

and expertise for increasing nutrient contents

in food

Finally, she asked the developed nations to

disburse the committed climate adaptation

fund to adapt to the climate-led extreme

events that hamper food production in the

developing world.

Hasina said ensuring nutrition for all citizens

is a daunting task. But, she said, investment

in nutrition security generates high

socio-economic returns leading the way to

sustainable growth and development.

Talking about Bangladesh, the Prime

Minister said the country has made

immense achievements and substantial

progress in the economy, food security,

health and nutrition during the last one

decade.

"We've taken a slew of initiatives to enhance

the nutritional status of disadvantaged people,"

she said.

In this regard, Hasina mentioned that

allowances have been introduced for vulnerable

groups under social safety-net programmes.

Insolvent pregnant and lactating

mothers were given cash allowances.

She also said midday meals were introduced

for school students. "We're diversifying production

of grains, vegetables, fish, meat,

eggs, and fruits with the goal of increased

food security and improved nutrition. Our

actions have started giving dividends."

Hasina said the poverty rate in Bangladesh

came down to 20.5 percent from 31.5 percent

during the past one decade. The country

is on track for achieving its child nutrition

status as malnutrition rates have also

declined, she added.

The PM said stunting of children decreased

from 43 percent in 2007 to 31 percent in

2017 which is now below WHO critical

threshold. Overweight among under-5 children

is 2.4 percent whereas regional rate is 5

percent and global 6 percent, she added.

Turning Bangladesh into digital economy

Ecnec clears Tk 2,542 cr project

Murad's recent

remarks embarrassed

party, govt: Hasan

TBT RepoRT

Information Minister Dr Hasan

Mahmud has said both the government

and Awami League felt embarrassed

with the indecent remarks of State

Minister for Information and

Broadcasting Murad Hassan who

resigned on Tuesday.

"We've noticed some changes in

Murad over the past few days and his

recent remarks embarrassed both the

government and the party. That's why

the Prime Minister has asked him to

quit," he said while talking to reporters at

the Bangladesh Secretariat.

Gias Uddin, public relations officer of

Murad, submitted his resignation letter

to the Cabinet around 3 pm, he said.

Replying to a question, the minister

said Murad is the Health Affairs secretary

of Jamalpur district unit Awami

League and they will decide whether

Murad will remain there in his post or

not.

Replying to another question, Hasan

said, "Murad made his remarks without

any consultation with the party and the

Prime Minister."

Earlier in the day, Murad Hassan

resigned as State Minister for

Information and Broadcasting following

the instruction of Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina for his offensive and indecent

remarks on women.

The under-fire junior minister submitted

his resignation letter to the Prime

Minister on Tuesday showing personal

reasons for quitting his job.

Murad Hassan had been under

increasing criticism by various quarters

for his disrespectful remarks on women

in an interview on social media. A number

of audios and videos containing indecent

remarks by Murad Hassan also

HC orders removal

of objectionable

audios, videos

Meanwhile, the High Court on Tuesday

directed Bangladesh's telecom regulator

to take necessary steps to remove all

objectionable audios and videos of State

Minister for Information Murad Hassan

from social media platforms like

Facebook and YouTube.

A division bench of Justices M

Enayetur Rahim and Md Mostafizur

Rahman gave the order to Bangladesh

Telecommunication Regulatory

Commission (BTRC) and also asked

Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar

to submit an action-taken report by

Wednesday morning, in the wake of a

plea by a leading Supreme Court lawyer.

In his petition, barrister Syed Sayedul

Haque Suman claimed that such "indecent,

obscene audios and videos can have

adverse effects on society".

"The responsible agencies of the government

should have removed these

contents but as they did not, I've sought

the High Court's direction in public interest,"

he said in his plea.

DHAKA : The Executive Committee of

National Economic Council (Ecnec) on

Tuesday cleared the 'Enhancing Digital

Government and Economy (EDGE)' project

involving a huge amount of Tk 2541.64

crore, aiming to turn Bangladesh into a

digital economy, reports UNB.

Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC)

under the ICT Division will implement the

project in the country by December 2026

with the World Bank's finance of Tk

2507.05 crore and the government's

finance of Tk 34.59 crore.

The approval of 10 projects placed by

eight ministries came from the Ecnec meeting

held with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The

PM joined the meeting virtually from her

official residence Ganobhaban, while others

were concerned from the NEC conference

room in the city.

"A total of 10 projects-five new and five

revised ones-were approved in today's

meeting. The total estimated cost of the

projects is Tk 7447.07 crore (only additional

costs of revised projects were counted

here)," said Planning Minister MA Mannan

while briefing reporters after the meeting.

Of the total cost, Tk 3,682.28 crore will be

borne from the government fund, while Tk

153.81 crore will come from the funds of an

organisation concerned and Tk 3,610.98

from foreign sources as soft loans, he said.

Talking about the EDGE project,

Planning Commission's member

Nasima Begum said the remaining

works of building Digital Bangladesh will

be done under the project.

weDneSDAY, DeCeMbeR 8, 2021

2

This year's Dengue fatalities rise

to 100 as 2 more die in 24 hrs

BNP plans to take legal

action against Murad

DHAKA : Dengue claimed two more lives in

Bangladesh while 119 new patients were hospitalized

in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, health

authorities said, reports UNB.

With the fresh deaths, the number of fatalities

from the mosquito-borne disease this year rose to

100, according to the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS).

Ninety-two people died in Dhaka division alone,

two each in Chattogram, Mymensingh and Khulna

divisions and one each in Rajshahi and Barishal

divisions.

Twenty-eight new patients are undergoing

treatment in hospitals in Dhaka while the remaining

91 cases have been reported from outside the

division. Some 256 patients diagnosed with

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270

dengue are receiving treatment in the country as

of Tuesday. Of them, 180 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the capital while

the remaining 76 were listed outside Dhaka.

Since January, some 27,779 patients have been

admitted to different hospitals with dengue in the

country. So far, 27,423 dengue patients have left

hospitals after recovery, said DGHS.

Experts attribute the unusually high dengue

cases during the dry season, mainly in Dhaka, to

the prolonged rainy season, sporadic rainfall, and

high humidity and temperature, Aedes mosquitoes'

reproductive and behavioural changes

caused by climate change and lack of people's

awareness and poor controlling measures by the

two city corporations of the capital.

Office of the Execut ive Engineer

Sales and Distribution

Division-3, BPDB,

Cumilla.

TL.No.081-64201

06

Altamis Nabil

elected JCI

Dhaka West

President

Junior Chamber International

(JCI) Dhaka West has

made its new executive committee

for the year 2022 in

the recently held general

assembly of the organisation

in a hotel at Banani, Dhaka.

In the committee, MdAltamis

Nabil has been made

the new president of the

organization.

Nabil is currently leading

bdapps National Appstore as

a Tech Evangelist. Also being

an Author, independent

Filmmaker & a trainer he has

impacted on tons of youths

life, a press release said.

'The main goal of this

youth-oriented organization

JCI Dhaka West next year

will be to actively participate

in achieving the UN Sustainable

Development Goals as

well as to create a positive

branding of Bangladesh

globally through some world

class works', added by Nabil,

the newly elected president.

Other members of the

board include IPLP Taha

Yeasin Ramadan, Executive

Vice President Subah Afrin,

Vice President Mohammad

Mahmudur Rahman and

KaziFarhana, Secretary General

Nur Mohammad Ali,

Treasurer Sujaur Rahman,

General Legal Counsel Mirza

Md. Ileush, Training Commissioner

RafidAhnaf,

Director Jahirul Islam

Mohsan, Nazib Rafe, Iqbal

Hossain Iqu, Shamiur Rahman

and Nishadul Islam,

Committee Chair Kashfia

Ibrahim, Samira Saif Joarder

and PoushiRazzaque.

Also, the event was

attended by almost cent

percent of the chapter's

active members.

DHAKA : The standing committee of BNP has decided to take

legal action against disgraced State Minister for Information and

Broadcasting Dr Murad Hassan for his indecent comments

against the Zia family, reports UNB.

In a virtual meeting on Monday night, the BNP policymakers

also demanded the removal of Murad from parliament alongside

the cabinet by 24 hours.

The meeting strongly protested and condemned the extremely

"indecent, disgusting, defamatory and ugly" comments by the

junior minister against Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman and the

female members of the Zia family, said a media release issued by

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday.

The BNP policymakers also termed Murad's comments

devoid of all political and social etiquette. The meeting thinks

that all women and humanity have been demeaned through such

anti-woman, racist, anti-social and anti-constitutional remarks

by Murad holding the responsible position of the state. The BNP

policymakers demanded the junior minister apologise publicly

within 24 hours. BNP standing committee members Khandaker

Mosharraf Hossain, Jamiruddin Sircar, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar

Chandra Roy, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Mirza

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Selima

Rahman and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku joined the meeting

with party acting chairman Tarique Rahman in the chair.

975

Kidney of a military member is being transplanted

at Dhaka CMH on Monday. Photo : ISPR

3486

GD-1795/21 (8 x 4)

GD-1797/21 (12 x 4)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBEr 8, 2021

3

A seminar on 'Plants, Agriculture and Environment of Bangladesh: Bangabandhu's Thoughts and Present

Perspectives' organized by the Department of Botany, Dhaka University was held on Tuesday. Photo: Courtesy

DU VC emphasizes on conducting research

activities on Bangabandhu's philosophy

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman emphasized on conducting

research activities revolving around the lifephilosophy

of Bangabandhu. The Vice-

Chancellor said, 'everyone should work in unison

for inclusive development following his ideals, a

press release said.

He further said that the seeds of development

sown by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from 1972 to 1975 have

made Bangladesh a role model for development

in the world today.

He said this while speaking as the chief guest at

a seminar on 'Plants, Agriculture and

Environment of Bangladesh: Bangabandhu's

Thoughts and Present Perspectives' organized by

the Department of Botany, Dhaka University on

Tuesday. The seminar was organized on the

occasion of Mujib Borsho.

Chairperson of the Department of Botany

Professor Dr. Shamim Shamsi chaired the

NAKIBUL AHSAN NISHAD; JNU

Media professionals of the country called for

innovation in journalism and media business

through making good contents for the readers.

They came with the remarks in closing

ceremony of Future of Media Summit took

place at the Lakeshore Hotel in Gulshan on

December 6. Various media experts, leading

journalists, policymakers, and Bangladeshi

youth groups attended the conference.

Preneur Lab Youth & Innovation Trust in

partnership with Friedrich Naumann

Foundation for Freedom histed the "Future of

Media Summit". It's organized to prepare

Bangladeshi media professionals and young

journalists for the shifting media landscape of

the future.

Speakers at the conference said, media has

an unparalleled responsibility to society. The

media's primary role in societal advancement

should be to uncover the truth, offer accurate

news, and challenge errors. The media has

gone through various evolutionary tendencies

from the evolution of civilization to time.

Following this, and prior to the emergence of

electronic media, the much-loved print media

took center stage in the media. Electronic

media has made the media more accessible to a

wider spectrum of individuals, making it easier

to reach the typical man from any location.

New forms of media are emerging as

information technology advances, one of which

is mobile journalism. To sustain with the

changing times we need to create good

occasion while Vice Chancellor of Jagannath

University Prof. Dr. Md. Imdadul Hoque and

Dean of the Faculty of Biology, University of

Dhaka Prof. Dr. Mihir Lal Saha spoke as the

special guest.

DU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Md. Akhtaruzzaman

said that there is a remarkable similarity between

Bangabandhu's philosophy of society and state

and philosophy of nature and environment. He

has fought for the exploited and deprived all his

life. He has worked for the betterment of the

working people.

Emphasizing on conducting research activities

revolving around the life-philosophy of

Bangabandhu, the Vice-Chancellor said,

'everyone should work in unison for inclusive

development following his ideals.

Earlier, 'Bangabandhu Corner' was

inaugurated in the seminar room of the

Department of Botany.

Media professionals calls for

innovation in journalism

and media industry

contents for readers.

The media summit began on 22 June. After

that lots of initiatives were taken place as a part

of the summit. On the concluding evening,

Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan presented

the keynote on the challenges of future

journalism. A panel with distinguished media

professionals held after that. The panelists

were Mr. ShafiqulAlam, Bureau Chief of AFP;

Nadia Sharmin,Senior Reporter of Ekattor TV;

Minhaj Uddin Rahat, Senior News Presenter of

Channel 24 and Rahitul Islam Ruwel,

information technology journalist and writer.

Mr Omar Mostafiz, Programme Manager of

FNF Bangladesh shared a detailed presentation

on the summit sessions. FNF Bangladesh

Country representative Dr Najmul Hossain

addressed the audience with closing remarks.

While Mohammad Arif Nezami, Trustee of the

Preneur Lab Youth and Innovation Trust, said, in

Bangladesh and around the world, fake news and

misinformation are on the rise. On the otherhand

media industry is in need of serious business

model innovation due to rise of big tech like

Facebook and google. These issues needs further

discussions even after the summit.

Among others, RiajulAlamRabby, Manager &

Lead, Digital Media, Channel 24, Tamiah Nuhiya

from Our Times and Jannatul Islam Rahad from

Daily Sun were also present in the program. The

"Future of Media Summit" engaged around 300

journalists as participants and 40 professional

speakers. Furthermore 100,000+ people were

reached via internet activities.

The closing ceremony of Future of Media Summit at a city hotel in Gulshan recently.

Selling of

edible oil to

be banned

next March:

Sadhan

DHAKA : Urging

concerned stakeholders

to ensure quality edible

oil for consumers, Food

Minister Sadhan

Chandra Majumder

yesterday said loose

edible oil won't be

allowed to be sold in the

markets after March 16,

2022.

"Unhealthy and

adulterated food is an

obstacle in creating

efficient human

resources.

Businessmen should

play a vital role in

building skilled

manpower for the

country.

If

businessmen become

aware, the tendency of

adulteration in edible

oil will be reduced to a

great extent," he said.

The minister made

the statement while

addressing a seminar

titled "Food Safety and

Quality Assessment of

Drum Oil Sold in

Market" at a city hotel,

said a press release.

Sadhan urged the oil

traders to gain

consumers' trust by

supplying quality edible

oils to the customers.

Food Secretary Dr

Mosammat Nazmanara

Khanum and Industries

Secretary Zakia Sultana

addressed the seminar

as special guests with

Bangladesh Food Safety

Authority (BFSA)

Charmin Md Abdul

Kayowm Sarker in the

chair.

BFSA Member

Professor Dr Md Abdul

Alim presented the

keynote paper in the

seminar while Country

Director of Global

Alliance for Improved

Nutrition (GAIN) Dr

Rudaba Khondker

delivered the welcome

speech at the event.

Photo : TBT

30 institutions to get 'Green

Factory Award' today

DHAKA : A total of 30 institutions from six

sectors will be given the 'Green Factory Award'

today marking the birth centenary of Father of

the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is

scheduled to join the award giving function

virtually as the chief guest, said a press release.

On behalf of the Premier, State Minister for

Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan

Sufian will hand over the prizes to the

representatives of the award winner at

Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment

has introduced the 'Green Factory Award,

2020' aiming at building Bangabandhu's

'Sonar Bangla' and encouraging the local

industrial institutions for competitive

participation in the global arena.

From this year, the award will be given

every year, the handout said, adding that

under the policy formulated for the award, 30

institutions from six sectors have been

selected considering some criteria related to

labor quality such as essential compliance,

Population Sciences Department, University of Dhaka and UNFPA jointly organized a two-day long international

conference on 'Emerging Population Issues and Sustainable Development Goals'.

Photo : Courtesy

DHAKA : Bangladesh logged five more

Covid-linked deaths along with 291 fresh

cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning,

reports UNB.

With the latest cases, the daily-case

positivity rate increased again to 1.45 per

cent from Monday's 1.44 per cent, said the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS). With the fresh numbers, the total

fatalities rose to 28,010 while the caseload

mounted to 15,78,011.

Among the latest deceased, four were men

and one was a woman. Four deaths were

reported from Dhaka division while one was

from Chattogram division.

However, the mortality rate remained

static at 1.78 per cent during the period.

The fresh cases were detected after testing

19,868 samples, amid the growing concern

over the new 'Omicron' variant of

coronavirus.

environmental compliance, institutional

compliance and innovative activities.

The institutions are 15 factories from

garment sector, three institutions from food

processing sector and four from tea industry

sector, two from leather industry sector, three

from plastic sector and three from

pharmaceutical industry sector.

The 15 garment factories are Remi

Holdings Limited, Tarasima Apparels

Limited, Plummy Fashions Limited, Mithela

Textile Industries Limited, Vintage Denim

Studio Limited, AR Jeans Producer Limited,

Karooni Knit Composite Limited, Designer

Fashion Limited, Kenpark Bangladesh

Apparel Private Limited (Kenpark Unit 2),

Green Textile Limited (Unit-3), Four H

Dyeing and Printing Limited, Wisdom Attires

Limited, Mahmuda Attires Limited, Snowtex

Outerwear Limited and Auko-Tex Limited.

The institutions from food processing

sector are Habiganj Agro Limited, Akij Food

and Beverage Limited and Ifad Multi

Products Limited.

Indian Foreign Secretary

Shringla in city

DHAKA : Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh

Vardhan Shringla arrived here on Tuesday

morning on a two-day visit as India officially

announced its President's state visit to

Bangladesh from December 15-17, reports

UNB.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen

received his Indian counterpart Shringla

upon his arrival by a special aircraft.

Apart from his meeting with Foreign

Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Foreign

Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Shringla will

meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during

his visit.

Though the Indian government is yet to

announce the name of the chief guest for its

Republic Day parade that falls on January

26, it could not be known whether Shringla is

carrying any message or special invitation

from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

for his Bangladesh counterpart.

The Indian Foreign Secretary is scheduled

to meet the Prime Minister on Wednesday.

He will also call on Road Transport and

Bridges Minister Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader on Tuesday.

India's relationship with Bangladesh is one

of the strongest pillars of its "Neighbourhood

First Policy", said the Indian Ministry of

Foreign Affairs.

In this special year, Bangladesh and India

are jointly commemorating 50 years of the

establishment of their diplomatic ties.

The Foreign Secretary's visit to

Bangladesh, a day after the Maitri Diwas

celebrations, will provide an opportunity to

review the wide-ranging cooperation

between the two countries, MEA said.

The visit will also help prepare for the State

visit of President of India Ram Nath Kovind

to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17.

Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra

Modi had paid a State visit to Bangladesh

from March 26 to 27, 2021 to join the

celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of the

independence of Bangladesh, the birth

centenary of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and

50 years of establishment of diplomatic

relations between India and Bangladesh.

During his visit here, Prime Minister Modi

extended an invitation to Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina to visit India in 2022 in

commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the

establishment of diplomatic relations.

On Monday in New Delhi, the Indian

Foreign Secretary said India will cooperate

increasingly with Bangladesh, noting that

the next 50 years of two countries' shared

journey will bring even greater satisfaction

for both sides.

Loosely translated, he said, this Maitri

Diwas means 'Friendship Day" but "Maitri"

has a much deeper connotation.

Bangladesh's total Covid fatalities

stand at 28,010 with 5 more deaths

Besides, the recovery rate slightly

increased to 97.78 per cent with the recovery

of 308 more patients during the 24-hour

period. On November 20, Bangladesh

logged this year's first zero Covid-linked

death with 178 cases. Bangladesh reported

the highest number of daily fatalities of 264

on August 5 this year, while the highest daily

caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year.

Of the 113 deaths recorded from

November 1 to November 30, 12.4 per cent

received Covid vaccines while 87.6 per cent

did not, the DGHS mentioned.

So far, 3,84,97,417 people have fully been

vaccinated in the country while 6,53,07,376

received the first dose as of Monday,

according to the DGHS.

Among them, 1,39,802 students, aged

from 12-17, have fully been vaccinated

while 9,70,160 students received the first

dose so far.

Apasen celebrates the golden

jubilee of Bangladesh in UK

DHAKA : Apasen, a British-Bangladeshi charity

organisation, organized a colourful event in

London to celebrate the golden jubilee of

Bangladesh independence on the occasion of the

organisation's 37th anniversary, reports UNB.

A function in this regard was arranged in the

People's Palace Great Hall of the Queen Mary

University in East London on Sunday.

Legendary BBC journalist Sir Mark Tully, who

provided the news coverage of the war of

liberation, joined the event virtually. Prince

Charles and Prime Minister Boris Johnson also

sent their greetings on the occasion.

Speaking at the function Sayeda Muna Tasnim,

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK, said it

was the largest and most spectacular Bangladeshi

event she had seen during her tenure here. On this

occasion mementos were handed over to the

freedom fighters staying in the UK. The three-anda-half-hour

event featured screening of

documentaries on the war of liberation, culture and

nature of Bangladesh, Apasen activities,

Bangladesh Betar music, modern music, folk and

modern dances, poetry, etc.

A commemorative publication was also issued

by Apasen on the 50 years of independence

celebration.

HC for removing

remarks of Murad

from online

DHAKA : The High Court

(HC) yesterday asked

Bangladesh Telecom

Regulatory Commission

(BTRC) to remove all the

audio-video footages

containing 'derogatory

remarks' made by Dr M

Murad Hasan, who submitted

his resignation from the

cabinet, from different online

platforms.

A High Court division

bench comprising Justice M

Enayetur Rahim and Justice

Md Mostafizur Rahman

passed the suo moto order as

Supreme Court lawyer

Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque

Suman brought the matter to

court's attention.

"The court asked the

concerned deputy attorney

general to inform it by

Wednesday morning the

actions taken by the BTRC in

this regard," Barrister Suman

told newsmen.

Brac to empower

women at the

grassroots

DHAKA : Development

organisation Brac will

undertake programmes to

help oppressed and deprived

women raise their voices

through creating more

awareness at the grassroots

level, speakers said this at an

event in Cox's Bazar Monday,

reports UNB.

To formulate a plan of

action and recommendation,

five partner NGOs of Brac -

Society for Health Extension

and Development, Programme

for Helpless and Lagged

Societies, Alliance for

Cooperation and Legal Aid

Bangladesh, Jago Nari

Unnayan Sangstha, and

NONGOR - arranged the

workshop "Annual Progress

and Experience Sharing."

Speaking as the chief guest,

Md Nasim Ahmed, additional

deputy commissioner of Cox's

Bazar, said: "Focusing on the

rights and dignity of deprived

people is crucial while ensuring

their development."

wedNeSdAy, deCember 8, 2021

4

Seri-Tourism to revitalise Bangladesh's silk industry

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Bangladesh-US

relations : Where next?

At present, the bilateral relationship between

USA and Bangladesh is going through a rough

patch centered on non invitation of

Bangladesh to a conference devoted to democracy in

Washington. Despite that, the US is unlikely to ignore

Bangladesh due to the geostrategic location of the

country in the New Silk Road envisioned by

Washington - that will connect Central Asia,

Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan,

Myanmar and China.

Bangladesh is also an active partner country in the

Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Forum for

Regional Cooperation and other multilateral

groupings in the areas of energy, connectivity, and

security. As Tom Kelly, a former Principal Deputy

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military

Affairs, US, stated , "Bangladesh is located in a vital

region, which requires it to play an important role in

maintaining security in the Bay of Bengal."

Furthermore, Bangladesh is a role model for many

Muslim-majority countries as a moderate Muslim

democratic country. Additionally, the US needs

Bangladesh more than the other way round to

uplift its image among the Muslim nations -

especially now, given its declining stronghold in

West Asia, post the Arab Awakening, and its

disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bangladesh too wouldn't want anydeterioration in

the bilateral, relations because the US is the single

biggest export destination for its goods, by being

responsible for 30 per cent of Dhaka's export revenue.

Bangladesh gets preferential treatment from the US

for its tobacco, sporting equipment, porcelain

china and plastic products. In fact, approximately

5000 Bangladeshi products are accorded dutyfree

access to the US markets.

To improve their image in global market, the

Bangladesh readymade garment sector has agreed on

the manual of global standard to handle issues of

workers safety. An updated labour law was adopted to

protect the rights of the workers; Dhaka has

facilitated the registration of trade unions for the

same purpose. Additionally, Bangladesh will not

take risk of losing grants and foreign aids by

invoking the US's wrath.

Following the conclusion of the April 2014 Trade

and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement

(TICFA) meeting in Dhaka, Dan Mozena, former

ambassador of the US to Bangladesh, stated that the

bilateral relationship "was never stronger, deeper and

broader than now." In fact, the TICFA meeting was

the first of its kind to be held to review bilateral trades

and investment between the two countries. However,

the US has shown no interest in providing duty-free

market access to Bangladesh-manufactured

readymade garments, and has given no positive

indication on reinstating the suspended GSP, which

has been a long-pending demand of Dhaka.

Nonetheless, the holding of TICFA meetings continue

to be very regular events featured by much mutual

eagerness and cordiality.

Although bilateral relations cover wider socioeconomic

issues as well, the main focus of strategic

dialogue is defence and security-oriented. The US has

an interest in maintaining security in the South Asian

region as US troops withdraw from Afghanistan , and

the further rise of China is perceived as risky for

Washington's influence in this region.

Therefore, in the midst of all controversial remarks

by some cabinet ministers in the Bangladeshi

government, and the ongoing ruffle related to the

Washington democracy conference, both the

countries would come back to existential realities and

make moves to improve political and economic ties

through partnership in: joint military exercises and

exchanges, developmental projects,

counterterrorism, and security initiatives. The

Bangladesh-US relationship will stand the test of

time. It is unlikely that the US will be too obsessed

with practice of its own brand of democracy in

Bangladesh. It is unlikely to be too bothered by

authoritarian governance of Bangladesh if the same

enjoys mass support.

The bilateral relationship between USA and

Bangladesh is manifested in co-dependency. Both

countries realize that they need each other equally :

Bangladesh for trade and USA for geo-strategy.

Neither side can quite afford to go to extreme over any

issue even for the elusive one like democracy. Both

sides appreciate the need for preserving a balanced

relationship in real terms.

The silk industry in Bangladesh is

suffering as a result of a harsh and

competitive worldwide marketplace.

Despite favourable agro-climatic

conditions, the Bangladesh Silk Industry

produces less silk than its counterparts in

India and other nations. Bengal Silk was a

well-known fabric in Asia and throughout

the rest of the world. However, due to

heavy competition from Asia and Europe,

the market is becoming increasingly

limited, production is falling, and the

sector has suffered a significant decrease

in the 1990s and 2000s.

Recently I have written in connection to

the Rajshahi Silk Industry. Revitalise the

Bangladesh Silk Industry," which was

published on November 14th. I have

concentrated on the areas of concern and

explored several critical areas that must

be addressed if the industry is to achieve

its full potential and obtain wider

recognition. It is undoubtedly feasible to

make significant and long-lasting

improvements with prudent investment

and strategic strategy. No one should

underestimate the challenges that must be

overcome. Still, there are tremendous

reasons to be optimistic about a sector

that has been neglected and mostly

unmarked up until now. In this article, my

primary focus is on tourism, specifically

on whether or not sericulture may be

linked to the tourism industry to enhance

awareness of sericulture and the brand.

However, it is necessary that I briefly

discuss seri-tourism in other regions of

the world before we proceed to explore the

prospects of seri-tourism in our own

country. To better understand the silk

industry, it is also necessary to have a

basic knowledge of the history of silk and

its origins.

Queen Xi-Ling, the wife of Emperor

Huang-Di, resided in an ancient Chinese

country during the reign of Emperor

Huang-Di. She enjoyed arts and crafts, as

well as looming. Something fell into her

teacup one day while she was sipping her

tea and appreciating the blooming flowers

in the springtime. Then she jumped to her

feet and spilt the tea all over herself and

her lovely clothes. She spotted a beautiful

web of the tiniest threads on top of the tea

stain on her gown, which she immediately

recognised. She snatched the thin threads.

They had a velvety, supple texture to the

touch. She realised that Silk threads are

produced by Silkworm cocoons that fall

from Mulberry tree branches. She sat at

her loom, weaving a design that was both

intricate and sophisticated. It was her

most accomplished weaving to date. The

discovery of silk was highly publicised at

the time. When China and the rest of the

world began to establish trading relations.

Silk's reputation spread far and wide.

In the early 1960s, the practice of

sericulture found its way to Tamil Nadu

from its native Karnataka. Tipu Sultan,

the state's monarch at the time, was the

first to introduce silk to Karnataka more

than 250 years ago, according to historical

records. It has developed to become

India's most crucial silk producer in

recent years. Tamil N?du has eclipsed all

other Indian states in terms of production

of Bivoltine Silk, which Rajasthan

previously held. Samarkand and Bukhara

were the destinations for traders bringing

Chinese silk cloth to India, much sought

after by royalty and noblemen. The

demand for luxurious fabrics among royal

houses and temples led to Jamawar and

brocade weaving centres in India's holy

towns and commercial centres.

However, it is hard to establish the exact

date and time when mulberry silk

production first began in Bengal, although

it has long been a substantial rural

industry and an essential export item in

international trade. In the thirteenth

century, it was referred to as Ganges silk.

Mulberry farming, silkworm breeding,

and yarn spinning were traditionally the

responsibilities of rural Bengali

households (raw silk). They sold the raw

silk to weavers in the area who turned it

into silk fabrics. Bengal produced more

silk than was required for domestic

consumption, and it exported garments

and raw silk to other countries. The first

European traders arrived in Bengal as a

result of this trade. European trade

businesses grew out of tiny commercial

stations to become the dominant force in

the trade. In the end, they impacted textile

production and caused exports to move

from textiles to raw silk to meet the

demands of faraway markets.

In 1952, the city of Rajshahi in Pakistan

became the first country to produce silk.

The Rajshahi Silk Factory, which opened

its doors in 1961, manufactures silk.

Bangladesh's government began to

implement a more organised silk strategy

after 1971. The Bangladesh Sericulture

Development Board was established in

1978 to oversee the industry. It was

founded to coordinate activities in the silk

industry. Sluggish economic growth and

underperformance had become the norm

during that time. Sericulture is now a

relatively small part of government

activities, despite its significant

contribution as a source of rural

employment and money. Compared to

their Indian counterparts, Bangladesh's

silk producers were only half as

productive.

The sector faces numerous challenges;

however, with innovative approaches and

coordinated strategies, the industry can be

revitalised and capitalised on multiple

growth opportunities. Tourism is one way

the sector can be promoted. A country can

boost its places and nurture knowledge on

specific subjects through experiential

learning modes such as agri-tourism to

promote agriculture and eco-tourism to

promote sustainable tourism. Natural

areas should be visited and appreciated in

an environmentally responsible manner

dr p r dATTA

to enjoy the physical and accompanying

cultural features (both past and present)

that promote conservation and provide

socio-economic benefits to the local

people and edu-tourism for students and

the general public. There is now a new

tourism concept known as "Seri-tourism"

that is linked to the sericulture industry. It

is becoming increasingly popular in many

parts of the world these days.

If we look at our neighbouring country,

India, we will see the various ways in

which the government is focusing on

Seritourism. When it comes to sericulture

in Tamil Nadu, the department of

sericulture manages the whole

sericultural activities of the state, which

includes providing financial and technical

assistance, marketing opportunities for

farmers, and determining fair prices for

businesses and individuals. In order to

raise widespread awareness of sericulture,

silk production, and its potential as a

lucrative vocation, the department has

invested several million dollars in the

establishment of the world's first Seri

tourism destination. Jammu and

Kashmir's Sericulture and Tourism

Departments collaborated to develop a

comprehensive plan to promote 'Seri-

Tourism' as a collaborative endeavour.

The centre brings together all of the

processes associated with sericulture

under one roof, from soil to silk

production. Model mulberry gardens

have been created at the Jammu Tawi

Golf Course in Sidhra and the Royal

Springs Golf Course in Srinagar.

Passengers travelling along the

Bengaluru-Mysuru highway will soon

stop by the sericulture museum built in

Channapatna to better understand the

operations performed by the sericulture

industry.

When we look at China, we can see that

the emphasis on seri-tourism is reaching

new heights. Zhenze is a traditional

Chinese village in Suzhou's Wujiang

district. Over 1,200 years, the town has

established itself as a centre of the fish,

rice, and silk industries. Silk is produced

in Zhenze, known as the "City of

Sericulture." Every year, a silkworm

festival is held in this town in the hopes of

a successful harvest and to raise public

awareness of local sericulture. Increased

efforts have been made in Zhenze town to

promote sericulture, the silk textile

industry, and cultural tourism, and the

city is looking for new and inventive ways

to promote high-quality development.

Zhenze has designed a new all-in-one tour

that combines culture with a modern way

of life. Visitors to Taihu Snow Silk Culture

Park can learn about tie-dying and

making mulberry leaf bookmarks in the

ChrISTopher rhodeS

morning. Guests can take a small train to

the old town in the afternoon. Taihu Snow

Silk Cultural Park in Zhenze, China, is the

country's first distinctive industrial park

built around the concept of sericulture

culture. One of the most popular

attractions is the Silkworm Breeding

Demonstration Room, which is housed

within this cultural park and allows

visitors to witness the entire process of

creating silk products, which begins with

the breeding of silkworms. Silkworms are

separated in this region based on their

developmental stage, beginning with

newborns and progressing to those who

have changed their skin tone and finally

reaching the adult stage. At this point,

they begin to create their cocoon, which

takes several weeks.

Essentially, sericulture is silk fibre

production, which may be separated into

two categories: mulberry farming and

silkwarming. Silk fibre started in China

and moved throughout, including

Bangladesh, until it reached its current

location. Many sericulture museums

around the world promote and raise

awareness about the industry. The China

National Silk Museum in Hangzhou,

China, the Shanghai Jiangnan Silk

Museum and the Suzhou Silk Museum in

China, the Yokohama Silk Museum and

the Okaya Silk Factory Museum in Japan,

the Korea Silk Museum in South Korea,

the Angkor silk farm in Cambodia, the Silk

Museum of La Palma, the Canary Islands

in Spain, the Silkworm Museum of

Vittorio Veneto in Italy, and many other

countries will exhibit their silk and

sericulture-related products and

information.

Because Rajshahi is already recognised

as the "Silk City," there is a lot of money to

be made from this sector. Tourism has

grown to be a big business in south-east

Asia, with countries like Laos and

Vietnam benefiting significantly.

Rajshahi's profile would be raised

considerably by marketing it as part of the

new Silk Route.

This type of location should be

promoted as a must-see for everybody

visiting the country. Embassies and high

commissions around the world would

need appropriate advertising materials.

Although the tourism business is showing

signs of expansion, it is clear that a

preliminary study into the interests and

needs of tourists has been conducted.

While roads have improved, signage is

still inadequate and requires dual

language if it is to be effective. Tourism

can be highly profitable, but it also

ensures that a business is scrutinised

closely, particularly when it comes to

ethical standards. Bureaucracy must be

reduced to a bare minimum, and health

and safety must be prioritised. Although

the sector would benefit from some expert

assistance in this area, there is little doubt

that the benefits would be substantial for

all parties involved

The writer is Educator, author,

and researcher, Executive Chair,

Centre for Business & Economic

Research, UK

America and China opened the door for

The most recent coup in Sudan has

been modified - not undone - by

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's

reappointment of deposed civilian Prime

Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The coup, which

had been widely rumoured in Sudan but still

managed to blindside the United States,

remains a source of outrage for Sudanese

citizens. But Washington is yet to take a

clear stance on the issue. The reaction from

American diplomats, who have signalled

acceptance of the new arrangement and

willingness to turn a blind eye to the

continued military dominance of the

transition government, has diverged widely

from that of Sudanese citizens, who

continue to reject military hegemony. This

case highlights the breakdown of the anticoup

coalition that had formed for Africa - a

breakdown that has led to military

interventions reemerging as a leading

method by which power is transferred on

the continent.

After decolonisation, competitive

elections remained rare for decades in

Africa, while military coups emerged as the

leading method by which power changed

hands. But around the turn of the century,

multiparty elections became the norm

within African states, while coups were

relegated to rare and generally short-lived

breakdowns of constitutional order.

This dramatic change, coming in the

aftermath of the Cold War, was brought

about by a convergence of domestic and

international actors. Local populations, fed

In the early 1960s, the practice of sericulture found

its way to Tamil Nadu from its native Karnataka.

Tipu Sultan, the state's monarch at the time, was the

first to introduce silk to Karnataka more than 250

years ago, according to historical records.

African coups to return

up with dictatorial and military rule and

hopeful for the promises of democracy,

forced autocrats and military regimes to

step aside. The Organisation of African

Unity (OAU) went from being a notorious

"dictator's club" to enforcing democracy and

constitutionalism as requirements for

sustained membership in the continent's

main political body. Meanwhile, with the fall

of the Soviet Union, the United States and

other Western powers recommitted

themselves to upholding democracy.

African strongmen and juntas were left

without international backers, leading to

widespread, though far from complete,

democratisation across the continent.

For a while, the anti-coup consensus held.

As popular pro-democracy activism

persisted, African militaries were pushed

back into the barracks and autocrats were

shoved out of office. Coup attempts

plummeted, and the military leaders that

did seize power, as in Niger in 2010 or Mali

in 2012, were swiftly removed in the face of

united African, Western and broader

international condemnation. The legacy of

these transitions remains in the endurance

of competitive multiparty politics in

formerly coup-plagued countries such as

Ghana and Nigeria. But as coups make a

comeback in Africa - with the Wall Street

Journal newspaper noting that military

takeovers have returned this year to their

For a while, the anti-coup consensus held. As popular

pro-democracy activism persisted, African militaries

were pushed back into the barracks and autocrats

were shoved out of office. Coup attempts plummeted,

and the military leaders that did seize power.

highest level in 40 years - it is becoming

evident that there is a growing division in

the anti-coup coalition that helped

democracy emerge in Africa.

Local populations have upheld their end

of the bargain, as have regional blocs like the

African Union (AU), the successor

organisation to the OAU. But the

international environment has returned to

one that is at best permissive of military

takeovers, and at worst actively welcomes

them as expedient ways to remove

threatening or odious leaders. Backsliding

on the part of Western powers, and the rise

of autocrat-friendly China, have created an

atmosphere that emboldens generals and

military cliques to seize power. A decade

ago, the Arab Spring brought the

democratisation wave to North Africa,

toppling the long-serving dictators of Tunisia,

Libya and Egypt. Yet, it was the aftermath of

Egypt's transition that began to break down

the international consensus against coups in

Africa. When the democratically elected

government of Mohamed Morsi was

overthrown in 2013, the AU quickly

condemned the coup. The US and other

Western powers, however,

prevaricated, concerned about the

undemocratic change of power but

happy to see Morsi go.

The American government publicly

declined to call the overthrow a coup,

and soon General-turned-President

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi found himself in

the good graces of the US, while also

cosying up to autocratic powers like

Saudi Arabia and China.

The crack in the anti-coup coalition

created for Egypt in 2013 grew into a chasm

four years later, when President Robert

Mugabe of Zimbabwe was pushed out of

power by his military amid an internal

power struggle within his ruling ZANU-PF

party. At the time, there was nearunanimity

of opinion that Mugabe's nearly

40-year reign should end. He was pushed

out by his former allies, with rumoured

support from China, where coup leader

Constantine Chiwenga, the commander of

the Zimbabwean military,

Source: Al Jazeera

WEDnESDay, DECEMBEr 8, 2021

5

Are bitcoin's fluctuation predictable?

roB DavIES

The value of bitcoin has

suffered a "thumping",

losing more than one-fifth of

its value at one point over

the weekend before settling

below $50,000 (£37,720),

only a month after reaching

a record high.

The value of the

cryptocurrency rose above

$68,000 in November and

had been predicted to move

even higher by the end of the

year, amid concern about

the value of traditional

assets such as gold and

government debt.

Some investors and

analysts, including the Wall

Street bank JP Morgan,

have also seen bitcoin as a

hedge against inflation,

which has begun to take off

in large economies

including the UK and the

US.

But the world's largest

digital currency, which had

reached a total market value

of $1.1tn before the

weekend's fall, has struggled

to maintain momentum

since reaching last month's

all-time high.

Bitcoin began to slump

markedly on Saturday,

falling 22% from $53,890 to

a temporary intraday low of

$41,967 before recovering

ground. On Monday, it was

trading at $48,600, its

lowest level since October.

The cryptocurrency has

been volatile in recent

months but remains many

times more valuable than it

was five years ago, when

investors could pick up a

single coin for $700.

Analysts at UBS bank

blamed the weekend's

slump on various factors

including uncertainty before

the bosses of cryptocurrency

exchanges are due to face

questioning from a US

congressional committee on

Wednesday.

"Crypto is often held up by

proponents as a useful

portfolio inflation hedge,

but wild swings like what we

saw this weekend back our

view that is more akin to a

highly speculative risk

Exchange rates in Swiss francs of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies Zurich on 4

november.

Photo: arnd Wiegmann/reuters

asset," the analysts said.

"Regulation remains a key

overhang, and this unruly

unwind and its impact on

retail participants may add

to the regulatory

conversation."

Analysts at AJ Bell said

bitcoin had endured its

"latest thumping". As

bitcoin fell, so did other

"altcoins" such as

Ethereum, worth more than

$4,600 on Friday evening

but down to just above

$4,000 on Monday

afternoon.

Bitcoin emerged after the

2008 financial crisis,

allowing people to bypass

banks and traditional

payment methods. It has

become the most prominent

among thousands of

cryptocurrencies.

It relies on "blockchain"

technology, which is a

shared database of

transactions with entries

that must be confirmed and

encrypted. The network is

secured by individuals

called "miners" who use

high-powered computers to

verify transactions, with

bitcoins offered as a reward.

There are more than 18m

bitcoins, and the

mathematical system

controlling the generation of

new coins - which is

decentralised and therefore

has no overarching

institution such as a central

bank - has a hardwired

maximum of 21m coins.

Ways to discipline your kids' lives

naDIa KhoMaMI

Hollywood star Michael

Sheen has said he is now a

"not-for-profit actor" after

selling his houses and giving

the proceeds to charity.

The actor and activist, 52,

said organising the 2019

Homeless World Cup in

Cardiff was a turning point

for him. When funding for

the £2m project fell through

at the last moment, Sheen

sold his own houses to

bankroll it.

"I had a house in America

and a house here and I put

those up and just did

whatever it took," he told the

Big Issue for their Letter to

My Younger Self. "It was

scary and incredibly

stressful. I'll be paying for it

for a long time."

Sheen said that when he

"came out the other side", he

realised he could do these

kinds of things and, if he

could keep earning money,

"it's not going to ruin me".

He's pledged to carry on

using the money he earns

from acting to fund more

projects. "There was

something quite liberating

about going, all right, I'll put

large amounts of money into

this or that, because I'll be

able to earn it back again.

I've essentially turned myself

into a social enterprise, a

not-for-profit actor."

Throughout his career

Sheen has worked with a

number of social enterprise

organisations. In 2017, he

set up the End High Cost

Credit Alliance to help

people find more affordable

ways of borrowing money,

Michael Sheen now a

not-for-profit actor

Michael Sheen at the 2019 homeless World Cup in Cardiff.

and he has pledged £50,000

over five years to fund a

bursary to help Welsh

students go to Oxford

University. He's a patron of a

number of British charities

and was a vocal supporter of

the Labour party and

Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Sheen, star of Twilight,

Good Omens and

Frost/Nixon, revealed the

first "turning point" in his

life was after a 72-hour

production of The Passion

through the streets of his

hometown Port Talbot in

2011.

"I got to know people and

organisations within my

hometown that I didn't

know existed. Little groups

who were trying to help

young carers, who had just

enough funding to make a

tiny difference to a kid's life

by putting on one night a

week where they could get

out and go bowling or watch

a film and just be a kid.

"I would come back to visit

three or four months later,

and find out that funding

had gone and that

organisation didn't exist

anymore."

Photo: Gareth Phillips

He said he realised the

difference between that

child's life being a little bit

better or not was ultimately

a small amount of funding.

"And I wanted to help those

people. I didn't just want to

be a patron or a supportive

voice, I wanted to actually do

more than that. That's when

I thought, I need to go back

and live in Wales again."

Last year, Sheen said he

had handed back his 2009

OBE after taking a "crash

course" in Welsh history,

stating that he didn't want to

be a "hypocrite".

ChrIStIna Caron

This is not a lecture about the

benefits of setting up a daily

routine. Most parents

already know that kids thrive

on structure. Before the

pandemic, when we could

leave the house without

worrying about contracting a

potentially deadly virus, we

had all sorts of routines. But

things are different now. The

stressors are compounding

and many families have let

certain rules slide.

"The normal or typical

things that break up your day

no longer exist," said Carolyn

Moriarty, a licensed clinical

social worker in the San

Francisco Bay Area who

works for the Child Mind

Institute, a nonprofit that

provides therapy and other

services to children and

families with mental health

and learning disorders.

"Time has become almost

like an abstract concept."

For a lot of kids, the usual

summer activities like camp

or swimming lessons didn't

happen, and as a result,

family schedules have

become looser. If you're

struggling to get your kids

ready in the morning or to

maintain some semblance of

consistency each day, you're

not alone.

We spoke to two teachers,

a psychologist, a child

development researcher and

a licensed clinical social

worker to find out how

parents can add structure

and routines back into their

children's school days when

school itself is different.

When easing back into a

routine after a long hiatus, it

may be tempting to

multitask in the morning.

But this can easily backfire. If

you tell your son to sit and

eat his cereal while you leave

to get dressed in the

bedroom, you may later

emerge to find your child no

longer sitting at the table but

in his room playing with

toys; the cereal is now soggy.

Instead of doing two things

at once, it's best for parents

to be fully present for the

first two weeks of a new

routine until it becomes

more of a habit, advised

Jamie Howard, Ph.D., a

clinical psychologist at the

Child Mind Institute in New

York City. Maybe this means

that you take your shower

after dropping off your kids

at school or wait until after

their remote learning session

has started.

During the morning

routine, stay near your kids

and give them choices. This

will keep the routine moving

along and also provide them

with a sense of control: Do

you want to wear a dress

with leggings or a T-shirt

with pants? Do you want

cereal or a waffle?

Then offer positive

reinforcement: "It makes me

happy to see you eating your

breakfast." Positive

reinforcement can help kids

stay motivated instead of

resorting to inertia. Lisa

Moore, a sixth-grade math

teacher at Washington Latin

Public Charter School in

Washington, D.C., and

mother of four, said that

parents shouldn't hesitate to

"celebrate everything."

"Celebrate the first day.

Celebrate that you brushed

your teeth," she said. This

strategy is especially

important when establishing

routines with children who

are learning to do things by

themselves, she added.

Helping your child master a

few important tasks with

consistency is better than

struggling to manage several

new things, Moore added.

When starting a new

routine, think about the one

thing your family can do to

add structure to your day.

"Pick the low-hanging fruit,"

Dr. Howard said. "What's

easiest to start

implementing?" For

example, if you typically stop

working at 5:30 p.m., and

you're fortunate enough to

work from home, you might

decide it's easiest to focus on

your dinner routine and plan

to have dinner on the table

every day by 6:30 p.m.

"Whatever natural breaks in

the day emerge, you can start

there," Dr. Howard said.

For some families, the

bedtime routine will be the

best place to start. Sleep is

the foundation of everything,

and if your child's sleep

schedule has been disrupted,

that's something you'll want

School has begun, here's how to reintroduce routines. Photo: Collected

to address right away. A wellrested

child will be much

more amenable to other

kinds of routines.

"The important thing that I

tell parents is you need to get

your kid to bed at the same

time every day," said Jadelyn

Chang, a kindergarten

teacher at Foster City

Elementary School in Foster

City, Calif. "Kids really thrive

in a very structured

environment."

Again, start small. If an

early bedtime isn't working,

Moore suggested waking up

your child a little earlier

every day for about a week.

"You can't force your child to

go to sleep but you can wake

them up," Moore said.

Dr. Howard suggested

using a visual aide, like a

poster board, and writing

down the routine. For

younger kids, draw pictures

of it. And then show the new

routine to your kids at night

to make sure they're primed

to follow it the next day.

For remote learners, a

sample routine could be:

Wake up; put on clothes; eat

breakfast; brush hair and

teeth; and then log into

school at 7:55 a.m. "You

want to keep it simple and

not too detailed," Dr.

Howard said. "You can try it

on a weekend to do a dry

run."

If your child is still

rejecting parts of the routine,

don't worry. Sometimes it's a

matter of giving your child

more autonomy. Reinforcing

a child's ability to make

choices is important, said

Kimberly Updegraff, Ph.D., a

professor of family and

human development at

Arizona State University.

"I think there's often

resistance to change," Dr.

Updegraff said. "There's

going to be a readjustment

period." You can also try

engaging children in the

process of creating the new

routine, so that you get the

buy-in from them, she

added. If you have a kid in

elementary school, for

example, you might ask her

to help you create a poster

that shows the various tasks

she needs to accomplish

every morning.

"It gives them some part of

the process," Dr. Updegraff

said. "And they're probably

more likely to abide by those

plans." Alternatively, you can

create a new routine that

helps your children become

more independent.

Beijing launched a two-hour cloud-seeding operation on the eve of the Communist Party's centenary.

Photo: Getty Images

China ‘modified’ the weather

to create clear skies

hElEn DavIDSon

Chinese weather authorities

successfully controlled the

weather ahead of a major

political celebration earlier

this year, according to a

Beijing university study.

On 1 July the Chinese

Communist party marked its

centenary with major

celebrations including tens of

thousands of people at a

ceremony in Tiananmen

Square, and a research paper

from Tsinghua University has

said an extensive cloudseeding

operation in the hours

prior ensured clear skies and

low air pollution.

The Chinese government

has been an enthusiastic

proponent of cloud-seeding

technology, spending billions

of dollars on efforts to

manipulate the weather to

protect agricultural regions or

improve significant events

including the 2008 Olympics.

Cloud-seeding is a weather

modification technique,

which sees the adding of

chemicals like small particles

of silver iodide, to clouds,

causing water droplets to

cluster around them and

increasing the chance of

precipitation.

The Tsinghua study's

reported findings add to a

small but growing body of

scientific evidence around the

success of the technology.

Other countries have also

invested in cloud seeding

technology, but China has

invested billions despite

questions over the degree of

its effectiveness, and debate

about whether manipulating

the weather in one area could

disrupt weather systems

elsewhere.

On Monday the South

China Morning Post reported

a recent research paper which

found definitive signs that a

cloud-seeding operation on

the eve of the centenary had

produced a marked drop in air

pollution.

The centenary celebration

faced what the paper

reportedly termed

unprecedented challenges,

including an unexpected

increase in air pollutants and

an overcast sky during one of

the wettest summers on

record. Factories and other

polluting activities had been

halted in the days ahead of the

event but low airflow meant

the pollution hadn't

dissipated, it said.

The paper, published in the

peer-reviewed Environmental

Science journal and led by

environmental science

professor, Wang Can, said a

two-hour cloud-seeding

operation was launched on

the eve of the ceremony, and

residents in nearby mountain

regions reported seeing

rockets shot into the sky on 30

June. The paper said the

rockets were carrying silver

iodine into the sky to

stimulate rainfall.

The researchers said the

resulting artificial rain

reduced the level of PM2.5 air

pollutants by more than twothirds,

and shifted the air

quality index reading, based

on World Health

Organization standards, from

"moderate" to "good".

The team said the artificial

rain "was the only disruptive

event in this period", so it was

unlikely the drop in pollution

had a natural cause.

Last year Beijing

announced plans to expand

its experimental weather

modification program to an

area 1.5 times the size of India

- 5.5 million square kilometres

- covered by artificial rain or

snow. The State Council has

said it aims to have a

developed weather

modification system by 2025,

including another half a

million square kilometres

hosting hail suppression

technologies.

In the five years to 2017

state media claimed China

had spent more than

US$1.3bn on the technology

and induced about 233.5bn

cubic meters of additional

rain. In 2019 officials said

weather modification

practices, usually the firing of

iodine-packed shells to

disrupt unfavourable weather

fronts, had helped to reduce

70% of hail damage annually

in agricultural regions of

Xinjiang.

However it has also been

used for political and other

significant events, including

the 2008 Olympics, the 2014

APEC summit, as well as

National Day parades and

annual Two Sessions

meetings.

The weather manipulation

activities, also known as

"blueskying", are usually

implemented in conjunction

with social changes in the lead

up to events, including the

shutdown of factories,

construction and other

polluting industries, and

encouraging people to stay off

the streets or leave the region,

said Dr Shiuh-Shen Chien, of

National Taiwan University's

department of geography, in a

2019 essay for Society+Space.

Dr Chien said China's

weather authorities had

"institutionalised" climate

controls for decades, with

technological attempts dating

back to the 1980s, but was

unique in using it not just for

commercial or agricultural

reasons but also for

"propaganda purposes".

WeDNeSDAY, DeCeMBeR 8, 2021 6

BSDB implementing Tk 96.83cr

sericulture promotion schemes

RAjSHAHI: Bangladesh Sericulture

Development Board (BSDB) has been

implementing three projects involving

around Taka 96.83 crore for improving

living and livelihood condition of the

grassroots people particularly the

distressed women through substantial

and sustainable development of the

traditional silk sector, reports BSS.

Headquartered in Rajshahi, the

BSDB is implementing the projects

almost throughout the country

particularly the potential regions for

the silk worm farming and rearing for

achieving sustainable development

goals in light of the government's

seventh Five Year plan.

BSDB Director General Abdul Hakim

said the projects will supplement the

government efforts of building social

safety net with transforming the

villages into towns in phases upon

successful implementation of those by

2023.

Main objective of the five-year project

titled "Sericulture extension and

Development" is to generate

employment of around 50,000

hardcore poor and landless women for

elevating their socio-economic

condition through involving them in

sericulture.

Another five-year project styled

"Poverty Reduction in Hilly

Chattogram Districts through

extension and Development of

Sericulture" is being implemented in

the hilly districts for freeing around

15,000 extreme poor and landless

women from poverty through their

engagement in silk-related income

generation activities.

Apart from this, 15,000 poor and

distressed women will get scope of

improving their living and livelihood

condition through intervention of

another five-year project titled "Poverty

Reduction in Greater Rangpur districts

through extension of Sericulture".

Hakim said 620-bigha mulberrycultivated

land will be developed for

production of 23.5 lakh silk-eggs and

distribution another 23 lakh saplings

among the farmers through

implementation of the projects.

"We are going to establish 37 ideal

silk villages and 500 mulberry blocks,"

he said, adding that 43,000-kilogram

silk-cocoons will be purchased from the

growers.

More than 4,800 farmers will be

given support for silk-rearing and

6,300 others will get necessary

assistance for mulberry

transplantation.

Under the schemes, 7,700 farmers

An advocacy meeting marking sction plan meeting has been held in Narail

marking National Vitamin A Plus Campaign. Photo: Humaun Kabir

Covid-19 cases reach

99,487 with 29 afresh

in Rajshahi division

RAjSHAHI: Twenty-nine

more people have tested

positive for Covid-19 in five

districts of the division on

Monday, taking the

caseload to 99,487 since

the pandemic began in

March last year, reports

BSS.

However, the new

positive cases show a rising

trend compared to the

previous day's figure, said

Dr Habibul Ahsan

Talukder, divisional

director of Health, adding

that a total of twenty-four

people were infected on

Sunday.

Meanwhile, the recovery

count rose to 95,885 in the

division after seventeen

patients were discharged

from the hospitals on the

same day.

The death toll reached

1,681, 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 23,125

were kept in isolation units

of different dedicated

hospitals for institutional

quarantine. Of them,

19,798 have been released.

Meanwhile, 14 more

people have been sent to

home and institutional

quarantine afresh while 21

others were released from

isolation during the same

time.

Of the 29 new cases,

fourteen were detected in

Rajshahi city, followed by

eight in Pabna, three each

in joypurhat and Bogura

and one in Natore districts.

With the newly detected

patients, the district-wise

break-up of the total cases

now stands at 28,270 in

Rajshahi including 22,827

in its city, 5,687 in

Chapainawabganj, 6,451 in

Naogaon, 8,419 in Natore,

4,696 in joypurhat, 21,745

in Bogura, 11,424 in

Sirajganj and 12,795 in

Pabna.

A total of 1,14,727 people

have, so far, been kept

under quarantine since

March 10 last year to

prevent community

transmission of the deadly

coronavirus (COVID-19).

Of them, 1, 13,601 have,

by now, been released as

they were given clearance

certificates after

completing their 14-day

quarantine.

A day-long workshop on Wash with government and non-government and

local government organizations in Madhukhali upazila on Tuesday.

Photo: Shahjahan Helal

will be given training on mulberry

plants rearing, silkworm nursing and

yarn reeling.

Six chawki rearing-cum-display

centres and one silk reeling weaving

training centre will be built.

Hakim said the government has

taken initiative to revive the silk

industry.

Market promotion works are also

being progressed. The sericulture and

silk industry, by its nature, is a family

based labor-intensive economic activity

that provides employment for the rural

people.

He said initiative has been taken to

re-launch the Rajshahi and

Thakurgaon Silk Factories fully. Five

looms in Rajshahi Silk Factory have

already re-introduced.

At least 15 metric tons of silk yarn

could be manufactured along with job

creation for around 10,000 people if we

can re-run all the 58 looms in the two

state-owned factories, he added.

He said sericulture has a huge

prospect if it is nurtured properly as

there is a huge potential export market

for silk.

Hakim, however, said BSDB has a

plan for bringing Chinese experts to

train the local farmers that will help

boost silk production.

Advocacy meeting

marking National

Vitamin A Plus

Campaign held

in Narail

HUMAUN kABIR, NARAIL

CORReSPONDeNT

An advocacy meeting

marking sction plan meeting

has been held in Narail

marking National Vitamin A

Plus Campaign.

The meeting was held at

the office room of the Civil

Surgeon and was presided

over by Dr. Nasima Akhtar,

Civil Surgeon on Tuesday

morning. Among others

Additional Superintendent

of Police Rafiqul Islam,

District Information Officer

Ibrahim Al Mamun, Deputy

Director of jala Islamic

Foundation Billal bin

Qasim, District Child Affairs

Officer Oliur Rahman,

Upazila Health and Family

Planning Officer Dr Subrata

kumar, Narail District

Reporters Unity. President

Humayun kabir Ritu,

Senior Self education

Officer Molla Farkan and

others were also present at

the occasion.

Workshop on

Wash held in

Madhukhali

SHAHjAHAN HeLAL, MADHUkHALI CORReSPONDeNT

International Development

enterprise (IDe) in

collaboration with

Madhukhali Upazila

Administration and Public

Health engineering

Department organized a daylong

workshop on Wash with

government and nongovernment

and local

government organizations at

the upazila level under

Bangladesh Nutrition

Activity.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md.

Ashikur Rahman Chowdhury

presided over the workshop

while Upazila Chairman Md.

Shahidul Islam addressed the

workshop as the chief guest.

During the time, Upazila

engineer Md. Rafiqul Islam,

Upazila Public Health

Assistant engineer Md. Lotfar

Rahman, Marketing Officer of

International Development

enterprise (IDe) Md. Azmat

Ali spoke on the occasion.

Md. Masum Hossain, Field

Team Leader, International

Development enterprise

(IDe) presented various

topics as an instructor at the

workshop. The Wash

workshop was attended by the

chairpersons, secretaries and

senatorial businessmen of

various departments.

An awareness and planning meeting has been held on the occasion of National Vitamin A Plus Campaign in Baliakandi

on Tuesday.

Photo: Mehedi Hasan Masud

Committee of Bangladesh

Human Rights Commission

formed in Banaripara

BANARIPARA CORReSPONDeNT

The Banaripara Upazila

Branch Committee of the

Bangladesh Human Rights

Commission has been

formed on Tuesday,

December 7 at 11 am.

ATM Mostafa Sardar

presided over the

committee formation

meeting at the temporary

office of the commission. A

15-member executive

committee was announced

after discussions with

members of the Banaripara

Upazila branch of the

Bangladesh Human Rights

Commission.

The new committee has

been headed by ATM

Mostafa Sardar, S Mizanul

Islam as general secretary

and Md Zahid Hossain as

organizational secretary.

The other vice-chairmen of

the committee are

Makshuda Akhter, Md.

Ruhul Amin Shuvo, joint

General Secretary Md.

kawshar Hossain, Treasurer

Md. Saiful Islam, Office

Secretary Abdul Awal, the

executive members are Md.

Moazzem Hossain Manik,

Prof. Md. emam Hossain,

SM Golam Mahmud Ripon,

Parvi khanam, Md.

Mofazzal Hossain (jafar),

Md. khairul Islam and Putul

Das.

The new committee of Bangladesh Human Rights Commission has been headed

by ATM Mostafa Sardar, S Mizanul Islam as general secretary and Md

Zahid Hossain as organizational secretary.

Photo: TBT

16 centers to be

set up marking

Vitamin A Plus

campaign in

Baliakandi

MeHeDI HASAN MASUD,

BALIAkADI CORReSPONDeNT

An awareness and

planning meeting has

been held on the occasion

of National Vitamin A

Plus Campaign (11th to

14th December) in

Baliakandi on Tuesday.

The meeting was held at

Upazila Health Complex

meeting room. Upazila

Health and Family

Planning Officer Dr. Nasir

Uddin chaired the

occassion while among

others Upazila Chairman

valiant freedom fighter

Md. Abul kalam Azad,

Upazila Nirbahi Officer

(Acting) Hasibul Hasan,

OC of Baliakadi Police

Station Tariquzzaman

and others spoke.

At the occassion it was

informed that 16 centers

to be set up marking

Vitamin A Plus campaign

in the upazila.

The photo shows Prof Dr. Md. Sadequl Arefin, Vice Chancellor of Barishal University along with the

winners of Olympiad competition which was organized by BU Radio marking Mujib Borsho on

Tuesday.

Photo: Courtesy

One killed in Nilphamari

road accident

NILPHAMARI: A man was killed in a road accident in

Ramdanga area under Dimla upazila of the district last

morning, reports BSS.

The deceased was identified as Bishwanath Roy, 37, son of

Mimanath Roy, a resident of Uttar Titpara village of the

upazila.

The accident occurred at around 11am when a truck hit a

motorbike from opposite direction, leaving the bike rider

Biswanath dead on the spot, said Md. Sirajul Islam, Officerin-Charge

(OC) of Dimla Police Station.

Police seized the truck but its driver fled the scene, OC

added.

RMCH counts four more

fatalities in Covid-19 unit

AjSHAHI: Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) recorded

four more fatalities in its Covid-19 unit during the last 24 hours

till 6am yesterday, reports BSS.

Of the fresh deaths, three were the residents of Rajshahi, while

another from Pabna. All of them were suffering from symptoms

of Covid-19, MCH Director Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani

said.

Meanwhile, four more patients were admitted to the Covid-19

unit during the last 24 hours, taking the number of admitted

patients to 31, including eight tested positive for Covid-19, at

present.

Four other patients returned home after being cured during

the same time.

wedNeSdAY, deceMbeR 8, 2021

7

India and Russia on Monday inked as many as 28 pacts, including a big-ticket defence deal

to jointly manufacture over half-a-million AK-203 assault rifles in this country, as Prime

Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin held the 21st India-Russia Summit

in the national capital to boost bilateral strategic and trade ties. Photo : Internet

India, Russia boost bilateral

ties with 28 pacts

NEW DELHI : India and

Russia on Monday inked as

many as 28 pacts, including a

big-ticket defence deal to

jointly manufacture over halfa-million

AK-203 assault rifles

in this country, as Prime

Minister Narendra Modi and

President Vladimir Putin held

the 21st India-Russia Summit

in the national capital to boost

bilateral strategic and trade

ties.

Modi welcomed the visiting

President at the iconic

Hyderabad House in the heart

of Delhi with a hug this

evening. "Despite the

challenges posed by the

pandemic, there has been no

change in the relationship

between India and Russia. You

(Putin) should be credited for

the strategic ties between our

countries for three decades,"

Modi said in his opening

remarks.

President Putin, on his part,

described India as a "great

power" and "a time-tested

friend". "We are working on

very promising sectors,

including energy and space.

We are also working and

cooperating in areas of

military and technology. We

are naturally concerned about

everything related to

terrorism, terror funding, and

drug trafficking and that is

why we are naturally

concerned about the situation

in Afghanistan."

Briefing reporters after the

late-evening summit, Indian

Foreign Secretary Harsh

Vardhan Shringla emphasised

that both the leaders discussed

Indo-Pacific and Delhi's

security concerns in the wake

of the situation in Afghanistan.

"Both sides were clear that

Afghan territory should not be

used for sheltering, training or

planning acts of terrorism."

Responding to a poser on

the long-range S-400

surface-to-air missile defence

system deal between the two

countries. , the Foreign

Secretary said that "supplies

have begun this month and

will continue to happen",

indicating that the pact was

already signed amid threats

of American sanctions.

Date : 6/12/2021

GD–1801/21 (6x3)

GD–1798/21 (20x5)

WEDnESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

8

Asia's biggest flower market

makes stars out of influencers

First Security Islami Bank Ltd. inaugurated 3 sub-branches with a view to providing shariah based banking

services to its clients recently. The Sub branches are- Modhukhali Sub Branch at Faridpur; Azadi

Bazar Sub Branch at Fatikchari, Chattogram and Patgati Sub Branch at Tungipara, Gopalganj. Syed

Waseque Md Ali, Managing Director of the Bank inaugurated those sub-branches through Video

Conference. Among others, Abdul Aziz and Md. Mustafa Khair, Additional Managing Director(s), Md.

Zahurul Haque and Md. Masudur Rahman Shah, Deputy Managing Director(s) along with other high

officials were present in the occasion. A Doa Mahfil was organized in this regard. Photo: Courtesy

Saudi Aramco, BlackRock sign

$15.5b gas pipeline deal

RIYADH :Saudi Aramco

said it has signed a $15.5

billion lease and leaseback

deal for its gas pipeline

network with a consortium

led by BlackRock Real

Assets and Hassana

Investment Company in its

second major infrastructure

deal this year, reports BSS.

In June, Aramco sold a 49

percent stake in its oil

pipeline business to a

consortium led by US-based

EIG Global Energy Partners

for $12.4 billion. Under the

new deal, a newly formed

subsidiary, Aramco Gas

Pipelines Company, will

lease usage rights in

Aramco's gas pipeline

network and lease them

back to Aramco for a 20-

year period, the Saudi oil

firm said in a statement. In

return, Aramco Gas

Pipelines Company will

receive a tariff payable by

Aramco for the gas products

that flow through the

network, backed by

minimum commitments on

throughput.

Aramco will hold a 51

percent stake in Aramco Gas

Pipeline Company and sell a

49 percent stake to investors

led by BlackRock and

Hassana, a Saudi statebacked

investment

management firm.

"With gas expected to play

a key role in the global

transition to a more

sustainable energy future,

our partners will benefit

from a deal tied to a worldclass

gas infrastructure

asset," Aramco president

and CEO Amin Nasser said

in a statement.

"BlackRock is pleased to

work with Saudi Aramco

and Hassana on this

landmark transaction for

Saudi

Arabia's

infrastructure," BlackRock

chairman and CEO Larry

Fink said.

"Aramco and Saudi Arabia

are taking meaningful,

forward-looking steps to

transition the Saudi

economy toward

renewables, clean hydrogen,

and a net zero future."

Aramco, the world's

biggest oil producer, has

pledged to achieve net zero

carbon emissions in its

operations by 2050.

Saudi Arabia, one of the

world's biggest polluters as

well as the top oil exporter,

has also pledged to achieve

net zero carbon emissions

by 2060.

Long seen as the

kingdom's "crown jewel",

Aramco and its assets were

once tightly under

government control and

considered off-limits to

outside investment.

But with the rise of de

facto ruler Crown Prince

Mohammed bin Salman,

who is pushing to

implement his "Vision

2030" reform programme,

the kingdom has shown

readiness to cede some

control.

Aramco sold a sliver of its

shares on the Saudi bourse

in December 2019,

generating $29.4 billion in

the world's biggest initial

public offering.

Unemployment rate in Philippines

decreases to 7.4 pct in October

MANILA: Around 3.50 million Filipinos were

out of work in October, down from the 4.25

million reported in September, according to a

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) survey

released on Tuesday, reports BSS.

In an online briefing, PSA head Dennis

Mapa said the October unemployment rate,

7.4 percent, was the third lowest reported this

year.

The lowest reported was in July, estimated

at 6.9 percent, followed by 7.1 percent in

March. The unemployment rate was the

highest in September at 8.9 percent.

The country's economic team said the

October labor force survey results "affirmed

the soundness of the government's push to

safely reopen the economy, restore

employment, and manage the spread of the

COVID-19."

"As we relaxed restrictions, more people

were able to work while COVID-19 positivity,

case fatality, and bed occupancy rates

continued to improve," said the team

comprised of Socioeconomic Planning

Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, Finance

Secretary Carlos Dominguez, and Budget

officer-in-charge Tina Rose Marie Canda.

"Sustaining these gains will allow us to

recover to the pre-pandemic level in early

2022, a year ahead of the government's initial

estimates," the team added. The team said

more people are employed now than in the

months before the pandemic struck.

"Employment creation remained positive

as 234,000 more Filipinos were able to find

work in the past month," the ream said. It

added that this brings total employment to 1.3

million above pre-pandemic levels.

Saudi Arabia,

Oman sign

deals worth

$30b

RIYADH : Saudi Arabia

signed deals with Oman

valued at $30 billion, state

media said Tuesday, as

Crown Prince Mohammed

bin Salman began a tour of

Gulf Arab countries,

including former rival Qatar,

reports BSS.

Saudi and Omani

companies "signed 13

memoranda

of

understanding worth $30

billion", the official Saudi

Press Agency reported.

The MoUs between the

two countries, which seek to

diversify their economies

away from oil, range from

cooperation in the energy

and tourism sectors to

finance and technology.

Prince Mohammed, Saudi

Arabia's de facto ruler,

arrived in Muscat on

Monday night, the first stop

in a regional tour ahead a

Gulf Arab summit in mid-

December.

According to SPA, he will

also visit the United Arab

Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait,

and Qatar.

Prince Mohammed's trip

to Doha will mark the first

visit since Saudi Arabia and

Qatar severed ties four years

ago.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and

Bahrain cut all links with

Qatar in June 2017, alleging

it backed radical Islamist

groups and was too close to

Riyadh's rival Tehranallegations

Doha denied.

They restored full relations

with Qatar in January after a

landmark summit.

The prince's tour comes

amid a flurry of diplomacy to

resolve regional disputes,

especially with Iran and

Turkey.

There have been signs of a

thaw between Saudi Arabia

and Iran in recent weeks,

with Tehran and Riyadh

holding several rounds of

talks since April aimed at

improving ties.

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited inaugurated its 383rd Branch at Bagha in Rajshahi recently. Md. Omar

Faruk Khan, Additional Managing Director of the bank inaugurated the Branch as chief guest. Abu Reza

Md. Yeahia, Deputy Managing Director of the Bank, Advocate Md. LayebUddin Lavlu, Bagha Upazila

Chairman, Md. Abdur Razzaque, Mayor, Bagha Municipility, Md. Sajjad Hossain, Officer In-Charge,

Bagha Thana and Md. Ashraful Islam Babul, Assistant Teacher, Bagha Model High School addressed the

program as special guest. Md. Mahboob Alam, Senior Executive Vice President of the bank presided over

the program while Md. Mizanur Rahman Mizi, Head of Rajshahi Zone of the bank addressed welcome

speech and Md. Moazzem Hossen, Manager, Bagha Branch thanked the audience. Monowara Begum,

Panel Mayor, Bagha Municipility, Md. Kamal Hossain, Secretary, Bagha Bazar Business Somity, Md.

Mamun Hossain, Social Organizer and Bipul Kumar, Businessperson addressed the program on behalf

of clients and well-wishers. ATM booth of the branch was also inaugurated.

Photo: Courtesy

KUNMING: Boxes of roses,

lilies and carnations pile up

as influencer Caicai speaks

into her smartphone from a

small studio at Asia's

biggest flower market-with

thousands of customers

eagerly awaiting her view

on the best deals, reports

BSS.

E-commerce is big

business in China and

influencers

and

livestreamers have made

their fortunes showcasing

products for luxury brands

and cosmetics firms.

Now the nation's

horticulture industry,

worth an estimated 160

billion yuan ($25.1 billion),

is getting in on the action.

And where once people

visited markets and florists

themselves, they are

increasingly shopping for

blooms via their

smartphones.

Online retail now

represents more than half

the sector's turnover.

"Five bouquets, only 39.8

yuan (6.25 dollars) for

those that order right

away," the 23-year-old

says-a sales pitch she hones

for eight hours a day

Meghna Bank Ltd has been

awarded the 'Fastest Growing

Corporate Bank in

Bangladesh' for the year 2021

by The Global Economics

Limited, a press release said.

The Global Economics

Limited is a UK based financial

publication and a quarterly

business magazine giving

thoughtful insights into the

financial sectors on various

industries across the world.

Their highlight is the

prestigious country specific

Annual Global Economics

awards program where the

best performers in various

financial sectors are identified

worldwide and honored.

"The award portrays the

strength of the bank in

Corporate Business and the

commitment to offer the best

delivered at lightning

speed.

"When you sell

something for a long time,

the words come naturally,"

she tells AFP.

Earnings can be

unreliable, however.

"Flower sales vary in busy

and slack seasons, so a

livestreamers' daily income

is very variable. All I can say

is that the more you work,

the luckier you will be," she

explains, as colleagues next

to her put the bouquets in

cardboard boxes ready to

be shipped.

Demand for cut flowers

has soared in China as

standards of living have

risen, with the southern

province of Yunnan at the

epicenter of that boom

thanks to its all-year mild

climate.

Provincial capital

Kunming boasts the biggest

flower market in Asia-the

second biggest in the world

after Aalsmeer in the

Netherlands.

Everyday at 3 p.m., a rose

auction starts in a huge

room where over 600

buyers share the day's

supply behind their

of its services to its valued

customers. This international

award is an endorsement of

our ongoing efforts towards

the transformation we are

aiming at" - Sohail R K

Hussain, Managing Director &

CEO of Meghna Bank said.

Commenting on this award,

Hussain added further, "this is

the 2nd international award

for the Bank for the year 2021.

Such recognition depicts our

journey to the right direction".

The Bank bagged "Asian

Banking & Finance (ABF)

Wholesale Banking Award

2021" - bank's 1st international

screens.

"Yunnan represents

around 80 percent of flower

production in China and

70-80 percent of the

flowers on sale pass

through our auction room,"

says Zhang Tao,

responsible for the market's

logistics-a crucial role when

the goods are so perishable.

"That represents on

average more than four

million flowers sold every

day. For Chinese

Valentine's day, we sold 9.3

million in a day."

They are shipped across

China within 48 hours.

On the retail side of the

market, another influencer,

Bi Xixi, showcases flowers

and bouquets from stalls to

sell on to her own online

subscribers.

Wearing a traditional

Chinese dress known as a

hanfu, passing from one

stand to another with her

phone at the end of a cane,

the 32-year-old has racked

up around 60,000

subscribers.

She picks up flowers,

shows them on her screen

while followers hurry to

place their orders.

award this year too; in

recognition of helping one of

its Corporate Customers to

change its fortune from a mere

fish trader to a global exporter.

It was a time when the

company was heavily debt

ridden with piled up

receivables.

Meghna Bank Ltd (MGBL)

is one of the fastest

transforming 4th generation

Private Commercial Banks

currently in Bangladesh

focusing on digital agility,

operational efficiency and

effective risk management.

Corporate Banking Division of

Bi Xixi started

livestreaming early last

year, when China was

paralysed by the Covid

pandemic. That's when she

realised people were eager

to see online the flowers

they could no longer buy

outside.

Now, on a good day, she

says she manages to sell

150,000 yuan ($23,500)

worth of flowers in three

hours of livestreaming.

She takes around ten

percent commission and is

optimistic about the future

of the trade.

"People appreciate rituals

more and more. Flowers

give them a feeling of being

happy and young people

are beginning to like buying

flowers," she says.

The market is still very far

from saturation, says Qian

Chongjun, head of the

Dounan

Flower

Corporation, one of the

largest entities on the

market.

"Buying flowers every

week has become a habit in

many families," says Qian.

"I think that one day they

will become a vital need,

like air and water".

Meghna Bank wins ‘Fastest Growing

Corporate Bank In Bangladesh’ award

Asia markets up as

Omicron fears ease

HONG KONG : Asian stocks

opened higher on Tuesday

as investors took heart from

strong rebounds on Wall

Street on hopes that the

newest coronavirus variant

will prove less dangerous

than previously feared,

reports BSS.

The Omicron variant has

been detected across the

globe but no deaths have yet

been reported, with

authorities worldwide

racing to determine how

contagious it is and how

effective existing vaccines

are.

Top US pandemic adviser

Anthony Fauci said over the

weekend that while more

information was needed,

preliminary data on the

variant's severity was "a bit

encouraging".

Hong Kong's Hang Seng

Index was sharply up at the

open, while Shanghai was

slightly higher.

In Japan, the benchmark

Nikkei 225 index gained 1.25

percent in early trade.

"Japanese shares are seen

gaining, as US stocks rallied,

led by sectors which are

sensitive to business cycles

after strong concerns about

the Omicron variant

receded," Okasan Online

Securities said in a note.

"The economic data looks

very good," Sylvia Jablonski,

Defiance ETFs chief

investment officer & cofounder,

told Bloomberg

Television, noting that even

long-term worries about the

US Federal Reserve ending

its ultra-loose monetary

policy were not weighing on

sentiment for the time

being.

"We don't need the same

sort of monetary stimulus

that we had before so maybe

the tapering isn't so bad-we

don't expect it to be too out

of control or too quick so

there is some good news for

buying on the dip," she said.

Singapore, Jakarta,

Wellington and Seoul were

all slightly up, while stocks in

Bangkok and Manila dipped

slightly. On Monday,

European and US equities

had rebounded on the

Omicron news.

London's blue-chip FTSE

100 index rose 1.5 percent,

with similar gains recorded

in Frankfurt and Paris.

Wall Street also had a

strong day, with the Dow up

1.9 percent.

"It's been a positive start to

the week for the FTSE 100,

and European markets

more generally, as concerns

over the Omicron variant

continue to diminish on

further evidence of mild

symptoms and so far no

deaths reported because of

getting the virus," said CMC

Markets analyst Michael

Hewson.

In China, however, the

spectre of potential debt

defaults by major property

developers loomed.

Sunshine 100 China

Holdings said it had missed

a repayment deadline,

adding to deep concerns

over the property market

that have been stoked by

massive debt at Evergrande

Group, as well as worries for

Kaisa Group.

In response to the crisis,

China's central bank said

Monday it would cut the

reserve requirement ratio by

0.5 percentage points for

most banks, effective

December 15.

The move reduces the

amount of cash the banks

must hold in reserve, which

will allow 1.2 trillion yuan

($188 billion) to be injected

into the economy over the

long term, the central bank

said in a statement.

China's real estate

industry-a key growth driver

in the world's second-largest

economy-has cooled in

recent months after Beijing

tightened home-buying

rules and launched a

regulatory assault on

speculation.

Meghna Bank offers a wide

array of products and

customized solutions to

corporate clients through

relationship units and

dedicated Relationship

Managers. This segment's

offerings include but not

limited to term lending,

project financing, working

capital financing, trade

financing, cash management

solutions, payroll banking,

syndication, advisory services,

offshore banking services etc.

Currently this segment

contributes a major portion of

bank's total business.

NGO awards

triple-A climate

rating to just 14

firms

PARIS :Only 14 companies

are making top-grade efforts

on the climate, the

organisation that scores

environmental efforts by

companies for investors said

Tuesday, reports BSS.

The NGO Carbon

Disclosure Project (CDP) said

only 14 out of nearly 12,000

firms that it scores received A

marks in all the three areas of

climate change, forests and

water security in 2021.

Among those were

consumer goods firm

Unilever, food group Danone,

cosmetics maker L'Oreal and

tobacco giant Philip Morris

International.

A total of 272 companies

out of nearly 12,000 firms

with $12 trillion in market

capitalisation-or just 2

percent-received at least one

A rating.

The CDP ranks firms after

sending them a questionaire,

and the results are used by

asset managers seeking to

make their portolios more

green.

A majority of the ranked

firms received scores between

C and D-, which means they

are only beginning to

recognise their enviromental

impact.

"It is also concerning that

16,870 companies worth

US$21 trillion in market capincluding

Chevron, Exxon

Mobil, Glencore and

Berkshire Hathaway

Barcelona have to believe in miracles again as Xavi Hernandez's team seek a victory away at Bayern

Munich on Wednesday.

photo: Ap

Reality bites again for Barca ahead

of rescue mission away at Bayern

SportS DeSk

No sooner has reality hit

than Barcelona have to

believe in miracles again as

Xavi Hernandez's team seek

a victory away at Bayern

Munich on Wednesday to

take them into the

Champions League last 16,

reports BSS.

Four weeks after Xavi was

appointed, Barca suffered

their first defeat under their

new coach on Saturday and

as Real Betis' Juanmi

celebrated in the corner at

Camp Nou, it felt like a bit of

hope began to fizzle.

Xavi arrived as the club's

iconic former midfielder and

devoted student of Pep

Guardiola, a symbol of a

return to the values and

principles that Barcelona

hold dear and were seen to

have lost. Nobody expected

a transformation, that 'tikitaka'

would be rekindled

overnight or that Memphis

Depay would morph into

Lionel Messi or that a

porous defence would

suddenly tighten up.

Few disagreed that Xavi

would need time, and most

probably a lot of it, to turn

Barcelona even into a

contender again, let alone a

winner of the game's biggest

prizes.

But they might have hoped

to steer clear of losing at

home to Real Betis, an

upwardly mobile team

under Manuel Pellegrini

with talented players but one

that is more likely to finish in

La Liga's top eight than its

top four.

Just as they might have

thought it possible

Barcelona would win at

home to Benfica last month,

a result that would have

rendered Wednesday's

game against Bayern

meaningless, with progress

to the last 16 safely secured.

Instead, the first 30 days of

Xavi's tenure have been yet

another exercise in

hammering home reality

and perspective.

There have been glimpses

of innovation and change

but the overriding sense is of

familiar flaws being

underlined and expectations

being further downgraded.

"In the dressing room I

have told them that I am

proud, that this is football,"

said Xavi. "It is a shame and

I hope it doesn't affect us

because on Wednesday we

have to compete like animals

to try to get through."

Barcelona are now 16

points behind La Liga's

leaders Real Madrid, and

while they can make that 13

by winning a game in hand,

it feels almost pointless now

to compare.

If re-joining the title race

recently appeared a possible,

albeit lofty, target to achieve,

it has quickly become almost

completely out of reach.

Catching the top four,

meanwhile, seemed doable

not long ago even with just a

minor upturn in results, but

instead that now looks

increasingly likely to be a

close and difficult fight. In

Kohli backs struggling Rahane

after 'good' year of cricket

the Champions League,

consecutive wins over

Dynamo Kiev under Ronald

Koeman meant there was

room for optimism that

Barcelona could complete

the comeback by beating

Benfica at home.

Yet the most likely

scenario now is that they

finish third and drop into the

Europa League, a

competition they could win

if they took it seriously and

one that would also offer

them an alternative route

back into the Champions

League next year.

Juve sink lowly Genoa

to keep Shevchenko

winless

SportS DeSk

Juan Cuadrado and Paulo

Dybala scored as Juventus eased

to a 2-0 win over Andriy

Shevchenko's Genoa on Sunday

to register their fourth victory in

five Serie A games, reports BSS.

Cuadrado struck direct from a

corner that sailed over the head

of Genoa goalkeeper Salvatore

Sirigu in the ninth minute, with

Dybala drilling a second late on

to send Juve up to fifth place.

The victory begins an

important month for

Massimiliano Allegri's side who

will hope a run of favourable

fixtures can allow them to close

the seven- point gap to the

Champions League places.

Juve are 11 points adrift of

leaders AC Milan ahead of

matches against Venezia, Bologna

and Cagliari in the run up to

Christmas and the winter break.

"We know we need to carry on

like this, to try and get to the last

game in December with as many

wins as possible to get closer to

the teams above," Dybala told

DAZN.

Genoa have won once in 16

games this term, picking up just

one point in four outings since

the appointment of former

Ukraine and Milan star

Shevchenko.

They have yet to score under

the 2004 Ballon d'Or winner and

did not attempt a single shot

against Juve.

WeDneSDAY, DeceMBer 8, 2021

9

Injured Anderson set to

miss opening Ashes Test

SportS DeSk

Veteran pace spearhead

Jimmy Anderson is set to

miss the opening Test against

Australia, reports said

Tuesday, dealing a blow to

England's chances of

regaining the Ashes, reports

BSS.

The 39-year-old, Test

cricket's most prolific fast

bowler with 632 scalps, has a

minor calf problem, The

Cricketer said with the BBC

also reporting that he was

unlikely to start in Brisbane in

Wednesday.

The England Cricket Board

did not immediate confirm

the news.

His absence would leave

England to choose four

bowlers from Chris Woakes,

Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson,

Stuart Broad and Jack Leach

to play alongside returning

all-rounder Ben Stokes.

They were already without

pacemen Jofra Archer, who is

not on the tour as he recovers

from an elbow injury, and Olly

Stone who missed out because

of back surgery. Anderson

went through his paces in the

nets for almost a hour

Monday but, with memories

still fresh of his withdrawal

from the first Test of the 2019

Ashes after four overs, a

decision was made not to risk

him, The Cricketer said.

His reported omission

comes a day after England

captain Joe Root refused to

unveil his team for the Gabba

Test despite Australia

confirming their starting

eleven at the weekend.

"I'm not into mind games,

I'm just not in a position right

now to name my team," Root

told journalists.

"Fair play that they've

announced their eleven.

Doesn't really concern me or

change anything from our

perspective. We'll conduct our

business how we want to and

let you know when we're

ready."

Given his age, Anderson

Veteran pace spearhead Jimmy Anderson is set

to miss the opening test against Australia,

reports said tuesday.

photo: Ap

had been unlikely to play all

five Tests in the series.

The second Test in

Adelaide, a pink ball match

under lights, is scheduled to

start on December 16 -- just

four days after Brisbane

finishes. Anderson has taken

60 wickets at 35.43 in 18 Tests

in Australia, almost 10 runs

worse than his career average

of 26.62.

SportS DeSk

India skipper Virat Kohli

backed Ajinkya Rahane

despite the veteran

batsman's dry spell and

absence from Monday's

thumping second Test win

over New Zealand,

promising his team will

support past performers,

reports BSS. Rahane, who

led the hosts in the drawn

opening Test and managed

scores of just 35 and four,

missed the final game due to

a hamstring niggle as Kohli

returned from a break to

take his place. The 33-yearold

has averaged under 20 in

12 matches this year and his

injury pull-out was judged by

Indian media as a

respectable way to drop him

in Mumbai.

"I can't judge his form. No

one can judge it. Only the

individual knows what he's

going through," Kohli told

reporters.

"We need to back them in

these moments, especially

when they have done well in

the past. We don't have this

environment where we have

our players asking 'what

happens now?'."

Kohli said the team was

unaffected by outside

criticism of individual

performances. "We support

everybody in the side,

Ajinkya or anyone. We don't

take decisions based on what

happens outside," he added.

India won the second Test by

372 runs to clinch the series

1-0 in Mumbai.

Kohli said his team were

flying high despite losing the

world Test championship

final to New Zealand in June

and failing to reach the T20

World Cup semi-finals last

month. "The year has been

very good for us, we have

played very good cricket.

There were two setbacks in

T20 World Cup and World

Test Championship," he

said.

"Victories in England and

in Australia gave us a lot of

confidence. See, the Indian

team is expected to win

everything but that's not

realistic.

, we know what we need to

work on and improve on and

look forward."

Opener Mayank Agarwal

was named man of the

match in Mumbai for his 150

and 62 in India's dominant

batting show.

The team is currently

brimming with young talent

including Shreyas Iyer, who

sparkled on debut in the first

Test with 105 and 65 to make

his case in the long-format

team.

WEDNESDAY, DEcEmBER 8, 2021

10

Biopic on Bangabandhu may

be released in March: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud

said on Monday the work of making Bangabandhu's biopic is

going on in full swing and the movie might be released in the

month of March in 2022, reports BSS.

The minister told the newsmen after visiting the progress

works of the film based

on Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman's life, a

Bangladesh-India joint

venture commemorating

his birth centenary, at

FDC.

Acclaimed filmmaker

S h y a m B e n e g a l ,

I n f o r m a t i o n

Commissioner Dr Abdul

Malek, BFDC Director

General Nuzhat Yeasmin,

script writer Atul Tiwari,

Casting Director

Baharuddin Khelon,

artists and other performers were present. Hasan said the

final round of the shooting is going on in Dhaka. Later, some

works of post-production will be held at Mumbai, India, he

Reeves burns

in hellfire as

'Ghost Rider'

fan art

New Marvel Cinematic Universe fan

art envisions Keanu Reeves burning

with hellfire as the latest screen

incarnation of the 'Ghost Rider'.

First debuting in the comics with

1972's 'Marvel Spotlight' No. 5 from

Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich and

Mike Ploog, the character originated

as stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze

who gives his soul to an arch-demon

named Mephisto to save his father,

in exchange transforming into the

fiery vigilante using his motorcycle

and hellfire chains to become the

spirit of vengeance. The mantle of

Ghost Rider would later be taken up

by Danny Ketch and Robbie Reyes.

After over a decade of failed starts

to get a film off the ground, 'Ghost

Rider' would finally make his big

screen debut in 2007 with the

Nicolas Cage-led Ghost Rider from

'Daredevil' writer/director Mark

Steven Johnson. Though receiving

generally negative reviews from

critics, the film would be a financial

hit and spawn the 2012 sequel

'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance'

with Crank duo Neveldine/Taylor at

the helm, which would similarly

receive negative reviews while

taking in a modest box office gross.

Ghost Rider would later find his way

to the screen in the MCU with

Gabriel Luna's portrayal of Robbie

Reyes in 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.',

though with the ABC show now at an

end, many are curious as to what the

future could hold for the character.

On the heels of the star addressing

his casting rumors, artist Mizuri

took to Twitter to share a piece of

MCU fan art imagining Reeves as

Ghost Rider. Seemingly utilizing a

still of Reeves from the 'John Wick'

franchise, the image shows a very

added.

The minister said, "I've talked with the film director Shyam

Benegal and his team. They have expressed their satisfaction

about their works in Dhaka and they are doing the shooting

according to their schedule. They also informed that they are

getting all-out

cooperation. And they

hoped that the film could

be released in March of

the next year."

Expressing hope that

the film will be a

milestone, he said all

people, including the new

generation, will know

about Bangabandhu.

People can see the

struggle of Bangabandhu,

his sacrifice, dream and

the implementation of his

dream in reality, said

Hasan, also Awami

League joint general secretary. The minister said the film will

play a pivotal role in enriching the history and knowing the

real history of the country.

gritty take on the character for the

57-year-old actor.

Though the star hasn't technically

thrown his hat into the ring for the

role, Reeves has recently addressed

the rumors of joining the MCU,

saying it "would be an honor" to take

part in the long-running franchise

and praising "the scale, the

ambition, the production."

TBT REPORT

Afsana Mimi,the renowned

actress has enthralled the

audience with her

remarkable performance for

years. Alongside her

successful career in the

theatre and television

industry, she also has made

her mark on the silver screen.

Her two films 'Paap Punno'

and 'Patalghar' are now

awaiting release. She will be

seen acting in important

roles in the movies.

Giasuddin Selim has

directed the film 'Paap

Punno' while Noor Imran

Mithu is the director of

Jacqueline Stopped

from Leaving India

Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez was leaving India for

Dubai. She was stopped at the Mumbai airport on charges of being

involved in aRs 200 crore fraud case.

Jacqueline was going to attend an event in Dubai on Sunday

(December 5). Sukesh Chandrasekhar was detained by the

immigration department at the Mumbai airport following a lookout

notice from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleging

involvement in aRs 200 crore fraud case against him. However, he

was released after questioning.

The ED issued a look-out notice in the case of Sukesh accused of

cheating. Earlier in October, the ED had interrogated Jacqueline

more than once in the same fraud case.

The investigating agency has filed a charge-sheet in a Delhi court

against ED Sukesh and others in aRs 200 crore smuggling case. It

is alleged in the case that while he was in Tihar Jail, he took Rs 200

crore from the wife of a businessman.

The agency has found information about Sukesh

Chandrasekhar's financial transactions with Jacqueline. According

to the chargesheet, Sukesh gave the Bollywood actress a gift worth

Rs 10 crore, including a horse worth Rs 52 lakh and a Persian cat

worth Rs 9 lakh.

Recently, various questions have been raised about Jacqueline's

relationship with Sukesh, who is accused of cheating the Indian

media. They have also been asked to have a love affair.

Tahsan's

new single

'Biyogantok'

TBT REPORT

GD-1799/21 (3 X 3)

Tahsan Khan, has surprised

his fans with his new song

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titled 'Biyogantok', after

Source: Collider almost one year.

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The song was released on

the official YouTube channel

of Tahsan on Sunday.

Sharing the song on his

Facebook profile, Tahsan

wrote in the caption,

"'Biyogantok' is the song for

those who have liked my

song 'Protibad'."

'Biyogantok' was recorded

in Yamaha Studio. With a

black and white music video,

the song is all about survival

amidst all the chaos,

struggles and heartbreak in

life.

Tahsan is expected to

release his first English

album soon from Los

Angeles. He is also

scheduled to leave for the US

next year for studying music

at the University of

California.

Singer-turned-actor

Tahsan is frequently seen in

many dramas, telefilms and

films. He has recently signed

up for the film 'A Blessed

Man' directed by Sadiq

Ahmed. Azmeri Haque

Badhao will star alongside

him in it. 'A Blessed Man' will

be produced under the

banner of Apple Box Films.

Tahsan made his bigscreen

debut in the film titled

'Jodi Ekdin' directed by

Muhammad Mostafa Kamal

Raz.

He also appeared in the

much-discussed film 'No

GD-1805/21 (6 X 4)

Lands Man' directed by

Mostafa Sarwar Farooki.

GD-1802/21 (6 X 3)

Afsana Mimi's 2 films

to release soon

'Patalghar'.

About the films, Mimi said,

"I am yet to watch the films

'Paap Punno' and 'Patalghar'.

I enjoyed the shooting of

'Paap Punno'. Chanchal

Chowdhury is my co-actor in

the film. I am always keen to

act with Chanchal. Through

acting with him in Paap

Punno' my desire has been

fulfilled."

"On the other hand, the

shooting of 'Patalghar' was

held in Pangsha, Rajbari last

year. I liked Noor Imran

Mithu's 'Komola Rocket'.

Whenever he told me to act

1980

1164

in his next project I agreed. I

and NusraatFaria will be

seen in the lead roles. I'm

very optimistic about my

upcoming two big screen

projects." The film 'Paap

Punno' has already got its

censor clearance from

Bangladesh Film Censor

Board. The film will hit the

theatre in February next year.

Mimi also said she is going

to act in a new film and a web

series in the next year. The

actress was last seen in the

BTV's drama serial

'Sayankal'. She was also the

director of the drama.

WEDNESDAY, DEcEMBER 8, 2021

11

In the fourth phase of UP elections, supporters of the opposition Awami League candidate

attacked on Md. Alauddin Sardar, the independent rebel Jubo League leader candidate of

Pakshiya Union of Borhanuddin Upazila of Bhola while he was on his way to bring nomination

form wearing shroud on Tuesday. At least 10 people were injured in the incident, including

vandalism of 10 motorcycles.

Photo: Hasib Rahman

NYC to impose vaccine mandate

on private sector employers

NEW YORK : From big Wall Street

banks to corner grocery stores, all private

employers in New York City will have to

require their workers to get vaccinated

against COVID-19, the mayor

announced Monday in the most sweeping

vaccine mandate of any state or big

city in the U.S, reports UNB.

The move by Mayor Bill de Blasio comes

as cases are climbing again in the U.S. and

the worrisome but little-understood omicron

variant is gaining a toehold in the

nation's largest city and elsewhere around

the country.

"We in New York City have decided to

use a preemptive strike to really do something

bold to stop the further growth of

COVID and the dangers it's causing to all of

us," he said.

De Blasio, a Democrat with just weeks

left in office, said the mandate will take

effect Dec. 27, with in-person workers

needing to provide proof they have received

at least one dose of the vaccine. And they

will not be allowed to get out of the requirement

by agreeing to regular COVID-19 testing

instead.

The measure will apply to roughly

184,000 businesses not covered by previous

vaccine mandates, ranging from multinational

corporations to mom-and-pop

businesses in the city of 8.8 million people,

according to a spokesperson for the mayor.

The city's private-sector workforce is 3.7

million.

Also, anyone 12 or older who wants to

dine indoors at a restaurant, go to a gym or

see a show will have to produce proof of

having received two shots of the vaccine, up

from the current requirement of one dose,

the mayor said. And children 5 to 11 will

have to show proof of at least one shot.

De Blasio said the moves are aimed at

staving off a spike of infections amid holiday

gatherings and the cold weather, which

drives more people indoors, where the

virus can spread more easily.

Phil Penta, who runs a specialty grocery

store called Three Guys from Brooklyn,

said the impending mandate could put him

in a bind by forcing him to fire valued

employees who are holding out against the

vaccine.

"Everybody wants to do the right thing,

but the right thing is different for everybody,"

said Penta, who said the vast

majority of his roughly three dozen

employees have been vaccinated. He

added: "I respect the right to say they

don't want to take it."

Vaccine rules across states and cities vary

widely, with some states resisting any mandates

and others requiring the shots for

government employees or certain sectors

that run a particularly high risk, such as

health care workers.

US plans diplomatic boycott

of Beijing Winter Olympics

WASHINGTON : The U.S. will stage a diplomatic

boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in

Beijing t o protest Chinese human rights abuses,

the White House confirmed Monday, a move that

China has vowed to greet with "firm countermeasures."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said

U.S. athletes will continue to compete and will

"have our full support," but added "we will not be

contributing to the fanfare of the games."

"U.S. diplomatic or official representation

would treat these games as business as usual in

the face of the PRC's egregious human rights

abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply

can't do that," Psaki told reporters during Monday's

briefing, reports UNB.

"We have a fundamental commitment to promoting

human rights. And we feel strongly in our

position and we will continue to take actions to

advance human rights in China and beyond,"

Psaki added.

The announcement came as Biden prepares to

host a White House Summit for Democracy, a

virtual gathering of leaders and civil society

experts from more than 100 countries that is set

to take place Thursday and Friday. The administration

has said Biden intends to use the meeting

"to announce both individual and collective commitments,

reforms, and initiatives to defend

democracy and human rights at home and

abroad." Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., called such

a diplomatic boycott "a necessary step to demonstrate

our unwavering commitment to human

rights in the face of the Chinese government's

unconscionable abuses."

He called on "other allies and partners that

share our values to join with the United States in

this diplomatic boycott."

Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican,

however, said the diplomatic boycott amounted

to a "half measure." American officials, including

Biden, have criticized Beijing for human rights

abuses against Uyghurs in northwest Xinjiang

province, suppression of democratic protests in

Hong Kong, military aggression against the selfruled

island of Taiwan and more. President Donald

Trump's administration in its final days

declared the abuses in northwest China "genocide."

"The United States should fully boycott the

Genocide Games in Beijing," Cotton said. "American

businesses should not financially support the

Chinese Communist Party and we must not

expose Team USA to the dangers of a repugnant

authoritarian regime that disappears its own athletes."

Cotton appeared to be referring to former

Grand Slam doubles champion Peng Shuai, who

dropped from sight after publicly accusing a former

top Communist Party official of sexual

assault. Concerns over her safety prompted the

Women's Tennis Association to suspend events

in China and provided added fuel to opponents of

China's hosting of the games.

Psaki would not comment whether Biden

weighed pulling athletes from the games - many

of whom have been training for years for the

moment to compete on the global stage. In 1980,

in the midst of the Cold War, Jimmy Carter kept

U.S. athletes home from the 1980 Summer

Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion

of Afghanistan.

"I don't think that we felt it was the right step to

penalize athletes who have been training and

preparing for this moment, and we felt that we

could send a clear message by not sending an official

U.S. delegation," Psaki said.

Scientists slam German

tabloid's pandemic coverage

BERLIN : A group representing Germany's main

scientific organizations has accused the country's

biggest-selling newspaper of contributing to public

hostility against scientists during the coronavirus

pandemic, reports UNB.

In a statement Monday, the Alliance of Scientific

Organization criticized a recent report by the

Bild tabloid for singling out three researchers

who had called for tougher restrictions to reduce

COVID-19 infections in Germany.

The paper published pictures of the three scientists

Saturday with the headline "Trio of experts

give us frustration for the holidays." It came days

after German federal and state officials agreed to

tighten existing restrictions, particularly for

unvaccinated people, amid a surge of new cases.

The alliance said making it seem like the three

researchers personally were responsible for

unpopular measures could "easily contribute to a

climate of opinion that has elsewhere already led

to scientists being subjected to or threatened with

physical or psychological violence."

Mohammad

Abul Kalam Azad

awarded Ph.D

In the syndicate meeting of

the University of Dhaka held

on October 28, 2021,

Mohammad Abul Kalam was

awarded Ph.D. degree in the

Department of Islamic

Studies, Faculty of Arts,

University of Dhaka for his

thesis on Planning and

Development in Islam :

Bangladesh Perspective. He

worked under the supervision

of Professor Dr. Abdur

Rashid, Department Islamic,

University of Dhaka. Dr A.K.

Azad is an Assistant Professor

of Islamic Studies, Assistant

Advisor, Students' Welfare

and Coordinator, Center of

General Education, Manarat

International University, a

press release said.

He did his M.A. in Peace

Education at the United

Nations mandated University

for Peace in Central America,

Costa Rica. He was the first

Bangladeshi student to be

conferred such a degree at

University for Peace till then.

Dr.A.K.Azad completed his

B.A. Honours in Islamic

Studies in 2001 and M.A. in

Islamic Studies in 2002 from

the Department of Islamic

Studies, the University of

Dhaka. Dr. A.K. Azad

participated in several

international conferences,

training programs and

workshops in several

countries Asia, Europe and

America. He rendered

voluntary services to different

organizations.

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663

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GD-1800/21 (5 x 4)

GD–1796/21 (10x4)

Wednesday, dhaka: december 8, 2021; agrahyan 23, 1428 BS; Zamadi-ul awal 3, 1443 Hijri

Goalundo bridge turns

into death trap

GOALUNDO : Villagers are using a

bridge in the Tanapocha area of

Debagram Union in Goalundo, Rajbari at

great risk to their own lives after the

bridge collapsed at one end due to erosion.

Several cracks have appeared in the

bridge and the middle of the bridge is

most vulnerable. Although heavy traffic

movement has been suspended due to

this problem, there is still a high risk of

accidents for light vehicles, reports UNB.

Sources said that the Tenapcha

Asrayan UZ-RHD (Piar Ali Mor) Road in

Debagram was under the Local

Government Engineering Department

(LGED) of Bangladesh. The Ministry of

Disaster Management and Relief built a

12-meter vent box culvert on the canal in

the fiscal year 2011-2012 at a cost of Tk.

15 lakhs.

Recently, the part of the bridge slightly

moved down that has created the death

trap for commoners.

Goalundo Upazila Engineer sent a

report to the Executive Engineer of

LGED on November 16, 2021 where

DC's steps have been sought for speedy

repair or reconstruction of the bridge.

The 17 km canal excavation project

under the "64 District Canal Excavation

Project", of Goalundo-Rajbari-Faridpur

was begun in the 2018-2019 financial

year. The work order was issued in favor

of an organization named TTSL-SR in

Motijheel, Dhaka and the project was finished

in the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Under this project, the contractor excavated

a 17 km canal which covered 11 km

areas of Goalundo.

Locals alleged that the contractor company

had dug the canal without leaving

adequate space and safety measures. As a

result, the soil under the bridge had

washed away during the rainy season

due to the high current of water. It also

forced five to seven families to move elsewhere

and some are still living in danger.

Witnesses said though the movement

of the heavy vehicles has been suspended

the light vehicles like Mahendra, rickshaws,

autorickshaws, and pedestrians

are still using this bridge with life risk.

At least three kilometers of road were

kibbled due to the unplanned canal excavation

project. As a result, the bridge partially

collapsed, said Upazila vice-chairman

Asaduzzaman Chowdhury. "I am

also at risk as my home is near the canal,"

he said.

Chairman of Debagram Union

Parisahd, Hafizur Rahman said that the

bridge is in danger of collapsing completely

at any moment. He demanded to

rebuild the bridge immediately.

Upazila Project Implement Officer

(PIO), Abu Sayed Mondol said that nothing

would have happened to the bridge

before 50 years but owing to erosion it

turned unusable. "Senior officials have

already been informed over this issue".

Engineer Bazlur Rahman Khan said

there are 523 meters of paved road carpeted

by LGED on both sides of the

bridge. Many places of the roads have

collapsed due to canal excavation and a

letter has been sent to the Executive

Engineer to take quick steps, he said.

Goalundo Upazila Nirbahi Officer

(UNO) Azizul Haque Khan said in order

to avoid risk, the vehicles' movement has

been suspended through the bridge and

the district commissioner has been

informed of the bridge's condition to take

prompt action.

a flying restaurant called 'fly dining' has been recently launched at

Sugandha point in Cox's Bazar.

photo: S M akash

Country's first ever flying restaurant

launched in Cox's Bazar

S M akaSH, CHattograM Bureau CHief

A flying restaurant called 'Fly Dining' has

been recently launched at Sugandha

Point in Cox's Bazar, the world's longest

beach and a favorite tourist spot for visitors

from home and abroad. The restaurant

will cost a minimum of Tk 4,000 to

Tk 8,000 per person, including food. The

total package duration ranges from 45

minutes to about an hour, including the

time to ascend the pattern, ascend to the

sky, and then the time of the meal.

With a total capacity of 24 visitors, the Fly

Dining Restaurant will lift 180 feet above

the ground level to the beach sky and then

serve food to the customers as it travels

around. During the time, one can enjoy the

breathtaking view of the beach and its surroundings

from the sky. On the evening of

November 30, the concerned authorities

started the official journey of the restaurant

at Sugandha Point on the beach.

At the opening ceremony, Additional DIG

(Chattogram Range) Md Muslim Uddin,

Cox's Bazar District Tourist Police (SP) Md

Zillur Rahman and Nawab Fayez Abu

Bakkar Khan, the head of Fly Dining

Restaurant were among others present at

the occasion'.

On closer inspection, it was seen that the

'Fly Dining' restaurant has been set up at

Sugandha Point on the plot next to Hotel C

Princess with ample seating.

A crane has been set up in the empty

space on the west side of the restaurant,

with chairs with a capacity of 24 people on

a special platform, a table and an umbrella-like

roof over the top to keep the surroundings

open.

A special crane made of a combination

of aluminum and steel is attached to the

head of the crane in the middle and

around. Anyone who wants to order the

food of their choice in the ground floor

kitchen can take advantage of serving in a

'moving restaurant'. This digital flyover

restaurant has been built by worldrenowned

multipurpose company,

"YOUR Travels Limited."

Divya Patak, director of Fly Dining

Restaurant and an Indian Citizen, told

The Bangladesh Today in an exclusive

interview that although Cox's Bazar is the

main tourist destination of Bangladesh

and the largest tourist destination in the

world, there is no entertainment in this

place.

Lots of tourists from home and abroad

come here and I believe they will love this

fly dining. With that in mind, the fly dining

has been launched in Cox's Bazar. It

will be very adventurous and enjoyable,

he said, adding that this flying restaurant

will make Cox's Bazar more attractive for

the tourists from all over the country.

Nawab Fayez Abu Bakkar Khan, one of

the founders of Fly Dining Restaurant

and an Indian citizen, expressed his views

in an exclusive interview with The

Bangladesh Today. He assured that this

fly dining is completely safe and tested.

He further said that the restaurant is

equipped with top notch machine crane

at a height of 180 feet above the surface of

the beach to ensure complete safety.

India gifts war

weapons to

Bangladesh

SHaHid Joy, JaSHore CorreSpondent

The Government of India has gifted a T-

55 tank (currently useless) and a 75/24

mm mountain howitzer used by the

Indian Army during the Great

Liberation War to Bangladesh. The

weapons were handed over to the

Bangladesh authorities through

Benapole land port on Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Ashraf Ali of the 55th Infantry

Battalion of Jashore received two heavy

vehicles from the Petrapole port area of

India on behalf of the Bangladesh Army.

Port, BGB and BSF officials including

Deputy Director Mamun Tarafdar were

present at the time. Later, the tank and

mountain howitzers were handed over

to the Bangladesh National Museum

Authority.

Benapole Land Port Deputy Director

(Traffic) Mamun Kabir Tarafdar said

the tank and mountain howitzers were

unloaded from Indian transport by

crane and loaded on Bangladeshi trolleys

via Lalon Shah Bridge and

Bangabandhu Bridge under the overall

supervision of the 55th Infantry Division

at the National Museum.

Earlier, the Indian Army had returned

six cannons (Mujib batteries) taken to

India after the liberation war through

Benapole checkpost as gifts. The

Government of India returned 2 cannons

on 21 June 2011 and 4 cannons on

19 December 2011.

Apart from this, the Indian Army has

gifted trained dogs, horses and computers

to the Bangladesh Army as a token of

friendship between the two armies at

different times.

According to political experts, the gift

given by India in the month of victory is

a milestone and an example.

Murad going

to be removed

from district

AL: Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday

said state minister for information

and broadcasting Dr Murad Hassan,

who submitted his resignation from

the cabinet this afternoon, is going to

be removed from district AL, reports

BSS.

"He (Murad) resigned from the cabinet...he

has no post in Dhaka. He was

Jamalpur zila AL's health affairs secretary.

He is going to be removed

from this post," he told reporters at

the Secretariat here.

Quader, also the Road Transport and

Bridges Minister, said Jamalpur zila

AL called a meeting over Murad issue

and he was informed that Murad

would be removed from his post.

Replying to a question whether

Murad's preliminary membership of

the party will be cancelled, he said,

"We will decide to this end centrally.

We will decide in the next AL working

committee meeting."

"The way we took decisions about

Gazipur city mayor and its city AL

general secretary, we will take final

decision about Murad in the next

working committee meeting. Such

decision cannot be taken without a

working committee meeting," the AL

general secretary said.

About Murad's parliament membership,

he said this issue will be considered

later and the Speaker will

decide to this end.

india gifted a t-55 tank (currently useless) and a 75/24 mm mountain howitzer used by the indian army during

the great Liberation War to Bangladesh on tuesday.

photo: tBt

Embezzlement of Tk176cr

HC orders arrest 15 accused in a week

DHAKA : The High Court on Tuesday

ordered the authorities concerned to

arrest in a week the 15 accused, including

two former managing directors

(MDs) of AB Bank, in a case over embezzling

Tk 176 crore from AB Bank.

The court also directed the Anti-

Corruption Commission (ACC), immigration

police and the Inspector General

of Police(IGP) to take step so that the

accused cannot flee the country.

The accused are: former MDs of AB

Bank Moshiur Rahman Chowdhury and

Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury, owner of

Ershad Brothers Corporation Md

Ershad Ali, the bank's former EVP and

branch manager ABM Abdus Sattar,

SVP and former relationship manager

Anisur Rahman, AVP Md Ruhul Amin,

EVP and Head of CRM Wasika Afrozi,

VP and CRM Member Mufti Mustafizur

Rahman, Former SEVP and Head of

CRM Salma Akter, AVP and CRM

DMCH to be made world

standard one : Maleque

DHAKA : Health and Family Welfare

Minister Zahid Maleque yesterday said

Dhaka Medical College and Hospital would

be made world standard one through

increasing modern healthcare facilities.

"The government has already allocated

sufficient amount of money for development

of Dhaka Medical College and

Hospital... installation process of 5,000

modern beds is underway," he told a

function here, an official release said.

DMCH and Perelman School of Medicine

University of Pennsylvania, the USA organized

the function titled "Inauguration of the

certification programme in emergency medicine"

at the medical college.

Referring to lower infection and fatality

rate of COVID-19 in Bangladesh, he

said "Bangladesh achieved a remarkable

success as the present government led by

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken

prompt and multiple measures to tackle

the pandemic successfully.

Member Emarat Hossain Fakir, Former

Principal Officer Touhidul Islam, SVP

and CRM member Shamim A Morshed,

VP and CRM member Khandaker

Rashed Anwar, AVP and CRM member

Sirajul Islam, former VP and credit committee

member Mahfuz-ul Islam.

The HC bench of Justice Nazrul Islam

Talukder and Justice AKM Zahirul

Haque passed the order while hearing

on the bail pleasof two accused in the

case-Abdur Rahim, former AVP and

relationship manager of the bank and

Shahidul Islam, former VP of the bank,

who are now behind bars.

The court also issued a rule asking the

authorities concerned to explain why

they should not be granted bail in the

case.

Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for the

ACC while Deputy Attorney General

AKM Amin Uddin Manik for the state.

Khurshid Alam Khan said that during

A 45 meter long rubber dam and bridge

is being constructed on Sualak canal in

Sultanpur area of Sualak union of

Bandarban Sadar upazila with the funding

of Bangladesh Agriculture

Development Corporation (BADC). As a

result, one thousand hectares of uncultivated

agricultural land on both banks

will come under cultivation and hundreds

of houses on both banks will be

protected from erosion. The rubber dam

will be inaugurated soon as 95 percent

work of the project has already been

completed.

With the construction of the rubber

dam, about two thousand acres of uncultivated

land in and around Sultanpur has

come under cultivation.

a rubber dam and bridge is being constructed on Sualak canal in Sultanpur area of Sualak union

of Bandarban Sadar upazila.

photo: Safayet Hossaian

the hearing of the bail pleas of Abdur

Rahim and Shahidul Islam, the court

wanted to know where are the rest 15

accused while these two are in jail.

Later, the court then ordered the

arrest of the 15 fugitives, including two

former MDs, a businessman and bank

officials, in a week. The arrest must be

made in seven days of receiving the

order.

On June 9 this year, the ACC filed the

case with its integrated office in Dhaka

against the accused on charges of corruption

and embezzlement of money.

According to the case, these officials

worked together to prepare work orders

by abusing their power for fraudulent

purposes.

They withdrew TK176 crore using

these fake documents and by giving

seven illegal bank guarantees without

the approval of the office and embezzled

too.

Rubber dam awaits

inauguration in Bandarban

Safayet HoSSain, BandarBan CorreSpondent

Hundreds of houses on both sides of

the canal have been saved from collapse

due to the construction of 50,000 blocks

of cement on both sides of the canal.

With the help of this largest rubber dam

in the district, a change will come in the

life of the farmers of this area.

According to the Bangladesh Agriculture

Development Corporation (BADC), construction

of a 4.5 m long and 45 m long rubber

dam started on the Sualak canal in Sultanpur

area of Sualak union of Sadar upazila in

2019. M/S MK & SE, a contractor from

Khandaker Bazar, Osmaninagar, Sylhet, got

the responsibility of the construction work in

a joint venture at a cost of Taka 11 crore. On

the other hand, local fishermen can also

make a living by fishing all year round.

Uykanu Marma, chairman of the

Sualak Union Parishad, said local farmers

would benefit from the launch of the

rubber dam. Hundreds of hectares of

arable land in Sultanpur area of Sualak

Union were left uncultivated due to lack

of irrigation. If the rubber dam is started,

it will not happen now. As a result, the

local peasant family will come to the fore.

Bandarban BADC Assistant Engineer

Abu Naim said 95 per cent work on the

rubber dam has already been completed.

Work is underway to install bucks on

both sides of the canal.

The rubber dam will be inaugurated

when the work is completed within the

next one month. He further said that when

the rubber dam will be inaugurated, farmers

will get irrigation facility by saving

water on one side through the rubber dam

in monsoon. On the other hand, due to the

increase in transportation and transportation

facilities produced due to the bridge,

the standard of living of the locals will

change. People on both sides will be saved

from river erosion.

08-12-2021

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