18-12-2021

SaTURday

DhAkA: December 18, 2021; Poush 3, 1428 BS; Jamadi-ul Awal 13,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 227; 8 Pages~Tk.8.00

inTeRnaTiOnal

EU threatens Russia

sanctions as NATO

backs Ukraine

>Page 3

Science & Tech

Apple’s iPhone 13

to hit shelves later

this month

>Page 5

SPORTS

Liverpool bounce back

to beat Newcastle, Chelsea

held by Everton

>Page 6

Visiting Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday inaugurated the newly refurbished

building of Ramna Kali Mandir in the capital.

Photo: Star Mail

World Bank announces

US$ 93 billion support

for poor countries

DHAKA: The World Bank on Thursday

announced a US$93 billion replenishment

package of the International

Development Association (IDA) to help

low-income countries respond to the

COVID-19 crisis and build a greener,

more resilient, and inclusive future,

reports UNB.

The financing brings together $23.5

billion of contributions from 48 highand

middle-income countries with

financing raised in the capital markets,

repayments, and the World Bank's own

contributions.

The financing package, agreed over a

two-day meeting hosted virtually by

Japan, is the largest ever mobilised in

IDA's 61-year history, said a press

release.

IDA's unique leveraging model enables

it to achieve greater value from donor

resources - every US$1 that donors contribute

to IDA is now leveraged into

almost US$4 of financial support for the

poorest countries.

"Today's generous commitment by our

partners is a critical step toward supporting

poor countries in their efforts to

recover from the COVID-19 crisis," said

World Bank Group President David

Malpass. "We are grateful for the confidence

our partners have in IDA as a nonfragmented

and efficient platform to

tackle development challenges and

improve the lives of millions of people

around the world," he said. The funds

will be delivered to the world's 74 poorest

countries under the 20th replenishment

(IDA20) program, which focuses on

helping countries recover from the

impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

In these countries, the ongoing pandemic

is worsening poverty, undermining

growth, and jeopardising the

prospects of a resilient and inclusive

development. Countries are struggling

with falling government revenues;

increasing debt vulnerabilities; rising

risks to fragility, conflict, and instability;

and dropping literacy rates. About a third

of IDA countries are facing a looming

food crisis.

An unbreakable bond

forged with blood, sacrifice

in 1971: Kovind

DHAKA: Indian President Ram Nath

Kovind on Friday said they will remain

closely connected with their Bangladeshi

friends to jointly achieve development

and prosperity, and to meet the aspirations

of the people of the two countries,

reports UNB.

"India values your extraordinary goodwill

and friendship and I'm confident

that the bond forged by blood and sacrifice

in 1971 will continue to bind our

nations together in future," he said.

The Indian President made the

remarks while addressing a reception

accorded to the Indian community and

friends of India before wrapping up his

three-day "historic" state visit to

Bangladesh.

President Kovind, who was deeply

touched by the warmth and affection of

the people of Bangladesh, said

Bangladesh has a special place in the

hearts of Indians.

"Ours is a uniquely close relationship

based on age-old ties of kinship, shared

language and culture. Our ties have been

nurtured by the sagacious leadership of

the two countries," he said.

While paying homage to Bangabandhu

at his home in 32 Dhanmondi, President

Kovind said he was reminded of the declaration

of independence that

Bangabandhu had issued in Dhaka on 26

March 1971, the atrocities and genocide

faced by the people of Bangladesh and

the armed struggle of the Mukti Bahini

against the brutal Pakistani occupation

forces.

"Today, as your country becomes a

model of growth and development in the

region, it has proven to the world that the

fight of the people of Bangladesh was for

a just cause. This fight was for fundamental

democratic rights and that the emergence

of Bangladesh was indeed the

power of right defeating the power of

might," he said.

Just before attending the reception,

President Kovind visited the historic

Ramna Kaali temple where he had the

privilege of inaugurating the renovated

temple.

"I look at it as a blessing from Maa

Kaali. I've been told that the governments

and the people of Bangladesh and

India helped restore the temple which

was demolished by Pakistani forces during

the war of liberation. A large number

of people were killed by the occupation

forces," he said, adding that this temple is

a symbol of the spiritual and cultural

bonding among the people of India and

Bangladesh.

In this unique year, when the two

countries are celebrating the Golden

Jubilee of the Liberation War, the birth

centenary of Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

and the 50th anniversary of two countries

friendship as well as the 75th

anniversary of India's independence, the

Indian President said, "Let us rededicate

ourselves towards fulfilling the dreams of

the founding fathers of our nations."

Cumilla councillor murder

Arrestee makes confessional

statement before court

Boris thanks British

Bangladeshis, says

"Joy Bangla"

DHAKA: British Prime Minister Boris

Johnson has extended his thanks to

British Bangladeshis for everything they

have done in their struggle against Covid

and said they look forward to the next 50

years of friendship between Britain and

Bangladesh, reports UNB.

"Let's look forward to the next 50 years

of friendship between Britain and

Bangladesh. Joy Bangla," he said in a

video message as they also celebrated the

Golden Anniversary of Bangladesh's

independence.

The British Prime Minister mentioned

that just this week the UK donated over 4

million AstraZeneca vaccines to

Bangladesh through COVAX, the vaccination

alliance.

"So, get boosted now for yourself, for

your friends and your family," he said,

noting that at this moment thousands of

"fantastic" doctors and nurses of

Bangladeshi heritage are working in their

NHS (National Health Service), providing

care and comfort and saving many

lives.

Prime Minister Boris said the best

thing they can all do to support their

efforts and keep them safe is to get

"booster" jabs as soon as possible.

Int'l Migrants Day today

DHAKA: The International Migrants

Day-2021 will be observed today in the

country in a befitting manner as elsewhere

across the globe, reports UNB.

On December 4, 2000, the UN

General Assembly taking into account

the large and increasing number of

migrants in the world declared

December 18 as the International

Migrants Day.

On that day in 1990, the UN assembly

adopted the International

Convention on the protection of the

rights of all migrant workers and members

of their families.

President Md Abdul Hamid and

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today,

on the eve of the day, gave separate

messages greeting Bangladeshi

migrants in different parts of the world

on this occasion. To mark the day, the

Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and

Overseas Employment has chalked out

various programmes like in other

countries of the world. The theme of

the day in Bangladesh has been set as

'Shoto Borshey Jatir Pita Suborney

Swadhinata/Ovibasoney Anbo

Morjada O Noitikota'. In his message,

President Abdul Hamid said labor

migration has become one of the tools

of global development. "Our migrant

workers are earning foreign currencies

or remittances for the country alongside

contributing to the economic

development of the country," the head

of the state said.

He added that the migrant workers

of the country are making a significant

contribution to the implementation of

Vision 2041 and the achievement of the

UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In her message, Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina said the Ministry of

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas

Employment is going to establish five

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman Centennial Schools abroad in

honor of Bangabandhu.

The premier added that it will create

educational opportunities for the children

of immigrants abroad.

Many migrants have already

returned to the country due to the negative

impact of COVID-19 on the global

labor market, she said, adding: "We

have taken loan and rehabilitation

activities for them at low interest and

on easy terms."

So far, about 3 lakh expatriates have

been vaccinated under a special online

system called 'surokkha' application,

she said, adding that the government is

working sincerely to implement the

key to sustainable development which

is 'No one should be left behind'.

Terrorist activity decreased in Bangladesh

in 2020: US

DHAKA: The Unites States (US) 2020

Country Reports on Terrorism (CRT) has

found that Bangladesh experienced a

decrease in terrorist activity in 2020,

accompanied by an increase in terrorism-related

investigations and arrests,

reports UNB.

"The Bangladesh government continued

to articulate a zero-tolerance policy

toward terrorism and the use of its territory

as a terrorist safe haven," said the

report issued by US State Department on

Thursday. It said, in January, the

Bangladesh government's new national

Antiterrorism Unit began standing up

operations, to eventually assume a role as

a lead counterterrorism agency.

In 2020, the report said, there were

three specific terrorist incidents in

Bangladesh, resulting in no deaths.

The State Department said Bangladesh

cooperated with the US to strengthen

control of its borders and ports of entry.

Bangladesh actively shared law

enforcement information with INTER-

POL but does not have a dedicated terrorist

Alert List, it added.

However, the CRT said, the United

States and Bangladesh continue to work

on building Bangladesh's technical

capacity to develop a national-level Alert

List of known or suspected terrorists.?

The international community

remains concerned about security procedures

at Dhaka's?Hazrat?Shahjalal

International Airport though the US -

trained explosive detection K9 teams

remain available to patrol Dhaka's

international airport but are not a permanent

presence.?

Bangladesh participated in a nationallevel

workshop administered by the

United Nations Office on Drugs and

Crime's (UNODC's) Terrorism

Prevention Branch to help strengthen

implementation of these and other obligations

to detect and prevent terrorist

travel established in August under

UNSCR 2396 .

"Elements of the Bangladesh Police

continued a campaign of arrests and

raids against suspected militants," said

the report.

However, the report said ongoing

deficits in Bangladesh's judicial system,

magnified by the constraints of operating

during a global pandemic, contribute to a

decade-long backlog of terrorism cases

and a conviction rate estimated at less

than 15 percent.? It said, Bangladeshi

organizations continued cooperative

activities through the Country Support

Mechanism under the Global

Community Engagement and Resilience

Fund in Countering Violent Extremism.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and

the National Committee on Militancy,

Resistance, and Prevention worked

with imams and religious scholars to

build public awareness about terrorism.

The report mentioned that throughout

2020 the Counter Terrorism and

Transnational Crime Unit (CTTCU) and

the Rapid Action Battalion established

"deradicalization and rehabilitation programs,"

in addition to conducting community

policing efforts and investigations

and arrests of suspected foreign terrorist

fighters.

The police engaged religious leaders

to counter terrorist propaganda with

scripture-based messages and engaged

imams to speak to surrendered militants

with their own messaging to

explain that the Quran does not support

terrorist violence. The Bangladeshi

cities of Dhaka North, Dhaka South,

and Narayanganj are members of the

Strong Cities Network.

Zohr

05:14 AM

01:30 PM

03:37 PM

05:17 PM

06:35 PM

6:32 5:14

CUMILLA: One of the arrestees in the

Cumilla ward councillor Syed

Mohammad Sohel murder case gave his

confessional statement on Thursday,

reports UNB.

Accused Emran Hossain Rishat, 23, a

member of the killing squad gave his confessional

statement before Cumilla Chief

Judicial Magistrate Trial Court-1 judge

Farhana Akter.

During his three-day remand, Rishat

agreed to record his confessional statement,

said Parimal Das, deputy inspector

of detective branch of the district

police.

Rishat, in his statement, confessed that

he participated in the killing and supplied

arms for the mission, said Parimal.

Earlier on Monday, police arrested

Nazim and Rishat, two of the suspected

hit squad members who were not named

as accused in the case.

On Tuesday, a Cumilla court placed

them on a three-day remand each for

interrogation and the next day Nazim

gave his confessional statement before

the magistrate.

On November 22, Sohel, Cumilla City

Corporation (CCC) councilor of Ward-17,

and one of his aides were killed, while

four others sustained injuries when gunmen

opened fire in his office in

Pathuariapara.

Based on his younger brother Syed

Rumon's complaint, as many as 21 people,

some 10 of them unidentified, were

booked by the Kotwali police for the double

murder.

So far, seven accused and four suspects

were arrested in this case, while another

accused Rony remains absconding.

Meanwhile, prime accused Shah Alam,

Sabbir Hossain, Sajon Mia were killed in

alleged gunfights with police.

Visitors thronged Hatirjheel area of the capital on Friday. Some came with family and some came with

loved ones.

Photo: Star Mail

sATUr DAY, DeCeMBer 18, 2021

2

Victory Day was celebrated through various programs initiated by Nasirnagar Upazila Administration on Thursday. Photo: Md Abdul Hannan

600 FFs accord reception in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: District administration

has accorded a reception to 600 valiant

Freedom Fighters (FF) and family

members of the martyred as

recognition to their supreme sacrifices

in the country's great War of

Liberation in 1971, reports BSS.

The district administration arranged

the reception at Shilpakala Academy

auditorium on Thursday afternoon

marking the celebration of Victory Day

2021 and golden jubilee of the

country's independence largely

attended by FFs and their family

members.

Commissioner of Rajshahi division

Dr Humayun Kabir addressed the

ceremony as the chief guest while

Deputy Inspector General of Police

Abdul Baten and Commissioner of

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Abu

Kalam Siddique spoke as special

RMCH records

one more fatality

in Covid-19 unit

RAJSHAHI: Rajshahi

Medical College Hospital

(RMCH) recorded one more

death in its Covid-19 unit

during the last 24 hours till

6am yesterday, reports BSS.

RMCH Director Brigadier

General Shamim Yazdani said

the deceased was a resident of

Natore. The sexagenarian

deceased woman died with

Covid-19 symptoms.

Meanwhile, two more

patients were admitted to the

Covid-19 unit during the last

24 hours, taking the number

of admitted patients to 19,

including five tested positive

for Covid-19, at present.

Another patient returned

home after being cured during

the time.

On the other hand, one

more patient was found

Covid-19 positive after testing

83 samples in Rajshahi's two

laboratories on Thursday,

showing a 6.67 percent

infection rate in Rajshahi.

guests with Deputy Commissioner

Abdul Jalil in the chair.

Valiant freedom fighter Professor

Zinatun Nesa Talukder, Advocate

Abdul Hadi and Dr Emdadul Haque

and Superintendent of Police Masud

Hossain also spoke.

Dr Humayun Kabir said the present

government under the dynamic and

visionary leadership of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina has been implementing

various benevolent programs for the

welfare of the FFs and their family

members.

"All of us should have to take the

responsibility and stand beside the

great sons of the soil for their overall

welfare," he added.

Terming the freedom fighters as the

best sons of the soil, Dr Kabir said the

local administration will do all possible

for their welfare in the days to come.

The government is very much aware

of the freedom fighters, best sons of the

soil, alongside improving their living

and livelihood conditions, he

mentioned.

He urged the members of the new

generation particularly the students to

know the life and works of


Rahman to become patriotic and

Bengali nationalistic.

"The new generation must follow the

ideals of Bangabandhu for becoming

the patriotic citizens of the country," he

said, adding that they should also

listen to the speeches of Bangabandhu

meticulously.

Bangladesh emerged as an

independent country in 1971 under the

dynamic and farsighted leadership of


Rahman, he said.

Khulna freed on

December 17

KHULNA: December 17 is a red letter day

for Khulna People as on this day in 1971

the Pakistani occupation forces

surrendered to the allied forces of

Bangladeshi freedom fighters and Indian

forces in Khulna, a day after liberation of

the rest of the country, reports BSS.

"News over the radio (Bangladesh Betar)

on December 16 that the Pakistani army

had surrendered everywhere in the

country except Khulna made our blood

boil. We were determined to free Khulna

as soon as possible," said Sheikh

QuamruzzamanTuku, chief of Khulna unit

MuzibBahini who is now elected chairman

of Bagerhat District Council.

Between December 11 and 16, freedom

fighters had captured most of the camps of

Pakistani army and their local

collaborators like Razakars, Albadars and

Alshams in the areas surrounding Khulna

city.

The camps include Gallamary Radio

Station, Khulna Lions School, PMG

Colony, Khulna Shipyard, Number 7 jetty

ghat area, Tootpara and Boyra Fire

Brigade Stations, Wapda Building,

Goalpara Power Plant at Khalishpur,

BhasanyBiddyapith, Hotel Asaiana, Hotel

Shaheen, Khulna Circuit House and some

places of Goalkhali, Daulatpur,

Khalishpur and Shiromony area in

Khulna.

On December 17, the freedom fighters

started entering Khulna City through

different points including Rupsha Ghat

area via SenerhatRajapur, Crescent Jute

Mill Khulna Lions School, Mongla and

Batiaghata.

Two major battles were won on the day,

one in Shiromony area and another in

Khulna Shipyard area.

The Pakistani forces were fighting for

the last two days, armed with several

militaries of artillery, infantry and

armored divisions including six trucks, in

Shiromony area.

In the morning, the battle grew fierce,

says freedom fighter S M Rezwan. The

occupation forces used modern weapons

including anti aircraft machine guns,

mortars and rocket launchers.

Soon the Pakistani occupation forces

were defeated. A total of 200 Pakistani

soldiers surrendered with their weapons

while their local collaborators fled.

A reception has been given to the heroic freedom fighters and martyrs' families on the occasion of

Victory Day at Hatibandha in Lalmonirhat on Thursday.

Photo: TBT

Victory Day celebrated

through various

programs in Nasirnagar

Md. Abdul Hanan,

Nasirnagar Correspondent

Victory Day is being

celebrated through various

programs initiated by

Nasirnagar Upazila

Administration. Upazila

Nirbahi Officer Halima

Khatun presided over the

Victory Day function.

Badruddaza Md. Farhad

Hasan Sangram, Hon'ble

Member of Parliament for 243

Nasirnagar constituency of

Brahmanbaria-1

Parliamentary and Member of

Standing Committee on Social

Welfare Moinalaya, Upazila

Parishad Chairman Rafi

Uddin Ahmed was the special

guest.y. Upazila Nirbahi

Officer Halima Khatun

presided over the Victory Day

function.

Badruddaza Md. Farhad

Hasan Sangram, Member of

Parliament for 243

Nasirnagar constituency of

Brahmanbaria-1

Parliamentary and Member of

Standing Committee on Social

Welfare Ministry was present

as the chief guest while

Upazila Parishad Chairman

Rafi Uddin Ahmed was the

special guest. Among others,

Upazila Awami League, Jubo

League, Chhatra League,

Swecchasebok League,

Mohila Awami League,

freedom fighters, various

social and cultural

organizations, officials and

employees of various

departments, journalists and

lakhs of civil society were also

present.

Reception accorded

to martyr's family at

Hatibandha

Hatibandha Correspondence

A reception has been given to

the heroic freedom fighters

and martyrs' families on the

occasion of Victory Day at

Hatibandha in Lalmonirhat

on Thursday.

The function was held at

the Muktijoddha office

organized by the upazila

administration. Upazila

Convener of Muktijoddha

Sangsad Sontan Command

Roknuzzaman Sohail

moderated the occasion

while among others,

Hatibandha Upazila

Parishad Chairman Mashiur

Rahman Mamun, Upazila

Nirbahi Officer Samiul Amin,

Upazila Awami League

President Liaquat Hossain

Bachchu, SP B-Circle Taposh

Sarkar, Hatibandha Thana

Officer-in-Charge (OC)

Ershadul Alam, Hatibandha

Upazila Freedom Fighter

Deputy Commander Abdul

Jabbar were also present at

the occasion.

People pays homage to

martyrs on Victory Day

in Matiranga

Abul Hashem, Matiranga Correspondent

The celebration of 50th Victory Day in

Matiranga was celebrated amid much

enthusiasm with the laying of wreaths, 50

rounds of fires in the morning and paying

homage to the souls of heroic martyrs.

In the early hours of the day on Thursday

(December 16), the Matiranga Upazila

Parishad paid homage to the heroic martyrs

on the battlefield of '71 by laying flowers on

the Freedom Stairs in memory of the heroic

freedom fighters.

Matiranga Upazila Nirbahi Officer Miz

Trla Dev along with all the divisional officers

of the upazila and Matiranga Upazila

Muktijoddha Sangsad leaders paid their

respects with flowers on the steps of

independence. Matiranga Upazila Parishad

Chairman Md. Rafiqul Islam, Vice Chairman

Md. Anisuzzaman Dalim and Mahila Vice

Chairman Hasina Begum were present on

the occasion.

Matiranga Police Station Officer-in-

Charge (OC) Mohammad Ali along with all

his officers laid flowers at the Independence

Stairs.

At the same time Matiranga Upazila

Awami League President M. Humayun

Morshed Khan, General Secretary Subash

Chakma, Khagrachhari Hill District Council

Member Hiranjoy Joy Tripura, Matiranga

Municipal Awami League President

Harunur Rashid Faraji, Upazila Juba League

President Md. Secretary Kamrul Hasan,

Upazila Chhatra League President Taslim

Uddin Rubel Hossain and General Secretary

Abu Taleb along with other party leaders and

activists paid their respects with flowers on

the steps of independence.

After that, various political organizations,

educational, social, cultural and professional

organizations of Matiranga Upazila paid

their respects with flowers on the steps of

independence.

Later, the stage of freedom was opened for

all to pay homage to the people of all walks of

life.

As the day progresses, the crowds of

ordinary people increase. People of all

classes and professions, including men and

women, seem to have met in the same

estuary. People from different parts of

Matiranga have come in groups to pay

homage to the sacrifice of the best children of

the nation.

At that time thousands of people

descended on the steps of independence.

The area around the Freedom Stairs is full of

flowers.

Incidentally, after a long and bloody ninemonth

bloody war, on this day in 1971, with

the surrender of the Pakistani aggressors, an

independent country called Bangladesh

emerged on the world map. Today marks

the 50th anniversary of his victory. On this

day, the best children of the nation are being

respectfully remembered, whose sacrifices

were born in a land called Bangladesh.

The celebration of 50th Victory Day in Matiranga was observed amid much

enthusiasm in Matiranga on Thursday.

Photo: Abul Hashem

96,055 patients recover

from Covid-19 so far in

Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: With the recovery of seven

more patients from Covid-19 on Thursday,

the total recovery count in the division rose

to 96,055, since the pandemic began in

March last year, reports BSS.

One more person has tested positive for

the deadly virus in Sirajganj district of the

division during the same period, raising the

caseload to 99,644 so far.

The new positive case is the lowest-ever

since the pandemic began. However, the

previous day's infection figure was 16, said

Dr Habibul Ahsan Talukder, divisional

director of Health.

The death toll remained steady at 1,686,

including 686 in Bogura, 324 in Rajshahi

with 206 in its city and 175 in Natore as no

new fatality was reported during the last 24

hours, Dr Talukder added.

Besides, all the positive cases of Covid-19

have, so far, been brought under treatment

while 23,156 were kept in isolation units of

different dedicated hospitals for institutional

quarantine.

Of them, 19,845 have been released.

Meanwhile, none more people have been

sent to home and institutional quarantine

afresh, while four others were released from

isolation during the same period.

With the newly detected patient, the

district-wise break-up of the total cases now

stands at 28,322 in Rajshahi including

22,879 in its city, 5,687 in Chapainawabganj,

6,454 in Naogaon, 8,428 in Natore, 4,726 in

Joypurhat, 21,773 in Bogura, 11,430 in

Sirajganj and 12,824 in Pabna.

A total of 1,14,942 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, 1,13,868 have, by now, been

released as they were given clearance

certificates after completing their 14-day

quarantine.

Collaborative efforts to promote poultry,

livestock farming stressed

RAJSHAHI: Collaborative efforts of all the

government and non-government organizations

concerned can be the best ways of promoting

poultry, livestock and vegetable farming to

eradicate the existing protein deficiency, reports

BSS.

Poultry and livestock farming are associated

with various nation-building issues related to

income and employment generation, women

empowerment, poverty alleviation and socioeconomic

improvement. So, all the entities

concerned and stakeholders should come

forward and work together to attain the

cherished goal.

Academics, experts and development activists

came up with the observation while addressing a

coordination meeting with different stakeholders

and MoU signing ceremony between University

of Rajshahi (Department of Veterinary and

Animal Sciences) and Heifer Project

International.

Heifer International Bangladesh hosted the

meeting at Parjatan Motel in the city yesterday

discussing and devising ways and means on how

to promote poultry, livestock and vegetable

farming through mitigating the existing

challenges. Chief People Officer of Heifer

International Elia Maker and its Country

Director Siddiqur Rahman and Programme

Director Nurun Nahar addressed the meeting as

focal persons disseminating their expertise on the

issue. Deputy Director of the Department of

Livestock Abdul Mazid, District Livestock Officer

Dr Zulfikar Akhtar Hossain and Deputy Director

of the Department of Agriculture Extension

Abdul Awal also spoke. Faculty Dean of

Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Rajshahi

University (RU) Prof Jalal Uddin Sarder.

European Union leaders, meeting in Brussels, insisted on "the urgent need for Russia to de-escalate tensions caused by the

military build-up along its border with Ukraine and aggressive rhetoric".

Photo: AP

EU threatens Russia sanctions

as NATO backs Ukraine

BRUSSELS: Western allies on

Thursday rejected Russia's bid to thwart

Kiev's NATO ambitions and urged

Moscow to halt its military build-up

along Ukraine's border and return to

talks led by France and Germany,

reports BSS.

European Union leaders, meeting in

Brussels, insisted on "the urgent need

for Russia to de-escalate tensions

caused by the military build-up along its

border with Ukraine and aggressive

rhetoric".

Separately, NATO's North Atlantic

Council used similar language, rejecting

"the false Russian claims of Ukrainian

and NATO provocations" and urged

Moscow to "immediately de-escalate,

pursue diplomatic channels, and abide

by its international commitments."

Both organisations, which share

most of their member states, reiterated

a threat to impose "massive

consequences" on Moscow through

sanctions, coordinated between

European powers and Washington.

The US has used similar language of

"massive" retaliation in the event of a

Russian invasion while attempting to

reach out to Moscow to defuse the

situation.

NATO Secretary General Jens

Stoltenberg branded Russia the

"aggressor".

Russian President Vladimir Putin

wants direct dialogue with US

counterpart Joe Biden to resolve the

stand-off, and is seeking security

guarantees to stand down his troops.

But the European leaders in their

summit pushed for a return to the

"Normandy format", a four-way

dialogue between Paris, Berlin, Kiev and

Moscow.

On Wednesday, Russia handed a list

of security demands to US Assistant

Secretary of State Karen Donfried, who

then came to NATO headquarters in

Brussels to discuss them with

Stoltenberg.

Afterwards, the NATO members said

any dialogue would have to "take place

in consultation with NATO's European

Partners".

The NATO chief also met Ukraine's

President Volodymyr Zelensky, and

gave a joint news conference to insist

that any decision on membership was a

matter for Kiev and the alliance's 30

member states.

"We will not compromise on the

right of Ukraine to choose its own path.

We will not compromise on the right for

NATO to protect and defend all NATO

allies," Stoltenberg said.

He said there would also be no

compromising on NATO's partnership

with Ukraine, describing it as important

for both sides and "not in any way a

threat to Russia".

On Wednesday, Zelensky attended a

prior summit with EU leaders and said

that most of them supported Ukraine's

position in the conflict.

But he is frustrated that European

powers in particular have refused to

take preventive action against Russia,

preferring to threaten a response in the

event of Russian aggression.

"Since 2014, since the start of the

war, I believe that basically Russia

pushed Ukraine into NATO," he said.

Fallen Afghan government's

UN envoy leaves post

UNITED NATIONS: The Afghan

ambassador appointed by the country's

overthrown government has left his post at

the United Nations, the UN said, reports

BSS.

Ghulam Isaczai "relinquished his position

as of December 15," according to a letter

received Thursday, assistant UN spokesman

Farhan Haq told AFP.

With Afghanistan in economic crisis

following the Taliban takeover in August, the

country's mission to the UN has struggled to

keep operating, diplomats said.

The Afghan mission to the UN could not

be reached for comment on Thursday night.

On September 14, Isaczai formally asked

the UN to state that he remained the Afghan

ambassador.

Later that month the Taliban asked the

UN to accredit Suhail Shaheen, a former

spokesman for the movement, as the new

ambassador replacing Isaczai.

Isaczai took part in a UN Security Council

meeting in late November, at which he

openly criticized his country's new hardline

Islamist rulers.

But early this month, the UN General

Assembly passed a resolution in which it

indefinitely delayed a decision over the rival

claims to the representative seat for

Afghanistan.

The Taliban have criticized the UN's

failure to decide on this issue, saying it

ignores the rights of the Afghan people.

When they previously ruled Afghanistan,

from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban had no

"Basically I believe that today Russia

itself is paving the difficult path of

Ukraine to NATO."

He complained that, in his view,

some EU members did not seem to have

understood the extent of Ukraine's peril

and urged them to act swiftly.

On Wednesday, Russia's Deputy

Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told

Donfried that NATO should halt its

eastward expansion and withdraw a

promise that Ukraine could become a

candidate for membership.

A US statement said Donfried would

stress "we can make diplomatic

progress on ending the conflict in the

Donbas through implementation of the

Minsk agreements in support of the

Normandy Format".

Ukraine and its closest supporters in

the West want to cancel the opening of

the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will

carry Russian gas supplies to Germany,

by-passing Ukraine.

Germany's new leader, Chancellor

Olaf Scholz, has been cautious on this

point, and some of the leaders meeting

in Brussels fear pre-emptive sanctions

will provoke rather than deter Russia.

Getting Russia back to the

negotiating table will not be easy.

"Moscow does not want to return to the

Normandy format and wants to

negotiate with the United States," a

senior European diplomat told AFP.

The diplomatic track was established

at a summit in Minsk in 2015 where

Putin accepted that France and

Germany should play the role of

moderators in the talks between the two

belligerents.

Arab League, IAEA

officials discuss Iran,

Israel nuclear issues

CAIRO: Arab League (AL)

Secretary-General Ahmed

Aboul-Gheit on Thursday

discussed in Cairo with the

visiting International

Atomic Energy Agency

(IAEA) Director General

Rafael Mariano Grossi the

nuclear issues in Iran and

Israel, according to the

AL's statement, reports

BSS.

Aboul-Gheit called on

Israel to "join the Treaty on

the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons and to

put all its nuclear activities

and facilities under the

IAEA's supervision."

US President Joe Biden warned Thursday of a "winter of severe illness and death" for those unvaccinated

against Covid-19.

Photo: AP

Quebec reinstates

anti-Covid measures

in restaurants, stores

MONTREAL: Quebec will

reinstate measures in bars,

restaurants and stores to

slow the spread of the

Omicron variant of Covid-

19, the province's premier

Francois Legault said

Thursday, reports BSS.

Citing a "critical"

situation, he also asked

provincial residents to limit

private gatherings during

the holidays to a maximum

of 10 people.

After the winter

vacations, high schools and

universities will switch to

virtual learning for at least a

week.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2021

3

UK PM Johnson suffers

by-election disaster

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris

Johnson on Friday suffered a crushing byelection

defeat in a constituency never

previously lost by his Conservative Party, a

result which raises serious questions about

his leadership, reports BSS.

His party won the seat in North

Shropshire, central England, by a massive

majority in 2019, but that was wiped out by

the Liberal Democrats in Thursday's vote in

a result that will intensify the mutinous

mood among Conservative MPs.

Johnson, 57, was already reeling after

roughly 100 of his MPs rebelled in

parliament Tuesday against the

government's introduction of vaccine

passes for large events.

The UK leader's authority has also been

clobbered repeatedly in recent weeks by

claims of corruption and reports that he

and his staff broke coronavirus restrictions

last Christmas.

Weeks of bad headlines turned what

would normally be a routine victory in the

safe rural seat -- won by 23,000 votes just

two years ago -- into a shattering defeat of

almost 6,000 votes, while surging virus

cases have added to a sense of crisis.

The government reported nearly 89,000

new infections Thursday, the second

consecutive record daily tally.

Winning candidate Helen Morgan said

that voters had sent a message "loudly and

clearly" to Johnson that "the party's over."

"Your government, run on lies and

bluster will be held accountable. It can and

will be defeated," she vowed.

Defeat will likely see more MPs filing

letters of no-confidence in their leader,

which could trigger an internal party vote to

remove him.

The same process saw his predecessor

Theresa May ousted in mid-2019 after MPs

including Johnson voted against her Brexit

deal in parliament.

The Liberal Democrats appeared to have

been helped by supporters of the main

national opposition Labour party lending

them their votes.

"I'll be voting for the Liberal Democrats

because I'm so offended by the

performance of Johnson," Martin Hill, 68,

who normally votes Labour, told AFP

earlier this week.

"It'll be a tactical vote -- I want to give

Johnson a slap in the face."

However, others in the small town of

Whitchurch were prepared to overlook the

former London mayor's transgressions.

"I don't think it's enough for us to say:

'right, we want a new leader now', because I

think Boris has done an excellent job," said

67-year-old Sue Parkinson, who has voted

Conservative for the last two decades. -

Gloomy outlook -

The atmosphere before the vote was a far

cry from May, when the Conservatives

swept to an unprecedented by-election

victory in the northeast England seat of

Hartlepool on the back of a successful

vaccine rollout.

But the virus is once more dominating

British life and the arrival of the Omicron

variant has again deepened the gloom

before Christmas, with the prime minister's

authority seen as weakened.

Britain is also suffering spiralling

inflation as a result of big borrowing during

lockdowns, high energy prices and

bottlenecked supply chains. Tax rises also

loom from next April.

Johnson -- who won voters'

overwhelming backing in 2019 on his

promise to "Get Brexit Done" -- has been

dogged by controversies since early last

month.

It began with his unsuccessful attempt to

change parliament's disciplinary rules to

spare North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson

a suspension after he was found to have

breached lobbying rules.

Paterson, who had held the seat since

1997, then quit, forcing Thursday's byelection.

That crisis, though, was soon eclipsed by

reports that Johnson and his staff broke

Covid rules last year by holding several

parties around Christmas -- just as the

public were told to cancel their festive

plans.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday suffered a crushing by-election defeat in a constituency

never previously lost by his Conservative Party.

Photo: AP

Biden warns of 'winter of death' for

unvaccinated as Omicron spreads

WASHINGTON: US President Joe

Biden warned Thursday of a "winter

of severe illness and death" for those

unvaccinated against Covid-19, as

the G7 called the Omicron variant

the biggest threat to global public

health, reports BSS.

The stark words came as Britain

saw more than 88,000 Covid-19

infections, a second consecutive

record daily number, prompting

France to impose "drastic" new

limits on travel to the UK.

Scientists remain uncertain how

dangerous the highly mutated

Omicron variant is, but early data

suggests it can be more resistant to

vaccines and is more transmissible

than the Delta variant.

The World Health Organization

said earlier this week that the strain

has been reported in 77 countries

and has "probably" spread to most

nations undetected at a higher rate

than any previous variant of the

virus.

Countries worldwide have begun

advising against foreign travel while

ramping up domestic restrictions to

battle Omicron and bolstering

vaccination efforts.

The G7 on Thursday called the

variant the "biggest current threat to

global public health", saying its

emergence meant it was "more

important than ever" for countries

to closely cooperate and share data.

In a meeting hosted by group

chair Britain, the countries' health

ministers emphasized the

"increasing importance of booster

campaigns and regular testing",

according to a statement.

Biden's warning about the winter

came as he urged Americans who

have already had two shots to get

boosters, and vaccine sceptics to

step up and get jabbed.

"The only real protection is to get

your shot," he said, with the White

House saying the administration did

not intend to take specific restrictive

measure but would instead focus on

vaccination.

"The tools that we have, we know

are working," deputy White House

spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre

said, adding: "We're just going to

continue pushing forward... to get

Americans vaccinated and boosted."

The United States, the hardesthit

country in the world, is currently

averaging 1,150 Covid-19 deaths per

day, according to figures from the

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC).

In the first two weeks of

December, the average daily cases of

infection spiked in the United States

by 35 percent. - British Christmas

worries - It was across the Atlantic,

however, that the magnitude of the

threat was being felt strongest, even

as Britain stopped short of imposing

formal limits on socializing as the

government awaits further evidence

of the severity of Omicron.

Last year, Christmas

celebrations were drastically

curtailed after the Alpha variant

swept the country.

Britons had hoped that this year

would be different, but cases have

again shot up to record levels.

There are now fears the variant

could overwhelm hospitals during

the festive season, and many

Britons are scrambling to change

their plans.

Queen Elizabeth II cancelled her

traditional pre-Christmas family

lunch next week as a precautionary

measure, despite Prime Minister

Boris Johnson saying such

gatherings could still go ahead.

The Premier League on

Thursday postponed six more

football matches, though it said it

intended to "continue its current

fixture schedule where safely

possible".

With case levels exploding in

Britain, France on Thursday

banned all non- essential travel to

and from the UK.

SATUrDAy, DECEmBEr 18, 2021

4

Is universal health coverage a big challenge for Bangladesh?

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Ensuring

communal harmony

Over the last couple of months, Bangladesh has most

regrettably suffered blows to its bright image as a

land of communal harmony. It was painstakingly

built over the last five decades from the conscious and

tolerantbehaviour of the people of this country.

Thus, it is amazing how such a solid reputation of

communal good relationship could be so easily harmed by

the recent communal attacks on minority Hindus. The

homes, temples and assets of the Hindu community were

attacked in a scattered manner across the country though

these were very quickly brought under control thanks to

the vigilance of the law enforcement bodies. Needless to say

the people in general had no association with the attacks as

was proved by investigation of law enforcement bodies.

The same were perpetrated by diehard members of

clandestine forces who have vested interests in creating

communal troubles to promote their evil designs.

Needless to say, Bangladesh has been winning

admiration and appreciation worldwide as a moderate

Muslims dominated country. This view of Bangladesh was

very appealing to donor countries and agencies which

nowadays attach high value to secularism as our state

policy.

Foreign investors of various kinds used to look up

approvingly at Bangladesh for its moderate policies. The

same also was seen as encouraging them to consider

investing a greater deal more in Bangladesh out of

consideration for its liberal outlook towards minorities in

keeping with similar attitude actively shown by them in

their own countries.

But the attacks, specially on the Hindus, may come as

disincentives to those foreign well wishers of Bangladesh

who are vehemently against any type of religious bigotry

and orthodoxy in the countries they bless with their trade,

aid and investments.

The latest events are only helping to create an image of

the country as coming under the influence of religious

extremism as in Pakistan. Foreign investors usually tend to

go away from a country which get increasingly identified as

a safe haven and staging area for Islamic extremists.

Government has blamed the Jammat-i-Islami and its

youth wing for the communal attacks. But Jaamat will get

no helpful mileage from such attacks which also brings to

the fore the great need to identify the real identities of the

attackers and make them impotent at the fastest for the

sake of the country's image.

The preponderant number of the dominant Muslims in

the country must have felt a deep sense of shame, remorse

as well as anger towards the perpetrators of the recent

communal crimes against our Hindu brothers and sisters.

This view of mine is very likely to be upheld or

corroborated if a credible survey is taken all over the

country to assess people's true reactions to the ugly

happenings. For the people of Bangladesh have nourished

a proud tradition of religious tolerance since the birth of

this country five decades ago.

As far as one can remember, communal feelings of the

Muslim variety have been a rather subdued force since the

sixties of the last century. The last riots against Hindus by

Muslims in a few specially communal areas such as

Noakhali were noted in the geographical region that

comprise Bangladesh in the closing period of British rule.

But after that none can honestly remember any serious

strife between Hindus and Muslims and initiated by the

latter till the mid sixties in erstwhile East Pakistan and now

Bangladesh in the wake of the Indo-Pak war. But these

troubles too dissipated as quickly as they started.

Throughout their living memory, Bangladeshis cannot

recall any serious communal clashes, attacks or tensions

since the creation of Bangladesh. The war of independence

of Bangladesh was indeed a galvanizing experience for a

great number of Bangladeshis. They were sought to be

brainwashed always in the Pakistani era that Hindus and

Muslims cannot peacefully coexist or feel kindness or

sympathy for each other.

This advocacy was shattered from the experiences of 1971

when over 10 million Bangladeshis and a great many

number of them being Muslims found shelter and

sustenance in Hindu India from the barbaric pogroms

conducted by Pakistani forces. Not only that, they were

also aided by all out Indian help to liberate their

motherland and reestablish a life of security and dignity for

themselves.

During the conflict with Pakistan, Bengali Muslims

found refuge in West Bengal dominated by Hindu

Bengalis. In contrast to their most brutal attempts at

subjugation by their own co-religionists, the West

Pakistani forces of occupation, the compassion showed to

them at that time by Bengali Hindus only underlined the

famous lines of a drama on NababSirajoudoullah-- often

played in Calcutta's stages-- that ' Bengal was not only for

Muslims or Hindus but for both and for all other faiths.'

1971 and afterwards therefore marked a metamorphosis

for the Muslim majority people of Bangladesh or former

East Bengal. They were soaked by new realizations and

inspired to new attitudes. Thus, in independent

Bangladesh it was no wonder that adoption of 'secularism'

as a fundamental state policy met with little mentionable

opposition.

Of course, a series of post-1975 governments in

Bangladesh were considerably tilted to restoring a so

called Islamic identity for Bangladesh. But there was never

a u-turn or 180 degree swing away from the largely secular

spirit thrown up by the liberation war.The people in

Bangladesh over the last five decades generally came to

appreciate the utility of a secular existence. The secular

outlook was also promoted by a better understanding of

their own religious dictates in the matter.

Our publicities and interactions must be aimed to

absolutely make clear to the international audience the

facts that the perpetrators of therecent communal crimes

against Hindus were not acting out of spontaneous vibes

felt by the general people and that they were instigated by

elements hiding behind the wings who are but a tiny speck

in the total population of Bangladesh. Successfully doing

this is the challenge that lies ahead.

Each year on December 12, the world

celebrates Universal Health

Coverage (UHC) Day. It is an official

UN-designated day to raise awareness of

the need for strong, equitable and resilient

health systems and universal health

coverage. On Dec 12, 2017, the UN General

Assembly proclaimed Dec 12 as

International Health Coverage Day, making

it an official UN-designated day.

UHC is based on the principle that all

individuals and communities should have

access to quality essential health services

without suffering financial hardship. It calls

for stronger and more equitable health

systems to achieve UHC, leaving no one

behind. The day has become the annual

rallying point for the growing movement for

health for all.

The theme of the day this year is "Leave

No One's Health Behind: Invest in Health

Systems for All".

Considering the global Corona pandemic

that currently we are facing, the theme is

very relevant. The pandemic is testing our

resolve to deliver health for all and threatens

to undo decades of progress.We need to

invest in health systems that protect us all

now in order to end that crisis and build a

healthier and safer future. It is needed to

prioritize investments in strong, equitable

health systems that protect everyone,

respond to emergencies and leave no one

behind in the future. UHC advocates call on

leaders to make bigger and smarter

investments in health, and to remind the

world that Health for All is imperative to

create the world we want. The UN has

adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) for eliminating poverty and building

a more resilient planet. One of those goals

includes providing universal health

coverage. The global coalition of leading

health and development organizations

emphasizes the importance of universal

access to health services for saving lives,

ending extreme poverty, building resilience

against the health effects of climate change

and ending deadly epidemics. If we are to

prevent future pandemics and achieve

health and well-being for all by 2030, we

must prioritize equity-investing more in

health and allocating resources efficiently

Dr. SAmIr KUmAr SAhA

and equitably according to need.

UHC is an inherently political goal rooted

in the human right to health. It also makes

economic sense. Health is a human right,

that no one should go bankrupt when they

get sick, and that universal health coverage

underpins our collective security and

prosperity. WHO's constitution affirms that

the enjoyment of the highest attainable

standard of health is a fundamental human

right. More than half of the world's

countries, including Bangladesh, have

included the right to health, public health or

medical care in their national constitutions.

UHC aims to achieve better health and

development outcomes, help prevent

people from falling into poverty due to

illness, and give people the opportunity to

lead healthier, more productive lives. There

is growing global consensus that UHC is a

smart investment and an achievable goal

everywhere. Lack of affordable, quality

health care traps families and nations in

poverty.

UHC aims to achieve better health and

development outcomes in line with the

SDGs. SDG 3 includes a target to "achieve

universal health coverage (UHC), including

financial risk protection, access to quality

essential health care services, and access to

safe, effective, quality, and affordable

essential medicines and vaccines for all.

When health care is accessible and

affordable, families can send their children

to school, start a business and save for

emergencies. Universal health coverage

pays a resilience dividend. In times of

distress, health minimizes the shock to lives

and livelihoods. In times of calm, health

promotes community cohesion and

economic productivity. Health is a right, not

a privilege. Countries implementing

universal health coverage are seeing the

benefits: healthier communities and

stronger economies.In Bangladesh, the

matter of UHC is still a dream. Many people

have been deprived of getting proper health

services. According to health economics

unit under the Health Ministry, high rate of

out of pocket expenditure (patient's

personal spending) is the main obstacle to

achieving UHC in Bangladesh. Researchers

showed that annually 64% is spent on

buying medicine for health and treatment

purpose, which is alarming.

About 86% people of our country take

health services from the private sector

where the cost of getting services is very high

and the government has no control over this

sector. The more disquieting fact is that

93% patients do not get medicine from

government-run hospitals though the

quality of health services, offered there, has

improved. Though Bangladesh has

achieved successes in a number of fields in

health sector, we have failed to properly

handle the situation, which arose due to

Covid pandemic. There were many

instances of weakness in our health sector,

which were manifested during the

pandemic. We have to ensure quality

healthcare for people within the affordable

cost. It is needed to increase allocation in

health budget for reducing 'out of pocket

expenditure' and saving patients from

financial trouble. Improving the quality of

health service at government-run hospitals,

increasing manpower, updating list of

essential medicines, and increasing

monitoring over private hospitals and

clinics are also imperative for improvement

in the health sector. We have to ensure

satisfactory overall medical management

and transparency in the government's

GlADyS KAlEmA-ZIKUSOKA

health department. It is needed to formulate

far-reaching plan for which adequate

financial allocation is imperative. In my

opinion, traditional system of medicines

such Unani and Ayurveda can play an

important role in ensuring healthcare of all.

Diversity, flexibility, easy accessibility, broad

continuing acceptance in developing

countries and increasing popularity in

developed countries, relative low cost, low

levels of technological input, relative low

side effects and growing economic

importance are some of the positive features

of traditional medicines (WHO 2002). In

this context, there is a critical need to

mainstream traditional medicine into

Bangladesh's public healthcare to achieve

the objectives of improved access to

healthcare facilities. In Bangladesh, there

are many modern infrastructures for

providing medical services, but people are

being deprived of getting the services due to

lack of skilled manpower. Trouble will erupt

for operation of modern medical equipment

if there is lack of skilled manpower. Medical

equipments worth crores of taka are now

lying unused at many hospitals for lack of

skilled manpower. Medical students are

also being deprived of receiving proper

education for the scarcity of skilled

manpower.There is a major deficiency of

proper management regarding healthcare

services. A monitoring committee, formed

for monitoring health care activities of

hospitals from capital to upazila level,

remained inactive. A section of physicians

are engaged in grouping at hospitals across

the country.We need to see real investment

in our society where all the people can get

the quality health care they need and trust

without facing financial hardship. We need

to see strong, equitable health systems that

truly leave no one behind.

Ensuring UHC can halt the tendency of a

section of people who go abroad for better

treatment. Research on traditional

medicine and its proper evaluation can go a

long way in fulfilling the targets of UHC in

Bangladesh.

The author is Ex-Executive

Director of Public Health

Foundation, Bangladesh

15th GPCA forum: Bye to Dubai, hi to Riyadh, and too much thinking

There was a lot of fanfare in those days

about petrochemical projects.

Aramco was working on its

megaproject Sadara and SABIC was busy

with many other ventures and looking for

ways to get more feedstock to expand

production. For Saudi Arabia back then,

building a petrochemical plant was a big

way to diversify its income. The importance

of this sector was evident in the long

negotiations it had to access the World

Trade Organization in 2005 as the Kingdom

made sure that nothing would affect its

export plans.The sector was the center of

action for some time. The story of how

Sadara came to existence was thrilling; the

many changes in strategies the sector

underwent was puzzling; the changes to the

configuration of many refineries and their

locations and setup, and the huge deal that

SABIC made to buy GE's plastic business

that was the central point of criticism for

what many considered an overvalued deal.

These are but a few major developments

that our memories can't escape. Today, the

world is changing very fast and global

warming is topping the agenda of almost

every global high-level function. The way

companies are structured today around

environmental, social, and governance

shows this.There is no longer an escape

from being a friend to the planet.

Companies like SABIC know this and its

The approach to conservation in Africa needs to change

Ask a timid child what their favourite

animal is, and they will open up

instantly. Indeed, as a young girl,

pets were my first friends. At some point -

it might have been after the neighbour's

monkey climbed our gate to join me for

piano lessons - I fell in love with primates.

It was not the stuffed dolls or the

animated versions in cartoons. It was the

real life-size mammals that propelled me

to start a wildlife club in my secondary

school in Kampala and subsequently a

career in conservation.

My connection to animals was intimate.

While adults often treat animals in an

entirely utilitarian way - using them for

anything from food and clothes to

research and police activity - children's

affection for animals is universally

unconditional.

Biologist Edward O Wilson has

explained this as the "biophilia

hypothesis" - the idea that we possess an

The UN has adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for

eliminating poverty and building a more resilient planet. One of those

goals includes providing universal health coverage. The global coalition

of leading health and development organizations emphasizes the

importance of universal access to health services for saving lives.

CEO called in his opening speech at the

GPCA event held in Dubai, other fellow

leaders in the organization to step up to this

challenge and focus on innovation.

Innovation is something we all hear in

almost every conference in this region, but

it's something that needs more than just lip

service as the survival of the sector depends

on it. The world doesn't need an increase in

the supply of products but more solutions to

keep those products circulating within the

economy for a very long time and this

requires innovation. So for me to attend a

GPCA event after all those years, I was

expecting to see that old fanfare but I didn't.

The age of megadeals in petrochemicals and

the building of megastructures is behind us.

I've not seen any earth-shattering deals this

year. No CEOs of international big players

like we used to see in the old days as now

many send a recording or join through

zoom from the comfort of his/her couch. I

innate tendency to seek connections with

nature. Evidence suggests that spending

time with animals increases children's

self-esteem and promotes their cognitive

development. Growing up with dogs or

barnyard animals may even strengthen

children's immune systems.

When I was growing up, these truths

were not widely known in my community.

Although traditionally we used to co-exist

with wildlife, this balanced way of living

was broken by colonisation, rapid

economic modernisation and

urbanisation. For many, wildlife became

just a menace. For wildlife, humans

became the driver of extinction.

Nature conservation was something

done exclusively by foreigners, whose

work oftentimes displaced Indigenous

and local communities. This model was

not only morally flawed, but it also failed:

despite tremendous efforts and funds,

species continued to disappear.

was glad, however, to see that the industry is

now focused on carbon management and

circular carbon economy. They are trying to

speak green and they are learning how out

of necessity. The survival of the industry

depends on how to turn these products into

friends of the environment.That wasn't bad

for a sign of change. The other sign of

change that was noticeable is the

announcement of the GPCA forum leaving

There is no longer an escape from being a friend to the

planet. Companies like SABIC know this and its CEO

called in his opening speech at the GPCA event held in

Dubai, other fellow leaders in the organization to

step up to this challenge and focus on innovation.

Dubai after all these years and being held on

rotation among other GCC capitals. The

next GPCA will be in Riyadh and to me, that

shows that the latter is telling everyone that

if you want to do business then you need to

come to where the money is, to Riyadh. Is

Riyadh ready to be a global city to host

regional and international events? Riyadh

isn't yet a global city in the traditional sense

of the word but it's certainly able to host any

big event.Innovation is something we all

hear in almost every conference in this

I wanted to change that. My love for

animals drove me towards veterinary

medicine and conservation. When I was

taking my first steps into the field,

veterinarians were still not working with

wildlife in Uganda.

This was despite the fact that wild

animals were by no means isolated from

human interventions. Gorillas, which

became the focus of my work, were one

good example. These mighty primates are

threatened by population growth,

agricultural encroachment and illegal

mining, which destroy the buffer zones

that separate humans from them, even in

and around national parks. They can also

suffer from scabies, as I discovered in my

research, as well as from other humanborne

pathogens.

Similarly, the encroachment into the

natural habitat of wildlife can lead to

animal-human transmission of a broad

range of viruses as well, spreading

region, but it's something that needs more

than just lip service as the survival of the

sector depends on it.Aside from the

business side, what I loved about GPCA is

the humanization of the event with all the

awards to celebrate those who made a

difference in the history of the industry or

helped in making GPCA an important

institution.Seeing the GPCA Legacy Award

going to UAE's former Oil Minister Yousef

bin Omair and Prince Faisal bin Turki,

Saudi Arabia's adviser to the royal court,

was a nice gesture for men who made a huge

impact at one point in the industry in their

respective countries.Prince Faisal was

known to be very tough on companies and

private investors, asking them to generate

more jobs, and buy more material locally

and benefit the economy in multiple ways.

He was too patriotic to the extent that he

earned a reputation for being very tough.

Despite how he dealt with companies when

he was an adviser at the ministry of

petroleum, his achievements are still there

from railroads to megaprojects in remote

areas. Bin Omair also played a major role in

the success of Borouge in the UAE. So what

did I learn after 15 years? People in this

industry including its leaders are humble

just like their companies' beginnings and

that's the secret to their success.

Source: Arab news

zoonotic diseases like Ebola, SARS and

COVID-19. In recognition of this reality, a

new approach to working for wildlife has

emerged in recent years. It centres on

improving lives and livelihoods in the

remote villages that surround

conservation areas. When humans enjoy a

better quality of life, they are more

positive about conservation. This, in a

nutshell, is the One Health approach

introduced by the UN.

Adopting this approach means keeping

conservationists well informed about the

needs and traditions of Indigenous and

local communities and helping farmers

see conservation as an opportunity. It

means training rural dwellers to lead

wildlife away from community areas,

without any person or animal getting hurt

and making community health workers

aware of local conservation activities.

Source: Al Jazeera

sATurdAy, deCemBer 18, 2021

5

Apple and Google accused

of political censorship

Zoom meetings mean you have

to face your own face

Andrew roTH

Supporters of the jailed Russian

opposition leader Alexei Navalny have

accused Google and Apple of

capitulating to Kremlin pressure after

the two tech companies deleted his

tactical voting app from their online

stores.

Both companies had come under

significant pressure from Russian

regulators in the days before the

country's parliamentary elections to

block access to Navalny's Smart Voting

initiative, which tries to channel

decision. "We are writing to notify you

that your application will be removed

from the Russia App Store because it

includes content that is illegal in

Russia," the note read. The Navalny

organisation had been declared

"extremist" in Russia, the note added.

Zhdanov wrote: "Removing the

Navalny app from stores is a shameful

act of political censorship. Russia's

authoritarian government and

propaganda will be thrilled."He also

said that Navalny's team was

considering launching a lawsuit against

the tech firms. The Guardian has

online application before the elections.

Local representatives for both

companies were invited to the

Federation Council, a lawmaking body,

for a severe telling-off by Russian

senators and regulators.

A lawmaker also said that employees

of the two companies could face

criminal prosecution if they ignored

demands to block the Navalny

application.

"Entities and persons associated with

Apple and Google should realise that

the knowingly unlawful actions and

criminal inaction demonstrated upon

Alexei navalny's smart voting app disappeared from Apple and Google's russia stores.

Photo: shamil Zhumatov

evA wisemAn

Something has become clear. I need to

face up to my face. I've taken precisely

two selfies in my life, and have long

shunned mirrors. My face is a thing that

I wear on my head, for protection of

health and projection of emotion, but for

many years I've learned not to think too

much about it for fear of drowning. The

world's self-image has been dramatically

knocked by technology, by filters and

apps that allow portraits to be edited

smooth and slippery but, while I don't

want to boast, my personal shame was

already fully bedded in long before I got a

phone. For many years I was upset at not

being pretty, feeling alternately cheated

and sad, but over time I came to terms

with it, deciding to avoid mirrors, photos,

and to store that prickly energy

elsewhere. I look in the mirror once a day,

to draw on eyeliner, which establishes a

boundary and also nods to heroines, and

to paint over blemishes, sometimes

highlighting them by accident, but by

that point the game is already up.

And then pandemic and then

lockdown and then Zoom. And then my

face, floating on screen, pink and

awkward, and the mouth doing that

thing. At first it was a new kind of hell. I

thought about the Sylvia Plath poem

written in the voice of a mirror reflecting

on her reflection, two years before Plath

died - "In me she has drowned a young

girl, and in me an old woman / rises

toward her day after day, like a terrible

fish." A terrible fish. Soon we were all

talking shriekingly at the beginnings of

meetings about the horror of meeting

ourselves, and then there was a calm

moment as we fiddled with the filters,

and then all of a sudden nobody

mentioned it again, the distraction of

seeing your face as it moves, because it

wasn't funny any more.

I'm going back to the office this month

after nearly 2,000 years at home on my

is that little flickery square in the corner of the screen the real me?

biscuit-crumbed laptop, and the prospect

of talking to my colleagues in real life, just

me and them without myself has spurred

me to pick the meat off the problem.

Before now I rarely saw myself in action -

perhaps the odd flash in a train window

as we went through a tunnel, or in the

background of a video mooing at the

baby. Today, though, looking at my face

is a large slice of my life. And I wonder,

why is it so disturbing, watching yourself

be watched?

There we are vibrating in our little

squares, our roots getting greyer over the

course of the hour, our eyes being

dragged back to our own eyes, however

interesting the story we're being told.

There are certain things we've learned to

ignore in order to move more gently

through our lives, and one of them is that,

for all our inner selves, our special

thoughts, our soul, much of our identity

is formed from how we appear to other

people. And it becomes clear through

these online meetings that there's only so

much we can do to manipulate that. Are

we showing them the person we want to

show? Do we pass? As intelligent? As

human? Can they see we're pretending to

care? If I narrow my eyes, does it show

that I'm listening, or do I look like I'm

planning their death? The fragility of our

unfinished selves is revealed up there, to

the right.

It is odd, isn't it, to witness yourself? It's

actually a little much, to be confronted by

your moving mouth as you are moving it,

by this mirror you, this version of a

person you've been working on since

your teens. "Turn off the camera!"

someone will say, "Put a thing over the

screen!", when you're halfway through

your monotone monologue about the ills

of modern life, but it's not that simple.

You see, I have tried that. In lieu of a Postit

I crafted a small curtain, quite elegant,

from paper and Blu-Tack, but what

happened unfortunately was my body

thought I'd died. My poor heart, having

become accustomed to watching this face

it's been uncomfortable supporting all its

life, watching it nod sagely at

interviewees and roll its eyes at mothers

and gaze blankly as a meeting drips on,

told the rest of the body to panic, as it

appeared we no longer existed.

opposition votes toward the strongest

opponents of the ruling party, United

Russia.

Google and Apple were accused of

election interference by Russian

officials amid a larger standoff between

the Kremlin and big tech over how

much control Russia's authoritarian

government can have over information

disseminated inside the country. The

Kremlin said on Friday it welcomed the

apps' removal. As voting in the

parliamentary elections began on

Friday, the apps disappeared from both

companies' Russia stores and Ivan

Zhdanov, a senior adviser to Navalny,

posted a letter from Apple that

appeared to confirm that company's

approached Google and Apple for

comment.

A Russian court imposed fines on

Google last month, as regulators

demanded social media companies

including Twitter and Facebook stored

Russian users' data in the country and

that they deleted material banned by

Russian courts and regulators. The

Russian government also told Google it

must remove search results related to

Navalny's Smart Voting initiative.

Apple was also fined $12m earlier this

year for allegedly holding a monopoly

position on the app market. It has

challenged that decision in

court.Google and Apple were singled

out for pressure for hosting Navalny's

receiving relevant warnings from

Russian officials will invariably entail

legal consequences, up to criminal

prosecution," Vladimir Dzhabarov, a

member of the Federation Council, said

at a commission meeting on Thursday,

according to Interfax. The US

ambassador was summoned to the

foreign ministry for a similar scolding.

The Russian government's accusations

of US interference in the elections

appears to intentionally mirror similar

investigations in the US.

"The Russian side possesses

irrefutable evidence of the violation of

the Russian laws by US 'digital giants'"

ahead of Russia's elections, the foreign

ministry wrote.

Apple's iPhone 13 to hit

shelves later this month

GSK teams with King's College

to use AI to fight cancer

JuliA Kollewe

The pharmaceuticals firm

GSK has struck a five-year

partnership with King's

College London to use

artificial intelligence to

develop personalised

treatments for cancer by

investigating the role played

by genetics in the disease.

The tie-up, which involves

10 of the drug maker's

artificial intelligence experts

working with 10 oncology

specialists from King's across

their labs, will use computing

to "play chess with cancer",

working out why only a fifth

of patients respond well to

immuno-oncology

treatments.

Dr Kim Branson, the global

head of artificial intelligence

and machine learning at

GSK, said only 20% of

patients respond well to the

new oncology drugs that

harness the body's immune

system to fight

cancer."Sometimes it works

like a game buster … and it

wipes out the cancer. We'd

like that to work all the time.

This could be

transformative," Branson

said. The partnership will use

GSK's cancer drugs to start

with and initially focus on

solid cancers such as thoracic

malignancies,

gastrointestinal and women's

cancers. "Hopefully we'll

create a framework that

other people can contribute

to," Branson said.

GSK and other large drug

makers have been investing

in AI to mine the vast

quantities of data available to

develop new medicines,

pinpoint why some people

are susceptible to certain

diseases, and improve and

personalise patient care.

AI uses algorithms to carry

out tasks, with computers

learning through repetitive

processes rather than

instruction from humans.

The team will use a 3D

cellular model of a patient's

disease to study how tumour

cells from the patients

undergoing treatment

interact with immune cells.

"What if we could play

chess with the cancer?"

Branson said. "Cancer is a

tricky thing. You treat with X,

then you see resistance. The

tumour says, 'You do that,

I'm going to respond with

this.' We're using the

predictive power of AI to

think of potential strategies

to outmanoeuvre disease.

Our partnership with King's

can make this a possibility."

The team will monitor for

dynamic biomarkers -

molecules found in blood,

other body fluids or tissues

that are a sign of disease -

An ovarian cancer on a CT scan. Photo: Alamy

that can predict resistance

during treatment or a later

relapse. The research

partnership is based on a

novel machine learning

model that integrates

multimodal data, genetic and

molecular traits, tumour

location, images and

biomarker blood tests.

Prof Tony Ng, head of the

comprehensive cancer centre

at King's, said that in general

half of cancer patients who

were clinically diagnosed to

have advanced but operable

cancers came back within

one to two years after

treatment, such as

chemotherapy, when it was

discovered that the cancer

had spread to other parts of

the body.

To identify those at high

risk, the team will create a

"digital biological twin" of the

patient, to test multiple

drugs, and multiple doses, at

multiple time points.

"We are linking up the

patient with the twin and can

immediately feed back info to

the clinical trial or clinical

management algorithms,"

Ng said. "The biological twin

will not only tell us this

person has a high risk, but

also what we as oncologists

do about it."

Ng added that different

parameters besides

genomics can be looked at

within the twin, such as

whether the immune system

is suppressed through

contact with cancer cells

(quantified by new imaging

methods), to develop a

"multimodal monitoring

tool". Over the five years, the

team hope to create specialist

equipment.

Branson said the

partnership could, if

necessary, use the UK's most

powerful supercomputer,

developed by the US-based

firm Nvidia, which became

operational in July. The

Cambridge-1 deploys AI

methods and is available to a

range of organisations,

including GSK and King's.

Apple Ceo Tim Cook unveiling the new iPhone 13 during a special event at Apple Park.

Alex Hern

Apple's iPhone 13 will hit

shelves later this month,

with prices starting at $699

(£679 in the UK), the

company announced at a

press event on Tuesday.A

light update from last year's

iPhone 12, the new devices

feature upgraded cameras

and the company's latest A15

chip, which it says is up to

50% faster than the

competition.

The four new iPhones - the

iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini,

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13

Pro Max - all feature the new

processor, which Apple said

would help users "absolutely

fly through demanding

workloads smoothly and

efficiently". All four phones

also feature larger batteries,

which the company says

combined with the more

power-efficient chip offers

between 1.5 and 2.5 hours

more use each day.

"iPhone 13 has a faster

chip, faster 5G speeds, a

brighter OLED display and

the most advanced dual

camera system ever in an

iPhone, and with all these

upgrades the iPhone 13 has a

better battery life," Apple's

vice-president

KaiannDrance said. The

upgraded cameras have

enabled a reduction in the

"notch" on the front of the

devices, shrinking the black

bar by 20%, and a new

feature, Cinema Mode, for

shooting video using the rear

cameras. This effect allows

amateur film-makers to shift

focus between foreground

and background on the fly.

The more expensive

devices, the iPhones 13 Pro

and 13 Pro Max, also have a

new 3x zoom telephoto lens,

and an ultra-wide camera

which enables macro

photography for the first

time, for shooting small

objects from a distance of

just 2cm.

While the most

environmentally-friendly

option is always to continue

using an older device, Apple

emphasised its green

credentials for the new

phones: the antenna bands

use "upcycled plastic water

bottles", Drance said, a first

for the industry, while all the

rare earth metals used in the

magnets internally are now

from recycled materials.

All four iPhones will be

available to pre-order from

Friday, and ship from 24

September. The iPhone 13

mini starts at $699/£679,

the iPhone 13 starts at

$799/£779, the iPhone 13

Pro starts at $999/£949 and

the iPhone 13 Pro Max starts

at $1099/£1049.

Alongside the phones,

Apple announced an update

to the Apple Watch and a

new iPad mini.The Apple

Watch Series 7 will have a

significant visual redesign,

with a larger, tougher screen

extending to the very edges

of the device and gently

curving round, Apple's chief

operating officer, Jeff

Williams, said.

He said it will also be "our

most crack resistant screen

ever" and that the watch will

also charge up to 33% faster

using a new USB-C

charger.However,

significant production

problems mean the

company remains uncertain

when users will be able to get

the watch. The on-sale date

was only given as "later this

Photo: Brooks Kraft

fall", with a price starting at

$399. Apple also announced

a redesign for the iPad mini,

the first visual refresh the

tablet has had since it was

introduced. The new design

resembles the mid-range

iPad Air, with squared-off

edges, an edge-to-edge

screen, and a shifted

TouchID sensor on the

power button at the top of

the screen.

Like the iPad Air, the new

mini doesn't have FaceID for

unlocking the device, and

has a USB-C port for

charging and data rather

than a lightning port as well

as the requisite updates to

the front and rear cameras.

The new front camera allows

the iPad to support Apple's

"Center Stage" feature,

which automatically zooms

in on the speaker in video

calls. "We're so excited about

the new iPad mini," said

Apple's Katie McDonald, a

product marketing manager

at the company. "This is by

far the most powerful and

versatile iPad mini ever." It

starts at $499/£479, and is

available to order now with

shipping next week.

SATuRDAY, DECEMbER 18, 2021

6

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates scoring their third goal with Roberto Firmino.

Liverpool bounce back to beat Newcastle,

Chelsea held by Everton

SPORTS DESK

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold scored with a

spectacular strike as they overcame the loss of three players

to suspected positive COVID-19 tests and conceding an early

goal to beat Newcastle United 3-1 in the Premier League on

Thursday, reports UNB.

Liverpool move onto 40 points from 17 games, one behind

leaders Manchester City who beat Leeds United 7-0 on

Tuesday.

With Virgil Van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones ruled out

for the hosts, Jonjo Shelvey struck the opener for Newcastle

against the run of play in the seventh minute, with a

swerving, dipping drive past unsighted keeper Allison Becker

at Anfield.

The lead lasted 14 minutes before Diogo Jota fired home

the rebound after Martin Dubravka saved his initial header to

level, with Newcastle's players complaining the ball should

have been put out of play as Isaac Hayden was down injured

in his own box.

Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead four minutes later,

equalling Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy's record of 15

consecutive Premier League games with a goal or assist by

blasting home the rebound form a Sadio Mane shot.

Dubravka had to get down smartly to save from Mane in

the 81st minute and Jota had a close-range shot blocked

before the Newcastle keeper pulled off another super stop

from Naby Keita.

There was nothing he could do three minutes from the end

of normal time though as Alexander-Arnold took a touch on

the edge of the box before firing a rocket into the top corner.

"I've been waiting for that for five years, waiting to hit it

clean like that," Alexander-Arnold told BT Sport. "I've had a

Karolina Pliskova out

of Australian Open due

to hand injury

SPORTS DESK

World number four Karolina

Pliskova has withdrawn from

next month's Australian Open

with a hand injury sustained

in training, the player said on

Thursday in a statement

released by tournament

organizers, reports UNB.

The 29-year-old reached the

semi-finals in Melbourne in

2019, losing to eventual

champion Naomi Osaka. She

reached the final at

Wimbledon this year before a

run to the quarter-finals of the

U.S. Open.

"Unfortunately, I hurt my

right hand in practice

yesterday and I won't be able

to play in Adelaide, Sydney

and (the) Australian Open this

year," Pliskova said.

Pliskova is the latest highprofile

player to miss the

Melbourne Park major, with

Grand Slam champions

Serena Williams, Bianca

Andreescu and Roger Federer

also absent. The Australian

Open begins on Jan. 17.

Everton condemn fans

for homophobic chanting

at Chelsea player

SPORTS DESK

Everton condemned

supporters for targeting a

Chelsea player with

homophobic chants during

Thursday's 1-1 Premier

League at Stamford Bridge,

reports UNB.

"Such behaviour is

unacceptable and does not

represent the values of our

club or our wider fanbase,"

the Merseyside club said in

a statement.

few from the edge of the box… I've caught that one sweet and

it's just nestled in the top corner."

The England fullback said he and his teammates had done

their best to ignore the possible positive COVID tests at the

club as the games come thick and fast over Christmas.

"We're focused on our football until we're told otherwise.

We'll be in there every day, recovery again tomorrow and

make sure we're fit for Sunday," he said.

Chelsea suffered another setback in their Premier League

title challenge when they were held to a 1-1 home draw by an

injury-hit Everton on Thursday, leaving the Blues four points

adrift of table-toppers Manchester City.

Chelsea, themselves missing their first-choice strikers due

to COVID-19, failed to turn early dominance into goals before

Mason Mount made the breakthrough in the 70th minute

when he took a pass from Reece James and fired past Jordan

Pickford.

Mount had missed one of the hosts' many chances in the

opening period when, clean through, he was denied by

Pickford's outstretched foot.

The visitors drew level within four minutes of Chelsea

going ahead when Anthony Gordon floated a looping freekick

to the far post and 19-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite

stretched out a boot to turn the ball past goalkeeper Edouard

Mendy.

Chelsea struggled to make further inroads without Romelu

Lukaku, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who had

all tested positive for COVID-19. Kai Havertz was also unwell

and awaiting the results of a test.

The draw left Chelsea in third place behind Manchester

City who thrashed Leeds United 7-0 on Tuesday, and

Liverpool.

Pakistan sweeps virus-hit West

Indies in Twenty20 series

SPORTS DESK

Pakistan completed a clean sweep in the

three-match Twenty20 series against a

virus-hit West Indies with a resounding

seven-wicket win on Thursday, reports UNB.

Run-machine Mohammad Rizwan

rounded off the year with his 12th halfcentury

in Twenty20 internationals by

scoring 87 while captain Babar Azam made

79 in Pakistan's blistering run-chase of 208-

3 in 18.5 overs.

The West Indies squad was further

depleted on the morning of the match when

three more players tested positive for the

coronavirus, increasing the number of cases

to nine six players and three support

personnel in the tourists' camp.

The West Indies' top-order batters, led by

captain Nicholas Pooran's blazing 64 off 37

balls, still did well to post 207-3 after the

tourists had won the toss and elected to bat.

Rizwan and I thought of going till the end

and keep managing the run rate, Babar said.

Our bench strength got a good workout too

and it's a great sign for me as a captain.

West Indies felt the absence of left-arm

spinner Akeal Hosein, who was one of the

three players to test positive along with Shai

Hope and allrounder Justin Greaves. Hosein

had did well in the previous two games,

which Pakistan won by 63 and nine runs

respectively.

Rizwan and Babar toyed with the

inexperienced West Indies bowling attack

once the former overturned an lbw decision

through a television referral off debutant leftarm

spinner Gudakesh Motie's first ball.

Both batsmen became the first pair to

record a sixth-century stand for the opening

wicket and surpassed the record of five set by

the Indian first-wicket pair of Rohit Sharma

and Lokesh Rahul.

Babar, who hit nine fours and two sixes,

combined in a 158-run stand before the

Pakistan captain holed out at mid-off against

Odean Smith's knuckle ball in the 16th over.

Rizwan hit 10 fours and three sixes before

he sliced a catch to Pooran with Pakistan

needing only 24 for victory. Hard-hitting Asif

Ali (21 not out) smashed two sixes and two

fours to raise the victory with seven balls to

spare.

Earlier, the West Indies batters profited in

the absence of Pakistan's rested fast bowlers

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf to post

a challenging total.

Andy Murray will face Nadal for a spot in the final of the exhibition event

in Abu Dhabi.

Photo: File

Photo: AP

Pat Cummins allowed

to fly home after

missing Adelaide Test

SPORTS DESK

Australia's regular Test

skipper Pat Cummins has

been allowed to return

home in Sydney, the team

said on Friday, after

missing the ongoing second

Ashes Test in Adelaide for

being a close contact of a

COVID-19 case, reports

UNB.

Cummins was ruled out

hours before the start of the

pink-ball Test against

England after dining in the

same restaurant as the

positive case on Wednesday

night.

The 28-year old produced

a negative test result on

Thursday and has been

cleared by South Australia's

SA Health to return home

by a chartered flight,

Cricket Australia said.

"Under the plan approved

by SA Health, he will selfdrive

from isolation and

then, with the appropriate

PPE and hygiene controls,

take a single charter flight,"

the CA said.

"Cricket Australia will

continue to consult with SA

Health to ensure

compliance with the plan.

"He will continue to

observe all isolation

requirements in NSW."

Steve Smith stepped up as

Australia's stand-in captain

in Adelaide but the hosts,

who are 1-0 up in the fivematch

series, will hope to

welcome Cummins back in

squad for the Boxing Day

test in Melbourne.

Andy Murray relishing

Rafael Nadal reunion

in Abu Dhabi

SPORTS DESK

Andy Murray said he is

relishing the opportunity of

facing Rafa Nadal for the

first time in more than five

years with the pair due to

meet in Abu Dhabi later on

Friday, reports UNB.

Murray, 34, beat Dan

Evans 6-3 6-2 on Thursday

and will face Nadal for a spot

in the final of the exhibition

event - his first meeting with

the Spaniard since the 2016

Madrid Open semi-final

when the Scot won 7-5 6-4.

Nadal, 35, last competed

in August and has spent four

months on the sidelines with

a foot injury. He also

struggled with back

problems earlier in the year.

"I think the last time we

played was five or six years

ago, it's a really long time. It

shows the sort if struggles

that I've been through for a

few years, and him more

recently. It'll be nice to play

each other again," said

Murray, who had hip

surgery in 2018 and 2019.

"I want to be playing these

guys in the biggest

competitions again, that's

something that motivates

me … Hopefully we can put

on a good performance for a

couple of old guys."

Tiger Woods in final group

at PNC Championship on

highly anticipated return

SPORTS DESK

Tiger Woods will go out in the final group

when he makes his highly anticipated return

to competition at this week's PNC

Championship in Orlando, Florida,

according to a list of tee times published on


Woods, who sustained serious leg injuries

in a February car crash, and his 12-year-old

son Charlie will tee off at 12:18 p.m. ET (1718

GMT) on Saturday alongside good friend

and world number six Justin Thomas, who is

playing with his father Mike.

Thomas, who has not played with Woods

since last year's PNC Championship, called

his friend's ability to return this week

"unbelievable" and said he was happy for

him to be back.

"My excitement level is high just for him

being out here and being somewhere other

than his house and getting to see a lot of

familiar faces," Thomas, who won the event

last year with his father, said on Thursday.

"And I know spending time with Charlie is

a huge deal to him. So I know he's excited for

that part."In terms of the competing, I think

his expectations are very low. But, at the

same time, he is who he is for a reason, so I'm

sure he'd be pissed off if he didn't play well."

The two-day event at the Ritz-Carlton Golf

Club is not a PGA Tour event but rather a

laid-back 36-hole tournament with a field

comprised of 20 major champions and a

member of their family.

Woods, who has not competed since he

and Charlie finished in a share of seventh

place at the 2020 PNC Championship,

announced last week that he would play in

this year's edition.

The 15-times major champion has said his

game is nowhere near ready for the PGA

Tour as he continues to work his way back

from injuries suffered when he lost control of

his car in Los Angeles in February.

But Mike Thomas, who is Justin's coach,

played a round with the Woodses last week

and was impressed by what he saw."It's crazy

how good he's hitting it and far he's hitting

for what he's been through," the elder

Thomas said of Tiger. "Well, both (Tiger and

Charlie)," he added. "But Tiger has been

through a lot more than Charlie. It's

impressive where he's at."

Woods, the greatest golfer of his

generation whose tally of major titles trails

only the 18 won by Jack Nicklaus, faced the

possibility of having his leg amputated

during a three-week hospital stay after the

accident.

The penultimate group this week will be

comprised of women's world number one

Nelly Korda, who is playing with her father,

and twice major champion John Daly and

his son.

Among the others in the field are former

Masters champions Gary Player, Nick Faldo,

Vijay Singh, Tom Watson, Mark O'Meara

and Bubba Watson.Swede Henrik Stenson,

Zimbabwean Nick Price, Irishman Padraig

Harrington and Americans Lee Trevino,

Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Tom

Lehman, David Duval and Rich Beem head

the other teams.

Tiger Woods tees off on the third hole during a practice round at the

Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga., Wednesday, Nov, 11, 2020. Woods

suffered multiple leg injuries and went into surgery after crashing his car

in Los Angeles County on Tuesday morning, Feb. 23, 2021, his agent and

the authorities said.

Photo: AP

Leicester-Tottenham the 4th

EPL game in 5 days called off

SPORTS DESK

Coronavirus infections in the Premier

League led to a fourth match in five days

being postponed on Thursday with

Leicester's game against Tottenham called

off hours before kickoff, reports UNB.

It is the third consecutive Tottenham

match postponed due to coronavirus cases

in its squad, including a Europa Conference

League game. Dealing with its own

outbreak, Leicester had an earlier request to

postpone the match turned down by the

Premier League.

But the league said Thursday that

Leicester now had an "insufficient number

of players available" after further COVID-19

infections among staff and players. The

training ground was closed to contain the

outbreak.

"The Premier League understands this

decision will disappoint and frustrate fans

who were due to attend this evening's game

and apologizes for the inconvenience and

disruption caused at such short notice," the

league said.

The decision was made on Thursday as

Brentford manager Thomas Frank said he

wants the weekend round of fixtures to be

postponed to allow clubs to deal with

coronavirus outbreaks.

Frank was informed midway through his

news conference on Thursday, ahead of

Brentford's away match at Southampton on

Saturday, of four more cases of the

coronavirus among players and staff at the

club. That took the total to 13.

Three previous matches over the past

week - Brighton-Tottenham, Brentford-

Manchester United and Burnley-Watford -

have been called off because of virus

outbreaks in squads, and many teams have

individual cases of COVID-19 amid a

worsening health emergency in Britain

caused by the omicron variant.

"We should postpone the full round of

Premier League games this weekend,"

Frank said. "COVID cases are going through

the roof at all Premier League clubs,

everyone is dealing with it and having

problems.

"To postpone this round and also (next

week's English League Cup) round would

give everyone a week at least, or four or five

days to clean and do everything at the

training ground so everything is clean and

you break the chain."

Frank said postponing this weekend's

round of league games could be enough to

ensure the busy festive program in the

division will be able to go ahead largely as

planned.

"We fully respect that we want to play and

it is important football keeps going," Frank

said, "and this way we can make sure Boxing

Day keeps going, I'm 100% sure of that.

"This omicron variant is running like

wildfire around the world and I think we

need to do all we can to protect and avoid it.

We can do a lot by closing down training

grounds for three, four or five days, and then

we can go again".

69m high Lionel Messi

Mural appears in

hometown Rosario

SPORTS DESK

The Argentine City of Rosario paid homage

to its most talented soccer player with a giant

portrait, reports UNB.

A 69-meter tall mural dedicated to Lionel

Messi has been inaugurated at his

hometown of Rosario.

The graffiti "From Other Galaxy, From My

City" was designed and painted by local

artists Marlene Zuriaga y Lisandro Urteaga.

The painting depicts Messi as captain of

the national squad, wearing the jersey

number 10, touching his chest with the hand

and a bright sun lighting him.

A group of primary school children were

invited to attend the inauguration

ceremony, organized by Rosario authorities.

The piece takes part of a wider project

called Common Messi which aims to spread

the image of the Rosario born soccer

superstar all over the city buildings.

The now Paris Saint Germain player took

his first steps in soccer at his Rosario

neighborhood club Grandoli and then, at the

age of six, the already incipient star moved

on to Newell's Old Boys, a Rosario club that

plays in the first division of Argentine soccer.

SATUr DAY, DeCeMBer 18, 2021

7

Victory Day has been celebrated in Mirzaganj of Patuakhali through various programs on Thursday.

Victory Day observed through

various programs in Mirzaganj

Uttam Golder, Mirzaganj Correspondent

Victory Day has been celebrated in

Mirzaganj of Patuakhali through

various programs on Thursday.

The day started with 50 rounds of

artillery fire. National flag hoisting in

all public and private buildings in the

morning, wreath laying at Upazila

Muktijoddha plaques, parade, friendly

football game, special prayers in

mosques and temples, distribution of

quality food in hospitals and

orphanages, cultural program at

Subidkhali Government High School

ground, lighting Competition and

discussion meetings have been held.

Patuakhali District Awami League

Harris says has not

discussed 2024

election with Biden

WASHINGTON: US Vice-

President Kamala Harris, who

is widely seen as having hit a

political rough patch, said she

and Joe Biden have not

discussed the 2024 election or

whether the president will run

for a second term, reports BSS.

Washington has been

buzzing with rumors about the

relationship between Harris

and Biden, with many

commentators speculating

that Harris may not be in the

running for the White House if

Biden chooses not to stand

again.

"I will tell you this without

any ambiguity: We do not talk

about nor have we talked

about re-election, because we

haven't completed our first

year and we're in the middle of

a pandemic," Harris told the

Wall Street Journal in an

interview published Thursday.

When asked about the

possibility of Biden, 79,

running for office again, Harris

said: "I don't think about it, nor

have we talked about it."

History-making Harris --

the first woman and first Black

and Asian American person

ever sworn in as vice president

-- initially seemed to be the heir

apparent.

But her halo has slipped

amid negative press alleging

dysfunction among her staff,

doubt on her standing within

the administration and her

frustrations over thorny

assignments, such as minority

voting access and the

migration crisis at the

southern border.

Relief and Social Welfare Secretary

and Mirzaganj Upazila Chairman

Khan Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddiqui

inaugurated the program by flying

balloons and peace doves as the chief

guest under the chairmanship of

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mosa: Tania

Ferdous. Upazila Awami League

religious affairs secretary. Jasim

Uddin Sabuj Mridha was present as

special guest, Upazila Assistant

Commissioner (Land) Md. Raihan

Uzzaman, Upazila Agriculture Officer

Md. Arafat Hossain, Upazila Engineer

Sheikh Azim Ur-Rashid, Orgasm

Development Officer Sunil Kumar

Roy, Mirzaganj Upazila Awami League

senior co. President Md. Ismail

Hossain Mridha, Abdul Barek Sikder,

Md. Eunuch Ali Sardar, General

Secretary Md. Jasim Uddin Jewel,

Upazila Vice Chairman Md. Zahirul

Islam Jewel, Officer-in-Charge of

Mirzaganj Police Station Md. Anwar

Hossain Talukder and others.

Officials of Juba League, Chhatra

League and various government

departments of the upazila were also

present on the occasion. Students of

different educational institutions of the

upazila do physical exercises and

Victory Day is celebrated by dancing

and singing. At the end prizes are

distributed among the winners.

Springsteen sells music catalog

for reported $500 million

WASHINGTON: Sony Music said Thursday

it has bought the rights to Bruce

Springsteen's music catalog, reportedly for

half a billion dollars, making him the latest

superstar singer to join a frenzy of such sales

fueled by the pandemic, reports BSS.

According to The New York Times and US

entertainment outlet Billboard, the sale

consists of Springsteen's music catalog as

well as his entire body of work as a

songwriter such as iconic hit "Born in the

USA," which has sold nearly 30 million

copies.

The Times cited sources briefed on the

deal. Sony confirmed the sale in a statement

but did not say how much the agreement was

for.

"During the last 50 years, the men and

women of Sony Music have treated me with

the greatest respect as an artist and as a

person," Springsteen said in Sony's

statement. "I'm thrilled that my legacy will

continue to be cared for by the Company and

people I know and trust."

Nicknamed "The Boss" and "America's

dad," Springsteen, 72, has been with Sony's

Columbia Records for his entire 50-year

career, selling more than 150 million

records.

Admired at home and around the world,

the New Jersey-born musical folk storyteller

has won 20 Grammy awards.

He recently launched a conversational

podcast and accompanying book with

former US president Barack Obama, titled

"Renegades: Born in the USA."

The Covid-19 pandemic has left the

performance industry reeling, but music

publishing -- a normally under-the-radar

side of the business -- is a booming business.

The royalty streams of songwriting

copyright portfolios can prove lucrative for

the long haul and are increasingly enticing

investors, even as other industries tank

under the weight of the pandemic.

In October, 81-year-old Tina Turner sold

her music rights to German group BMG for

an undisclosed amount.

The 2016 Nobel laureate for literature Bob

Dylan, 80, sold his entire catalog to

Universal Music a year ago, for an estimated

$300 million.

Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks reportedly

received $100 million for her majority stake

in the group's catalog, while Canadian-

American singer Neil Young, the punk band

Blondie and Shakira also signed deals for

unspecified amounts.

Industry experts say catalog prices started

rising before 2020 but skyrocketed during

the pandemic when artists found themselves

deprived of tours and concerts.

The company leading much of the

business is Hipgnosis Songs Fund, a British

investment and management company

launched on the London Stock Exchange in

July 2018.

Other major players include Primary

Wave, which struck the Nicks deal, Tempo

Investments, Round Hill and Reservoir.

Music blogger and analyst Alan Cross

defended Springsteen against charges of

"selling out."

"Bruce is just getting an advance on his

earnings, money that would have come in

after his death," Cross wrote.

"By selling to Sony, he knows that they

will keep his music alive for decades to come.

They kinda have to because they need to

make their money back."

David Crosby, singer-songwriter and

founding member of both the Byrds and

Crosby, Stills and Nash, told AFP earlier this

year he was selling his own catalog because

Covid had halted live performances.

"The main reason is simply that we've all

been sort of forcibly retired, and can't do

anything about it," he said.

Many musicians also say that streaming

services benefit only major artists while

paying older, cult and up-and-coming

musicians extremely little.

Jatiya Party (JaPa) held a extended election meeting in Chandkhana union of Kishoreganj on

Wednesday.

Photo: Mafe Sheikh

Photo: Uttam Golder

Vast study confirms

rare heart risk from

Moderna jab

PARIS: The Moderna Covid

jab carries a slight risk of

usually non-serious heart

problems a study of the entire

population of Denmark

found Friday, reports BSS.

Incidences of myocarditis

(inflammation of the heart

muscle) and pericarditis

(inflammation of the tissue

surrounding the heart) after

mRNA jabs from Pfizer and

Moderna had been noted in

vaccine safety reports and

small-scale studies.

These reports led France,

Denmark and other

countries to advise against

the jab for people under 30

years old.

"Vaccination with mRNA-

1273 (Moderna) was

associated with a significantly

increased rate of myocarditis

or myopericarditis, especially

among individuals aged 12-

39 years," the study said.

It said that vaccination

with Pfizer was only

associated with an increased

risk among women.

The study published in the

BMJ medical journal is the

first to look at these side

effects in an entire

population.

While it confirms the

risks, it insists they are slight

and that the risks posed by

Covid infection are greater.

It noted that among the

vaccinated who developed

myocarditis or pericarditis

"only a few" had severe

outcomes.

JaPa holds extended

election meeting in

Chandkhana union

Mafe Sheikh, Kishoreganj

Correspondent

Jatiya Party (JaPa) held a

extended election meeting

was held at Mominul

Haque's (Wafi) attic in

Chandkhana Union No. 5 of

Kishoreganj upazila of

Nilphamari district on

Wednesday evening.

The extended meeting

was presided over by former

Upazila Parishad Chairman

Rashidul Islam and the chief

guest was Vice Chairman,

Jatiya Party and

Nilphamari-4 MP Ahsan

Adelur Rahman Adel.

Jatiya Party nominated

chairman candidate

Shafiqul Islam (Shafiq) was

the chief speaker in the

extended meeting.

During the time, Upazila

Jatiya Party Convener and

MP Representative Rezaul

Alam Swapan, Contractor

and Member Secretary

Rashidul Islam Rashid,

Joint Convener Jatiya Party

Syedpur Abdur Rauf, Newly

elected Chairman 4 Bahagili

Union

Principal

Sujauddaula Lipton, one of

the members Jatiya Party

Hossain Shaheed

Suhrawardy Granet Babu,

Magura Union Branch

President Akhtaruzzaman

Mithu,

Principal

Chandkhana College Raja

Mia, Principal Radharani

Mahila College Babu Achint

Roy, Former General

Secretary Dulal Hossain

were among others also

present at the occasion.

One die of Covid-19,

casualties reach 1,248

in Rangpur

RANGPUR: One more Covid-19 patient

died during the last 24 hours ending at 8

am yesterday raising the number of

coronavirus related casualties to 1,248 in

Rangpur division, reports BSS.

"The new casualty was reported from

Dinajpur district," Divisional Director

(Health) Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam told

BSS yesterday.

The district-wise breakup of the 1,248

fatalities currently stands at 293 in

Rangpur, 81 in Panchagarh, 89 in

Nilphamari, 68 in Lalmonirhat, 69 in

Kurigram, 255 in Thakurgaon, 330 in

Dinajpur and 63 in Gaibandha districts of

the division.

The average casualty rate currently

stands at 2.24 percent in the division.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19

cases reached 55,655 as four new patients

were diagnosed after testing 231 samples

at the positivity rate of 1.73 percent on

Tuesday in the division.

Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity

rates were 2.52 percent on Monday, 1.50

percent on Sunday, 1.15 percent on

Saturday, 5.41 percent on Friday, 3.79

percent on Thursday and 4.92 percent on

Wednesday last in the division.

The district-wise break up of total

55,655 patients include 12,534 of

Rangpur, 3,828 Panchagarh, 4,463 of

Nilphamari, 2,755 of Lalmonirhat, 4,646

of Kurigram, 7,687 of Thakurgaon, 14,868

of Dinajpur and 4,874 of Gaibandha in the

division," he said.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a

total of 3,03,822 collected samples were

tested till Tuesday, and of them, 55,655

were found Covid-19 positive with an

average positivity rate of 18.32 percent in

the division.

In the meantime, the total number of

healed Covid-19 patients reached 53,656

with recovery of 21 more infected patients

on Tuesday in the division where the

average recovery rate currently stands at

96.41 percent.

The 53,656 recovered patients include

11,749 of Rangpur, 3,714 Panchagarh,

4,367 Nilphamari, 2,625 Lalmonirhat,

4,527 Kurigram, 7,390 Thakurgaon,

14,487 in Dinajpur and 4,797 Gaibandha

districts in the division.

Among the 55,655 patients, 21 are

undergoing treatments at isolation units,

including nine critical patients at ICU

beds and three at High Dependency Unit

beds, after recovery of 53,656 patients and

1,248 deaths while 730 are remaining now

in home isolation.

"Meanwhile, the number of citizens who

got the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine

rose to 76,68,820, and among them,

47,19,461 got the second dose of the jab till

Tuesday in the division," Dr Islam said.

Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service

and Prevention Task Force and Principal

of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr

AKM Nurunnobi said the pandemic

situation continues to improve in recent

months in the division.

Birth centenary of Bangabandhu and the golden jubilee of victory have

been celebrated through colorful rallies, wreath-laying, discussion meetings

and cultural programs organized by the Upazila Administration and

Baraigram Municipality recently.

Photo: TBT

Meta targets 'cyber mercenaries'

using Facebook to spy

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook parent

Meta on Thursday banned a series of

"cyber mercenary" groups, and began

alerting some 50,000 people likely

targeted by the firms accused of spying

on activists, dissidents and journalists

worldwide, reoports BSS.

Meta took down 1,500 Facebook and

Instagram pages linked to groups with

services allegedly ranging from scooping

up public information online to using

fake personas to build trust with targets

or digital snooping via hack attacks.

The social media giant also started

warning about 50,000 people it believes

may have been targeted in more than

100 nations by firms that include several

from Israel, which is a leading player in

the cybersurveillance business.

"The surveillance-for-hire industry...

looks like indiscriminate targeting on

behalf of the highest bidder," Nathaniel

Gleicher, head of security policy at Meta,

told a press briefing.

The Facebook parent said it deleted

accounts tied to Cobwebs Technologies,

Cognyte, Black Cube and Bluehawk CI --

all of which were based or founded in

Israel.

India-based BellTroX, North

Macedonian firm Cytrox and an

unidentified entity in China also saw

accounts linked to them removed from

Meta platforms.

Cytrox was also accused Thursday by

researchers at Canadian cybersecurity

organization Citizen Lab of developing

and selling spyware used to hack

Egyptian opposition figure Ayman

Nour's phone.

"These cyber mercenaries often claim

that their services only target criminals

and terrorists," said a Meta statement.

"Targeting is in fact indiscriminate

and includes journalists, dissidents,

critics of authoritarian regimes, families

of opposition members and human

rights activists," it added. "We have

banned them from our services."

Black Cube, in a statement to AFP,

denied wrongdoing or even operating in

the "cyber world."

"Black Cube works with the world's

leading law firms in proving bribery,

uncovering corruption, and recovering

hundreds of millions in stolen assets," it

said, adding the firm ensures it complies

with local laws.

Firms selling "web intelligence

services" start the surveillance process

by gathering information from publicly

available online sources such as news

reports and Wikipedia.

Cyber mercenaries then set up fake

accounts on social media sites to glean

information from people's profiles and

even join groups or conversations to

learn more, Meta investigators said.

Another tactic is to win a target's trust

on a social network and then trick the

person into clicking on a booby-trapped

link or file that installs software that can

then steal information from whatever

device they use to go online.

With that kind of access, the

mercenary can steal data from a target's

phone or computer, as well The New

York Times and US entertainment outlet

Billboard, the sale consists of

Springsteen's music catalog as well as

his entire body of work as a songwriter

such as iconic hit "Born in the USA,"

which has sold nearly 30 millionas

silently activate microphones, cameras

and tracking, according to the Meta

team.

Bluehawk, one the targeted firms,

sells a wide range of surveillance

activities, including managing fake

accounts to install malicious code, the

Meta report said.

Some fake accounts linked to

Bluehawk posed as journalists from

media outlets such as Fox News in the

United States and La Stampa in Italy,

according to Meta.

While Meta was not able to pinpoint

who was running the unnamed Chinese

operation, it traced "command and

control" of the surveillance tool involved

to servers that appeared to be used by

law enforcement officials in China.

Saturday, Dhaka: December 18, 2021; Poush 3, 1428 BS; Zamadi-ul Awal 13, 1443 Hijri

Competition to increase the price of the product is going on in the raw market of the capital. Prices of almost every

product including fish have gone up. The picture was taken from Kaptan Bazaar on Friday. Photo: Star Mail

Dengue

14 more hospitalized

in 24 hrs

DHAKA: Fourteen new dengue patients

were hospitalised in 24 hours till Friday

morning, health authorities said reporting

no new death, reports UNB.

Dengue claimed 101 lives so far this

year, according to the Directorate

General of Health Services (DGHS).

Ninety-two people died in Dhaka division

alone, three in Mymensingh division,

two each in Chattogram, and

Khulna divisions and one each in

Rajshahi and Barishal divisions.

All 14 patients are undergoing treatment

at hospitals in Dhaka.

Some 168 patients who were diagnosed

with dengue are receiving treatment

in the country as of Friday.

Of them, 107 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the

capital while the remaining 61 were listed

outside Dhaka.

Since January, some 28,099 patients

have been admitted to different hospitals

with dengue in the country. So far,

27,830 dengue patients have left hospitals

after recovery, said DGHS.

RAB seizes yaba worth

Tk 1.7 cr, 1 held

DhAKA: Rab has recovered 58,950

pieces of yaba worth Tk 1.7 crore from

an autorickshaw while being smuggled

to Cox's Bazar from Teknaf, reports

UNB.

Drug peddler, Karima Akhter Ruby,

25, wife of Abdus Shukkur of Sang-

Anjumanpara in Ukhia was arrested

from the auto, said a Rab media release

on Friday.

On a tip off, RAB-7 on Thursday set a

check post at Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway

in Dakshin Muhuri Para area of

Cox's Bazar and started checking vehicles.

When a woman tried to flee from an

autorickshaw with a school bag, Rab

members held her and found 58,950

pieces of yaba in the bag.

The arrestee and the drugs have been

handed over to Cox's Bazar Sadar Police

Station for further legal action.

DMP arrests 41 for

consuming, selling

drug in city

DHAKA: In a regular anti-drugs campaign,

the Detective Branch (DB)

under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police

(DMP) have arrested 41 persons for

consuming and selling drugs in the

capital city, reports UNB.

According to a DMP statement

issued today, as part of the campaign,

the police raided different areas

under various police stations and

detained 41 drug abusers and recovered

drugs from their possession

from 6 am on December 16, 2021 to 6

am today.

During the anti-drug campaign,

police seized 160 grams and 45 puria

(small packet) of heroin, 28.151 kilograms

and 40 puria (small packet) of

cannabis (ganja), 9,255 pieces of yaba

tablets, 100 bottles of phensidyl, four

litre of local liquor and 200 grams of

ice from them, it said.

National Data Centre enables

Bangladesh to discard foreign

dependence

DHAKA: The National Data Centre has

enabled Bangladesh to discard foreign

dependence simultaneously creating

scopes to save foreign currency worth

millions of dollars, after its inauguration

two years ago as the world's seventh

largest high security data storage facility,

reports BSS.

Officials said the centre, a four-tier ICT

facility in terms of cyber security, at

Bangabandhu High Tech City (BHTC) in

suburban Gazipur by now is saving Taka

353 crore annually through data localization

in the country.

"This is a four-tier data centre having

'zero downtime', meaning no service

interruption, and 99.995 percent

uptime" said a spokesman of the facility

run by state-owned Bangladesh Data

Center Company Limited (BDCCL).

BDCCL officials said the cyber and

infrastructure security of the centre was

ensured further developing a three-tier

backup storage facility called 'disasterrecovery

data centre' at Sheikh Hasina

Software Technology Park in southwestern

Jashore district.

The main data centre and the backup

one was developed at Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina's directive and supervision

of her ICT affairs adviser Sajeeb

Wazed Joy and opened in November

2019.

BDCCL Secretary AKM Latiful Kabir

said so far the Election Commission and

nine government offices, including

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and

state-run banks and government's e-filing

systems and a2i, were preserving

their data at the facility.

"A process is underway to bring 12

more organizations under the centre's

fold but we are looking forward to serve

the domestic and foreign entities with

our unlimited capacity," he said.

The official said the centre was a cloud

computing technology-based facility

which was launched with two petabyte

but by now "we have increased the capacity

to 22 petabyte and planned to

increase it to 200 petabyte soon.

"Our eventual goal is to turn it into a G-

Cloud facility using Oracle technology

with unlimited capacity and render three

services "Infrastructure as a Service

(IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and

Software as a Service (SaaS)," he added.

Having the Data Localized and

Standalone Backup, Kabir said, the G-

Cloud facility will ensure safe protection

of all data.

Currently, he said, the centre required

to spend US$45 million annually as

licensing and renewing fees but switching

to the G-Cloud facility would save the

amount. The data center certified by the

Uptime Institute as the 'Tier IV' facility in

cloud computing and G-cloud technology

was awarded the Asia Specific 'DCD-

APAC Award 2019' by the UK based Data

Center Dynamics on September 17, 2019.

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid

Ahmed Palak termed the National Four

Tier Data Center as the "brain" of the

'Digital Bangladesh' since there are hosted

all the country's data, including

55,000 websites, 11 crore National

Identity Cards, e-Nothi, Surokkha and

registration system.

Noting that the G-Cloud based data

center will have unlimited capacity of

preserving data, he said, "We hope we

could launch the G-Cloud of Oracle technology

within the next six or 12 months.

And it will be the largest G-Cloud platform

in the Southeast Asia".

Wait for JBYA-2021

announcement to

end Dec 20

DHAKA: The much-coveted "Joy

Banga Youth Award", the biggest

recognition for young achievers, will be

announced on December 20, sources

close to it said on Friday, reports UNB.

Carrying the vibrant wartime slogan

Joy Bangla, the award is conferred one

in two years.

But this time the interval has been

shortened to one year to coincide with

the 50th anniversary of the independence

of Bangladesh.

Showered with praises by the jury,

the young achievers are regarded to

possess the potential to not just change

the country but contribute to the world

as well, said sources at Young Bangla

that operates under the auspices of the

Centre for Research & Information

(CRI).

Young Bangla has received entries

from around 750 youth-led organizations

and it will award 15 organizations

under five categories.

Since its inception in 2014, JBYA

picked up a pool of youths who silently

transformed their communities

through a wide range of activities ranging

from educating underprivileged

children to helping distressed people to

stopping child marriage.

Thanks to the grooming, networking,

and inspiration, a couple of awardees

of the past years got even internationally

acclaimed, they added.

This year the award is featuring a

new addition.

Young Bangla will present Special

Recognition to individuals who

have made significant contributions

to the post-independence

nation-building process through

their leadership, service, initiatives

and research.

Bangladesh

reports 2 more

Covid-linked

deaths with 191

fresh cases

DHAKA: Bangladesh reported two more

Covid-related deaths with 191 fresh cases

in 24 hours till Friday morning, reports

UNB.

With the latest cases, the daily-case

positivity rate increased to 1.17 per cent

from Thursday's 1.02 per cent, said the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS).

The total fatalities rose to 28,043 while

the caseload mounted to 15,80,750 with

the fresh ones.

Two of the latest fatalities were men

from Dhaka and Rangpur divisions.

Meanwhile, the mortality rate

remained static at 1.77 per cent during

the period.

The fresh cases were detected after

testing 16,310 samples, said the DGHS.

Besides, the recovery rate decreased a

bit to 97.75 per cent with the recovery of

145 more patients during the 24-hour

period.

On December 9, Bangladesh again

logged zero Covid-related death after

nearly three weeks as the pandemic is

apparently showing signs of easing.

The country reported this year's first

zero Covid-related death in a single day

on November 20 along with 178 infections

since the pandemic broke out in

Bangladesh in March 2020.

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.

So far, 15,45,259 Covid-19 infected

people have recovered.

Nanak urges all

to join 'Victory

Rally'

DHAKA: Awami League (AL) presidium

member Advocate Jahangir Kabir

Nanak yesterday sought cooperation of

all to make a success the "Victory Rally"

declared on the occasion of the golden

jubilee of victory, reports BSS.

"I urge the people of our country to

join the victory rally and we apologize

for the inconvenience to be caused to the

people by the rally" Nanak told a meeting

held at Awami League President

Sheikh Hasina's political office at

Dhanmondi here, said a press release.

This victory procession will start from

the historic Suhrawardy Udyan at 2 pm

tomorrow and end coming on

Bangabandhu Bhaban premises at

Dhanmondi.

All party leaders from various parts of

the country would join the rally.

Nanak presided over the meeting

while Presidium Member Abdur

Rahman, Joint-General Secretaries

Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Education

Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Minister for

Information and Broadcasting Hasan

Mahmud and A F M Bahauddin Nasim,

Organizing Secretaries Ahmed Hossain,

SM Kamal Hossain, Mirza Azam and

Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel, Office

Secretary Barrister Biplob Barua,

Deputy Office Secretary Sayam Khan

and Deputy Publicity Secretary Minul

Islam were present.

Japan to speed up booster shots

amid fear of omicron spread

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister

Fumio Kishida said Friday his government

is accelerating COVID-19 booster

shots and securing oral medicines after

speaking with Pfizer Inc. CEO Albert

Burla, reports UNB.

Japan has confirmed a handful of omicron

variant cases, while revealing a cluster

of infections of about 100 U.S. troops

on Japan's southern island of Okinawa

since earlier this month.

Japan, which lacks home-developed

vaccines, has so far approved booster

shots from Pfizer and Moderna. Japan is

also moving to shorten the interval

between the second jab and boosters.

Kishida said the government will start

giving booster shots to elderly people

seven months after their second shot

starting February. He also said he and

Burla agreed on Pfizer's supply of 2 million

doses of oral medicine for COVID-

19, in addition to Merck pills expected to

be approved by the end of the month.

Japan on Dec. 1 started giving booster

shots to medical workers using the Pfizer

vaccine, with the elderly expected to be

next in line. The Health Ministry on

Thursday granted fast-track approval for

the Moderna boosters. Japan already

uses both, as well as the AstraZeneca vaccine,

for the first two shots.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu

Matsuno told reporters Japan signed

deals with Pfizer and Moderna for a combined

170 million doses, which he said

would be "enough to cover necessary

doses." Kishida was believed to have

asked Burla to speed up the supply

schedule. But the prime minister

declined to give details of the vaccine

supply and only said further details are

A Myanmar citizen and Bangladeshi

held with arms and drugs

DHAKA: Border Guard Bangladesh

(BGB) has detained two drug smugglers

including a Myanmar citizen with arms,

crystal methamphetamine (Ice) and

Yaba from Naf River of Teknaf upazila in

Cox's Bazar, reports UNB.

The detainees were identified as Dwin

Mohammad, 40, of Teknaf upazila and

Myanmar citizen Bodi Alam, 30.

According to a media release of BGB,

following a tip-off about a large shipment

of drug being trafficked from Myanmar

through Naf River near Domdomia area,

a patrol team of BGB-2 Teknaf battalion

detained the duo from a boat on

Thursday night.

After searching the boat, BGB men

seized arms, crystal meth and yaba worth

Tk 5.79, said the release.

The detainees were handed over to

Teknaf Police Station to file a case in this

regard, the release added.

Dazzling fireworks bring curtains down

on DU's centenary celebrations

DHAKA: Victory rallies, a slew of cultural

programmes and dazzling fireworks

officially rang down the curtains to the

celebrations of 100 years of Dhaka

University (DU) and the Golden Jubilee

of Bangladesh's Independence on


University authorities chose December

16 to end the over fortnight-long celebrations

to mark the 51st Victory Day of

Bangladesh. The entire day DU students

still negotiated.

On Okinawa, health officials confirmed

the omicron infection in a Japanese

employee, a man in his 50s, at the U.S.

Marine Corps Camp Hansen, which

reported to the prefecture 70 new cases

of coronavirus infection among its troops

recently transferred from the U.S. aboard

a military aircraft. It brought the cluster

at the camp to 99, Okinawan officials

said.

Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki told

reporters Friday that he has requested

the U.S. military to conduct a genome

analysis on the samples to step up antivirus

measures and to strictly isolate the

troops and keep them from leaving the

camp. Tokyo on Thursday confirmed its

first case of the omicron variant in a traveler

from the United States who was isolating

at home. Her friend whom she saw

shortly after arrival has since tested positive

for COVID-19 after attending a soccer

game. His infection with the omicron

was confirmed Friday.

The Health Ministry also said

Thursday that one of its quarantine officials

tested positive for the omicron variant.

The new findings bring Japan's confirmed

omicron cases to 34.

Japan's government says all omicron

cases so far have been detected by its border

controls, but experts say it is only a

matter of time before community transmission

cases start surfacing.

Japan has stepped up border controls

since the omicron variant was first

reported in South Africa, and now bans

entry to most foreign nationals. Japan

has had about 1.73 million cases since the

pandemic began, with about 18,400

deaths.

were busy holding victory rallies and various

cultural programmes. As part of the

programmes, DU Film Society (DUFS)

screened Liberation War-related short

films at the Teacher and Students Center.

A magnificent laser show on the

Independence and the development of

Bangladesh was also held for the students

on the university's central playground

at 8 pm. The celebrations ended

with blazing fireworks and songs.

Terrible suffering has been going on for several years around the development project. The road from Farmgate

to Motijheel has been barricaded due to the last stage of construction of Metrorail. The photo was taken in front

of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on Friday.

Photo: Star Mail

18-12-2021

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