22-12-2021

Wednesday

DhAKA: December 22, 2021; Poush 7, 1428 BS; Jamadi-ul Awal 17,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 231; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Omicron sweeps across

nation, now 73pc of

new US Covid cases

>Page 7

sports

Tamim set to return

to competitive cricket

after injury layoff

>Page 9

arts & culture

Pori Moni replaces

Mahi in ‘Kagojer

Biye'’

>Page 10

Rose from pandemic by helping

the neediest first: Hasina

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

has said the Covid-19 pandemic did not hit

Bangladesh as hard as other countries due

to prompt action to protect both the most

vulnerable people and businesses.

"Bangladesh could have fallen prey to

Covid-19 but we acted fast to protect both

our most vulnerable people and businesses.

As a result, the pandemic didn't hit

Bangladesh as hard as other countries.

We're emerging from the pandemic in a

good position to continue the economic

resurgence that began a decade ago," she

said in her article published in New Yorkbased

American multinational business

magazine 'Fortune' on Monday.

The Prime Minister said, "Our approach

to fighting Covid-19 was to balance lives

and livelihoods, focusing on the needs of

people first and then assisting the businesses

that employed them." At the very

start of the pandemic last year, the government

offered relief to the ultra-poor, the

disabled, seniors, migrants, and impoverished

women, she said.

Khaleda's treatment abroad

HC likely to hear

petition today

DHAKA : The High Court is likely to hear

the writ petition filed on Monday seeking

its directive on the government to let

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia go abroad

for treatment, reports UNB.

The HC bench of Justice Mamnoon

Rahman and Justice Khandaker

Diliruzzaman may hear the petition as it

has been kept on the cause-list of the

court, said Supreme Court Lawyer

Advocate Eunus Ali Akond

On Monday, Advocate Eunus Ali

Akond filed a writ petition with the High

Court seeking its directive on the government

to allow Khaleda Zia to go abroad

for treatment.

The writ petition sought the court's

directive to allow Khaleda Zia to go

abroad for treatment as per article 11, 32

and 49 of the Constitution, Code of

Criminal Procedures (CrPC) and the

International Human Rights Charter

declared by the United Nations.

Cabinet Secretary, Secretary to the

President's Office, Chief Secretary to the

Prime Minister, Home and Law

Secretaries were named as respondents

in the writ petition. Earlier on December

5, Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government

is assessing whether there is

any legal option to allow BNP chairperson

Khaleda Zia to go abroad for medical

treatment.

"As there haven many applications,

including from lawyers, I think it is

appropriate to come to a well-thoughtout

decision after examining all aspects

and whether any scope to do something

in any way," he added. Khaleda, a 76-

year-old former prime minister, has been

receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital

for various health complications since

November 13.

Zohr

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6:36 5:17

"We quickly distributed cash and other

types of assistance to 40 million people, a

quarter of the population. This came in the

form of 28 separate stimulus programs

totaling $22.1 billion-nearly 6.2% of our

Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We spent

billions of additional dollars on vaccines

and other emergency measures," she

added. "People continue to be at the heart

of everything we do, whatever the

Omicron variant brings," she said, adding

that the government instituted a "No One

Will Go Hungry" policy that provided rice,

baby food, and cash to 16.8 million families.

"We targeted payments to the aged,

the disabled, and deserted and destitute

women. We expanded a program inaugurated

prior to the pandemic to build

houses for the homeless to commemorate

the centenary of the birth of my

father-the founding father of the nation

and its first president-Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The programme

contributed immensely to our

fight against the disease," Hasina said.

She said the government also prioritized

assisting small businesses and their

employees. The government offered

low-interest loans to small-business

entrepreneurs, especially women and

farmers. Government loans on favorable

terms also were used to pay workers

in the tourism and hospitality industries

that were ravaged by shutdowns,

she added. The PM said larger businesses

also received assistance: Several

rounds of multi-billion-dollar payments

went to employees of export-oriented

companies, such as those in our vital

garment-making industry.

"A working-capital loan facility was

established to keep both big manufacturers

and rapidly growing service firms,

including information technology companies,

in operation. Interest payments

on these loans were split between the

borrowers and the government. Interest

payments on all commercial loans, in

fact, were suspended for two months

last year.

Enemies, pressure grow together

when you do better : FM

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul

Momen on Tuesday said both enemies

and pressure keep rising on a country

when it demonstrates better performance

in terms of overall development,

reports UNB.

"A country makes some enemies when

that particular country achieves development.

Pressure also keeps growing in

that country. The same thing happens if

you do better than some of your colleagues,"

he told reporters after attending

a function in the city. Asked whether the

government is feeling pressure from the

US, Dr Momen said they (US admin) are

functioning as per their rules and there is

no problem at the government level.

"They're doing their job and we're doing

our job."

The Foreign Minister said there are

some people in the USA while some people

here who do not like the development

of Bangladesh-why the Awami League

government is doing so well and why

people in the country are living happily.

Dr Momen said some people have continuously

been discussing with the US

lawmakers and providing false information

and making videos.

When someone is killed here it is

termed as "extrajudicial killing" and

when someone is killed in the USA, it is

described as "died in the line of duty".

Commenting on those who are providing

false information, Dr Momen said

many of them possibly are paid for that

(provide false info)."

The US Department of State's

Diplomatic Security Service, through its

Rewards for Justice (RFJ) office, offered

up to $5 million for information on the

attack against Avijit Roy and his wife

Rafida Ahmed.

The Secretary of State authorized

reward for information leading to the

arrest or conviction in any country of

anyone involved in the murder of Roy

and the attack on Ahmed, according to

US Department of State.

On February 26, 2015, Bangladeshborn

US citizens and married couple Roy

and Ahmed were visiting Dhaka to

attend a book fair when they were

attacked by unidentified assailants with

machetes. Roy was killed and Ahmed

survived with critical injuries.

Asked about the announcement, Dr

Momen said the US has been successful

in announcing such a reward and he

heard the same thing happened for

Osama bin Laden.

He said such a strategy is often successful

as Bangladesh announced rewards for

the three fugitive killers of Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman, whose whereabouts are

unknown.

"If anyone can give accurate information,

of course the government will

reward them. They (the United States)

have done the same," said Dr Momen.

Earlier, the Foreign Minister spoke at a

programme titled "Rohingya Crisis and

Repatriation: What is to be done?" held

in a city hotel.

He said the Rohingya crisis was created

by Myanmar and solution also lies

with Myanmar and not a single one was

repatriated through the crisis entered

into fifth year. Dr Momen said many

countries are supporting Bangladesh

basically on humanitarian affairs and

there are countries which have very good

relations with Myanmar.

Registration for

booster dose to

begin at Dec

DHAKA : Health Minister

Zahid Maleque on Tuesday

said the registration through

'Surokkha' App for administering

Covid-19 booster dose

will start at the end of

December after updating

the app, reports UNB.

"The ICT ministry is working

to update the app. Now

the citizens above 60 and

frontliners are getting the

booster shot on a limited

scale by showing their vaccine

cards," the minister told

reporters at the secretariat.

The government started

administering booster doses

to health workers on a trial

basis in Dhaka on Sunday,

he said. Fearing the spread

of the new variant, Zahid

Maleque said Omicron has

not yet spread in the country.

"Necessary steps are

being taken to check the

spread of Omicron."

Human trafficking

gang busted in

Dhaka, 3 held

DHAKA : The Rapid Action

Battalion (RAB) claimed to

have busted an international

human trafficking gang, with

the arrest of three men in

Dhaka Monday.

The arrestees have been

identified as Mollik Razaul

Haque Selim, 62, Md Bulbul

Ahmed Mollik, 55, and

Nironjon Pal, 51.

Tipped off, a team of RAB-4

conducted a drive in Mirpur

and Uttara areas of the capital

and arrested the three human

traffickers on Monday night,

said ASP (media) at RAB

headquarters, Imran Khan.

The Rapid

Action

Battalion

(RAB) claimed

to have busted

an international

human

trafficking

gang, with the

arrest of three

men in Dhaka

Monday.

photo :

Courtesy

In the seventh

shipment, a

foreign ship

SpM Bangkok

carrying 8

railway

coaches, 4

engines and

other materials

reached at the

jetty of

Mongla port

in Bagerhat.

photo : Star

Mail

2 death-row convicts in

Avijit murder case hiding

abroad: Home Minister

MANIKGANJ : Home Minister Asaduzzaman

Khan on Tuesday said sacked Major Syed

Mohammad Ziaul Haque and Akram Hossain

alias Abir, two death-row convicts in blogger

Avijit Roy killing case, are hiding in another

country.

"We're looking for the whereabouts of Ziaul

and Akram and we've information that they

went into hiding in another country," he said.

The home minister came up with the

remark a day after the USA announced a

reward up to $5 million for information on the

attack against Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida

Ahmed.

He was talking to reporters at a programme

after inaugurating a sculptor of a freedom

fighter at Harirampur Upazila Parishad in

Manikganj district.

"A fair investigation into the Avijit murder

was conducted and a group of militants of the

banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla

Team (ABT) took part in the killing mission.

Militants were active in the country during

this period but they failed to continue it due to

the proactive role of the law enforcement

agencies," he said.

The U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic

Security Service, through its Rewards for

Justice (RFJ) office, offered the reward for

information on the attack against Avijit Roy

and his wife Rafida Ahmed. The Secretary of

State has authorized the reward for information

leading to the arrest or conviction in any

country of anyone involved in the murder of

Avijit and the attack on Ahmed, according to

US Department of State.

Writer and founder of Mukto Mona blog

Avijit Roy, son of late physicist Ajoy Roy, was

hacked to death, but his wife Banya escaped

with serious injuries after unidentified

assailants attacked them with meat cleavers

near TSC on the Dhaka University campus on

the evening of February 26, 2015, as they were

returning home from the Amor Ekushey Boi

Mela.

Avijit's late father filed a murder case with

Shahbagh Police Station the very next day.

On February 16, a tribunal in Dhaka sentenced

five members of the banned militant

outfit Ansar-Al-Islam to death and another to

life term imprisonment in a case over the

killing of Avijit Roy.

Judge of the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism

Tribunal Md Mujibur Rahman handed down

the verdict.

The condemned convicts are sacked Major

Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, a suspected

coordinator of the banned militant outfit

Ansar-Al-Islam, Mozammel Hossain alias

Saimon, Abu Siddiq Sohel alias Sakib alias

Sajid alias Shahab, and Akram Hossain alias

Abir, Md Arafat Rahman.

Human rights commission

must be steadfast in establishing

rights: Law Minister

TBT RepoRT

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs

Minister Anisul Haque said the expectation of

all is that the National Human Rights

Commission will continue to work towards

creating a conducive human rights environment

in Bangladesh. The Commission may

have disagreements, conflicts and criticisms

on the issue of protection of human rights with

the institutions engaged in running the country.

But the commission must remain steadfast

in establishing human rights. The goal set by

the government of Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina in 2009 to set up an independent

human rights commission must be upheld.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the

prize distribution ceremony of the winners of

the essay competition titled "Liberation War,

Freedom and Human Values" organized by

the National Human Rights Commission at a

private hotel in Gulshan on Tuesday.

"It is unfortunate that from August 15, 1975

to March 30, 1996, we have seen human rights

violations," he said. "The manifestation of that

tragic experience is the National Human

Rights Commission Act, 2009. Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina enacted this law and formed

the National Human Rights Commission to

protect human rights. In our country, the practice

of protecting human rights started from

that time. Then, with the sincere cooperation

of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government,

the progress of this commission began

to take place. The country has come a long way

in establishing and defending human rights.

But we have to go much farther."

The Law Minister suggested that the Human

Rights Commission should be more organized

and vocal in order to change the mentality that

was created at that time to violate human

rights. This 13-year progress must be maintained

from 2009 to date. Bangladesh has

gone from a least developed country to a developing

country. We have become known as the

role model of development in the world.

Therefore, our main responsibility is to develop

human rights in line with this development.

Anisul Haque said that both the divisions of

the Bangladesh Supreme Court have taken

many steps to protect human rights through

public interest litigation and have directed to

take action.

National Human Rights Commission

Chairman Nasima Begum presided over the

ceremony, among others, Deputy Minister of

Education Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury, fulltime

member of the Commission, Kamal

Uddin Ahmed, Dhaka Divisional

Commissioner, Khalilur Rahman, Secretary of

the Commission Narayan Chandra Sarkar

spoke.

WeDneSDAY, DeCeMber 22, 2021

2

Discussion marking

Martyred Intellectuals

Day held at SEU

Southeast University (SEU)

observed Martyred

Intellectuals Day with due

solemnity on the campus.

Discussion program was held

with Vice Chancellor of SEU,

Prof. Dr. AFM Mafizul

Islamin the chair on Tuesday

while Prof. Dr. ANM Meshqu

at Uddin, Adviser to BoT,

SEU Trust was discussant, a

press release said.

Prof Dr Syed Anwar

Hossain, Bangabandhu Chair

Professor, Bangladesh

University of Professionals

(BUP) & Historian addressed

in the program as Chief

Guest. He said, Intellectuals

guided us during the

Liberation War. We will have

to put as much history as

possible in the textbooks in

order to keep the memories

of the martyrs alive among

the new generations.

Freedom fighter

murdered by three

men in Keraniganj

KERANIGANJ : A freedom

fighter was allegedly killed

by three men after his

arbitration went against one

of them in the Korergaon

area of south Keraniganj.

The victim was identified

as Shahidullah, 70, a local

resident. Four others also

sustained minor injuries in

the attack, reports UNB.

According to locals and

family

members,Shahidullah

helped settle a dispute on

Sunday but the decision

went against one of the

accused, Ripon.

Subsequently, Ripon and

his two accomplices

attacked the freedom

fighter, leaving him

seriously injured.

A discussion meeting was held at Southeast University yesterday on the occasion of Martyred

Intellectuals Day.

Photo : Courtesy

Maritime Connectivity

Ranong port, Chittagong

Port authorities sign MoU

DHAKA : Port Authority of Thailand

(Ranong Port) and Chittagong Port

Authority of Bangladesh have signed a

memorandum of understanding (MoU)

to facilitate trade by enhancing

maritime connectivity between the two

countries, reports UNB.

Md. Zafar Alam, Member (Admin and

Planning), of the Chittagong Port

authority and Lt. JG. Dr. Chamnan

Chairith, from the Port authority of

Thailand, signed the MoU on behalf of

their respective sides on virtual

platform on Monday, said the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

The MoU is part of the greater vision

of Bangladesh to enhance connectivity

with its neighbours including those in

the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-

Sectoral Technical and Economic

Cooperation (BIMSTEC) region.

The MoU would encourage the

business communities from both sides

to further explore trade and investment

opportunities, MoFA said.

Additionally, both the port authorities

would be benefited through the

exchange of information and

cooperation in port management,

operations, information technology,

communication, port connectivity,

coastal shipping, port-related industry

and investment promotion.

Bangladesh hoped that coastal

shipping, under the MoU, between the

Ranong port and the Chattogram port of

Bangladesh would immensely

contribute to further strengthening

bilateral trade through reducing the

transportation time and cost for trade

between Thailand and Bangladesh.

The signing of the MoU is also

expected to further strengthen the

existing excellent relations between the

two countries.

Secretary, Ministry of Shipping,

Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand,

Director General (South East Asia) of

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and

Chairman, Chittagong Port Authority

were present from Bangladesh side

while Ambassador of the Kingdom of

Thailand in Bangladesh, Assistant

Director General, Asset Management

and Business Development, Port

Authority of Thailand were present

from Thai side during the virtual

signing ceremony.

13 more Dengue patients

hospitalised in 24 hrs

DHAKA : Thirteen new

dengue patients were

hospitalised in 24 hours till

Tuesday morning, health

authorities said, reports UNB.

Fatalities from dengue

remained unchanged at 103

as no new death was reported

during the period, according

to the Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS).

It said 93 people died in

Dhaka division alone, four in

Mymensingh, two each in

Chattogram, and Khulna and

one each in Rajshahi and

Barishal divisions.

Ten patients are

undergoing treatment at

hospitals in Dhaka while the

remaining three cases have

been reported from outside

the division.

Some 116 patients who

were diagnosed with dengue

are receiving treatment in the

country as of Tuesday.

No one kept scissors inside Monira's

stomach during surgery

FARIDPUR : A committee formed to probe a

complaint of medical negligence against

doctors who allegedly left a pair of scissors

inside a girl's stomach during a surgery at

Faridpur's Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Medical College and Hospital in March

2020, has submitted its report.

However, the report didn't indict anyone

for the "mistake", according to hospital

director Saifur Rahman. "The three-member

panel, constituted on December 12, also

didn't recommend any action against anyone

for the mistake, in its report submitted to me

on Monday," he said.

Surprisingly, the probe committee, led by

Kamrul Hasan, assistant professor of the

surgery department, did refer to similar

incidents that occurred in different countries

in the past, citing various articles published

in international journals.

The panel, however, recommended that

more caution should be exercised during

surgeries in the future "to avoid this kind of

accidents". The other recommendations

made by the committee include keeping a

dedicated nurse for handling surgical

instruments during an operation.

In March 2020, Monira Khatun,18, a

resident of Banshbaria union in Gopalganj

district, got admitted to the Faridpur

government hospital with complications of

blood clot in mesenteric artery. A few days later,

she was operated upon but a six-inch long

artery forceps remained inside her abdomen.

On December 11 this year, the forceps were

removed from Monira's stomach in another

surgery at the same hospital after the matter

came to the fore. She is currently recuperating

at the hospital, and her conditions are

improving, said Saifur.

In Jashore, 29 people have been expelled from the Awami League for disobeying

party instructions and becoming rebel chairman candidates.

Leaders of the party, including district president Shahidul Islam Milon,

officially announced the names of the 29 at a press conference at Jashore

Press Club Jessore on Tuesday. Photo: Shahid Joy

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2021

3

Daffodil Group CEO Mohammad Nuruzzaman, and Danube Home Director-Business Development and

Franchise Sayed Habib exchanging the agreement documents at the Agreement signing ceremony

between Daffodil Group and Danube Home International. Jafar Ahmed Patwary, GM and Abdur Rob

DGM of Daffodil Group are seen in the picture.

Photo : Courtesy

ICMAB opens

up new horizon

for Bangladesh:

Jabbar

DHAKA : Minister for Posts

and Telecommunications

Mustafa Jabbar has said the

Institute of Cost and

Management Accountants

of Bangladesh (ICMAB) has

opened up a new horizon for

Bangladesh.

"ICMAB opens up a new

horizon for Bangladesh

which will remain as the

benchmark for others to

follow," he said.

Jabbar said this while

addressing the inaugural

ceremony of ICMAB

Digital CPD Platform

virtually as the chief guest

on Sunday, organised by

ICMAB at its Ruhul

Quddus Auditorium in the

capital, said a press release.

Speaking on the

occasion, the minister

praised the digitisation

initiative of ICMAB

mentioning, "Who else can

be a better soldier than

ICMAB in transforming

our country into Digital

Bangladesh."

AKM Delwer Hussain,

president of South Asian

Federation of Accountants

(SAFA) and former

president of ICMAB, was

present as special guest.

President of ICMAB Abu

Bakar Siddique, its Vice-

President Md. Mamunur

Rashid, Secretary Kazi

Muhammad Ziauddin,

Treasurer AKM

Kamruzzaman, Council

Member Md. Ali Haider

Chowdhury, Professor and

director (academic affairs

division of ICMAB) Dr.

Mohammad Zakaria

Masud were present,

among others, on the

occasion.

Fellow and associate

members and senior

students of the institute

were also present in the

event.

Agreement signed between

Daffodil Group and Danube

Home International FZCO

Recently an agreement signing ceremony for

Danube Home Exclusive Franchise in

Bangladesh between Daffodil Group and

Danube Home International FZCO was held

at Daffodil Tower (DT-4), Sukrabad,

Dhanmondi, Dhaka. On behalf of Daffodil

Family Mohammad Nuruzzaman, Group

CEO and from Danube Home Sayed Habib,

Director-Business Development and

Franchise signed the agreement. Jafar

Ahmed Patwary, GM and Abdur Rob DGM

of Daffodil Group along with other high

officials from Daffodil Family and Danube

Home attended the signing ceremony.

With this agreement Daffodil group will set

up a Danube Home exclusive franchise in

Bangladesh. Danube and DG will set up a

Manufacturing unit in Bangladesh targeting

the worldwide export market especially

Danube operating directly in 28 countries.

Danube Home, the retail arm of Danube

Group, was started by Adel Sajan, Danube

Group Managing Director, with an aim to

provide superior quality, global products to

customers to suit their budget and diverse

preferences. Danube Home is now a leading

home improvement and home furnishing

brand with a strong, vibrant, ever-growing

presence in the Middle East, Gulf Region,

Africa and the Indian Sub-Continent. It is a

one-stop solution for all the home

improvement needs of the customer

including sanitary ware, hardware, tiles and

electrical. In the UAE, Danube Home has

showrooms in Al Barsha, Deira, Sharjah, Ras

Al-Khaimah, Fujairah, Al Ain, and Abu

Dhabi. With their franchise model, Danube

Home International has expanded in more

than 20 countries across Africa, Middle East

and Asia.

Daffodil Family is the leading ICT

Conglomerate and the largest Education

provider in Bangladesh. Today Daffodil

Family encompasses over 17 concerns in two

specific arenas-ICT and Education. The

Group is operating in major divisions and

cosmopolitan areas in Bangladesh and has

started its operation internationally.

Fisheries sector makes visible its

presence in cultural landscape

DHAKA : Fisheries sector visibly reappeared in

Bangladesh's cultural landscape with its efforts

to restore the nation's "machhe-bhate Bangali"

or "fish-rice" tradition as fish production nearly

doubled in the past 12 years.

According to fisheries department officials,

fish now accounts for 60 percent of riverine

Bangladesh's protein demand, against 17

percent of the global average, as fish reappeared

as the Bengalis ancient food item.

"On the eve of 50th anniversary of the

independence we are now self-sufficient in fish

production . . . Fisheries sector has emerged as

one of the most productive and dynamic sectors

of deltaic Bangladesh economy," Fisheries and

Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim said.

Talking to BSS, he said the sector witnessed

revolutionary changes in the last 12 years which

he attributed to various government initiatives

including the adoption and proper

implementation of the Fisheries Act.

"Establishment of fish sanctuaries and beel

nurseries, release of fish fry, proper

management of marine fishery resources,

development of fish landing centres and

improved management system for inland open

water are contributing to the increasing fish

production," he said. Karim said extra

attentions were given for conservation of

mother and juvenile hilsa resulting in its higher

yield as Bangladesh is the largest producer of

the fish of this particular species.

Fisheries department officials said the sector

continued to witness over five percent growth in

the last 12 years while the government set a

target to enhance both the "culture" or

"cultivation" and "capture" or open water

fisheries by 20 percent within 2025.

"We set a goal in the eighth Five Year Plan

(2021-2025) to increase overall fish production

by 20 percent in next four years taking different

initiatives," Department of Fisheries (DoF)

director general Quazi Shams Afroz told BSS

correspondent Rafiqul Islam.

In 2020, UN-Food and Agriculture

Organisation (FAO) report on State of World

Fisheries and Aquaculture, Bangladesh ranked

third in open water or capture water fish

production and eighth and 12th in crustaceans

and finfish production. Bangladesh was

declared self-sufficient in fish production in

2016-17. According to official data, the fisheries

sector contributes 3.5 percent to Bangladesh

GDP, while about 26 percent of the country's

total agriculture income comes from the

fisheries sector.

Young Bangla recognizes silent

changers on golden jubilee

DHAKA : The 'Mongol Shovajatra' on the

first day of the Bangla New Year , that is

organized at the Fine Arts Institute of Dhaka

University, is a cultural marker for Bengali

nationalism, on which Bangladesh stands,

reports BSS.

In 1989, the teachers and students of Fine

Arts Institute, now the Faculty of Fine Arts at

the Dhaka University, started the 'Mongol

Shovajatra'.

And to carry this idea forward to the global

stage, the dean of the fine arts faculty, Nisar

Hossain, played a significant role in getting it

incorporated by the UNESCO's

Representative List of Intangible Cultural

Heritage of Humanity.

The story of Professor Nisar Hossain was

passed on to the platform of Young Bangla

during the Joy Bangla Youth Award giving

ceremony on Monday.

Apart from its regular arrangement of

recognizing the country's young

changemakers, Young Bangla added new

Award this - Pathfinder of 50 Award -

themed on the Golden Jubilee of the

country's independence.

It's a special recognition to individuals who

have made significant contributions to the

post-independence nation-building process

through their leadership, service, initiatives,

and research.

Professor Nisar was one of the three

recipients of this award conferred this year

by Young Bangla, the youth wing of Centre

for Research & Information (CRI).

While receiving the award from CRI

trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq, Prof Hossain

A press conference was held at Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press Club on

Tuesday.

Photo : Courtesy

786 technical teachers urge PM’s

attention for 18 months' salary

Despite the directions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 786

technical teachers appointed in 49 government polytechnic

institutes in the country are not getting salary allowance for

18 months due to prolonged liquidity in the transfer process.

Suman Haider, president of the technical wing of the Amra

Muktijudher Santan, made the claim at a press conference

held at Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press

Club at 11am on Tuesday.

Mostafa Kamal, son of Birshrestha Lance Nayek Noor

Mohammad Sheikh; Syed Omar Farooq, General

Secretary (Technical wings) of Amra Muktijudher Santan;

Chhaora Parveen and Aminul Islam, Junior Instructor,

Dhaka Polytechnic Institute; Mehdi Hasan Danial, Son of

Bir Bikram Shah Ali Akand and Instructor, Sirajganj

Polytechnic Institute, Rezaul Karim, Instructor,

Shariatpur Polytechnic Institute, teachers of various

polytechnic institutes across the country were also present

at the press conference.

Suman Haider, president of the Technical wings of Amra

Muktijudher Santan said that in July 2010, the government

adopted the scheme titled Skills and Training Enhancement

turned emotional.

Mongol Shovajatra is one of the initiatives

to revive the Liberation War spirit that led to

the Joy Bangla slogan, the spirit that led to

the birth of this Bangladesh, the spirit that

they attempted to wipe out forever by

murdering Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu and his family on 15 August,

he said.

"I desire that the young generation will

march forward holding that spirit in their

heart," he said.

Another recipient of the Pathfinder of 50

was Anjuman Mufidul Islam, a Bangladeshi

welfare organization specially designed to

enrich the livelihood of orphans and the

distressed. Having started its journey in

September 1947 as a branch of its Kolkata

office in Dhaka, it expanded its footprint to

42 other districts.

When the Coronavirus pandemic instilled

a morbid fear of infection among people and

even relatives left the dead bodies of Corona

patients untouched, this organization

offered burial services for them.

It also reached out to people with relief

during the epidemic. The joint director of

Anjuman Mufidul Islam, Harun ur Rashid

Khan, received the award on behalf of the

organization.

The award was also conferred on Rubaiyat

Mansur and Elisabeth Fahrni who played a

crucial role in making three sanctuaries for

freshwater dolphins in the Sundarbans.

They also took part in establishing the

Swatch-of-No-Ground submarine canyon

and adjacent coastal areas as the country's

Biman to

resume Dhaka-

Manchester

flight Dec 25

DHAKA : Biman Bangladesh

Airlines will resume its

Dhaka-Manchester flight via

Sylhet next Saturday after

twenty months of temporary

suspension.

On December 25, Biman's

flight BG-207 will fly from

Hazrat

Shahjalal

International Airport (HSIA)

at 12:30 PM and reach Sylhet

at 01:10 PM, after that the

flight is scheduled to fly from

Sylhet to Manchester at 02:15

PM and it will reach

Manchester at 08:00 PM

(Local Time), a Biman press

release said.

The national flag carrier will

operate two weekly flights on

the route every Thursday and

Sunday from December 30

with its Boeing dreamliner

aircraft.

Biman suspended flight

operations on the Dhaka-

Manchester route in March

2020 in the wake of the global

Covid-19 pandemic.

All flights will be operated

following health safety

protocol of the two countries'

civil aviation authorities, the

release added.

Project (STEP) to improve the quality and teacher skills of

government polytechnic institutes in the country to expand

technical education, which continued till 30th June, 2019.

Under the scheme, the government employs 1015 teachers in

two phases (777 currently working) following all the quotas of

recruitment rules in 49 government polytechnic institutes in

the country. In the last financial year 2019-2020, 786

teachers were paid salary allowances from the government's

allocation.

He further said that the process of transferring total 786

teachers of the project to the revenue sector has not been

carried out in a long span of time despite the

discipline/guidance of the Hon'ble Prime Minister. In the

wake of the Corona pandemic, we have been spending the

last eighteen (18) months in a very inhumane and anxious

state without getting salary allowances. In the meantime,

taking into account the 786 teachers and their families and

the children of brave freedom fighters, I humbly request

them to take necessary measures to complete the work

expeditiously and get the salary allowance under the

directions of the Prime Minister.

WEDNESDAY, DEcEMBER 22, 2021

4

Radical hope may be coming from South Korea

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Pay attention to

science education

It was disclosed in a recent seminar that

the number of examinees and students

in all forms of education in the country

is steadily increasing. The only exception

is in the area of science education where

the number is decreasing.

This decrease is not a small one but really

concern raising. It was revealed in the

seminar that in the last eight years, the

decrease in the number of science students

has been some 31.33 per cent which is quite

a big leap backward.

But successive governments in the country

have been parroting the slogan always that

they were remaining engaged in creating

human resources . But one fails to see how

even the stage can be set for the creation of

human resources when the pursuit of science

education remains so neglected. The

budgetary expenditure on general

education and even madrasha education

has been on the rise all the time but not

that of science education.

The need to expand science education

which mainly can create the conditions for

the building of appropriate human

resources, has gone on receiving largely lip

service. There is noted a dearth of science

teachers in the government run schools. The

relevant ministry paid scanty attention to

this void. Understandably, students are not

likely to feel encouraged to go for science

education seeing the shortage of teachers

and poorly endowed laboratories or even no

laboratories in some cases.

Government has a big role to play in the

matter. First of all, the infrastructures for

imparting science education must be

comprehensively set up and beefed up

through placing the required number of

science teachers in the public sector

educational institutions. Laboratories and

other supports have to be provided

adequately. Incentives can be created for

those who would take up science courses.

For example, science students at SSC and

HSC levels can be made the beneficiaries of

regular cash hand outs from the education

ministry. Government should utilize the

media to imprint on the minds of the

guardians of students the benefit to be

derived by the students and the country from

opting for science education.

The present century is going to be a science

and technology driven one unlike any other

time in human history. Only the nations that

would put the premium on acquiring

science and technology education, they

will survive or be successful in the very

demanding and competitive environment

of the present century. Policy planners in

Bangladesh must come round to fully

understanding this vital aspect.

A front rank daily paper of the country

reported sometime ago that madrashas

(religious schools) are being favoured over

regular or mainstream educational

institutions in the allocation of government

funds. Clearly, this is not desirable .

Madrasha education mainly produces the

Islamic clergy or prayer leaders and we have

an abundance of them .

What the country needs, above all, is the

creation of forward looking human

resources through the mainstream

educational systems of the country .

Madrashas with their outmoded system can

never fulfill this need. They are rather likely

to create at least some radicalized elements

or extremists to play into the hands of

terrorists or foreign conspirators. So, the

government will be duly expected to go

for a review of its policies in this area in

the wake of the countrywide

undercurrent to fully revive terrorism. It

cannot remain so unconcerned about

religion fed terrorism and needs to

address it by nipping it at the bud.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,

and with economic and ecological

crises only intensifying, it is easy to

understand why so many people feel

hopeless for the future. All the more so

after this year's UN Climate Conference

(COP26) failed to provide the radical

roadmap we need to avert climate

catastrophe and as governments are

trying to take us back to a dystopic,

unequal "normal" despite early promises

of a post-COVID re-set.

There are, however, hopeful signs of

change, visible beyond the negative wall of

impossibility erected by the corporatecaptured

media. One of these comes from

South Korea, where the Democratic

Party's candidate for the presidency, Lee

Jae-myung, is running on a platform

arguably unmatched in its radicalism

anywhere in the industrialised world.

Let me be clear at the outset that Lee is

a controversial figure who is the subject of

considerable critique from the left and the

right, not least because of some allegedly

questionable personal and political

decision-making. This article, therefore,

does not intend to uncritically lionise him

as any kind of saviour. But the platform he

is running on for the March 2022

presidential elections has such potential

that it merits wider discussion.

Lee, who served as governor of

Gyeonggi Province until October, is

promising three major reforms:

unconditional basic income (UBI), a land

tax, and a carbon tax. Alone, each of these

would be radical; together, they form the

basis of a programme that could be

transformative. UBI is an idea almost as

old as capitalism itself, and it aims

primarily to attenuate the injustices of

that economic system. It involves

providing all people a regular cash stipend

without a means test or work

requirement. This would replace the

complex, costly and often inefficient

"benefits system" with a universal transfer

set at an amount sufficient for survival.

Although simple, the implications of

such a reform could be seismic. Scholars

argue that by removing the threat of

destitution at the heart of the "free"

market (either you accept whatever job is

on offer or you starve), a UBI scheme

could reduce deprivation and

exploitation, liberate creative energy,

allow women to leave abusive

relationships, encourage men to trade

work for child care, and enable all of us to

re-train or pursue further learning.

Perhaps just as significantly, UBI

portends a shift in societal values away

NEIl HOWARD

from "the more you are paid the more you

matter" towards "we all matter so we are

all paid". The idea of a land tax is similarly

progressive. First floated by the Victorian

reformer, Henry George, a land tax aims

to reduce the economic rent that accrues

to scarce or monopoly-controlled

resources like land with a view to

redistributing wealth and fostering

productivity. George recognised that

when the resources that we all need to

survive are privatised by a select few, they

can extract exorbitant rates from those

able to pay while excluding those who

cannot. This leads to ever-greater

concentrations of wealth alongside

rapidly rising inequality, which -

economists like Thomas Piketty argue -

we need wealth taxes to address. It is no

coincidence that Lee's manifesto refers to

the land tax as "a corrective".

Also corrective is his manifesto's third

radical pillar - the carbon tax. Carbon

taxes are widely advocated across the

political spectrum as a way to wean our

economies off of carbon dependence and

KERRY BOYD ANDERSON

move towards the clean, green

technologies that will be vital if we are to

avoid the worst of climate chaos.

The principle is similar to that

underpinning the taxing of tobacco and

cigarettes: we know that both are

damaging, so elected governments

impose tariffs to make their use less and

less attractive and to fund public spending

with the proceeds. In Lee's case, the

dividends would be used to fund a

transitional UBI before other revenue

streams come online, making the link

between the economic and ecological

crises and how to deal with them

thrillingly explicit. Indeed, beyond the

potential that each of these individual

reforms has, it is precisely the fact that

they are woven together in a coherent

attempt to tackle climate and capitalist

crisis that is so exciting. Lee's manifesto

boldly states that its goal is to foster the

"transition to a sustainable economy…[to]

transform a carbon civilisation into an

ecological civilisation…[and to] transform

the rent-seeking economy into an

innovation-seeking economy". These are

worthy goals in any context and echo calls

for a Green New Deal on both sides of the

Atlantic. What makes them radical in the

full sense of that term (which derives from

the Latin word meaning "root") is that

they collectively aim to address the

underlying causes of the interlinked issues

we face, and not just their symptoms.

Source: Al Jazeera

A smarter approach to hydropower in the race to net-zero

Leaders from around the world

recently spent two weeks in

Glasgow hammering out an

agreement on the next 10 years of global

climate action. The representatives who

gathered for the 26th UN Climate Change

Conference of the Parties (COP26)

focused primarily on the much-needed

transition from fossil fuels to clean energy

alternatives. But as leaders return to their

home countries and begin the hard work

of delivering on their commitments, they

need to understand that some alternative

energy sources have larger ecological

footprints than others.

Hydropower in particular brings with it

certain hidden costs that nations should

be aware of, lest they end up irreparably

harming rivers in the name of clean

energy. Generally viewed as a low-carbon

energy source, hydropower makes an

enticing alternative to fossil fuels. And yet

poorly conceived hydropower dams can

lead to flooded communities, declining

fisheries, degraded or destroyed wildlife

habitats, and other major disruptions for

people and nature. To be clear,

hydropower has played a critical role in

stabilizing electrical grids and enabling

the expansion of the world's renewable

energy supply, and will continue to do so

for the foreseeable future. But if we aren't

smart about implementation, we risk

squandering precious natural resources

that have undergirded human health and

well-being for millennia.

Infrastructure development and other

man-made changes have already

fragmented or disrupted two-thirds of the

world's longest rivers. Dams, including

Migration is key issue facing Middle East

Among the issues that will shape the

Middle East in 2022 is migration.

While the level of violence in

several conflicts has diminished, a rising

sense of desperation threatens to drive

more people to find opportunity outside of

their home countries.The Middle East is a

major global destination for migrants.

According to the International

Organization for Migration, 15 percent of

the world's migrants live in Arab

countries. Some come from outside the

region, often drawn by economic

opportunity, especially in the Gulf states.

The GCC had the highest proportion of

migrant workers as a share of the national

workforce worldwide in 2017, according

to the IOM.There also is significant

migration within the Middle East. The

IOM has noted that half of migrants and

refugees originating from Arab states stay

in the Arab region. Furthermore, the

Middle East and North Africa have the

world's largest numbers of internally

displaced people forced to move within

their own country.Migration out of the

region is another trend. This year's Arab

Youth Survey suggested that 33 percent of

young Arabs want to emigrate or have

considered it. Furthermore, some

Although simple, the implications of such a reform could

be seismic. Scholars argue that by removing the threat of

destitution at the heart of the "free" market (either you

accept whatever job is on offer or you starve), a UBI

scheme could reduce deprivation and exploitation.

NIK SEKHRAN AND GHANA SHYAM GURUNG

hydropower dams, are the leading cause

of this loss in river connectivity.

They can block upstream-downstream

fish migration and cause other

disruptions that place pressure on

ecosystems already pushed to the

breaking point by destructive fishing,

excessive or inefficient irrigation, toxic

pollution and climate change.

It's hard to overstate just how dire the

situation has become for Earth's rivers,

streams and other freshwater ecosystems.

Since 1970, freshwater wildlife

populations monitored by WWF's Living

Planet Index have experienced a

staggering 84% decline on average. This

decline has serious implications for the

200 million people who depend on

freshwater fisheries for food and the 60

million who depend on them for their

livelihoods. Dams also can negatively

impact downstream deltas, which are

home to 500 million people and produce

4% of the world's food, making them

among the most productive agricultural

regions on the planet. Free-flowing rivers

carry sediment and nutrients that help

maintain these fertile regions; without

them, deltas are more vulnerable to rising

migrants, especially Afghans, transit

through the region while trying to reach

Europe.There is a pull and push to

migration in the Middle East. Parts of the

region, especially the Gulf, offer economic

opportunity that draws people from the

region and beyond. Other parts of the

Middle East have strong push factors. The

region lacks enough jobs for its large

cohort of young people. Many young

people in the Middle East see migration as

the only way to pursue the type of work

that might provide them with a decent

future. Some look to migrate within the

region, while others look elsewhere,

especially to Europe.

Several countries in the region are

experiencing more severe push factors.

Violent conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen,

seas. Environmental reviews of

hydropower projects are generally

conducted at the level of an individual

dam and rarely factor in the system-level

or cumulative impacts that such projects

can have on river basins and even entire

countries. Such reviews also tend to only

occur after a project has significantly

progressed, thereby hamstringing efforts

to avoid, minimize or mitigate negative

impacts on rivers.

Technical studies funded by the United States Agency for

International Development (USAID) and conducted by World

Wildlife Fund (WWF) and partners recently examined how Nepal

could balance the protection of its rivers with its development

of low-carbon, low-impact and low-cost power systems.

Given the risks involved, how can

nations chart their course to a clean

energy future without sacrificing the

rivers and other freshwater ecosystems

that sustain them? For the answer to that

question, we must look to the small South

Asia nation of Nepal.

Nepal's remaining free-flowing rivers

have cultural significance for its people

and provide them with a wide array of

ecosystem goods and services, including

water supply, biodiversity, tourism,

recreation and more. But the immense

value of these "natural assets" is rarely

factored into cost-benefit analyses, and

top priority continues to go to water use

for irrigation and hydropower production,

which generates nearly all of Nepal's

and Libya have forced many people to

move within their country and even to flee

across borders. In particular, the Syrian

civil war led to a huge wave of refugees,

and Syria now is the world's largest source

of refugees and internally displaced.

Today, Turkey hosts the largest refugee

population in the world, at 3.7 million,

many of them Syrian. The Syrian refugee

There also is significant migration within the Middle East. The IOM

has noted that half of migrants and refugees originating from Arab

states stay in the Arab region. Furthermore, the Middle East and

North Africa have the world's largest numbers of internally

displaced people forced to move within their own country.

crisis spilled into Europe, with widespread

political and socioeconomic

consequences. Statistics on refugees in the

Middle East usually exclude Palestinians,

who receive assistance from UNRWA.

There are 5.7 million Palestinian refugees

registered with UNRWA, displaced by an

Israeli-Palestinian conflict for which no

resolution is in sight.

The pull of economic opportunity and

electricity. Last year, the government

submitted Nepal's second Nationally

Determined Contribution (NDC)

document to the United Nations. The

document, which outlines Nepal's climate

ambitions over the next decade, includes a

commitment to expand clean energy

generation from less than 1,400

megawatts to 15,000MW, nearly all of

which is currently planned to come from

hydropower. Nepal has committed to

supplying 15% of the total energy demand

from clean energy sources, though that

term remains vaguely defined. Technical

studies funded by the United States

Agency for International Development

(USAID) and conducted by World

Wildlife Fund (WWF) and partners

recently examined how Nepal could

balance the protection of its rivers with its

development of low-carbon, low-impact

and low-cost power systems.

The studies found that it's possible for

Nepal to keep its rivers free-flowing with a

minimal increase in financial costs for

energy-system development - but only if

the government embraces early and

comprehensive planning that moves away

from single projects and toward whole

systems. System-level planning involves

looking at different pathways for meeting

a country's future electricity demand and

comparing the costs and benefits of each

pathway - not just in terms of energy

costs, but also in terms of impacts on

fisheries, river-related recreation,

biodiversity and other social-cultural

values.

Source: Asia times

the push of conflict, economic stagnation,

unemployment, and other drivers will

continue to shape migration in the region

in 2022. Specific drivers to watch include

events in Afghanistan, other conflict

zones, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well the

impacts of the pandemic and climate

change. Fear of the Taliban and economic

collapse in Afghanistan are driving many

Afghans to flee. Many are going to Iran,

which already has more than 3.5 million

Afghan migrants and refugees and has

faced an additional influx of thousands of

Afghans each day since the NATO

withdrawal. Iran has increased

deportations of Afghans and is making

border crossings more difficult, but

Afghan desperation is intense. In the next

year, Iran will have to manage a migration

crisis, and more Afghans in Iran are likely

to try to travel to Europe or other

destinations. Years of war, instability,

economic recession and stagnation,

unemployment, corruption, and other

factors have led many young people to

believe that their only hope lies outside

their own communities and even

countries.

Source: Arab news

WeDnesDAY, DeCemBeR 22, 2021

5

CARoline BoloGnA

Fancy sneakers, baseball cards, comic

books ? there are many items people love

to collect.

A Morning Consult survey from earlier

this year suggested that millennials in

particular are fans of collecting physical

objects, as well as digital collectibles like

NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Gen Xers

had the second highest percentage of

respondents who collect things. The

survey also polled Gen Zers and baby

boomers.

Of course, hobbyists have been

collecting things like coins, stamps and

books for generations. But is there

something about collecting that might

appeal especially to today's young

adults? HuffPost asked mental health

experts to break down some of the

potential factors.

Of course, hobbyists have been

collecting things like coins, stamps and

books for generations. But is there

something about collecting that might

appeal especially to today's young

adults? HuffPost asked mental health

experts to break down some of the

potential factors.

In the early stages of the COVID-19

pandemic, many of us took a renewed

interest in things we did as kids. For

millennials, this meant tie-dying, doing

puzzles and playing video games, among

other things.

"A lot of people turned to ways to

reconnect with their childhood," said

Jocelyn McDonnell, a licensed clinical

professional counselor and member of

the cognitive behavioral therapy team at

the Family Institute at Northwestern

University. "Many millennials collected

things as a hobby growing up ? like

Pokémon cards and sports cards. I think

some people have re-looked at these

hobbies for the first time during the

pandemic."

"For some, there is a thrill and sense of

accomplishment that comes along with

acquiring an entire collection,"

Thomasian said. "For us millennials, I

can't help but wonder if growing up with

the catchphrase 'collect them all' and

during a time when we sought to

complete a collection of McDonald's toys

has something to do with our tendency to

collect."

She also pointed to the financial

challenges millennials face with the

JuliA Ries

Why millennials are so into collecting things

There are psychological reasons why you're so compelled to collect items, particularly if you're

a millennial.

Photo: Getty

stagnant wages, rising debt and

increased housing and medical costs that

have become their reality.

"I bet there is a sense of

accomplishment that comes from being

able to buy and collect things that is

deprived of most millennials,"

Thomasian said. "Previous generations

were able to buy homes more easily and

feel pride in that, but when that doesn't

feel as much of an option, people can

seek that same feeling from other items."

McDonnell similarly noted that

collecting can offer a feeling of power and

achievement. "Ask someone who's really

into collecting what they're gaining from

it ? enjoyment, fun and maybe it's a

status symbol in some ways," she said.

"It's the idea that 'Maybe I can pay for

this rare card now, but I couldn't when I

When Should we use at-home

rapid Covid tests?

If you've stopped by a drug

store lately, you may have

noticed there are now

shelves of over-the-counter

rapid COVID-19 antigen

tests available for purchase.

They're cheap, they're easy

to use and they provide

COVID-19 test results within

minutes.

Health officials have said

rapid antigen tests are a

useful public health tool that

can help us better screen for

infections and slow the

spread of the coronavirus.

The tests aren't as sensitive

as the PCR tests most places

have relied on throughout

the pandemic, but infectious

disease experts say the rapid

tests are excellent at quickly

identifying infected

individuals who may be very

contagious.

If you have symptoms and

suspect you may have

COVID, most infectious

diseases

doctors

recommend skipping the

rapid antigen test and going

straight for the PCR. There

are treatments that may help

people at the onset of their

illness, so if you're

symptomatic "you want a

test that's going to effectively

diagnose illness with COVID

and the antigen test is

probably not that test. It's

best thought of as a test for

being really contagious,"

Sheldon Campbell, a

pathologist, microbiologist,

and professor of laboratory

medicine at Yale School of

Medicine, told

Rapid tests scan for

antigens (a protein located

on the surface of the virus).

PCR diagnostic tests look for

the virus's genetic material,

or RNA.

The main difference

between rapid tests and PCR

tests is how sensitive they

are. PCR tests are incredibly

sensitive and can detect very

tiny traces of virus. Rapid

tests, on the other hand, are

very insensitive - especially

in people who don't have

symptoms.

Though they could miss

small amounts of virus,

they're great at identifying

large amounts. "You have to

have quite a bit of virus to

turn the antigen test

positive," Campbell said.

A large meta-analysis from

March 2021 found that rapid

antigen tests detected about

72% of symptomatic cases

confirmed positive by a PCR

test. The rapid tests were less

sensitive with asymptomatic

infections, catching on

average about 58% of those

cases.

"These rapid antigen tests,

particularly the popular

ones, are not good at

detecting patients who are

asymptomatically infected,"

said Benjamin Pinsky,

medical director of

Stanford's Clinical Virology

Lab.

But this doesn't mean the

rapid antigen tests are

useless ? and they might

even be getting better. A

December 2021 study found

that BinaxNOW's COVID-19

antigen test identified 87%

of symptomatic cases and

71% of asymptomatic cases

when performed by health

care workers in a controlled

setting. Of course, that

number is likely to go down

a bit when conducting them

at home because of issues

like user error. Other studies

have found that rapid

antigen tests catch most of

the cases (93%) that have a

solid chance of being

transmissible. The rapid

antigen tests do this by their

ability to identify large viral

loads, which indicate a

person could be pretty

contagious. (People with

smaller viral loads are

generally believed to be less

contagious than those with

high viral loads.)

"Someone who is antigennegative

but PCR-positive is

You can find FDA-authorized rapid tests at many different drug stores. Photo: Getty

was 10.'" Collecting can help millennials

reconnect with the simpler and in some

ways happier times of their youth. But it

can also offer a sense of hope and

promise for the future.

"Many millennials are weathering the

effects of the second recession of their

short working lives, which has had a very

specific impact on their

conceptualization of what paths their

lives were supposed to take," said Jenny

Maenpaa, a New York-based

psychotherapist.

A lot of millennials entered the

workforce in a shaky economy that

limited their earning potential, and may

have found themselves in a similar

position during the pandemic ? but with

more responsibilities like children and

aging parents. As a result, it makes sense

almost certainly less

contagious than someone

who is antigen-positive and

PCR-positive," said

Campbell, adding that

further research is needed to

determine how infectious a

person is who produces a

negative rapid test but a

positive PCR test.

When shopping for a kit,

look for a brand that has

been authorized by the Food

and Drug Administration.

Ellume, another brand that

was authorized by the FDA,

is another option. However,

the FDA recalled more than

2 million Ellume tests in

November due to higher

rates of false positives. The

tests affected were those

manufactured between

Febraury 24 and August 11,

and those distributed

between April 13 to August

26.

Many of these kits tend to

sell out quickly due to high

demand, so it may be worth

keeping some handy in your

medicine cabinet (more on

storing them in a minute) or

signing up to be notified

when more kits are in stock.

If you're sick or don't want

to be around others, many

retailers offer curbside

pickup. Lastly, experts

recommend avoiding buying

from unverified sellers,

resellers or via social media.

That's because, of course,

there are fraudulent test kits

out there.

The question of when and

how we should be using

rapid antigen tests is heavily

debated in the medical

community. Many health

experts say the tests aren't

sensitive enough to pick up

on all infections. Others

argue that rapid tests

identify the most useful

thing: people who may be

highly infectious.

Campbell said the best

time to use a rapid test is

right before you're around a

large group of people.

"By far the most important

time to use an antigen test is

not three to five days after

you did something risky to

find out if you've already

suffered the consequences -

it's right before you do

something risky so you

aren't the one who spreads

disease there," Campbell

said.

they might turn to something from a

more hopeful time.

"For many millennials, who grew up

collecting POGS, Beanie Babies and

American Girl Dolls, the idea of

collecting something tangible is

comforting and represents a time when

they felt more hope for the future and

none of the existential dread that grips

many today," Maenpaa said. "Collecting

items also implies that you still believe

you will have a home to fill someday with

things that matter to you, even if you

aren't in that position today and have no

idea how you're going to get there."

"We all have an instinct to possess. It

makes us more comfortable and secure,"

said Shirley Mueller, an adjunct associate

professor of neurology at Indiana

University and the author of "Inside the

CATheRine PeARson

Throughout the pandemic,

health care providers

working in the trenches have

warned of the ripple effect of

COVID surges. When cases

jump, hospitals that are

overrun with COVID

patients must put off

lifesaving "elective"

procedures, including

cancer surgeries and heart

valve replacements.

Sobering new research

also warns that there has

been a substantial decline in

new cancer diagnoses - a

decline that has extended

beyond the earliest stage of

the pandemic, when

shutdowns

were

widespread.

The study, published in

the journal Cancer, used

nationwide data from the

Veterans

Health

Administration from 2018

to 2020. The researchers

found that cancer-screening

procedures declined

dramatically amid the

pandemic.

Colonoscopies (which are

used to screen for colon

cancer) dropped by 45% in

2020, prostate biopsies

(used to screen for prostate

cancer) dropped by 29%,

chest CT scans (used to

detect lung cancer) dipped

by 10% and cytoscopies

(used to look for bladder

cancer) dropped by 21%.

New cancer diagnoses also

decreased by anywhere from

13% to 23%, depending on

the type of cancer.

"I fully anticipate that

we're going to see the

consequences of this play

out over the next decade,"

study researcher Brajesh

Kumar Lal, an associate

professor of surgery and

director of endovascular

surgery with The University

Of Maryland Medical

System, told HuffPost.

Indeed, detecting cancer

early - ideally before a

person has any symptoms -

is often a matter of life or

Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological

Forces at Play."

A sense of security is something many

of us have been craving amid the

uncertainty of the pandemic. We need

tangible rewards and proof that we have

some power and agency in our lives.

"So much is out of our control during

COVID that the little dopamine hit of

collecting another item is especially

rewarding and in our control," said

Rachel Kazez, a Chicago-based therapist

and the founder of All Along, a resource

to help people find therapy and

understand mental health.

Indeed, the act of locating and

procuring something for a collection can

activate the pleasure center of the brain,

so this hobby can provide a feeling of

comfort and stability.

"As a therapist I see more people

collecting things as a way to comfort or

self-soothe," said Kati Morton, a licensed

marriage and family therapist in Santa

Monica, California. "Having things they

love around them can help them feel

more at home, or remind them of

happier times. I have even had a few

patients collect things as a way to always

have 'home' with them because they

moved a lot as children."

Between 9/11, the financial crisis and

the pandemic, millennials experienced a

lot of stress and uncertainty during

particularly formative years.

"The trauma and stress millennials

have gone through during key times in

their life makes them more likely to

collect things as a way to self-soothe or

comfort themselves," Morton said.

"Collecting objects might be for fun,

because it is part of an interest or to fit in

and be seen to be part of a 'tribe,'" said

Noel McDermott, a London-based

psychotherapist. "Consuming is a core

activity in our culture and

overproduction of things is a feature of

our times. Whereas collecting in the past

was the preserve of the wealthy and idle

few, it is much more widespread now."

McDermott pointed to the large social

media communities and groups of

people who follow influencers who focus

on particular collections or items. Being

"in the know" and up to date with the

death. Researchers have

found, for example, that

colonoscopies can slash the

risk of death from colon

cancer among high-risk

patients by more than half.

Every month of delay in

getting a person cancer

treatment can raise the risk

of death by 10%.

Studies have sounded

alarms over the direct

impact of COVID on cancer

outcomes around the world.

"A research study from

Brazil has shown that shortterm

decreases in cancer

care led to increased cancerrelated

deaths, with the

mortality rate of hospitalized

patients with cancer

increasing by 14% in 2020

compared to 2019," said

Diane Reidy Lagunes,

associated deputy physicianin-chief

and a medical

oncologist with Memorial

Sloan Kettering Cancer

Center in New York City.

"Similar increases in cancerrelated

mortality are

expected in the U.K. as well,

with the UK Lung Cancer

Coalition estimating that the

delays in lung cancer

diagnoses could increase

deaths in the five years after

diagnosis by about 5%."

Lal argued that his

findings are important to

consider now, because they

do not simply show that

cancer screenings dropped

early on the pandemic when

the world largely shut down;

they suggest they're

persisting.

"We still haven't

recovered," he said. There

are, however, relatively

straightforward solutions

that can help, Lal said, like

continuing to leverage

telemedicine. Nearly every

state has loosened its

regulations to allow

healthcare providers to offer

telemedicine to patients who

are unable to come into the

office or prefer not to during

the pandemic, and Lal

believes doctors can use that

technology to reach out to

patients who have missed

routine screenings and

"bring them back into the

fold."

Hospitals can also

separate COVID patients

from non-COVID patients to

the extent they're able as

cases surge yet again.

"Organize these screening

activities in areas of the

latest trends can feel good, especially in

the age of FOMO.

"I think millennials collect for both a

sense of individuality and community,"

said Meg Gitlin, a psychotherapist in

New York and the voice behind the

therapy insight Instagram City

Therapist. "This may seem paradoxical

but I think both are true. Many collectors

are involved in larger groups with the

same interests, but there's also

something 'special' about claiming

ownership over something that's hard to

find and fully understand." She also

believes that living through the major

shift into the digital world and internet

age might have something to do with

millennials' interest in collecting items.

"I would imagine that for people like

me, collecting is a way to preserve an

attachment to meaning in the physical

world," Gitlin said. As Gitlin noted,

collecting can be about both communal

connection and individual expression.

"Objects are an extension of ourselves,"

Mueller said. "What we choose

represents us. They define us as people

and are a form of self-expression.

Collecting in a specific area is the

ultimate self-expression."

Collecting vintage postcards might be a

way to show your interest in history,

travel and art. What you collect is a

reflection of what you prioritize in your

discretionary spending. Your interest in

collecting could also be about a specific

childhood trauma or defining

experience.

"For some, it can be filling an

emotional void," said Gina Moffa, a

psychotherapist in New York. "For any

reason, the key is having an emotional

attachment to the items and putting

individualized meaning upon them. The

key is in knowing and understanding

which of these categories one may fall

into when looking at the need to collect."

"Collecting can be a great way to make

and keep memories," said Kathryn

Smerling, a New York-based

psychotherapist. "However, people are

also collecting to resell. It's also

entrepreneurial, not necessarily to hold

on to things."

Indeed, millennials have witnessed the

ways collectibles can grow in value over

time ? including our own childhood toys

like American Girl dolls and Beanie

Babies. Collecting items can therefore

feel like a form of investing.

The pandemic is leading to missed

cancer diagnosis

The research raises alarms over missed opportunities for early detection that

could cause a surge in later-stage patients.

Photo: Aja Koksa

hospital that don't have a lot

of traffic, or perhaps even

outside the main hospital in

smaller offices, so patients

are not exposed to high-risk

conditions," Lal said.

Of course, bringing the

pandemic to an end will also

help bring the health care

system back to more of a

state of equilibrium. And

doctors and nurses have

been clear that those who

are unwilling to get

vaccinated are at much

greater risk of being

hospitalized due to COVID -

which strains resources and

makes it more difficult for

them to do their jobs

effectively.

For cancer patients, the

potential consequences are

profound. "It will be years

before we truly quantify the

impact COVID has had on

cancer care," Lagunes said.

"We are worried that in the

next coming years, we will

see an increase in the

number of later-stage

patients."

WEDnESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2021 6

Asroy-Realize Project holds discussion

meet of Upazila Level eDC

TAJUL ISLAM, BIROL CORReSPONDeNT

A discussion meeting of the Upazila

Level education Development

Committee (eDC) was held on Tuesday

in the training hall of the office of Asroy-

Realize Project Project in collaboration

with BMZ germany and Netz

Bangladesh in Birol upazila.

Chairman of the Upazila Parishad

AKM Mostafizur Rahman was the chief

guest at the meeting chaired by retired

View exchange

meeting with

Christian

leaders held in

Baraigram

AMOR D COSTA, BARAIgRAM

CORReSPONDeNT

Bonpara Municipal

Council has held a view

exchange meeting with

Bonpara Christian leaders

in Baraigram, Natore. The

meeting was chaired by

Mayor KM Zakir Hossain

and moderated by

Municipal Secretary

Abdul Hai at the

Municipal Hall on

Tuesday afternoon.

During the time, Father

Dilip S. Costa, chief priest

of Bonpara Dharmapalli,

Ratan Perera, vicepresident

of the Paris

Council, Subrata Rosario,

chairman of the Christian

Co-operative Credit

Union, Shilpi Krush,

general secretary, Ataur

Rahman Mridha,

municipal councilor were

among others also

present at the occasion.

It is to be noted that

Mayor KM Zakir Hossain

formed a monitoring cell

consisting of 15 councilors

to ensure a peaceful

Christmas.

headmaster Mozaffar Hossain,

president of Birol Upazila education

Development Committee (eDC) of

Asroy-Realize Project.

Asroy-Realize Project Manager Kerin

Soren said the donor organization BMZ

german and Netz Bangladesh are

implementing a private project called

Asroy to provide quality primary

education and ancillary support to

children of poor, minority and extremely

poor families in Birol Upazila.

During the time, Upazila Parishad

Women Vice Chairman Firoza Begum,

Project Manager Kerin Soren, FAO

Shefali Rani, education Organizer Shiuli

Begum, Abu Taleb and others were also

present at the occasion. The discussion

was attended by members of the

education Development Committee at

the Upazila level, sympathetic NgOs,

NgOs, journalists and local dignitaries.

A discussion meeting of the Upazila Level Education Development

Committee (EDC) was held on Tuesday in Birol. Photo: Tajul Islam

96.58pc Covid-19 patients

recover in Rangpur division

RANgPUR: Some 96.58

percent Covid-19 patients

have so far recovered in

Rangpur division where the

pandemic situation

continues improving almost

during the last four months,

reports BSS.

Talking to BSS yesterday,

Divisional Director (Health)

Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam

said 43 more Covid-19

patients healed on Monday

raising the total number of

recovered people to 53,787

at the average recovery rate

of 96.58 percent.

The 53,787 recovered

patients include 11,839 of

Rangpur, 3,718 Panchagarh,

4,368 of Nilphamari, 2,625

of Lalmonirhat, 4,527 of

Kurigram, 7,409 of

Thakurgaon, 14,502 of

Dinajpur and 4,799 of

gaibandha districts in the

division.

Bonpara Municipal Council has held a view exchange meeting with Bonpara

Christian leaders in Baraigram on Tuesday.

Photo: Amor D Costa

"Meanwhile, the number

of Covid-19 cases reached

55,690 as six fresh cases

were diagnosed after testing

185 new samples at the

positivity rate of 3.24

percent on Monday in the

division," he said.

The district-wise break up

of total 55,690 patients

include 12,543 of Rangpur,

3,832 Panchagarh, 4,463 of

Nilphamari, 2,757 of

Lalmonirhat, 4,646 of

Kurigram, 7,691 of

Thakurgaon, 14,882 of

Dinajpur and 4,876 of

gaibandha in the division.

"Since the beginning of the

pandemic, a total of 305,111

collected samples were

tested till Monday, and of

them, 55,690 were found

positive with an average

positivity rate of 18.25

percent in the division," Dr

Islam said.

Currently, the number of

casualties remains steady at

1,249 as no new deaths were

reported during the last 24

hours ending at 8 am

yesterday from the division.

"The district-wise breakup

of the 1,249 fatalities

stands at 293 in Rangpur, 81

in Panchagarh, 89 in

Nilphamari, 66 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.

Among the 55,690 Covid-

19 patients, 23 are

undergoing treatments at

isolation units, including

seven patients at ICU and

four at High Dependency

Unit beds, after recovery of

53,787 patients and 1,249

deaths while 631 are

remaining in home isolation.

"Meanwhile, the number

of citizens who got the first

dose of the Covid-19 vaccine

rose to 76,64,096, and

among them, 49,49,927 got

the second dose of the jab till

Monday in the division," Dr

Islam added.

Chief of Divisional

Coronavirus Service and

Prevention Task Force and

Principal of Rangpur

Medical College Professor

Dr. AKM Nurunnobi said

the Covid-19 situation is

improving consistently in

recent months.

"However, people should

abide by the health

directives to prevent another

probable wave of the newly

detected Omicron strain of

the Covid-19 virus," he said.

Covid-19 cases reach 99,678 in Rajshahi

Dipankar Talukder, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on food ministry and

Rangamati MP as the chief guest addressed a staff meeting organized by Awami Jubo League at

Langadu Upazila Public Library on Tuesday.

Photo: Omor Faruk Musa

We are dedicated to

the party: Dipankar

Talukder MP

OMOR FARUK MUSA, LANgADU

CORReSPONDeNT

Dipankar Talukder,

chairman of the

parliamentary standing

committee on food ministry

and Rangamati MP said we

are dedicated to the Awami

League party. He urged the

leaders and activists to work

for the party avoiding

personal interests.

He said this while

addressing a staff meeting as

the chief guest organized by

Awami Jubo League in the

Upazila Public Library on

Tuesday.

During the time,

Rangamati District Awami

Jubo League President, and

Rangamati Municipal

Mayor Akbar Hossain,

Langadu Upazila Parishad

Chairman and President of

Upazila Awami League

Abdul Barek Sarkar,

Rangamati District Awami

Juba League general

secretary Nur Mohammad

Kajal were also present at

the occasion.

The chief guest in his

speech further said that

when I see the smiling faces

of the boys of the party, I feel

very proud. But when I hear

that someone is illegally

occupying someone's land

and doing wrong stuffs, I feel

very bad. We have to work

for the nation in the ideals of

Bangabandhu, he added.

Honey hunting becomes boon

for many Rajshahi farmers

RAJSHAHI: Honey

collection in mustard fields

has become boon for many

farmers in the region,

including its vast Barind

tract as it changes their

fortunes, helping them

earn more money to lead a

happy and prosperous life,

reports BSS.

A lot of farmers are seen

passing busy times with

honey harvesting

commercially since the

advent of the blossom of

mustard plants.

Dulal Hossain, a farmer

of Purba Bamnal village

under godagari Upazila,

said he collects 25

kilograms of honey from

each of the boxes per

month on an average.

He earned more than

Taka six lakh every winter

season by selling the honey

collected from the mustard

fields, he said.

"I've received mustard

seed, fertilizer, honeybee,

training and digital honeycollecting

box, tools and

wares as support from the

government," Hossain

said. This government

assistance inspired him to

collect honey to a greater

extent, he added.

Like him, many other

farmers are engaged in

harvesting honey after

getting support from the

government and leveraging

the existing natural

resources.

Sub Assistant Agriculture

Officer Atanu Sarker told

BSS that a group of farmers

was given the support in

each union of the region to

promote the honey

collection.

Shasthi Paharia, 48, a

farmer of Kashini

gangarampur village

under Charghat Upazila,

has been harvesting honey

for long 12 years through

rearing native bee species

'serena' in 12 boxes.

Shasthi said both

demand and market price

of honey of native bee

species are comparatively

high.

He is hopeful of selling

120 kilograms of honey

valued around Taka

45,000 with net profit of

Taka 30,000 this year.

Like previous years,

Ataur Rahman, another

farmer of Namajgram

village under godagari

upazila, remains involved

in honey harvesting in

mustard fields since 2000.

As honey harvesting is

lucrative in terms of

economic value, the

number of honey

harvesters from mustard

fields is increasing

gradually, locals said.

Honey bee rearing in

mustard farming fields is

very much helpful for

proper pollination of the

cash crop. So, the

Department of Agricultural

extension (DAe) always

inspires and motivates the

farmers to rear honey bee

after adopting special

projects.

DAe Deputy Director

Abdul Awal said honey

hunting is being expanded

to many new areas every

year contributing a lot

towards employment

generation side by side

with boosting honey

production.

Meanwhile, around 2.83

lakh tonnes of mustard

yield are expected to be

harvested from around two

lakh hectares of lands in all

eight districts under

Rajshahi division during

the current Rabi season.

The DAe has set a target

of producing 1.10 lakh

tonnes of mustard from

77,960 hectares of land in

four districts of Rajshahi

Agricultural Zone, while

another 1.73 lakh tonnes

from 1.21 lakh hectares of

land in four other districts

of Bogura Agricultural

Zone.

In order to protect Faridpur Sugar Mill and increase sugarcane planting in Madhukhali of

Faridpur, an integrated assembly has been organized by Faridpur Sugar Mill Workers and

Employees Council.

Photo: Shahjahan Helal

RAJSHAHI: Ten more people have

tested positive for Covid-19 in four

districts of the division on Monday,

taking the caseload to 99,678 since

the pandemic began in March last

year, reports BSS.

However, the new positive cases

are showing a rising trend compared

to the previous day's figure, said Dr

Habibul Ahsan Talukder, divisional

director of Health, adding that eight

people were detected Covid-19

positive on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the recovery count

rose to 99,678 in the division after 19

patients were discharged from the

hospitals on the same day.

The death toll reached 1,686,

including 686 in Bogura, 324 in

Rajshahi with 206 in its city and 175

in Natore as no new fatalities were

reported during the past 24 hours,

Dr Talukder added.

Besides, all the positive cases of

Covid-19 have, so far, been brought

under treatment while 23,162 were

kept in isolation units of different

dedicated hospitals for institutional

quarantine. Of them, 19,872 have

been released.

Meanwhile, 15 more people have

been sent to home and institutional

quarantine afresh while 11 others

were released from isolation during

the same time.

Of the 10 new cases, four were

detected in Pabna, followed by three

in Rajshahi city, two in Bogura and

one in Natore districts.

With the newly detected patients,

the district-wise break-up of the

total cases now stands at 28,335 in

Rajshahi including 22,891 in its city,

5,687 in Chapainawabganj, 6,455 in

Naogaon, 8,430 in Natore, 4,733 in

Joypurhat, 21,777 in Bogura, 11,430

in Sirajganj and 12,831 in Pabna.

A total of 1,14,997 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, 13,937 have, by now,

been released as they were given

clearance certificates after

completing their 14-day

quarantine.

Integrated assembly to protect

Faridpur Sugar Mill held

SHAHJAHAN HeLAL, MADHULHALI CORReSPONDeNT

In order to protect Faridpur Sugar

Mill and increase sugarcane planting

in Madhukhali of Faridpur, an

integrated assembly has been

organized by Faridpur Sugar Mill

Workers and employees Council.

The assembly was held at Faridpur

Sugar Mill school premises on

Tuesday under the chairmanship of

Subhash Roy, convener of Faridpur

Sugar Mill Workers 'employees'

Council. During the time,

Madhukhali Upazila Parishad

Chairman Md. Shahidul Islam, Sugar

Mill Managing Director Mohammad

Khabir Uddin Mollah, Upazila

Awami League general Secretary

Rezaul Haque Baku, Sugar Mill gM

Krishi Md. Anisuzzaman, Walkers

Party Leader Manoj Saha, Upazila

Vice Chairman Mohammad

Muraduzzaman, Labor Leader

Nazrul Islam. Jahrul Haque were

among others also present at the

occasion.

Speakers at the meeting called

upon all to work together for the

protection of Faridpur Sugar Mill and

advised the farmers to plant more

sugarcane for the protection of

Faridpur Sugar Mill.

wedneSdAY, deceMbeR 22, 2021

7

Omicron sweeps across nation,

now 73% of new US COVID cases

NEW YORK : Omicron has raced

ahead of other variants and is now the

dominant version of the coronavirus in

the U.S., accounting for 73% of new

infections last week, federal health

officials said Monday, reports UNB.

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention numbers showed nearly a

six-fold increase in omicron's share of

infections in only one week.

In much of the country, it's even

higher. Omicron is responsible for an

estimated 90% or more of new

infections in the New York area, the

Southeast, the industrial Midwest and

the Pacific Northwest. The national

rate suggests that more than 650,000

omicron infections occurred in the U.S.

last week. Since the end of June, the

delta variant had been the main

version causing U.S. infections. As

recently as the end of November, more

than 99.5% of coronaviruses were

delta, according to CDC data. CDC

Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said

Queen Elizabeth II to

skip Christmas trip

amid omicron surge

LONDON : Queen Elizabeth

II has decided not to spend

Christmas at the royal

Sandringham estate in

eastern England amid

concerns about the fastspreading

omicron variant.

The palace said Monday

that the 95-year-old queen

will spend the holidays at

Windsor Castle, west of

London, where she has stayed

for most of the pandemic.

Other members of the royal

family are expected to visit

over the Christmas period,

with precautions taken

against spreading the virus.

Coronavirus infections are

surging in Britain - up 60% in

a week - as omicron replaced

delta as the dominant variant,

and Prime Minister Boris

Johnson has said more new

restrictions may have to be

introduced to slow its spread.

His health minister has

refused to rule out imposing

new measures before

Christmas.

Guatemalans protest

killing of 12 people

the new numbers reflect the kind of

growth seen in other countries. "These

numbers are stark, but they're not

surprising," she said.

Scientists in Africa first sounded the

alarm about omicron less than a

month ago and on Nov. 26 the World

Health Organization designated it as a

"variant of concern." The mutant has

since shown up in about 90 countries.

Much about the omicron variant

remains unknown, including whether

it causes more or less severe illness.

Early studies suggest the vaccinated

will need a booster shot for the best

chance at preventing omicron infection

but even without the extra dose,

vaccination still should offer strong

protection against severe illness and

death. "All of us have a date with

omicron," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a

senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins

Center for Health Security. "If you're

going to interact with society, if you're

going to have any type of life, omicron

will be something you encounter, and

the best way you can encounter this is

to be fully vaccinated."

Adalja said he was not surprised by

the CDC data showing omicron

overtaking delta in the U.S., given what

was seen in South Africa, the U.K. and

Denmark. He predicted spread over

the holidays, including breakthrough

infections among the vaccinated and

serious complications among the

unvaccinated that could stress

hospitals already burdened by delta.

Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps

Research Translational Institute, said

other countries had seen omicron's fast

growth, but the U.S. data showed "a

remarkable jump in such a short time."

Topol also said it's unclear how much

milder omicron really is compared

with other variants.

"That's the big uncertainty now,"

Topol said. "We have to count on it

being a lot of hospitalizations and a lot

severe disease from omicron."

Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S.,

accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday.

Photo : AP

SANTA CATARINA

IXTAHUACAN : Hundreds

of demonstrators laid coffins

on a platform to block a

highway in Guatemala

Monday to protest the

weekend killings of a dozen

people, reports UNB.

The protesters placed eight

coffins on an improvised

wooden platform to demand

justice in the case. They

carried banners reading, "We

have The Right to Live in

Peace." The killings occured

in the village of Chiquix, in

western Guatemala near the

Mexico border. The hamlet

has been involved in a yearslong

territorial dispute with a

nearby town.

The 11 people found shot to

death on a road Saturday

included men.

Boosters key to fight

omicron, lot still to learn

The new omicron variant took only a few

weeks to live up to dire predictions about

how hugely contagious it is but scientists

don't yet know if it causes more severe

disease even as the world faces exploding

cases just before Christmas, reports UNB.

"Everything is riskier now because

omicron is so much more contagious," said

Dr. S. Wesley Long, who directs the testing

lab at Houston Methodist Hospital - and

over the past week has canceled numerous

plans to avoid exposure.

Omicron now is the dominant variant in

the U.S., federal health officials said

Monday, accounting for about threequarters

of new infections last week. The

speed that it's outpacing the also very

contagious delta variant is astonishing

public health officials. In three weeks,

omicron now makes up 80% of new

symptomatic cases diagnosed by Houston

Methodist's testing sites. It took the delta

variant three months to reach that level,

Long said.

The mutant's ability to spread faster and

evade immunity came at a bad time - right as

travel increased and many people let down

their guard. But what the omicron wave will

mean for the world is still unclear because so

many questions remain unanswered. Here's

the latest on what's known and what's still to

learn about omicron.

California sues Walmart over

disposal of hazardous waste

SACRAMENTO : Retail

giant Walmart illegally

dumps more than 1 million

batteries, aerosol cans of

insect killer and other

products, toxic cleaning

supplies, electronic waste,

latex paints and other

hazardous waste into

California landfills each

year, state prosecutors

alleged Monday in a lawsuit

that the company labeled

"unjustified."

"As we shop the brightly

packed aisles there are

products that will never

make it into the cart -

returned, damaged or pulled

from the shelves for a variety

of reasons," said California

Attorney General Rob

Bonta, reports UNB.

"When a big box store

disposes of unwanted goods,

just like the rest of us, they

need to do so properly.

Unfortunately, Walmart -

the largest company in the

world by revenue - has failed

to do that on a grand scale

here in California," Bonta

said. The attorney general's

office settled a previous

similar lawsuit in 2010 in

which Walmart, which

operates more than 300

stores in California, paid $25

million and agreed to stop

the dumping into local

landfills that are not

equipped to contain the

hazardous products.

It paid $1.25 million to

Missouri in 2012 to settle a

similar lawsuit.

And in 2013, the company

pleaded guilty to six federal

misdemeanors of

negligently discharging a

pollutant into drains in 16

California counties, part of

an $81 million deal that also

included charges in

Missouri.

Company spokesman

Randy Hargrove said

Walmart will fight the

"unjustified lawsuit" filed

Monday.

"The state is demanding a

level of compliance

regarding waste disposal

from our stores of common

household products and

other items that goes beyond

what is required by law,"

Hargrove said. He said a

judge was ready to sign off in

2018 on Walmart's

compliance under the 2010

settlement until the attorney

general's office started a new

investigation with "new

rules" in a bid to force a new

settlement.

More than 3,800 audits

overseen by the attorney

general's office since 2010

found that Walmart's trash

compactors "contain at most

0.4% of items of potential

concern," compared to a

statewide average of 3%,

Hargrove said: "Our

compactors are far cleaner

than the state average."

Quebec closing bars,

gyms and cinemas

as case counts soar

TORONTO : Quebec

announced Monday that it is

closing bars, cinemas, gyms

and spas because of a record

number of coronavirus cases

in the Canadian province.

Sporting events will be

closed to spectators.

Quebec Health Minister

Christian Dube also said

restaurants must close by 10

p.m. nightly. The new

measures come on top of last

week's decision to restrict

restaurants and bars to 50%

capacity. Quebec reported

4,571 COVID-19 cases on

Monday, a new single day

record since the beginning of

the pandemic. Starting

Tuesday, elementary schools

and high schools will be

closed to in-person learning

until Jan. 10, though the

facilities will be used for for

vaccinations or distributing

rapid tests to students.

Spectators will not be

permitted to attend

professional or amateur

sporting events, though the

NHL's Montreal Canadiens

already had played a recent

game before empty stands.

Remote work, which

before was recommended by

authorities, will now be

mandatory where possible.

New Zealand

children aged 5 to

11 to be vaccinated

from mid-January

WELLINGTON : New

Zealand government on

Tuesday urged parents and

caregivers to consider

protecting their children aged

5 to 11 against COVID-19 with

a child version of vaccination

to be unveiled in January next

year, reports UNB. COVID-19

Response Minister Chris

Hipkins said that Cabinet has

agreed with the advice from

the Technical Advisory Group

off the back of Medsafe

approval to vaccinate children

between 5 to 11 years old. "A

key focus of the government is

to keep everyone in New

Zealand safe from the COVID-

19 pandemic," Hipkins said.

According to the Ministry of

Health, the children

vaccination program will

begin from Jan. 17, 2022.

There are 476,000 children

between ages 5-11 nationwide,

who will become eligible to get

their first dose from this date,

and their second dose at least

eight weeks later.

However, the interval can be

safely shortened to a

minimum of 21 days if needed,

the ministry said. New

Zealand government strongly

recommends parents have

their children vaccinated. "In

the most recent outbreak, 24

percent of cases have been

aged 11 or under. The

government is strongly

encouraging parents to have

their children vaccinated

against COVID-19, but I want

to be clear that this is a choice

for parents.

A cargo ship illegally carrying 130 passengers sank off Madagascar's northeastern

coast, killing at least 17 people and leaving 68 missing, officials said

Monday.

Photo : AP

Ship sinks off Madagascar

coast; 17 dead and 68 missing

ANTANANARIVO : A cargo ship illegally

carrying 130 passengers sank off

Madagascar's northeastern coast, killing at

least 17 people and leaving 68 missing,

officials said Monday, reports UNB.

At least 45 people have been rescued

from the waters of the Indian Ocean,

according to a report from the Maritime

and River Port Agency.

The ship, Francia, had left the city of

Antanambe, in the eastern Mananara North

district in the early hours of Monday, said the

report. It was heading south toward the port

of Soanierana Ivongo.

As it is registered as a cargo ship, it is not

authorized to carry passengers and

Philippine governor warns of

looting without typhoon aid

MANILA : The governor of a central

Philippine province devastated by Typhoon

Rai last week pleaded on radio Tuesday for

the government to quickly send food and

other aid, warning that without outside help,

army troops and police forces would have to

be deployed to prevent looting amid growing

hunger.

Governor Arthur Yap of Bohol province

said he could no longer secure rice and other

food aid after his contingency fund ran out

and added that many of the 1.2 million

people in his island province, which

remained without power and cellphone

service five days after the typhoon struck,

have become increasingly desperate.

The most powerful typhoon to hit the

Philippine archipelago this year left at least

375 dead and 50 others missing mostly in its

central region, including nearly 100 dead in

Bohol, according to officials.

President Rodrigo Duterte visited Bohol

over the weekend and witnessed the

extensive devastation. Yap said the

government's social welfare department

promised to send 35,000 food packs, an

inadequate amount for the province's

375,000 families, but even those have not yet

arrived.

In an interview on DZBB radio network,

Yap thanked Duterte for visiting his province

but said, "If you would not send money for

food, you should send soldiers and police,

because if not lootings will break out here."

Some lootings mostly of small

Antanambe is not an official port, said Jean

Edmond Randrianantenaina, directorgeneral

of the Maritime and River Port

Agency. A hole in the ship's hull is believed to

have caused it to sink, he said.

"According to the information we were

able to gather, water entered the engine

room. The water started to rise and it

swallowed up all the engines," he said.

"Then the ship began to sink. We don't

know exactly what time the water started

to rise, but our interventions began

around 9 a.m.," he said. Three boats from

the national navy and the maritime

agency are continuing the search for

those still missing, he said.

merchandise stores have occurred, Yap said,

adding that the situation remained under

control. But he warned that the lootings

could worsen if people, especially in hard-hit

island municipalities, grow more desperate.

People cannot withdraw money from banks

without cellphone connections and power,

and fuel and water shortages have also

sparked long queues, he said.

The national police said widespread

lootings were not a problem in the typhoonravaged

regions and added that they were

ready to deal with any lawlessness.

Typhoon Rai packed sustained winds of

195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour with

gusts of up to 270 kph (168 mph) at its most

lethal before blowing out into the South

China Sea on Friday. At least 375 people

were killed mostly by falling trees and in

flash floods, with 56 others missing and 500

injured, according to the national police. But

the toll may still increase as emergency crews

restore communications and power to more

towns and villages.

Nearly a million people were lashed by the

typhoon, including more than 400,000 who

had to be moved to emergency shelters as the

typhoon approached. Some have begun to

return home but others either lost their

houses entirely or need to do major repairs.

Emergency crews were working to restore

electricity in 227 cities and towns, officials

said Monday, adding that power had been

restored in only 21 areas so far. Cellphone

connections have been restored in at least

The governor of a central Philippine province devastated by Typhoon Rai last week pleaded on radio

Tuesday for the government to quickly send food and other aid, warning that without outside help, army

troops and police forces would have to be deployed to prevent looting amid growing hunger. Photo : AP

WeDneSDAY, DeCeMBeR 22, 2021

8

Asian markets, oil rise after sell-off

but virus casts shadow

The Barlekha Branch of First Security Islami Bank Ltd. inaugurated on 21 December, 2021 at Habib

Market (1st Floor), Holding # 189, Hajiganj Bazar, Barlekha, Moulvibazar with a view to providing

shariah based banking services in a greater extent to its clients. Syed Waseque Md. Ali, Managing

Director of the Bank inaugurated the new branch. Among others, Md. Masudur Rahman Shah,

Deputy Managing Director, Haji Abdul Hannan, President, Barlekha Bonik Samity, Kazi Motaher

Hossain, Head of Human Resources Division, Foysal Ahmed, Head of Sylhet Zone, Tanvir Hossain

Chowdhury, Manager, Barlekha Branch of the Bank along with other high officials and local elites

were present in the occasion. A Doa Mahfil was organized in this regard.

Photo: Courtesy

Lira plunges again after Erdogan

rules out higher rates

ISTANBUL : Turkey's troubled lira shed a

further five percent against the dollar

Monday, after President Recep Tayyip

Erdogan cited Muslim teachings to justify

not raising interest rates to stabilise the

currency, reports BSS.

Erdogan has pushed the central bank to

sharply lower borrowing costs despite the

annual rate of inflation soaring to more than

20 percent.

Economists believe the policy could see

consumer price increases reach 30 percent

or higher in the coming months.

But Erdogan said in remarks aired by state

television late Sunday that his Muslim faith

prevented him from supporting rate hikes.

"They complain we keep decreasing the

interest rate. Don't expect anything else from

me," he said in the televised comments.

"As a Muslim, I will continue doing what

our religion tells us. This is the command."

Islamic teaching forbids Muslims from

receiving or charging interest on loaned or

LONDON: Britain's former Brexit minister,

David Frost, on Monday insisted he had not

stepped down to mount a leadership challenge

against Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and

gave his backing to the beleaguered leader,

reports BSS.

Frost's shock resignation, announced late on

Saturday, comes not only at a crucial time in

talks with the European Union but also as

Johnson's position looks increasingly under

threat.

But Frost maintained: "I left the government

because I couldn't support certain policies,

most recently on Covid restrictions.

"If you're a minister, you have to support

collective responsibility... and I couldn't and

that's why I had to leave," he told Sky News

outside his London home.

Frost was seen as Johnson's closest ally on

Brexit, heading talks to secure a deal with the

borrowed money.

Erdogan has previously cited his Muslim

faith in explaining why he believes interest

rates cause inflation instead of tamping it

down.

High interest rates are a drag on activity

and slow down economic growth.

But central banks raise their policy rates

out of necessity when inflation gets out of

hand.

The Turkish lira has now lost nearly half its

value in the past three months.

It was trading down nearly six percent on

Monday morning.

A dollar could buy 7.4 liras on January 1. It

was worth 17.4 liras on Monday.

"You cannot run a modern economy

integrated into the global economy on this

basis," economist Timothy Ash of BlueBay

Asset Management said in a note to clients.

"Even Saudi Arabia really does not attempt

full shariah compliant macro(economic)

management."

UK's former Brexit minister gives backing to PM Johnson

The ongoing regional

conference 'Dealer Summit-

2021' with electronics dealers

of Minister Group, one of the

top brands in the domestic

electronics world, has come to

an end. Recently, with the

participation of dealers of

Sylhet division, the conclusion

of "Dealer Summit - 2021"

was announced at the Grand

Sultan Hotel in Srimangal,

Moulvibazar district, a press

release said.

MA Razzak Khan Raj,

Honorary Chairman of the

Minister Group and Vice

President of FBCCI, had a

very cordial discussion with

the dealers at the closing

ceremony of 'Dealer Summit-

2021'. At the time, he said,

"We are delighted to be able to

complete the 'Dealer Summit-

2021' with our business

friends across the country.

Through these regional

conferences we have been

able to formulate a variety of

business strategies. This will

enable our business partners

to accelerate their business in

new ways. "

Officials of the organization

exchanged views on what

needs to be done to

compensate traders in the

aftermath of the Corona

EU, and in recent talks to iron out problems on

trading arrangements in Northern Ireland.

His departure, amid suggestions London

could back down on its demands for revising

the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, could

not have come at a worse time for Johnson.

He is under pressure on all fronts over his

handling of the coronavirus pandemic,

including claims of a series of lockdownbreaking

parties held at Downing Street last

year.

Last week, nearly 100 of his own MPs

rebelled against new restrictions to prevent the

spread of the Omicron variant, compounding a

heavy by-election loss in a formerly safe seat.

Frost has been touted as a potential

challenger to Johnson, and is popular with

grassroots members of the Conservative party

for his backing for a low-tax, lightly regulated

economy.

epidemic and to formulate a

dynamic business plan for the

coming year. It is also planned

to expand the business further

in the coming year and

various strategies are outlined

for the implementation of this

plan.

At the event, Minister

Group Managing Director

Dilruba Tanu discussed future

business plans with dealers.

Also present on the occasion

were Director of Minister

Group Billal Hossain, Head of

Brand and Communication

KMG Kibria, Secretary to the

Chairman AKM Sayem

Hossain, General Manager

Monzur Mofiz

takes charge of

MD, ONE Bank

Md. Monzur Mofiz has

taken over as Managing

Director (Current Charge) of

ONE Bank Limited since

December 09, 2021. He was

earlier the Additional

Managing Director of the

Bank, a press release said.

Prior to his joining at ONE

Bank Limited, he was the

Deputy Managing Director

and Chief Business Officer of

Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd.

His long 28 years of work

stint include the role of an

Engineer in the Ministry of

Education & Sonali Bank

Limited and later as a core

Banker at AB Bank Limited,

the City Bank Limited and

Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited.

He attended several training

programs and workshops at

home and abroad.

He completed his B. Sc in

Civil Engineering from

Bangladesh University of

Engineering & Technology

(BUET) and obtained his

MBA Degree from the

Institute of Business

Administration (IBA),

University of Dhaka.

Minister Group’s ‘Dealer Summit - 2021’ ends

Riaz Mahmud, General

Manager Zahid Hossain, and

senior officials and sales staff

of the area.

Earlier, regional

conferences were held in

Bogra with dealers from

Rajshahi and Rangpur

divisions, in Barisal with

dealers in Barisal region, in

Jessore with dealers in

Khulna region, in Faridpur

with dealers in Faridpur

region, in Comilla with

dealers in Comilla region and

in Chittagong. The conference

is aimed at formulating

business management plans

for the coming days.

HONG KONG : Equities stabilised and

oil prices saw a much-needed gain

Tuesday after their latest flop as bargainbuyers

moved in, though investors

remain fixated on the fast spreading

Omicron variant and moves to contain it

over the festive period, reports BSS.

Reports that moderate Democrat

senator Joe Manchin could still be

willing to discuss Joe Biden's $1.75

trillion social spending bill-having

delivered a blow to the White House

Sunday by rejecting it-were also

providing a little support, though talks

would likely drag.

Markets have been lashed since the

emergence of Omicron as it spreads

quickly through populations and forces

governments to impose measures to

protect their populations, but which are

economically damaging.

The Netherlands has imposed a

lockdown over the holiday period,

Germany has tightened restrictions

notably affecting the unvaccinated and

media speculation swirls over possible

tougher UK curbs.

"There is more uncertainty than I think

most people thought we would see here

as they were anticipating a Santa Claus

rally," said Victoria Fernandez of

Crossmark Global Investments on

Bloomberg Television.

On the initiative of

LankaBangla Foundation,

winter clothes were

distributed among the

common people, elderly,

special needs and visually

impaired people in

Satkhira.

The

LankaBangla Foundation

conducts blanket

distribution program every

year as part of its corporate

social responsibility (CSR)

activities. This year this

program has been held in

Satkhira considering the

needs of the distressed and

cold people. The main

objective of this program is

to alleviate the suffering of

the cold and poor sections

of the society, a press

release said.

The

distribution

"Volatility and uncertainty are the key

terms that will lead us into the new year."

And National Australia Bank's Ray

Attrill added: "For now... it's the short

term economic impact of the virus

spread and related restrictions that is

front and centre of market focus."

All three main indexes on Wall Street

ended down more than one percent,

though they pared early losses.

And Asia started Tuesday on the front

foot. Tokyo added two percent, while

there were also healthy gains in Hong

Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul,

Singapore, Taipei and Jakarta.

Crude joined equities, with both main

contracts seeing gains of at least one

percent, having been hammered in

recent days by concerns that new

Omicron measures will erase demand,

with travel curbs already in place in

several countries and many people

choosing to stay home.

The latest wave of Covid infections

comes just as central banks around the

world begin to remove the ultra-loose

monetary policies put in place at the start

of the pandemic to protect economies

from the ravages of lockdowns.

The Bank of England announced a

surprise rate hike this month, joining a

number of others, while the Federal

Reserve finally gave up on its insistence

program was organized by

LankaBangla Foundation

at Bangabandhu

Auditorium of Satkhira

Press Club, Shaheed

Abdur Razzak Park and

BEIJING : China's central bank cut a key

interest rate on Monday for the first time in

nearly two years in a bid to kickstart growth in

the world's number two economy as it creaks

under the impact of a real estate crisis and

coronavirus flare-ups, reports BSS.

The People's Bank of China said in a

statement that it had lowered the loan prime

rate (LPR) to 3.8 percent from 3.85 percent in

November.

The move marks the first reduction of the

rate-which guides how much interest

commercial banks charge to corporate

borrowers-since April 2020.

It also follows the bank's decision earlier this

month to lower the amount of cash that lenders

must hold in reserve, which it said would

release 1.2 trillion yuan ($188 billion) into the

economy.

"Today's cut will immediately feed through to

outstanding floating rate business loans and

should also lead to cheaper loans for new fixed

rate borrowers," said Mark Williams, chief Asia

economist at Capital Economics.

"We expect a cut to the five-year LPR before

long which will make mortgages slightly

cheaper and help official efforts support

housing demand," he added.

The reduction comes despite concerns about

inflation, with factory gate prices rising at levels

last seen in the mid-1990s.

Jeffrey Halley, at OANDA, said China

"appears to be blinking in the face of slowing

growth next year".

"Far more loans are based on the one-year

LPR than the five-year, so the move is a

concrete signal that China is moving into

supportive monetary policy," he added.

China was the only major economy to

expand in 2020 despite the pandemic, but

growth has slowed this year owing to

headwinds from a festering debt crisis in its

property sector and localised Covid outbreaks.

The real estate industry-a major growth

driver-remains a cause for concern, with

several large companies including Evergrande

defaulting on bond repayments in recent

weeks. Virus outbreaks in the nation's eastern

and southern industrial hubs have also caused

Special Needs Schools.

Thank you all for being by

the side of LankaBangla

Foundation in this

endeavor. President of

Satkhira Press Club,

that inflation would be temporary and

announced a faster taper of its vast bondbuying

programme.

The US central bank is then tipped to

lift borrowing costs three times before

the end of 2022, bringing the curtain

down on the era of cheap cash that has

helped fuel a global market rally since the

early days of the Covid crisis.

"Monetary policy normalisation will

continue to bring volatility and will

maintain the bull-bear debate between

growth and value," said Zehrid Osmani,

at Martin Currie investment manager.

"The Omicron variant may disrupt

both economic momentum and

monetary policies, should it lead to

renewed significant lockdown

measures." The Turkish lira dropped

against the dollar, having surged

Monday in response to measures

announced by the government to bolster

the beleaguered currency.

The unit had been suffering another

heavy selling session after President

Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed at the

weekend that his Islamic faith prevented

him from supporting rate hikes to bring

inflation under control, instead opting to

reduce costs. However, observers said he

bowed to market pressure and raised

rates by stealth when he announced a

complex series of measures Monday.

LankaBangla Foundation distributes

winter clothes in Satkhira

IMF approves

final round of

debt relief for

poor countries

WASHINGTON: The

IMF said Monday it had

approved the fifth and

final round of debt relief

under a program meant

to help the world's

poorest nations weather

the Covid-19 pandemic,

reports BSS.

The $115 million in

relief under the

Washington-based crisis

lender's Catastrophe

Containment and Relief

Trust (CCRT) affects debt

service payments falling

due for 25 member states

between January 11 and

April 13 of next year, the

IMF said in a statement.

In the statement, the

IMF said its directors

view the CCRT relief as

having "helped its poorest

and most vulnerable

members to free up

resources to tackle the

pandemic and its

repercussions," though

they warn not all money

pledged for the trust has

been received.

The CCRT enables the

IMF to provide grants to

the poorest and most

vulnerable countries hit

by a natural disaster or

public health crisis, and

was tapped by the fund in

April 2020 to aid the

response to the Covid-19

pandemic.

Upazila Social Service

Officer, Headmasters of

Special Needs Schools and

LankaBangla officials were

present during the

distribution.

China cuts interest rate for

first time in 20 months

some districts to shut down and forced

hundreds of thousands of people into

quarantine and other restrictions.

Lu Ting of Nomura warned that the LPR cut

is "too small to be impactful."

"The real drags on the Chinese economy are

the supply-side shock due to the rising costs of

China's zero-Covid strategy in containing

waves of coronavirus, slowing export growth,

and the worsening property sector," he said.

Addressing these bottlenecks, he added,

requires "much more aggressive easing and

stimulus measures."

BNP Paribas sells

US unit Bank of the

West for $16.3b

PARIS : French lending giant BNP Paribas

said Monday it had sold its US retail and

commercial banking arm Bank of the West for

$16.3 billion in cash, reports BSS.

BNP Paribas said in a statement that the sale

to Canada's Bank of Montreal (BMO), at a price

equivalent to 14.5 billion euros, "is expected to

formally close during the course of 2022"-

subject to clearing regulatory approval and

other hurdles.

"This is a value-accretive transaction for all

sides, which emphasises the quality of Bank of

the West franchise," BNP chief executive Jean-

Laurent Bonnafe said.

Media reports in recent weeks had suggested

BNP was looking for a buyer for Bank of the

West, which it has owned since 1979 and

operates 555 branches in 20 US states, with

over 9,000 staff.

The French lender said the US arm had

accounted for around five percent of its groupwide

pre-tax earnings of between 12 and 14

billion euros in recent years.

BNP said that it would distribute some of the

proceeds of the sale to investors on completion,

planning a four-billion-euro share buyout "to

compensate the expected dilution of the

earnings per share" at the group.

WeDNeSDAy, DeCeMBer 22, 2021

9

Tamim set to return to competitive

cricket after injury layoff

SportS DeSk

Bangladesh's ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal

is set to return to competitive cricket

following his long lay-off due to injury.

The left-handed batter batted in the

nets for half an hour against the

spinners and had throwdowns at the

BCB indoor facility on Monday

(December 20). Tamim, who made

himself unavailable from the T20 WC,

attempted a comeback in the Everest

Premier League but suffered a fresh

injury blow with a fracture to his left

thumb that sidelined him further,

reports AP. He then attempted a

comeback in the National Cricket

League, the country's lone first-class

tournament, to prepare for the home

series against Pakistan, but that was

pushed back after a scan revealed a new

fracture on his injured thumb when he

went for a scan after feeling

uncomfortable at a nets session.

Tamim went abroad for a check-up

and was advised complete rest for six to

eight weeks to recover and

subsequently missed the New Zealand

tour too. He was apparently

uncomfortable on his first day in the

nets even though he was batting against

relatively slower deliveries and was seen

checking on his injured thumb regularly

during the session.

The opener, who hasn't take part in a

competitive game since October 6,

started his preparation at the BCB

academy on Monday by keeping his

eyes on the BCL white-ball format

scheduled from January 9.

"I am batting after a while and there is

some pain but with time it will heal

totally and I have to go through it,"

Tamim told Cricbuzz on Monday.

"I am batting after a while and there is some pain but with time it will

heal totally and I have to go through it," tamim told. photo: BCB

Premier League to play

on during Covid chaos

SportS DeSk

Premier League clubs on Monday decided

against a temporary halt to the season

despite a surge in coronavirus cases that has

forced mass postponements and threatened

to derail the season, reports BSS.

Just four of the weekend's scheduled 10

games went ahead as Britain battles record

numbers of positive Covid cases due to the

new Omicron strain. The Premier League

board has been considering applications for

postponements on a case-by-case basis but

there has been criticism over the decisionmaking

process, with fears it jeopardises the

sporting integrity of the competition.

There had been talk of a potential

"firebreaker", with suggestions that the

middle round of the festive fixtures from

December 28-30 could be postponed.

But on Monday the English top flight,

following a shareholders' meeting involving

representatives from the 20 clubs, said

games would continue through the busy

festive season. "It was confirmed at a

Premier League club meeting today that

while recognising a number of clubs are

experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks and

challenges, it is the league's collective

intention to continue the current fixture

schedule where safely possible," the Premier

League said in a statement.

"The health and wellbeing of all concerned

remains our priority and the League will

continue to monitor and reflect public health

guidance, always proceeding with caution."

The statement also said 84 percent of

players had had at least one dose of

vaccination."The league continues to work

with clubs to encourage vaccination among

players and club staff, as well as promoting

the Government's public-health vaccination

messaging to clubs and the wider public," it

added. The English Football League also

confirmed on Monday that its competitions,

including this week's League Cup quarterfinals,

would proceed as planned.

"Throughout the pandemic our two

priorities have been ensuring the welfare of

those involved in EFL competitions and

ensuring the fixture schedule can continue

where it is safe to do so," said EFL chief

executive Trevor Birch. The Football

Association said FA Cup replays for the third

and fourth round have been scrapped to free

up space in the calendar.

Chelsea, who have fallen six points behind

leaders Manchester City at the top of the

table, asked to have Sunday's match at

Wolves called off but their plea was rejected

despite seven positive Covid cases.

Title-chasing Liverpool also stumbled in

a 2-2 draw at Tottenham, with a number of

key players absent with coronavirus.

"We were put in a huge risk of health and

safety to the players, not just because of

Covid but also physically," Chelsea boss

Thomas Tuchel said on Sunday.

Championship leaders

Fulham stumble

against Sheffield United

SportS DeSk

Fulham missed the chance to go five points

clear at the top of the Championship as they

suffered a surprise 1-0 loss at home to

Sheffield United on Monday, reports BSS.

Iliman Ndiaye's early goal at Craven

Cottage meant the Blades remain unbeaten

under new manager Paul Heckingbottom.

They moved up to 11th place in the table,

three points off the play-offs, with their

fourth win in a row.

Despite Fulham suffering their first defeat

since October 2 to end a run of 11 unbeaten

matches, the London club remained two

points clear of Bournemouth at the top of the

table. Only the top two teams at the end of

the regular season are guaranteed

promotion to the Premier League.

The decisive moment of the game came in

just the third minute when Ndiaye, receiving

the ball in his own half, advanced as Tosin

Adarabioyo and Tim Ream back-tracked

before the forward struck an accurate shot

into the bottom corner.

Sheffield United then protected their lead

with aggressive defending that denied

Fulham room to play.

Aleksandar Mitrovic was forced to drop

deeper to get possession but the Fulham

favourite did latch onto a Kenny Tete pass in

the 19th minute only for his shot on the run

to go wide of the target. Fulham brought on

Tom Cairney at half-time but the presence of

an extra playmaker did not lead to any clear

chances. With 15 minutes left, Mitrovic's

shot was easily dealt with by Blades keeper

Wes Foderingham before the Serb went

close with another shot that hit the

underside of the bar.

"Later I will increase the intensity of my

training like batting against pace

bowlers and all that, and at that point I

can understand where I stand. Let's see

if I can take part in the BCL one-day

tournament," he added.

BCB chief physician Debashish

Chowdhury said that it was part of his

rehabilitation program, adding that

they are planning to make him play in

the BCL one-day format if everything

goes well. "This is part of his

rehabilitation program. He was

expected to bat from November 20 and

he did that. He is playing against slow

bowlers and later his intensity will

increase. We are expecting him to take

part in the BCL one-day format," he

added. Meanwhile, Mustafizur Rahman

is also eyeing a return back after

recovering from the side strain that

ruled him out after the second T20I

against Pakistan. The left-arm pace

bowler returned to training on Sunday,

December 19) after a long lay-off

following the side strain injury that he

sustained during the three-match

against Pakistan at home.

Mustafizur picked up an injury during

the second T20I against Pakistan that

forced him to leave the field after

bowling the first ball of his third over at

the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on

November 20. The side strain injury

eventually ruled him out from the third

game of the series while he did not take

part in the ongoing Bangladesh Cricket

League despite not being part of the

Test squad that is currently in New

Zealand to play a two-match Test series.

"Mustafizur is bowling with 50

percent intensity. He is bowling with a

short run-up and lesser pace. He will do

gym sessions and increase his intensity

in bowling gradually. At the moment he

is not feeling any pain while bowling,"

said Debashish.

Australia name

unchanged

squad for final

three Ashes Tests

SportS DeSk

Australia named an

unchanged 15-man squad

for the three remaining

Ashes Tests against England

Monday with captain Pat

Cummins and fast bowling

partner Josh Hazlewood

rejoining the team in

Melbourne later this week,

reports BSS. The home team

resisted any changes after a

nine-wicket win in the first

Test at Brisbane and their

impressive performance

with the bat and ball in

Adelaide, where they were

closing in on

victory.Cummins, the

world's number one Test

bowler, missed the daynight

Test this week after

being a close contact of a

positive Covid case at

Adelaide restaurant.

He was supposed to

isolate in the South

Australia capital for seven

days but was permitted to

return to Sydney on a

private charter flight.

Hazlewood was ruled out

with a side strain, with Jhye

Richardson and Michael

Neser replacing them in the

starting eleven in Adelaide.

The third Test in Melbourne

starts on December 26.

Australia beat England

by 275 runs to win

second Ashes Test

SportS DeSk

Australia ground down

England to clinch the second

Ashes Test in Adelaide by

275 runs in the final session

of day five Monday to go 2-0

up in the five-Test series.

Joe Root's side resumed

the final day at 82 for four

chasing a massive 468

to win and gamely hung

on through the day but

ultimately crumbled to be all

out for 192.

Jhye Richardson was the

pick of the attack with 5-42.

The third Test at

Melbourne begins on

December 26.

FIFA on Monday claimed staging the World Cup every two years would

offer enormous financial benefits for its member federations. photo: Ap

FIFA seeks to woo member

federations with big windfalls

for biennial World Cups

SportS DeSk

FIFA on Monday claimed staging the World

Cup every two years would offer enormous

financial benefits for its member federations

as president Gianni Infantino expressed

hope that the highly controversial plans will

not be derailed by opposition from Europe

and South America, reoports BSS.

Infantino was speaking after FIFA held a

virtual global summit with federations to

discuss the project, although there was no

vote on the subject on Monday and he

refused to confirm if there would be one at

the next FIFA Congress on March 31.

Football's global body published findings

from two separate feasibility studies which it

claimed showed there would be "a strong

upturn in football's economic situation" if

the World Cup was held as a biennial

tournament rather than the current fouryear

cycle for the men's and women's

competitions.

One study, by market researchers Nielsen,

estimated that approximately $4.4 billion

(3.9 billion euros) of additional revenues

would be generated over four years, with

income from gate receipts, media rights and

sponsorship increasing from seven billion

dollars to $11.4 billion.

To help convince its 211 member

federations -- 207 of whom participated in

Monday's summit -- FIFA vowed to hand

over an extra $19 million every four years to

each one, with the amount the same for

major federations such as Brazil and France

as it would be for Andorra or Guam.

Each member would get "around $16

million" allocated from a "Solidarity Fund"

of some $3.5 billion in the first four years of

the reformed calendar, as well as an increase

in funding via its FIFA Forward programme

from the current six million dollars to nine

million.

However, FIFA did not reveal the

methodology used for the study, at a time

when the desire of broadcasters to keep

paying more for rights has been questioned

by experts in football finance, and it offered

no details as to the potential repercussions

for domestic leagues or continental

tournaments.

Spectators barred from

South Africa-India matches

SportS DeSk

No tickets will be sold to the general public

for the forthcoming Test and one-day

international series between South Africa

and India because of the ongoing

coronavirus pandemic, Cricket South Africa

(CSA) announced on Monday, reports BSS.

CSA said in a statement that a joint

decision had been taken with the Board of

Control for Cricket in India to bar spectators

from the grounds in order to prevent any

possible breaches of the bio-secure

environment in which the matches will be

played. The first of three Tests starts in

Centurion on Sunday. They will be followed

by three one-day internationals.

The statement cited the increasing number

of Covid-19 cases around the world and the

current fourth wave of infections in South

Africa for the decision. This decision was

taken in order to avoid any breaches that

could compromise the tour from a Covidrisk

perspective and to also maintain a

hazard-free bubble environment." The

statement did not mention whether there

had been consultations with the South

African government. Current regulations

allow outdoor gatherings of 2000 people.

South Africa, where the highly mutated

Omicron variant was first detected last

month, is Africa's worst-hit country

according to official tallies of virus cases,

with more than 3.3 million infections logged

and more than 90,000 deaths.

CSA Acting chief executive Pholetsi Moseki

said: "This decision was not taken lightly but

was instead taken in the best interest of the

game and in the interest of the health and

safety of all patrons."

CSA informed media outlets last week that

limited access to the grounds will be granted

to fully-vaccinated journalists.

The matches will be broadcast on both

subscription and free-to-air television

channels. Earlier on Monday, CSA

announced that a Mzansi Super League

Twenty20 tournament, planned for

February, had been cancelled due to

increased travel restrictions caused by the

coronavirus pandemic.

The tournament, originally planned as

South Africa's equivalent of the Indian

Premier League and Australia's Big Bash

League, was also cancelled because of Covid

last season after only two editions.

Auction house

extends Maradona

sale after lack of bids

SportS DeSk

An auction house tasked

with selling some 90 items

owned by the late football

icon Diego Maradona

announced on Monday it

was extending the deadline

to submit bids after the most

expensive pieces were

unsold, reports BSS.

Sunday's virtual auction

failed to attract any big

bidders with the largest

single offer of $2,150 for a

painting of the former World

Cup winner by artist Lu

Sedova.

But the Buenos Aires

house the former Barcelona

and Napoli star gave to his

parents, put up for a

minimum $900,000, was

one of many items that did

not find a buyer.

Two BMW cars, listed at a

combined $390,000 and a

seaside apartment in Mar

del Plata ($65,000) also

remained without a bid.

The three-hour auction

brought in just $26,000

with more than $1.4 million

in assets unbid on, according

to AFP calculations.

Auction house Adrian

Mercado Group decided to

extend the bid time "due to

the number of national and

international bidders that

did not manage to register

by the deadline" on

Saturday. It said new

bidders would have another

10 days to register a bid for

the remaining items.

Italy's Parisse on

standby for Six

Nations recall

SportS DeSk

Italy great Sergio Parisse,

who is set to retire from

rugby at the end of the

season, will be recalled for

the Six Nations if he has

recovered sufficiently from

his recent wrist injury, coach

Kieran Crowley said on

Monday, reports BSS.

The 38-year-old, who has

won 142 caps, last featured

for Italy during the 2019

World Cup when his

'farewell' match against New

Zealand was wiped out by a

typhoon. The Toulon No.8

fractured his wrist on

September 19 and only

returned to the pitch this

month."I spoke with Sergio.

He has only played one

game since his broken wrist,

we will take stock after the

holidays," Crowley told

Gazzetta dello Sport.

If he regains the physical

condition he displayed until

September, it will be a

deserved summons, beyond

his name and his CV. He will

offer added value."Crowley,

who took over at the helm in

the summer, is due to name

his squad on January 13.

Parisse has long wanted a

farewell appearance in front

of his home crowd in Rome

and last week acknowledged

that the 2022 Six Nations

could be a final opportunity.

No tickets will be sold to the general public for the forthcoming test and one-day international series

between South Africa and India because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

photo: Ap

WeDNesDAY, DeceMBeR 22, 2021

10

Bhabna, Ferdous to star in 'Dampara'

TBT RepoRT

Pori Moni replaces Mahi in 'Kagojer Biye'

TBT RepoRT

After returning from performing

Umrah with her husband, Dhaka

film actress Mahiya Mahi has

announced her withdrawal from a

web-film 'Kagojer Biye' directed by

Chayanika Chowdhury, showing

her "illness" for the reason to back

up from acting in the film.

Meanwhile, the filmmaker

Chayanika was in trouble with

Mahiya Mahi's decision. Although

Mahi backed from the film, she has

seen hanging out with her husband

for the last two days. Mahi also

shared pictures of her trip with her

Nora denies getting

any gift from Sukesh

Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora

Fatehi are being investigated by the Enforcement

Directorate(ED) in the Rs. 200 crore money

laundering case against Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

They are being investigated for allegedly receiving

luxury gifts from the conman.

Reportedly, the gifts received by Jacqueline and

Nora which include luxury cars, jewellery, and bags

were brought by the conman using the Rs. 200

husband on social media.

Many think Mahi's decision just

two days before the shooting is an

"amateur behavior".

As Mahi moved away, Chayanika

got Pori Moni as an alternative

actress for the film. As Pori Moni is

very close to her, Chayanika said

she was "very happy" to get Pori

Moni.

The shooting of the web film has

already started in Film City of

Dhamrai near the capital with Pori

Moni-Emon and DA Tayeb from

Friday.

According to the story of 'Kagojer

Biye', Pori Moni is playing the role

of the daughter of a rich man in the

film. She is married to a poor boy,

however, she did not consent to the

marriage. The marriage has to be

done on the condition of the father.

Pori has been torturing her

husband since marriage.

The story of the film is a complete

social story. At the end of the story,

there is a "message for everyone",

said director Chayanika.

After signing Pori Moni,

Chayanika said, "I think luck is a

big factor. With luck, no work gets

stuck. Thanks and appreciation to

Pori Moni as she has become my

new work partner."

crore he allegedly extorted from a businessman's

wife. In the charge sheet filed by ED, Sukesh gifted

Nora a BMW car in December 2020. However, the

actress said that the car was given to her by

Sukesh's wife Leena Maria in exchange for

participation in an event in Chennai. In her

statement, she said that she was a victim in the case

and has nothing to do with the money laundering

case.

When Nora was called in for questioning by the

ED she was asked whether she knew or met Sukesh

before the December 2020 event in Chennai.

According to reports in India Today, Nora told ED,

"No, I did not know who he was or nor have I ever

spoken to him prior to the event."

Nora also said that she has never used the Signal

application. This was in response to Sukesh

claiming that he had called Nora on December 20,

22020 to inform about the car he would be gifting.

Further, when asked if it was Leena Maria Pual

who announced at the event that Nora would be

gifted a new car, the actress said, "Yes, when the

event started, she and a couple of other people

along with two videographers came to the suite to

gift me and to take pictures with me. They were

shooting videos while they were handing me the big

green Gucci box and the iPhone".

Nora said that there were many witnesses when

she was gifted the car and that Leena also had a

man on phone on the loudspeaker whom she

referred to as her husband. "She [Leena] did not

mention any details. She just kept him on the

loudspeaker and he was thanking us for coming

and saying - they are huge fans of mine," Nora said.

"She [Leena] then announced - We are gifting you

a brand-new BMW car for yourself from our side as

a token of love and generosity. Everyone in the

room was pleasantly surprised. I remember also

saying - wow thank you but that's too much. I can't,

but I just went with the flow because I wasn't really

sure if this was just for show in front of the cameras

or if they really meant it. But they kept insisting,"

Nora added. The actress further said that Leena

expressed excitement for Nora to be judging her

staff dance competition. When Nora asked the

people around whether it is normal for actors to get

gifts, she got a positive response.

Source: India Today

Popular actress of Dhallywood Ashna Habib Bhabna starrer

first film titled 'Bhayankar Sundar' was released in 2017. Then

after four years recently her second film titled 'Lal Moroger

Jhuti' came to the cinema hall directed by renowned director

NurulAlamAtique.

Bhabna's performance in the film as Padma was praised by

remarkable.

Recently the actress has signed another film contract titled

'Dampara' opposite 5 times Nation Award winner actor

Ferdous Ahmed, directed by Shuddhaman Chaitan with

stories, screenplays and dialogues by Anon Zaman. 'Dampara'

is being produced by Chittagong Metropolitan Police.

Regarding the context the actress said the shooting of the

film 'Dampara' will start from December 23 in Chittagong.

The screenwriter of 'Dampara' Anon Zaman said that the

film is being made based on true events. The film will tell the

story of the heroic role of SP ShamsulHaque and other officers

of Dampara Police Lines in Chittagong during the great

liberation war of 1971.

Anan Zaman said, 'The main character of our film is SP

Shamsul Haque. During the war of liberation the first aim of

the Pakistani forces in Chittagong was to kill him. Because SP

Shamsul Haque was the first to put up massive resistance in

the police force in Chittagong for the liberation war. During the

war of liberation, he was picked up from the house of a relative

and brutally killed.

Mahmuda Haque, the wife of Shamsul Haque, is looking for

her husband after he went missing. In mid-August 1971, she

received a letter from the Chittagong district administration

Actress ShabnamFaria has

shared the reasons behind her

divorce with Harunur Rashid

Opu in social media recently,

reports UNB.

However, controversies

grew centering that Facebook

post where ShabnamFaria

wanted to present society's

attitude towards a woman

when she gets divorced.

This actress told, "Sharing

my story wasn't something so

easy for me. I did not complain

about any person in any way in

that post. The whole complaint

was towards the attitude of our

society. Many women would

stating, "Your husband died in April 1971."

In the film actor Ferdous will play the role of SP Shamsul

Haque and Bhabna will be seen in the role of his wife

Mahmuda Haque. In the meantime, Ferdous and Bhabna have

begun the necessary preparations to become these two

historical characters.

Jhuna Chowdhury, Ananta Hira, Majnun Mizan, Muntaha

and others will also act in 'Dampara'.

Actress Shabnam Faria

speaks about her divorce

not have to sacrifice their lives

in this way if they did not

consider the divorce in such a

dirty way!"

"I have tried my best to show

respect to the person who was

in my life before divorce,

although I've had so much rage

against that person. I'm sure

he has the same feeling. I also

believe he has tried to show the

highest respect," said Faria.

About being tortured by

husband, Faria said, "My point

was that the day I had my

finger fractured, I realized this

marriage had already become

toxic. But I've been watering a

dead tree for almost two and a

half years of life just thinking

'what will people say'!"

"Now, of course, breaking

my finger is true, but not that

he did it on purpose. At one

stage of the rage were blows

and then my finger got

fractured. So why is he now

denying? What do you do if

there is a sudden public

reaction?" "As so many talks

about the post have been

raised, it's hard enough to

prove my complaint. But there

is still a chance to find out the

CCTV footage of the hospital or

the bills," she added.

'The Batman': WB deciding between

two cuts of movie

Anew report has been

released stating that Warner

Bros. is deciding between

two cuts of the upcoming

'The Batman', and it could

potentially involve Barry

Keoghan's character.

Batman is one of the most

beloved and popular

characters in comic book

history, and as such, he has

been adapted to other media

for years. Co-written and

directed by Matt Reeves,

'The Batman' is a reboot of

the 'Batman' franchise and

separate from the DC

Extended Universe. Robert

Pattinson stars as the Caped

Crusader in a stellar cast that also includes Keoghan, Zoë

Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Andy

Serkis, and Colin Farrell. The Batman will follow Bruce Wayne

in his second year as 'Batman'. 'Batman' comes across the

threat of The Riddler (Dano), who is a serial killer akin to the

Zodiac killer in this adaptation. Riddler seems to have some

sort of vendetta against Gotham

and specific members of the

city. Batman will also have to

deal with Oswald

Cobblepot/The Penguin

(Farrell) and the Falcone crime

family. In addition to all of this,

he comes across thief Selina

Kyle/Catwoman (Kravitz).

Now, per THR, there are

reports of WB deciding between

two cuts of the movie, which

could potentially involve

Keoghan's character. It has been

reported already that Keoghan

will play a Gotham City police

officer named Stanley Merkel.

However, there have been

rumors going around that he

will be playing the iconic Batman villain, 'The Joker'. THR

mentions that they do not know much about Keoghan's

Merkel, but one of the two cuts has "a certain character" in it,

which could potentially be The Joker, and another source of

theirs is saying that WB has decided on which cut to go with.

Source: Variety

H o R o s c o p e

ARIes

(March 21 - April 20) : A business

opportunity in a distant state or even

foreign country could be in the works.

It could require a lot of travel or perhaps even

relocation. You may have mixed feelings about it,

but you're unlikely to turn it down. This could be

a real break! Your health over the next year

should be robust and glowing, and you'll have the

energy to take on any project you want.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : A chance to increase

your income could come your way. This

could involve extra work or

investments. Investments involving

land or other real estate could be especially profitable

now. There could also be contracts or legal papers

involved that bring money your way, so be prepared.

The end of this year should see you more financially

secure than you were at the beginning.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : A partnership

that may have been moving steadily

forward might seem stalled in its

tracks. This could involve either

business or romance. This isn't a good time to try

to pressure your partner toward progress. You'll

only meet stubborn resistance, which will slow

things down even more. Be patient and let things

progress in their own time.

cANceR

(June 22 - July 23) : You should be at

your peak of health. Physically, you

feel strong and energetic. You're in

the physical and mental space to accomplish

wonders, so don't be surprised if today you do just

that. This could bring you the promise of a

brighter future in the creative, professional, and

financial domains.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): The result of a

creative innovation you've been

working on should make itself apparent

today. You'll be pleasantly surprised!

Your ingenuity should pay off big, and your

accomplishments won't go unnoticed. You're likely

to enjoy positive feedback, recognition, and bright

prospects for the future development of your ideas.

In the evening, go out and have a good time.

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): The opportunity to

run a business out of your home could

arise today, perhaps involving a

metaphysical subject. Don't be surprised

if it takes off right away. Friends or past business

associates may want to be involved. This is worthy of

serious consideration. Benefits through the efforts of

others are strongly indicated now. Be prepared for a

great future, and start enjoying it now!

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): A neighbor might

be having a hard time and need

some extra support now. A new

business could open up in your

neighborhood that in some way opens doors for

you. It could be a new employment opportunity

or it could mean a more efficient way of operating

in your current profession. Don't be surprised if

you spend a lot of time driving around today.

scoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : As career and

money matters continue to advance for

you, more ideas and opportunities for

expanding your horizons could come

to you. You may have a hard time deciding which

ones are most practical now. It may help to make a

list and then judge which ones you want to use.

Expect a lot of action and many changes,

particularly regarding business possibilities.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Your energy and

enthusiasm are at an all-time high.

Your life, business, and money

matters are going very well, and

there are no signs that this will change any time

soon. Romance should also be going very well.

This should be doing wonders for your selfimage.

Whatever you've been doing, keep it up!

You've got a lot to look forward to.

cApRIcoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): Tension between

you and a business partner could have

you doubting your professional future

in the current situation. Don't waste too

much time worrying about it. You may not be aware

of it now, but career and money matters are going

well and are likely to continue like this for a while. Of

course, that depends on you and what you're willing

to do to keep it going.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : A long-term

dream toward which you've been

working for a long time, could finally

show signs of coming true. You're

feeling especially energetic and enthusiastic now, so

you might feel motivated to give it one last push to

finally make your dream reality. You'll probably go

out with friends or members of a group you belong

to and celebrate tonight.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Congratulations

to you! Career progress is in the

wind! If you've wanted to create a

dream career, you'll be able to do

so today. If you've been hoping to start your

own business, don't wait another moment.

The next year should be a successful and

profitable one for you, although not without

its surprises.

WEdNESdAY, dECEMBER 22, 2021

11

Presidential dialogue on EC

Jatiya Samajtantrik

Dal to meet today

DHAKA : President Abdul Hamid will meet

the leaders of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu)

at Bangabhaban on Wednesday as he

continues discussion with the political

parties on the formation of the next

Election Commission, reports UNB.

The current EC is scheduled to expire on

February 14 next year.

The dialogue, second in the series, is

scheduled to be held at 4 pm, President's

Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told UNB.

The president opened the dialogue on

Monday with Jatiya Party (JaPa), the main

opposition party in Parliament.

The eight-member JaPa delegation was

led by its chairman GM Quader.

Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP)

has been invited to hold the dialogue at

4pm on December 26 while Bangladesher

Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) will meet the

president at 6pm the same day, Abedin

said.

Bangladesh Tarikat Federation and

Khelafat Majlish will participate in the

discussion at 4 pm and 6 pm on December

27 respectively while Bangladesh Workers'

Party is scheduled to join on December 28

at 4pm.

On December 29, Bangladesh Nationalist

Front (BNF) was invited to hold the

dialogue at 4pm while Islami Oikya Jote

exchange will exchange their views with the

President at 6pm on the same day.

Now there are 39 registered political

parties, according to the EC website. But

only nine parties have representation in

Parliament.

The nine parties are Bangladesh Awami

League, Jatiya Party, Bangladesh

Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh

Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-

Jasod, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh,

Ganoforum, Bangladesh Tarikat

Federation and Jatiya Party-JP.

Assaulting education officer: Dewanganj

municipality mayor suspended

DHAKA : Dewanganj Municipality mayor

Shahnewaz Shahan Shah has been

suspended for assaulting the secondary

education officer in Jamalpur district on the

Victory Day.

A notification was issued in this regard by

the Ministry of Local Government, Rural

Development and Co-operatives (LGRD) on

Monday night.

As a case was filed against mayor

Shahnewaz and investigation into the

allegations against him has started, the

government has suspended him under

section 31 (1) of the Local Government Act

(Municipality), 2009, the notification said.

The misbehavior with secondary

education officer Md Meher Ullah by the

mayor is beyond etiquette, tantamount to

misconduct, misuse of power and

misgovernance and it goes against the public

interest, the notification said.

On Monday, suspended mayor Shahnewaz

was also expelled from local unit of Awami

League over the same incident.

On December 16, Shahnewaz physically

assaulted education officer Md Meher Ullah

at a Victory Day programme in the upazila.

Md Meher was conducting the programme

at Dewanganj Government High School

premises. He was calling the names of the

officials inviting them to place wreaths in

serial.

As the mayor was the eighth in serial he got

angry and started abusing Meher verbally.

When the officer protested the mayor

allegedly slapped him.

A case was filed against Shahnewaz in this

connection on that day.

The final game of the traditional horse-racing competition of rural Bengal has

been held at Haripur village of Nangla union of Melandaha upazila of

Jamalpur district on Tuesday. The locals organized a horse-racing game at

Haripur ground in Haripur village of Nangla union. Photo: Ruhul Amin Razu

American ex-priest

in East Timor found

guilty of sex abuse

OECUSSE : A defrocked

American priest accused of

sexually abusing orphaned

and disadvantaged young girls

under his care in East Timor

was found guilty Tuesday and

sentenced to 12 years in

prison, in the first case of its

kind in the staunchly Catholic

nation, reports UNB.

Richard Daschbach, 84,

who spent decades as a

missionary in the country's

remote enclave of Oecusse,

faced charges of child sexual

abuse as well as child

pornography and domestic

violence.

The trial began in February

but was postponed several

times before concluding last

month. During the

proceedings, victims

complained about threats and

online attacks. Daschbach

maintains strong backing

from some, including former

President Xanana Gusmao,

who went to the court on

Tuesday. East Timor is the

most Catholic place outside

the Vatican and Daschbach is

revered for his role during the

tiny Southeast Asian nation's

fight for independence.

The church and foreign

donors who once supported

the shelter said Daschbach

confessed to the abuse, but the

former priest and his lawyers

have at various times refused

to comment.

American ex-priest in East Timor

found guilty of sex abuse

OECUSSE : A defrocked American priest accused of sexually

abusing orphaned and disadvantaged young girls under his care

in East Timor was found guilty Tuesday and sentenced to 12 years

in prison, in the first case of its kind in the staunchly Catholic

nation. Richard Daschbach, 84, who spent decades as a

missionary in the country's remote enclave of Oecusse, faced

charges of child sexual abuse as well as child pornography and

domestic violence. The trial began in February but was postponed

several times before concluding last month. During the

proceedings, victims complained about threats and online

attacks. Daschbach maintains strong backing from some,

including former President Xanana Gusmao, who went to the

court on Tuesday. East Timor is the most Catholic place outside

the Vatican and Daschbach is revered for his role during the tiny

Southeast Asian nation's fight for independence, reports UNB.

Executive Magistrate Tamanna Tasneem led a mobile court drive at Joybangla Bazar in

Kumarkhali's Jadubayara Union on Tuesday.

Photo: TBT

On the occasion of Mujib Year, more than 200 disabled children got food and one hundred taka each

at the initiative of Maruf Social Welfare Foundation and Changpang Chinese Restaurant in

Kotalipara Upazila of Gopalganj. Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Afia Sharmin, as the chief

guest handed over food and Tk 100 to the disabled children at the Changpang Chinese Restaurant in

the municipal market of the upazila on Tuesday.

Photo: S M Nazrul Islam

China takes reciprocal

countermeasures

against U.S. sanctions

BEIJING : China decided to

take

reciprocal

countermeasures and

sanction four U.S.

individuals in response to

the U.S. sanctions against

four Chinese officials over

issues related to Xinjiang,

reports UNB.

"We urge the United

States to revoke the so-called

'sanctions' and stop

interfering in issues related

to Xinjiang and China's

internal affairs," Foreign

Ministry spokesperson Zhao

Lijian said on Tuesday.

Chinese women's

average life expectancy

exceeds 80 years in 2020

BEIJING : The average life

expectancy of Chinese

women reached 80.88 years

in 2020, up from 77.37 years

in 2010, according to the

National Bureau of Statistics

(NBS) on Tuesday, reports

UNB.

Chinese women's social

status has been raised

significantly over the past

decade, and their sense of

accomplishment, happiness

and security has increased

dramatically, said an NBS

report on the monitoring

results of the Outline for the

Development of Chinese

Women (2011-2020).

The gender gap in

compulsory education has

been eliminated, with the

net enrollment rate of

primary school-aged girls

remaining above 99.9

percent for six consecutive

years since 2015, the same as

that among boys.

With the improvement of

policies for employment and

starting businesses over the

past decade, employment

channels for women have

been expanded, and the

number of women in the

workforce has seen a steady

increase.

Biden to urge Americans

to get vaccinated as

Christmas nears

WASHINGTON : As

coronavirus cases surge in

the days before Christmas,

President Joe Biden plans to

stress in a speech the

importance of getting

vaccinated to protect from

the wave of infections tied to

the new omicron variant,

reports UNB.

The world is confronting

the prospect of a second

straight holiday season with

COVID-19 as families and

friends begin to gather while

the variant quickly spreads.

Scientists don't yet know

whether omicron causes

more serious disease, but

they do know that

vaccination should offer

strong protections against

severe illness and death.

In a preview of Biden's

speech Tuesday afternoon,

White House press secretary

Jen Psaki said at Monday's

press briefing that the

president doesn't plan to

impose any lockdowns and

will instead be encouraging

people to get inoculated -

and, if they're eligible, to get

their booster shot.

"This is not a speech about

locking the country down.

This is a speech about the

benefits of being

vaccinated," Psaki told

reporters.

Biden's top medical

adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci,

said over the weekend that

Biden will issue "a stark

warning of what the winter

will look like" for

unvaccinated Americans.

Biden has found himself in

the delicate position of both

alerting the country to the

dangers posed by omicron

and reassuring Americans

that the vaccines will protect

them. White House officials

are looking to ease the

nation back toward

accepting the reality of an

endemic virus with far lower

stakes for the vaccinated.

This has meant setting a

difficult balance as cases rise

and as deaths and serious

illness among the

unvaccinated dominate

headlines.

Underscoring how

widespread the virus is, the

White House said late

Monday that Biden had

been in close contact with a

staff member who later

tested positive for COVID-

19. The staffer spent about

30 minutes around the

president on Air Force One

on Friday on a trip from

Orange, South Carolina, to

Philadelphia. The staffer,

who was fully vaccinated

and boosted, tested positive

earlier Monday, Psaki said.

Psaki said Biden has tested

negative twice since Sunday

and will test again on

Wednesday. Citing guidance

from the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention,

Psaki said Biden didn't need

to quarantine and would

continue with his regular

schedule.

There are 40 million

eligible but unvaccinated

American adults. Efforts to

increase vaccination rates

have struggled to overcome a

series of political, social and

cultural divides. Psaki said

the president plans to appeal

to survival instincts.

"Our health experts assess

that you are 14 times more

likely to die of COVID if you

have not been vaccinated

versus vaccinated," she said

Monday.

Leana Wen, the former

public health commissioner

for Baltimore, said she would

like to hear Biden commit in

his speech to having enough

GD-1876/21 (4x3)

tests available within three

months so that every family

can test twice a week. Other

countries have already done

this, she noted.

"Every family testing twice a

week is the goal that we should

get to," Wen said in an

interview.

Wen, who teaches public

health at George Washington

University, said she'd also like to

see more restrictions put in

place on the still-sizable portion

of the public that remains

unvaccinated, such as following

some cities and requiring proof

of vaccination to be admitted to

bars, restaurants, concert

venues and gyms, for example.

Further complicating Biden's

message is uncertainty about

the omicron variant.

U.S. announces

first recorded

Omicron-related death

HOUSTON : An

unvaccinated man living in

Harris County, Texas, is

believed to be the first victim

having died from the

Omicron variant of COVID-

19 in the United States, local

media reported Monday.

"Sad to report the first

local fatality from the

Omicron variant of COVID-

19. A man in his 50s from

the eastern portion of Harris

County who was not

vaccinated," Harris County

Judge Lina Hidalgo tweeted

earlier in the day, reports

UNB.

The victim had an

underlying health condition,

she added.

Reports from ABC News

and Fox News said this is

believed to be the first

recorded Omicron-related

death in the United States.

5 killed after security

forces bust kidnapping

gang in E. Afghanistan

JALALABAD : Five people

were killed after intelligence

personnel of Afghanistan's

caretaker government busted

an armed kidnapping group in

Jalalabad city, capital of

eastern Nangarhar province

on Tuesday, the local

government confirmed.

"The Special Forces of

General Directorate of

Intelligence (GDI) launched

an operation against a hideout

of a kidnapping gang in

Qasaba locality, Police District

1 of Jalalabad city Tuesday

morning. As a result of the

operation, three members of

the gang were killed," the

government said in a

statement.

A kidnapped goldsmith and

a GDI personnel were also

killed during the firefight and

the groups' hideout was

destroyed following the raid,

the statement said. Two

suspected men were arrested

and a handful of weapons and

ammunition were seized by

the security forces, according

to the statement.

Wednesday, Dhaka: December 22, 2021; Poush 7, 1428 BS; Jamadi-ul Awal 17, 1443 Hijri

Shuja Mollah of Jhenaidah had the distinction of crossing St. Martin's Seaway from Shahpari

Island in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, known as 'Bangla Channel' for the second time. He has claimed

the second spot in this year's event.

Photo : TBT

Winter of pain, winter of joy in Bangladesh

Mosquitos in Dhaka

Taposh finds 'solution

in public

awareness'

DHAKA : Tormented by mosquito menace,

the city dwellers continue to blame

the city authorities for not doing enough

to save them from mosquito-borne diseases,

particularly Dengue, reports UNB.

The mosquito menace is a major issue

in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC)

as elsewhere in the capital. Despite

DSCC's claim of conducting mosquito

control drives regularly, the city dwellers

are not getting relief from the torment of

mosquitoes.

According to residents of DSCC, the

city corporation has not been able to

destroy the breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

Like the Dhaka North City

Corporation (DNCC), the people in the

south city area have failed to protect

themselves even after using mosquito

nets, mosquito coils, electric bats, and

mosquito repellent sprays.

The problem during the daytime is relatively

tolerable but it becomes unbearable

at night in home, office-court, educational

institutions.

The city's worst-hit areas include

Malibagh, Rampura, Banasree, Meradia,

Goran, Khilgaon, Jatrabari, Sayedabad,

Dhanmondi, Old Dhaka, Fakirapul,

Arambagh, Paltan, Motijheel,

Kamalapur, Maniknagar, Basabo,

Mugda, Khilgaon, Dholaikhal, Kuril, Mir

Hajaribag, Shyampur, Kamrangirchar,

Sutrapur, Mohammadpur and

Hazaribagh. Nazmul Haque, who lives

in Malibagh, said that they are infested

with mosquitoes which is really unbearable.

"There's no respite from mosquitoes,

no matter where you're...we're

always at the risk of getting infected with

dengue.

DHAKA : The winter in Bangladesh, as in

many other Asian countries, has become

erratic. When people in the country's

northern region seek an escape from

cold, those who live in Dhaka are in pursuit

of an enchanting winter, reports

UNB.

On Monday, the lowest temperature

was 14 degrees Celsius in Dhaka at night

and 24 degrees Celsius at daytime and

public life was almost normal in the capital.

But people in many other parts of the

country, mainly in the northern region,

experienced the biting cold.

For example, Chuadanga, a northern

district, experienced 7 degrees Celsius of

temperature, the lowest of the country

this year, the same day as a mild cold

wave is sweeping different parts of

Bangladesh. The chilly weather is disrupting

normal life in the district making

the poor people the worst sufferers.

The unusual cold weather is forcing

people to stay indoors, causing sufferings

to low-income people, including daylabourers

and rickshaw-pullers. Many

people were seen crowding stores of

warm clothes and quilts to protect themselves

from the biting cold.

Living in Dhaka will give you another

experience. The middle-class people of

Dhaka are in cold-weather gear enjoying

the much-sought winter with fancy winter

dresses and planning winter trips.

Nature's freak behaviour

M Abdul Mannan, a senior meteorologist

at the Bangladesh Meteorological

Department (BMD), said Bangladesh has

been experiencing abnormal behaviour

of the weather pattern over the recent few

years with a change in length and duration

of sessions. "We can't now predict

when a season will exactly start or end

due to freak weather."

Usually, he said, winter begins early

December and ends on February 28 in

Bangladesh. "But we've been intermittently

experiencing less cold during this

month for some years. Besides, we're also

not feeling the intensity of cold at the

expected level in the capital during the

winter."

Bangladesh' noted environmental

expert Dr Atiq Rahman said the winter is

getting less biting in the country, but at

the same time getting foggier.

"Crops are being affected adversely by

the increased fog. The overall uncertainty

in crop production in Bangladesh is on

the rise,"" he said.

The expert said people in Dhaka and

other cities have been experiencing more

temperature than other areas because of

the huge number of buildings and concrete

roads and pavements which retain

the heat for around six hours after sunset.

Dr Atiq, executive director of the

Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies,

"There's no doubt that temperature has

increased in Bangladesh. We don't find

equilibrium in temperature, humidity

and rainfall. We call it erratic behaviour

of climate."

Correlation with climate change

A recent World Bank (WB) report said

Bangladesh has experienced a 0.5°

Celsius increase in average temperature

between 1976 and 2019 and is slowly losing

the variations between seasons

caused by climate change.

It said summers are becoming hotter

and longer while winters are warmer,

and the monsoon seasons are being

extended from February to October.

The report also predicted that average

temperatures across Bangladesh will rise

by 1.4° Celsius by 2050 while annual

rainfall is likely to increase by 74 millimetres

by 2040-2059.

According to a recent report of Global

Climate Risk Index 2019, Bangladesh is

the seventh most-affected country in the

world due to "extreme weather events"

over the last 20 years from 1998 -2017.

Mercury to go up

The cold wave that is sweeping parts of

the country is likely to ease from

Thursday, the Met office said on

Tuesday.

Freedom fighters to get

ID cards on March 26

next: Mozammel

DHAKA : Liberation War Affairs

Minister AKM Mozammel Haque yesterday

said the heroic freedom fighters (FF)

are expected to get advanced and secured

identity cards (ID cards) within March

26 next.

"Freedom fighters will get ID cards

within March 26 next. The tender

process for this purpose has already been

completed," he said.

The minister said this while addressing

a discussion organised by Bangladesh

Retired Government Employees Welfare

Association on the occasion of the Victory

Day-2021 in city's Dhanmondi area, a

press release said here.

Highlighting the facilities given to the

FFs, he mentioned that the present government

has increased the allowance of

heroic freedom fighters to Taka 20,000.

"The heroic freedom fighters will get

free treatment in any specialized government

hospital of the country," he said,

adding that the government is enabling

all arrangements so that they can lead a

dignified life.

Mozammel further said all the insolvent

freedom fighters will be given houses

as the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

has allocated Taka 4,200 crore.

At the time, he added that the government

is constructing graves of martyred

and deceased heroic freedom fighters at

district, upazila and union-level following

the same design. The final list of freedom

fighters has been prepared, he said,

adding: "Freedom fighter complexes

have been set up in every district and 401

upazilas of the country."

President of Bangladesh Retired

Government Employees Welfare

Association Kazi Reazul Haque,

Secretary General of the Association Abu

Alam Md Shahid Khan also spoke,

among others, on the occasion, the

release added.

Shuja crosses

Bangla channel two

times in a row

TBT RePoRT

Shuja Mollah of Jhenaidah had the distinction

of crossing St. Martin's Seaway

from Shahpari Island in Teknaf, Cox's

Bazar, known as 'Bangla Channel' for the

second time. He has claimed the second

spot in this year's event.

Shuja Mollah, hailed from the municipal

area of Jhenaidah, is the son of Altaf

Hossain. Last year, he crossed the Bangla

channel for the first time. Shuja, 26, has

won more than 50 gold, silver and bronze

medals in national swimming competitions.

Shuja Mollah said that everyone learns

to swim from childhood for self-defense.

"I learned to swim in the river

Nabaganga next to my house while

studying primary. At that time I took part

in a seven-day swimming camp in the

area. My coach Zahid Mollah raised me

as a swimmer. I am working to make

people aware through swimming."

Shocker from Sirajganj

In-laws 'shave

housewife's

hair, eyebrows'

SIRAJGANJ : A 43-year-old man

and two of his family members were

detained by RAB members on

Tuesday in a case filed on charge of

shaving his wife's hair and eyebrows

in Shahjadpur upazila of Sirajganj.

The detainees are victim Gulnahar

Parvin Minu's husband Mehedi

Hasan Sujon, 43, his brother Md

Sumon,35, and mother Maina,55,

residents of Satbaria village in the

upazila.

They were detained around 6 am

from Shahzadpur in Sirajganj and

Savar during a joint drive of Rab-4

and Rab-12, said Major Md

Mushfiqur Rahman, deputy commander

of Rapid Action Battalion-12

(RAB).

Married in 2006, Minu and

Mehedi live in Gazipur as Mehedi

works in a garment factory.

Minu alleged her husband always

tortured her both physically and

mentally.

When Minu went to visit her inlaws

at Satbaria with her husband on

December 15, they barbarically tortured

her and shaved her hair and

eyebrows.

The cruel incident came to light on

December 19 and police rescued

Minu from her in-law's house and

got her admitted to Bangamata

Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib General

Hospital in Sirajganj.

The next day, a case was filed

against the three accused at

Shahjadpur Police Station upon

receiving a complaint from Minu's

mother.

In Bangladesh, women and girls

are facing growing violence in every

stage of their lives as society thinks it

is not that much of a serious issue.

According to a report of Human

Rights Watch, this crisis comes as

Bangladesh enters the final phase of

its national plan to build "a society

without violence against women and

children by 2025."

Quader seeks BNP's

responsible role in

EC formation

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday

hoped that BNP would play a

responsible role, which a democratic

political party follows, in formation

of new Election Commission (EC).

"We hope, the BNP will follow the

responsibility and duty that a democratic

political party plays in formation

of an acceptable Election

Commission," he said in a statement.

At the same time, he said, they

hoped that the BNP would return to

the path of democracy and healthy

politics, shunning the policy of making

misleading statements and propaganda.

Quader, also the road transport

and bridges minister, said the BNP

never believes in elections, constitution

and conventional norms of

democracy.

Denmark, PPPA sign MoU to

enhance green infrastructure

cooperation

DHAKA : Public Private Partnership

Authority (PPPA) of the Prime Minister's

Office and Denmark on Tuesday signed a

memorandum of understanding (MoU) to

enhance green infrastructure cooperation

for Bangladesh's sustainable economic

growth.

'With a growing population, economic

growth, and graduation from LDC status,

Bangladesh is becoming a key player on

the global stage, said Danish Ambassador

Winnie Estrup Petersen on signing the

MoU with the PPPA in Bangladesh.

"Its wealth of resources and untapped

domestic consumption potential makes

the country a good candidate for investment.

Ultimately, working together we

hope to spark a green industrial transformation

by cooperating in sectors like clean

water and energy, food and agriculture,

urban development and transportation,"

said the Ambassador.

The Danish envoy said concretely, they

foresee this as an opportunity to match

Bangladeshi needs with Danish strongholds

in maritime and logistics, to develop

sustainable maritime and port infrastructure

that will ensure stronger integration

of Bangladesh into global supply chains as

it continues its growth.

The Secretary of the Government of

Bangladesh and the CEO of Public Private

Partnership Authority (PPPA), Sultana

Afroz (Secretary), echoed those aspirations,

highlighting that public private partnership

between Denmark and

Bangladesh is a great way to advance

Bangladesh's economic growth with sustainable

investments.

"Bangladesh welcomes investors from

Denmark and looks forward to opportunities

to work together on green technologies

and innovative industrial methods.

Collaboration paves the path for green

transition for both our economies in a positive

and fruitful way."

"Information Blindness"

prevailing in the country:

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya

DHAKA : Distinguished fellow of the

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr

Debapriya Bhattacharya on Tuesday

said that "Information Blindness" has

been prevailing in the country.

Dr Debapriya, also the member for

UN Committee for Development

Policy (CDP), made the remarks while

addressing a discussion meeting on

the use of financial information and

right to information towards ensuring

transparency and accountability.

Organized jointly by the Asia

Foundation, CPD and the Economic

Reporters' Forum (ERF), senior

research fellow of CPD Towfiqul Islam

Khan made the key-note presentation

at the meeting held at the ERF' auditorium

at Paltan, reports UNB.

Debapriya said either the government

or the concerned authorities

could failed to perceive that information

could be a supporting force.

"There is also a lack of modern mindset

on effectiveness of information

towards optimum utilization of limited

resources which is also not consistent

with the moderate world,"

He also opined that even such

dearth in information and data is also

not consistent with the development

desire of the country as well as its

efforts to ensure recovery from the

pandemic, attaining the SDGs by

2030 and thus becoming a prosperous

developed country by 2041.

Moderated by ERF general secretary

SM Rashidul Islam, its executive committee

member and former Bureau

chief of Reuters Sirajul Islam Qadir

also spoke on the occasion.

Debapriya said since Bangladesh is

now on the way towards graduation

from the LDCs, such country needs to

have "trigger indicator" to avail support

from the international community

if it faces any challenge beyond

graduation.

"So, the situation of graduation from

the LDCs by Bangladesh has increased

the demand for financial information

by 100 times. Although the matter is

acknowledged verbally, but no such

action is still evident," he said.

He said after LDC graduation, sufficient

support would not be available if

there is no timely supply of fullfledged

information. It will also tarnish

the image of the country.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he

said the global production and supply

chain was halted which led to the

decrease in demand. Under the circumstances,

the governments had to

increase expenditure, especially to the

lagging behind communities, through

various support measures.

He said even the public representatives

were not fully aware of the fact as

to what was the overall stimulus package

amount, who were the recipients

and how much amount was disbursed.

It was not possible to disburse even 20

per cent of the Taka 2,500 cash support

(Eid Gifts) to each beneficiary due

to lack of data and information.

He observed that the researchers as

well as the public representatives are

not getting latest information. As a

result, it is not being possible to make

qualitative evaluation on education,

health and in other sectors.

Bhutto Mia from Bagha Narayanpur in Rajshahi district has come to Bogura town like every year to sell date

juice. He collected juice from the trees on a three-month contract with the owners of the trees in the Government

Azizul Haq College Chattar area.

Photo : TBT

22-12-2021

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