05-01-2022

Wednesday

DhAkA: January 5, 2022; Poush 21, 1428 BS; Jamadi-us Sani 1,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 245; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

New cruises in Brazil

suspended amid

spread of omicron

>Page 7

sports

Mbappe hat-trick

fires PSG into

French Cup last 16

>Page 9

arts & culture

'This was on

multi-levels of

feeling hurt…'

>Page 10

Covid-19

Positivity rate

now 3.91%

DHAKA : Bangladesh reported 775 more

Covid-19 infections with six more deaths

linked to it in 24 hours till Tuesday

morning. The country's daily cases

crossed 700 last on October 6, 2021 with

the logging of 703 cases and 23 deaths.

With the detection of fresh cases after

testing 19,740 samples, the daily case

positivity rose to 3.91 per cent from

Monday's 3.37 per cent during the period,

according to the Directorate General

of Health Services (DGHS).

The fresh numbers took the country's

total fatalities to 28,087 while the caseload

mounted to 15,87,915.

Meanwhile, the mortality rate

remained static at 1.77 per cent during

the period. Besides, the recovery rate

further declined to 97.61 per cent with

the recovery of 185 more patients during

the 24-hour period.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's total tally of

Omicron cases stood at 10 with detection

of three cases on Friday, according to

GISAID, a global initiative on sharing all

influenza data. On December 9,

Bangladesh again logged zero Covidrelated

death after nearly three weeks as

the pandemic was apparently showing

signs of easing. The country reported this

year's first zero Covid-related death in a

single day on November 20 along with

178 infections since the pandemic broke

out in Bangladesh in March 2020.

Bangladesh reported the highest number

of daily fatalities of 264 on August 10

this year, while the highest daily caseload

was 16,230 on July 28 this year.

Voting in 700

UPs today

DHAKA : More than 700 Union Parishads

(UPs) are set to go to polls on Wednesday

in the 5th phase countrywide elections to

the lowest tier of the local government,

reports UNB.

The election will be held in 708 UPs on

Wednesday, said Joint Secretary of the

Election Commission Secretariat SM

Asaduzzman on Tuesday. A total of 36,457

candidates are there in the election race

for the chairman and member posts of

708 UPs at 95 upazilas in 48 districts. Of

them, 3,278 are chairman contenders for

708 posts, according to the EC's factsheet.

However, 48 chairman contestants

have already been declared elected unopposed,

finding no rivals against their

respective posts. Besides, 33 candidates for

reserve seats and 112 for member posts have

been elected uncontested in different UPs.

In the 708 UPs, the total number of voters

is 14.2 million under 7,137 polling stations.

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)

will be used in 40 UPs, while traditional

ballot papers will be used in the remaining

bodies in the 5th phase polls.

EVMs will be used in 40 UPs, while traditional

ballot papers in the remaining

bodies in the 5th phase polls, said EC officials.

The Election Commission on

November 27 last announced the 5th

phase polls schedules for 707 UPs of 47

districts. Later, another UP was incorporated

in the 5th phase elections.

Zohr

05:22 AM

12:08 PM

03:46 PM

05:27 PM

06:48 PM

6:41 5:24

No plan for lockdown

at present

Safiqul iSlam (Jami)

Though there is no thought of restrictions

right now to deal with the new type of corona

virus 'Omicron', the decision is being taken to

use public transport with half of the passengers

in the seat. Shopping mall opening time

will also be reduced. Health Minister Zahid

Malek made the remarks while talking to

reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday

(January 4). He said a notification would be

issued by the Cabinet Division within the next

seven days to implement the restrictions.

Earlier, an inter-ministerial meeting was

organized by the Cabinet Division on Monday

(January 3) to address Omicron. Home

Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was

present at the meeting as the chief guest. At

that meeting it was decided to impose restrictions

in various cases.

He said we have been seeing that the

covid-19 infected patients are increasing for

the last one week. The way it is growing, it

is alarming. With that in mind, we had a

meeting with the cabinet department on

Monday. I was in that meeting, there was

the Home Minister, various secretaries,

divisional commissioners, DCs, SPs, DIGs

were involved. They have been given some

advice and instructions, they are not final.

The final letter from the cabinet will go to

everyone.

"We need to stop corona virus and omicron,"

he said. That is why some decisions

are being taken. Anyone traveling on bus

Govt considers metro-rail

projects also for other cities

DHAKA : The government considers

designing and undertaking metro-rail

projects for Chattogram and other

major cities having larger airports as

done in Dhaka, reports UNB.

The issue for metro-rail projects for

other large cities was discussed at a

meeting of the Executive Committee of

the National Economic Council

(Ecnec) held virtually with Ecnec

Chairperson and Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The PM joined the meeting virtually

from her official residence

Ganobhaban, while others were connected

from the NEC conference room.

"The Prime Minister said not only in

Dhaka, the metro-rail project should

also be in Chattogram. Prepare a

design for the metro-rail project for

Chattogram Airport to Chattogram

Railway Station. Later, we should go

for designs for metro-rail-like projects

in large cities where there're big airports,"

said Planning Minister MA

Mannan while briefing reporters after

the meeting.

The minister hoped that metro-rail

projects would be placed for other

ebadot

Hossain

finished the

day four of the

first test with

4-39 as New

Zealand

reached 147-5,

at stumps

on tuesday.

photo: BCB

trains and launches without a mask will be

fined. It has been a rough decision. It has

been proposed to halve the number of passengers

in buses and other vehicles.

Anyone must go to restaurants and hotels

after wearing the mask. The deadline for

keeping shops and markets open will be

reduced. It has been proposed to keep the

shops open till 8 pm instead of 10 pm.

Zahid Malek said that if you want to eat in a

hotel-restaurant, you have to show your vaccination

card. However, the school will run by

following the hygiene rules. If the infection

increases, school will be considered. School

cannot be continued. We have not made that

decision yet, that situation is not yet prevailing

in the country.

He said that many people are asking

whether the lockdown will be given or not.

We're not thinking about that yet. If the

condition goes out of control, the infection

increases a lot, and then the thought of

lockdown is in the head. Besides, screening

has been intensified at land, sea and seaports.

Police guards will be deployed in case

of quarantine. It has been asked to pay

attention to this matter.

After 15 days, these issues were discussed to

be implemented, the Minister said, our DC, SP

who are at the district level have been told.

When they receive these instructions, implement

them quickly. Earlier 15 days have been

mentioned. Today I have proposed to do seven

days, not 15 days. That has been told to the

cabinet secretary. He agreed on this point.

large cities in the future. "We, on part

of the Planning Commission, will also

encourage city corporations to design

such projects," he said.

Mannan said the Prime Minister at

the meeting also stressed the need for

the construction of satellite cities and

towns.

3 mega projects up for opening

in 2022

The minister said three mega projects-Padma

Bridge, Metro-Rail (MRT-

6) and Karnaphuli Tunnel-out of 10

will be opened this year, which will

play a significant role in accelerating

the economic growth of the country.

"The projects will play a massive role

in the country's economy as these will

accelerate the economic growth," he

said, adding that the projects might

accelerate the GDP growth by 2pc to

2.5pc according to some economists.

State Minister for Ministry of

Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said

Padma Bridge is supposed to be

opened in June 2022, while

Karnaphuli tunnel in October 2022

and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)-6 in

December, 2022.

So far 7,50,70,545 people in the country have been vaccinated through the first dose to

prevent corona infection. Students at Bright School and College in the capital are seen

being vaccinated on tuesday.

photo : Star mail

Jhalakathi launch fire

Probe body

submits report

DHAKA : The probe committee formed

by the Shipping Ministry has submitted

its report on the last month's deadly

launch fire on the Sugandha River,

reports UNB.

The probe committee submitted the

report on Monday night, said State

Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud

Chowdhury.

"The report was submitted to the

Shipping Secretary but he's sick with

Covid-19 infections. Now, I'll go through

the report. I'll be able to say in detail once

go through it," said Khalid Mahmud.

"As far as I know the negligence of

owners, workers, and drivers of MV

Avijan-10 launch was detected in the

report. There were problems in the dockyard,

too," he added.

The state minister said the engine had

an issue for which the dockyard authorities

are responsible. "Therefore, they'll

also be made accountable for the accident,"

he added.

Action will be taken against the owners

and others who are responsible, warned

Khalid Mahmud.

Earlier on December 30, the probe

committee was granted three additional

days to complete its investigation.

On December 24, the Shipping

Ministry formed the seven-member

probe committee, asking it to submit its

report within three working days. But the

deadline was missed. The confirmed

death toll from the deadly fire on MV

Avijan-10 rose to 49 on Monday. On

Sunday, Dhaka Marine Court issued an

order to send two drivers of the launch to

jail in a case over the fire.

2021: A year of challenges

for Awami League

DHAKA : The Awami League's powerful

momentum in the country's political

landscape continued in 2021 as it

did not face any challenge from opponents.

There is no political force in the

field now to compete with this political

party which has been in power for

three consecutive terms and 12 years

now - a generation has not seen them

out of power, reports UNB.

Last year, the Awami League celebrated

the golden jubilee of independence in

a grand procession and the birth centenary

of the Father of the Nation through

colourful ceremonies.

Millions of leaders and activists participated

in the biggest victory rally of the

commemorative period.

The Awami League and its allies and

affiliates have gained a huge reputation

standing by the masses during the

Corona period.

Though the country's oldest party did

not face any challenge from its opponents

on the field, it has repeatedly faced

embarrassing situations due to exaggerations

of the leaders, intra-party conflicts

and the rise of the rebel candidates

quader v quader

Earlier in 2021, Abdul Quader Mirza,

younger brother of Awami League

General Secretary, Road Transport and

Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader,

came to the discussion directly delivering

controversial speeches against his

brother. He also criticized the role of

the administration in the election. His

speech created an embarrassing situation

in the political arena. The party,

the government and the administration

also felt embarrassed.

taposh v khokon

The open clash between the running

mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation,

Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and

former mayor Sayeed Khokon was the

talk of the city over the mayoral nomination.

Then in January last year, their dispute

over the amount of money deposited

in the banks became public.

Barrister Taposh has transferred hundreds

of crores of money belonging to the

city corporation to a bank he owns, but

he is not qualified to be the mayor,

alleged Saeed Khokon.

The running Mayor avoided the issue

terming Sayeed Khokon's statement as

defamatory and that legal action would

be taken, warned Barrister Taposh.

Followers of the running and former

mayors of DSCC organised processions

and human chain over the issue after the

fight of words had started.

>(Contd. on page-11)

Bangladesh sniff a historical

victory on New Zealand soil

SportS DeSk

Fast bowler Ebadot Hossain claimed his

career-best 4-39 as Bangladesh closed in

on their first victory in any format of

cricket on New Zealand soil, after leaving

the hosts in a position of embarrassment

on day four of the first cricket Test at Bay

Oval in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday,

reports BSS.

Ebadot's fiery spell left New Zealand at

147-5 at stumps, giving them only 17 runs

lead. Bangladesh hoped to wrap up New

Zealand's second innings quickly on fifth

day and set a smaller target for them to

win the game.

But the only barrier for their aspiration

is Ross Taylor, the New Zealand senior

batter was batting on 37 with Rachin

Ravindra on 6.

Resuming the day on 401-6,

Bangladesh were quickly bowled out

for 458 with Trent Boult slicing the batting

with 4-85. He was ably supported

by Neil Wagener's 3-101 and Tim

Sotheee's 2-114.

Bangladesh played 176.2 overs which is

the longest innings on New Zealand soil

since 2009.

As New Zealand were shot out for 328

in their first innings, Bangladesh ended

with a handy 130-run lead, which is the

Tigers only second first innings lead at

away. And it was the highest lead the

New Zealand conceded in a home Test

since the start of 2017.

After the half-century of Mahmudul

Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto,

skipper Mominul Haque and Liton Das,

Mehidy Hasan closed in on a fifty but was

out on 47. Yasir Ali Rabbi, the other

overnight batter scored 26.

However, such was Bangladesh dominance

in the first innings that they came

out in second innings highly motivated,

only to see opener Will Young resisting

them hard.

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed gave the

breakthrough, dismissing captain Tom

Latham for 14 and then Ebadot got rid of

first innings centurion Devon Conway for

13, leaving New Zealand at 63-2.

wedNesdAY, JANUArY 5, 2022

2

3 killed in Turag

slum fire

DHAKA : Three teenagers

died in a pre-dawn fire at a tinroofed

shanty at Chandalbuk

under Turag Police Station on

Tuesday, reports UNB.

The deceased were

identified as Md Jahangir,19,

Ruma Aktar, 17, and Afrin 14.

The fire broke out around

4:20 am at Suruj Mia's house

at Manik Slum in the city's

Uttara area, said Shahjahan

Sikder, Deputy Assistant

Director Media cell of fire

service and Civil Defence

headquarters

On information, three units

of firefighters rushed to the

spot and managed to put out

the flame at after one and a

half hours of efforts at 5:40

am, he said .

74th founding anniversary of Bangladesh Chhatra League has been observed in Tangail through

rally, discussion meeting and balloon releasing.

Photo : Nasir Uddin

Documentary film on Dhaka-Moscow ties premieres

DHAKA : Marking the 50 years

of diplomatic relations between

Bangladesh and Russia, an

exclusive documentary film

titled "Freedom Does Not

Breathe Money" has been

recently premiered in Moscow

based on the removal of mines

at the port of Chittagong by the

Soviet Navy from 1972-1984,

reports UNB.

The movie, directed by

Russian filmmaker Evgeny

Barkhanov, had its opening

show in presence of Russian

celebrities on December 28 at

the Central Cinema Hall in

Moscow.

Kamrul Ahsan, Ambassador

of Bangladesh to Russia,

alongside Evgeny Barkhanov,

the director of the

documentary, and Captain

(retd) Nikolay Nikolayevich

Koloskov, who was involved in

mine clearance as a young

Navy officer were present.

Addressing the audience,

Ambassador Kamrul Ahsan

said, "This 44-minute

documentary contains some

rare video footage of our Father

of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,

which many of us have never

seen before."

The documentary showcases

the incident after the 1971

Liberation War, as the

Chittagong seaport could not

be opened for sinking ships and

mines and no western country

showed any interest in helping

Bangladesh in this matter at

that time.

Addressing the problem,

Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman requested then Prime

Minister of Russia Alexei

Kosygin and the Secretary

General of the Soviet

Communist Party Lunev

Brezhnev during his state visit

to Moscow on March 1-3, 1972,

to cooperate in clearing the

mines in the Bay of Bengal as

soon as possible and clear the

fairway of sunken ships in

order to make way for ships

with humanitarian aid.

The "Soviet" government, in

response to Bangabandhu's

request, immediately

dispatched about 900 naval

personnel from their Pacific

Naval Base at Vladivostok to

Chittagong with military

vessels capable of removing

mines and rescuing sunken

ships.

The documentary interviews

Admiral

Yuriy

Konstantinovich Senatskiy and

two other senior officials of the

Russian Navy and featured

relevant incidents with mine

clearance and other

circumstances during that

operation.

Admiral Yuriy, who passed

away during the Covid-19

lockdown in 2020 shortly after

giving the interview, served as

the second-in-command of the

Soviet Navy stationed at

Chittagong seaport.

Youths 'snatch

arrestee' from

police in Barishal

BARISHAL : A group of local

youths reportedly obstructed

police personnel of Barishal

Kotwali Model Station from

performing their duty and

snatched an arrestee on

Monday night, reports UNB.

The incident occurred

around 10:30 pm at the

speedboat terminal in

Barishal city.

Police said they, tipped off

by locals, conducted a drive in

a party held at a restaurant

arranged by some youths and

Speedboat Owners'

Association to arrest an

accused, Shahidul.

As they handcuffed

Shahidul, some 50 youths,

including Tarek, allegedly

encircled them and snatched

the accused. They also tried to

attack the police, witnesses

said.

Later, senior officers and an

additional team from Barishal

Metropolitan Police (BMP)

reached the spot, baton

charged at the attackers and

arrested Shahidul, said Ali

Ashraf Bhuiyan, Deputy

Commissioner of the Barishal

Metropolitan Police (BMP).

bKash brings exciting

offers at Trade Fair

DHAKA : bKash has brought

exciting offers including

cashback on entry tickets and

shopping at different stalls

through bKash payment and

free entry upon opening new

accounts at the month-long

Dhaka International Trade Fair

2022, reports UNB.

Customers can get 50%

instant cashback after

purchasing entry tickets

through bKash payment.

A customer can receive

cashback up to BDT 40 during

the trade fair on purchasing

ticket. Besides, they can avail

free entry by opening a bKash

account from the bKash booth

at trade fair premises.

Moreover, customers can

also enjoy 5% instant cashback

on bKash payment for

purchasing any product or

service from selected pavilions

and stalls. Anyone can enjoy

cashback up to BDT 100 from

this offer during the fair.

These cashbacks are

available at several stalls

including Bengal Polymer,

Igloo, Ispahani Tea, Jamuna

Electronics, Mithai, Navana

Furniture, Savoy, FSBL

(Ruchi), Coopers, and Easy

Fashion, said a press release.

The offers will be valid till the

last day of the fair. Details

about the offers and merchant

list are available in this website

link - https://www.

bkash.com/DITF_2022.

Users can avail these offers by

scanning QR codes from the

bKash app or dialing USSD

code *247#.

Housewife killed in

Kurigram, husband

on the run

KURIGRAM : A housewife

was hacked to death allegedly

by her husband at her father's

house in Paikerchhara village

in Bhurungamari upazila of

Kurigram early Tuesday.

The victim was identified as

Shahida Begum, 40,

daughter of Shahjahan Ali

and wife of Abu Bakar

Siddiqui,44, of the same

village.

According to Shahida's

family, Shahida came to her

father's house a few days back

with her youngest daughter

following a prolonged feud

with her husband.

2608/2

GD-18/22 (5x4)

GD-24/22 (4x4)

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Local Government Engineering Department

Office of the Upazila Engineer

Banaripara, Barishal.

www.lged.gov.bd

†kL nvwmbvi g~jbxwZ

MÖvg kn‡ii DbœwZ

Refarence No-46.02.0610.000.14.014.22-13 Date : 04/01/2022

Invitation for Tender

E-Tender No-01/2021-22

E-Tender is invited in the National e-GP System Prtal (http://www. eprocure. gov.bd) for

the Procurement of bellow :

GD-20/22 (7x4)

GD-23/22 (8x4)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

3

Razia Sultana Ety Councilor 9,10 & 11no. Ward (DNCC) distributed blankets provided by Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina, DNCC mayor Atiqul Islam and with her own funding among 500 slum

dwellers at her office in Darussalam, Kallyanpur on Tuesday. During the time, her husband and

vice-president of Darussalam thana Awami League Md Shorab Hossain, Managing Editor of The

Bangladesh Today Tapash Ray Sarkar along with other leaders and activists of AL were present

at the occasion.

Photo: TBT

A Collaborative

Agreement between

DU and USFS signed

A Collaborative Agreement

between the University of

Dhaka (DU) and United

States Forest Service (USFS)

was signed yesterday at

Treasurer's Office of the

university to enhance the

capacity in natural resource

management in Bangladesh.

Treasurer of DU Prof.

Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed and

Project Leader of Compass

program of USFS Dr. Abu

Mostafa Kamal Uddin

signed the Agreement on

behalf of their respective

institution.

Dean of the Faculty of

Biological Sciences Prof. Dr.

Mihir Lal Saha, Chairperson

of the Department of Botany

Prof. Dr. Shamim Shamsi,

Prof. Dr. Mohammad

Zashim Uddin and Registrar

Probir Kumar Sarker were

present on this occasion.

According to the agreement,

Compass program of United

States Forest Service (USFS)

and Plant Taxonomy,

Ethnobotany-Herbal

Medicines and Conservation

Biology Laboratory of DU

Botany Department will

conduct joint research and

organize conferences,

seminars, webinars and

fellowship programs. Besides,

USFS will provide training on

new technologies, techniques,

methods and concepts for DU

young teachers, researchers

and students. The two

institutions will work jointly

to publish research findings,

articles and books.

4 new dengue

patients

hospitalised

in 24 hours

DHAKA : A total of 4 more

dengue cases were reported

across the country in the last

24 hours.

Of them, two new patients

were admitted to different

hospitals in Dhaka and two

outside the capital, a release

of the Health Crisis

Management and Control

Room of Directorate

General of Health Services

(DGHS) said, reports BSS.

A total of 47 dengue

patients are undergoing

treatment at different

hospitals and clinics across

the country.

Among them, 29 patients

are taking treatment in

Dhaka division and 18 are

hospitalised outside the

capital, the release added.

Some 48 patients have

been admitted to different

hospitals with dengue since

January this year.

Of them, one patient has

returned home after

recovery, the DGHS said.

The Institute of

Epidemiology Disease

Control and Research

(IEDCR) have not

confirmed any death this

year due to dengue fever, the

DGHS added.

Govt strengthens research to

boost hilsha production: Rezaul

KHULNA : Fisheries and Live Stock Minister

S M Rezaul Karim yesterday said the

government has strengthened the research

of hilsha, the national fish of the country, to

increase its production.

"Production of Hislsha is increasing every

year and the country earns huge money by

exporting the fish after meeting the domestic

demand," he said at a hilsha research ship

handover ceremony on Khulna Shipyard Ltd

premises as chief guest.

BFRI is researching for sustainable

development of country's hilsha resource,

the minister said, adding that country's

hilsha production is increasing every year as

after government is taking various steps,

enforcing including 22-day Hilsha netting

ban. The Hilsha research ship will play a vital

role to enhance Hilsha production, new

loitering and breeding area identification,

netting and storing, he said.

The minister lauded KSY's role in ship

building and said KSY built the hilsha

research ship with its own design. The BFRI

is now capable of enhancing hilsha research

in country's rivers, coasts.

Chaired by KSY managing director

Comodore Khondokar Akter Hossain ,

Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Mayor

Talukder Abdul Khaleque, secretary of

Fisheries Ministry Dr Md Yasin and director

general of BFRI Dr Yahia Mahmud, among

others, addressed the function.

Under the Hilsha Research Strengthening

Programme at Chandpur River, Bangladesh

Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI)

implemented the project.

Built by Khulna Shipyard Ltd, the hilsha

research ship was estimated by a committee

formation by Bangladesh University of

Engineering and Technology (BUET),

Bangladesh Navy, Directorate of Shipping,

Institute of Marine Science of Chittagong

University and Marine fisheries Academy.

The Hilsha research ship has modern

equipment and technology, portable mini

hatchery, netting system, hilsha research

laboratory, fish finder, echo sounder,

navigation, modern telecommunication and

fire control system.

A Collaborative Agreement between the University of Dhaka (DU) and

United States Forest Service (USFS) was signed on Tuesday at

Treasurer's Office of the university to enhance the capacity in natural

resource management in Bangladesh. Treasurer of DU Prof. Mamtaz

Uddin Ahmed and Project Leader of Compass program of USFS Dr.

Abu Mostafa Kamal Uddin signed the Agreement on behalf of their

respective institution.

Photo : Courtesy

Media orientation prog on humanitarian

journalism held in Cox's Bazar

DHAKA : A media orientation programme

on 'humanitarian journalism' was held at

Cox's Bazar on Monday for local journalists

working for national and regional media

outlets.

Around 30 journalists representing TV

channels, radio stations, newspapers and

online news portals participated in the

orientation organized by Xposar

Communication for World Vision with the

financial assistance from USAID, at Hotel

Beach Way. Anis Alamgir, a senior journalist

and columnist, was the key speaker at the

programme which was inaugurated by

Abdul Moktader, Office in-Charge of

Bangladesh Rohingya Crisis Response

(BRCR) of World Vision.

Dr Makhan L. Dutta, Md Rajab Ali and Md

Abdul Barek of World Vision joined as

speakers while Sumon Francis Gomes and

Henry Roy of World Vision, among others,

were present. Journalist Shiabur Rahman

moderated the programme.

Anis Alamgir in his speech advised the

journalists to maintain ethics while reporting

on any issue, particularly humanitarian

crises. He said all the reporting on any

humanitarian crises should aim to

contribute to the mitigation of the crises.

Anis Alamgir also highlighted the safety of

journalists while reporting on wars or

humanitarian crises. "Nothing is more

important than life. So don't endanger your

life for any piece of news," he said.

Md Abdul Barek in his speech focused on

different Rohingya crisis response

programmes of World Vision.

4 mugging gang members

held in the city

DHAKA : Members of RAB have arrest 4

members of a mugging gang from the city's

Khilgaon area.

The arrestees are Md Rifat, 20, Md Dipu,

19, MD Santo Siddik, 22, and Md Pervaz.

They were arrested on Sunday at around

9.40 pm over a tip-off, read a RAB media

release. During the arrest operation four

switch-gear knives, five pieces of yaba and 25

gm marijuana was seized.

During the primary interrogation the gag

members confessed that they have been

actively mugging mobile phones, jewelry,

cash money etc from the people in the

Khilgaon, Rampura, Banashee area for a

long time.

BNP to hold talks

with political parties

DHAKA : As the party is

determined to boycott the

ongoing dialogue on the

reconstitution of the

Election Commission, BNP

has now decided to hold

talks with all political parties

to discuss the country's

overall political situation,

reports UNB.

A virtual meeting of the

party standing committee,

the highest policymaking

body, on Monday took the

decision, said a press

release signed by BNP

Secretary General Mirza

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on

Tuesday.

"The meeting discussed

the dialogue between the

political parties and the

President on the formation

of the Election Commission.

In the overall political

context, a decision has been

taken to exchange views

with all political parties."

However, the party did not

mention when the talks may

start.

Last week, the BNP

policymakers decided not to

take part in the talks with

President Abdul Hamid as it

thinks it will be a 'pointless'

exercise.

President Abdul Hamid

began talks with registered

political parties over the

formation of the new

Election Commission on

December 20.

The tenure of the current

EC, led by KM Nurul Huda,

is to expire on February 14

next year.

As per the constitution, a

new Commission must be

formed before the expiry of

the present EC.

Rallies to continue

The BNP policymakers

also decided to hold rallies in

the rest of the districts from

January 12 as part of their

movement for allowing their

party chairperson Khaleda

Zia to go abroad.

The meeting entrusted the

BNP Secretary General with

the task of working out

detailed programmes in this

regard.

Earlier, the party arranged

similar rallies in 32 districts

across the country from

December 22 to December

30 last.

Safety net programme

helps marginal women

get empowered

DHAKA : When her husband Yar Ahmed

died of a sudden heart attack in 2008,

Kohinoor Begum, a 49-year woman, felt that

a thunderbolt struck her head putting her in a

harsher reality as she had no way to meet the

expenses of her little son.

After the death of her husband, Kohinoor, a

dweller of a remote village under

Chauddagram Upazila of the Cumilla district,

confronted an arduous life struggle working

as a domestic help at a house. But, her

meager earning could not salvage her from

falling prey to abject poverty as she was facing

a lot of problems to run her family. Finding

no other alternative, Kohinoor was frantically

searching for a recovery path.

At that time, Kohinoor saw a ray of new

hope through the government's social safety

net (SSN) programme. One of her relatives

took Kohinoor to the local union parishad

chairman with all documents to take benefit

of widow allowance. The chairman was kind

enough to help the vulnerable woman get the

benefit of the programme.

Through the benefits of the SSN

programme, Kohinoor has been ensuring

proper nutrition for her son. Always smile

overflowing on her face as she is also ensuring

education for her son. Kohinoor is one of

lakhs of beneficiaries of social safety net

programs in Bangladesh that have been

contributing to the reduction of poverty and

vulnerability by addressing a range of

population groups through different forms of

assistance. These include provision of income

security for the elderly, widows and personswith-disabilities,

generating temporary

employment for working age men and

women, and supporting the healthy

development of young mothers and children.

Credited with introducing the social safety

net for the first time in fiscal year 1996-97, the

Awami League government has been

implementing 145 programmes under the

social safety net initiative of different

ministries. The government has allocated

around Taka 1,07,614 crore in the social

security sector, which is 17.83 percent of total

budget and 3.11 percent of the gross domestic

product (GDP) in the 2021- 22 fiscal.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal

while placing the budget for 2021-22 fiscal

said Social Safety Nets (SSNs) have emerged

as an essential component in the fight against

poverty, and the government has been

working diligently to adopt and implement

bold, strong, people-centric and inclusive

policies in poverty reduction.

He said the government has planned to cut

the poverty rate to 12.3 percent and the

extreme poverty rate to 4.5 percent by 2023-

2024. The minister said Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

cherished a dream to build a prosperous and

strong Bangladesh with a human face, set an

example of establishing a welfare state, by

improving the living standards of the

country's poor, hapless, destitute and

Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan briefed reporters on his recent visits

to the United Kingdom, Japan, Spain, France and Russia in the conference

room of the ministry.

Photo: PBA

Fiverr Bangladesh organizes the biggest

meetup of the year with freelancers

The biggest meetup of the year

"Freelancers Biggest Meetup" with

freelancers took place on Recently. The

entire event was organized by Fiverr

Bangladesh Community. The title

sponsor was the Creative IT Institute,

"powered by" sponsor was Creative

Fabrica and Payoneer was the Platinum

Sponsor, a press release said.

CEO of VISER X Limited and Fiverr

Community Leader Faisal Mustafa,

CEO of Instructory and Fiverr

Community Leader Rifat M Huq, CEO

of Creative IT Institute Monir Hossain,

Community Manager of Creative

Fabrica Md. Riduwan Molla, Payoneer

Bangladesh Ambassador Emrazina

Islam, QT Academy Founder Ahosan

Uddin Noman, Bangladesh Freelancer

Development Society Chairman Dr.

Tanjiba Rahman, Learn With Hasin

Hayder's Founder Hasin Hayder,

DewApples Founder Kamruzzaman

Sishir, Zaman Talk's Author Golam

Kamruzzaman, ICITP Founder Sharif

Muhammad Shahjahan and

Bangladesh's top freelancers and IT

professionals were the keynote speakers

at the event. Faisal Mustafa, the group's

founding admin and Fiverr Community

Leader, said: "Freelancers are much

more likely to be entrepreneurs, which

will generate foreign remittance as well

as employment for many people. "

Rifat M Huq, Organizing Lead of the

whole event and Community Leader of

Fiverr, said, "After almost 2 years

1000+ freelancers are very

Glad to participate in such a big

meetup. Such events should be

organized regularly for freelancers."

Monir Hossain, the event's title

sponsor and founder of Creative IT,

said, "This has been a great event for

freelancers, where they have learned

about various tips and tricks of the IT

sector including freelancing. I think

such a freelance event will further

advance the freelancing sector."

Md. Riduwan Molla, the event's

Powered By Sponsor and community

manager of Creative Fabrica, said: "We

are overwhelmed because freelancers

have come to our meetups from every

corner of Bangladesh. We are

constantly working for freelancers from

Fiverr Bangladesh Group, and we will

work on how to provide more

opportunities for freelancers in the

future."

Fiverr Bangladesh is committed to

doing a good job for the freelancing

community. Currently their group

As part of the replacement of two contingents currently stationed in DR Congo by two new

contingents, 150 members of the Air Force left Dhaka for DR Congo on Tuesday on a special

Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight.

Photo : Courtesy

wEdNESdAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Parks and playgrounds

It is not known whether a study was conducted

to know the ratio of parks to residents in Dhaka

city, but any sensible person can guess estimate

that the same must be a poor one very much in

disfavor of the residents. But parks are like the

lungs of a city, specially a huge city of over 16

million inhabitants which is Dhaka today.

the only sight of greenery or touch with nature, a

whiff of fresh air, glimpses of birds and foliages-all

very soothing for the body and soul-may be expected

in the city in the reserved areas called parks. But a

major environmental problem for Dhaka's residents

is that its parks are few compared to need. And what

is worse is that among the ones which are there,

some are too shabby and infested by elements that

vitiate the expectation of scenic beauty, peace and

tranquility that people can rightly expect but do not

get from visiting such a park.

A glaring case in point is the Osmany Uddayan.

Located in the heart of the capital and adjoining its

busiest and most densely populated parts, this

ground could be a frequently visited one by people

wanting to escape for a while from the din and bustle

of city life. But the place has become a feared one for

any decent person. No planned care of the Uddayan

is noted ; squatters of different types have made it

their abode by building shanty dwellings inside it.

Drug addicts and muggers are the most frequent

visitors to it. Not only in the Osmany Uddayan,

similar conditions are known to exist in greater parts

of the National Botanical Gardens and inside the

Mirpur Zoo which originally had also a park like

character. there are small community parks -

specially in the old city - which have been spoiled in

like fashion by intruders and anti-social elements.

the quality of life in the city is deteriorating fast

and one of the main reasons for the deterioration is

the shocking neglect in maintaining the parks. the

parks must be freed from any activity that degrade

them and brought back to their beatific conditions

through regular and systematic care.

Playgrounds also feature poorly in our scheme of

urban living. the point needs little elaboration as

the city has only 21 playgrounds owned and

supervised by the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC)

for a city population of over 16 million people. this

figure creates a lot of discomfiture for the city's

people worried as they are about meeting the

environmental and health needs of their children.

the grossly inadequate number of playgrounds

suggest that city planners, clubs and social

organisations, are paying too little attention to the

needs of children and youth. the most worrying part

of the story is that even the Prime Minister's

directive is being flouted when it comes to

recovering playgrounds and parks from illegal

grabbing. the government has to address this issue

with real resolve so that these playgrounds can be

effectively recovered and made available to children.

Playgrounds are indispensable for the healthy

life and living of children. Exertion of some sort

must be a part of their daily routine activities. But

where will they go ? We see children playing on

roads and other risky places from the absence of

playgrounds. But this is actually far from the ideal

situation.

Children are blamed nowadays for their obsession

with tV and computers. Many young ones have

become dangerously addicted to computer,

facebook, gaming on computers, etc. the youngsters

can be found spending long hours before computer

screens. No more the urge for them to go into the

open and play various physical sports, is noted so

much. the addiction for the computer screen or the

tV screen is telling on their health.

Most of them are found degrading their eye sights

from long every day exposure to the screens.

Radiation from computer monitors similarly take a

toll on their physical health. the insufficient playing

of physical games or playing no physical games at

all, retard their proper physical development or lead

to loss of health and vitality.

But probably a great deal of these negative

developments could be avoided, if the young ones

could access freely and easily more fields to play

football, cricket, etc. Government must not only

recover the playgrounds, it should aim to establish

a large number of new playgrounds giving the

matter high priority.

A happier new year takes imagination and courage 2022 may

not be all doom and gloom, but that depends on us

tHERE is much to lament, much to

loathe and more to dread in these

difficult and uncertain times. And

yet, given the choice between fear and

despair, I choose hope - hope for the

extraordinary.

It is tough to be optimistic about future

prospects when the pandemic rages on,

killing millions and wreaking havoc in the

lives and livelihoods of countless people

everywhere; when global warming

threatens our very existence on this earth;

and when poor government tackling of the

first does not bode well for addressing the

second.

But though it is hard to see the bigger

picture during hard times, the world is in

fact better off today than it has ever been

in the past. thanks to the efforts and

sacrifices of so many, on the whole, people

are better fed, clothed, educated,

sheltered, and connected. As a human

civilisation, we are healthier, wealthier,

and more secure.

And yet, as a Palestinian, I certainly get

why this may ring hollow to the many who

have suffered terribly from the pandemic,

from war, displacement, poverty and

more. I see why many would disagree

when there is talk about a new cold war,

about Russia and China invading their

neighbours, about Israel starting another

war in the Middle East, about dictatorships

conspiring and consolidating.

But Palestine is not only a tortured

homeland living all these horrors, it is also

a symbol of relentless struggle for

freedom, peace and justice everywhere.

What other choice do we have? Living a

life of dread and trepidation is no life

worth living. Pessimism is lazy,

indifference is inhumane, and cynicism is

just cowardly. fatalism is a self-fulfilling

stupidity and escapism towards a

reimagined past is futile. the answer to

our present troubles lies not in the past,

but in the future.

And that is why I think we should do

better; we can do better; we must do

better.

Indeed, my hope lies in our capacity to

shape our own destiny, in our

unprecedented ability to change things for

the better for all, if only we summon the

will and courage to do it. Never in the

history of humanity have people

possessed anywhere near the know-how,

the capacity, and the means to deal with

societal ills and natural disasters, as we do

today.

today's scientists can forecast natural

calamities well in advance like never

MARwAN BISHARA

NIKOLA MIKOVIC

before. Some may downplay, ignore or

deny climate change, but they can claim

ignorance no more. Indeed, thanks to

science and technology, governments and

corporations are bound to do more

towards the reduction of carbon

emissions, now that it is popular, even

fashionable and profitable to invest in a

green economy.

On the pandemic, scientists are

optimistic that the coronavirus's toll on

global health "will ease" this year. they

have produced a vaccine for COVID-19 in

the fraction of the time it took to produce

jabs for other infectious diseases. the fact

that vaccines have not reached all those

who need them is a political problem, not

a scientific one.

In 2022, we can work to resolve it as

well. Politics could and should be the

continuation of common will through

other means: the management of power

towards better ends.

Many of our troubles come not from

lack of resources, but rather from their

mismanagement and misdistribution. So

why act helpless or resigned when, in fact,

we are able to tackle inequality, end

repression, prevent war, or deal with their

consequences?

We can also be better towards each

other, if only we shake off indifference and

overcome differences, real and imagined,

as we have done the last couple of years. If

the COVID-19 pandemic or climate

change have taught us anything, it is that

despite the differences, our destiny is

intertwined.

Above all else, life is a personal struggle

and a shared journey. Life is meaningless

without a meaningful struggle, especially

one waged with empathy and passion in

the pursuit of, well, happiness. Now that is

a future worth fighting for; a good fight

worth fighting.

Last year ended with much noise about

repression, disruption, stagnation,

inflation and so on. But as we embark on

a new year, it is worth remembering that

hatred and violence come with a hefty

price, while the most valuable assets in life

do not come with a price tag: love,

friendship, family and community are

priceless, literally and figuratively.

Our civilisation has created so much

beauty, poetry, music, and colour. there is

so much more to see, feel, embrace, enjoy

and accomplish. If it is all a dream, let us

dream big. If we must open our eyes, let us

look up, look ahead and make it count.

Source: Al Jazeera

Why Russia turns a blind eye when Israel bombs Syria

RUSSIA has deployed its most

advanced S-400 air defense

system to Syria, but the

sophisticated weapon does not seem to

work against Israeli jets.

It is an open secret that Moscow, an

ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,

allows Israel to conduct air strikes

against both the Syrian army and Iranian

militias operating in the country.

Russia's supremacy over Syria's airspace

helped turn the conflict in Assad's favor,

so why does it allow Israel to carry out its

operations unimpeded?

On December 28, Israeli warplanes

attacked the container complex at the

port of Latakia, in a part of Syria where

Russia maintains its main naval base.

the strikes hit a yard thought to house

Iranian weapons shipments.

this was Israel's second attempt to

destroy the cargo. the first one took

place on December 7, but was apparently

less successful than the latest air strike,

which caused significant damage.

that night, neither Russia's S-400 nor

Syria's air defense systems attempted to

hit the Israeli planes. the truth is, Russia

never activates its air defense systems

against Israeli jets. Such passivity is

believed to be part of a wider deal

between the two countries.

After the Kremlin started its military

adventure in Syria in 2015, it reached an

agreement with the Jewish state: Israel

reportedly pledged to guarantee the

safety of Russian citizens and military

installations in Syria during its strikes on

Iranian militias and Syrian military

targets. In return, Moscow promised not

to use its weapons to repel Israeli

attacks.According to Kremlin officials, a

Indeed, my hope lies in our capacity to shape our own destiny,

in our unprecedented ability to change things for the better

for all, if only we summon the will and courage to do it. Never

in the history of humanity have people possessed anywhere

near the know-how, the capacity, and the means to deal with

societal ills and natural disasters, as we do today.

Russian military transport aircraft was

descending to land at the Khmeimim Air

Base - some 25 kilometers from Latakia -

as the Israeli strikes took place, hence

Syrian air defenses were not activated to

repel the attack.

there is no doubt that the Kremlin

wants to avoid incidents like the one in

2018 when a Russian reconnaissance

plane, returning to Khmeimim with 15

servicemen on board, was mistakenly hit

by a Syrian S-200 surface-to-air missile.

Moscow blamed Israel for the incident,

claiming that Israeli jets put the Russian

Il-20 plane into the path of Syrian air

defense systems after failing to give

Russian command enough warning of a

strike on Syrian targets.

there was speculation that the Il-20

was hit by an Israeli f-16 jet, but even if

that was the case, the Kremlin never

went beyond its usual verbal

condemnation of the incident.

the tragic event did not have an impact

on relations between Russia and Israel.

Although Russian's military operating in

Syria has the power to prevent Israel

from hitting Iranian and Syrian targets,

Russia constantly turns a blind eye to

Israel's activity in Syria. the attack on

Latakia port was no exception.

for Assad and the Iranians, the

Kremlin acts as an unreliable ally and

partner. In 2010 Moscow refused to sell

S-300 air defense systems to tehran,

bending to pressure from the United

States and Israel. In 2019, Russia again

rejected an Iranian request to buy S-400

systems, concerned that the sale would

stoke more tension in the Middle East.

Even now that the UN Security Council

embargo on conventional arms

shipments to Iran is no longer in effect, it

remains highly uncertain if Moscow will

sell the S-400 to tehran. the Kremlin is

Even now that the UN Security Council embargo on conventional

arms shipments to Iran is no longer in effect, it remains

highly uncertain if Moscow will sell the S-400 to Tehran. The

Kremlin is allegedly concerned that Israel could respond by

providing sophisticated drones to Ukraine, where there are

fears of an impending war with Russia.

RAY HANANIA

allegedly concerned that Israel could

respond by providing sophisticated

drones to Ukraine, where there are fears

of an impending war with Russia.

therefore, not to jeopardize its ties

with Israel, Russia will probably refrain

from a deeper military cooperation with

Iran.

As former Israeli national security

adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat recently said,

Russia shares Israel's view that Iran is a

"destabilizing force in the Middle East."

He also stressed that Moscow's position

on Iran is closer to Israel's than what is

revealed in public.

Russia's passive position regarding

Israeli air strikes in Syria clearly

demonstrates that the Kremlin is not

willing to harm its relations with Israel

for the sake of its alliance with Syria and

a potential strategic partnership with

Iran.

Just a few days before the Latakia

strike, Russian President Vladimir Putin

and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog

held a phone call and discussed bilateral

cooperation.

Relations between Israel and Russia

are historically entwined around

World War II, the foundation of Israel

and the migration of Russian Jews to

live there.

there are up to 1.5 million Russianspeaking

Israelis in the Jewish state, and

some Russian oligarchs, such as Mikhail

fridman and German Khan, have taken

up Israeli citizenship.

Given that oligarchs play a very

important role in Russian politics, and

Moscow aims to preserve good relations

with all actors in the Middle East, the

Kremlin is expected to keep preventing

Damascus from responding to Israeli air

strikes.

Syria is the weakest link in Russo-

Israeli relations, and tehran, for its part,

is not in a position to pressure Moscow to

enable Iranian proxies to use Syrian

territory as a base against Israel.

Russia will continue to balance

between the so-called Axis of Resistance

(Syria, Iran and tehran's proxy militias)

and their arch-enemy Israel. But historic

and current ties mean the balance is

more likely to tip in favor of Israel.

Source: Asia times

A candidate who deserves Arab American support

Of the 435 members of the US House

of Representatives, fewer than 10

percent vote to support Palestinian

rights and only slightly more support pro-

Arab issues. those speaking out for

Palestine in Congress are a small and lonely

group.

the largest proposed legislation in

support of Palestinian rights in 2021

involved a resolution supporting the twostate

solution, which was introduced by

Michigan Rep. Andy Levin. Only 43 other

members of Congress signed up to be cosponsors

of the bill, making a total of 44

supporters.

And you wonder why America is so

against recognizing the rights of

Palestinians. Some Arabs might sneer that

Palestine is no longer relevant, but the truth

is that support for other Arab countries and

their needs isn't much better in Congress.

there is a lot of animosity toward support

for pro-Arab issues, especially Palestinian

rights.

Back in the 1990s, then-Virginia Rep. Jim

Moran explained to me how difficult it is for

advocates of Palestinian and Arab rights in

Congress. Moran was one of the few non-

Arab and non-Muslim voices to consistently

speak out in defense of Palestinian rights

and support the Arab world in Congress,

much like Reps. Betty McCollum and Marie

Newman do today.

Moran told me that the Arab community

wasn't cohesive in supporting him, even

though he was one of the few members of

Congress supporting them. Unfortunately,

not much has changed. Any member of

congress who speaks out in support of

Palestinians or Arabs becomes a pariah in

the US political system.

In Illinois, Newman augmented the

movement to treat Palestinians fairly. She is

not an extremist on the far left, but a centrist

who can see the shades of any issue. She

seeks consensus, bringing political

opponents together to embrace a common

good. this is not based on 100 percent

acceptance, but on a majority. You

compromise to gain.

Newman not only supports Palestinian

rights, but she also supports Israeli rights.

that puts her in the political "kill zone."

American pro-Israeli groups dislike the fact

that she supports Palestine, regardless of her

support for Israel. And pro-Palestinian

groups dislike the fact that she also supports

Israel, regardless of her support for

Palestine.

But the Israelis can afford to cut Newman

loose and oppose her. the pro-Palestinian

and pro-Arab groups cannot afford to fight

her. Yet that's exactly what many pro-

Palestinian activists are doing.

In 2020, Newman won the Democratic

nomination for Illinois' 3rd District ahead of

an incumbent who marginalized the needs

of Palestinians, but she almost lost because

another pro-Palestinian candidate, Rush

Darwish, who raised more than $800,000

in campaign finance, tried to take her out.

Darwish put his own interests ahead of the

needs of the Palestinians, but fortunately

only won 6,351 votes out of a total of

110,852. It was a pathetic return on the Arab

community's investment in him.

Since entering Congress, Newman has

also come under attack from Palestinian

American Iymen Chehade, who claims he

was promised a job by Newman in exchange

for supporting her run for office - a claim

Newman disputes and that will be decided

in the courts.

Unfortunately, the disputes with both

Darwish and Chehade will undermine

Newman's Palestinian and Arab support.

Candidates would normally brush that

concern aside, but the district Newman

represents has more Palestinian voters than

any other in the country.

Newman is in a tough fight, put there by

her own Democratic Party colleagues. She

won election to the 3rd District, but the

party's state leaders decided to divide her

district and so she will be up for reelection in

2022 in a newly redrawn 6th District, which

is currently represented by the slightly more

conservative Democrat Sean Casten, who

has never spoken out in support of

Palestinian rights and probably never will.

Newman is being punished by state

Democrats because she crossed a political

line by supporting justice for the

Palestinians. they are doing everything they

can to stop her from winning so that her

voice on Palestinian rights will be silenced.

Source: Arab news

WEdnESdAY, JAnuARY 5, 2022

5

JuLIA RIES

You may have noticed that more and

more people are testing positive for

COVID-19 after using a rapid test to swab

their throats. The trend took off on

Twitter this past week, and unlike most

of the medical advice shared across social

media, this tactic appears to be

scientifically sound. Most of the rapid

antigen tests available are currently only

authorized for nasal collection, but

infectious disease experts aren't

surprised to hear that people who tested

negative after a nasal swab nonetheless

test positive after swabbing their throats.

Though the rapid test kit

manufacturers recommend using the

tests only as instructed (in other words,

only doing a nasal swab), growing

anecdotal evidence suggests it might be

worth safely swabbing both your throat

and nose. And the general consensus

among doctors is that it's not a bad idea -

especially if you have a sore throat.

According to Andrew Noymer, an

epidemiologist with the University of

California, Irvine, respiratory viruses like

SARS-CoV-2 can infect all parts of our

respiratory tract, which is basically

anything that brings air into your body -

this includes your nose, throat, mouth,

windpipe and lungs.

Although the nose and throat are both

part of the upper respiratory system and

closely connected, there may be some

differences in the amount of virus in the

nose versus the throat. Why this happens

is unclear, but Noymer said it's likely due

to a mix of viral factors - like where and

how the virus replicates - and human

factors. Some scientists suspect saliva

(throat) swabs may be more useful for

detecting omicron since the variant

replicates more efficiently in the upper

respiratory tract. A pre-print study from

South Africa recently found that while

PCR nasal swabs successfully detected all

delta cases, they missed 14% of omicron

cases - while a saliva swab caught all

omicron cases.

Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the

Johns Hopkins University Center for

Health Security and an infectious disease

expert, said swabbing both your nose and

your throat will actually increase the

sensitivity of the tests and therefore

improve the chances that they will detect

the virus. According to Adalja, this

phenomenon occurs with other viruses,

too, like influenza, rhinovirus and

various adenoviruses. In fact, some flu

viruses are more culturable in the throat

than the nose.

"Most viruses replicate in both the

nasopharynx and the oropharynx, which

are anatomically contiguous, and they

[cause] both nasal and throat

symptoms," Adalja said.

Purvi Parikh, an adult and pediatric

allergist and immunologist with Allergy

& Asthma Network, said another reason

a nasal swab might give a negative result

while a throat swab comes back with a

positive one is that many people don't

swab their noses correctly. You really

need to swab deep enough in the sinuses

to get an accurate result. Many viruses

Taking a Covid rapid test

many infectious disease experts believe swabbing both your nose and throat will increase the sensitivity

of at-home CoVId rapid tests.

Photo: Getty

and bacteria drip down from the nose to

the throat. They also shoot up from the

lungs to the throat from coughing.

"A person may not get enough sample

to detect virus if they do the nasal test

incorrectly or do not go deep enough.

Whereas if you have a sore throat, likely

whatever is deep in your nose has

dripped down the back of your throat,"

Parikh said. Parikh recommends

swabbing your throat when it first

becomes sore. Her main tip: Swab your

throat in addition to your nose, not in

place of it.

If you primarily have a sore throat, it

makes sense to go for a throat swab,

Adalja said. If your symptoms are

predominately in your nasal passages, a

nasal swab may be sufficient. "However,

getting samples from both may be the

best practice," Adalja said. Avoid eating,

drinking or using antiseptic mouthwash

for 30 to 60 minutes prior to swabbing

your throat, as this can impact how much

virus can be collected, Parikh said. Think

of it like a strep test - the further back in

the throat you can reach, the more

sensitive the test will be.

Lastly, keep in mind that while throat

testing has always been an option for

COVID-19, the rapid tests have been

specifically designed and authorized as

nasal swab devices. The over-the-counter

test kits have not yet been officially tested

or approved for throat swabbing - but,

still, anecdotal data is worth exploring.

"The FDA, and the manufacturers of

the test kits, need to hop on this and start

doing some studies," Noymer said.

Best skin care resolutions you can make

Abigail Abesamis Demarest

Achieving healthy, glowing

skin doesn't happen overnight.

The new year is a great time to

revamp your skin care routine

and commit to habits that will

help you achieve healthier

skin, but where's the best place

to begin? We asked four

board-certified dermatologists

to share some approachable

skin care resolutions, as well as

their definition of healthy skin.

Dermatologist Joyce Park

defines healthy skin as skin

that successfully performs its

job as your main barrier

against the outside world.

"Healthy skin is strong, not

prone to cracking or breaking,

and looks even and radiant,"

she said. She added that the

definition of healthy skin can

vary from person to person, as

skin concerns and goals can

differ. "For me personally, if

my skin is in a healthy state,

that means I'm not suffering

from my chronic enemy of

hormonal acne," she said.

We know you've heard this

one before (and you're

probably rolling your eyes at

us), but sunscreen is an

everyday skin care must-have.

There's a reason

dermatologists stress the

importance of regular

sunscreen use. "I know

sunscreen isn't 'sexy,' but you

know all the other skin care

products that help to smooth,

tighten, brighten and

otherwise promote glow? You

might as well throw them all in

the trash if you're not using

sunscreen every day," Papri

Sarkar, a dermatologist based

in Brookline, Massachusetts,

told

It all comes down to

protecting your skin. "No

matter what age, ethnicity,

skin tone or gender you

identify with, every person

does better with some

shielding from that beautiful

ball of warmth and UV

radiation in the sky we call the

sun," Sarkar said. She tells her

patients to find a sunscreen

they love and truly don't mind

wearing every day.

Another tip for sticking to

this resolution is to not base

your sunscreen use on the

weather. "Think of it like

brushing your teeth," Sarkar

said. "Just like you don't check

to see if it's sunny outside

before deciding whether to

brush your teeth, you

shouldn't let clouds sway your

sunscreen application." Make

wearing sunscreen a habit so

that it's as much a part of your

daily routine as brushing your

teeth and hair.

Park added that if you can't

wear sunscreen or prefer not

to, sun-protective clothing,

hats and sunglasses are also

good options. No, not the

COVID kind. Give your skin

care regimen an extra boost

once weekly with a face mask

that's appropriate for your skin

type and addresses any

concerns you may have.

"Whether you are using a

mask to treat acne, deliver

moisture or calm inflamed

skin, think of it as extra TLC

for your face," said Annie

Gonzalez, a dermatologist at

Riverchase Dermatology in

Miami. "The benefits of masks,

whatever their designated

purpose, is that they enable

ingredients to more effectively

penetrate into your skin in a

relatively short window of

time." She explained that face

masks create a film that,

depending on the ingredients,

helps to moisturize, exfoliate

or hydrate the skin.

To choose an effective face

mask, you first need to figure

out what your skin type is and

what your skin care goals are.

Gonzalez notes that gel masks

generally work for most skin

types because they're gentle,

lightweight and can quickly

absorb into your skin. They

hydrate and calm while

tightening and firming. For

people with oily, acne-prone

skin, a clay mask can be a good

option, as they soften and

smooth the skin and remove

debris buildup. "Clay masks

also remove blackheads, firm

your skin and work wonders

for the T-zone area," Gonzalez

said.

It's probably time to wash

your pillowcases. Like, right

now. Sarkar recommends

washing them at minimum

one to two times per week, or

at least changing them out

with fresh ones. "People tend

to stretch a blowout as long as

possible," she said. "All that oil,

sweat and product that builds

up on your hair? It gets on

your pillowcases and over time

can get on your face and

increase the possibility of

clogged pores and acne."

In a similar vein, resolve to

remove your makeup

(including eye makeup) before

going to bed. Gonzalez

explained that when you sleep,

your skin renews and repairs

itself, so sleeping with makeup

on impedes this process. This

tip is especially important for

people who are acne-prone, as

most makeup is oil-based.

"Sleeping with makeup on can

increase the odds of breakouts

because the makeup mingles

with built-up debris, making it

the perfect storm for clogged

pores, blackheads, acne and

even cysts," she said.

In a time where we're

constantly bombarded with

marketing and skin care

advice, it's especially

important to put yourself first

and find what works best for

you. Keeping it simple is a

good place to start - forget the

FOMO. "Find a regimen that

addresses the core tenets of

anti-aging and also targets

your particular skin problems

and focus on those," advised

Corey L. Hartman, a

dermatologist at Skin Wellness

Dermatology in Birmingham,

Alabama. "Resist the urge to

follow every marketing ploy

that you're presented with; I

know there are many. You

don't have to try every product

that you hear about."

The new year is a great time

You probably don't need to buy more skin care products. Instead, think about whittling them down.

Photo: Anna Efetova

to take stock of how your skin

feels and how it's behaving.

From there, figure out what it

needs and cut out the filler.

This process is something that

Sarkar does at the start of

every season. "Every year I

whip my skin care routine into

an effective but minimalist one

and then somehow new

products creep into it, and

suddenly my vanity is covered

in skin care bottles again," she

said.

For her, five to six products

work best, but the number for

others may be more or less.

"No matter what your number

is, make sure you're using skin

care deliberately and tackling

what your skin needs at each

time of the year," she said.

"And don't waste money or

time on filler products unless

they bring you joy!" If you

aren't sure what parts of your

skin care routine should be

added or removed, consulting

with a board-certified

dermatologist can help.

Whether you have a 10-step

skin care system or a basic

cleanser and moisturizer,

sticking to a routine over the

long haul will be the most

beneficial to achieving

healthier skin. "The products

and the regimen are secondary

to a commitment to actually

using them regularly,"

Hartman said. "This one

simple tactic will take you

farther than the most

expensive product or in-office

procedure."

LIndSAY HoLmES

On balance, you could argue

we've made a lot of progress

when it comes to mental

health acceptance ? especially

in the last few years. But if the

events that unfolded in 2021

are any indication, there's still

a lot more ground we need to

cover.

There certainly were some

high points in mental health

awareness over the last 365

days, but also some absolute

fails we had to endure. From

bad pundit opinions to

shining moments in sports,

we've witnessed a lot this

year.

Below are some of the best

and worst mental health takes

from 2021 and how we can

markedly improve in the new

year. This summer we saw

two powerful athletes put

their mental well-being over

their games ? and the world is

much better for their

advocacy.

Earlier this summer, tennis

player Naomi Osaka

withdrew from the French

Open, which came after she

said she would boycott the

press at the tournament to

protect her mental health.

Osaka wrote in her

announcement that she

experiences bouts of

depression and has social

anxiety.

In July, U.S. gymnast

Simone Biles withdrew from

the women's gymnastics team

final at the Olympics because

of her mental health.

"Whenever you get in a highstress

situation, you kind of

freak out," she said at the

time. "I have to focus on my

mental health and not

jeopardize my health and

well-being."

Both athletes received

undue criticism (more on that

in a minute) for their

decisions. However, they also

were given a ton of welldeserved

praise. No one

would roll their eyes if they

had suffered a leg or an arm

injury. The brain is a body

part just like any other ? and

it's past time it's treated the

same in sports.

"This year has been a big

year for celebrities talking

about mental health,

particularly in more

underrepresented groups like

athletes or people of color. It

is important for these

conversations to keep

occurring because we need to

normalize seeking help,"

Jessica Gold, an assistant

professor in the department

of psychiatry at the

Washington University

School of Medicine in St.

Louis, told HuffPost.

"We are not yet in a place

where workplaces and

families of all types are open

to talking about mental health

or viewing it the same as

physical health, and having

these examples to start

breaking down the barriers is

necessary," Gold added.

In October, Chance The

Rapper appeared on

Facebook Watch's "Peace of

Mind with Taraji." During the

interview, he opened up to

The best and worst mental

health takes in 2021

Taraji P. Henson and Tracie

Jade about living with PTSD.

"Obviously I deal with

PTSD; I saw my friend killed

in front of me when I was 19

and I've seen people I didn't

know get killed, too," he said

in the interview. "You become

kind of numb to it, like

somebody else died last week

but it stays with you, you

know what I mean? And you

don't realize until later - like, I

have lasting effects."

He also spoke about not

growing up with mental

health awareness and the

pressure put on Black men to

be tough. "I feel like this is

something that we're all, as a

mainstream, we're starting to

be like, 'OK, yeah health is

beyond just our physical,'" he

said.

"It's been truly amazing to

have this many public figures,

including so many male

public figures, speaking

openly about their mental

health," Andrew P. Smiler,

the mental health adviser for

Movember in the U.S., told

HuffPost. "There's clearly a

cultural shift occurring that's

allowing and encouraging

people to prioritize their

mental health."

Earlier this year, Oprah

conducted a dynamic

interview with Prince Harry

and Meghan Markle about

their step back from the royal

family and the mental health

struggles Markle endured

during her time working as a

royal. Markle revealed a

number of shocking

incidents, but perhaps one of

the more heart-wrenching

revelations was that she

experienced suicidal

thoughts.

"Look, I was really ashamed

to have to say it at the time

and ashamed to have to admit

it to Harry especially, because

I know how much loss he's

suffered," she said in the

interview. "But I knew that if I

didn't say that I would do it ...

and I just didn't ? I just didn't

want to be alive anymore.

And that was a very clear and

real and frightening constant

thought."

Markle's story and her

poignant reflections on that

time period resonated with a

lot of viewers, who thanked

her for her vulnerability.

People also felt connected

to Prince Harry during the

interview, who said he

struggled with figuring out

how to help Markle during

that time. His honesty

provided welcome insight

into what it's like to help and

care for a loved one struggling

with their mental health.

"Prince Harry has

emphasized that we all have a

role in helping someone who

may be struggling with their

mental health ? you don't

have to be a mental health

professional," Smiler said.

We'd be remiss not to

mention it: In 2021, federal

and state bodies took two big

steps toward giving people

with mental health conditions

the legitimacy and attention

they deserve.

In 2020, the U.S. Senate

officially greenlit 9-8-8, a

new national phone number

that more easily connects

people to the National

Suicide Prevention Hotline.

This year, state governments

began adopting the number

into their own laws. Starting

in July 2022, people will be

able to dial 9-8-8 to connect

to counselors when in crisis,

similar to how they can dial

9-1-1 in an emergency.

And in an important move

in the fight against COVID-

19, the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention

added schizophrenia and

mood disorders like

depression to their official

list of underlying medical

conditions in October,

formally recognizing the

diseases as high-risk factors

for coronavirus. This

allowed people with mental

health conditions to get

booster shots earlier than

the general population.

Mental health advocates also

said adding the conditions to

the list helped further

solidify the fact that mental

health is health.

In a series of tweets back

in July, media personality

Megyn Kelly implied that

Naomi Osaka wasn't really

suffering from anxiety.

Instead, Kelly insisted the

tennis star just didn't like

answering certain questions.

"Since saying she's too

introverted to talk to the

media after tennis matches,

Naomi Osaka has launched

a reality show, a Barbie, and

now is on the cover of the SI

Swimsuit Issue," sports

analyst Clay Travis tweeted,

which Kelly quote-tweeted

before adding: "let's not

forget the cover of (&

interview in) Vogue Japan

and Time Mag!"

Osaka responded to Kelly's

comment in a since-deleted

tweet and then blocked the

journalist.

Kelly reacted to that by

saying: "Poor @naomiosaka

blocked me while taking a

shot at me (guess she's only

tough on the courts). She is

apparently arguing that she

shot her many covers b/4

publicly claiming she was

too socially anxious to deal

w/press. Truth is she just

doesn't like Qs she can't

control. Admit it."

Mental health issues like

social anxiety are invisible

conditions. Because of this,

many people's experiences

with them are often

questioned or not believed.

This is especially true when

someone is high-functioning

? in other words, they appear

fine, so others think they

must not really be suffering.

This is exactly what Kelly

implied with her tweets.

Simone Biles showed the world what it means to win gold and also

look after your mental health.

Photo: Jamie Squire

WEdnEsdAY, JAnUARY 5, 2022 6

Hiron-Hamida Education Trust distributed financial grants among poor meritorious students in

Habiganj on Tuesday.

Photo: Mamun Chowdhury

holy Quran and winter clothes distributed

among orphans in Bancharampur

ataur rahMan, BanCharaMpur Correspondent

holy Quran and winter clothes have

been distributed among the orphans on

the 78th founding anniversary of

Bangladesh Chhatra League in

Bancharampur upazila on tuesday.

the event was organized by the 7 no

ward Chhatra League of

Bancharampur Municipal Branch.

earlier in the morning, a procession

was brought out which paraded the

main roads of the city at the initiative of

upazila, Municipal and university

College Chhatra League. Later, a

discussion meeting and cake cutting

was held at Bancharampur Captain aB

tajul islam auditorium.

during the time, upazila parishad

Chairman and upazila awami League

president Md sirajul islam, upazila

awami League Vice-president and Vice

Chairman sayedul islam Bakul

Bhuiyan, Women awami League

general secretary jolly akter,

Bancharampur Municipal Mayor

tafazzal hossain, upazila self

Chasebak League president Mahmudul

hasan Bhuiyan, upazila Labor League

Convener ah aziz, upazila Chhatra

League president jewel ahmed and

general secretary alauddin sarkar

were among others also present at the

occasion.

hiron-hamida

education trust

provides student

grants in habiganj

MaMun ChoWdhury,

haBiganj Correspondent

Like every year in habiganj,

hiron-hamida education

trust has distributed

financial grants among the

poor meritorious students.

habiganj Municipality

Mayor ataur rahman selim

distributed cash at the

rajnagar government

primary school premises on

tuesday morning.

Chandni akhter, deputy

assistant engineer, power

development Board chaired

the occasion while among

others, habiganj press Club

president russel

Chowdhury, editor

habiganj samachar

newspaper valiant freedom

fighter golam Mostafa

rafiq, school Management

Committee president abdul

Motalib Mamraj, school

headmaster ismat ara

Begum spoke on the

occasion.

grants were distributed to

20 students this year,

funded by david Bradso and

judy Bradso of england.

Later, winter clothes were

distributed among the

helpless people. hironhamida

education trust

has been providing various

assistances to the helpless

poor of the society for the

last 10 years.

54,052 Covid-19 patients

recover in rangpur division

rangpur: the number

of recovered Covid-19

patients has reached

54,052 in rangpur division

where the pandemic

situation continues

improving consistently in

recent months, reports

Bss.

"the number of healed

Covid-19 patients reached

54,052 with the recovery of

17 more patients during the

last 24 hours ending at 8

am yesterday," divisional

director (health) dr abu

Md Zakirul islam told Bss.

the average recovery rate

of Covid-19 patients

currently stands at 96.92

percent in the division.

the 54,052 recovered

patients include 12,069 of

rangpur, 3,721

panchagarh, 4,370 of

nilphamari, 2,625 of

Lalmonirhat, 4,527 of

kurigram, 7,417 of

thakurgaon, 14,521 of

dinajpur and 4,802 of

gaibandha districts in the

division.

"Meanwhile, the number

of Covid-19 cases reached

55,767 as three fresh cases

were diagnosed after

testing 186 new samples at

the positivity rate of 1.61

percent on Monday in the

division," he said.

earlier, the daily Covid-

19 positivity rates were

2.40 percent on sunday,

zero percent on saturday,

0.64 percent on Friday,

6.58 percent on thursday

and 2.39 percent on

Wednesday last in the

division.

the district-wise break

up of total 55,767 patients

include 12,563 of rangpur,

3,835 panchagarh, 4,464

of nilphamari, 2,764 of

Lalmonirhat, 4,650 of

kurigram, 7,707 of

thakurgaon, 14,904 of

dinajpur and 4,880 of

gaibandha in the division.

since the beginning of

the Covid-19 pandemic, a

total of 3,07,835 collected

samples were tested till

Monday, and of them,

55,767 were found positive

with an average positivity

rate of 18.12 percent in the

division.

on the other hand, the

total number of casualties

remained steady at 1,251 as

no new death was reported

during the last 24 hours

ending at 8 am yesterday

from the division.

the district-wise break

up of the 1,251 fatalities

stands at 293 in rangpur,

81 in panchagarh, 89 in

nilphamari, 69 in

Lalmonirhat, 69 in

kurigram, 256 in

thakurgaon, 331 in

dinajpur and 63 in

gaibandha districts of the

division.

the average casualty rate

currently stands at 2.24

percent in the division.

among total 55,767

Covid-19 patients, 15 are

undergoing treatments at

isolation units, including

four patients at iCu and

two at high dependency

unit beds, after recovery of

54,052 patients and 1,251

deaths while 449 are

remaining in home

isolation.

"in the meantime, the

number of citizens who got

the first dose of the Covid-

19 vaccine rose to

81,20,95480, and among

them, 55,81,771 got the

second dose and 17,946 got

the booster dose of the jabs

till Monday in the

division," dr islam added.

principal of rangpur

Medical College professor

dr. Md. Mahfuzar rahman

urged people to sincerely

abide by the health

directives and hygiene

rules to prevent any

probable wave of the newly

detected omicron strain of

the deadly virus.

Holy Quran and winter clothes have been distributed among the

orphans on the 78th founding anniversary of Bangladesh Chhatra

League in Bancharampur Upazila on Tuesday. Photo: Ataur Rahman

Meeting on establishing

tea auction center held

in rangpur

rangpur: a views-sharing meeting on

setting up a third tea auction center in

panchagarh was held at the conference room of

the divisional Commissioner in the city on

Monday afternoon, reports Bss.

Bangladesh tea Board (BtB) organized the

meeting, a press release said yesterday.

Chairman of BtB Major general Md.

ashraful islam, ndc, psc, attended the meeting

as the chief guest with rangpur divisional

Commissioner Md. abdul Wahhab Bhuiyan in

the chair.

BtB Member (Finance and trade) and joint

secretary dr. nazneen kawsar Chowdhury

delivered the welcome address at the meeting.

deputy Commissioners of rangpur,

panchagarh, Lalmonirhat and thakurgaon

districts in the tea growing northern region,

BtB officials, stakeholders of the tea industry,

representatives of different chambers and

Bangladesh small tea garden owners'

association, small tea farmers participated in

the event.

addressing the meeting, the BtB Chairman

highlighted the issue of setting up a new tea

auction center in the northern region.

For this, he put emphasis on forming an

association consisting of local tea traders and

stakeholders soon to set up a tea auction center

in the northern region.

Members of the new association will gain

practical experience in this regard by visiting

Chittagong and srimangal tea auction centers.

"the next decision will be taken after

convening a meeting with the participation of

all concerned and discussing the issue for

setting up a tea auction center in the northern

region," he said.

the release noted that tea produced in tea

factories of the northern region is currently

being sold at Chittagong and srimangal tea

auction centers.

due to the distance, the quality of tea

produced in tea factories of the northern region

and its price at these auction centers is

declining and the factories have to bear the

relatively high transportation cost.

"due to this problem, the continuous success

and huge prospect in the boosting tea industry

of the northern region is being challenged. as a

result, there is a need to set up a tea auction

center in north Bengal," the release added.

Blankets have been distributed among orphans, madrasas and more than

500 extremely poor families in Haridia of Louhajang upazila. Photo: TBT

govt allocates

19,700 blankets

for cold-hit

people in narail

naraiL: the government

has allocated a total of 19,700

blankets for the poor and

distressed cold-stricken

people of 39 unions and three

municipalities in the three

upazilas of the district,

reports Bss.

district relief and disaster

Management office sources

said a total of 470 blankets

have been allocated for each

of the union parishad and

Municipality.

they said the allocated

blankets have already been

sent to the upazila authorities

and the concerned authorities

have started to distribute the

blankets among the cold-hit

distressed people.

Blankets distributed in

orphanage, madrasa's

and extremely poor

people

Md Manik Mia, Louhajang

Correspondent

Blankets have been

distributed among orphans,

madrasas and more than

500 extremely poor families

in haridia of Louhajang

upazila. the blankets were

distributed at the expense of

Wasim Farooq, founder and

chief coordinator of

Facebook-based

humanitarian group 'safe

Bangladesh Chai'.

on tuesday afternoon,

more than 500 blankets

were distributed among

haridia darul ulum ah

ahad Munshi Qawmi

Madrasa, haridia rabeya

khatun adarsh Mahila

Madrasa, gawdia karimiya

Qawmi Madrasa and

helpless poor people of

gaodia union.

during the time, Wasim

Farooq, the founder of the

organization, Louhajang

press Club general

secretary. Manik Mia,

Monir hossain sikder,

founder of haridia rabeya

khatun adarsh Mohila

Madrasa, selim Mollah,

president of haridia Ward

awami League, titu sikder,

general secretary and newly

elected member, Md. emon

hossain, journalist tariqul

islam sim and others were

also present.

Blankets have been distributed among the cold-hit people in Chilmari of Kurigram on Tuesday.

Photo: Golam Mahbub

rakuB disburses tk 60-cr CMsMe

loans in northwest zone

rajshahi: rajshahi krishi unnayan Bank

(rakuB) has disbursed taka 60-crore loans to

the cottage, micro, small and medium

enterprise (CMsMe) sector under the

government's stimulus package in country's

northwest region in the last 2020-2021

financial year, reports Bss.

the government announced the bailout

package for the CMsMe sector with an aim to

help the stakeholders overcome the Covid-19

fallout and the rakuB attained 100 percent

target in terms of disbursing the CMsMe loan.

rakuB Managing director abdul Mannan

said the loans were disbursed among 1,478

entrepreneurs to revive their CMsMes that

have been badly affected by CoVid-19 impact

in almost all 16 districts under rajshahi and

rangpur divisions.

he said Bangladesh Bank (BB) has allocated

taka 60 crore to rakuB for the sector in two

phases.

under the stimulus package, 160 women

entrepreneurs received taka 7.64-crore loan

assistance.

abdul Mannan said the money from the fund

has been disbursed among small and mediumscale

farmers, including those in the poultry

and dairy sector, in rural areas, at five percent

interest.

"small and medium-scale farmers in rural

areas received loans from the fund, and they

are using the money to yield agricultural

products, flowers, fruits, fish and poultry," he

added.

in the current 2021-22 fiscal year, BB has

also provided taka 50 crore to rakuB for

distribution to the CMsMe sectors and it has

already disbursed 70 percent of the targeted

loan.

"We are very much hopeful about attaining

the cherished targets of disbursing loans in

these sectors within the stipulated time," he

added.

small and marginal women entrepreneurs

and others who were not capable of paying

collateral are being given priority in terms of

disbursing CMsMe loans.

CMsMe promotion is very important for

reducing the existing gap between rural and

urban areas besides recouping the losses

caused by the adverse impact of the corona

pandemic.

rakuB has set a target of disbursing

agricultural loans of tk 3,000 crore in the

country's northwest (nW) region during the

current fiscal year to help increase crop

production and boost rural economy.

the specialised commercial bank will

distribute the loans through its 383 branches in

all 16 districts under the two divisions.

target has also been set to recover loans of

tk 2,600 crore, including classified loans with

tk 580 crore, and raise deposit collection to tk

500 crore, he said.

abdul Mannan said target has been fixed

to disburse loan of tk 950 crore for crop

production, tk 150cr for fisheries, tk 250

crore for livestock, tk 10cr for farm and

irrigation machinery, tk 750cr for CMsMe,

tk 540 crore continuous loan, tk 50 crore

for microcredit and poverty alleviation and

tk 300 crore for others during the current

fiscal.

as the largest development partner in

agriculture as well as agro-based industry

sector of the northwest Bangladesh, currently,

the bank has adopted the effective work plan

which is being implemented at the grassroots

level to attain all the targets within the

stipulated time.

Blankets distributed

among cold-hit

people in Chilmari

goLaM MahBuB, ChiLMari

Correspondent

Blankets have been

distributed among the

cold-hit people in Chilmari

of kurigram. the blankets

were distributed on the

personal initiative of Md.

obaid ullah al Masood,

Md & Ceo, rupali Bank

Limited.

upazila parishad

Chairman shawkat ali

sarkar Birbikram

distributed blankets

among more than 800

winter victims at Chilmari

government College

ground on tuesday

afternoon. during the time,

upazila nirbahi officer

Md. Mahbubur rahman,

acting principal of

Chilmari government

College Md. aratuzzaman

Latif, assistant professor

ayub ali, Branch Manager

and senior principal

officer of Madhabdi

Baburhat Branch of rupali

Bank Md. razzakul haider

ainur rashid and jubo

League joint convener

Zahid anwar palash were

among others also present

at the occasion.

New cruises in Brazil suspended

amid spread of omicron

Cruise ship activity has been temporarily

suspended along Brazil's shores until Jan. 21

due to the spread of the coronavirus' omicron

variant, according to a statement the federal

government published Monday night,

reports UNB.

The decision came after a recommendation

from the nation's health regulator, which said

in a separate statement Monday night that it

took into account the "spiraling increase of

COVID-19 cases on board ships in recent

days, which indicates a radical change in the

epidemiological scenario."

The agency highlighted an "accentuated

explosion" starting Dec. 26, with almost 800

cases detected on cruise ships in just nine

days - 25 times the total seen over the prior 55

days and likely stemming from spread of the

omicron variant, it said.

Members of the government met with

representatives of the cruise companies

earlier Monday, according to the federal

government's statement. A statement from

the Brazilian office of the Cruise Lines

International Association said the suspension

was a voluntary measure adopted by the

Thousands of flights canceled, delayed

at start of workweek in US

A winter storm that hit the mid-Atlantic

on Monday combined with pandemiccaused

shortages of airline workers to

push flight cancellations to a holidayseason

high, creating more frustration

for travelers just trying to get home,

reports UNB.

More than 3,000 U.S. flights and

about 4,800 worldwide were canceled

by late afternoon Monday on the East

Coast, according to tracking service

FlightAware. Another 13,000 flights

were delayed, including more than

6,000 in the U.S.

Travelers could take hope from an

improving weather forecast: Airlines

had canceled fewer than 400 U.S. flights

scheduled for Tuesday.

First, however, they had to contend

with a winter storm that dumped several

inches of snow on the District of

Columbia, northern Virginia and central

Maryland before quitting Monday

afternoon.

The cancellations and delays added to

the despair felt over the weekend by

holidays travelers trying to get home.

Jason Pevitt was stuck at the Atlanta

airport for eight hours - and counting -

by Monday evening, trying to get home

companies as a means to align themselves

with federal government, the health

regulator, states and municipalities.

Its statement said no new departures will

take place until Jan. 21, but that ongoing

cruises will finish their itineraries as planned.

Cruise lines MSC Cruzeiros and Costa

Cruzeiros operate in Brazil.

"In recent weeks, the two affected cruise

companies have experienced a series of

situations that directly impact ships'

operations, making continuation of the cruise

ships impractical at this moment," the

statement said. "Moreover, operational

uncertainty has caused significant

inconvenience for guests."

Yesterday in Rio de Janeiro, health

authorities inspected an MSC vessel and

found more than two dozen passengers

infected. Passengers aboard waited six hours

to disembark and the health regulator

ordered those who tested positive to

quarantine at home or in hotels. The ship was

allowed to continue operating and, after

others embarked, headed for northeastern

Bahia state.

to Virginia after spending the holidays

with his family in Tampa, Florida. He

was growing increasingly anxious about

the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the

terminal.

American Airlines canceled Pevitt's

original flight to Washington's Reagan

National Airport long before a winter

storm system hit the Washington area

Monday. He rebooked on Delta Air

Lines but got hit with more cancellations

after a stopover in Atlanta - this time

clearly due to the storm.

"There is just never a reason given for

anything. That's my biggest issue," said

the 28-year-old, who works for an

accounting company.

Many other travelers tweeted at the

airlines to complain about last-minute

cancellations and long delays, lost bags

and hourslong hold times to reach

anybody in customer service. Some said

they slept in airports.

The toll of grounded flights in the U.S.

was in the few hundreds per day the

week before Christmas, then soared past

1,000 a day. Airlines blamed crew

shortages on the spreading virus,

including the highly transmissible

omicron variant - new cases tripled over

weDneSDAY, JAnUArY 5, 2022

7

Cruise ship activity has been temporarily suspended along Brazil's shores until Jan. 21 due to the spread of the coronavirus'

omicron variant, according to a statement the federal government published Monday night.

Photo : AP

the past two weeks, according to figures

from Johns Hopkins University.

Airlines and passengers lucked out for

several days with mostly favorable

weather, but that changed when a winter

storm hit the Midwest on Saturday and

caused cancellations to spike again to

new holiday-season highs.

Over the weekend, about 5,400 U.S.

flights were canceled - nearly 12% of all

scheduled flights - and more than 9,000

worldwide, according to FlightAware. By

Monday afternoon, about 18,000 U.S.

flights had been canceled since

Christmas Eve.

Many of the cancellations were made

hours or even a day in advance. Airline

believe they have a better chance to keep

lighter schedules on track, and it saves

passengers from making needless trips

to the airport.

More than three-quarters of Monday's

scheduled flights at Ronald Reagan

Washington National Airport and nearly

half of those at nearby

Baltimore/Washington International

Thurgood Marshall Airport were

scrubbed, according to FlightAware.

Both airports received more than six

inches of snow.

A winter storm that hit the mid-Atlantic on Monday combined with pandemic-caused shortages of

airline workers to push flight cancellations to a holiday-season high, creating more frustration for

travelers just trying to get home.

Photo : AP

Climate change, new

construction mean

more ruinous fires

NEW YORK : The winter

grassland fire that blew up

along Colorado's Front

Range was rare, experts say,

but similar events will be

more common in the

coming years as climate

change warms the planet -

sucking the moisture out of

plants - suburbs grow in fireprone

areas and people

continue to spark

destructive blazes.

"These fires are different

from most of the fires we've

been seeing across the West,

in the sense that they're

grass fires and they're

occurring in the winter,"

said Jonathan Overpeck, a

professor in the School for

Environment and

Sustainability at the

University of Michigan.

Why are so many vaccinated

people getting COVID-19 lately?

A couple of factors are at play, starting with

the emergence of the highly contagious

omicron variant. Omicron is more likely to

infect people, even if it doesn't make them

very sick, and its surge coincided with the

holiday travel season in many places, reports

UNB.

People might mistakenly think the

COVID-19 vaccines will completely block

infection, but the shots are mainly designed

to prevent severe illness, says Louis Mansky,

a virus researcher at the University of

Minnesota.

And the vaccines are still doing their job on

that front, particularly for people who've

gotten boosters.

Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or

Moderna vaccines or one dose of the

Johnson and Johnson vaccine still offer

strong protection against serious illness from

omicron. While those initial doses aren't very

good at blocking omicron infection, boosters

- particularly with the Pfizer and Moderna

vaccines - rev up levels of the antibodies to

help fend off infection.

Omicron appears to replicate much more

efficiently than previous variants. And if

infected people have high virus loads, there's

a greater likelihood they'll pass it on to

others, especially the unvaccinated.

Vaccinated people who get the virus are

more likely to have mild symptoms, if any,

since the shots trigger multiple defenses in

your immune system, making it much more

difficult for omicron to slip past them all.

Advice for staying safe hasn't changed.

Doctors say to wear masks indoors, avoid

crowds and get vaccinated and boosted.

Even though the shots won't always keep you

from catching the virus, they'll make it much

more likely you stay alive and out of the

hospital.

US close to ending

buried nuke waste

cleanup at Idaho site

BOISE : A lengthy project to

dig up and remove

radioactive and hazardous

waste buried for decades in

unlined pits at a nuclear

facility that sits atop a giant

aquifer in eastern Idaho is

nearly finished, U.S. officials

said, reports UNB.

The U.S. Department of

Energy said last week that it

removed the final amount of

specifically-targeted buried

waste from a 97-acre (39-

hectare) landfill at its 890-

square-mile (2,300-squarekilometer)

site that includes

the Idaho National

Laboratory.

The targeted radioactive

waste included plutoniumcontaminated

filters,

graphite molds, sludges

containing solvents and

oxidized uranium generated

during nuclear weapons

production work at the Rocky

Flats Plant in Colorado. Some

radioactive and hazardous

remains in the Idaho landfill

that will receive an earthen

cover.

The waste from Rocky Flats

was packaged in storage

drums and boxes before

being sent from 1954 to 1970

to the high-desert, sagebrush

steppe of eastern Idaho

where it was buried in

unlined pits and trenches.

The area lies about 50 miles

(80 kilometers) west of the

city of Idaho Falls.

The cleanup project, started

in 2005, is named the

Accelerated Retrieval Project

and is one of about a dozen

cleanup efforts of nuclear waste

finished or ongoing at the

Energy Department site.

Chinese mainland reports

101 locally transmitted

COVID-19 cases

BEIJING : The Chinese

mainland on Sunday

reported 101 new locally

transmitted COVID-19

cases, the National Health

Commission said in its daily

report on Monday.

Of the new local cases, 92

were reported in Shaanxi,

and nine were reported in

Zhejiang, the commission

said.

Also reported were 60 new

imported cases in 13

provincial-level regions,

according to the

commission.

No new suspected cases or

new deaths from COVID-19

were reported on Sunday, it

added.

The total number of

confirmed COVID-19 cases

on the mainland had

reached 102,666 by Sunday,

including 3,127 patients still

receiving treatment, of

whom 22 were in severe

condition.

A total of 94,903 patients

had been discharged from

hospitals on the mainland,

and 4,636 had died as a

result of the virus.

A total of 35 asymptomatic

cases were newly reported

Sunday, 31 of whom arrived

from outside the mainland.

Fighting intensifies in eastern

Colombia; at least 23 killed

BOGOTA : At least 23 people were killed in

Colombia this weekend and 20 had to flee their

homes as fighting between rebel groups

intensified in the eastern state of Arauca,

Colombia's Defense Minister said Monday,

reports UNB.

The killings mark a setback for Colombia's

government, which was able to bring down

homicide rates in much of the country

following a 2016 peace deal with the

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. But

it is now struggling to control violence in rural

pockets of the country where smaller rebel

groups and drug trafficking organizations are

fighting over smuggling routes, coca fields,

illegal mines and other assets.

Arauca is home to some of Colombia's

largest oil wells and is also crossed by a pipeline

that is regularly attacked by rebel groups that

steal its oil. The state borders Venezuela and

drug trafficking groups have been fighting over

its smuggling routes for decades.

In a statement Monday, Colombia's army

said the latest outbreak of violence was caused

by fighting between the National Liberation

Omicron upends return to

US schools and workplaces

Some school systems around

the U.S. extended their

holiday break Monday or

switched back to online

instruction because of the

explosion in COVID-19 cases,

while others pressed ahead

with in-person classes amid a

seemingly growing sense that

Americans will have to learn

to co-exist with the virus,

reports UNB.

Caught between pleas from

teachers fearful of infection

and parents who want their

children in class, school

districts in cities such as New

York, Milwaukee, Chicago,

Detroit and beyond found

themselves in a difficult

position midway through the

academic year because of the

super-contagious omicron

variant.

New York City, home of the

nation's largest school

system, reopened classrooms

to roughly 1 million students

with a stockpile of take-home

COVID-19 test kits and plans

to double the number of

random tests done in schools.

"We are going to keep our

schools open and ensure that

our children are in a safe

environment," newly swornin

Mayor Eric Adams said.

New Yorker Trisha White

said that she feels the risk is

the same for her 9-year-old

son in or out of school and

that being with classmates is

far better for him than

remote learning.

"He could get the virus

outside of school," she said as

she dropped the boy off. "So

what can you do? You know,

I wouldn't blame the school

system. They're trying their

best."

While the teachers union

had asked the mayor to

postpone in-person learning

for a week, city officials have

long said that mask

requirements, testing and

other safety measures mean

that children are safe in

school. The city also has a

vaccination mandate for

employees.

New cases of COVID-19 in

the city shot up from a daily

average of about 17,000 in

the week before the holidays

to nearly 37,000 last week.

Across the U.S., new

COVID-19 cases have tripled

in the past two weeks to over

400,000 a day, the highest

level on record, amid a rush

Army, or ELN, guerrilla group and former

members of the FARC who refused to join the

peace deal. The army said that both groups are

currently fighting for dominance over the

area's drug trade.

Juan Carlos Villate, a human rights officer in

the town of Tame, told Colombia's Blu Radio

that he received reports of civilians who were

dragged out of their homes and executed on

Sunday by members of armed groups. Villate

said that he had reports of 50 people who went

missing and 27 who were killed over the

weekend. Human Rights Watch said it has

received reports of 24 deaths, as well as forced

displacements and abductions.

"It appears that the alliance between the

ELN and dissidents with the 10th Front of the

FARC in the zone has broken," said the group's

Colombia expert, Juan Pappier.

Arauca last year received hundreds of

refugees who fled from neighboring

Venezuela following fighting between the

Venezuelan army and FARC splinter groups

that also operate on the Venezuelan side of the

border.

by many Americans to get

tested.

The high infection rates

and resulting worker

shortages are putting a heavy

burden on employers large

and small. Thousands of

airline flights have been

canceled in recent days, and

many businesses have

shelved return-to-work

plans.

Weekend garbage

collection was delayed in

New Orleans, and jury trials

in several Colorado counties

were suspended. Some

libraries on New York's Long

Island and a ski resort in New

Hampshire had to close. A

restaurant owner in Atlanta

has spent $700 on rapid test

kits and resorted to testing

workers in the parking lot to

make sure he had enough

help to staff a recent dinner

shift.

Dawn Crawley, CEO of

House Cleaning Heroes, a

cleaning service based in

Herndon, Virginia, said she

had to cancel four of 20

cleaning jobs for Tuesday

because four employees

were sick - three with

COVID-19.

Some school systems around the U.S. extended their holiday break Monday or

switched back to online instruction because of the explosion in COVID-19 cases,

while others pressed ahead with in-person classes amid a seemingly growing

sense that Americans will have to learn to co-exist with the virus. Photo : AP

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

8

Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd and Parkview Hospital signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) regarding corporate facilities recently at IBBL Chattogram Zone Office. In presence of

Mohammed Monirul Moula, Managing Director and CEO of IBBL, JQM Habibullah, FCS,

Deputy Managing Director of IBBL and Talukder Ziaur Rahman Sharif, General Manager of

Parkview Hospital signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. Md. Nayer

Azam, Deputy Managing Director, Mohammed Shabbir, Senior Executive Vice President, Md.

Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, Meah Md. Barkat Ullah, Mohammad Yakub Ali and Miftah Uddin,

Executive Vice Presidents of IBBL along with Executives and Officials of both the institutions

were present on the occasion. Under this agreement, Islami Bank's officials and their family

members and Debit & Khidmah Credit Card holders will enjoy discount facilities from the

Parkview Hospital.

Photo: Courtesy

Padma bank launches ACS officially

Fourth Generation Padma

Bank Limited has officially

launched Automated Chalan

(A-Invoice) system service at

its Mirpur Branch, a press

release said, a press release

said.

Under this service,

treasury invoices can be

deposited at any branch of

Padma Bank Limited

including Mirpur Branch.

Passport fees, company

income tax, personal income

tax, VAT on imported goods,

customs duty, land

development tax, VAT on

domestic goods and

services, excise duty and all

kinds of government service

fees are collected.

The Automated Chalan

System (ACS) service was

officially inaugurated by the

Managing Director and CEO

of Padma Bank Md. Ehsan

Khasru at Mirpur on

Tuesday (04 January,

2022). During the occasion

he said Padma Bank will

take advantage of the

opportunity to provide

direct government services

to its customers. Padma

Bank has spent the year

2021 well; the path of the

New Year will also be

technology dependent and

modern. Padma Bank

Managing Director and CEO

greet all a Happy New Year.

Zabed Amin Chief

Operating Officer,

Muzahidul Islam Head of

Internal Control &

Compliance Division &

Mirpur Branch Manager

Shamim Rashed Khan and

other senior officials and

employees of Mirpur branch

were also present at the

occasion.

The fourth generation

Padma Bank Limited,

which is owned by the

government-owned Sonali,

Janata, Agrani, Rupali

Bank and ICB, has been

providing modern banking

services to its customers

through 58 branches

across the country.

German unemployment

declines in December

amid virus uncertainty

FRANKFURT : Germany's joblessness rate

fell slightly in December despite the return of

health restrictions to tackle a new wave of

coronavirus cases, official figures published

Tuesday showed, reports BSS.

The seasonally adjusted rate dropped to

5.2 percent from 5.3 percent the previous

month, the BA federal labour agency said,

the equivalent of 23,000 fewer unemployed

people.

"The recovery seen in recent months

continued in December," agency head Detlef

Scheele said in a statement.

In raw figures, the number of unemployed

sat just under 2,330,000, down around

378,000 since December 2020.

Unemployment in Europe's top economy

climbed as high as six percent in the months

following the rapid spread of the coronavirus

through Europe in the first half of 2020.

Germany has relied heavily on subsidised

short-term work schemes to help businesses

and workers whether the pandemic storm,

with nearly six million Germans placed on

reduced hours at the peak of the crisis in

April 2020.

The scheme was still supporting some

710,000 people according to the latest

available figures from October, the BA said.

An uptick in applications made for the

short-term work scheme at the end of the

year showed the "uncertainty" caused by

rising numbers of coronavirus cases and the

emergence of the highly transmissible

Omicron variant, the BA said.

Around 286,000 people were signed up to

the programme in December, up from

104,000 the month before.

The overall improvement in the job

market over 12 months was "encouraging"

but "the new virus variant will be a difficult

test for the German economy," said Fritzi

Koehler-Geib, chief economist at public

lender KfW.

UCB celebrated the moment of surpassing foreign trade figure of USD 9 Billion

during 2021. The growth rate compared to year 2020 is 50%. By achieving this

landmark; UCB positioned itself at top among the local conventional banks in

terms of foreign trade. Arif Quadri, Managing Director of UCB attended the

event along with other senior executives.

Photo: Courtesy

Singapore economy rebounds

from virus-induced recession

SINGAPORE : Singapore's economy grew 7.2

percent last year, rebounding from its worst

recession since independence sparked by the

coronavirus pandemic, government data

showed Monday, reports BSS.

The city-state plunged into its worst

economic performance in 2020 as businesses

and international borders shut down, choking

its trade and tourism economic lifeline.

Authorities initially imposed tough measures

to restrict movement and gatherings but later

shifted to a policy of living with the virus as the

majority of residents got fully vaccinated.

Singapore has logged a total of 280,290 cases

with 829 deaths as of Sunday. The trade

ministry released advance estimates Monday

showing the economy expanded by 5.9 percent

year-on-year in the fourth quarter to

December. This brought full-year economic

growth to 7.2 percent, reversing a 5.4

contraction in 2020, the country's worst since

independence in 1965. Manufacturing, a pillar

of the trade-reliant economy, surged 12.8

percent year-on-year driven by global demand

for semiconductors and semiconductor

equipment, the ministry said. Construction, a

driver of domestic growth, rose 18.7 percent for

the full year. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

however said in his New Year message that

Singapore was not out of the woods yet.

"Entering the new year, the fight against

Covid-19 is not over. The Omicron variant has

brought new uncertainties," Lee said.

He added, however, that Singapore was in a

better position to deal with the virus compared

to two years ago as booster jabs have been

rolled out and vaccination of children under 12

years is underway.

Spain's jobless

number posts

record fall

in 2021

MADRID : The number of

registered jobless in Spain

posted a record drop in 2021

as the relaxation of

pandemic restrictions

boosted its key tourism

sector, official statistics

showed Tuesday, reports

BSS.

The number of people

registered as being out of

work dropped by 782,232

last year over 2020 to stand

at 3.1 million at the end of

December, the labour

ministry said.

That is the biggest drop

since the current statistical

series began in 1996 and the

lowest number of jobless in

the month of December

since 2007, it added.

The number of registered

jobless fell by 2.4 percent, or

76,782 people, in December

from November-the 10th

consecutive month of falling

unemployment figures.

"The date once again

reflects the progress of

Spain's recovery," Socialist

Prime minister Pedro

Sanchez tweeted.

tourism-

economy

Spain's

dependent

contracted by 10.8 percent

in 2020, one of the worst

results among industrialised

countries.

US removes

Ethiopia, Mali

and Guinea

from trade pact

WASHINGTON : President

Joe Biden's administration

announced on Saturday that

it had excluded Ethiopia,

Mali and Guinea from a US-

Africa trade agreement,

saying the actions of the

three governments violated

its principles, reports BSS.

"The United States today

terminated Ethiopia, Mali

and Guinea from the AGOA

trade preference program

due to actions taken by each

of their governments in

violation of the AGOA

Statute," the US Trade

Representative (USTR) said

in a statement.

The African Growth and

Opportunity Act (AGOA)

was put in place in 2000

under the administration of

former president Bill Clinton

to facilitate and regulate

trade between the United

States and Africa.

But the United States is

"deeply concerned by the

unconstitutional change in

governments in both Guinea

and Mali," the statement

said.

Managing Director of Karmasangsthan Bank Shirin Akhter paid a rich tribute to Mausoleum of

the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreaths at his grave

at Tungipara in Gopalganj and offered prayer for the departed soul of Bangabandhu and other

martyred members of his family who were killed on 15 August 1975 recently. The Deputy

Managing Director Sk. Md. Zaminur Rahman and other employees of the bank were present at

the time.

Photo: Courtesy

TECNO brings offers at Smartphone and Tab Expo

Global smartphone brand

TECNO Mobile has

announced

their

participation at the

Smartphone and Tab Expo-

2022, the popular tech event

is being organised in

Bangladesh after two years.

The Expo will start on 06th

January and continue until

08th January, 2022, at the

Bangabandhu International

Conference Centre (BICC).

Visitors will get free access to

the expo from 10 am to 8 pm

every day after getting their

body temperature checked

upon arrival. Wearing face

mask is also mandatory.

At the Smartphone and

Tab Expo, TECNO Mobile

will showcase their latest

products for consumers at

their booth. They will be

providing exciting offers on

select products, such as

Camon 16 Premier, Spark 7,

Spark 8 Pro, and SPARK GO

2022. There will also be a flat

10% discount on all the

products. In addition to this,

HONG KONG : Asian markets were

mixed Tuesday as investors struggled to

take their lead from yet another record on

Wall Street that was fuelled by easing

concerns about Omicron and remaining

optimism about the economic recovery,

reports BSS.

While the new Covid variant is

spreading like wildfire around the world,

it appears to be far less severe than

initially feared, raising hopes that the

pandemic could be overcome and life

return to a little more normality.

However, inflation, supply chain snags,

central bank policy tightening and

geopolitical woes continue to weigh on

sentiment and analysts have warned that

the blockbuster gains seen in recent years

customers will receive gifts

and a coupon card with every

purchase. There will be a

raffle draw, where customers

can use the coupon to win

TECNO phones and even

more exciting gifts.

Speaking at the

Smartphone and Tab Expo-

2022, Rezwanul Hoque,

CEO of Transsion

Bangladesh said, "It's very

exciting to be showcasing

TECNO's products alongside

some of the biggest local and

global brands. We are always

focused on bringing

the latest smartphone

technologies to our

consumers at affordable

prices which makes TECNO

one of the most beloved

smartphone brands in

Bangladesh. We hope these

could be tougher to attain.

"We expect 2022 to be far more

challenging from an investment

perspective," Heather Wald, of Bel Air

Investment Advisors, noted. "Rarely has

a market delivered three consecutive

years of double-digit returns, as we have

seen from 2019-2021."

Still, she still expected "equities to

remain attractive versus other liquid

asset classes".

And market strategist Louis Navellier

added: "Equities are still the only game in

town, with cash and bonds offering

negative real returns, and equities

forecasted with double-digit earnings

growth and record stock buybacks

anticipated."

offers will attract new

customers and grow the

TECNO family!"

Smartphone and Tab Expo

is considered to be the largest

event for tech lovers to explore

their desired brands and talk

directly to the brand

representatives. To find

TECNO Mobile at the

Smartphone and Tab Expo -

2022, visit pavilion no 01.

Asian markets mixed as traders

eye virus, inflation, rates

The Dow and S&P 500 started the new

year in the same fashion as they spent

most of 2021, by notching up new alltime

highs, while the Nasdaq also rallied

thanks to a surge in big-name stars

including Apple, which briefly became

the first firm valued at $3 trillion, and

Tesla.

But Asian markets were not quite as

convincing.

Tokyo and Sydney jumped more than

one percent each on their first trading day

of the year, while there were also gains in

Singapore, Taipei and Jakarta.

But Hong Kong and Shanghai dipped,

weighed by tech firms and ongoing fears

about China's property sector, while

Seoul was also in the red.

WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 5, 2022

9

kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain overcame their Covid crisis and a drone-related

interruption to ease into the French Cup last 16 on Monday.

Photo: AP

Mbappe hat-trick fires PSG

into French Cup last 16

SPortS DESk

Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as

Paris Saint-Germain overcame their

Covid crisis and a drone-related

interruption to ease into the French

Cup last 16 on Monday with a 4-0

win over fourth-division Vannes,

reports BSS.

Despite the absence of five PSG

players including superstar Lionel

Messi and Danilo after positive tests

for Covid-19, Mauricio Pochettino's

side were never worried by the

Brittany minnows.

Defender Presnel Kimpembe,

wearing the captain's armband,

headed in after 28 minutes just after

the match had been interrupted for a

minute after a drone flew over the

Rabine Stadium in western France.

Kimpembe then set up Mbappe for

the second just before the hour mark

with the French forward completing a

hat-trick in an 18-minute spell.

Mbappe added a second after 71

minutes after good work from Marco

Verratti and Xavi Simons adding a

third six minutes later for his 150th

goal in a PSG jersey.

Vannes' Cup dream was over with

the Brittany side also missing out on

their hoped for bonanza after the

French government's crowd

restrictions with 5,000 spectators only

permitted at outdoor events.

Vannes had been hoping for a 9,600

sell-out and according to their

president Maxime Ray are set to miss

out on revenue of 250,000 euros

($282,000).

"We are missing out on what is a

fortune to us," he said.

Covid could also overshadow

Tuesday's Lens versus Lille Cup clash

with seven players from the visiting

team confirmed positive.

"We had four Covid cases which has

now become seven," said Lille coach

Jocelyn Gourvennec, without naming

the players.

Egypt will lean on Salah at

African showpiece

SPortS DESk

Mohamed Salah, in prolific form for

Liverpool this season, will lead Egypt against

bogey team Nigeria in a blockbuster Group D

opener at the Africa Cup of Nations in

Cameroon, reports BSS.

Salah leads all scorers in the Premier

League this season with 16 goals, including

one in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Sunday,

his last match before leaving for west Africa.

Although Egypt have won a record seven

Cup of Nations titles, they have triumphed

only twice in seven clashes with three- time

champions Nigeria in the competition ahead

of the January 11 showdown.

Here, AFP Sport puts the spotlight on the

four Group D contenders. The group

winners and runners-up are assured of last-

16 places while the best four third-placed

teams from the six groups also qualify.

The Pharaohs' Portuguese coach Carlos

Queiroz has backed Aston Villa forward

Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan to shine at

the Cup of Nations although he has not

played a full senior match since mid-April

due to injury.

The 27-year-old was an unused substitute

in three Premier League matches during

December before coming off the bench for a

cameo appearance against Brentford.

"Trezeguet is an experienced and good

player," former Real Madrid manager and

twice Manchester United assistant

manager Queiroz said. "I am sure he will be

a key figure for us."

Unlike most Cameroon-bound teams,

Egypt will rely heavily on home-based stars,

choosing 19 and only six based abroad,

including Salah and Arsenal midfielder

Mohamed Elneny.

A chaotic build-up for Nigeria has included

a change of coaches, the loss of a star forward

because they requested his release too late,

and the withdrawal of several key players

due to Covid and injuries.

German Gernot Rohr was sacked after the

Super Eagles scraped into the final round of

2022 World Cup qualifying and Augustine

Eguavoen, who played for Nigeria at the

1994 World Cup, has been placed in

temporary charge.

He will have to do without in-form

Emmanuel Dennis because Premier

League club Watford say Nigeria did not

alert them in time that they were selecting

him, and coronavirus has ruled out another

regular scorer, Victor Osimhen of Italian

club Napoli.

But Nigeria are never more dangerous than

when all seems lost. They possess a squad

capable of winning the Cup of Nations, or

making a humiliating last-16 exit.

Mohamed Salah, in prolific form for Liverpool this season, will lead Egypt

against bogey team Nigeria in a blockbuster Group D opener at the Africa Cup

of Nations in Cameroon.

Photo: AP

"We're going to re-test all the players

tomorrow (Tuesday) morning."

Monday's drone incident was

another in a series of problems French

football have had since the start of the

2021/22 season.

Sunday's Cup match between

fourth-division Jura Sud and Saint-

Etienne, in Louhans, was interrupted

for about 20 minutes due to smoke

and fireworks launched by supporters

of the Greens.

Jura Sud goalkeeper Cedric Mensah

described his shock on Monday after

crowd trouble "cut the legs" of his

team in a 4-1 French Cup defeat to

Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne.

"I heard a powerful bang and felt a

pain in my right ear. I had the

impression that a bomb had exploded

and felt the pitch vibrate," he said.

"The doctor explained to me that if it

had exploded closer, I could have

pierced my eardrum. At the time, it

really shook me."

Danilo joins

Messi among

PSG Covid-19

cases

SPortS DESk

Danilo became the fifth

Paris Saint Germain player

to test positive for Covid-19

and will miss the French

Cup match with Vannes

later on Monday, the club

said, reports BSS.

The 30-year-old

Portuguese international

midfielder joins Lionel

Messi and other teammates

in self-isolating as

the Omicron variant shows

little sign of loosening its

grip.

Messi, Juan Bernat,

Sergio Rico and youngster

Nathan Bitumazala were

revealed to have tested

positive on Sunday.

Their enforced absence

has prompted PSG coach

Mauricio Pochettino to call

on South American players

who only resumed training

on Sunday for the clash

with fourth division

Vannes.

Marquinhos and Messi's

fellow Argentinians Angel

Di Maria and Mauro Icardi

are among those who could

get a run out.

Home team Vannes are

counting the cost of the

French government's

newly introduced crowd

restrictions on Monday

with 5,000 spectators only

permitted at outdoor

events.

Vannes had been hoping

for a 9,600 sell-out and

according to their

president Maxime Ray are

set to miss out on revenue

of 250,000 euros

($282,000).

"We are missing out on

what is a fortune to us," he

said last week.

Ollie Robinson

ruled out of

fourth Ashes Test

SPortS DESk

England have brought back

Stuart Broad in place for

the fourth Ashes Test in

Sydney in a move that will

bolster England's bowling

attack. Ollie Robinson,

who has returned nine

wickets in the series so far,

misses out due to a

shoulder niggle, it was

announced on Wednesday

(January 4). Despite

England being bowled for

68 in the second innings of

the Boxing Day Test, no

change has been made to

their batting composition.

Broad's inclusion will be

a shot in the arm for

England as the pacer adds

to an attack that features

Mark Wood, James

Anderson and spinner Jack

Leach. "We felt like it was

too much of a risk to go in

with a couple of lads who

are carrying niggles,"

England's assistant coach,

Graham Thorpe, said. "So,

therefore, it was right to

bring Stuart back in."The

veteran pacer, in his

column, had expressed his

displeasure at being left out

of the two Tests in Brisbane

and Melbourne, only been

given the one go in

Adelaide. Broad felt he

wasn't able to contribute or

do anything about England

going down 0-3 in the

Ashes, having been on the

sidelines for the majority of

the series.

"I hope we've got a couple

of caged tigers coming into

this match, Ben being one

of them and Stuart Broad

another," Thorpe said.

"Getting the players into

the right frame of mind is

important. I think they

want put in a performance

for themselves and

collectively for the team."

Thorpe has taken over

duties from head coach

Chris Silverwood for the

Sydney Test given that the

latter was unable to travel

with the squad from

Melbourne after testing

positive for COVID-19.

Although the outbreak of

COVID-19 in the English

camp has been a

distraction for the tourists,

Thorpe said that England

also hadn't played "good

enough cricket".

the four-time Grand Slam champion, who has slid to 13 in the rankings, admitted after her thirdround

defeat at Flushing Meadow that she was "dealing with some stuff" emotionally. Photo: AP

Cricket Australia rejig BBL schedule after

positive COVID cases in Heat camp

SPortS DESk

Cricket Australia has been forced to

make schedule changes to the Big Bash

League schedule after there were

positive rapid antigen tests in the

Brisbane Heat camp, reports AP.

According to the changes, Perth

Scorchers will play Sydney Sixers on

January 4 (Tuesday) instead of January

6. Heat have had their clash pushed and

will now take on Sixers on January 5.

Scorchers and Sydney Thunder, who

All eyes on Newcastle for Premier

League’s January arms race

SPortS DESk

Three months on since a controversial

takeover by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund

was given the green light by the Premier

League, Newcastle have the chance to splash

their new-found wealth in the January

transfer window, reports BSS.

The Magpies are badly in need of

reinforcements just to remain in the English

top-flight after winning just one of their 19

games this season.

Newcastle's last two matches have even

been postponed because they were unable to

field a team with enough senior players due

to coronavirus infections and a growing

injury list that could dictate who arrives at St.

James' Park in the next 27 days.

Defenders are expected to be top of the

shopping list after Newcastle shipped a

Premier League record 80 goals in 2021, 42

of which have come this season.

England international right-back Kieran

Trippier is reportedly close to a o25 million

($34 million) move from Atletico Madrid

with Lille centre-back Sven Botman also a

target.

"Trippier is an extraordinary footballer

who has given us a lot and we will try to keep

him," said Atletico manager Diego Simeone

after Sunday's 2-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.

SPortS DESk

A nervous Naomi Osaka overcame a second

set wobble to make a winning return

Tuesday in her first match since taking an

indefinite break after a tearful US Open exit

in September, reports BSS.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who

has slid to 13 in the rankings, admitted after

her third-round defeat at Flushing Meadow

that she was "dealing with some stuff"

emotionally.

She had mostly laid low since before flying

into Melbourne last week to prepare for her

Australian Open defence.

The Japanese superstar took the first step

towards that goal at the Melbourne Summer

Set tournament, but was nowhere near her

best in beating France's 61st-ranked veteran

Alize Cornet 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Rod Laver

Arena. "It always feel really good to come

back here," Osaka told the crowd in her oncourt

interview. "It feels really nice to play in

front of people."

Osaka looked to be cruising after taking the

opening set 6-4 and racing to a 3-1 lead in the

second, but lost focus as the 31-year-old

Cornet won five straight games to level the

match.

The 24-year-old pulled herself together to

score an early break in the third set and

were to meet on January 5, have had

their contest pushed by a day.

"Firstly, our thoughts continue to be

with players and staff across all Clubs,

plus all in the wider community, who

have been infected with COVID-19. We

wish them all the best for a speedy

recovery," CA's Big Bash general

manager Alistair Dobson said on

Tuesday (January 4). "The League and

Clubs have learned to be nimble in the

current environment and we are pleased

"But nowadays, when a player wants to

leave, you can't force them to stay."

Injuries to Newcastle's two most potent

attacking weapons Callum Wilson and Allan

Saint-Maximin have also seen some star

strikers linked with a move to Tyneside,

including Arsenal's out of favour Pierre-

Emerick Aubameyang.

Despite record numbers of coronavirus

cases as Britain battles the Omicron variant,

Premier League clubs have so far been

allowed to maintain full crowds.

That has avoided a repeat of the economic

losses from matchday revenue of the past two

seasons and the English top-flight's record

breaking $2.7 billion US television rights

with NBC to kick in next season will only

increase its financial advantage over other

major leagues.

However, there is not expected to be much

transfer activity among those towards the top

of the table with Manchester City already

taking control of the title race thanks to a 10-

point lead over Chelsea. City have even

offloaded Ferran Torres to Barcelona for a

reported 55 million euros ($62 million).

But manager Pep Guardiola confirmed the

Spanish international's departure will not

mean City will be addressing their lack of a

natural striker.

Osaka overcomes nerves to make

winning return after long break

never relinquished it.

She made several mistakes in a rusty first

competitive outing for four months, and

admitted nerves played a part.

"I feel like I made a lot of unforced errors,

but I kind of expected that because it is my

first match and I was really nervous," she

said. "I'm just so glad I was able to hold my

serve in that last game."

The win set up a last-16 clash with either

Croatia's Petra Martic or Belgium's Maryna

Zanevska. Osaka last year withdraw from the

French Open and Wimbledon over mental

health issues, saying her problems were

exacerbated by speaking to the media after

matches.

She had also bowed out of the Tokyo

Olympics in the early rounds in July.

"I feel like for me recently, when I win, I

don't feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And

then when I lose, I feel very sad," Osaka said

after her US Open loss.

"I don't think that's normal. I didn't really

want to cry.

"Basically I feel like I'm kind of at this

point where I'm trying to figure out what I

want to do, and I honestly don't know when

I'm going to play my next tennis match."

Osaka did not hold a pre-tournament press

conference in Melbourne this week.

that we have found a solution to help

safeguard all three matches so quickly.

We thank all Clubs for their cooperation

and our fans for their understanding in

these rapidly evolving circumstances."

Cricket Australia has been struggling

with COVID-19 cases affecting the

teams. Melbourne Stars and Thunder

have been impacted by a series of

positive results. Stars also had their clash

against Scorchers postponed once a

support staff member tested positive.

WeDNesDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

10

Isteaque's 'Kishor Gang'

released

TBT RepoRT

A new web film based on the

contemporary teenage gang culture

of Bangladesh titled 'Kishor Gang'

is out.

The web film, directed by

Ishtiaq Ahmed, brings to screen

the lives of the teenage generation

that spent their adolescence years

as goons and how their actions

impact their and the lives of their

families.

The film stars Karar Ahmed,

Actor Sunny Leone opened up

about her infamous interview

with a television anchor in

2016, expressing her

disappointment at the people in

the room with her at the time,

who did not get up and try to

stop it. The interviewer had

tried probing into Sunny's past

as an adult performer, making

her visibly uncomfortable.

Speaking to Bollywood Bubble,

Sunny said that the incident

Rukaiya Jahan Chamak, Masum

Rezwan, Sabbir Arnab, Ibrahim

Ahsan Ananno, Faisal Dip, Rocky

Khan among fifty other cast

members.

Sajal Biswas, the producer of the

film said, "Even when I'm not in my

country, I feel a pull towards it.

Anything good happening in my

country makes me joyous and

anything bad happening upsets

me."

"The horrors of teenage gangs are

one of those things. And because of

affected her, and that she took a

long time to 'snap out of it'. She

felt that she had been 'bashed'

on television, by someone who

came into the interview (and

left afterwards) with

preconceived notions about

her. "This was on multi-levels

of feeling hurt. The biggest

question afterwards-there were

rows and rows of chairs and

people sitting in that room."

She added, "I turned and I

that, I wanted to think beyond

commercialism and create

something worthwhile. Even if one

person benefits from this film and

becomes aware, that will be enough

for me," he added.

The web film was shot in various

locations in Dhaka and

Narayanganj. It was released in

October last year in the OTT

platform Eros Now.

'Kishor Gang' was released on

YouTube monday and is available

for streaming.

'This was on multi-levels

of feeling hurt…'

asked, "Did I hurt you in any

way?' 'Did you not think it was

okay to come and stop this?'"

She said that she wasn't going

to get up and leave. "Imagine,

you've worked with these

people for several years and not

one person thought it was not

right to stop this. After this, I

even said, 'Did I do something?'

No one helped," Sunny

continued.

She added that she had been

asked those questions before,

but she was hurt more by the

manner in which the questions

were asked. Sunny had received

much support from Bollywood

celebrities and fans after the

interview, and was praised for

having maintained her

composure through it. She did,

however, admit that she came

close to walking out at one

point, but chose to stay after

being asked to 'sit down'.

Sunny Leone will soon start

shooting for the upcoming

season for MTV Splitsvilla. She

will also be seen in Shero,

which marks her Kollywood

debut.

Source:Pinkvilla

Afran Nisho in new

look for his upcoming

content

Afran Nisho, who is popular

on the small screen, will be

seen on the country's

popular OTT platform

'Chorki' in a new look,

reports UNB.

However, it was not clear

whether the content was a

film or a series.

On Sunday, a post was

made from the official

Facebook page of Chorki

showing a poster of Afran

Nisho's new look.

TBT RepoRT

Dhallywood popular actress of present

times Shobnom Bubly entered the film

industry with Superstar Shakib Khan as

the heroine. The pair has acted in a

dozen movies in a row and got success

too.

However, as a result of doing so much

work continuously, when various

questions were being raised among the

viewers and critics, Bubly started tying

up with the new hero instead of being

bound by Shakib.

The actress has already acted in films

with Nirab and Roshan. This time

A live broadcast was also

made on Facebook from

Chorki showing Nisho

trimming his hair in a

saloon.

At the beginning of that

live streaming of 8 minutes

and 56 seconds, Nisho

wished everyone a Happy

New Year. He also sought

suggestions from the

audience about his new look.

Nisho was seen cutting his

own hair with a trimmer. He

also said that he will be

completely bald.

From the connection

between the live and the

poster, it is clear that this is

the campaign that is waiting

for the fans. What is that

surprise, why did Nisho do

popular actor Siam Ahmed will be seen

opposite Bubly. Although, it is not on the

big screen, Siam-Bubly has pair up for a

new web film titled 'Taan', directed by

Raihan Rafi.

The shooting of the web film has

already started. Filming is going on

inside Dhaka. Both Bubly and Siam are

taking part in it. Although Siam has

worked in web films before, this is the

first time for Bubly. So the excitement,

the interest is a little too much.

Regarding the context the actress said,

'I am doing the work after seeing the

story, director and co-artiste. After

getting the offer and knowing

that? To get answers, fans

have to wait a little more,

said Chorki management.

Top actor Nisho was

popular with OTT content

throughout 2021. So his new

year is also starting with such

a surprise.

Bubly, Siam

to star in web

film 'Taan'

everything, I saw this project as a full

package of good work.'

Bubly also felt a little uncomfortable

when she went to act with Siam for the

first time. She said, 'I have never

interacted with Siam like that before.

When I went to work, I saw that he tried

to give comfort zone to his co-artiste and

encouraged to do well. This is very

important as a co-artiste at the present

time.

Meanwhile, on Sunday January 2

morning, Siam hinted at a new job

through a photo on social media. In the

caption of the photo taken in the car, the

actor wrote, 'The first shooting of 2022.

Surprise is coming.'

It was understood that the name of

that surprise of Siam was the web film

'Taan'. It is learnt that the shooting will

continue till January 10. Sohail Mandal,

Nilanjana Neela and others are also with

Siam-Bubly. It is being built for web

platforms. However, the movie is likely

to be released in theaters.

Why 'Loki' is returning in

'Doctor Strange 2'

Tom Hiddleston's 'Loki' will reportedly appear in 'Doctor

Strange in the Multiverse of Madness', which makes a lot of

sense given how 'Loki' season 1 ends. The movie is shaping up to

a major event for the overarching storyline of MCU Phase 4, as

many of the Marvel Cinematic

Universe's movies and shows are

now dealing directly with the

ramifications of a full-blown

multiverse. But why exactly

would Loki be returning in

'Doctor Strange 2', and what

could his role be?

Though Marvel's multiverse

has been alluded to at various

points throughout the franchise,

it came into full focus after the

hints at Nexus events in 'Wanda

Vision' and mainly over the course of Loki season 1. In the season

finale, it was revealed that the TVA and the Time-Keepers were

created by a variant of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors)

called "He Who Remains", in an attempt to keep the other

versions of himself from destroying the entire MCU multiverse

through inter-reality warfare. Still driven by grief and rage, Sylvie

(Sophia Di Martino) kills the Kang variant and restores the

multiverse, reopening the possibility for mass chaos at the hands

of the other, far more villainous Kang variants in the process.

Given that 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' will,

as the name implies, deal directly

with the effects of the multiverse's

restoration, it makes perfect sense

for Hiddleston's 'Loki' to return.

He'll likely be searching for Sylvie

while stuck in his new, altered

timeline, in which a new Kang

variant has taken control of the

TVA. 'Loki' appears to feel great

remorse at the end of the show for

his role in restoring the multiverse,

so it's possible that he'll join forces

with Strange (Benedict

Cumberbatch) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in their

journey through it. It's also possible that Hiddleston could be

playing other Loki variants in Doctor Strange 2 rather than the

main Loki seen through the MCU.

Source: Variety

H o R o s c o p e

ARIes

(March 21 - April 20) : Today you might learn

something about a friend that could be rather

disconcerting, Aries. There could be a dark

side to this person that you weren't previously aware of, and

this could cause you to want to withdraw for a while and

reevaluate your involvement with this individual. When

considering it, remember that we all have our dark sides.

Could what you've discovered simply be this factor, or does

this go too far beyond it for you? Think about it!

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : Outside responsibilities

might temporarily interfere with your love

life, Taurus. You may feel a strong desire to

get together with a love partner early in the

evening, but circumstances may necessitate your working

odd hours. This can be frustrating, as you've been looking

forward to this for a long time, but you could meet your

friend later in the evening. Don't be afraid to ask. Most

people understand when situations like this crop up.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : Today you're likely to find

your routine too boring for words, Gemini,

and may have a sudden powerful urge to cut

loose and play some serious hooky. Still, you

may feel the pull of obligation. This conflicted feeling should

pass. If it persists beyond today, however, you might need to

reevaluate certain areas of your life. There are lots of

opportunities out there, and life is too short to be stuck in a

situation that doesn't allow you to grow.

cANceR

(June 22 - July 23) : You could be feeling

especially sensual and passionate today,

Cancer, and you'll want to get together

with a love interest. However, other responsibilities

could get in your way. This could provide you with the

perfect excuse to sink into gloom, but don't fall into this

trap. Get whatever business you're facing handled and

out of the way. Or perhaps you can arrange to finish it

tomorrow. Then set up that hot date!

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): You may feel a bit of

disappointment today, Leo. You might

tend to view whatever snags you've hit on

the path to accomplishing your goals as

personal failures, and if you let it, this idea could persist

with you throughout the day. Try to remain objective,

and don't lose sight of the big picture. You haven't even

lost a battle - at worst, it's a minor conflict! Chances are

that if you continue working hard you'll still win the war!

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): A rather disheartening

phone call could come to you today, Virgo.

This might bring news of a setback in one

of your projects that is only temporary but

nonetheless frustrating. You'll probably have to deal with

some trivial little details you'd rather not bother with,

and this could take up too much valuable time. Hang in

there - you're still doing well! Don't let your frustrations

get the best of you.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): After the rush of

energy over the past few days, Libra,

today you may feel a powerful letdown.

Not every day can be filled with

adventure and excitement. For now, you just need to

take care of the routine matters that are a byproduct

of life on Earth. However, keep in mind that there are

many weekends coming up, and with the right kind

of planning you can get excitement back into your life.

scoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : A goal that you've been

trying to reach may be temporarily

stalled, Scorpio, and you could be

tempted to slip into despair, wondering

if it will ever really happen. Remember that the

keyword for today is "temporary." Whatever obstacles

are in your way will eventually be overcome and your

goal should be to continue to advance in the direction

you want. In the meantime, take care of your chores.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Today you might realize

that you need to make a certain purchase,

Sagittarius. Perhaps your home or car

requires some important repairs, or maybe

some new equipment is necessary for your work. This could

prove rather disheartening, as it might involve spending

money that you'd rather use for something more exciting.

Think of the trouble this expenditure should save you,

however, and you'll see the value of it all.

cApRIcoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): The weight of too many

responsibilities, perhaps involving family, a

job, or group affiliation, could be very much

on your mind today, Capricorn. You may feel like Atlas,

carrying the world on your shoulders! You're tired. Perhaps

you need to reevaluate your commitments - your innate

kindness may have caused you to make too many. Fulfill the

ones you have, but think twice before making any new ones.

You're important too, after all.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : You may have your

ups and downs today, Aquarius. You

could get at least one phone call of the

"good news, bad news" variety, and this

could have your moods swinging back and forth like a

pendulum. Try to stay centered. Take the good news

as encouragement, and as for the bad news, try to

consider it objectively and figure out ways to turn it to

your advantage. There's always a way. Hang in there!

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Normally you tend to be a very

spiritually oriented person, Pisces, but today you

might find metaphysical concepts of all kinds

rather baffling. Whether these are ideas you've

embraced for a long time or new ones you've just discovered, you

may find nagging little doubts creeping in, temporarily causing

your faith to waver. This is a healthy development, however. A

little doubt now and then can weed out concepts that don't work

for you and reaffirm your belief in others.

FPU of Bangladesh

Police reaches

Kinshasa

DHAKA : The only female

Formed Police Unit (FPU) of

180 members of Bangladesh

Police has reached Kinshasa,

the capital of Democratic

Republic (DR) Congo,

under the UN

Peacekeeping Mission,

reports UNB.

Sources at the Hazrat

Shah Jalal International

Airport said a chartered

flight of Biman Bangladesh

Airlines carrying the

contingent left the Airport

last Sunday night.

The team of BANFPU-1,

rotation-15, under the

leadership of Commander

Nazmun Nahar will replace

the members of BANFPU-

1, rotation-14, deployed

under the United Nations

Organization Stabilization

Mission ( MONUSCO) in

the DR Congo.

Marina Akhter is the

commander of the

outgoing BANFPU-1 unit.

The FPU has faithfully

served in UN peacekeeping

missions in the wake of the

ongoing Covid-19

epidemic.

Senior officials of Police

headquarters, including

Additional IG (HRM) Md

Mazaharul Islam saw off

the female FPU contingent.

It is to be noted that since

2005, the Formed Police

Unit of Bangladesh Police

has been sent to UN

Peacekeeping Mission

MONUSCO. Bangladesh

Police has been sending

women-formed police units

to the Democratic Republic

of Congo since 2011. Since

the year 2019, the officers

of Bangladesh Police have

been performing their

duties in the mission with

distinction as Individual

Police Officer (IPO).

Bangladesh Chhatra League, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Digital University unit

observed the 74th founding anniversary through various arrangements. On the occasion,

Bangladesh Chhatra League organized various programs including wreath-laying at Bangabandhu's

portrait, joyous procession and cake cutting.

Photo : Courtesy

Soaring prices of key items in Dhaka

turn up heat in the kitchen

DHAKA : The overheated

kitchen markets in Dhaka

left the middle class and

marginal income groups of

people gasping even in the

winter season, reports UNB.

"We're now in the middle

of winter. The prices of key

vegetables should have gone

down by the time, but the

prices are on fire," said

Shamim Gowher, a

businessman.

After visiting various

kitchen markets, the UNB

Correspondent found that

the retailers were selling

popular vegetables at Tk 50

to Tk 90 per kg claiming that

there was a short supply in

major wholesale markets.

But the wholesalers claimed

that the retailers are

charging higher prices for

vegetables for no reason.

According to his market

investigation, the price of

broiler chicken has shot up

to Tk 200 a kg, pinching the

pockets of commoners

already battered by the

surging prices of other

essentials like rice, edible oil,

sugar and pulses.

Visiting some wholesale

kitchen markets, the

correspondent observed that

the winter vegetables are

selling at 20 percent to 30

percent higher prices based

on quality this year

compared to that of the

previous year. The price

variation of vegetables also

is based on areas like

Gulshan, Banani and

Hatirpool. The prices of

vegetables at Karwan Bazar,

Mohammadpur Krishi

Market, Mirpur, Khilgaon,

Fakirapool and Motijheel

are almost similar.

One piece of bottle gourd

was selling at Tk 60 at

Karwan Bazar, while the

same size was selling at Tk

70 to Tk 75 at Gulshan and

Hatirpool markets.

Cauliflower, broccoli and

cabbage were selling at Tk

40 to 60 per piece based on

its size and quality.

Good quality bean was

selling at Tk 80 per kg, while

long bean at Tk90 to 100 per

kg, long brinjal at Tk 60 to Tk

70 per kg, eggplant at Tk70 to

80 per kg, pumpkin at Tk 50

per kg, bean seed at Tk100

per kg, papya at Tk40 per kg,

green chili at Tk 80 to 100 per

kg, potato (new) at Tk 30 to

40, local variety of newlyharvested

potato at Tk45 to

50 per kg, carrot at Tk 60 to

Tk80 per kg based on sizes

and quality, okra at Tk 80 per

kg, ash-guard at Tk 60 to 70

per piece, tomato at Tk 60 to

70, onion (new) at Tk 40 to

50, onion old at Tk 70 to 80

per kg.

Leafy vegetables, such as

spinach, were selling at Tk 15

to Tk 20 per bundle, red

spinach at Tk 10 to 15, green

spinach at Tk 20 per bundle,

coriander leaves at Tk 120 per

kg.

The prices of layer,

Pakistani, Sonali and

indigenous chicken breeds

also showed a substantial

hike amid the growing

demand from households,

restaurants and catering

houses on the occasion of

New Year celebrations as well

as for different socialreligious

programmes, said

sellers.

The broiler chicken was

selling at Tk 185-200 per kg,

while layer at Tk 220-225,

Pakistani at Tk 300-320,

Sonali at Tk 320-30 and

indigenous ones at Tk 490-

530 per kg, marking a 15-20

per cent hike just in a week.

But broiler chicken

witnessed more than a 30 per

cent hike in the last two

weeks, while the current price

is 49 per cent higher than the

price a year ago.

Habibur Rahman, a

poultry farm owner at Basail

in Tangail, said the

production of broiler chicken

came down significantly in

his area as many farm owners

had closed operations during

lockdown during the April-

August period due to

staggering losses.

He said production cost has

now gone up to Tk 150 per kg

due to a 35-40 per cent hike

in poultry feed prices in the

last one year.

Secretary of Consumers

Association of Bangladesh

Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan

said rice, flour, edible oil,

sugar, fish, lentil, broiler

chicken and other essentials

have witnessed a marked

hike in a year, hitting the

people of low-income group

hard.

Speakers praise economist

Dr. Atiur Rahman for his

pro-people work

Dhaka, Jan 4 (UNB)- Desh Proshongo, a Bengali magazine, has

published a special issue on noted economist and Bangladesh

Bank's former governor Dr Atiur Rahman.

Speakers at the unveiling ceremony of the magazine here on

Monday admired Dr. Atiur, who they said devoted his thoughts,

writings and works for the impoverished people of the country.

They said that Dr. Atiur focused on the poor and disadvantaged

strata of the society during his tenure as Bangladesh Bank

governor.

The function was held at the Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled

Memorial Seminar Hall of Unnayan Shamannnay in the city.

Journalist Abed Khan was present here as the chief guest while

Prof. Dr Ratan Siddiui and former Bangladesh Bank executive

director Mahfuzur Rahman and Bank Asia Ltd. Managing

Director Arfan Ali were present as special guests.

Freedom fighter- Dr. M. Amzad Hossain, Atish Dipankar

Research Council President Golam Quader, Bangali Prokashoni

Publisher Poet Arif Nazrul, Daily Manobkontho feature editor

Achintya Chayan and Bangladesh Awami League's cultural affairs

sub-committee member- Sujatol Alom Kallol, Unnayan

Shamannay emeritus fellow Khandakar Shakhawat Ali and Desh

Proshongo Editor Imdadul Hoque Soofi also spoke in the

function. Dr Atiur thanked everyone and said, the goal of all his

intellectual endeavours is to motivate the youth to learn more

about the two greatest Bengalis of all time- Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman and Rabindranath Tagore.

GD-22/22 (5x3)

weDneSDAY, JAnUARY 5, 2022

11

2021: A year of challenges for Awami League

>(From page-1)Both remained silent for

months after the intervention of party policymakers.

However, on a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption

Commission (ACC) in June, the court

ordered the seizure of eight bank accounts of Sayeed

Khokon's business and family. He again

alleged that Taposh was behind the ACC's activities.

However, Taposh did not reply and avoided

the matter as it is the jurisdiction of the court and

the ACC.

Audacity of Gazipur mayor

A video, containing statements of the former

Gazipur Metropolitan Awami League general secretary

and city mayor Mohammad Jahangir Alam,

about the number of martyrs in the Liberation War

and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman went viral on social media Facebook

last September. On October 3, the Awami

League protested against Jahangir Alam for his

activities against the interests of the party and violation

of organisational discipline. The party

expelled him from the post of general secretary and

primary member of the party at a meeting of the

party's central working committee meeting on

November 19. Then on November 25, the local

government ministry also suspended him from the

post of mayor.

Rise and fall of Helena Jahangir

Helena Jahangir is another name that has been

discussed and criticised on social media for several

years. She loved to introduce herself as a journalist,

human rights activist, Awami League leader and

singer. Last July, Helena was widely criticised for

trying to form a nationwide 'Employees League'.

Although she had never been involved in Awami

League politics before, she became a member of

the party's women's affairs sub-committee.

A video containing a sentence from her "I don't

care any MP-Minister," was published on Facebook.

After various discussions and criticisms on

these issues, she was expelled from the sub-committee

on women's affairs of the Awami League.

Helena was later arrested from her Gulshan house

by law enforcement agencies.

The Murad affair

At the end of 2021, the Minister of State for Information

and Broadcasting, Dr Murad Hasan, gave

birth to another controversial issue which embarrassed

the party and the government.

In an interview, he made indecent remarks

about Tarique Rahman's daughter. Then, after

some offensive audio of the state minister was

leaked on social media with an actress, condemnation

and criticism erupted across the country.

The ruling party and government were plunged

into an embarrassing situation. Following this incident,

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed

him to resign from the cabinet. After that, Dr.

Murad resigned from the cabinet on December 7,

citing personal reasons. Murad was also expelled

from the health secretary post of Jamalpur Awami

League. Immediately, he migrated to Canada in

hiding for a few days. But he was sent to Dubai

from Canadian immigration. Murad, who lost his

ministry, had to return from there.

Mayor of Katakhali

Expulsion from the party and disciplinary action

was taken against Abbas Ali, the mayor of

Katakhali municipality in Rajshahi. Action was taken

against him for opposing the sculpture of

Bangabandhu. Abbas Ali was arrested on December

1.

Intra-party conflicts

During the Corona period, the organizational

work of the Awami League was interrupted. It was

not possible to hold councils in many districts even

with a few initiatives. Councils have been held in

some districts in Rajshahi and Dhaka divisions.

Although there was no trend of Awami League unit

council before the national council.

Dhaka Metropolitan North unit council was held

while preparations were underway for the Dhaka

Metropolitan South Awami League unit council.

Similarly, the responsible leaders have been able to

hold councils of 35 upazilas in Rajshahi division.

Abnormal rise of rebel candidates

Although the organizational work did not gain

momentum, the root level Awami League was

strong with the Union Parishad elections. However,

at the union level, there were a huge number of

rebel candidates. The local level Awami League

leaders did not hesitate to go beyond the party's

decision if they could not become a candidate for

the boat. They are blaming the failure to select the

right candidate. There were rebel candidates in

many unions as they were not the preferred candidates

of the local MP-ministers. More than two

thousand grassroots leaders have been expelled

this year over the union council elections. There

have also been widespread casualties in election

violence. Regarding the activities of the party in the

last one year, Abdur Rahman, a member of the presidium

of the Awami League, said, "The last one

year has been a memorable one. We have lost

many leaders from the Awami family. However,

the Awami League has stood by the side of many

distressed and sick people. At the same time, we

have become more organized except for some limitations."

Looking back on the last one year, Awami

League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin

Nasim said, "We have been able to overcome this

crisis with comparatively less damage with the

leadership of the people's leader Sheikh Hasina.

However, the ongoing conspiracy of the anti-independence

forces has always acted as an obstacle in

the way of development.

04/01/2022

GD-19/22 (5x3)

GD-21/22 (5x3)

Wednesday, Dhaka: January 5, 2022; Poush 21, 1428 BS; Jamadi-us Sani 1, 1443 Hijri

A fight broke out during Bangladesh Chhatra League's celebration of its 74th founding

anniversary and left the student organisation's General Secretary Lekhak Bhattacharjee

and nine others injured.

Photo : Courtesy

Will resolve issues,

if any, with some

countries: FM

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul

Momen has said the government wants

to find out the reasons if there is any "dissatisfaction"

of some countries towards

Bangladesh, stressing that they will try to

address those issues, reports UNB.

"Our aim is to maintain good relations

with all countries. Some countries may

apparently be unsatisfied for certain reasons.

We'll find out the reasons and will

try to address that," he said while sharing

New Year's thoughts with a small group

of journalists.

Dr Momen said the government will

try to maintain the basic principle -

'Friendship to all and malice towards

none' - in terms of its relations with foreign

countries.

"We'll try our best to maintain the policy

of neutrality," said the Foreign

Minister underlining that they have a big

challenge to that end.

Dr Momen said his party-the Awami

League-believes in democracy and very

few countries gave blood for democracy.

"We'll promote it (democracy). No

democracy is perfect. It's an evolutionary

process. Nothing is perfect as such. We'll

want perfection and our efforts will be

there to strengthen the process," he said.

When people's voices and election

results were ignored by the then

Pakistani government in 1971,

Bangladeshis waged the War of

Liberation to uphold democracy, human

rights and justice.

The Foreign Minister highlighted the

achievements made in the last year

including hosting two mega celebrations

- the birth centenary of Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman and 50 years of Bangladesh's

independence."

He said the global figures who attended

in-person and sent messages appreciated

Bangladesh's achievements under

the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina and pledged to stand by

Bangladesh and the Prime Minister in its

journey towards the next level of development.

The Foreign Minister said the government's

efforts will be there to resolve the

regional and bilateral problems peacefully.

Bangladesh has expressed its willingness

to work together to further the relationship

with Myanmar including

through ensuring "early, voluntary, safe

and sustained repatriation" of the

Rohingyas to their place of origin in

Rakhine state.

"As an immediate and friendly neighbour,

the people of Bangladesh have

been persistent in developing mutually

beneficial relations with the people of

Myanmar and will work together to further

the relationship," said the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs in a message of felicitation

on the occasion of the Independence

Day of the Republic of the Union of

Myanmar.

On the occasion of the Independence

Day of the Republic of the Union of

Myanmar, the people of Bangladesh

expressed greetings and felicitations to

the people of Myanmar and wished them

peace and prosperity.

Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million

Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and

Bhasan Char Island.

As per the PM's roadmap, Dr Momen

said they will continue to work to create

"gainful employment" at home and

abroad.

He said the government will continue

to work so that both employment and

investment keep growing to make the

economy more vibrant.

The Foreign Minister said they will

put in more efforts to strengthen its

public diplomacy as some enemies of

the country are spreading misinformation.

"We'll tell our stories through those

people who have wider credibility and

those stories about Bangladesh will be

based on facts," he said, adding that they

will counter those with true facts.

Dr Momen said the government will

engage Bangladeshi diaspora, think

tanks and universities as part of making

public diplomacy stronger based on true

facts.

BCL celebrates

its 74th founding

anniversary

DHAKA : Bangladesh Chhatra League

(BCL), the students' wing of Awami

League having a glorious history of struggle

and success, yesterday celebrated its

74th founding anniversary with elaborate

programmes.

This historic organisation came into

being on January 4 in 1948 at the instruction

of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with an aim to

attain the country's independence.

The five-day-long celebration commenced

with the hoisting of national and

party flags at party offices at 7:30 am and

placing wreaths at the portrait of Father of

the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman at Dhanmondi road-32 at 8:00

am yesterday.

At the same time, a delegation, consisting

of some leaders of the central executive

committee, paid rich tribute to the Father

of the Nation by placing a wreath at his

graveyard at Tungipara and offering doa.

After cutting a cake at Dhaka University

(DU) Curzon Hall around 10:00 am, leaders

and activists of BCL, led by its president

Al Nahian Khan Joy and general secretary

Lekhak Bhattacharya, gathered on

the premises of DU's Aparajeo Bangla

around 2 pm to bring out a joyous procession.

Chhatra League played a historic role in

terms of foiling conspiracies, made by

communal and anti-Liberation forces in

different transitional periods of the country,

said Bangladesh Awami League presidium

member Advocate Jahangir Kabir

Nanak while inaugurating the rally.

In the coming days, BCL will fight to foil

the conspiracies aiming to establish a noncommunal

country and building Sonar

Bangla as dreamt by the Father of the

Nation, he added.

AL presidium member Abdur Rahman,

AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul

Alam Hanif and Krishibid AFM

Bahauddin Nasim, Organizing Secretary

Advocate Afzal Hussain, Dr Mostafa Jalal

Mohiuddin, AL deputy publicity and publication

secretary Aminul Islam, former

BCL presidents and general secretaries

addressed the rally.

Marking the anniversary, a discussion

will be held at Krishibid Institution

Bangladesh (KIB) tomorrow at 11:30 am.

Prime Minister, also president of Awami

League Sheikh Hasina, is expected to virtually

join the discussion from her official

Ganabhaban residence here.

Contradictory statements of law enforcing agencies

over Cox's Bazar rape unfortunate : HC

DHAKA : The High Court (HC) yesterday

said the contradictory statements

of different law enforcement

agencies regarding recent alleged

gang-rape of a tourist, is unfortunate

and unwarranted.

"The victim has given her testimony

before a magistrate. But at this stage,

such contradictory statements are

unfortunate. These statements can

create confusion among people," the

court said.

A High Court division bench of

Justice M Enayetur Rahim and

Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman came

up with the observations while hearing

a writ petition in this regard.

"There is inconsistency in the statements

of police and RAB. Those

statements came on the media. We

are pleading for judicial inquiry over

the alleged rape of December 22. The

court, during the hearing, said one

law enforcing agency can assist

another in the probe. But during the

investigation stage, it is better to talk

less," writ petitioner Advocate

Abdullah Al Harun Bhuiyan told

newsmen.

Deputy Attorney General Bipul

Baghmar stood for the state at the

hearing.

The petition was filed on January 3,

also pleaded for issuing a rule in this

regard. Officials concerned including

Home Secretary, Inspector General

of Police, Tourism Secretary and

Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner

were made respondents in the writ.

DGHS issues 15-point

guidelines to tackle

Omicron variant

DHAKA : The Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS) on Tuesday

issued 15-point guidelines to prevent the

highly contagious new African COVID-

19 variant named Omicron.

The whole world has remained alert to

tackle the spike of new coronavirus variant

Omicron, an official release said.

Security concern hits Cox's

Bazar tourism hard

COX'S BAZAR : Though the authorities concerned

are looking for every way to beef up

security to prevent unpleasant activities in

the beach town, tourists have largely ignored

it to visit during the New Year as some

recent incidents badly tarnished its image as

a safe tourism destination, reports UNB.

"Cox's Bazar usually sees a surge of

tourists on the eve of New Year every year

but this year it was almost empty.

Restrictions on outdoor events and recent

rape incidents and skyrocketing food prices

might be the reasons," said Mahbubr

Rahman, a physical teacher of a local school.

Hotel, motel and restaurant owners and

those involved in tourism support services

are now worried over the fall in the number

of tourists during the peak season.

They said 50% of rooms in many hotels

and motels were vacant during the New

Year celebrations.

In the wake of some unwanted activities,

law enforcement agencies have taken various

steps to ensure the security of tourists

while the local administration has set up a

monitoring cell following the outcry of

people over two rape incidents in the

tourist hub recently.

Salahuddin Setu, councillor of Cox's Bazar

municipality, said, "Some 350 big tourist

buses had been kept ready in designated

parking spaces during the 3-day government

holiday starting from December 16,

while 250 tourists vehicles were there at

local Ilias Mia High School ground to deal

with the pressure of tourists. Once 700

buses, carrying tourists, used to arrive in

The guidelines are as follows:

1. Strengthening of medical test and

screening of passengers, who are

arriving from Omicron infected

countries, at gateways-land, air and

waterways.

2. All types of public gatherings

(social/political/religious/others)

have to be discouraged.

3. People must follow all essential

health rules including wearing facemasks

while going outside the

house.

4. Limiting dining facility at restaurants

should be ensured.

5. Limiting people's gathering at different

places including tourist spot,

recreation centre, resort, community

centre, cinema hall/ theatre hall

and social programmes should be

ensured.

6. Health rules including wearing facemasks

must be maintained at all

places of worship as well as

mosques.

7. Health rules must be maintained at

public transports.

8. Passengers arriving from the infected

countries have to be kept for 14-

day quarantine.

9. All educational institutions

(madrasah, pre-primary, primary,

secondary, higher secondary and

universities) and coaching centres

must maintain health rules.

10. Healthcare professionals and health

service recipients must follow heath

guidelines strictly.

11. Unvaccinated people must receive

first and second doses of COVID-19

vaccines from vaccination centres.

12. People with suspected coronavirus

cases, positive patients and other

people who have come in close contact

with Covid-19 patients have to

be kept in quarantine.

13. The suspected Covid-19 people have

to be kept at isolation as well as they

have to be brought under testing

facility.

14. Wearing face masks must be made

mandatory at offices besides maintaining

other health rules.

Cox's Bazar at this time of the year, but this

time the number was 50 only, a sharp fall in

tourist arrival." Salahuddin said the recent

rape incidents and soaring food prices

(cooked rice and pulses) in hotels have tarnished

the image of the beach town.

Deputy Commissioner of Cox's Bazar

Mamunur Rashid said, "Cox's Bazar is an

attractive tourist destination and some foreign

tourists have come here to welcome the

New Year and the authorities concerned of

the respective hotels have welcomed them."

He said a meeting was held recently with

all concerned to ensure the highest security

of tourists and better services for them

round the year. "The monitoring committee

is monitoring everything round the clock."

Abul Kashem Shikder, general secretary

of Cox's Bazar Hotel, Motel, Guest House

Owners' Association, said, "This year the

number of tourists is low as only 50% rooms

have been booked on the New Year eve."

He hoped that the tourism in Cox's Bazar

will get a boost with the arrival of foreign

tourists as special discounts are being

offered by many hotels and motels to attract

tourists. Kalim Ullah, general secretary of

Resident Hotel Officers Association, said,

"Now bookings can be done online and the

number of foreign tourists is more than the

previous years."

Additional Superintendent of Police

(tourist police) Mohammad Mohiuddin

Ahmed said some 1.5 lakh people can stay in

450 resident hotels here and all hotels have

been brought under CCTV services to

ensure security.

Dipu Moni urges

BCL leaders to

uphold ideology,

tradition

CHANDPUR : Education Minister Dr

Dipu Moni yesterday urged all leaders

of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL)

to work together, maintaining the

organization's tradition and ideology.

"Chhatra League was formed by

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It should

maintain its tradition. Now the present

generation is leading it and they

have to work for the country," she

said.

Dipu Moni, also the Awami League

(AL) joint general secretary, was

speaking at a rally organized by BCL

Chandpur district committee here as

the chief guest on the occasion of the

74th founding anniversary of BCL,

the students' wing of ruling Awami

League (AL).

Referring to the ongoing pandemic,

she advised all to remain vigilant and

follow proper health rules to prevent

new coronavirus variant 'Omicron'.

With District BCL unit President

Zahir Uddin Mizi in the chair, the programme

was, addressed, among others,

by District AL President Nasir Uddin

Ahmed, General Secretary Abu Naim

Dulal Patwari, Mayor Zillur Rahman

Jewel and District AL Organizing

Secretary Advocate Mojibur.

Three held with

fake notes from

city's Pallabi

DHAKA : Members of Rapid Action

Battalion (Rab) have arrested three

people including ringleader of a fake

notes making gang with fake notes

worth Tk 1.20 crore from the city's

Pallabi area, reports UNB.

The arrestees are ringleader Md

Sogir Hossain, 47, of Barguna, his two

associates Selina Aktar Pakhi, 20, of

Barishal and Md Ruhul Amin, 33, of

Jhalakathi.

According to a media release from

Rab Headquarters, tipped off, a team

of Rab-4 conducted a drive in Pallabi

area of Mirpur on Monday night.

During the drive, fake notes worth

Tk 1.20 crore, fake notes making

equipment, five mobile phone sets,

two laptops and a hand air drier were

seized from their possession.

They planned to make huge amount

of fake currency targeting the trade

fairs and various festivals in remote

areas during winter, said the release.

In primary interrogation, the

arrestees confessed to their involvement

in making fake notes in different

parts of the country including

Dhaka and Barishal.

Sogir was arrested in 2017 by the

law enforcement agencies with fake

notes. After spending years in jail, he

started making fake notes again in

2018.

His associates Ruhul Amin and

Selina used to sell those notes

through 7-8 other gang others.

Selina's husband is also a member of

this gang who is currently serving jail,

said the release.

In Rangpur, the dense fog of Poush month and the frozen air disrupted public life. Even though the

sun rises in the morning, the light is missing in the foggy sky. The face of the sun could not be seen

due to fog till 10:15 in the morning on Tuesday.

Photo: PBA

05-01-2022

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