05-01-2022
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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