22-09-2022

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ART & CULTURE

>Page 7 >Page 9 >Page 10

THrUSDAy, SEPTEmBEr 22, 2022

2

A patient is being provided treatment.

Photo : TBT

Zahurunnesa clinic: A beacon of

hope for the grassroots people

MAMUN CHOUDHURY, HABIGANJ

CORRESpODENT

The river Khoai flows by.

Green plants all around.

Calm environment. Such a

place is Courtandar village

of Bahubal upazila of

Habiganj district. A health

care center called

Jahurunnecha-Matin Clinic

has been established in

Dewanbari of this village.

Here poor people from

different villages are coming

and receiving free medical

care. people call this clinic

the beacon of hope where

good medicare can be

found. Treatment is offered

on Fridays and Saturdays

during the week. Every week

there are 130 to 140

patients.

The service at the clinic

started on 25 February

2020 and till December the

number of patients was 3

thousand 482. In 2021, the

number of patients

increased to 6,342. Last

year, 4500 patients received

services till 17th of

September this year.

The clinic provides free

services under the Sailors

Center for Humanity project

funded by Sailors USA and

implemented by Do Better

for the Children (DBC). The

clinic has more women and

children patients.

Dr. Sabina Yasmin is

serving the patients. DBC

Executive Director Dr. Md.

Shafiqul Islam looks after the

other affairs. The resident of

Dewan's house is the

professor of Tulane

University in the USA.

Dewan Syed Abdul Majeed

established this clinic along

with his family members.

Clinic manager Syed

Mahmudul Hasan brought

medicine from Dhaka

through project coordinator

Md. Wahidul Islam. The

project assistants Syeda

Fatima Tuz Zohra and Syeda

Salsabila administered the

patients' names and

administered the medicines.

Dewan Syed Abdul Wadud,

headmaster of the school,

resident of Dewan Bari, and

expatriate Dewan Syed Abdul

Motassir Manju are

constantly checking the clinic.

When we went to the

ground, the patients said that

the clinic is the beacon of

good medicine in the village.

They come here and get

service. They are greatly

benefited by this service. At

this time, it was seen that

patients came to the clinic

one by one and returned

home with free medicines.

And the concerned are

conducting activities

diligently in providing

services to patients.

Dewan Syed Abdul Wadud

and Dewan Syed Abdul

Motassir Manju said his

brother, the late Dewan Syed

Abdul Bachit was the

chairman of Mirpur Union

parishad several times. He

has worked for the welfare of

grass root people. people

loved him. In a word, the

dream of the residents of this

house was to live next to

people. Dewan Syed Abdul

Majeed established the

Jahurunnecha-Matin Clinic

with great efforts. Free

service is provided here.

Grassroots people are

benefiting from the service.

Dr. Sabina Yasmin said, it

is very good to come to the

village and provide patient

care at this clinic. patients

benefit. DBC Executive

Director Dr. Md. Shafiqul

Islam said that the patients

are receiving medical care

while sitting in the village. I

feel proud to be involved in

this work.

Kishoreganj boat

capsize: 3 bodies

fished out of

Brahmaputra

KISHOREGANJ : The bodies

of three people, who went

missing after a boat capsized

in the Brahmaputra river two

days ago, were fished out on

Wednesday.

The deceased were

identified as Shamim Mia, 30,

son of Kitab Ali of Tarpasha

village, Md Sifat, 16, son of

Abdus Samad, and Yeasin, 7,

son of Monir Hossain of

Mymensingh district.

Asaduzzaman Titu,

inspector at Hossainpur

police station, said local

people spotted the bodies of

the trio floating in the river

under the Dane bridge at 6am

and informed cops.

Later, drivers from the local

fire service recovered the

bodies of the trio.

Two bikers killed

in Barishal road

crash

BARISHAL : Two young men

on a bike were killed in a

head-on collision with a

speeding bus in the Nimtala

area of Bakerganj upazila on

Wedesday morning.

The deceased were

identified as Nazmul

Mallick,20, son of Nanna

Mallick and resident of

Santoshdi village of Charadi

union, and Rabbi Gazi, 21,

son of Jasim Gazi of the same

village.

Nazmul was a first-year

honors student of

Government Brojomohun

College in Barishal and Rabbi

worked as a salesman for

Bengal Biscuits.

‘Hidden Heritage: Homes

in Dhaka’ project launched

The Bengal Institute for Architecture,

Landscapes and Settlements and EUNIC (the

European National Institutes for Culture) in

partnership with the British Council has

recently launched a project titled "Hidden

Heritage: Homes in Dhaka'' at Haturia House,

Bongshal. The event primarily focused on

highlighting the houses in Dhaka from various

periods of history, a press release said.

The Hidden Heritage project aims to record

the history of Dhaka's buildings and the stories

behind them. Several historic buildings in

Dhaka have gained popularity, garnering

interest for their fading architectural qualities.

However, with social and economic changes,

many of the buildings are now being replaced

by newer ones.

Conceived as a dedicated documentation and

web-based presentation of significant homes and

buildings, the project documents selected

buildings spaces within the perimeter of the

Dhaka city, along with their historical, societal

and environmental context. It is a first-of-its-kind

in presenting the architectural heritage of Dhaka.

The web-based presentation involves a multimedia

platform with a virtual tour including 360-

degree photography, videos, photographs,

drawings and other forms of narration.

Five projects have been selected for this

phase of the project: Haturia House in

Bongshal, Kabir House in Eskaton, Rajshahi

House in Moghbazar, Asaf Khan Residence in

Dhanmondi and Revati Mohan Das House in

Sutrapur. Owners and representatives of the

four other houses were also present who spoke

about the histories of their houses.

The launch event began with a welcome note

by Kirsten Hackenbroch, Director of Goethe-

Institut Bangladesh and Francois Grosjean,

Director of Alliance Francaise in Dhaka,

highlighting how the project was initiated.

Next, the Director-General of Bengal Institute

Kazi Khaleed Ashraf discussed the significance

of the project. He mentioned how residential

buildings are an essential component of any

city, providing it with an urban and

architectural fabric, lifestyle practices, and

domestic order. The curator of the project

Salauddin Ahmed and team members of the

project, Nasir Khan and Rubaiya Nasrin,

presented the website and demonstrated how

one can navigate through it. Following this, the

owners and representatives of four of the five

houses talked about the histories of their

houses and shared some stories.

In his short speech, the British Ambassador

to Bangladesh HE Robert Chatterton Dickson

highlighted the importance of preserving

history. Finally, the chief guest HE Charles

Whiteley spoke about the Hidden Heritage

project and expressed his delight at being able

to inaugurate this landmark event, at a

historical site in old Dhaka. The event

concluded with a qawali program.

The Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements and

EUNIC (the European National Institutes for Culture) in partnership with

the British Council has recently launched a project titled 'Hidden Heritage:

Homes in Dhaka' at Haturia House, Bongshal.

Photo: Courtesy.

GD-1549/22 (8x4)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

3

Bangladesh can learn from miraculous

development of Japan: Khalid

On Wednesday, Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP addressing

a Seminar on ' The Role of Bangladesh in Global Peace'. Photo : ISPR

DU VC Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman addressing Vivekananda Memorial

Lecture on Wednesday.

Photo : Courtesy

SSC question

paper leak:

Headmaster

among 3 school

teachers held

KURIGRAM : Three school

teachers, including a

headmaster, have been

arrested in Kurigram for

their alleged role in the leak

of question papers from the

ongoing Secondary School

Certificate (SSC) exams.

The arrestees have been

identified as Lutfur

Rahman, the headmaster

and secretary of

Bhurungamari Nehal

Uddin Pilot High School,

and two assistant teachers

of the school, Zubaiyer

Hossain and Aminur

Rahman.

A police team conducted

a drive in Bhurungamari

upazila of Kurigram

around midnight on

Tuesday and arrested

them.

Copies of English 1st

paper and 2nd paper of the

ongoing SSC examinations

went viral on Facebook and

WhatsApp on Monday and

Tuesday.

Dinajpur Education

Board chairman Prof

Quamrul Islam, secretary

Prof Zahiruddin, deputy

commissioner Rezaul

Karim, superintendent of

Dinajpur Police Al Asad

Mahfuzul Islam, and

district secondary

education officer Shamsul

Alam conducted a probe

and found evidence against

the trio.

5000 students

receive Free

Laptop at DIU

To prepare the students for

the 21st century and to

adapt them to the latest

ICT friendly education

which will develop their

knowledge, skills and

abilities to fit globally,

Daffodil International

University distributed

5000 Laptop at free of cost

among the students on

Wednesday at Daffodil

Smart City at Ashulia,

Savar, Dhaka, a press

release said.

Md. Manjurul Alam

Jewel, Head, Human

Resources Division of

Eastern Bank Ltd.

Alumnus of Daffodil

International University

was present as the chief

guest at the Laptop

Distribution Ceremony.

Presided over by Dr. Nadir

Bin Ali , Registrar of the

university, Md. Riyad

Hossain, Head of People's

Acquisition, Anubhab

Rahman, Head of

Organization Development

of Eastern Bank and Faruk

Hossain Patwary of Deputy

General Manager of

Teletalk Ltd. Were present

as the guest of Honour. The

function was addressed by

Hamidul Haque Khan,

Director ( Finance &

Accounts) and Professor

Dr. Abul Hossain, Provost

of the University

Before distributing the

Laptop Emeritus Professor

Dr. M. Lutfar Rahman

conducted the oath taking

part of the ceremony where

the students Swire upon

regarding the best use of

the laptops in academic

and education purpose.

Addressing as the Chief

Guest, Manjurul Alam

said, technology is now a

part and parcel of teaching

and learning. Present

government is working

relentlessly for the

development of the ICT

sector of the country and

that's why people now

staying in the remote areas

can get all sorts of facilities.

He thanked the university

authority to implement the

project "One Student-One

Laptop" with the vision of

becoming a Digital

University in line with the

policy of a step towards

Digital Bangladesh.

Hamidul Haque Khan

urged the students to make

best use of the laptop, He

also said that Freedom

Fighters had sacrificed

their lives dreaming for a

beautiful Bangladesh and

young generation should

mould themselves to make

Bangladesh as Digital

Bangladesh proving their

efficiency to take

Bangladesh in a new

height.

Dinajpur Board

postpones SSC

exams on 4

subjects

DINAJPUR : SSC

examination on four

subjects under the Dinajpur

Education Board has been

postponed due to

unavoidable circumstances.

Secondary and Higher

Secondary Education Board,

Dinajpur issued a notice in

this regard yesterday

morning.

The four subjects are:

Mathematics, Physics,

Agricultural Science and

Chemistry. New schedule

for the exams will be

announced soon. Exams on

other subjects will be held as

per schedule. Secondary

School Certificate (SSC) and

equivalent exams kicked off

to a smooth start in

Bangladesh last Thursday.

The exams began at 11am

instead of 10am, considering

the usual traffic jams during

peak hours.

Another dengue

patient dies in

24hrs, Death toll

rises to 46

DHAKA : Another dengue

patient died in 24 hours till

Wednesday morning,

raising this year's death toll

from the mosquito-borne

disease in Bangladesh to 46.

During this period, 431

more patients were

hospitalised with the viral

fever as cases have

continued to increase,

according to the Directorate

General of Health Services

(DGHS).

The latest death was

reported from Chattogram

division raising the death in

the division to 21.

The dengue death toll in

Dhaka division remained

unchanged at 21 and in

Barishal division at four.

Of the new patients, 328

were admitted to different

hospitals in Dhaka and 103

outside it.

A total of 1,557 dengue

patients, including 1,190 in

the capital, are now

receiving treatment at

hospitals across the country.

On June 21, the DGHS

reported the first death of

the season from the viral

disease. This year, the

directorate has recorded

12,438 dengue cases and

10,835 recoveries so far.

Md. Manjurul Alam Jewel, Head, Human Resources Division of Eastern Bank Ltd distributing Laptops

among the students at Daffodil International University. Md. Riyad Hossain, Head of People's

Acquisition, Anubhab Rahman, Head of Organization Development of Eastern Bank and Faruk Hossain

Patwary of Deputy General Manager of Teletalk Ltd. And Hamidul Haque Khan, Director (Finance &

Accounts) are also seen in the picture.

Photo : Courtesy

DHAKA : State Minister for Cultural

Affairs K M Khalid has said

Bangladesh can learn from the

miraculous development of Japan -

how this country developed from the

ashes after World War II.

He was speaking as the chief guest at

the launching ceremony of a new book

titled "Bangladesh-Japan Diplomatic

Relations (1972-2022): A New

Paradigm of Strategic Partnership"

held at the residence of the Japanese

Ambassador on Tuesday evening,

reports UNB.

The book is written by Dr. Md.

Jahangir Alam, Associate Professor of

the first ever area studies department

at the University of Dhaka-

Department of Japanese Studies.

Professor Dr A S M Maksud Kamal,

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic)

joined the ceremony as special guest.

Professor Dr. Delwar Hossain,

Member of Bangladesh Public Service

Commission and Professor of

International Relations, University of

Dhaka spoke as the discussant.

The State Minister said the book has

stressed upon the present relation and

the future direction of the relations

between these two friendly nations.

"This is a great book. This is a very

rare academic work focusing on

bilateral relations. I would say, very

historic academic work," said

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh

Ito Naoki. He described the book as a

historic mark in academia considering

the 50 years of Bangladesh-Japan

diplomatic relations.

Naoki also predicted it to be highly

influential for future academics.

"It's a great day for me," said Dr

Jahangir Alam, the author of the book.

Delwar Hossain said this book covers

contemporary issues particularly from

the perspective of political science,

international relations, etc.

"It has a comprehensive focus which

is the strongest part of this book. It has

a comprehensive focus on

Bangladesh-Japan relations," he said.

Prof Maksud Kamal said Japan is

the number one bilateral development

partner of Bangladesh which is

helping Bangladesh implement some

most significant megaprojects

including the Matarbari deep sea port,

MRT line in Dhaka, and third terminal

of the Hazrat Shahjalal International

Airport.

The ceremony was presided over by

Dr Abdullah-Al-Mamun, Chairman of

the Department of Japanese Studies,

On Wednesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan

Mahmud addressing human chain program organized Bangabandhu

Sangskritik Jote.

Photo : Courtesy

Hasan for resisting BNP

everywhere as it dreams

reverting to Pakistan

DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting

Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday said

BNP would be resisted everywhere as the

party proved itself as an anti-liberation evil

force, nurturing the spirit of Pakistan and

dreaming to make the country Pakistan

again.

"Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in his

statement, has proved that they are

cherishing the spirit of Pakistan and it (BNP)

would make the country Pakistan if they get

the opportunity. How he could say that

'Pakistan was better' by staying in his own

country after 51 years of independence!" he

said. The minister added: "His statement is

contempt to the Liberation War, freedom

fighters and martyrs and defiance to our

independence and sovereignty."

Hasan stated these while addressing a rally

and a human chain in front of Central

Shaheed Minar in the capital.

Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote (BSJ)

organised the programme protesting the

anti-state conspiracy and seditious

statements of the BNP secretary general.

Hasan said Bangladesh has left behind

Pakistan many days ago in all indexes,

including human development, social and

economic progress. Even, many Pakistani

DHAKA : Bangladesh Federal Union of

Journalists (BFUJ) on Wednesday

vehemently criticized BNP Secretary

General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's

comment "Pakistan was much better"

and urged him to seek apology to the

nation.

"The journalist society thinks that

Mirza Fakhrul must apologize to the

nation for his comments. If he doesn't

apologize, he should go to their (BNP)

beloved Pakistan," BFUJ President

Omar Faruque and acting Secretary

General Rashed Ripon said in a

statement.

"A person whose body is in Bangladesh

citizens are telling that Bangladesh left

behind their country, he added.

But, he said, BNP secretary general Mirza

Fakhrul is claiming that 'Pakistan was

better'. He proved that BNP is an antiliberation

force and "we can't hand over the

country to the anti-liberation force after 51

years of independence," said Hasan, also

Awami League joint general secretary.

The minister said BNP leaders and

activists are vandalising vehicles and

carrying out attacks on innocent people in

the name of movement. Everyone should

resist them in all places, he added.

The minister urged the countrymen and

cultural activists to resist BNP which proved

itself as an anti-liberation force.

AL Cultural Affairs Secretary Ashim

Kumar Ukil addressed the rally as the key

speaker while former AL city unit general

secretary Shahe Alam Murad addressed it as

special guest.

BSJ vice president Rokeya Prachi,

publicity secretary Lion Muhammad

Mizanur Rahman, leaders Muna Chowdhury

and Raz Sarker, among others, addressed

the rally with its president Rafiqul Alam in

the chair. BSJ general secretary Arun Sarker

Rana conducted it.

and mind in Pakistan cannot be a citizen

of Bangladesh," they said, adding that if

Mirza Fakhrul considers Pakistan as a

place of comfort, he should go to that

country with his party men.

Noting that no one bearing ideologies

of other country can do politics in an

independent country, the BFUJ leaders

said, "Therefore, Mirza Fakhrul has no

rights to do politics in this country.

Bangladesh has no responsibility to

protect the rights of any Pakistan

supporter".

The journalist society is aggrieved over

BNP secretary general's comment, but

not astonished since founder of their

University of Dhaka.

He mentioned that this is one of the

rarest academic endeavours in the

field of bilateral relations between the

two nations.

The main objective of the book is to

explore and examine the Japan-

Bangladesh comprehensive relations

to understand Japan's miraculous

development models and apply them

in Bangladesh's development policy

initiatives and planning to achieve the

SDGs by 2030 and 'Vision 2041'.

The chapters of the book attempt to

make a comparative study among the

South Asian countries with relevant

policy recommendations for further

improvement of the said bilateral

relations.

However, asymmetric in nature,

many academia and a cross-section of

people in Bangladesh believe that the

Japanese economic development

model should be replicated in

Bangladesh.

To explore those possibilities, a

couple of chapters of this book revisited

Bangladesh-Japan's comprehensive

diplomatic relations since the former's

independence would simultaneously

strengthen the bilateral relations

between the two nations.

Police to be vigilant

during Durga Puja:

DMP Commissioner

DHAKA : Commissioner of

the Dhaka Metropolitan

Police (DMP) Md Shafiqul

Islam yesterday asked the

police personnel to be

vigilant round the clock on

the occasion of Durga Puja,

biggest religious festival of

the Hindus.

"Police will ensure tight

security measures and

remain vigilant so that the

festival of the Bangalee

Hindus Durga Puja could be

celebrated peacefully," he

said while addressing the

monthly crime review

meeting of August at its

headquarters here.

"We all have to work hard

during the Puja so that no

untoward incident can take

place in the puja mandaps in

the capital.

Police will also perform

their duties by staying at the

puja mandaps," he said

adding that the Ansar

members will remain stay

round the clock in the puja

mandaps this year.

Police will not prevent or

resist any political

programmes, if they carry

out their programmes

peacefully; the DMP

Commisioner said adding

that strict legal action will be

taken against those who will

commit arson and create

anarchy in the name of

political programmes."

Shafiqul Islam said that

execution of arrest warrant,

case investigation, recovery

of stolen cars, drug recovery

and disposal of cases are

more important for the

force.

He also asked his men to

arrest the drug dealers and

to prevent eve-teasing.

In the meeting, the DMP

Commissioner awarded the

best police officers in

recognition of their good

work in maintaining law and

order and public safety in

the city.

Mirza Fakhrul must apologize for his

pro-Pakistan comments: BFUJ

party Ziaur Rahman couldn't read and

write Bangla and BNP chairperson

Begum Khaleda Zia had sent a

condolence message at the death of

Pakistani general Janjua, proving their

love towards Pakistan, the statement

read.

Pointing out that when Bangladesh

held trials of war criminals of 1971, there

were many names of BNP policymakers

on the list, the BFUJ leaders said, adding

that a motion was adopted in the

Pakistan Parliament against their trials.

"So Mirza Fakhrul's comment is a part

of that motion of Pakistan Parliament,"

they added.

THuRSDAy, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Drug addiction :

A major national

problem

The case of the heinous murders of a

police officer and his wife in 2013 with

the alleged involvement of their drug

addicted young daughter, must have deeply

shocked and pained all normal well meaning

people in the country. Helping in the

murdering of one's own parents has been

unthinkable in our society. But such an act

also symbolizes to what extent degradation

has developed in our society specially from

the increase in the number of users of

addictive drugs.

The drug addiction habit has been growing

gradually. It is not a sudden development

under the tenures of one or two governments.

The media has been reporting the record

number of seizures of yaba tablets. The

present government was seen battling the

drug addiction challenge with some

dedication and as a result its spread could be

reasonably contained. But surely a great deal

more should be done to address this problem.

A media report-sometime ago-based on

information from the Department of

Narcotics Control (DNC), is concern raising.

The gist of it was that there are at least 50

lakh drug users in Bangladesh who spend

taka 50 crore on illegal narcotics every day

and 75 per cent of the users are between 15

and 30 years of age.

The report is suggestive of the expansion in

the number of addicts. Similar statistics

about a decade ago showed the number of

addicts and their spending on their addiction

to be notably less. That the number of addicts

and their spending have increased to such

proportions, signals that Bangladesh has

every reason to be very concerned by the

rising number of drug users and its

consequences for the society as a whole.

The Chinese in the nineteenth century were

known to be weak and incapable of resisting

foreign aggressors. Among other reasons, it

emerged from the analysis of historians that

their vitality was sapped from a very large

number of China's population falling prey to

smoking opium in that period. However,

opium was introduced there by foreigners.

There is a lesson for Bangladesh from this

historical example. Great quantities of the

illegal drugs now used in Bangladesh such as

Yaba have a foreign origin. These are

smuggled from across the borders of

Myanmar and India. These also come through

sea routes in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh

used to be mainly a conduit used by

international drug traffickers in the past. But

now it has become a lucrative market for

users as well.

The youth in Bangladeshare faced with

ruination in many cases from their growing

drug addiction habits. They are gradually

getting crippled mentally and physically.

Many of them are already only shattered

forms of their former healthy selves and are

complete liabilities for their families and

societies.

Not only this, they are found in most cases

to rely on crimes like snatching and stealing

to get money to maintain their habits. Others

resort to more serious crimes specially when

parents and others refuse to satisfy their

demand for money to be spent on addiction.

Thus, it is high time to check the drug menace

from turning worse.

Law enforcement activities need to be made

particularly effective and extraordinary

efforts will have to be made to bring to a halt

the pushing of addictive substances inside

Bangladesh as well as making them locally.

Our policymakers must recognize drug

addiction as a serious national problem to be

addressed immediately and very effectively

through stepped up and far greater

scrupulous and efficient operations of law

enforcement bodies. However, the most

effective deterrence can be no other than one

forged through much greater awareness

building about the very negative

consequences of addiction, publicity

campaigns, role played by family elders and

social leaders to that end.

Fighting child marriage, thanks to a rural school

Bangladesh has achieved significant

social progress in recent times. But

child marriage rates remain

stubbornly high here despite concerted

action taken by the government and civil

society across a range of sectors. Poverty is

not the only contributing factor, it is one of

the most powerful drivers of the the high

prevalence of child marriage in the country.

Half of Bangladeshi girls are being married

before the age of 18 years. Child marriage

robs girls of their childhood and seriously

limits their life options. It lowers their

education levels and increases the risks of

adolescent pregnancy and violence. It also

results in the intergenerational

transmission of poverty. Early marriage

and pregnancy inhibit the further growth of

adolescent girls. They become "small

mothers" who in turn give birth to

underweight babies. Small babies grow up

to be small girls and underdeveloped

adolescents, and the vicious cycle starts

again. While the practice of child marriage

has slowly decreased in the country over

the past few decades, it remains

unacceptably high nationally with more

married children in rural areas and urban

slums and particularly among poor and less

educated. Not only girls, the practice of

child marriage also appears most common

among boys living in the poorest

households and in rural areas, and with no

education or only primary

schooling.However, the percentage of

women aged 20-24 who were married

before age 18 has declined, but the decline

is small and the social norms enabling child

marriage continue to be persistent.

According to a report published in

Dhaka-based Daily Sun recently,

Bangladesh witnessed 47,414 child

marriages in 2021.The findings came up in

the report prepared by the Monitoring and

Evaluation Wing of the Directorate of

Secondary and Higher Education. As per

the report, at least 77,706 students got

involved in child labour during the period.

Earlier, the gender justice and diversity

department of BRAC found that child

marriage increased by 13 percent when it

conducted a survey to access the impact of

the Covid-19 pandemic on women and

adolescents in the country's 11 districts in

2020.

In our country, some legislative efforts

have been made to combat child marriage

in recent years. But, stronger enforcement

Dengue increasing alarming: We should more awareness

The number of deaths

in dengue this year is

around 50. Recently

in the country, around 500

new patients have been

diagnosed with Aedes

mosquito-borne dengue disease. According to

the Government official report, from January

1 to September 14, 2022, a total of 9,837

dengue patients were admitted to hospital.

Experts have warned the city corporation

about a large outbreak of dengue virus this

year compared to the last few years. We need

to take immediate and comprehensive

measures to control Aedes mosquitoes.

Dengue patients are increasing at an

alarming rate. Children are more affected by

dengue. Experts say that in order to avoid

dengue, it is important to get tested for

dengue. In 2021, 28 thousand 429 people

were infected with dengue fever across the

country. Now it is seen that we are not safe

even if we follow hygiene rules at home. No

matter how much we keep ourselves

confined, the Aedes mosquito can fly into our

house. Dengue can endanger us. All our

money becomes useless in hospital. Since the

Aedes mosquito larvae are found in the

stagnant water of the houses, the city

corporation is conducting raids on those

houses recently. Therefore, those who are

found in the house of Aedes larvae are being

fined. Around 500 people died due to dengue

throughout the country in this year. This is

like a blow to the neck! Children are affected

more. In Cox Bazar, there are more patients

than dengue beds. The whole hospital is in

dengue fever engaged in treatment of affected

children. Fear of corona epidemic outside the

house and dengue inside. As the news of

people infected with Corona every day is

worrying, the sudden increase in the number

IN the midst of the worst catastrophe

Pakistan has faced in living memory,

uncertainty looms about the future. But

with that comes an opportunity to rebuild

lives and make the country resistant to the

ravages of climate change.

The challenge is to plan for a future in

which this threat to human security is

mitigated and managed effectively. Along

with navigating a crisis that has aggravated

the country's economic predicament, the

task ahead is to reverse the setback to

of national child marriage and protection

laws, as well as birth registration are a must

to attain success. A UNICEF report calls for

accelerated action to end child marriage in

Bangladesh by 2030. Ending child

marriage is a priority for both the

Government of Bangladesh and UNICEF.

However, to achieve the Sustainable

Development Goal (SDG) target to end

child marriage by 2030, and the national

target to end child marriage by 2041,

Bangladesh requires more efforts to bring

change. Progress must be at least 8 times

faster than the rate of the past decade to

meet the national target, and 17 times faster

to meet the SDG target.

Together all concerned must challenge

harmful norms and end child marriage.

This human rights violation has

devastating consequences for individuals

and societies, robbing children of their

childhoods and limiting their life choices.

Not only the government, but the conscious

section of society must invest to secure

children's right to life and education, and

reduce their exposure to violence and

exploitation. Access to schools is a crucial

factor in children remaining in education.

But many of the world's poorest children

continue to be denied this basic human

right. Bangladesh is not an exception.

of people infected with dengue fever has

created panic in people. From the beginning,

the concerned authorities have worked hard

to eradicate the Aedes mosquito which is the

carrier of this disease as well as to create

public awareness to prevent it. Still, there is no

visible awareness about dengue among the

capital residents. As a result, the number of

infected people is increasing every day.

Dengue is a fear for people like Corona. Since

the Aedes mosquito is the only carrier, the

only way to avoid infection is to destroy the

habitat and breeding grounds of this

mosquito. Health experts say that everyone

should be aware of their own position in

dengue control, since mosquito is the only

carrier of this disease, so Aedes will be

completely eradicated only if mosquito

habitat and breeding ground can be

destroyed. The best way to prevent dengue is

to kill the Aedes mosquito. Therefore, such

closed reservoirs of the homestead must be

destroyed. The water in the refrigerator or AC

should be cleaned every two days. If there is

an open tub in the balcony, terrace or cornice

of the house, it should be cleaned. The ditches

around the road should be filled. But although

many city dwellers are aware, there are still

many who are not aware. They are not

human development experienced by the

country in recent years.

The latest Human Development Report

(2021-2022) points out that the past two

years have had a devastating impact on

countries across the world. For the first

time, human development has declined in

nine out of 10 countries.

The UNDP report describes features of

the current fraught and unsettled

environment that also prevail in Pakistan.

"We live in a world of worry," says the

Z A M KHAiRuZAMAn

At the most basic level, building more

schools in rural areas makes it easier to

access education. From this realisation, an

enthusiastic social worker, Professor Dr M

Amjad Hossain, also a prominent

Arthroplasty and Trauma Surgeon,

founded Amena Baki Residential Model

School at Chirirbandar, an underdeveloped

upazila in Dinajpur district, back in 2001.

Later, it was extended by attaching a college

section. Co-education exists in this rural

institution, a project under his AB

Professor Dr M Amjad Hossain greets Minister for Education Dr Dipu

Moni on the campus of Amena Baki Residential School and College that

she visited a few months ago.

:File photo

Foundation that works for eradication of

poverty.

During its founding, teachers and

students have pledged under guidance of

the philanthropic freedom fighter to

eradicate child trafficking, child labour, and

child marriage right at its source along with

addressing other cross-cutting issues of

education, water, sanitation, hygiene and

livelihood. In the school, children first

learn to exercise their latent power and

make their voices heard. Alongside

spreading the light of education among

underprivileged rural boys and girls, the

institution strongly upheld children's

causes. It relentlessly fights against child

marriage and child labour as well as other

social ills. The school envisions a world free

of violence against children and works on

SyED FARuK HoSSAin

keeping their houses clean. Domestic workers

have gone to village houses, so they are

working in a casual way. Dengue at home -

Corona outside. Experts say that houses

should be kept clean to avoid dengue

outbreak, besides avoiding such public

gatherings, corona health rules should be

followed. Then it is possible to defeat two

human enemies. Everyone has to work

together from their respective positions to

prevent dengue. Everyone should come

forward from their respective positions to

make the environment clean and mosquito

Therefore, such closed reservoirs of the homestead must be

destroyed. The water in the refrigerator or AC should be cleaned

every two days. if there is an open tub in the balcony, terrace or

cornice of the house, it should be cleaned. The ditches around the

road should be filled. But although many city dwellers are aware,

there are still many who are not aware.

free. We have to keep our city clean. Just as

the city corporation has a responsibility to

create awareness, we as citizens have no less

responsibility. In this horror of dengue,

everyone should come together shoulder to

shoulder, without looking at the proper

authorities, the youth in the neighborhood

should come together and come down on

their own to clean our respective areas. The

city corporation authorities have been

working in the field since the dengue attack

started. The government will kill mosquitoes,

bring vaccinations, build hospitals. But we

must ensure our own protection. So that the

coronavirus cannot enter, the mouth and

nose must be covered. Cover yourself to avoid

The age of uncertainty

MAlEEHA loDHi

report. Reversals in human development

have taken place almost everywhere due to

the Covid-19 pandemic, with more human

suffering occurring in the wake of the

Ukraine conflict. For two consecutive

years, the global Human Development

Index (HDI) value declined. A "cost-ofliving

crisis" is afflicting nations, regional

conflicts continue and record-breaking

temperatures and storms reflect the

extreme stress the planet is under.

The report, Uncertain Times, Unsettled

an array of issues that affect vulnerable

children and their families.

As per directive of the school founder,

parents' meetings are organised at the

auditorium. where they discuss about the

perils of child marriage besides routine

activities. At such a meeting, a student was

given permission following her request to

speak. She recounted how her parents had

been furious when she declined to get

married and instead stayed in school - "but

now they are very proud of me," she said."I

made a huge mistake marrying off my

girls," a parent of another girl said of his

first four daughters. "But now I have

learned to rectify from Amjad Sir's school."

Before leaving the meeting, the principal

asked each parent to sign a promise to keep

their daughters in school at least until

graduation. "We want parents to

understand that their daughters' rights are

protected", said the principal. "And even

though our bond isn't legal tender, in many

ways it morally binds them."

While lack of hygiene and sanitation

affects all school-aged children, inadequate

facilities are most detrimental to girls.

Many schools have unsafe latrines or

unsanitary water supplies, making it

impossible for girls to remain in school

when they begin to menstruate. The

shortage of safe, separate and private

sanitation and washing facilities is one of

the leading factors preventing girls from

attending school. But all the facilities are

available in this school built by the

prominent orthopedic surgeon, who was

awarded the prestigious Swadhinata Padak

(Independence Award) in 2021 in

recognition to his extraordinary

contributions in social work.

Thanks to the rural school for its fight

against child marriage. Once backward,

Chirirbandar is now a changed upazila and

Dr Amjad has emerged as the catayst for

the change. Hearing the path-breaking

concept of the prolific social worker, Dr

Dipu Moni, the Minister for Education,

visited the Amena-Baki Residential Model

School and College a few months ago.

During her visit, she termed the vicinity of

the educational institute as an education

city which is rare in the history of

Bangladesh.

The writer is a columnist. E-mail:

zamkhairz@gmail.com

being bitten by Aedes mosquitoes. It is

obligatory to save lives. So instead of looking

at the government, you have to be careful

yourself. There is no way to be careful. In this

case, most people do the right thing, but some

people do not follow the law. In that case, a

fine is being imposed through the magistrate.

When the horror of Corona is increasing

across the country. At that time dengue is

spreading unnoticed. The breeding of Aedes

may increase in this season. If not aware, the

challenge will be to ensure the treatment of all

people. Until now, when people had a fever,

the first thing they thought about was Corona.

But now we have to think about dengue. Both

tests should be done if there is a fever. Then

follow the doctor's advice and take treatment.

Hospitalization should be done if necessary.

Corona and dengue - the key to health is in

your hands. Corona or dengue does not know

festivals. If we are not careful, any of us can

get infected. Dengue precautions have been

memorized by all of you by now. Always be

clean, don't go out of the house unnecessarily.

Dengue warnings are not unknown to you.

Still, I forgot to remind you a little. Make sure

that mosquitoes do not reach you in any way.

Must sleep with mosquito net at night. Keep

eyes and ears open, around the nest to

prevent Aedes mosquitoes from breeding. As

we all know, Aedes mosquitoes breed in clean

water. Therefore, water should not

accumulate in the tub of the house, balcony,

roof. We should not leave anything like tin

cans, abandoned tires or puddles on the road.

The surroundings of the house should be kept

clean.We should also remember that animals

can also cause dengue outbreaks.

The Writer is Registrar, Bangamata

Sheikh Fojilatunnesa Mujib Science &

Technology.

Lives, says this kind of "uncertainty

complex" has never been witnessed in the

past. It has three volatile and interacting

elements: destabilising planetary

pressures of the Anthropocene, pursuit of

sweeping societal transformations to ease

those pressures, and intensifying

polarisation. This is described as the new

normal.

The writer is a former ambassador to the

US, UK & UN.

ThurSday, SePTeMBer 22, 2022

5

Adolescent is defined as a Transistional

Stage of Physical and Psychological

Development from Puberty to Adulthood.

According to WHO, young females of

age group 10-19 years old are considered

as adolescents. PCOS is a metabolic and

hormonal disorder found in women.

Incidence of adolescents PCOS is

nowadays. Adolescent PCOS is a

hetreogenous endocrine disorder diagnosed in 5 to 10 % of

adolescent girls and one of the major cause of adolescent

hyperandrogenism and menstrual irregularity. The pcos is

considered to be most prevelant of all endocrine disorder

which women face . PCOS can be challenging to diagnose and

treat in adolescents. It is often confused with Congenital

Adrenal Hyperplasia ,Cushings Syndrome ,Thyroid

Dysfunction, Hyperprolactenemia which symptoms are

strikingly similar to PCOS including weight gain,

Hirsutism,Facial Puffiness and change in skin texture. Over

‘September PCOS awareness month’

PCOS in Adolescents

Dr. Sharmin Abbasi

half of the patients with PCOS are over weight or obese,

placing them at high risk for obesity related co-morbidities.

Because of the significantly associated metabolic

abnormalities and the quality of life(QOL)which is an

emergency problem in adolescents.

Acne , Premature Adrenarche and Hirsutism that occur

before puberty have been associated with PCOS in

adolescents. PCOS is influenced by genetic and

environmental factors . PCOS seems to run in families too,

So, if someone in the family have PCOS ,then others might be

more likelyto be develop it .

Proposed adolescent PCOS diagnostic criteria

-Hyper Androgenism(Biochemically Confirmed)

-MensturalIrregularities( present for at least 2 yrs post

menarche)

-Polycystic Ovaries( Include increase in size and increased

in number of follicles)confirmed by ultrasound and exclusion

of other etiologies[congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Thyroid

dysfunction, Hyperprolactenemia and cushing syndrome)

are to be excluded. Although there are well known criteria for

PCOS, newer diagnostic tools under study include antimullerian

hormone and revised ultrasound criteria. There is

said to have no cure for PCOS , but there are several ways to

treat and manage the condition. Treatment for PCOS

include weight loss for those who are over weight as well as

metformin to address insulin resistance and other

cardiometaboilc risk factors and other hormonal

medications. PCOS is being underevaluated and possibly

underdiagnosed in the adolescent population. Now-a-days,

support( physical and mental health) by parents plays a great

role in treating PCOS . Counselling for adolescent girls

should be included in school curriculum which will provide

an awareness towards the disorder and life style

modification.

The writer is Infertility Specialist & Associate Professor,

Anwer khan Modern Medical College Hospital.

Folate egg a ray of hope

for pregnant women

Md. Sazedul iSlaM

Purnava 'Folate Egg', a new

variety of egg enriched with

folate, has been launched at a

function in the capital

recently.

While presenting the

keynote paper at the lunching

ceremony, Dr. Khaleda Islam,

Director and Professor of

Institute of Nutrition and

Food Science, University of

Dhaka, said such egg contains

35per cent more folate than

normal egg in the market. It

can fulfill 20per cent

requirement

of

Recommended Dietary

Allowances (RDAs).

RDAs are the levels of

intake of essential nutrients

that, on the basis of scientific

knowledge, are judged by the

Food and Nutrition Board to

be adequate to meet the

known nutrient needs of

practically all healthy persons.

Folic acid is form of folate

(Vitamin B) that everyone

needs. Folic acid is important

for pregnant women and

those who are planning to get

pregnant. Folic acid protects

unborn babies from serious

birth defects, said Dr.

Khaleda.

Folate, specially beneficial

for children, adolescents and

pregnant women, can play an

Sydni elliS

A 2021 article in The

Humanistic Psychologist

attempted to break down the

idea of self-love, finding three

main themes: "self-contact,

defined as giving attention to

oneself; self-acceptance,

defined as being at peace with

oneself; and self-care, defined

as being protective of and

caring for oneself."

Sounds great, right? We

should all love ourselves, lift

ourselves up, and be kind to

ourselves. But despite its

popularity, the concept of selflove

can be confusing - and is

sometimes used as a mask to

hide behavior that is actually

toxic.

"Self-love is all about giving

yourself permission to receive

unconditional love and

support from yourself, despite

the inherent imperfections of

being human," said Hala

Abdul, a psychotherapist

based in Canada. However,

self-love can be tainted when

it is "misused as an excuse to

get away with certain

behaviors, which can often

breed toxicity in your

interpersonal relationships."

So, how do you know if your

self-love behavior is toxic?

Watch for these signs:

Have you ever seen

someone justify rude or

disrespectful actions by saying

"if you don't love me at my

worst, then you can't love me

at my best"? This type of

attitude isn't self-love because

self-love doesn't hurt others.

"Some people think that

saying or doing whatever they

want is them speaking their

truth or being authentic," said

Michelle Baxo, love and

mindset coach, personal

mentor, and author of "Power

Love Dating." "But prejudice,

hate, judging, dismissing, or

harming others in any way is a

toxic expression of self-love.

These folks missed the true

purpose behind these acts of

self-love."

Examine how someone's

behavior makes you feel. "If

someone is repeatedly making

you feel dismissed,

unimportant, or straight-up

mean, then this is toxic," Baxo

explained.

She recommended first

giving the person an

opportunity to change their

behavior by explaining how

you feel and negotiating a

respectful way to handle the

situation.

"If the person shows no

remorse or repeats the

behavior, then consider

releasing them from your life

or moving to more of an

acquaintance status," she

added.

Avoiding conflict is not

showing yourself self-love.

Alice Mills Mai, a licensed

mental health counselor and

owner of Centering

Wholeness Counseling, said

self-love should never be used

"as an excuse to avoid conflict,

avoid being vulnerable, or

disrespect other people's

boundaries and autonomy."

Conflict is a healthy part of

any relationship, according to

Mai, and can help you grow.

"If you find yourself

avoiding conflict because it is

'negative vibes,' then you

should reflect on what conflict

brings up and why you are

avoiding it," she said. "A loved

one may bring up a specific

thing about you because they

love and want to be in your

life."

She added that self-love "is

about acknowledging your

humanness, and as a human,

we all make mistakes."

Keri Kirk, a licensed clinical

psychologist and assistant

professor at Georgetown

University School of

Medicine, said that

sometimes people use

boundaries as an excuse to

avoid conflict.

"Although setting

boundaries is an essential part

of healthy self-love, it's

important role in making

their healthy red and white

blood cells, producing DNA

and RNA, and breaking down

food into nutrients, she said.

There may be preterm

delivery of babies, born with

less weight and increased risk

to pregnant women due to

lack of folate, she added.

Claiming that women of

reproductive age should get

400 mcg of folic acid every

day, the nutritionist said,

folate in eggs are known to

have a high absorption rate

because it has the same

structure as folate found in the

human body. It is also

characterized by less

nutritional loss during the

cooking.

Dr. Khaleda observed that

deficiency of folic acid also

causes the risk of

cardiovascular diseases.

Hence, folic acid is a must in

our diet to reduce the risk of

those diseases.

Neutraceuticals Division of

Renata Limited unveiled the

'Folate Egg' at a function at

Dhaka Reporters' Unity

recently. Md. Sirajul Haque,

Director of Animal Health

Division of Renata Limited,

among others, was present on

the occasion. He said, the egg

will now be available in the

market.

Identify toxic behavior in disguise

There are certain times when self-love turns into something more damaging.

Photo: Westend61

important to recognize if or

when setting boundaries

becomes an avoidance

strategy to avoid conflict or to

avoid having difficult but

necessary conversations in a

relationship," Kirk said.

Difficult conversations can

be awkward, but they are

important for growth and

healing.

"Positive vibes only" sounds

good, but it could be used to

dismiss healthy growth or

open, honest communication

- which is not great for your

well-being.

"'I'm only surrounding

myself with positivity' can be

such an amazing and

inspiring notion," said

Michele Goldman, a licensed

clinical psychologist at

Columbia Health and Hope

for Depression Research

Foundation media adviser.

"However, this statement is

often said when others are

expressing some type of

emotion other than happiness

or joy. Therefore, it is used to

invalidate other people's

emotional experience instead

of acknowledging and

validating them."

This is known as toxic

positivity. "People can cut you

off with a smile and an arm

around your shoulder with a

platitude like, 'If you don't

have anything nice to say,

don't say anything,'" said

Bridgit Dengel Gaspard, a

licensed clinical social worker

and author of "The Final 8th:

Enlist Your Inner Selves to

Accomplish Your Goals."

"That's shutting someone

down in the name of the

alleged superiority of

cheerfulness. This stifles your

emotions and needs in

deference to toxic positivity."

Sometimes, people think

self-love means "doing what

feels right for you." However,

this can be misused as a way

to encourage unhealthy

behaviors.

Caroline Bologna

Due in no small part to the

pandemic, increasingly high

numbers of people have

reported

feeling

overwhelmed or burned out

these days, and mental

health disorders like anxiety

and depression are on the

rise. These struggles can

take a toll on our

relationships with partners,

colleagues, family members

and even friends.

"Friendships, especially

close or best friendships,

take time and energy,"

sociologist and friendship

expert Jan Yager told

HuffPost. "It is of course

time well spent, but if

someone is struggling with

her own mental health

issues such as anxiety or

depression, or just feeling

burned out and

overwhelmed by work,

family, or romantic

relationships or issues,

friendship may have to

temporarily take a back

burner."

Even if we theoretically

want to maintain our

friendships, we may be

grappling with with a lack of

energy or desire to engage

with other people or even

leave the house.

"It is quite common for

people to become stuck in a

cycle of feeling sad and

irritable and therefore

lacking the energy to

socialize with others, and as

a result further isolating

themselves," said licensed

marriage and family

therapist Becky Stuempfig.

"It is very common for

people to begin avoiding

their friends when they feel

their depression and anxiety

flare up. Many people avoid

these friendships for such

long stretches that it

becomes difficult to

reengage and oftentimes,

the friendship is sadly lost,

isolation increases and the

cycle continues."

That isolation can worsen

those mental struggles and

further erode selfconfidence.

And although

there's been societal

progress in destigmatizing

mental health issues, many

people still feel afraid of

being judged by their

friends.

"People tend to become

stuck in negative self-talk

and may decide they are not

worthy of caring

friendships," Stuempfig

said. "They may start

thinking, 'I don't deserve

someone who cares about

me,' or, 'I don't want to

burden my friends with my

issues,' or, 'What's wrong

with me? Why am I so

broken and everyone else

seems so together?' These

negative thoughts leave

people feeling incapable of

maintaining friendships and

less likely to reach out to

others."

Even when you feel

burned out and helpless, the

reality is that you do have

control and agency when it

comes to friendships.

So how can people

maintain these relationships

when they're feeling

overwhelmed or struggling

with their mental health?

Below, Stuempfig, Yager

and other experts share

their advice.

"When you struggle with

mental health issues, it's

often difficult to be open

with others ? even people

you would normally trust ?

about what's going on in

your life," said Glenda Shaw,

author of "Better You, Better

Friends." "You may have

even tried to hide your

anxiety or mental health

Maintaining social

relationship while

dealing with depression

struggles from your friends.

But at some point and

probably before you feel

completely comfortable

doing this, it's important to

talk about your depression

or your fears with friends."

Let your loved ones know

what's going on with you,

especially if it's started to

affect your friendship by

causing you to withdraw.

"If you're going though a

bout of depression or just

feeling overwhelmed, let

your friends know, so that

they don't mistake your

absence for something else

or insert their own

interpretation of why you

pulled away or haven't been

in contact," said Danielle

Bayard Jackson, a

friendship coach and host of

the "Friend Forward"

podcast. "Left to their own

devices without any kind of

explanation, they might be

making meaning of things

in a way that isn't accurate."

You don't have to go into

the nitty-gritty details of

your mental health struggles

if you don't want to. But let

your friends know you're

having a problem so that

they don't take your

withdrawal personally or

think it's a reflection of your

friendship.

"One friend who

periodically stopped

responding to my phone

calls finally told me she had

clinical depression," Shaw

recalled. "She thought I

knew this, that I'd figured it

out. We'd known each other

for a decade, and she had

gone into her disappearing

act many times. But I didn't

know she was depressed. I

thought she was just

unreliable."

Once Shaw knew what

was happening, she was able

to check in with her friend

and let her know she was

thinking of her in times of

distance. There was no

negative judgment from

Shaw and no need for

further explanation or

feelings of guilt for her

friend.

"It's just so much better all

the way around when we're

open with each other and

more patient with each

other, kinder to each other,"

she explained. "It's a matter

of listening to each other

and learning more about

each other. Then we go

through these life issues

together, and we're able to

form stronger, more

enduring bonds with each

other."

If you're comfortable

talking about your struggles,

it can be helpful to describe

exactly how you're feeling to

your friends. This might

make them feel better

equipped to offer support.

"Sit down face to face, and

explain in terms so others

can understand what your

brain and body go through

in certain situations,"

advised Sanam Hafeez, a

New York-based

neuropsychologist.

"Perhaps, give examples of a

time you participated in

something with them and

how you were feeling when

you did, while you were

hiding your feelings from

them."

If you suffer from panic

attacks, describe what they

feel like and what your

triggers are. If you're dealing

with depression, explain the

lows that you experience and

how hard it can be to switch

to "happy" mode, even when

you're doing something that

should bring joy.

"If you are uncomfortable

talking about your problem,

you might even share a

pamphlet, website or other

literature with your friend

that describes it," suggested

clinical psychologist and

friendship expert Irene S.

Levine.

"One of the most powerful

antidotes for depression and

anxiety is increasing social

support," said Stuempfig.

Don't be afraid to be

vulnerable and ask your

friends for support during

difficult times. Vulnerability

makes relationships

stronger and more

authentic, as both parties

acknowledge that it's OK to

not be OK and gain comfort

from knowing they aren't

the only ones who struggle.

"An expression that sums

it up is, 'Please be patient

with me.' If you want to, tell

your friends that you have to

focus on your mental health

issues right now, so you

hope they don't feel your

friendship is being

abandoned or ignored," said

Yager, who is also the author

of "Friendgevity: Making

and Keeping the Friends

Who Enhance and Even

Extend Your Life."

Make it clear that you

need support and not

judgment as well. "If you're

working very hard but that's

what you have to do right

now, and a friend says

something like, 'You're

working too hard,' or,

'You've taken on too much,'

those kind of judgmental

statements, unfortunately,

may be more hurtful than

helpful," Yager said. "Even if

your friend says something

to you that isn't what you

want to hear, remind

yourself that your friend

cares and she's doing the

best she can with your

current situation.

She advised letting your

friends know that you are

grateful for their support as

you work through whatever

you're going through.

"When we're feeling

stretched, we have to be

efficient with our resources,

including our mental

health," said Vaneeta

Sandhu, a clinical

psychologist and head of

emotional fitness at Coa.

"One important way to

maintain a friendship

through tough times is to

communicate proactively

and share your needs. This

takes all of the guesswork

out of how to maintain your

friendship and makes sure

you both are investing in the

friendship in the right way."

She suggested asking

yourself questions like,

"When you're having a

tough time, do you prefer

friends to regularly check in

with you or do you want

some space? Do you prefer

text exchanges or phone

calls? And do you prefer to

connect in the morning,

afternoon or evening?"

Once you've gone

through this exercise, make

a habit of sharing your

answers with loved ones so

that they know how to best

show up for you.

tHuRSDAy, SePteMBeR 22 , 2022

6

On the afternoon of September 20, a road safety committee action plan formulation workshop was

held at Jhenaidah.

Photo: Sirajul Islam Mollik

Road safety committee holds

workshop in Jhenaidah

SIRAJul ISlAM MOllIK, JHeNAIDAH

CORReSPONDeNt:

A road safety committee action plan

formulation workshop was held at

Jhenaidah with the slogan "Our road,

our cars, let's make it accident free". On

the afternoon of September 20, under

the chairmanship of Deputy

Commissioner Monira Begum,

members of the road safety committee

participated in the meeting held in the

administrator's conference room.

District administration organized the

meeting held in collaboration with

BRAC road safety program. The

workshop formulated an action plan

Volunteer

organizations get

Tk 20-lakh grants

in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: A total of

93 volunteer organizations

were given grants worth

Taka 19.80 lakh aimed at

infusing dynamism into

their humanitarian and

other benevolent activities

in the district, reports BSS.

They were given the

financial support on behalf

of the Bangladesh

National Social Welfare

Council at a simple

ceremony held at the office

conference hall of Deputy

Commissioner (DC) here

on Tuesday.

DC Abdul Jalil

accompanied by Deputy

Director of Department of

Social Services Hasina

Momtaz distributed the

bank cheques among the

beneficiary organizations.

Speaking on the

occasion, DC Abdul Jalil

said there is a need for

engaging volunteer

organizations in the

mainstream of the

country's development as

they are working for

welfare of the public in

general side by side with

the government agencies.

So, the government has

been providing financial

support to the volunteer

organizations.

Terming Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina as an icon

of the volunteer

organizations he said the

premier has become an

inspiration for them.

By dint of prudent and

visionary leadership of

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina the Bangladesh

has been facing the

adverse impact of Coviid-

19 pandemic successfully

that has established the

premier as lighthouse in

the world, he added.

He said the government

has also attained success

in the field of establishing

equal rights for women

side by side with

generating employment

opportunities for them

through implementing

various time-fitting

programmes.

for discussion and implementation of

road safety issues.

BRAC road safety program director

Ahmed Nazmul Hussain, program

manager M Khalid Mahmud, manager

Md. Moinul Hossain, Additional

Deputy Commissioner (General) of

Jhenaidah Salim Reza, Additional

Deputy Commissioner (Revenue)

Rajibul Islam Khan, District Roads and

Public Roads Executive Engineer

Anwar Parvez, District LGED

Executive Engineer. Manowar Uddin,

Additional District Magistrate Salma

Salim, Jhenaidah Presqob President M

Raihan, Additional Superintendent of

Police Abul Bashar, Assistant Director

(Eng) Md. Atiyar Rahman along with

District Transport Owners Association,

Transport Workers Union and BRAC

District Coordinator and other

members were present.

Deputy Commissioner Monira

Begum said that the current

government is giving special

importance to restore order on roads

and highways. BRTA is working on

training drivers to follow road rules.

Along with the government, BRAC

thanked for working to reduce road

accidents.

Earlier on September 19, a workshop

was held with the members of the road

safety committee under the

chairmanship of Kaliganj Upazila

Nirbahi Officer Sadia Jerin.

A day care center named 'Childhood territory' for the children of

employees engaged in the construction of Rooppur nuclear power

plant was recently inaugurated.

Photo: Gopal Odhikari

Day care center opens for Rooppur

employees' children

GOPAl ODHIKARI, ISHWARDI CORReSPONDeNt:

A day care center for the children of

employees engaged in the construction of

Rooppur nuclear power plant was recently

inaugurated. The center has been named

'Childhood Territory'. Preschool children

aged three years and above and students

studying from Grade-1 to 9 will benefit from

this daycare center.

Alexey Deiri, Vice-President of

Atomstroyexport and Director of Rooppur

NPP Construction Project, said in this

context, "The demand for opening a daycare

center for children in the project has been

going on for a long time. Implementation of

nuclear power projects is a long process and

the officials involved have to stay away from

their own families and close relatives. We

have decided to create opportunities so that

our employees can live in Bangladesh with

their families. This will increase the interest

to work on Rooppur project and our

colleagues will be more motivated to work".

Initially there are currently 15 children in

the center and soon 3 children will join. A

total of 10 staff members are employed at

the center who will take care of the

children and arrange various sports,

educational and recreational activities for

them. School students have the

opportunity to study online from the

International School of Blended Learning

in Moscow. Apart from its own

playground, the daycare center has a

fitness area, dance and music class rooms.

Two workshops on art and media have

also been organized. There is a separate

medical room for children where a

pediatrician is appointed.

A school management council election in Kushtia's Kumarkhali was contested

by two sides of the local Awami league. the incident took place in

Garai Secondary School area of Jaduboyra union of upazila on Wednesday

afternoon. It was reported that three people were injured on one side. later

the police brought the situation under control.

Photo: M R Nayan

Two killed in

Sirajganj road

accident

SIRAJGANJ: Two people

were killed and one was

injured as a truck crashed

into a CNG-run autorickshaw

in Sadar Upazila

here last night, reports BSS.

The deceased were

identified as Abdul Malek,

22, hailed from Betkandi

village in Ullapara Upazila

and Yamin, 08, a resident of

Vadrakol village of the

Upazila.

Relatives of the deceased

said the accident occurred last

night in Kashiahata area on

Sirajganj-Kodda Highway,

leaving two critically injured.

Malek and Yamin were

rushed to a local hospital,

where the duty-doctors

declared them dead.

Officer-in-Charge of Sadar

Thana Humayun Kabir

confirmed the matter. He

said police seized the autorickshaw

and the truck from

the spot.

Rohingya volunteer

hacked to death in

Cox's Bazar camp

COX'S BAZAR: A

Rohingya volunteer was

allegedly hacked to death at

a camp in Ukhiya upazila of

the district in the early hours

of yesterday, reports BSS.

The deceased was

identified as Mohammad

Jafor, 35, son of late Bodiur

Rahman, a resident of Block

H/51 at Camp 18. He was a

volunteer at the camp.

Armed Police Battalion

(APBn)

assistant

superintendent of police

(ASP) Md Faruk Ahmed said

that at night Zafar was

guarding the entrance of

Camp 18, at that time, 20/25

Rohingya miscreants from

camp-17 entered the H/51

block of Camp-18 and shot

Jafor two rounds of bullet and

hacked him with sharp

weapons around 3.30am,

leaving him dead on the spot.

On information, police

recovered the body and sent

it to Cox's Bazar Sadar

Hospital morgue for

postmortem, officer incharge

(OC) of Ukhiya Police

Station Sheikh Mohammad

Ali told BSS.

An operation team is

underway to identify and

arrest those involved in the

incident, the OC added.

It is mentionable that

three volunteers and two

leaders have been killed at

the Rohingya camps in the

last three months.

Durga Puja to be

celebrated at

548 mandaps in

Manikganj

MANIKGANJ: All kinds

of preparation of Durga

Puja, the biggest religious

festival of the Bangali Hindu

community is going on full

swing in all seven upazilas of

the district which will be

celebrated at 548 mandaps

in the district with great

festivity this year, reports

BSS.

The five-day long festival

will begin on October 1

with due respect and

religious fervor across the

country and end on

October 5 with immersion

of the idols of goddess

Durga and other deities.

Anirban Paul, General

Secretary of Manikganj

District Puja Udjapan

Committee said 87

mandaps are erecting in

Sadar upazila, 33 in

Manikganj Pourashava, 76

in Saturia upazila, 91 in

Shibalaya upazila, 82 in

Ghior upazila, 48 in

Daulatpur upazila, 64 in

Harirampur upazila, 57 in

Singair upazila and 10 in

Singair Pourashava.

All necessary security

measures

and

uninterrupted electric

supply will be ensured

during the Puja period, he

said.

Joypurhat Sadar Upazila Krishak

League conference held

MASRAKul AlOM, JOyPuRHAt CORReSPONDeNt:

The tri-annual conference of Sadar Upazila

Farmers League was held in full splendor on

Wednesday at Joypurhat. President Anwar

Hossain Mondal, General Secretary Munsur

Rahman was elected in this conference. The

conference was inaugurated in the

auditorium of District Shilpakala Academy

by Central Committee Member of

Bangladesh Krishak League and President of

Joypurhat District Krishak League Feroza

Chowdhury.

Sadar Upazila

Farmers' League

Convenor Anwar

Hossain Mondal

chaired the tri-annual

conference and Member

of Parliament for

Jaipurhat-1

ConstituencySamshul

Alam Dudu spoke as the

chief guest. Joint

Secretary of District

Farmers League Abdus Sabur conducted

the program where President of Joypurhat

District Awami League and Administrator

of Zilla Parishad Arifur Rahman Roket,

President of Bangladesh Farmers League

and convener of Rajshahi Region

Coordination Committee Abdul Latif

Tarin, Vice President and member of

Rajshahi Region Coordination Committee

Agriculturalist Shakhawat Hossain Sweet,

Bangladesh Farmers League

Organizational Editor and Rajshahi

Region Coordination Committee Member

Secretary Asaduzzaman Biplob, Joypurhat

District Awami League General Editor

Zakir Hossain Mondal, District Awami

League Vice President and Upazila

Parishad Chairman SM Solaiman Ali,

District Awami League Advisory Principal

Khaja Samsul Alam, District Krishak

League general editor Jalal Sarkar, Sadar

Upazila Krishak League convener

Munchur Rahman etc delivered special

guest speeches.

In the second phase of the program, Anwar

Hossain Mandal and General Editor Munsur

Rahman were

unanimously

elected to the

post of

president and

general

secretary

respectively as

there were no

candidates for

the post of

president and

general

secretary in the council session. Speakers in

the conference said that the Awami League

government is working for the development

of agriculture and farmers. Farmers' League

leaders and activists should be farmerfriendly.

To spread the development activities of

the government among the people, all

the government parties including the

farmers' league must work together. If

the party is not in power, you will have

no value, so you have to work from now

to make the Awami League victorious in

the next election.

A social harmony rally and discussion meeting was organized by the

upazila administration at Jaintiapur on Wednesday. Photo: Md Ruhel

Jaintiapur upazila administration

holds social harmony rally

MD RuHel, JAINtIAPuR CORReSPONDeNt:

A social harmony rally and discussion

meeting organized by the upazila

administration at Jaintiapur, Sylhet was held

on Wednesday.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Al Bashirul

Islam led the rally from Upazila Chattar and

after circling the main road of Upazila, it

ended at Upazila Parishad. Public

representatives, political and religious

leaders, socio-cultural institutions, studentsteachers,

journalists and people from all

walks of life participated in the event.

At noon in Upazila Parishad hall room

under the chairmanship of Upazila

Executive Officer (UNO) Al Bashirul Islam,

Upazila Parishad Vice Chairman Bashir

Uddin MA, Assistant Commissioner (Land)

Ripamoni Devi, Jaintiapur Model Police

Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Golam

Dastgir Ahmed, Shalis of 17 Pargana's

Coordination Committee President Abu

Zafar Abul Mawla Chowdhury, valiant

Freedom Fighter Jadavmoy Biswas, Heroic

freedom fighter Abdur Rashid, Chairman of

Charikata UP. Sultan Karim, Nijpat Union

Awami League President Ataur Rahman

Babul, Jaintiapur Online Press Club

President M.M. Ruhel, General Secretary

Nazmul Islam, Upazila Sramik League

President Farooq Ahmad, Awami League

Leader Sulal Deb, Nibaran Das, Mohan Deb

etc. addressed the meeting.

Barisal BMP Commissioner Md. Saiful Islam, BPM-Bar held an exchange

meeting of Imams of all mosques in Barishal city on 21 September 2022 at

BMP headquarters conference room. Additional Commissioner of Police

(Crime and Operations) Abu Ahmed Al Mamun, Deputy Commissioner of

Police HQ Mohammad Nazrul Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of Police DB

Md Zulfikar Ali Haider, Deputy Commissioner of Police North Mohammad

Zakir Hussain Majumder PPM-Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police

South Md Ali Ashraf Bhuna BPM-Bar, Deputy Commissioner of Police CSB

Khan Muhammad Abu Nasser along with other top officials of BMP were

present.

Photo: Md. Shah Jalal

THURSdAY, SePTeMBeR 22, 2022

7

Jeff German, host of "Mobbed Up," poses with Planet Hollywood, formerly the Aladdin, in the background

on the Strip in Las Vegas, on June 2, 2021. Clark County Public Administrator Robert "Rob"

Telles is due to be formally charged Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, with "premeditated" murder in the stabbing

death of German, a Las Vegas investigative reporter who authorities said clawed and fought for

his life when he was attacked outside his home.

Photo: AP

Official held in

Vegas reporter

killing facing

loss of job

LAS VEGAS: A local elected

official got court-appointed

attorneys during his

arraignment Tuesday in the

stabbing death of a Las

Vegas investigative

journalist who wrote articles

critical of him and his

managerial conduct, reports

UNB.

Robert Richard Telles, the

Clark County public

administrator, also was hit

with a lawsuit aimed at

stripping him of his elected

position heading the county

office that handles the assets

of people who die without a

will or family contacts. Court

action could take several

weeks. Telles, 45, is a

Democrat whose term ends

Dec. 31.

In court, he stood with

shackles on his wrists, waist

and ankles while a Las Vegas

judge told him he was

charged with the "unlawful,

senseless and heinous

murder" on Sept. 2 of

veteran Las Vegas Review-

Journal staff writer Jeff

German.

Palestinian suspected

of killing Israeli

woman found dead

TEL AVIV:Israeli police said

Wednesday they found the

body of a Palestinian man

suspected of killing an 84-

year-old Israeli woman after

an overnight manhunt,

reports UNB.

Police said the body of the

man was found in Tel Aviv,

hours after he is alleged to

have struck and killed the

woman in Holon, a suburb

just south of the city.

Police said earlier they

were searching for Musa

Sarsour, 28, from the West

Bank city of Qalqilya. They

were treating the woman's

death as an attack with

nationalist motives, police

said, and hundreds of

officers fanned out to comb

through the area.

District police chief Haim

Bublil said Sarsour was

found hanged in central Tel

Aviv, off a major shopping

district, early Wednesday.

He said Sarsour had recently

been stopped by police but

was let go after he showed he

had a permit to work legally

in Israel, where salaries are

much higher than in the

occupied West Bank.

The 84-year-old woman

was found unconscious on

the side of a road on Tuesday

afternoon and was declared

dead. Security camera

footage, which captured the

attack, showed the woman

being struck repeatedly from

behind and falling to the

ground.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair

Lapid, who was at the

United Nations General

Assembly in New York,

called the killing a "shocking

attack by a despicable and

cowardly terrorist."

Israeli PM meets

Turkish president,

first time in 14 years

JERUSALEM : - Israel's

prime minister has met with

Turkey's president for the

first time in 14 years, the

latest sign of warming ties

between the two regional

powers after a long and

bitter rift, reports UNB.

The office of Israeli Prime

Minister Yair Lapid said he

met with Turkish President

Recep Tayyip Erdogan on

Tuesday, on the sidelines of

the United Nations General

Assembly, the largest

annual gathering of world

leaders now underway in

New York.

In his meeting with

Erdogan, Lapid said he

"commended" the recent

restoration of full

diplomatic ties between the

countries and the

appointment this week of a

new Israeli ambassador to

Turkey.

The scene of Lapid, the

Israeli caretaker prime

minister until new elections

in November, warmly

greeting Erdogan could

serve to bolster his

diplomatic credentials as an

alternative to Israel's

longtime former Prime

Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu. Netanyahu has

billed himself as a worldclass

statesmen, but

relations with Turkey

deteriorated during his

more than a decade in

power.

Erdogan has shown a

willingness for warmer ties

since Netanyahu left office

last year. Over years of

strained relations, Erodgan

has been an outspoken critic

of Israeli policy toward the

Palestinians. Israel, in turn,

has objected to Turkey's

embrace of the Palestinian

militant group Hamas,

which rules the Gaza Strip.

The once-close regional

allies withdrew their

respective ambassadors in

2010, after Israeli forces

stormed a Gaza-bound

flotilla

carrying

humanitarian aid for

Palestinians that broke an

Israeli blockade. The

incident resulted in the

deaths of nine Turkish

activists.

But following Israeli

President Isaac Herzog's

state visit to Turkey in

March and other signs of a

thaw, the two countries

agreed to exchange

ambassadors. The countries

still share various strategic

interests, including

containing Iran.

During their meeting in

New York, Lapid thanked

Erodgan for intelligence

cooperation against Iranian

attempts to carry out attacks

in Turkey and brought up

the issue of missing and

captive Israelis, his office

said.

The leaders also

discussed energy

cooperation, the statement

added. Erdogan has

expressed an interest in

Turkey tapping into

Israel's offshore natural

gas fields in the

Mediterranean.

Police and firefighters inspect the scene where a man is reported to set himself

on fire, near the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022.

The man was taken to a hospital Wednesday, in an apparent protest against a

planned state funeral next week for the assassinated former leader Shinzo

Abe, officials and media reports said.

Photo:AP

The attack comes as Israel continues daily arrest raids in the occupied West

Bank that were prompted by a spate of deadly violence against Israelis in the

spring.

Photo: Arab news

Germany nationalizes

country's biggest gas

importer Uniper

BERLIN: The German

government has agreed to

nationalize the country's

biggest gas importing

company, Uniper,

expanding state intervention

in the industry to prevent an

energy shortage resulting

from Russia's war in

Ukraine, reports UNB.

The deal with Uniper

builds on a rescue package

agreed in July and features a

capital increase of 8 billion

euros (dollars) that the

government will finance. As

part of the agreement, the

government will take a

majority stake in Uniper,

which until now was

controlled by Finland-based

Fortum. The Finnish

government has the largest

stake in Fortum.

Uniper's losses have

mounted as Russia has cut

back natural gas supplies to

European countries

supporting Ukraine. Prices

have soared for the fuel

needed to heat homes,

generate electricity and

power factories, raising fears

of business closures,

rationing and a recession as

the weather turns cold.

European countries have

scrambled to counter the

price spiral and prioritized

securing their energy

supplies for winter,

including by filling their

natural gas storage. Just last

week, Germany also moved

to take control of three

Russian-owned oil refineries

before an embargo on

Russian oil takes effect next

year.

Man sets himself

on fire in apparent

protest of Abe

funeral

TOKYO:A man set himself on

fire near the Japanese prime

minister's office in Tokyo early

Wednesday in apparent

protest against the state

funeral planned next week for

former leader Shinzo Abe,

officials and media reports

said, reports UNB.

The man, believed to be in

his 70s, sustained burns on

large parts of his body but was

conscious and told police that

he set himself on fire after

pouring oil over himself,

Kyodo News agency reported.

A note apparently written by

the man was found with him

that said, "Personally, I am

absolutely against" Abe's

funeral, Kyodo reported.

A Tokyo Fire Department

official confirmed a man set

himself afire on the street in

Tokyo's Kasumigaseki

government district and that

he was alive when he was

taken to a hospital by

ambulance, but declined to

give further details, including

the man's identity, motive or

condition, citing the sensitivity

of what was a police matter.

Tokyo police refused to

comment, including on a

report that a police officer was

caught in the fire.

The suspected immolation

underscores a growing wave of

protests against the funeral for

Abe, who was one of the most

divisive leaders in postwar

Japanese politics because of

his revisionist view of wartime

history, security policies and

his high-handed approach and

cronyism, which were often

criticized as autocratic. More

protests are expected in

coming days, including the

day of the funeral next week.

The incident also is an

embarrassment for Japanese

police, who have stepped up

security for an event expected

to be attended by about 6,000

people, including U.S. Vice

President Kamala Harris and

other dignitaries.

Japanese police were also

partly blamed for insufficient

protection of Abe, who was

shot to death by a gunman

who approached him from

behind as he was giving a

campaign speech outdoors in

July.

US, Iran to speak at

UN; Zelenskyy to

appear from Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS:

Leaders of two of the world's

most-watched nations - U.S.

President Joe Biden and

Iranian President Ebrahim

Raisi - will be among those

who have their say on the

second day of the U.N.

General Assembly's first fully

in-person meeting since the

coronavirus pandemic began,

reports UNB.

But the biggest draw

Wednesday will likely be the

only leader to be seen and

heard but not actually there in

the flesh: Ukraine President

Volodymyr Zelenskky, whose

nation is at war with Russia.

The 193-member assembly

voted last week to allow

Zelenskyy to deliver a prerecorded

address because of

his continuing need to deal

with Russia's invasion,

making an exception to its

requirement that all leaders

speak in person. Russian

President Vladimir Putin will

not be attending the annual

gathering of world leaders.

Unsurprisingly, Ukraine has

been the center of attention at

the assembly, with leader after

world leader condemning

Russia for attacking a

sovereign nation. The war,

which has already killed

thousands, is driving up food

prices around the globe while

also causing energy costs to

soar-a particularly worrisome

issue heading into the winter.

It has also raised fears of a

nuclear catastrophe at

Europe's largest nuclear plant

in Ukraine's now Russiaoccupied

southeast.

Leaders from many

countries are trying to prevent

a wider conflict and restore

peace in Europe. Diplomats,

though, aren't expecting any

breakthroughs this week at the

United Nations, where nearly

150 leaders are addressing

each other and the world.

Biden's address on

Wednesday is expected to

have a heavy focus on the war

in Ukraine, where the

country's troops in recent

weeks have retaken control of

large stretches of territory

near Kharkiv that were seized

by Russian forces earlier in the

nearly seven-month-old war.

But even as Ukrainian forces

have racked up battlefield

wins, much of Europe is

feeling painful blowback from

economic sanctions levied

against Russia to punish

Moscow for its invasion.

At the White House, there's

also growing concern that

Putin might further escalate

the conflict after recent

setbacks. Biden, in a CBS-TV

"60 Minutes" interview that

aired on Sunday, warned

Putin that deploying nuclear

or chemical weapons in

Ukraine would result in a

"consequential" response

from the United States.

Biden's visit to the U.N. also

comes as his administration's

efforts to revive the 2015 Iran

nuclear deal appear stalled.

The deal brokered by the

Obama administration - and

scrapped by Trump in 2018 -

provided billions of dollars in

sanctions relief in exchange

for Iran's agreement to

dismantle much of its nuclear

program and open its facilities

to international inspection.

Iran's president has said he

has no plans to meet with

Biden on the sidelines of the

U.N. event. Raisi called his

first-ever appearance at the

United Nations as Iran's

leader an opportunity to

explain to the world about

alleged "malice" that

unspecified nations and world

powers have toward Iran but

he did not elaborate.

Iran has been facing

international criticism over

the death of a woman held by

its morality police, which

ignited days of protests,

including clashes with security

forces in the capital and other

unrest that claimed at least

three lives.

The U.N. human rights

office called for an

investigation. The United

States called on Iran to end its

"systemic persecution" of

women. Italy also condemned

her death.

Iranian officials dismissed

the criticism as politically

motivated and accused

unnamed foreign countries of

fomenting the unrest.

President Joe Biden returns a salute before boarding Air Force One at Andrews

Air Force Base, Md., en route a trip to New York to attend the United Nations

General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022.

Photo: AP

PANI-182/2022

GD-1550/22 (7x3)

THUrSDAY, SEPTEMBEr 22, 2022

8

The Premier Bank Limited and Padakhep Manabik Unnayan Kendra (PMUK), an NGO & MFI

arranged an Open Agriculture Credit Disbursement Program at Zayan Hall of Hotel Kollol in Cox's

Bazar recently. Mohammed Emtiaz Uddin, SEVP and Head of SME & Agriculture Loan Division,

graced the occasion as Chief Guest and handed over cheques among the farmers. Md. Moniruzzaman,

VP and Unit Head of SME & Agriculture Loan Division, Abdul Azim, VP & Head of Baridhara Branch,

The Premier Bank Limited also attended the event as Special Guest while Md. Saleh Bin Sums,

Executive Director of Padakhep presided over the program.

Photo : Courtesy

Global Fund

seeks $18

billion to

end HIV, TB

and malaria

NEW YORK : The Global

Fund to Fight AIDS,

Tuberculosis and Malaria

will hold a donor conference

Wednesday in New York,

where it aims to raise at least

$18 billion during an event

hosted by US President Joe

Biden.

It is the highest ever

"replenishment" goal set by

the organization, and comes

amid rising economic

pressures-both on donor

countries and recipientsfollowing

the Covid-19

pandemic and the food and

energy crises caused by the

Ukraine conflict.

But spokeswoman

Francoise Vanni told AFP

she was buoyed by recent

pledges- including most

recently 1.3 billion euros

from Germany, which

followed $6 billion from the

United States and $1.08

billion from Japan-that had

brought the fund "about

halfway" to its target.

"There's a lot at stake, and

the $18 billion target is very

much based on getting back

on track to end AIDS, TB

and malaria by 2030,

recovering ground lost

during the Covid pandemic

and saving no less than 20

million lives over the next

three years," she said.

"Everything is still at play

and no decision has been

made until it's been

made...But we have very

strong pledges already in the

bag."

The amount is 30 percent

more than that raised during

the organization's sixth and

most recent replenishment,

hosted by President

Emmanuel Macron of

France in 2019, which raised

a then-record $14 billion.

Walton launches new mechanical keyboards,

special discount on E-Plaza

Walton Digi-Tech Industries

Limited has released two new

models of affordable

mechanical keyboards.

Modeled as KM02 and KM03,

the new Walton mechanical

keyboards have many

Explainer: What it means

to let taka float

DHAKA : We are in the

middle of the first full

working week since

Bangladesh's declared

adoption of a floating

exchange rate for taka

against the US dollar, paving

the way for the forces of

demand and supply - in a

word, the market - to

determine the rate going

forward.

Bangladeshi officials

however, have a history of

such utterances, without the

necessary follow up actions.

Most famously perhaps,

there is even a formal

commitment from 2003

(Bangladesh Bank.

Exchange Rate Circular No.

01, 2003 - still available on

the BB website), that the

central bank subsequently

abandoned.

As a result, for almost its

entire existence as a

sovereign currency, taka's

value has been artificially set

by the country's monetary

authority, i.e. Bangladesh

Bank, and then allowed to

float within a certain band -

the so-called managed or

'dirty' floating exchange rate.

In order to maintain the

rate at or near its preferred

level, the central bank would

intervene in the currency

markets to buy or sell dollars

as the intervention currency.

Maintaining an artificially

overvalued rate in

comparison to the market

value, as Bangladesh Bank

has almost always done,

necessitates selling dollars

from its foreign exchange

reserves.

But the "strongest dollar in

a generation", witnessed

over the last year or so and

likely to persist well into the

foreseeable future, was

starting to make the dirty

floating system very

advance features and are

durable and attractive in

design as well. Customers

who will buy the new

mechanical keyboards along

with other keyboards and

keyboard-mouse combo from

expensive to maintain for

Shapla Chattor, rapidly

depleting its reserve of

dollars.

In the 2021-22 fiscal, that

ended on June 30,

Bangladesh Bank spent

$7.62 billion from the

country's foreign exchange

reserves as it scrambled to

slow down taka's slide

against what some are

calling "the hideous strength

of the dollar." In the first two

months of the current fiscal,

July-August, that coincided

with a period in which even

the government was forced

to recognise the impacts of a

range of worrying signs for

the economy, it escalated

dangerously.

What that basically means

is to adopt a hands-off

approach. To refrain from

using its intervention tools.

Importantly though, it

doesn't give up its authority

to do so. It may become

interventionist again, at any

point - unless it gets to a

point where you are charged

as a 'currency manipulator',

as the US did with China in

2019, there is nothing really

to give you pause even, once

you decide to do it. There is

nothing to bind you to

'letting it float'.

And central banks can be

clingy. There are no purely

floating currencies, it's all a

bit relative. Canada has had

a floating exchange rate for

longer than any other

country. The Canadian

national bank has not

interfered with its dollar's

price since 1998. The US

dollar is a close second. By

contrast, Japan and the UK

intervene to a greater extent,

and India has mediumrange

intervention by its

national bank, the Reserve

Bank of India.

Walton's e-commerce

platform

E-Plaza

(eplaza.waltonbd.com) will

get special discount.

Released in two colors of

black and gray, the KM02 and

KM03 model mechanical

US Fed set to raise

interest rates as

recession fears mount

WASHINGTON : The

Federal Reserve is poised to

roll out another big increase

in interest rates Wednesday

as it tries to cool the

economy to tamp down the

highest inflation in 40 years,

but recession fears are

rising.

Soaring prices that are

putting the squeeze on

American families and

businesses have already

become a political liability

for President Joe Biden, as

he faces midterm

congressional elections in

early November.

But a contraction of the

world's largest economy

would be a more damaging

blow to Biden, to the Fed's

credibility and the world at

large.

Federal Reserve Chair

Jerome Powell has made it

clear that officials will

continue to act aggressively

to cool the economy and

avoid a repeat of the 1970s

and early 1980s, the last

time US inflation got out of

control.

It took tough action-and a

recession-to finally bring

prices down in the 1980s,

and the Fed is unwilling to

give up its hard-won,

inflation-fighting credibility.

Many economists are

expecting a third straight

three-quarter point rate hike

when the meeting concludes

Wednesday, which would be

an unprecedented action

since that era. But there is a

chance the Fed could opt for

a full point increase.

Powell and other central

bankers have been sending

the same message: a

downturn is better than

continued high inflation

given the pain that would

inflict, especially on those

least able to withstand it.

keyboards have 104 keys

among which 25 are antighost

keys. The special

features include backlight

breathing function, 50 million

times button life, US layout,

USB interface, mechanical

axis button, blue switch, 1.5M

exposed head USB cable etc.

Priced at 2,050 BDT and

2,250 BDT respectively, the

new mechanical keyboards

can be purchased at 1,742

BDT and 1,912 BDT from E-

Plaza.

Besides, Walton has more

than 30 models of RGB

gaming, standard wireless

and wired keyboard and

keyboard-mouse combo. The

price ranges from 275 BDT to

2,350 BDT of these models

and has special discount on E-

Plaza purchase.

Walton provides 6-month

replacement warranty on all

models of keyboards.

Huawei Connect to Unleash Digital Productivity,

Economy and Ecosystems

HUAWEI CONNECT 2022,

Huawei's 7th annual

flagship event for the global

ICT industry, began this

Monday in Bangkok. The

event, themed with

"Unleash Digital," gathers

over 10,000 ICT industry

leaders, experts, and

partners from around the

world to explore how to

more effectively unleash

digital productivity, promote

the digital economy, and

build up stronger digital

ecosystems.

At the event, Huawei has

reinforced its commitment

to open collaboration and

shared success. The

company called for

governments and

enterprises to work more

closely together to cultivate

local digital ecosystems that

build up innovation

partners, strengthen the

talent pool, and support

startups.

In the keynote Simon Lin,

the President of Huawei

Asia-Pacific Region says,

"Huawei is committed to

becoming a key contributor

to the digital economy in the

region. We will keep

supporting its digitalization

and

sustainable

development efforts, and

building out the industry

ecosystem".

Distinguished group of

government representatives

from the Asia-Pacific region

also took the stage to share

the progress they have made

with advancing digital

economy development in

their respective countries.

These include H.E.

Muhammad Abdul

Mannan, Planning Minister

of Bangladesh; H.E.

ONE Bank Limited recently signed an MoU with CASHe Alliance Limited for introducing digital lending.

Under the MoU, ONE Bank will be able to offer a digital loan facility leveraging embedded lending

technology of CASHe and OK Wallet platform. Customers will also be able to avail 'Buy Now Pay Later'

(BNPL) service and loan installment repayment feature through OK Wallet in a seamless manner.

Managing Director of ONE Bank Limited Md. Monzur Mofiz and Chief Operating Officer of CASHe

Alliance Limited Kazi Nasim Ahmed signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations. The

high officials of both the organizations were also present in the ceremony.

Photo : Courtesy

Asian shares decline ahead of

Fed decision on interest rates

TOKYO : Asian shares mostly declined

Wednesday as investors looked ahead

to a widely expected interest rate hike

by the U.S. Federal Reserve as it works

to squash the highest inflation in

decades.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225

dipped 1.4% to finish at 27,313.13.

Australia's S and P/ASX 200 dropped

1.6% to 6,700.20. South Korea's Kospi

lost 0.9% to 2,347.21. Hong Kong's

Hang Seng shed 1.7% to 18,460.71,

while the Shanghai Composite slipped

0.2% to 3,117.18.

Global tensions are adding to

uncertainties. Russian-controlled

regions of eastern and southern

Ukraine have announced plans to start

voting this week to become integral

parts of Russia.

The Kremlin-backed efforts to

swallow up four regions could set the

stage for Moscow to escalate the war

against Ukraine. Russian President

Vladimir Putin recently blasted what

he described as U.S. efforts to preserve

its global domination and ordered

officials to boost weapons production.

"Asian equities traded in a defensive

mode on Wednesday. There were

some geopolitical tensions concerning

Russia and Ukraine, where the

separatists are to hold a referendum in

some regions, and traders were

expecting an update from Putin,"

Anderson Alves at ActivTrades said in

a commentary.

On Wall Street, the S and P 500

index fell 1.1% on Tuesday to 3,855.93,

as more than 90% of stocks and every

Supattanapong

Punmeechaow, Thailand's

Deputy Prime Minister and

Minister of Energy; and

others from Indonesia,

Philippines.

The Planning Minister MA

Mannan has highlighted the

growth of Bangladesh in his

keynote on the first day of

this arrangement. The

minster portrayed the

development of Bangladesh

in terms of ICT

development, infrastructure,

power generation, etc.

Considering the importance

and development of

telecommunication sector in

past few years, he praised

the pace of journey from 2G

to 4G while the nation has

ensured a wide 4G coverage.

He finds it most auspicious

to stand on the same

technical level as other

countries in the world do

since 5G network

construction has also begun

in this country.

In his keynote he

addresses Huawei as an

industrial partner for

realizing the dream of

Digital Bangladesh with its

assistance in ICT and digital

power sector in Bangladesh

for 23 years. The

determination to bring

advanced telecom

communications, cloud

computing, digital energy,

smart photovoltaics

technologies to release

digital productivity in

Bangladesh have been also

mentioned in the keynote. In

addition to that minister also

admires the contribution of

this company to develop

local talent and the role it

plays in the emergencies

occurred due to natural

calamities.

sector in the benchmark index lost

ground. The Dow Jones Industrial

Average lost 1% to 30,706.23. The

Nasdaq composite also fell 1%, to

11,425.05.

The selling came as traders waited to

see how high the Fed will raise interest

rates at its meeting that ends

Wednesday.

Smaller company stocks fell more

than the broader market. The Russell

2000 index gave up 1.4% to 1,787.50.

"The market is certainly bracing for

the worst and you're seeing a little bit of

selling pressure coming in," said Paul

Kim, CEO of Simplify ETFs.

Bond yields mostly edged higher.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury,

which influences mortgage rates, rose

to 3.56% from 3.52% from late

Monday and is trading at its highest

levels since 2011.

The yield on the 2-year Treasury,

which tends to follow expectations for

Fed action, held steady at 3.95%,

hovering around its highest levels since

2007.

Stocks have been slumping and

Treasury yields rising as the Fed raises

the cost of borrowing money in hopes

of slowing down the hottest inflation in

four decades.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell bluntly

warned in a speech last month that the

rate hikes would "bring some pain."

The Fed is expected to raise its key

short-term rate by three-quarters of a

point for the third time at its meeting

on Wednesday. That would lift its

benchmark rate, which affects many

Simon Lin has released the

Digital First Economy

whitepaper that delves into

targeted policy suggestions

for digital infrastructure

construction and digital

economy development in

the Asia-Pacific region.

The three-day conference

in Bangkok is the first stop

on HUAWEI CONNECT's

global tour in 2022.

Featuring two keynote

sessions, six summits, as

well as multiple breakout

sessions and demos, this

year's event dives into the

challenges that governments

and enterprises face at all

stages of their digital

transformation journey,

Huawei's advancements in

digital infrastructure, as well

as the company's latest

cloud services and

ecosystem partner solutions.

consumer and business loans, to a

range of 3% to 3.25%, the highest level

in 14 years, and up from zero at the

start of the year.

Beyond that, investors will be

focused on what Powell has to say, both

in the Fed's latest interest rate policy

statement and during an afternoon

press conference, for clues as to

whether the central bank remains

primarily focused on lowering

inflation, or if there's a hint the Fed is

giving more consideration to the

impact of higher rates on the economy.

Wall Street is worried that the rate

hikes could go too far in slowing

economic growth and push the

economy into a recession.

The U.S. isn't alone in suffering from

hot inflation or dealing with the impact

of efforts to fight high prices.

The Bank of Japan began a two-day

monetary policy meeting Wednesday,

although analysts expect the central

bank to stick to its easy monetary

policy. Rate decisions from Norway,

Switzerland and the Bank of England

are next.

In energy trading, U.S. benchmark

crude rose $1.95 to $85.89 a barrel in

electronic trading on the New York

Mercantile Exchange. It fell 1.5%

Tuesday, weighing down energy

stocks. Brent crude, the international

standard, added $2.09 to $92.71 a

barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar

inched down to 143.53 Japanese yen

from 143.74 yen. The euro fell to 99.64

cents from 99.73 cents.

tHUrSDAY, SepteMber 22, 2022

9

real Madrid's rodrygo, left, celebrates after scoring with his teammate Vinicius Junior the opening goal

during the Spanish La Liga match against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in

Madrid.

photo: Ap

Atletico Madrid denounce racist

chants against Vinicius

SportS DeSk

Atletico Madrid on Tuesday

condemned the racist chants made by

some of their fans against Real Madrid

forward Vinicius Junior and pledged to

work with authorities to identify those

responsible, reports UNB.

A group of Atletico fans outside the

Metropolitano stadium chanted

"Vinicius, you are a monkey" before

Madrid's 2-1 win in the city derby on

Sunday. Atletico could face the closure

of the Metropolitano for a few games

depending on the outcome of an

investigation.

"Our club has always been known for

being an open and inclusive space for

fans of different nationalities, cultures,

races, and social classes, and a few

cannot tarnish the image of thousands

and thousands of Atletico fans who

support their team with passion and

respect for their opponents," the club

Australia's

Saville set

for sidelines

after knee

injury

SportS DeSk

Australian Daria Saville is

staring at another lengthy

period on the sidelines

after the former world No

20 confirmed today she

had torn a ligament in her

left knee while playing in

Tokyo, reports UNB.

Moscow-born Saville,

who competed under her

maiden name Gavrilova

until marrying Australian

tennis player Luke Saville

last year, has been blighted

by major injuries

throughout her career.

The 28-year-old injured

her anterior cruciate

ligament (ACL) in 2013

and needed major knee

surgery that kept her off

the women's tour for a long

period.

Saville fell to 627th in the

world in February after

missing most of the 2021

season following Achilles

tendon surgery, though she

has since climbed back up

to number 55.

Her latest injury came at

the Pan Pacific Open

against Naomi Osaka after

she leapt in the air to hit a

forehand. She then

slumped to the court and

broke into tears.

"Torn ACL. 2013

flashbacks," Saville said on

Twitter, thanking her

fellow players for

expressing concern.

"Don't worry about me,

by the way. I feel bad that

everyone is so worried. I'm

OK, I promise."

said.

"These chants provoke enormous

repulsion and indignation," Atlético

added in its statement. "We will not

allow any individual to hide behind our

colors to utter insults of a racist or

xenophobic nature."

The club condemned "the

unacceptable chants that a minority of

fans made outside the stadium." It

pledged to immediately expel any of its

members who participated.

The Spanish league similarly said

"hate speech has no place in La Liga"

and vowed to "work with the clubs and

the authorities to identify and bring to

justice any such case." It plans to file its

official report to the Spanish

federation, which will weigh

disciplinary action against Atletico.

The derby had been surrounded by

controversy after Vinicius' dances

during recent goal celebrations were

criticized by a guest in a popular sports

talk show who used racist language.

That prompted the 22-year-old

forward, who is Black, to make a strong

statement against racism, saying he

believed his actions on the field were

"being criminalized" and that his

success as a Black Brazilian man in

Europe was "annoying" to some.

After fellow Brazilian Rodrygo scored

Madrid's first goal on Sunday, he and

Vinicius did their samba-like moves by

one of the corner flags, fulfilling their

promise to keep dancing despite the

criticism.

Some Atletico fans threw objects at

them.

It wasn't the first time Vinicius was

subjected to racist taunts. It happened

last year during a "clasico" against

Barcelona at the Camp Nou. There

were also cases against other players,

including Athletic Bilbao's Iñaki

Williams.

England wins 1st T20 in triumphant

return to Pakistan

SportS DeSk

England made a triumphant return to Pakistan

after 17 years with a six-wicket win in the first

Twenty20 on Tuesday, reports UNB.

Debutant left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood

grabbed 3-24 to help limit Pakistan to 158-7

after captain Moeen Ali won the toss in his

country of roots and elected to field.

Alex Hales, in his return to England colors

after more than three years, smashed 53 off 40

balls and led the visitors to 160-4 in 19.2 overs.

"Very enjoyable performance, it's my debut

so can't complain," Wood said. "They had a

good start, but you kind of work it out quickly.

We kept taking wickets, which was the key and

(we) had a pretty good back end."

Pakistan couldn't capitalize on Mohammad

Rizwan (68) and captain Babar Azam's (31)

aggressive opening stand of 85 off 57 balls

before the middle-order capitulated against

Wood in the death overs. "After 10 overs, there

was a swing of momentum for which you have

to give credit to England," Babar said as

Pakistan could score only 71 in the last 10 overs

after getting along comfortably at 87-1 in the

first 10. "We didn't have enough big

partnerships and our batters need to step up."

Hales then benefitted from two dropped

catches in his 20s before going down to fast

bowler Haris Rauf soon after completing his

half century. Harry Brooks, who played for

Lahore in the PSL earlier this year, made an

unbeaten 42 off 25 balls to finish off the game

with four balls to spare.

Hales benefitted from two dropped catches

in his 20s before perishing to fast bowler Haris

Rauf soon after completing his half century.

Harry Brooks, who played for Lahore in the

PSL in Pakistan earlier this year, made a robust

unbeaten 42 off 25 balls to finish off the game

with four balls to spare.

Babar seemed to have regained his lost

batting form which saw him score only 68 runs

in six games of Asia Cup earlier this month.

Babar drove David Willey to midwicket for a

boundary off the first ball he faced before Adil

Rashid struck in his second over. Babar played

to the wrong line against Rashid's googly and

was clean bowled as England made a strong

back in the latter half of the innings.

Rizwan showed lot of aggression against both

pace and spin and raised his half century off 32

balls with a straight six off Ali before the

offspinner got him stumped in the 15th over.

Shan Masood, who got his maiden call to

Pakistan's T20 squad on the back of his terrific

form for Derbyshire in the Blast this season,

could score only 7 and Haider Ali made 11 as

Pakistan's middle-order crumbled against

some disciplined England bowling.

Daria Saville's (left) knee injury happened during her match against

Naomi osaka (right) yesterday.

photo: Ap

LIV Golf players push

for retroactive world

ranking points

SportS DeSk

Players in the Saudi-backed

LIV Golf Series pushed for

retroactive world ranking

points on Tuesday in an

open letter to rankings

board chairman Peter

Dawson, reports UNB.

The letter, signed by all 48

participants in last week's

Chicago Invitational, asks

for recognition of the 54-

hole, shotgun start events

alongside other world tours

where players get ranking

points for 72-hole

tournaments with much

larger fields.

"An OWGR (Official

World Golf Rankings)

without LIV would be

incomplete and inaccurate,"

the players said, comparing

it to England, Argentina and

Belgium being left out of the

FIFA rankings.

LIV says it has sought

world ranking points for the

past two months.

Obtaining world golf

ranking points is a vital step

for LIV players if they hope

to qualify for majors based

upon their world ranking,

what could be a pivotal step

in playing in future major

championships.

LIV players were allowed

in this year's US and British

Opens, the tour's June debut

coming after qualifying for

those events.

World No. 3 Cameron

Smith of Australia, who won

the British Open in July,

won LIV's Chicago

Invitational on Sunday with

two-time major winner

Dustin Johnson sharing

second.

"The level of competition

at the average LIV event is at

least equal to that at the

average PGA Tour event,"

the players claimed. "We

know because we've played

in both."

The letter points out LIV

has 21 of the past 51 major

winners and notes

Johnson's fall from 13th to

22nd in the world rankings

despite a win, runner-up

and third-place LIV finish.

Russia banned

from Euro 2024

qualifying draw

SportS DeSk

Russia will not take part in

the draw for qualifying for

Euro 2024, UEFA and the

country's football federation

confirmed on Tuesday,

reports UNB.

The Russian national team

and Russian clubs were

banned from international

competitions earlier this

year by UEFA following the

invasion of Ukraine.

"All Russian teams are

currently suspended

following the decision of the

UEFA Executive Committee

of 28 February 2022 which

has further been confirmed

by the Court of Arbitration

for Sport on 15 July 2022,"

European football's

governing body said in a

statement.

"Russia is therefore not

included in the UEFA

European Football

Championship 2022-24

qualifying draw."

Russia saw an appeal

against the ban rejected by

CAS in July.

"The Union is currently

awaiting for the full text of

the CAS decision, following

the study of which a decision

will be made on further

steps," the Russian Football

Union said.

Russia were also banned

from the upcoming World

Cup in Qatar by FIFA.

The team had originally

qualified for the European

qualifying play-offs.

The Russian women's side

were also kicked out of this

year's Euro in England, with

their place taken by

Portugal.

The 2024 European

Championship will be

hosted by Germany, with the

qualifying draw set for

October 9 in Frankfurt.

US guarding against

overconfidence in

Presidents Cup

Sports Desk

The American team room at Quail Hollow

has photos of winning teams from the

Presidents Cup over the years, and it's a

wonder there's room for all of them.

The matches began in 1994. The

Americans have lost just once.

Captain Davis Love III would be quick to

point out one detail from the most recent

picture at Royal Melbourne three years ago:

Only four players from that team are at Quail

Hollow this week - Patrick Cantlay, Xander

Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau.

Go back to the last US victory on home soil,

at Liberty National, such a romp it almost

ended before Sunday singles. The only

players still around from that 2017 team are

Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

"We come into these things wanting to win

every time," Love said Tuesday. "I tell them,

'You don't have a record.' This 12 has never

competed as a team before. This team

understands. They want that picture next

time."

Odds are heavily stacked in their favor they

will pose with gold trophy again on Sunday.

It's one thing to have captured the Presidents

Cup the last eight meetings against the

International team, and 10 out of 12 times

(one ended in a tie).

Throw in the LIV Golf factor and this has

all the markings of another runaway.

Love has heard this story, too.

"We're used to being called the favorite,

even when we lose three Ryder Cups in a

row," said Love, who was on six "favored"

teams that didn't win a Ryder Cup or

Presidents Cup. "Statistically, yes, we have a

higher ranked team. But I know a bunch of

those young guys on their team, and they're

going to come in with a chip on their

shoulder."

Tuesday was the first full day of practice for

the 12-man teams on a Quail Hollow Club

course that is familiar to most from hosting

the Wells Fargo Championship most years,

and the PGA Championship in 2017.

Adding to the confidence for the US team

is the Ryder Cup one years ago at Whistling

Straits, a 19-9 victory against a European

team that was aging and had no support

from fans because of COVID-19 travel

restrictions.

Seven Americans return from the team.

Missing is LIV defector Dustin Johnson.

Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau

went to LIV, too, but both are still making

their way back from injury and probably

wouldn't have been on this team, anyway.

This team is so young that the player with

the most Presidents Cup experience is

Spieth, who turned 29 this summer and is

playing for the fourth time.

His idea to stay grounded was to compete

individually among a team setting.

"It's almost like we're all going to compete

against each other to get the most points we

can on our team. We want the bragging

rights on our own team," he said. "And if we

stay within ourselves, then I don't think you

get overconfident in the entire situation."

International captain Trevor Immelman

had a tougher time with LIV defections, with

two top-20 players - British Open champion

Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann - not

announcing their departures for the Saudibacked

league until three weeks ago.

He has eight Presidents Cup rookies on

this team. Only three of them are among the

top 25 in the world (all 12 Americans are in

the top 25).

But there's something about youth and

inexperience that has him encouraged.

"If you look at our record in this

tournament and you look at our world

rankings versus their world rankings, we

have absolutely nothing to lose," Immelman

said. "So we can go out there and play

absolutely as free as we want ... and see if we

can match up with crazy good skills the

Americans have."

Immelman is not willing to look back,

whether it's three years ago and the close call

at Royal Melbourne or three weeks ago when

the last of the players went over to LIV.

He said all of the players who left - starting

with good friend Louis Oosthuizen in June

right up until Smith and Niemann after the

Tour Championship - were in touch with

him about their thinking and their decisions.

And he said they all knew the ramifications.

"I respect those guys making those

decisions," he said. "I also do respect them

for keeping me in the loop and making sure

that I understand exactly where we're at at all

times so I could try and be as prepared as I

could. Am I disappointed that they're not

able to be here? Absolutely.

"But we have the 12 guys here that we love

and wanted to be here, and now we get to go.

We get to go up against a strong American

team. So we're looking forward."

(L-r) Captain trevor Immelman of the International team and Captain

Davis Love III of the US team speak during a press conference prior to the

2022 presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, North

Carolina.

photo: Ap

Storm clouds gather over France team

ahead of World Cup defense

SportS DeSk

Just two months before

France begin their defense of

the World Cup, the mood

around the team is in stark

contrast to the celebrations

that followed their win over

Croatia in the 2018 final,

reports UNB.

The clouds have been

gathering over coach Didier

Deschamps and his squad as

key players struggle with

injuries and personal

problems.

Meanwhile, the French

Football Federation (FFF) is

locked in a row over image

rights with its biggest star

and its president faces

accusations of inappropriate

behavior.

It all threatens to derail

France's campaign in Qatar.

More immediately, they go

into their final matches

before the World Cup this

week against Austria and

Denmark in the UEFA

Nations League with a

depleted squad.

Paul Pogba, a goal-scorer

in the 4-2 win over Croatia in

2018, is among the players

sidelined.

As the Juventus star

battles to recover from knee

surgery he has filed a

complaint with Italian

prosecutors saying he was

the target of a €13

million ($13m) blackmail

plot.

Pogba's brother Mathias is

one of five people charged

and detained in the case.

Paul Pogba reportedly told

investigators he was

effectively kidnapped by

childhood acquaintances

and threatened by two men

in balaclavas carrying assault

rifles, who accused him of

not having helped them

financially.

The ex-Manchester United

midfielder also said the

blackmailers wanted to

discredit him by claiming he

asked a witch doctor to cast a

spell on Kylian Mbappe,

another 2018 World Cup

hero.

"It is his word against his

brother's. I am going to trust

my teammate," Mbappe said

recently of Pogba and those

claims.

"I think it's in the interests

of the national team as well

with a big tournament

coming up."

Mbappe himself is

involved in a row with the

FFF that risks damaging

squad morale.

On Monday, their gettogether

at the chateau of

Clairefontaine, an hour's

drive from Paris, was

overshadowed by Mbappe's

refusal to participate in a

photo shoot because of the

FFF's unwillingness to

modify an agreement

regarding players' image

rights.

THURsdAY, sEPTEMBER 22, 2022

10

Mosharraf, Indraneil pairs up for ‘Hubba’

TBT REPORT

Popular Bangladeshi actor

Mosharraf Karim will be

seen acting in another film

of veteran Kolkata's film

director Bratya Basu after

'Dictionary'. The title of the

new film is 'Hubba'.

Mosharraf will play the

title role of the movie.

Kolkata's actor Indraneil

Sengupta will also be seen

acting in 'Hubba'. Indraneil

will play the role of a police

officer in 'Hubba', report

agencies.

The first lot shooting of

the movie has already been

completed but Mosharraf

Karim will stand before the

camera for the shooting of

the film in next month.

Apart from Mosharraf

Karim and Indraneil

Sengupta, the film also stars

Poulami Basu and Loknath

Dey in pivotal roles.

The screenplay of the film

is based on Abar

Goyendapith, written by

Supratim Sarkar. If all goes

according to plan, the film

will be released in the

summer of 2023.

The film is based on the

story of Hubba Shyamal,

popularly known as

Dawood Ibrahim in

Hooghly of India who

became a gangster in the

late 1990s. Hubba Shyamal

enjoyed the sole authority in

the dark world of gangsters

in Hooghly district.

‘Avatar 2’ image shows more

gorgeous underwater action

A new image from 'Avatar: The

Way of Water' reveals gorgeous

underwater action from James

Cameron's long-awaited sequel. The

first film was released in 2009 and

remains the highest-grossing film of

all time. Set more than a decade

after the first Avatar movie, The

Way of Water will feature the return

of Jake Sully and Neytiri and

introduce their four Na'vi children -

Neteyam, Lo'ak, Tuktirey, and Kiri.

Plot details for the sequel are

somewhat thin, though it is

expected to revolve around the Sully

family as they protect one another

from the various dangers on

Pandora.

Sam Worthington and Zoe

Saldaña return to lead the Avatar:

The Way of Water cast alongside

Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore,

CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, and

Matt Gerald, reprising their roles.

Sigourney Weaver also returns in a

shockingly different role - Jake and

Neytiri's adoptive teenage daughter,

Kiri. New cast members include

Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie

Falco, Jemaine Clement, Michelle

Yeoh, and Vin Diesel. Since Disney

confirmed Avatar 2's title, it was

clear the sequel would shift its focus

to Pandora's oceans.

Now, Empire Magazine has

revealed yet another look at Avatar

2's gorgeous underwater action. The

image shows a young Na'vi

swimming through a school of alien

fish with a slight smile on their face.

Though the name of this young

Na'vi is unspecified, it appears to be

one of Jake and Neytiri's female

children, either Kiri or Tuk.

Based on the movie's marketing so

far, it's clear the Avatar sequel has

He was sued in at least 30

cases, including cases for

murder, kidnapping and

drug trafficking. Despite

being arrested several

times, he secured bail.

After going missing in

2011, Hubba Shyamal's

decomposed body was

found floating in the

Vaidyabati canal. He was

shot dead.

Earlier, Mosharraf Karim

came to the discussion and

drew much appreciation in

the West Bengal after acting

in the film titled 'Dictionary'

directed by Bratya Basu.

The film recently won the

'Gautam Buddha Award' in

the 'Best Featured Film'

category in the Nepal

International Film Festival.

Although the trace of the

previous film's success is yet

to fade away, Musharraf

Karim once again

announced to work in

another film with the same

director.

two things going for it - water and

family. The first Avatar movie is

famous for its groundbreaking

visual effects, and Cameron

continues pushing the envelope on

the sequel. Cameron and his team

developed new technology to shoot

performance capture underwater to

film these immersive sequences like

the image above, a feat never

accomplished before that required

actors to hold their breaths

underwater for extended periods.

Besides gorgeous underwater

action, the Avatar sequel will also

see an increased focus on family,

with the teaser trailer featuring only

one line of spoken dialogue from

Jake Sully proclaiming, "This family

is our fortress." Of course, the James

Cameron-directed film is expected

to feature some stunning

underwater visuals. Yet, its familial

themes should give the sequel an

emotional throughline which some

feel the first film lacked. Audiences

can experience all Avatar: The Way

of Water has to offer when the

sequel releases in theaters on

December 16.

Source: Collider

Imran lends voice in

four new songs

TBT REPORT

National Film Award-winning singer

and musician Imran Mahmudul has

been enthralling the audience with his

magical voice for over the years. The

singer has recently lent his voice to four

new movie songs. The films are

'Aashirbaad', 'Birotto', 'Operation

Sundarban' and 'Damal'.

In the meantime, a song written by

Sudip Kumar Dip and composed by

Emon Saha in the movie 'Aashirbaad'

has been released. 'Bhalobasi Bola Hoye

Jai' from the film 'Birotto' directed by

Saidul Islam Rana was released last

Friday. The song is penned by the film's

director and the music is composed by

Golam Rabbi Sohag.

Meanwhile, Imran and Kona's new

song 'Taar Hawaate Chole Je Dana' was

released on Monday. The song is from

the film 'Operation Sundarbans' directed

by Dipankar Dipon. The lyrics of the

track have been written by Sudip Kumar

Dip while the music was composed by

Amlan Chakraborty.

The singer also lent his voice to

another film song 'Damal' directed by

Raihan Rafi. The song will be released

soon. The track is written by Russell

Mahmood and the music is composed by

Arafat Mohsin Nidhi.

About the songs, Imran said, "If the

'Aashirbaad' movie song released on

YouTube, it might be well received. I

have already got a good response for the

song 'Birotto'. The track 'Operation

Sundarban' is also amazing. I have lent

my voice to this song with Kona Apu. The

audience has a different love for both of

our songs. Besides, Nidhi has done a

good job on Damal's song. The lyrics are

also beautiful. The audience has a

fondness for Raihan Rafi's movies. I

BSA to hold award ceremony today

TBT REPORT

Shilpakala Padak 2019 and 2020 will be

distributed among the recipients at the

National Theatre Hall auditorium of

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA)

today evening.

A total of 18 cultural luminaries and

two revered cultural organisations will

receive the award.

President Abdul Hamid will join the

ceremony virtually as the chief guest.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan

Kamal and Cultural Affairs Secretary Md

Abul Monsur will grace the occasion as

the special guest with State Minister for

Cultural Affairs KM Khalid in the chair.

BSA Director General Liaquat Ali

Lucky will deliver welcome speech at the

programme.

A cultural programme will be held

followed by discussion and award giving

ceremony. BSA cultural troupe will

perform at the cultural section.

BSA Director General Liaquat Ali

Lucky shared the details of the award

ceremony at a press conference held at

the National Theater Hall seminar room

on Tuesday.

Shilpakala Academy Secretary Md.

Asaduzzaman and other officials of BSA

attended the programme.

Earlier, Bangladesh Shilpakala

Academy announced the names of 20

recipients for its prestigious Shilpakala

Padak 2019 and 2020 on June 12 in

2021.

The award has been conferred to

creative personalities for their

continuous contributions to arts, culture,

hope all songs of 'Damal' including

'Amar Gaanti' will be liked by the

audience."

On the work front, Imran performed at

a show in Gazipur on September 16. His

single track 'Ghum Ghum Chokhe' has

also received a good response. The song

has already got 4.5 million views on

YouTube.

entertainment and literature since 2013.

However, the award was not conferred

in 2019 and the ceremony could not take

place in 2020 due to the global corona

pandemic.

The recipients of the 2019 award are

Masud Ali Khan (dramatics),

Mohammad Moniruzzaman

(instrumental - flute), Lubna Marium

(dance), Hasina Momtaz (vocal), Abdul

Mannan (fine arts), M A Taher

(photography), Shamvu Acharaya

(folklore), Hasan Arif (recitation),

Anupam Hayat (film) and cultural

institution Chhayanaut (creative cultural

unit).

On the other hand, Malay Bhowmick

(dramatics), Shamsur Rahman

(instrumental - shehnai), Shibli

Mohammad (dance), Mahmudur

Rahman Benu (vocal), Shahid Kabir

(fine arts), Shafiqul Islam Swapan

(photography), Shah Alam Sarkar

(folklore), Dahlia Ahmed (recitation),

Shameem Akhtar (film) and Dinajpur

Nattya Samity (creative cultural unit)

were named for the award for 2020.

Each recipient will get a gold medal, a

cheque of Tk 1 lakh and a certificate.

Manike singer Yohani took 6 months,

3 teachers to get song right

Sri Lankan singer Yohani in a

recent chat with Pinkvilla

opened up about all the

challenges she faced to record

Thank God's Manike

featuring Sidharth Malhotra

and Nora Fatehi.

Ever since the trailer of the

film Thank God was released,

fans have been going gaga

over it. The trailer of the film

starring Sidharth Malhotra,

Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet

Singh has been loved by fans.

But the one thing in the film

that has grabbed all the

limelight is the first song titled

Manike which was released

last Friday. The song features

Nora Fatehi in a special

appearance and it is the

official Hindi remake of Sri

Lankan singer Yohani's

popular song Manike Mage

Hithe. Pinkvilla exclusively

spoke to Yohani and she

opened her heart about this

new song.

Yohani had always been

vocal about the fact that she

wanted to sing for a

Bollywood film. So when

asked about her reaction on

getting the opportunity to

sing in Thank God she said, "I

honestly didn't think that it

would be in a movie at first or

it would be translated into

Hindi and I would be able to

sing it at all when this song

first happened. But, I am so

glad that it happened and I

had to go through some

challenges to do the song

because it was in Hindi but I

think at the end of the day, it

all came together." Further

talking about the time she

took to learn Hindi, Yohani

said, "It took so long to be

honest. It took about 6

months and 3 teachers just to

get 1 song so I am not too sure

how I am going to get the rest

of it. But it was really

interesting for me because it

was a different language

altogether and learning it and

the meaning of it was really

fun so I enjoyed the process of

it. So that made me push

myself and learn it harder."

The video of Manike features

Sidharth Malhotra and Nora

Fatehi and their sizzling

chemistry has been winning

hearts. Talking about the

fabulous video, Yohani said,

"I absolutely love it. It's

amazing. I have watched it a

couple of times, the

choreography is also really

nice and I think Ganesh

Hegde has done an amazing

job, I love it. All of my friends

in Srilanka loved it too."

For the unversed, Thank

God marks Sidharth's first

theatrical release since 2019's

Marjaavaan. Thank God is a

T-Series Films & Maruti

International production,

produced by Bhushan

Kumar, Krishan Kumar,

Ashok Thakeria, Sunir

Kheterpal, Deepak Mukut,

Anand Pandit and Markand

Adhikari and co-produced by

Yash Shah.

This film marks Rakul Preet

Singh's third on-screen

collaboration with Ajay

Devgn after De De Pyaar De

and Runway 34. Sidharth and

Rakul Preet will also be

sharing the screen for the

third time, and they have

previously worked together in

Aiyaary and Marjaavaan

Source: Hindustan times

H O R O s c O P E

ARIEs

Finances should be going well, Aries,

but your financial affairs aren't

something you want to talk about to

anyone now. Perhaps you want to

make a decision that's yours and not influenced by

others. Nonetheless, a close friend or lover is going

to find out. Maybe they'll guess or maybe you'll let

it slip. Don't panic. This person understands you

and won't try to exert undue influence.

TAURUs

You're likely to be in a solitary mood

today, Taurus, and probably want to

spend the evening reading or working

on a project of your own. However, it

isn't likely to work out that way. Family could drop

by or some equipment could go on the blink and

require repairs. Some unexpected calls could come

your way. Take a deep breath and summon your

good manners. You can be alone tomorrow.

GEMINI

Today you might have a strange feeling

that something is wrong, perhaps in the

neighborhood or with a friend or

relative. This is probably going to

bother you all day, Gemini, so it might be a good idea

to call this person or otherwise look into the matter.

There's probably nothing really wrong, but someone

close to you may have just experienced a shock of

some kind.

cANcER

An organization with which you're

affiliated may be having financial

problems, and this fact could come out

today. It might be a shock to you and

everyone else involved, Cancer, but it's good that it's

coming out now. This revelation might have a

profound effect on your goals, and may necessitate

some reevaluation. Some intense discussion with

those around you is definitely indicated.

LEO

Some unexpected changes that have

been kept under wraps at the

workplace could come out soon. They

may involve reorganization or a change

of ownership. This is going profoundly affect your

attitude toward your job. It could cause you to

consider making a change of your own. This isn't the

time to make a decision. Take a few days to consider

your options before making up your mind.

VIRGO

Some disconcerting revelations about

your past or the past of someone close

to you could come out today. This

might be a bit of a shock, Virgo, but it's

a positive development, nonetheless. It will shed

some light on how to deal with current issues in your

life or a relationship. Write down your thoughts,

meditate, talk to a friend, or otherwise try to make

sense of it.

LIBRA

Something you might have wanted to keep

between you and a few trusted friends

could inadvertently be revealed, perhaps to

the wrong people. Frustration and a sense

of betrayal could plague you, but don't turn against those

who knew. Even though this can be disconcerting, you

can learn from it. Benjamin Franklin said, "Two people

can keep a secret only when one of them is dead."nd of

the day because of all the questions you ask!

scORPIO

Demands placed on you by work

colleagues could have you stressed,

Scorpio. You might feel that your coworkers

are taking unfair advantage

of you. This could start you thinking of perhaps

going into business for yourself or with a partner.

This could well be a great idea, but today isn't the

day to make a decision this monumental. Wait a

few days and give it some serious thought.

sAGITTARIUs

Stress and job frustration might have

you thinking about breaking free,

walking out the door, and going

somewhere else. Another thought is

likely to concern going back to school and training

for a career in another field. You might need a

vacation, and returning to school could be a great

idea in the future, but don't decide today. Wait a few

days at least.

cAPRIcORN

A close friend or loved one might drop

out of sight today. You may panic

when he or she doesn't return your

phone calls. Don't jump to

conclusions. They're preoccupied with matters that

for the moment appear important and will contact

you in time. When you do finally connect, you could

hear some interesting news. Relax, go about your

business, and look forward to the call.

AQUARIUs

A household member might toy with

the idea of moving out or going away

for a while, Aquarius. This could stress

you out, but don't make yourself crazy.

Don't try to talk him or her out of it. Listen

sympathetically and let your relative get it out of

their system. This person is probably feeling

temporarily restricted by forces outside the home

and isn't really likely to go anywhere.

PIscEs

Stress could have you feeling

uncommunicative today. You probably

aren't going to want to talk to anyone,

even your dearest friend, Pisces. This

might prove difficult, as people around you are

going to ask for advice and help. Keep your cool.

This feeling will pass, and you won't want anyone to

think you're upset. Go to lunch alone, and tonight

crash into bed with a good book.

thURsday, sePtembeR 22, 2022

11

Recently, organized a training program on Climate Resilient Local Infrastructure Center (CReLIC)

in Kashiani Upazila of Gopalganj.

Photo: Courtesy

LgeD organizes awareness

training program focusing

climate resilience

tBt DeSK

Recently, Local government engineering

Department (LgeD) organized a training

program on Climate Resilient Local

Infrastructure Center (CReLIC)

implemented through LgeD's 'Climate

Resilient

Infrastructure

Institutionalization Project (CRIM)' at

Bangabandhu Poverty Alleviation and

Rural Development Academy (BAPARD)

in Kashiani upazila of gopalganj. LgeD

Additional Chief engineer gopal Chandra

Debnath presided over the training

program. In the inaugural session, he

said, to ensure sustainable development,

climate resilient infrastructure must be

built. For this, climate resilient issues

should be included in LgeD project

formulation, implementation and

maintenance. At the same time, emphasis

should be placed on climate related

knowledge management and asset

management. LgeD Dhaka Division

Additional Chief engineer Manmath

Ranjan halder was present as the chief

guest in the training program. At the

time, he said, CReLIC will be the

knowledge base of LgeD. engineers from

all walks of life at LgeD should play a role

in establishing CReLIC, because the

world of the future will be climatechallenged

and now is the real time to

equip ourselves to survive. Md. Jasim

uddin, Project Director and Supervising

engineer (Planning) of CReLIC was

present as a special guest. he gave an idea

about the steps taken to institutionalize

the climate and the objectives and

activities of establishing CReLIC. he also

said that there is no alternative to

developing institutional capacity to build

climate resilient infrastructure.

LgeD Faridpur Region Supervising

engineer Saiful Islam Sahid and

Madaripur Region Supervising engineer

Khandkar Md. Mahbub hossain and IDC-

CReLIC team Leader Dr. Dan Bum were

present as special guests. A total of 60

engineers including LgeD executive

engineer, upazila engineer, senior

assistant engineer, upazila assistant

engineer of gopalganj, Faridpur,

Madaripur and Shariatpur districts

participated in this day-long awareness

training.

4th KSRM Awards

for Future Architects

2021-2022 begins

ChAttogRAM BuReAu

the fourth round of KSRM

Awards for Future

Architects 2021-2022 was

announced recently by the

Institute of Architects

(IAB).

Projects were invited

from the architecture

departments of the

government approved

universities.

the deadline for

submission of the projects

nominated by the

department heads is 25

September, while for the

digital copy the deadline is

6 November and for the

hardcopy it is 12

November. the result will

be announced on 13

November from 2pm till

8pm.

the display of the

selected projects will be

held from 14 to 17

November while the

winners will receive

awards on 17 November.

the award was

introduced in 2019 to

honour the new architects,

studio teachers and

educational institutions.

Putin sets partial mobilization

in Russia, threatens enemies

KYIV : Russian President Vladimir

Putin announced a partial mobilization

in Russia as the war in ukraine reaches

nearly seven months and Moscow loses

ground on the battlefield. Putin also

warned the West that "it's not a bluff"

that Russia would use all the means at

its disposal to protect its territory,

reports uNB.

the total number of reservists to be

called up is 300,000, officials said.

the Russian leader's televised

address to the nation released

Wednesday came a day after Russiancontrolled

regions in eastern and

southern ukraine announced plans to

hold votes on becoming integral parts

of Russia. Putin's remarks also come

against the backdrop of the u.N.

general Assembly in New York at

DMP arrests

50 for

consuming,

selling drugs

in city

DhAKA : As part of the antidrug

drive in the capital,

members of the Dhaka

Metropolitan Police (DMP)

have arrested a total of 50

people on charges of selling

and consuming drugs

during last 24 hours till 6am

on Wednesday.

According to a release

issued by the DMP, police

conducted the operations

against the drug sellers and

consumers in different areas

under various police

stations.

they also detained a total

of 50 drug traffickers and

recovered huge drugs from

their possessions from 6am

of September 20 to 6 am on

Wednesday.

During the anti-drug

drives, police seized 43.565

kilograms of cannabis

(ganja), 13,935 pieces of

yaba tablets, 8.5 grams of

heroin, two bottles of

phensidyle syrup and 20

drug injections from their

possessions, it said.

Police filed 32 cases

against the arrestees in these

connections with respective

police stations under the

Narcotics Control Act.

which Moscow was warned about its

referendum plans.

the Kremlin-backed efforts to

swallow up four regions could set the

stage for Moscow to escalate the war

following ukrainian successes. the

referendums, which have been

expected to take place since the first

months of the war, will start Friday in

the Luhansk, Kherson and partly

Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and

Donetsk regions.

Putin accused the West in engaging

in "nuclear blackmail" and noted

"statements of some high-ranking

representatives of the leading NAto

states about the possibility of using

nuclear weapons of mass destruction

against Russia."

"to those who allow themselves such

GD-1547/22 (7x3)

statements regarding Russia, I want to

remind you that our country also has

various means of destruction, and for

separate components and more

modern than those of NAto countries

and when the territorial integrity of our

country is threatened, to protect Russia

and our people, we will certainly use all

the means at our disposal," Putin said.

he added: "It's not a bluff."

Putin said he has signed a decree on

the partial mobilization, which is due to

start on Wednesday.

"We are talking about partial

mobilization, that is, only citizens who

are currently in the reserve will be

subject to conscription, and above all,

those who served in the armed forces

have a certain military specialty and

relevant experience," Putin said.

Iqvmv- R: Z: 417/2022

GD-1552/22 (7.5x4)

GD-1551/22 (9x4)

2209-27)2022-2023

Thursday, Dhaka : September 22, 2022; Ashwin 7, 1429 BS; Safar 25 , 1444 Hijri

Japanese national murder

HC upholds death

sentences of 4 JMB

men, acquits one

DHAKA : The High Court on

Wednesday upheld the death sentences

of four members of the banned

Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh

(JMB) for the 2015 murder of Japanese

national Hoshi Kunio.

A division bench of justices Md

Mostafizur Rahman and S M Masud

Hossain Dolon upheld the trial court

order after hearing the appeal petitions

of the convicts.

However, the court acquitted another

convict, Ishak Ali, for lack of evidence.

The four convicts are JMB regional

commander Masud Rana alias Mamun,

21, Liton Mia alias Rafique, 23,

Shakhawat Hossain, 32, and Ahsan

Ullah Ansari alias Biplob, 24.

Of them, Ahsan Ullah, a student of

Rangpur Begum Rokeya University, was

tried in absentia.

Additional attorney general Sheikh

Mohammad Morshed appeared for the

state while advocate Ahsan Ullah,

Shamsul Islam represented the convicts

ZiHAD RANA, BARiSAl BuREAu

Approximately 15 streets in Barisal

Nagar have been cut off from the grid

due to non-payment of outstanding

electricity bills. The West Zone

Power Distribution Company

(WZPDC), which is in charge of

power supply to the city, has cut off

the connection since Monday.

WZPDC Sales and Distribution

Division-2 Executive Engineer

(Acting) Md. Farooq Hossain said

that WZPDC owes Tk 59 crore to the

City Corporation. Eight roads under

WZPDC's Sales and Distribution

Division-II have been disconnected

for arrears.

The eight roads are Palashpur road

in the city, commercial area Bazar

Road and Port Road, residential area

College Road, Kaunia Branch Road,

road in front of New Bazar Police

Outpost, Natullabad Lutfur Rahman

Road and North Amanatganj Road.

Amjad Hossain, Executive

Engineer of WZPDC's Sales and

Distribution Division-2, said that 59

crore taka are owed to the City

Corporation.

A notice has been issued for recovery

of dues. A meeting has been held

with the Barisal Divisional

Commissioner and senior officials to

collect the dues. But as there is no

solution the connection is disconnected.

Seven roads have been deenergized

under it.

The roads are Kalijira Road, Zia

Road, Dhangbeshna Road, Tiakhali

Road, Kalushah Road, Nabagram

Road and Battala. The electric lights

in the High Court.

On February 28, 2017, Rangpur special

judge Naresh Chandra Sarkar sentenced

the five JMB men to death in connection

with the murder of the Japanese

national. They were also fined Tk

20,000 each. Later, the convicts filed

appeal petitions before the High Court

against the trial court judgment.

On July 10, 2016, police pressed

charges against seven members of the

banned JMB in connection with the

murder.

Of the charge-sheeted accused, Nazrul

Islam alias Hassan alias Bike Hassan of

Panchagarh district and Saddam

Hossain alias Rahul alias Chanchal alias

Sabuj alias Robi of Rajshahi district died

in separate "gunfights" in Rajshahi and

Dhaka's Mohammadpur area, respectively

in 2016.

Kunio, 65, was gunned down by

assailants near his farmhouse at

Kachu Alutary in Kaunia upazila on

October 3 in 2015.

WZPDC cuts off electricity

connection for outstanding

electricity bills

of the branch roads in 30 areas of

these roads are not burning.

Swapan Kumar Das, administrative

officer of Barisal City

Corporation, said that on September

18, 80 lakhs was deposited. After

that the electricity connection was

disconnected without giving any

notice. 12 water lifting motors have

been cut off.

He also said that he has noticed the

matter since Tuesday. If water cannot

be extracted, there will be water

shortage in the city. Alternative

arrangements will be made to

resolve this.

However, the administrative officer

Swapan claimed that WZPDC

will get Tk 422 million.Nurul Islam,

assistant engineer of management

and conservation circle of WZPDC

Barisal, said that the city corporation

has not been paying the electricity

bill for a long time.

It has a huge amount as a bill. I am

under pressure from the ministry for

not being able to withdraw that

money. Therefore, the operation of

disconnecting the electricity of the

street lights of the city corporation

has started. We are accountable to

the government.

ATM Tariqul Islam, Supervising

Engineer of Management and

Conservation Circle, said that letters

have been sent to them numerous

times for payment of dues. But there

was no expected response from the

city corporation. The last payment

date was 18 September.

Momen in New York

No specific info

given by the US on

sanctioning Rab,

its top officials

NEW YORK : Foreign Minister AK

Abdul Momen has said that the US government

provided no specific information

to Bangladesh on the sanctioning of

the country's special security force,

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), and some

of its top serving and former officials.

He said this in reply to a question during

a media briefing on Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina's programmes during

the 77th session of the UNGA in New

York on Tuesday.

The foreign minister said Bangladesh

government repeatedly wanted to know

about the reason about the sanctions the

US imposed in December last year for

alleged rights abuses.

"Still they have not given any correct

and specific information. So, we do not

know. Besides, the US has habit of

imposing sanction on different countries.

So, it is their matter," he said.

The minister praised the Rab for combating

terrorism in the country.

In this regard, he said there has been no

terrorist incident in the country after the

Holey Artisan attack on July 1, 2016.

"That was the last one," he added.

47 addl SPs

promoted to SP

DHAKA : The government today promoted

a total of 47 Additional Superintendents of

Police (Addl SPs) to the rank of the

Superintendent of Police (SPs).

Public Security Division of the Home

Ministry has issued a gazette notification

signed by its Deputy Secretary Dhananjay

Kumar Das in this regard.

The government has given the promotion

to these Additional SPs upon a recommendation

by the Departmental

Promotion Committee (DPC) of the

Home Ministry.

According to the ministry notification,

the newly promoted SPs are Addl SP of

Police Headquarters Md Azizul Islam,

Addl SP of DMP Hossain Mohammad

Kabir Bhuiyan, Addl SP of Police

Headquarters Dr Chowdhury Md jabber

Sadek and more Addl SPs.

The ministry has also instructed the

newly promoted officers to join to the

Senior Secretary of the Public Security

Division through proper channel or

through e-mail immediately. The promotion

will be effective from the date of the

joining of the newly promoted officers.

12 fishermen

rescued

from Bay

DHAKA : Bangladesh Navy has rescued

12 fishermen who were floating in the

Bay of Bengal for two days after the

engine of their fishing trawler went out

of order. All the fishermen, hailing from

Kutubdia, were handed over to the

owner of the trawler.

Bangladesh Navy vessel 'Padma' rescued

the fishermen on Tuesday, according

to a press release from Bangladesh

Navy. The engine of the trawler named

'FB Gausul Azam' with the fishermen

went out of order on Sunday near

Kutubdia, it added.

The fishermen were also given first aid

and food.

Approximately

15 streets in

Barisal Nagar

have been cut

off from the

grid due to

nonpayment

of

outstanding

electricity bills.

Photo : TBT

Make medication available in

community clinics to combat

hypertension: Experts

DHAKA : As hypertension has become

a serious health concern in Bangladesh

killing thousands of people every year,

health experts at a workshop have

emphasised the need for ensuring the

availability of quality treatment and

medicines in all community clinics to

combat the disease.

They also urged the policymakers to

carry out an awareness campaign as

hypertension, a non-communicable

disease, can be prevented largely by

changing lifestyle and food habits.

Research and advocacy organisation

PROGGA with the support of Global

Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI)

arranged the two-day workshop for

journalists titled "Hypertension and

Heart Health" at the conference room of

Bangladesh Institute of Planners on

Tuesday and Wednesday.

Thirty journalists from print, television,

and online media houses participated in

the workshop where noted public health

experts, including Dr Syed Mahfuzul

Huq, National Professional Officer

(NCD), World Health Organization

Bangladesh, Professor Dr Sohel Reza

Choudhury, Head of Department of

Epidemiology and Research, National

DHAKA : The United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) and Asian University

for Women (AUW) have joined hands to

create a safe and tolerant digital space

through UNDP's Partnerships for a Tolerant

and Inclusive Bangladesh (PTIB) project.

Under this partnership, UNDP and

AUW organized a three-day long

hackathon titled "Digital Khichuri

Challenge for Pathway to Peaceful

Societies: Catalyzing Youth as Responsible

Citizens" from September 18 to 20.

The six finalists from more than 50

applications of the hackathon presented

their ideas on September 20.

"Team Illuminate" and "Let's Spared

Humanity" were the winners for their

ideas to promote peace and tolerance by

creating different content on social media

and raising awareness of the students of

AUW and beyond. The winners received

Tk 50,000 as a grant to implement the initial

ideas and will receive a mentorship

programme from UNDP.

The event was attended by Asif Uddin

Ahmed, Assistant Professor and Director of

MBA Program, University of Liberal Arts

Bangladesh (ULAB), Dr. Beena Khurana,

Dean Of Arts AND Sciences, Asian University

for Women, Dr. David Taylor, Dean Of

Humanities, AUW Suman Chatterjee,

Director of Student Recruitment and Acting

Dean of Students, AUW, Mr Mohammad

Masudur Rahman, Instructor in Performing

Heart Foundation, Professor Dr S M

Mustafa Zaman, Department of

Cardiology at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Medical University (BSMMU), Professor

Dr Malay Kanti Mridha, Director of

Center for Non-Communicable Disease

and Nutrition, BRAC James P Grant

School of Public Health, Muhammad

Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country

Lead, GHAI, spoke about various aspects

about hypertension.

They said a large number of people in

Bangladesh suffer from hypertension

which poses various health risks.

Stating that one in every five (21%)

adults in Bangladesh is suffering from

hypertension, they said most of themhalf

of the women (51%) and two-thirds

of men (67%)--are unaware that they

have hypertension.

The experts warned that hypertension

can silently damage different parts

of the body. "In many cases, there are no

specific warning signs or symptoms of

hypertension.

However, in some cases of hypertension,

symptoms like morning

headaches, nosebleeds, irregular heartbeats,

vision changes, and buzzing in

the ears may occur."

Safe Digital Space

AUW, UNDP to promote

intercommunal,

religious harmony

Arts, AUW, Md Abdul Quayyum, Head of

Communications, UNDP Bangladesh,

Farhana Shahnaz, Communications Officer,

PTIB, UNDP, Habibur Rahman, Associate

Coordinator, CRI, Dr. Ahmedul Kabir,

Assistant Professor of Chemistry and

Biochemistry, AUW and Robert Stoelman,

Project Manager, UNDP along with representatives

from various national and international

NGOs, and faculties from AUW.

"There's plenty of potential in our society

which can be realized through better

communication. The DKC is such a platform

to convert such potential candidates

into change-makers," said Md Abdul

Quayyum, Head of Communications,

UNDP Bangladesh

Asif Uddin Ahmed, Assistant Professor

and Director of MBA Program, University of

Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), stated that

"We need more powerful young women in

society. There are plenty of young women

who are very willing to access the world of

learning, but we have to initiate the change

and ensure their access."

This year, there will be five Digital

Khichuri Challenge cohorts across the

country where ICT Division, Red

Orange Media and Communications,

and Better Stories Limited are supporting

as strategic partners and Barisal

Youth Society (BYS), Chalkboard

Communications, and Peace Maker

Studio as implementing partners.

Dhupdani is

used in all Pujas

(worships)

of Hindu

community. But

during Durga

puja, demand of

Dhupdani is

high. So now,

the people of

Pal communities

of Bogura

district are

passing busy

hour for

making it. Each

Dhupdani is

wholesaled at

Tk 40 to

50 at different

areas.

Photo :

Azahar Ali

Home Minister for

peaceful solution

with Myanmar

DHAKA : Terming Bangladesh is a peace

loving country, Home Minister

Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said

mortar shelling issue will be resolved

through mutual talks with Myanmar.

"We achieved our independent through

war, so we are the nation of heroes," he

said after a high-level meeting at his ministry

conference room because of repeated

mortar shell firing on Bangladesh territory

from Myanmar, reports BSS.

"Our Prime Minister is not in the country.

We are observing a situation that Myanmar

Army is engaged in war with Arakan Army,

which ammunition is coming across the

border to our country," he said.

"After the meeting, we have come to the

conclusion that our national policy is

friendship to all and malice towards none.

We always discourage war," he said.

"Not a single Rohingya will be allowed

to enter Bangladesh. The Border Guard

Bangladesh and law enforcing agencies

are also working to this end," he said.

Mentioning that on Friday a person was

killed and some others were wounded

when mortar shells fired on a camp from

Myanmar side, Kamal said that

Bangladesh strongly condemned it.

Nasrul seeks JICA's help

in modernising power-gas

transmission, distribution

in south-western region

DHAKA : State Minister for Power,

Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul

Hamid has sought the cooperation of

Japan International Cooperation Agency

(JICA) to modernise the gas and electricity

transmission and distribution systems

in the country's south-western region.

He made the call at a meeting with

JICA's newly appointed Chief

Representative to Bangladesh Tomohide

Ichiguchi at the latter's office at the

Secretariat on Wednesday.

"After construction of the Padma

Bridge, a rapid development is taking

place in the south-western part of the

country. JICA can play a major role in

modernising electricity transmission and

distribution systems in the region,"he told

Tomohide.

During the meeting they discussed various

issues related to mutual interest.

Welcoming the newly appointed chief

representative, Nasrul Hamid said that

JICA is one of the main development partners

of Bangladesh.

He also requested the JICA local chief to

extend cooperation to Bangladesh Power

Management Institute (BPMI) to make it

an international quality training institute

for the development of human resources.

He observed that a huge investment

opportunity has been created in the distribution

and transmission sector.

He also requested the JICA to conduct a

study on local area-based load management

and possible power transmission to

meet the requirements.

Integrated master plan for energy and

power, renewable energy, wind power,

change in electricity consumption pattern,

energy demand in industry, modernization

of power and energy sector,

land development of Maheshkhali, gas

pipeline installation projects also came

up for discussion.

The JICA chief representative said,

Bangladesh is his old work station.

22-09-2022

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?