13-10-2022

THRusDAy, OCTOBER 13, 2022

2

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Pabna district branch organized a day-long tree plantation in

Pabna on October 12. After planting trees in different roads of Hemayetpur, Kazipara in the morning,

at noon, trees were planted in the premises of Pabna Ali Madrasa. Pabna District Council Chief

Executive Officer Kazi Atiyur Rahman inaugurated the tree planting program as the chief guest in

the Madrasa premises.

Photo: Abdul Hamid Khan

1388

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Date : 12/10/22

Covid-19:

Bangladesh

reports 2 more

deaths, 456

cases

DHAKA : Bangladesh

reported two more deaths

from Covid-19 and 456 fresh

cases in 24 hours till

Wednesday morning.

The country's total

fatalities rose to 29,388 with

the new deaths. The new

cases raised the country's

total caseload to 2,031,006,

according to the Directorate

General of Health Services

(DGHS).

The daily case test

positivity rate rose to 9.57

per cent from Tuesday's

8.86 per as 4,763 samples

were tested.

The latest deceased were

women from Dhaka and

Chattogram divisions.

The mortality rate

remained unchanged at 1.45

percent and the recovery

rate at 97.08 per cent.

In September, the country

reported 40 Covid-linked

deaths and 13,251 cases.

Bangladesh registered its

highest daily caseload of

16,230 on July 28 last year

and its highest number of

fatalities of 264 on August 10

the same year.

Bangladesh appoints career

diplomat Nazrul Islam as

ambassador to Qatar

DHAKA : The government has appointed career diplomat Md.

Nazrul Islam as the new Ambassador of Bangladesh to the State

of Qatar.

He will succeed Ambassador Md. Jashim Uddin , the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday.

Ambassador Nazrul Islam is a career foreign service officer

belonging to the 15th batch of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS)

Foreign Affairs cadre.

He is currently serving as Ambassador of Bangladesh to

Ethiopia with concurrent accreditation to Sudan, South Sudan,

Burundi and African Union (AU).

In his distinguished diplomatic career, Islam also served in

different capacities at Bangladesh Missions in Rome, Kolkata

and Geneva and had been engaged in many important

multilateral negotiations for the government.

At the headquarters, he worked in various capacities in

different wings.

Islam obtained his Masters in International Relations from

Dhaka University and had undergone higher studies and

trainings in France, the Netherlands and elsewhere.

13 muggers held in Dhaka

DHAKA : Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has detained

13muggers gang from different areas of the capital.

A team of Rab-3 detained the muggers after conducting

simultaneous drives in Shahjahanpur, Motijheel and Paltan

areas on Tuesday night, said Commanding Officer of RAB-3, Lt

Col Arif Mohiuddin Ahmed.

The elite force also seized sharp weapons and a mobile phone

from their possession.

During primary questioning, the alleged gang members said

they used to mug people in these areas brandishing sharp

weapons.

Legal steps have been taken against the detainees, the officer

added.

DMP arrests

55 for selling,

consuming

drugs in city

DHAKA : Members of the

Detective Branch (DB) of the

Dhaka Metropolitan Police

(DMP) in several anti-drug

raids arrested a total of 55

people on charges of selling

and consuming drugs

during the last 24 hours till

6am, yesterday.

The DB in association with

local police carried out the

drives simultaneously at

different parts of the

metropolis from 6am of

October 11 to 6am yesterday,

according to a DMP release.

In separate anti-drug raids,

police seized huge drugs

from their possessions.

During the anti-drug

raids, police seized 30,970

pieces of contraband yaba

tablets, 9.590 kilograms and

105 puria (small packet) of

cannabis (ganja), 19 grams

of heroin, 20 bottles of

phensidyle syrup and 03

bottles of foreign made

liquor from their

possessions, the release

added.

Police filed 39 separate

cases against the arrestees in

these connections with

respective police stations

under the Narcotics Control

Act.

GD-1659/22 (5x4)

GD-1655/22 (8x4)

ThURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022

3

A seminar titled Bangabandhu and Scandinavia was held at DU yesterday. Pro-Vice Chancellor of the

University Prof Dr ASM Maksud Kamal was present as Chief guest in the program. Photo : Courtesy

Accelerate gas exploration to

overcome energy crisis: ICCB

DHAKA : Bangladesh should move

faster with its exploration activities

both on-shore and off-shore to replace

expensive LNG with its own natural gas

reserve as long as such a resource base

is scientifically reckoned, said the

International Chamber of Commerce-

Bangladesh (ICCB).

Dependence on LNG imports may

work out in the short-term, but in the

long-run, the price volatility and

current global economic uncertainty

would make import unsustainable and

put pressure on much needed foreign

exchange reserves, according to the

editorial of the current news bulletin of

the ICCB released on Wednesday.

The government of Bangladesh is

aiming to achieve export earnings of

US$100 billion by 2026. But with the

on-going energy crisis it might be

difficult to achieve the target as

production in most of the industries are

well below their capacity due to

frequent shut down, ICCB said.

It has been 10 years since the

government has successfully won the

maritime boundary dispute in the Bay

of Bengal.

According to experts, the deltaic build

of mainland Bangladesh and its

offshore, for all geo-scientific reasons,

have been rated as highly prospective

areas for natural gas.

"Proof of such a rating is evidenced in

the adjacent areas bordering

Bangladesh, notably the offshore

Rakhaine basin in Myanmar where

large-scale gas fields have been

discovered since the maritime dispute

with Bangladesh was settled in 2012,"

reads the editorial.

In 2026, Bangladesh will become a

middle income country and as such is

going to lose a number of benefits of

LDCs.

Besides, with the declining foreign

exchange reserve, the country is

expected to be hard-pressed in the next

2/3 years when the debt re-payment

becomes due.

In addition, US$26 billion debt

repayment of the private sector

borrowing may also make it difficult to

manage foreign debt repayment,

according to the editorial.

The transition to a low-carbon

economy is continuing to gain

momentum in the long-term shift to

low-carbon energy systems and has

been accelerating in several respects, it

said.

In the context of COP26, developed

countries as well as many large

corporate houses have committed to

achieving net zero emissions within the

next few decades to fight the climate

change catastrophe.

The Russia-Ukraine war is certainly a

reason for the global energy crisis

which also affected Bangladesh. But

experts said with all certainty that even

if the war had not taken place,

Bangladesh would have still faced an

energy crisis.

The production and supply from local

gas fields has been declining since 2015

and will continue to decline in the near

future.

On the other hand, geoscientific

studies testify that there is more

untapped natural gas in Bangladesh

than what has so far been extracted.

A two-year joint study (2001) by the

US Geological Survey (USGS) and

Petrobangla shows that Bangladesh

has a mean probability (50%) of

undiscovered natural gas resource to

the tune of about 32 trillion cubic feet

(Tcf).

The Norwegian Petroleum

Directorate (NDP) and Hydrocarbon

Unit (HCU) in another joint study

(2001) suggested that the mean

probability of Bangladesh's

undiscovered gas resources is 42 Tcf. In

2011 Ramboll, a European oil and gas

consultant, updated the undiscovered

gas resource assessments for

Bangladesh and suggested that it is 34

Tcf in 90% probability.

According to experts, Bangladesh

consumes about one trillion cubic feet

of gas per year. It means that by

exploring the untapped gas resource of

32-34 Tcf, the country can be ensured

of gas supply for the next 30 years.

Although Bangladesh has further

potential in the gas sector, the number

of exploration gas wells is less than

many other gas basins in the world,

ICCB said.

Bangladesh has an area of 147,000

sq. km and has so far drilled about 100

exploratory wells in total. Indian State

of Tripura, on the other hand, has an

area of 10,000 sq. km and has drilled

more than 150 exploratory wells.

Such a statistic shows how poor the

rate of exploration in Bangladesh

actually is. Yet, Bangladesh discovered

more gas reserves than Tripura.

Out of 25,500MW of electricity

generation capacity, 3,500 MW is offgrid

(solar home and captive), while

4,000 MW cannot be operational

because of forced/ unforced shutdown

and fuel shortage.

A discussion meeting was held yesterday in Satkhira on the occasion of 3rd death anniversary of the

founder of Government Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah College-Abdul Mazid.

Photo : Courtesy

New IGP Chow

Mamun adorned

with rank badge

DHAKA : In presence of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina, the newly

appointed Inspector General of Police

(IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun

was adorned with the IGP rank badge

yesterday.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan

Kamal completed the formalities at the

Ganobhaban, official residence of the

Prime Minister, said a press release.

Md Akter Hossain, senior secretary

of the Public Security Division under

the Home Ministry and senior officials

to the Prime Minister's Office were

present on the occasion.

On September 30, Chowdhury

Abdullah Al Mamun took over the

charge as the new IGP.

Later, he paid tribute to Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman by placing wreaths at

Tungipara.

Alumni Association in

UK to celebrate Dhaka

University’s birth centenary

DHAKA : Dhaka University

Alumni Association UK

(DUAAUK) is going to celebrate

the 100th birth anniversary of the

university under the theme "100

Years of Pride" at The Willow's

Event venue on Forest Road in

Redbridge Heinault area on

Sunday.

"The program will commence on

October 16 at 12:00pm. Exstudents

of Dhaka University and

their families who are scattered

across Europe will join the event to

celebrate the founding day of their

beloved institution," said Bulbul

Hasan, Convener of the event

organizing committee.

According to event organizers,

current and past presidents and

general secretaries of the central

committee of Dhaka University

Alumni Association will be invited

as guests. The cultural segment of

the event will include

performances by noted musician

Shafin Ahmed and the alumni

themselves.

DUAAUK will also unveil a

special publication marking the

day at the event.

Online registration for the event

has already started. For

registration and more information,

visit www.duaauk.com.

Reliable, accessible climate data is crucial

for resilient development: Experts

DHAKA : Experts at a regional

conference yesterday said reliable and

accessible climate data is critical for

resilient development.

They stressed making climate data

accessible and creating a path for

transformative and integrated

collaboration in the Hindu Kush

Himalaya region.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft f?r

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

GmbH, in collaboration with the

Ministry of Environment, Forest and

Climate Change, the Department of

Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the

Programming Division of the

Bangladesh Planning Commission

(PC), organised the two-day conference

titled "Climate data: Opportunities for

resilient development" at Hotel

InterContinental here.

Deputy Minister for Environment,

Forest and Climate Change Habibun

Nahar addressed the inaugural session

of the conference as the chief guest.

Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik, Additional

Secretary, chaired the inaugural

session, while Nusrat Noman, Joint

Secretary, Programming Division,

Bangladesh Planning Commission,

spoke as special guest.

Bangladesh, one of the most

vulnerable countries to climate change

impacts, has formulated policies and

plans to combat these impacts as

reflected in the National Adaptation

Programmes of Action (NAPA), the

Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy

and Action Plan, the Mujib Climate

Prosperity Plan. However, it is crucial

to have access to climate data and

climate risk information to implement

these plans.

The two-day conference gives various

stakeholders a chance to deliberate on

barriers and opportunities in accessing

climate risk information.

On the first day, speakers explained

the status, and analysed the various

challenges of climate data availability

and accessibility in the region. Day two

of the conference is slated for sharing

the existing good practices and lay

foundations for partnerships.

The speakers explored technical

solutions to issues pertaining to the

lack of up-to-date, reliable, and

accessible climate data, and allowed

practitioners to network in finding

innovative solutions.

Malik Fida A Khan, Executive

Director, Centre for Environment and

Geographical Information Services

(CEGIS), presented the keynote paper

at the opening session, offering the

status of climate data and accessibility

in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region.

Panelists included Sudip Pradhan,

Programme Coordinator, International

Center for Integrated Mountain

Development (ICIMOD); Anuj

Sharma, Co-Founder, Earth Analytics;

Hasna Jamiuddin Moudud, Councilor,

South and East Asia, International

Union for Conservation of Nature

(IUCN); and Shamim Ahmed Mridha,

Founder, Eco-Network Bangladesh.

Over the course of the conference,

participants also got the chance to

browse through existing good practices

in terms of research, good practices,

communications, government

initiatives, youth movements, and the

German technical cooperation's

support in climate change adaptation

effort.

The first day ended with the

screening of the award-winning

documentary "Once You Know". The

document was released in February

2022, immediately leaving a mark on

viewers because of its deeply emotional

display of the impacts of climate

change. Directed by Emmanuel

Cappelin, the documentary was shared

with GIZ Bangladesh to be screened for

participants at the conference

Participants at the conference were

also able to attend an art exhibition

held over the course of the conference.

The exhibition showcased art works

by children from the Sirajganj

municipality area. These children have

witnessed the impacts of climate

change firsthand, with many of them

forced to take shelter in Sirajganj town.

These children and their families are

being supported by the Adaptation to

Climate Change in Urban Areas

Programme in GIZ Bangladesh.

Department of Disaster Management and Resilience under Faculty of Arts and Social Science

(FASS), Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) organized a two-day long 'Disaster

Management Exercise (DMX) 2.0. The inaugural program was held yesterday. Photo : Courtesy

Army Chief returns

home after

Switzerland visit

DHAKA : Chief of Army

Staff General SM

Shafiuddin Ahmed

returned home from

Switzerland on Tuesday

morning after a seven-day

official visit. During the

visit, he visited

'Rheinmetall Air Defence

Company' the weaponsmanufacturing

factory of

the Switzerland, said an

ISPR press release. The

state-of-the-art Oerlikon

Air Defence system made

by the company has

already been inducted into

Bangladesh Army. The

remaining Oerlikon Gun

System procured is in the

process of being

manufactured which will

be observed by the Chief of

Army Staff to verify its

effectiveness.

The Army Chief also paid

courtesy call on the highups

of the Switzerland

Armed Forces and

Switzerland Army.

During the meetings,

General Shafiuddin

discussed bilateral military

relations and other mutual

cooperation between the

two countries. The army

chief went to Switzerland

on October 4.

Govt is implementing

development projects through

PPP-Monnujan Sufian

KHULNA : State Minister for Labour and

Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian

yesterday said the government is

implementing various projects to develop

different sectors including agriculture,

fisheries, live stock, tourism and small and

heavy industries under the public-private

partnerships (PPP) projects across the

country.

"In order to grow more entrepreneurs

and reduce pressure on the state coffer, the

government has decided to enhance

environment friendly development," she

said while addressing a stakeholder's

workshop on Project Development

through PPP as chief guest.

The workshop was organized jointly by

Public Private Partnership Authority

(PPPE), Bangladesh Textile Mills

Corporation (BTMC) and Khulna

Development Authority (KDA) at a

community center here in order to identify

potential private investment through PPP

in Khulna Textile Mill site.

Chaired by KDA Chairman Brigadier

General S M Merazul Islam, Parliament

members Naryan Chandra Chanda,

Advocate Gloria Sarkar Jharna and Khulna

Divisional Commissioner Zahirul Islam

Chowdhury addressed as special guests.

Project Director of BTMC Kazi Feroz

Hossain delivered the welcome speech

while Chairman of BTMC Brigadier

General Md Zakir Hossain, Director

General of PPPA Pronab Kumar Ghosh,

PPP expert under Prime Minister's Office

(PMO) Md Abul Bashar and Director of

BTMC Md Rokibul Bari, among others,

addressed the workshop.

Representatives of Khulna Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Frozen

Food Exporters Association, Bangladesh

Jute Association, Khulna City Corporation

(KCC), leaders of different citizen's group,

REHAB, BIDA and trade bodies attended

the workshop.

In the question and answer session, most

of the participants demanded to set up

environment friendly economically viable

project.

They also sought investments for setting

up of amusement parks, ICT based training

institute, shopping mall with cine-complex

or textile village, resort to boost up the

tourism sector surrounding the

Sundarbans.

Located in a prime location in the city

near KDA New Market area, BTMC has

established Khulna Textile Mill on 25.63

acres of land that had been shut down

during the BNP regime in 1993. The lands

along with scrap machineries of the Mill

were unused around last 29 years. The

present government has taken up initiative

now to set up environment friendly

development project in the site.

Super cyclone 'Sitrang' unlikely to hit Bangladesh coast: State Minister

DHAKA :There is no possibility of

super cyclone 'Sitrang' - to be formed

over the Bay of Bengal - hitting

Bangladesh coast, State Minister for

Disaster Management and Relief Md

Enamur Rahman said yesterday.

No depression has formed in the Bay

yet, he said at a press briefing on

International Disaster Mitigation Day

at the Secretariat.

The state minister said the Global

Forecast Center (GFS) has shared a

message that super cyclone 'Sitrang'

may hit the coastal areas this month.

GFS said a depression will form in the

Bay on October 17 and will intensify

into a cyclonic storm. It may hit parts of

West Bengal and the Sundarbans

through Andhra Pradesh, he added.

It can be similar to Cyclone Amphan,

he added. "Our meteorologists are

monitoring and reported that no

depression has formed in the Bay yet."

"If the cyclone hits this region it will

be called 'Sitrang', named by Thailand,"

Enamur added.

Japan and Indian Meteorological

Departments will work jointly with

Bangladesh. "We will take action on our

preparations when we come to a

decision."

He also said the government is

prepared to deal with the cyclone

although there is no specific

information. The state minister said all

the field level administration, district

administration and volunteers have

been instructed to be ready to tackle the

cyclone.

THURSDAy, OCTOBER 13, 2022

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Bangladesh's

performance

against poverty

Astudy report of UK's Oxford University has

found enough evidence of the poverty

situation in Bangladesh as improving. In fact,

it certified Bangladesh as a star performer against

poverty among other developing countries. This

study comes in the wake of a similar report from the

UN about significant decline in poverty worldwide

among developing countries with Bangladesh

included in this positive phenomenon.

The government in Bangladesh also has been

supporting such views for quite some time. The

official Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS)

provided the information from its research in 2011

that poverty rate of Bangladesh had dropped to 31.5

per cent in 2010, reflecting an 8.5 percentage point

decline in the last five years.

Some analysts are even suggesting that poverty

would be a thing for the museum for the future

generations of Bangladeshis. But to the more careful

observers, the signs of fast receding poverty are

probably not so much in evidence .

At least they would say that 'sustainable' poverty

reduction may not be happening. Sometimes some

groups of people are rising above the poverty line.

But not all of them probably retain their poverty

free existence. From natural calamities to

indebtedness and the bites of inflation, many of

them again slip down below the poverty line. A

reputed think tank came up with its own researchsometime

ago-that some 30 to 40 million people

may have, contrary to otherwise glowing reports,

actually relapsed back into poverty from shrinking

economic opportunities and the ravages of high

inflation in the last couple of years.

As it is, creating conditions for sustainable poverty

alleviation are hardly noted. The incomes of certain

sections of people are no doubt rising. But in many

cases these are not the results of productive

ventures. Bangladeshis from overseas are sending

monies in greater amounts to their families. The

recipient families of such monies at home are

experiencing greater purchasing power.

But on the other side there is also the poor getting

poorer from less opportunities to increase their

income. Middle class families in many cases are

being forced to live out of their savings as their

incomes are not going up any and current incomes

are too inadequate in the face of runaway inflation.

Income disparities are rising along with wealth

concentration in a few hands.

Thus, it is still not appropriate to say definitively

about large scale poverty reduction in Bangladesh.

The whole issue deserves far greater study to

ascertain both the extent of poverty alleviation as

well as the means to attain 'sustainable poverty

alleviation.'

Kingdom's US critics must have missed Zelensky's thanks to Riyadh

No sooner had the OPEC+ oil

producers' alliance decided last

week to reduce output in November

by 2 million barrels per day, than a barrage

of criticism from Washington was homing

in on its target like a heat-seeking missile -

and that target was, of course, Saudi Arabia.

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut (D)

called for "a wholesale re-revaluation of the

US alliance with Saudi Arabia," and White

House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

said it was "clear OPEC+ is aligning with

Russia."

One wonders where these people were in

March, when Saudi Arabia joined 140 other

countries at the UN in denouncing the

Russian invasion of Ukraine.

One also wonders if any of them listened

to Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz

bin Salman's thorough rationale after the

OPEC+ meeting. He explained, among

other things, that the alliance had to be

proactive as central banks in the West

moved to tackle inflation with higher

interest rates - which would make a global

recession more likely and lead to reduced

demand for oil.

One has to wonder whether the

Kingdom's US critics think they are more

committed to Ukraine's interests than the

country's own president!

Conspiracy theorists can say what they

want, but the job of OPEC+ job isn't to give

Washington a slap in the face, or to side

with Moscow against Ukraine. The alliance

exists to safeguard the stability of the oil

market - a market that keeps the world

turning.

Now, it is true that the Kingdom has

There is hardly a conflictual environment

in the Middle East that is not subject to

foreign input. And among these, the Gaza

conundrum stands out as one of the prime

examples.

The Gaza conundrum in essence has two

components. The first is that the territory is

not self-sufficient. With some 80% of its

population aid-dependent, the very

existence of Gaza is conditional on foreign

assistance. This is in essence provided by

Qatar and by Western governments that

mostly channel their contributions through

the UN system or through the European

community.

The second component is that since

2007, Gaza has been ruled by Hamas, a

politico-religious movement that in essence

is dedicated to the destruction of the state

of Israel. Granted the two on occasion talk

to each other, but in terms of substance

they are incompatible, to the extent that

one is dedicated to the destruction of the

other.

The end result is a situation of perennial

conflict - a situation that serves the interests

of no one, be it the donors, the people of

Gaza, or the countries adjoining Gaza,

namely Israel and Egypt.

It is a given that the parties directly

concerned are not even close to crafting a

formula that would ensure a tangible

degree of peace and stability for Gaza. Thus

the upshot for the foreseeable future is

either a continuation of the current state of

conflict or a solution, with one caveat: Just

maintained good relations with Moscow,

and offered to be a reliable mediator in this

conflict. However, when the value of these

relations is recognized by none other than

Volodymyr Zelensky, one has to wonder

whether those Democrats in Washington

think they are more committed to

Ukraine's interests than the country's own

president!

In a video interview with Arab News last

week, Zelensky thanked the Kingdom and

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for

their efforts to broker the largest prisoner

swap of the war, with almost 300 detainees

exchanged. "Given the ties that the crown

prince has with Russia, probably it was, you

know, a good chance of success, and I'm

very much thankful to him for this brilliant

result," he said.

Incidentally, among the prisoners

released by Russia were two Americans -

and while the White House and the State

Department issued brief statements

thanking Riyadh for its role, the silence

from Saudi Arabia's critics in Congress was

deafening. Of course, the mid-term

elections are only four weeks away, and

thanking the Kingdom doesn't win votes.

as the continued existence of Gaza is

predicated on outside input, a solution can

only be envisaged if imposed from the

outside.

The first requirement for such an

approach would be for a consortium of

donors to adopt a master plan on the

understanding that they would be ready

ruthlessly to cut all funding or assistance

for Gaza whatever the consequences if the

master plan is not implemented. Such a

master plan should be endorsed by Egypt

as its leading force and also by Saudi

Arabia. Israel should concur with the

master plan but take a back seat regarding

its implementation.

The next step would require that, barring

a major policy change, the top leadership of

Hamas with their extended families be

encouraged to accept an honorable and safe

retirement in an Arab country. Conversely,

the various social services put up by Hamas

should be preserved but under a different

FAISAL J. ABBAS

This is not a criticism only of Democrats;

Riyadh has worked very well in the past

with both major US political parties. Rather

it is a plea to opportunist politicians to stop

treating the Kingdom like an electoral

football, to be given a kicking every time

Americans go to the polls. Saudis are not

responsible for your internal woes, or your

ill-advised decisions.

Take the recent call by some Democrats

This is not a criticism only of Democrats; Riyadh has worked very well in

the past with both major US political parties. Rather it is a plea to

opportunist politicians to stop treating the Kingdom like an electoral

football, to be given a kicking every time Americans go to the polls. Saudis

are not responsible for your internal woes, or your ill-advised decisions.

for a halt to US arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

While this obviously goes down well with

some voters, it raises serious questions

about these politicians' understanding of

basic logic.

Texas is a lot nearer than Riyadh. But

perhaps Biden feels hamstrung by the

pledge he made on the election campaign

trail in New Hampshire in February 2020.

Allow me to simplify it for them. The

Tehran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen

use Iranian drones (the same drones used

by Russia against Ukraine) to target not

only Saudi civilians, but also Saudi energy

infrastructure. Now, what happens when

the Kingdom's ability to defend itself is

limited because of ill-advised US decisions,

and fuel supplies are restricted because a

A dream? The Palestinian Republic of Gaza

ALEXANDER CASELLA

leadership.

Simultaneously, based on the master

plan, the consortium of donors led by Egypt

would set up in Gaza a provisional

administration, or even a UN Trusteeship

supported by a strong contingent of UN

Peacekeepers from Arab countries. This

administration would proclaim

independence, adopt a constitution and

sign a peace treaty with Israel. All the

current inhabitants of Gaza would be

granted full citizenship of the new state.

The next step would require that, barring a major policy

change, the top leadership of Hamas with their extended

families be encouraged to accept an honorable and safe

retirement in an Arab country. Conversely, the various

social services put up by Hamas should be preserved but

under a different leadership.

In demographic terms, this would be a

viable proposition, especially when

considering that the population density of

Gaza is some 5,500 inhabitants per square

kilometer as opposed to some 7,700 for

Singapore.

With access to the sea, a generally welleducated

population and substantial gas

reserves offshore, Gaza, thanks to its

location, could well become a prosperous

production hub at the junction between the

drone has blown up a refinery? Basic

economics: prices will go up - precisely the

outcome these politicians say they are

trying to avoid!

Americans must understand that the

price of fuel at the pump for US motorists -

the issue that so exercises US politicians as

polling day draws closer - is a consequence

of decisions made not in Vienna or Riyadh,

but in Washington. As the Saudi Minister of

State Adel Al-Jubeir so cogently observed

to Fox News: "The reason you have high

prices in the US is because you have a

refining shortage that has been in existence

for more than 20 years. You haven't built

refineries in decades."

One final point: If the price of gasoline is

such a worry for the Biden administration,

then the solution surely lies closer to home;

the US is the world's biggest oil producer,

and Texas is a lot nearer than Riyadh. But

perhaps the president feels hamstrung by

the pledge he made on the election

campaign trail in New Hampshire in

February 2020: "No more drilling on

federal lands, period. Period, period,

period"- another error of judgment for

which the blame can hardly be laid at the

door of Saudi Arabia.

Like so many US issues, fuel prices can be

solved in America itself. But that would

require the Democrats to swallow their

pride, to be reasonable in negotiation with

the other side of the House, and to put

America first… something they have not yet

proved they can do!

Faisal J. Abbas is the editor in chief of

Arab News

Middle East and Europe.

Such an approach would not only require

a commitment by donors to support the

new state on the road to self-sufficiency but

also a commitment by Gaza to implement a

legal and political environment consonant

with international norms.

In parallel, the "right of return"

pertaining to the Palestinian refugees

currently in Gaza, if only for emotional

reasons, should be addressed. This would

entail some compensation including, a

massive construction effort that would

provide the citizens of Gaza of Palestinian

origin with full property rights to a new

abode.

Left to the vagaries of the Middle East,

the Palestinian Republic of Gaza will never

see the light of day. Granted, the project is

doable and, whatever the snags, the end

result should be better than the current

conundrum. Conversely, what is lacking is

both the political will to confront the issue

and the courage to do so.

And given the dearth of leaders in the

global political establishment, the

emergence of a government with a

visionary figure who would take such a

cause in hand is to say the least unlikely.

Alexander Casella PhD has taught and

worked as a journalist for the likes of Le

Monde, The Times, The New York Times,

Die Zeit, The Guardian, and Swiss radio

and TV, writing primarily on China and

Vietnam

Iranian, Turkish moves to join SCO raise its profile

Held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan,

from September 15 to 16, the 2022

summit of the SCO Heads of State

Council demonstrated that the Shanghai

Cooperation Organization was continuing

to evolve into a viable international

political congregation independent from

the West.

In the early 19th century, international

organizations (IOs) began to emerge as

modest arbiters of European affairs. But

during and after World War II, new IOs

established themselves as far more

prominent actors on a global scale. The

United Nations, the Arab League, the

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting

Countries (OPEC), the Association of

Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and

several other IOs were created to manage

the affairs of their member states.

After the Soviet collapse, more IOs were

created to manage the independence of

new states, globalization, and regional

cooperation. The Commonwealth of

Independent States (CIS), created in 1991,

attempted to coordinate military,

economic, and political policies among

post-Soviet states. The European Union

and the African Union (AU), created in

1993 and 2002 respectively, bound

member states more forcefully to

common economic and political norms.

Other IOs, such as the Arctic Council

(1996) and Asia Cooperation Dialogue

(2002), aimed to foster broader regional

cooperation.

Most new international organizations

meshed neatly with the Western-led

liberal world order. But in 2001, the

formation of the Shanghai Cooperation

Organization was formally announced,

and it established itself as an exclusionary

outlier. Originally known as the Shanghai

Five when it was created in 1996, it

comprised China, Russia, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, with

Uzbekistan later joining when it evolved

into the SCO in 2001.

The SCO was created partly to help

coordinate a new era of peaceful relations

between Moscow and Beijing and to

manage their coalescing interests in

Central Asian states. In addition,

combating the "Three Evils" of

extremism, separatism and terrorism

were major priorities for the organization,

which included data and intelligence

sharing and common military drills

among its member states.

Over time, the SCO began to embrace

greater political and economic

integration. Support for autocratic rule

and limiting criticism of human-rights

violations set it apart from other Westernaligned

IOs, with the SCO also overseeing

the growth of joint energy projects, the

fostering of trade agreements, and the

introduction of the SCO Interbank

Consortium in 2005 "to organize a

mechanism for financing and banking

services in investment projects supported

by the governments of the SCO member

states."

But the organization's most pressing

vocation was facilitating a multipolar

world order. Investing in an independent

forum for economic, political, and

military affairs outside of Western

influence became a key component of

Russian and Chinese attempts to reduce

Western power in global affairs.

Russia and China have also developed

complementary mechanisms to the SCO,

which have helped decentralize its

mission.

After the blacklisting of several Russian

banks from the Society for Worldwide

Interbank Financial Telecommunication

(SWIFT) in 2014, for example, the

Kremlin approved the creation of the

System for Transfer of Financial

Messages (SPFS) to replicate SWIFT and

introduced the National Payment Card

System (now known as Mir), while China

created the Cross-Border Interbank

Payment System (CIPS).

These initiatives even proved attractive

to states that were more aligned with the

Western-led global order. India and

Pakistan began SCO accession talks in

2015 and officially joined the organization

in 2017.

Despite relatively positive relations with

the West, India and Pakistan have both

faced Western criticism over human

rights and democratic backsliding in

recent years. India's introduction of

platforms like RuPay in 2012 and Unified

JOHN P RUEHL

Payments Interface, which eroded the

traditional dominance of Visa and

Mastercard in the country, also

complemented the SCO's attempts to

reduce Western economic preeminence

globally.

At the 2022 summit of the SCO Heads

of State Council, Uzbek President Shavkat

Mirziyoyev reiterated that the SCO was

not an anti-US or anti-NATO alliance. But

the organization's original motive to

create a multipolar world was echoed in

its Samarkand Declaration, the final

declaration of this meeting, and continues

to conflict with Washington's attempts to

maintain the US-led world order.

According to the declaration, the

member states confirmed "their

commitment to [the] formation of a more

representative, democratic, just and

multipolar world order."

This core stratagem continues to appeal

to countries around the world. Alongside

the leaders of its eight member states, the

SCO invited the presidents of Belarus,

Mongolia and Iran as official observers to

the recent summit. Having started its

accession process in 2021, Iran signed a

memorandum of understanding with the

SCO to join the institution by April 2023.

The SCO would likely alleviate Iran's

sense of economic isolation stemming

from Western sanctions, a sentiment

shared by Iranian officials at the summit

and something that was also noted back

in 2007. Belarus has also found itself

under increasing sanctions in recent years

and enhanced its accession procedures to

join the SCO in Samarkand.

The presidents of Azerbaijan,

Turkmenistan and Turkey were also

invited to the SCO summit as special

guests, with Turkish President Recep

Tayyip Erdogan announcing that his

country would seek full membership to

the SCO.

In 2012, Erdogan joked to Russian

President Vladimir Putin about

abandoning Turkey's EU aspirations if

Russia would allow it into the SCO.

Turkey's renewed attempt comes at a time

when its ties with the rest of the Western

world are increasingly strained and could

instigate other NATO states, and

potentially EU states, to join the SCO as

well.

The SCO has also established strong

relations with other IOs. Representatives

from ASEAN, the UN, the Russiandominated

CIS, the Collective Security

Treaty Organization (CSTO), and the

Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) were

invited to the 2022 summit. Notably

absent were any representatives from the

EU or the North Atlantic Treaty

Organizaion.

Meanwhile, in 2005, the US was

rejected from gaining observer status,

solidifying the SCO's status as a bulwark

against US influence in Eurasia.Like all

major international organizations, the

SCO faces systemic obstacles that hinder

its effectiveness and long-term viability.

At the recent summit in Uzbekistan,

China's Xi Jinping was welcomed to the

country by his Uzbek counterpart,

Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Putin, however, was

greeted by Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla

Aripov, highlighting Russia's strained

relations with many of the former Soviet

states and the growing strength of Beijing

over Moscow. Unlike in the CSTO and the

EAEU, Russia is not the dominant actor

in the SCO, and will increasingly have to

contend with China's predominant

authority.

Disputes also remain between SCO

member states. India and Pakistan, for

example, are afflicted with an ongoing

struggle over Kashmir. China and India

have their own territorial disputes and

have engaged in minor violent skirmishes

since India joined the SCO.

Additionally, deadly clashes between

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan erupted during

the recent summit, while admitting

Armenia and Azerbaijan, both of which

are SCO dialogue partners, will only

further increase the number of members

currently locked in their own territorial

disputes.

John P Ruehl is an Australian-

American journalist living in

Washington, DC. He is a contributing

editor to Strategic Policy and a

contributor to several other foreignaffairs

publications.

THuRSDAy, oCToBeR 13, 2022

5

ASHley BRoADWATeR

Experiencing chest pain is scary and

shouldn't be ignored. At best, it's

uncomfortable; at worst, it's a

concerning warning sign. Chest pain is

also fairly common: Non-traumatic

chest pain is the second-most frequent

cause of emergency department visits

among adults, accounting for as many as

8 million visits a year, according to a

2016 study in JAMA Internal Medicine.

With so many potential causes of chest

pain (which we'll get into in a bit), how

do you know what you're dealing with?

Is it heart-related pain or something

else?

As someone who has struggled with

chest pain on and off for years, with a few

guesses at the culprit - anxiety, asthma,

costochondritis - I know, to some

degree, what that fear is like. I reached

out to cardiologists for their input on

what to look for.

One thing to monitor is when the pain

arises.

"Chest discomfort that is heart-related

is usually described as a chest discomfort

that is worse with exertion," said Dr.

Estelle Jean, a cardiologist from

MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in

Olney, Maryland. "Patients typically

describe the chest discomfort as

tightness, pressure, heaviness,

squeezing, a band-like sensation or

heartburn." She added the pain is

usually gradual in both the onset and

offset.

If the chest pain is secondary to

blockages of heart arteries, you may also

notice other signs. For example, the pain

"may radiate to the left arm, shoulder or

How to tell if your chest pain is

a heart problem

Chest pain can have many causes?

Photo: Getty

jaw, and can be associated with other

symptoms such as trouble breathing,

lightheadedness, sweating or nausea and

vomiting," said Dr. Adriana Quinones-

Camacho, a cardiologist and the chief of

medicine at NYU Langone Health's

Manhattan campus.

Both Jean and Quinones-Camacho

agreed that rest is crucial - along with

talking to a doctor, of course. "Any chest

pain symptoms should be taken very

seriously and fully evaluated by a health

care provider," Quinones-Camacho said.

Let's start with what chest pain that's

not related to the heart usually looks like.

Jean said it's "typically described as a

sharp pain that is worse with deep

breathing or coughing, pain localized

with one finger, pain worse with

movement or palpation, and fleeting

pains lasting a few seconds or less."

Gastroesophageal reflux disease

(GERD), or acid reflux, is when stomach

acid comes back up your esophagus.

(Yup, it's as bad as it sounds.) You may

notice heartburn after eating, difficulty

swallowing and coughing. Jean

suggested treating GERD with antacids,

such as Tums or Rolaids.

Asthma is a condition where your

airways narrow and produce extra

mucus. Signs include wheezing while

exhaling, shortness of breath and

coughing. If you have asthma, talk to

your doctor about getting an inhaler if

you don't already have one (and make

sure you get a new one once your current

one expires).

Like many mental illnesses, anxiety

can cause physical issues, such as chest

pain. Besides worrying, people with

generalized anxiety disorder may also

overthink, struggle with uncertainty and

be unable to relax or concentrate. Both

psychotherapy and anti-anxiety

medication can help, Jean said.

"Strategies to reduce stress can include

meditation, yoga, sleeping at least 7 to 8

hours at night, eating a heart-healthy

diet and engaging in regular exercise,"

she added. Heart-healthy foods that

cardiologists eat include fruit,

vegetables, lean meat and whole grains.

Skipping warm-ups before exercising,

contact injuries, lifting things while

twisting your body and muscle fatigue

can all cause muscle strain.

Pay attention to any bruising, pain

while breathing, swelling and difficulty

moving. If you faint, get dizzy, vomit,

have a fever, get sleepy or struggle to

breathe after, go to the emergency room

immediately. Otherwise, Quinones-

Camacho said the issue should resolve

on its own.

Among the other potential causes of

chest pain are chest wall issues, stomach

ulcers, a pulmonary embolism and

pneumonia. Getting your doctor's input

on your specific case is important. At the

very least, consider calling a nurse

support line. Insurance companies often

offer this as part of their benefits.

How to tell the difference between

soreness and injury after a workout

JilliAn WilSon

Muscle soreness after a tough

workout is your body's

natural reaction to exercise.

In fact, "a little bit of

inflammation is part of how

the body signals that it's

going to rebuild," said Aimee

Layton, an assistant

professor of applied

physiology at Columbia

University and a member of

the Peloton Health and

Wellness Advisory Council.

But pain is not normal;

instead, it can be a sign of

injury - and a cue to rest and

let your body heal.

"It's important not to

ignore your body when it's

signaling pain," Layton said.

"There's a reason pain

receptors exist."

A little bit of soreness when

you're building muscle -

which is OK - is quite

different from a sharp pain

"that you should not push

through," she added.

How exactly can you know

the difference? Experts told

about the signs that indicate

an injury after a workout and

what to do about it.

One red flag is swelling

around a joint after a

workout, according to Dr.

Michael Fredericson, a sports

medicine physician at

Stanford Health Care.

Any stiffness around joints

in the knees, hips, ankles or

lower back is also

concerning, he said, while

adding that stiffness around

a muscle you worked out is

normal.

You should take notice if

joint or muscle stiffness is

ever "impairing your ability

to walk," Fredericson said. If

that's the case, you should get

in touch with your doctor.

"Soreness will usually come

in one to two days after the

workout," Layton said.

Injuries, meanwhile, are

much more immediate.

"The pain from injury

usually occurs during the

workout" or directly

afterward, she added.

You may notice that a

muscle hurts once you stop

using it, for example. Cases in

which you might

immediately feel pain include

making a misstep while

running or overexerting your

shoulder while lifting

weights.

No matter how much

warming up or stretching you

do, an injury won't get less

painful, Layton said. Doing

forward bends is not going to

make a pulled hamstring feel

better, for example. Instead,

it will probably feel worse as

you warm up - and will

definitely feel worse if you try

to work out.

But when you are just

dealing with soreness rather

than an injury, a prolonged

warmup will make the

muscle feel better as you get

it moving, Layton said.

If you notice a mild injury,

"the typical recommendation

is the RICE method" - or

using rest, ice, compression

and elevation - Fredericson

said. This approach is most

helpful within two days of an

injury, particularly if there is

swelling, he added.

To minimize any swelling

in the first 24 to 48 hours,

you will want to compress the

injured area and elevate it

above the level of your heart.

This "can be helpful to drain

the fluid," Fredericson said.

If you're well beyond the

48-hour mark or the RICE

method hasn't alleviated the

pain when you work out, you

may need to see a doctor,

Layton stressed. The RICE

method is still helpful, but

you can couple it with

additional treatment from

your doctor or a sports

performance center, she

added.

You're probably well aware

of the benefits of a good

warmup and cooldown when

exercising. A warmup gets

your body ready for a

workout, while a cooldown

reduces your heart rate

afterward.

Both decrease the risk of

injury and intense soreness

after strenuous exercise. You

should be warming your

body up and cooling it down

before and after every

workout, Fredericson

stressed.

"You don't want to just

jump into vigorous exercise,"

he said. Instead, start with

easy movements like jogging

or jumping rope.

You can end a workout

with so-called dynamic

stretching - referring to leg

swings and other fastmoving

stretches - as well as

static stretching, which

entails holding a position for

20 seconds or longer.

But you shouldn't do static

stretching before a workout,

Fredericson said. Instead,

save this for after you

exercise.

If you want to take your

after-workout recovery to the

next level, sports massages or

deep-tissue massages can

help, Fredericson said.

Another option is to use a

foam roller. When combined

with stretching, "that's a way

to kind of do your own deeptissue

massage," Fredericson

said.

Theragun devices and

similar tools can also help

massage your sore muscles,

he added.

Everyone has a "biological

envelope," or the limit of

activity that a person's body

can handle, Fredericson said.

Much of preventing injuries

while promoting a healthy

fitness routine relates to

"getting to know your body

and understanding what

your body can tolerate," he

said.

If your body can't

accommodate a certain kind

of exercise, it is more likely to

cause joint swelling or deeper

muscle soreness, he said.

Most people instinctively

know the difference between

pain and soreness-related

discomfort, Layton added.

"There is a level of

discomfort when we're

exercising that is normal,"

she said, like running for that

extra 15 seconds to build

endurance or, sometimes,

just committing to a day's

workout. But pain is very

different, and you shouldn't

ignore it.

Soreness usually sets in a day or two after a workout. But pain from an injury can be felt much faster.

Photo: Rapeepong Puttakumwong

A bike ride counts toward your weekly vigorous physical activity goal.

Photo: Thomas Barwick

How many minutes of exercise

per week could help extend life

HeAlTH DeSk

It's well-known that

consistent exercise is good

for you, and a new study

published in Circulation ?

the American Heart

Association's scientific

journal ? underscores this

notion.

The study of 116,221

adults found that people

who went above and

beyond the minimum

guidelines for moderate or

vigorous physical activity

had a lower risk of

premature mortality.

The U.S. Department of

Health and Human

Services' current physical

activity guidelines

recommend that each

week, adults get 150 to 300

minutes of moderate

physical activity or 75 to

150 minutes of vigorous

physical activity "or an

equivalent combination of

both," the study notes.

This study defined

moderate physical activity

as walking, weightlifting

and doing lower-intensity

exercise. It categorized

exercises like running,

bicycling and swimming

as vigorous physical

activity.

Study participants selfreported

their leisure time

physical activity (so not

any physical activity at

work or otherwise) via

questionnaires over the

course of 30 years.

From there, the study

reported that those who

worked out two to four

times over the minimum

amount of exercise had a

lower risk of death from

cardiovascular disease, as

well as any other cause.

Specifically, the study

reported that those who


times above the moderate

physical activity

recommendations

(around 300 to 599

minutes per week) saw the

most benefit. Participants

had "26% to 31% lower allcause

mortality, 28% to

38% lower

[cardiovascular] mortality,

and 25% to 27% lower

non-[cardiovascular]"

mortality, according to the

study.

Study participants who


times above the vigorous

physical activity

recommendations

(around 150 to 299

minutes per week) were

found to have "21% to 23%

lower all-cause mortality,

27% to 33% lower

[cardiovascular] mortality,

and 19% lower non-

[cardiovascular]

mortality," the study

reported.

These numbers are in

comparison to those who

reported zero (or almost

zero) weekly physical

activity.

While committing to

weekly exercise is no

doubt good for you, it

should be noted that since

study participants

reported their own

physical activity there is

room for error.

Additionally, the results

also only imply an

association between more

exercise and lower risk of

premature death.

However, tons of previous

research has shown that

exercise is extremely

beneficial for our health -

so it's not exactly a

surprise that the study

found a correlation

between physical activity

and improved longevity.

If the findings motivate

you and you're now

interested in trying more

intense bicycling or

walking for the first time,

give it a go.

Just make sure you start

slow. According to Dr.

Elizabeth C. Gardner,

associate professor of

orthopedic surgery and

sports medicine at Yale

Medicine, "whenever you

are introducing a new

activity into your workout

regime ... initially, start

with 10 minutes of [the]

activity, such as brisk

walking, in the middle of

an easier walk."

This can help slowly

introduce the new

moderate or vigorous

activity into your routine.

From there, you can

increase the duration or

pace over the course of the

coming weeks, she noted.

Intense workouts

require

proper

preparation to make sure

your body is ready.

Gardner said you should

make sure you're

hydrated, ate something to

fuel you through the

workout and did a

dynamic warm-up, "which

activates the muscles that

you will be using in your

chosen activity," she said.

Specifically, Gardner

recommended that during

your warm-up, you

replicate the movements

of the exercise you're

about to do. For example,

doing high-knees before a

run or stretching out your

arm before a round of

tennis.

This is a "good way to

make sure that your

muscles and joints are

ready for the workout," she

said.

"It is also very important

to complement moderate

intensity exercise with

strength workouts ? it is

generally recommended

that people strength train

twice per week," Gardner

said.

This helps increase

muscle mass, maintains

bone strength and

maintains balance, she

added.

Plus, weightlifting was

categorized as moderate

physical activity in this

study, so by doing strength

workouts twice per week,

you'll be well on your way

to achieving the minimum

workout guidelines - or

going above and beyond.

thurSday, oCtoBer 13, 2022

6

on Wednesday in the hall of Moulvibazar Zilla parishad, the 53rd founding anniversary was

celebrated through a discussion meeting and cutting a cake.

photo: alok Kanti dev

JSL founding

anniversary

celebrated in

Sunamganj

aK Milon, SunaMganJ

CorreSpondent:

The founding anniversary

of the Jatiya Sramik

League (JSL) was

celebrated in Sunamganj

on Wednesday. On this

day in 1969, Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,

the greatest Bengali, father

of the Bengali nation,

founded the country's

largest Jatiya Sramik

League. Therefore, on the

occasion of the 53rd

anniversary of the

movement, struggle and

success of this

organization built by

Bangabandhu, Jatiya

Sramik League Sunamganj

district branch is

celebrating the day

through various programs.

In the morning, national

and party flags were

hoisted at the office of the

organization; tributes

were paid to the portrait of

the father of the nation.

Discussion session and

cake cutting was held at

Hasanraja Auditorium,

the new Shilpakala

Academy in the city.

In the presentation of

Taibur Rahman Raj,

member secretary of

Municipal Sramik

League, General

Secretary of District

Sramik League Saiful

Islam Mubin, Vice

President Md. Mohsin

Mia, Vice President Abu

Hanif, Joint General

Secretary Badrul Alam

Sumon, Md. Jahangir

Alam, Organizing

Secretary Didarul Bashar

Apu, Office Secretary

Shahin Miah, Joint

Publicity Secretary Amir

Sheikh, Youth Labor

League General Secretary

AK Milon Ahmed, Sadar

Upazila Sramik League

General Secretary

Mithun Chandra, Rezaul

Hossain, Yasin Mia,

Tanveer Ahmad Moinul

Islam, Masuk Ahmad

spoke at the meeting.

BSMRSTU celebrates World

Mental Health Day

S M naZrul iSlaM, gopalganJ CorreSpondent:

World Mental Health Day-2022 was

celebrated by the Department of Psychology

of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

University of Science and Technology

(BSMRSTU) in Gopalganj. On this occasion,

processions and discussions were organized

in the university. On Wednesday morning,

the procession started from the front of the

administrative building of Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University of

Science and Technology and went around

the various roads of the campus and ended at

the same place.

A discussion meeting was held on the

theme of 'Mental health and well-being for

all should be a national priority' in room 202

of the academic building at noon. The

discussion meeting was presided over by

Nusrat Sharmin, president of the

Department of Psychology, the main article

was presented by Dr. Sumana Dutta,

Assistant Professor of Psychology, St.

Xavier's University, Kolkata.

Proctor of the university, Dr Md. Raziur

Rahman spoke as a special guest, Dean of the

Faculty of Biological Sciences, Mohammad

Ali Khan, Assistant Professor of Statistics,

Presidency University, Kolkata, Suman

Guho and others.

Speakers in the discussion session

shed light on the importance of mental

health. The president of the teacher's

association in the programs, Dr. Md.

Kamruzzaman, Bangla department

president Zakia Sultana Mukta along

with teachers and students of psychology

department and invited guests

participated in the program.

on the occasion of World Mental health day-2022, processions and discussions

were organized in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur rahman university of

Science and technology (BSMrStu).

photo: S M nazrul islam

Residential houses being

built by cutting hill

Mohiuddin Shagor, ChattograM City CorreSpondent:

Construction of residential houses is ongoing

on the banks of the Jheel under the Khulshi

police station of the port city. On the banks of

the Masterline Jheel, the environment

department and the railway land

department are constantly showing thumbs

up to illegal hill cutting and railway land

grabbing.

Two couples including Dhani and Dhani's

brother Suman and his wife are building a

house by cutting a hill on the banks of the

lake. The construction of the structure,

which has already been cut through the hill

behind the old house, is almost at its final

stage. Numerous encroachers have been

living illegally on the banks of the lake in the

railway area for a long time. Recently there

was an eviction operation in this area, but the

eviction operation stopped due to some

unknown reason.

A local resident, who did not wish to be

named, said that they have now started

cutting mountains to encroach. Saiful, a

leader of the government party, is

encouraging them from behind.

the founding anniversary of the Jatiya Sramik league (JSl) was celebrated in Sunamganj on

Wednesday.

photo: ak Milon

JSL 53rd founding

anniversary observed

in Moulvibazar

aloK Kanti dev, MoulviBaZar

CorreSpondent:

On the occasion of the 53rd

founding anniversary of

Jatiya Sramik League (JSL),

a cake cutting program and

discussion meeting was

organized by Moulvibazar

district branch. On

Wednesday in the hall of

Moulvibazar Zilla Parishad,

the 53rd founding

anniversary was celebrated

through a discussion

meeting and cutting a cake.

Moulvibazar District

Jatiya Sramik League

District Branch President

Md. Asad Hossain Makku

presided over and General

Secretary Md. Zakaria

Ahmad conducted the event

where Moulvibazar -

Member of Parliament for 3

constituencies, Neshar

Ahmad MP, was present as

the chief guest. Chairman of

Zilla Parishad and General

Secretary of District Awami

League Misbahur Rahman,

Mayor of Moulvibazar

Municipality Fazlur

Rahman, Chairman of

Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila

Parishad Kamal Hossain

and others were present as

special guests. Leaders of

various units of Jatiya

Sramik League Moulvibazar

district branch were also

present.

One killed in

Gopalganj

road accident

GOPALGANJ: A man was

killed in a road accident on

Gopalganj-Poysarhat

regional road in the west

side of Tarashi bus stand

area under Kotalipara

upazila of the district

yesterday morning, reports

BSS.

The victim was identified

as Ankan Biswas, 22, son of

Pallab Biswas, resident of

Tarashi village in Kotalipara

upazila of the district.

The accident occurred

when a Poysarhat-bound

passenger bus from

Gopalganj hit him when he

was crossing the road in the

area at around 9.45 am,

leaving him seriously

injured, inspector of

Kotalipara Police Station

Zillur Rahman said.

He was rushed to

Kotalipara Upazila Health

Complex, where he

succumbed to his injuries,

he said.

Police seized the bus from

the spot, but its driver and

helper managed to flee

away.

Two killed in

Narayanganj

road accident

narayanganJ: Two

people, including a college

student, were killed and

four others injured in a road

accident on the Dhaka-

Sylhet highway in Palla area

under Araihazar upazila of

the district yesterday

morning, reports BSS.

One of the deceased was

identified as Md Nafiz. He

was a class XI student of

Safar Ali College and the

other is an unidentified

male aged approximately

55.

The accident occurred in

the area when a Narsingdibound

bus of Badhan

Paribahan crashed into a

CNG-run auto-rickshaw

coming from opposite

direction around 8am,

leaving its two passengers

dead on the spot and four

others injured, Officer-in-

Charge (OC) of Araihazar

police station Azizul Haque

Hawlader said.

The injured were taken to

Dhaka Medical College and

Hospital (DMCH), he said.

The bodies of the victims

were recovered from the

spot and sent to the Sadar

General Hospital morgue

for post-mortem, the OC

added.

Rooppur 2nd unit RPV to

be set up in 19 October

gopal odhiKari, iShWardi CorreSpondent:

All preparations have been completed to set

up the main reactor pressure vessel of the

second unit of Rooppur nuclear power plant

in Ishwardi.

GSM Zafarullah, President of

Monitoring Committee and Rajshahi

Divisional Commissioner regarding

Rooppur Project, confirmed the matter

and said that Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina has kindly agreed to virtually

inaugurate the installation of the reactor of

the second unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power

Plant on October 19, which is a milestone

in the history of the country.

On Tuesday in the afternoon at Ishwardi,

there was an important discussion about

what to do at the local level to implement the

program in the regular meeting of the

monitoring committee formed for providing

support and monitoring the overall safety

provision and performance of the Rooppur

nuclear power plant.

Director of Rooppur project Dr. Shaukat

Akbar, Pabna Deputy Commissioner Biswas

Russell Hossain, Superintendent of Police

Md. Akbar Ali Munsi along with Rooppur

project, Pabna and Kushtia administration

officials was present in the meeting held in

the conference room of 'RNPP' building at

Green City residence in Sahapur upazila.

GSM Zafarullah said, we expect that

Rooppur will be able to go into nuclear

power production within six to eight months

after the installation of the reactor. It will be

connected to the national grid after

generating 1,200 megawatts of electricity in

the first phase.

According to the agreement, Rooppur

Nuclear Power Plant will generate 2,400

MW of electricity in two units, which is

initially estimated to cost more than 1 lakh 13

thousand crore taka. As a single

development project in the history of

Bangladesh, Rooppur is the largest project in

the country. Despite the Covid pandemic,

23-24 thousand local and foreign workers

are working day and night in three shifts

every day.

on tuesday in the afternoon at ishwardi, there was an important

discussion about what to do at the local level to implement the

installation of main reactor vessel in the regular meeting of the

monitoring committee.

photo: gopal odhikari

Vegetable farming becomes

lucrative for Rangpur farmers

rangpur: Vegetable farming has

become a lucrative venture for farmers

improving their livelihoods and fortune

alongside boosting the rural economy in

Rangpur agriculture region in recent years,

reports BSS.

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic and

Russia-Ukraine War, many people have

been successfully cultivating vegetables on

farmlands, char areas and homesteads and

meeting nutrition alongside earning better

profits to lead a normal life.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural

Extension (DAE) said vegetables are

cultivated round the year during the Rabi,

Kharif-1 and Kharif-2 seasons bringing selfreliance

to many farmers in all five districts

of the region. Additional Director of the DAE

for Rangpur region Mohammad Shah Alam

said vegetable farming adopting newer

cropping patterns and technologies has

become a profitable scheme under the

changed climate conditions in recent times.

"Side by side with huge government

assistance and easy-term agri-loans, some

NGOs are also providing quality seeds,

inputs and latest technologies to farmers to

boost vegetable production round the year in

the region," he said.

After getting repeated bumper output with

excellent market prices every year during the

last 13 years, farmers are bringing more

lands under vegetable farming in the region

both in the mainland and char areas since

the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the last Rabi season, farmers

produced over 10.10 lakh tonnes of

vegetables from 40,116 hectares of land at

the average yield rate of 25.18 tonnes per

hectare of land in the region.

"Similarly, farmers produced 4,89,044

tonnes of vegetables from 27,150 hectares of

land at an excellent average yield rate of

18.01 tonnes per hectare of land during the

just-ended Kharif-1 season in the region,"

Alam said.

Besides, farmers have cultivated

vegetables on 14,424 hectares of land during

the current Kharif-2 season in Rangpur

agriculture region where harvesting of the

vegetables is continuing now.

"If the climatic conditions remain

favourable, a bumper production of over

2.27 lakh tonnes of summer vegetables is

likely during this Kharif-2 season in the

region," Alam added.

Cox's Bazar development authority (Coxda) has started eviction of

illegal structures in Kalatali's cottage zone of Cox's Bazar city. the campaign

started on Wednesday afternoon. at present around 12 structures

are being constructed illegally on government land in this cottage

zone. none of these installations are permitted by Coxda. in the first

phase, these 12 structures will be evacuated. the entire area will be

freed from encroachment in the process, said abu Zafar rashed,

Secretary and executive Magistrate of Cox's Bazar development

authority (Coxda).

photo: Shafiul alam

ThURSDAy, OCTOBER 13, 2022

7

Biden vows 'consequences' for Saudis

after OPEC+ cuts output

Russian forces showered Ukraine with more missiles and munition-carrying drones Tuesday

after widespread strikes killed at least 19 people in an attack the U.N. human rights office

described as "particularly shocking" and amounting to potential war crimes. Photo : Internet

UN, G7 decry Russian attack on

Ukraine as possible war crime

KYIV : Russian forces showered Ukraine

with more missiles and munitioncarrying

drones Tuesday after

widespread strikes killed at least 19

people in an attack the U.N. human rights

office described as "particularly

shocking" and amounting to potential

war crimes.

Air raid warnings sounded throughout

Ukraine for a second straight morning as

officials advised residents to conserve

energy and stock up on water. The strikes

have knocked out power across the

country and pierced the relative calm that

had returned to Kyiv and many other

cities far from the war's front lines.

"It brings anger, not fear," Kyiv resident

Volodymyr Vasylenko, 67, said as crews

worked to restore traffic lights and clear

debris from the capital's streets. "We

already got used to this. And we will keep

fighting." The leaders of the Group of

Seven industrial powers condemned the

bombardment and said they would

"stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as

it takes." Their pledge defied Russian

warnings that Western assistance would

prolong the war and the pain of Ukraine's

people.

Russia launched the widespread

attacks in retaliation for a weekend

explosion that damaged the Kerch Bridge

between Russia and the Crimean

Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in

2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin

alleged that Ukrainian special services

masterminded the blast. The Ukrainian

government has applauded it but not

claimed responsibility.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy told the G-7 leaders during a

virtual meeting that during the past two

days Russia fired more than 100 missiles

and dozens of drones at Ukraine, and that

while Ukraine shot down many of them,

it needs "more modern and effective" air

defense systems.

The Pentagon earlier announced plans

to deliver the first two advanced NASAMs

anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine in the

coming weeks. The systems, which Kyiv

has long wanted, will provide medium- to

long-range defense against missile

attacks.

WASHINGTON : President

Joe Biden said Tuesday there

will be "consequences" for

Saudi Arabia as the Riyadhled

OPEC+ alliance moves to

cut oil production and

Democratic lawmakers call

for a freeze on cooperation

with the Saudis.

Biden suggested he would

soon take action, as aides

announced that the

administration is reevaluating

its relationship with the

kingdom in light of the oil

production cut that White

House officials say will help

another OPEC+ member,

Russia, pad its coffers as it

continues its nearly eightmonth

war in Ukraine.

Democratic Sen. Richard

Blumenthal of Connecticut

and Rep. Ro Khanna of

California introduced

legislation that would

immediately pause all U.S.

arms sales to Saudi Arabia for

one year. This pause would

also halt sales of spare and

repair parts, support services

and logistical support.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday there will be

"consequences" for Saudi Arabia as the Riyadhled

OPEC+ alliance moves to cut oil production

and Democratic lawmakers call for a freeze on

cooperation with the Saudis. Photo : Internet

But it remains to be seen

how far Biden is willing to go

in showing his displeasure

with the Saudis, a vital but

complicated ally in the Middle

East. Biden came into office

vowing to recalibrate the U.S.

relationship because of Saudi

Arabia's human rights record

but then paid a visit to the

kingdom earlier this year.

Biden said in a CNN

interview he would look to

consult with Congress on the

way forward, but stopped

short of endorsing the

Democratic lawmakers' call to

halt weapons sales.

"There's going to be some

consequences for what they've

done, with Russia," Biden

said. "I'm not going to get into

what I'd consider and what I

have in mind. But there will be

- there will be consequences."

John Kirby, a White House

National Security Council

spokesman, said Biden

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believes "it's time to take

another look at this

relationship and make sure

that it's serving our national

security interests."

Press secretary Karine

Jean-Pierre said Tuesday the

White House has no timeline

for its review nor has the

president appointed an

adviser to serve as point

person.

Meanwhile, officials

underscore the central role

that Saudi Arabia plays in

addressing broader national

security concerns in the

Middle East.

Blumenthal and Khanna

unveiled their legislation one

day after Sen. Robert

Menendez, a New Jersey

Democrat, said it was

unacceptable that OPEC+ had

moved to cut oil production

and effectively assist Moscow

in its war on Ukraine.

Menendez promised to use

his position as chairman of

the Senate Foreign Relations

Committee to block any future

arms sales to the Saudis.

ZvwiLt 11/10/2022 Bs



GD-1656/22 (10x4)

GD-1654/22 (13x4)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022

8

First Security Islami Bank Ltd. inaugurated Sitakunda Branchat Secure City, Holding # 284, Road # 01,

Mahadebpur, Sitakunda Bazar, Sitakunda, Chattogram on 12 October, 2022 with a view to providing

shariah based banking services to its clients. Syed Waseque Md Ali, Managing Directorof the

Bankinaugurated the branch. Among others, Md. Masudur Rahman Shah,Deputy Managing Director,

Mohammed Hafizur Rahman, Zonal Head of Chattogram North, Mohammed Kamal Uddin, Zonal Head

of Chattogram South, Kazi Muhammad Asif Aman, Manager of Sitakunda Branch, BelalHossen, General

Secretary of Sitakunda Sadar Shop Owners Samity, AbulKalam, Vice President, Sitakunda Kamil M. A.

Madrasa, Akhtar Hossen, Vice Chairman of Secure Property Management along with other officials were

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

Photo : Courtesy

Fourth Huawei ICT Academy in JUST

The localized leading global

ICT solutions provider,

Huawei Technologies

(Bangladesh) Limited, has

signed an MoU with Jashore

University of Science and

Technology (JUST)to

establish an ICT Academy

there. The aim of this ICT

academy is to facilitate the

country's ICT ecosystem and

create opportunities for the

students by developing their

industry-oriented knowledge

and ICT skills.

The MoU was signed

through an event held at the

JUST campus on 12th October

2022.Deans of different

faculties, Chairmans of the

departments, and Heads of

several offices ofJashore

University of Science and

Technology (JUST),along

withHigh officials from

Huawei Technologies

(Bangladesh) Limited, were

present in the event.

This ICT Academy is

designed to equip students

with advanced ICT knowledge

and necessary skills for the

future. In April 2022, Huawei

inaugurated the ICT academy

in BUET. In August 2022,

Huawei signed an MoU to

establish an ICT academy in

KUET, while in September

2022, an MoU was signed to

establish an ICT academy in

RUET. Huawei will provide

its enriched online learning

platform with diversified

courses to the students of

JUST, while teachers for JUST

will get the opportunity to

become Huawei-certified

trainers at this academy. The

trained JUST teachers will

provide training to the

students afterward.

Regarding the arrangement,

Professor Dr. Md. Anwar

Hossain, Vice Chancellor,

Jashore University of Science

and Technology (JUST),said,

"The ICT industry is driving

our country towards

development, and our young

generation is the key to

keeping that growth curve

moving upwards. With the

help of the ICT academy in

partnership with Huawei, we

want to equip our students

with all the necessary ICT

skills and prepare them for the

future. I commend Huawei for

coming up with this program

and upskilling our youth to

contribute to the country's ICT

development."

Karl Yu Ying, Country

Director of Public Affairs and

Communications Department

of Huawei Bangladesh, said,

"Huawei ICT academy is

moving forward with a goal to

develop today's youth in the

field of ICT, where they can

learn from distinguished

academicians and industry

experts. Huawei ICT academy

has witnessed impressive

outcomes from BUET, KUET,

and RUET. Right now, we

expect the same from JUST

and are delighted to launch

the academy with more ecopartners."

Dr. Engr. Imran Khan,

Director of ICT Cell, JUST

appreciated the effort that has

been initiated by Huawei to

establish ICT Academy in

JUST. He also mentioned that

this ICT Academy will

underpin in developing skilled

graduates in the ICT sector to

meet the fourth industrial

revolution (4IR) and to fulfill

the country's vision-2041.

Bank Asia Launches Bangladesh's First Women ATM Booth at Keranigonj

Bank Asia has launched the

country's first Women ATM

booth at Sonakanda in

Keranigonj, outskirt of capital

city Dhaka aiming to

encourage females' access to

digital transactions and

improve

financial

management. Mr. Adil

Chowdhury, President &

Managing Director (CC), of

Bank Asia inaugurated the

ATM booth at the premise of

Bank Asia DPO Agent Outlet

at Sonakandaon on Tuesday

(11 October, 2022).

Inaugurating the program

Mr. Adil Chowdhury said that

we are committed to bring

more unbanked people into

the banking network to help

achieve sustainable economic

development through

boosting financial inclusion

across the country.

BEPZA registers record growth in export,

investment and employment in FY 2021-22

Bangladesh Export

Processing Zones Authority

(BEPZA), the leading

Investment Promotional

Agency of the country, hits alltime

high growth in its

journey of 40 years. In the

recently ended fiscal year

2021-22, the authority

witnessed a significant rise in

all indicators i.e. export,

investment & employment.

Exports soar 30.41% and

investment increased over

20% compared to the

achievement of the previous

year. The enterprises of EPZs

created new employment for

64,160 Bangladeshi nationals

which is highest in a single

year in the history of BEPZA.

The exports from the

operational enterprises of

country's 8 EPZs under

BEPZA reached US$ 8655.90

He also said Bank Asia has

been working relentlessly to

provide services to all

segments of society, including

rural masses and

marginalized people living in

the remotest parts of

Bangladesh.

Mr. Chowdhury expressed

million in the fiscal year 2021-

22, setting a new record

crossing the US$ 8 billion

mark for the first time. The

previous highest in a single FY

was US$ 7524.11 million in

2018-2019. Export receipts

were 30.41% up compared to

his optimism that the new

Women ATM booth would

play a pivotal role in

encouraging women segment

to digital banking transaction.

Later, the President &

Managing Director

inaugurated a Women Corner

inside Sonakanda Agent

a year ago i.e. 2020-21, when

the enterprises of EPZs

brought home US$ 6637.06

million.

Among the total export of

EPZs, the apparel shipment

accounts for only 54.68%

whereas 85% of the country's

Outlet.

Mr. Mohammad Ziaul

Hasan Molla, Deputy

Managing Director of Bank

Asia and Mr. Jason Lamb,

Deputy Director and Ms.

Snigdha Ali, Senior Program

Officer of Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation were present.

total export is apparel. But the

other sectors of EPZs such as

garment accessories, footwear

& leather goods, textile, tent,

cap, plastic goods, electronics

captured a fair share in the

export earnings which proved

the EPZs as the hub of

producing products of diverse

nature.

BEPZA has attracted

investment of US$ 409.80

million in the FY 2021-2022

surpassing all previous

records. This is the highest

investment in a single FY in

the history of BEPZA. The

previous highest was US$

406.35 million in the FY

2014-2015. The investment

increased 20.26% in the just

concluded FY compared to

US$ 340.75 million achieved

in the FY 2020-21.

‘tap’ brings fund transfer and bill payment

facility with Visa debit and Visa credit card

Trust Axiata Pay or ‘tap’, one of

the country's leading mobile

financial services providers has

launched services for Visa credit

card bill payment & fund

transfers to any Visa debit card.

Now customers won't have to

worry about any late payment

fee or fund transfer to any Visa

debit card (Recipient Bank

Account).

By using tap, customers can

pay any amount of their Visa

credit card bills and more than

35 commercial bank fund

transfer to Visa debit cards.

In order to process bill

payment on tap, users must log

in on the tap app and select the

"Pay Bills" option. They must

then choose the "Credit Card

Bill" option and select "Visa

Credit Card Bill" to enter their

card number and bill amount

payment and select "Remember

me" option where the card

would be saved for future

payments. By using their

Personal Identification Number

(PIN), they can complete the

payment.

Secondly, to process fund

transfers to Visa debit cards on

tap, users must log into the tap

app and go to the more option

then select the "Fund Transfer"

option. They must then choose

the "Visa Debit Card" option

and enter their card number

and amount, then select

Mercantile Bank Limited has signed an Agreement with PRAN-RFL Group for Cash Management

Services yesterday. The agreement was signed by the Managing Director and CEO of the Bank Md.

Quamrul Islam Chowdhury and the Director of PRAN RFL Group Uzma Chowdhury, CPA on behalf

of their respective Organizations at MBL Head Office. As per the agreement, Mercantile Bank

Limited will collect Sales Proceeds from different Sales Centre of RFL Electronics Limited and

Collection Point of PRAN RFL Group through Online, Mobile Financial Services "MyCash", Agent

Banking Outlets, etc. Additional Managing Director and CRO Mati ul Hasan, Deputy Managing

Director and CSBO Adil Raihan, VP & Head of Corporate Affairs Division Md. Mukitul Kabir, FVP &

Head of Mobile Banking and Agent Banking Division Darpan Kanti Roy, AVP & Head of ILM Division

Tapon James Rozario from Bank as well as Deputy Manager, Corporate Finance Farzana Rahman,

Deputy Manager, Corporate Finance ATM Imtiaz Ahmad, Sub Assistant Manager, Corporate Finance

Afsar Dewan Abid, Sub Assistant Manager, Corporate Finance Mousumi Khatun of PRAN RFL Group

with other officials of both the organizations were also present in the ceremony. Photo : Courtesy

Embezzlement of hundreds of crores of Homeland

Life Insurance, thousands of customers at risk

From 2003 to 2009, a total of 104 crores

of embezzlement and irregularities

occurred in Homeland Life Insurance.

Evidence of 13 crores being stolen from

the company in the name of land

purchase has also been found. As a result,

the interests of thousands of customers of

the company are at risk, says a press

release.

In the 131st board meeting of

Homeland Life, it was decided to take

measures to recover Tk 104 crore

embezzled by the company. The meeting

was held on February 28, 2022, at the

head office of the company.

Mohammad Julhas, Chairman of the

Board of Directors of Homeland Life

attended the meeting. 14 directors of the

company, including seven London

expatriate directors who were recently

returned to jail in the Magura customer

case were attend the board meeting.

In the meeting, the persons involved in

the embezzlement of Tk 104 crores from

2003 to 2009 and the details of the

incident, and the updated information of

the cases filed by the company against

those involved in the embezzlement are

presented in the board meeting.

According to the Board meeting minutes,

out of Tk 104 crores embezzled, the nonexistent

land (which is nothing but a

name) worth Tk 1 crore 51 lakh 50

thousand was purchased in Sylhet Tuker

Bazar in 2003 to 2004.

Founding chairman Kazi Enam Uddin

Ahmed, directors Abdur Sukkur, Farooq

Ahmed, Nazrul Islam, and Nafisha Salma

embezzled 33 lakh 70 thousand 460 taka

in the name of filling soil and barbed wire

fence on this land. At the same time,

former chairman Kazi Enam Uddin

Ahmed embezzled Tk 1 crore 30 lakhs for

the commission of land purchase.

In 2004, the then directors of the

"Remember me" to save the

card for future fund transfers.

As a result, funds can now be

transferred from the tap wallet

to a bank account linked to 35

commercial bank Visa Debit

Card issued in Bangladesh.

tap enables its customers to

have access to the facility for

Visa credit and 35 commercial

bank debit cards issued by any

domestic commercial bank.

Customers must call the issuer

bank right away if they make

any errors when paying a bill.

SSL commerce has been

working as a technological

partner in the entire process.

Dewan Nazmul Hasan, CEO

(Acting) of Trust Axiata Digital

Limited said, 'Banking facilities,

all over the world, are becoming

much easier. People do not have

time to wait in line and receive

care at this time. We also want

to make people's lives easier in

Digital Bangladesh. tap has

enabled the facility to pay credit

card bill and debit card fund

transfer from the comfort of

home. Through this, bills can be

paid easily anywhere, anytime.

In this way of making life easier

through technology, tap will

always move forward with the

people of the country.'

Soumya Basu, Country

Manager, Bangladesh, Nepal

and Bhutan, Visa said, "We have

always believed in offering

better, more seamless ways for

consumers to not just pay but

move money. We are delighted

to partner with tap and

Southeast Bank to offer two

services to Visa cardholders -

enabling credit card bill

payments using Visa cards and

money transfers from their

wallets to bank-issued Visa

company embezzled Tk 4 crore 80 lakh in

the name of selling this land to the

company. In the name of selling this land

to the company, Kazi Arafat, the son of

the founder chairman, embezzled Tk 2

crore 75 lakh from the company. In 2005,

founder chairman Kazi Enam took an

advance of Tk 2 crore 10 lakh.

It is known that, the vice chairman of

the company Abdul Munim Shipu was

charged 15 lakh taka in the name of

conveying the land of Jallar Par in 2012,

13 lakh taka in 2003-04 in the name of

payment of commission to brokers

involved in the purchase and sale of land,

16 crore taka in a special audit by the

audit firm Eknabeen in 2009, 48 lakh 98

thousand taka in the name of rural family

insurance, 63 crore taka showing the

expenses of various sectors of the service

center and by investing in the share

market, the company incurred a loss of

Tk 5 crore 11 lakh. Apart from this,

another case of embezzlement of 6 crore

taka is ongoing.

The Judge Mohammad Waliul Islam of

the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court of

Dhaka sentenced Arafat Kazi Ahmed, son

of founder chairman Kazi Enam Uddin

Ahmed, to one year in jail in the case filed

by the company in connection with the

embezzlement of money in the name of

land purchase. On March 10, 2010,

Arafat Kazi Ahmad is absconding on bail

after six months of imprisonment.

According to the incident described,

Homeland Life started business in the

insurance sector in 1996. At that time

most of the directors of the company

were from Sylhet. They are all expats

from London. A few years after the

establishment of the company, the

expatriate directors of Sylhet started

holding board meetings in Sylhet instead

of organizing any board meetings at the

debit cards. These innovative

features enable money

movement for our cardholders

24/7, thereby giving them more

power over their finances. We

are confident this will empower

millions of digital payment

users in Bangladesh to transfer

funds between their preferred

payment instruments like tap

and Visa cards."

Anwar Uddin, Deputy

Managing Director of Southeast

Bank Limited said, In

association with tap, VISA and

SSL Commerce, South-East

Bank is delighted to launch

these digital services. Now, tap

customers can pay bills on VISA

credit card and send money to

VISA debit card at any time

from any place. We are hopeful

that, we will jointly introduce

many more services in the

future.

head office in Dhaka.

At this time, billions of crores were

embezzled from the company in the

name of land purchase and share trading.

Decisions were taken in those board

meetings held in Sylhet to purchase

controversial land in Jallar Par of Sylhet,

purchase unstable land in Tuker Bazar of

Sylhet and fill soil, pay money to

brokerage for land purchase.

Sources also said that Abdus Sukkur,

director of Homeland Life, received a

luxury jeep as a gift from the company

when he was the chairman of the

company. Later, when it was discovered

that the car was gifted during a special

audit, company entrepreneur Shamim

Ahmed, son of the chairman Abdus

Sukkur, returned the car to Homeland

Life.

According to the board meeting

sources, several people involved in the

embezzlement of Tk 104 crore are

currently members of the Board of

Directors of Homeland Life. Recently,

seven expatriate directors from London

returned to jail in a case filed by a

customer and forcibly came to the

company's head office and held a board

meeting. In that unannounced meeting,

they pressured the current chairman

Mohammad Julhas to resign. At the same

time, the expatriate directors have been

accused of trying to remove the chairman

from the post of director.

Homeland Life Director Mohammad

Shamim Ahmed said, ' I don't know about

this matter. We are not told much. We do

not know what was written after the

meeting or not. Many decisions are not

communicated to us or there are many

agendas, which are bypassed and don't

even let us know. I just know that a lawyer

is consulted to take legal action for

financial irregularities.'

tHUrSDAY, oCtoBer 13, 2022

9

paris Saint-Germain's French forward kylian Mbappe (L) and Benfica's portuguese

defender Antonio Silva during their UeFA Champions League Group H at the parc des

princes Stadium.

photo: Ap

Mbappe reportedly wants out of

PSG amid growing frustration

SportS DeSk

Less than six months after Kylian

Mbappe extended his contract with

Paris Saint-Germain, the French star is

reportedly looking for a way out,

reports UNB.

The World Cup winner had been

close to joining Real Madrid on a free

transfer this summer but finally agreed

to stay at PSG for two more years with

an option for an extra season.

A series of reports published in

France on Tuesday by several media

including L'Equipe sports daily, RMC,

and Le Parisien, as well as Marca in

Spain, say that Mbappe is frustrated

and wants to leave during January's

transfer window.

PSG sports adviser Luis Campos,

who is close to Mbappe, told Canal+

broadcaster that the France forward

never told him he planned to move

away in January.

"It's information that comes before a

Japan's Matsuyama

'fully committed' to

PGA Tour

SportS DeSk

Former Masters champion

Hideki Matsuyama said he

was "fully committed" to the

PGA Tour amid media reports

he had been offered a

lucrative package to join the

controversial Saudi-backed

LIV Series, reports UNB.

Matsuyama, who defends

his Zozo Championship title

at home in Japan this week,

said he had "never been

prouder" of being a member

of the PGA Tour, particularly

during last month's

Presidents Cup, which is

organised by the US-based

circuit.

Players participating in LIV

events have been suspended

by the PGA Tour and were

unable to play in the biennial

Presidents Cup, which pits the

United States against an

International team minus

Europe.

"Yeah, I'm a member of the

PGA Tour. Never been

prouder, especially at the

Presidents Cup," Matsuyama

told reporters on Tuesday

when asked about his

allegiance to the PGA Tour.

"Yeah, I'm fully committed

to the PGA Tour, I'm a

member."

Matsuyama, speaking

through an interpreter, added

that he thought golfers

competing on the Saudi

Arabia-backed circuit should

be awarded ranking points.

"Personally, I think they

should be able to,"

Matsuyama added.

"However, there's a procedure

that they have to follow, too,

with the ranking points."

LIV Golf submitted an

application to the Official

World Golf Ranking (OWGR)

board in July and earlier this

month formed an alliance

with the Mena Tour in a bid to

fast-track its quest for ranking

points.

match, it's very serious, this is the

reason why I'm here, to deny," Campos

said.

Other PSG officials declined to

comment when asked whether Mbappe

expressed his desire to join another

club and if he would be allow to leave.

The club has dominated the French

league since cash-rich Qatari investors

took over in 2011 but has failed to

replicate that success on the European

stage despite spending massive

amounts on star players.

Club officials had hoped Mbappe's

decision to snub the Spanish giant

would finally lead to the conquest of

club soccer's biggest trophy - the

Champions League - and it's unlikely

they will let him go without a fight.

PSG hosted Benfica later Tuesday in

the Champions League at the Parc des

Princes.

Earlier this season, Mbappe ducked a

question on the project that had been

presented to him in late May to

convince him to stay, refusing to say if

he was happy with how it materialized.

More recently, he suggested that he

would rather play alongside with

another striker - like he does with the

France national team - rather than in a

pivot role up front.

PSG coach Christophe Galtier said

this week that the club tried to recruit

another striker with a different profile

to allow Mbappe to play in his preferred

position, but that it did not happen.

"I don't know what Kylian has been

told before I joined or when he

prolonged with Paris Saint-Germain,"

Galtier said.

Mbappe joined PSG from Monaco in

2017 when he was still a teenager. He

has often said that playing for Madrid

was his childhood dream. Even when

he signed his extension, the Frenchman

did not rule out making the move one

day.

"What will happen in the future, I

don't know," he said in May.

Shakib’s 70 in vain as

Bangladesh eliminated

after 48-run defeat to NZ

SportS DeSk

Bangladesh fell 48 runs

short of New Zealand's

total of 208 in the fifth

match of the Tri-Series in

Christchurch on

Wednesday. With the

result, Bangladesh, who

are yet to win a single

match from the three

matches they played in the

Tri-Series, got eliminated

from the Series as hosts

New Zealand and Pakistan

will play the final on Friday

at the same venue, reports

UNB.

Captain Shakib al Hasan

was the only bright spot in

the Tigers batting innings

while the allrounder scored

70 from 44 balls but due to

lack of supports from

others, Bangladesh

finished at 160 at the loss

of seven wickets.

Sent to bat first, quick

fifties from Devon Conway

and Glenn Phillips helped

Kiwis to take the total to

208/5 after 20 overs.

Opening the batting,

Conway scored 64 off 40

balls while Phillips scored

60 from just 24 deliveries

to finish things in style.

It was another poor

display from Bangladesh

bowling unit where almost

everyone gave away more

than 10 runs per over.

Mohammad Saifuddin and

Ebadot Hossain took 2

wickets each while Shoriful

Islam took one.

This is a must win match

for Bangladesh as the

Tigers are yet to register a

single victory in the series.

Squads:

Bangladesh: Najmul

Hossain Shanto, Soumya

Sarkar, Litton Das, Shakib

al Hasan ©, Afid Hossain,

Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul

Hasan, Yasir Ali,

Mohammad Saifuddin,

Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful

Islam

New Zealand: Devon

Conway, Finn Allen,

Martin Guptill, Glenn

Phillips, Mark Chapman,

James Neesham, Michael

Bracewell, Ish Sodhi,

Adam Milne, Tim Southee

©, Trent Boult

Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama says he has 'never been

prouder' to be a pGA tour member.

photo: Ap

Stephens, Pliskova win opening matches at San Diego Open

SportS DeSk

Former US Open

champion Sloane

Stephens and Karolina

Pliskova, a one-time US

Open runner-up, won their

opening matches at the

San Diego Open WTA 500

on Tuesday, reports UNB.

Stephens, a wild-card

entrant from the US who

won the 2017 US Open, got

her second win in 2022

over lucky loser Jil

Teichmann, beating the

Swiss lefthander 6-1, 7-6

(2). Pliskova, a former No.

1 from the Czech Republic

who was the 2016 US

Open runner-up, beat

American Caroilne

Dolehide 6-3, 6-4 to

advance to the second

round.

"It's always a tough

match with her. She's a

great player," said the

52nd-ranked Stephens,

who saved a set point in

the second set. "I knew she

was going to come out and

give me a good fight. I just

tried to stay calm and play

my game. In the end, it

went my way."

Leylah Fernandez, the

US Open 2021 runner-up,

dropped her second match

this year to No. 8 seed

Daria Kasatkina, 6-2, 6-2,

in just 59 minutes.

"Dasha is an amazing

player. She's improved so

much over the years,"

Fernandez observed. "I

watched her play on TV

when I was still a junior.

Seeing her now in the top

10 and doing so well this

year is truly inspiring. I

Bayern a 'top

club', but

Kane focused

on Spurs

SportS DeSk

Tottenham striker Harry

Kane said his head has not

been turned by speculation

linking him with a move to

Bayern Munich as the

England captain prepares for

a huge few months for club

and country, reports UNB.

Kane failed to engineer a

move to Manchester City last

year and has just over 18

months left on his contract at

Tottenham.

Bayern are rumored to be

preparing a bid for the 29-

year-old to succeed Robert

Lewandowski as the German

champions' center-forward.

"I'm focusing on Tottenham

Hotspur and trying to do our

best," said Kane as he faced

the media ahead of Spurs'

Champions League clash with

Eintracht Frankfurt on

Wednesday.

"For sure Bayern are a top,

top club but all my

concentration is on

Tottenham."

Kane faces a brutal schedule

before the end of the year with

Tottenham having 10 more

games before the break for the

World Cup in November.

England boss Gareth

Southgate admitted at the

weekend he expects to lose

more players to injury ahead

of the tournament in Qatar

due to the demands put on his

squad.

But Kane said he cannot

hold anything back as he tries

to fire Tottenham into the

Premier League title race and

reach the knockout stages of

the Champions League.

"I feel like whenever you

think about injuries,

whenever you think about

getting injured, it almost has

the wrong effect," he added.

"I go into every game trying

to give 120 percent for the

team and that's just the way

football is. Sometimes you can

be unfortunate and pick up

injuries. "From my point of

view, I do a lot of stuff, not just

at the club but away from the

club, to make sure I recover

well and put myself in the best

physical condition I can to not

get injured. But, of course, we

know in football, anything can

happen."

think today she showed

how well she can play. She

didn't make too many

mistakes. I, unfortunately,

did."

Croatia's Donna Vekic

beat fifth-seeded Maria

Sakkari of Greece for the

fifth time in seven

meetings, 7-6 (3), 6-1.

"Maria is a really good

friend of mine. I wasn't

happy to play her. I think

we were both pretty

GD-1652/22 (16x3)

nervous at the beginning,

but I managed to calm

down a little bit and I think

I found my zone in the

second set," said the 77thranked

Vekic, who now

owns nine career wins over

Top-10 opponents,

including an upset of No. 3

Aryna Sabalenka last

summer at the Tokyo

Olympics.

"I was really happy when

I found out that she took a

wild card at the last second

and was coming here,"

added Vekic. "I texted her

straight away. When the

draw came out, I was like,

'Oh, my God, we're playing

each other!' It's not easy.

We fight on the court, but

we're still close off the

court."

Vekic, 26, finished with

seven aces and converted

five of six break-point

opportunities.



THURsdAY, OcTOBER 13, 2022

10

Puja to take legal action for spreading rumours

TBT REPORT

Rumours have been floating on social

media for last few days that Shakib Khan

is in a relationship with actress Puja

Chery. Many said the duos have been

romantically involved. However, the

popular Dhallywood actress has clearly

denied these allegations.

On Tuesday, Puja on a post of her

official Facebook page, threatened to take

legal action against those who are

spreading rumours against her.

The post reads: "Since my childhood, I

have long cherished desire to become an

actress. Now, I'm going forward to fulfill

my dream. I have got a lot of appreciation

and love from the audience in my way of

life. However, some people are trying to

stop me from succeeding. They are doing

this by spreading rumours about me. I

have recently noticed that rumours are

being made by involving my name with

the personal life of another person."

"These rumours are being spread by

personal Facebook IDs and through

various YouTube videos. I think it is

unfair and undesirable that a negative

impression is being created about me in

the minds of my fans. Personally, I am

very upset about this and it needs to be

stopped", she added.

"I want to make it clear that, if any one

spreads rumours about me without my

consent, I will be compelled to take strict

legal action-because I respect law. I pray

for everyone's blessings", actress further

said.

Chris’s ‘Extraction 2’

release date set for 2023

'Extraction 2' has been scheduled for

release in 2023. Based on the Ciudad

graphic novel by the Russo Brothers

and Ande Parks, the first Extraction

movie came out on Netflix in 2020,

becoming the most-watched original

film on the service. Chris Hemsworth

led the cast as an Australian black-ops

mercenary, Tyler Rake, who is tasked

with saving Ovi, the son of an Indian

drug lord who has been kidnapped in

Bangladesh. But during the mission,

Tyler is double-crossed by a Lieutenant

colonel who wants to take the credit for

Ovi's rescue, which considerably

complicates the assignment. Extraction

was directed by Avengers: Endgame's

stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave and

featured an international cast starring

Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda,

Golshifteh Farahani, Pankaj Tripathi,

and David Harbour, besides

Hemsworth.

While Extraction was widely praised

for its spectacular action and

compelling performances, there was

some criticism against its screenplay

and the white-savior narrative. Still, the

movie was successful enough to

warrant a sequel, Extraction 2,

announced in May 2020, with

Hargrave, Hemsworth, and Farahani

returning and Joe Russo writing. The

globe-trotting shoot that comprised

locations like the Czech Republic,

Austria, and Australia, commenced in

November 2021 and continued until

April 2022, when Hemsworth

announced a filming wrap on

Extraction 2 with a BTS video. Now,

there is another update on the movie.

'Extraction 2' has been scheduled for

release in 2023. A specific premiere

date, however, hasn't yet been set in

stone. No additional casting

information has been announced for

Extraction 2 either, and the plot

remains largely under wraps. The

Russo brothers, who produce the movie

under their AGBO productions banner,

have also not released any plot

information.

The new development cements the

Russo brothers' plans to build a

franchise from the Extraction movie.

After the sequel, the producers are

seeking to launch a cinematic universe

set within the world of Extraction, with

new films focusing on the characters

from the first movie. An origin story for

Puja Chery is a film actress and model

of the country. She debuted as a child

artiste in the movie 'Moner Ghore Boshot

Kore'. Later in 2018, she debuted as a lead

actress in the film 'Noor Jahaan'. She also

acted in the movie 'PoraMon 2' as Pori,

the female protagonist and she has earned

huge acclamation for her acting in the

move.

Hooda's Para Lt. Colonel Saju is

reportedly already in the works, and the

filmmakers are brainstorming more

ideas for potential spin-offs. Extraction

2, however, is the one movie that has

made substantial headway, and

considering its new release window, it

doesn't look like fans will have to wait

too long before they can enjoy the

sequel.

Recently, teases from Hemsworth

showcasing his preparation for Tyler's

role and Extraction 2's new settings

built some fan anticipation for the

sequel. Yet many are curious about the

story, as there hasn't been any

indication of the plot. The Russo

Brothers have promised that the sequel

will be very different from the first film,

with the tone, pacing, and even the

color palette being changed. With more

stunts and action, Extraction 2 is being

touted as a "bigger and badder"

installment in the franchise, and a

recent set video even teased a fiery riot

scene in the movie. Considering all that

is known, it seems that Extraction 2 will

up the ante on the high-octane action,

expanding Tyler's story beyond borders

and developing his expertise in

different assignments. That said,

Netflix can be expected to begin

promotions for Extraction 2 once

Hemsworth finishes work on the Max

Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa. So, it

will likely be then a specific release date

for the movie will be announced.

Source: Collider

Tauquir Ahmed to star

in thriller web series

TBT REPORT

Playwright, producer and

actor Tauquir Ahmed has

returned to work as an actor

on 12 October for a five part

web series, directed by

Gautam Koiri. The title of

the series, however, has not

been revealed at the time of

writing. The series will be

shot in a shooting house in

Uttara.

'The series will be a

thriller. I agreed to act after

getting to know the story. In

fact, I don't want to play a

Commemorating the 50th

anniversary of the

establishment of diplomatic

relations between Japan

and Bangladesh, the

Embassy of Japan will

organise a concert by "AUN

J Classic Orchestra" in

Dhaka on October 15 to

promote friendship

between the two countries,

reports UNB.

Japanese traditional

musical instruments such

as Wa-daiko, Shaminisen,

Koto, Shakuhachi, and

Shinobue, are all the

instruments of the AUN J

Classic Orchestra, which are

role where the character is

not dynamic. The series also

stars my long-time friend

and co-actor Zahid Hasan.

The director also has a

reputation. I think the series

will be good,' said Tauquir.

Tauquir has not been seen

acting for some time as he

was busy working as a

director. The last time he

worked as an actor was on

Durant TV's 'Baba Thake

Bashay', a children's drama

which was released last

year.

Concert by ‘AUN J Classic

Orchestra’ to be held in

Dhaka October 15

Amitabh Bachchan shared

poster of his upcoming

movie Uunchai on

Monday. He called the

film special and unveiled

the name of his character

from the movie. This

movie is slated to release

on November 11, 2022.

Actor Amitabh

Bachchan shared the

poster of Uunchai on

Instagram on Monday. He

called it special and

introduced his character

Amit Shrivastava from the

film. The film also stars

Neena Gupta, Sarika,

Boman Irani and Anupam

Kher. In the poster,

Amitabh can be seen grey

wearing a coat with brown

cap and spectacles with a

group of women sitting

next to him. The poster

also gave a glimpse of him

with winter clothes in the

backdrop of a snowy

mountain. Uunchai is set

usually not played in an

ensemble.

The troupe was formed in

2008 by seven renowned

artists who specialized in

each instrument in pursuit

of unique musical

experiences. Their technical

quality and performance

level have been highly

acclaimed around the

world, said the Japanese

Embassy in Dhaka in a

media release on Tuesday.

This time six of them are

coming on tour to Dhaka. A

twin, Ryohei and Kohei

Inoue form a performing

duo, "AUN," playing

to release on November 11

this year.

While sharing the poster

Amitabh wrote, "This one

from @rajshrifilms is

special... Meet me as Amit

Shrivastava in Uunchai on

11.11.22... This film by

Sooraj Barjatya celebrates

life and friendship... Save

The Date for

He also starred in the

recently released

government-grant film

'Beauty Circus', directed by

Mahmud Didar.

Tauquir is also preparing

to direct a new film, he has

already begun working on

Wadaiko and Shamisen.

This is their first overseas

performance since the start

of Covid time.

Audience will also watch

fantastic collaborations

with renowned Bangladeshi

artists; Shahtaj, Shiblu, and

@uunchaithemovie."

One of his fans wrote,

"Congratulations sir."

Another fan commented,

"Eagerly waiting." One

also wrote, "Lots of love

and good wishes. Happy

birthday in advance

dearest Amit ji

(handfolded emoji)." The

actor will turn 80 on

the script. He last directed

the movie 'Sphulinga'.

Earlier he was acclaimed for

directing 'Jayjatra',

'Rupkothar Golpo',

'Daruchini Dweep',

'Aggatanama', 'Halda' and

'Fagun Haway'.

Rezwana Choudhury

Bannya.

Although the concert is on

an invite-only basis, anyone

can watch the live

streaming of the show

through Facebook live (6

pm on October 15).

BigB shares poster of Uunchai,

introduces Amit Shrivastava

October 11. Many fans

dropped heart emojis and

extended warm wishes for

his upcoming birthday.

Uunchai is directed by

Sooraj Barjatya and

produced under the

banner of Rajshri

Productions. It will mark

Sooraj's return to direction

after seven years; his last

directorial was Prem

Ratan Dhan Payo. The

film tells the story of the

friendship between

Boman Irani, Amitabh

and Anupam Kher's

characters and is slated to

be released on November

11 this year. It also stars

Neena Gupta, Sarika and

Parineeti Chopra in lead

roles.Amitabh's latest

release, Goodbye

alongside Rashmika

Mandanna, hit theatres on

October 7.

Source: Hindustan Times

H O R O s c O P E

ARIEs

Expanding your mind could be of

interest today, Aries. You might decide

to plan a trip to a place you've always

wanted to visit, if possible. Or you

could decide to go back to school for an advanced

degree. Either way, you're likely to spend the day

considering the idea and doing a lot of research. At

some point you will want to get in a workout to rid

your system of some of the day's tension.

TAURUs

Generally, Taurus, you tend to be

interested in what makes everything

tick, from the human mind to the

workings of the Universe to religion.

Today that interest could be piqued by something

you read or hear. You might want to delve into a field

of interest and learn whatever you can about it. You

could have some insights that are as valid as anyone

else's, so write them down!

GEMINI

Stimulating conversations could take

place with partners of all sorts, Gemini,

from business to exercise to romantic.

Some new and useful information

could come your way that you will want to explore

further. This is a great day to execute legal papers or

enter into any kind of agreement or commitment.

It's a good time to sign up for an online class or

workshop. Make good use of the energies of the day.

cANcER

Some stimulating discussions could

take place today. Your energy is likely

to be very high, Cancer. You may want

to throw yourself into your work,

particularly if it involves paperwork. You might also

want to get in a workout, try your hand at writing, or

read about the latest discoveries concerning optimal

health. Books, magazines, and the Internet could

prove especially useful.

LEO

Today you might decide to do some

writing, Leo. This could be job related,

but it's more likely personal, either

correspondence with friends and

colleagues or creative. Some stimulating discussion

could take place with friends, romantic partners, or

children that could set your mind buzzing with new

ideas. This is a great day to attend or participate in a

solo sport.

VIRGO

Some people who share your interests

could call you today. You might want to

take a walk while on the phone with

each other, but you will probably get

into some stimulating debates. Don't be surprised if

you both talk at once! New books that you will want

to read could come to your attention. In the evening,

stream some movies on whatever subject you've

discussed.

LIBRA

Your mind will be especially quick and

active today, Libra, and you're likely to

want to spend much of the day involved

in intellectual activities like reading,

writing, or teaching. Communication with others

should be a powerful part of your day, so you will

probably spend time on the phone. You will want to

write down many of the ideas you hear. You will find

most of them interesting and want to remember them.

scORPIO

Today you might decide to tackle your

financial paperwork and get it all

done. This is a great day for that,

Scorpio, although you might be a little

too ambitious and not get as much done as you'd

like. This is a good time to make use of any writing

talent, because ideas could be coming to you thick

and fast. Expect many of letters or phone calls in

this busy and stimulating day.

sAGITTARIUs

Your mind is usually quick, agile, and

hungry for information, Sagittarius.

Today it's likely to be even more so

than usual. Your curiosity is high, and

you could go to unusual lengths to satisfy it. You

might also feel particularly energetic and want to get

in a good workout. This is a good idea. Exercise can

clear your head and give you a better perspective on

new ideas and information.

cAPRIcORN

You generally tend to be sensitive and

intuitive, Capricorn, but today you

might be even more so. Reading about

people from other places and times

might cause you to tune into their thoughts and

feelings and receive new insight into human nature.

Creative projects, particularly writing, benefit from

this. If you want to remember what you come up

with, write it down.

AQUARIUs

A virtual group meeting or social event

could bring up so many new and

interesting ideas that you may not be able

to digest them all, Aquarius. Some new

friends who share your interests might want to continue

the discussions. Your mind is especially quick today.

You could well grasp unusual concepts that usually

don't interest you. But watch your step - you might be so

preoccupied that you could have an accident.

PIscEs

A lot of paperwork might need

attention today, Pisces. You might

throw a lot of your focus and energy

into getting it all done. Stimulating conversations

with colleagues could keep your mind occupied so

you avoid boredom. You could take a walk at the end

of the day since you're apt to encounter so much

new information that you will want to clear your

head in order to absorb it all.

THuRSDAy, OCTOBER 13, 2022

11

Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque inaugurated the foundation

training for the 9th grade officials BADC yesterday to increase professional

skills.

Photo : Courtesy

477 whales die in

'heartbreaking'

New Zealand

strandings

WELLINGTON : Some 477

pilot whales have died after

stranding themselves on two

remote New Zealand beaches

over recent days, officials say.

None of the stranded

whales could be refloated and

all either died naturally or

were euthanized in a

"heartbreaking" loss, said

Daren Grover, the general

manager of Project Jonah, a

nonprofit group which helps

rescue whales.

The whales beached

themselves on the Chatham

Islands, which are home to

about 600 people and located

about 800 kilometers (500

miles) east of New Zealand's

main islands.

The Department of

Conservation said 232 whales

stranded themselves Friday at

Tupuangi Beach and another

245 at Waihere Bay on

Monday.

The deaths come two weeks

after about 200 pilot whales

died in Australia after

stranding themselves on a

remote Tasmanian beach.

"These events are tough,

challenging situations," the

Department of Conservation

wrote in a Facebook post.

"Although they are natural

occurrences, they are still sad

and difficult for those

helping."

Grover said the remote

location and presence of

sharks in the surrounding

waters meant they couldn't

mobilize volunteers to try to

refloat the whales as they have

in past stranding events.

Ex-Texas cop charged

for shooting teen

eating hamburger

SAN ANTONIO : A now-former San Antonio police officer

was charged Tuesday with two counts of aggravated assault

by a peace officer for shooting and gravely wounding a teen

who was eating a hamburger in his car in a McDonald's

parking lot.

James Brennand, 25, was charged in the Oct. 2 shooting of

Erik Cantu, 17, according to a police statement. He turned

himself in to police Tuesday night and remained in custody,

said Police Chief William McManus.

Cantu is still unconscious and on life support, his family

said Tuesday.

Brennand, a rookie officer, reported the vehicle Cantu was

sitting in had evaded him the night before during an

attempted traffic stop. Brennand said he suspected the

vehicle was stolen.

In body camera footage released by police, Brennand

opens the car door and tells Cantu to get out. The car drives

backward, door open, and the officer fires multiple times into

the vehicle. He continues to shoot as the car drives away.

Investigators quickly determined that the use of deadly

force was unwarranted, and Brennand was fired. Charges

against Cantu of aggravated assault and evading arrest were

dropped.

Brennand is charged with two counts of assault because

there was a passenger in the car. The passenger was

unharmed.

In a press conference Tuesday evening, the police chief

defended the department's training and said the failures

were those of the individual officer.

In an appearance on CNN earlier Tuesday, McManus said

he expected aggravated assault charges would be filed, and

murder charges in the event Cantu dies.

McManus said Brennand's body camera video of the Oct. 2

shooting was "horrific."

"There is no question in anybody's mind looking at that

video that the shooting is not justified," McManus said.

Police officials and the Bexar County District Attorney's

Office did not immediately return messages from The

Associated Press. Brennand has no published telephone

number and could not be reached for comment.

Cantu's condition, as related in his family's statement, is in

stark contrast to what police officials said in the wake of the

shooting: that Cantu was hospitalized in stable condition.

"We'd like to correct any misrepresentations that Erik is in

'stable condition' or he is 'going to be fine.' That is not true.

Every breath is a struggle for Erik. We ask for everyone's

continued prayers for our son," the family said.

Angela Lansbury,

'Murder She Wrote'

star, dies at 96

NEW YORK : Angela Lansbury, the scene-stealing

British actor who kicked up her heels in the Broadway

musicals "Mame" and "Gypsy" and solved endless

murders as crime novelist Jessica Fletcher in the longrunning

TV series "Murder, She Wrote," has died. She

was 96.

Lansbury died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles,

according to a statement from her three children. She

died five days shy of her 97th birthday, reports UNB.

Hers was a 75-year career that included beloved

musicals on stage, iron-fisted matriarchs on film,

singing the theme song for the animated movie "Beauty

and the Beast," being made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth

II and the creation of one of television's best loved

characters.

Lansbury won five Tony Awards for her Broadway

performances and a lifetime achievement award. She

earned Academy Award nominations as supporting

actress for two of her first three films, "Gaslight" (1945)

and "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1946), and was

nominated again in 1962 for "The Manchurian

Candidate" and her deadly portrayal of a Communist

agent and the title character's mother.

Her mature demeanor prompted producers to cast

her much older than her actual age. In 1948, when she

was 23, her hair was streaked with gray so she could play

a fortyish newspaper publisher with a yen for Spencer

Tracy in "State of the Union."

Her stardom came in middle age when she became

the hit of the New York theater, winning Tony Awards

for "Mame" (1966), "Dear World" (1969), "Gypsy"

(1975) and "Sweeney Todd" (1979).

She was back on Broadway and got another Tony

nomination in 2007 in Terrence McNally's "Deuce,"

playing a scrappy, brash former tennis star, reflecting

with another ex-star as she watches a modern-day

match from the stands.

Bangladesh Registration Service Association

Executive Committee 2022-2023 has been

formed. Md. Ahidur Rahman and SM, Shafiul

Bari elected as the president and Secretary

General. Senior Vice President became Sheikh

Kawsar Ahmed. Other Vice Presidents addressed

1. Mission Chakma, 2. Md. Rafiqul Islam, 3. Md.

Matiur Rahman, 4. Md. Shafiqul Islam, 5. Md.

Mizanur Rahman, 6. Md. Abdul Bari, 7. Md.

Ariful Rahman ; Joint Secretary General 1. Abu

Taher Mo: Mustafa, 2. Md. Ghulam Mortaza, 3.

Md Ismail Hossain; Organizing Secretary

Abdullah Al Imam ; Joint Organizing Secretary

Md. Maksudur Rahman, Treasurer-Ashraful

Islam, Joint Treasurer Md. Abdul Baten. On

behalf of the newly elected committee of

Bangladesh Registration Service Association, a

floral wreath was placed on the portrait of

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Photo : Courtesy

Graft convictions extend Suu

Kyi's prison term to 26 years

BANGKOK : A court in

military-ruled Myanmar

convicted the country's ousted

leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on

two more corruption charges

Wednesday, with two threeyear

sentences to be served

concurrently, adding to

previous convictions that now

leave her with a 26-year total

prison term, a legal official said,

reports UNB.

Suu Kyi, 77, was detained on

Feb. 1, 2021, when the military

seized power from her elected

government. She has denied

the allegations against her in

this case, in which she was

accused of receiving $550,000

as a bribe from Maung Weik, a

tycoon convicted of drug

trafficking.

Corruption cases comprise

the biggest share of the many

charges the military has

brought against the 1991 Nobel

Peace laureate. Suu Kyi has

been charged with 12 counts in

total under the Anti-Corruption

Act, with each count

punishable by up to 15 years in

prison and a fine.

Suu Kyi had already been

sentenced to 23 years'

imprisonment after being

convicted of illegally importing

and possessing walkie-talkies,

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violating coronavirus

restrictions, breaching the

country's official secrets act,

sedition, election fraud and five

corruption charges.

Her supporters and

independent analysts say the

charges are politically

motivated and an attempt to

discredit her and legitimize the

military's seizure of power

while keeping her from taking

part in the next election, which

the military has promised in

2023.

In recent months, her trials

have been held in a purposebuilt

courtroom in the main

prison on the outskirts of the

capital, Naypyitaw. She has not

been seen or allowed to speak

in public since she was arrested

and her lawyers, who had been

a source of information on the

proceedings, have not been

allowed to speak publicly on

her behalf or about her trial

since a gag order was placed on

them last year.

In the case decided

Wednesday, Suu Kyi was

accused of receiving a total of

$550,000 in 2019 and 2020

from Maung Weik, with

separate payments being

treated as two offenses.

Maung Weik, a construction

magnate, had a close

relationship with the army

generals in power during a

previous military-run

government, and has headed

two main companies during

three decades in business:

Maung Weik and Family Co.

Ltd., specializing in the trading

of metals and agricultural

products, and Sae Paing

Development Ltd., a real estate

and construction company.

He was sentenced to 15 years

in prison in 2008 for trafficking

drugs but was released in 2014

under a semi-democratic

transitional government led by

former General Thein Sein.

After his release from prison,

Maung Weik returned to doing

business with former generals

and according to a 2017 report

in The Irrawaddy, an online

news magazine, became

chairman of Mandalay Business

Capital City Development,

which was involved in urban

development work.

Under Suu Kyi's government,

Maung Weik won a major

development project that

included the construction of

houses, restaurants, hospitals,

economic zones, a port and

hotel zones in Myanmar's

central Mandalay region.



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thursday, Dhaka : october 13, 2022; Ashwin 28, 1429 BS; rabi-ul-Awal 16 , 1444 hijri

Bangladesh elected UN

Human Rights Council

member with 160 votes

DHAKA : Bangladesh has bagged a "historic

win" in the election for the membership of

the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

for the term 2023-25, securing 160 votes out

of 189 that were cast in Tuesday's election.

Talking to UNB, Foreign Minister Dr AK

Abdul Momen said it vindicated again that

the global leaderships have confidence in

Sheikh Hasina's government and the

human rights track record of Bangladesh.

"The Bangladesh government is always at

the forefront of democracy, human rights

and justice," he said.

This would be the fifth term for

Bangladesh as a member of the 47-member

UNHRC. It secured one of the four seats up

for grabs for countries from the Asia Pacific

Group, receiving the highest votes out of all

the candidates in the region.

The other three countries elected from the

region were the Maldives (154 votes),

Vietnam (145 votes) and Kyrgyzstan (126

votes). South Korea (123 votes) and

Afghanistan (12 votes) missed out, while

Bahrain withdrew their candidature late last

month. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said

the win is significant, as it was "the most

competitive international election"

Bangladesh participated in since 2018.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md

Shahriar Alam led the Bangladesh delegation

in the UN General Assembly during the

election on Tuesday.

"This is the 5th time Bangladesh has been

elected to this Council since 2009. This is a

clear demonstration of the international

community's confidence in Bangladesh's

contribution to United Nations' Human

Rights mechanisms and our competence to

serve the Council under the leadership of

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," he said.

Ambassador Abdul Muhith, the

Permanent Representative of Bangladesh,

accompanied the State Minister.

Ambassador Muhith thanked the member

States for electing Bangladesh to the

Human Rights Council with an overwhelming

number of votes and expressed his commitment

to continue working with all in

strengthening the leadership of the UN in

promoting and protecting human rights

globally.

The result is a clear manifestation of the

recognition by the international community

of Bangladesh's continued endeavour and

commitment for the promotion and protection

of human rights in the national as well

as international arena, Bangladesh says.

"It also nullifies the ongoing smear campaign

with falsified and fabricated information,

by some politically motivated vested

corners at home and abroad, aimed at negatively

portraying the human rights situation

of Bangladesh," according to the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs.

Given that in electing the members of the

UNHRC, the General Assembly is expected

to take into account the candidate States'

contribution to the promotion and protection

of human rights, as well as their voluntary

pledges and commitments in this

regard, MoFA may well feel vindicated.

In the previous UNHRC elections,

Bangladesh won in 2006, 2009, 2014 and

2018.

Bangladesh, as a responsible and responsive

Member State of the United Nations

and an elected UNHRC member for next

three years, will remain committed to make

all efforts to ensure the promotion and protection

of human rights nationally and globally,

MoFA said.

BNP Secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir

addressing a rally in Chattogram.

Photo : tBt

Chattogram BNP hosts its

largest convention in yrs

S M AkASh, ChAttogrAM BureAu

The convention of BNP at Chattogram has

ended with a touch of minor incidents.

The activists raised their voice for unprecedented

load-shedding, increase in fuel

price, daily commodity, public transport

fare, protests against killing of BNP

activists nationwide by police firing and

the demand for the release of BNP chairperson

Begum Khaleda Zia.

On Wednesday (October 12) at the afternoon

in the rally held at the polo ground of

the city, BNP's Secretary General Mirza

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addressed the rally

under the chairmanship of Shahadat

Hossain, Chattogram Metropolitan BNP

convenor.

The party's standing committee member

Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury,

Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain and other

central leaders were present from midday

in the historic polo ground field.

Leaders and activists from various districts

and upazilas gathered in Chattogram

city from Tuesday night to join the rally

before the mass rally by car and on foot.

BNP leaders and activists were filled to the

brim with the presence of supporters.

Since Wednesday morning, every area

of the city has been abuzz with processions

and sloganeering.

Meanwhile, the culvert work is going on

in front of Holy Crescent Hospital on Zakir

Hossain Road under Khulshi Police

Station of Chittagong City. Mini buses,

buses and trucks carrying BNP leaders

and workers from Chattogram North

District and the western part of the city

enter the Ambagan Tiger Pass through

Wireless Junction and Punjabi Lane

Junction to take part in the convention.

Meanwhile, tension was prevailing in

the city around the divisional rally of BNP,

in such a situation, law and order forces

were on high alert at the rally venue and

surrounding areas.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said in the

speech of the chief guest, "The movement

to topple the Awami League government

has started from Chattogram, and from

today's rally, I want to make it clear that

BNP and its allied parties will not participate

in the next national elections under

this government under Sheikh Hasina."

Mirza Fakhrul also said that since

Chattogram is one of the historical movements

of the country, the movement to

bring down the government has started

from this holy land.

He also said that if any BNP leaders and

activists are tortured and oppressed, then

the entire country will be paralyzed starting

from Chittagong.

Leaders and activists of BNP and organizations

from different places of

Chittagong division started coming to the

rally place with processions. At one stage,

the crowd turned into a sea of people, the

entire polo ground field.

BNP Vice Chairman Mir Mohammad

Nashir Uddin, Chittagong Divisional BNP

Organizing Secretary Mahbuber Rahman

Shamim and Member Secretary Abul

Hashem Bakkar along with district leaders

spoke.

Virtually, Prime Minister Sheikh hasina gave the Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award among the recipients at a function

at osmani Memorial Auditorium.

Photo : PID

President urges

UAE to recruit

more manpower

from Bangladesh

DHAKA : President M Abdul Hamid yesterday

urged the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

government to recruit more skilled and

semi-skilled manpower as well as professionals

from Bangladesh in various sectors.

The President came up with the call as the

newly-appointed UAE resident Ambassador

to Bangladesh Abdulla Ali Abdulla Khaseif

Al Hmoudi presented his credentials to the

head of the state at Bangabhaban here this

afternoon.

Later, President's Press Secretary Joynal

Abedin briefed the BSS about the meeting.

During the meeting, Hamid congratulated

the UAE leadership for successfully hosting

the global mega event "Dubai Expo 2020"

despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hamid thanked the UAE government

for providing employment opportunities

to around seven lakh Bangladeshi expatriates

there.

The UAE is making an important contribution

to the development of Bangladesh, he

mentioned.

Noting that Bangladesh produces international-standard

products, especially readymade

garments (RMG), ceramics, pharmaceuticals,

leather goods, jute products, frozen

fish, electronic products, furniture, plastic

products and construction materials, the

President said the UAE can import these

quality products from Bangladesh.

HSC 2022 to be

held at 293 centres

DHAKA : The Higher Secondary School

Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations

will be held at 293 centres at home

and abroad, reports BSS.

The revised list of exam centres has been

published on the website of the Board of

Secondary and Higher Secondary

Education yesterday. Further information

in this regard is available on the website

http://www.dshe.gov.bd/.

This year's HSC exams will begin on

November 6 and will end on December 13.

The practical exams will start on December

15 and will end on December 22.

Ukraine claims new gains after

days of mass Russian strikes

KYIV : Ukraine said Wednesday it

reclaimed more territory from

Russia in the south and welcomed

the delivery of Western air defence

systems that Kyiv said would usher

in a "new era" after mass strikes from

Moscow.

Russia for two days pummelled

Ukraine with missiles, damaging

energy facilities nationwide, in

attacks that President Vladimir

Putin said were retaliation for a

deadly explosion at the Crimea

bridge.

Russia's FSB security service said

Wednesday it detained eight suspects

over the blast that ripped

through the road and rail bridge connecting

Crimea to the rest of the

country.

But it also claimed to have foiled

two more attacks that Ukrainian special

services allegedly planned to

carry out on Russian territory.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said

Wednesday after Russia's missile

barrage that Ukraine's Western

backers were looking to provide Kyiv

with more air defences to protect

against Russia's "indiscriminate"

attacks across the country.

"We will address how to ramp up

support for Ukraine and the top priority

will be more air defence for

Ukraine," Stoltenberg said at the

start of a meeting by Ukraine's allies

on arms supplies to Kyiv.

Putin has vowed a "severe"

response to any further attack on

Russia and what Moscow considers

to be its territory, including the

Crimea peninsula that it annexed

from Ukraine in 2014.

Despite warnings from the

Kremlin, Kyiv has vowed to retake

the peninsula as well as four regions

in Ukraine's east and south that

Moscow says are now part of Russia.

Kyiv said Wednesday that it had

retaken five more settlements in

the southern region of Khersonone

of the four territories Moscow

said it annexed in late Septemberin

the latest setback for Russia's

campaign.

The presidency added, however,

that Russian forces were striking

back and had continued shelling

Ukraine's positions "along the entire

contact line".

The Russian military meanwhile

said it had fended off Ukrainian

attacks in the eastern Donetsk,

Lugansk and Kharkiv regions.

And Russian strikes on the frontline

town of Avdiivka killed at least

eight people at a market, the

Ukraine-appointed chief of the

region said.

"There is no military logic to this

kind of shelling, only the unbridled

desire to kill as many of our people as

possible and intimidate others," the

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko

said on social media.

The Ukrainian army announced its

counter-offensive in the south in late

August.

After regaining almost full control

of the northeastern region of

Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces recently

claimed more gains on the eastern

and southern fronts.

Faced with mounting setbacks

since September, the Russian president

announced the mobilisation of

hundreds of thousands of reservists

to join the fighting in Ukraine.

With the Crimea bridge blast,

Russia also lost a vital transport link

for moving military equipment for

Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden said

Tuesday that he believes his Russian

counterpart had "miscalculated" the

situation in Ukraine and underestimated

the ferocity of Ukrainian defiance.

"He thought he was going to be

welcomed with open arms, that this

was the home of Mother Russia in

Kyiv," Biden told CNN in a rare televised

interview. "I think he just totally

miscalculated."

there are several unmanned boats at two different points of Devpur canal in kalapara of

Patuakhali. the rope is tied with both ends. People of different professions including students cross

this canal with risk everyday.

Photo : Star Mail

Playing with fire

will bring dire

consequences,

Quader warns BNP

DHAKA : Awami League (AL) General

Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges

Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday warned

BNP leaders that the consequences of playing

with fire will not be good.

He issued the warning while speaking at a

briefing at Setu Bhaban in the capital.

About the BNP's divisional rallies, Quader

said the AL always welcomes any peaceful

and democratic programme, but if any anarchy

is created in the name of movement, the

ruling party will give a befitting reply along

with the people aiming to protect their lives

and properties.

The Awami League keeps patience but it is

also prepared with caution on the streets, he

added. Blaming that BNP is now hatching

plots to oust the government in the name of

movement, sensing its defeat in polls, the AL

general secretary said BNP is now daydreaming

of mass upsurge.

Mentioning that the BNP leaders have

been showing the threat of mass upsurge

and movement for the last 14 years, he said

their threats are limited to media and

Facebook, and the country's people know

this very well.

Japanese envoy

expects $10b trade

with Bangladesh

DHAKA : Japanese Ambassador to

Bangladesh Naoki Ito has hoped the trade

between Bangladesh and Japan would be

US$10 billion in future, saying

Bangladesh's economy is growing every

year. The Japanese envoy expressed the

hope while speaking at the annual general

meeting (AGM) of the Japan Bangladesh

Chamber of Commerce and Industry

(JBCCI) at a city hotel on Monday evening,

said a press release.

Naoki Ito said that Bangladesh and

Japan have celebrated 50 years of friendship

this year and this bonding will grow

more in the future. He called for focusing

efforts on improving the business environment

for the Japanese companies here.

Though some improvements have been

made, more issues are needed to be

resolved with more focus and a coordinated

new approach, he said. JBCCI President

Asif A Chowdhury, Secretary General Tareq

Rafi Bhuiyan and its executive members

were present at the AGM.

JS body recommends

planting coconut,

palm saplings

DHAKA : Parliamentary Standing Committee

on Water Resources on Wednesday recommended

planting coconut and palm trees in

cyclone-prone areas across the country

aiming to protect people from the lightning

strike. The recommendations came following

the 26th meeting of the JS body held at

Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban here with committee

chairman Ramesh Chandra Sen in the

chair. The committee discussed the

progress of the Coastal Embankment

Improvement project phase-1 (CEIP-1) in

Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Pirojpur,

Barguna and Patuakhali districts.

The committee members including water

resources state minister Zaheed Farooque,

deputy minister AKM Enamul Hoque

Shameem, M Afzal Hossain, Shamsul

Haque Chowdhury, Nurun Nabi

Chowdhury and AM Naimur Rahman were

present at the meeting.

13-10-2022

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