21-10-2022

FRIDAy, OCTOBeR 21, 2022

2

A new ambulance was added to the upazila health complex in Naogaon's Mahadevpur on Thursday. Under the chairmanship

of Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Khurshidul Islam, Member of Parliament for Naogaon-3 (Mahadevpur and

Badalgachi) Alhaj Md Salim Uddin Tarafdar cut the ribbon as the chief guest. Upazila Parishad Chairman Md. Ahsan Habib

Bhodan, Upazila Vice Chairman Anukal Chandra Saha Budu and Women Vice Chairman Rabeya Rahman Poli among others

were present as special guests.

Photo: M. Shakhawath Hossain

PM Hasina addressed India's security

concerns: Mahfuz Anam

DHAKA : Mahfuz Anam, editor of the

Daily Star newspaper, on Thursday said

Bangladesh has showed its

commitment towards security issues

and credited Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina for addressing India's security

concerns.

"I think this is an ongoing process and

Bangladesh has shown its

commitment," he said highly

appreciating Hasina's leadership on

that front.

Mahfuz Anam was speaking at a

seminar titled "Role of Media in

Bangladesh-India Relations:

Challenges and Opportunities" held at

Jatiya Press Club on Thursday.

Israeli troops kill

three Palestinians in

West Bank incidents

RAMALLAH : Two

Palestinians including a doctor

were killed Friday in an Israeli

raid in the flashpoint city of

Jenin in the occupied West

Bank, an army spokeswoman

said.

Hours later Israeli troops

killed a Palestinian youth

accused of firing shots at an

Israeli settlement in the West

Bank.

Dr Abdullah al-Ahmad

"succumbed to a bullet wound

that pierced his head, fired by

the occupation (Israeli)

soldiers", the ministry said in a

statement following the earlier

incident.

A ministry spokesman told

AFP that another Palestinian,

Mateen Debaya, was also killed

in the raid on the city's refugee

camp, with five others

wounded.

Militant group Hamas, which

controls the Gaza Strip, named

Debaya as a "fighter".

The ministry said Ahmad

was shot outside a government

hospital.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury

spoke at the seminar virtually

highlighting growing and close relations

between the two countries.

The seminar was organised by Jatiya

Press Club to mark its 68th founding

anniversary.

The Daily Star editor acknowledged

the progress made in terms of relations

between Bangladesh and India during

PM Hasina's tenure.

He, however, said overall water

sharing issue remains a big issue, noting

that Teesta water sharing treaty

remains pending for long.

He also laid emphasis on fair sharing

of water. He talked about cooperation

on the bilateral trade front and the

opportunities it holds.

Mahfuz said the relations should be

based on a win-win situation.

Apart from regime-based relations, he

said the people-based relations can be a

sustainable one.

President of Indian Journalists Union

(IJU) Geetartha Pathak, JPC President

Farida Yasmin, its General Secretary

Elias Khan, Dhaka Union of Journalists

(DUJ) Sohel Haider Chowdhury,

among others, spoke at the seminar.

The speakers expressed gratitude to

the people and the government of India

for the vital role they had played during

the War of Liberation in 1971.

Three of Rohingya family attempt suicide

near UNCHR office in Cox's Bazar

COX'S BAZAR : Three members of a Rohingya

refugee family attempted to end their lives in

front of the local UNCHR in Cox's Bazar on

Wednesday night over a family dispute and

alleged harassment by terror group ARSA.

The three have been identified as Abul

Osman, son of Ahsanul Hoque of shade No 40

in E block of Kutupalong Rohingya camp in

Ukhiya upazila of the district, his wife and

mother.

The youth alleged that he was being

harassed by his step-mother Sabera Khatun

"who has links with NGOs and ARSA".

"As a registered refugee, I deserve security

inside the camp. On the contrary, police have

been harassing me and taking the side of my

step-mother," he alleged.

"I am being deprived of obtaining all

facilities as a refugee, besides the ARSA has

constantly been threating to kill me," he said.

Abul said he went to the UNCHR office,

seeking justice and security, and threatened to

take his own life unless his demands were met.

Osman's mother Fatema Begum also made

the same allegations and demanded justice.

Ikhtiyar Uddin Bayezid, liaison officer of the

UNCH office in Cox's Bazar, said the Rohingya

youth tried to commit suicide after coming out

of the UNCH office following a meeting with

officials.

Later, he, along with his family members,

was sent back to the camp around 9pm, he

added.

Bronte biopic 'Emily' delves into

imagined author's darkness

LOS ANGELES : Was

reclusive 19th-century author

Emily Bronte inspired to write

"Wuthering Heights" after

experimenting with opium,

tattoos and a steamy affair

with the local clergyman?

Actress Emma Mackey

doesn't think so-but she

portrays Bronte doing all

those things and more in

"Emily," a new drama which

deliberately ignores the

trappings and conventions of

the traditional period biopic.

"No. I don't. But also, I don't

care!" the star, best known for

Netflix hit "Sex Education,"

told AFP.

"It's not a documentary-I

had to wrap my head around

just letting go of all the

biographical elements, and

really hold on to the fact that

this is just a story" that writerdirector

Frances O'Connor

"wanted me to tell," she said.

The question of how a shy

Victorian woman who spent

most of her short life on the

remote Yorkshire moors

penned a dark, passionate

Gothic novel that shocked its

contemporary readers has

long vexed academics and

fans.

"Emily," released Friday by

Warner Bros in the United

Kingdom, offers a non-literal

answer, allowing elements of

"Wuthering Heights" to "seep

in and feed that real world" of

its author, said Mackey.

Its heroine is led astray by

her rebellious, troubled

brother Branwell-a prototype

for her novel's brooding

Heathcliff-and romps with

her father's curate William

Weightman, who has

parallels to the book's

gentlemanly Edgar.

According to Mackey, in

reality Emily and her sisters

Charlotte and Anne probably

drew their complex creative

ideas from the extensive

library of books, including

Gothic literature, that they

had access to growing up.

But, she notes, there were

macabre elements in the

Bronte family's real world

too.

DMP Commissioner

Shafiqul to go on

retirement on

October 30

DHAKA : Dhaka Metropolitan

Police Commissioner (DMP)

Md Shafiqul Islam will go on

retirement on October 30,

reports UNB.

A gazette notification in this

regard was issued by the Home

Ministry's Public Security

Division on Wednesday.

He will be on postretirement

leave (PRL) from

October 30 this year to October

29 next year.

He will be entitled to

retirement and postretirement

leave benefits as per

government rules, it added.

The tenure of DMP

Commissioner Shafiqul Islam

was extended for another year

in 2021. On September 13,

2019 he took the responsibility

as 34th Commissioner of

DMP.

GD-1705/22 (4x4)

GD-1706/22 (5x4)

Gazipur filling station fire:

Death toll climbs to 4

GAZIPUR : The death toll from the Gazipur

filling station fire rose to four, with another

victim succumbing to his burn injuries at

Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH)

on Thursday morning.

The deceased was identified as filling station

worker Sirajul Islam, 28, reports UNB.

Sirajul, who sustained 40% burns, breathed

his last at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of

Burn and Plastic Surgery of DMCH at 7.30 am,

said inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of

DMCH police camp.

One more burn victim of the same fire-

Anwar, 30 -- is being treated at the same

hospital, and his condition is also critical, said

a doctor.

Earlier, on Tuesday, another worker, Al

Amin, 30, succumbed to his injuries at the

same hospital.

Besides, driver Parvez, 33, who sustained

86% burns succumbed to his injuries on

Monday. On Friday, another injured, named

Mithu Mia, 26, who suffered 100% burns, died

at the same hospital.

On October 13 evening, the fire was triggered

by an explosion that occurred in a cylinderladen

van while refuelling gas at Wahed Ali

Filling Station in Gazipur's Borobari area.

The seven people who sustained burn

injuries in the fire were all standing nearby.

They were first taken to Tahirunnesa

Memorial Medical College Hospital (TMMC)

and five of them had to be later shifted to

DMCH as their condition was critical.

Fleeing Xi's China, journalist

makes fresh start abroad

BEIJING : Investigative journalist Wang

Zhi'an once exposed corruption, land

seizures, and medical malpractice in

China, with millions of viewers and a

powerful platform: state broadcaster

CCTV.

Wang now lives alone in central Tokyo

after being blacklisted in his homeland.

His journey from on-air personality at the

heart of China's vast state media

apparatus to reporter in exile illustrates

how even government-backed critical

reporting has been curtailed under Xi

Jinping, China's most authoritarian

leader since Mao Zedong, reports UNB.

Unlike many muckrakers, Wang hasn't

given up. Deep in debt and armed with

little more than a laptop, a tripod, and a

camera borrowed from a friend, Wang is

back in business - this time on YouTube

and Twitter, both banned in China.

"Here I can tell the truth, and nobody

will restrict me anymore," Wang said,

sitting in his Tokyo studio, a living room

in his modest three-story walk-up.

Thousands of delegates are

congregating in Beijing this week to

reaffirm Xi as leader of the ruling

Communist Party for a third term, at the

country's most important political

meeting in a decade. Fearing arrest, Wang

said he won't return until Xi is out of

power.

"He demands absolute obedience,"

Wang said. "The media has become like

the army: a tool that pledges

unconditional allegiance to the party."

Under Xi, China's once feisty reporters

have fallen in line. The Communist Party's

propaganda arm has taken direct control

of agencies managing newspapers,

broadcasters, and radio stations. A

powerful new agency has silenced critical

voices on the internet, creating a vast

censorship apparatus powered by

thousands of censors.

Privately, many Chinese journalists say

Xi has quashed independent reporting.

Publicly, they stay silent. Xi's very name is

mouthed carefully, in scripted lines,

whispers or pseudonyms.

"The change these past 10 years has

been dramatic," said Zhan Jiang, a retired

professor of journalism at Beijing Foreign

Studies University.

Wang never imagined a life outside

China. A native of mountainous Shaanxi

province, Wang joined CCTV in 1998 after

obtaining a master's in history.

At the time, Chinese media was on the

cusp of what Wang calls a "golden age."

Investigative journalism flourished under

then-leader Jiang Zemin, who talked Tibet

and Taiwan with Western journalists, and

Zhu Rongji, a tough, reform-minded

premier who battled corruption.

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

3

The Chancellor of Birmingham University, UK and President of the Confederation of British

Industry Lord Karan Bilimoria delivered a Special Lecture on ' Business, Finance and Economy'

yesterday at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban auditorium of Dhaka University (DU). DU

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman presided over the program. Photo : Courtesy

Birmingham University Chancellor & CBI

President delivers special lecture at DU

The Chancellor of Birmingham

University, UK and President of the

Confederation of British Industry Lord

Karan Bilimoria delivered a Special

Lecture on ' Business, Finance and

Economy' on Thursday at Nabab

Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban

auditorium of Dhaka University (DU).

DU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman presided over the

program.

Lord Karan Bilimoria said,

Bangladesh has achieved

tremendous success at all fields

especially education, business and

economy under the dynamic and

pragmatic leadership of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina. Global

community is being inspired and

motivated by the overall development

of Bangladesh, he pointed out.

He said, Russia-Ukraine war is

affecting the world including

Bangladesh. Food crisis and energy

crisis are prevailing everywhere due to

Dhaka North wins

Bloomberg

Philanthropies

Award for creating

greener spaces

DHAKA : Dhaka North City

Corporation has been

announced as one of the ten

winners of C40 Cities

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Award 2022.

The awards were

announced at the C40

World Mayors Summit in

Buenos Aires, Argentina on

Thursday (October 19 local

time). DNCC Mayor Atiqul

Islam received the award,

given under the 'United in

building climate resilience'

catagory for expansion of

green spaces to create a

greener, more inclusive and

livable city in Dhaka North

City Corporation.

Awards were given out in

five categories that align with

this year's summit theme,

'United in Action'. The

categories are: United to

accelerate immediate action

in critical sectors, United to

clean the air we breathe,

United in building climate

resilience, United to innovate

and United in building a

climate movement. After

receiving the award, DNCC

Mayor Atiqul said, "In this

time of Covid-19, climate

change and conflict, we must

remain united and

remember that no one is safe

unless everyone is safe.

Human civilization may even

face extinction."

This year, 70 cities

competed for the prestigious

awards. The awards

celebrate pioneering climate

projects led by cities around

the world, recognising

mayors and encouraging

friendly competition

between cities keen to

demonstrate their successful

climate actions and raise

global ambition. Seven prior

editions of the awards

programme have taken place

to showcase some of the

world's most ambitious

climate projects and

amplified best practices.

this war. Loss of life and property is

being reported everyday from the war

field. This war must be stopped, he

added.

He called upon the Bangladeshi

students, teachers and researchers to

pursue their higher education from

UK which is the best destination of

international students. Learning

never stops. Collaboration on

education and research is a must. So,

a MoU between Dhaka University

and Birmingham University will soon

be signed regarding the

collaboration, he said.

DU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman thanked Lord Karan

Bilimoria for his motivational and

inspirational lecture. Students,

faculties and researchers will be

highly benefited by his valuable

speech. DU VC paid glowing tributes

to the memory of Lord Karan

Bilimoria's father Lt. General

Faridoon Blimoria who led the

Gorkha Rifles and played a heroic

role during the Liberation War of

Bangladesh in 1971. So, this Bilimoria

family has a strong attachment with

Bangladesh, DU VC pointed out, a

press release said.

The function was also addressed by

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration)

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Samad, Pro-Vice

Chancellor (Academic) Prof. Dr. A S M

Maksud Kamal and Treasurer Prof

Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed.

Noted academicians, researchers,

teachers and students participated at

the program.

Earlier, Chancellor of Birmingham

University Lord Karan Bilimoria met

with DU VC Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman at the latter's office of

the university. The held fruitful

discussions regarding the possibilities

of signing a MoU soon between DU and

Birmingham University to undertake

joint collaborative academic and

research programs.

A seminar titled "The Changing Pattern of Social Behavior, Etiquette and

Youth Culture in Modern Era: Social Insights on Bangladesh" organized by

the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FASS) of

Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) was held at Bijoy

Auditorium of BUP. The main purpose of the seminar was to focus on the

key factors which effect family bonding, respect the aged people, the pattern

of social problems, change in youth behavior due to the influence of

negative culture developed with the advancement of science and technology.

In the seminar, Professor Dr. Mehtab Khanam, Honorary Professor,

Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, University of

Dhaka presented the keynote paper.

Photo : Courtesy

Director General of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB)

Engineer Fazlur Rashid was present as chief gust at a view exchanging

workshop on two projects in Tangail and Barishal. Photo : Courtesy

Dengue death toll climbs

to 110 with 4 more deaths

DHAKA : Four more deaths from dengue

confirmed in 24 hours till Thursday morning

raised this year's fatalities from the mosquitoborne

disease in Bangladesh to 110.

During this period, 896 more patients

were hospitalised with the viral fever as

cases keep rising, according to the

Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS).

Of the latest deaths, three were reported

from Dhaka and another from Mymensingh

division. The dengue death toll in Dhaka

division now stands at 66, in Mymensingh at

two while it remained static in Chattogram

division at 35, in Khulna at two and in

Barishal division at five.

Of the new patients, 537 were admitted to

different hospitals in Dhaka and 359 outside it.

A total of 3,174 dengue patients, including

2,159 in the capital, are now receiving

treatment at hospitals across the country.

The Directorate has recorded 28,698

dengue cases and 25,414 recoveries so far

this year.

Media can play

role in deepening

Bangladesh-India

ties: Speaker

DHAKA : Jatiya Sangsad

Speaker Shirin Sharmin

Chaudhury has said the media

can play their roles in

promoting activities that can

help further deepen the

bilateral relations between

Bangladesh and India.

She urged the journalists of

both Bangladesh and India to

play a constructive role in

improving Dhaka-Delhi ties,

reports UNB.

"The mass media of both

countries can play an

important role on how both

countries can benefit more.

Mass media has a role in

promoting the relationship

between the two countries",

said the Speaker.

She was speaking at the

inaugural session of a seminar

titled "Role of Bangladesh-

India Relations: Challenges

and Prospects" organised by

the Jatiya Press Club to mark

its 68th founding anniversary.

The Speaker urged the

media of both countries to

work together on how to

strengthen the relationship

between Bangladesh and India

in South Asia.

Senior journalists from

Bangladesh and India

attended the seminar and

expressed their gratitude to the

people and the government of

India for the vital role they had

played during the War of

Liberation in 1971. Speaker

Chaudhury said the two

countries have addressed

many challenges in the past

years, including land and

maritime boundaries

demarcation.

The two countries signed a

number of agreements and

MoUs on social, economic,

maritime and environmental

cooperation, she said. Mahfuz

Anam, editor of The Daily Star

newspaper, said Bangladesh

has showed its commitment

towards security issues and

credited Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina for addressing

India's security concerns.

Two IUBAT teachers listed among

the world's top 2% researcher

Two teachers of the International University

of Business Agriculture and Technology

(IUBAT) have been placed in the list of the top

2 percent of scientists in the world. They are

Dr Golam Rasul, professor and chair of the

Department of Economics and Dr. Suvash

Chandra Paul, Associate Professor of the

Department of Civil Engineering of

International University of Business

Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT). They

have been listed among the world's top 2%

scientists in 2022 published by Stanford

University and Elsevier, a press release said.

Dr Rasul joined IUBAT in 2022. Prior to his

new assignment, he was the chief economist

at the International Centre for Integrated

Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a premier

research organization in Asia. At ICIMOD, he

was involved in research in the areas of

economics, rural development, regional

cooperation, poverty alleviation, sustainable

development, and food, water and energy

management, according to a statement.

Dr. Suvash Chandra Paul is working as an

Associate Professor at the Department of Civil

Engineering, International University of

Business Agriculture and Technology

(IUBAT) from August 2019. He received his

MSc (2011) and PhD (2015) degrees in Civil

Engineering from Stellenbosch University,

South Africa. He has worked in Monash

University Malaysia for 2 years (July 2017 -

July 2019) as a Lecturer in Civil Engineering.

Prior to work in Monash, he was a research

fellow in Singapore Centre for 3D Printing

(SC3DP) at Nanyang Technological

University, Singapore for about 2 years

(September 2015 - July 2017). He has

published over 80 research papers in both

international journals and conferences. He is

currently the editorial board member for the

Elsevier Journal of Additive Manufacturing

Letters and Hindawi Journal of Advances in

Civil Engineering, and a reviewer for more

than 8 journals. His research area is on

advances in construction materials, waste

recycling, corrosion and durability of concrete,

nanoparticles and 3D concrete printing

technology.

On celebrating the success of these two

teachers of IUBAT, a special felicitation

ceremony was organized at the IUBAT

auditorium on Wednesday, at the initiative of

Miyan Research Institute. The event was

attended by the Vice-Chancellor of the

University Prof Dr. Abdur Rab, Treasurer Prof

Selina Nargis and Registrar Prof Lutfar

Rahman. Also, various heads of departments,

directors, coordinators, teachers-students,

officials-employees of the university were

present.

He was honored as the best researcher in

2020 and 2021 under the Miyan Research

Institute of IUBAT. It is noted that the Miyan

Research Institute conducts research

approval, guidance and evaluation of IUBAT

teachers and researchers for research and

publication on various subjects. At present,

under the approval and guidance of Miyan

Research Institute, the teachers of the

university are conducting research activities

on various topics including agriculture,

engineering, and technology, business

administration, environment, climate,

sustainable development, and education.

Seminars are organized every year on the

results of this research and the researchers are

awarded.

Multi-sectoral district annual nutrition

action plan 2022-2023 workshop held

in Rangpur

Rangpur District Nutrition

Coordinating Committee in

collaboration with the Joint Action

for Nutrition Outcome (JANO)

Project organized the multi-sectoral

annual nutrition action meeting of

Rangpur District at the district

Parjatan Motel yesterday, a press

release said.

The meeting was presided over by

Deputy Director (DD) of Local

Government (LG) Jilufa Sultana, on

behalf of the Deputy Commissioner

and President of District Nutrition

Coordinating Committee, Rangpur.

Members of the District Nutrition

Coordination Committee, acting

Rangpur Civil Surgeon, Member

Secretary of the Rangpur District

Nutrition Coordinating Committee,

JANO project officials including

Nazneen Rahman were present in the

meeting at that time.

The multi-sectoral annual district

nutrition action plan 2022-2023 of

A special felicitation ceremony was organized at the IUBAT auditorium on

Wednesday as two teachers of the International University of Business

Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) have been placed in the list of the top

2 percent of scientists in the world. Photo : Courtesy

Rangpur district was presented at the

meeting where the 2022-2023 annual

nutrition action plans of 8 Upazilas, 8

Ministries, 10 Departments 76

Unions and 6 development partner

organizations of Rangpur were

mentioned. In the workshop, the

officers in charge of all the

departments at the district level

presented the nutrition related action

plan of their respective departments.

The total allocation for the action plan

is 1601419500 (one hundred and

sixty crores fourteen lakh nine

thousand five hundred taka.

Jilufa Sultana said that there is no

alternative to multi-sectoral district

nutrition action plan to solve the

nutrition issues in Bangladesh. DD-

LG also mentioned the support from

local government to implement

different activities under district

nutrition action plan. Nazneen

Rahman, Senior team leader of JANO

project said, JANO Project is always

ready to support to Government of

Bangladesh especially in Rangpur

and Nilphamari region on multisectoral

nutritional activities as well

as nutrition specific and nutrition

sensitive issues.

JANO project is funded by the

European Union and co-funded by

the Austrian Development

Cooperation and is being

implemented by CARE Bangladesh,

Plan International and ESDO. The

objective of the project is to

contribute in ending malnutrition of

Pregnant and Lactating Women

(PLW) together with addressing the

nutritional needs of children under

five years of age, and adolescent

girls. The project is closelyworking

with the Government of Bangladesh

(GoB) at the national, regional and

local levels, to support the effective

implementation of the National

Plan of Action for Nutrition 2

(NPAN 2).

Rangpur District Nutrition Coordinating Committee in collaboration with the Joint Action for

Nutrition Outcome (JANO) Project organized the multi-sectoral annual nutrition action meeting of

Rangpur District at the district Parjatan Motel yesterday.

Photo : Courtesy

Friday, OcTOBer 21, 2022

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

B

Friday, October 21, 2022

Make roads

to last

That the inhabitants of the capital city

Dhaka are bearing the brunt of the

pitiable conditions of the roads, lanes and

by-lanes is clearly evident everywhere. When

a resident steps out of his/her residence,

scores of cracks, potholes, ditches that have

developed on the roads, will likely greet

him/her in many places of this hapless city.

It seems that the entire city has turned into a

zone with dangers lurking everywhere. From

Jatrabari, the southern fringe of the city, to

Uttara, the northern fringe, from Basabo,

the eastern fringe, to Gabtoli, the western

fringe, everywhere the same precarious scenario

is prevailing. Unplanned digging of

roads repeatedly, and that too in the full

rainy season, by the authorities of various

utility services like WASA, Titas Gas, telephone

organizations and electricity distribution

organisations has aggravated the sufferings

of the city-dwellers.

Conditions of some of the roads in the city

have become so perilous that those have

become unfit for plying of vehicles. Due to

continuous rain, carpeting, bricks and stone

chips of many roads have been displaced

making those hazardous for movement of

vehicles. Traffic jam on these roads has

become a regular menace and commuters

have to remain stranded on these roads for

hours together.

This kills valuable time and taxes the

patience of many commuters. Emergency

patients on the way to hospitals and clinics

are the worst sufferers. Besides, due to kneedeep

water on many badly damaged roads

caused by rain many vehicles become inoperative,

exposing the commuters to a lot of

sufferings.

Every year the government allocates substantial

budget for repairing of the city's

roads. As routine work many roads are

repaired hastily. But after some weeks or

months only the conditions of the roads

revert to the previous positions. This kind of

repair does not improve the conditions of

the damaged roads at all on a durable basis.

Use of substandard materials in repairing

roads has become a chronic practice in our

country. A section of contractors and engineers

financially gain out of these projects

but the sufferings of the taxpayers do not

end. This is a sheer unacceptable drainage

of state money. What is done in the name of

repairing of roads is sheer cheating. This is

not aimed at public welfare.

The government should take up the road

repairing issue seriously. Prime Minister

(PM) Sheikh Hasina recently expressed

concern over the faulty repairing of roads.

She directed the relevant authorities to

repair roads with rods, cement and concrete

so that those can last for a long time. She

told the authorities that a road paved with

concrete has the prospects of longevity of

even 25 years whereas the ones now being

repaired with bitumen usually crumble within

a year. In some cases such roads crumble

within months of their repairs requiring

repairing afresh. Apart from unending people's

suffering, this practice only contributes

to sheer misspending of people's money to

line the pockets of a few.

Thus, if the PM's directive is executed,

the roads will be durable, city-dwellers will

enjoy its benefits and state money will not

be wasted. We are confident that the PM is

fully aware of the sufferings of the citizens

and she is eager to provide them with relief

and prevent squandering of public money.

She has also identified the heart of the problem

: deliberately keeping alive the scope for

repeated repairing of the roads so that the

unscrupulous ones can make money. We

hope that the PM will now ensure that her

directive would be heeded and the interest

groups blocking the same frustrated completely

in their scheming.

Dr. Munaz's digital vision in shaping BDU

angabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman Digital University (BDU), is

Bangladesh's first specialized

Government digital university. The

university's founding Vice-Chancellor is

Professor Dr. Munaz Ahmed Noor. He has

kept the sign of success in all cases. He will

remain forever in the success story of BDU.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman dreamed of

building a country free from hunger and

poverty for the next generation through the

Great War of Liberation in 1971. He wanted

Bangladesh to be a role model for the whole

world. Today's digital Bangladesh is the

modern version of the golden Bengal of

Bangabandhu's dream. In 1973, Father of

the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman started the journey towards

technology by accepting membership in the

International Telecommunication Union

(ITU). Besides, he established the country's

first satellite ground station on June 14 of

1975 at Betbunia, Rangamati. His daughter,

current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is

working tirelessly day and night to build

"Digital Bangladesh", the modern form of

the golden Bengal of Bangabandhu's

dream. The architect of Digital Bangladesh

is under the overall supervision of Prime

Minister's Information and

Communication Technology Advisor

Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

The 21st-century world is witnessing the

rise of the fourth industrial revolution

(4IR). This 4IR is the industrial revolution

of technology, this revolution of skill. The

Bangladesh government has been taking

various plans and steps to strengthen

Bangladesh's position in the fourth

industrial revolution. In line with that, the

Prime Minister adopted a plan to establish

'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Digital University, Bangladesh' to play a

role in creating a developed and prosperous

Bangladesh through digitalization through

Vision 2021, a middle-income country by

2041. In 2016, Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina announced the establishment of

this university in Parliament. After the

Prime Minister's announcement, the

current Minister for Liberation War Affairs

- AKM Mozammel Haque MP played an

important role in the establishment of this

first digital university in the country at

Kaliakair, Gazipur. The help and role of the

minister in various matters related to the

university are undeniable.

The Prime Minister of the Government of

the People's Republic of Bangladesh Sheikh

Hasina handed over the responsibility of

the university to Professor Dr. Munaz

Ahmed Noor for the proper management of

this specialized university established to

implement the Digital Bangladesh vision.

As the founding Vice-Chancellor of the

university, information and technology

professor Dr. Munaz Ahmed Noor joined

on June 12, 2018. Before joining, he

successfully served as a Professor of the

Civil Engineering Department of the

Bangladesh University of Engineering and

Technology, former Vice-Chancellor of the

National University, and former Vice-

Chancellor of the Islamic University of

Technology (IUT). Since joining, he has

been sustaining digital Bangladesh in the

implementation of the 'Vision 2021' of the

Government of the People's Republic of

Bangladesh, in keeping up with the Fourth

Industrial Revolution, providing teaching,

research, and excellence in digital

knowledge at undergraduate and

postgraduate levels. It is aimed to turn the

young generation into skilled human

resources and entrepreneurs. He has

worked day and night to establish this

university. Today's BDU was not built in a

day. The story behind this is very long and

self-sacrificing. From the time he got the

responsibility till the end of his tenure, he

has worked tirelessly to establish BDU as

one of the best universities in South Asia.

After joining on June 12, he sought

permission from the then Vice-Chancellor

of the National University, Harun-or-

Rashid to set up temporary operations in

three rooms in National University City

Office, Dhanmondi. In November 2018, the

city office of the university was established

at Mohammadpur in the capital. On

November 12, 2018, the University Grants

Commission of Bangladesh approved the

establishment of two faculties and one

institute to conduct educational programs.

To contribute to the fourth industrial

revolution by facing the challenges of the

21st century and to implement Vision 2041,

the academic journey of the university

began on June 2019 by enrolling 100

students in two honors programs (Internet

of Things and ICT in Education) in the

academic year 2018-2019. A total of 300

students are currently studying at this

university with the admission of 100

students in the academic year 2019-2020

and another 100 students in the academic

year 2020-2021. It should be noted here

that these subjects are new in this

subcontinent and BDU is the only

university in Bangladesh where these

subjects are being taught.

From the beginning Professor Dr. Munaz

Ahmed Noor has performed honestly with

his hard work, talent and wisdom.

At the Bachelor's and Master's level,

subjects titled Information and

Communication Technology, Science,

Engineering and Technology and related to

other fields of technology such as digital

development, digital technology, robotics,

cloud computing, e-commerce,

information, and communication

technology management, cyber security,

and management are being taught here. In

less than four years, Professor Dr. Munaz

Ahmed Noor set up classrooms with smart

Baria aLaMUddin

ICT facilities, e-library facilities, a

computer, and language laboratory,

physics laboratory, IoT laboratory, data

management and analytics laboratory,

electronics laboratory, data center for

conducting academic activities of students

in the style of a world-class smart digital

university. Board, Learning Management

System (LMS), Massive Open Online

Course (MOOC), My BDU Mobile Apps,

Exam Management System (EMS)

Installation, Provision of Student Access

Cards, Institutional Web Hosting and

Domain, Provision of Google G-Suite for

Education, Development of the proctored

remote exam system software, Library

setup, blended learning support by

providing blended classroom solutions,

launching of live classrooms, BDREN

connectivity, Online admission portal, ERP

(Enterprise Resource Planning) software,

The 21st-century world is witnessing the rise of the

fourth industrial revolution (4ir). This 4ir is the

industrial revolution of technology, this revolution

of skill. The Bangladesh government has been taking

various plans and steps to strengthen Bangladesh's

position in the fourth industrial revolution.

Providing access to Microsoft M365-A-3

and BDU Video conferencing software

were developed under his supervision.

Apart from this, the admission process has

been automated due to students can sit

anywhere in the world and complete the

admission process on mobile. The

University has its own "My BDU" mobile

app to check various types of fee deposits

and payment statuses.

Financial incentives are provided to

students to purchase data packages to

ensure participation in online classes at

various times. The Vice Chancellor of the

University has arranged online classes even

in a disaster situation like Covid-19. Under

the leadership of Munaz Ahmed Noor,

"ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)"

software was launched to provide digital

services to students. Through this ERP

software, the complete environmentfriendly

activities of various departments of

the university will be conducted in a

paperless environment. All activities

including accounts and human resources

will be completed digitally.

Not only this, as a new university, to solve

the problem of student accommodation, 1

hostel for boys and 2 hostels for girls have

been arranged. There are canteen and

dining facilities to solve the food problem of

the students. There are buses for the

convenience of students. Various

competitions are regularly organized to

make students interested in new subjects

and acquire skills. For example, essay and

quiz competitions on the life and work of

the father of the nation, programming

contests, Googling contest, website

creation, seminars, book reviews, and other

types of competitions are regularly

arranged here.

All of us students feel that the Vice-

Chancellor has managed the University

beautifully for four years through fairness

and stability on the campus, academic

excellence, infrastructural development,

and cultural activities.

Ever since he was appointed as the Vice-

Chancellor, he emphasized developing

relations with various universities at the

international level.

From his student life to his working life,

he is working for the country by keeping

Mujib ideals in his soul. Munaz Ahmed

Noor, the first place holder in Cumilla

Board, received the President's Gold Medal

as the most meritorious student in his

academic life. After completing his studies

at the Bangladesh University of

Engineering (BUET), he obtained his PhD

degree from the University of Tokyo in

2000. In 2005, he participated in a short

Private Public Partnership (PPP) program

in the Netherlands. In 2007, he completed

his post-doctoral degree in earthquake

theory (seismology). In 2008, he

completed his training in seismic design of

nuclear power plants in Italy. He also

participated in a training program on

Disaster Risk Reduction by the World

Bank. He has received countless awards

and people's appreciation in his career.

During his tenure as the Pro Vice-

Chancellor of the National University, he

played an important role in the

digitalization of the university, the

elimination of session bottlenecks, and the

creation of college education development

programs. He also played an important role

in the teaching-learning department of the

university during his tenure as the Vice-

Chancellor of IUT. He was awarded an

honorary doctorate for his special

contribution to the education and

information technology sector of the

Commonwealth University, especially in

the digital Bangladesh vision of the

government of Bangladesh in recognition

of his work in the information and

communication technology sector. He also

received the '2016 Education Leadership

Award' in 2018 from the American

Leadership Board in recognition of his

significant contribution to the technology

sector. He has expertise in Concrete

Technology, Urban Safety, Climate Change,

Earthquake disasters, and the technology

sector. Munaz Ahmed Noor got a

prestigious position in the list of the world's

best scientists in the AD Scientific Index

2021 published on the world's best

researchers.

We the students hope to come again for

the second term of former Vice Chancellor

Sir. Because we believe that as a guardian

of Digital Bangladesh and a true soldier of

Mujib ideals, he will be able to quickly

establish the university as a world-class

full-fledged digital university through his

talent, wisdom, prudence, experience,

skills, and leadership.

The writers is Student, Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Digital

University, Bangladesh

A new era of paramilitary supremacy in Iraq

The actual occupant of the post,

Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani, is a

nobody with zero parliamentary

support who is entirely beholden to those

who placed him in power. There are

excellent reasons why hundreds of

thousands of Iraqis brought Baghdad to a

halt in August over Al-Sudani's candidacy.

In 2010, when Al-Maliki was prime

minister, he appointed Al-Sudani minister

of human rights - at a time when there were

no human rights to administer. During this

black phase of Iraq's history, Al-Maliki coopted

militia forces such as Asa'ib Ahl Al-

Haq, the Mukhtar Army and the Imam Ali

Brigades to embark on bloody sectarian

purges and to assassinate journalists,

activists and political opponents. Al-Maliki

weaponized the judiciary against his

enemies and purged Sunni fighters who had

risked their lives combating terrorist

groups. As chairman of the commission for

de-Baathification, Al-Sudani assisted Al-

Maliki in purging hundreds of Sunnis and

political rivals from administrative roles.

The Iraqi Commission of Integrity

estimated that $500 billion was corruptly

siphoned off from the Iraqi budget during

Al-Maliki's tenure, much of which went

toward funding paramilitary violence.

Such were the industrial-scale crimes

against human rights and interfaith

coexistence on Al-Maliki and Al-Sudani's

watch that, in 2014, Iraq disintegrated

altogether and much of the country became

a playground for the twin plagues of Daesh

and Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi militias, which

took crimes against humanity to entirely

new levels of horror and cruelty.

As prime minister, Al-Sudani (a longstanding

member of Al-Maliki's Dawa

party) will be solely accountable to Al-Maliki

and his paramilitary Hashd allies who

Md. Mehedi hasan shishir

brought Iraq back to the brink of civil war in

their dogged efforts to secure his candidacy.

A large part of the blame for this disaster

for Iraqi democracy lies at the door of

Muqtada Al-Sadr, who until recently had

the single largest bloc in parliament. Had

Al-Sadr possessed a degree of patience and

political acumen, he could have overcome

the Hashd's blocking efforts and reached an

understanding with the Kurds, Sunnis and

independents to form a government.

Instead, he threw the mother of all political

tantrums, pulled his supporters out of

parliament and allowed the Hashd to

acquire most of the seats he vacated.

It initially seemed as if Al-Sadr possessed

a winning strategy, as he flooded the Green

Zone with his supporters in a bid to block

Al-Sudani's candidature and force early

elections. However, he then staged one of

the most humiliating climbdowns in

modern political history after Tehran

coerced Al-Sadr's theological superior,

Ayatollah Kadhim Al-Haeri, into

withdrawing his support. With both Al-

Sudani and Rashid such weak and

malleable figures, it is clear who is intended

to govern Iraq next We should not discount

the extreme levels of bad blood between Al-

Maliki and the Sadrists, which at times has

escalated into assassinations and

bloodletting among each other's foot

soldiers. In July, a recording was leaked in

which Al-Maliki, among other insults,

denounced Al-Sadr as "a hateful Zionist."

Temporarily reduced to enraged impotence,

Al-Sadr is probably biding his time so that

his next move inflicts maximum damage on

an Al-Maliki-brokered administration.

Blame for this debacle also lies with the

Kurdish and Sunni political factions. They

know very well that Al-Maliki and the

Hashd have hostile anti-democratic

ambitions for Iraq, but they have allowed

With the hashd hemorrhaging popular support over

the past year, Tehran worries about the future

electability of its iraqi puppets. hence, plotting is

certainly already afoot for how the next elections can be

undermined - either by preventing them occurring at all

or by seeking to dominate the aftermath.

themselves to be divided and bought off

cheaply at the cost of Iraq's sovereignty.

While the Kurdistan Democratic Party and

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan jostle over

trivial appointments, they risk losing Iraq

altogether. Former President Barham Salih

was widely seen as a trusted pair of hands.

His successor, Abdul Latif Rashid - an

independent Kurd whose main claim to

fame is having once been water resources

minister - will struggle to emerge from

Salih's shadow. With both Al-Sudani and

Rashid such weak and malleable figures, it is

clear who is intended to govern Iraq next.

However, Al-Sudani is already struggling to

put together a Cabinet, amid reports of

fierce rivalry between Hashd faction leaders

over who gets to benefit from key posts.

With the Hashd hemorrhaging popular

support over the past year, Tehran worries

about the future electability of its Iraqi

puppets. Hence, plotting is certainly already

afoot for how the next elections can be

undermined - either by preventing them

occurring at all or by seeking to dominate

the aftermath.

The worst fears for Iraq are being realized

and matters are set to deteriorate as militias

seek to reinforce their already unwieldy

presence at every level of this

administration in order to exact control and

extract every last corrupt dinar of public

money. Outgoing Prime Minister Mustafa

Al-Kadhimi had acted as a vital bulwark

against Hashd preeminence. Over the

coming weeks, watch these militias make a

bonfire of his legacy.

Yet, at this moment of apparent victory,

these Hashd militias are looking nervously

over their shoulders. To the east of Iraq, for

the past five weeks a nationwide uprising

has been gaining momentum. Tens of

thousands of brave Iranian girls and women

are burning their hijabs and calling for the

downfall of the hated ayatollahs and

Revolutionary Guard commanders who

control the Hashd.

The Iraqi Hashd and all Iran's other client

militias are living on borrowed time. Maybe not

this year, but sometime soon, enough

courageous Iranians will take to the streets to

erase their hated tyrant regime once and for all.

Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning

journalist and broadcaster in the

Middle East and the UK. She is editor of

the Media Services Syndicate and has

interviewed numerous heads of state.

FriDaY, OCtOber 21, 2022

5

China’s 20th party congress

DaN maCKLiN

I previously explored an

upside case for the Chinese

Communist Party (CCP)'s

20th National Congress, due to

begin on October 16. In that

scenario, Xi Jinping would win

a third term as general

secretary, but he would preside

over a Politburo Standing

Committee (PSC) weighted

toward pro-market reformers,

who could potentially drive a

shift in economic policy.

That projection was based

on recent age and term limits

for the CCP elite being largely

upheld. By contrast, a

downside case would see those

norms scrapped. As I explore

in this second piece, such an

outcome would be a major

regression for China's political

institutions. It could also

augment Xi's power to

extreme levels, thereby

increasing the likelihood of

policy missteps.

Rather than simply be

reappointed as general

secretary, Xi (currently aged

69) could abolish the post and

restore the superior office of

party chairman. Mostly

remembered for Mao Zedong,

the CCP chairmanship has

been dormant since 1982. Its

restoration would give Xi a

status rivalling Mao and

further elevate him above

other PSC members.

But to make Xi's

continuation into old age seem

less personalistic, Han Zheng

(68) and Li Zhanshu (72)

could also stay on the PSC. In

this scenario, the party would

deny the existence of a "seven

up, eight down" rule, whereby

those aged 68 or older should

retire from China's top

governing bodies.

In another break with

convention, two 67-year-old

PSC incumbents could retire

early; long-time party theorist

Wang Huning and outgoing

premier Li Keqiang may both

have grown too influential for

Xi's liking. But Zhao Leji (65)

and Wang Yang (67) likely

pose less of a concern, and

their maintaining PSC seats

would bring Xi valuable

continuity at a time of

significant policy challenges.

As a further sign of Xi's

outsized power, he might

prevent a PSC seat being given

to Hu Chunhua (59), the rising

star of the Tuanpai or Youth

League faction. Instead, Xi

would elevate more of his own

people, allies like Li Qiang (63)

and Huang Kunming (65).

Finally, to ensure his clique's

future dominance, Xi could

increase the number of PSC

seats from seven to nine (as it

was between 2002 and 2012).

This would provide spots for

Chen Min'er (62) and Ding

Xuexiang (60), whose relative

youth would offset the PSC's

oldtimers. But given the

abandonment of age limits, it

would be unclear if either of

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a press event. Photo: Ng Han guan

them might one day succeed

Xi.

Unlike the party's informal

age limits, the rules for

appointing China's premier

cannot be so easily

circumvented. This would

prevent Xi from fast-tracking

an ally like Li Qiang; he lacks

the required vice premier-level

experience that Wang Yang

and Han Zheng both possess.

Of those two, Xi likely prefers a

fairly neutral figure like Han

over another Tuanpai rival in

Wang.

But Wang and Zhao would

take over the next two highest

offices as chairmen of the

National People's Congress

(NPC) and the Chinese

People's Political Consultative

Conference (CPPCC). Of the

remaining state roles to be

filled in March 2023, Li Qiang

could become executive vice

premier, and Li Zhanshu state

vice president (the first to sit

on the PSC since Xi between

2007 and 2012).

Among the party roles, Chen

seems a plausible choice to

take over Zhao's anticorruption

portfolio at the

Central Commission for

Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

Ding could succeed Wang at

the helm of the CCP

secretariat, which manages the

party's routine business. And

Huang would inherit Wang's

chair of the Central Steering

Committee for Spiritual

Civilization (CSCSC), which

oversees propaganda work.

Finally, to complete his

domination of China's highest

governing body, Xi might have

his key ally He Lifeng attend

PSC meetings in a non-voting

capacity. At a time of growing

economic stress, He could play

an important role as vice

premier for the economy,

succeeding Liu He on the

Politburo.

In this scenario, Xi Jinping's

allies would dominate the PSC,

with the Tuanpai reduced to

Wang Yang's solitary seat. This

setup would bring Xi

extraordinary levels of control

and amount to a worst-case

scenario for China's long-term

political stability. Retirement

norms are essentially the only

mechanism for regulating PSC

turnover, and their

abandonment risks a return to

Mao-era gerontocracy.

This institutional regression

would also have worrying

implications for policy

direction. Surrounded by a

coalition of weak and loyal

officials, Chairman Xi would

face minimal resistance to

persisting with "zero COVID"

or escalating corporate

crackdowns. He would

become trapped in an

authoritarian feedback loop,

increasingly unaware of the

damage wrought by his own

policies.

The consequences of this

return to one-man rule would

ultimately damage Xi's legacy

and weaken the party that he

has spent a decade

strengthening. Thankfully,

that prospect should make this

SeUNgmiN Lee

Despite the COVID-19

pandemic's economic

disruptions and U.N.

sanctions, North Korea has

found new, and illegal, ways

to support the regime:

cyberattacks garnering nearly

$400 million in

cryptocurrency last year and

nearly $1 billion in 2022 thus

far. While the United States

has evidently made attempts

to prevent these cyberattacks -

such as sanctioning virtual

currency mixer Tornado Cash

for supporting North Korean

hackers - additional measures

are needed to better prevent

future cyberattacks, including

increased cybersecurity

cooperation between the U.S.

and South Korea.

North Korea's cyberattacks

generally fall within three

common types. First,

espionage, disruptive attacks,

and destructive attacks, such

as the 2013 Operation Dark

Seoul and the parallel

espionage operation in which

North Korea paralyzed South

Korean broadcasting stations,

banks, government websites

and stole information.

Second, cyberterrorism and

revenge attacks, such as the

2014 Sony Hack in which

North Korean hackers

threatened Sony and its

employees with terrorist

attacks on movie theaters if

Sony released "The

Interview," a satire about

assassinating Kim Jong Un.

Third, cyber bank and

cryptocurrency exchange

robberies - such as the 2016

Bangladesh Bank Heist and

the 2017 FASTCash

Campaign - that maintain

North Korea's economy in the

face of international

sanctions.

In recent years, North

Korea state-backed hacking

group Kimsuky has targeted

financial institutions, stealing

more than $50 million

between 2020 and mid-2021

from three currency

exchanges. In March 2022,

North Korea hackers stole

more than $615 million in

ether and USD coin from the

Ronin Network by forging

withdrawals.

The future of South Korea-US

cyber cooperation

North Korea also appears to

have increased its cyber

espionage efforts since late

2020. In 2021, Kimsuky is

believed to have hacked into

South Korea's nuclear

research center, the Korean

Atomic Energy Research

Institute, stealing information

on nuclear power plants. In

February 2021, North Korea

tried to steal information

regarding COVID-19 vaccines

and treatments from Pfizer.

North Korea has increased

phishing and social

engineering attacks for

espionage purposes as well. In

Operation Dream Job, a

North Korean hacking group -

the Lazarus Group - created

fake LinkedIn profiles to

reach out to employees at

targeted companies, sent

"dream job" offers with

hidden malware, maintained

conversation with the targets,

and collected intelligence

regarding the companies'

activities and finances. The

attacks first seemed to target

government employees. Then,

the Lazarus Group targeted

companies that work closely

with the government such as

Israeli defense manufacturers

and Boeing. By April 2022,

the Lazarus Group was

sending fake job offers with

Trojan horse programs to the

chemical sector and

information technology firms

as well.

As North Korea is

increasingly using

sophisticated cyberattacks

and targeting the United

States, it is important for the

U.S. and South Korea - North

Korea's usual target - to

cooperate against these

attacks and to implement the

already existing high-level

commitments to mutual

defense.

One of the reasons that

deeper South Korea-U.S.

cyber cooperation doesn't yet

exist is because Seoul's first

venture into cybersecurity

cooperation with the

international community was

recent: its 2019 National

Cybersecurity Strategy and

National Cybersecurity Basic

Plan. One of the strategy's six

pillars is international

cooperation, and the Basic

Plan's 100 tasks include

international collaboration

and norm setting.

Since then, there does seem

to be growing commitment to

enhance bilateral cooperation

on countering North Korea's

cyber activities. The 2020

Joint Communique of the

52nd South Korea-U.S.

Security Consultative Meeting

committed to close

communication and

coordination in the cyber

domain, highlighted the need

for cyber command

exchanges, and increased

science and technology

cooperation in cyber defense.

In May 2021, the United

States and South Korea

pledged to further expand

cyber cooperation by

establishing a cyber working

group that will increase law

enforcement and homeland

security agencies' cooperation

on cybercrime and

ransomware attacks and by

creating a public-private

Domestic Violence and Cyber

Exploitation Working Group.

The 2022 South Korea-U.S.

Joint Statement included

broadening cooperation on

critical and emerging

technologies, deepening

regional and international

cyber policy, and confronting

North Korean cyber threats.

North Korea's reliance on cyberattacks is growing, but the South Korea-

U.S. alliance has yet to catch up.

Photo: Collected

KamiL matUSiewiCz

China-Poland relations amid the Ukraine war

leading to a more united

position vis-à-vis Beijing.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Second, one cannot ignore

has produced two

a shift of views about Beijing

considerably different

in the broader region when

reactions from Beijing and

Ukraine. The Polish president indicated the adverse impact China has allegedly projected its pro-Kremlin propaganda

analyzing the evolution of China-Poland relations. In August,

Warsaw. China has been reluctant to condemn Russia's of Russia's invasion on regional security and international and anti-NATO discourse in the Polish digital sphere, both

Estonia and Latvia withdrew from the 17+1 format, after

aggression, while Poland has been at the forefront of backing trade, including that with China. In addition, he suggested to through diplomatic channels and via China Radio

Lithuania's withdrawal last year; Czechia is considering

Kyiv. How has the war in Poland's immediate neighborhood the Chinese leader that Beijing could assume a more International. To complicate the issue further, Chinese

following suit. Poland and Romania, together with several

shifted its relations with China, Poland's largest trading constructive role in preventing Moscow from causing a media have cited Moscow's fake news for the purpose of

other CEE countries, have banned Huawei from their

partner in Asia?

global food crisis.

domestic propaganda, with some even suggesting that Polish

national 5G rollouts.

First of all, both countries are of strategic importance for If bilateral relations are are still marked by regular soldiers would be sent to defend Ukraine. Later, the Polish

In this sense, it would be necessary for Beijing to

each other. Poland signed a Memorandum of Understanding communication at the highest level, on the lower working Defense Ministry described this as a product of one of

ameliorate the deteriorating relationship with Poland,

on cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative level the reality raises questions about the state of the China- Russia's disinformation campaigns. Such events in

especially as the pro-Beijing Duda will have to leave office

framework with China in 2015. One year later, the two Poland "comprehensive strategic partnership."

cyberspace are not going unnoticed in Warsaw and may

once he finishes his second term. As Poland is a strategic CEE

nations elevated their bilateral ties to a "comprehensive Four months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Polish negatively impact the already strained relationship between

partner for Beijing, China may double its diplomatic efforts

strategic partnership," a symbol of diplomatic proximity that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki published an opinion Beijing and Poland.

by reassuring Warsaw about its position and by showing

China shares with important partners such as France and piece in which he warned against the threat of China taking For Poland, the Russia-Ukraine War has brought the

more assertiveness in mediating the war. For example,

Brazil.

advantage of the geopolitical passiveness of the Western presidency's and the government's views of China into closer

despite the ongoing war, China pledged to continue to make

Economically, Poland is China's largest trading partner world to seize global assets and outcompete Europe and the alignment. Duda used to adopt a less hawkish approach

Poland the gateway to Europe. Also, Beijing has proposed aid

among the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries United States. At the Poland-China Intergovernmental toward Beijing than his government, for he reportedly

for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

and its seventh largest trading partner among the EU Committee in June, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau aspires to a position at the United Nations after the elections

After the phone call between Duda and Xi in late July,

member states. Also, Poland is a critical hub for the BRI and called on "all nations that respect the principles of and hence would need to count on Beijing's support or, at

China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it

the 17+1 Initiative. Currently, the logistic hub in Malszewice sovereignty and territorial integrity to condemn the Russian least, acquiescence. That partially explains why he has never

referred to Poland as its "prioritized cooperation partner in

located on the Polish-Belarusian border is responsible for invasion of Ukraine in the strongest terms," alluding to the condemned China for human rights violations, and

Europe." Moreover, commenting on Russia's aggression,

servicing 90 percent of railway cargo exports from China to fact that Beijing was not willing to condemn Putin's disagreed with his government's hawkish stance. Before the

Chinese Ambassador to Warsaw Sun Linjiang published an

the EU; the seaports in Gdansk and Gdynia serve as a aggression. Most recently, China again abstained from voting 17+1 Summit in February 2021, the Polish Foreign Ministry

op-ed in which he recognized the threats to global peace and

gateway for furthering Chinese products to Scandinavian in the U.N. Security Council on Russia's annexation of socalled

"people's republics" in occupied Ukrainian territory. In and not attend the virtual meeting with Xi Jinping

had advised Duda to downgrade the level of representation

called for building a "community and great family" based on

countries. Recent investments in logistic hubs in the region

three pillars: bilateral relations, cooperation with CEE

seek to promote this trade route.

May, the Polish Foreign Ministry even refused to meet with personally. The president dismissed the recommendation,

nations, and cooperation with the EU. On the sidelines of a

For Warsaw, conversely, China functions as a source of the Chinese delegation that was at the time on a diplomatic arguing that "no important event concerning Central and

United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York last

political leverage and an economic alternative that enables tour in CEE nations reevaluating the region's attitude toward Eastern Europe can take place without the presence of

month, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Polish

Poland to push back against the liberal intrusiveness of the the 17+1 Initiative.

Poland." Nevertheless, the war in Ukraine may significantly

counterpart Zbigniew Rau that "an expanded and protracted

EU. In economic terms, China was the second largest source Aside from the divergent positions of the two countries, align positions from the head of state and the government,

Ukraine crisis is not in the interests of all parties."

of Polish imports in 2020, accounting for roughly 14.6

Third, Poland's military reliance on NATO and

percent, and is its largest trading partner in Asia. In 2021, in

Washington makes its alliance with the United States

a symbolic move to improve bilateral relations the Polish

extremely important, and this has been deeply accentuated

Ministry of Finance issued renminbi-denominated bonds in

by the Kremlin's war against Ukraine. Poland's prominent

China. Prior to the outbreak of the Ukraine War, President

alignment with Washington, intensified by Russia's

Andrzej Duda participated in the Opening Ceremony of the

aggression, may have implications for bilateral ties with an

Beijing Winter Olympics amid the boycott of the event by

increasingly expansionist and assertive Beijing. China's

Western countries.

growing military assertiveness over Taiwan may ultimately

Not only has Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered

compel Poland to choose a side, though so far the Polish

international reactions toward the parties directly involved,

government has not yet commented on tensions in the

but it has also led to engagement or disengagement between

Taiwan Strait. Yet it is telling that, during his visit to Vilnius

third parties - in this case, China and Poland.

in September, Poland's Rau criticized Beijing's strong-arm

Duda's visit to Beijing for the Winter Olympics' Opening

measures against Lithuania and expressed disappointment

Ceremony marked a direct interaction at the highest level

over unresolved trade issues with China. An Interbetween

the two countries just before the Kremlin's invasion

Parliamentary Amity Association between Taiwan and

of Ukraine. According to Jakub Kumoch, Polish secretary of

Poland has been recently created, which serves as an

state and head of the International Policy Bureau, during his

important platform for exchange between the two

meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Duda explained

legislatures. Additionally, Taiwan has offered aid to help

the perspective of Central European countries, and warned

settle Ukrainian refugees in Poland, which may have driven

his Chinese host that a war between Russia and Ukraine

Beijing to offer assistance as well.

would disrupt transportation routes, which would not be in

Last but not least, although the Russia-Ukraine War may

Beijing's interest. This detail has been mostly left out of

have exposed areas of contention areas in Sino-Polish

mainstream media coverage, where discussion mainly

relations, there still exist two stabilizing factors. First, Beijing

centered on the possible shift of Poland's foreign policy

will continue to be seen by Warsaw as an alternative partner

orientation.

with which to push back against intrusive policies from

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Kumoch avowed in April

Brussels, especially against the backdrop of the European

that Warsaw would reaffirm its position to Beijing, and

Commission's suspension of over 35 billion euros of COVIDhoped

that China would step in and mediate the conflict.

19 relief funds to Poland. Second, Polish agribusiness and

While he did not expect China to shift its anti-U.S. and profood

exporters are also concerned about the negative

Kremlin rhetoric, Kumoch took note of China's pragmatism

repercussions of the government taking a tougher stance

in handling international affairs and expected to see deeds

toward China, and would prefer to see a more amicable and

rather than words. In July, Xi initiated a one-hour phone call

pragmatic posture.

with Duda in which the pair discussed the unfolding crisis in Poland's President andrzej Duda and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Photo: Damir Sagolj

fRIDAy, oCtoBeR 21, 2022

6

Us-based service organization 'the optimists' has distributed taka 558,000 as scholarships among

50 students. Photo: AK Milon

The Optimists distributes scholarships

to 50 students

AK MIloN, sUNAMGANJ CoRResPoNDeNt:

In Sunamganj, US-based service

organization 'The Optimists' has

distributed taka 558,000 as

scholarships among 50 school, college,

medical college and university students

in nine upazilas of the district.

Scholarship distribution ceremony was

held in the conference room of the

district commissioner's office. The

Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj

MD Jahangir Hossain spoke as the

chief guest.

Secondary and higher secondary

level students were given a scholarship

of 9,300 taka for one year and 21,600

taka to university and medical college

BCG arrest

notorious

Mintu gang

member

Osman Gani, an active

member of the notorious

dacoit gang Mintu of

Kutubdia, was arrested

along with arms and

ammunition by the Coast

Guard East Zone. On

Thursday morning, the

Media Officer of the Coast

Guard Headquarters

Lieutenant Commander

Khandaker Munif Taqi

gave this information.

He said, based on

intelligence information,

active members of the

notorious dacoit Mintu

group of Kutubdia are

preparing for robbery in

the outskirts of

Chattogram. Based on the

information received on

Thursday midnight, a

special operation was

conducted in Kutubdia

Beribadh area by an

expeditionary team from

Coast Guard East Zone

under the leadership of Lt.

Haroon-or-Rashid.

During the operation,

the robber Mohammad

Osman Gani (27) was

arrested with 02

indigenous firearms and

05 rounds of ammunition

from a secluded fenced

area adjacent to Habibulla

shop of Ward No. 05 of

Lemsikhali Union

Parishad under Kutubdia

police station at

approximately 0320

hours. At that time

approximately 06-07

members of the bandit

escaped.

He also said that the

bandits are known to be

involved in various crimes

including robbery of

domestic cargo and goods

ships, robbery of

fishermen's boats, hostage

and ransom. Also there are

multiple cases against the

dacoit in Kutubdia police

station.

Arrested notorious dacoit

Md. Osman Gani (27),

father: deceased Yakub Ali,

resident of Sader Dail

village, Maheshkhali police

station, Chattogram

district. Later, the arrested

dacoits, seized firearms

and ammunition were

handed over to Kutubdia

police station.

students. District Commissioner Md.

Jahangir Hossain has given another

one lakh taka in cash as educational

assistance to eight students of

University, Medical and Engineering

College on his behalf.

Director of the organization and

former principal of Sunamganj

Government College Prof. Parimal

Kanti Dey gave a welcome address on

the occasion under the chairmanship

of Sunamganj district director of the

organizing organization Golam

Kibria. The program was conducted

by the coordinator of the

organization, journalist-lawyer Md.

Khalil Rahman. Deputy

Commissioner Jahangir Hossain said

to the students of the speech of the

chief guest at the scholarship

distribution ceremony that they

should be enlightened people. They

should move forward with dreams

and optimism. They should never be

disappointed. They have to work

hard with their goal in mind. Only

then success will come. He thanked

the expatriates who are giving these

scholarships to the students. Apart

from this, the organization's

additional district director,

Sunamganj Chamber of Commerce

and Industry senior vice president

Md. AminulHaque, project director

and teacher Kaniz Sultana and others

were also present.

In sarishabari of Jamalpur, more than 300 students have taken oath by showing

red card against drugs, rape, eve-teasing and child marriage. Photo: M.A Rouf

Students take oath to avoid eve-teasing,

drugs, child marriage

M.A RoUf, sARIsHABARI CoRResPoNDeNt:

In Sarishabari of Jamalpur, more than 300

students have taken oath by showing red

card against drugs, rape, eve-teasing and

child marriage. The students took this oath

at the Rudra Boyra High School ground on

Thursday in the organization of Lal Sabuj

Unnayan Songha, a voluntary organization

run by Tiffin money.

During this time they showed red

card to drugs, militancy, child

marriage, rape and corruption and

showed green card to patriotism and

truthfulness.

Founder and central president of Lal Sabuj

Unnayan Songha Kawsar Alam Sohel, the

president of the organization's Tangail

branch, Ibrahim Sarkar Sajib, the assistant

principal of the school Md. Shafiul Alam and

others spoke under the chairmanship of the

principal teacher of the school, Saifur

Rahman Based.

Later, the central president of the

organization Kawsar Alam Sohail took an

oath to the students to study regularly to

make themselves worthy citizens and not to

get married before the age of 21 for boys and

18 for girls. The organization is conducting

anti-narcotics activities in four districts of

Mymensingh division on a voluntary basis

from Cumilla.

Bangladesh Coast Guard arrested an active member of the notorious

dacoit gang Mintu of Kutubdia on thursday.

Photo: Courtesy

2 held with 387

yaba tablets in

Rajshahi

RAJsHAHI: Members of

Rapid Action Battalion

(RAB) have arrested two

alleged drug peddlers with

387 pieces of contraband

yaba tablets in the district

last night, reports BSS.

The arrested were

identified as Monzil Ali, 40,

son of late Shah Jahan Ali,

and Abdul Wahab, 60, son

of late Ansar Pramanik.

Both are the residents of the

district.

RAB sources said, on

information, a team of the

elite force conducted a raid

at Shibpur Bazar area of

Puthiya Upazila and nabbed

them with the contraband

drugs around 9.30 pm.

A case was recorded with

Puthiya Police Station in this

connection and the arrested

persons along with the

seized goods were handed

over to the police this

morning.

20 fishermen

held for violating

Hilsha ban in

Chandpur

CHANDPUR:

A mobile

court arrested 20 fishermen

along with current nets,

fishing boats and Hilsha for

violating the government's

ongoing 22-day ban on

Hilsha fishing conducting

separate drives in different

points of Padma and

Meghna rivers here in the

last 12-hour, reports BSS.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of

Chandpur Naval Station

Md. Kamruzzaman said a

total of 20 fishermen were

arrested with 103 kgs of

mother Hilsha, eight fishing

boats and 1.22 lakh meters

of banned current nets

during the drives in the river

Padma and Meghna in the

district.

The mobile court

sentenced six fishermen to

10 days imprisonment each

and 10 fishermen were sent

to the jail with filing a case

and rests four juveniles were

released as they were minor,

he said.

The government has

imposed a 22-day ban

starting from October 7 on

catching, selling, storing and

transporting Hilsha, to

ensure safe spawning of the

Mother Hilsha, during its

peak breeding period.

The seized boats and nets

were destroyed and 50 kgs of

Hilsa has been stored in cold

storage and rest of the 53 kgs

of Hilsha has been

distributed to the local

orphans.

Man held with 183

bottles of Phensedyl

in Lalmonirhat

RANGPUR: Rapid Action

Battalion (RAB)-13 in a raid

arrested one person with

183 bottles of Phensedyl

from village Kakina in

Kaliganj upazila of

Lalmonirhat district on

Wednesday afternoon,

reports BSS.

"On a tip off, an

operational team of RAB-13

from its Rangpur

headquarters conducted the

raid and arrested the man

with the Phensedyl from the

spot," a press release said

today. The elite force also

seized cash money and a

mobile phone set from the

possession of the detainee.

The arrested person was

identified as Md. Shamim

Mian, 23, of village

Chandrapur under Kaliganj

upazila of Lalmonirhat

district.

During preliminary

interrogation, the detainee

admitted that he had been

involved in drug trading in

connivance with his other

cohorts for a long time.

"After filing a case against

the arrested person in this

connection, the elite force

handed them over to

Kaliganj police station," the

release added.

7 vehicle owners fined in Dighinala

soHANUR RAHAMAN, DIGHINAlA CoRResPoNDeNt:

The upazila administration fined the vehicle

owners under the Road Transport Act in

Dighinala of Khagrachari.

Dighinala Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO)

and Executive Magistrate Muhammad

Arafatul Alam conducted the mobile court

operation in Jamtoli area of the upazila on

Wednesday morning.

UNO Arafatul Alam said about the

operation of the mobile court, "7 people have

been fined a total of Tk 2,800 in 7 cases for

violating various sections of the Road

Transport Act-2018." Also, with the aim of

ensuring the safety of passengers on the

road, public awareness activities are

conducted along with the mobile courts.

He also said, 'Everyone must obey the

traffic laws. Only then accidents will not

happen on this busy road. Law enforcement

and public awareness programs on road

safety will continue with the aim of building

a tourist-friendly Dighinala.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, on his way

back from Sajek, the country's busiest

tourist destination, a tourist named

Mohammad Sagar Ahmed (32) is

believed to have died after a tourist jeep

overturned in Hauzpara area of

Dighinala-Sajek road. In the same

incident, 6 other tourists were seriously

injured. . The injured in the road

accident were sent to Khagrachari Sadar

Hospital for treatment. Tourists came

from different parts of Dhaka to visit

Sajek, said Sajek Union Parishad

Chairman Atulal Chakma.

7 cases were filed under Road safety Act in Khagrachari Dighinala to

ensure passenger safety.

Photo: sohanur Rahaman

Vegetable seeds for 7140 farmers allotted in Jamalpur

JAMAlPUR:

Agriculture Department has taken an

incentive programme on vegetable cultivations, involving Tk

7.15 lakh, for flood affected farmers in the district during this

Robi season, reports BSS.

Under the programme, 7140 small and marginal farmers

who lost crops in the recent flood will get the incentive on five

vegetables. According to Department of Agriculture

Extension (DAE) office sources each of the farmer will get

seeds for cultivation vegetable on 13 decimal of land. The

vegetable seeds are tomato, brinjal, red amaranth, Palong

shak and Bottle gourd.

Additional Deputy Director, DAE, Muhammad Harun-Or-

Rashid said after Upazila wise allocation of farmers, the

incentive will be disbursed as soon as possible.

Three ticket black marketers

jailed in Jamalpur

JAMAlPUR: A mobile court conducted by Rapid Action

Battalion (RAB) convicted three persons for selling railway

tickets in black market and sentenced them to different jail

terms in Jamalpur Railway Station area on Wednesday

evening, reports BSS. Jamalpur RAB-14 sources said the

mobile court led by Executive Magistrate Rahima Akhter

raided Jamalpur Railway station area and caught red handed

Md Shaon, 27, Md Halim, 35 and Md Suman, 25, residents

of the station area with 23 tickets of 13 intercity trains.

Later, the court sentenced Halim and Suman to three

months imprisonment each and Shaon to one month.

The court also fined each of them Taka 5,000 in default to

suffer 15 days more in jail.

An awareness workshop on strengthening 24/7 (round the clock) natural

delivery services was held in Austagram. Photo: MD Nazrul Islam

Awareness workshop held

in Austagram

MD NAzRUl IslAM, AUstAGRAM CoRResPoNDeNt:

An awareness workshop on strengthening

24/7 (round the clock) natural delivery

services was held at Union Health and

Family Welfare Center in Haor Upazila

Austagram of Kishoreganj. This workshop

was held in the upazila extended

administrative building auditorium under

the management of MCH-Services Unit,

Directorate of Family Planning on Thursday

morning.

Under the supervision of family planning

officer Shamsul Alam and under the

chairmanship of Upazila Nirbahi Officer

Harun-or-Rashid, Upazila Chairman

Shahidul Islam James was present as the

chief guest in the said workshop.

Deputy Director of Family Planning

Directorate S. M. Khairul Alam, Deputy

One held with

298 Yaba tablets

in Rangpur

RANGPUR: Rapid Action

Battalion (RAB)-13 in a

drive arrested a man with

298 pieces of Yaba tablets

from village Chalk Karim

Paschim Para in Pirganj

upazila of the district on

Wednesday, reports BSS.

"On a tip off, an operational

team of the Crime Prevention

Specialized Company (CPSC)

of RAB-13 conducted the

drive and arrested the man

with the contraband Yaba

tablets from the spot," a press

release said today.

The arrested person was

identified as Md. Golam

Rabbani, 37, of village

Baraipara (Laldighee

Fatehpur) in Pirganj upazila

of Rangpur district.

During interrogation, the

detainee admitted his

involvement in drug trading

in connivance with his other

cohorts.

Director (MCH) and Program Manager

Dr. Jahangir Alam Pradhan, Assistant

Director Dr. Hosna Begum, Upazila Vice

Chairman Manik Kumar Deb, MOCC

(P.P.) Kishoreganj Dr. Halima Akhter,

Upazila Health and Family Planning

Officer Dr. Omar Khosru, Medical

Officer (Clinic) Kishoreganj Dr.

Mostafizur Rahman were present as

special guest.

Adampur UP Chairman Abdul Mannaf,

Kalma UP Chairman Radhakrishna Das,

Deoghar UP Chairman Akter Hossain,

Upazila Education Officer Md Ashraful

Alam, Women Affairs Officer Norun Nabi,

Ashtagram Press Club President Devpad

Chakraborty, Upazila Press Club President

Nazrul Islam Sagar, Health Assistant Muha.

Resham Khan and others spoke in the open

discussion.

FRIdAy, OCTObER 21, 2022

7

Russian President Vladimir Putin doubled down Wednesday on his faltering invasion of Ukraine with a declaration of martial

law in four illegally annexed regions and preparations within Russia for draconian new restrictions and crackdowns. Photo : AP

Putin adds martial law in Ukraine

regions, limits in Russia

KYIV : Russian President Vladimir Putin

doubled down Wednesday on his

faltering invasion of Ukraine with a

declaration of martial law in four illegally

annexed regions and preparations

within Russia for draconian new

restrictions and crackdowns.

Putin's drastic efforts to tighten his

grip on Ukrainians and Russians follow

a series of embarrassing setbacks:

stinging battlefield defeats, sabotage and

troubles with his troop mobilization.

The martial law order belies the

Kremlin's attempts to portray life in the

annexed regions as returning to normal.

The reality is that a military

administration has replaced civilian

leaders in the southern city of Kherson

and a mass evacuation from the city is

underway as a Ukrainian

counteroffensive grinds on.

The battle for Kherson, a city of more

than 250,000 people with key industries

and a major port, is a pivotal moment for

Ukraine and Russia heading into winter,

when front lines could largely freeze for

months. It's the largest city Russia has

held during the war, which began Feb.

24.

A trickle of evacuations from the city

in recent days has become a flood.

Local officials said Wednesday that

5,000 had left out of an expected

60,000. Russian state television

showed residents crowding on the

banks of the Dnieper River, many with

small children, to cross by boats to the

east - and, from there, deeper into

Tigray peace talks in

South Africa on October

24: Ethiopia govt

ADDIS ABABA : The

Ethiopian government said

Thursday that peace talks on

the nearly two-year-old war in

Tigray would start in South

Africa next week.

International calls for a halt

to escalating violence in

northern Ethiopia have been

mounting since a failed bid by

the African Union earlier this

month to bring the warring

sides to the negotiating table.

"AUC (African Union

Commission) has informed

us that the Peace Talks is set

for 24 Oct, 2022 to be held in

South Africa. We have

reconfirmed

our

commitment to participate,"

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's

national security adviser

Redwan Hussein posted on

Twitter.

"However, we are dismayed

that some are bent on

preempting the peace talks &

spreading false allegations

against the defensive

measures."

A spokesman for the Tigray

People's Liberation Front

(TPLF) was not immediately

available for comment.

The government and TPLF

leaders had agreed to join

talks this month that would to

be mediated by AU envoy

Olusegun Obasanjo, South

Africa's former deputy

president Phumzile Mlambo-

Ngcuka and former Kenyan

president Uhuru Kenyatta.

Russian-controlled territory.

In announcing martial law effective

Thursday, Putin told his Security

Council, "We are working to solve very

difficult large-scale tasks to ensure

Russia's security and safe future."

Putin's army is under growing

pressure from a Ukrainian

counteroffensive that has clawed back

territory. The Russian leader is also

faltering after the sabotage of a

strategically important bridge linking

Russia with Crimea, assassinations of

Kremlin-installed officials in Kherson

and mistakes he himself has admitted

in his partial troop mobilization.

Putin's martial law declaration

authorized the creation of civil defense

forces; the potential imposition of

curfews; restrictions on travel and

public gatherings; tighter censorship;

and broader law enforcement powers

in Kherson and the other annexed

regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and

Zaporizhzhia.

In an ominous move, Putin opened

the door for restrictive measures to be

extended across Russia, too. That may

lead to a tougher crackdown on dissent

than the current dispersal of antiwar

protests and jailing of people making

statements or providing information

about the fighting that differs from the

official line.

The severity of new restrictions inside

Russia depends on proximity to

Ukraine.

Putin put areas nearest Ukraine on

medium alert, including annexed

Crimea, Krasnodar, Belgorod, Bryansk,

Kursk, Rostov. Local leaders are

authorized to organize territorial

defense, ensure public order and safety,

safeguard

transportation,

communication and energy facilities,

and use these resources to help meet

the Russian military's needs.

Leaders in these border areas can also

carry out resettlements of residents and

restrict freedom of movement. Leaders

in other areas have been granted similar

powers, depending on their alert level.

In the Kherson region, Ukrainian

forces have pushed back Russian

positions on the west bank of the

Dnieper River. By pulling civilians out

and fortifying positions in the region's

main city, which backs onto the river,

Russian forces appear to be hoping that

the wide, deep waters will serve as a

natural barrier against the Ukrainian

advance.

Russia has said the movement of

Ukrainians to Russia or Russiancontrolled

territory is voluntary, but in

many cases, they have no other routes

out, and no other choice.

Under martial law, authorities can

force evacuations. Ukraine's national

security chief, Oleksiy Danilov, said on

Twitter that Putin's declaration is

"preparation for the mass deportation

of the Ukrainian population to the

depressed regions of Russia to change

the ethnic composition of the occupied

territory."

Officials in Malawi have exhumed the bodies of 26 suspected Ethiopian

migrants from a mass grave 255 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital

city, Lilongwe.

Photo : AP

Bodies of 26 Ethiopians found

in mass grave in Malawi

BLANTYRE : Officials in Malawi have

exhumed the bodies of 26 suspected Ethiopian

migrants from a mass grave 255 kilometers

(155 miles) north of the capital city, Lilongwe.

Villagers found the bodies in a forest located

near the main road that connects Malawi and

Tanzania, which is known as a route traffickers

use to transport people to South Africa.

The early evidence suggested the men buried

in Mtangatanga Forest may have suffocated

while traveling in a van, police said.

Investigators are looking into the deaths as a

potential human trafficking case, reports UNB.

"Arrangements are underway, through

the Ministry of Health, to bring a

pathologist to do the postmortem so that

we have an official version of the cause of

death," Rodney Simwaka, the

commissioner of the Mzimba District in the

Northern Region of Malawi, said. Simwaka

told The Associated Press he heard

Wednesday morning that villagers had

found dead bodies near a timber factory.

Evidence collected at the scene indicated

the men were Ethiopian nationals between

the ages of 25 and 40, Malawi police

spokesperson Peter Kalaya said.

In July, police impounded a 30-tonne

(33-ton) tanker truck carrying 42

Ethiopians into Malawi along the route

from the border with Tanzania..

Authorities said at the time that some of the

passengers looked frail and in urgent need

of medication and nourishing food. One of

the migrants, the only one who spoke

English, told police the group had been in

transit for at least four months to get to

Malawi.

Russian jet fired missile

near British plane in

'malfunction': minister

LONDON : UK defence

minister Ben Wallace said

Thursday that a Russian

fighter jet last month

released a missile close to a

British military plane

carrying out a patrol over the

Black Sea, reports BSS.

Wallace told parliament

that the "potentially

dangerous" incident on

September 29 involved an

unarmed RAF RC-135 Rivet

Joint plane, a type of aircraft

used for reconnaissance,

flying in international

airspace.

The Black Sea borders

southern Ukraine and areas

annexed by Russia such as

Crimea.

The British plane was

"interacted with" by two

Russian Sukhoi SU-27

fighter jets "one of which

released a missile in the

vicinity" but "beyond visual

range," Wallace added.

While it was "not unusual

for aircraft to be shadowed",

the minister said he had

flagged "concerns" over the

firing of the missile in a letter

to Moscow counterpart

Sergei Shoigu and Russia's

military chief of staff Valery

Gerasimov.

He stressed the plane was

unarmed and following a

pre-notified flight path,

adding that he felt it was

"prudent" to suspend these

patrols until a response was

received.

The Russian side, in their

response, blamed a

"technical malfunction",

while acknowledging the

incident took place in

international airspace, the

minister said.

India stops journalist

from flying to receive

Pulitzer Prize

NEW DELHI : A Pulitzer Prizewinning

Kashmiri

photojournalist said

Wednesday that Indian

immigration authorities

prevented her from flying to the

United States to receive the

award even though she had a

valid visa and ticket.

Sanna Irshad Mattoo was

scheduled to fly to New York on

Monday to receive the Pulitzer

Prize but was blocked by

officials at New Delhi's airport,

she said. Mattoo said she was

stopped without reason and

her ticket was canceled.

Mattoo was working on

assignment for Reuters, which

won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for

Feature Photography for

coverage of the COVID-19

crisis in India.

She said she was traveling

with two colleagues who were

cleared to travel while she was

stopped. Mattoo said the

immigration official handed

her boarding pass back but did

not respond when she asked

repeatedly what the problem

was. She was then taken to the

airline counter to collect her

luggage.

Sri Lankan lawmakers

debate bill to trim

presidential powers

COLOMBO : Sri Lankan lawmakers began

debating a proposed constitutional

amendment on Thursday that would trim

the powers of the president, a key demand

of protesters who are seeking political

reforms and solutions to the country's dire

economic crisis.

The Indian Ocean country is effectively

bankrupt. Severe shortages of essential

imports such as fuel and medicine set off

massive demonstrations that led to the

resignations of the president, prime

minister and key Cabinet ministers several

months ago.

The protesters, including many students

and activists, have been demanding reforms

to ensure transparency and accountability.

Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe

told Parliament that the proposed

amendment would transfer some

presidential powers, including the

appointment of officials, to a constitutional

council comprising lawmakers and

respected non-politicians. The council

would recommend candidates for

appointment to the president.

Rajapakshe said the proposal would help

ensure the independence of the judiciary

and public service.

Under the proposed amendment,

presidents could only appoint senior judges,

attorney generals, central bank governors,

police, election commissioners, and bribery

and corruption investigators on the

recommendation of the council. The prime

minister would recommend Cabinet

appointments, and the president would not

be allowed to hold any Cabinet positions

except defense.

The bill will be debated on Thursday and

Friday and a vote will be held on Friday. It

must be approved by two-thirds of the 225-

member Parliament to become law.

Current President Ranil Wickremesinghe,

who succeeded ousted President Gotabaya

Rajapaksa in July, has promised to limit the

powers of the presidency and strengthen

Parliament.

If passed into law, the bill would

reinstate many democratic reforms

made in 2015. Rajapaksa reversed those

reforms and concentrated power in the

presidency after being elected in 2019.

The protesters blame Rajapaksa and

his powerful family for years of

mismanagement and corruption. Many

remain skeptical of Wickremesinghe and

accuse him of trying to protect the

former leader and his relatives.

Wickremesinghe was elected by

Parliament to complete Rajapaksa's

term, which ends in 2024.

An army soldier soldier stands guard outside the parliament building in

Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, July 16, 2022. Sri Lankan lawmakers began

debating a proposed constitutional amendment on Thursday that would trim

the powers of the president, a key demand of protesters who are seeking

political reforms and solutions to the country's dire economic crisis. The bill

will be debated on Thursday, Oct. 20, and Friday and a vote will be held on

Friday. It must be approved by two-thirds of the 225-member Parliament to

become law.

File Photo (AP)

Ukraine's utilities threatened

by Russia in war's new phase

KYIV : When a missile struck a power station

less than a mile from his apartment on the

outskirts of Kyiv, Oleksander Maystrenko

didn't panic, run to a bomb shelter or consider

evacuating, even though he lives close to what

suddenly has become the Russian military's

main target in the war: anything related to

Ukraine's vital infrastructure.

His neighbors also haven't budged, despite

the fact that Tuesday's attack - marked by a loud

explosion - killed three people, severely

damaged two facilities inside the plant's

compound and temporarily knocked out power

to about 50,000 households, according to Kyiv

Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

"We aren't afraid because we aren't just

prepared logistically; we are morally prepared,"

Maystrenko said outside his apartment

building, where he and two neighbors sat on a

bench and smoked only hours after the attack.

This is what the latest phase of Russia's nearly

8-month-old war in Ukraine looks like.

Moscow has openly declared its intention to

increasingly strike power stations, waterworks

and other key infrastructure. One Ukrainian

energy official said Wednesday that 40% of the

country's electric power system had been

severely damaged, and President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy said that Russian forces have

destroyed 30% of Ukraine's power stations

since Oct. 10.

But Maystrenko and his neighbors say they

are prepared.

If the Russians knock out the power, there are

stocks of flashlights and candles, he said. If

there's no gas for stoves, he has a plan to build a

rudimentary stove in front of the building's

entrance and use firewood that has been

collected to heat it. Water has been bottled and

jars of pickled vegetables and canned goods

have been safely stored.

Everyone knows to have plenty of blankets

and warm clothes for the winter, he added.

"It's never been a secret that this power plant

is a target, but we've been preparing since this

war started," Maystrenko said. The

preparations have created a sense of

community as well as a united front among

neighbors, who once knew each other only in

passing and are face a common enemy, he said.

The attacks have come at a critical time, with

winter approaching. Klitschko said that

Thursday marks the start of the heating season

for Kyiv, which like most urban centers in

Ukraine and even Russia uses a Soviet-era

central system controlled by the city that

provides heat for apartment buildings and

businesses.

Following a meeting between Zelenskyy,

government ministers, members of energy

enterprises and some local officials, presidential

adviser Kyrylo Tymoshenko said there would

be power supply restrictions across Ukraine

from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. beginning Thursday,

along with the use of street lights being limited

in some cities..

"Please take this seriously," Tymoshenko said

on his Telegram channel. "This applies to

residents of ALL regions of the country. ... These

are forced steps. Therefore, we all work together

on our front!"

One area where power and water were

reported knocked out by shelling was

Enerhodar, the southern city is next to the

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, one of the

war's most worrisome flashpoints. Missiles also

severely damaged an energy facility near

Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih in southcentral

Ukraine, cutting power to villages,

towns and to one city district, the regional

governor said.

Using energy supplies as a weapon isn't a new

tactic for the Kremlin, particularly when it

comes to Ukraine.

"Energy was always quite a holy cow for the

Russians, and they claim that by controlling

energy they can control the country," said

Hanna Shelest, the director of security

programs at Foreign Policy Council Ukrainian

Prism, based in Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who

declared martial law in four illegally annexed

regions of Ukraine, has used his ability to turn

off the gas that passes through the country's

extensive, Soviet-era pipeline as leverage. His

tactic has been used not just against the

government in Kyiv, but also against energydependent

nations in Europe, who built

pipelines via the Baltic Sea for Russian gas.

Under its new strategy, the Russian military

hopes to destroy enough of Ukraine's

infrastructure to make life so intolerable that

residents will blame their own government,

Shelest said.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022

8

Showroom of Brothers Furniture Limited has inaugurated in Narsingdi recently. Chairman of

Brothers Furniture Limited Md Habibur Rahman Sarker inaugurated the showroom. Associate of

Narsingdi showroom Md Tofael Hossain, Head of Marketing and Sales Mohammad Monirul Islam

Bakhshi and other officials of the organization were present at that time.

Photo : Courtesy

CPD for renewable energy

to tackle ongoing crisis

DHAKA : Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)

on Thursday underscored the need for using

renewable energy and gas exploration to

tackle the ongoing fossil-fuel-based power

and energy crisis.

The CPD observed this at a press

conference titled "Slowdown in global

economy and challenges for Bangladesh:

How to tackle?" held in its office in the city,

said a press release.

The civil society think tank urged the

government to put emphasis on gas

exploration in order to reduce the overdependence

on imported fossil fuel and

better utilise the existing solar-based power

infrastructure.

CPD Executive Director Dr Fahmida

Khatun briefed the reporters at the press

conference while CPD Research Director Dr

Khondaker Golam Moazzem and CPD

Senior Recourse Fellow Towfiqul Islam

Khan, among others, were present on the

occasion. Fahmida Khatun said that energy

and power sector confronts multiple

challenges- both short and medium term in

nature.

"Fortunately, there are chances to reduce

the power crisis through some additional

power from India. Those plants which are

under construction (3384 MW) are highly

unlikely to come in generation due to

shortages of energy supply. Hence, the

power generation and supply crisis is likely

to continue unless sufficient fuel is supplied.

Even though the power crisis may be eased

in the medium term, the long-term tension

will continue as the added generation

capacity is mainly import based, putting a

huge burden of capacity payment on the

shoulder of Bangladesh Power Development

Board (BPDB)," she added. She said

measures taken by the government to ease

energy crisis is more suitable for the shortterm.

"Those are not sufficient to address the

medium to long term concerns. Measures

taken by the government need proper

monitoring and reviewing. Also, in some

cases the measures are not consistent," she

added.

She also suggested the government to look

for long-term loans from the IMF, WB and

IDB. In view of the growing economic crisis,

Fahmida Khatun said, the government

should form a committee comprising the

representatives of the Prime Minister's

Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of

Planning, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources,

Ministry of Food, Ministry of Agriculture, the

Bangladesh Bank and National Board of

Revenue (NBR).

Britons skipping meals in

cost of living crisis: poll

LONDON : Millions of Britons are skipping

meals in current the cost-of-living crisis, a

consumer group warned Thursday, having

already forecast that many risk fuel poverty

after the UK curbed its energy price freeze.

The news came after data showed UK

inflation jumped back above 10 percent in

September on rampant food prices, as

economic troubles pile up for beleaguered

Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Half of UK households are cutting back on

the number of meals, consumer group

Which? said citing a survey of 3,000 people.

A similar proportion are finding it harder

to eat healthily compared with before the

crisis, while almost 80 percent are finding it

difficult financially. "The devastating impact

of the cost-of-living crisis is, worryingly,

leading to millions of people skipping meals

or struggling to put healthy meals on the

table," said Sue Davies, head of food policy at

Which?. Separately, the consumer group

stated Wednesday that the UK government's

decision this week to curb its energy price

freeze would leave millions unable to

adequately heat their homes.

In a series of humiliating budget U-turns,

new finance minister Jeremy Hunt

announced Monday that he would pull the

plug on the flagship energy price freeze in

April instead of late 2024.

"The government's decision to end universal

energy support in April risks throwing millions

of households across the country-not just the

most financially vulnerable-into fuel poverty,"

warned Rocio Concha, head of policy and

advocacy at Which?.

"The government must clarify how they

will support those struggling to make ends

meet beyond the spring and ensure that as

energy prices remain incredibly high,

consumers are not left out in the cold."

The price freeze was aimed at protecting

consumers from sky-high domestic fuel

costs, which have rocketed on key energy

producer Russia's war on Ukraine.

Britain has meanwhile been blighted by

strikes this year, as workers protest over

wages that has failed to keep pace with

runaway inflation.

The retail prices index-an inflation

measure which includes mortgage interest

payments and is used by trade unions and

employers when negotiating wage increases

- leapt to 12.6 percent in September from

12.3 percent in August, data showed

Wednesday. Frances O'Grady, general

secretary of umbrella grouping the Trades

Union Congress (TUC), demanded this week

that Truss step down.

Europe markets

open mixed after

US, Asia losses

PARIS : European stock

markets were mixed at the

open on Thursday following

losses in Asia and Wall

Street over concerns about

inflation and rising interest

rates.

London's FTSE 100 was

down 0.3 percent to

6,904.82 points as Britain's

embattled Prime Minister

Liz Truss was rocked by

fresh chaos following her

disastrous budget plan, with

her hardline interior

minister quitting her post.

The Frankfurt DAX shed

0.5 percent to 12,674.63

points while the Paris CAC

40 bucked the trend as it

rose 0.3 percent at 6,059.62

points.

Wall Street fell on

Wednesday as the yield on

the 10-year US Treasury

note, a proxy for Federal

Reserve interest rates,

jumped above four percent.

The Fed, meanwhile,

warned that economic

prospects are becoming

"more pessimistic" in the

United States on growing

worries of weaker demand,

citing heightened inflation

and rising interest rates.

Tesla quarterly

profit jumps, but

revenues miss

estimates

NEW YORK : Tesla reported

Wednesday another quarter

of sparkling earnings

growth, but shares fell amid

questions over the resilience

of electric vehicle demand,

CEO Elon Musk's embattled

Twitter transaction and

other issues, reports BSS.

The electric vehicle (EV)

maker scored a more than

doubling of profits in the

third-quarter to $3.3 billion

on increased auto deliveries

But shares retreated in

after-hours trading after the

company reported revenues

of $21.5 billion, a 56 percent

increase over the year-ago

period, but about $500

million below analyst

forecasts. The company

flagged battery supply chain

bottlenecks as a constraint

on EV growth and noted that

logistics volatility was an

"improving" challenge.

"Knock on wood, it looks

like we'll have an epic endof-year,"

Musk said during

an earnings call.

"The factories are running

at full speed and we're

delivering every call we

make." The results follow

Tesla's disclosure earlier this

month that deliveries and

production grew solidly in

the third quarter after diving

in the prior period due to a

coronavirus-related factory

closure at the company's

Shanghai plant.

The automaker has

avoided setting specific

annual delivery targets, but

analysts have benchmarked

a target of about 1.4 million

for all of 2022.

Standard Chartered wins "Best Trade

Finance Bank" and "Best CSR Bank"

Standard Chartered Bangladesh

recently claimed the titles of "Best

Trade Finance Bank" in Bangladesh

and "Best CSR Bank" in Bangladesh at

the Global Brand Awards 2022, a press

release said.

Standard Chartered Bangladesh was

awarded "Best Trade Finance Bank" for

pioneering sustainable and future-fit

trade practices, promoting inclusive

trade, championing digital solutions,

and for empowering clients to make the

most of the current local and

international trade opportunities. The

Bank was recognised as "Best CSR

Bank" for consistently prioritising and

centring our nation's evolving social,

developmental, environmental, and

economic needs. The Bank is

consistently

implementing

sustainability-oriented initiatives,

tackling societal challenges, helping

communities to cope and thrive,

supporting capacity building efforts,

and driving economic inclusion and

empowerment. Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Chief

Executive Officer, Standard Charted

Bangladesh, said, "As trade becomes

more sustainable and inclusive, our

communities' benefit; and as our

communities develop, our nation

shines brighter on the world stage. We

are very happy to be recognised for our

efforts in facilitating and accelerating

trade, and also standing by our

communities in Bangladesh through

thick and thin.I am gratefulto our

clients, regulators, sustainability

partners, and other stakeholders for

their trust and support over the years."

With over 117 years of uninterrupted

presence in the nation, Standard

Chartered Bangladesh is the only

multinational universal Bank in

Bangladesh. As the nation's

longstanding partner in progress,

Standard Chartered is providing

banking services to people and

companies to help foster greater

success, wealth, job creation, and

growth. The Bank's commitment to

promoting economic and social

development in Bangladesh is centred

around principles of sustainability and

equity. Standard Chartered's

commitment to support Bangladesh's

continued journey of prosperity saw the

bank secure over 30 major

international awards in 2021.

Global Brands Magazine is a

magazine providing opinions and news

related to various brands and

businesses across various industries.

The magazine provides readers with

current news, recent developments,

reviews, opinions, and relevant polls.

The Global Brand Awards is hosted by

Global Brands Magazine annually.

The 348thmeeting of the Board of Directors of Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited (SJIBL) held on 19th

October 2022 at Corporate Head Office of the Bank by maintaining proper hygiene and social distance.On

the other hand, a few number of Directors of the Bank participated in this meeting through digital platform

(with a Video Conference). The meeting was presided over by the Chairman of the Board of Directors

Mr. Mohammed Younus. The Board approved a number of investment proposal and reviewed various

issue related to policy of the Bank.

Photo : Courtesy

Nagad joins hands with Shishuswargoto

distribute sanitary napkins among students

Nagad joins hands with

Shishuswargoto distribute sanitary

napkins among studentsMobile

financial service of the Postal

Department Nagad and voluntary

organisation Shishuswargo

Foundation have distributed health

protection materials or sanitary

napkins among school students in

Tetuliaupazila of Panchagarh, a press

release said.

As quality sanitary napkins are not

affordable to women in povertystricken

areas, Nagad and

Shishuswargo distributed the materials

free of cost among about 700 students

at a ceremony at Kazi Shahabuddin

School and College recently.

Discussants there said many ordinary

people cannot accept as normal the

monthly menstruation of women,

which is though an essential part of

their life cycle. However, they added,

there has been certain improvement in

the level of awareness in society about

menstruation.

At the ceremony, slogans were

chanted saying NO to child marriage

and suicide and red cards were shown

symbolically to both the menaces.

Physician of the local health complex

Monno Akter briefed the students

about heath protection. Health

specialists offered various suggestions

to adult girls while distributing sanitary

napkins free of cost.

"As part of social responsibility,

Nagadhas engaged in various welfare

activities. We wish the new generation

will take over leadership of the country

and build a healthy and beautiful

society. As part of our wish, we

distributed the healthcare materials,"

said Sheikh Aminur Rahman, Chief

Business Officer of Nagad.

Founder and director of

Shishuswargo Kabir Akand observed

that the girls of poverty-ridden families

in the frontier areas hide their health

problems relating to menstruation due

to a lack of awareness. "They suffer

from serious diseases due only to lack

of awareness," he said adding that

campaigns are being carried out to

make people aware of healthcare and

the demerits of child marriage. He

mentioned that napkin vending

machines would be distributed at the

schools of district and upazila levels in

the future.

On Thursday, The 4th edition of International Exhibition on ship building, ship repairs, shipping,

maritime engineering, offshore engineering & technology, ship-breaking equipment and ports &

logistics titled "Bangladesh International Marine and Offshore Expo 2022 (BIMOX)"incorporated

with "Ship Recycling", "Offshore Oil & Gas Support", "Shipping, Logistic &Port", "Ship Building",

"Fishing Vessels, Fishery" "Process Automation" and "Bangladesh International Marine Conference

2022" is inaugurated at International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB), Dhaka. The exhibition

is organized by Savor International Limited with international alliance with Fireworks Trade Media

Group, Singapore. This international exhibition was inaugurated by Nurul Majid Mahmud

Humayun MP, Minister, Ministry of Industries, Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh.

Besides, Commodore Mohammad Maksud Alam, (E), BSP, NUP, BCGM, BCGMS, ndc, psc, BN and

Managing Director, Chittagong Dry Dock Limited; Commodore Md. Nizamul Haque, (TAS), OSP,

NGP, psc, BN and Director General, Department of Shipping; Commodore Md Shamsul Aziz, (L),

NGP, psc, BN and Managing Director, Khulna Shipyard Ltd.; Commodore Abdullah-Al-Maksus,

(TAS), NUP, ndc, psc, BN and Managing Director, Dockyard and Engineering Works (DEW) was

present as a special guest in this ceremony. Md. Faizul Alam, Managing Director, Savor

International Limited andMr. Kenny Young, Group CEO, Fireworks Trade Media Group, Singapore,

was presents at the inauguration ceremony.

Photo : Courtesy

FriDAY, oCtoBer 21, 2022

9

real Madrid's karim Benzema, 2nd left, scores his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer

match against elche at the Martinez Valero Stadium in elche, Spain.

photo: Ap

Ballon d'Or winner Benzema scores

as Real Madrid whip Elche 3-0

SportS DeSk

Karim Benzema and referee Jesus Gil

Manzano looked at each other and

started to laugh, reports UNB.

The Ballon d'Or winner couldn't bear

seeing another one of his goals being

disallowed. He had already found the

net twice, but neither had counted

because of offside.

That third one did, though, and

Madrid defeated Elche 3-0 on

Wednesday to increase their Spanish

league lead after defeating Barcelona in

the first "clasico" of the season on

Sunday.

Madrid opened a six-point lead over

their Catalan rival, who will host

seventh-place Villarreal on Thursday. It

was the ninth win in 10 matches for the

defending champions. Madrid remain

the only unbeaten team in the league.

Earlier, the start of the match

between Real Sociedad and Mallorca

was delayed for about 15 minutes after

a Sociedad fan fell ill in the stands and

later died.

Benzema, who on Monday won the

Ballon d'Or award for best player of the

year, had his goals disallowed for

offside in the sixth and 61st minutes.

England's Topley,

SL's Chameera

and Gunathilaka

out of T20 WC

with injury

SportS DeSk

England bowler Reece Topley

has been ruled out of the

Twenty20 World Cup with an

ankle injury just days before

their tournament opener

against Afghanistan, reports

UNB.

The paceman rolled his left

ankle during a fielding drill

ahead of England's warm-up

win over Pakistan in Brisbane

last Monday.

Scans confirmed significant

ligament damage and the

giant left-arm seamer was

withdrawn from the squad,

with fellow left-armer Tymal

Mills promoted from his

previous status as travelling

reserve.

A statement from the

International Cricket Council

Wednesday confirmed that

Mills had been drafted into

the squad.

Topley has overcome

multiple stress fractures in his

back in recent years to

become a key player in

England's white-ball sides.

The 28-year old is currently

ranked as the second-best

seamer in T20 internationals,

in a list dominated by

spinners.

England have other left-arm

options in Sam Curran and

David Willey while Chris

Woakes, Mark Wood, Chris

Jordan and all-rounder Ben

Stokes are their other seam

bowlers.

Jos Buttler's 50-over world

champions start their

campaign against Afghanistan

in Perth this Saturday.

The ICC also approved

three other player

replacements due to injuries.

He also caused a David Alaba goal to be

called off for being offside in the 26th.

All calls came after video review.

Benzema's goal from inside the area

in the 75th after a back-heel assist by

Rodrygo counted, though, and the

French striker could laugh about it after

Manzano finally confirmed the goal.

"It's the first time they call off three

goals for my team," the 21-year-old

Rodrygo said. "It was a weird game, but

in the end we are happy that we scored

three other times and got the win."

Federico Valverde had opened the

scoring from just outside the area with

a shot with the outside of his left foot in

the 11th.

Substitute Marco Asensio sealed the

victory after another assist by Rodrygo

in the 89th.

Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin,

replacing the injured Thibaut Courtois,

made a superb reflex save off a header

by Carlos Clerc to avoid the equalizer in

the 70th.

Elche, the only team yet to win in the

Spanish league this season, had drawn

two in a row, including at Valencia over

the weekend.

SOCIEDAD KEEP ROLLING

Mikel Merino scored in the sixth

minute as Real Sociedad defeated

Mallorca 1-0 at home for their eighth

straight win in all competitions.

The start of the game was delayed

after a Sociedad fan fell ill. Emergency

personnel were called in to help him in

the stands and took him to a hospital,

where he was pronounced dead.

The club and players dedicated the

victory to the fan and his family.

The win moved the Basque Country

club to third place in the Spanish

league, two points ahead of Atletico

Madrid, who were held to a 1-1 home

draw against Rayo Vallecano on

Tuesday. It was the fifth consecutive

league victory for Sociedad.

Mallorca, winless in four league

games, dropped to 15th place.

BETIS HELD

Real Betis dropped to fifth place after

being held by Cadiz to a scoreless draw

on the road.

Second-to-last-place Cadiz, still

winless at home, have drawn four

straight matches. They had their

chances to pick up the victory on

Wednesday but couldn't get past Betis

goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Arsenal thrash Women's Champions League

holders Lyon, Barca drill 9 past Benfica

SportS DeSk

Women's Champions

League holders Lyon

collapsed to a 5-1 home

thumping at the hands of

Arsenal on Wednesday as

Beth Mead starred for the

English club, while

Barcelona put nine goals

past Benfica, reports UNB.

Jonas Eidevall's Arsenal

made a dream start against

Lyon, as Mead teed up

Caitlin Foord to give them a

13th-minute lead.

Frida Leonhardsen-

Maanum doubled the

advantage midway through

the first half, before Melvine

Malard pulled one back for

the French side who won a

record-extending eighth

European Cup by

dethroning Barcelona last

season.

But Mead, who finished

second in the Ballon d'Or

voting earlier this week,

scored a brilliant free-kick

in the 39th minute.

Foord and England's

European Championshipwinning

hero Mead both

scored again in the second

period, as Lyon were left

humiliated.

No team had previously

conceded five goals in a

game as the defending

champions, while it was the

first time Lyon had even

shipped four goals in the

competition.

"We have a team that can

do better," said Lyon

forward Eugenie Le

Sommer.

"It's hard to take five

goals, even if we made

mistakes that cost us a lot.

We are Lyon and we must

do better."

Arsenal's shock victory,

achieved despite leaving

star striker Vivianne

Miedema to the bench,

leaves them top of the early

Group C standings.

"Tonight we were very

effective. The players

worked hard to apply the

gameplan in attack and

defense," said Arsenal coach

Eidevall. "It's a special

night."

Juventus made a winning

start in the group's other

match with a comfortable 2-

0 success at FC Zurich.

In Group D, last year's

runners-up Barcelona laid

down a marker with a 9-0

dismantling of Benfica.

Patricia Guijarro opened

the scoring in the very first

minute and Barca never

looked back, with Nigeria

forward Asizat Oshoala and

Champions League

debutant Geyse both

grabbing doubles.

The 2021 winners will

travel to Sweden to play

Rosengard next time out.

Bayern Munich edged out

the Scandinavians 2-1 in the

other Group D game.

Arsenal's Beth Mead celebrates scoring their fifth goal against title holders Lyon during

their Women's Champions League Group C match on Wednesday.

photo: Ap

Brazil jersey hostage to politics

a month from World Cup

SportS DeSk

Every four years, there is an explosion of

green and yellow in Julio Cesar Freitas's

neighborhood as locals cover the streets in

the colors of the Brazilian flag, reports UNB.

But this year, Freitas felt compelled to

add an explanation alongside the sea of

decorations outside his family's

construction supply shop: "It's not politics,

it's the World Cup."

Football-mad Brazil is famously

passionate about the World Cup, which it

has won more than any other country - five

times. But this year, the signs of football

fever have taken on a different meaning.

Battling to win reelection in an Oct. 30

runoff against veteran leftist Luiz Inacio

Lula da Silva, far-right President Jair

Bolsonaro has adopted the flag and the

national football team's jersey as symbols of

his own.

Bolsonaro regularly sports the colors of

the flag, his rallies are drenched in yellow

and green, and he urged supporters to wear

the national team Selecao's iconic jersey to

vote in the first-round election on Oct. 2, in

which he finished a closer-than-predicted

five percentage points behind Lula.

With Brazilians bitterly divided by the

elections, yellow and green have become

politicized - sometimes dampening

outward displays of World Cup fever in

Brazil, whose team head to Qatar as

favorites ahead of the November 20 kickoff.

The unease is visible in Freitas's

neighborhood, Caicara, in the southeastern

city of Belo Horizonte.

The city organizes a decoration contest

Gauff, Garcia

into WTA

Finals after

Sabalenka

defeat

SportS DeSk

Coco Gauff and Caroline

Garcia qualified for the

eight-player WTA Finals

after Aryna Sabalenka lost to

Liudmila Samsonova in the

Guadalajara Open second

round on Wednesday,

reports UNB.

Russian Samsonova, who

has won 20 of her last 22

matches, smacked 21 winners

and broke the powerful

Belarussian four times en

route to a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 upset

win over the world number

four.

The WTA Finals featuring

the world's top eight players

starts in Fort Worth on Oct

31.

Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur

and Jessica Pegula had

already locked up the first

three spots before

Guadalajara so with the

addition of American Gauff

and France's Garcia, three

openings remain.

Fifth seed Gauff was not at

her best but was still good

enough to see off Italy's

Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-6(1),

6-3.

The American teenager

double faulted five times and

converted just four of 13

break opportunities but was

the better player on the

biggest points, rolling

through the first set tiebreak

and carrying that momentum

into the second set.

"I'm just super excited,"

said Gauff, 18, who will be the

youngest player to compete at

the WTA Finals since 2005.

"I wasn't really thinking

about it before the match, but

I'm excited to join Jess

(Pegula)," she said. The pair

have also both qualified for

the WTA Finals doubles

tournament.

Wimbledon champion

Elena Rybakina's hopes of

making the Finals ended after

Pegula saved three match

points to emerge with a 2-6,

6-3, 7-6(8) victory despite 14

aces from the Kazakhstani.

Rybakina would have

qualified for the Finals if the

WTA had issued ranking

points at this year's grass

court major.

Danielle Collins and

Jelena Ostapenko, who both

have an outside shot of

making the WTA Finals,

won their second round

matches yesterday, while

other hopefuls including

Madison Keys, Belinda

Bencic and top seed Paula

Badosa play later.

Aryna Sabalenka lost to Liudmila Samsonova in the Guadalajara open

second round on Wednesday.

photo: Ap

Williamson scores 25 in return

as Pelicans drub Nets 130-108

SportS DeSk

for every World Cup.

Freitas, whose family has been taking

part since 1994, says there were negative

reactions this year in the politically divided

community after they hung their

decorations two weeks ago - rows upon

rows of mini triangular flags strung across

the street.

Two days later, they added the abovementioned

sign.

"Unfortunately, the World Cup coincided

with the elections this year. I had to put up

the sign so people would know the

decorations aren't about supporting any

candidate," says Freitas, 26. "I could see

people were upset," he says. But after

adding the sign, "people who had been

angry with us about it started praising us

instead."

Elsewhere, many restaurants and bars

have postponed putting up their usual

World Cup-themed decorations.

"Everyone is on edge. As a business

owner, I don't want any trouble," Sao Paulo

bar owner Decio Lemos told newspaper O

Globo.

"We bought Brazil jerseys for the staff to

wear, but we're not going to start using

them yet."

The Brazilian flag and Selecao jersey first

became widespread conservative symbols

in 2015, during protests against leftist expresident

Dilma Rousseff, Lula's handpicked

successor.

The trend has only increased under

Bolsonaro, despite efforts by the Brazilian

Football Confederation (CBF) to keep the

jersey apolitical.

Zion Williamson returned from a one-year

absence with 25 points and nine rebounds,

powering the New Orleans Pelicans to a seasonopening

130-108 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on

Wednesday night, reports UNB.

The No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft looked fully

recovered and explosive after being sidelined

with a broken right foot.

Ben Simmons also returned to action after a

missed season but had the misfortune of having

to cover Williamson for much of the brief time he

was in the game. He fouled out early in the fourth

quarter with four points, five rebounds and five

assists, taking three shots.

Brandon Ingram scored 28 points and CJ

McCollum had 21 for the Pelicans, who finished

strong last season and opened impressively in

this one. Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 13

rebounds.

Kevin Durant scored 32 points but was largely

a one-man show, with no other Nets player in

double figures until the final two minutes of the

third quarter. Patty Mills had 16 points and Kyrie

Irving managed 15 on 6-for-19 shooting, going 0

for 6 from 3-point range.

DeMar DeRozan scored 28 of his 37 points in

the second half, Ayo Dosunmu added 17 and

short-handed Chicago beat Miami.

Nikola Vucevic had 15 points and 17 rebounds

for the Bulls, and Goran Dragic added 12 off the

Chicago bench.

Jimmy Butler scored 24 points and Tyler Herro

added 23 for Miami, which got 22 from Max

Strus and 12 from Bam Adebayo.

The Bulls played without All-Star guard Zach

LaVine, citing left knee injury management. That

Before the first-round election, Nike,

which sponsors the Selecao, barred online

shoppers from ordering customized Brazil

jerseys with candidates' names on the back.

"People are dragging (the jersey) into

politics. It's making us lose the identity of

the shirt and the flag," Brazil and

Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison said

recently. Many Brazilians have taken to

keeping their yellow jerseys in the closet, for

fear of being harassed or attacked.

To Bolsonaro backers, however, it is a

proud symbol of his motto, "Our flag will

never be red" - the color of Lula's Workers'

Party.

Lula, for his part, has vowed to "rescue"

the flag and jersey from "that fascist"

Bolsonaro - a rallying cry supported by the

likes of pop superstar Anitta. But glowing

memories of Pele, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho

aside, Brazilians' interest in the Selecao has

been declining for years.

Fifty-one percent say they are not

interested in the World Cup, according to

an August survey.

Ticket sales and TV audiences for the

team's matches have been declining.

Experts say the politicization of the jersey

plays a part, but also the team's humiliating

7-1 elimination by Germany on home soil in

the 2014 World Cup and the fact so many

young talents leave for Europe, lessening

the connection with fans back home.

But sports historian Joao Malaia predicts

the negativity and divisions will dissipate

when the tournament starts.

"Once it's kickoff time, most people will

forget all about it," he says.

knee had him in and out of the lineup last season

and required surgery in May. LaVine played in

three of Chicago's preseason games and

experienced discomfort in recent days - which

Bulls coach Billy Donovan said is to be expected,

given that LaVine was limited for much of the

summer.

Dejounte Murray had 20 points and five steals

to lead Atlanta past Houston.

Murray, acquired from San Antonio in the

Hawks' biggest move of the offseason, also dished

out 11 assists. Trae Young had 23 points and 13

assists, teaming with Murray to give a glimpse of

how a pair of star point guards can co-exist.

The Rockets were led by Kevin Porter Jr, with

21 points, two days after he signed an $82.5

million, four-year contract extension to help lead

Houston's major rebuilding project.

John Collins led the Hawks with 24 points and

De'Andre Hunter chipped in with 22 points.

Ja Morant had 34 points and nine assists, and

Memphis beat New York in overtime.

Santi Aldama had 18 points and 11 rebounds

for Memphis, and Desmond Bane finished with

16 points.

Julius Randle led the Knicks with 24 points and

11 rebounds, while reserve Cam Reddish added

22 points, making 9 of 15 shots from the field.

Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 16 points and

eight rebounds. Jalen Brunson, signed as a free

agent, had 15 points and nine assists in his debut

for New York.

The Grizzlies took a 115-112 lead on Tyus Jones'

3-pointer with 47.7 seconds left. Evan Fournier

had a chance to send the game into a second

overtime, but his shot from the left corner was off

the mark.

FRIdAY, OcTOBER 21 2022

10

Tauquir, Zahid shares screen for web series ‘Ke?’

TBT REPORT

Celebrated two actors of the small screen

Tauquir Ahmed and Zahid Hasan

shared the screen together again after a

long time for a web series titled 'Ke?'

The shooting of the web series is going

on at Aponghor Shooting House in the

capital's Uttara area. Tauqir Ahmed and

Zahid Hasan are playing two pivotal

characters in this web series, which is

being directed by Goutam Koiree. He

has also written story of the web series.

Basically web series, 'Ke?' is a fiveepisode

drama series scheduled to be

released on the OTT platform, Bioscope.

The series follows the story of two close

friends, played by Zahid Hasan and

Tauquir Ahmed.

The character played by Zahid is a

ghostwriter for Tauquir's role. Zahid

writes scripts and that are published

under Tauquir's name. One day,

Tauquir's character is honoured with an

award for one of the scripts and it

greatly upsets Zahid Hasan's role.

This is for the first time Tauquir

Ahmed will be starring in an OTT series.

While talking in this regard, the actor

said, "I have received quite a lot of offers

but sadly I could never make time due to

other commitments. Viewers pay a lot of

attention to OTT platforms, so I was

naturally interested to make my debut.

So far, I have had a very satisfactory

acting experience in this series. I am

certain you will see me return to this

platform if I am offered a good script."

On the other hand, Zahid Hasan

shared his feelings by this way, "I

received quite a few offers last Eid but

none of them really grabbed my

attention. I chose to work on this project

because of its story. I have a very good

feeling about this. Hopefully fans will

enjoy it."

Tauquir Ahmed also expressed his

admiration for the story. He said, "It's

been a while since I last worked in front

of the camera. It feels good."

Actress Sanjida Preeti is also acting in

an important role in this series, said the

director. It is noted that Tauquir Ahmed

has been living in the USA for the last

two years.

Trevor Noah addresses potential

Black Panther 2 return

Trevor Noah responds to the question of

whether his AI Griot could reappear in

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with

the same skill as other MCU vets.

Trevor Noah gives a coy response to

the question of whether he returns for

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Releasing in theaters next month,

Wakanda Forever is the sequel to 2018's

hit MCU film Black Panther. Noah had a

small but important role in the first

movie, lending his voice to the role of

Griot. Griot was an AI system that Shuri

(Letitia Wright) created for use in her

lab.

Wakanda Forever will be vastly

reshaped from the original Black

Panther film, as T'Challa actor

Chadwick Boseman tragically passed

away in 2020, and actor Daniel Kaluuya

will not be returning as his character of

W'Kabi, due to scheduling conflicts. As

such, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

will take time to dig further into its

existing characters, including powerful

female leads played by Wright, Angela

Bassett, Lupita Nyong'o, and Danai

Gurira. The MCU sequel will also

expand the universe through new

characters. These new introductions

include the antagonistic Namor the

Sub-Mariner, played by Tenoch Huerta,

and Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, played

by Dominique Thorne. Ironheart is a

relatively new addition to Marvel as a

whole, as she first appeared in the

comics in 2016 as a young woman who

transforms into a superhero by

engineering her own version of Iron

Man's armor.

The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

cast is an impressive one, and Noah

teases his potential inclusion in a recent

interview on The Tonight Show Starring

Jimmy Fallon. Noah first recounts his

intense loathing for film spoilers.

Despite that, Fallon still prods Noah for

one spoiler about Black Panther:

Wakanda Forever. Check out Noah's

response:

"Trevor Noah: I hate spoilers. So I

wouldn't spoil it even for my friends to

let them know that I'm doing a thing. I

genuinely don't. I don't watch trailers,

for instance. I hate trailers. I like getting

into the movie not knowing what's going

to happen, what's coming, not

anticipating a single thing. …Have you

noticed they'll put a thing in the trailer

that's not in the movie? And you'll wait

for the whole movie and you're like

'heh…where's the thing?'. . . I enjoy the

experience of going to the movie, sitting

with my popcorn, not knowing what's

going to happen and then just enjoying

it. I want to go for the ride, let's see what

happens.

Jimmy Fallon: I know you probably

won't tell me now, but are you in the

new Black Panther? Of course you're

not going to tell me, you just explained

to me that you don't like spoilers.

Trevor Noah: I'm just saying, you

should watch it.

Source: Collider

Rezwana Choudhury Bannya receives

Lifetime Achievement Award

TBT REPORT

Prominent singer Rezwana Choudhury

Bannya has received the Lifetime

Achievement Award at Oikko-Channel i

Music Awards 2022. The award

ceremony was held at Sheikh Russel

Cantonment on the western side of the

Padma Bridge on Tuesday night.

Chief of Army Staff General SM

Shafiuddin Ahmed, Channel i Managing

Director Faridur Reza Sagar, Channel i

Director and Head of News Shykh Seraj

and Oikko Foundation President Shahin

Akhtar Reni handed over the award to

the noted artiste at the event.

After receiving the award Bannya said,

"I cannot express the feelings. Every

artiste wants to get honour and

recognition of their works. I'm grateful to

the organisers, my parents, gurus and

audience for this award. Please keep me

in your prayers."

Besides Rezwana Choudhury Bannya,

24 artistes and one orgranisation

received the awards in 14 categories.

Complete list of Oikko-Channel i Music

Awards 2022: Lifetime Achievement

Award: Rezwana Choudhury Bannya,

Modern song-Best singer: Fahmida Nabi,

Best Composer: Kishore, Best Lyricist:

Asif Iqbal, Best Tagore Singer: Shama

Rahman, Best Nazrul Singer: Priyanka

Gope, Best Band: Renaissance, Best

Sound Engendering: Amzad Hossain

Bappy, Best Deut Singer: Habib Wahid

and Shithi Shaha, Best Folk Fusion

Singer: Sabbir Nasir, Best Folk Singer:

Baul Shukumar, Film song-Best singer:

Imran Mahmudul, Best Composer:

Emon Chowdhury and Best Lyricist: Mir

Sabbir, Best Music Video: Piplu R Khan,

Best Newbie Singer: Nujhat Jahan

Pushpita, Best Classical Singer: Ruba,

Tung Tang and Ashik, Subject Oriented

Song- Best Singer Jhilik, Best Composer:

Shafiq Tuhin and Best Lyricist: Zulfikar

Russel, Best Production House: TM

Records.

Popular singers of the country,

including Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin,

Rezwana Choudhury Bannya,

Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Abida

Sultana, Nakib Khan, Kumar Bishwajit,

Samina Chowdhury, Fahmida Nabi,

Momtaz Begum, Manam Ahmed

performed at the event.

Present generation singers Habib

Wahid, Sinthi Saha, Konal, Imran, Jhilik,

Kishore, Sabbir Ahmed, Rashed also

enthralled the audience.

Besides, popular actors Nusraat Faria,

Siam Ahmed, Dighi, Sabila Noor,

Shariful Raz and others participated in

various performances.

Turongomi Repertory Dance Theatre to join

Indonesia International Culture Festival 2022

Turongomi Repertory Dance Theatre will join the prestigious

"Indonesia International Culture Festival 2022" in Indonesia from

October 22-30, reports UNB.

The festival is one of the largest gatherings of dance

professionals in the world, organised by the government of

Indonesia, said a media release Wednesday.

Pooja Sengupta, the artistic director of Turongomi, will

represent Bangladesh at the festival. She will also conduct a

workshop and talk about the Bangladeshi Aroti dance. She will

also take part in the popular Bandung Art Festival 2022 in Jawa.

Recently, Pooja represented Bangladesh at the Sustainable

Development Goals UNESCO Resili-Art Festival in Manila, the

Philippines in April 2022.

Later this year in July, Turongomi took part in the Daegu

Colorful Festival, one of the largest dance parades in the world.

Since its inception in 2014, Turongomi has been working with the

motto of establishing the signature style of Bangladeshi dance in

the international arena and achieving professionalism in the dance

scenario of Bangladesh.

Turongomi School of dance, a sister concern of Turongomi

Repertory Dance Theatre, became a member of the International

Dance Council of UNESCO along with Pooja herself, in 2019.

Pooja received the Noorul Quader Entrepreneur award in 2018

for establishing Turongomi.

Urvashi Rautela getting hair cut in support of Iranian women

Urvashi Rautela, who

recently shared pictures of

herself getting her hair cut in

support of Iranian women,

feels that as a public figure, it is

her responsibility to voice her

opinion on important issues.

The actor previously

compared herself to the late

Mahsa Amini in a post.

Amini died in police custody

in September after being

arrested for allegedly violating

Iran's strict dress code. Her

death triggered widespread

anti-government protests in

Iran and across the world.

Calling these protests

"extremely moving", Rautela

says, "People need to stop

oppressing women and start

respecting and recognizing

them. Feminism will regain its

strength once women come

together and consider one

woman's issue as an issue of

the entire womankind."

Rautela is not the first

person to express solidarity

with Iranian protesters.

Previously, actors Priyanka

Chopra Jonas, Elnaaz

Norouzi, and Mandana Karimi

also raised their voices in

support. However, each one of

them was thrashed by a

section of people on social

media.

Ask Rautela, if she is

prepared for the backlash that

comes with being opinionated,

she says, "I know I am going to

receive some backlash but as

long as I am able to spread the

severity of this to all those

young girls, I will be okay. As

we all know that social media

is very powerful, I feel it must

be used for the betterment of

society."

To the women, who are still

silent on the issue, Rautela

says, "I know it takes courage

to speak."

Source: Hindustan Times

H O R O s c O P E

ARIEs

Your head should be quite clear today,

Aries, and your witty comments will

be met with appreciation and

laughter. Your smile will delight

everyone you encounter. Don't be afraid to let your

feelings out to those who need to hear them. Focus

your energy on the ones you love. Your heart is

warm and generous, so share it with other people

today.

TAURUs

Don't worry about probing too deeply

today, Taurus. Trust people more than

you normally would. You will find that

things go much more smoothly if you

approach them from a neutral or positive and not

accusatory position. Listen to the people you care about

the most. They're trying to convey important

information. You might not want to hear it now, but in

the long run, it's in everyone's best interests that you do.

GEMINI

You might consider taking a short trip

today, Gemini. Perhaps you need to get

out of the house and go across town.

Whatever it is, introduce your brain to a

new reality. It's time to expand and explore. You itch

to see new places and experience new things, either

physically or mentally. Perhaps a religious sanctuary

or quiet place in grove of trees is what you need in

order to quench this inner thirst.

cANcER

Your mind might be stimulated today,

Cancer, so stay alert and open to new

information. If you feel tired, take a

short nap. It's better to operate at top

speed and full capacity than go through your day

only half present. Don't rely on external stimulants

like caffeine to pick you up. These things will

deceive your body and do damage to your nervous

system.

LEO

Communication is flowing smoothly

today, Leo, so take advantage of this

and get the word out. It's important

for you to make connections with

other people now. Run with your instincts and

feel free to enter into debates. Your words and

tone of voice are very convincing. You could sell

anything to anyone today.

VIRGO

Don't let fear of failure or fear of

success hold you back, Virgo. Even

though you may feel a natural

tendency to want to shrink into the

background and take the easiest route, you might

be sacrificing your true purpose when you do.

Become the leader instead of following the leader.

Rid yourself of all fear and take control of your

destiny.

LIBRA

Powerful thoughts are running

through your brain. You will find that

this information can be transforming,

Libra. The key is to learn from others

and incorporate opposing viewpoints into your state

of mind. Don't automatically disregard the opinion

of another just because it contradicts your own

beliefs. Teamwork is the name of the game on a day

like today.

scORPIO

Information coming your way today

might be unreliable, Scorpio. It could be

hard for you to take a solid hold on the

messages you get. Keep in mind that

there are important answers waiting to be heard. These

answers will come to you when you least expect them.

Keep your mind open to new possibilities and the path

will open up and become clear. Don't compromise your

consciousness with abusive substances.

sAGITTARIUs

Be careful about being manipulated by

another person today, Sagittarius. It's

possible that someone is putting words

in your mouth in order to get you to act

a certain way. Don't fall into this trap. Be your own

person and think for yourself. Your mind is

susceptible and vulnerable now. Use your eyes and

ears as a filter and don't let people unload their

garbage on you.

cAPRIcORN

Information you receive today may get

you stirred up, Capricorn. Remember

that it takes two to start an argument.

You play an equal part in any

disagreement. If you want to promote peace and

harmony, your words and body language must

show this. If peace and harmony aren't your

ultimate goal, you may need to look inside yourself

to explore the reasons why.

AQUARIUs

There's a great deal of power to your

words today, Aquarius, so be careful

how you use them. You may end up

manipulating another's choices if you

aren't careful with your conduct. Make sure you give

others the freedom and empowerment to decide

things for themselves. Be open and honest about all

the facts that might influence their decisions in any

way.

PIscEs

Answers may not be crystal clear

today, Pisces. They probably won't be

laid out in a neat and organized

manner. Get out in the open air and join friends

for a long bike ride. Fly a kite or feel the wind blow

through your hair on top of a mountain peak. The

answer is flowing through the air around you.

Stop looking down at the ground for the

information you seek.

frIDay, OCtOBer 21, 2022

11

Joypurhat: Bodies of 2

missing youths recovered

from Chhoto Jamuna river

JOYPURHAT : The bodies

of two youths were

recovered from the Chhoto

Jamuna river of Joypurhat

on Thursday morning, some

20 hours after they went

missing, reports UNB.

The deceased were

identified as Sanjit Bashfor,

23, and Tonmoy Rajak, 17,

both residents of the Rail

Station Road area of

Joypurhat town. Shanjit was

a student of Open University

while Tonmoy studied in

Kashiabari High School of

the town.

Fire service divers fished

out the bodies from the

river, 100 metres away from

the Chak Shyam Ghat area,

around 10am during a

rescue drive, said Joypurhat

Civil Defence and Fire

Service Warehouse

inspector Mohiuddin.

On Wednesday, the duo

went missing in the river in

the Chak Shyam Ghat area

during the immersion of the

idol of Goddess Kali.

On information, divers

from the fire service and civil

defence rushed to the spot

and started a rescue

operation, said inspector

Mohiuddin.

Dhaka's air

quality is

'unhealthy'

DHAKA : Dhaka's air quality

continued to be in the

'unhealthy' zone on

Thursday morning.

With an air quality index

(AQI) score of 162 at 9am,

the metropolis ranked

eighth in the list of world

cities with the worst air

quality, reports UNB.

The USA's Seattle,

Pakistan's Lahore and

India's Delhi occupied the

first three spots, with AQI

scores of 251, 235 and 173,

respectively.

An AQI between 101 and

200 is considered

'unhealthy', particularly for

sensitive groups.

Similarly, an AQI between

201 and 300 is said to be

'poor', while a reading of 301

to 400 is considered

'hazardous', posing serious

health risks to residents.

AQI, an index for

reporting daily air quality, is

used by government

agencies to inform people

how clean or polluted the air

of a certain city is, and what

associated health effects

might be a concern for them.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is

based on five criteria

pollutants-Particulate

Matter (PM10 and PM2.5),

NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.

Dhaka has long been

grappling with air pollution

issues. Its air quality usually

turns unhealthy in winter

and improves during the

monsoon.

Officials: Musk seeks

US funds for Ukraine

satellite network

WASHINGTON : The

Defense Department has

gotten a request from SpaceX

and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to

take over funding for his

satellite network that has

provided crucial battlefield

communications for

Ukrainian military forces

since almost the beginning of

its war with Russia, U.S.

officials said Friday.

The officials, who spoke on

condition of anonymity to

discuss a sensitive matter not

yet made public, said the issue

has been discussed in

meetings and senior leaders

are weighing the matter.

There have been no decisions.

In a statement later Friday,

Pentagon spokeswoman

Sabrina Singh said, "We can

confirm the Department

received correspondence

from SpaceX about the

funding of Starlink, their

satellite communications

product in Ukraine. We

remain in communication

with SpaceX about this and

other topics."

Health Minister Zahid Maleque addressing a function at the Shishu Hospital in the city. Photo : PID

Hacker holds Australian health

insurer's data for ransom

CANBERRA : A cybercriminal was

holding for ransom an Australian health

insurer's customer data including

diagnoses and treatments, in the

nation's second major privacy breach in

a month, officials said on Thursday,

reports UNB.

Trade in Medibank shares has been

halted on the Australian Securities

Exchange since Wednesday when

police were alerted that the company

had been contacted by what it described

as a "criminal" who wanted to negotiate

over the stolen personal data of

customers.

Medibank, which has 3.7 million

customers, said on Thursday the

criminal had provided a sample of 100

customer policies from a purported haul

of 200 gigabytes of stolen data.

Details included customer names,

addresses, birth dates, national health

care identification numbers and phone

numbers.

Cybersecurity Minister Clare O'Neil

said most concerning was that records

of medical diagnoses and procedures

had also been stolen.

"Financial crime is a terrible thing.

But ultimately, a credit card can be

replaced," O'Neil told reporters.

"The threat that is being made here to

make the private, personal health

information of Australians made

available to the public is a dog act," she

added.

The Medibank breach, which O'Neil

described as a "ransomware attack,"

came a month after a cyberattack stole

from telecommunications company

Optus the personal data of 9.8 million

customers.

The Optus breach, which

compromised the personal data of more

than one-third of Australia's population,

prompted the government to propose

urgent reforms to privacy laws that

would increase penalties for companies

that fail to protect customers' data and

limit the quantity of data that can be

retained.

O'Neil said cybercrime was a growing

Afghan couple accuse US Marine

of abducting their baby

NEW YORK : The young Afghan couple

raced to the airport in Kabul, clutching their

baby girl close amid the chaotic withdrawal

of American troops last year.

The baby had been rescued two years

earlier from the rubble of a U.S. Special

Forces raid that killed her parents and five

siblings. After months in a U.S. military

hospital, she had gone to live with her

cousin and his wife, this newlywed couple.

Now, the family was bound for the United

States for further medical treatment, with

the aid of U.S. Marine Corps attorney

Joshua Mast.

When the exhausted Afghans arrived at

the airport in Washington D.C. in late

August 2021, Mast pulled them out of the

international arrivals line and led them to

an inspecting officer, according to a lawsuit

they filed last month. They were surprised

when Mast presented an Afghan passport

for the child, the couple said. But it was the

last name printed on the document that

stopped them cold: Mast.

They didn't know it, but they would soon

lose their baby.

This is a story about how one U.S. Marine

became fiercely determined to bring home

an Afghan war orphan, and praised it as an

act of Christian faith to save her. Letters,

emails and documents submitted in federal

filings show that he used his status in the

U.S. Armed Forces, appealed to highranking

Trump administration officials and

turned to small-town courts to adopt the

baby, unbeknownst to the Afghan couple

raising her 7,000 miles away.

The little girl, now 3 ½ years old, is at the

center of a high-stakes tangle of at least four

court cases. The Afghan couple, desperate to

get her back, has sued Joshua and his wife

Stephanie Mast. But the Masts insist they

are her legal parents and "acted admirably"

to protect her. They've asked a federal judge

to dismiss the lawsuit.

The ordeal has drawn in the U.S.

departments of Defense, Justice and State,

which have argued that the attempt to spirit

away a citizen of another country could

significantly harm military and foreign

relations. It has also meant that a child who

survived a violent raid, was hospitalized for

months and escaped the fall of Afghanistan

has had to split her short life between two

families, both of which now claim her.

Five days after the Afghans arrived in the

U.S., they say Mast - custody papers in hand

- took her away.

The Afghan woman collapsed onto the

floor and pleaded with the Marine to give

her baby back. Her husband said Mast had

called him "brother" for months; so he

begged him to act like one, with

compassion. Instead, the Afghan family

claims in court papers, Mast shoved the

man and stomped his foot.

US, Canada send armored vehicles

to bolster Haiti's police

SAN JUAN : The U.S. and Canada sent

armored vehicles and other supplies to Haiti

on Saturday to help police fight a powerful

gang amid a pending request from the Haitian

government for the immediate deployment of

foreign troops.

A U.S. State Department statement said the

equipment was bought by Haiti's government,

but it did not provide further details on the

supplies flown on military aircraft to the capital

of Port-au-Prince. A spokesman for the U.S.

military's Southern Command said he could

not provide further details on the supplies sent,

though he added it was a joint operation

involving the U.S. Air Force and Royal

Canadian Air Force.

"This equipment will assist (Haiti's National

Police) in their fight against criminal actors

who are fomenting violence and disrupting the

flow of critically-needed humanitarian

assistance, hindering efforts to halt the spread

of cholera," the State Department said.

The Pan American Health Organization said

there are more than 560 suspected cases of

cholera, some 300 hospitalizations and at least

35 deaths, with experts warning the numbers

are likely much higher than what i's being

reported. The equipment arrived more than a

month after one of Haiti's most powerful gangs

surrounded a fuel terminal and demanded the

resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Demonstrators also have blocked roads in

major cities to protest a sharp rise in fuel prices

after Henry announced in early September

that his administration could no longer afford

to subsidize fuel.

problem around the world and that

Australia needed to be better prepared.

"We are going to be under relentless

cyberattack essentially from here on in,

and what it means is that we need to do

a lot better as a country to make sure

that we are doing everything we can

within organizations to protect

customer data and also for citizens to be

doing everything that they can," O'Neil

told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"Combined with Optus, this is a huge

wake-up call for the country and

certainly gives the government a really

clear mandate to do some things that

frankly probably should have been done

five years ago, but I think are still very

crucially important," she added,

referring to privacy law reforms that the

government hopes to pass through

Parliament this year.

Medibank chief executive David

Koczkar said his company was working

with specialized cybersecurity firms as

well as police and government experts

in response to the breach.

Family rejects official Iran findings

on Amini death: lawyer

TEHRAN : Lawyers for Mahsa Amini's

family have rejected an official Iranian

medical report that found her death was not

caused by beatings, they said in comments

published on Thursday, reports BSS.

Amini, 22, died on September 16, three

days after falling into a coma following her

arrest in Tehran by the morality police for

allegedly breaching the Islamic republic's

strict dress code for women.

Three days after her death, Amini's father

Amjad, told Iran's Fars news agency that she

had been in "perfect health".

In its report published on October 7, Iran's

Forensic Organization said her death "was

not caused by blows to the head and vital

organs and limbs of the body".

"The lawyers rejected the forensic doctor's

report in their statement of defence," one of

the lawyers acting for the parents, Saleh

Nikbakht, told Etemad newspaper.

The parents called for "the re-examination

of the cause of death by another commission

Customs intelligence officials have arrested five persons with 24 gold bars from the Immigration

Check Post (ICP) area at Hili Land Port in Hakimpur upazila of Dinajpur.

Photo : BSS

Ukraine: Rockets

strike mayor's office

in separatist Donetsk

KYIV, UKRAINE : The

mayor's office in a key

eastern Ukrainian city

controlled by pro-Kremlin

separatists was struck by

rockets Sunday morning,

Russian state agencies

reported. There were no

immediate reports of

casualties.

According to RIA Novosti,

the municipal building in

Donetsk was seriously

damaged by the attack,

which local separatist

authorities blamed on

Ukraine.

Photos circulating on

social media showed

plumes of smoke swirling

around the building, rows

of blown-out windows and

a partially collapsed ceiling.

RIA Novosti and local

media also reported that

three cars parked nearby

had burnt out as a result of

the strike.

Iqvmv-R:Z: 474/2022

GD-1707/22 (5x3)

in the presence of doctors" who are

confidants to the Amini family.

"Without clarifying the investigation

process and the role of the person or persons

involved in the arrest and transfer of Mahsa

to the morality police headquarters, it is not

possible to defend the rights of the parents,

and... to resolve the ambiguities about the

cause of death," Nikbakht added.

Last month, Amini's family filed a

complaint against the police who arrested

her and called on the authorities to release all

photos and videos taken during her

detention.

According to Nikbakht, the chief

prosecutor had promised "that a medical

team appointed by the family would be

informed of the course of the investigation".

The family called on the judiciary to "invite

five neurosurgeons and neurologists, a

cardiologist and a psychiatrist to choose

from a list of 10 doctors nominated by Mahsa

Amini's parents," according to Nikbakht.

Iran's celebrities face reprisals

for supporting protests

BAGHDAD : Singers, actors, sports stars -

the list goes on. Iranian celebrities have been

startlingly public in their support for the

massive anti-government protests shaking

their country. And the ruling establishment

is lashing back.

Celebrities have found themselves targeted

for arrest, have had passports confiscated

and faced other harassment.

Among the most notable cases is that of

singer Shervin Hajipour, whose song "For ..."

has become an anthem for the protest

movement, which erupted Sept. 17 over the

death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police

custody after she was arrested for not

abiding by the Islamic Republic's strict dress

code.

The song begins with a soft melody, then

Hajipour's resonant voice starts, "For

dancing in the streets," "for the fear we feel

when we kiss ..." - listing reasons young

Iranians have posted on Twitter for why they

are taking to the streets against the ruling

theocracy.

It ends with the widely chanted slogan that

has become synonymous with the protests:

"For women, life, freedom."

Released on his Instagram page, the song

quickly went viral. Hajipour paid the price:

The 25-year-old was arrested and held for

several days before being released on bail on

Oct. 4.

Since the protests took off - and expanded

from anger at Amini's death to a complete

challenge to the 43-year-old rule by

conservative Islamic clerics - a string of

celebrities have faced reprisals, from singers

and soccer players to news anchors.

At least seven public figures have been

detained inside the country, most of whom

were released on bail and could face charges,

according to Iranian news outlets. Others

were questioned and released.

But their popularity has also made it

difficult to crack down too hard on them - in

contrast to protest activists whom security

forces have arrested in large numbers. Iran

has a vibrant scene of singers and actors, as

well as sports stars, who are closely followed

by the public.

Holly Dagres, an Iranian-American nonresident

fellow at the Atlantic Council, said

the attempts to intimidate public figures

were no surprise.

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Friday, dhaka : october 21, 2022; Kartik 5, 1429 Bs; rabi-ul-Awal 24 , 1444 Hijri

AL is not obstructing

BNP rally, says

Obaidul Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader on Thursday

said the government did not make any

attempts to thwart the BNP's anti-government

rally, rather extended administrative

support.

"Neither the government nor the

Awami League has ever created any

obstacles to holding the rally by BNP,

and (we) will never do so," he told

reporters at Shetu Bhaban in Dhaka,

reports UNB.

Quader said Awami League or the

government did not create any trouble

during its recent rally in Chattogram.

"The transport strike was not there,

so why wasn't the rally venue full of

people in Chattogram?"

Quader said that neither the government

nor the Awami League is intimidating

the upcoming rally in Khulna.

Transport workers and owners in the

southwestern region said they would

suspend bus services in Khulna ahead

of the BNP rally on Saturday as they are

afraid of violence, Quader added.

"What can the government or Awami

League do (in that case)?"

In response to the statement by BNP

Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam

Alamgir that Awami League had created

1/11, Quader said: "Who was in

power before 1/11?"

He said that BNP had created a controversy

by increasing the age of judges

to make their party's international

affairs secretary and former chief justice

KM Hasan as head of the caretaker

government.

Quader said that BNP wanted to

destroy the entire election system by

making 1.23 crore fake voters.

999: Police

get call from

'thief' for help!

BARISHAL : Usually people seek help

from National Emergency Service 999 in

order to get aid in an emergency state but

what has happened in Barishal is quite

opposite and unusual. A thief has called

police seeking help, reports UNB.

Police on Thursday said they received a

call from a thief to save himself from possible

mob beating as he was stranded

inside a shop in Barishal town after committing

theft.

Yeasin Khan, 41, entered a shop in AR

Khan Bazar area of Sadar upazila and got

stuck inside the shop on Wednesday

morning after sensing presence of people

in the market, said Asaduzzaman, officerin-charge

(OC) of Metropolitan Bandar

police station.

The man called 999 for help fearing that

he might be beaten up by the locals if

caught, the OC added.

When police asked him why he is not

coming out of the shop, Yeasin told them

that it took him a long time to pack the

stolen goods and when he completed it is

already morning and people started gathering

in the market.

"In this condition, if Yeasin came out, he

would be beaten up by the mob," said OC

Asaduzzaman.

Shop owner Jhantu said he didn't sense

that a thief entered his shop and packed

goods in his bag.

Later, police arrested Yeasin from the

spot after rescuing him from the shop, said

the OC.

A road accident

kills one

and injures

others seven at

siddhirganj of

narayanganj.

the incident

took place in

front of sajeda

Hospital in

shimrail area

of dhaka-

Chittagong

highway on

thursday

afternoon.

photo : star Mail

COVID-19 linked to increase in

US pregnancy- related deaths

WASHINGTON : COVID-19 drove a dramatic

increase in the number of women

who died from pregnancy or childbirth

complications in the U.S. last year, a crisis

that has disproportionately claimed Black

and Hispanic women as victims, according

to a government report released

Wednesday.

The report lays out grim trends across

the country for expectant mothers and

their newborn babies.

It finds that pregnancy-related deaths

have spiked nearly 80% since 2018, with

COVID-19 being a factor in a quarter of the

1,178 deaths reported last year. The percentage

of preterm and low birthweight

babies also went up last year, after holding

steady for years. And more pregnant or

postpartum women are reporting symptoms

of depression.

"We were already in the middle of a crisis

with maternal mortality in our country,"

said Karen Tabb Dina, a maternal

health researcher at the University of

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "This really

shows that COVID-19 has exacerbated

that crisis to rates that we, as a country, are

not able to handle."

The nonpartisan U.S. Government

Accountability Office, which authored the

report, analyzed pregnancy-related deaths

after Congress mandated that it review

maternal health outcomes in the 2020

coronavirus relief bill.

The maternal death rate in the U.S. is

higher than many other developed nations

and had been on the rise in the years leading

up to the pandemic, but COVID-19 has

only worsened conditions here for pregnant

women.

Women who contract the virus while

pregnant face elevated health risks.

Staffing shortages and COVID-19 restrictions

created more hurdles for expecting

mothers to get in-person health care; And

pandemic stress has intensified depression,

a common condition during pregnancy.

Mental health issues likely contributed

to the increase in pregnancy-related

deaths, Tabb Dina said. Many women who

experience depression and anxiety during

or after their pregnancy struggle to get the

care they need.

"Mental health is the greatest complication

in pregnancy that we don't understand,"

she said.

The biggest spike in deaths came during

July through December of last year, as the

COVID-19 delta variant infected millions,

noted Carolyn Yocom, a director at the

Government Accountability Office.

"It's really clear from the data that the

time in which the delta variant spread

seemed to correspond to a huge increase in

deaths," Yocom said.

PBI officer files case against

former SP and 4 others

MAzHArul IslAM rAnA, CHAttogrAM CIty Correspondent

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI)

Chattogram Metro Police Superintendent

Naima Sultana filed a case against former

Police Superintendent Babul

Ilyas Hossain

Akhter. Apart from this, this police officer

has also filed a case against 4 people

including the journalist Ilyas Hossain

who is hiding abroad.

Babul Akhtar along with his brother

Habibur Rahman Labu and his father

Abdul Wadud Mia have been made

accused in the case filed under the

Digital Security Act and Penal Code.

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI)

Chattogram Metro Police Superintendent

Naima Sultana filed the case under

Digital Security Act and Special Powers

Act at Khulshi police station of the city

last Monday night. Santosh Kumar

Chakma, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of

Khulshi police station, confirmed the

matter of the case.

Babul Akhter

It has been said in the complaint that

Babul Akhtar and other accused are

conspiring to divert the investigation of

Mahmuda Khanam Mitu's murder case.

As a part of this, they are promoting a

documentary video on Facebook and

YouTube titled 'Wife killed, husband

jailed, murderer gets responsibility of

investigation' through Ilyas Hossain

with false and baseless information.

Through the statement in the video,

there is an attempt to damage the image

of the state and India's friendly relations

with Bangladesh.

Dengue infections

may drop next

month: DGHS

DHAKA : Dengue cases are likely to

start dropping from early November,

said Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS) Director (disease control)

Professor Dr Nazmul Islam on

Thursday.

The year dengue infections have

increased due to climate change and lack

of awareness among people, he told the

reporters at an event organized by

National Malaria Eradication and Aedes

Transmitted Diseases (ATDS) Control

Programme at a city hotel.

"Deaths from dengue are on the rise

due to lack of timely treatment and

negligence," he said.

He also said the hospital authorities

have taken all necessary measures to

provide treatment to the increasing

dengue patients. "Deaths from dengue

can be reduced significantly if patients

consult with doctors in time."

With seven more deaths from dengue

confirmed on Wednesday, the official

death toll from the disease rose to 106

in this year - the second-highest on

record after the 179 deaths recorded in

2019. The total number of cases this

year stood at 27,802.

ACC okays chargesheet

against 5 ex-NSU

trustees, 4 others

DHAKA : The Anti-Corruption Commission

(ACC) on Thursday approved a chargesheet

against nine people including five former

members of the board of trustees of North-

South University (NSU) for laundering

around Tk 304 crore.

ACC Secretary Mahbub Hossain said the

investigation officer of the case and director

of ACC's investigation and inquiry cell

will submit the chargesheet before the

court. The accused are - NSU trustee board

chairman Azim Uddin Ahmed, members-

Benajir Ahmed, MA Kashem, Rehana

Rahman, Mohammed Shajahan, Ashaloy

Housing and Developers Amin managing

director Md Hilaly, its chairman Omar

Faruk and directors- Anwara Begum and

Syed AK Haque.

On May 5, the ACC filed the case against

the NSU trustees and others on charges of

embezzling money in the name of buying

land for the campus and money laundering.

According to the Private University

Act, 2010, the board of trustees is the

highest governing body of a private university

like North South University.

According to the Memorandum of

Association and Articles (Rules and

Regulations) of the University, the university

is a charitable, welfare oriented,

non-commercial and non-profit educational

institution.

The case stated that over 9,088 decimal

land was bought in the name of campus

development of NSU through the consent of

some members of the board of trustees

bypassing the approval of the university syndicate,

the University Grants Commission,

and the Ministry of Education.

They later withdrew cash from the buyer

through cheques in their own names and

kept FDR in their own names. Later, they

themselves embezzled the FDR money.

They unjustly benefited themselves by

committing illegal activities, criminal misconduct

through misuse of power and

embezzling university and government

funds, according to the case statement.

DHAKA : Bangladesh will get high power

reactors for Rooppur Nuclear Power

Plant (RNPP) for optimum generation of

electricity, said Rosatom Director

General Alexey Likhachev on Thursday.

Fresh nuclear fuel for the country's

first-ever nuclear power project will

come in October next year, he said.

Likhachev said this during a call on

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official

residence Ganabhaban, according to

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim.

Rosatom is the Russian contractor for

the implementation of the US$12.65 billion

nuclear power project.

The meeting took place a day after the

prime minister inaugurated the installation

of the final reactor at the second unit

of the 2400 MW plant being built at

Rooppur in northern Pabna district. The

RNPP will have two units each having the

electricity generation capacity of 1200

MW.

The Rosatom chief informed the PM

that they want to celebrate the bringing

of the fresh nuclear fuel in Bangladesh

with the participation of International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director

general and relevant officials.

He said that Russia is also interested in

conducting research on nuclear science

and technology in Bangladesh. He mentioned

that they are training the

DHAKA : Accusing the government of trying

to suppress the movement of opposition

parties, BNP Secretary General Mirza

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday questioned

what the government can achieve

by preventing BNP from holding big rallies,

reports UNB.

"You all know how much injustice and

repression are going on. The government

has been working terribly…to suppress

our movement. They talk about democracy

by obstructing the opposition's rallies.

They stopped the transport service using

the bus owners so that we can't hold massive

rallies," he said.

Speaking at a programme of unveiling a

booklet, he also criticised the government's

'undemocratic' attitude of blocking

democratic protests. "They'll be able to say

BNP's rally is not big. But can they erase

the pent-up anger from people's hearts?

They won't be able to do that. Every person

now hates you as you're hanging onto

power based on lies."

Earlier on Wednesday, Khulna busminibus

owners association and motor workers'

union decided to keep bus services suspended

on October 21 and 22 due to the BNP's

divisional rally on Saturday (October 22).

As part of its divisional rallies, BNP is

expected to organise the rally on Sonali

Bank premises in Khulna city in protest

against the price hikes in fuel and daily

essentials and the killing of five BNP leaders

and activists in the recent movement

and demanding unconditional release of

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The party has already arranged two

massive rallies in Chattogram and

Mymensingh. BNP leaders alleged that

many BNP leaders and activists were

attacked, arrested and implicated in 'false'

rosatom director

general (dg)

Alexey likhachev

paid a courtesy

call on prime

Minister sheikh

Hasina at her

official residence

ganabhaban

yesterday.

photo : pId

Rooppur Nuclear Power

Plant to get high power

reactors:Rosatom DG

Bangladeshi manpower for the RNPP.

Besides, he said, Russia is proving

assistance in building infrastructure for

nuclear governance in Bangladesh.

Likhachev briefed the prime minister

about the development and progress of

the work on the RNPP.

The prime minister thanked Russia,

particularly the Rosatom DG, for extending

support and continuing the construction

work in full swing even during the

Covid-19 pandemic.

She also appreciated Russia for their

support in the power and energy sector

since Bangladesh's independence in

1971.

Sheikh Hasina told the Rosatom chief

that Russia may give emphasis on manpower

development of RNPP so that

Bangladeshi personnel could become

capable in operating and maintaining the

plant independently.

She also laid emphasis on security

aspects of the nuclear power plant.

Ambassador-at-large Mohammad

Ziauddin, Prime Minister's Principal

Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus, Senior

Secretary of the Ministry of Science and

Technology Ziaul Hasan, Bangladesh

Ambassador to Russia Kamrul Ahsan

and Russian Ambassador in Dhaka

Alexander Mantytskiy were present during

the meeting.

Govt must go:Fakhrul

cases in Chattogram and Mymensingh

over holding the rally.

Zia Parishad, a pro-BNP platform, has

published the 'booklet' in memory of four

leaders of the party's associate bodies who

were killed in police firing in the party's

recent anti-government movement.

Mirza Fakhrul unveiled the cover of the

booklet titled "Bangladesh Running

toward Deathtrap" at a programme at the

chairperson's Gulshan office.

BNP arranged rallies and demonstrations

at the district and upazila level since

August last protesting the hikes in the

prices of fuel and essential commodities.

During these programmes,

Swechchasebak Dal leader Abdur Rahim

and Chhatra Dal leader Nur-e-Alam were

gunned down in Bhola, while Jubo Dal

leaders Raja Ahmed Shaon Shahidul

Islam Shaon were shot dead in

Narayanganj and Munshiganj respectively

reportedly by police.

On Behalf of Zia Parishad, Mirza

Fakhrul handed over financial assistance

to the family members of slain Abdur

Rahim, Nure-Alam, Raja Ahmed Shaon

and Shahidul Islam Shaon.

He also paid respect to the memories of

those killed in the ongoing movement and

urged the party leaders and workers to be

vocal against the government's misrule by

turning the sacrifices of the slain party

leaders into strength.

He said it is high time to wake up the

country's people to oust the Awami

League government through a mass

uprising. The BNP leader urged the Zia

Parishad to intensify its efforts to

mobilise public support and encourage

people to take to the streets against the

current regime.

21-10-2022

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