29-06-2021

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DHAkA: June 29, 2021; Ashar 15, 1428 BS; Zilqad 17,1442 Hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 83; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

US airstrikes target

Iran-backed militias

in Syria, Iraq

>Page 7

SPortS

Ecuador hold Brazil,

qualify for Copa

America last eight

>Page 9

art & culture

Dipu Hazra's 7th

episode 'Mughal

Family'

>Page 10

UGC will make

a database for

research & researchers

TBT RepoRT

The Bangladesh University Grants

Commission (UGC) has taken an initiative to

present the real picture of research and

researchers in the country's universities in

order to achieve the UN Sustainable

Development Goals. If this initiative is

implemented, the quality of education and

research in the country's universities will

improve to the desired level by 2030 and the

number of researchers will also increase at a

significant rate. The decision was announced

on Monday (June 28) at a virtual workshop

on data delivery of the Global Index 9.5.2 to

monitor sustainable development goals.

The meeting was attended by officials

from the Ministry of Science and

Technology, Department of Secondary and

Higher Education, Bangladesh Bureau of

Statistics, Bangladesh Bureau of Education

Information and Statistics and SDG Trucker

of UGC. The meeting presided over by UGC's

Director of Strategic Planning and Quality

Assurance Professor Dr. Fakhrul Islam and

conducted by the member of UGC Dr.

Biswajit Chand. SPQA Deputy Director

Vishnu Mallick presented the keynote

address at the workshop.

Covid-19

Bangladesh sees record

8,364 daily cases

DHAKA : Bangladesh has reported a

record-high number of daily Covid-19

infections after confirming its first cases

on March 8 last year and 7,626 on April

7. On Monday, 8,364 people were diagnosed

with the disease, in 35,059 sample

tests, in the preceding 24 hours,

bringing the country's cumulative caseload

since the beginning of the pandemic

to 896,770.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's positivity

rate reached its peak at 23.86%, which

was recorded at 23.57% on April 8.

Also, Covid-19 claimed 104 more lives

over the same period, taking the death

toll to 14,276. The fatality rate stood at

1.59%, according to the Directorate

General of Health Services.

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Government's going

hard line to control

corona spreading

Shafiqul iSlaM (Shafiq)

The government is going hard line to

control the spreading of pandemic

corona virus infections. They will take a

tough stance from July 1 to prevent the

spread of the corona virus. Then people

will not be able to leave the house without

emergency services. In addition to

the police, BGB and battalion police, the

army will be on patrol to enforce these

strict restrictions. They have been given

as much authority as possible to take

necessary action.

This information was given by

Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul

Islam at a press conference after the

cabinet meeting on Monday (June 26).

Earlier, a cabinet meeting was held at

the parliament building on Monday

morning. The cabinet also approved the

draft of the Special Security Forces

(SSF) Act and the Highways Act.

He said, this time there will be no

movement pass. No one can get out

from house, frankly. However, in case

of emergency, he

must be able to get

out. Public transport,

shopping

malls and markets

across the country

have been closed

since Monday.

These restrictions

will continue till 6

am on July 1. Then

strict restrictions

will begin.

Responding to a

question from

reporters, the cabinet secretary said, we

are going to a very tough position from

July 1 to 7, in a very tough position. We

did video conferencing with four divisions.

DC, Commissioner, DIG, SP,

Civil Surgeon, people's representatives

were all present on the ground. Some

parts of the country are turning orange,

red or brown at the risk of corona. So,

now there is no way but to impose strict

sanctions. We are going to be in a tough

position from July 1.

Asked how anyone would get out in

an emergency if there was no movement

pass, he said, you can't get out

everyone has to stay at home. But if you

have to do burial, it can't be done at

home, then you can go out. Take the

patient to the hospital, in which case

you can get out.

Asked what will happen to the poor in

the lockdown, he said the state minister

for relief has been instructed in the cabinet

meeting. Under the social security

program, the program should be taken

as much as last year. Especially in urban

areas where there are more problems,

help will be ensured.

Khandaker Anwarul Islam said, we

have been going to a tough position

since July 1. Implementation strategy

will be decided Tuesday or Wednesday.

Army, BGB, police will be on patrol. So

that people do not come out in any way.

Mentioning that the armed forces will

patrol, he added that it will be their

responsibility to take legal action

against anyone who does not listen.

Whether the rickshaw will run or not

will be told in the order.

Alarming Covid surge in Khulna

division; death toll crosses 1,000

KHULNA : Amid the worsening Covid-

19 situation in Khulna division, health

authorities reported 30 deaths in the

division in 24 hours till Monday morning,

bringing the total death toll to over

1,000, reports UNB.

Besides, 1,464 people were found infected

with the deadly virus during the 24-hour

period, taking the total tally to 53, 631 in 10

districts of the Khulna division.

Rasheda Sultana, director (Health) of

Khulna division, said nine people died

in Kushtia while six in Khulna, four

each in Meherpur and Jhenaidah, two

each in Chuadanga and Bagerhat and

one each in Satkhira, Jashore and

Narail districts under the Khulna division.

So far, 1,011 people have died in

the division while 36,978 recovered

from the virus.

Dr Sheikh Sadia Monowara Usha,

medical officer at the Khulna Civil

Surgeon office, said six people have

died in 24 hours in Khulna district

while 299 found infected after conducting

768 tests. The infection positivity

rate now stands 40%.

Dr Suhash Ranjan Haldar of Khulna

Corona Dedicated Hospital said 169

people are currently undergoing treatment

at the hospital. Some 41 people

were admitted to the hospital with

Covid-19 symptoms in the past 24

hours till Monday morning, he said.

on the first day of lockdown, rickshaws reigned on the street of the capital city.

Border with India

to remain closed

for another 14

days : Secretary

DHAKA : The border closure with

India has been extended for another

14 days till July 14 amid the worsening

Covid-19 situation in

Bangladesh, reports UNB.

"All other (previous) conditions

remain the same," Mashfee Binte

Shams, Secretary (East) of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told

UNB confirming the extension.

The decision was taken in an

inter-ministerial virtual meeting

held with Foreign Secretary Masud

Bin Momen in the chair on Monday.

Earlier, the government extended

the border closure with India for a

number of times and it was extended

till June 30 before latest extension.

The government closed the border

with India but cargoes carrying goods

are allowed to operate as usual.

As per the previous decision, general

movements of humans

between Bangladesh and India will

temporarily stay suspended

through land ports.

The Bangladeshi citizens currently

travelling to India for treatment

and having visas with validity for

less than 15 days could enter

Bangladesh through only Benapole,

Akhaura and Burimari after taking

permission from Bangladesh missions

in New Delhi, Kolkata, and

Agartala and with a mandatory

Covid-19 negative certificates done

through PCR test within 72 hours of

entry.

people are

leaving Dhaka

ignoring the

rules in

lockdown. on

Monday,

homebound

people from the

south-west of

the country

crossed the

Shimulia-

Banglabazar

ferry route. The

attendance of

passengers at

Shimuliaghat in

Munshiganj has

decreased a bit

compared to the

last few days.

photo : Star Mail

A large consignment of vaccines

likely to arrive in July: Khurshid

DHAKA : Director General of the

Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS) Abul Bashar

Mohammad Khurshid Alam on

Monday said a large consignment of

COVID-19 vaccines is likely to arrive

in the country in the first week of next

month.

"I want to give you a good news . . .

we're likely to get a large quantity of

COVID-19 vaccines in the first week of

next month," he said.

Khurshid was speaking as special

guest at the publication ceremony of

"Report on Bangladesh Sample Vital

Statistics-2020" held at the auditorium

of the Bangladesh Bureau of

Statistics (BBS) here today.

Planning Minister MA Mannan

spoke at the function as the chief

guest.

Statistics and Informatics Division

Secretary Mohammad Yamin

Chowdhury presided over the function

while Director General of BBS Md

Tajul Islam gave the address of welcome.

BBS joint director AKM Ashraful

Haque, who is also the project director

of Monitoring of the Situation of Vital

Statistics of Bangladesh (MSVSB), 3rd

phase, revealed the survey findings.

The DG of DGHS said that in line

DHAKA : Md Obaidul Alam Akon, a

valiant freedom fighter who was

sacked wrongfully from Department

of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in

1982, on Monday finally came clean

after fighting a long legal battle for

his rights.

A six-member Appellate Division

virtual bench headed by Chief

Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain dismissed

a state plea seeking review of

its order that had upheld a High

Court order, declaring the then military

court's sentence out of legal

jurisdiction and instructed the DAE

to pay Akon his dues.

"The concerned authorities will

now have to pay Akon his due salary

and other benefits associated with

his previous position from 1982, the

year when he lost his job, till the date

of his retirement," Akon's lawyer

Prabir Niyogi told newsmen.

The 68-year-old valiant Freedom

Fighter was ecstatic after the apex

court's order and said he didn't

expect this legal battle to end in his

lifetime.

photo : Star Mail

with the directives from the Prime

Minister, priority in vaccination

would be given to those workers who

would go abroad side by side those

who are at high risk for various diseases

and complications would be

given preference.

He said with the availability of possible

vaccines, it would be possible to

make a big stride forward to vaccinate

a big portion of people as the government

is aiming to ensuring health

safety through vaccinating at least 80

percent of the people.

Khurshid said according to the directives

from the Premier, preference in

giving vaccines would also be given to

the critical patients since the death rate

from COVID-19 among those who are

suffering from high blood pressure,

diabetes, cancer and other diseases is

high.

"We want to vaccinate such a group

of people up to the village level and it

is the directive from the Prime

Minister," he added.

Mentioning about the necessary

steps to increase the institutional

capacity of the heath sector, the

Director General said that the

Ministry of Health has attained such

capacity of giving at least one crore

doses of vaccines per day.

Freedom fighter to get due

salary after 40 years

Akon was sacked by a military

court in 1982 on the allegation of

receiving Taka 2.50 more for selling

five packets of jute seeds, from a

farmer.

"They filed a false case against me

and the military court after a brief

hearing, fined Taka one thousand

and jailed me for two months. Later,

the Department of Agricultural

Extension also sacked me for the

crime I never committed," Akon

said.

Md Obaidul Alam Akon in 2012 --

filed a writ with the High Court and

the court in 2017 -- declared the military

court's sentence illegal and out

of legal jurisdiction and instructed

the Department of Agricultural

Extension to pay Akon his dues.

Following the High Court order,

DAE appealed with the apex court

and the Appellate Division on March

8, 2020, which also upheld the High

Court order. The Department of

Agricultural Extension later filed the

review plea, which was dismissed on

Monday.

TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 2021

2

Moscow posts record

daily Covid deaths

MOSCOW : Moscow on Sunday recorded

114 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours,

the worst toll in a Russian city since the

start of the pandemic, according to official

data.

Moscow's record comes a day after one

set by Euro 2020 host Saint Petersburg,

where a quarter-final is to be held on

Friday in front of thousands of fans.

Covid-19 infections have been surging in

Russia for weeks, blamed on the highly

transmissible Delta variant first identified

in India.

Dozens of Finland supporters caught

coronavirus in Saint Petersburg after they

travelled to the city last week for their

team's defeat against Belgium.

Country-wide, 599 people died in

Russia of coronavirus over the past 24

hours, bringing the national official toll to

133,282. Some 20,538 new infections

were also recorded, bringing the national

total to 5.4 million.

Moscow has been the national epicentre

of the pandemic and some 2,000 people

are hospitalised because of the virus there

daily, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said late on

Saturday in televised remarks.

"We have mobilised 20,000 beds and

14,000 of them are currently filled. That's

a lot."

The steep rise in infections in Russia

comes as officials push vaccine-sceptical

Russians to get inoculated, after lifting

most anti-virus restrictions late last year.

"To stop the pandemic, one thing is

needed: rapid, large-scale vaccinations.

Nobody has invented any other solution,"

Sobyanin told state-run television on

Saturday.

Russia is the sixth-worst hit Covid-19

country in the world, and the hardest in

Europe.

Authorities have been accused of

downplaying the severity of the outbreak

in the country.

Under a broader definition for deaths

linked to coronavirus, statistics agency

Rosstat at the end of April said that Russia

has seen at least 270,000 fatalities since

the pandemic began.

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In order to create socio-economic development and self-employment of the extremely poor people,

10 cows were distributed at free of cost under the initiative of Manab Kalyan Karmasuchi Telabadul,

Khetlal, Joypurhat with the funding of Bangladesh NGO Foundation. Mayor of Khetlal Municipality

Sirajul Islam Bulu addressed the function as the chief guest while Abdur Rauf Mola, President of

Manab Kalyan Karmasuchi presided over. Khetlal Municipal Awami League President and businessman

Dulal Mia Sardar spoke as the special guest. Among others, Golam Mostafa, Executive Director

of Manab Kalyan Karmasuchi, Aleya Begum, Women Councilor of Khetlal Municipality, Shamsul

Alam Mridha, Councilor of Ward No. 1, Asadul Islam, Councilor of Ward No. 8, Saiful Islam, General

Secretary of Awami League, Ward No. 9 of Baratara UP spoke. Later, 200 tree saplings were distributed

at free of cost among the guests and all the members present.

Photo : Masrakul Alam

Swedish PM resigns following no confidence vote

STOCKHOLM : Sweden's Prime Minister

Stefan Lofven resigned on Monday, one

week after he lost a vote of no confidence,

leaving it up to the speaker of parliament

to begin the search for a replacement.

Lofven could have either called a snap

election or resigned following the noconfidence

vote last week.

He told a press conference that a snap

election was "not what is best for

Sweden", pointing to the difficult

situation the Covid-19 pandemic posed,

coupled with the fact that the next general

election-which would go ahead

regardless-is a year away.

"With that starting point, I have

requested the speaker to relieve me as

prime minister," Lofven said.

The Social Democrat leader-a master

of consensus for some, a dull and

visionless party man for others-had

seven days after the confidence vote to

contemplate his options and try and

secure a parliamentary majority for a

potentional reforming of his

government.

The 63-year-old Lofven, a former

welder and union leader with the square

build and nose of a boxer, guided the

Swedish left back to power in 2014, and

then hung on by moving his party closer

to the centre-right after the 2018

elections.

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3

Atiqul Islam, the Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, addressed as the chief guest at a discussion

meeting on elimination of water shortage in 18 new wards on Monday.

Photo : Courtesy

Digital program

makes amazing

change in banking

sector: Jabbar

DHAKA : Posts and

Telecommunications

Minister Mustafa Jabbar has

said that the 'Digital

Bangladesh' program has

resulted in a surprising

change in the country's

banking transactions.

Mentioning that digital

banking has reached the

doorsteps of the grassroots

people, Jabbar said that,

"Bangladesh is gradually

moving towards a cashless

society. But we must

remember that the more

digital the country is going to

be, the greater will be the

threat of security," said a

release here.

The minister also called

upon the concerned to create

awareness about digital

security among the

customers of each scheduled

bank. Jabbar made the call

while addressing a virtual

event on Sunday night to

mark the launch of Agrani

Bank's leading e-account

mobile apps for opening

bank accounts at home in the

capital, said the release.

The minister said, "We are

on the brink of the Internetbased

Industrial Revolution.

The path ahead is much

larger. And technology will

bring the most changes in the

banking sector."

He said that the biggest

important matter for

banking or service-related

organization is customers.

Mentioning that customer

service should not be

compromised, Mustafa

Jabbar said, "Through its

own IT team, Agrani Bank

has set foot in a new day by

creating digital account

opening apps at home."

The minister said it is

exemplary for other banks

and financial institutions. He

also mentioned that each

financial sector needs to

build its own strong IT team

and not to depend on others.

Adv Zead Al Malum a true

patriot; inspired many: ICSF

DHAKA : International Crimes Strategy

Forum (ICSF) on Monday said late Advocate

Zead-al Malum, Prosecutor of the

International Crimes Tribunals (ICTs), was a

true patriot, and a trusted comrade of the

highest order, reports UNB.

"If there ever was a citizen of Bangladesh

who deserved every civilian State-honour for

service to the nation, we believe it is Adv.

Zead-al Malum. Those like us who had the

honour and privilege to serve alongside him,

will vouch for that without slightest

hesitation," said the ICSF in a statement.

His steadfast resolve in ending the

impunity of crimes committed in 1971 and

his remarkable faith in the resulting justice

process has inspired many, it said.

ICSF will organise an event to discuss

Advocate Zead-Al Malum's contributions to

the nation soon. ICSF said a valiant freedom

fighter, valued prosecutor of the ICT, former

member of the central committee of

Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), yet

Adv. Zead-Al Malum never cared for

recognition or glory. "He simply carried on

with his mission and duties to history and

the nation."

Advocate Zead-al Malum passed away on

June 26. "We, at the International Crimes

Strategy Forum, are deeply saddened by his

untimely demise. He had been a pillar of

strength for the Tribunal, an ever-vigilant

sentinel who protected the ICT since day one

with all he had against all adversities,

conspiracies, and odds," ICSF said.

His departure, ICSF said, is a loss to both

the nation and the ICT that will forever

remain irreparable.

NID services will be made

dynamic, says law minister

SANGSAD BHABAN : The government will

recruit new local level officials to make NID

services more efficient and dynamic, Law

Minister Anisul Haque said in parliament on

Monday, reports UNB.

Anisul, who is in charge of the Election

Commission Secretariat on parliamentary

affairs, said the government has created

posts of thana and upazila level assistant

election officer and a data entry operator.

The NID service will be more dynamic

once the recruitment process for these two

posts is completed, he said. The minister

was replying to a tabled question fromJatiya

PartyMP Shamim Haider Patwary. The law

minister said a total of 7,32,363 people in the

country have so far registered to get online

National Identity Card services. He said that

NID services have been decentralized for

speedy disposal of applications.

Central and field level officials have been

given the power to dispose of applications

according to the type of application, he

added. Replying to a question of AKM

Rahmatullah from Dhaka-11, LGRD

Minister Tajul Islam said arsenic screening is

being conducted in 3,200 unions in 335

upazilas of 54 districts. Responding to a

question from MP Didarul Alam, Minister

for Liberation War Affairs Akam Mozammel

Haque who is in charge of the Prime

Minister's Office on parliamentary affairs,

said the government has allotted 1,832.27

acres of land of Sahebganj Sugar Mill in

Rangpur Sugar Mills to set up Rangpur EPZ.

He also said the government has also

planned to set up EPZ at Prembagh Union's

Chengutia under Avoynagar Upazila in

Jashore.

SC issues notice on extension

of bail, interim orders

DHAKA : The Supreme Court

administration has issued a notification

extending the effectiveness of bail and all

types of interim orders, reports BSS.

The notification signed by the Registrar

General of the Supreme Court Mohammad

Ali Akbar has been published on the website

of the Supreme Court.

The notification said that in all cases where

the accused has been granted bail for a

specified period of time or in cases where bail

has been granted on condition of

surrendering from higher court to the lower

court, or in cases where interim orders have

been issued for a specified period, the

effectiveness of these orders has been

extended.

Radisson Digital Technologies has retained championship of Basis National ICT Awards for second

time for its contributions in big data analytics solutions. The event was held differently this year

amid pandemic and the recorded show aired on RTV on Sunday.

Photo : Courtesy

Khulna braces for shortage

of sacrificial animals ahead

of Eid-ul-Azha

KHULNA : Khulna district is bracing for a

shortage of sacrificial animals ahead of the

Eid-ul-Azha causing worries among the

Muslim devotees about a possible hike in

price of the cattle, reports UNB.

Only about 48,000 sacrificial animals will

be available for slaughtering compared to an

estimated demand of 75,000 this year,

according to figures available from the

south-western district's cattle farms and

officials. Eid-ul-Azha, the festival of sacrifice,

is likely to be celebrated across the country in

July next for the second consecutive year

under the shadow of a surging Covid-19

pandemic.

Khulna has recently witnessed a spike in

the infections, along with other bordering

districts. According to the local Fisheries and

Livestock offices, some 47,789 cattle are

available for Kurbani this year in 5,212 farms

across the district as against a demand of

75,000 cattle.

The district saw slaughtering of some 74,000

cattle heads during Eid festival last year. This

year the farms have reared for Qurbani 28,568

oxen, 2,319 bulls, 2,404 cows, nine buffaloes,

12,239 goats, 2,250 sheep. The huge gap

between the demand and supply means the

traders and buyers of the district will have to

bring in animals from other districts. This, in

turn, will spike the price.

Habibur Rahman Sardar, a local resident

said "We have a joint family and we usually

Workers of Binni Garments Ltd staged demo in the capital city yesterday demanding arrear.

Photo : TBT

City courts can help BD effectively

reduce case backlogs: Experts

DHAKA : Speakers at a virtual

discussion on Monday laid emphasis

on enacting a new law for establishing

city courts in city corporations to settle

petty disputes and thus help reduce the

backlogs of cases in the judicial system,

reports UNB.

They also said the empowerment of

common people will get strengthened if

city courts can be set up in a planned

way in the light of village courts.

Participating in the discussion, Local

Government and Rural Development

(LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam

welcomed the demand but said some

sort of intervention should be there in

place to ensure transparency and

accountability of such an alternative

dispute resolution system.

The virtual discussion programme

titled 'City Court Act: Proposed Outline

and Possibility of Implementation' was

organised jointly by the Madaripur

Legal Aid Association (MLAA),

Citizen's Platform for SDGs

(Sustainable Development Goals),

Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services

Trust (BLAST), and Nagorik Uddyog.

Speaking at the programme, Tajul

Islam said he support the initiative for

establishing city courts to mitigate the

small problems of city dwellers through

arbitration.

"I appreciate you as you identify that

there're some separate incidents in the

cities that can be resolved through city

courts in the light of village ones. But

there's a challenge to ensure

transparency of such a court," he said.

The minister said it has to be worked

out first how transparency and

accountability can be ensured in the

activities of city courts before setting up

those to prevent the abuse of power.

"Even if any good person goes above

accountability, he/she can be derailed."

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor

Atiqul Islam said the formation of city

courts is a very timely and justified

sacrifice 2 to 3 animals. Cattle brought from

other districts cost high as we need to pay

more for the carrying and extra tolls too."

Shamsuzzaman Mia Swapan, councillor of

number 21 ward, said "It is difficult to meet

the demand of sacrificial animals with our

production only. For this reason, we have to

bring animals from other districts which

may increase the price."

During a recent visit to a number of cattle

farms, this correspondent found the farmers

in Sadar, Fhultala, Terokhada, Rupsha,

Dakope, Koyra and Paikgachcha upazila

busy in rearing their animals.

Afsar Sheikh, a farmer in Bamandia village

of Dumuria upazila, said "Now I am passing

busy days to look after my oxen as I have

reared these without using any medicine. I

hope I will be able to sell these at a good

price." Ranjit Chakraborty, Khulna district

Fisheries and livestock officials, said about

26 cattle haats will be set up in the district.

Since animals from other districts will also

arrive, there will be no shortage of sacrificial

animals.

Medical teams including upazila-level

veterinary doctors and their field-level

assistants will visit every cattle market to

check health condition of the animals to

prevent selling of sick ones, he said.

He said the farmers as well as the livestock

officials are now alert about use of any

harmful chemicals in cattle rearing.

proposal. "I fully support this proposal

and it's necessary to execute. I think

city courts will be nice platforms to

resolve trivial problems of the city

dwellers and reduce pressure on the

formal legal system."

He said many city dwellers come to

him for having their many small

problems settled, including land

disputes, but the mayor and councillors

do not have the legal jurisdiction to do

so. "Union Parishadschairmen can

resolve such problems through village

courts. So, I think, it's necessary to

constitute city courts as soon as

possible."

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya,

Convenor of Citizen's Platform for

SDGs, said the urban population is

growing by around 3 percent every

year. "There's a projection that around

50 percent of the population of

Bangladesh will live in cities by 2035-

2040."

With the rise in population, he said,

various problems, relating to land,

accommodation, transport, civic

amenities, education, healthcare will

also increase, and it will create a huge

pressure on the traditional legal

system. "Many such problems cannot

be resolved now easily within a

reasonable time for lack of adequate

judges."

He said the city court system can be a

measure for alternative dispute

resolutions like in other countries of the

world. "We've also prepared a draft

framework of such a court for

discussion and to draw the attention of

policymakers."

"Getting justice is a basic right of

citizens. The scope for deprivation of

various rights and facilities begins

when citizens are deprived of the right

to justice. So, it's important to set up

the city court as part of ensuring justice

for the city dwellers, especially for the

disadvantaged ones," he added.

12 new Dengue

patients hospitalized

amid a surge in cases

Twelve new dengue patients

were admitted to different

hospitals in Dhaka in the last

24 hours until Monday

morning amid a spike in the

mosquito-borne disease

during monsoon, reports

UNB.

Sixty-three dengue

patients are currently

receiving treatment at 41

government and private

hospitals in Dhaka,

according to the Directorate

General of Health Services

(DGHS).

Hospitals outside Dhaka

got no patient with dengue

during the period.

Currently, 64 dengue

patients are being treated in

different government and

private hospitals across the

country.

A total of 337 patients have

been admitted to different

hospitals with dengue since

January and of them, 273

patients recovered.

Health authorities

reported 1,193 dengue cases

and three confirmed

dengue-related deaths in

2020..

According to official

figures, 101,354 dengue

cases and 179 deaths were

recorded in Bangladesh in

2019.

Mohammad Shahid, Chief

Coordinator, MLAA made the keynote

presentation.

He said the people of this

subcontinent, especially in Bangladesh,

have been settling petty disputes at

local levels traditionally without going

to court.

Shahid said village courts are

established at union parishads under

the Village Court Act 2006 while

Dispute Arbitration Boards were

constituted under the Arbitration of

Disputes (municipal areas) Board Law

2004 to resolve the petty disputes.

He said around two crore people live

in 12 city corporations in the country,

but there is no law for them to resolve

petty disputes.

SI of PBI held

with Yaba

CHATTOGRAM : Members of Rapid

Action Battalion (Rab) detained a

sub-inspector of Police Bureau of

Investigation (PBI) along with 11,560

Yaba pills from Bhellapara in

Karnaphuli area of Chattogram,

reports UNB.

The detainee was identified as

Mohammad Masud Rana, who was

serving as sub-inspector of Cox's

Bazar PBI.

During a regular check at

Bhellapara check-post, the elite force

intercepted a car on Sunday and

detained Masud along with 11,560

pieces of Yaba tablets, said Dulal

Mahmud, officer-in-charge of

Karnaphuli Police Station.

Later, he was handed over to

Karnaphuli Police Station early

Monday.

A case was filed against him under

Narcotics Control Act.

TuesdAY, JuNe 29, 2021

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

The dangers of eating

canned foods

Most canned food these days have a plastic coating

inside the can to supposedly keep the food,

vegetables, and fruits - fresh. Eating of canned

foods is also seen to be in vogue in Bangladesh.Well, it may

keep themseemingly more fresh, but this can comes at the

expense of harming the consumers.

The inner plastic lining is poisonous at small measures,

although the USA authority FDA tells us that the small

amounts should not worry us too much. Well this plastic

coating is Bisphenol or BPA for short and it is harmful, first

because humans are not supposed to eat plastic material

made from crude oil and second because FDA should be

honest and tell people the truth rather than serve the

interests of big corporations that give it large sums of money

through back channel donations and hidden funds through

partner organizations.

BPA kills rats in laboratories even at smaller portions, like

1,000 times less than what an average American consumes

per meal. I hope soon FDA would do a U-turn on this and

come clean and tell people about the harm to humans

caused by BPA like they do periodically about drugs which

they have claimed for decades to be safe, only to tell us now

that they were not safe. I just hope it does not take decades

before they try to protect the public against BPA. BPA is a

toxic chemical that causeshormone imbalances and wide

variety of health issues ranging from hypertension,

aggression, obesity to cancer and heart disease. Based on

FDA 17% of the American diet comes from canned foods

yet there are no regulation or safety standards regarding the

amount of BPA in canned foods. A study by an

Environmental Working Group shows that more than 50%

of cans with brand names have toxic BPA in them.

Imported canned food is even worse than American

canned food. In many countries where canned food is

cheaper than Europe, Canada and USA, American food

corporations are more and more importing to make higher

profits, the canned food is even less nutritious than their

counterparts in Europe and North America. First the foods

are picked when they are not ripe and have 80 % less

nutrients than fully ripe fruits and vegetables. Second, the

facilities are not as hygienic and inspected on a regular basis

as their counterparts in Europe and North America and

hence have the cause of incidences of outbreaks in the last

20 years, like the famous incident regarding canned green

beans from Brazil or the salmonella outbreak from sprouts

from Columbia.

Just as aluminum pots and pans leak, so do aluminum

cans.

Over a period of timealuminium accumulation in human

body can cause memory problem likeAlzheimer's. More

than 5,000 million pounds of aluminum is used every year

for making food cans in USA. Aluminum cans have several

advantages for the producer including light weight, compact

packaging and lower price. Most canned foods like soups,

vegetables, chicken or beef broth and tomato sauces are

made of aluminum because it's more economical.

Some believe that the plastic lining of the aluminum cans

are supposed to prevent corrosion and contaminating food

with aluminum. But the reality is that most of the time these

plastic liners can't completely protect food against

aluminum since cans leak aluminum when heated and

while they are sealed - they will contaminate.

The lovely, not so friendly, preservatives. They are referred

to in a dozen different names, and every few months, a new

name is established for the same few ingredients that are

mixed up to come up with friendly-sounding names

These preservatives are kept in state of non-compounding

to other molecules with salt. Extensive amount of sodium

(salt) is used to keep the preservatives in canned food from

rotting so that it can keep the food from rotting. Lovely. FDA

responds to all this by simply issued a statement, "… there

has been no proof that these preservatives would cause

major damage to human cells or that they are harmful to

mass public". The interpretation of uncompromised experts

is , "these preservatives are not drastically harmful towards

healthy people, but they may be harmful to pregnant

women, babies, children, elderly, or anyone that is suffering

from a chronic disease".

Let's be honest with ourselves and admit that if the fruits

and vegetables and other ingredients are of high quality,

they will be sold fresh and for the highest price possible for

a maximum of profit by the distributors.

Now if the quality of the ingredients are not that great or

the fruits and vegetables look old and stale or not so healthy,

then they will be hidden from the eyes of supermarket

shoppers and be forced into a can along with other such low

quality food, cooked up in a mass oven and then shipped all

over the world and sold may be one or two years later from

when they were picked and were prepared. Therefore, don't

expect the ingredients inside your canned foods to be of

high quality.

So, completely eliminate canned foods and if you are

looking for your favorite tomato sauce use the ones in glass

jars. Don't consume vegetables or grains in cans, simply buy

fresh ones. The risk of developing many chronic diseases

such as cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, nervous

system disorder and Alzheimer's goes down by consuming

fresh foods that do not have any packaging.

The above is written with the aim of alerting our

Bangladeshi consumers in time while on the plea of

modernity, changing lifestyle and convenience( they are

opting increasingly for canned foods), for them to shun

this trend to be able to avoid the consequences of such

hazardous consumption like their counterparts in

developed countries.

THE events of this year's budget will

haunt us going forward. During a

general debate on the federal budget

last week, lawmakers, including ministers,

hurled budget books at each other in the

National Assembly. We had yet to recover

from this shocking behaviour when

another violent episode in Balochistan

shook us. Opposition members of the

Balochistan Assembly locked the

assembly gates to prevent the

presentation of the budget. An armoured

police vehicle rammed into the gate to

make way for the chief minister to enter

the premises and present the budget. Four

opposition members were injured. Shoes

were hurled at Chief Minister Jam Kamal

Alyani as he entered the building. These

were scenes nobody wanted outside the

assembly on budget day. Lawmakers are

expected to be inside for this important

session.

However, this time the opposition chose

to protest outside as the past two budgets

were enough to inform them of the

government's unfair approach towards

their constituencies. Most of the

development funds were directed to

districts where the Balochistan Awami

Party won in the 2018 elections. The

development needs of the rest of the

province were ignored. A repeat of this

discriminatory exercise was feared when

the opposition saw no signs of a prebudget

session happening.

Apprehensions increased and the result

was chaos at the assembly gate. The

protests over the government's ignoring

the constituencies represented by the

opposition in the development budget

started five days before the session, and

AS a young child growing up in

Pakistan, respect for teachers is a

thread woven into both culture and

mainstream religion. Reaching into

memory, I can pull out entire essays about

'ustaad ka ihteraam' (respect for teachers),

quoting their status as equal to that of

parents in Islam, tasked as they are with

the responsibility of nurturing guidance.

There is an extraordinary power that the

teacher, the keeper of knowledge and

wisdom, can wield in the life of a child. It is

when that power is free from

accountability that it can be truly,

terrifyingly dangerous. What is learnt in

the classroom and how, both can make or

mar the life of a child.

The recent incident involving sexual

abuse in a madressah has shaken Pakistani

society to its core because of the graphic,

viral nature of the record. What should

shake us is the fact that it is neither new nor

isolated. The harrowing stories of children

who cannot look their interviewer in the

eye are vastly outnumbered by those that

will never be told. The existence of child

abuse in spaces designated for learning

and protection overturns the very purpose

of those institutions - and yet it remains

unchecked.

According to the World Health

Organisation, 'child abuse' or

Budget protests

the main highways of the province were

blocked on Thursday. Opposition

members also alleged that schemes

proposed by unelected individuals from

their electoral areas were made part of the

development plan.

These were scenes nobody wanted

outside Balochistan's legislature.

Another debate on social media was that

the government was using the

development budget to support death

squad members by allocating funds to

their specific areas, so that they could win

seats in the provincial assembly in the

next elections. This claim can't be verified

by looking at the budget document.

People living in these areas can't be left

out on the pretext that death squads

operate there. And a ruling party utilising

funds to boost its chances of winning the

next polls is nothing new and happens

across Pakistan.

But the story gets dirtier in Balochistan

because Shafiq Mengal, allegedly linked to

a death squad in Khuzdar, contested the

2018 polls from the district for a National

Assembly seat as an independent

candidate. The opposition fears that BAP

MARYAM ZIA BAlOcH

is allocating funds to Khuzdar to boost his

chances in 2023. Mengal was reportedly

seen in March at a dinner in Islamabad

with three BAP senators, following which

rumours circulated that he was being

brought into mainstream Baloch politics.

Interestingly, a Twitter account

purporting to be the official account of

Shafiq Mengal tweeted against the

Interestingly, a Twitter account purporting to be the

official account of shafiq Mengal tweeted against the

opposition's protest, calling them Indian agents.

This shows the extent of the politicisation of the

province's development budget, and how it is used

as a tool to reach the echelons of the provincial and

national assemblies.

opposition's protest, calling them Indian

agents. This shows the extent of the

politicisation of the province's

development budget, and how it is used as

a tool to reach the echelons of the

provincial and national assemblies.

What is disappointing is that the

opposition hasn't presented any shadow

budget or policy alternatives to the

government's budget figures. During the

five-day protest no opposition member

named specific development projects that

had been rejected by the government.

Debating outcomes of the projects

proposed in development plans wasn't on

the opposition's agenda either. The clash

between the government and opposition

seems to be over who gets what and an

increase in the share of constituency

Teachers’ power

'maltreatment' constitutes "all forms of

physical and/or emotional ill-treatment,

sexual abuse, neglect or negligent

treatment or commercial or other

exploitation, resulting in actual or potential

harm to the child's health, survival,

development or dignity in the context of a

relationship of responsibility, trust or

power". Those last three words -

responsibility, trust and power - are key

when it comes to the relationship between

a teacher and student. The sanctity of a

space of learning must be preserved.

In Pakistan, the time has come to begin

to redefine the parameters of that

relationship, and to establish clearer

boundaries around what is permissible

behaviour for an adult in a position of

power, where trust can be abused. This

should include restrictions around all

forms of violence and harm: physical as

well as psychological.

There is a huge body of evidence to show

the lifelong consequences of Adverse

Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Children

who experience physical or sexual violence

or psychological abuse are more likely to

perpetrate it, and to turn to high-risk

behaviours including substance misuse - or

in extreme cases, suicide. They could

become physically more prone to obesity

and heart disease. And if the violence

RAY HANANIA

MAdeeHA ANsARI

comes from peers or teachers in an

educational setting, then they are more

likely to turn away from learning itself.

The sanctity of a space of learning is

something that needs to be preserved by all

who enter it - students, teachers,

principals, administrators. In much of the

world, it is now mandatory to have a set of

policies around child protection or

safeguarding in educational institutions.

This does not only involve a theoretical

commitment to safety, but a clearly defined

code of conduct laying out what is not

acceptable.

Most importantly, it should involve real

mechanisms for reporting as well as

redress. No child would be willing to come

forward unless confidentiality is

guaranteed, and unless there will be real

consequences. If the mechanisms for

redress within an institution are

compromised by corrupt or complicit

administrators, then there have to be

external possibilities for reporting - and

children need to know they exist.

Some positive steps have already been

taken in the form of helplines set up for

women and children by the Ministry of

Human Rights. However, for these to be

accessed by children they need to know

that they are available for them, and for

what kind of complaint. They need to know

funds.

When annual development plans are

used for enhancing election chances and

favouring political opponents of

lawmakers through uplift funds,

development outcomes and service

delivery for the general population remain

missing from the agenda. The sole

objective is to secure as many funds as one

can. This reduces the ef fectiveness of

development expenditu re, and the

de velo p ment needs of the

province rem ain unmet. For

exa mple, Gwadar University, for which

people campaigned online and offline,

wasn't made part of the development plan

this year. It suggests that the government

does not care about the demands and

needs of Gwadar's youth.

By looking at the budget's size and the

number of schemes planned, one can tell

it wasn't made to fulfil the development

needs of the province but to satisfy

ministers and assembly members. The

communication and education schemes

give an idea of this. The roads proposed

are only a few kilometres long and not

enough for the upgradation of

Balochistan's communication

infrastructure. The same goes for

education as most of the schools in the

plan have few classrooms and this will

hardly help improve educational

outcomes. As long as the development

budget remains a ground for political and

personal gains, public money will not be

spent on the welfare and well-being of

society.

Source: Dawn

Israeli government's policies stink worse than its skunk water

Ilast week watched many videos of

Israeli soldiers spraying so-called

skunk water to disperse Palestinian

protesters at Jerusalem's Damascus Gate.

I didn't read about it in the mainstream

media, which is censored by Israel's

government. I saw it on social media.

Skunk water was invented by the Israeli

firm Odortec and first used by the Israeli

military to target Palestinian protesters in

2008. The Israelis made a big deal about

it, claiming that it is made from "foodgrade

ingredients" and is "eco-friendly."

Not surprisingly, they said nothing about

how their skunk water was instrumental

in committing human rights violations. I

call it "anti-human rights water" because

it is used to suppress free speech and

nonviolent protests.

I think it has a double purpose. Aside

from dispersing crowds, it is also

intended to make Israel look

"humanitarian" in the eyes of the West,

especially America, where billions of

taxpayer dollars are used to underwrite

the Israeli government's racist policies.

This is called perception manipulation.

When combined with media censorship

(every journalist in Israel must submit

stories to the military censor for approval)

and the use of incendiary words that

demonize Palestinians, Israel looks like

the innocent party in the conflict.

The Israeli authorities need skunk

water because the public has found a way

around their media manipulation and

censorship. Through social media, the

public sees how Israel uses more

dangerous free speech suppressants, such

as rubber-coated bullets, hazardous

gases, and live ammunition.

Another benefit of using skunk water is

that it destroys camera equipment,

Palestinians are reporting. And if you

destroy camera equipment, you reduce

the number of videos and photographs

that show the Israeli government's

conduct.

Skunk water isn't just used against

protesters in the Occupied Territories. It

is also used against Palestinian citizens of

Israel, such as during a protest in Lod last

month, when Israeli soldiers and settlers

also fired guns at the protesters, killing at

least one Palestinian and wounding

several others.

To counter the shock of Palestinians

being killed, Israel's media wraps the

truth in prejudicial language, like the

headline that was used by the Times of

Israel after the Lod protest, which read:

"Arab Israeli killed amid violent riots by

Arab mob in Lod; Jewish suspect held."

Notice the crafty way in which the murder

of an unarmed Palestinian by Jewish

activists was disguised by phrases like

"violent riots" and "Arab mob." By the

time you get to "Jewish suspect," the

victims have been painted as the

offenders. That no Israelis were injured

might make some wonder about the use

of prejudicial phrases like "violent riots."

In another story, pro-Palestinian

protests were compared to the 1938

Fortunately for the Israelis, the Palestinians are burdened

by the image of Hamas, the extremist religious movement

that used suicide bombings to block the implementation

of the Oslo Accords in the 1990s. The Israeli authorities

need skunk water because the public has found a way

around their censorship.

Kristallnacht, when Nazi forces smashed

the windows of Jewish-owned stores,

buildings and synagogues throughout

Germany.

When you fully examine the use of

skunk water, you realize that the conflict

is as much about the words and methods

Israel uses as it is about the human rights

violations. Lost in this war of methods

and words are the facts. The censored

media doesn't report that Palestinian

demonstrators are protesting against

Israel's policy of evicting non-Jews from

their homes in Sheikh Jarrah and

replacing them with Jewish settlers.

Fortunately for the Israelis, the

Palestinians are burdened by the image of

Hamas, the extremist religious

movement that used suicide bombings to

block the implementation of the Oslo

Accords in the 1990s.

The Israeli authorities need skunk

water because the public has found a way

around their censorship.

The media didn't pay close attention to

the conflict in Sheikh Jarrah until Hamas

got involved, firing unguided "rockets" at

Israeli targets, which were actually more

fireworks-like than "life-threatening."

Life-threatening would be a more

appropriate description of Israel's firing

of sophisticated missiles at Palestinian

targets in the Gaza Strip. Only a very

small number of Israelis were killed in

last month's conflict, but the media was

filled with reports of how Israelis had to

run with their children to bomb shelters

to avoid the Hamas rockets that, in

reality, did very little damage. In

comparison, hundreds of Palestinians

were killed and high-rise buildings in

Gaza crumbled when hit by Israeli

missiles.

The whole thing stinks even worse than

the skunk water that Israel uses against

Palestinian protesters and even

Palestinian homes in Silwan, Sheikh

Jarrah and other areas where it is trying

to increase the Jewish population. The

skunk water is a tactic; a disguise. It gets

more attention than snipers' bullets.

I wonder what Americans would do

if the police started to use Israelimade

skunk water to respond to

protests in Chicago, New York, Los

Angeles or Detroit? It surely wouldn't

be tolerated.

Source: Arab news

that they have the tools to break the culture

of silence, which is a culture of impunity.

In the UK, there is statutory guidance for

schools and colleges on safeguarding

children. In fact, it is one of the criteria

used when inspecting schools and

educational settings. While the diversity of

educational spaces and lack of regulation

of institutions like madressahs pose a

challenge for Pakistan, it is in the interests

of all stakeholders - government, schools,

clerics - to put in place minimal standards

for child safeguarding. This is what needs

to be highlighted as the message of the

moment - to combat reputational risk,

what we need is not less transparency but

more.

We must find allies among the ulema,

and the whole spectrum of stakeholders

involved in a process such as formulating

the Single National Curriculum. If certain

standards are being created for education

right now, the protection of children in

spaces of learning should be aligned with

that process - even incorporated into preand

in-service training.

We need to be able to respect our

teachers. We need to choose them well,

train them well, and hold them to account

- lest the pedestal should crumble.

Source: Dawn

TuEsdAY, JunE 29, 2021

5

Can massive cargo ships use wind to go green?

AurorA AlMEndrAl

In 2011, Gavin Allwright was living in a village outside

Fukushima, Japan, with his wife and three children, when a

powerful tsunami destroyed the coastline, splintering

homes into debris, crashing a 150-foot fishing boat into the

roof of his wife's parents' house and setting off a power-plant

accident that became the worst nuclear disaster since

Chernobyl.

Allwright had a background in sustainable development,

especially as it relates to shipping. In his travels in East

Africa and Bangladesh, he had watched traditional sails and

masts replaced by outboard motors. The move locked

people into a cycle of working to buy fuel, damaging their

lives and the environment. In Japan, Allwright had been

living a quiet life, running a sustainable farm and dabbling

in consulting. Now, it seemed, environmental disaster had

followed him there.

To escape the aftermath, the family moved to Allwright's

hometown on the outskirts of London. But Allwright

couldn't stop thinking about the Fukushima disaster. To

him, it was a dramatic display of technology going wrong,

further proof that the world we built is unsustainable.

He thought about shipping. It produces 2.9 percent of

global carbon-dioxide emissions, almost as much as the

entire continent of South America. With every country

benefiting from global trade, it could be argued that

shipping is everybody's responsibility, but it is treated as if it

is nobody's. In the vast but liminal space of the ocean, cargo

vessels - some of the largest machines on the planet - have

generally operated in obscurity. The industry's greenhousegas

emissions have only grown as world trade has expanded,

about 10 percent in the last six years. Shipowners, charterers

and regulators have done little about the situation.

Allwright had previously spent 10 years working with a

group that tried to build small cargo ships that would run on

wind power to eliminate their carbon footprint. It

underscored for him that sails aren't a relic of the past. At

the most fundamental level, the way modern sails work is

similar to the way sails did a thousand years ago: As wind

moves against their curves, it creates a high-pressure system

on one side and a low-pressure system on the other,

resulting in a forward thrust that pushes the ship along. But

the design, materials and size of modern sails, along with the

ships' movements, allow them to harness significantly more

power from the wind than the cloth sails of the past - enough

so that they can move a huge cargo vessel. In conjunction

with fuel, modern sails can power ships with something

close to the speed and predictability to which the global

economy is accustomed.

The group Allwright worked with never managed to get

the ships built. Looking back on it, he believed it was a

commercial failure, not a technical one. In 2014, he started

the International Windship Association, a trade association,

The shipping industry has thus far mostly resisted a transition to sustainable power.

bringing together disparate groups of inventors, researchers

and others who wanted to get modern wind propulsion on

cargo vessels - not to replace fuel entirely but to require

considerably less of it.

Climate change, Allwright told anyone who would listen,

would create intolerable pressures. He would point them to

books and reports by scientific organizations like the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that outlined

what would happen if the world stayed on its current

trajectory, sending average temperatures up 3 degrees or

more: vicious wars over resources, mass refugee migrations,

major cities engulfed by rising seas. And because this was a

crowd of businesspeople, he would mention, too, that all of

that would be catastrophic for the economy.

This preaching of sustainability was heard, at first, as an

act of aggression. Shipping executives would walk out of

meetings and slam the doors as they left. When he brought

up numerical targets for carbon-dioxide emissions from

shipping, someone shouted that it would never happen. "It's

a fantasy!" another yelled. Then, in the last couple of years,

something shifted. The industry has been facing more

pressure to emit less carbon, but one of the most talkedabout

methods of reducing shipping's carbon footprint -

using alternative fuels such as hydrogen - is costly and

Photo: spencer lowell

difficult to pull off. Wind propulsion, on the other hand, is

already available. The fact that shipping is contributing

significantly to climate change has become so well

understood among shipowners that Allwright has been able

to delete the two or three slides in his presentation that

outlined the industry's carbon emissions and its impact on

the environment. An exception is presentations in the

United States, where there are inevitably audience members

who don't believe in man-made climate change. For them,

he keeps the environmental slides in, while emphasizing the

economic argument: Fuel can be expensive, especially if, in

the future, the price of oil spikes, taxes on carbon emissions

drive up its cost or the industry is forced to shift to green

fuels. Wind is free. If wind-propulsion technologies could be

offered cheaply enough, the reduction on fuel use from

wind-assisted ships may well make them more cost-effective

than conventional combustion-engine ones.

Allwright's trade association has grown, with about 40

companies now developing wind-propulsion technologies.

They include a Finnish company that is installing sails on

existing vessels, as well as businesses in Britain, France,

China and Japan. Fifteen large wind-assisted ships are

already on the water. Another five are expected to go into sea

trials and enter the market soon, and more than 20 are in

late-stage prototypes.

Yet unanswered is whether the sails can be made cheaply

enough - and can save enough fuel - to make it worthwhile

to install them. "Can we harness the wind?" Allwright asked.

"Yes. Can we do it at a cost that is tolerable to the market?

That's the question we're answering now."

One afternoon in late April, I boarded the MV Afros, one

of the wind-propulsion ships already in use, which is

working as a cargo vessel and providing an early proof of

concept. A conventional combustion-engine ship has a life

span of 20 to 30 years, and this initial stage of modern wind

propulsion largely involves retrofitting sails onto existing

ships, using wind to cut down on some fuel use until the

ships are scrapped. The MV Afros was fitted with sails from

the start, using Flettner rotors, a technology that has existed

since the 1920s. The rotors - spinning cylinders powered by

the ship's diesel-fueled generator - are mounted on the deck

of the ship. Though they bear no resemblance to the sails of

old, they function like them: Wind splits into high- and lowpressure

systems when it hits the rotors, creating thrust that

pulls the ships forward.

One afternoon in late April, I boarded the MV Afros, one

of the wind-propulsion ships already in use, which is

working as a cargo vessel and providing an early proof of

concept. A conventional combustion-engine ship has a life

span of 20 to 30 years, and this initial stage of modern wind

propulsion largely involves retrofitting sails onto existing

ships, using wind to cut down on some fuel use until the

ships are scrapped. The MV Afros was fitted with sails from

the start, using Flettner rotors, a technology that has existed

since the 1920s. The rotors - spinning cylinders powered by

the ship's diesel-fueled generator - are mounted on the deck

of the ship. Though they bear no resemblance to the sails of

old, they function like them: Wind splits into high- and lowpressure

systems when it hits the rotors, creating thrust that

pulls the ships forward.

I asked them what they thought of the sails. They were,

at first, confused. Then I gestured at the rotors. They told

me it was the first time they'd seen such a sight or heard

the deep whir that comes from the rotors at full spin.

Their first thought was excitement. "High-tech," one of

them said. The next thought was of obligation. "Of

course, it adds to our work," he noted - a new set of

maintenance hassles to deal with. "But when it comes to

the environment, it helps."

The Afros was the brainchild of Costas Apodiakos, a member

of the third generation of a Greek shipping family. He first

realized something had to be done about the industry's

pollution in the late 1970s while on an apprenticeship on a

vessel docked in Alexandria, Egypt, where a beautiful sunset

struck a discordant note with his surroundings: acrid water

slicked with oil and chemicals; trash, tossed over the side of the

ship, drifting with the current.

The activist hedge fund taking

down big oil

A Chinese fishing boat in the Pacific.

Photo: reuters

World's fishing ground facing a threat

MiChAEl FiEld

Since long before the steel-hulled

fishing boats from foreign countries

arrived in the South Pacific its people

have had their own systems for sharing

the ocean's catches.In the New Zealand

territory of Tokelau, in the middle of

the region, the 1,400 people living on

its three atolls practise a system called

inati, which ensures every household

gets fish.

Several times a month all atoll men

are given time to prepare and bait lines

and the "grey hairs" - as leaders are

called - decide on the targeted fish,

including tuna and trevally, using

traditional knowledge of the best

grounds, along with tides and the

phases of the moon. They set off late at

night and return 12 hours later, well

after the sun has risen. Their catch is

then sorted into different species and

sizes. Bigger families get bigger shares.

Across the Pacific, traditional fishing

practices like this take place alongside

huge commercial fishing operations,

where the catches are not always

shared so fairly, nor disclosed so

transparently.

The Pacific region exported 530,000

metric tonnes of seafood products in

2019, netting US$1.2bn. The biggest

exporters were Papua New Guinea

($470m), Fiji ($182m), the Federated

States of Micronesia ($130m), Vanuatu

($108m) and Solomon Islands

($101m). The biggest importers of

Pacific fish in 2019 were Thailand, with

seafood imports from the Pacific worth

$300m, the Philippines ($195m),

Japan ($130m), China ($100m) and

the US ($100m).

In some ways the fishing industry is a

success story for the Pacific region. In a

landmark moment of regional

cooperation in 1982, eight countries

signed the Parties to the Nauru

Agreement, which allowed the tiny

countries to collectively negotiate the

access to their waters by foreign fishing

vessels, a move that has generated an

additional $500m a year in revenue.

But the Pacific - the world's most

fertile fishing ground, which supplies

well over half of the world's tuna - also

falls victim to illegal fishing, with up to

one in every five wild-caught fish

illegally caught.

The small Pacific countries in whose

waters these illegal fishing operations

take place lose out on the profit, suffer

depletion of stocks and, without the

capacity to fully police their waters, are

often also penalised by fishing

importers for not being able to

guarantee the sustainable provenance

of the catch.

The 17 nations and territories of the

region directly control their own

territorial waters. Fishing outside the

territorial waters, in the nations' larger

exclusive economic zones (EEZ), is

monitored and coordinated by the

intergovernmental Forum Fisheries

Agency. Pacific EEZs produce around

US$26bn worth of tuna for consumers

but the islands earn only about 10% of

that value. Only a handful of Pacific

countries process any of the catches in

their waters - this usually takes place in

Bangkok and other Asian cities. Pacific

countries seldom even crew fishing

boats and make money only on the

licensing.

The high seas beyond the EEZs,

claimed by no one, come under the

multinational Western and Central

Pacific Fisheries Commission

(WCPFC).In 2019, WCPFC's total tuna

catch was a record-setting 2,961,059

tonnes, 81% of the total Pacific Ocean

tuna catch and 55% of the global tuna

catch. It is dominated by boats from

deep-water fishing nations including

China, Japan, South Korea and the US.

Industrial-scale fishing began in the

South Pacific after the second world

war. It was dominated by the US and

Japan but in the past two decades

China has dispatched wave after wave

of fishing boats, mainly longliners and

purse seiners.

Careful skippers avoid killing sharks,

billfish such as marlin and swordfish,

sea turtles and seabirds in the process.

Others do not care. Few longlining tuna

boats in the Pacific have independent

observers on board; as they are small

and often dangerous, few want to sail

on them.

Purse seiners are bigger and more

comfortable - attracting observers -

and use onboard helicopters and

floating aggregation devices to attract

tuna. A seiner will use boats to

encircle an entire school with nets

(the "purse") which is then closed,

capturing all the fish - and often

dolphins and sharks.

JEssiCA CAMillE AguirrE

On the day the little investment firm

Engine No. 1 would learn the outcome of

its proxy battle at Exxon Mobil, its office in

San Francisco still didn't have furniture.

Almost everyone had been working at

home since the firm was started in spring

2020, so when the founder, Chris James,

went into the office for a rare visit on May

26 this year to watch the results during

Exxon Mobil's annual shareholder

meeting, he propped his computer up on

a rented desk. As an activist investor, he

had bought millions of dollars' worth of

shares in Exxon Mobil to put forward four

nominees to the board. His candidates

needed to finish in the top 12 of the 16 up

for election, and he was nervous. Since

December, James and the firm's head of

active engagement, Charlie Penner, had

been making their case that America's

most iconic oil company needed new

directors to help it thrive in an era of

mounting climate urgency. In response,

Exxon Mobil expanded its board to 12

directors from 10 and announced a $3

billion investment in a new initiative it

called Low Carbon Solutions. James

paced around the empty office and texted

Penner: "I was doing bed karate this

morning thinking about how promises

made at gunpoint are rarely kept. Exxon

only makes promises at gunpoint."

At his apartment in TriBeCa, Penner,

who had conceived and run the campaign

since its inception, was obsessively focused

on making sure that even the last

moments before the annual meeting were

used strategically. For weeks he had kept a

tally of whom he thought big shareholders

would back, but because they could

change their votes until the polls closed

there would be no certainty until the end.

He had stayed up late the previous night

writing a speech to give during the five

minutes he was allotted to address

shareholders, scribbling in longhand in a

spiral notebook. He was hearing from

major investors that the company was

mounting a last-minute push, calling

shareholders to swing the vote in its favor.

Penner took a quick shower and sat

down at his desk for his speech. He had

been sitting at the same spot since the

start of the pandemic, holding virtual

meetings to drum up support for Engine

No. 1's four nominees. Doubling down on

fossil fuels as society tries to decarbonize

was only one criticism he levied against

Exxon Mobil; he also underscored the

company's declining profitability and the

fact that, when the campaign started, no

one on the board had experience in the

energy industry. When the meeting

began, Penner was the first shareholder to

speak. "Rather than being open to the

idea of adding qualified energy experience

to its board, we believe Exxon Mobil once

again closed ranks," he said. Driving

humanity off a cliff wasn't good business

practice anymore, he added, and

shareholders knew it. Forty minutes after

the meeting started, Exxon Mobil called

for an hourlong recess. It was an unusual

move; shareholders couldn't remember

the company suspending an annual

meeting right in the middle of the

proceedings. It had been a bruising year

for the industry, with oil prices trading

negative last spring and record numbers

of shareholder votes pressing major,

publicly traded petroleum companies to

prepare for a zero-carbon world. Just that

morning, as the meeting was starting, the

news broke that a Dutch court had

declared that Shell must accelerate its

emissions-reduction efforts. As Exxon

Mobil's meeting was underway, so was

Chevron's, and shareholders there voted

in favor of a proposal to reduce the

emissions generated by the company's

product, which would call for a reevaluation

of the core business. Exxon

Mobil's management had appeared

confident about the activist threat, but in

the last moments of the battle, it seemed

that assurance was flagging.

During the break, company

management and sitting board members

continued making calls to some of the

largest investors. Exxon Mobil said it was

explaining to shareholders how to vote.

The Engine No. 1 crew, huddled around

laptops in their office or alone in front of

their screens across the country, started

speculating about what was going on -

they suspected that Exxon Mobil

executives saw the vote counts coming in

and wanted to buy themselves time to try

to make up for a shortfall.

Penner texted James and told him to

get an Exxon Mobil board member on the

phone. "Seriously, tie them up if you can,"

he wrote. Engine No. 1 sent out a

statement criticizing the company for

using "corporate machinery" to undercut

the process. James was incredulous. Is

this legal? he kept thinking. Can they

really do this? An Engine No. 1 publicrelations

adviser started shouting on the

phone at a CNBC producer who didn't

seem to be sufficiently appreciating the

significance of the moment.

An activist investment firm won a shocking victory at Exxon

Mobil.

Photo: Collected

TUESDAY, jUNE 29, 2021

6

High density mango farming method

gains popularity in Rajshahi

KOIKO CHW project of Good Neighbors Bangladesh in collaboration with the upazila administration

distributed emergency food to 600 non-privileged families at Birganj upazila of

Dinajpur district to address the food crisis.

Photo : Uttam Sharma

Using surface

water for

irrigation

underscored

GAIBANDHA : Speakers at a

function here have

underscored the need for

using the surface water in

larger scale for irrigation to

protect the nature and its

biodiversity.

They came up with the

importance while addressing

a training workshop for the

farmers on usage of surface

water and preserving the

rain water at the hall room of

Local Government

Engineering Department

(LGED) here on Sunday.

Executive engineer of

Barind Multipurpose

Development Authority

(BMDA), Gaibandha region

office arranged the workshop

under the project of

Expansion of Irrigation in

greater Rangpur district.

Superintending engineer

of BMDA Habibur Rahman

Khan addressed as the chief

guest and deputy director

(DD) of department of

fisheries Abdud Dayan Dulu,

DD of department of

agricultural

extension

Masudur Rahman, executive

engineer of BMDA,

Gaibandha region Azadul

Islam, also spoke as special

guests.

One held with

2.35 kg heroin in

C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANJ :

Members of Rapid Action

Battalion (RAB) arrested an

alleged drug peddler with

2.35 kg heroin from Shibganj

upazila of the district

yesterday afternoon.

The arrested person is Md.

Maruf Hossain, 42, a

resident of Borgachi village

under Bholahat upazila of

the district. On a tip off, an

operation team of RAB-5

conducted a raid at

Chhatrajitpur Bazar of the

upazila at about 1.50 pm and

arrested.

Farmers eying bumper banana

production in Rangpur region

RANGPUR : Braving the Covid-19

pandemic, farmers are eying a bumper

production of banana this year in Rangpur

agriculture region where cultivation of the

crop is continuously increasing.

Department of Agricultural Extension

(DAE) officials said farmers have cultivated

bananas on 4,209 hectares of land, including

on 2,559 hectares during the last Rabi season

and 1,650 hectares during the current

Kharif-1 season

Harvesting of bananas during the last Rabi

season continues in full swing and farmers

are happy getting an excellent output with

better prices amid abundant supply of the

nutritious fruit in the local markets across

the region. Meanwhile, tender banana

plants, cultivated during the current Kharif-1

season, are growing superbly amid excellent

climate conditions as its harvesting will

begin later this year in the region.

"Farmers are showing keen interest now in

farming bananas to meet their own

nutrition, public nourishment and enhance

immunity against the Covid-19 virus," said

Agriculturist Bidhu Bhusan Ray, Additional

Director of the DAE, Rangpur region.

After being inspired by the DAE and other

agriculture related organisations, farmers

are expanding cultivation of bananas as a

cash crop round the year both in the

mainland and riverine char areas to reap

more profits than many other crops.

The field level DAE officials are assisting

farmers, riverside and char people to expand

cultivation of 'Meher Sagar', 'Sobri' and other

varieties of banana on more lands both in

mainland and char areas round the year.

With the DAE assistance, small and

marginal farmers and landless char and

riverside people have cultivated bananas in

all 58 upazilas of Rangpur, Gaibandha,

Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari

districts in the region this year.

In Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram, char

and riverside people have cultivated bananas

on around 200 acres of riverine char lands in

Bamondanga, Berubari, Raiganj, Kochakata,

Bolloverkhas, Kaliganj and Bhitorband

unions this year.

Talking to BSS, farmer Rafikul Islam of

Bamondanga union in the upazila said a group

of char people led by him started cultivating

banana on 10 acres of char lands five years

back. Farmer Lokman Hossain of the area said

char people are selling bananas on one side of

char lands and cultivating bananas afresh on

the other side on vacant lands round the year.

6 more die, 883 test positive for

Covid-19 afresh in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI : A total of 883 more people have

tested positive for Covid-19 in all eight districts

of the division on Sunday, taking the division's

Covid caseload to 53,762.

With six more fatalities from the disease

reported afresh on the day, the death toll

reached 832, including 377 in Bogura, 149 in

Rajshahi with 83 in its city and 104 in

Chapainawabganj, said Dr Habibul Ahsan

Talukder, divisional director of Health.

The new daily infection figure shows a slight

declining trend compared to the previous

day's figure of 962, said the health department

sources. Among the infected people, 38,317

have, so far, been cured from the lethal virus

with 370 new recoveries reported on Sunday.

A total of 5,774 infected patients are now

undergoing treatment at different designated

hospitals here. Besides, all the positive cases

for Covid-19 have, so far, been brought under

necessary treatment while 12,006 were kept

in isolation units of different hospitals for

institutional supervision.

Of them, 8,581 have by now been released.

On the other hand, 601 more people have

been sent to home and institutional

quarantine afresh while 310 others were

released from isolation during the last 24

hours till 8 am on Monday.

Of the total new positive cases, the

highest 323 were detected in Rajshahi,

including 223 in its city, followed by 127 in

Bogura, 95 in Natore, 85 in Pabna, 78 in

Naogaon, 67 in Sirajganj, 65 in Joypurhat

and 43 in Chapainawabganj districts. With

the newly detected patients, the districtwise

break-up of the total cases now stands

at 16,650 in Rajshahi, including 13,455 in

its city, 4,041 in Chapainawabganj, 4,271 in

Naogaon, 3,397 in Natore, 3,255 in

Joypurhat, 13,560 in Bogura, 4,363 in

Sirajganj and 4,225 in Pabna.

Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) has celebrated Women Engineers

Day-2021 for the first time. On this occasion, a discussion meeting was organized on the evening of

Sunday on virtual platform. The main theme of the webinar was 'Engineering Heroes'. Photo : SM Akash

RAJSHAHI : Mango farming in Ultra

High Density Mango Planting (UHDMP)

method has gained popularity as the

growers are getting additional income

after the best uses of the method in

Rajshahi region, including its vast barind

tract, reports BSS.

Sources said the modern farming

system has brought a new dimension to

the local economy side by side with

diversifying the cropping pattern in the

region.

Hefaz Uddin, 60, a resident of

Bailkapara village of Nachole Upazila in

Chapainawabganj, has been earning

money from his land regularly through

adopting the method for the last couple

of years.

In 2018, he planted 100 trees of

BARI-4 mango variety leaving behind

the conventional variety on his one acre

of land after getting an intensive

training on UHDMP given on behalf of

the Water Efficient Technologies to

Barind Tract (IWET) project.

He got yield from 84 trees next year,

fetching Taka 51,120. "I had harvested

6.7 kilograms of yield from each of the

trees on an average," Hafez said with a

smiling face, while talking to BSS on

Sunday.

Expecting more income from his land

with the application of new agricultural

technology, he said the UHDM

orchards are contributing a lot towards

extra income giving better life to the

beneficiary family members at present.

Like Hefez Uddin, many other

farmers have attained economic

emancipation after adopting the

UHDMP method that has brought a

remarkable change in the area for the

last couple of years.

Dascoh Foundation and Syngenta

Foundation are jointly implementing

the IWET project with financial

support of World Bank Group

benefiting 10,000 farmers directly,

while 50,000 others indirectly since

2018.

The project is being implemented in

Nachole and Gomostapur Upazilas in

Chapainawabganj, Tanore and

Godagari Upazilas in Rajshahi and

Mohadebpur and Bodolgachhi

Upazilas in Naogaon districts.

With intervention of the scheme,

10,000 farmers, including 6,000 on

UHDMP and 4,000 on Adoption of

Alternate Drying and Wetting (AWD)

irrigation technology were given

training.

Project Manager Shohidul Islam told

BSS that 110 demonstration plots have,

so far, been developed on 8.9 hectares

of land with 15,333 trees in the project

covering areas.

The project is intended to achieving

significant farm productivity in a

sustainable manner by introducing

efficient irrigation and other relevant

technologies and management

practices.

Hefez Uddin said new mango

orchards, especially of Amrapali, BARI

mango-3 and 4 varieties are rapidly

increasing in the districts every year.

While the traditional larger trees take

eight to nine years to bear fruit, the

UHDMP method's smaller trees

produce fruit within two to three years.

The smaller varieties are gaining

popularity as more trees can be planted

on the same piece of land and their

harvest time is shorter, he added.

Normally 10 mango trees are planted

in one bigha of land, but in the new

farming method, farmers can plant up

to 200 trees in the same space, said

Ismail Hossain, a mango grower of

Komorpur village in Godagari upazila

of Rajshahi.

Project Manager Shohidul Islam said

the critical components of UHDMP

technology are the management of

inputs related to irrigation and fertiliser

and the canopy management. These

two inputs are provided through drip

irrigation systems.

With the financial support of Pubali Bank, Food and corona protection items were

distributed to 150 helpless families in Dasherbazar union parishad of Borolekha upazila on

Sunday afternoon. Upazila Chairman Sohaib Ahmed was the chief guest at the food and

corona safety distribution.

Photo : Abdur Rob

Imams' role

in tackling

coronavirus

spread

stressed

GAIBANDHA : Speakers

at a function said imams

can play vital role in

halting the spread of

coronavirus through

creating much awareness

among the people.

As the people of the

society respect the imams

and listen to them

attentively, so the

religious leaders can

preach about the negative

impact of the lethal virus,

they said.

In this way, the corona

virus spreading might be

stopped, they added.

The speakers made the

comments while

addressing a conference

of imams at the hall room

of Islamic Foundation

office here on Sunday.

Islamic Foundation

Gaibandha office

arranged the function

while

deputy

commissioner (DC) Abdul

Matin attended as the

chief guest.

Deputy Director of

Islamic Foundation

Gaibandha office Md.

Mirajul Islam presided

over it.

Master trainer of the

foundation Md. Helal

Uddin, pess imam of

Gaibandha Central Jame

Mosque Mufti Mowlana

Mahmudul Hasan

Kashemi and hafez Md.

Ruhul Amin spoke among

others.

Around 100 imams

from seven upazilas of the

district attended the

conference.

Covid-19 related deaths cross

500 in Rangpur division

RANGPUR : The number of Covid-19 related

deaths crossed the 500 mark as eight more

fatalities were reported during the last 24

hours ending at 8 am on Monday from four

districts in Rangpur division.

Health officials said the eight deaths were

reported from Rangpur, Lalmonirhat,

Thakurgaon and Dinajpur raising the

number of fatalitiesa to 503 in the division.

"From June 1 to June 27 last, 108 patients

died, the highest number of death in 27 days,

since the outbreak of the pandemic in the

division," Focal Person of the Covid-19 and

Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur

division Dr. ZA Siddiqui told BSS.

The district-wise break up of the 503

fatalities stands at 111 in Rangpur, 181 in

Dinajpur, 77 in Thakurgaon, 38 in

Nilphamari, 27 in Kurigram, 22 in

Panchagarh, 23 in Gaibandha and 24 in

Lalmonirhat districts of the division.

"The average casualty rate currently stands at

2.01 percent in the division amid a hastily

rising of positivity rate and declining recovery

rate in recent weeks," Dr Siddiqui said.

At the same time, the number of Covid-19

cases speedily climbed to 25,040 as 520

more patients were reported after testing

1,232 samples with the positivity rate of

42.21 percent on Sunday in the division.

Earlier, the daily positivity rates were 7.03

percent on Saturday, 27.01 percent on

Friday, 41.74 percent on Thursday, 37.85

percent on Wednesday, 35.95 percent on

Tuesday and 34.58 on Monday last in the

division. "The district-wise break up of total

25,040 patients stands at 5,812 in Rangpur,

1,015 in Panchagarh, 1,798 in Nilphamari,

1,401 in Lalmonirhat, 1,697 in Kurigram, 3,

084 in Thakurgaon, 8,188 in Dinajpur and

2,045 in Gaibandha," he said.

Talking to BSS, Acting Divisional Director

(Health) Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam said a

total of 1,52,273 collected samples were

tested till Sunday, and of them, 25,040 were

found Covid-19 positive with an average

positivity rate of 16.44 percent in the

division.

Meanwhile, the number of healed Covid-

19 patients reached 19,491 with recovery of

99 more patients on Sunday in the division

with the average recovery rate of 77.84

percent. "The average recovery rate of Covid-

19 infected patients was 97.55 percent three

and a half months ago on March 9 last in the

division where it sharply dropped by 19.71

percent to 77.84 percent on Sunday," Dr

Islam said.

The 19,491 recovered patients included

5,001 of Rangpur, 827 of Panchagarh, 1,627

of Nilphamari, 1,130 of Lalmonirhat, 1,258 of

Kurigram, 1,748 of Thakurgaon, 6,116 of

Dinajpur and 1,784 of Gaibandha districts in

the division.

Among the 25,040 infected patients, 310

are undergoing treatments at isolation units,

including 23 critical patients at ICU beds and

11 at High Dependency Unit beds, after

recovery of 19,491 patients and 503 deaths

while 4,966 are remaining in home isolation.

"Meanwhile, the number of citizens who

got the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine rose

to 6,01,338 and among them, 3,88,620 got

the second dose of the jab till Sunday in the

division," Dr Islam added.

Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service

and Prevention Task Force and Principal of

Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr. AKM

Nurunnobi Lyzu put maximum importance

on strictly abiding by the health directives by

all amid the deteriorating Covid-19 situation.

Imams' role in tackling

coronavirus spread stressed

GAIBANDHA : Speakers at a function said

imams can play vital role in halting the

spread of coronavirus through creating

much awareness among the people.

As the people of the society respect the

imams and listen to them attentively, so the

religious leaders can preach about the

negative impact of the lethal virus, they said.

In this way, the corona virus spreading

might be stopped, they added.

The speakers made the comments while

addressing a conference of imams at the hall

room of Islamic Foundation office here on

Sunday.

Islamic Foundation Gaibandha office

arranged the function while deputy

commissioner (DC) Abdul Matin attended as

the chief guest.

Deputy Director of Islamic Foundation

Gaibandha office Md. Mirajul Islam presided

over it.

TUeSDAY, JUne 29, 2021

7

Rescuers stay hopeful

about finding more

survivors in rubble

SURFSIDE : Rescue

workers digging feverishly

for a fifth day Monday

stressed that they could still

find survivors in the rubble

of a collapsed Florida condo

building, a hope family

members clung to even

though no one has been

pulled out alive since the

first day the structure fell.

The death toll rose by just

four people Sunday, to a

total of nine confirmed dead.

But more than 150 people

are still missing in Surfside,

reports UNB.

Families of the missing

rode buses to a site nearby

from which they could watch

teams at work Sunday:

firefighters, sniffer dogs and

search experts employing

radar and sonar devices.

U.S. Rep. Debbie

Wasserman Schultz said at a

Sunday evening news

conference that she had met

with some of the rescue

workers and was able to

"hear the hope that they

have."

"We obviously have some

realism that we're dealing

with. But ... as long as the

experts that we trust are

telling me they have hope to

find people who might have

been able to survive, then we

have to make sure that we

hold on to that hope," she

said.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs

Minister Nachman Shai,

head of a humanitarian

delegation from Israel that

includes several search-andrescue

experts, said the

professionals have told him

of cases where survivors

were found after 100 hours

or more.

"So don't lose hope, that's

what I would say," he said.

Some families had hoped

their visit to the site near the

12-story building would

allow them to shout

messages to loved ones

possibly buried deep inside

the pile. As they returned to

a nearby hotel, several

paused to embrace as they

got off the bus. Others

walked slowly with arms

around each other back to

the hotel entrance.

Families of the missing

visit site of Florida condo

SURFSIDE : Families of the missing visited

the scene of the Florida condo building

collapse Sunday as rescuers kept digging

through the mound of rubble and clinging to

hope that someone could yet be alive

somewhere under the broken concrete and

twisted metal.

The death toll rose by just four people, to a

total of nine confirmed dead. The latest four

victims were identified Sunday night by

police as Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74; Luis

Bermudez, 26; Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; and

Anna Ortiz, 46.

After almost four full days of search-andrescue

efforts, more than 150 additional

people were still missing in Surfside. No one

has been pulled alive from the pile since

Thursday, hours after the collapse.

Some families had hoped their visit would

allow them to shout messages to loved ones

possibly buried deep inside the pile.

Buses brought several groups of relatives

to a place where they could view the pile and

the rescuers at work. As relatives returned to

a nearby hotel, several paused to embrace as

they got off the bus. Others walked slowly

with arms around each other back to the

hotel entrance.

"We are just waiting for answers. That's

what we want," said Dianne Ohayon, whose

parents, Myriam and Arnie Notkin were in

the building. "It's hard to go through these

long days and we haven't gotten any answers

yet." Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister

Nachman Shai, who visited with family

members, led a humanitarian delegation to

Surfside that included several Israeli experts

in search-and-rescue operations. He said the

experts have told him of cases where

survivors were found after 100 hours or

more. "So don't lose hope, that's what I

would say. But you have everyone

understanding the longer it takes, the

prospects of finding someone alive goes

down," he said.

"If you watch the scene, you know it's

almost impossible to find someone alive,"

Shai added. "But you never know.

Sometimes miracles happen, you know? We

Jews believe in miracles."

Rescuers sought to reassure families that

they were doing as much as possible to find

missing loved ones, but the crews said they

needed to work carefully for the best chance

of uncovering survivors.

Some relatives have been frustrated with

the pace of rescue efforts.

"My daughter is 26 years old, in perfect

health. She could make it out of there," one

mother told rescuers during a weekend

meeting with family members. A video of the

meeting was posted by Instagram user

Abigail Pereira.

"It's not enough," continued the mother,

who was among relatives who pushed

authorities to bring in experts from other

countries to help. "Imagine if your children

were in there."

Scores of rescue workers remained on the

massive heap of rubble Sunday, searching

for survivors but so far finding only bodies

and human remains.

In a meeting with families Saturday

evening, people moaned and wept as Miami-

Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah

explained why he could not answer their

repeated questions about how many victims

they had found.

"It's not necessarily that we're finding

victims, OK? We're finding human remains,"

Jadallah said, according to the video posted

on Instagram.

Families of the missing visited the scene of the Florida condo building collapse

Sunday as rescuers kept digging through the mound of rubble and

clinging to hope that someone could yet be alive somewhere under the broken

concrete and twisted metal.

Photo : AP

Australia battles several clusters in

new pandemic phase

CANBERRA : Australia was

battling to contain several

COVID-19 clusters around

the country on Monday in

what some experts have

described as the nation's most

dangerous stage of the

pandemic since the earliest

days. Sydney in the east and

Darwin in the north were

locked down on Monday.

Perth in the west made masks

compulsory for three days

and warned a lockdown could

follow after a resident tested

positive after visiting Sydney

more than a week ago.

Brisbane and Canberra

have or will soon make

wearing masks compulsory.

South Australia state

announced new statewide

restrictions from Tuesday.

Australia has been relatively

successful in containing

clusters throughout the

pandemic, registering fewer

than 31,000 cases since the

pandemic began. But the new

clusters have highlighted the

nation's slow vaccine rollout

with only 5% of the

population fully vaccinated.

Most of the new cases stem

from a Sydney limousine

driver who tested positive on

June 16 to the delta variant,

which is thought to be more

contagious. He was not

vaccinated, reportedly did not

wear a mask and is suspected

to have been infected while

transporting a foreign air

crew from Sydney Airport.

New South Wales state on

Monday reported 18 new

cases in the latest 24-hour

period. The tally was fewer

than 30 cases recorded on

Sunday and 29 on Saturday.

Authorities warned that a

two-week Sydney lockdown

that began on Friday would

not reduce infection rates for

another five days.

"We have to be prepared for

the numbers to bounce

around and we also have to be

prepared for the numbers to

go up considerably," New

South Wales Premier Gladys

Berejiklian said.

Health policy adviser Bill

Offices after COVID: Wider

hallways, fewer desks

GRAND RAPIDS : The coronavirus already

changed the way we work. Now it's changing

the physical space, too.

Many companies are making adjustments

to their offices to help employees feel safer as

they return to in-person work, like

improving air circulation systems or moving

desks further apart. Others are ditching

desks and building more conference rooms

to accommodate employees who still work

remotely but come in for meetings.

Architects and designers say this is a time

of experimentation and reflection for

employers. Steelcase, an office furniture

company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan,

says its research indicates half of global

companies plan major redesigns to their

office space this year.

"This year caused you to think, maybe even

more fundamentally than you ever have before,

'Hey, why do we go to an office?'" said Natalie

Engels, a San Jose, California-based design

principal at Gensler, an architecture firm.

Not every company is making changes,

and Engels stresses that they don't have to.

She tells clients to remember what worked

well - and what didn't - before the pandemic.

But designers say many companies are

looking for new ways to make employees feel

safe and invigorated at the office, especially as

a labor crunch makes hiring more difficult.

That's what drove food and pharmaceutical

company Ajinomoto to overhaul the design of

its new North American headquarters outside

Chicago last year.

Ajinomoto's employees returned to inperson

work in May to a building with wider

hallways and glass panels between cubicles,

to give them more space and try to make

them feel more secure. To improve mental

health the company transformed a planned

work area into a spa-like "relaxation room"

with reclining chairs and soft music. A test

kitchen is wired for virtual presentations in

case clients don't want to travel.

Bowtell, who was the

architect of Australia's first

AIDS response in the 1980s,

said the government needed

to consider hastening

vaccinations by shortening

the gap between AstraZeneca

shots from 12 to 8 weeks.

GD–1077/21 (6”x5)

The U.S. military, under the direction of President Joe Biden, conducted airstrikes Sunday

against what it said were "facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups" near the border

between Iraq and Syria.

Photo : Internet

US airstrikes target Iran-backed

militias in Syria, Iraq

WASHINGTON : The U.S. military,

under the direction of President Joe

Biden, conducted airstrikes Sunday

against what it said were "facilities used

by Iran-backed militia groups" near the

border between Iraq and Syria.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby

said the militias were using the facilities

to launch unmanned aerial vehicle

attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq.

Kirby said the U.S. military targeted

three operational and weapons storage

facilities - two in Syria and one in Iraq.

He described the airstrikes as

"defensive," saying they were launched

in response to the attacks by Iranbacked

groups.

"The United States took necessary,

appropriate, and deliberate action

designed to limit the risk of escalation -

but also to send a clear and

unambiguous deterrent message,"

As variant rises, vaccine plan

targets 'movable middle'

WASHINGTON : Thrown off-stride to

reach its COVID-19 vaccination goal,

the Biden administration is sending A-

list officials across the country, devising

ads for niche markets and enlisting

community organizers to persuade

unvaccinated people to get a shot.

The strategy has the trappings of a

political campaign, complete with data

crunching to identify groups that can be

won over.

But the message is about public health,

not ideology. The focus is a group

health officials term the "movable

middle" - some 55 million

unvaccinated adults seen as

Kirby said.

Sunday's strikes mark the second

time the Biden administration has

taken military action in the region. In

February, the U.S. launched airstrikes

against facilities in Syria, near the Iraqi

border, that it said were used by

Iranian-backed militia groups. The

Pentagon said those strikes were

retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq in

February that killed one civilian

contractor and wounded a U.S. service

member and other coalition troops.

At that time, Biden said Iran should

view his decision to authorize U.S.

airstrikes in Syria as a warning that it

can expect consequences for its support

of militia groups that threaten U.S.

interests or personnel.

"You can't act with impunity. Be

careful," Biden said when a reporter

asked what message he had intended to

persuadable, many of them under 30.

"We're not just going to do the mass

vaccination sites," said Health and

Human Services Secretary Xavier

Becerra. "It's door to door. It's mobile

clinics. We're doing vaccinations at

church, the PTA meeting, the barber

shop, the grocery store."

Officials have seized on a compelling

new talking point, courtesy of the

coronavirus. The potent delta variant

that has ravaged India is spreading

here. Now accounting for about 1 in 5

virus samples genetically decoded in

the U.S., the more transmissible

mutation has gained a foothold in

e-Tender Notice

send.

On Sunday, Kirby said Biden "has

been clear that he will act to protect

U.S. personnel. Given the ongoing

series of attacks by Iran-backed groups

targeting U.S. interests in Iraq, the

President directed further military

action to disrupt and deter such

attacks."

The Pentagon spokesman added: "As

a matter of international law, the

United States acted pursuant to its right

of self-defense. The strikes were both

necessary to address the threat and

appropriately limited in scope."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a

statement Sunday that the U.S.

airstrikes "appear to be a targeted and

proportional response to a serious and

specific threat," adding, "Protecting the

military heroes who defend our

freedoms is a sacred priority."

Mountain West and heartland states.

Many of those infected are young and

unvaccinated.

The White House has lent its top

names to the vaccine push.

President Joe Biden visited a mobile

vaccination site in Raleigh, North

Carolina, on Thursday. Earlier in the

day, first lady Jill Biden held the hand

of a woman at a drive-thru vaccination

site in Kissimmee, Florida.

Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice

President Kamala Harris, has racked

up thousands of frequent flyer miles,

visiting at least 18 or 19 states by his

count.

TUESNDAY, JUNE 29, 2021

8

A meeting of the Board of Directors of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited was held on 27 June 2021,

Sunday at virtual platform. Professor Md. Nazmul Hassan, Ph.D, Chairman of the bank presided

over the meeting. Yousif Abdullah Al-Rajhi & Md. Shahabuddin, Vice Chairmen, Dr. Areef Suleman,

foreign Director and representative of Islamic Development Bank, other Directors, Mohammed

Monirul Moula, Managing Director & CEO and J.Q.M. Habibullah, FCS, Deputy Managing Director

& Company Secretary of the bank attended the meeting.

Photo : Courtesy

Stocks rebound on both bourses

DHAKA : After witnessing a downward

trend in the last session, stocks today

rebounded in the Dhaka and

Chittagong stock exchanges as

investors remained active on sectorwise

issues.

However, daily trade turnover

plunged to Taka 13284.951 million on

the country's premier bourse which

was Taka 17,401.809 million.

After witnessing volatility, DSEX, the

prime index of the Dhaka Stock

Exchange (DSE), went up by 33.92

points or 0.57 per cent to settle at

6,026.65. Two other indices also ended

higher with the DSE 30 Index,

comprising blue chips, rose 8 points to

finish at 2,176.64 and the DSE Shariah

Index (DSES) advanced 738 points to

close at 1,294.81.

Gainers took a strong lead over the

losers, as out of 372 issues traded, 231

advanced, 108 declined and 33 issues

remained unchanged on the DSE

trading floor. Delta Life dominated the

turnover chart followed by Beximco,

Queen South, Malek Spinning Mills

and Dutch Bangla Bank.

Sonali Paper was the day's top gainer,

rising 9.98 per cent, while Safko

Spinning was the worst loser, shedding

8.89 per cent.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange

(CSE) also rebounded with the CSE All

Share Price Index - CASPI -gaining

79.90 points to settle at 17,439.76 and

the Selective Categories Index - CSCX

rising 43.85 points to close at

10,484.88. Of the issues traded, 108

declined, 169 advanced and 34 issues

remained unchanged on the CSE.

The port city's bourse traded 1.85

crore shares and mutual fund units

with turnover value of Taka 38.55

crore.

The Premier Bank Limited has been awarded as winner of "Top-100. Achievements" in economy and

business category by Europe Business Assembly, an international association of political, scientific

and business leaders from all over the world. Chairman of The Premier Bank Limited, Freedom

fighter Dr. H.B.M. Iqbal has been selected as the winner of the coveted "Manager Of The Year" title

& medal by Europe Business Assembly, Oxford, United Kingdom. Dr. H.B.M. Iqbal received the prestigious

awards from The Oxford Awards Agency, at an online ceremony held on Friday, 25 June 2021

by Europe Business Assembly. Honorable Advisor to The Premier Bank Limited Muhammed Ali and

Managing Director & CEO M. Reazul Karim were also present at the ceremony. The award is a special

honor granted by Europe Business Assembly given only to selected personnel out of a large number

of eminent business personalities from around the world who have been a pioneer for other

leaders and the next generation. During the award, Dr. H.B.M. Iqbal stated that "I am humbled and

inspired at being awarded by Europe Business Assembly as Manager of the Year. We are singularly

focused on establishing our value 'Service First'. We are facing challenges and pushing boundaries

every day. Our success is the cumulative effort of all our customers, well-wishers, employees and

other stakeholders. I am dedicating this award to them."

Photo : Courtesy

Binance: Financial watchdog FCA

bans cryptocurrency exchange

Binance, the world's biggest

cryptocurrency exchange, has been

banned by the UK's financial regulator.

The Financial Conduct Authority

(FCA) has ruled that the firm cannot

conduct any "regulated activity" in the

UK, reports BBC.

It also issued a consumer warning

about Binance.com, advising people to

be wary of adverts promising high

returns on cryptoasset investments.

Binance said the FCA notice would

have no "direct impact" on the services it

provides from its website Binance.com.

Binance's existing crypto exchange is

not UK-based so despite the FCA ruling,

there will be no impact on UK residents

who use the website to purchase and sell

cryptocurrencies.

The FCA does not regulate

cryptocurrencies, but requires

exchanges to register with them.

Binance has not registered with the FCA

and therefore is not allowed to operate

an exchange in the UK.

The FCA move comes amid pushback

from regulators around the world

against cryptocurrency platforms.

Binance.com is an online centralised

exchange that offers users a range of

financial products and services,

including purchasing and trading a wide

range of digital currencies, as well as

digital wallets, futures, securities,

savings accounts and even lending.

Binance Group is currently based in

the Cayman Islands, while Binance

Markets Limited is an affiliate firm

based in London. The firm has multiple

entities dotted around the world and

Binance Group was previously based in

Malta.

HK trading starts after 'black rainstorm' delay

Trading on the Hong Kong Stock

Exchange finally got under way on

Monday afternoon after its morning

session was cancelled due to extreme

weather.

The decision to open the market

came after the government cancelled

an earlier "black rainstorm" warning,

reports BBC.

The city has three levels of rainstorm

warning, with black being the highest

after amber and red.

Landslides and flooding were

reported in some parts of Hong Kong

as it was hit with high amounts of

rainfall.

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange

announced that trading would start

from 1.30pm local time after the black

rainstorm warning was lifted as the

extreme weather conditions eased.

It was the city's first black

rainstorm warning this year, with

more than 150mm of rain reported in

the Western part of Hong Kong and

the islands of Lantau and Lamma.

Several other districts saw at least

70mm of rain.

Islami Bank holds

38th AGM; approves

10% cash dividend

DHAKA : The 38th annual

general meeting (AGM) of

Islami Bank Bangladesh

Limited was held Sunday on a

virtual platform, reports UNB.

The meeting approved a

10% cash dividend for

shareholders and the financial

statements of the bank for the

year ended on December 31

last year.

Professor Md Nazmul

Hassan, chairman of the

bank, presided over the

meeting.

Mohammed Monirul

Moula, managing director

and CEO of the bank,

Professor Mohammad Gias

Uddin Talukdar, chairman of

Shariah Supervisory

Committee, JQM Habibullah,

deputy managing director and

company secretary, also

joined the meeting along with

the shareholders.

Bargaining over global tax enters key stage

PARIS : Nearly 140 countries will

haggle over key details of a global

corporate tax plan this week, with

some concerned about giving up too

much and others eager to ensure tech

giants pay their fair share.

The Group of Seven (G7) wealthy

democracies approved a proposal to

impose a minimum corporate tax rate

of at least 15 percent earlier this

month, hoping to stop a "race to the

bottom" as nations compete to offer

the lowest rates.

It is one of two pillars of reforms that

would also allow countries to tax a

share of profits of the 100 most

profitable companies in the worldsuch

as Google, Facebook and Appleregardless

of where they are based.

The deal now goes to the

Organisation of Economic Cooperation

and Development (OECD),

which is overseeing two days of talks

starting Wednesday to find a

consensus among 139 countries.

Tokyo stocks open higher

in cautious trade

TOKYO : Tokyo stocks

opened higher on Monday in

cautious trade following a

mixed close on Wall Street,

with investors awaiting fresh

market-moving events.

The benchmark Nikkei

225 index was up 0.18

percent or 51.88 points at

29,118.06 in early trade,

while the broader Topix

index advanced 0.32 percent

or 6.26 points to 1,968.91.

"Japanese shares are seen

moving in a narrow range

after a mixed close in the US

market," senior market

analyst Toshiyuki Kanayama

said in a commentary.

Ray Attrill, senior

strategist at National

Australia Bank, noted that

US President Joe Biden had

walked back a threat over a

bipartisan infrastructure

bill.

As "one of the catalysts for

US equities achieving new

record highs last week was

the news of... the handshake

deal," Biden's apparent

threat could "be one source

of market volatility in the

week ahead," he added,

reports BSS.

Investors are awaiting

fresh clues for trade,

including US ISM

manufacturing purchasing

managers index and US

payrolls data due later this

week, analysts said.

In Tokyo, Toshiba was up

1.25 percent at 4,874 yen

after its shareholders voted

to oust the board's chairman

in the latest twist for the

company after scandals and

The proposal will then be taken up

by the G20 club of wealthy and

emerging countries at a meeting of

finance ministers in Italy on July 9

and 10.

"I don't think we have ever been so

close to an agreement," said Pascal

Saint-Amans, director of the OECD

tax policy centre.

"I think that everybody has realised

that a deal is better than no deal,"

Saint-Amans told France's BFM

Business radio earlier this month,

adding that failing to agree would lead

to unilateral taxes and US reprisals.

US President Joe Biden has

galvanised the issue by backing the

global minimum corporate tax, and

Europeans want a deal, he said.

Negotiations have gained new

urgency as governments seek new

sources of revenue after spending

huge sums on stimulus measures to

prevent their economies from

collapsing during the coronavirus

losses, and a rare victory for

activist investors in

corporate Japan.

Shionogi was up 1.16

percent at 5,772 yen after a

report said the

pharmaceutical firm is

planning to double

production of its yet-to-beapproved

vaccines to some

60 million doses next year

from its previous estimate.

Among other major

shares, Hitachi was up 1.56

percent at 6,511 yen, Nippon

Steel was up 1.96 percent at

1,947 yen, and construction

machine maker Komatsu

was up 1.08 percent at 2,856

yen.

The dollar fetched 110.74

yen in early Asian trade

against 110.79 yen in New

York late Friday.

NRBC Bank has published PLANET, a quarterly publication on the occasion of the 100th birth

anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation `Mujib Borsho' and

Golden Jubilee of Independence. Chairman of the Bank S M Parvez Tamal unveiled the 1st edition of

the publication, which contains Financial, banking, business, technology and cultural related writeups.

All Directors, Managing Director & CEO Golam Mr. Awlia and high Officials of the Bank attended

the ceremony through virtual platform. Veteran politician, Chairman of Standing committee on

ministry of Commerce Tofail Ahmed MP, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim MP, presidium member of

Bangladesh Awami league and Sponsor shareholder of NRBC Bank valiant Freedom fighter Dr.

Nurunnabi, Ekushy Padak award recipient has written for this publication. Professor Shibli

Rubayat-Ul-Islam, Chairman, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), Sheikh

Fazle Fahim, Ex president of FBCCI, Ali Reza Iftekhar, Chairman of Association of Bankers

Bangladesh (ABB) has given their valuable message in this publication. PLANET has published from

the Communication Division which will be accessible on the website of the Bank. The magazine covers

a variety of articles by Banks Directors, Shareholders, officials as well as general customers,

economists, journalists and other stakeholders.

Photo : Courtesy

pandemic.

While the G7 -- the United States,

Canada, Japan, France, Britain, Italy

and Germany-approved the plan, it

still faces hurdles as the negotiations

expand to other nations.

European Union members Ireland

and Hungary are not thrilled about it,

as their corporate taxes are less than

15 percent.

Ireland has become the EU home to

tech giants Facebook, Google and

Apple thanks to its 12.5-percent rate.

But another EU country that has

benefited from a low rate, Poland,

voiced support for the proposal last

week. US Treasury Secretary Janet

Yellen said China also has concerns

about the proposal.

Two sources involved in the

negotiations told AFP that China,

which has a reduced rate for

companies in key sectors, would not

want a rate that exceeds 15 percent.

Biden also has some convincing to

Shahjalal Islami Bank Foundationrecently handed over diagnostic equipment &medicinesto Matlab

Uttar Upazila Health Complex and No. 8 Ekhlaspur Union Health & Family Welfare Center in

Chandpur District under the CSR Program-2021 in order to provide health care to the mass people

in the remote areas of the country.The Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Md. Abdul

Barekhandedover the diagnostic equipment & medicine toDr. Nusrat Jahan Mithen, the Dr. of

Matlab Uttar Upazila Health Complexand to Jemin Akhter theofficer in charge of Ekhlaspur Union

Health & Family Welfare Center. In the picture Dr. Nusrat Jahan Mithen were seen receiving the

diagnostic equipment &medicines from Mr. Md. Abdul Barek, the Honorable Vice-Chairman of the

Board of Directors of Bank.Among others the Local businessman and the prominent people of that

locality were also present while handing over diagnostic equipment &medicines. Photo : Courtesy

Ecuador's Gonzalo Plata in action with Brazil's Everton Ribeiro.

Ecuador hold Brazil, qualify for Copa

America last eight

SPORTS DESK

A much-changed Brazil failed to win for

the first time in 11 games but still

qualified top in Group B for the

quarter-finals of the Copa America on

Sunday after drawing 1-1 with Ecuador

in Goiania, reports UNB.

The draw at an empty stadium in

central Brazil marked the first time

Brazil have not picked up a win since

they lost 1-0 to Argentina in a friendly

in November 2019.

The host nation had already qualified

in first place in Group B and rested a

number of regulars, with Gabriel

Barbosa, Everton, Douglas Luiz,

Fabinho and Douglas Luis among

those getting a chance from the start.

Lucas Paqueta was a bright presence

in a team that missed Neymar's

creativity going forward but most of the

replacements failed to impress even

though Brazil went in 1-0 up at half

time thanks to an accomplished header

from defender Eder Militao.

Brazil had won their first three group

games but were surprisingly pegged

back for the first 15 minutes of the

second period and substitute Angel

Mena equalised for Ecuador with a

thumping drive after 53 minutes.

It was not until Casemiro replaced

Douglas Luiz after just an hour that

Brazil regained their

poise.Nevertheless, neither side made

many clear-cut chances and as a draw

suited both teams the game petered out

slightly.

"We knew it would be a difficult

game," said Paqueta.

"In the first half we managed to

neutralise their style of play and pass

the ball around and score, (but) in the

second half they scored and that

complicated the way we play. The

Photo: AP

objective was to win but the main

objective was to finish in first place and

we did that."

With Peru defeating Venezuela 1-0 in

the other Group B game, they joined

Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador in the

quarter-finals as Venezuela exited.

The Venezuelans were hard hit in the

early stages of the tournament when at

least eight players tested positive for

COVID-19 and had to self-isolate.

The quarter-final matchups will be

decided on Monday after the last round

of Group A fixtures.

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and

Uruguay have already guaranteed their

place in the last eight but the final

round of fixtures will decide who plays

who.Bolivia are already out, having lost

all three of their games so far."From

now on every game is a final," said

Paqueta, "and we'll need to give it our

all in order to win".

Belgium knock out Ronaldo and Portugal,

Czechs end Dutch Euro 2020 dreams

SPORTS DESK

Thorgan Hazard scored the

only goal of the game as

Belgium knocked the

holders Portugal out of Euro

2020 on Sunday after the

Czech Republic ended the

dreams of a 10-man

Netherlands side, reports

UNB.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his

Portugal team-mates were

hoping to defend the trophy

they won in Paris five years

ago but they could not

recover after the lesser

heralded of the Hazard

brothers smashed home just

before half-time in Seville

and Belgium held out for a 1-

0 victory.

The meeting between the

reigning champions and the

world's top-ranked team

was hotly anticipated but it

never lived up to

expectations.

Belgium will not care as

they advance to another

exciting tie, a mouthwatering

quarter-final

against Italy in Munich on

Friday. "I just tried my luck,"

said Borussia Dortmund

winger Hazard. "It wasn't

easy but to go all the way in a

tournament you have to

suffer at times."

It remains to be seen if

their captain, Kevin De

Bruyne, will be fit to face

Italy after he was forced off

early in the second half

feeling the effects of an

earlier Joao Palhinha

challenge that left him with

an injured ankle.

Coach Roberto Martinez

also saw skipper Eden

Hazard come off late on with

a hamstring problem.

Raphael Guerreiro came

closest to equalising for

Portugal but Ronaldo rarely

looked like getting the goal

that would have seen him

break the all-time

international scoring record.

He equalled the record of

109 goals established by

Iran's Ali Daei with a brace

in the 2-2 draw with France

in Portugal's final group

game.

At 36, this could well have

been Ronaldo's last ever

match at the European

Championship but he will

certainly hope to play at next

year's World Cup in Qatar.

"There are players in

tears," said Portugal coach

Fernando Santos. "We are

very sad because the players

gave everything."

De Ligt red card costly -

Earlier the Netherlands

saw their run ended as goals

from Tomas Holes and

Patrik Schick gave the Czech

Republic a 2-0 victory in

Budapest.

The tie in the Hungarian

capital swung on two

moments early in the second

period that went against

Frank de Boer's side.

DonyellMalen was denied

by Tomas Vaclik after

bursting through and

finding himself with just the

Czech goalkeeper to beat

and then Netherlands

centre-back Matthijs de Ligt

was sent off after a VAR

review for a deliberate

handball.

Holes opened the scoring

in the 68th minute and the

28-year-old Slavia Prague

midfielder then made the

clinching second goal with

10 minutes left, pouncing on

a loose ball and breaking

through to set up Schick.

It was Schick's fourth goal

of the Euro so far and the

Czech Republic, ranked

40th in the world, now go

through to a quarter-final

against Denmark in Baku

next Saturday, July 3.

"We might not be big stars

like the Dutch but we

showed great team spirit

and that is what made the

difference," said Schick.

Denmark secured their

place in the last eight with a

comprehensive 4-0 win over

Wales in Amsterdam on

Saturday before Italy joined

them by beating Austria 2-1

in extra time at Wembley.

Meanwhile the inquest

will begin in the Netherlands

as their first appearance at a

major tournament since the

2014 World Cup ends in

disappointment after some

promising displays in the

group phase.

As the 1988 Euro winners

head home, De Ligt

shouldered responsibility

following his sending-off.

"The moment changed the

game and I feel responsible.

I saw how the guys fought

after and I'm proud of it. But

I feel bad about the

incident," De Ligt told Dutch

public broadcaster NOS.

Bigger crowd in Bucharest

-Meanwhile the build-up

continues to Tuesday's last-

16 clash between England

and old rivals Germany in

London.

England will be looking for

their first win over the

Germans in a tournament

knockout match since the

1966 World Cup final,

something their manager

Gareth Southgate tried to

play down on Sunday.

"I don't need to demystify

it. The history is an

irrelevance to them," he said

of his players.

On Monday World Cup

holders France will be

expected to see off

Switzerland in Bucharest,

where local authorities have

increased the number of

fans allowed in.

Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to the defeat in the UEFA

EURO 2020 round of 16 football match between Belgium and Portugal

at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville on Sunday. Photo: AP

Sri Lanka tour offers

players opportunity

to push their case

for T20 World Cup

SPORTS DESK

Two senior players of the

Indian team that is going to

Sri Lanka for a short limitedovers

series might have been

better used elsewhere, in

swing and seam-friendly

conditions in England, if

they were up to it. As India

played the World Test

Championship (WTC) final

against New Zealand in

cloudy Southampton,

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bend

was missed. And after the

defeat, ViratKohli spoke

about not having a fastbowling

all-rounder, a hole

that Hardik Pandya could

have filled, reports UNB.

Then again, Kumar hasn't

played first-class cricket for

more than three years now,

while Pandya barely bowls

even in limited-overs cricket

these days. So, their

omission from the touring

party to England was

understandable. Both are

part of the second-string

Indian team going to Sri

Lanka, with Kumar as its

vice-captain. For

ShikharDhawan, the captain

of the side, Test cricket

probably has bypassed him,

but for all three of them, the

tour would be important

with an eye to the T20 World

Cup in October-November.

Serena Williams to

skip Tokyo Olympics

SPORTS DESK

Serena Williams said she

will not go to the Tokyo

Olympics, but did not want

to say why during her pre-

Wimbledon video

conference with reporters

Sunday.

"I'm actually not on the

Olympic list. … Not that I'm

aware of. If so, then I

shouldn't be on it," Williams

said. The 39-year-old

Williams has won four gold

medals at past Summer

Games for the United States:

in both singles and doubles

at the 2012 London

Olympics - which held the

tennis competition at the All

England Club - and in

doubles at the 2000 Sydney

Olympics and 2008 Beijing

Olympics.

All of her doubles golds

were won with her older

sister, Venus, as her partner.

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro

Games, Serena Williams lost

in the third round of singles

to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine

and the siblings were beaten

in the first round of doubles.

Before that, they had been

15-0 as an Olympic doubles

team.

Australian table

tennis veteran

Jian, 48, to play

in sixth Olympics

SPORTS DESK

Australian table tennis

veteran Jian FangLay was

Monday selected for a sixth

Olympics, second only to the

sport'sNigerian

OlufunkeOshonaike, who

will be making her seventh

appearance, reports BSS.

Born in China, Jian moved

to Australia in 1994 to

become one of thecountry's

all-time greats, winning 24

Oceania titles and 30

national crowns.

Now 48, she will join

equestrian Mary Hanna,

who will also be in Tokyo,

asthe only Australian

women to compete at six

Games and join a select

band ofglobal athletes who

have achieved the feat.

"I never would've

imagined that I'd be the first

woman

to

representAustralia at six

Olympics," said Jian, who

will play in the teams and

singlesevents.


9

Linde and Shamsi lead

South Africa to 16-run

win over West Indies

SPORTS DESK

South Africa's spinners starred as they

rebounded from a hammering in the first

encounter of the five-match T20

International series to defeat the West Indies

by 16 runs in the second fixture at the

National Cricket Stadium in Grenada on

Sunday, reports UNB.

Defending what appeared to be another

modest total of 166 for seven, George Linde

and TabraizShamsi combined for three vital

wickets in eight economical overs to limit the

home side to 150 for nine in reply.

It leaves the series locked at 1-1 going into

the third match at the same venue on

Tuesday.

Opening batsman Andre Fletcher topscored

for the home side with 35 but it was a

late assault by Fabian Allen, who smashed

five sixes in 34 off just 19 balls, which caused

the only anxiety for Temba Bavuma's team.

With 36 required off the final over from

Lungi Ngidi, Allen crashed sixes off the first

two balls.

However the pacer held his nerve and

dismissed the danger man to put smiles back

on South African faces after they saw the

West Indies top-order power-hitters at their

best in the first match a day earlier when they

reached a target of 161 with five overs to

spare for the loss of only two wickets.

Linde, who earned the man of the match

award and dismissed Nicholas Pooran and

Andre Russell for final figures of two for 19,

said his team's performance in the first

match forced them to take a hard look at

themselves.

"It was about getting back to basics

because we know we could have done a lot

better in that first match," said the left-arm

orthodox spinner.

"It was surprising for me the amount of

spin I was able to get from the pitch today. I

have to give a lot of credit to Shamsi. He was

outstanding again today for us."

Shamsi's wrist-spin accounted for West

Indies captain Kieron Pollard through four

testing overs in which he conceded 16 runs.

It was their efforts which deprived the

Caribbean side's vaunted batting line-up

from developing any momentum in the vital

middle overs of their innings.

Earlier, Obed McCoy's pace variations

proved a handful for the South Africa who

faltered after a bright start from openers

Reeza Hendricks (42) and Quinton de Kock

(26), who raced along at better than ten runs

per over before they were separated in the

seventh over with the score on 73.

At 95 for one halfway through the innings

South Africa were well poised for a total

closer to the 200-run mark.

But they could only manage to get

another 71 runs in final ten overs despite

a top score of 46 from Bavuma.

Chris Gayle (C) of West Indies walks off the field dismissed by

KagisoRabada (L) of South Africa during the 2nd T20I between

West Indies and South Africa at Grenada National Cricket Stadium,

Saint George's, Grenada, on Sunday.

Photo: AP

English wins eight-hole playoff

to take PGA Travelers title

SPORTS DESK

Harris English rolled in a 20-

foot birdie putt on the eighth

playoff hole on Sunday to

defeat fellow American

Kramer Hickok and win the

US PGA Travelers "r.

"We were grinding out

there, making those six- and

seven-footers. That was

incredible. What an

experience. The fans are

always awesome here. Glad

we gave them a good little

show."

English, ranked 19th, won

the 2013 St. Jude and

Mayakoba Classics and

snapped his win drought at

January's Tournament of

Champions-qualifying under

revamped Covid-19 rules

thanks to making the 2020

Tour Championship.

Hickok, ranked 331st, sank

a birdie putt from just inside

nine feet on the 18th hole in

regulation to shoot a threeunder

par 67 and match

English on 13-under 267 after

72 holes at TPC River

Highlands in Cromwell,

Connecticut.

"It was just a hard-fought

battle out there," Hickok said.

"Played tough. He battled so

hard. There were times I put

him in a tough spot, he put

me in a tough spot, and he

came out on top and he's a

true champion.

"It was just a tremendous

day. It was a privilege. I'm

just going to draw on this

going forward in my career

and hopefully learn a lot from

it."Hickok, denied his first

PGA title, and English went

to the 18th for the fourth time

for the sixth extra hole.

English blasted from a

fairway bunker to just outside

six feet of the cup while

Hickok's approach went just

off the green. Hickok rolled

his putt 20 feet past the hole

but made the comeback putt

for par as the crowd roared

and chanted his name.

English missed his birdie

putt for the win and tapped in

to extend the drama to a

seventh playoff hole, back at

the 18th tee.

English two-putted from 25

feet to leave Kramer a 17-

footer for birdie to win. He

missed but tapped in for par,

setting up an eighth extra

hole.

StefanosTsitsipas determined to banish

grasscourt demons at Wimbledon

SPORTS DESK

StefanosTsitsipas has never got past the

Wimbledon fourth round but the third seed

said on Sunday that he comes into the

tournament a more confident player on

grass, reports UNB.

The world number four has had a strong

season with 39 wins on the Tour in 2021 but

he lost in the Australian Open semi-finals

and the French Open final, where he won the

first two sets before Novak Djokovic

mounted an epic comeback.

The 22-year-old Greek was knocked out in

the Wimbledon first round in 2019 when he

was the seventh seed.

"I was a completely different person than I

am now, I will probably say not as confident

as I am now. I relied a lot on my confidence

back then," third seed Tsitsipas told

reporters.

"Most certainly, I didn't really have Plan B

or Plan C. I just kind of had my one way of

playing. That was also because of lack of

experience, not being on the tour for long

enough.

"Honestly, grasscourt is a surface that I

love. But probably two years ago, I didn't

really have the result that I expected. It was

kind of something that tore me apart."

Tsitsipas admitted he had not played

enough grasscourt tournaments coming into

Wimbledon every year.

"I think I'm a player that can come to the

net. I'm confident when it comes to serving

and volleying, moving in," added Tsitsipas

who did not play in any of the Wimbledon

warm-up events this year.

TUesDAY, JUne 29, 2021

10

Dipu Hazra's 7th episode

'Mughal Family'

TbT RepoRT

Talented playwright DipuHazra's

'Mental Family', 'Happy Family',

'BhagerMaa', 'Shapla Studio',

'Mofiz BSc' with National Film

Award winning actor Chanchal

Chowdhury and popular actress

Shahnaz Khushi acted including

several other dramas. Each of the

plays has gained popularity mainly

because of the story and the innate

animated performances of the

actors in it. Of course, producer

Dipu Hazra deserves praise in this

case. Because he has chosen the

story of these plays with his talent

and built it for the audience.

Keeping the audience in mind,

Dipu Hazra is making a different

kind of family drama for the

upcoming Eid. The name of this

serial drama of seven episodes is

'Mughal' family. The play is

composed by Vrindavan Das. The

shooting of the play has started at

HasnaHena's shooting house in

Pubail, near the capital, from June

25. Chanchal Chowdhury, Shahnaz

Khushi, Arfan Ahmed,

FarzanaChumki and Khushi-

Vrindavan's two sons Divya-

Soumya are playing different roles

in it.

Also playing one of the most

important roles is the well-known

actor, playwright Mamunur

Rashid. Regarding acting in the

play, Chanchal Chowdhury said, "I

now work more on OTT platform

dramas than on television. I

wouldn't agree to work without a

good job extra ordinary for

television. I work if you have a good

budget, a good script, a good

director. That's why I did three /

four dramas last Eid, so this Eid

too. As there is humor in the

Mughal family, there are also some

statements. And there are some

humorous statements in

VrindavanDa's script. I have done

many popular works under Dipu's

direction before. Dipu's team is

very nice. Dipu works with utmost

sincerity. Working with Dipu

means not just the name of the

play, family, we work as a family.

'Shahnaz Khushi said,' In a

word, the script is amazing, a

completely different kind of story.

The audience can't imagine what

could happen in the end. Our

friend has a good relationship

with Dipu. Arfan said, "This is

one of my favorite scripts for this

Eid. Thanks to Dipu Hazra for

keeping me involved in this work.

'FarzanaChumki said,' I had

earlier acted in 'Ek Bag

Valobasha' drama under the

direction of DipuHazra. In the

meantime, no more.Dipu Hajra

said that the series will be aired

on a satellite channel next Eid.

Let bill be placed in National

Assembly: Habibul Islam Habib

TbT RepoRT

He is an artist. He is not an actor. He

doesn't even draw on the canvas with

the skillful touch of a paintbrush. He

lives in the background, directs plays in

the self-absorption of his own creation,

arranges a whole movie by arranging

picture after picture. He is Habibul

Islam Habib. One of the most

outspoken playwrights, directors and

movie directors of this period.

For a long time now, I have been

making a request to the Prime Minister

to expedite the progress of filmmaker

and producer, Habibul Islam Habib

said. He also said the prospect of

implementing this auspicious proposal

has made me very optimistic. I believe

that some people have been born to

work in Bengali films in the 300

parliamentary seats of Bangladesh.

Somewhere respected film director,

or somewhere producer, sometimes

director in one

place, camera

man in another other place,

cameraman, photographer, editor,

lyricist, composer, music director,

sound engineer, make-up artist, actor,

actress, filmmaker and other successful

people from different fields of cinema

are scattered position.

Habib informed, if a person who was

born or raised has made a written

application to the MP of that place,

there is a strong possibility that it will

soon be raised as a bill in the National

Assembly.

We are very hopeful that if anyone

puts forward a proposal as a bill, it will

pass by a huge vote. Because cinema is a

medium of art through which a nation

proudly presents its own heritage and

culture in the world. Wish Bengali film

and talented dreamers associated with

films a great success. The wait is over for

countless filmmakers.

I want cooperation from my

countrymen. I sincerely want everyone

in the film by my side.

Barsha back with new song

'Super Duper Hot'

TbT RepoRT

Once a popular singer Borsha Chowdhury

is returning to music industry after a

decade with the song of Anurup Aich.

Recently, Borsha sang this new song

titled 'Super Duper Hot' written by Aich.

The recording of the song has recently been

completed to the tune of FA Pritam. The song

will be released on Borsha's Facebook page and

YouTube channel.

Regarding this context, Borsha said, 'I came to

the media as a singer. Singing is in my blood. I

have not been able to publish songs for so long

due to my busy schedule. But in this Corona

situation I thought it could be a nice idea to

present new songs for my fans without sitting at

home!

So, I did the new item song on the initiative of

Anurup Aich. I hope the fans will be happy to

hear this new song in my voice.'

On the other hand, lyricist Aich said about the

song, 'The song 'Hridoyer Aina' in Borsha's voice

was also written by me a decade ago, the audience

have liked it, we did get a good response then.

Hopefully our fans will be very happy to hear this

item song 'Super Duper Hot'.'

Opening Indian

restaurant 'Sona' in

New York is a part of

my heart : Priyanka

Bollywood actress Priyanka

Chopra Jonas extended her

wings as an entrepreneur

earlier this year with the

opening of an Indian restaurant

named Sona in New York.

She introduced the restaurant

as "the very embodiment of

timeless India and the flavours

I grew up with." Now, on

Saturday, the actor took her

fans on a trip of the restaurant

via an Instagram post as she

herself visited the place for the

first time since its opening.

"My heart is so full to go into

Everything about 'Spider-Man: No Way

Home' is a mystery. The curtains are tucked

so tightly that even after the team has

completed filming, no confirmed plot detail

has leaked even a bit yet. While we all know

Tom Holland starrer is said to be one of the

biggest Spidey flick, and one that not just

the kitchen and meet the team

that makes @sonanewyork

such a wholesome experience,"

she wrote along with a set of

photos.

In one of the photos, Priyanka

can be seen tasting panipuri, a

street food that is famous all

over India. She also struck a

pose against her nick name

'Mimi's', which is a private

dining room inside the

restaurant.

Priyanka shared pictures of

the restaurant for the first time

earlier this year. In one of the

photos, she was seen

performing a special prayer

with husband and singer Nick

Jonas.

On the work front, the actor

made her OTT debut with

sets its own multi-verse but also paves

others. But there are more exciting updates

too.

It is no hidden fact that 'Spider-Man: No

Way Home' is one monster of a film, that will

set up a multiverse and reportedly bring

many of the past Spidey stars under one

Netflix film The White Tiger.

She will also be seen in The

Matrix 4, the Amazon Prime

series Citadel and the romantic

drama, Text For You.

Source: Indian Express

'Spider-Man' to have 2 'Avengers'

gracing post credits

roof, a reunion maybe! While that is still

speculation and the team continuously

denying it, it must be taken with a pinch of

salt. But, the latest update is about the postcredits

of the movie which are said to have

not just one but two Avengers in it. Read on

to know everything you should about this

most exciting update of the day.

One thing that is sure about 'Spider-Man:

No Way Home' is that Benedict

Cumberbatch is reprising 'Doctor Strange' in

the movie. He will be Spidey's latest mentor.

Not just that, the movie will even pave way

for 'Doctor Strange' in the Multiverse of

Madness, which is just months away from

the Tom Holland starrer's release. In that

case, if you have already guessed one of the

Avengers making his way to the Post-

Credits, you have won guys! Yes, it is

Cumberbatch.

The actor will be joined by Elizabeth

Olsen's Scarlet Witch. Both of them together

will define the post credits for 'Spider-Man:

No Way Home'. Besides, news is also that

Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are all

set to play their versions of the web-slinging

superhero in the threequel.

Source: Times Of India

H o Roscope

Aries

Your flexible nature may get you

in trouble today, Aries.

Personalities may clash when no

one is willing to lead. Be aggressive

without being manipulative. Keep it light. Don't

try to pin anyone down. Your nature is open and

expansive. Give other people the freedom they

want. Unexpected events may dramatically

change the course of the day, so don't be upset if

things don't go as planned.

Taurus

Things will flow smoothly for you,

Taurus. There's barely a reason for

you to lift a finger. You have the

good fortune of enjoying this day

with very little effort on your part. Keep in mind

that if you decide to get something done, you will

be extremely successful and able to accomplish

quite a bit. You're in sync with today's energy.

Gemini

People aren't going to want to be

quite as intense as you require

today, Gemini. Things are light

and airy. You may find that no one

is in the mood to delve as deeply

as you want to go. Use the day to relax and

release control for a while. Take deep breaths

and long walks. Go for a bike ride or short road

trip. Crazy, unexpected events may crop up

throughout the day. Be prepared for surprises.

cancer

It may be hard for you to make a

decision about anything today,

Cancer. Things may seem wishywashy

and unclear. Don't worry

about it. There is plenty of air to fuel your fire. Be

aware that people may pop up from the past and

unexpected events may disrupt the flow

throughout the day. Best-laid plans are apt to be

broken. Don't sweat it. Just go with the flow.

Leo

Things probably aren't going to go

exactly as you planned today, Leo.

Realize that people may act in

erratic, powerful bursts, especially

when it comes to emotional issues. Your feelings

may be a bit distant, and you may find it hard to

get in touch with what's really going on inside

you. Do your best to maintain a positive attitude.

That's all anyone can ask.

Virgo

Today is an excellent day for you,

Virgo. Events will flow quite

smoothly. The only thing to be aware

of is that your emotions may seem

rather erratic and unwieldy. There's a great deal of

power behind your words and people are sure to

listen. They would be smart to do so. What you have

to say will be right on target with today's energy.

Libra

You may be indecisive today,

Libra. You may not be able to find

solutions you can live with. You

don't need to finalize anything

now. Use this day to lay low and gather data.

People may seem rather insensitive and erratic.

Go with the flow. You have a great deal of

warmth and passion to share. You may find that

a strong, unpredictable force is affecting your

emotions.

scorpio

There is plenty of air to fuel your

fire today, Scorpio. You're able to

get quite a bit done. Multitasking

is key to accomplishing what you

want to do. An element of the unexpected is

likely to add a surprising dimension to the day.

You're able to communicate freely, and you will

likely be on the same page with the people you

meet.

sagittarius

You may need to make some

slight adjustments in order to get

through to people today,

Sagittarius. The pace may be a bit

faster than you'd like. Remember that people

aren't mind readers. They won't be sensitive

enough to pick up on your subtle messages. If

you want to get something across, state it clearly

and succinctly. Feel free to explore the

unconventional and bizarre.

capricorn

Today is an excellent day for you,

Capricorn. You will receive some

bursts of unexpected energy that

help you accomplish whatever it is

you wish to do. You should enjoy a favorable

mood and good relations with others all day.

Enjoy yourself and feel free to indulge in things

that make you happy. Spend time with your

family and let them share in your positive

energy flow.

Aquarius

Things may be moving a bit too

quickly today for you to grab hold

of anything, Aquarius. There's an

element of the unexpected

entering into the equation. Be prepared. The

mood of the day is especially light and perhaps a

bit superficial. People may not be entirely

reliable. If there's something you absolutely

need to do, consider doing it by yourself.

pisces

Enjoy the day today, Pisces. Take

control of the situation and make the

most of whatever comes your way. Do

it with a smile. There's a great deal of

fun-loving, excited energy ready for you to draw upon.

Get your ideas out to others. Communicate your

thoughts. Attend a party or two. You're the epitome of

the social butterfly. Make sure to wear your best attire.

tuesDAY, June 29, 2021

11

World's second-largest hydropower

dam goes online in China

BEIJING : China began operating the

world's second-largest hydropower

station on Monday in what officials

hailed as a milestone towards Beijing's

carbon neutrality goals, despite warnings

of environmental damage.

The 289-metre (948 feet) high

Baihetan Hydropower Station in

southwest China, second in the world

only to the country's Three Gorges Dam

in terms of power generation, began

partial operation Monday morning, state

media reported.

Baihetan was built with a total installed

capacity of 16,000 megawatts, which

means it will eventually be able to

generate enough electricity each day once

to meet the power needs of 500,000

people for an entire year, according to

state broadcaster CCTV.

The country has been on a hydropower

building spree in recent years as it races

to meet the ever-growing energy needs of

the world's largest population.

GD-1075/21 (7x3)

†kL nvwmbvi evsjv‡`k

cwi”Qbœ cwi‡ek

GD-1074/21 (7x3)

The dam spans a deep, narrow gorge

on the upper section of the Yangtze,

China's longest river, on the earthquakeprone

border between Yunnan and

Sichuan provinces.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said he

hoped the plant would be able to "make

greater contributions toward achieving

the goals of carbon peaking and carbon

neutrality," in a congratulatory message

published by the government.

The Baihetan dam's trial run on

Monday coincides with celebrations of

the Communist Party's centenary this

week.

Xi's pledge last year to reach carbon

neutrality by 2060 has added urgency to

the construction.

But environmental groups have

warned for years that dam-building

disrupts the habitats of rare plants and

animals, including the critically

endangered Yangtze Finless Porpoise.

Dam construction on the river has

(†gvt b~iæj AveQvi f‚uTv)

changed the composition of sediment in

the water, causing "large-scale

hydrophysical and human health risk

affecting the Yangtze River Basins

downstream," scientists wrote in a paper

published in Elsevier's Science of the

Total Environment journal this month.

The massive engineering projects have

also displaced hundreds of thousands of

local communities and prompted

concern in neighbouring countries.

China's planned mega-dam in Tibet's

Medog County, which is set to surpass

the Three Gorges Dam in size, has been

described by analysts as a threat to

Tibetan cultural heritage and a way for

Beijing to effectively control a substantial

portion of India's water supply. The

impact of dams on China's portion of the

Mekong has also raised fears that

irreversible damage is being inflicted

upon a waterway which feeds 60 million

people downstream as it winds through

to the Vietnamese Delta.

Twitter website displays distorted

map of India; J&K, Ladakh

shown as separate country

NEW DELHI : Amid a

stand-off with the Indian

government over

compliance with new IT

rules, the Twitter website is

displaying a wrong map of

India, showing Jammu and

Kashmir and Ladakh as a

separate country.

The glaring distortion

appears on the career

section of Twitter website

under the header 'Tweep

Life'.

This is the second time

Twitter has misrepresented

India's map. Earlier it had

shown Leh as part of China.

The government has

slammed Twitter for

deliberate defiance and

failure to comply with the

country's new IT rules,

which has led to the

microblogging

platform

losing its legal shield as an

intermediary in India.

Canada and US northwest bake under

record-smashing heat wave

OTTAWA : Swathes of the United States and Canada

endured record-setting heat on Sunday, forcing schools and

Covid-19 testing centers to close and the postponement of an

Olympic athletics qualifying event, with forecasters warning

of worse to come.

The village of Lytton in British Columbia broke the record

for Canada's all-time high, with a temperature of 46.6

degrees Celsius (116 Fahrenheit), said Environment Canada.

And in Eugene, Oregon, a temperature of 43.3 degrees

Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) forced organisers to

postpone the final day of the US Olympic track and field

trials, moving afternoon events to the evening.

Because of climate change, record-setting temperatures are

becoming more frequent. Globally, the decade to 2019 was

the hottest recorded, and the five hottest years have all

occurred within the last five years.

On Sunday in Seattle, Washington state, the temperature

hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), a record that

surprised residents not used to warmer climes.

"Normally it's probably like, maybe 60, 70 degrees

(Fahrenheit) is a great day, everybody is outside in shorts and

T-shirts, but this is like-this is ridiculous," one city resident

told AFP. "I feel like I'm in the desert or something."

Another said: "You just stand around and you're like-you

can't breathe, it's so hot."

Doug Farr, manager of the city's weekly Ballard Farmers

Market, said the site had to close early Sunday because of the

heat-something it normally only has to do for snow.

"I think this is the first time we've ever closed early because

of the heat," he said.

Oregon's biggest city, Portland, hit 44.4 degrees Celsius

(112 degrees Fahrenheit) Sunday, the US National Weather

Service (NWS) said, breaking the city's record set a day

earlier.

Across the border in Canada, stores reportedly sold out of

portable air conditioners and fans, while cities opened

emergency cooling centers and outreach workers handed out

bottles of water and hats.

Iran says 'no decision'

taken to erase nuclear

site tapes

TEHRAN : Iran said

Monday it had taken "no

decision" to delete footage

from surveillance cameras

installed at some of its

atomic energy facilities by

the UN nuclear watchdog

the IAEA.

The issue is part of broader

talks underway in Vienna

aiming to salvage the 2015

Iran nuclear deal that has

been hanging by a thread

since former president

Donald Trump withdrew the

US from it three years ago.

"No decision has been

taken on the deletion of the

data" recorded by the IAEA

cameras, said Iranian

foreign ministry spokesman

Saeed Khatibzadeh.

After Trump withdrew

from the nuclear deal

between Iran and major

powers and ramped up

punishing sanctions, the

Islamic republic has taken

steps away from its nuclear

commitments.

Late last year, the

conservative-dominated

parliament passed a law that

led Iran to restrict access to

some of its nuclear facilities

for International Atomic

Energy Agency (IAEA)

inspectors from February.

Iran's moderate President

Hassan Rouhani advised

against this step, but the

government followed

through on the legislature's

demand.

Tehran also denied the

IAEA access to video

recordings from monitoring

equipment that the UN

agency had installed at its

sites to verify its compliance.

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Blinken meets pope

as US bishops

challenge Biden

VATICAN CITY : Pope Francis on

Monday met US Secretary of State

Antony Blinken in the pontiff's first faceto-face

interaction with the new

administration of President Joe Biden,

who has been challenged by US bishops.

Blinken, on a tour of Europe, had a

private audience with the Argentine pope

after meeting with senior Vatican

officials including Archbishop Paul

Gallagher, who handles foreign relations.

Wearing a dark suit, Blinken was

escorted through the Sistine Chapel as a

guide gave him a description of each

fresco, which he stopped to admire.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said

the 40-minute meeting with the pope

took place in a "friendly atmosphere",

adding that the pontiff recalled his 2015

trip to the United States and expressed

"his affection and attention to the people

of the United States".

The trip by Blinken, a secular Jew,

comes amid division within the Catholic

Church in the United States over the

positions of Biden, a devout Catholic who

regularly attends Mass.

Biden says he personally opposes

we`ÿ r/Rb-1232(2)/28/6/21

GD-1076/21 (5x3)

abortion but, like most of his Democratic

Party, supports the right to choose

abortion guaranteed in a 1973 Supreme

Court decision that remains deeply

divisive in US politics.

Earlier this month US bishops agreed

to draft a statement that could

potentially deny the holy communionone

of the most sacred rituals in the

church-to any US leader who supports

abortion rights.

The pope has previously spoken by

telephone with Biden and shares some of

the priorities of the new administration,

including stepping up the fight against

climate change and showing more

compassion to refugees.

Francis, both the first Jesuit pope and

the first pontiff from the Americas, had

an uneven relationship with Donald

Trump despite the previous president's

opposition to abortion.

He criticised Trump's push to seal off

Mexico with a wall. He declined last year

to meet Blinken's predecessor, Mike

Pompeo, concerned about being seen as

showing support close to an election,

although he met earlier with Pompeo.

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority

Office of the Executive Engineer

Saidabad Water Treatment Plant (Maintenance)

Dhaka WASA, Dhalpur

Dhaka-1204

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Memo No: 46.113.431.00.00.B-04.2019-928 Date : 28/06/2021

e-Tender Notice

Md. Sharifur Rahman

Executive Engineer

Saidabad WTP (Maintenance)

Dhaka WASA

Tuesday, Dhaka, June 29, 2021, Ashar 15, 1428 BS, Zilqad 17, 1442 Hijri

UN wants Asia, Pacific to register deaths

to detect emerging health crises

The site has been turned into rubble after a building collapsed in the Wireless Gate area of the capital's

Magbazar after a horrific explosion on Sunday evening.

Photo : Star Mail

Moghbazar blast

Police to form

probe body , IGP

refuses to draw

early conclusion

DHAKA : Police will form a probe body

involving the bomb disposal unit to

investigate the big blast in a building

near Moghbazar Wireless Gate on

Sunday evening, reports UNB.

Inspector General of Police (IGP)

Benazir Ahmed disclosed the information

to the press after visiting the site of

the incident on Monday.

"We will form a probe committee

involving officials from the bomb disposal

unit and will work with the fire

service to find out the reason behind

such an incident," the IGP told

reporters.

In response to a question regarding

possible militant involvement, Benazir

said, "The explosion caused destructions

in a single direction. In case of

bombings, it normally causes destructions

in at least three to four directions."

He suspected the existence of

methane gas behind the blast.

However, the chief of police refused to

draw any conclusion before a full investigation.

Besides , the IGP urged everyone to

stay home during this lockdown and

wear masks when they have to get out of

their homes for emergency reasons.

"The Covid-19 situation is deteriorating

in the country. It would be very

unfortunate if we don't learn a lesson

from our neighbouring country despite

getting enough time ," he said.

Earlier , Brig Gen Md Sazzad Hussain,

director general of Fire Service and Civil

Defence, disclosed that they have

formed a 5-member committee to

investigate the blast.

The committee has been asked to submit

a report within 7 working days," Md

Sazzad added. The fire service chief also

suspected gas leakage as the most possible

cause of the blast.

No easy bank loans, say

jobless expatriates, but

bank refutes allegations

DHAKA : Left jobless due to corona

pandemic last year a helpless Nurul

Azim Babu returned from Dubai to his

home in Chattagram, his future dark

and gloomy, reports UNB.

The money he had saved from his sixyear

job as a driver exhausted soon forcing

a desperate Babu to look for a new

job or start a small business in

Bangladesh.

The job proved elusive and no business

was coming his way as the father of

three children had no capital.

At this point Babu received good

news. The government announced a Tk.

700 crore package of incentives for the

Bangladeshi expatriates like him who

had to return home after losing jobs

abroad due to Covid-19.

As advised by a friend he went to the

state-owned Prabashi Kallyan Bank and

applied for a loan of Tk 3 lakh.

It did not take long for the helpless

man to realize getting the loan was not

going to be a cakewalk.

"The first thing the bank asked me to

do is to prove that I have an at least oneyear-old

running business in

Bangladesh." "Since I had no such business

and no one to help me in this

regard I did not qualify for the loan."

Haunted by his job loss and subsequent

harassment at home a frustrated

Babu wondered if the government offer

has been "a kind of deception."

This is not only Babu's tale. A good

number of an estimated five lakh

Bangladeshi returnee expatriates have

echoed his frustration in interviews with

this UNB correspondent.

Consider the case of Sohag Hawlader,

who returned from Lebanon after being

fired from his work with his employer

citing coronavirus woes.

He said, "If an ordinary expatriate like

me goes for a loan from PKB, they ask to

submit trade license and signature of a

businessman, signature of another government

official as guarantee."

Sohag, who has his wife and a child

continued: "They (PKB) are posting

advertisement on Facebook and

YouTube: it is very easy to get loan from

the bank. There should have a limit to

harassment. "My request to all expatriates

is not to take a loan from them as

they are insulting us," said an angry

Shohag. The PKB management strongly

refutes the allegations.

Zahidul Haq, managing director of

PKB told UNB that they are successfully

disbursing their loan to the returnee

migrants who wanted to start their new

business or project in Bangladesh.

"The Bank is trying its best to help the

migrants in financing their businesses,"

he said.

He countered that many expatriates

have understood the package as onetime

charity, not a loan.

"People want to take money from the

bank as incentives, but not as loan.

Those who are complaining don't want

to follow the procedure needed to get

loan. We only sanction loan to the people

who can really show a plan of business

as our aim is to reintegrate them,"

he said.

He mentioned that the bank has

already disbursed almost TK250 crore

to the 13000 migrants in last 11

months.

DHAKA : The Asia-Pacific region must

accelerate progress towards registering

deaths and causes of deaths to achieve

universal civil registration and vital statistics

(CRVS) systems by 2024, says a

new report.

The report was released on Monday

by the United Nations Economic and

Social Commission for Asia and the

Pacific (ESCAP).

The report, 'Get Everyone in the

Picture: A snapshot of progress midway

through the Asian and Pacific CRVS

Decade', shows: While many countries

have reported great successes in reducing

the number of children born without

a birth certificate, far too few deaths in

the region are registered with a medically

certified cause of death.

Since 2012, the number of unregistered

children under five across Asia and

the Pacific has been reduced by half,

resulting in greater access to health,

education and financial services.

However, death registration is lagging

far behind with only a third of all deaths

in the region receiving a death certificate

and medically certified cause of death. A

AL, last resort of

people's trust and

dependence: Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday

said the ruling Awami League is the last

resort of people's trust and dependence

as its root is profoundly deepened in

the soil of this country.

He came up with the remark while

speaking at a press briefing on contemporary

issues at his Secretariat office

here. Quader, also the Road Transport

and Bridges Minister, said BNP secretary

general Mirza Fakhrul Islam

Alamgir recently commented that the

AL would not get passage of escaping if

the country's people wake up.

He said the Awami League and Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina have affiliations

with all the achievements of this country

and the happiness and sorrows of the

people, so those who have the habit of

fleeing away talk about escaping.

The people are the strength and last

resort of the Awami League, he added.

Quader said Mirza Fakhrul should

not forget that many BNP leaders fled

to London by giving undertakings and

the country's people know it well. "If

you have the courage, bring back those

corrupt leaders from abroad," he said.

Since the country's people woke up,

the faces of BNP leaders were

unmasked and they faced defeats in

recent elections, he said. The AL general

secretary said as the pseudo politics

of BNP is very clear to the people, they

do not have trust and faiths in the party.

The AL wants BNP to be a strong party

as an opposition one, he said, adding if

the opposition plays a strong and responsible

role, the path to democracy becomes

smoother and stronger .

key reason for this is a lack of training for

doctors and coroners.

The report underscores the urgent

need for timely mortality statistics disaggregated

by causes of death to develop

and monitor public health policies and

detect emerging health crises such as the

Covid-19 pandemic.

Training doctors and increasing

awareness of the importance of accurate

death certification are some of the

actions that countries can take to help

combat this trend.

"Today is another key milestone for the

CRVS community in Asia and the

Pacific," said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana,

United Nations Under-Secretary-General

and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

She said the recent surge in Covid-19

in the region once again highlights the

urgent need for universal civil registration

of births, deaths and causes of

death. "These developments emphasize

the importance of our work to improve

CRVS systems in the region."

"The report shows that the Asia-

Pacific region is on the right path to

reach its goal of universal and responsive

CRVS systems," said Kamni Naidu,

Chair of the Regional Steering Group for

CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.

"CRVS systems are much better positioned

to respond to the crisis than they

would have been five years ago," she

added. "With continued efforts, we'll be

able to achieve our intended goal of

ensuring a legal identity for all which will

ensure that we realize and facilitate the

goals of the 2030 sustainable development

agenda."

The report outlines country progress

towards establishing universal CRVS

systems in line with commitments made

during the first Ministerial Conference

on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific in 2014.

The Ministerial Declaration to "Get

every one in the picture" in Asia, and the

Pacific defines the shared vision that, by

2024, all people in the region will benefit

from universal and responsive CRVS

systems that facilitate the realization of

their rights and support good governance,

health and development.

The Second Ministerial Conference on

CRVS in Asia and the Pacific will be held

from 16 to 19 November 2021.

SC dismisses HC order related

to hiring of 2,500 teachers

DHAKA : The Supreme Court on

Monday said the Non-government

Teachers' Registration and Certification

Authority (NTRCA) does not have to

recommend the hiring of 2,500 petitioners

as teachers in private educational

institutions, reports UNB.

A six-member bench of the Appellate

Division led by Chief Justice Syed

Mahmud Hossainstruck down a High

Court order to the NTRC to recommend

recruitment of the teachers.At the same

time the bench rejected the contempt of

court rule against NTRCA.

Senior Advocate Barrister Fida Kamal

and Advocate Mohammad Kamruzzaman

stood for NTRCA while Advocate Khurshid

Alam represented the petitioners.

On May 31, the High Court asked the

NTRCA to recommend appointment of

2500 writ petitioners in MPO-listed private

educational institutions by four

weeks. On June 13, the NTRCA authorities

filed a petition with the Supreme

Court seeking a stay order against the

HC order.

On June 22, the Chamber Judge of

the Appellate Division sent the petition

to the full bench of the Appellate

Division.

In 2017, the High Court had directed

the government to prepare a merit list of

the candidates who have passed the registration

test for appointment as teachers

to private schools and colleges, after

hearing petitions over it.

In 2019, the petitioners filed contempt

of court petitions as the authorities concerned

have not complied with the directives.

Later, the HC issued contempt

of court rule against NTRCA.

On March 30 this year, the NTRCA issued

a circular appointing around

54,000 teachers to private schools

On May 6, the HC stayed the process

for appointing around 54,000 teachers

to private schools, colleges and

madrasas across the country and also

ordered NTRCA to recommend in seven

days to the authorities concerned of the

private educational institutions to appoint

the qualified candidates.

Court orders freezing

bank accounts of Sayeed

Khokon, family members

DHAKA : A Dhaka court has ordered

freezing eight bank accounts of former

mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation

(DSCC) Sayeed Khokon and three of his

family members, reports UNB.

ACC deputy director Jalaluddin

Ahmed filed a petition on Sunday seeking

steps to freeze the bank accounts as

partof their investigation.

Judge of the Senior Special Judge's

Court KM Emrul Kayesh passed an

order later in the day following the filing

of the petition.

The eight bank accounts belong to

Sayeed Khokon, his wife Farhana Alam,

sister Shahana Hanif and mother

Fatema Hanif as part of an investigation

into allegations of corruption, a source

at the Anti-Corruption Commission

(ACC) told UNB on Monday.

Govt providing all-out support

for farmers: Shahab Uddin

DHAKA : Environment, Forest

and Climate Change Minister

Md Shahab Uddin yesterday

said the government is providing

all-out support for the

country's farmers.

"If the overall development of

farmers is ensured, the country

will go forward. To this end, the

present government continues

to provide various incentives,

including seeds, fertilisers and

agricultural machineries, to the

farmers," he told a function

through videoconferencing

from Dhaka.

The meeting was arranged,

by the Department of

Agriculture Extension (DAE) at

Barlekha Upazila Parishad

auditorium in Moulvibazar, to

inaugurate a progarmme to

distribute transplant aman

paddy seeds and chemical fertilisers

among small and marginal

farmers at free of cost, a

handout said.

Speaking as the chief guest,

Shahab Uddin said no arable

land could be left fallow and

attention must be given to producing

more crops throughout

the year.

He said the coronavirus situation

is now deteriorating in

the country and that's why

everyone should be more careful

about it.

The minister said all should

wear mask, wash their hands

regularly, and follow all the

health guidelines and maintain

social distancing.

Officials of local administrations,

public representatives

and religious leaders should be

involved in awareness campaigns.

During the meeting, Rupa

Aman incentive programme

was inaugurated by distributing

five kg paddy seeds, 10 kg

DAP, 10 kg MOP at free of cost

each among 400 farmers of

Barlekha.

Chaired by Barlekha Upazila

Nirbahi Officer Khandaker

Mudachir Bin Ali, the meeting

was attended, among others, by

Upazila Parishad Chairman

Shoaib Ahmed and Upazila

Krishask League convener

Abdul Latif.

Many unscrupulous traders have illegally occupied various places of Rangpur City Corporation. Executive

magistrate and mayor Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa conducted the eviction drive at Lalkuti intersection in the

city on Monday afternoon.

Photo: PBA

29-06-2021

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