05-10-2021

tueSday

DhAKA: October 5, 2021; Ashwin 20, 1428 BS; Safar 27,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.19; N o. 157; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

Japan's Parliament

set to formally choose

Kishida as new PM

>Page 7

SPortS

Upbeat Tigers

brace for T20 World

Cup challenge

>Page 9

art & culture

Amber won't be removed

from 'Aquaman 2'

producer explains

>Page 10

Municipal Draft Act-2021 approved

Municipality will be canceled

if 1 year salary left

SHafIqul ISlaM (SHafIq)

The Cabinet has given final approval to

the draft Local Government

(Municipality) (Amendment) Act, 2021.

In the draft law, provision has been made

to cancel the municipality if the salaryallowance

is outstanding for one year in a

row. The law was approved in the cabinet

meeting on Monday. The meeting was

chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina. She joined the meeting from

Ganobhaban through video conference.

Ministers and state ministers from the

Cabinet Division of the Secretariat took

part in the meeting.

After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary

Khandaker Anwarul Islam told reporters at

a briefing at the secretariat that the municipality

could be canceled if the salaries and

allowances of the officers and employees of

a municipality were outstanding for 12

months without a valid reason. At present

80 percent of the municipality is able to pay

Nasrul for technology

sharing for dev of

renewable energy

DHAKA : State Minister for Power,

Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul

Hamid has called for sharing of

advanced technologies to overcome land

scarcity problem in the development of

renewable energy. He made the call

while virtually addressing the first Asia

Green Growth Partnership Ministerial

Meeting on Monday, reports UNB.

It is an urgent need of the time to

equally distribute the advanced technologies

for development of clean energies,

he said.

The online conference, chaired by

Japan's Minister of Economy, Commerce

and Industries Horoshi Kajiyama, was

also addressed by Saudi Arabia's Energy

Minister Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Salman

Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Commerce and

Technology Minister of the United Arab

Emirate Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber,

Indonesia's Energy and Mineral

Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif and

Executive Director of International

Energy Agency Dr. Fatih Birol.

If there is a stronger cooperation

among the nations, Nasrul said, the use

of clean energy will be increased fast.

He informed the meeting that

Bangladesh has taken up a year-wise plan

to implement various renewable energyrelated

projects. Nasrul said Bangladesh

has set up 6 million solar home systems in

the country's remote areas through which

about 20 million people are getting benefit

of electricity. Anet metering system

was introduced to popularize the rooftop

solar systems while solar-run pumps are

being used for irrigation purposes.

Zohr

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5:51 5:43

salaries and allowances. The problem is

much less now.

He said the draft law provides for the

appointment of an administrator in the

municipality if the mayor is not elected at

the end of his five-year term. Elections

must be held within six months of the

appointment of the administrator in the

municipality. He also said that the name of

the 'secretary' of the municipality has been

changed to 'municipal executive officer'.

Khandaker Anwarul Islam said there

was a flaw in the 2009 municipal law. No

one noticed it. The term of the elected

municipality was five years. There was a

provision that even after five years, the

mayor would continue until the next

municipal election. It has been seen that

in many places, after five years, mayors

are holding office for 12 to 16 years on various

issues.

He said that since nothing was clear in

the law, nothing could be done. Dohar

seems to have been mayor for 15 years.

BD and ADB jointly launch

country partnership strategy

DHAKA : The Asian Development Bank

(ADB) on Monday launched a new country

partnership strategy (CPS) jointly with

Bangladesh aiming at boosting competitiveness,

employment, and private sector development,

promoting green growth and climate

resilience; and strengthen human capital

and social protection, reports UNB.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal

and ADB Country Director for Bangladesh

Manmohan Parkash jointly launched the

Strategy for 2021-2025 at the Pan Pacific

Hotel in Dhaka, according to a press release.

The Strategy for 2021-2025 will support

rapid socioeconomic recovery from the

coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

ADB will further expand its private sector

operations in Bangladesh and continue to

leverage a high level of co-financing with

other development partners.

It also envisages enhancing ADB operations

to support climate change adaptation

and mitigation, and disaster risk management

to address the country's high vulnerability

to climate events and other natural disasters,

in line with the Paris Agreement.

A holistic approach to integrate climate

change will be applied to all operations,

while expanding programs to directly

address climate change impacts through

integrated management of water, river,

Nothing could be done. The High Court

also ruled in their favor. It has been being

discussed in the cabinet for some time

now. The Prime Minister had given

instructions more than once before.

Today, that provision has been amended

in the law. When the five years are over,

the mayor and his council will be disbanded.

The cabinet secretary said that in that

case (after cancellation) if the government

deems an officer with administrative

experience eligible, it can appoint an

administrator for six months. The election

must be completed within six months.

This provision was not in the municipal

law. It is now clear that no one (mayor and

councilor) can stay in the municipality for

more than five years. He said that earlier

there was a requirement of one and a half

thousand people per kilometer to form a

municipality, adding that the number has

been increased to two thousand. This will

increase tax collection, work will be more.

and coastal areas. During the implementation

period, ADB will increase its lending

operations to $10 billion-$12 billion.

The new Country partnership strategy

will continue the efforts to reduce poverty

in addition to implementing specific programs

to reduce inequality, strengthen

social protection, promote more equitable

rural and regional development, and

mobilising investments in low-cost housing

and basic services. Special attention will

be provided to improve health and education.

In the next 5 years, Bangladesh aims to

reduce poverty from 20.5 per cent to 15.6

per cent and extreme poverty from 10.5 per

cent to 7.4 per cent of its population.

The new ADB strategy was prepared in

close coordination with the government to

support the implementation of its Eighth

Five-Year Plan, which aims to address the

need for higher resource mobilization,

diversification of manufacturing and

exports, and sustainable urbanization.

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic

in early 2020, ADB has adjusted its

program priorities to help Bangladesh overcome

the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges

related to health and social protection,

food security, skills development, rural

development, water and sanitation, and the

finance sector, among others.

24 ad-free TV channels

have no bar from

broadcasting: Hasan

DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting

Minister Hasan Mahmud on Monday

said there is no bar to operate the 24 adfree

foreign channels which have clean

feed, reports UNB.

"Some 24 foreign channels have clean

feed and there is no bar to air those channels.

Akash DTH is operating the channels

and others can do so. If there is any need of

sending letters regarding the issue then we

can provide it to the cable operators," he

said. Hasan was exchanging with

Association of Television Channel Owners

(ATCO) at a meeting held at the Secretariat.

The minister also urged the cable

operators to refrain from violating law.

"A vested quarter is involved in spreading

rumour about the clean feed .The government

is firm in implementing the law and

we have enacted the law for the sake of the

people, media industry and artists," he said.

Mobile courts started operating from

October 1 under the direction of the

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

to implement ad-free or clean feed broadcasting

of foreign channels in accordance

with Cable Network Operation Act 2006.

However, cable operators have halted

broadcast of all foreign satellite channels

from the same day saying that broadcasting

ad-free programmes is technically

not possible.

Even after dredging, two foreign ships could not enter the Mongla port of Bagerhat from the Hiranpoint

area of Pashur river due to siltation and reduced depth.

Photo : Star Mail

Judgment in

Babar's graft

case on Oct 12

DHAKA : A Dhaka court on Monday

fixed October 12 for delivering its

judgment in a case filed against exstate

minister for Home Lutfozzaman

Babar for amassing illegal wealth

worth Tk 7.5 crore, reports UNB.

Judge Mohammad Shahidul Islam

of Dhaka Special Judge Court-7 fixed

the date after closing the law-point

arguments from both sides.

On January 13, 2008, the Anti-

Corruption Commission (ACC) filed

the case with Ramna Model Police

Station.

On July 16, 2008, deputy assistant

secretary of ACC, Rupok Kumar Saha

submitted a chargesheet against him.

Babar was arrested from his

Gulshan residence on May 28, 2007.

He was sentenced to 17 years' imprisonment

in an arms case on October

30, 2007.

He was also sentenced to death in

the 10-truck arms haul and August-21

grenade attack cases.

In 2018, a speedy trial tribunal sentenced

19 people, including Babar, to

death in a case filed over the August-

21 grenade attack on an Awami

League rally in the capital in 2004.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday addressing a press conference

at her official residence Ganobhaban.

Photo : PID

EC to be constituted through

search committee: PM

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

on Monday said the new election commission

will be constituted through a

search committee to be formed by the

President, reports UNB.

"The President will form a search committee

and the election commission will

be constituted through this search committee,"

she said replying to a question

at a press conference at her official residence

Ganobhaban.

The present election commission will

complete its five-year tenure in February

2022 and the next commission will

arrange the 12th parliamentary election

to be held at the end of 2023.

The press conference was arranged to

inform the media about the outcomes of

her recent visit to the United States for

joining the 76th session of the United

Nations General Assembly in New York.

Sheikh Hasina said BNP wants to

make the next general election controversial

knowing that there is no chance

for them to win it.

"They know they don't have any possibility

of winning the election. So, their

effort is to make it controversial, create

confusion among people and harm people

by any means," she said responding

to another question.

The Prime Minister questioned the

leadership of BNP saying that one

(Khaleda) is convicted for misappropriating

the fund of orphans and

another (Tarique) is a fugitive convicted

for various misdeeds, including the

August-21 grenade attack and 10-truck

arm-haul cases.

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday

urged AL grass root leaders not to misuse

power, instructing them to send the

names of competent and acceptable

aspirants for the upcoming union

parishad elections to the party.

"Don't send the names of bad people

in exchange of money. Send the names

of candidates who are acceptable to the

people," he said while virtually speaking

at a memorial meeting on late lawmaker

Hasibur Rahman Swapan.

The meeting was held on Shahjadpur

Pilot Model Government High School

ground at Shahjadpur in Sirajganj yesterday

morning. Quader, also the road transport

and bridges minister, said a politician

should do politics for the welfare of people,

not for changing his or her own fate.

"After getting power, many become

desperate and this is not acceptable at

all. Do not misuse power," he said.

Instructing the AL grassroots leaders to

"They know they won't win. How will a

party win? Where is its leadership? One

is a convicted for misappropriating the

fund of orphans and another is a fugitive

as he's convicted for the August-21

grenade attack and 10-truck arm-haul

cases. They are still there in the (party)

leadership. If this is the case, under

which consideration people would vote

for them," she questioned.

Sheikh Hasina said even these two top

leaders will not be able to take part in the

election! "They have no belief that they

can win the polls."

Referring to the 2014 general election,

she said BNP had made frantic efforts to

make it questionable and committed

many misdeeds, including arson attacks,

to thwart the polls. "Since the election

was held (successfully) and then there

was stability, it (govt) has made possible

to ensure development what you're witnessing

today," she said.

Hasina said BNP has no complaint

over the 2008 general election and questioned

as to why they could not win the

polls. The Prime Minister made a pointed

reference to some incidents of tortures

carried out by BNP men after the

2001 national election.

Mentioning the development activities

carried by by her government,

Hasina questioned who and why would

vote for BNP.

Pointing at the journalists, she said,

"Ask who would vote for them. I asked

all journalists first to question their conscience

that who, why and with what

hope will vote for BNP and others."

Quader asks AL grassroots

leaders not to misuse power

welcome good people in politics, the AL

general secretary said if politics is done

with bad people, the party will be affected.

Only the tested leaders and workers

will always stay beside the party and that

is why the honest and good people

should be attracted to the party," he said.

Mentioning that the politics of

revenge, which started after killing of

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, is still

going on in the country, Quader questioned:

"Who were involved in the killing

of 75? Who were behind it? "Everyone

knows that history - which will never be

forgotten," he continued.

Ziaur Rahman was the mastermind

behind the Bangabandhu killing, while

his son Tarique Rahman was the mastermind

of the August 21 grenade

attack, he added. He said Ziaur

Rahman introduced the politics of

vengeance in the country and the BNP

is still continuing it.

TueSday, OcTOBeR 5, 2021

2

More shocking news

in e-commerce;

Qcoom CEO held

DHAKA : As online shoppers

continued to be cheated by e-

commerce frauds in the

country, detectives held the

founder and CEO of Qcoom,

another e-commerce platform,

on charges of fraudulence and

embezzlement, reports UNB.

Confirming the information

of his detention, ADC (Media)

of Dhaka Metropolitan Police

Iftekharul Islam told UNB that

the details about taking

Qcoom CEO Ripon Miah into

custody will soon be revealed

at a media briefing.

Ripon was held at a time

when the country's e-

commerce sector has been

rattled by scams of different e-

commerce platforms like

Evaly, E-orange and

Dhamaka.

On October 2, members of

the Criminal Investigation

Department (CID) arrested

Saiful Islam, director of

ringID, a social media

platform, from Gulshan in the

capital on charge of

misappropriating huge

money.

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GD-1453/21 (6x3)

Child marriage was an epidemic

within the pandemic in Bangladesh

KURIGRAM : The period covered by the

pandemic has witnessed another epidemic,

child marriage, returning to some areas of

Bangladesh as educational institutes were

closed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Poor families in the country's hinterland, who

once were convinced to send their children to

school by the school meals program eased the

burden on them to feed

However, the covid-19 is contained or not

during this period, the education of the girl

students has been stopped due to child

marriage, reports UNB.

Especially in Kurigram, the rate of child

marriage is increasing rapidly, cannot be

contained in any way. The girl students of this

area are now living in their husband's houses at

an early age.

More than 500 schoolgirls belonging to 43

educational institutions of Fulbari Upazila were

married off during this pandemic, confirmed

Upazila Secondary Education Officer Md Abdul

Hai.

The highest number of child marriages were

reported of students in the Borovita Girls' High

School and Borovita High School in Borovita

union of the upazila.

Around 87 girls in Borovita Girls' High School

and 55 girls including three SSC examinees in

Borovita High School have been the victim of

child marriage, said the headmasters of the

schools. Md Matiur Rahman Khandaker, the

headmaster of Borovita Girls' High School said,

"Based on preliminary information, we have

received data of marriages of 87 students of 6th

to 10th grade and SSC candidates."

Of course, it was not possible to go to every

house and get information about the marriage.

In many cases, the news has been confirmed by

classmates and neighbours.

"However, the actual number may increase

further," said the headmaster.

He also said the Upazila Secondary Education

Officer has been informed through a detailed

letter containing names and other information.

In Borovita Girls' High School, two students

of class 6, eleven students of class 7, seventeen

of class 8, twenty-eight of class 9, fourteen of

class 10 and 13 SSC examinees became victims

of this debilitating social disease 'child

marriage'.

Before the closure of educational institutions

due to the pandemic, the average attendance of

students in this school was 70-90 percent per

day. After reopening, it is down to 40-50

percent.

Many students, including Nupur, Ashamoni,

Nasima and Atika Khatun, eighth-graders at

the school, said on the very first day of school

after reopening on September 12. they were

upset to hear of the marriage of as many as 17

of their friends.

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3 killed by

lightning

strike in

Jamalpur

JAMALPUR : Three people

in Jamalpur's Islampur

upazila were killed by

lightning strike on Sunday

afternoon, reports UNB.

The incident occurred at

around 3 pm in the

Kandarchar village of the

upazila.

The deceased were

identified as Sundar Ali

Sarder, 65, son of Bhola

Sarder; his grandson Rafiq

Sarder, 14, and Mosharraf

Hossain, 25, son of

Mofazzal Hossain, all from

Kandarchar.

It was learned that they

were working in the field

when they were struck by a

thunderbolt, and Sundar

Ali died on the spot.

Critically injured Rafiq

died at Kandarchar

Hospital Complex, and

Mosharraf was referred to

Jamalpur Sadar Hospital

but died on the way there,

according to the OC of

Islampur Police Station

Mazedur Rahman.

Special operations are being conducted by Bangladesh Navy members at coastal areas of the country

to make sure the government ban on hilsa fishing.

Photo : ISPR

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Last Selling

Date & Time

Opening

Date & Time

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TUESDAY, OCTOBEr 5, 2021

3

To improve the quality of research at the tertiary level of education, the Faculty of Earth and

Environmental Science of Dhaka University organized a discussion on joint research collaboration

with stakeholders from government and research organizations. The meeting was held at 11 am on

Monday in the conference room of Mokarrom Hossain Khandoker Science Building of the university.

With a vision to improve its position in the international ranking of the universities, the DU authority

is taking such persuasive measures engaging all the concerned parties.

Photo : TBT

World praising Bangladesh

for its incredible dev: Rejaul

DHAKA : Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim

on Monday said Bangladesh is now being praised all over the

world because of its development.

"Today's Bangladesh is a role model of development under

the dynamic leadership of our Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina....Now the country is transparent in politics and

besides, coming out of the culture of injustice," he said

addressing a discussion organised by Krishak League,

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia unit on Sunday night, said a press

release.

Krishak League, Jeddah, president Kamrul Hasan Jewel,

presided over the programme with the presence of Consul

General of Bangladesh Mohammad Nazmul Haque.

"The country is moving onward in the social index where

expatriates are playing a vital role, he said.

Mohib Ullah's killing part

of 'international plot': BNP

DHAKA : BNP standing committee has called for beefing up

security at Rohingya camps as it thinks this community

leader Mohib Ullah was shot dead as part of a deep-rooted

"international conspiracy".

At a virtual meeting on Saturday, the BNP policymaking

body also strongly condemned and protested the killing of

Mohib Ullah by unidentified gunmen at Ukhia Rohingya

camp in Cox's Bazar, said a party press release on Monday.

"The meeting thinks this murder is an outcome of a deeprooted

international conspiracy which has created a major

obstacle to the repatriation of the Rohingya Muslim

community," it observed.

At the meeting, the BNP policymakers harshly criticised

the government for its 'failure' to maintain law and order at

the Rohingya camps.

Temporary vaccination

centre inaugurated at DU

DHAKA : A temporary vaccination centre has been

inaugurated at Dhaka University's Martyred Intellectual

Dr Muhammad Murtaza Medical Centre for its teachers,

students, officials and employees.

DU Vice-Chancellor Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman formally

inaugurated the vaccination campaign today at 9:30am

which will be continued till October 17, said a press

release.

DU students, teachers and officials and employees will

be able to receive vaccines through on-spot registration

with NID or the Identity Card of the university based on

some conditions. However, initially, vaccines will be

provided to only the people have NID cards, added the

release. Those who registered for vaccines with the

following centers- Dhaka Medical College Hospital,

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital,

Government Employee Hospital and Sheikh Hasina

National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, but did not

get the vaccine yet will also be able to get vaccinated

during the campaign.

Jatiya Press Club gears up

to celebrate anniversary

DHAKA :The Jatiya Press Club (JPC), passionately called as

the 'Second Home' by its members, has taken up various

programmes to celebrate its 67th founding anniversary after

a hiatus of one year due to the pandemic, reports UNB.

JPC acting general secretary Mainul Alam unveiled the

two-week programme at a views-exchange meeting with

journalists at an auditorium of the club on Monday.

He said the programmes will begin on October 6 with a

meeting remembering 34 club members who died over the

last one year.

As part of other programmes, Mainul said, an eye camp

will be held on October 7 on the club premises, followed by

Shishu Ananda Mela on October 8 and 9, chess competition

on October 10 and 11, an air-gun shooting competition on

October 12 and spades trump competition on October 13 and

14. Besides, he said, Ludo competition for female members

will take place on October 14, table tennis on October 16 and

17 and mini-marathon in the early morning of October 20

and a cultural function on the same day in the evening.

The participants of Shishu Ananda Mela and sports

competitions will have to ensure their entries into the

competitions by October 6.

Speaking at the programme, JPC President Farida Yasmin

said they could not arrange elaborate programmes last year,

rather than arranging a memorial meeting, to celebrate the

66th founding anniversary of the club due to the Covid-19

pandemic. "We have had a miserable time over the last two

years due to the pandemic. Our children have gotten fed up

with staying at home for a long time. The children and

spouses of our members are eagerly waiting to join the

founding anniversary programmes. As the Covid situation is

relatively better, we've decided to mark the event this time

with various programmes," she said.

The JPC president said they will arrange all the

programmes maintaining social distancing and health safety

rules as the virus is yet to be eliminated.

Covid kills 18, infects 794

more in Bangladesh

DHAKA : Covid-19 claimed 18 more lives in Bangladesh with

794 new cases being detected in 24 hours till Monday

morning, reports UNB.

On Sunday, the country saw 18 Covid-related deaths and

617 cases. The fresh cases were detected after testing 24,928

samples which increased the daily case positivity rate to 3.19

per cent from Sunday's 2.90 per cent, said the Directorate

General of Health Services (DGHS).

The daily case positivity rate in the country remained below

5 percent for the 12th consecutive day. According to the

World Health Organization (WHO), if the daily-case

positivity rate remains at 5 per cent or below for 14 days it is

considered to be safe for mass unlocking. The daily case

positivity rate in Bangladesh reached its peak 32.55 percent

on July 24 this year. The fresh numbers took the total

fatalities to 27,591 while the caseload mounted to 15,58,758,

said the DGHS.

However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77 percent.

The recovery rate slightly increased to 97.49 percent with

the recovery of 834 more patients during the 24-hour period.

So far, 15,19,588 people have recovered from the deadly

virus infections, the DGHS added.

A press conference was organized at the Abdus Salam Hall of the National Press Club on

Monday to announce the results of the study conducted by the Dhaka Ahsania Mission with the

technical assistance of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

Photo : Courtesy

JS body for developing

Kuakata tourist spot

DHAKA : The Parliamentary

Standing Committee on

Public Undertakings on

Monday recommended

stopping haphazard building

constructions at Kuakata

tourist spot and asked

authorities concerned to

develop the spot with

modern facilities.

"Kuakata must have to be

developed with modern

facilities after demarcating

it's area as per the master

plan and haphazard building

constructions must have to

be stopped at the tourism

spot," according to the

recommendation of the

committee.

The recommendations

were placed at 12th meeting

of the committee with

committee Chairman ASM

Firoz MP in the chair.

The committee also asked

for utilizing Bangladesh

missions abroad as the

foreign diplomats can take

effective measures to

enhance investment from

home and abroad in tourism

industries of the country.

For drawing foreign

tourists, the visa and

immigration process will

have to be simplified along

with ensuring security of the

tourists. Development of

suitable entertainment

facilities including 'dedicated

casinos' must have to be

placed for foreign tourists in

building constructions in all

tourist spots in the country,

said the JS committee.

Kuet dorms

to reopen on

October 22

KHULNA : Khulna

University for Science and

Technology (Kuet) will

reopen its dormitories from

October 22 for 3rd year, final

year and Masters students,

reports UNB.

Rest of students will be

allowed to stay at dormitories

from November 5.

The decision was taken at

the 81st (emergency) meeting

of the Academic Council

chaired by University Vice-

Chancellor Prof. Kazi Sazzad

Hossain on Sunday

afternoon after reviewing the

instructions of the Education

Ministry and University

Grants Commission (UGC).

According to the meeting,

classes of the 3rd, final year

and Masters students will

start on October 25 and

classes of the 1st and 2nd year

students will start on

November 7.

Students who have

received the first jab of the

Covid-19 vaccine will be

allowed to enter halls after

showing the vaccine card.

Momen

congratulates

Mamata for her

by-election win

DHAKA : Foreign Minister

Dr AK Abdul Momen on

Monday congratulated

India's West Bengal Chief

Minister Mamata Banerjee

for her landslide win in

Bhabanipur by-election.

In a congratulatory letter,

Bangladesh foreign minister

expressed his hope that the

relation between Bangladesh

and the West Bengal will be

strengthened further for

mutual prosperity and

development in the days to

come, a foreign ministry

press release said.

Dr Momen wished all out

prosperity of the people of

West Bengal under the

leadership of Mamata

Banerjee and also greeted

them for upcoming Durga

Puja.

President, PM greet girl children on

National Girl Child Day 2021

DHAKA : The National Girl Child Day-2021

will be observe today with a view to

developing girl children as worthy citizens so

that they can play role for building digital

Bangladesh.

The theme of this year's day is "We are girl

children- we would be enriched with

technology, build digital Bangladesh".

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate

messages greeted the girl children on the

occasion of the National Girl Child Day-2021

urging all including the private organizations

to work together with the government for

overall protection and development of girl

children of the country.

In his message, the president said that the

present government has been working

relentlessly to turn Bangladesh into a

developed country by 2041. The government

is working sincerely to fulfill all international

declarations and action plans especially the

'Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he

added.

He said that SDG's 5th goal is directly

associated with prevention of all forms of

violence against women-girls, including

child marriage and political and economic

empowerment of women. Bangladesh

successfully achieved MDGs, he said and

hoped that Bangladesh would also be able to

achieve the SDG targets.

The president said that ensuring the rights

and security of girl children is the

responsibility of all. The present government

is sincere for the development of girl

children, he said, adding that the

government has made education free for girl

A new trust fund titled "Fazilatunnesa Islam and Sirajul Islam Trust Fund"

has been established at the University of Dhaka. NSM Faruque, son of

Fazilatunnesa Islam and Sirajul Islam handed over a cheque for Tk. 12 lac

to DU Treasurer Prof. Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed on Monday at the Vice-

Chancellor's office to set up this trust fund. DU VC Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman was present on this occasion.

Photo : Courtesy

A new Trust Fund established at DU

A new trust fund titled "Fazilatunnesa Islam

and Sirajul Islam Trust Fund" has been

established at the University of Dhaka (DU).

NSM Faruque, son of Fazilatunnesa Islam

and Sirajul Islam handed over a cheque for

Tk. 12 lac to DU Treasurer Prof. Mamtaz

Uddin Ahmed on Monday at the Vice-

Chancellor's office to set up this trust fund, a

press release said.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman, Registrar Probir Kumar

Sarker and Mrs. Shaheen Khaleel, daughter

of Fazilatunnesa Islam and Sirajul Islam

were present on this occasion.

Out of the income of this donation, every

year two financially challenged and

children up to higher secondary and around

1.40 crore girl children are given stipend.

As a result, enrollment of girls in schools as

well as their literacy rate has increased, he

added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her

message said that Awami League

government is women and girls friendly

government and it thinks that if their

proper development with knowledge and

technology is ensured, they would be able

to build themselves as worthy citizens and

contribute to materialize the dream of

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman in building 'Sonar

Bangla'.

For the welfare of girl children, the

government has been implementing various

programmes, including free education up to

graduation level, stipend, free books and

appointment of more women teachers in

educational institutes, she added.

"Our government has formulated National

Child Policy-2011', National Woman

Development Policy-2011 and Child Day

Care Center Act-2021," the prime minister

said, adding that capital punishment has

been incorporated in the Women and

Children Repression Prevention

(Amendment) Act 2020 and child marriage

and dowry prevention laws have enacted in

the country.

As a result, child marriage has declined

significantly, said the premier.

Both the president and the prime minister

wished overall success of all programmes

taken on the occasion of the 'National Girl

Child Day 2021'.

meritorious students of the Department of

Sociology of DU will be given scholarship.

Vice-Chancellor of DU Prof. Dr. Md.

Akhtaruzzaman thanked donor's family

members for their donation to set up this

trust fund. Students of DU will be highly

benefited from this trust fund, he hoped.

It may be mentioned that Sirajul Islam

was born in Dhaka in 1918. He was a student

of the Department of Economics of DU. He

is a retired government officer. He is

currently living in Dhaka. Late Mrs.

Fazilatunnesa Islam was born in 1935 in

Dhaka. She died in 2019. All of their five

daughters and one son are well established

in the society.

Mohib Ullah's killing part of

'international plot': BNP

DHAKA : BNP standing committee has

called for beefing up security at Rohingya

camps as it thinks this community leader

Mohib Ullah was shot dead as part of a deeprooted

"international conspiracy".

At a virtual meeting on Saturday, the BNP

policymaking body also strongly condemned

and protested the killing of Mohib Ullah by

unidentified gunmen at Ukhia Rohingya

camp in Cox's Bazar, said a party press

release on Monday.

"The meeting thinks this murder is an

outcome of a deep-rooted international

conspiracy which has created a major

obstacle to the repatriation of the Rohingya

Muslim community," it observed.

At the meeting, the BNP policymakers

harshly criticised the government for its

'failure' to maintain law and order at the

Rohingya camps. The meeting urged the

government to arrest those involved in

Mahib Ullah's killing and put them under

trial.

Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah, the head of

the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and

Human Rights (ARSPH), was shot dead

Wednesday by unknown assailants in the

Kutupalong refugee camp of Cox's Bazar.

The BNP standing committee also

discussed a recent report of Article 19, a UKbased

human rights body, as it observed that

the right to information of the people of

Bangladesh has been continuously violated

and curtailed in the last 18 months during

the Covid period.

The meeting said the Article 19 report

mentioned that 172 cases were filed under

the Digital Security Act (DSA) from January

to August 2021. "The meeting expressed

deep concern over the growing incidents of

deprivation of freedom of expression and the

right to information taking advantage of the

Digital Security Act and other repressive

laws." The BNP standing committee

meeting strongly condemned and protested

the 'authoritarianism' of the government and

the process of depriving people of their basic

democratic rights.

"The meeting thinks it is part of Awami

League's blueprint for establishing a system

of one-party governance. It demands the

immediate repeal of all repressive laws,

including the Digital Security Act," the press

release said.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2021

4

Would child labor be able to eradicate from developing countries?

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

TV channel issue must not

spoil bilateral relations

The vultures are roaming the skies and searching for rotten

flesh to eat. The vultures are symbolically meant here as the

defeated forces of 1971 in Bangladesh--the Jammat, the

BNP minded and others of the same ilk--who would love to see

Bangladesh turned afresh into a far outpost of Pakistan for

fulfilling the ambitions of that country.

Needless to say why all in Bangladesh today should be watchful

against such evil forces who are probably feeling emboldened by

developments such as suspension of broadcast of Indian

channels in Bangladesh and Pakistan also doing the same. There

is no reason to see too much meaning in this development. The

non broadcasting of Indian channels is very possibly a transient

affair. The broadcasting would likely resume soon after certain

things are sorted out with our regulatory authorities. But a certain

section of our media is being too speculative about it.

They are gleefully saying that the move of suspension of

broadcast marks an exhibition of our sovereignty against Indian

high handedness in the matter. Needless to say, such statements

are highly unwarranted, nor our sovereignty vis a vis India was

ever in doubt. For both India and Bangladesh were born out of

shared ideology and idealism that motivated the then Indian

government to let Indian soldiers die in Bangladesh in 1971 so

that we could be a free nation. This bond of mutual sacrifice is too

strong for a whiff from some quarter to scuttle it. And leaders in

both countries need to be extremely careful not to allow any

tarnishing of the current splendid bilateral relations between the

two countries that exist now,

Indo-Bangladesh relationships since 1971 have gone through

highs and lows. There was the very high period of that

relationship forged during the liberation war with great

understanding on two sides and mutual demonstrated

friendliness. The same could be said as prevalent till the fall of the

Mujib government in Bangladesh during August, 1975.

The bilateral relationships came under various forms of stresses

and strains from that time till the formation of an elected

government under the Awami League (AL) in the early part of the

nineties. It soured after that government was gone. But the

mutual interest for building greater understanding and

friendship seemed to appear with stronger force after another AL

led government came to power from 2009.

There is a realization shared in the corridors of power in both

countries today that they should be good neigbours inspired by

principles of mutuality or give and take for the benefits of both

countries. But there are also forces in both countries who are

prone to eyeing each other suspiciously with concern. These

parties or forces may also get elected and form governments in

the two countries which are seen as not so well inclined to build

and sustain yet better bilateral relationships.

The point is : whether political thoughts and actions should be

allowed to be presented in a short-sighted manner to electorates

or constituencies or whether all governments in the two countries

regardless of their labels or philosophies or motivation, should

find a common ground now in keeping the momentum towards

improving relationships between India and Bangladesh.

For this needs to be the correct conduct on the whole for all : not

to allow narrow views or misunderstandings to spoil Indo-

Bangladesh relationships, to keep always the bigger picture in

mind that the two countries need each other and neither will

benefit from isolation in relation to the other. To give only one

example, India needs Bangladesh to deal with its security

problems in its the north-east and elsewhere and Bangladesh also

needs to a higher degree India's cooperation to get its share of 54

common rivers.

There are so many areas where cooperation and engagement

and not isolation and turning away from each other is the

imperative. Neither side can afford to do anything different. For

example, again, Bangladesh had no water sharing treaty with

India over the Ganges for a period in the eighties. It resulted in

Bangladesh getting worst flows of the Ganges in the lean period at

that time. But things improved substantially later on as a

government come to power in Bangladesh and took the initiative

to sign a treaty over the Ganges.

It is relevant to mention that Bangladesh continues to profit

otherwise from the bilateral relationship. Bangladesh can import

a great deal of its imported products for consumption and

manufacturing cost efficiently from India. Importing from any

other source would be significantly costlier with delivery time

delayed. Indian markets are increasingly opening up to

Bangladeshi products though Bangladesh wants more to happen

in this direction. An Indian company is engaged in building a

1,300 mw power plant in Bangladesh. India also extended a loan

of $ 1 billion to Bangladesh to build and develop its

infrastructures. A sizeable amount from the loan has been turned

into grant. Bangladesh as well as India ought not to lose sight of

the bigger picture which is what great benefits the two countries

stand to reap from patiently and dedicatedly working to go on

deepening and improving relations between them. This point was

emphasized by successive Indian High Commissioners in their

interactions with our journalists from time to time. They also

underscored that there is a consensus in India about maintaining

the present course of improving relations with Bangladesh in all

respects.

The Indian Foreign Minister who visited Bangladesh recently

also assured that his government remains seriously engaged in

consultations with opposition political parties in his country so

that the latter can understand the importance of withdrawing

their opposition to the Teesta river water sharing formula .

There are skeptics in Bangladesh who may not agree with

Indian High Commissioners' views of a consensus in their

country knowing that some powerful political parties and forces

there are still not committed to giving Bangladesh its due. Indeed,

there is still this challenge to bring them into the fold of the

consensus that the High Commissioners mentioned. But

whatever the realities on the ground, none can rationally ignore

the merit of the view that both sides ought to only work and try

to build better India-Bangladesh relations as an uninterrupted

process for the benefit of both.

As Bangladesh celebrating its golden

jubilee of independence, the picture

of socio-economic development can

overwhelm any citizen. After a roller coaster

ride, today the country has come a long way

in education, health, and economy. At the

international level, Bangladesh is wellknown

in many indicators today! All in all,

as a Bangladeshi we must be proud! But can

we really be proud of the socio-economic

and human rights of about 180 million

people across the country?

How are the children of the marginalized

people when the whole country went to a

series of lockdownsduring the pandemic?

After about a year and a half just starting to

see the face of the school, how can they

spend their daily lives in small houses or

slum areas? Although they have already

engaged themselves in the daily chores of

their parents, today they are proving to be a

new earning 'worker'. Nowadays, their labor

is always being sold in new housework,

brick kilns, factories, hotels, vans, even in

drug-gambling halls!

October 7 is a special day of Child Rights

Week! This special day is being celebrated

all over the country mainly with

disadvantaged and working children.

According to the amendments to the

Bangladesh Labor Act, 2006 and 2013,

working children are those between the ages

of 12 and 18 who work up to 42 hours a week

in light labor or without risk. This labor is

permissible. However, child labor is going

on all over the country without paying

attention to this issue of law!Which is

against child protection and child rights!

When we rejoice in being promoted to a

middle-income country; Is it better to think

about the horrors of these children and the

future at that very moment? Apart from the

government of Bangladesh, domestic and

foreign development agencies continue to

work in various ways to prevent child labor,

but child labor is not decreasing at all!

Gradually we seem to have lost the fight to

stop child labor. The new coronavirus

epidemic has pushed us far behind. It is

estimated that there are 3.2 million child

laborers in Bangladesh, of whom 1.3 million

are engaged in hazardous work which is

detrimental to their health, safety and

morals.Those who were supposed to have

books and pencils in their childhood, those

who were supposed to take this country

forward with vigor, are the ones who have

become the main artisans of livelihood and

have become the struggling soldiers of the

needy world! A class of greedy vested

interests took advantage of the poverty of

these children and their families and

engaged them in various activities for a

nominal fee. Because, the value of their

labor is very insignificant in this society just

for being young or having children!

Although a wide range of programs have

been adopted in the international arena to

create a better future for children all over the

world, the issue of child abuse and child

rights violations has not stopped even for a

moment! We all witness countless incidents

in front of our eyes! The internationally

recognized Charter of the Rights of the Child

states that (1) non-discrimination, (2)

protection of the best interests of the child,

(3) responsibility of parents to uphold the

rights of the child and (4) respect for the

views of children. Its proper application in

MD. TAnJIMUL ISLAM

the current situation is very

rare!Interestingly, when the children of the

landlord fall asleep under the same roof and

wake up from bed at 10 am, another child of

the same age of a housemaid, has to get up

in the early hours of the morning to

concentrate on heavy work as per routine!

Even if the regular work is completed

successfully, it never gets any additional

praise. However, one day, when something

exceptional happens, physical and mental

torture is combined as a reward! And all this

is witnessed by their peers in the house of

adorable children! But is the Child Rights

Charter only for special children of that elite

class?

Child labor not only puts a child or his

family at risk but also destroys all his

possibilities in the bud! What kind of people

are those who strangle the childhood of an

innocent child or those who persuade and

force! One of the basic human needs is good

education (institutional and practical). But

in the absence of a conducive environment,

he has to play the role of a young man in this

country in order to procure another basic

need i.e. food! Sustainable Development

Goal 8.7 states that states must take

immediate and effective action to remove

children from high-risk jobs and eliminate

all forms of child labor by 2025. And now

his real time! Recently, about 24.5 million

people in Bangladesh have become poor

due to the Covid-19 epidemic. What effect

ALFRED DE ZAYAS AnD ADRIEL KASOnTA

did this have on child labor, is anyone

keeping track of it?Do we know how much

child labor has increased due to the closure

of educational institutions for more than a

year? The standards set by the International

Labor Organization (ILO) on labor

recruitment are basically four-dimensional:

freedom of association, the right to bargain,

the non-existence of child labor, and a nondiscriminatory

employment system. These

must be adopted as a policy in all countries.

But the question arose about its

application.Days, months, years go by! Over

time, Children's Day, Child Rights Week,

Child Labor Day, and Human Rights Day

are celebrated. Many again do a lot of work

for the development of children, continue

research! Big projects are undertaken!

Many are recognized as the country's best

people again! Gets many famous and

expensive prizes! But sadly, the rights of the

children of the masses are never

established! Child labor does not stop!

The issue of child labor and child rights

must have moved us a lot! Really! The

reality is: child labor will not be reduced,

child rights will not be established if children

are not included in the social security zone.

The state has a wide role in this.Publicprivate

patronage is just as important as the

need for a better future, the sincere love of

the public for every child! Otherwise, these

children will not be proud citizens in the

future and will be involved in various

misdeeds including begging and

prostitution! However, any conscious and

well-meaning person will want child labor

to be stopped, child rights to be established!

We are also looking forward to that day!

Maybe that day is very near!

The writer is the coordinator of

Advocacy & Social Accountability

for World Vision. He can be reached

at aronnyok@gmail.com

Cancer of corruption is destroying Lebanon's soul

After the Beirut port blast last year,

the prospect of a failed investigation

- let alone two -into responsibility

for that monstrous explosion would have

provoked global incredulity. More than

200 people died when hundreds of tons of

unsafely stored ammonium nitrate

fertilizer caught fire in a port warehouse,

and exploded. The shockwaves from the

world's largest non-nuclear explosion

could be felt as far away as Cyprus, and

caused up to $18 billion in damage.

And it could not have happened at a

worse time. Lebanon was already facing

intensifying crises, sparked by the collapse

of what financial experts termed "a statesponsored

Ponzi scheme," and a

worsening pandemic. The Aug. 4

explosion accelerated Lebanon's

downward spiral from a plummeting

currency, hyperinflation, political

gridlock, and a massive erosion of

sovereignty. More than 80 percent of the

population is living in multidimensional

poverty, lacking lack stable incomes and

access to adequate housing, healthcare

and education.

The port explosion did not just reflect

deeply embedded ills in Lebanese politics

and society. It also became a lethal

demonstration of how decades of

corruption and clientelism engineered

Beirut's fall from its lofty perch as the

Probe all war crimes in Afghanistan, no exceptions

After the messy withdrawal of the US

forces from Afghanistan last month,

which marked the end of a 20-year

foreign occupation, many unanswered

questions and unaddressed issues remain.

With the Taliban now in power and claiming

that their rule will differ from what we saw

before 2001, one would be well advised to

remain hopeful yet cautious by taking their

word with a pinch of salt. However, what is

needed to break with the past and start this

new chapter in the history of Afghanistan

with a clean slate is to hold those responsible

for the Afghan people's misery and suffering

accountable.

The International Criminal Court (ICC)

has already opened an investigation into

alleged war crimes and crimes against

humanity in Afghanistan, initiated on

November 20, 2017, by then-ICC prosecutor

Fatou Bensoud and later authorized by the

Appeals Chamber of the court, in March

2020.

"The prosecutor is authorized to

commence investigation in relation to

events dating back to 2003 as well as other

alleged crimes [related to] Afghanistan,"

said Piotr Hofma?ski, the chairman of the

appeals tribunal, when he was reading out

the decision on reversing an earlier ruling by

October 7 is a special day of Child Rights Week! This special day is being

celebrated all over the country mainly with disadvantaged and working

children. According to the amendments to the Bangladesh Labor Act,

2006 and 2013, working children are those between the ages of 12 and

18 who work up to 42 hours a week in light labor or without risk.

Paris of the Middle East to a mere leper of

the Levant. Naturally, the port blast

required a serious investigation into its

causes, if only to assuage the bereft

seeking answers and accountability for

their departed loved ones. However, in a

land ravaged by a confluence of crises,

partly caused by the cabal of out-of-touch

political elites running it, the investigation

inevitably morphed into a symbolic

battleground pitting an already desperate

public against an obstinate ruling class.

Unfortunately, the political leadership

appears to be dominating that battle given

the recent suspension of the investigation

for a second time. The suspension came at

the behest of two members of parliament

who allege that Tarek Bitar, the judge in

charge of the investigation, is biased. It

caps a relentless campaign by Lebanese

authorities to cripple the investigation at

almost every turn.

the Pretrial Chamber that dismissed the

prosecutor's motion to launch an

investigation into the Afghanistan situation

on the basis that it would not serve "the

interests of justice."

In a unanimous judgment, the five

appellate judges - from Canada, Peru,

Poland, Uganda and the United Kingdom -

ruled that there was a reasonable factual

basis to proceed with investigating alleged

crimes committed in Afghanistan since May

2003 and on the territory of other state

parties to the Rome Statute since July 2002

by the Taliban, Afghan National Security

Forces, and US military and Central

Intelligence Agency personnel.

Furthermore, the Appeals Chamber

widened the prosecutor's scope of the

investigation to include criminal acts

HAFED AL-GHWELL

Judge Bitar had succeeded Judge Fadi

Sawan, who was first tasked with

investigating the port blast only to be

dismissed by the Court of Cassation after

issuing negligence charges against the

former prime minister, Hassan Diab, and

three other former ministers. The blatant

obstruction has also involved refusing to

lift immunities for implicated members of

The port explosion did not just reflect deeply embedded ills

in Lebanese politics and society. It also became a lethal

demonstration of how decades of corruption and clientelism

engineered Beirut's fall from its lofty perch as the

Paris of the Middle East to a mere leper of the Levant.

parliament and failures to answer court

summons or appear for questioning.

The practice of shielding politicians, the

connected, and well-to-do is not a new

phenomenon in Lebanon. There was

ample justification for simply concluding

that the investigation was never going to

hold anyone to account, and the truth

therein would simply be buried - as has

happened after high-profile

assassinations and bombings.

The desperate attempts to impede the

investigation have become a microcosm of

Bensoud might find while further probing

the Afghan case.

As far the Taliban are concerned, the

prosecutor has focused on crimes against

humanity including murder, imprisonment

or other severe depravation of physical

liberty, and persecution against identifiable

groups of civilians, including on political and

In a unanimous judgment, the five appellate judges - from Canada,

Peru, Poland, Uganda and the United Kingdom - ruled that there was

a reasonable factual basis to proceed with investigating alleged crimes

committed in Afghanistan since May 2003 and on the territory of

other state parties to the Rome Statute since July 2002 by the Taliban.

gender grounds.

According to the 2017 report issued by the

Office of the Prosecutor, the investigation

included tentative estimations that the

Taliban and its affiliated groups were

responsible for 17,000 civilian deaths, 7,000

of which were the result of deliberate and

targeted civilian attacks, including attacks

on schools, shrines, mosques, and

humanitarian organizations' offices.

The Afghan security forces were

Lebanon's deep fractures and seemingly

endless woes.

Judge Bitar has, however, remained

steadfast and unmoved by a Lebanese

political class desperately closing ranks

and latching on to claims of constitutional

immunity. The escalating threats have

only served to assure the embattled judge

that he on the right track.

More than 75 percent of the case is now

complete, and investigators are actively

seeking answers regarding what could

have sparked the explosion, and probing

for hidden links between the parties

responsible for offloading the shipment in

Lebanon. This much progress amid

relentless obstruction has helped to

reassure victims' families that Judge Bitar

is the best person to see the investigation

through. However, uncovering the

participants and the obscure shell

companies responsible for the fertilizer

shipment is fraught with serious risks,

especially when those truths implicate

certain Lebanese politicians and security

officials.

These risks are not unknown to an

unperturbed Judge Bitar or the wider

Lebanese public. Wafiq Safa, the elusive

head of one of Hezbollah's internal

security agencies.

Source: Arab news

investigated for several war crimes against

hundreds of civilians: torture and cruel

treatment; outrages upon personal dignity,

such as humiliating and dehumanizing

abuses; and sexual violence.

When it comes to the US, the prosecution

at that time said, "There is reasonable basis

to believe that, since May 2003, members of

the US armed forces and the CIA have

committed the war crimes of torture and

cruel treatment, outrages upon personal

dignity, and rape and other forms of sexual

violence pursuant to a policy approved by

US authorities.

" Although the US is not a party to the

Rome Statute and has not consented to its

jurisdiction, the statute provides for the

ICC's jurisdiction over nationals of non-state

parties for conduct occurring in the territory

of state parties.

In this particular case, drawing upon a

2014 report published by the US Senate

Select Committee on Intelligence, US

military and intelligence personnel

committed torture on Afghan territory and

the territory of other parties to the Rome

Statute, namely Lithuania, Poland and

Romania.

Source: Asia times

TUeSDaY, ocToBeR 5, 2021

5

Record amount of donation

to protect nature

Researchers from Plymouth University have found antibacterial microbes on deep-sea sponges. Photo: neRc

Why the deep sea is key to

fighting pandemics?

helen ScaleS

It has been 30 years since

the last new class of

antibiotic was introduced to

the market. All the existing

drugs are essentially

variations on a theme: they

kill bacteria, in similar ways.

Some burst cells walls,

others block DNA

replication.

But the bacteria are swiftly

evolving to survive those

chemical attacks - and as

they survive, they become

virulent superbugs. Without

new antibiotics, by 2050 the

death toll from drugresistant

infections is

projected to reach 10 million

people a year, making the

coronavirus pandemic seem

almost quaint.

This is why scientists at

Plymouth University have

been searching the cold,

dark abyss of the north

Atlantic - where they have

found sponges that contain

powerful molecules capable

of killing those superbugs.

Kerry Howell, professor of

deep-sea ecology, and her

colleagues have been

carefully collecting

specimens of these plantlike

animals, bringing them

back to the lab and testing

pulverised extracts against

stubborn, disease-causing

bacteria. Among the deepsea

molecules, they are

finding promising

bactericidal novelties.

"We don't actually know

exactly what they are yet,"

says Prof Mat Upton, a

microbiologist who leads the

laboratory side of the

biodiscovery programme at

Plymouth. "We've got

compounds that kill bacteria

that we want to try to kill,

and we have a pretty good

idea that they are new

compounds. It is early, but

things are progressing

through the pipeline."

The hit rate for finding

powerful and useful new

compounds is proving to be

especially high among

animals of the deep sea.

Hundreds of biologically

active compounds have been

found at the bottom of the

ocean, some already in

widespread use. Enzymes

found in bacteria living

around hydrothermal vents

are even being used in tests

for the Covid virus.

Yet novel antibiotics and

an untold variety of

beneficial molecules could

easily be wiped out if

ecosystems around vents

and elsewhere on the ocean

floor were to be destroyed by

deep-sea mining, which

could go ahead in less than

two years. Even after 40

years of scientific research

since hydrothermal vents

were first found, a

tremendous amount is still

being discovered about

these extreme ecosystems,

which thrive in scorching,

toxic waters pouring

through cracks in the deep

seabed, miles underwater.

Howell says: "Part of the

big concern that all deep-sea

ecologists have is that we

know just how little is

known about these areas

and we are desperately

trying to play catch-up with

the [deep-sea mining]

industry. To my mind, that's

the wrong way round. We

ought to be finding out about

these places before we even

consider mining them."

One of the potential

targets for deep-sea mining

is the south-east Atlantic

abyss, where Howell is

planning her next

expedition, along with South

African colleagues. "It's one

of the least-explored parts of

our planet. There's really

very little data," she says .

They aim to visit a vast

underwater mountain

range, the Walvis Ridge,

which stretches almost

2,000 miles between the

island of Tristan da Cunha

and Namibia. Deep-sea

miners are eyeing up

seamounts such as these for

their outer crusts, which are

rich in metals, including

cobalt.

Howell's team also plans

to study the south Atlantic's

abyssal plain, which is

dotted with metallic rocky

nodules similar to those in

the central Pacific's Clarion

Clipperton zone, now

attracting feverish interest

among deep-sea miners.

"We're trying to find out

more about these areas, the

species that live there and

also what else they do for

humans, one aspect of which

is their potential biomedical

value," says Howell.

Their voyage, which was

first delayed by the

coronavirus pandemic, then

cancelled due to the funder

UKRI's governmentimposed

budget cuts, was

part of a five-year research

programme.

New Attenborough show on

animal romantics

Wildlife photographer Russell Maclaughlin on location in South africa

while on location for The Mating Game. Photo: kevin Maclaughlin

STeven MoRRiS

African bullfrogs converging on pools

in South Africa and fighting like bar

room brawlers; a school of ghostlylooking

manta rays assembling off the

Australian coast; vivid images of

amphibious snot otters working cooperatively

in a cold north American

river. These are all scenes from the new

BBC One David Attenborough

blockbuster series The Mating Game,

filmed during the Covid crisis using a

markedly different approach to the 50-

year-old tried-and-tested way of doing

things. The pandemic meant Bristolbased

Silverback Films was not able to

fly its crews to far-flung parts of the

world and instead relied on local filmmakers.

Series producer Jeff Wilson

said it had not only kept the production

on track but also improved the chances

of capturing wonderful moments that

will be wowing audiences this autumn.

Wilson said: "You're always trying to

get your field crew in the right place at

the right time. That's the key skill and it

is limited by budgets and weather

windows. If you can reduce the risk

about being in the right place at the

right time by having someone local

there for longer, you give yourself the

opportunity to create even something

more magical."

A case in point was the bullfrog

scenes. "African bullfrogs come out for

their mating game at a very specific

time after there has been a certain

amount of rain to create pools large

enough for them to collect in. You get a

whole bunch of enormous frogs coming

together as if they're gathering in a bar

on a Saturday night and fighting for

access to females. This only happens

over two or three days and when that

happens is anyone's guess, especially

with climatic changes."

A South African filmmaker, Russell

MacLaughlin, lives close to the spot in

Limpopo province and so could be on

hand when the right rain swept in.

McLaughlin said he began waiting for

the moment in November last year but

it was not until February that two

cyclones hit the African shoreline in

quick succession. The pools filled and

the frogs appeared. "We were based

two hours from there. You have to react

very quickly. It's absolute chaos and

then it's all over," he said.

Silverback, which is part of

All3Media, hired a young Australian,

Alex Vail, to film the manta rays off

Australia. He spent 16 weeks awaiting

their arrival. Vail was also responsible

for some extraordinary scenes of

hermaphroditic Persian carpet

flatworms "fencing" with their penises

on the Great Barrier Reef.

Wilson said it did not mean UKbased

filmmakers would not travel

again but using locals helped balance

the gamble of being in the right place at

the right time. He said it meant greater

risks could be taken with another

sequence - for example, you might feel

confident enough to send a

cameraperson from the UK to spend 15

weeks in a hide in Russia if you knew

you were able to rely on a local person

to be ready to leap into action in

another part of the world. "It gives us

more scope to blow people's minds," he

said. Another highlight of the series is

scenes of snot otters, also known as

hellbenders. The males allow each

other to fertilise a female's eggs, an

unusual piece of altruism. Wilson said:

"You couldn't have achieved the

sequence we have without guys based

on the ground in north America who

know these rivers and the nuances of

the behaviour and have spent a lot of

time with their face in a mask in a very

cold river."

PaTRick GReenfielD

When their time comes, many of the

richest people on Earth have

committed to giving away the bulk of

their fortunes. Education, poverty and

the arts have traditionally benefited

from philanthropy, attracting billions

for important causes. But increasingly,

nature and the climate crisis have

become a focus of giving.

Last week, a group of nine

philanthropic foundations made the

largest ever donation to nature

conservation, pledging $5bn to finance

the protection of 30% of land and sea

by the end of the decade. Swiss

businessman Hansjörg Wyss, also a

major donor to progressive causes in

the US, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos

were among the billionaires behind the

Protecting our Planet challenge. In

effect, the money covers the estimated

cost of the 30% goal for this decade, one

of the 21 targets included in the draft

Paris-style UN agreement for nature

currently being negotiated. It also

includes plans to eliminate plastics

pollution and reduce pesticide use to

slow species extinctions.

"We can solve the crisis facing

nature," Wyss said at the launch. "But

it's going to take the wealthiest nations

and the wealthiest individuals

committing to reinvest our enormous

bounties here on Earth, safeguarding

nature and protecting our lands, waters

and wildlife."

Despite high-profile examples,

environmental philanthropy remains

dwarfed by other areas, accounting for

only about 8% of giving, according to

the NGO Rockefeller Philanthropy

Advisors. Contributions explicitly to

conservation and to protect

biodiversity have been even more

neglected. But there are signs that this

is changing.

Before his death in 2015, The North

Face co-founder Douglas Tompkins

bought enormous areas of Patagonia

and his widow Kris continues their

conservation work, helping to create in

Chile one of the largest protected areas

in the world. Danish billionaires

Anders and Anne Holch Povlsen,

Scotland's largest landowners, plan to

Use eco-friendly materials

for lunch-packing

kaTie lockhaRT

As kids return to the classroom and

parents return to the office, packing

lunches is suddenly part of our daily

routine again. It needs to get done, so

you may as well do it sustainably.

Cutting down on single-use plastic

bags and cutlery is a small step in

making our planet clean and green.

Americans use a staggering 100 billion

plastic bags every year, which equates

to nearly every single person using one

plastic bag per day. But there are plenty

of sustainable food-packaging

alternatives that can put a stop to that.

Next time you're making lunch, ditch

the plastic baggies and opt for these

eco-friendly products for packing your

food.

There are great reasons to mind your

beeswax. Beeswax is an eco-friendly

product used to wrap food while

keeping it fresher longer. Its natural

antimicrobial properties and

breathability help destroy potentially

harmful microorganisms, meaning

your avocado will stay edible for a few

more days.

Say goodbye to plastic baggies, everyone.

rewild vast areas of the Highlands. And

the growing urgency of scientific

warnings over the twin climate and

nature crises have meant more are

following in their footsteps.

"None of us can do everything but

everyone must do something," says

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, worth an

estimated $10bn, who created and

funds the World Economic Forum's

trillion tree initiative to plant and

restore forests around the world. "That

is why so many new initiatives are

being created and also why I am

aggressively funding 1t.org."

When they announced the $5bn for

the 30x30 target, the foundations

emphasised the importance of rightsbased

conservation and indigenous

communities. New indigenous-led

protected areas in Canada will be

created in the James Bay, Hudson Bay

and Labrador Sea regions, home to

beluga whales, polar bears and

walruses.

Through his Earth Fund, Bezos said

he would initially focus on high-impact

projects in the tropical Andes, the

Congo Basin and the Pacific Ocean in

regions that have already

demonstrated a commitment to

protecting human rights.

How money is spent and the focus of

the philanthropy can be controversial.

But Basile van Havre, the UN diplomat

responsible for drafting the agreement

SuperBee was created in 2016 in

Northern Thailand to combat the

single-use plastic problem rampant

throughout Southeast Asia. Made from

organic cotton and locally sourced

beeswax, these clever and colorful

wraps and bags come in sets with

alpaca and dinosaur designs for the

kids and violet flowers and chevron

patterns for the adults.

This social enterprise also employs a

team of local women to create these

products, paying them 20% more than

the wage recommended by the Fair

Trade Association. This ethically made

lunch packaging is both sustainable

and super cute.

Kitchen Garden Textiles is a

Philadelphia-based brand that makes

products using 100% natural linen,

hemp blends and reclaimed cotton.

Materials like hemp and linen have

natural antibacterial properties from

flax fibers that stave off pesky mold.

The bread bag is made for, well,

holding bread, but it also doubles as a

chic and sustainable lunch bag

available in a natural linen color or

blue-and-white stripe. The produce bag

on nature for this decade, which will be

at the heart of the Cop15 UN

biodiversity talks in Kunming, says

philanthropic donations allow

governments to focus on the many

more billions in harmful

environmental subsidies that need to

be repurposed, and make difficult

decisions on agriculture, pesticide use

and pollution.

"It's a massive amount coming from

non-government

entities.

Governments should do the lion's share

of the increase in funding but I don't

think I've ever seen such a big amount

coming from non-government

organisations," Van Havre tells the

Guardian, adding the donations will

create momentum around the talks,

and contribute to the estimated

$700bn a year financing gap for nature.

"They're mainly interested in the

30x30. But this is fine. We can spend

that money on 30x30 and we allocate

other funds to other priorities."

A 2020 survey of philanthropists by

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and

Campden Wealth, whose respondents

had average net wealth of $1.2bn,

showed education and poverty were

more popular focuses of giving among

the super-rich, with the environment

registering ninth in terms of priorities.

But Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors'

CEO, Melissa Berman, says that is

changing.

The Pripyat river and its surrounding meadows, wetlands and

lakes in Polesia, Belarus. Photo: Daniel Rosengren

is designed for keeping fruits and

vegetables ripe for longer due to the

natural antibacterial properties. Plus,

40% of the profits from the linen

produce bags go toward regenerative

farms in the Philadelphia area.

When properly maintained, these

toxin-free stainless-steel products can

be used for years and years before being

recycled, making them a much better

option than their single-use plastic

counterparts. A husband-and-wife

team in Kyoto, Japan, started

Bento&co from the living room in

2008, and the company is one of the

premier bento box companies shipping

around the globe.

Bento&co has a variety of unique

products, including stainless-steel

sandwich boxes with natural bamboo

lids, round containers with sections for

different ingredients and a lunchbox

from the California-based company

Eco Lunchbox. The company also sells

beautifully woven, eco-friendly

bamboo boxes made from Japanese

bamboo by Miyabitake. Bonus: You can

put down beeswax paper first to keep

the bamboo clean.

Photo: SUPeRBee

TUeSDAY, OCTOBeR 5, 2021

6

In observance of 'Mother Hilsa Conservation Campaign - 2021' leaflets were distributed in the Soari Ghat area of

Bangladesh Coast Guard Dhaka Zone to raise awareness among district and fish traders on Monday. Photo: Courtesy

BCG playing active role in conducting 'Mother

Hilsa Conservation Campaign - 2021'

On the occasion of "Mother Hilsa

Conservation Campaign-2021", Bangladesh

Coast Guard is carrying out various

campaigns including distribution of leaflets,

postering and micking to increase public

awareness among fishermen and fish

traders, a press release said.

On Monday the first day of the Mother

Hilsa Conservation Campaign, leaflets were

distributed in the Soari Ghat area of

Bangladesh Coast Guard Dhaka Zone to

raise awareness among district and fish

traders. During this time, the members of

the Bangladesh Coast Guard will always be

on patrol in the sea areas of the country and

in different rivers. This information was

given by the media officer of Bangladesh

Coast Guard Headquarters, lt. Khandaker

Munif Taki on Monday.

He said the government of Bangladesh has

taken various measures to protect 'Mother

Hilsa' keeping in view the breeding season of

hilsa fish. In line with this, in order to

preserve the breeding ground of Hilsa,

according to the Fisheries Conservation Act,

fishing for Hilsa has been banned in certain

coastal areas of the country from 04 October

2021 to 25 October 2021 (total 22 days)

during the Hilsa breeding season. At that

time, according to the law, the collection,

transportation, stocking, marketing and sale

of hilsa fish will be prohibited in the whole

country.

He further said that the Coast Guard will

continue to patrol the coastal and riverine

fish sanctuaries under the responsibility of

Bangladesh Coast Guard to protect mother

hilsa.

A preparatory meeting was held in Kumarkhali upazila on Monday marking

Durga Puja celebration.

Photo: M R Nayan

‘Quality education crucial for

building developed Bangladesh’

RANGPuR: Rangpur Metropolitan Police

(RpMP) Commissioner Mohammad Abdul

Alim Mahmud has said quality education is

crucial for building a developed Bangladesh to

realise the people's dream.

"Alongside flourishing their talents, students

should come forward to build a Bangladesh

free from corruption, terrorism, militancy and

drugs," he said while addressing a function

organised by RpMP at its conference room on

Sunday afternoon as the chief guest. "The

RpMP organised the function for distribution

of merit scholarships among 11 talented

students, who are children of the RpMP

families, for their brilliant results in the

Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher

Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations-

2021,' a press release said today.

Additional Commissioner of Police of RpMP

Md Mehedul Karim, its Deputy Commissioner

of Police (Headquarters) Md Mahidul Islam,

Deputy Commissioner of Police (City Special

Branch) Md Abu Bakar Siddique, Deputy

Commissioner of Police (Detective Branch)

Kazi Muttaki Ibnu Minan, Deputy

Commissioner of Police (Crime) Md Abu

Maruf Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of

Police (Traffic) Md Menhazul Alam and senior

officials were present.

The arrival of Durga Puja is knocking the doors in the autumn season. Durga Puja

is an annual Hindu festival which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess,

Durga. So there is less time in the hands of idol makers. They are busy making

idols day and night. The photo shows idol maker Jagadish Pal busy making idols

at Datta Bari Sri Sri Radhagobindo Mondir in Bogura.

Photo: Azhar Ali

‘Rangpur Bajaj’

showroom

inaugurated

BIPlOB HOSSAIN OPu, TARA-

GANJ CORRESPONDENT

Rangpur Bajaj showroom

has been inaugurated in a

new look in Rangpur city.

The new showroom was

inaugurated at the Road

Ideal junction on Sunday.

Mayor of Rangpur City

Corporation Mostafizur

Rahman Mostafa was the

chief guest at the inaugural

function. He inaugurated

the 'Rangpur Bajaj'

showroom by cutting the

ribbon.

During the time,

Rangpur City Corporation

Panel Mayor Mahmudur

Rahman Titu, uttara

Motors limited CEO (Bajaj

Division) Dilip Banerjee,

Branch Manager Mujibur

Rahman Bhuiyan, Senior

Officer (Sales, Rangpur)

Imran Mahbub, Service

Engineer Mohidul Islam

were among others also

present at the occasion.

Taraganj upazila

Chairman Anisur Rahman

liton presided over the

function.

Preparatory meeting

to celebrate Durga

Puja held in

Kumarkhali

M R NAYAN, KuMARKHAlI

CORRESPONDENT

There were incidents of

vandalism of idols in four

mandapas including

Mirpur and Khoksa

upazilas of Kushtia. uNO

has instructed to install

CCTV cameras in every

mandaps of Kumarkhali to

ensure smooth flow of

Durga Puja in the coming

autumn.

These instructions were

given at the preparatory

meeting on the occasion of

the puja celebration. The

meeting will be held from

10:30 am on Monday to

12:30 pm in the meeting

room of the upazila

Parishad.

The meeting was chaired

by upazila Nirbahi Officer

(uNO) Bitan Kumar

Momdol and addressed by

upazila Parishad Women

Vice Chairman Marina

Akter Mina, upazila

Assistant Commissioner

(land) Tamanna Tasneem,

Officer-in-Charge (OC)

Kamruzzaman Talukder,

upazila Health and Family

Planning Officer Dr. Akul

uddin, upazila Engineer

Md Abdur Rahim among

others.

Speaking on the

occasion, uNO Bitan

Kumar Mandal said,

"Mandatory CCTV

cameras should be

installed in every

mandapas. A security zone

has to be created by

recruiting volunteers from

the parties in their

respective mandapas.

Mohila Al

distributes

coronavirus

prevention

materials in

Madhukhali

SHAHJAHAN HElAl,

MADHuKHAlI CORRESPONDENT

On the occasion of the 75th

birthday of Prime Minister

Sheikh

Hasina,

coronavirus prevention

materials have been

distributed among the

teachers and students by

Madhukhali upazila

Mohila Awami league on

Monday.

Coronavirus prevention

materials have been

distributed among the

teachers and students of

Raisun Nessa Girls High

School in Madhukhali

Sadar. Among the items

are soap, soap and hand

sanitizer.

The distribution was

inaugurated by Suraiya

Salam, President of

upazila Mohila Awami

league, Member of Zila

Parishad and President of

Raisun Nesa Girls High

School. Sajida Bagam,

headmaster of Raisun Nesa

Girls' High School, Khuku,

member of upazila Awami

league, teachers and

students were present on

the occasion.

On the occasion of the 75th birthday of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, coronavirus prevention materials

have been distributed among the teachers and students by Madhukhali Upazila Mohila Awami League on

Monday.

Photo: Shahjahan Helal

Preparation afoot

to celebrate Durga

Puja in Netrakona

NETRAKONA: The artisans

are passing busy time as

preparations are nearing

completion to celebrate the

five-day Durga Puja, the

greatest religious festival of

the Sanaton community,

with due religious fervour in

Netrakona district, reports

BSS.

District Puja Celebration

Committee (DPCC) office

sources said beginning from

October 11the festival will

end on October 15 through

celebration of the 'Bijoya

Dashami' with immersion of

the idols of goddess Durga.

This year, Durga Puja will

be celebrated in a total of

552 puja mandaps in the

district.

President of the DPCC

Mongal Chandra Saha said

the devotees will visit the

puja mandaps following

health safety rules of the

government which includes

wearing facemasks and

maintaining social distance

to avert surge in Covid-19

infections.

District relief officer

Mohammad Salim Mia said

the government allocated

255 metric tonnes of rice for

the 552 Puja mandaps of the

district.

Adequate number of

members of police forces

along with members of

Rapid Action Battalion

(RAB-13), Ansar-VDP and

community police will be

deployed to ensure peaceful

celebrations of Durga Puja

everywhere in the district.

COVID-19 cases reach 98,387 with

46 afresh in Rajshahi division

RAJSHAHI: Forty-six more people were

tested positive for Covid-19 in seven districts

of the division on Sunday, taking the

caseload to 98,387 since the pandemic began

in March last year, reports BSS.

However, the new positive figure shows a

slow-rising trend compared to the previous

day's 30, while on Saturday the figure was

22, which was lowest-ever since the second

wave of the pandemic hit the country around

six months back, said Dr Habibul Ahsan

Talukder, divisional director of Health.

Meanwhile, the recovery count rose to

94,249 in the division after another 34

patients were discharged from the hospitals

on the same day.

The death toll reached 1,664, including

685 in Bogura, 313 in Rajshahi with 189 in its

city, and 172 in Natore, as no fresh cases of

fatality was reported during the period, Dr

Talukder added.

Besides, all the positive cases of Covid-19

have, so far, been brought under treatment

while 22,775 were kept in isolation units of

different dedicated hospitals for institutional

supervision. Of them, 19,092 have been

released.

Meanwhile, 61 more people have been sent

to home and institutional quarantine afresh

while 121 others were released from isolation

during the same time. Of the 46 new cases, 17

were detected in Rajshahi city, followed by

seven in Natore, six each in Sirajganj and

Pabna, four each in Naogaon and Bogura

and two in Joypurhat districts.

With the newly detected patients, the

district-wise break-up of the total cases now

stands at 27,898 in Rajshahi, including

22,479 in city, 5,638 in Chapainawabganj,

Govt. donation amount

distributed in Sreepur

M R JINNAH, SREEPuR CORRESPONDENT.

Government donation amounts was distributed to the officials

in the occasion of five days clebrations of the 154 durga puja

mandaps in Sreepur upazila at the upazila parishad conference

room undar Magura District on Sunday.

The distribution ceremony was presided by Sreepur upazila

nirbahi officer leuja-ul-zannah While Magura-1 constituency

MP Adv. Saifuzzman Shikhor was present as the Chief guest.

Among others Magura district Puja celebration Parishad

Genarel Secrerary Bashudev Kundu, officer-in-charge of

sreepur Thana Sukdeb Roy, Sreepur upazila Awami league

President Md. Abul Kalam Azad, upazila Awami league

Secretary and Nakol union Parishad Chairman Humayun-ur-

Rashid Muhit, Sreepur Sadar union Parishad Chairman Md

Moshiar Rahman, Amalshar union Parishad Chairman

Shebanando Biswas, Sreekol union Parishad Chairman M.M

Motasim billah Sangram, president of Sreepur upazila Puja

celebration Parishad Shisir Kumar Sikdar, also spoke on the

occation. Sreepur upazila Puja clebrations Parishad said, a total

of 158 puja mondaps has been erected in the upazila this year.

People of all walks of life attended in the event.

6,386 in Naogaon, 8,346 in Natore, 4,603 in

Joypurhat, 21,528 in Bogura, 11,337 in

Sirajganj and 12,651 in Pabna.

A total of 1,13,030 people have, so far, been

kept under quarantine since March 10 last

year to prevent the community transmission

of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19). Of

them, 1,10,475 have, by now, been released

as they were given clearance certificates after

completing their 14-day quarantine.

RMCH counts four

more fatalities at

Covid-19 unit

RAJSHAHI: Rajshahi Medical College

Hospital (RMCH) recorded four more

fatalities at its Covid-19 unit in the last 24

hours till 6am yesterday, taking the death toll

to 11 in the first four days of this month,

reports BSS.

However, the previous day's fatality figure

was just one, which was the lowest-ever in

the hospital since the second wave of the

pandemic hit the country around six months

back.

Earlier, the number of casualties was 167

in September, 340 in August, 566 in July and

405 in June, health officials said.

RMCH Director Brig Gen Shamim

Yazdany told journalists that three of the

deaths were the residents of Rajshahi, while

another from Chapainawabganj.

Among the new fatalities, one was tested

positive for Covid-19 and three others had its

symptoms. Of the deaths, two were female

and two male.

Hilsha fishing

ban executed

in Gaibandha

GAIBANDHA: A 22-day ban

on Hilsha fishing, selling,

transporting, hoarding and

marketing has been

implemented today in the

district as elsewhere in other

37 districts of the country to

protect mother Hilsha for

ensuring safe breeding.

District fisheries officer

(DFO) Mohammad Foysal

Azam said the government

imposed the 22-day ban that

came into effect at the zero

hour of today and it would

continue till October 25.

During the time, all types

of fishing including hilsa will

be prohibited in rivers,

estuaries and seas of 20

districts.

Magura-1 constituency MP Adv. Saifuzzman Shikhor as the chief guest distributed

govt. donation amounts to the officials of the 154 durga puja mandaps

in Sreepur Upazila at the upazila parishad conference room undar

Magura District on Sunday.

Photo: M R Jinnah

Japan's Parliament set to formally

choose Kishida as new PM

TOKYO : Japan's Cabinet and leader

Yoshihide Suga resigned Monday,

paving the way for Parliament to elect

Fumio Kishida as the new prime

minister, who will tasked with quickly

tackling the pandemic and security

challenges before an imminent

national election.

Kishida replaced Suga as leader of

the ruling Liberal Democratic Party

last week and is certain to win the

parliamentary vote for prime

minister later Monday because the

party and its coalition partner control

both houses. He and his Cabinet will

then be sworn in at a palace

ceremony, replacing Suga's, reports

UNB.

Suga leaves after only one year in

office after seeing his support plunge

over his government's handling of the

pandemic and insistence on holding

the Olympics as the virus spread.

A former foreign minister, Kishida,

64, used to be known as a dovish

moderate but turned hawkish

apparently to win over influential

conservatives in the party. He is

firmly entrenched in the conservative

establishment and his victory in the

party election was a choice for

continuity and stability over change.

All but two of 20 Cabinet posts

under Suga will be replaced, 13 them

appointed to ministerial posts for

the first time, Japanese media

reported. Most of the posts went to

powerful factions that voted for

Kishida in the party election. Only

Threatened Swedish

artist reportedly dead

in road accident

STOCKHOLM : The Swedish

artist Lars Vilks, who had

lived under police protection

since his 2007 sketch of the

Prophet Muhammad with a

dog's body brought death

threats, died from a traffic

accident Sunday, Swedish

news media reported, reports

UNB. The accident reportedly

involved a truck colliding with

a civilian police car in which

Lars Vilks and his police

protection were traveling,

news media said.

The Swedish news agency

TT said police had confirmed

that Vilks, 75, was traveling in

the car with two police

officers, and the newspaper

Dagens Nyheter said the

artist's partner confirmed his

death. The cause of the

accident was under

investigation.

Vilks was largely unknown

outside Sweden before his

Muhammad drawing. At

home, he was best known for

building a sculpture made of

driftwood in a nature reserve

in southern Sweden without

permission, triggering a

lengthy legal battle. He was

fined, but the seaside

sculpture - a jumble of wood

nailed together in chaotic

fashion - draws tens of

thousands of visitors a year.

Vilks' life changed radically

13 years ago after he drew a

sketch of Muhammad with a

dog's body.

Dogs are considered

unclean by conservative

Muslims, and Islamic law

generally opposes any

depiction of the prophet,

even favorable, for fear it

could lead to idolatry.

Japan's Cabinet and leader Yoshihide Suga resigned Monday,

paving the way for Parliament to elect Fumio Kishida as the

new prime minister, who will tasked with quickly tackling the

pandemic and security challenges before an imminent national

election.

Photo : AP

three women are reportedly included,

up from two in Suga's government.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu

Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo

Kishi are to be retained, ensuring

continuity of Japan's diplomacy and

security policies as the country seeks

to closely work with Washington

under the bilateral security pact in

the face of China's rise and growing

tensions in the region, including

around Taiwan.

Leaked records open a 'Pandora'

box of financial secrets

Hundreds of world leaders, powerful

politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious

leaders and drug dealers have been hiding

their investments in mansions, exclusive

beachfront property, yachts and other assets

for the past quarter-century, according to a

review of nearly 12 million files obtained

from 14 firms located around the world,

reports UNB.

The report released Sunday by the

International Consortium of Investigative

Journalists involved 600 journalists from

150 media outlets in 117 countries. It's being

dubbed the "Pandora Papers" because the

findings shed light on the previously

hidden dealings of the elite and the

corrupt, and how they have used offshore

accounts to shield assets collectively

worth trillions of dollars.

The more than 330 current and former

politicians identified as beneficiaries of the

secret accounts include Jordan's King

Abdullah II, former U.K. Prime Minister

Tony Blair, Czech Republic Prime Minister

Andrej Babis, Kenyan President Uhuru

Kenyatta, Ecuador's President Guillermo

Lasso, and associates of both Pakistani

Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian

President Vladimir Putin.

The billionaires called out in the report

include Turkish construction mogul Erman

Ilicak and Robert T. Brockman, the former

CEO of software maker Reynolds and

Reynolds.

Many of the accounts were designed to

evade taxes and conceal assets for other

shady reasons, according to the report. "The

new data leak must be a wake-up call," said

Sven Giegold, a Green party lawmaker in the

European Parliament.

"Global tax evasion fuels global inequality.

We need to expand and sharpen the

countermeasures now." Oxfam

International, a British consortium of

charities, applauded the Pandora Papers for

exposing brazen examples of greed that

deprived countries of tax revenue that could

be used to finance programs and projects for

the greater good.

"This is where our missing hospitals are,"

Oxfam said in a statement. "This is where

the pay-packets sit of all the extra teachers

and firefighters and public servants we need.

Whenever a politician or business leader

claims there is 'no money' to pay for

climate damage and innovation, for more

and better jobs, for a fair post-COVID

recovery, for more overseas aid, they

know where to look."

The Pandora Papers are a follow-up to a

similar project released in 2016 called the

"Panama Papers" compiled by the same

journalistic group.

The latest bombshell is even more

expansive, porting through nearly 3

terabytes of data - the equivalent of roughly

750,000 photos on a smartphone - leaked

from 14 different service providers doing

business in 38 different jurisdictions in the

world.

The records date back to the 1970s, but

most of the files span from 1996 to 2020. In

contrast, the Panama Papers culled through

2.6 terabytes of data leaked by one nowdefunct

law firm called Mossack Fonseca

that was located in the country that inspired

that project's nickname.

The latest investigation dug into

accounts registered in familiar offshore

havens, including the British Virgin

Islands, Seychelles, Hong Kong and

Belize.

But some of the secret accounts were

also scattered around in trusts set up in

the U.S., including 81 in South Dakota

and 37 in Florida.

The Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who had lived under police protection since his 2007 sketch of the

Prophet Muhammad with a dog's body brought death threats, died from a traffic accident

Sunday.

Photo : AP

Ex-Facebook

manager alleges

social network

fed Capitol riot

NEW YORK : A data scientist

who was revealed Sunday as

the Facebook whistleblower

says that whenever there was

a conflict between the public

good and what benefited the

company, the social media

giant would choose its own

interests, reports UNB.

Frances Haugen was

identified in a "60 Minutes"

interview Sunday as the

woman who anonymously

filed complaints with federal

law enforcement that the

company's own research

shows how it magnifies hate

and misinformation.

Haugen, who worked at

Google and Pinterest before

joining Facebook in 2019,

said she had asked to work in

an area of the company that

fights misinformation, since

she lost a friend to online

conspiracy theories.

"Facebook, over and over

again, has shown it chooses

profit over safety," she said.

Haugen, who will testify

before Congress this week,

said she hopes that by coming

forward the government will

put regulations in place to

govern the company's

activities.

Russia hits record

number of daily

COVID-19 deaths

MOSCOW : Russia on

Sunday reported a record

daily death toll from

COVID-19, the fifth time in a

week that deaths have hit a

new high.

The national coronavirus

task force said 890 deaths

were recorded over the past

day, exceeding the 887

reported on Friday. The task

force also said the number of

new infections in the past

day was the second-highest

of the year at 25,769, reports

UNB.

Overall, Russia, a nation of

146 million people, has

Europe's highest death toll

from the pandemic, nearly

210,000 people.

Yet despite the country's

persistent rise in daily

deaths and new cases,

Russian officials say there

are no plans to impose a

lockdown. Mask-wearing

regulations are in place but

are loosely enforced.

Moscow briefly tried

during the summer to

require proof of vaccination

or a negative PCR test for

indoor customers at

restaurants and bars, but

abandoned the program

after business owners

complained of reduced

revenues.

New plant in Germany

aims to cut flying's

carbon footprint

WERLTE : German officials

are unveiling Monday what

they say will be the world's

first commercial plant for

making synthetic kerosene as

part of an effort to reduce the

climate impact of flying.

The facility in Werlte, near

Germany's northwestern

border with the Netherlands,

will use water and electricity

from nearby wind farms to

produce hydrogen. By adding

carbon dioxide, the hydrogen

is converted into crude, which

can then be refined into jet

fuel, reports UNB.

Burning synthetic kerosene

means only as much CO2 is

released into the atmosphere

as was previously removed to

produce the fuel, making it

"carbon neutral."

The amount the plant can

produce from early next year

is modest: just eight barrels a

day. That would be enough to

fill up one small passenger

plane every three weeks. The

world's commercial airlines

used almost 2.3 billion barrels

of kerosene in 2019.

But the organizations

behind the project say its

purpose is to show that the

process is technologically

feasible and - once it is

scaled up and with

sufficient demand -

economically viable.

TueSDAY, OCTObeR 5, 2021

7

Fumio Kishida becomes

Japan's prime minister

TOKYO : Japan's parliament on Monday

voted Fumio Kishida the country's next

prime minister, with the new leader expected

to announce a cabinet including both

holdovers and fresh faces.

The soft-spoken scion of a Hiroshima

political family, Kishida beat popular vaccine

chief Taro Kono to win leadership of the

ruling Liberal Democratic Party last week.

He easily won a vote Monday in

parliament's lower house, where the LDP's

ruling coalition holds a commanding

majority, taking 311 votes to the 124 for

opposition leader Yukio Edano.

"This chamber names Mr. Fumio Kishida

as the prime minister," lower house speaker

Tadamori Oshima declared after the vote.

The upper house will also vote but the

lower house holds sway on the decision. The

upper house also approved him in a vote

shortly afterwards.

Kishida bowed to his fellow lawmakers

after the vote, but did not immediately

speak. Earlier, he told reporters he was ready

for the top job.

"I think it will be a new start in its true

sense," he said.

"I want to take on challenges with a strong

will and firm resolve to face the future."

Kishida is widely considered a safe pair of

hands, who commands support from his

own faction within the LDP and is not

expected to veer significantly from the

government's existing policies.

Catholic Church in France

had 3,000 child abusers

PARIS : An independent commission

examining sex abuse within the Roman

Catholic Church in France believes 3,000

child abusers - two-thirds of them priests -

have worked in the church over the past 70

years, reports UNB.

The estimate was given by the commission

president, Jean-Marc Sauve, in an interview

published Sunday in the newspaper Journal

du Dimanche. The commission has been

investigating for 2 ½ years. Its full findings

are scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

In the interview, Sauve did not give a figure

on the number of sex abuse victims but said

the report does include a new estimate.

Asked about the commission's work

investigating child abusers, he said: "We

evaluated their number at 3,000, out of

11,500 priests and church people since the

1950s. Two-thirds are diocesan priests."

He said 22 cases have been forwarded to

prosecutors for alleged crimes that can still

be pursued. More than 40 cases of alleged

crimes that are too old to be prosecuted but

that involve suspects who are still alive have

been forwarded to church officials, Sauve

said. "From 1950 to 1970, the church is

completely indifferent to the victims: They

don't exist, the suffering inflicted on children

is ignored," the newspaper quoted him as

saying. "The periods that followed were

different."

He added: "Our objective is to furnish a

concrete diagnosis of all the abuses, to

identify the causes and draw all of the

consequences."

An independent commission examining sex abuse within the Roman Catholic

Church in France believes 3,000 child abusers - two-thirds of them priests -

have worked in the church over the past 70 years.

Photo : AP

Taliban say Islamic State cell

destroyed after mosque attack

KABUL : The Taliban said on Monday they

had destroyed an Islamic State cell in the

Afghan capital, hours after a suspected IS

attack on a mosque killed five people.

The Taliban's chief spokesman Zabihullah

Mujahid said fighters carried out the

operation in the north of Kabul on Sunday

evening.

"As a result of the operation, which was

very decisive and successful, the IS centre

was completely destroyed and all the IS

members in it were killed," Mujahid said on

Twitter.

Witnesses and AFP journalists heard

blasts and gunfire in the capital at the time of

the raid, and images posted to social media

showed a large explosion and a fire at the

scene.

Kabul resident and government employee

Abdul Rahaman told AFP that a "large

number" of Taliban special forces attacked at

least three houses in his neighbourhood.

"The fighting continued for several hours,"

he said, adding the sound of weapons kept

him awake all night. "They said they were

after Daesh (IS) fighters in the area,"

Rahman said. "I don't know how many were

killed or arrested but the fighting was

His election came after former prime

minister Yoshihide Suga, who submitted his

resignation on Monday morning, announced

he would not stand for the LDP leadership

after just one year in office.

Kishida will unveil his new cabinet shortly,

but details reported in local media suggested

he would keep on several ministers in key

portfolios.

Both Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi

and Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi will

retain their jobs, local media reported.

Motegi is a Harvard-educated political

veteran who has taken the lead in

negotiating key trade deals, while Kishi is the

brother of former prime minister Shinzo

Abe.

The finance portfolio will go to Shunichi

Suzuki, who is replacing his own brother-inlaw

Taro Aso.

Suzuki, 68, is also a veteran politician and

the son of a former prime minister. He has

served in government before, holding both

the Olympic minister and environment

minister posts.

The cabinet will reportedly include three

women, among them his one-time rival for

the leadership Seiko Noda, who will become

minister in charge of addressing Japan's

declining birthrate.

The posts of vaccine minister and digital

minister will also be held by women, with

several members of the cabinet appointed to

their first ministerial post.

intense." The operation took place within

hours of a deadly attack targeting a prayer

ceremony at the Eid Gah mosque in memory

of Taliban spokesman Mujahid's mother,

who died last week. A government cultural

commission official, who asked not to be

named, told AFP that five people died and 11

were wounded, adding the casualties

included both civilians and Taliban

members.

"We have also arrested three people in

connection with the blast," he said.

According to the official, the device was

placed at the entrance to the mosque and

detonated as mourners were leaving after

offering condolences to Mujahid and his

family.

On Monday, Mujahid told AFP that an

investigation was still ongoing but "initial

information suggests that Daesh-linked

groups may have carried out the attack".

The Taliban and the Afghanistan branch of

IS-known as the Islamic State-Khorasan

Province, or IS-K-are both hardline Sunni

Islamist militant groups.

But they differ on the issues of religion and

strategy, which has led to bloody fighting

between the two.

TuesDAY, OcTOber 5, 2021

8

Bikroy.com seals 90pc success rate

in resolving customer complaints

Bikroy.com, the Largest

Marketplace in Bangladesh

has secured a 90.23%

success rate in resolving

consumer complaints

among the e-commerce

companies of the country.

According to a recent report

released by the Directorate

of National Consumers'

Rights Protection (DNCRP),

Bikroy has ranked 6th

among 21 e-commerce

companies and all F-

commerce pages, a press

release said.

According to the report of

the Department of

Consumer Affairs,

consumers filed a total of

19,304 complaints against 21

national and international e-

commerce companies from

July 1, 2017, to August 31,

2021. Of those, 12,257

complaints have been settled

by those companies, overall

63.49% of complaints were

settled. During this period,

the number of customer

complaints regarding the

services of Bikroy.com was

157 out of which the

company has settled 174

complaints. The number of

K.B.M. Moin Uddin

Chisty elected IFI

Foundation

Chairman

K.B.M. Moin Uddin Chisty

has been elected as the

Chairman of the

Management Board of

Islamic Finance and

Investment Foundation. He

is a Sponsor of Islamic

Finance and Investment

Limited (IFIL) and former

Chairman of the Board of

Directors, a press release

said.

The decision was taken at

the 18th meeting of the

Management Board of the

Foundation held at IFIL

Head Office recently. The

meeting also elected

Among others, immediate

past Chairman of the

Management Board of

Foundation S. M. Bakhtiar

Alam, member Md.

Shamsuzzaman and

member secretary and IFIL

Managing Director (Current

Charge) Maruf Mansur

were present at the meeting.

unresolved complaints is 17.

Eshita Sharmin, Managing

Director of Bikroy said

regarding the remaining

unresolved complaints,

"Bikroy.com operates with

an open market concept so

that our service reaches can

be availed by everyone. We

manually review and publish

all ads on our site to

maintain the quality. Any ad

that violates our site policy is

rejected. Our safety tips are

written on the side of each ad

to protect the buyers and

sellers. Also, an ad can be

HONG KONG : Asian markets mostly rose

Thursday after the previous day's retreat,

though investors continue to fret that surging

inflation will lead to interest rate hikes, while

the debt stand-off in Washington and prospect

of a historic US default was also fraying nerves,

reports BSS.

The Dow and S&P 500 provided a positive

lead, though the unconvincing end to the

trading day on Wall Street indicated lingering

uncertainty on trading floors.

While expected for most of the year, the

prospect that the Federal Reserve and other

major central banks will soon begin to remove

the ultra-loose monetary policies they put in

place at the start of the pandemic has

dampened sentiment in recent weeks.

The planned moves come as officials look to

keep a lid on inflation, which has soared this

year on the back of economic reopenings but

has been more persistent than many predicted

owing to supply chain problems.

Concerns that banks will have to tighten

policy quicker and sooner than hoped come as

the global economic recovery shows signs of a

slowdown, with a spike in Covid infections

dragging on sentiment among consumers.

"Growth has clearly hit an air pocket here

with concerns about Covid, with the drama

going on in Washington right now, the Chinese

property sector that has sent tremors to global

markets," Christopher Smart, at Barings, told

Bloomberg TV.

"Having said that, the general trajectory of

the global economy remains very much where

it was earlier this year."

Data showed China's factory activity

contracted in September for the first time since

easily reported if any

suspicious activity is

observed. To gain customer

loyalty, we provide special

badges to the members

doing business through us

after verifying the required

documents. We also

promote tips on how to avoid

potential fraud situations on

our social media platforms.

Even so, several complaints

are lodged which we try to

solve sincerely.

We are committed to

ensuring the highest quality

of customer service and

further reducing customer

complaints by following

government-mandated

laws."

As the activities of several

e-commerce organizations

have been questioned

recently, distrust has built up

about this booming sector of

Bangladesh. Amid this

situation, the way

Bikroy.com has been

focusing on improving the

quality of customer service

from the beginning is

considered to be an inspiring

example by many.

Most Asian markets track Wall

St up but traders still on edge

February 2020 as the country faces an energy

crunch that has led to power outages.

While there was little major reaction,

analysts warned the problem remained a cause

for global concern as it could exacerbate the

supply chain crisis and add to inflationary

pressures.

Still, Fed boss Jerome Powell told other

central bank heads Wednesday that the

inflation problem would eventually taper off.

"The current inflation spike is really a

consequence of supply constraints meeting

very strong demand, and that is all associated

with the reopening of the economy-which is a

process that will have a beginning, a middle

and an end," he told a virtual panel including

the bosses of the European Central Bank, Bank

of Japan and Bank of England. "It's very

difficult to say how big the effects will be in the

meantime, or how long they will last, but we do

expect that we'll get back, we'll get through

that."

In early Asian trade, Shanghai, Sydney,

Seoul, Singapore, Wellington, Taipei, Manila

and Jakarta all rose. But Hong Kong slipped

after a three-day gain and Tokyo retreated after

a recent rally to three-decade highs.

Traders are also having to deal with a range

of other issues, including China's crackdown on

private industries, the potential collapse of its

property colossus Evergrande, and US

haggling over the debt ceiling.

Republicans have blocked Democrat moves

to lift the borrowing limit and with Treasury

Secretary Janet Yellen warning the

government will run out of cash to meet its

obligations on October 18 the race is on to avert

what many say could be a catastrophic default.

US Senate to vote Thursday in bid

to avert government shutdown

WASHINGTON - The US Senate

announced it would vote on a stopgap

funding bill Thursday to prevent a

government shutdown with just hours

to spare, as lawmakers stare down a

number of deadlines with massive

stakes for the economy and President

Joe Biden's sweeping domestic

agenda, reports BSS.

The coming days are expected to be

the most critical yet of Biden's

presidency, as he negotiates the tricky

passage of two giant spending bills and

a fix to lift the debt ceiling without the

support of Republicans.

But the most urgent priority is

funding for federal agencies, and

Senate Democrats say they will pass

temporary legislation early Thursday,

hours before the money runs out, to

keep the lights on until December 3.

The bill, which includes $6.3 billion

to help Afghan refugees and $28.6

billion in disaster aid, is expected to

have broad cross-party support and

should advance from the House of

Representatives to Biden's desk soon

after the Senate gives its green light.

"We have agreement on the CR-the

continuing resolution-to prevent the

government shutdown. And we should

be voting on that tomorrow morning,"

Chuck Schumer, the party's leader in

the upper chamber, said late

Wednesday.

Shutdowns typically mean hundreds

of thousands of government

employees being sent home as federal

services and properties close.

There has never been a shutdown

during a national emergency such as

the pandemic, but the Congressional

Budget Office estimates that the 2018-

19 stoppage wiped $11 billion from the

economy.

With the threat of the shutdown off

the table, Democratic leadership would

be free to focus on raising the debt

ceiling and passing Biden's sputtering

domestic agenda-a $1.2 trillion

infrastructure plan and a $3.5 trillion

spending plan.

The bills are central to Biden's legacy,

but both risk failing because of feuding

between the Democrats' progressive

and centrist factions.

In a sign of the jitters unsettling the

West Wing, Biden canceled a

Wednesday trip to Chicago, instead

staying in Washington to lobby

holdouts ahead of an uncertain House

vote on infrastructure.

Legislators were due to deliver their

verdicts on that bill on Thursday

although even that looked increasingly

unlikely with the leftist grouping and

the moderates miles apart on a path

forward.

The White House regularly points to

polling showing Biden's legislative

priorities are broadly popular,

although less so in some key swing

districts.

"Our objective here is winning two

votes, getting these two pieces of

important legislation across the finish

line, because we know the impact they

will have on the American people,"

Biden's spokeswoman Jen Psaki told

reporters.

After a day of behind-the scenes talks

with aides and Democratic

congressional leaders, Biden attended

the lawmakers' annual baseball game

for charity, handing out ice cream bars

to both teams-Democrats and

Republicans-at Nationals Park.

CEO of PMO

Global Institute is

Bangladeshi

Abdulla Al Mamun

PMO global Institute

Corporation, the global PMO

Certification body appointed

Abdulla Al Mamun as the

Chief Executive Officer

recently. Previously he was

the acting CEO of the PMO

Global Institute, a press

release said.

Abdulla is a serial

entrepreneur, angel investor

and a passionate project

management professional. He

is the Founder & CEO of

PMaspire Singapore which is

a top ranked project

management solutions

provider

helping

professionals in 120 countries

in 07 international languages

and has global offices in

Singapore, Canada,

Bangladesh and UAE. He was

awarded as the "Most

Influential CEO of 2018 by the

Corporate Vision Magazine of

the UK. His company

PMaspire ranked among the

top 30 fastest growing

companies in Asia Pacific

regions. In addition,

PMaspire has also won

National ICT Award of 2018

and 2019 respectively for e-

Learning platform and AI

based PMO Software.

Abduilla has also created the

AI character"Alie" which is

the Artificial Intelligence for

PMO Software.

Abdulla is also one of the

master contributors of

developing PMOGuidebook®

which is the de facto standard

for PMOs. In addition, he is

one of the founder & core

contributors of the Certified

Baseline PMO Consultant

(CB-PMO)® certification

program which is helping

PMO professionals worldwide

to manage and set up

successful PMO's.

PMO Global Institute Inc. is

the global body for PMO

certifications, representing

global project management

offices including project,

program, and portfolio

managers involved in

defining, establishing, and

running high-performing

Project Management Offices

(PMOs) in and across

industry verticals. The

objective of PMO Global

Institute is to make PMO

learning available to project

professionals across the globe

through certifications, events,

networking and hands-on

knowledge sharing.

Vietnam's lockdown

ensnares world's

clothing giants

HANOI : From shoes and

sweaters to car parts and

coffee, Vietnam's strict and

lengthy coronavirus lockdown

has sparked product

shortages among worldwide

brands such as Nike and Gap

which have grown

increasingly dependent on the

Southeast Asian nation's

manufacturers, reports BSS.

The snarl-ups at Vietnam's

factories are part of a broader

crisis around the planet that is

sending inflation surging and

raising concerns about the

pace of recovery in the global

economy.

At a fabric mill east of

Hanoi, Claudia Anselmi-the

Italian director of Hung Yen

Knitting & Dyeing, a key cog

in the supply chain of several

European and US clothing

giants-worries daily if the

factory can keep the lights on.

Its output plunged by 50

percent when Vietnam's latest

devastating virus wave first

struck in spring, and it faces

perpetual problems securing

the yarn it needs for its

synthetic material.

Bangladesh Commerce Bank

Ltd. has inaugurated its new

Tulatoli Sub branch

Recently Bangladesh Commerce Bank Ltd.

has inaugurated its one new Sub branch

named as Tulatoli through virtual platform

with all the latest banking facilities, a press

release said.

The inauguration program was presided

by Omar Farooque Managing Director &

CEO of the Bank. The Chairman of the

Board of Directors of the Bank Dr. Engr.

Rashid Ahmed Chowdhury was present &

inaugurates the program as a Chief Guest.

Additional Managing Director of the Bank

Zafar Alam was also present as a special

guest in the Program. Among others Senior

Executives of the Head Office, Incharge of

mentioned Sub Branches and many

prominent people of the area and respected

customers were also present on the occasion.

Dr. Engr. Rashid Ahmed Chowdhury

expressed his hope that the newly opened

Sub Branch will be able to win the hearts of

the customers by providing good service. He

hoped that this Tulatoli Sub branch with the

most modern facilities would play an

appropriate role in furthering the economy

Mohammad Morshed Sarkar and

Md. Sumon Matubber elected as

the President and GS of ICB

Mohammad Morshed Sarkar has been elected as the

President and Md. Sumon Matubber as the General

Secretary of the Executive Committee (2021-23) of the

Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) Employees

Union, a press release said.

The election was recently held at the ICB head office. Other

elected candidate are Md. Jahangir Alam, Senior Vice-

President; Md. Jewel Hossain Sardar, Vice-President; Nazir

Ahmed, Joint Secretary; Md. Sohel Khalifa, Assistant

General Secretary; Amir Uddin, Treasurer; Md. Milon

Mahmud, Organizing Secretary and Md. Nazmul Abir, Office

and Publicity Secretary.

LONDON : Britain's furlough scheme that

has kept millions of private-sector workers in

jobs during the coronavirus pandemic ends

Thursday, with predictions of a spike in

unemployment and a slump in living

standards, reports BSS.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's

Conservative government has spent almost

o70 billion ($96 billion, 82 billion euros) on

paying the bulk of wages for staff stuck at

home, helping to keep the official

unemployment rate relatively low.

"Despite this success, significant

challenges remain in the labour market," the

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said in a

report Thursday.

"These include additional job losses when

the furlough scheme ends, low

re-employment rates for those made

redundant, and high levels of vacancies in

some sectors."

Some 12 million people have been on

furlough, with some one million workers still

supported up until its end.

Of those remaining, more than 25 percent

work in construction and manufacturing.

'Low-living standards' -

"These people are susceptible to

persistently low living standards should they

be made unemployed," the IFS said, citing

the fact that many were the only adult wageearner

in their household.

Also among those hit hardest by the end of

the scheme will be Londoners and older

workers, the IFS added.

While workers in the British capital make

up 14 percent of all UK employees, they

accounted for almost 20 percent of those still

accessing the scheme in July, it noted.

The emergency jobs package "initially

helped younger workers weather the

pandemic... (but) it is older workers who are

now more likely to be furloughed", according

to Daniel Tomlinson, senior economist at the

Resolution Foundation think-tank that

lobbies for better living standards.

Compounding the situation will be the

government's plan to cut unemployment

benefit by o20 per week from next month,

Tomlinson added in a separate assessment

of the 18-month furlough scheme.

Amid high UK inflation caused in part by

of the region. He also described the newly

opened sub-branch area as a growing

business area and said that the sub branch is

committed to provide all kinds of banking

services to the customers of the area through

banking rules. To ensure the highest quality

of service to the customers, he instructed all

the officers of the Sub branch including the

branch In-charge.

Managing Director and CEO of the Bank

Omar Farooque said that the services of

BCBL will be spread out in all areas of the

country as well as he emphasized on

customer service and informed all present in

the meeting about various activities of the

Bank in all areas of business sector. Zafar

Alam Special Guest and Additional

Managing Director of the Bank discuss in his

speech, the benefits of various existing

products of the Bank and expressed his

commitment to provide maximum service to

the customers.

Finally, the great mercy of the great Allah

Ta'ala is sought for the activities and

progress of the bank.

EU unlocks

Brexit funds

for hard-hit

member states

BRUSSELS : EU governments

on Tuesday gave final approval

to 5.4 billion euros ($6.3

billion) in emergency funds to

member states punished by

the economic fallout of Brexit,

with the biggest payouts going

to Ireland and France, reports

BSS.

Ireland, which shares the

EU's only land border with the

United Kingdom, will get 1.1

billion euros from the fund to

help cover the major setbacks

due to the divorce.

France will receive 735

million euros, with a big

chunk for the country's fishing

industry, which has seen

access to UK waters limited by

25 percent under the terms of

the split. London and Brussels

reached a last-minute post-

Brexit trade deal on

December 24 last year that

ensures zero tariffs on most

goods flowing between the UK

and EU.

UK risks social crisis as jobs

support scheme ends

surging energy prices, the "cut to Universal

Credit... will return the real value of

unemployment benefit to its lowest level

since the early 1990s", he argued.

Britain's main opposition Labour party has

led the charge against the cut to universal

credit, calling it "morally and economically

wrong" at a time of hardship for many.

Staff shortages -

Rishi Sunak, who unveiled the furlough

scheme just weeks after being appointed

finance minister, said he was "immensely

proud" of the initiative, workers and

businesses.

"With the (economic) recovery well under

way, and more than one million job

vacancies, now is the right time for the

scheme to draw to a close," he said.

Capital Economics analyst Paul Dales said

the end of furlough could help to fill some of

the many job vacancies in Britain.

"The end of the furlough scheme may help

ease some of the UK's current labour

shortages," he told AFP.

"This probably won't happen immediately,

but some of those people who have been kept

on the furlough and who will lose their jobs

will be free to look for and start work

elsewhere."

Britain has seen more than 136,000 people

die from Covid-19 during the pandemic but

some 82 percent of people aged 16 and over

have now been jabbed with two doses of

vaccine.

That has allowed shuttered businesses to

reopen after months of lockdown and social

distancing restrictions, even if case numbers

remain stubbornly high.

Staff shortages, though, have hit several

sectors due to a combined effect of the global

health crisis and Brexit, which saw many

foreign workers leave.

Britain has record job vacancies at more

than one million, while the unemployment

rate stands at 4.6 percent, down from a

pandemic-peak of 5.2 percent at the end of

last year.

A significant shortage of lorry drivers has

left empty supermarket shelves and fuel

supply issues, which has seen long queues of

motorists at filling stations for a week.

tueSDAY, oCtoBer 5, 2021

9

the tigers so far played 25 matches in the World Cup of this shortest version of cricket and won just

five-four of which came in the qualifying round.

photo: BCB

Upbeat Tigers brace for

T20 World Cup challenge

Watford sack

manager

Xisco Munoz

SportS DeSk

Watford on Sunday

announced the sacking of

head coach Xisco Munoz

after a poor start to the

Premier League season,

reports BSS.

The Spaniard leaves with the

club 14th in the Premier

League table having

collected just seven points

from their opening seven

games.

"The board feels recent

performances strongly

indicate a negative trend at a

time when team cohesion

should be visibly

improving," the club said in

a statement.

Munoz took charge at

Vicarage Road in December

and successfully guided the

club back to the top flight

with a second-placed finish

in the Championship last

season.

The statement added:

"The Hornets will always be

grateful to Xisco for the part

he played in securing last

season's promotion and

wish him well for his future

career in football.

"No further club comment

will be available until the

imminent announcement of

a new head coach."

Arsenal's momentum halted

by Brighton in stalemate

SportS DeSk

Brighton brought Arsenal's Premier League

winning run to a halt as the teams played out

an uninspiring 0-0 draw at a rain-drenched

Amex Stadium on Saturday,. reports BSS.

Graham Potter's men enjoyed the upper

hand for large parts of the game but lacked a

killer touch as the Gunners failed to build on

last weekend's impressive north London

derby win over Tottenham.

Albion fans will be encouraged as their

team climbed to fifth spot, two points behind

leaders Chelsea, while Arsenal moved up to

ninth.

Mikel Arteta accepted his team's below-par

performance only merited a point, with

Arsenal's tally of five goals from their

opening seven league games their lowest

total since the 1986/87 season.

"I was more concerned about the way we

played. We didn't make enough right

decisions," he told the BBC.

"Every time there was a duel where we

could escape pressure and attack open

spaces, we came up short and against this

structure we had to do better.

"I don't think we deserved to win the game.

We have to take the draw with the

performance we had and improve."

The Seagulls had made their best start to a

Premier League campaign after winning four

of their opening five games and hosted the

Gunners while above them in the table for

the first time since 1982.

But Arsenal had won their previous four

matches in all competitions after their worst

start to a league campaign for 67 years and

started brightly.

Bukayo Saka threatened in the first

minute, embarking on a mazy run and

working goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, but

Arsenal faded in a half Brighton dominated.

Leandro Trossard flashed a shot wide after

beating the offside trap and cutting inside

from the right.

Aaron Ramsdale -- selected by Gareth

Southgate for England's World Cup

qualifiers this month -- almost cost his team

when he dropped Neal Maupay's cross, but

Lewis Dunk blazed over.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the post

with a header in the 23rd minute but the

more energetic hosts continued to impress.

Trossard went close again as his deflected

shot narrowly cleared the crossbar following

Adam Lallana's cross. Emile Smith Rowe

had Arsenal's clearest chance in the second

half after being released by Thomas Partey

but ignored teammate Saka and fired

straight at Sanchez from a tight angle.

Marc Cucurella forced Ramsdale into an

awkward save in the 81st minute as the ball

skimmed the slick turf and bounced in front

of Arsenal's goalkeeper. Ramsdale

intervened again to deny Maupay a tap-in

following Solly March's header across goal,

while Shane Duffy went close with a header

from a corner, but neither team could find a

way through.

SportS DeSk

Bangladesh will enter into the

upcoming Twenty20World Cup in the

United Arab Emirates (UAE) and

Oman with a renewedconfidence,

stemming from their three straight

series victories includingAustralia and

New Zealand, reports BSS.

Albeit series victory against Australia

and New Zealand came at a

designedpitch but seven victories out of

10 matches between the two

neighbouringcountries would make

them ooze with confidence, the team

management hopes. They believe that

they have the best platform to end the

win drought inthe T20 World Cup.

The Tigers so far played 25 matches

in the World Cup of this

shortestversion of cricket and won just

five-four of which came in the

qualifyinground. They won only one

match against the West Indies in the

tournamentproper.

Bangladesh cricket's first poster boy

Mohammad Ashraful was the

architectof that six-wicket victory with

a blitzkrieg 27 ball-61, that included

sevenfours and three sixes. Aftab

Ahmed also played his part with a

brilliant 49ball-62 not out. Since that

landmark victory, a win continued to

elude themas they remain winless in

the 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016

World Cup.

This time the responsibility of the

team is in the hands of

MahmudullahRiyad. With a bunch of

young cricketers and having a wealth of

experience inShakib Al Hasan,

Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar,

Mustafizur Rahmand and LitonDas,

Bangladesh looked like a team to beat

any team in any kind of condition.But

still it will be a huge challenging matter,

specially when their abilityto play well

in the sporting wicket is utterly

questionable.

Bangladeshi team are starting its

journey to Oman tonight with

thatchallenge. They will have a practice

camp in Oman before they play

twoofficial warm up matches against

Sri Lanka and Ireland in UAE. Shakib

andMustafizur, who are in the UAE to

play in the IPL, will join the team

onOctober 9.

Mahmudullah and co went to Oman

two weeks ago to cope with the

condition.After a series of failures and

tasting criticism regarding their

T20performance,

captain

Mahmudullah is hoping to do

something good in the WorldCup this

time around.

The captain basically is confident

because of being bolstered by

severalallrounders and bowling might.

"Our strength is the team's

allrounders and the bowling

department,"Mahmudullah said.

"Besides, our batting is also good and

the balance of the team is great.

Wehave five or six allrounders who can

contribute to both the bat and the

ball.Our fast bowlers are performing

incredibly well at the moment. Spin is

alwaysour strength.

If they can put up their natural

performance, hopefully we willget

some good results. '

The recent performance of the team

is good. They have won 9 out of

13matches. There are also fond

memories of beating Australia 4-1

and NewZealand 3-2. Before beating

those two teams of Down Under,

Bangladesh alsowon against

Zimbabwe by 2-1 at away.

Messi suffers first PSG defeat

in loss at Rennes

SportS DeSk

Lionel Messi suffered his first defeat as

a Paris Saint-Germain player on

Sunday as their perfect start to the

Ligue 1 season ended with a 2-0 loss at

Rennes, reports BSS.

The Argentina star smacked the

crossbar with a free-kick in the first half

at Roazhon Park before Gaetan

Laborde volleyed Rennes ahead just

before the break with his leagueleading

sixth goal.

Flavien Tait struck less than 20

seconds after half-time to double the

lead for Rennes, with Kylian Mbappe

seeing a goal ruled out for offside as

PSG's eight-match winning run in the

league this term ended.

"We didn't start the match well but

then we played the best 25-30 minutes

of the season. It's a shame we didn't

score. We conceded two goals that were

hard to take," said PSG coach Mauricio

Pochettino.

PSG lost in the league for the first

time since April, when they were

beaten 1-0 at home by last season's

eventual champions Lille.

"In general, I'm satisfied, we created a

lot of chances. Rennes scored with their

first and the goal had a big emotional

impact," said Pochettino.

"I don't like to lose, there's a bit of

anger. To go 2-0 down after a good

period... We're disappointed not to

have finished off what we had. It leaves

us a bit bitter and disappointed."

Messi lined up alongside Neymar,

Mbappe and Angel Di Maria for just the

second match, making only his second

league start for PSG after missing the

past two Ligue 1 games with a knee

injury. Gianluigi Donnarumma again

got the nod ahead of Keylor Navas in

goal, having kept a clean sheet

midweek in PSG's Champions League

Lionel Messi suffered his first defeat as a paris Saint-Germain

player on Sunday as their perfect start to the Ligue 1 season ended

with a 2-0 loss at rennes.

photo: Ap

win over Manchester City. Looking to

keep pace with the team that won its

opening 14 games under Thomas

Tuchel in 2018, PSG created a series of

chances midway through the first half -

- all of which went to waste.

Neymar skied horribly after the ball

broke kindly to the Brazilian inside the

Rennes area and Mbappe was guilty of

another glaring miss when he scooped

over after getting in behind the home

defence. Messi, who bagged a

spectacular first goal PSG against City

on Tuesday, nearly got off the mark in

Ligue 1 but watched his curling freekick

from 25 yards clatter the bar on the

half-hour.

Rennes goalkeeper Alfred Gomis

crucially stuck out a hand to deny

Neymar a tap-in as Di Maria squared

across the six-yard box, and PSG paid

the price for their missed opportunities

on the stroke of half-time.

Kamaldeen Sulemana whipped in a

cross from the left which was thumped

beyond Donnarumma by Laborde, a

deadline day signing from Montpellier.

Rennes, who spent 80 million euros

($92.6 million) on new signings in the

summer -- more than anyone in France

including PSG -- caught the visitors

cold right at the start of the second half

to make it 2-0.

Laborde, released down the right,

pulled back for Tait to sweep in first

time -- the goal upheld after a VAR

check for offside, and greeted by and

deafening roar from a full house of

close to 30,000 once it was confirmed.

Sulemana fired a ferocious drive

narrowly over but PSG appeared to

have pulled one back when Mbappe

squeezed beyond Gomis, only for it to

be chalked off upon review.

It could have been worse for

Pochettino's side had a penalty

awarded to Rennes not been

overturned in the closing stages after

replays exonerated Achraf Hakimi

from a foul on Laborde.

Brighton brought Arsenal's premier League winning run to a halt as the teams played out an uninspiring

0-0 draw at a rain-drenched Amex Stadium.

photo: Ap

Nkunku strikes again

as Leipzig win eases

pressure on Marsch

SportS DeSk

RB Leipzig eased the pressure on coach

Jesse Marsch as Christopher Nkunku scored

twice in a 3-0 home win over Bundesliga

strugglers Bochum on Saturday, reports

BSS. Portugal striker Andre Silva scored just

42 seconds after coming on mid way

through the second-half to break the

deadlock before Nkunku took his tally this

season to nine goals in 10 games in all

competitions.

"It was a real struggle," said Marsch, "it

was an important moment for Andre and for

us when he scored." Leipzig CEO Oliver

Mintzlaff before kick-off admitted results

are "not what we imagined" after Tuesday's

home defeat by Club Brugge in the

Champions League which followed a 6-3

drubbing at Manchester City.

After Nkunku netted Leipzig's second

with a deft chip over Bochum goalkeeper

Manuel Riemann, a relieved Marsch

celebrated with his players on the sidelines.

"Things aren't easy for us, but it is no bad

thing when we have to fight for everything,"

added Marsch.

"We have learnt a lot in the last few

months and showed we're developing." The

result lifts Leipzig to seventh, six points

behind leaders Bayern Munich, who host

Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday. Earlier,

Borussia Dortmund proved they can win in

the Bundesliga without injured star striker

Erling Braut Haaland by grabbing a 2-1

victory at home to Augsburg.

With Haaland again in the stands at

Signal Iduna Park, having also missed

Tuesday's Champions League win over

Sporting Lisbon with a persistent leg injury,

Dortmund bounced back from last week's

defeat at Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Haaland is also set to miss Norway's

upcoming World Cup qualifiers against

Turkey and Montenegro.

Raphael Guerreiro converted a penalty in

the 10th minute only for Augsburg to

equalise through Swiss striker Andi Zeqiri.

Germany winger Julian Brandt struck

Dortmund's winner when he smashed

Marco Reus' clever pass into the net six

minutes into the second half.

"It was incredibly intense," said Brandt.

"I was a bit annoyed that we didn't score

the third goal, but when you win, you're

happy enough."The victory lifts Dortmund

to second, but Bayer Leverkusen can

leapfrog them on Sunday if they win at

Arminia Bielefeld.Freiburg, one of two clubs

still unbeaten along with Bayern, are third

and level on points with Dortmund after

their 2-1 win at Hertha Berlin. Striker Nils

Petersen, who specialises in goals off the

bench, grabbed a second-half winner just

two minutes after coming on at the Olympic

Stadium to give him his 30th Bundesliga

goal as a substitute.

Hertha's defeat, their fifth in seven league

games, piles pressure on coach Pal Dardai.

"We conceded from two deadball

situations, I can't also play and head the ball

away," said Dardai. Wolfsburg, league

leaders up until a fortnight ago, suffered a

second consecutive league defeat to drop to

fifth after losing 3-1 at home to resurgent

Moenchengladbach.American teenager Joe

Scally scored his first Bundesliga goal when

he fired in the visitors' third deep into added

time. Gladbach were 2-0 up after less than

seven minutes. Swiss striker Breel Embolo

proved his fitness after a leg injury with a

spectacular goal, then set up the second less

than two minutes later for Jonas Hofmann.

The hosts pulled one back when Ridle

Baku whipped in a cross which ricocheted

off three players to allow Luca Waldschmidt

to score. Wolfsburg had defender Maxence

Lacroix sent off for a second yellow card

after bringing Embolo down with 14

minutes left.

Liverpool boss

Klopp compares

anti-vax movement

to drink driving

SportS DeSk

Liverpool manager Jurgen

Klopp said people should get

vaccinated against

coronavirus for the same

reason they should not drink

and drive, as he revealed his

squad are "99 percent"

vaccinated, reports BSS.

Take-up of the vaccine has

been mixed among elite

athletes, with reports last

week suggesting only seven

of the 20 Premier League

clubs have over 50 percent

of their squads fully

vaccinated.

Klopp said that has not been

an issue at Liverpool, where

he has not had to convince

his players to get jabbed.

"I can say we have 99

percent vaccinated," said

Klopp. "I didn't have to

convince the players, it was

more a natural decision

from the team. I can't

remember talking to a player

and explaining him why he

should because I am not a

doctor." And he offered a

withering analogy for those

holding out against getting

vaccinated due to personal

choice.

"It's a little bit like drink

driving. We probably all had

a situation where we had a

beer or two and thought 'I

could still drive', but under

the law we are not allowed to

drive. "The law is not there

to protect me when I've

had two beers and want to

drive, it is there to protect

all the other people

because I am drunk and

want to drive a car.

TUesDAY, ocToBeR 5 , 2021

10

Shakib working in

different character for

Govt-Funded Film

10 renowned vocalists receives

Rtv Music Award 2020

TBT RepoRT

Ten renowned vocalists, lyricists and musicians

received 'Rtv Music Award 2020' on Saturday in

recognition to their efforts to create quality music.

Celebrated lyricist-music director Gazi Mazharul

Anwar was also honoured with Lifetime Achievement

Award for his contribution to Bangla music at the

award-giving ceremony held at Sonargaon Hotel in the

capital city on Saturday night. The awards were

distributed under 10 categories, said a press release

issued Sunday.

Vocalist Moutushi won the award at the event for

Best Female Singer while Sabbir Zaman received the

award for Best Male Singer. CloseUp1 star Salma took

home the award for Best Female Folk Singer while

Baul Shafi Mondal won the Best Folk Singer award

under Male category. The other recipients are-

Shahidullah Farazi (Best Lyricist), Sunil Chandra Das

(Best Musician), Shouquat Ali Imon (Best Music

Director), Protic Hasan (Best Promising Singer),

Dhrubotara (Best Band). The Best YouTube Video

Award went to singer Sultana Yeasmin Laila's

rendition of the song 'Sokhi Go Amar Mon Bhala Naa'.

She along with JK Majlish and Nur Hossain Hira

received the award for the collaboration.

Amber Heard will be playing Mera in the

'Aquaman' sequel, 'Aquaman' and the Lost

Kingdom. This is despite an online

campaign that called for her removal, with

supporters hoping that she would be fired

in the same way that her ex-husband

Johnny Depp was dropped from the

Fantastic Beasts franchise, where he had

played the dark wizard Grindel wald.

The divisive and public divorce

between the pair resulted in allegations

of domestic abuse by both parties, with

Heard initially winning widespread

sympathy for her claims. However,

after Depp aired his side of the story,

social media opinion swung in his

favor. Depp also lost a civil suit

against British tabloid The

Sun in a case centered

on a 2018 article that

referred to him as a

"wife-beater."

After the verdict,

Depp was replaced

in the upcoming

'Fantastic Beasts:

The Secrets of

Dumbledore' by

Mads Mikkelsen

(Hannibal,

Casino Royale),

leading to

Depp's

After receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award,

Gazi Mazharul Anwar said, "This honour from Rtv is

very important to me.""Our culture is our key strength.

Keep me in your prayers so that I can continue write,"

he added. The event had performances by renowned

band Miles, Shouquat Ali Imon and his musical troupe

'Symphony Classical Orchestra', Emon Chowdhury

and his troupe, Hasan S Iqbal and Dristy Anam. A

mini-documentary showcasing the life of Gazi

Mazharul Anwar was also presented on the occasion.

The award ceremony was powered by Linnex Mobile

while its music partner was Rtv Music.

The event was attended by Information and

Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud,

Information and Communication Technology State

Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Agriculture Minister

Dr Md Abdur Razzaque, Rtv Chairman Morshed Alam

MP, Rtv Managing Director Humayun Kabir Bablu,

Japanese Ambassador in Dhaka Naoki Ito, singers

Khurshid Alam, Yasmin Mushtari Linu Billah,

musicians Foad Nasser Babu, Naquib Khan, Manam

Ahmed and Haider Hossain, among others.

Produced by Shahriar Islam and anchored by

singers Sajia Sultana Putul and Alif Alauddin, the event

was broadcasted live on Rtv and its Facebook page and

YouTube channel on Saturday.

Amber won't be removed from

'Aquaman 2' producer explains

supporters accusing DC Films of

unequal treatment. However,

'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'

producer Peter Safran said the

campaign had no bearing on Heard's

role in the forthcoming movie, saying

on Deadline's Hero Nation podcast

that he doesn't "think we're ever

going to react to, honestly, pure

fan pressure."

One is not unaware of what is

going on in the Twitter-verse, but

that doesn't mean you have to react to

it or take it as gospel or accede to their

wishes. You have to do what's right

for the film, and that's really where

we landed on it.

For her part, Heard

suggested to

Entertainment Weekly

that the support for

Depp online

amounted to "paid

rumors and paid

campaigns on social

media." At the time

of writing, nearly two

million people have

signed a petition on

Change.org for

Heard's removal.

Source : Times of India

TBT RepoRT

Shakib Khan is the top hero of

Dhaka cinema. He has been

ruling the Dhaliwood industry

exclusively for several years. The

main reason is that it has changed

over time. So there is always a

different interest in the audience

around Shakib. The shooting of

the movie or the release of

everything is an additional surge

of his fans. The good news for

those fans is that the superstar

has recently started shooting for a

new government-sponsored

The 1971 Liberation War-based play 'Ghum

Nei,' written by legendary theatre

personality Nasir Uddin Yousuff and

directed by John Martin, was staged on

Sunday at Bangladesh Mohila Samity,

Bailey Road in the capital after eight long

years, reports UNB.

Ramendu Majumdar, the Ekushey Padak

winning cultural personality and Honorary

President of International Theater Institute

(ITI, inaugurated the re-staging of the play

at 6:30 pm on Sunday at Bangladesh

Mohila Samity's Nilima Ibrahim

Auditorium.

Nasir Uddin Yousuff, Md Jakerul Abedin,

and Dr Md Tajul Islam were among the

guests of honor at the event, which was

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son,

Aryan Khan, is being questioned by the

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) after the

agency raided a cruise ship off the Mumbai

coast and busted a party onboard where

drugs were being used, a senior official said

on Sunday. "He was on the cruise ship where

the agency raided in the night and busted a

rave party," NCB zonal director Sameer

Wankhede said.

Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri

Khan's eldest son, is being questioned by the

NCB at its Ballard Estate office in south

Mumbai. The NCB has arrested eight people

and detained several others for questioning

in connection with the rave party on the

cruise ship. NCB officials said that they

received information about the rave party

and booked tickets and boarded the cruise

ship posing as passengers. There were

movie called 'Galui'. Shakib has

been shooting for the movie since

Thursday (September 30) in

Jamalpur. Produced by

Khorshed Alam Khasru, the film

is being directed by SA Haque

Alik.

In the movie, Shakib is playing

the role of a boatman. This is the

first time he is working in such a

different character outside the

circle of action-romance. Actress

Pooja Cheri is starring opposite

Shakib. The film is based on the

traditional boat race of rural

Bengal and the life story of a large

town. Regarding this movie,

director SA Haque Alik said,

Shakib Khan's character's name

is Lalu. He has prepared himself

as Lalu by breaking himself. He is

acting with all his heart.

Hopefully, a different Shakib

Khan will come up on the screen.

Moreover, Shakib Khan said

about the film, "I agreed to do the

work after hearing the story of the

movie. The audience wants

innovation. I have always tried to

present myself anew. Moreover,

presided over by Advocate Afzal Hossain,

Organizing Secretary of the Bangladesh

Awami League and former President of

Mahakal Natya Sampradaya.

"The 1971 Liberation War is very precious

to us, not only because of our victory but

also for the values we learned through the

war as a nation. This is our root, and we

need to go back to our roots through more

productions like this by the theatre groups,

for the sake of our history and culture,"

Ramendu Majumdar said at the event.

Describing his experience as the

playwright, Nasir Uddin Yousuff said, "I

have been known as a director and do not

write plays very often, however, this one has

its own significance as it was written during

hundreds of passengers on the Goa-bound

ship, an official said.

People familiar with the matter said this

was the first time that NCB raided a rave

party on a cruise ship. The operation went on

past midnight. NCB officials found several

there is another kind of love story

in Golui. Director SA Haque Alik

has always built a good love story.

So I closed my eyes and

associated myself with this

movie."

Meanwhile, Shakib Khan has

also revealed the look of 'Galui' on

his official Facebook page. There

he was seen wearing lungi, fatwa

and amulet around his neck. This

new look of the handsome hero

has also gone viral on social

media.

Mahakal stages

Nasir Uddin

Yousuff's play

'Ghum Nei' at

Mohila Samity

a very unstable time in 1983, from my

personal experience."

'Ghum Nei' was first staged in 1994 at

Bangladesh Mahila Samity, and so far the

drama has been staged for 108th times. The

play was last staged in 2013 at the Gono

Bishwa Bidyalay campus.

Its 100th presentation was staged on

December 6, 2011 at the National Theatre

Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

(BSA), marking the 40th anniversary of

independence.

Mahakal Natya Sampradaya will stage the

play's next iteration at the ongoing Ganga-

Jamuna Cultural Festival on the evening of

October 5 at the National Theater of BSA..

Shah Rukh's son Aryan being questioned

after cruise ship raid: NCB official

drugs like cocaine, MDMA, Mephedrone and

charas from those who have been detained

after the raid.

Three women, who are residents of Delhi,

were on Sunday brought to the Narcotics

Control Bureau (NCB) office in Mumbai for

questioning in connection with the raid. NCB

officers could not interrogate the women at

night and brought them to the agency's

Mumbai office in the morning. An NCB

official said that their role is still not clear.

Crew members, several event organisers

and some foreign nationals are also under

NCB's scanner. A Delhi-based event

company is believed to have organised the

parties on passenger cruises on October 2, 3

and 4. The cruise ship was scheduled to go to

Goa on Saturday night and return to

Mumbai by Monday.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

H o R o s c o p e

ARIes

(March 21 - April 20) : Add a bit of

spice in your life by engaging in

spontaneous activities. It's time to get

out and enjoy more of the world.

Explore those things that are inherently different

from what you'd expect to find. Pick the closed

door instead of the open one through which you

can see to the other side.

TAURUs

(April 21 - May 21) : There may be some

emotional strain and tension in your

world, but this can be remedied when

you look at things in perspective. Don't

get weighed down by passing moods that cripple

your productivity. Focus on the things that are

working well in your life and concentrate your

energy on those. Your communication skills and

humanitarianism will pull you out of your rut today.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : People may be

bearing down hard on you. They will have

some facts to back themselves up. Your

brain is like a computer storing bits of information to

use at times like this. No one is safe against a mental and

emotional arsenal like yours. If you've done your

homework and prepared well, the challenges should

prove to be no problem for you.

cANceR

(June 22 - July 23) : This is a great

day for you. You may feel like you can

exercise more of your freedom.

Break any shackles that seem to be

holding you back. There's no reason to feel

hindered. Your adventuresome attitude is brave,

and there's a great deal of territory to conquer.

Get focused and go. You have the green light.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): You're in a sticky

emotional battle in which someone

is trying to twist your words to

make you look like the bad guy. As

soon as you try to get a project started, someone

moves counter to your aims. Perhaps this is all

due to a misunderstanding. Take the time to

clear the air in all your relationships.

VIRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Friendships

go surprisingly well for you

now, so look to them for the

support you seek. Future plans

may be uncertain, so don't worry about

them now. It's important to bask in each

moment and give thanks for every breath.

You should feel good, so take aggressive

action.

LIBRA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Lessons may come

in odd shapes and sizes today, so don't

feel like you need to make immediate

sense of every little thing. Instead of overanalyzing

everything and becoming paralyzed by the

emotions you feel, take decisive action and make

mistakes. This is where the lessons come in. Let

them teach you what you need to know.

scoRpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : You're in for

some unexpected surprises, but

don't worry, because most of them

will be exciting and welcome.

Prepare yourself by being open and accepting

of other people and the new situations they

bring. The path of least resistance will take you

exactly where you need to go. Move toward

people who radiate loving, positive energy.

sAGITTARIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): You may feel like

you're driving on a highway and

suddenly all the lanes merge. This

bottleneck should cause you

tension and difficulty. Your first reaction may

be to let all the other people go by. Keep in

mind that on a day like this, you'll never get

where you need to be unless you're more

aggressive.

cApRIcoRN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): Get things started.

You have many fantastic ideas. Really,

the hardest thing for you now is to

choose which one to pursue first.

Activities that engage your creativity and sensitivity

are most appealing now. Give some strength to your

heart, which is normally seen as being tender and

overly sensitive. Know that you're brave and go for

the gold.

AQUARIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : You may feel like a

mouse trying to get the cheese in the

middle of the kitchen floor. From your

corner, you can see the cheese in the

distance. Yet you know a cat lurks nearby. As soon

as you step into the open and out of your protected

spot, the cat will react quickly and with great force.

You might just want to wait until another day before

grabbing the cheese.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Your emotions

receive a boost of support from those

around you. Be careful that you don't

let this energy go to your head. This is

a good day to sit back and gain perspective on

things instead of assuming you have all the

answers. Opportunities will come to you when

you join a team of progressive thinkers who aren't

afraid to push beyond current boundaries.

1,06,982 Covid-19

patients cured

in Khulna

KHULNA : A total of 59 more

people were cured from

Covid-19 in the division during

the last 24 hours, taking

the recovery cases to 1,06,982

since the pandemic began in

March last year, reports BSS.

On the other hand, 37

more people have tested

positive for the deadly virus in

the division on the day,

climbing the number of

infected cases to 1,12,285, said

Assistant Director (Health) of

Khulna division Dr. Ferdousi

Akther said today.

"The percentage of

recovered Covid-19 patients

stands at 95.27 in the

division," Dr. Ferdousi Akther

said. "We received 527

samples of suspected

coronavirus patients at KMC in

Khulna and other samples in

Jashore and Kushtia.

Taliban raid suspected IS hideout

after bombing in capital

KABUL : Taliban forces raided an Islamic

State affiliate's hideout in the Afghan capital

and killed several insurgents, hours after a

deadly bombing outside a mosque in Kabul,

the Taliban said Monday, reports UNB.

Sunday's bombing outside the Eid Gah

mosque killed five civilians, and while no

claim of responsibility was made, suspicion

quickly fell on the Islamic State group, which

has ramped up attacks against its Taliban

enemy since their takeover of Kabul in mid-

August.

Taliban officials had gathered at the mosque

to mourn the passing of Taliban spokesman

Zabihullah Mujahid's mother.

In a statement Monday, Mujahid said

Taliban forces raided an Islamic State

operations center in the northern Kabul

neighborhood of Khair Khana. It did not say

how many IS insurgents killed or whether any

Taliban were injured in the operation.

Sunday's bombing was the deadliest attack

since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan

with the chaotic departure of the last U.S.

troops on Aug. 31. The Islamic State group

had claimed responsibility for the horrific

bombing on Aug. 26 that killed more than 169

Afghans and 13 U.S. military personnel

outside the Kabul airport, where thousands of

people were trying to reach the airport to

escape Taliban rule.

The Islamic State reemerged in Afghanistan

in 2020 after being weakened by a heavy

U.S. bombing campaign directed against

them in the eastern part of the country in

2019. They were blamed for a horrific attack

in 2020 on a maternity hospital that killed

24 people, including newborn babies. Earlier

this year, they were held responsible for a

brutal attack on a school in Afghanistan's

mostly Shiite neighborhood of Dasht-e-

Barchi that killed more than 80 students.

Sunday's bombing underscores the

growing challenges for the Taliban. The

group carried out frequent attacks during

their 20-year insurgency, but are now faced

with trying to contain rival militants who

have used the same methods. And they are

doing so during a national economic

meltdown without the massive foreign aid

given to U.S.-backed government they

toppled.

Hundreds of migrants rescued

off Libyan coast: UNHCR

TRIPOLI : Hundreds of migrants had been rescued off

Libya's coast in two separate operations, the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Sunday,

reports UNB.

In one of the operations, "around 500 people disembarked

at Azzawiya Refinery Point after being rescued/intercepted

at sea on wooden boat this morning," the UNHCR tweeted.

In the other operation, the agency added, 56 people,

including three children, were rescued after the engine on

their rubber boat had broken at sea.

Libya, suffering insecurity and chaos since 2011, has been a

preferred point of departure for migrants who want to cross

the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

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TueSdAy, OcTOBeR 5, 2021

11

A three-month self-defense training course has been started in Tangail for women's empowerment.

On this occasion, a discussion meeting was organized at the Shishu Poribar Balika Bidyaloy in

Tangail on Monday afternoon at the initiative of Manab Pragati Sangha. Photo : TBT

S(21)(281)

GD-1452/21 (5x3)

Police arrested Imran and Robin in a killing case of

Ashikur Rahman Rocky who was the general secretary

of Fulchair upazila chhatra league. Photo : TBT

Palestinian

president hosts

Israeli ministers

in West Bank

RAMALLAH : The Palestinian

president hosted two Israeli

Cabinet ministers for a latenight

meeting Sunday, in a

new sign of slowly improving

ties between the sides, reports

UNB.

Israeli Health Minister

Nitzan Horowitz and Regional

Cooperation Minister Esawi

Freij were the second group of

Cabinet members to meet with

Palestinian President

Mahmoud Abbas since the

new Israeli government took

office in June. Defense

Minister Benny Gantz also met

with Abbas at his West Bank

headquarters in August.

The new Israeli government

is comprised of eight parties

spanning the Israeli political

spectrum, from far-right

hardliners who oppose a

Palestinian state to dovish

parties that support a two-state

solution. Horowitz and Freij

were joined by other members

of their Meretz party, the most

dovish faction in the coalition.

Horowitz leads the party.

Israeli Prime Minister

Naftali Bennett comes from a

small, hardline religious party,

and he has ruled out the

establishment of a Palestinian

state on his watch. But he has

called for reducing frictions,

primarily by taking steps to

boost the Palestinian

economy.

GD-1458/21 (7x4)

we`ÿ r/Rb-180(2)/4/10/2021

GD-1455/21 (4x3)

GD-1454/21 (7x4)

Tuesday, Dhaka: October 5, 2021; Ashwin 20, 1428 BS; Safar 27, 1443 Hijri

Kitchen markets in Dhaka

take the heat from

22-day Hilsa ban

DHAKA : Kitchen markets in Dhaka

saw huge crowds of Hilsa lovers on

Sunday evening as they rushed to

buy the delicious fish ahead of a 22-

day ban on its catching, selling,

hoarding and transporting, reports

UNB.

Many of the customers, however,

retuned home empty as most of the

sellers of the popular fish ran out of

their stocks by 10 PM due to its high

demand and supply crunch.

Talking to UNB, some Hilsa traders

at Karwan Bazar said this season saw

its higher prices due to its short supply

and large volumes of export.

"The demand was very high, even

well before the restriction period,

due to the short supply," said Kamrul

Hasan, a fish trader.

The government has given a goahead

to 52 companies to export 2,080

tonnes of Hilsa to India by October 10,

ahead of Durga Puja, the largest festival

of the Hindu community.

The government had banned the

Hilsa export to India in 2012 but it

approved the export of 500 tonnes of

the fish in 2019 and 475 tonnes in

2020.

The 22-day Hilsa ban took effect on

Sunday midnight as it is aimed at

ensuring the safe spawning of the

popular fish during its peak breeding

period. The ban will remain in place

till October 25.

Fisheries Department, upazila and

district administrations, police and

coast guard personnel will carry out

regular drives to make sure that the

ban is implemented strictly.

Aminul Islam, district fisheries

officer of Laxmipur, told UNB that

there are around 52,000 fishermen

in his district and 3,000 of them are

registered.

They will get around 40 kg food aid

as compensation during this restriction

period, he said.

Meanwhile, the district administration

was seen campaigning along

riversides to make the fishermen

aware about the importance of the

government decision.

On Sunday, Raunak Mahmud, secretary

of the fisheries and livestock

ministry , said some 1,118.068 metric

tons of VGF rice has been allocated

for 555,944 fishermen families in 36

districts where the ban on selling and

fishing Hilsa will be enforced.

According to Protection and

Conservation of Fish Rules, 1985,

fishermen not abiding by the ban can

be punished with a minimum of 1 to

maximum of 2 years' rigorous

imprisonment or be fined up to TK

5,000.

BGMEA seeks

Germany's support

to continue duty

benefits in EU

DHAKA : The Bangladesh Garment

Manufacturers and Exporters Association

(BGMEA) has sought Germany's support

for the continuation of duty- and quotafree

access for Bangladeshi goods to the

European Union for a period of 12 years,

following the country's graduation from

LDC status in 2026.

The continuation of the benefits is

essential to ensure a smooth transition out

of the LDC status for Bangladesh. At present

it is able to avail the benefits under the

EU's Everything But Arms initiative for

LDCs, reports UNB.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan

made the request during a meeting with

the newly appointed Ambassador of

Germany Achim Troster on Monday.

BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah

Azim, Vice President Miran Ali and Caren

Blume, Head of Development Section at

the German Embassy, were also present.

The BGMEA President welcomed the

new German Ambassador and apprised

him of the present situation of

Bangladesh's apparel industry, its challenges,

opportunities and future priorities.

Highlighting the progress made by the

industry in the areas of workplace safety,

environmental sustainability and workers'

welfare, Faruque Hassan requested the

envoy to promote the RMG industry positively

to his government, buyers and other

relevant stakeholders.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan

thanked Ambassador Achim Troster for

the German government's friendly support

to the betterment of the Bangladesh

RMG industry.

A temporary

vaccination

centre has been

inaugurated

at Dhaka

University's

Martyred

Intellectual Dr

Muhammad

Murtaza

Medical Centre

for its teachers,

students,

officials and

employees.

Photo :

Courtesy

Forced haircuts at RUB

Students give statement before

probe committee

SIRAJGANJ : Fourteen students of

Rabindra University Bangladesh

(RUB), who were allegedly subjected

to the humiliation of forced haircuts

in public by a member of their

proctorial board, have given their

statements before a 5-member committee

formed to probe the incident,

reports UNB.

Meanwhile the accused teacher,

Farhana Yasmin Baten, who chaired

the Cultural Heritage and

Bangladesh Studies Department of

the university before resigning over

the incident, has sought two weeks

to give her statement.

Starting from Sunday morning,

thirteen of the students gave their

statements appearing in person

before the committee, while one

who remains hospitalised after trying

to commit suicide out of humiliation

over the incident appeared virtually.

Apart from the victims, all students

of the Cultural Heritage and

Bangladesh Studies Department, fifteen

other students of the department,

three teachers, five officials,

and five students of a different

department gave witness statements

on the incident.

Additionally eight other students

from different departments gave

statements on the arbitrary treatment

they had received from

Farhana Yasmin Baten over the last

three years.

"Many victims broke down into

tears while explaining the humiliation

they faced that day in the name

of discipline, " said spokesperson for

the students' protest movement

over the incident AKM Nazmul

Hossain.

Farhana Yasmin sent an e-mail

addressed to the Vice-Chancellor of

the university seeking two weeks for

giving her statement, according to

treasurer Abdul Latif, who is currently

on routine post of VC.

On September 26, Farhana

instructed an office assistant to trim

the hair of 14 first-year students as

they were entering examination

halls, apparently for ignoring her

previous instructions to get haircuts.

Unable to bear the humiliation,

Nazmul Hasan Tuhin, 25, a student

of the department, consumed sleeping

pills the following day in an

attempt to take his own life.

Although she submitted her resignation

as department chair, assistant

proctor, and member of the

proctorial board, Farhana has continued

to deny the allegations and

claimed the charges against her

were all fabricated, as she rejected

the request of a few students to

defer the exam.

On Thursday, the RUB students

staged protests demanding the termination

of the teacher.

The following day, the High Court

asked the RUB VC and registrar to

take steps against those involved in

the incident and to file a report

within a month.

On Thursday night, the RUB

authorities suspended Farhana

from her teaching position as well.

On Saturday, following assurance

by Education Minister Dipu Moni of

launching a probe into the incident,

students eased their protest and

unlocked the administrative building

of the university.

Head of the probe committee

proctor Layla Ferdous disagreed to

give any statement on the matter

while their work is still ongoing.

The ferry services on the Shimulia-Banglabazar route started experimentally on Monday

after a halt of one and a half month due to repeated collisions with the pillars of the

Padma Bridge.

Photo: Md Manik Mia

No fear of debt trap for

Bangladesh: Minister

DHAKA : Planning Minister MA

Mannan on Monday said there is no

scope for Bangladesh to get stuck in

debt trap noting that its foreign currency

reserve is growing with lower

rate of borrowing considering the

size of GDP, reports UNB.

"There's no fear for Bangladesh to

get into debt trap," he said while

addressing a webinar. Speaking as

the chief guest, Minister Mannan

said Bangladesh takes loan considering

all aspects and thinking well

before taking a decision.

He hoped that the bilateral relations

between Bangladesh and China

will be strengthened further.

Mannan also hoped that the investment

of Chinese companies in

Bangladesh will increase with an

improved relation between the two

countries.

The Planning Minister hoped that

the Chinese government will take all

necessary steps to help Bangladesh

students who got stuck here due to

Covid-19 to return to China for continuing

their studies.

The Association of Bangladesh

China Alumni (ABCA) organized the

webinar on the occasion of "72nd

Anniversary of the founding of the

People's Republic of China and 46th

Anniversary of Establishment of

Diplomatic Relations between

Bangladesh and China".

Humayun A Kamal, former

Ambassador of Bangladesh to China,

presented the keynote paper at the

webinar presided by Ambassador

Munshi Faiz Ahmad, President of

ABCA and former Ambassador of

Bangladesh to China.

Yan Hualong, Minister Counselor

and Deputy Chief of Mission,

Embassy of the People's Republic of

China in Bangladesh, participated in

it as a special guest.

Hasina seeks Japan's

support for early solution

to Rohingya crisis

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Monday sought Japan's

new Prime Minister's support for an

early voluntary, safe and sustainable

repatriation of the displaced and distressed

Myanmar citizens to their

homeland, reports UNB.

"... I seek your support for an early

voluntary, safe and sustainable repatriation

of these displaced and distressed

people to their ancestral

homes in Rakhine," she said.

She said both the countries share a

common stance on resolving the crisis

of forcibly-displaced Rohingyas

from Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The Prime Minister said this while

greeting the newly appointed

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio

Kishida through a letter sent to him.

Fumio Kishida is the 100th Prime

Minister of Japan.

Hasina said Kishida's election is a

manifestation of the trust and confidence

reposed on his able and dynamic

leadership by the people of Japan,

his party-the Liberal Democratic Party

(LDP), and the Diet.

She said both the countries enjoy

excellent relations which are based

on mutual trust, respect, friendship,

and cooperation since Bangladesh's

independence.

Hasina recalled the historic visit of

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in this particular

month of October in 1973 that

laid down the foundation of an unwavering

and lasting friendship

between the two countries.

She expressed with confidence that

time-tested friendship has now

evolved into a 'Comprehensive

Partnership' which has been agreed

to elevate to 'Strategic Partnership'.

"We particularly look forward to

celebrating the golden jubilee of our

diplomatic relations next year with

much fanfare," she said.

Hasina hoped that the existing cordial

ties between the two countries

will further be strengthened in the

days to come.

Expressing satisfaction over the

increased Japanese investment in the

infrastructural development of

Bangladesh, she said Japanese companies

are attracted by the favorable

investment climate in Bangladesh.

Hasina believes that their wider

engagements would be mutually beneficial,

and acknowledged with deep

appreciation the cooperation and

assistance by the government and the

people of Japan during this Covid-19

pandemic.

After overcoming this pandemic,

she hoped that both countries will

reengage, recommit and revitalize the

relations with mutually trusted partners.

"Bangladesh and Japan, as trusted

partners and peace-loving nations,

have always worked together in supporting

each other in various international

fora and in promoting global

peace, progress, and prosperity."

She recalled Fumio's past visit to

Bangladesh and made a fresh invitation

to visit again at his convenience

as the Prime Minister of Japan to

Bangladesh to see Japan-Bangladesh

signature projects.

Hasina expressed her deep commitment

to work closely with Fumio

and his cabinet as she has been

maintaining partnership with his

predecessors Prime Minister Shinzo

Abe and Prime Minister SUGA

Yoshihide, to further consolidate

the bilateral relations between our

two countries.

CID files charge-sheet

against Pori Moni

in drugs case

DHAKA : Criminal Investigation

Department (CID) on Monday filed chargesheet

against actress Pori Moni and two

others in a case lodged under narcotics control

act. The two other accused are- Ashraful

Islam Dipu and Kabir Chowdhury.

Investigation officer and CID Inspector

Mostafa Kamal filed the charge-sheet with

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court on

Monday.

A court on September 28 asked police to

return 16 items including car, Iphone and

laptop to Pori Moni, which were earlier

seized from the actress. The IO on

September 26 filed a report, proposing to

return the goods, saying it won't hamper

the probe.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge

KM Imrul Qayesh on August 31 allowed

bail to Pori Moni in the case and she was

finally released from the jail the next day.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained

Pori Moni on August 4 from her Banani

flat and seized huge amounts of foreign

liquors and different drugs from there.

Poland praises

Bangladesh's

economic growth

DHAKA : Poland Ambassador to

Uzbekistan Rados?aw Gruk has showed

interest in the latest development activities

in Bangladesh and praised economic

growth, reports UNB.

The Ambassador of Poland visited

Bangladesh Embassy in Tashkent on

Monday and met Bangladesh

Ambassador Md Zahangir Alam.

Ambassador Alam discussed cooperation

of Poland with Uzbekistan, showed

interest in the context of agreements

signed between Poland and Uzbekistan

and the main obstacles to obtaining

European Shenzhen visa to visit Poland.

SAFF Championship

10-man Bangladesh

come from behind

to draw with India

DHAKA : Defender Yeasin Arafat

helped a 10-men Bangladesh earn a

thrilling 1-1 draw against India with

the men red and green coming back

from behind in the second half to earn

a crucial point in the Maldives

Monday, reports UNB.

With the draw in the day's match of

the five-nation SAFF Championship

2021 at the National Stadium in Male,

Bangladesh are now leading the points

table with four points from two matches

after beating Sri Lanka 1-0 in the tournament

opener.

Both the Bangladesh goals were

scored by two defenders, Topu Barman

against Sri Lanka and Yeasin Arafat

against India.

A lot of Bangladeshi fans gathered at

the stadium to cheer their national team.

In the remaining matches of the

regional soccer meet, Bangladesh will

face hosts Maldives on October 7 at

10pm and Nepal on October 13 at 5pm,

both at the National Stadium.

Captain Sunil Chhetri put India ahead

in the 26th minute, using a right-wing

cross from Udoy Singh (1-0). It was his

76th international goal and the 6th

against Bangladesh. But Bangladesh

defender Yeasin's 74th-minute equaliser

ensured the teams shared the points.

05-10-2021

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