24-10-2021

Sunday

Dhaka: October 24, 2021; kartik 8, 1428 BS; Rabi-ul-awal 16,1443 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 175; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

'Widespread' racial

harassment found at

Utah school district

>Page 7

Govt plans to raise

number of classes

in schools, colleges:

Dipu Moni

CHANDPUR : Education Minister Dipu

Moni on Saturday said the government

is planning to increase the number of

classes in schools and colleges from

January next, reports UNB.

The minister said this while talking to

local journalists after inaugurating a

new complex of Palli Bidyut Samiti-2 at

Raldia village in Chandpur.

She said it is not possible to take any

immediate decision on increasing classes

as some countries are seeing the third

wave of Covid-19 infections.

"Classes have to be taken following

health guidelines and maintaining social

distance for now," said Dipu Moni.

"We don't even have enough space in

classrooms to properly maintain the

health guidelines. So, we'll think about

increasing the number of classes from

January if the Covid-19 situation

remains under control," she added.

School and college students in

Bangladesh returned to their classrooms

on September 11 after a prolonged closure

due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government had shut the educational

institutions on March 17, 2020,

after the country reported its first Covid-

19 cases on March 8 and later the closure

was extended several times.

The pandemic-related school closures

in the country affected about 38 million

students though the government introduced

TV-based learning programmes

for them.

Two nabbed for

Rangpur arson

attacks 'admit guilt'

DHAKA : The Rapid Action Battalion

(RAB) has detained two persons, including

the prime suspect, allegedly responsible

for burning down the homes and

shops of the Hindus in Rangpur.

Saikat Mandal, 24, son of Rashedul

Haque and his accomplice Rabiul Islam,

36, son of Moslem Uddin of Pirganj

upazila, have been nabbed by RAB-13

personnel from Gazipur district's Tongi

area, following a raid based on a tip-off,

sources told UNB on Saturday.

During preliminary interrogation, the

two admitted their guilt, Director (Legal

and Media Wing) at the Rab headquarters

Commander Khandaker Al Moin

told reporters.

The detainees told interrogators

that they had used loudspeakers to

instigate people to carry out the arson

attacks in a bid to create anarchy and

disrupt communal harmony in the

country, after posting misleading

comments on social media, the RAB

Commander said.

"Saikat provoked people by uploading

false information on Facebook. He led a

number of arson attacks directly. Rabiul

used loudspeakers to instigate people,

on Saikat's instructions," said Moin.

After the attacks, Saikat, a student of a

Rangpur college, went into hiding.

"Efforts are on to take legal steps against

the detainees," said RAB officers.

Zohr

04:46 AM

11:50 PM

03:50 PM

05:30 PM

06:50 PM

5:59 5:26

Cumilla desecration

SPortS

Ronaldo's duel with Salah

takes centre stage as

Man Utd face Liverpool

>Page 9

PM calls for united efforts

for building inclusive UN

based on cooperation

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

has called for uniting the efforts of all to

build a more robust and inclusive United

Nations (UN) based on mutual respect,

partnership, cooperation, and solidarity.

"On this auspicious occasion, let us unite

our efforts to build a more robust and

inclusive United Nations (UN) based on

mutual respect, partnership, cooperation,

and solidarity. Let the United Nations be

our beacon of hope.

On this historic year when the country is

celebrating the golden jubilee of its

Independence and the Birth Centenary of

the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh

commits to doing its part in shaping

together the future of our peoples and creating

a blueprint for a better future," she

said.

The premier said this in a separate message

issued on Saturday on the occasion of

the UN's 76th founding anniversary.

She added that on the auspicious occasion

of the 76the anniversary of the United

Nations, Bangladesh joins the international

community in reiterating its unwavering

commitment to the purposes and

Principles of the United Nations Charter.

Over the last 76 years, the United

Nations has championed human progress

on many fronts, including peace and security,

human rights, decolonization, women

empowerment, sustainable development

and so on, she said.

"However, in many parts of the world,

we see people are struggling to establish

their fundamental rights. The rightful

strife of the Palestinian people and

decades' long persecution of Rohingyas in

Myanmar are few examples," she added.

Moreover, when there are so many

unresolved issues and challenges such

as climate change, disarmament, terrorism,

ethnic and religious intolerance,

the world has encountered an

invisible, deadly pandemic ravaging

the lives and livelihoods with millions

of deaths for the last two years, she

said, adding that in this context, the

timeless values of the UN Charter to

"unite our strength" for serving "we the

peoples" have become more relevant

than ever before.

Iqbal, 3 others remanded

in 7-day police custody

CUMILLA : A local court on Saturday

remanded prime suspect Iqbal Hossain

and three others in seven-day police custody

in connection with a case filed over

the alleged desecration of the holy Quran

in Cumilla, reports UNB.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Mithila

Zahan Nipa sent the four accused to

seven-day police custody, rejecting investigating

officer Mafizul Islam's prayer for a

10-day remand for custodial interrogation

and further investigation in the case.

The three other accused in the case have

been identified as Faisal and Hafez

Humayun, the two khadims of Darogabari

shrine, and Ekram.

Police arrested Iqbal, who allegedly kept

the holy Quran at a Durga Puja venue in

Cumilla, from Cox's Bazar district on

Thursday night after identifying him by

scanning the footage of closed-circuit television

(CCTV) cameras.

The three others were arrested from different

parts of the country.

Iqbal's alleged act drew accusations of

desecrating the holy book hurled at the

Hindu community and triggered communal

tension and violence across the country.

Iqbal is believed to have placed the

holy Quran inside Nanuar Dighi Par puja

mandap in Cumilla city in the early hours

of October 13, which led to attacks on

Durga Puja venues across the country

recently.

Cops filed a case in this connection at the

Kotwali police station the following day.

Violence against houses and businesses

of the Hindu community followed in several

districts, including Chandpur,

Noakhali, Chattogram and Rangpur, leaving

at least seven people dead and many

injured. Of the dead, five were Muslim

rioters who died in police firing.

Iqbal was most likely instructed to keep

the Quran at the mandap by others to

stoke communal tensions, according to

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

"Everything was done in a planned way.

The man, who had kept the Quran at the

temple, might have done it as per others'

instruction... there might be provocation

behind it. We'll be able to know the motive

after his arrest," the home minister had said.

He had said after examining the CCTV

footage of the surrounding areas, it was

ascertained that the man who kept the

holy Quran at the Cumilla temple took it

from a mosque. "The man had been to

Mazar mosque thrice that night. It was

clear from the CCTV footage that the man

took the Quran from the mosque to keep it

at the temple."

Hindu Buddhist

Christian Unity

Council held a

mass hunger

strike at

Shahbagh of the

capital city on

Saturday

demanding

judicial

investigation

of the attacks

on Hindu

communities

in different

parts of the

country

including

Cumilla.

Photo : TBT

art & culture

I Will Do Experimental

Work with Myself: Riba

>Page 10

The floodwaters have receded. People on the banks of the Teesta have started returning

home. Crops and roads have been damaged as well as houses have been damaged due to the

flow of water.

Photo : Star Mail

Communal violence

Protesters

stage demo at

Shahbagh

DHAKA : Several hundred people from

different organisations of the Hindu

community on Saturday observed a sitin

and mass hunger strike at the capital's

Shahbagh intersection protesting the

recent attacks on temples and vandalism

of idols, reports UNB.

The protesters started the demonstration

at Shahbagh intersection at 6:00 am

Saturday. The demonstration is part of

countrywide processions, rallies and

demonstrations staged by the Bangladesh

Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council

(BHBUC). Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal

(Jasad) president Hasanul Huq Inu

demanded security of the minority community

people across the country and justice

for the communal attacks carried out

at different places.

"The attacks were carried out on the

minority community people because

of the negligence of the administration,"

Inu said adding, "A non-communal

political party and administration

is a must to form non-communal

Bangladesh."

Charu Chanda Das, general secretary

of Iskcon Bangladesh, said that attacks

on Hindu establishments are not new in

Bangladesh. The recent attacks could

have been prevented had the perpetrators

of the previous attacks been brought

to book, he added.

Sammilito Sangskritik Jote president

Golam Kuddus said, "Bangladesh

achieved independence with the contributions

of both Muslims and Hindus so

that we could peacefully live together.

But some perpetrators are trying to disrupt

the harmony through communal

violence.

JPC to help build multicultural

society, hopes Hasan Mahmud

DHAKA : The Jatiya Press Club (JPC) will

keep up its role in building a diversified

multicultural society with the spirit of

patriotism, democracy and human values

in the days to come, said Information and

Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan

Mahmud, reports UNB.

The minister expressed the hope while

speaking at a programme, marking the

67th anniversary of the Jatiya Press Club

in the city on Friday night.

The minister also greeted the Press

Club members on the occasion and

wished them a greater success in their

profession.

JPC president Farida Yasmin, general

secretary Ilias Khan, vice-presidents

Hasan Hafiz and Rezwanul Haque Raza;

joint general secretaries Mainul Alam and

Md Ashraf Ali; treasurer Shahed

Chowdhury and members of the management

committee and sub-committees

were present.

JPC president Farida Yasmin said the

process to build the 31-storey 'Jatiya Press

Nakibul Ahsan Nishad

Although the initiative to build a new campus

for Jagannath University was taken

five years ago, so far the land acquisition

has not completed yet. The master plan for

the construction of the new campus was

not materialized due to major irregularities.

There have also been allegations of

corruption and irregularities in land acquisition.

In the meantime, about one and a

half thousand crore taka has been spent on

these works.

However, there is a big discrepancy

between the university authorities and the

Ministry of Education regarding this

amount of money. The Ministry of

Education has rejected the proposal of former

Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor

Mijanur Rahman to appoint a consulting

firm without paying attention to the rules

and regulations. Under the direction of the

new VC, Professor Imdadul Haque, the

university authorities have canceled the

recruitment process of hiring the consulting

firm and re-floated the tender.

Concerned people said that in August

2016, the students of Jagannath University

started a movement demanding the construction

of a university hall on the land of

the former central penitentiary in Old

Dhaka.

In the wake of the student movement,

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced

Club Bangabandhu Media Complex' is

well underway with the cooperation of the

ministries concerned.

General secretary Ilias Khan said Jatiya

Press Club is always a place for free thinking

and interactions of journalists and it

will remain so in the future, too.

JPC, the 'Second Home' of journalists,

stepped into its 68 years on Wednesday

with a glorious history. However, the cultural

function and annual dinner were

held on Friday as the 67th founding

anniversary day of the club coincided with

the holy Eid-e-Miladunnabi.

After a hiatus of one year caused by the

Covid-19 pandemic, JPC celebrated the

big moment with various programmes

since October 6, maintaining health safety

protocols.

The Jatiya Press Club started its journey

in Dhaka on October 20, 1954. Besides

being a meeting place for journalists, it

provides a forum for political, social and

cultural groups and individuals for holding

press briefings and seminars.

How far is JnU NEW campus

from materializing ?

the construction of a full-fledged campus

in Keraniganj to permanently solve the

problems of the students of Jagannath

University. The ECNEC meeting in

October 2016 passed a project titled

'Establishment of New Campus of

Jagannath University: Land Acquisition

and Development'. It would cost BDT 1920

crore 94 lakh. The project was approved

for implementation between October 1,

2016 and June 30, 2020.

The project aimed at land acquisition

and development, construction of planning

and engineering buildings, boundary

wall, internal roads, lake and pond excavation,

connecting bridges, internal surface

drain and master plan work.

Five years later, the university administration

has managed to acquire only 188

acres of land. This work has not been completed

yet, 200 acres of land will have to be

acquired. Major irregularities in the way

files are handled in the ministry, the work

of the master plan for setting up new campuses

is given to certain companies and

work has come to a standstill during the

Covid-19 crisis. In this situation, the duration

of the project has been extended to

June 2023.

It is learned that 188 acres of land was

acquired in 2019 at a cost of Tk 899.80

crore. According to the Ministry of

Education, Tk 1,441 crore has been spent

for the new campus till June 2020.

Govt to form cell to promote

agriculture entrepreneurs

DHAKA : Agriculture Minister Dr Md Abdur

Razzaque on Saturday said a separate cell

will be formed at his ministry to encourage

agriculture entrepreneurs and create new

entrepreneurs.

"It is now very essential to create

agriculture entrepreneurs and promote

them. The cell will extend cooperation and

keep communication with entrepreneurs,"

he said.

Razzaque was addressing as the chief guest

the inaugural ceremony of Agriculture

Entrepreneur Conference at Bangladesh

Agricultural Research Council (BARC) at

Farmgate here.

The minister said directives have been

given to field level officers to keep watch on

agricultural loan disbursement for more

than Taka 28,000 across the country.

About the communal violence centering

the Durga Puja, Razzaque said the incidents

of communal attacks on Hindu community

are very shameful for the nation.

"It stigmatizes the nation. Such incidents

cannot be accepted by any means. Those

who carried out arson attacks and vandalized

houses of Hindu community in Rangpur in

the name of religion, they are barbaric and

inhuman. These religious dogmatized

barbaric elements should be eliminated from

society," he said.

Razzaque, also Awami League Presidium

Member, said: "We believe in humanity. We

are a single nation combining Muslims,

Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Garo,

Chakma and Hajong and all other people

belonging to any caste and creed. This

country is for all human beings and all have

equal rights."

Former Agriculture Secretary and the

conference coordinator Anwar Faruque

chaired the function while UCBL

Managing Director Md Shawkat Jamil,

Bangladesh Agricultural Credit

Department General Manager Md Abdul

Hakim and voluntary organization BSEF

general secretary Rezaul Karim Siddique

addressed it, among others.

Civil society orgs' active participation essential

to ensure sustainable development: Speakers

DHAKA : The active participation of civil

society organizations in development

initiatives is essential to making Bangladesh's

development more effective and sustainable,

said speakers, reports UNB.

They came up with the view at the

Bangladesh NGO-CSO Coordination Process

(BDCSO Process) annual meeting on

Saturday.

The three-day annual meeting of the

network of around 600 local and national

NGOs, CSOs began Saturday.

Participants in the session titled 'Local civil

society: why and how building a third sector'

also demanded legal acknowledgement of

NGOs and CSOs' contributions to

development across the country.

The session was chaired by prominent

economist and chairman of PKSF Kazi

Khaliquzzaman Ahmad. Director General of

NGO Affairs Bureau KM Tariqul Islam was

the chief guest at the session.

Deputy Secretary of the Development

Effectiveness Wing of the Ministry of Finance

Ak Azad, Sudipta Mukherjee of UNDP and

Michelle Mousulman of Christian Aid spoke

as special guests.

Kazi Khaliquzzaman Ahmed said local

administration needs to involve local

government as well as local civil society to

make development sustainable.

"Local NGOs and CSOs are working with

Naval chief off

to India on

official visit

DHAKA : Chief of Naval

Staff Admiral M Shaheen

Iqbal left yesterday for India

on a seven-day official visit.

The Navy Chief went to

India on an invitation of

Admiral Karambir Singh,

the Chief of Naval Staff of

Indian Navy, said an ISPR

press release.

During his visit, the Navy

Chief will pay a courtesy call

on Rajnath Singh, Defence

Minister of India, General

Bipin Rawat, Chief of

Defence Staff (CDS) of India

and the Chief of Naval Staff

of Indian Navy Admiral

Karambir Sing.

transparency and accountability, but we have

a lot more to do. We need to ensure the

dignified participation of all, not just the

development of our own organization," he

said.

NGOs, according to NGO Affairs Bureau

DG KM Tariqul Islam, play a critical role in the

development of marginalized people,

particularly at the grassroots level, despite

their many limitations.

In addition to the government, NGOs and

CSOs play an important role in development,

he said.

On the one hand, civil society will

communicate the government's messages to

citizens, and on the other side, civil society will

communicate the citizens' words to the

government, he added.

Michael Mosulman said that local civil

society works with local people, and local

organizations are accountable to local people.

Therefore, local organizations can play an

important role in conveying the views of local

people and thus ensuring the accountability of

the government, he said.

Azad said, "We have entered an era of

development effectiveness from the aid

effectiveness. The Government of Bangladesh

is leading the world in making development

effective, and the government is committed to

creating opportunities for civil society to

participate in development activities."

Helen LaFave, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the United States of America to

Bangladesh along with the delegates from US Embassy visited the Beximco Industrial Park

on Saturday, October 23, 2021. The Deputy Ambassador was very impressed to see

Beximco's fully vertical state of the art Textiles Manufacturing, and World Largest

Sustainable Modern Washing Plant. They were also overwhelmed by visiting Beximco's vertical

Ceramics Plant (Shinepukur Ceramics Ltd.) where they are producing premium quality

Bone-Chinaand Porcelain tableware products.

Photo : Courtesy

SUnDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2021

2

Chairman of Hamzard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh Kazi Golam Rahman and Managing Director

and Chief Motawalli of the organization Dr Hakim Mohammad Yusuf Harun Bhuiyan welcomed the

member of Hamdard Board of Trustees, former Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Medical University

and eminent physician Prof. Dr. Pran Gopal Datta who has been recently elected unopposed as

Member of Parliament. The greetings were conveyed at Hamdard's own office at Banglamotor in the

capital.

Photo : Courtesy

Attempts to hinder

development to be

resisted: Mannan

BHOLA : Alleging that

conspiracies are being

hatched to create instability

in the country and deter the

ongoing development

efforts, Planning Minister

MA Mannan today said that

all such ill attempts would

surely be resisted.

"No one who is against

Bangladesh will be tolerated

on this soil," he said.

The planning minister

was addressing a civic

gathering at Charfashion

Upazila Parishad here in the

district. The minister

addressed the function after

visiting the proposed

project site for saving

Charfashion and Monpura

from river erosion.

Mentioning that there are

some people who often say

that they would not go for

election, Mannan said that

everyone has the right for

not participating in an

election.

"But, we won't accept if

anyone says that they would

not let election to take place.

This is our country and

there is no other way here to

become Prime Minister,

without taking part in an

election," he added.

Man held with 8 gold

bars in Hili

DINAJPUR : Police on Friday detained a smuggler with eight gold

bars from Birampur at Hili border of Dinajpur, reports UNB.

The detainee was identified as Golzar Hossain, 50, son of Abdur

Rahman of Basupara area of the upazila.

Police said a team, being informed of gold smuggling in India

through the Katla border, conducted a drive in the area around

7pm. Police detained Golzar when he tried to escape after placing

gold bars under a wooden log placed next to Katla Bazar.

Later, eight gold bars were seized from under the wooden logs.

During the interrogation, Golzar admitted that he possessed the

gold bars.

Sumon Kumar Mahanta, Officer-in-Charge of Birampur Police

Station, said legal processes are underway in this regard. Golzar

will be produced before court on Saturday.

Taxpayers can fill up returns

staying at home thru digiTax

DHAKA : DigiTax, an online

tax return preparation

platform for taxpayers, was

formally launched today

through which the taxpayers

can now fill up income tax

returns as well as assess their

assets online through

automated method, reports

BSS.

Through using this, the

taxpayers can submit their

returns and thus pay taxes

while staying at home

alongside taking income tax

related various services.

Desh Universal came up

with this new web application

called digiTax to simplify

further the submission of

income tax returns.

National Board of Revenue

(NBR) Member (tax policy)

Md Alamgir Hossain

inaugurated this online tax

application digiTax today at a

program held at the

Economic Reporters' Forum

(ERF) auditorium in the

capital's Paltan area.

The Institute of Chartered

Accountants of Bangladesh

(ICAB) President Mahmudul

Hasan Khusru, Dhaka Taxes

Bar Association President

AKM Azizur Rahman,

Bangladesh Cricket Board

(BCB) Director Khaled

Mahmud Sujon, digiTax

director Golam Shahriar

Ronju and ERF general

secretary SM Rashidul Islam

were present, among others,

on the occasion.

After inaugurating this

software, NBR Member Md

Alamgir Hossain said that a

huge interest has now been

developed among the

taxpayers to pay income tax

while the number of

taxpayers is now increasing

day by day.

"It's not possible to give

services to such huge number

of taxpayers under the

existing system. There is no

alternative for making online

all tax-related services as well

as making automated the

return submission system.

The NBR has taken this

initiative long ago and also

had introduced filling up,

return submission and

payment system through

online," he added.

Alamgir also noted that the

march forward of digiTax

from the private sector would

simplify further the stride

towards digitizing tax related

services.

He informed that apart

from allowing submission of

returns through online, the

NBR would observe Income

Tax Month from November 1

for which 'environment of fair'

is being created at the tax

zones so that the taxpayers

can submit their returns with

ease and comfort.

Highlighting the main

features of digiTax, its team

member Syeda Nusrat

Haider said that there many

taxpayers of different levels in

the country who do not know

on how to calculate income

tax properly. "As a result, they

often can't file returns

properly. In order to resolve

this, we've come up with a

new system through which

the users can submit their

returns with ease and comfort

through giving inputs as per

their requirements,"

She mentioned that their

system includes an

automated calculating system

as per the law through which

they would be able to prepare

their income tax returns.

Besides, the users will be able

to use this software also in

Bangla.

Through using digiTax, the

taxpayers can fill up their

returns through automated

method and thus submit

those before the concerned

income tax offices.

Protest against

communal violence

in Kushtia

KUSHTIA : Kushtia Awami

League demonstrated

against communal violence

in the town yesterday.

Sadar Upazila AL and city

AL organized a procession

that paraded different

streets in the town this

afternoon. A rally was also

held at Bijoy Ullash Chattar

in Kushtia.

General Secretary of

Kushtia city unit AL Ataur

Rahman Ata, President

Taijal Ali Khan, Sadar

Upazila AL President

Akhteruzzaman Masum and

General Secretary Rezaul

Haque spoke at the rally.

Muslim, Hindu, Buddho

and Christian people took

part the rally for communal

harmony in the country.

Training of polytechnic

institutes, technical

schools, colleges begins

DHAKA : The inaugural

function of two-month long

basic training for 30 officers

of polytechnic institutes,

engineering colleges and

technical schools and

colleges was held at the

BIAM Foundation Regional

Center in Cox's Bazar

yesterday, reports BSS.

Directorate of Technical

Education under the

Technical and Madrasa

Education Division

organized it.

Secretary of Technical and

Madrasa Education Division

Md Aminul Islam Khan

attended it as the chief guest,

a press release said.

Director General of

Directorate of Technical

Education Dr Md Helal

Uddin also spoke it, among

others.

2733 21/10/2021

21.10.2021

GD-1554/21 (5x3)

Bogura District Awami League president Mojibar

Rahman Mojnu expressed solidarity with the mass

hunger strike organized by the Bogura District

Committee of Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian

Oikyo Parishod at Satmatha in Bogura demanding

punishment against communal violence and identifying

the culprits on Saturday. Photo : Azahar Ali

GD-1553/21 (5x4)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2021

3

Gha Unit admission test of the University of Dhaka was held peacefully on Saturday.

Press conference held to

reclaim land in Khalishakhali

TBT REPORT

Landowners want to reclaim the land in

Khalishakhali area of Debhata upazila in

Satkhira district. They made the demand at a

press conference on Friday at the Shyamli

border in the capital.

The speakers at the occasion said that

some administrative officials and some

opportunistic landlords have taken over the

lands of 180 ordinary poor people. They said

that the land owned by people in Parulia

Mazar in Khalishakhali in the upazila have

become landless and armed miscreants

occupied 1300 bighas of land, looting fish

and vandalizing houses. Despite all the

documentary evidence, they are not getting

their land back

Alhaj Ansar Ali Dashar, who was present

at the press conference, appealed to the

Prime Minister to reclaim the land he owed

on record."We, the victims, are the common

people of the region," he said. We are living

in a very frightening situation and our lives

are in danger.

He said that on October 3, 2021, when

police officers including two ASIs of

Asashuni police station tried to arrest some

drug dealers the influential people of the area

tortured them. The forcible occupiers of the

land in the area have committed all kinds of

misdeeds including drug trafficking,

kidnapping, murder, trafficking of women

and children.

It was informed at the press conference

that the Satkhira DC was aware of the matter

and was monitoring the land documents.

However, no visible action has been taken so

far. Apart from this, the police

administration has not taken proper

initiative in this matter.

Landowners in Khalishakhali area of Debhata upazila in Satkhira district organized a press

conference on Friday at the Shyamli border in the capital.

Photo : Courtesy

Remembering

poet Shamsur

Rahman

DHAKA : Saturday marks

the 93rd birthday

anniversary of poet, writer

and journalist Shamsur

Rahman, widely regarded as

a pivotal figure in Bengali

literature from the latter

part of the twentieth

century, reports UNB

The Ekushey Padak

winning litterateur was born

on October 23, 1929, in old

Dhaka in then British Bengal

to Mukhlesur Rahman

Chowdhury and Amena

Khatun.

The legendary poet's birth

anniversary is being

observed through numerous

events by cultural

organisations.

Marking the occasion,

Bangla Academy will hold a

solo lecture session on

Sunday at the Academy's

Poet Shamsur Rahman

Seminar Room.

Prominent researcher and

poet Prof Khaled Hossain

will present the keynote

lecture at the event.

Secretary of Bangla

Academy AHM Lokman will

deliver the welcome address,

and poet Muhammad Nurul

Huda, the director general of

Bangla Academy, will

preside over the function.

Poet Shamsur's ancestral

home is in Paratali village of

Narsingdi district.

Govt working for

development of rural

people: Tajul Islam

PANCHAGARH : Local

Government, Rural

Department (LGRD) and

Cooperatives Minister Tajul

Islam yesterday said the

government under the

dynamic leadership of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina has

been working relentlessly for

socio-economic

development of the rural

people.

"The country has been

witnessing development in

every sphere of national life,

including food production,

communication and

education," he told a

meeting at Boda pouroshova

here as the chief guest.

Railways Minister Md

Nurul Islam Sujon spoke it

as special guest.

Speaking on the occasion,

Sujon said, "Personally we

may belong to the

communities of Muslim or

Hindu, but we are all

Bangalees. We will work

together for the country's

interest."

Municipality Mayor

Advocate Ohahiduzzaman

Suja gave the welcome

speech.

With

Deputy

Commissioner Johurul

Islam in the chair, Senior

LGED Secretary Helal

Uddin Ahmed, LGED Chief

Executive Engineer Abdur

Rashid Khan and Police

Super Yousuf Ali spoke on

the occasion.

Photo : Courtesy

Govt working to

ensure digital

security: Jabbar

DHAKA : Posts and

Telecommunications

Minister Mustafa Jabbar has

said the government is

committed to ensuring digital

security and expanding

digitization.

"The government is

committed to ensuring digital

security alongside expanding

digitization. Social media

platform is now a big

challenge to create sociopolitical

instability, including

communal riots. The present

government is working to

overcome that crisis," he said.

The minister was speaking

as the chief guest at an on-line

programme titled 'Digital

Security Conference'

organized by an expatriate

Bangladeshi digital

technology entrepreneur in

the United States last evening,

said an official release.

Highlighting the various

programmes taken by the

government including

acquiring technical

capabilities to ensure digital

security and enacting digital

security laws, the minister

said the government is not

lagging behind in tackling the

challenge of digital security.

Bangladesh has become a

global leader in the

development of digital

technology, he said, adding

that this achievement is the

result of the successful

implementation of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina's

Digital Bangladesh

programme.

With an expatriate

entrepreneur from America

named Mostafizur Rahman in

the chair, the programme was

addressed, among others, by

Chairman of Bangladesh

Communication Satellite.

Company Limited (BCSCL)

Dr Shahjahan Mahmood and

Bangladesh

Telecommunication

Regulatory Commission

(BTRC) Director General

(DG)Brig Gen Md Nasim

Parvez as special guests.

Shirin inaugurates renovated

Parliament Medical Center

DHAKA : Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin

Chaudhury yesterday said the renovation of medical center

at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban will help to facilitate and

enhance modern treatment facilities.

Physicians also can collect COVID-19 sample and will

administer Corona vaccination freely at the medical center,

she told the inaugural function of renovated parliament

medical center and LD hall at the Jatiya Sangsad here.

Earlier, the Speaker visited the renovated medical center

and LD hall.

Chief whip Noor-E Alam Chowdhury, MP, Whip Iqbalur

Rahim, MP, Whip Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Shawpan, MP,

Whip Mahabub Ara Begum Gini, MP, and Parliament

Members' Club General Secretary AB Tajul Islam, MP,

among others, attended the function.

Special screening show of an animation film titled 'Mujib

Amar Pita', written by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was

held at LD hall on the occasion.

Chaired by Secretary of the parliament secretariat KM

Abdus Salam, the function also was attended, among others,

by lawmakers, Housing and Public Works Secretary M

Shahid Ullah Khandoker, senior secretary of the Health

Service division Lokman Hossain Mia, physicians of Sangad

Medical Center and parliament high officials.

State Minister for Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmad Palak moderated the

function.

DU holds 'D'

unit admission

test

DHAKA : Dhaka University

(DU) on Saturday held the

admission test of the 'D' unit

under the social science

faculty for the 2020-21

academic session, reports

UNB.

The test was held in eight

divisional cities across the

country. The test began at

11am for a duration of 30

minutes.

DU Vice Chancellor Prof

Akhtaruzzaman, pro-VC

(administration) Prof Dr

Samad, and pro-VC

(administration) Prof Dr

ASM Maksud Kamal visited

a number of exam centers.

This year, 74 students are

fighting for a single seat.

From October 1, DU

started conducting its

admission tests through a

unit of the Science Group.

This year, a total off 1 lakh

15 thousand 881 students

applied for the DU unit

admission tests. Some 1,570

seats are up for grabs.

The exam centres outside

Dhaka are: Chittagong

University, Rajshahi

University, Khulna

University, Bangladesh

Agricultural University in

Mymensingh, Shahjalal

University of Science and

Technology in Sylhet,

Barishal University, and

Begum Rokeya University in

Rangpur.

Govt to implement the Teesta mega

project soon: State Minister

KURIGRAM : The government is trying to

implement mega projects in the Teesta to

permanently prevent the erosion of the

Teesta River and prevent floods, said State

Minister for Disaster Management and

Relief Enamur Rahman.

The minister also said the design and

project profile has been completed.

The state minister made the remarks while

inspecting the flood-affected areas of Teesta

river at Gatiyasham area of Rajarhat in

Kurigram on Friday morning.

The state minister said, "It is uncertain

when it will be completed. However, if the

project is completed, the people of Teesta

will not have any more misery."

He added that heavy rains and onrushing

waters have caused flash floods in four

districts including Kurigram. The

government is working to alleviate the plight

of those affected by the floods and erosion.

Each of the four districts has been allotted

50 MT of rice, Tk 5 lakh, 4,000 packets of dry

food, Tk 2 lakh more for cattle food and 100

bundles of corrugated iron sheets.

Arrangements will be made for the

rehabilitation of each family affected by

floods and river erosion, he said.

At least 1017 families in three unions of

Rajarhat were affected by Teesta erosion.

Later, relief materials including 10 kg of

rice, 1 kg of chira and half a kg of pulses and

oil were distributed among the affected

families at Sarishabari Government Primary

School ground.

Kurigram-2 MP Panir Uddin Ahmed,

Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster

Management and Relief Md Mohsin, Deputy

Commissioner Mohammad Rezaul Karim,

Superintendent of Police Syeda Jannat Ara

and District Council Chairman Zafar Ali

were present at the event among others.

Dengue claims 2 more

lives in Bangladesh, 189

new patients hospitalized

DHAKA : Dengue claimed two more lives in

Bangladesh while 189 new patients were

hospitalized with it in 24 hours till Saturday

morning.

With the fresh deaths, the number of

fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease this

year rose to 86, according to the Directorate

General of Health Services (DGHS).

Of the deceased, 79 people died in Dhaka

division alone, two each in Chattogram and

Khulna divisions and one each in Rajshahi,

Barishal and Mymensingh division.

Among the new patients, 155 were

undergoing treatment in Dhaka hospitals while

the remaining 34 cases were reported from

outside the division. Some 838 patients

diagnosed with dengue are receiving treatment

in the country as of Saturday.

Of them, 669 patients are receiving

treatment at different hospitals in the capital

while the remaining 169 were listed outside

Dhaka. Since January, some 22,319 patients

have been admitted to different hospitals with

dengue in the country.

So far, 21,395 dengue patients have left

hospitals after recovery, said DGHS.

In September, the country recorded the

highest number of 7,841 dengue cases of the

current year with 22 deaths.

Rowshan Ara Begum, Member of the Board of Trustees of Daffodil International University inaugurating

RowshanAra Scholar Garden- a female hall on Saturday at Daffodil International University

campus in Daffodil Smart City, Ashulia, Dhaka. Shahana Khan, Member, Board of Trustees,

Professor Dr. Farhana Helal Mehtab, Associate Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science of

Daffodil International University and hall officials, staffs and students were present during inauguration.

Photo : Courtesy

Journalist AUM Fakhruddin's 1st death anniversary today

DHAKA :The first death anniversary of

eminent journalist AUM Fakhruddin will

be observed today

Starting his news media journey as a

convener of "Kochi Kanchar Asor" in 1958,

Fakhruddin wrote numerous articles for

the now defunct dailies-The Pakistan

Observer, The Morning News and the

Bangladesh Times.

He held important posts at various

national dailies. Besides, he was a

correspondent of The Daily Mirror

(London) from 1969 to 1975.

Fakhruddin's Bengali translation of

Shakespeare's "Sonnet" was published

before his graduation.

Noted British journalist and author John

Pilger had devoted about three pages of his

famous book, "Heroes", to Fakhruddin

with a photograph of him. The book

contained first-hand account of

contemporary world events. It was first

published by Jonathon Cape, London, in

1986, and by Pan Books Limited, London

in 1989. A song of patriotic inspiration "O

Amar Bangla Ma Tor Akool Kora Rooper

Shova", written by him was recorded in

1972. It gained immense popularity at

home and aboard.

Later, he worked as an Associate Editor

of the Weekly Holiday until his death.

On the occasion, Quran khwani and Doa

Mahfil will be held at his residence at

Dhanmondi. Relatives and well-wishers

have been requested to pray for the

departed soul.

Rotary Governor (elect) Engineer MA Wahab distributed the Rotary Vocational Excellence Award 2021-22 at a Program held

Dhaka on last Thursday. Organized by Rotary Club of Dhaka Royal, Former Governor of Rotary Dr. Mir Anisuzzaman, M.

Khairul Alam, Charter President of the Club Shereen Anis Bon, Salma Hossain, Naween Ahmed, Bertha Giti Baroi, Director,

CORR the Jute Works (Caritas) and other leaders spoke on the occasion. Azima Khatun, Pushpa Das and Smriti Manda of

Caritas received the Rotary Vocational Excellence Award at the program. At the event, Rotary Governor (elect) Engineer MA

Wahab called to Rotarians to come forward in the service of distressed People.

Photo : Courtesy

SUNDAy, ocToBER 24, 2021

4

Why India, Taiwan should strengthen ties

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Value-adding

agro-industries

One thing which continues to favour

Bangladesh in its export trade is its

comparative advantage in the production

of certain products for exporting them to the

world's markets. Value-addition to agricultural

produces for export happen to be one such

hugely prospective area.

But it does not seem that even a small part of

the potentials of this very promising area has

been exploited so far though the few

entrepreneurs in this field cannot be blamed for

the most part for failing to launch this sector

vigorously. For example, a media report --

sometime ago-- focused on the plight of three

producers of potato flakes and potato starch who

were having great difficulties to go into

production for the last four years though they

invested a great deal of money in their projects.

Potato based food and allied products such as

flakes, starch, chips and other products have

only a limited market in Bangladesh. But the

same have a huge international market which

can be tapped by Bangladeshi producers. The

aspect of comparative advantage also should give

an edge to entrepreneurs in this field because

potato growing is almost an effortless and

inexpensive exercise in this country due to the

fertility of its soil and other favourable physical

conditions. The potatoes are also of good quality

and suitable in terms of nutrition value for

overseas markets.

A record quantity of potatoes have been

produced in recent years far in excess of the total

local demand . If the excess amounts could be

added value by turning them into various potato

based food products and exported, then the same

could open up a rich new vein of export earnings

for the country. But as the report highlighted,

three pioneering entrepreneurs in this field were

struggling for the take-off of their projects

The main hurdle seemed to be the law suit that

a bank which financed one of these projects was

about to start and for similar pressure from the

other banks for meticulous servicing of their

loans. But given some cooperation by these

banks through rescheduling of the loans and

easing somewhat the terms and conditions of

their payment in the face of valid requests from

the borrowers, the three industries could be

mightily helped to go into production and start

exporting their products.

In that case, everybody could expect a good

return : the entrepreneurs would very likely start

production and servicing their loans, the banks

would not have to bear the burden of nonperforming

loans, considerable employment

from the growers' level to the workers in the

producing plants could be created and, more

significantly, a breakthrough could have been

made in this sector which would attract the

notice of other potential entrepreneurs into this

field and encourage them as well.

Not only potatoes, there are other agricultural

products such as tomatoes, gherkin,

strawberries, baby corn, mushroom, various

types of vegetables and fruits etc., which can be

commercially grown, processed and exported

successfully from Bangladesh. The doing of the

same can also add much to employment

generation because of value-addition and chain

activities at different stages from the farms to the

factories. But a supportive policy environment

would be required for the private sector to be

more and more interested to try their hands in

this field. Banks can treat enterprises in this

sector with care and flexibility to help it to gain a

momentum.

Once the enterprises in this area start cropping

up, the same can be a source of good and reliable

customers of the banks like the garments

industries. Therefore, the banks should see the

merit of supporting this sector leniently even if

that requires a somewhat easing of the rules for

them now. Government can lease out lands to

entrepreneurs in this sector for growing the basic

produces such as potato. Government's fiscal and

other policies should also aim to help in the

stimulation of this prospective sector.

As the world gets back on its feet

from the Covid-19 pandemic while

reeling under a global chip

shortage, Taiwan has become an

important geopolitical focal point.

Taiwan's stranglehold over the

semiconductor industry and its overall

technology expertise have demonstrated

its strategic importance in the global

world order.

Taipei's New Southbound Policy was

envisaged by President Tsai Ing-wen to

enhance cooperation between Taiwan

and other major states in Southeast and

South Asia. India, on the other hand,

formulated the Act East Policy as a major

diplomatic initiative to promote

economic strategic relations with other

states in the Indo-Pacific region.

With both India and Taiwan looking to

deepen diplomatic ties in their respective

regions, now would be the opportune

time for the two states to forge an

alliance built on common interests.

It was reported this month that Indian

and Taiwanese officials met to discuss a

possible collaboration on building a

semiconductor manufacturing facility in

India. An investment of US$7.5 billion

was reportedly offered by Taiwan in

exchange for liberal trade tariffs on

semiconductor manufacturing materials

to build a state-of-the-art fabrication

facility in India.

With the Quadrilateral Security

Dialogue focusing on securing the

semiconductor supply chain, Taiwan's

expertise in that domain could serve as a

base for developing a robust

technological partnership with India.

The Asian Silicon Valley Development

Plan was created by the Taiwanese

government in 2016 with two primary

objectives: first, promoting research and

development for Internet of Things (IoT)

devices, and second, improving Taiwan's

entrepreneurship ecosystem.

With states looking to create

technological partnerships to counter

China's rise, India can look toward

Taiwan's plan to grow both its technical

expertise and ensure its presence in

cutting-edge technology research.

Taiwan's exports have been dominated

by electronic hardware components,

which have driven its overall trade and

created a huge surplus. India's evergrowing

demand for high-technology

products, especially in the coming

decades, could help bring it and Taiwan

to the table to negotiate a deal that would

economically benefit both states.

As technologically developed states,

India and Taiwan should look at the

strategic implications of emerging

technologies as potential areas of

collaboration in the future.

Despite being two of the fastestgrowing

economies in the world, the

economic partnership between India and

Taiwan is still in its infancy. Taiwanese

investments in the subcontinent are yet

to approach the level of mainland

China's.

The minimal economic opportunities,

coupled with some inherent fallacies of

the Indian economic system, have

discouraged Taiwanese investors from

pursuing big-budget projects in the

country. Complicated tax regulations,

corruption, language barriers, and

insufficient understanding of each

other's business environments have

prevented potential economic

partnerships between them.

Eliminating these barriers would help

bolster growth and increase

ARjUN GARGEyAS

opportunities for investment. Moving

beyond government-to-government

relations is the need of the hour. The

private sectors in both India and Taiwan

have the ability to collaborate in multiple

areas. As well, there is an opportunity for

the education sectors in both states to

foster people-to-people relationships

and help the next generation get better

opportunities.

Universities must look to set up

additional campuses and research

NANjAlA NyABolA

facilities in order for young researchers

to work together on emerging and

critical technologies. While Taiwan has

already established around 11 Chineselanguage

learning centers in India,

exchange programs and better

scholarship opportunities could help

improve the student fraternity in both

states.

While Indian students have the

opportunity to learn the local language of

Taiwan, language is one of the main

barriers for Taiwanese students in a

multilingual society like India.

Arrangements must be made to attract

young people from Taiwan to pursue

higher education in India. Improving

educational ties could eventually lead to

better diplomatic relations.

Innovation in Taiwan has reached

exemplary levels along with

corresponding patent activity. With

intellectual capital, there is a need for

human resources to translate this into

tangible goods and services.

India, with its abundant human capital

and the government looking to improve

the manufacturing sector, could serve as

a perfect destination for Taiwanese

companies looking to set up

manufacturing plants. This could also

help resolve trade barriers.

With agriculture dominating the

workforce in India, modernization in the

field of agriculture by Taiwan could help

Indian farmers get access to improved

machinery and other equipment at

affordable prices if these companies

manufacture their products in India.

Despite being a powerhouse in the

pharmaceutical industry, India can still

look to become a global leader in

manufacturing drugs for states like

Taiwan that have the intellectual capital

and rights to do the same. And there are

other industrial supply chains for which

India could act as a manufacturing hub

for Taiwanese companies.

India-Taiwan relations have improved

significantly since the 1990s despite the

lack of official diplomatic ties. The trade

volume between the two has shown

considerable growth, with a steady

annual increase.

There have also been talks of

technology transfers in critical industries

between Indian and Taiwanese

companies that could act as a

counterbalancing mechanism to China's

rapid technological rise.

Relations between India and China are

at an all-time low after the border

skirmishes last year in eastern Ladakh.

Recent aggression by China against

Taiwan has also resulted in Western

allies such as the United States sending

warships into the Taiwan Strait.

India and Taiwan, which share

democratic values and common

economic interests, have an opportunity

to deepen their ties both militarily and

economically. This is a must for a free

and open Indo-Pacific region.

Source: Asia times

We may not want the future Facebook is building

Facebook and its sister services

suffered an outage on October 4,

2021 [File: Reuters/Dado Ruvic]

It has been a difficult week for

Facebook. On Monday, its family of

companies - including Facebook,

WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and

Oculus - suffered their largest service

interruption to date. For six hours all of

the platforms were offline because a

routine maintenance process went

awry. Billions of users were unable to

access their services while company

staffers were virtually and physically

locked out of the systems they needed to

fix the issue.

Then on Tuesday, former Facebook

employee and whistle-blower Frances

Haugen testified before the United

States Congress that the company

deliberately puts profit over protecting

people by allowing harm to children

particularly, and democracy more

broadly. Despite efforts from Facebook

to counter Haugen's testimony on

various outlets, her account was

devastating for the company and came

as Congress is deliberating the chance

of some kind of legal or political action

against the company.

If these two things seem

disconnected, it is because you have not

been paying attention to Facebook's

growing market dominance as a social

networking platform and as a

communications provider. Today, an

estimated two billion people in more

than 180 countries use the WhatsApp

messaging platform while there are at

least 3.5 billion people who use

Facebook. Instagram, while not as

popular as these two sites, is

increasingly important for small

businesses in several countries, that use

it to build and manage their client bases

in lieu of building their own websites.

These platforms are unambiguously

important to the global digital society

because of their sheer size, and that

means that small internal decisions to

look the other way when people misuse

them are significantly intensified, as

well as easily transmitted across

international borders. Positive nudges

on Facebook drive people to the polls,

but misinformation on the same

platform drives people to drink horse

medicine.

Devastating revelations about how

the company thinks about its

responsibility towards users coming on

the heels of a service failure of this scale

raise a simple yet fundamental

question: Is Facebook ready for the

future it is building and are we prepared

to live in it?

From the way Facebook has handled

Haugen's testimony, as well as the

The Asian Silicon Valley Development Plan was created

by the Taiwanese government in 2016 with two primary

objectives: first, promoting research and development

for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and second,

improving Taiwan's entrepreneurship ecosystem.

service interruption, it is evident that it

does not fully understand the behemoth

that it has constructed. A simple layman

account of the service interruption is

that because of a software update

Facebook essentially locked itself out of

the backend of the system that not only

governs how each of the various

platforms function, but also the systems

that run the company itself.

If between Facebook and WhatsApp

alone there are about at least five billion

individual accounts, you have to

wonder why anyone thought it was a

good idea to centralise all of the

information in such an elementary

way? It is the kind of overcentralisation

that gives competition

lawyers heartburn and that compels

governments to intervene and stop

companies from getting too big.

If Facebook was merely a large

company that people depended on to

communicate that would have been bad

enough. But it is a large company that

people depend on to communicate that

also collects, monetises and transforms

the personal data that people provide to

it for this communication, and then

holds it in opaque systems that are

always two steps behind critical

political developments. This perhaps

explains the simple question that

Congress asked Haugen: Is it time to

break up Facebook?

The pure economic argument is that

as long as the company is growing, it

should be allowed to keep growing;

after all, it is creating jobs and growing

economies. But jobs and economies do

not exist outside social and political

contexts and will mean nothing if

societies collapse. The justification for

allowing indefinite growth is feeble,

particularly when the evidence that

Haugen provided suggests that the

company is not willing to change course

on proof that it harms societies.

The company's policies on dealing

with the sociology and moral economy

created by the unprecedented

concentration of data in its hands are

wanting. It is seemingly unable or

unwilling to understand that making

communication easier means that

people of bad intent will also find it

easier to communicate.

There are fundamental questions of

society that strike at the heart of

Facebook's business model that need

more rigorous analysis than a couple of

one-off company statements. Should a

company be able to monetise

information that people provide for free

in order to maintain their social

networks? Should political information

be treated differently than commercial

information and how? Is advertising the

only model for funding social networks?

What obligations do these companies

have to societies or markets where they

are not registered and yet still want to

profit from? These are philosophical

questions about the nature of society

after the digital era that cannot be

papered over by empty rhetoric about

economic growth.

Indeed, history is replete with

examples of corporations that grow too

large and have too much influence and

the knock-on effect that this has on

societies, particularly when they

collapse. But Facebook's own history is

Indeed, history is replete with examples of corporations that grow

too large and have too much influence and the knock-on effect that

this has on societies, particularly when they collapse. But Facebook's

own history is full of warning signs that the company's financial

growth has outpaced its comprehension of its social responsibilities.

full of warning signs that the company's

financial growth has outpaced its

comprehension of its social

responsibilities.

Early in 2021, there was a widespread

backlash when the company made it

easier for information to be shared

between WhatsApp and Facebook.

Users resisted the change by migrating

from the platform to competitors like

Signal and Telegram, forcing the

company to backtrack on the threat that

anyone who rejected the new terms of

service would lose functionality on the

application.

Consider that many of Facebook's

users are in the West, but WhatsApp is

only now growing in popularity there;

conversely, millions of users in the

developing world use WhatsApp, but do

not have Facebook accounts. This

suggests that a large number of the

people who are using WhatsApp

primarily as a messaging platform are

not interested in having it integrated

into their Facebook profiles, if they have

any.

It was an ill-advised data grab that

underscored that the tech giant's

growth strategy was out of step with

what people wanted it for.

Haugen said that she did not believe

that the company needed to be broken

up, but European regulators disagree.

In 2020, the European Commission

proposed a set of content policies

designed to make Big Tech companies

more accountable for the harms that

were incubated on their platforms,

promising fines of six percent of global

revenues and expanding anti-trust fines

of up to 10 percent of future revenues,

as well as forcing the platforms to sell

parts of their business if they continue

to violate the rules.

The companies - including Amazon,

Twitter, Google and Facebook - resisted

the policy proposals although they did

offer to work with regulators to find

alternatives. The alternatives have been

slow to come.

If asked, most people probably would

not want all their information

centralised, monetised and

transformed the way Facebook and

other social networking sites are doing

now. They offer the information up to

connect with family and friends, not for

it to be bundled and converted into

advertising or information products

that are sold to the highest bidder

regardless of their intent.

But the platforms' algorithms and

backend architecture are deliberately

shrouded in so much secrecy that

evidently sometimes even their own

staffers do not fully know how to fix

them. And this is where Haugen's

testimonies on how Instagram harms

minors and how Facebook harms

democracy come together: the company

knows that it is happening but does not

seem to fully understand why and is

unwilling to take the measures that are

needed to stop it from happening if this

would hurt profitability.

One of Haugen's most powerful

observations during the hearing was

that "until incentives change at

Facebook, we should not expect

Facebook to change". The incentives

that drive the company - like any other

- are based on the perverse logic of

neoliberal economics: that companies

must grow indefinitely and that all

growth at any cost is good.

But the service outage and the

revelations are an invitation to

reconsider this economic model, to

remind ourselves that there is such a

thing as too much concentration of

power, and to sincerely engage with the

question of what role social networking

sites should play in the future we want

to live in. And taking up this invitation

is a matter of urgency.

Source: Al Jazeera

SuNdAy, oCToBEr 24, 2021

5

Biobanking to unfold

universal health benefits

SANJEET BAgCChI

Increasing the availability of

high-quality biological samples

through biobanks has the

potential to advance global

health research and speed up

progress towards Sustainable

Development Goals such as

achieving universal health

coverage, a UN science summit

has heard.

Biobanking is the process by

which samples of bodily fluid or

tissue are collected, annotated,

stored and redistributed for

research to improve

understanding of health and

diseases. The COVID-19

pandemic underlined the value

of this gathering and processing

of samples and related data, as

scientists scrambled to develop

effective vaccines and

treatments.

"Biobanking is central in

supporting SDG3 - good health

and well-being - by supporting

the discovery of new

treatments for the great

healthcare challenges," said

virologist Zisis Kozlakidis, one

of the speakers at the online

Science Summit, held during

the United Nations General

Assembly in New York.

Developed in 2015 by the UN

member states, the SDGs are "a

shared blueprint" to attain, by

2030, a better and sustainable

future for all. The 17 goals

include ending poverty and

hunger, achieving food

security, improving nutrition

and promoting sustainable

agriculture, and ensuring

healthy lives worldwide.

Kozlakidis, who is head of the

laboratory services and

biobank group at the

International Agency for

Research on Cancer (IARC), in

Lyon, France, explained that

research in medicine is based

on the analysis of samples and -

because associations in many

diseases are often weak - these

samples are needed in large

quantities. "The implication is

clear: if more, wellcharacterised,

high-quality

samples are available through

biobanks, the faster research

will advance and impact upon

the faster delivery of precision

healthcare today as part of

SDG3," Kozlakidis added.

At the summit meeting on 22

September, Kozlakidis spoke

about how data collected as

part of routine clinical

healthcare can be re-used for

research, to improve health

services in an increasingly

digital age. "We have seen that

A biospecimen at a biobank. A uN science summit heard that biobanks

could speed up research on health and diseases. Photo: Collected

the application of artificial

intelligence has brought a new

era of possibilities and promise,

but it requires operating within

large-scale, high-quality data

[as found in some biobanks]."

He added that the model of

digital health implemented in

high-income countries would

need to be adjusted for

resource-restricted settings.

Kurt Zatloukal, a professor of

pathology at the Medical

University of Graz, Austria, told

the meeting: "Biobanks host

human samples like tumors

that are removed by surgery,

[and] blood that is taken during

diagnostics, and these

biological materials contain

very detailed information on

human diseases. This insight

into human diseases lays the

foundation for the

development of new

diagnostics and new drugs."

The data generated through

biosamples is a key resource for

the digital transformation of

health systems, he suggested.

World revenue for biobanking

will surpass $53 billion in 2027,

according to Zatloukal, who

underlined one of the key

challenges facing biobanking:

the drug industry is required to

provide funding, yet patients

remain reluctant to make their

samples available to drug

companies.

"[To] tackle this problem, a

model [has been] developed

called Expert Centers,"

Zatloukal told the summit. In

this concept, he said, sending or

selling bio-samples to industry

directly by biobanks is avoided

as it involves joint funding and

contributions from public and

private companies, with the

data and knowledge shared

between both.

"This model of transforming

biological raw material into

knowledge and data [can] also

be used to enable international

collaboration," he said.

Fredrick Chite Asirwa,

executive director and chief

executive of the International

Cancer Institute in Kenya, said

more also needed to be done to

tackle the challenges facing

biobanking in Africa, including

increasing awareness among

healthcare professionals,

policymakers and patients, and

promoting the necessary

infrastructure and networks

needed to support biobanks.

ESThEr AkuTEkhA

Dandruff can strike anyone

year-round, but drops in

temperature and humidity

can make a flare-up more

likely in the fall and winter.

While dandruff isn't

contagious or dangerous,

those flakes can still be

annoyingly embarrassing. So

as you're updating your skin

care routine to be more cold

weather-friendly, it's

important to make changes

to your scalp care routine as

well.

"Cold weather is a

breeding ground for a lot of

skin disorders that are

worsened by dryness," said

board-certified

dermatologist Anna Chacon,

who specializes in hair loss

and scalp conditions such as

psoriasis and dandruff (also

known as seborrheic

dermatitis). "If you're

stressed out by seasonal

changes or you're just

uncomfortable because it's

cold, that is an extra trigger

to make your psoriasis or

dermatitis worse."

Luckily, your flake-free

scalp regimen doesn't have

to be pricey or timeconsuming,

but according to

experts, it will require some

preparation and a little

knowledge about do-ityourself

scalp care.

Erum N. Ilyas, a boardcertified

dermatologist based

outside of Philadelphia, said

she tells her patients that the

most important step in

fighting seasonal dandruff is

to anticipate it.

"We know that dandruff

will generally flare in fall and

spring. Knowing this, plan to

start preventative

approaches four weeks in

advance," she told HuffPost,

adding, "Dandruff shampoos

cannot always actively treat

dandruff once it flares, but

are actually very good at

preventing it."

Ilyas suggested looking for

shampoos containing zinc

pyrithione, which contains

antimicrobial qualities.

How to stop seasonal

dandruff before it starts

Want to beat dandruff this season? Start treating it before it even

starts.

Photo: Teeramet Thanomkiat

While the type of cleanser

might be crucial to your

regimen, the frequency

doesn't matter as much,

according to Chacon. There's

a misconception that

dandruff happens when your

hair and scalp are too dry,

and this myth sometimes

influences people to

unnecessarily skip

shampoos.

"Don't necessarily think

washing it too much is bad,"

Chacon said. "Every day or

two is fine. I would not go

more than a week without

washing the hair, even if you

have the driest hair

possible."

She does, however,

recommend keeping the

scalp moisturized and

avoiding scratching, which

might make the condition

worse.

And if you think you're

immune to dandruff because

you have an oily scalp, you're

wrong. You may, however,

may need a different

treatment than someone

with a dry scalp.

Loretta Ciraldo, a boardcertified

dermatologist who

treats many patients with

scalp conditions such as

dandruff and psoriasis, told

HuffPost that if you have an

oily scalp, "you can usually

get away with almost

anything" in terms of using

potent treatments. She

recommended that patients

try coal tar, a thick, dark

liquid that helps relieve the

itching, and salicylic acid,

which helps remove dead

skin cells from the surface.

These ingredients can work

great on oily or normal

scalps, although Ciraldo

warned that "if your scalp is

sensitive, don't use it."

When looking for the best

solution, Ilyas suggested

topical treatments

containing ingredients that

address the two major

symptoms of dandruff ?

itching and flaking. Consider

common ingredients such as

apple cider vinegar, which

has anti-yeast properties and

"can often be added to scalp

exfoliators to help address

the underlying yeast that

triggers inflammation

resulting in scaling," coconut

oil, which "can be beneficial

for dry, flaky scalps to help

hydrate and improve scaling

or flaking to the scalp," and

tea tree oil, which also pairs

nicely with scalp exfoliators

and will likely address some

of the underlying triggers for

scalp inflammation that

result in scaling and itching,

Ilyas said.

Plenty of over-the-counter

options are available to

choose from. "No matter

what you're using, you have

to make sure you rub it into

the scalp," Ciraldo said.

Massage the product into the

scalp, leave it on for a few

minutes to work its magic,

then rinse and follow up with

a regular shampoo, if

desired.

If the problem persists,

experts recommend visiting

a

board-certified

dermatologist. But first, try

these at-home shampoos

and treatments to get rid of

pesky flakes.

kylI rodrIguEz-CAyro

Alex H., a 31-year-old certified public

accountant from Colorado, became

sick with COVID-19 in March 2020.

Like nearly half of people infected by

the coronavirus, she has experienced

lingering "long COVID" symptoms

that affect not only her physical

health but also her anxiety about

getting sick from the virus again.

"While last year we could mostly

stay home to avoid personal

exposures, now society has 'opened'

back up - and with it, the social

expectation that our presence is

required," Alex, who asked to

withhold her last name to freely talk

about her health history, told

HuffPost. "I am anxious for my

friends and family and the risks of

them getting COVID … I am afraid of

catching COVID again myself."

Much like Alex, some people are

experiencing anxiety as social

distancing and safety precautions

have become more relaxed in certain

areas - despite the rise of COVID

variants. Fortunately, experts say

there are ways to manage anxiety if

you find yourself in a cycle of

constantly calculating coronavirus

risk.

First and foremost, it's important to

understand your COVID-19 risk

tolerance in order to tackle your riskrelated

stress.

"COVID-19 risk tolerance refers to

the risk that individuals are willing to

take to potentially expose themselves

to COVID-19," said Phillip Kadaj, a

physician and medical expert on

JustAnswer, a digital platform that

connects people to experts. "Think of

it as a bell curve. On one extreme you

have people that are very risk-averse.

On the other extreme, you have

people that are very risk-tolerant."

Michele Kambolis, a Vancouver,

Canada-based therapist and author

of "When Women Rise," explained

that risk tolerance and anxiety can be

"impacted by a variety of factors,

including pre-existing mental health

conditions, level of social support, the

degree to which a person's life has

been impacted [by the pandemic],

and whether they have experienced

direct trauma due to COVID, such as

illness or the loss of a loved one."

Being more risk-averse isn't

necessarily a bad thing; by definition,

those who are risk-averse take more

safety precautions to limit COVID-19

exposure. However, when being

mindful about health morphs into

How to manage anxiety while

calculating COVID risk

Journaling or talking to friends and family about what social interactions you can and cannot tolerate can help you manage your risk tolerance anxiety.

Photo: Weekend Images

intrusive, anxiety-provoking

thoughts about contracting the virus,

this can be alarming.

When anxiety over your risk begins

to feel overwhelming, that's your cue

to hit pause and address what you can

at the moment. "Don't take on all the

decisions you need to make at once,"

said Therese Rosenblatt, a therapist

in New York and author of "How Are

You? Connection in a Virtual Age."

"If figuring out your work situation

is causing the most pressure, figure

that out first … If socializing with

friends and family is at the top of your

list, make a plan for [coping with]

that first."

What does making a plan look like,

exactly? Rosenblatt explained that

this may mean choosing to step back

again from anxiety-provoking social

events. You could also offer

alternatives, like meeting outside or

breaking off into smaller groups.

It's important to pay attention to

how your thoughts progress on this.

You don't want to slip into avoidance,

which could mean not seeing anyone

at all or avoiding things you once

loved because it now causes extreme

distress. Journaling about your

anxiety to identify the specific

stressors behind these COVID riskrelated

thought spirals can be

effective. If you find yourself avoiding

all interactions, it might be time to

talk to a therapist. (More on that in a

moment.)

Ruminating about COVID risk can

keep you from living in the moment.

"Anxiety is bred in future-focused,

fear-based thinking," Kambolis said.

"It's only by rooting in the present

that we can reassure ourselves and be

available to life as it is."

A grounding exercise that focuses

on the five senses or meditation may

shift your thinking away from worry,

Kambolis explained. It's important to

note that meditation can worsen

feelings of anxiety in a small

percentage of people, according to

recent research. In this case,

Kambolis recommended trying a

walking meditation outdoors, which

can feel less "intense" than traditional

mindfulness practices.

Similarly, Rosenblatt suggested

practicing basic self-care and exercise

to gently redirect your focus to

connecting with your body, rather

than hyper-focusing on your fears.

"This soothing focus pushes thoughts

and symptoms of stress out of the

way," she said.

Though doomscrolling is an

unhealthy habit, Melissa V., 28, who

is disabled and

immunocompromised, explained

that keeping thoughtfully current

with the latest health guidelines and

news - as well as talking with her

doctors - mitigates her risk tolerance

anxiety. Melissa, who also asked to

remain anonymous to discuss her

personal health, told HuffPost that

this practice has allowed her to make

informed choices that are best for her

physical and mental health.

Experts agree Melissa's approach

can be helpful. "Assess the level of

risk you are comfortable with and

adapt your actions one step at a

time," Rosenblatt said.

Coping with COVID risk anxiety is

tricky enough, but living with

someone who is not practicing the

same health precautions as you may

exacerbate your existing fears and

uncertainties. Conversely, leaning on

your support system and healthy

connections has been proven to

alleviate symptoms of anxiety and

benefit your overall health.

Having honest discussions

centered around "empathy and

setting healthy boundaries" is

essential to feeling comfortable and

supported, said Cortland Dahl, the

chief contemplative officer at Healthy

Minds Innovations and a research

scientist for the Center for Healthy

Minds.

What's more, Cheyenne Bryant, a

psychology expert and author, said

that "you can specifically address risk

tolerance anxiety if someone else in

your household is more comfortable

doing certain activities than you by

creating a plan together that includes

activities that you both enjoy."

Dahl said that seeking out therapy

for risk-related anxiety may be

necessary if "the usual experiences of

anxiety become excessive, to the

point that they disrupt our

relationships, work, and other areas

of life."

Each therapist may take their own

approach, but Bryant noted that the

general goal of therapy should be to

provide people with tools and

resources to manage COVID risk

anxiety - before a thought spiral

begins.

Experiencing risk tolerance anxiety

to some degree is absolutely normal.

In fact, it's safe to say many people

probably experience a healthy dose of

worry surrounding COVID risk.

Practicing self-compassion when this

worry rises to the level of anxiety can

make you more aware of risk-related

stress and more open to receiving

support.

According to Rosenblatt,

embracing uncertainty is really the

key to managing risk tolerance

anxiety. "The people who will cope

the best are those who find ways to

adapt to uncertainty as much as they

can, and take one day at a time," she

said. "Give yourself permission to

find your new way of working and

living, and readjust as necessary."

SuNDAY, OCtOBeR 24, 2021 6

Coast Guard members detained a man along with 32,000 yaba pills from an area adjacent to Dakshin

Paraghat in St. Martin on Friday midnight.

Photo: Courtesy

BCG detains drug peddler aling with

32,000 yaba pills in St. Martin

On the basis of secret information

members of Bangladesh Coast Guard

learnt that yaba will be smuggled from St.

Martin to Teknaf by sea on Saturday in

the area adjacent to Dakshinpara Ghat of

St. Martin under Teknaf, a press release

said.

Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan and Faridul Haque Khan Dulal MP, State Minister for

Religious Affairs recently inaugurated the Melandaha Railway Station, elevated the platform to

increase passenger facilities at the railway station.

Photo: Md Ruhul Amin Raju

RMCH records three

more fatalities in

Covid-19 unit

RAjSHAHI: Rajshahi

Medical College Hospital

(RMCH) recorded three more

fatalities in its Covid-19 unit in

the last 24 hours till 6am

yesterday, taking the death

toll to 83, so far, this month,

reports BSS.

However, the previous day's

fatality figure was four, while

on October 3, the death toll

was just one, 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 Brigadier

General Shamim Yazdany

told journalists that the

deceased were one each from

Rajshahi, Natore and

Chuadanga districts.

Among the new fatalities, all

of them were suffering from

symptoms of Covid-19. Of the

three new deaths, two were

female and one was male.

Ten more patients were

admitted to the designated

Covid-19 wards of the hospital

in the last 24 hours, taking the

total number of admitted

patients to 61, including 10

test positive.

Eleven other patients

returned home from the

RMCH Covid-19 unit after

being cured during the time.

Meanwhile, two more

persons were diagnosed with

Covid-19 after testing 221

samples in Rajshahi's two

laboratories on Friday,

showing a 0.9 percent

positivity rate against 5.07

percent on Thursday.

Based on the information received, a

special operation was conducted in the

area under the leadership of Station

Commander Lt. M. Tareq Ahmed.

During the raid, at approximately 1:00

am, Coast Guard members detained a

man with a bag when his movements

became suspicious in the area adjacent to

Dakshin Paraghat in St. Martin.

The bag was later searched and 32,000

Yaba tablets were seized. The seized yaba

and the arrested drug dealer have been

handed over to Teknaf Model Police

Station for further legal action.

People of Melandaha excited

about Railway Minister and State

Minister for Religious Affairs

MD. RUHUL AMIN RAjU, MELANDAHA CORRESPONDENT

The arrival of two ministers at the

inauguration of various works to improve the

Melandaha Bazar railway station in jamalpur

district has created excitement among all

sections of the people in the area.

On 21 October, Faridul Haque Khan Dulal

MP, State Minister for Religious Affairs,

jamalpur District, Mohinurul Islam Sujan

MP, Minister of Bangladesh Ministry of

Railways inaugurated the Melandah Railway

Station, elevated the platform to increase

passenger facilities at the railway station.

Secretary at the Ministry of Railways Selim

Reza and Director General of Railways DN

Majumder were also present on the occasion.

Among others, Melandaha Upazila Parishad

Chairman Engineer Kamruzzaman,

Melandaha Upazila Nirbahi Officer

Mohammad Safiqul Islam, Melandaha Thana

Officer-in-Charge M, Moinul Islam, Upazila

Awami League President Mohammad Ali

jinnah, General Secretary Mohammad

jinnah, Upazila Awami League Organizing

Secretary BR UP Chairman Shahabuddin

were also present at the occasion.

One die of Covid-19, fatalities

reach 1,240 in Rangpur

RANGPUR: One more Covid-19 patient of

Nilphamari district died during the last 24

hours ending at 8 am yesterday raising the

number of coronavirus fatalities to 1,240 in

Rangpur division, reports BSS.

"The new Covid-19 casualty was reported

after 10 consecutive days since October 12

last in the division," Divisional Deputy

Director (Health) Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam

told BSS yesterday.

The district-wise breakup of the 1,240

fatalities currently stands at 293 in Rangpur,

80 in Panchagarh, 89 in Nilphamari, 68 in

Lalmonirhat, 69 in Kurigram, 252 in

Thakurgaon, 326 in Dinajpur and 63 in

Gaibandha districts of the division.

The average casualty rate currently stands

at 2.24 percent in the division.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases

reached 55,259 as 18 new patients were

diagnosed after testing 173 samples at the

positivity rate of 10.40 percent on Friday in

the division.

The daily positivity rate, however,

remained below the five percent mark

almost during the last one month in the

division.

Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates

were 0.38 percent on Thursday, 1.97 percent

on Wednesday, 2.56 percent on Tuesday,

2.72 percent on Monday, 2.42 percent on

Sunday and 3.29 percent on Saturday last in

the division.

"The district-wise break up of total

55,259 patients include 12,457 of Rangpur,

3,800 Panchagarh, 4,438 of Nilphamari,

2,738 of Lalmonirhat, 4,636 of Kurigram,

7,604 of Thakurgaon, 14,728 of Dinajpur

and 4,858 of Gaibandha in the division,"

he added.

Over 5,000

C'nawabganj

char families to

get electricity

CHAPAINAWABGANj:

Over 5,000 households in

remote char areas of the

river Padma in the district

are going to get electricity

from the national grid

through submarine cables

by December next, reports

BSS.

Rural Electrification

Board (REB) is

implementing an 'Off-grid

Project' in three unions,

Narayanpur under Sadar

upazila and Panka and

Durlavpur unions under

Shibganj upazila, REB

sources said.

Senior general manager of

REB, Chapainawabganj,

Engineer Md Rafiqul Islam

said this project is being

implemented at a cost of

Taka 150 crore as Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina has

pledged to bring 100 percent

people under electricity

coverage.

He informed that

installation of 90 kilometers

line has already been

completed. It would be

connected with the Haripur

grid line in

Chapainawabganj town and

electricity would be supplied

to the off-grid area from

Chataidubi substation.

Abdur Razib Razu,

chairman of Durlavpur

union said, "We are

extremely happy and our

people are excited that they

would get electricity like the

urban people. We are also

grateful to our Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina for

her contribution to the

underprivileged people."

DB arrests one

along with 6 kg

of cannabis in

Banaripara

S MIZANUL ISLAM, BANARI-

PARA CORRESPONDENT

Barishal DB police arrested

Raju (35) with 6 kg of

cannabis in a raid at Kachua

village of Baishari union in

Banaripara upazila. On

Thursday afternoon,

October 21, Barishal DB

conducted a police

operation. At that time, they

seized 6 kg of cannabis from

Raju's house. After his

arrest, he was handed over

to Banaripara police station.

DB SI Belayet Hossain filed

a case against Raju under

the Narcotics Control Act.

Officer in charge (OC)

Helal Uddin said, Raju had

been involved in drug

dealing before and had been

jailed after being arrested by

law enforcement. He got out

of there and surrendered to

Banaripara police a few

years ago. According to

locals, Raju never left the

drug business.

One more test

positive for

Covid-19 in

C'nawabganj

CHAPAINAWABGANj:

One more person tested

positive for Covid-19

during the last 24 hours till

last morning, raising the

total number of infection to

5,910 in the district,

reports BSS.

During the time, nine

samples were tested as one

person was detected virus

positive, showing the

infection rate 11.11 percent,

civil surgeon office sources

confirmed.

The newly detected

patient is from sadar

upazila.

A total of 23 patients are

undergoing treatment in

the district. Of them, 18

patients are at dedicated

Covid hospital and others

at home.

Kerosene has been distributed to protect farmers from elephant attack in the elephant-infested

hilly areas of Sreebordi recently.

Photo: Ramesh Sarker

Kerosene distributed in

elephant-affected hilly

areas of Sreebordi

RAMESH SARKER, SREEBORDI CORRESPONDENCE

Kerosene has been distributed to protect

farmers from elephant attack in the

elephant-infested hilly areas of Sreebordi in

Sherpur. Kerosene was distributed among

the people of Haluhati, Malakocha and

Balijuri villages in the hilly areas of

Ranishimul Union on Friday night with a

special allocation from Upazila Nirbahi

Officer Nilufa Akter.

Ranishimul UP Chairman Masud Rana,

General Secretary, Ward 6, Awami League

distributed 2 barrels of kerosene at the house

of Zakir Hossain Ziko. During the time,

Saiful Islam, President of Ranishimul Union

juba League, Nur Hossain, General

Secretary, Golam Mostafa, President of

Ward 7 juba League, George Mia, President

of Sramik League, Altaf Hossain and other

leaders of various organizations were

present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Chairman Masood Rana said,

"Necessary steps will be taken to protect your

aman paddy from the clutches of elephants."

Besides, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer will

provide a generator for your convenience by

tomorrow.

Barishal DB police in a drive arrested a drug peddler along with 6 kg of

cannabis from Kachua village of Baishari union in Banaripara upazila

recently.

Photo: S Mizanul Islam

Baliadanga UP Chairman Aslam

Ali stands beside needy people

amid covid pandemic

BALIADANGA CORRESPONDENT

Baliadanga Upazila

Chairman Md. Aslam Ali

jewel is a very elegant and

transparent political figure,

has extended a helping hand

to the helpless, extremely

poor people at the risk of

their lives during the Corona

period. Baliadanga upazila

is one of the upazilas

affected by Corona on a large

scale. The chairman of this

upazila is Mohammad

Aslam Ali jewel, a young

emerging social worker and

politician. Aslam Ali jewel is

the son of a political family.

His uncle Dabirul Islam is a

veteran parliamentarian.

Dabirul Islam has been

elected Member of

Parliament 6 times so far.

His nephew is

Mohammad Aslam Ali

jewel. He is currently the

chairman of Baliadangi

upazila and general

secretary of Upazila jubo

League. Aslam Ali can be

called an exceptional

chairman. The great

initiative he took during the

Corona period is a rare event

in today's society. He

distributed rice, wheat and

maize for his own godown

and distributed cash among

the needy.

Talking to some workers

and day laborers, they said,

"We will benefitted if Aslam,

is by our side again and

again as a people's

representative." Local

Mohammad Aslam

Ali Jewel

leaders and activists of

Awami League, jubo League

and Chhatra League Sramik

League said that Aslam Ali is

a great person. They further

said that if such political

activists are formed in any

party in Bangladesh, there

will be no resentment

between the people and the

leaders and the violence will

be lessened if a suitable

leader can be elected.

He arranges marriages for

helpless girls, does various

kinds of service work

including intellectual

disability on priority basis

on his own initiative. There

is a wealth of experience in

politics. He has crossed

every level of Chhatra

League-jubo League and

today he is the chairman of

Baliadanga Upazila by using

his qualifications of party

forum in a systematic way.

He expressed his hope .

Expressing his intention,

he said, "I will continue my

efforts to make this

neglected upazila more

modern and model by

following the path of

Bangabandhu, the father of

the nation and following the

instructions of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina." I

will continue my sincere

efforts to complete the

unfinished works in my area

subject to consultation with

everyone including Awami

League, jubo League,

Chhatra League, Sramik

League amd Swechhasabok

League. Asked if he was

ready for the parliamentary

elections, he said, "I am

ready to fulfill the

responsibilities given to me

by my leader as long as

possible." To another

question, he said the country

is moving forward,

especially education,

communication system.

The Padma is one of the

bridges in Asia with South

Bengal and North Bengal

will act as a bridge. After 50

long years, Bangladesh is

entering the developing

world today.

This was made possible by

Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur. Many large

projects continue to be

developed, especially in

important sectors such as

roads, bridges, railways,

private public partnerships,

PPPs and wetlands, he

added.

SUNDAY, OCTOBer 24, 2021

7

Fire-scarred California braces

for more storms, flash floods

SAN FRANCISCO : Northern

California residents relieved that this

week's rain helped contain stubborn

wildfires and soaked dry gardens were

cleaning up Friday and preparing for a

massive storm this weekend that could

bring flash flooding to vast areas

scorched by fire.

The National Weather Service for

the San Francisco Bay Area issued a

high surf advisory through Friday for a

portion of the coast and a flash flood

watch Sunday for parts of the region,

especially in areas burned by last year's

wildfires. Strong winds are also

expected Sunday, with gusts of up to

60 mph (97 kph) at the windiest spots,

reports UNB.

The weather service said elevations

above 9,000 feet (2,745 meters) in the

Sierra Nevada could get 18 inches of

snow or more from Sunday until

Monday morning and warned of

possible power outages and road

closures.

Mike Pierre, owner of Mission Ace

Hardware and Lumber in Santa Rosa

NKorea slams US for

supporting Taiwan

in nod to ally China

SOUTH KOREA : North

Korea on Saturday accused the

Biden administration of

raising military tensions with

China through its "reckless"

backing of Taiwan, and said

that the growing U.S. military

presence in the region

constitutes a potential threat to

the North, reports UNB.

In comments carried by

state media, North Korea Vice

Foreign Minister Pak Myong

Ho criticized the United States

for sending warships through

the Taiwan Strait and

providing Taiwan with

upgraded weapons systems

and military training.

The United States'

"indiscreet meddling" in issues

regarding Taiwan, which the

North sees as entirely a

Chinese internal affair,

threatens to touch off a

"delicate situation on the

Korean Peninsula."

Pak's statement came a day

after President Joe Biden told

a CNN townhall event that the

United States was committed

to coming to Taiwan's defense

if it comes under attack from

China. While that seemed to

blur Washington's long-held

stance of maintaining

"strategic ambiguity" on

whether it would intervene if

China were to attack Taiwan,

White House spokeswoman

Jen Psaki said Biden had no

intent to convey a change in

policy.

China and Taiwan split amid

civil war in 1949, and although

it maintains formal diplomatic

relations only with Beijing, the

U.S. remains committed by

law to ensure Taiwan can

defend itself from outside

threats.

North Korea has

increasingly criticized the

United States' broader security

role in the Asia Pacific amid an

intensifying competition with

China, Pyongyang's major ally

and economic lifeline. Last

month, the North threatened

unspecified countermeasures

following the Biden

administration's decision to

provide nuclear-powered

submarines to Australia.

in Sonoma County, said they sold out

of tarps this week and expect to do so

again in advance of Sunday's big

storm.

But there is a feeling of relief that the

area could escape wildfire this year,

unlike last year when the Glass Fire

broke out in late September and

destroyed nearly 1,600 homes and

other buildings. Customers had been

stocking up on generators and power

cords to prepare, Pierre said.

"People were bracing for that, and it

never happened," he said, "and

hopefully, this rain will keep it from

happening."

But burn areas remain a concern, as

land devoid of vegetation can't soak up

heavy rainfall as quickly, increasing

the likelihood of mud or debris slides

and flash flooding that could trap

people.

Paul Lowenthal, an assistant fire

marshal with the Santa Rosa Fire

Department in Sonoma County, said

the city is providing free sand and bags

for residents who need to control rain

Northern California residents relieved that this week's rain helped

contain stubborn wildfires and soaked dry gardens were cleaning up

Friday and preparing for a massive storm this weekend that could

bring flash flooding to vast areas scorched by fire. Photo : AP

Aromatherapy spray linked

to US deaths faces recall

NEW YORK : U.S. health officials may

have solved the mystery of how four

people in different states came down

with a serious tropical disease even

though none had traveled

internationally: an aromatherapy spray

imported from India, reports UNB.

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention said Friday that

investigators found the same type of

bacteria that causes the disease,

melioidosis, in a spray bottle found in

one of the patients' homes.

The four people were from Georgia,

Kansas, Minnesota and Texas. Two of

them, one a child in Georgia, died.

The agency said it was testing to

confirm the bacteria in the bottle is the

same strain as that seen in the four

patients. It previously said lab analyses

showed all four infections were closely

related.

The spray found in the Georgia

patient's home was made in India. The

genetic profile of the bacteria in the

bottle is similar to that of strains usually

runoff. They are also asking residents

to clear gutters and on-site storm

drains as the city prepares for up to 6

inches (15 centimeters) of rain.

"Given the volume of water we're

expecting, we want it to go where it

needs to go," he said.

About 375 miles (603.50 kilometers)

south of Santa Rosa, parts of western

Santa Barbara County were under an

evacuation warning Friday night in the

area that had been burned by the Alisal

Fire. The blaze charred 26.5 square

miles (68.6 square kilometers) and is

97% contained. The fire erupted in the

Santa Ynez Mountains during high

winds on Oct. 11.

Californians rejoiced when rain

started falling this week for the first

time in any measurable way since

spring. NWS Bay Area tweeted that

San Francisco International Airport

set a record rainfall for Thursday, with

0.44 inches (1.1 centimeters) of rain

tallied. The old record was 0.13 inches

(0.3 centimeter) on the same day in

1970.

Rain and snow will continue soaking

central and Northern California before

spreading into Southern California on

Monday.

The storms have helped contain

some of the nation's largest wildfires

this year, including one that

threatened the popular Lake Tahoe

resort region this summer. That

wildfire is now 100% contained after

snow blanketed the western side of the

blaze and rain dropped on the eastern

side.

But this week's storms won't end

drought that's plaguing California and

the western United States. California's

climate is hotter and drier now and

that means the rain and snow that

does fall is likely to evaporate or

absorb into the soil.

California's 2021 water year, which

ended Sept. 30, was the second driest

on record and last year's was the fifth

driest on record. Some of the state's

most important reservoirs are at

record low levels. Things are so bad in

Lake Mendocino that state officials say

it could be dry by next summer.

found in South Asia, the agency said.

The contaminated product is labeled

"Better Homes and Gardens Lavender

and Chamomile Essential Oil Infused

Aromatherapy Room Spray with

Gemstones," the CDC said. It was sold

for $4 in 55 Walmart stores and on

Walmart's website starting in February

and until Thursday.

The Consumer Product Safety

Commission and Walmart issued a

recall Friday for 3,900 bottles of the

spray in six scents. Officials are

investigating whether other scents and

brands may pose a risk.

Walmart issued a statement Friday,

saying the company took immediate

action when federal agencies told the

retailer of their findings.

Melioidosis is a rare in the United

States, with about 12 cases reported

annually. People can get it through

direct contact with contaminated soil

and water. The CDC said the infection is

treatable if caught early and treated

correctly.

U.S. health officials may have solved the mystery of how four people

in different states came down with a serious tropical disease even

though none had traveled internationally: an aromatherapy spray

imported from India.

Photo : AP

A federal civil rights investigation released Thursday found widespread racial harassment of Black

and Asian American students at a Utah school district, including hundreds of documented uses of

the N-word and other racial epithets over the last five years.

Photo : AP

Police: Burglar gets

new keys before

she's locked up

CORONADO : A woman

pretended she owned a

Southern California home so

a locksmith would make her

new keys. Then police locked

her up.

Officers arrested a 43-

year-old woman on

suspicion of burglary

Thursday night in

Coronado, a resort city

across the bay from San

Diego, reports UNB.

The brazen burglary was

foiled when the real

homeowner called

Coronado police and said

her neighbor noticed

suspicious activity at the

home. The homeowner was

out of town, yet the neighbor

saw the home's lights being

turned on and off.

Officers arrived and the

neighbor - a relative of the

homeowner's - gave them a

spare key. But it didn't fit the

front door's lock, and metal

shavings and pieces of an old

lock were on the ground

nearby.

As police walked around

the home, they saw back

doors open and a fireplace

turned on as music played

inside. After calling for a

helicopter and a K-9 unit,

officers saw someone

moving around on the

second floor in what was

supposed to be an empty

house with only one spare

key.

Police called out to the

person inside, who came out

a few minutes later and was

arrested. The woman

claimed there were two kids

in the house, but a police

search turned up empty.

The woman told police the

home was hers and said

she'd called a locksmith

earlier to change the front

door's locks.

No word if the burglar

gave anyone a spare key.

'Widespread' racial harassment

found at Utah school district

SALT LAKE CITY : A federal civil rights

investigation released Thursday found

widespread racial harassment of Black and

Asian American students at a Utah school

district, including hundreds of documented

uses of the N-word and other racial epithets

over the last five years.

The probe also found physical assaults,

derogatory racial comments and harsher

discipline for students of color at Davis

School District, the Department of Justice's

Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

The district has agreed to take several steps

as part of a settlement agreement, including

a new department to handle complaints,

more training and data collection.

Black students throughout the district told

investigators about similar experiences of

white and non-Black students calling them

the N-word, referring to them as monkeys or

apes and saying that their skin was dirty or

looked like feces, according to the

Amid the Capitol riot, Facebook

faced its own insurrection

As supporters of Donald Trump stormed

the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th, battling police

and forcing lawmakers into hiding, an

insurrection of a different kind was taking

place inside the world's largest social

media company, reports UNB.

Thousands of miles away, in California,

Facebook engineers were racing to tweak

internal controls to slow the spread of

misinformation and inciteful content.

Emergency actions - some of which were

rolled back after the 2020 election -

included banning Trump, freezing

comments in groups with a record for hate

speech, filtering out the "Stop the Steal"

rallying cry and empowering content

moderators to act more assertively by

labeling the U.S. a "Temporary High Risk

Location" for political violence.

At the same time, frustration inside

Facebook erupted over what some saw as

the company's halting and inconsistent

response to rising extremism in the U.S.

"Haven't we had enough time to figure

Ethiopian airstrikes in Tigray

force UN flight to turn back

NAIROBI : Ethiopian

military airstrikes on Friday

forced a United Nations

humanitarian flight to

abandon its landing in the

capital of the country's

Tigray region, and a

government spokesman

said authorities were aware

of the inbound flight. It

appeared to be a sharp

escalation in intimidation

tactics authorities have used

against aid workers amid

the intensifying, year-long

Tigray war, reports UNB.

Further U.N. flights have

been suspended to Mekele,

the base of humanitarian

operations in Tigray, the

World Food Program told

The Associated Press. It said

the flight with 11 passengers

had been cleared by federal

authorities but "received

instructions to abort

landing by the Mekele

airport control tower." It

safely returned to Addis

Ababa.

U.N. humanitarian chief

Martin Griffiths said: "The

U.N. had not received any

prior warning of the attacks

on Mekelle and had

received the necessary

clearances for the flight."

He expressed "grave

concern" for civilians facing

airstrikes in Mekele and

insufficient humanitarian

assistance into Tigray, and

alarm at the worsening toll

of fighting on civilians in the

neighboring Amhara and

Afar regions.

"We've had flights turned

around because of

weather," Gemma Connell,

head of the U.N.'s regional

humanitarian office for

southern and eastern

Africa, told reporters. "But

this is the first time we've

had a flight turn around, at

least to my knowledge.

department's findings. Students also made

monkey noises at their Black peers,

repeatedly referenced slavery and lynching

and told Black students to "go pick cotton"

and "you are my slave."

The investigation found Black students

were also disciplined more harshly than their

white peers for similar behavior, and were

denied the ability to form student groups

while supporting similar requests by other

students.

District officials admitted to federal

investigators that their discipline data from

at least four years revealed that staff treated

students of color differently than white

students, but the district did nothing to

correct these disparities, according to the

department.

The district acknowledged in a statement

the investigation revealed incidents that

"were not handled appropriately" and

pledged to resolve any previous complaints.

out how to manage discourse without

enabling violence?" one employee wrote

on an internal message board at the height

of the Jan. 6 turmoil. "We've been fueling

this fire for a long time and we shouldn't be

surprised it's now out of control."

It's a question that still hangs over the

company today, as Congress and

regulators investigate Facebook's part in

the Jan. 6 riots.

New internal documents provided by

former Facebook employee-turnedwhistleblower

Frances Haugen provide a

rare glimpse into how the company

appears to have simply stumbled into the

Jan. 6 riot.

It quickly became clear that even after

years under the microscope for

insufficiently policing its platform, the

social network had missed how riot

participants spent weeks vowing - on

Facebook itself - to stop Congress from

certifying Joe Biden's election victory.

SuNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2021

8

On the occasion of World Polio Day on October 24, 2021, Rotary Bangladesh National PolioPlus Committee

has organized a nationwide rally and mask distribution program. Minister of Commerce, Tipu Munshi, MP

was present as the Chief Guest at the program organized in this regard at Dhaka Club. Syed Waseque Md.

Ali, Managing Director of First Security Islami Bank and Chair of the rally event, inaugurated the rally program

in 40 districts across the country and participated in the masks distribution program. In this noble

initiative, First Security Islami Bank Ltd. has provided 15,000 pieces of masks to the Rotary Bangladesh

National Polio Plus Committee for distribution to the public in response to the Corona pandemic. Ishtique

Zaman, Phd, Chairman, Rotary Bangladesh National Polio Plus Committee, Major General (Retd.) Fazal

Rahman, Chair-Press Conference were also present in the program.

Photo: Courtesy

How ISHO Has Maneuvered the Post-Pandemic

Evolution of Their Supply Chain Networks

Renault forecasts

production fall

on shortages

PARIS :Renault expects to

manufacture around 500,000

fewer vehicles than

anticipated this year due to a

global shortage in electronic

components, the French auto

group said Friday, reports

BSS. The coronavirus

pandemic has disrupted

supply chains around the

world, leading to bottlenecks

in the components, wood,

plastics and steel markets,

crippling many industries.

"The group anticipates a

loss close to 500,000 vehicles

for the year," it said in a

statement after posting third

quarter results.

Renault said it was unable

to produce 170,000 planned

vehicles in the three months

to September as many

factories around the world are

shut due to the lack of

components, particularly

semi-conductors.

But Renault nevertheless

confirmed its forecast of

reaching a full year operating

margin-an indicator of how

efficient a group is at

generating profit from salesof

2.8 percent of turnover.

Britain set for œ7bn

transport investment

LONDON : Britain's upcoming budget will

invest almost œ7.0 billion ($9.6 billion, 8.3

billion euros) on transport outside London, the

Treasury said on Saturday, as part of plans to

cut economic inequality, reports BSS.

Finance minister Rishi Sunak will unveil the

transport initiative during his autumn budget

and spending review due on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's so-called

"levelling up" programme is seen as vital to

keeping voters in former strongholds of the

main opposition Labour party who backed

him in the 2019 general election.

His Conservative party won a swathe of seats

in northern England on a promise to deliver

Britain's Brexit divorce from the European

Union, as well as boost jobs and growth.

Recipients of the transport project cash

include regions in the former Labour "red

wall" that turned Tory blue two years ago and

will be seen as payback for their support.

According to the finance ministry, the

government will invest œ5.7 billion in city

regions to boost productivity via train and

station upgrades, and tram network

expansion. It will also inject œ1.2 billion into

overhauling bus services.

The government wants to quicken journey

times, simplify fares and increase services

outside London, after repeated complaints

that regions outside the British capital were illserved

by transport links, affecting business.

"Great cities need great transport and that is

why we're investing billions to improve

connections in our city regions as we level up

opportunities across the country," said Sunak

in the statement.

"This transport revolution will help redress

that imbalance as we modernise our local

transport networks so they are fit for our great

cities and those people who live and work in

them."

Transport policy is set separately in

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by the

nations' devolved administrations in

Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The government said the extra investment

for England would mean additional cash for

the three other UK nations under weighted

public expenditure adjustments.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak will also

announce the latest growth forecasts for the

economy, which is battling high inflation due

largely to surging energy prices and a supply

chain crisis that was sparked by Brexit and

Covid.

The global Covid-19 pandemic has

exposed vulnerabilities and flaws in the

supply chains and production strategies

of manufacturing companies the world

over. Like the rest of the world,

manufacturers throughout Bangladesh

have also faced pressure to change how

they think about planning their supply

networks, a press release said.

According to Saad Aadnan Kabir,

Head of Supply Chain Management at

ISHO, the pressure to use

manufacturing capacity and available

capital to keep up efficient operations

has required him to make ISHO's

supply chains more resilient. Kabir says

Thatthe Company has managed to

handle this period of change through

stringent planning while keeping in

mind their prioritization of quality

materials. As a disruptive new-age

furniture brand appealing to modern

tastes, ISHO's innovative global designs

demand that Kabir stays on top of his

game, especially in order to send the

brand on its way to acquire status in

international markets.

As the country's number one e-

commerce furniture brand in sales,

ISHO was able to achieve their target

during the pandemic. However, the

pandemic can wreak havoc on even the

most prominent businesses, says

Kabir.A supply chain is only as strong as

its weakest link, and the scarcity of

materials and increased prices have

caused many connections to falter. To

make matters worse, international

logistics have been complicated by

transport container unavailability and

freight logjams.

All of this initially caused difficulties

for ISHO, a brand focused on using the

highest quality, eco-friendly

sources.Furthermore, Kabir says, the

high product variability in the retail and

e-commerce industry makes keeping

up with demand challenging. Moreover,

in the furniture supply chain, products

designs are innovated regularly to be

relevant to the competition, meaning

product life cycles are getting shorter;

competition is becoming timesensitive;

and competitive advantages

create faster time-to-market and

turnaround times. The demand can

quickly shift from the sales trend, and

consequently, one cannot always rely

on a stable supply chain. Accordingly,

demand forecasting has been

challenging during the pandemic,

especially in furniture manufacturing

companies like ISHOwhich prioritize

innovative designs and quality

products.

Education Ministry Dr. Dipu Moni MP, terming the cooking as an innovative culinary art has appreciated the

culinary artists of Bangladesh who, she said, are reaching out the traditional culinary taste of Bangladesh to

the world by constant innovation and fusion of culinary art between Bangladesh and other countries. She was

speaking as Chief Guest at the Cover Opening Ceremony of Lobby Rahman's Cooking Foundation's new recipe

book `Rashana Shoilee', presided over by Lobby Rahman, President of the foundation, held at the Raowa

Club Auditorium recently. It was a compilation of almost 150 recipe sent by innovative culinary artists from

across the country, published by `Muktodhara New York-Dhaka'. Besides Guests the function was also

attended by the culinary artists from all over Bangladesh. Md. Sahiduzzaman Khokon MP and internationally

renowned chef Tony Khan participated the function as special guests.

Photo: Courtesy

Walton starts exporting fans to Africa’s Mali

Walton High-ups at the inaugural ceremony of exporting Walton fans to Mali. Photo: Courtesy

In the latest move of its global million. An agreement was at Walton Corporate Office in

presence, Bangladeshi signed earlier this year Dhaka on Tuesday (October

Superbrand Walton has between Walton and Simpara. 19, 2021).

started exporting fans to the

West African nation Mali. As

According to it, the African

company will import various

Walton Hi-Tech Industries

Limited Deputy Managing

an authorized distributor of Walton products including Directors Nazrul Islam

Walton, Mali's Simpara refrigerator, air conditioner, Sarker, Amdadul Haque

Group, which has extensive

business networks in Mali and

home and electric appliance,

laptop, mobile phones and sell

Sarker and Eva Rezwana Nilu,

Senior Executive Director SM

Senegal, will sold out the them in their market, says a Zahid Hasan, Executive

Bangladeshi electronics press release.

Director Abdullah Al Mamun,

giant's own products. A programme titled Walton International

According to sources, Mali "Inaugural Ceremony: Business Unit's President

has the electrical appliances Exporting Walton Fans to Edward Kim, Electrical

market worth of around $30 Mali" was held in this regard Appliances' Chief Business

Officer (CBO) Sohel Rana,

Deputy CBO Rubel Ahmed

and Walton's Mali Market

Concern Shabbir Hasan

Khan, Electrical Appliance's

Brand Manager Zakibur

Rahman Shejan were present

at that time. Sohel Rana said,

Walton's products are being

exported to over 40 countries

around the world. Exporting

fans to Mali will play an

important role in expanding

businesses in other African

countries. This export process

will create a milestone in

achieving Walton's 'Vision Go

Global 2030'.

Edward Kim said, Walton is

bringing fame to Bangladesh

with the exports of its various

types of 'Made in Bangladesh'

labeled products around the

globe. At this moment, Mali is

one of the emerging economies

in Africa with potential market

for electrical appliances. We

are confident that we will gain

positive feedbacks from the

Malians as well.

Karmasangsthan Bank business review meeting-2021 of all Divisional Office Heads and Regional Managers

was held at its Head Office recently. Chairman of Karmasangsthan Bank, Kaniz Fatema NDC was present as

the Chief Guest and Managing Director Md. Abdul Mannan was present as the Special Guest. Deputy

Managing Director Sk. Md. Zaminur Rahaman was in the chair. The speakers evaluated the Banks performance

of first quarter of 2021-2022 Fiscal Year and gave necessary directives in implementing the action plan

of the Bank.

Photo: Courtesy

Fed's Powell says

'premature' to up rates

despite inflation risk

WASHINGTON: Despite a risk that high inflation

in the United States could persist, it would be

"premature" to raise borrowing rates and risk

slowing the economic recovery, Federal Reserve

Chair Jerome Powell said Friday, reports BSS.

The US central bank chief acknowledged that

supply constraints and shortages that have caused

prices to rise sharply are "likely to last longer than

previously expected, likely well into next year."

But at the Fed "we need to be patient," Powell said

during a panel discussion organized by South

Africa's central bank.

The Fed is "on track" to begin to pull back on its

massive monthly bond purchases, which would be

completed by mid-2022, he said.

But "it would be premature to actually tighten

policy by raising rates now with the effect and intent

of slowing job growth."

Policymakers are expected to announce the

slowdown of bond buying at the central bank's

policy meeting early next month, but the

benchmark lending rate is forecast to remain at

zero at least until late next year.

Inflation in the United States has been running at

more than double the Fed's two percent target, but

Powell said the supply bottlenecks are likely to

diminish, allowing inflation and wage pressures to

retreat, which he called the "most likely case."

However, officials "need to be watching very

carefully."

US seals agreement to end

European digital taxes

WASHINGTON : The United

States has resolved a key point of

trade friction with Europe after

inking a deal to end controversial

digital services taxes on American

tech giants, reports BSS.

Washington said Thursday it

will remove punitive tariffs on

products from Austria, France,

Italy, Spain and Britain as part of

the deal-a critical step in

improving frayed relations even

though the duties were never

imposed.

Under the joint agreement,

those countries will end taxes on

Big Tech companies once a global

minimum corporate tax deal takes

effect, which is expected in 2023.

Any levies paid for the DSTs in

the interim will be credited to

future tax bills, according to the

deal.

The United States argued for

immediate withdrawal of what it

said were discriminatory fees on

American tech giants like

Amazon, Apple and Google, while

the countries preferred to wait

until the new tax regime was

implemented.

"This compromise represents a

pragmatic solution," the countries

said in a joint statement

Nearly 140 countries early this

month reached a agreement on a

15 percent minimum tax under

the auspices of the Organization

for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD).

That historic move aims to put

an end to corporations sheltering

profits in low-tax haven countries,

and would address the issue the

DSTs aimed to solve.

"We reached our agreement on

DSTs in conjunction with the

historic OECD global agreement

that will help end the race to the

bottom over multinational

corporate taxation by leveling the

corporate tax playing field," US

Trade Representative Katherine

Tai said in a statement welcoming

the deal.

Washington announced 25

percent punitive duties on

products from several countries in

retaliation for the DSTs.

Managing Director & CEO of Social Islami Bank Ltd Quazi Osman Ali inaugurated 169th Branch namely

Munshirhat Branch at Chauddagram, Cumilla as chief guest recently through virtual platform. Md. Tajul

Islam, Additional Managing Director, Abu Naser Chowdhury, Md. Sirajul Hoque and Md. Shamsul Hoque,

Deputy Managing Directors, Abdul Hannan Khan, Company Secretary, Md. Moniruzzaman, Head of

Marketing & Brand Communication Division, Saif Al-Amin, Head of BC & GBD were present in the program.

Manager of Munshirhat Branch, senior officials and other local dignitaries also attended the program.

Photo: Courtesy

SUnDAY, oCtoBer 24, 2021

9

Consistency the key if Bangladesh want to

finally have a T20 World Cup to remember

SportS DeSk

Bangladesh have been trying to nail a

T20 World Cup for a long time. As far

back as 2012, they decided that playing

plenty of T20Is just before the

tournament will give them a good

chance. But like a student who tries to

cram the night before the exam, things

never really came together, reports AP

Their record in T20Is is not very

good, and it gets much worse in World

Cups. Only one of their seven wins

since 2007 has come against a

traditional big team. They lost to Hong

Kong in the 2014 edition at home, while

in 2016, they missed the mother of all

open nets against India.

This time too Bangladesh come into

the tournament with cracks, despite

recently seeing off Australia and New

Zealand at home. On tailor-made home

pitches that helped the spinners, the

visiting batters had very little clue what

was happening - but so did the home

batters, and it seems that has hurt

Bangladesh.

Their shock loss to Scotland in the

first round showed signs of their

batters' lack of confidence. The top

order was gone quickly, before

Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan

stalled for several overs, trying to

rebuild. That didn't work out and then

captain Mahmudullah, the team's best

T20 batter, couldn't time his big hits.

Their subsequent wins over Oman

and PNG ensured a spot in the Super

12s, but Bangladesh have to play a lot

better and with more consistency in

this round if they are to reach the

tournament goal they have set for

themselves: reach the semi-finals.

Bangladesh came into the

tournament with three consecutive

series wins over Zimbabwe, Australia

and New Zealand. But they lost two out

of three warm-up games earlier this

month, before crashing against

Scotland in the first round. They

recovered against Oman and PNG.

Mushfiqur, Mahmudullah and

Shakib remain in charge of

Bangladesh's batting, despite the

emergence of several talented batters in

recent years. If these three fire together,

expect a big score. If they have a

combined bad day, the whole team

seems to slow down.

Mohammad Naim, Liton Das and

Afif Hossain have shown signs of

standing on their own, but don't seem

to be quite there yet. In Liton's case, he

has been around for six years, but

consistency hasn't been his companion.

Nurul Hasan has emerged as a bighitter

down the order, as well as a

skillful wicketkeeper. Soumya Sarkar

and Shamim Hossain are the back-up

batters in the squad.

Spin usually dominates Bangladesh's

bowling plans, particularly with Shakib

as the leader of the attack. The left-arm

spinner's varied pace and flight and

subtle turn translate into the most

bankable four overs. Offspinner

Mahedi Hasan has started well in the

tournament, and they also have Nasum

Ahmed, Player-of-the-Series against

New Zealand last month, waiting in the

wings.

Mustafizur Rahman is their best fast

bowler, a proper T20 star who has

excelled at the IPL. He has been around

a long while, yet he still bamboozles the

best of batters. Taskin Ahmed and

Mohammad Saifuddin complement

him with pace and variations, while the

left-arm quick Shoriful Islam is waiting

for his first opportunity.

There are very few cricketers in the

world currently who can bring as much

to his side as Shakib Al Hasan does to

Bangladesh. He is the team's best

player for sure, but he is also pushing

for bigger honours. He had a great 2019

Word Cup - he was one of three batters

to tally over 600 runs, to go with 11

wickets - but after that, he had the low

of the ICC suspension to contend with.

Since his return, he has worked his

way back to his best, recently breaking

the record for most T20I wickets. In the

UAE, Shakib will bat at No. 3, and be

expected to bowl in different situations

with his new shorter run-up. He

bowled superbly at the IPL and has

brought his form with the ball over to

the T20 World Cup. His batting will be

all the more important to Bangladesh

in the absence of Tamim Iqbal.

they have a woeful record in this competition and a shaky batting order to contend with. But they

also have a premier match-winner in Shakib Al Hasan.

photo: BCB

Houston Astros defeat

Boston Red Sox to

reach World Series

SportS DeSk

The Houston Astros

booked their third trip to

the World Series in five

seasons on Friday,

defeating the Boston Red

Sox 5-0 to wrap up a 4-2

victory in the American

League Championship

Series, reports BSS.

The Astros, who will face

either the Atlanta Braves or

Los Angeles Dodgers in

Major League Baseball's

showpiece, edged out a

dogged Red Sox

performance at Minute

Maid Park in Houston.

Houston outfielder Kyle

Tucker put the seal on a

clinical win for the Astros,

smashing a three-run home

run in the eighth inning to

effectively put the game out

of Boston's grasp.

Earlier, Cuban slugger

Yordan Alvarez drove in the

opening run for Houston in

the bottom of the first

inning, doubling on a fly

ball to centerfield to score

shortstop Alex Bregman.

A tense pitching duel then

unfolded over the next four

innings, with Boston starter

Nathan Eovaldi digging in

to prevent the Astros

adding to their lead. Astros

rookie pitcher Luis Garcia

was superb from the

mound, giving up only one

hit across 5.2 scoreless

innings with seven

strikeouts.

Houston finally added to

their lead in the sixth inning

when Tucker grounded into

a double play at first base as

Alvarez crossed home plate.

Warner backed to fire as Windies

seek World Cup revival

SportS DeSk

Australia will look for misfiring David Warner

to rediscover his form against South Africa in

the opening second round game of the T20

World Cup on Saturday, reports BSS.

Australia and South Africa, who are both

chasing their first T20 world title, get the Super

12 stage underway at Zayed Cricket Stadium in

Abu Dhabi.

Defending champions West Indies then face

England in Dubai in a repeat of the 2016 final

in Kolkata. Warner is a proven match-winner

but has endured a miserable time in the format

recently. He was dropped by his Sunrisers

Hyderabad team at the recent IPL, also played

in the UAE.

Warner hasn't played an international T20

this year while, in 2020, he made just 186 runs.

"I'm backing Dave's ability. I'm backing his

judgement," said Australia skipper Aaron

Finch. "I think, if you look at his World Cup

history, he's just bloody good. Would he have

liked more runs? Absolutely.

Everyone would like more runs all the time.

"He's one of the greatest players that

Australia has ever produced, and I've got no

doubts that come Game 1 he'll be up and firing

and ready to go."

Warner has scored more runs in T20s

against South Africa than any other country

with 457 from 14 matches. His average is a

commendable 35.35.

South Africa are without AB de Villiers, who

confirmed his retirement from international

cricket earlier in the year, and former captain

Faf du Plessis, who was available but not

selected.

However, the team is on a streak of seven

successive T20 international wins,

encompassing series victories against West

Indies, Ireland and Sri Lanka - all achieved

away from home.

Skipper Temba Bavuma is hoping to break a

long-running history of failure at ICC events

since the country won the ICC Knock-Out

Trophy, forerunner of the Champions Trophy,

in 1998.

Australia will look for misfiring David Warner to rediscover his

form against South Africa in the opening second round game of the

t20 World Cup.

photo: Ap

Cristiano ronaldo and Mohamed Salah will go head to head for the right to be billed as the premier

League's top dog when Manchester United face arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday. photo: Ap

China's Zhang

edges Hashimoto

for world all-around

gymnastics title

SportS DeSk

China's Zhang Boheng won

the men's all-around title at

the world gymnastics

championships on Friday,

edging out Olympic

champion Daiki Hashimoto

on his home turf in Japan,

reports BSS.

Zhang, who was

controversially omitted from

his country's team for the

Tokyo Games, came through

a tight contest in Kitakyushu

that went down to the wire.

The Chinese gymnast held

a slender lead going into the

final apparatus -- the

horizontal bar that

Hashimoto had claimed

individual Olympic gold on

just months previously.

But Zhang held his nerve to

clinch victory with a score of

87.981, ahead of Hashimoto

on 87.964.

Ukraine's Illia Kovtun

finished third with a score of

84.899.

Zhang became the first

Chinese men's all-around

world champion since Xiao

Ruoteng in 2017.

He was passed over for

China's Olympic team this

summer despite scoring

higher than rival Lin

Chaopan. Russia's Angelina

Melnikova won the women's

all-around title on Thursday.

Partey ends goal drought

as Arsenal beat Villa

SportS DeSk

Thomas Partey scored his

first goal for Arsenal as the

Gunners beat Aston Villa 3-1

to extend their unbeaten run

in the Premier League to six

matches on Friday, reports

BSS.

Partey's first half header

broke the Ghana midfielder's

goal drought in his 40th

appearance in all

competitions since his move

from Atletico Madrid 12

months ago.

Pierre-Emerick

Aubameyang bagged

Arsenal's second goal when

he converted the rebound

after his penalty was saved.

Emile Smith Rowe put the

result beyond doubt early in

the second half as Arsenal

climbed to ninth place in the

Premier League.

After losing their first three

league games, Arsenal have

gradually recovered their

equilibrium.

Successive draws against

Brighton and Crystal Palace

had brought renewed

pressure on Arsenal boss

Mikel Arteta, but this was a

tantalising glimpse of what

they could be under the

Spaniard.

"I'm proud of the team.

This is when we are good,

when we play with real desire,

real commitment and can

have clear ideas of how to

attack," Arteta said.

Ronaldo's duel with Salah

takes centre stage as Man

Utd face Liverpool

SportS DeSk

Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah will

go head to head for the right to be billed as

the Premier League's top dog when

Manchester United face arch-rivals

Liverpool on Sunday, reports BSS.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp risked irking

United striker Ronaldo ahead of the crunch

clash when he hailed Salah as the best player

in the world last weekend. The Egypt

forward has been in superb form, with his

sublime strikes against Manchester City and

Watford already goal of the season

contenders.

But Ronaldo hasn't been far behind with a

series of crucial goals underlining his

superstar status.

While Paris Saint-Germain duo Lionel

Messi and Kylian Mbappe can also stake

their claim to be the world's best, in the

Premier League there is little doubt that

Ronaldo and Salah are the main men.

So who will be this season's preeminent

force? Sunday's crucial showdown at Old

Trafford will go some way to deciding that

question.

Without a win in their last three league

games, United are four points behind

second-placed Liverpool.

United need Ronaldo to continue his

knack of rising to the big occasion, while

unbeaten Liverpool hope Salah can continue

his blistering streak.

Salah has scored 12 times in 11 games this

season, with Ronaldo netting six times in

eight matches since returning to United from

Juventus in August.

Salah became the first Liverpool player to

score in nine consecutive games after

striking twice in the Champions League win

at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Just 24 hours later, Ronaldo stole the

European spotlight with the late headed

winner that completed United's fightback

from two goals down to beat Atalanta 3-2.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

naturally leans towards his player in any

debate about the best of the best.

But he admitted Salah's red-hot run makes

him a fearsome proposition.

I'll always back Cristiano in any

competition. He's unique. That being said,

Salah, at the moment, he's on fire," Solskjaer

said. "We know we have to be at our best to

defend against him. We have to focus on

them for 95 minutes to keep a clean sheet.

"I'm a big fan of Liverpool's front three.

We have to enjoy the players, though not

Salah on Sunday, of course." - True greatness

- Asked to debate the virtues of the pair on

Friday, Klopp took a diplomatic approach as

he highlighted each star's quality.

"Why should we compare Cristiano

Ronaldo and Mo Salah? Obviously both are

world-class players, so that's how it is," he

said.

"Even when Ronaldo's left foot is not that

bad, I would say Mo's left foot is probably

better.

Messi in Marseille:

Classic French rivalry

has Argentine accent

SportS DeSk

The experience of a football match in

Argentina is almost unmatched for the raw

passion of the crowd, the spectacle in the

stands often more eye-catching than events

on the pitch, reports BSS.

Yet if there is one place in Europe that can

match it then it might be the Velodrome in

Marseille, where fiery Argentine coach Jorge

Sampaoli now prowls the touchline while up

to 65,000 supporters generate a spinetingling

atmosphere.

That can be the case for any game, but

when Paris Saint-Germain come to town it is

very special indeed.

They love their football in the French

Mediterranean port city, but they always

hated PSG, even before Qatar bought the

capital club in 2011.

"Le Classique" -- as it is sometimes known

-- is the biggest fixture in French football,

and on Sunday it will have a distinctly

Argentinian flavour.

This will be Sampaoli's first match against

PSG as Marseille coach. In thenaway dugout

will be his compatriot Mauricio Pochettino.

In the away team will be Lionel Messi,

getting his first taste of France's biggest

grudge match.

Messi was the hero of so many Clasicos for

Barcelona against Real Madrid and is the alltime

top scorer in the history of that fixture.

He will be conspicuous by his absence

when the Spanish giants go head to head on

Sunday afternoon.

Instead he will take to the field at the

Velodrome a few hours later, ensuring

possibly greater interest globally than ever

before in a Marseille- PSG game.

Table-toppers PSG are overwhelming

favourites. They have lost just once to OM in

10 years.

PSG now totally dominate French

football, but once Marseille were the

country's pre-eminent club, and they remain

the only French winners of the Champions

League, in 1993.

They have a proud history, and in

Sampaoli they have a man capable of giving

new hope to a city obsessed with "l'OM".

"It is the kind of club I like. Clubs like

Marseille and Galatasaray who have that

support, the clamour of the people that

means the city explodes if you win

something," he once told the magazine So

Foot.

Sampaoli, 61, was born in Casilda, an hour

outside Messi's home city of Rosario.

Like Messi, Sampaoli played in the youth

ranks at Newell's Old Boys. While Messi left

for Barcelona aged 13, Sampaoli's playing

career was halted by injury before it properly

began.

There are parallels between Sampaoli and

Marcelo Bielsa, who became a cult hero in

charge of Marseille in 2014-15 and who

managed Pochettino at Newell's, the pair

reaching the Copa Libertadores final in 1992.

Sampaoli, like Bielsa before him, can be

seen pacing nervously up and down his

technical area during games at the

Velodrome. In contrast Pochettino usually

cuts a cooler figure.

SundaY, ocToBeR 24, 2021

10

'Dhaka

Dream'

hits theatres

TBT RepoRT

Independent filmmaker Proshoon Rahman

released his third feature film 'Dhaka Dream' in

six cinema halls across the country on Friday,

paying tribute to late singer Bari Siddiqui and

award-winning late actor SM Mohsin, who were

part of the film. In Dhaka, the film can be enjoyed

at the Bashundhara City and Mirpur branches of

Star Cineplex, Blockbuster Cinemas and

Shyamoli Cinema Hall, Director Proshoon

Rahman told on Friday.

He added, "We went to a cineplex with the crew

to watch the film together with our audience. I

have been getting good responses from the

audience. Actually, the taste of our movie

audience has changed. Now they want to see

unique stories which they can relate to.

"The shooting of 'Dhaka Dream' began with the

filming of a song in the voice of Bari Siddiqui, lipsynced

by actor SM Mohsin. Unfortunately, they

are not with us anymore."

We have plans to show the film to various

universities, festivals and Bangladesh Shilpakala

Academy to reach the commoners, added the

director. Talking about the plot of 'Dhaka

Dream,' Proshoon said, "Marginalised people

come to this city with many dreams. But can the

city fulfill everyone's dream? Yet why do people

come here with a dream? The film is about the

dreams and the heartbreaks of the people who

come to Dhaka city seeking livelihood and hope

for a better life.

"Dhaka Dream is about the continuous migration

of Bangladesh's rural population to the country's

capital. It will tell the tales of such migrants - how

their aspirations and dreams broke."

According to Proshoon, the film is a multinarrative

fiction that tells the experiences of

twelve different people while weaving them

together through a single journey. It took around

four years to complete.

The film has two songs composed by noted

singer Kumar Bishwajit. Besides, he has lent

voice in the introductory music. The late singer

Bari Siddiqui gave his voice to one of the two

songs while folk sensation Momtaz sang the

other.

The film has an ensemble cast, including Fazlur

Rahman Babu, Shahadat Hossain, Monira

Mithu, Abdullah Rana, Shahriar Ferdous Shojib,

Anowar Hossain Chowdhury, Joyeeta

Mohlanbish, Purnima Brishti, Nairuz Sifat,

Saima Neera, Sayka Ahmed, Sujat Shimul, Ikbal

Hossain, Arosh Khan, Fazlul Haque, Akhtar

Hossain, Jamal Raja, RA Rahul, Faruk Ahmed,

Shariful Azam Pintu, SM Mohsin, Mahbubur

Rahman, Khorshed Alam, Trisha Ray, Emil,

Rana and Tashfee.

Written and directed by Proshoon Rahman, 'Dhaka

Dream' premiered at International Film Festival of

South Asia (IFFSA) in Toronto earlier this year.

Ariful Islam Kajol; one of the

busiest and successful

commentators

Salehuddin Sohel

The name of the busiest and

most successful commentator of

his time is Ariful Islam

Kajal.This talented man is

equally busy in election voice,

jingle, documentary, drama and

movie voice over.

Born and raised in Ambikapur

Union of Faridpur Sadar

Upazila, this popular man had a

childhood dream of becoming a

commentator like Guru

Mazharul Islam. That dream has

come true today.

Ariful Islam Kajal graduated

from Ukhia College, Cox's Bazar,

after passing from Faridpur

High School. He was born on 20

February 1975 in the village of

Mostafa Dangi near the house of

poet Jasimuddin in Faridpur.He

is the seventh of nine children of

late father Nazar Ali Biswas and

mother Mosa Nurjahan Begum.

The man, who has been fond of

entertainment since childhood,

made his debut as a voice over

artist in 2001 by giving a voice in

an advertisement.From then on

his professionalism as a

commentator began.

In addition to Electoral Voice

Over and Jingle he also works as

a presenter for various

programs. He gained

considerable popularity

overnight in the magic of the

excellent voice.

Apart from voice over, Kajal has

sung several songs, recently this

commentator has done a

wonderful song about

Bangabandhu.

When asked, Kajal said, "My

addiction and profession is to

make people happy with the

magic of voice."However, my

dream now is to make a

magazine show in the style of

Hanif Sanket, a popular

presenter in Bangladesh.If I get

a good sponsor, I will feed the

minds of the people of the

country by continuously creating

magazine programs. I seek

everyone's love and blessings.

TBT RepoRT

I Will Do

Experimental

Work with

Myself : Riba

Sabrina Zaman Riba is a wellknown

face in the fashion

industry of Bangladesh. She has

been walking on the ramp for

more than ten years. This time

the familiar face of modeling is

coming with an international

project.

In this regard, Reba said, I

have worked with a director who

has won the European Fashion

Film Award. The work is being

prepared for participation in

festivals in Europe and America.

Post-production is in progress.

Hopefully, I will be able to

present the work in front of the

audience soon.

Regarding her busy schedule,

the model said she is busy with

the international project. I have

finished the photoshoot of Puja. I

will work on bridal and winter

photoshoots upfront. This is how

time passes.

Asked about the damage to the

fashion industry in Corona, she

Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji,

who was shooting for her next

film 'Mrs Chatterjee Vs

Norway', has completed the shoot, the

makers announced on Wednesday on

Instagram. The final schedule was

filmed in India, after its first schedule

was shot in Estonia, reports

Hindustan times.

The news of the film wrap was

shared by Emmay Entertainment on

Instagram. "And, it's a wrap already!

Feels like we had just started shooting

for #MrsChatterjeeVsNorway. We

can't wait for the film to hit the

theatres now!" the post read.

Directed by Ashima Chibber, Mrs

Chatterjee Vs Norway is produced by

Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani

and Nikkhil Advani's Emmay

Entertainment and Zee Studios.

The film is based on a

true incident that

rocked children

and human

rights at

an

said the situation is getting better

after the lockdown. The fashion

industry in Corona, like other

sectors, has suffered. The fashion

show is not starting yet.

Although the photoshoot work is

going on.

Although she has been

modeling for a long time, Riba is

making new plans for her career.

"I'm thinking about modeling as

well as styling and

choreography," she said. I always

like to do experimental work. I

am thinking of doing

experimental work with myself.

Then it will be easier to work

with others.

She has turned down offers to

acting since the beginning of her

career. She has said 'no' every

time. But now she is thinking of

acting.

In this context, she said, I have

been getting offers to act in the

play since 2010. I don't like the

offers I get. Moreover, I have

always wanted to set foot on this

branch through the big screen.

Rani wraps up

'Mrs Chatterjee Vs

Norway'

Speaking of which, she said,

the conversation about working

in a movie went a long way

before the Corona situation

began; but it did not happen for

Pandemic. I am emphasizing the

character of the movie. I will

work as soon as the bat and ball

match.

Most recently, she worked on a

commercial directed by Adnan

al-Rajib. Then it was not done. "I

worked on a Robi commercial

about a year ago," she said. Then

no more work was done. I don't

know why I don't fit in with the

visual industry. I am interested

in working in commercials.

international level, the makers said in

a press release.

Rani said it was a "sweet

coincidence" that she wrapped the

shoot of Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway on

October 18, the same day her first

Hindi film Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat

released in 1997. "Mrs Chatterjee Vs

Norway is an inspirational story about

a mother fighting a country for her

children and I went through a

rollercoaster of emotions shooting this

film," she said.

"I had an amazing time shooting

with my producers Monisha Advani,

Madhu Bhojwani, Nikkhil Advani, Zee

Studios and director Ashima Chibber

and I'm hoping that this film will

resonate with everyone who wants

to see an entertainer with a

brilliant concept at its fore," the

actor said in a statement.

Post-production work on the

film is underway and the

theatrical release date of Mrs

Chatterjee Vs Norway will be

announced soon, the makers

further said.

Rani's last big screen

outing was 2019's

Mardaani 2. She will also

be seen in Yash Raj Films'

Bunty aur Babli 2, slated

to be released in

theatres on

November 19.

Source: The

Indian

Express

h o R o S c o p e

aRieS

(March 21 - April 20) : Intense, vivid

dreams spark your mental processes.

You could wake up wondering why you

dreamed what you did and what it has

to do with what's going on in your life. Dream books

can be helpful. What do the symbols mean to you?

The symbols, or even the story itself, could set in

motion a mental chain of events resulting in a new

project of some kind. Make the most of it!

TauRuS

(April 21 - May 21) : There's likely to

be some tumult in your emotional

life right now, Taurus. You may feel

a pressing need to have a heart-toheart

talk with your partner. Tension may

develop if you become increasingly insistent

about your need to do so. Anger or alienation

can be avoided if you express your feelings with

clarity and compassion.

GeMini

(May 22 - June 21) : Money and

creativity are successfully joined today.

You might make money from a

completed project, or you could receive some money

to finance a project. Others might share in your efforts,

but you're the mind behind the whole thing. Your

intellectual powers are particularly strong. You're

better than usual at expressing your ideas.

.canceR

(June 22 - July 23) : Today

you're likely to be especially

sharp. Your intellectual powers

are operating at a high level. A

wealth of new ideas may come to you from

all sides, without and within. You're more

talkative than usual and want to share your

ideas with others. Optimism and

enthusiasm define you today.

leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): You're rarely

surprised or bothered by the

occasional setback. Today, however,

you should put a firm hand on any

project you undertake. This isn't the time for a

relaxed attitude, especially where money is

concerned. If you take a systematic approach, you

will have the double benefit of conserving both

energy and assets.

ViRGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): You may want

to take a more judicious approach to

your shopping sprees. Try spending

the afternoon looking and trying on but not

buying. That way, you'll have time to reflect on

whether or not you really want and need the items.

This could help cut out a lot of impulse spending.

Your wallet will be fatter and happier.

liBRa

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Today you have a

quick intellect and intensified

persuasive powers. Acute mental

powers are joined with personal

power to bring about career and financial success.

Any projects you start or complete today are

destined for success followed by public

recognition of some kind. This is a great omen for

your future.

ScoRpio

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): Act without hesitation

today, Scorpio, especially if you're following

unfamiliar directions or exploring new

territory. This may not seem like the best

advice, but this is a day for saying an unflinching yes to all

manner of proposals that come your way, even if some are

unclear. Scorpio excels at this type of test. Expect to be at the

head of the class by the end of the day!

SaGiTTaRiuS

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): You're obviously

struggling with something big, Sagittarius.

Recent comments about your irritability

are well founded. But don't worry. They'll

forgive you eventually. In the meantime,

do what you can to control your temper. It stems from

your current fears, which seem to be multiplying

exponentially. Blame the situation on the planets and

accept it as a lesson on the path to self-realization.

capRicoRn

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): You'll want to jump into

action today, Capricorn. Feel free to order

others around for a change and delegate.

An aggressive approach is exactly what's

called for, and you have the ability to deliver the goods.

Trying to do everything yourself may seem like a great

idea at first, but you're better off enlisting help so others

can feel involved and you can concentrate on doing a

better job on fewer tasks.

aQuaRiuS

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : Today's intense

celestial energy will help you make

progress toward your goals. Your mind

will be quick and receptive and your

writing and speaking abilities especially acute. You

might feel that you could sell anything to anyone if

you wanted to. Make the most of this intellectual

power. Start new projects now. If you do, success is

more than likely.

piSceS

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

impulse should be high today. You might

decide to try some writing. You may have

a particular subject in mind to write

about. You could also take a class in a subject that

interests you, or do a little research on your own. You

might consider some long-distance travel for pleasure

as much as for learning. The sky's the limit.

SUNDAY, OCTOBeR 24, 2021

11

American Airlines

bullish on holidays

after Delta variant hit

NEW YORK : American

Airlines said Thursday that

the latest surge in Covid-19

hit profitability in the latest

quarter, but that it was

bullish on the upcoming

holiday season, reports BSS.

The big US carrier enjoyed

a profitable July before the

spread of the Delta variant

pushed the company into

the red in both August and

September, American

executives said in a letter to

employees.

The company reported

$169 million in profits in the

third quarter, but the

bottom line would have been

a loss without an infusion of

US funds authorized by

Congress for carriers to

preserve airline jobs.

Revenues were $9 billion,

more than double the year

ago-levels, but about 25

percent below those in the

equivalent period of 2019.

"The American Airlines

team continues to

demonstrate its resilience

and ability to execute,

enabling us to deliver our

best quarter since the

pandemic began as

measured by pre-tax

financial results," said Chief

Executive Doug Parker.

Barclays bank reports

profit jump as

economy recovers

LONDON : British bank

Barclays on Thursday

announced a jump in profits

during the third quarter,

extending its recovery

following the pandemic fallout,

reports BSS.

Barclays said net profit more

than doubled to o1.45 billion

($2.0 billion, 1.7 billion euros)

in the three months to the end

of September compared with

one year earlier.

Profit after tax for the first

nine months stood at o5.25

billion, while the pre-tax level

of o6.9 billion was a record for

the group.

Chief executive James Staley

said the group was "seeing

evidence of a consumer

recovery and the early signs of

a more favourable rate

environment".

Banks in the UK have started

to raise interest rates on their

homes loans, as the Bank of

England prepares to increase

its main borrowing cost to

tackle high inflation.

A discussion meeting and distribution of white cane was held on the occasion of 53rd White Cane

Safety Day 2021 at Barishal Circuit House Conference Room on Saturday. State Minister for Water

Resources Ministry Zahid Faruk MP was the chief guest on the occasion while Ayub Ali Hawlader,

President of Barishal District Branch of National Association for the Visually Impaired presided

over the function.

Photo: Zihad Rana

Covid-19 cases reach 98,840

with 8 new in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI: Eight more people tested

positive for Covid-19 in four districts

of the division on Friday, taking the

caseload to 98,840 since the

pandemic began in March last year,

reports BSS.

However, the new positive figure

shows a significant falling trend

compared to the previous day's figure,

said Dr Habibul Ahsan Talukder,

divisional director of Health, adding

that Thursday's infection figure was

19.

Besides, Wednesday's fresh

infection figure was just four, which

was the lowest-ever in the division

since the second wave of the pandemic

hit the country.

Meanwhile, the recovery count rose

to 94,962 in the division after another

five patients were discharged from the

hospitals on the same day.

The death toll reached 1,671,

including 685 in Bogura, 318 in

Rajshahi with 193 in its city, and 173 in

Natore, Dr Talukder added. Besides,

all the positive cases of Covid-19 have,

so far, been brought under treatment

while 22,968 were kept in isolation

units of different dedicated hospitals

for institutional supervision. Of them,

19,323 have been released.

Meanwhile, four more people have

been sent to home and institutional

quarantine afresh while 19 others

were released from isolation during

the same time. Of the eight new cases,

four were detected in Bogura, followed

Evergrande pays overdue interest

on offshore bond: state media

BEIJING - China's troubled property giant

Evergrande has made a key offshore interest

payment a day ahead of a weekend deadline,

state media said Friday, averting a default

for now, reports BSS.

The crisis at one of the nation's biggest

property developers, which is drowning in

$300 billion of debt, has hammered

investor sentiment and fuelled fears of a

spillover into the wider economy.

Evergrande is reported to have missed at

least $150 million in offshore bond

payments but agreed a deal in September to

Hasen Ali, a two-time former chairman of

Naodanga Union No. 1 in Fulbari Upazila of

Kurigram and president of the union Awami

League, has been nominated again for the boat

symbol in the upcoming UP elections. Marking the

occasion, more than two hundred motorcycle

marched through various streets of Naodanga

Union in joy on Saturday.

Photo: TBT

pay interest on a domestic bond. But on

Friday, the state-backed Securities Times

said the embattled developer had wired an

$83.5 million offshore payment first due on

September 23, citing "relevant channels".

It said bondholders would receive the

payout before Saturday-the end of a 30-day

grace period. Fears that Evergrande could

collapse and send shockwaves through the

Chinese economy have rattled buyers and

markets, and shares plunged as the group

resumed trading Thursday after a two-week

halt.

UK retail sales

extend slump

LONDON : UK retail sales volumes dropped for a fifth month in

a row during September, official data showed Friday, as the

country suffers supply constraints and high prices, reports BSS.

Sales volumes dropped 0.2 percent last month from August,

the Office for National Statistics said in a statement to register

the longest retreat on record.

"Household goods were the main driver of... (September's)

decline, with a fall of nearly 10 percent," noted Darren Morgan,

ONS director of economic statistics.

"Despite the lifting of (lockdown) restrictions, in-store retail

sales remain subdued, with many consumers still opting to shop

online," he added.

Although sales of petrol surged in late September as drivers

rushed to fill up their tanks, a UK fuel-shortage crisis likely

meant consumers visited stores only for necessities, analysts

said.

"Whether the products aren't available, the price tag is too

high, or shoppers have simply finished fettling with their home

decor, non food sales pulled down September's figures," noted

Danni Hewson, financial analyst at AJ Bell.

"Furniture stores have been warning for months that big

ticket, big size items have been caught up in the shipping crisis

and that seems to have worked its way through to consumer

sales."

by two in Pabna and one each in

"Sirajganj and Chapainawabganj

districts.

With the newly detected patients,

the district-wise break-up of the total

cases now stands at 28,068 in

Rajshahi, including 22,634 in city,

5,666 in Chapainawabganj, 6,405 in

Naogaon, 8,381 in Natore, 4,621 in

Joypurhat, 21,604 in Bogura, 11,393 in

Sirajganj and 12,704 in Pabna.

A total of 1,13,690 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,

1,12,402 have, by now, been released as

they were given clearance certificates after

completing their 14-day quarantine.

Global oil prices

won't decline until

2023: World Bank

WASHINGTON : The

stunning recent runup in global

oil prices could threaten

economic growth, and is

unlikely to retreat until 2023,

the World Bank said Thursday,

reports BSS.

Average crude prices are

expected to end the year at $70

a barrel, 70 percent higher than

in 2020, according to the latest

Commodity Markets Outlook.

That in turn is pushing up

other energy prices like natural

gas, the report said.

"The surge in energy prices

poses significant near-term

risks to global inflation and, if

sustained, could also weigh on

growth in energy-importing

countries," said World bank

chief economist Ayhan Kose.

The increases have been

"more pronounced than

previously projected" and "may

complicate policy choices as

countries recover from last

year's global recession."

Oil prices in recent weeks

have surged above $80 a

barrel, the highest point in

years, as economies reopen

following the pandemic

shutdowns and amid shipping

bottlenecks.

The World Bank uses an

average of Brent, West Texas

Intermediate and Dubai which

it said will "remain at high

levels in 2022 but will start to

decline in the second half of the

year as supply constraints

ease."

Asian markets swing but

Evergrande payment

report provides boost

HONG KONG - Markets in Asia fluctuated Friday following a

record-breaking lead from Wall Street, while a report that

troubled developer China Evergrande had paid interest on an

overdue bond a day before the deadline eased concerns over a

default, reports BSS.

Another round of positive earnings provided a further lift to

Wall Street with the S&P 500 hitting its first all-time high

since the start of September as traders grow optimistic that

companies are weathering a range of issues including surging

inflation, supply chain snarls and slowing economic growth.

Surging prices around the world and central banks' moves

to bring an end to their financial largesse have acted as a

major drag on markets for months owing to the prospect that

the era of cheap cash is coming to an end.

"The bout of investor nervousness has proven transitory,

even as inflationary signals persist," said Geir Lode, at

investment manager Federated Hermes.

"Equity markets are back on the rise as investors shrug off

their recent concerns, with major indices near all-time highs.

Earnings season is now underway in the US and while it is

early days, the initial flurry of earnings have been well

received.

"The supply squeeze combined with increased demand is

particularly challenging, but blue-chip companies that can

prove their ability to maintain profitability in an inflationary

environment are likely to be well rewarded."

With South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand among the

countries already lifting interest rates-and the Bank of

England expected to act soon-all eyes are on the Federal

Reserve, which has indicated it will begin winding back its

bond-buying programme by the year's end.

Observers widely expect it to announce a move next month,

but the key question is when it will lift borrowing costs. Some

have estimated as soon as mid-2022.

After a blockbuster start to the week, the Asian rally has

petered out in the past two days.

Abul Hashem Mahajan

gets boat symbol

nomination again

Taiyubur Rahman, Char

Fasson Correspondent

The list of nominated

candidates of Awami League

in Char Fasson upazila of

Bhola district has been

finalized on Friday. The

Local Government

Nomination Board, headed

by Prime Minister of the

Government of the People's

Republic of Bangladesh, has

selected the nominee for the

post of chairman in the Char

Kukri-Mukri Union

Parishad election.

Incumbent chairman Abul

Hashem Mahajan has been

re-nominated as the party's

nominee for the post of

chairman. In the third phase

of UP elections which is

scheduled to be held on

November 28, polling will be

held in 8 unions of Char

Fasson including different

upazilas of the country.

Salehur Rahman Sajeeb of Joypurhat has been selected as the best Rover

Scout of Rajshahi Division. He is a first year student of Joypurhat

Siddiquia Kamil Model Madrasa. Certificates and crests were handed over

to the best Rover Scout, Innovative and Performance Award recipients at

the 45th Annual Council Meeting at Rover Scout Training Center at

Bahadurpur in Gazipur on Saturday.

Photo: TBT

Green University organized a two-day long international conference titled

'Innovation and Transformation for Development' yesterday. Photo : Courtesy

GD-1555/21 (9x3)

Sunday, Dhaka: October 24, 2021; Kartik 8, 1428 BS; Rabi-ul Awal 16, 1443 Hijri

Bangladesh to formulate integrated energy-power

sector master plan with focus on 3E+S concept

In the red of the blue sky, Kashful is stirring the air. The picture is taken from Jamuna char area

of Bogura district. Photo : Star Mail

Cumilla attack cases to be tried

in speedy trial tribunals:Anisul

DHAKA : Law, Justice and

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul

Huq yesterday said trials of the cases

filed over the recent attacks on Durga

Puja mandaps in Cumilla will be held

in speedy trial tribunals.

"There is a section in speedy trial tribunals

to accept CCTV footages as evidence.

So, there is no bar to accept the

CCTV footages captured during the

incident as the evidence," he said.

The minister said this replying to a question

from a journalist after joining a welcoming

ceremony of the newly appointed

sub-registrars and view exchange meeting

at the Bangabandhu Int’l Conference

Centre in the city. After getting the

investigation reports from the police,

Anisul said, the cases will be sent to

speedy trial tribunals.

About appointment of judges in high

court, the minister said, "Appointment

of judges in high court is a regular

process and it will continue. We are

now thinking of formulating a policy

about judge appointment".

Regarding e-registration process of

land, Anisul said, "A pilot project is

now being implemented. We will get

reports of the project on October 31

this year. Depending on the reports,

we will launch the e-registration

process across the country".

Legislative and Parliamentary

Affairs Division Secretary Md Moinul

Kabir and Law and Justice Division

Secretary Md Golam Sarwar joined

the function as special guests with

Narayanganj District Registrar Md

Ziaul Haque in the chair.

'Need some rest now,' BGB

man says in suicide note

FENI : A Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)

member allegedly killed himself with his

own gun on Friday night apparently having

failed to endure acute poverty.

"Too tired of fighting with poverty for

the past seven years; need some rest now,"

the BGB man said in his Facebook handle

barely an hour before taking his life.

Sohrab Hossain Chowdhury,23, hailing

from Parshuram upazila in Feni district,

killed himself at 39 BGB battalion camp in

Khagdahor area in Mymensingh, said

assistant director of the battalion Yunus

Ali on Saturday. Around 8:03 pm on

Friday, he posted the suicide note on social

media about his job dissatisfaction and

urged all to forgive him. Sohrab narrated

how "shamefully" he had to borrow

money from his uncle for his mother's

DHAKA : Air pollution still remains one

of the top most challenges for

Bangladesh-its capital has been ranked

as the second-most polluted city in the

world, reports UNB.

On Saturday, Dhaka occupied the second

position in the list of world cities

with the worst air quality. Dhaka's air

quality index (AQI) was recorded at 159

around 9.15am, which is considered 'unhealthy'.

The cities of Kolkata and Mumbai in

neighbouring India occupied the first

and third spots, respectively, with an

AQI of 193 and 158.

An AQI between 100 and 200 is considered

'unhealthy for sensitive groups'.

Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300

is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301

to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing

serious health risks to residents.

AQI, an index for reporting daily air

quality, is used by government agencies

to inform people how clean or polluted

the air of a certain city is, and

what associated health effects might

treatment last month as he could not

afford it with his small amount of salary.

"Didn't get any chance to do anything for

my physically- challenged younger brother,"

he wrote.

"Amid the situation, people ask me why

I'm not getting married. I never thought of

getting married; only wanted to live a

decent life somehow, but that has not been

possible." "I'm too tired after fighting with

mental pressure and poverty for the last

seven years. Now I need some rest," he wrote

adding, "I seek pardon from my family, seniors,

juniors and friends for this heinous act.

But I had no other alternative."

Bangladesh reports 70% more deaths

from suicide than Covid-19, according to a

recent study by Aachol Foundation published

on March 14, this year.

Dhaka is world's secondmost

polluted city

be a concern for them.

In Bangladesh, the overall AQI is

based on five criteria pollutants -

Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5),

NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone (O3).

Dhaka has long been grappling with air

pollution issues. Generally, Dhaka's air

starts getting fresh when monsoon rains

begin in mid-June. The air remains mostly

acceptable from June to October.

Air pollution consistently ranks

among the top risk factors for death and

disability worldwide.

Breathing polluted air has long been

recognised as increasing a person's chances

of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory

diseases, lung infections and cancer,

according to several studies.

As per the World Health

Organization (WHO), air pollution

kills an estimated seven million people

worldwide every year, largely as a

result of increased mortality from

stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease, lung cancer

and acute respiratory infections.

BNP is infected

with 'suspicion'

virus : Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary and Road Transport and

Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on

Saturday said BNP is now infected

with 'suspicion' virus as the party casts

doubt on every matter.

He said this at a regular press conference

on contemporary issues at his

official residence here.

Quader said when all expressed satisfaction

over the arrest of Iqbal

Hossain, who kept the holy Quran at a

puja mandap in Cumilla, BNP secretary

general Mirza Fakhrul Islam

Alamgir is questioning where the

arrested youth was for so many days.

Actually it is BNP's habit to make

any success or achievement (of government)

controversial as the party is

infected with rare 'suspicion' virus.

Pointing to Fakhrul, the minister

said: "You can give information where

Iqbal was in the last several days."

He said a question and suspicion

came in the minds of the people

whether BNP's excessive reaction

over the issue is the party's strategy to

hide their own wrongdoing or not.

"The people know very well about

BNP's double standard. They ask the

thief to steal and house-owner to

remain alert," he said.

Mitu murder case

Arms supplier Bhola arrested in Jeshore

DHAKA : Responding to the suggestions

of energy experts, Bangladesh is finally

moving towards formulating an integrated

energy and power sector master

plan with a focus on the "3E+S" concept,

reports UNB.

"We'll pursue the "3E+S" concept of

ensuring "Energy Security," "Economic

Efficiency," and "Environment" while

focusing on "Safety," said the Japan

International Cooperation Agency

(JICA) in an official statement, adding,

"In view of the need for a long-term lowcarbon

energy policy, we will support the

formulation of the integrated energy and

power master plan."

According to official sources, Tokyobased

consulting firm Institute of

Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), has

started work following an agreement the

Bangladesh government signed with

JICA on March 15 this year in this

regard.

Official sources said JICA will complete

the formulation of the integrated

energy and power master plan by

December 2022 under a completion

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK

Abdul Momen on Saturday said there

is shortage of vaccines in Bangladesh,

adding that the vaccination drive in

the country will go on as planned,

reports UNB.

"There is no shortage of vaccines in

Bangladesh. We are also ready to go

into vaccine production," he said

while speaking as the chief guest at an

award ceremony at the Sylhet District

Press Club auditorium. He also said

that Bangladesh has been highly successful

in 'Vaccine Diplomacy' under

the leadership of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina and guidance of the

Covid-19 management committee.

"Till now, we are providing free jabs

to our citizens. This is a very rare feat

compared to other parts of the globe,"

the FM added.

The FM also spoke regarding the

CHATTOGRAM : Police on Saturday

arrested Ehteshamul Haque Bhola , who

allegedly supplied arms used in the killing

of former police superintendent Babul

Akter's wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu,

from Benapole in Jeshore district, reports

UNB.

Santosh Chakma, the investigative officer

in the case and PBI Inspector

(Chattogram Metro Zone) said," Members

of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI)

arrested him early Saturday while he was

fleeing to India." There is substantial evidence

that Bhola provided the firearms

and ammunition for killing Mitu.

He was earlier arrested and jailed for

several days.

However, the High Court in September

granted him four weeks' bail.

He recently applied for anticipatory bail

before the High Court after a re-arrest

warrant was issued against him, but the

HC ordered Bhola to surrender to a lower

court. But Bhola tried to flee the country

without surrendering to the lower court.

Tipped off, PBI conducted a drive and

contract of a timeframe of 30 months.

JICA has been funding the entire project

through its grant under a deal with

the Ministry of Power, Energy and

Mineral Resources (MPEMR).

It had provided financial and technical

support for formulating all the previous

power system master plans (PSMPs)

until 2016.

According to official sources at the

MPEMR, for decades, Bangladesh had

prepared two separate master plans-one

for the energy sector and another for

power sector-where there had been

many missing links and lack of coordination

resulting in imbalance between

the energy and power sector's growth.

"But for the first time, we're going to

formulate an integrated master plan

putting equal emphasis on development

of both the sectors in order to support

the current robust economic growth,"

said Mohammad Hossain, Director

General of Power Cell.

In the context of imbalanced growth in

power and energy sectors in the last one

and a half decades, the country's energy

No shortage of vaccines

in Bangladesh: FM

recent incidents of communal violence

in the country in an earlier program

at the office of Electronic Media

Journalists Association (EMJA) in

Sylhet.

Mentioning that there were provocations

behind the recent communal

violence in the country, the minister

said," A specific group is trying to

destabilise the country ahead of the

national election which is two years

from now."

"Bangladesh is 'number one' in the

world in religious harmony. People of

all religions are living in peace in this

country," he added.

Mentioning that there is no beef

between Bangladesh and India over

the recent act of violence, the FM

said," India (Indian government) is

very happy with the steps taken by us

on the issue of communal attacks."

arrested Bhola from Durgapur Bazar

Road in Benapole Bazar along the border.

On June 5, 2016, unidentified assailants

gunned down Babul's wife Mitu at the port

city's GEC intersection while she was

going to drop her son for a bus of

Chittagong Cantonment Public School

and College.

Soon after the crime, a murder case was

filed at Panchlaish Police Station against

three unidentified men, following a complaint

by Babul.

On May 12 this year, PBI submitted its

Election of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ)was held in festive mood on Saturday. Photo : TBT

experts have long been urging the government

to formulate an integrated plan

to bring coordination among the two.

In the last 12-13 years, the country's

power sector witnessed a robust growth

with increased power generation from

4,500 MW to 21,000 MW while growth

in the energy sector remained non-significant

as a new discovery was not made

for gas exploration nor low cost primary

fuel was ensured.

Officials said Bangladesh has to now

import a significant amount of primary

fuel-specially, liquid petroleum, liquefied

natural gas (LNG) and coal-to meet

the demand of the power and industry

sector.

Welcoming the move for an integrated

master plan, eminent energy expert Dr.

Tamim said this initiative will definitely

bring a positive impact on ensuring low

cost primary energy for affordable

power generation.

He said many power plants have to

face uncertainty in their operation

because of lack of primary fuel supply

guarantee.

BNP is infected

with 'suspicion'

virus : Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary and Road Transport and

Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on

Saturday said BNP is now infected with

'suspicion' virus as the party casts doubt

on every matter.

He said this at a regular press conference

on contemporary issues at his official

residence here.

Quader said when all expressed satisfaction

over the arrest of Iqbal Hossain,

who kept the holy Quran at a puja mandap

in Cumilla, BNP secretary general

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is questioning

where the arrested youth was for

so many days.

Actually it is BNP's habit to make any

success or achievement (of government)

controversial as the party is infected

with rare 'suspicion' virus.

Pointing to Fakhrul, the minister said:

"You can give information where Iqbal

was in the last several days."

He said a question and suspicion came

in the minds of the people whether

BNP's excessive reaction over the issue

is the party's strategy to hide their own

wrongdoing or not.

"The people know very well about

BNP's double standard. They ask the

thief to steal and house-owner to remain

alert," he said.

Clean energy to

be imported from

neighbouring

countries:Nasrul

DHAKA : Steps will be taken to import

clean energy from the neighbouring

nations alongside the ongoing efforts to

increase the share of renewable energy in

the energy mix, said State Minister for

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources

Nasrul Hamid, reports UNB.

He revealed the plan while addressing a

presentation session of the Power Grid

Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) on the

country's power transmission plan at a city

hotel on Saturday. Nasrul said new

sources of renewable energies are coming

up to boost the energy mix against the

backdrop of global climate change.

Held with power secretary Habibur

Rahman in the chair, the function was also

addressed by Planning Commission member

Sharifa Khan. Additional secretary of the

power division Nurul Alam conducted the

event. Director of Power Grid Company India

Limited Abhay Chowdhury made a presentation

on the topic.

Nasrul mentioned that efforts are being

made to modernize and streamline the

transmission system of the country.

"The process of modernizing the transmission

and distribution systems is

underway. Various projects have been

taken to develop the distribution system,"

he added.

Nasrul said there must be an automatic

frequency control for all kinds of electricity

like renewable energy, coal-fired power,

nuclear power, oil and gas-fired power

plants to synchronize with the transmission

system.

24-10-2021

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