01-10-2022

SaTURday

Dhaka : October 1, 2022; Ashwin 16, 1429 BS; Rabi-ul Awal 4, 1444 Hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.DA~2065, Vol.20; N o. 134; 8 Pages~Tk.8.00

InTeRnaTIOnal

Royal Mint unveils first

coins to feature King

Charles III

Zohr

>Page 3

04:35 AM

01:30 PM

04:09 PM

05:53 PM

07:52 PM

5:48 5:50

healTh

Why there is a drop in

kids’ test scores during

the pandemic

>Page 5

Two years after the Corona epidemic, Chhayanaut once again welcomed the season of Kashful

with dance songs and music. The festival was organized on Friday morning at Dhaka University

premises.

Photo : Star Mail

Chowdhury Abdullah

Al-Mamun takes

charge as IGP

DHAKA : Chowdhury Abdullah Al-

Mamun took over as the Inspector

General of Police (IGP) on Friday.

He replaced Benazir Ahmed who

retired on Friday as the country's police

chief, according to a press release.

The new IGP was given a guard of

honour by a police team at the police

headquarters this afternoon.

After taking the charge, he paid homage

to Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

by placing a wreath on Bangabandhu's

portrait at Dhanmondi 32. He also

signed the visit book there.

He later placed a wreath at the police

memorial at Rajarbagh paying tribute to

the brave policemen who sacrificed their

lives in the 1971 War of Liberation.

On September 22, the government

appointed Director General of Rapid

Action Battalion (Rab) Chowdhury

Abdullah Al-Mamun as the new IGP.

Benazir was given a farewell through

guard of honour at the police headquarters

this afternoon.

Later, he boarded the IGP's decorated

car following the long-standing tradition

and customs of Bangladesh Police and

was given farewell by pulling a rope tied

to the car.

Benazir Ahmed joined the Bangladesh

Police in 1988 and was appointed IGP

on April 15 in 2020.

Durga Puja begins today

with Maha Shasthi

DHAKA : Durga Puja, the biggest religious

festival of the Bangalee Hindu community,

will begin today with Maha Shasthi

puja at temples across the country amid

festivity and religious fervour.

The five-day annual celebration will

begin with unveiling of the face of the deity

and Kalparambho on Maha Shasthi and it

will end on October 5 with the immersion

of the idols on the day of Bijaya Dashami.

The incarnation (Bodhon) of the

Goddess Durga happened yesterday

evening ahead of the puja on the day of

Maha Panchami.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate

messages on the occasion of the Durga

Puja extending greetings to Hindu community

members.

Swami Premananda Maharaj of

Ramkrishna Mission and Ramkrishna

Math, Dhaka told BSS that Goddess

Durga will come to earth (martyalok) from

heaven (Kailash) riding on elephant which

signifies, as per mythology, that the earth

will witness natural disasters like storms

but production of grains and crops will

increase. Goddess Durga will return to

heaven (Kailash) riding on boat which signifies

the world will get blessings.

According to the schedule of Durga Puja

of Ramkrishna Mission, Maha Shasthi

puja will be held at 7.30am with holding of

different rituals including Kalparambho

and Bodhon, Amantron (invitation) and

Adhibas. Recitation of verses from the

Holy Sri Sri Chandi, blowing of conch

AL roots lay deep into

the soil: Quader

DHAKA : Awami League General

Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday said

the AL was born in the soil and that is why

its roots have deepened into the soil.

"Our knees will not break down; our

waists will not fracture. The Awami

League was born in this soil.....Awami

League is a party that emerged from this

soil," he told a discussion at Bangla

Academy auditorium here.

The AL's relief and social welfare subcommittee

arranged the meeting on the occasion

of the birthday of AL President and

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"Our roots lay deep into the soil of the

country. The waist of a person who is born

in this soil will not break. I did not make

any mistake, but Fakhrul (BNP secretary

general) did so," Quader said.

Responding to a statement of BNP secretary

general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir

that stated the AL's knee has broken

down, the AL general secretary said: "I

stated at a function at Bangabandhu

International Conference Centre the day

shells and beating of traditional dhakdhols

(traditional drums), kashor at temples

and pandals will begin on Saturday

morning and it will continue for next five

days until immersion of idols.

On the second day on October 2, Maha

Saptami puja will be performed at 6.30am

while Maha Ashtami puja will be held on

the third day on October 3 at 9.30am and

Kumari Puja at 11am, Sandhi Puja at

4.44pm and it will be done before 5.32 pm.

Maha Nabami Puja will be held on the

fourth day on October 4 at 6.30am and

offering of pushpanjali or anjali at

10.30am.

On the final day of Bijaya Dashami, puja

will begin at 6.30am, pushpanjali at 8am

and puja completion and Darpan

Bisharjan will be held by 8.50am.

The five-day festival will end with

immersion of idols of goddess Durga and

her offspring - Ganesha, Karitik, Laxmi

and Saraswati - and devotees will receive

Shantijol (sacred water from where deities

are immersed).

The Mahalaya, the auspicious occasion

heralding the advent of goddess Durga,

was celebrated on September 25.

Idol makers and artisans readied idols

for Durga Puja at puja mandaps.

Generally, the idols are made diligently

and methodically by the artisans to create

exquisite pieces of artistry.

Durga Puja will be celebrated at 32,168

mandaps across the country this year

including 241 in the capital, according to

Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad.

before yesterday that the waist-broken

BNP is running by depending on scratch

and the Fakhrul has replied to it."

"Mirza Fakhrul may forget. This was not

my own statement. Think-tank Zafrullah

Chowdhury repeatedly termed the BNP a

knee- and waist-broken one. I just

recalled him (Fakhrul)," Quader said.

Highlighting the development and

achievements of Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina's government, he said: "The

Bangladesh of 13 years ago and today's

Bangladesh is not the same...Sheikh

Hasina was born to change the fortune of

the countrymen."

Chaired by AL presidium member Matia

Chowdhury, the meeting was addressed,

among others, by party presidium member

Abdur Rahman, Bangla Academy

director general poet Nurul Huda, AL

agriculture and cooperative affairs secretary

Faridunnahar Laili, relief and social

welfare secretary Sujit Roy Nandi and

central committee member Marufa

Akhtar Popy.

Communal harmony

is Bangalees traditional

heritage: President

DHAKA : President M Abdul Hamid yesterday

called for making united efforts to

take forward the Bangalee nation's eternal

heritage of communal harmony in overall

progress of the country.

"Communal harmony is eternal heritage

of Bangalees. We will have to take

forward this heritage in our overall

progress," he said in a message on the eve

of the Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival

of Bangalee Hindu community which

will begin today. The President said Durga

Puja is closely related to traditional culture

and heritage of Bangla as Hindu community

of this soil has been celebrating Durga

Puja with massive fanfare and enthusiasm

for long. Durga Puja is not only a religious

but a social festival, he mentioned.

Abdul Hamid said relatives, friends,

family members, dear and near ones and

neighbors irrespective of faiths and castes

get together in a festive mood with ecstasy

on the occasion of Durgotsab and that is

why it is universal festival.

This universality proves that religion is

of respective persons but festival is of all,

he said.

He said apart from being a religious festival,

Durga Puja plays an important role

in creating mutual compassion and unity

among the country's people.

5 die in city's separate

incidents

DHAKA : Five people were killed in separate

incidents here in the last 24 hours.

Of the deceased, four were identified as

Hasan, 17, a tenth-grade student, Md

Shipon,15, son of Mojibur Rahman of

Bazargaon village of Hajiganj police station

of Chandpur district, electrician

Shaheen, a resident of Gaibandha Sadar

Upazila, and Neela, a third gender.

An unidentified boy aged about 14 years

died on the spot as a bus hit him near the

Civil Aviation in the early hours of Friday,

said Sub-Inspector of Airport Police

Station Jahangir Alam.

In another incident, a human haulier hit

Shaheen in the Shyampur area at around

9 pm on Thursday. He was taken to

DMCH where on-duty doctor declared

him dead at around 10:30 pm.

Besides, police recovered the body of

Hasan, a student of Janatabag High

School, from his residence located in the

Rayerbagh area at around 5:30 am.

However, the reason behind the death

could not be known immediately.

Meanwhile, Shipon was stabbed to

death in the city's Kathalbagan area on

Thursday night. Mojibur Rahman, the

father of the deceased, said an identified

man stabbed Shipon near the

Kathalbagan Bazar Mosque at around

10:30 pm.

Family members took him to Green Life

Hospital from where he was shifted to

DMCH where the on-duty doctor declared

him dead.

SPORTS

Brazilian football star

Neymar backs Bolsonaro ahead

of sundaty vote

>Page 6

Putin annexes four more

Ukraine territories

MOSCOW : Russian President Vladimir

Putin on Friday annexed four territories in

Ukraine controlled by his army at a grand

ceremony in the Kremlin and urged Kyiv

to lay down its arms and negotiate an end

to seven months of fighting.

The lavish ceremony at the Kremlin, a

turning point in recent post-Soviet history,

came hours after shelling killed 25 people

in Ukraine's southern region of

Zaporizhzhia, one of the

worst attacks against civilians

in months.

Putin was defiant during

a address to Russia's most

senior political elite, telling

the West the land grab was

irreversible and calling on

Ukraine's emboldened

army to give up and negotiate

a surrender.

"I want to say this to the

Kyiv regime and its masters

in the West: People

living in Lugansk,

Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are

becoming our citizens forever," Putin said.

"We call on the Kyiv regime to immediately

stop fighting and stop all hostilities...

and return to the negotiating table," the

Russian leader added. The packed hall

erupted to chants of "Russia! Russia" after

the four leaders inked the deal, and Putinrarely

seen making physical contact since

the pandemic-joined hands with his proxy

leaders and was shown shouting along in

unison on state TV. Leading up to the ceremony

Putin warned he could use nuclear

weapons to retain control of the territories

as Kyiv vowed the move would make no

difference to its aims of kicking out

Russian troops. Ukraine's closest backer,

Washington, said it would "never" recognise

Russia's authority in the regions.

But early on Friday, an attack in

Zaporizhzhia in the south, killed at least 25

people as civilians were preparing to leave

to pick up relatives, Ukrainian officials

said. Bodies of people wearing civilian

clothes were strewn

across the ground after

the attack and windows

of cars blown out, an

AFP photographer said.

One man, 56-year-old

Viktor, said his life was

saved because he went to

get a coffee.

"The waitress gave it to

me. And there was a

bang. She got scared and

left the cafe. A few minutes

later, there was

another explosion. Now

she is on the floor," he said. "I managed to

hide. She did not.""Only complete terrorists

could do this," said Ukrainian

President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Bloodthirsty scum! You will definitely

answer," he added. But pro-Kremlin

regional chief Vladimir Rogov accused

Ukrainian troops of carrying out a "terrorist

act". In central Moscow, at least

10,000 people were convening for stateorganised

annexation celebrations, with

huge banners emblazoned: "Donetsk.

Lugansk. Zaporizhzhia. Kherson.

Russia!"

existential threats of climate change and food insecurity

Urgent mission to battle

poverty and hunger

DHAKA : Development finance expert

Alvaro Lario takes the helm of the UN's

International Fund for Agricultural

Development on Saturday with an urgent

mission to battle poverty and hunger

among the world's rural poor as they face

existential threats of climate change and

food insecurity. Lario, a Spanish national

who has served as IFAD's chief financial

officer since 2018, has led efforts to harness

private sector investment to boost the

resilience of millions of small-scale farmers

and rural communities who are among

those most affected by global shocks.

"Our mission has never been more

urgent as food insecurity, climate change

and conflict threaten the lives and livelihoods

of the world's rural poor," he said.

"But our power to shape the future has

never been greater, if we muster the commitment

and resources to make lasting

Vladimir Putin

change."

Lario remains committed to IFAD's goal

to double its impact on poor rural communities

by 2030.

This will be done in part by driving forward

climate change adaptation as a priority

for the Fund, according to a message

received here from Rome on Friday.

Poor small-scale farmers produce onethird

of the world's food, but receive less

than two percent of climate finance and

are the least able to adapt to changing circumstances

like drought, extreme weather

and crop failure. "We keep moving from

crisis to crisis, focusing on immediate

relief. But if we want to avoid winding up

in the same place again five years from

now, we need to invest in the medium

term-and this means nothing less than the

transformation of food systems, and adaptation

to climate change," he said.

Local people suffer due to slow construction of drains. The picture is taken from Outer Circular Road of

Mogbazar in the capital on Friday.

Photo : Star Mail

SATURdAy, OCTOBeR 1, 2022

2

Durga Puja at 247 Mandaps

in Raozan upazila

Gazi Joynal Abedin, Raozan (Chattogram) Correspondent :

Sharadiya Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of Hindu

community, will begin with the main formalities today with

Maha Shashti. This year's Durga Puja will end with the

immersion of the goddess on October 5.

According to the sources of Raozan Upazila Administration

and Puja Udjapon Parishad, this time

Durga Puja is being held at 32 thousand 168 Mandaps

across the country this year. Among these, Puja at 247

Mandaps are being held in Raozan Upazila of Chattogram.

Out of these 247 Mandaps, there are 125 in the northern part

of the upazila and 122 in the southern part.

However, ahead of the upcoming national elections, the

leaders of the Puja committee are expressing their fear of

creating anarchy by the evil forces against freedom. This

administration is on high alert.

To prevent any untoward incidents and chaos, installation

of CC cameras at each Mandaps, use of inspection registrar

book has been ensured. Upazila Awami League has already

announced to monitor every Mandaps by taking a position in

the ground.

Member of Parliament of Chattogram-6 ABM Fazle Karim

Chowdhury told "The Bangladesh Today", I have built Raozan

3.20-lakh Covid-19

jabs administered in

Rangpur Thursday

RANGPUR : As many as

3,20,924 doses of Covid-19

jabs were administered in all

eight districts of Rangpur

division in a single day on

Thursday.

"With the inoculation of

3,20,924 doses on Thursday,

the total number of

administered Covid-19 jabs

rose to three crore 19 lakh and

570 in the division," Divisional

Deputy Director (Health) Dr

Md Habibur Rahman said.

Among the 3,20,924 doses of

the jabs inoculated on

Thursday, 15,985 were

administered as the first doses,

45,603 as the second doses and

2,59,336 as the booster doses.

"Till Thursday, a total of

1,36,90,160 people got the first

doses of Covid-19 jabs, and of

them, 1,31,46,790 got the

second doses and 50,63,620

got the booster doses,"

Divisional Director (Health)

Dr. Abu Md. Zakirul Islam told

BSS.

Meanwhile, the total number

of Covid-19 patients rose to

64,876 as two fresh Covid-19

cases were diagnosed after

testing 14 new samples on

Thursday in the division.

as a model upazila of communal harmony for 26 years. The

people of Raozan are very peaceful. Here Muslims, Hindus,

Buddhists all perform their religious ceremonies peacefully.

In this regard, Raozan Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abdus

Samad Sikdar told "The Bangladesh Today" that the Upazila

Puja Celebration Parishad (North and South), People's

Representatives and Thana Police have taken extensive

preparations and action plans to ensure a peaceful

environment for worshipers.

General Secretary of Raozan Puja Udjapon Parishad

(North) Suman Dey said, the number of Mandaps in Raozan

upazila is 247, the highest number at upazila level across the

country. This was possible due to the qualified leadership of

non-communal personality of ABM Fazle Karim

Chowdhury. Among the maximum number of Puja

Mandaps at the upazila level but there is not a single

vulnerable Mandap here.

Abdullah Al Harun, officer-in-charge of Raozan Police

Station, told The Bangladesh Today, "We have deployed

additional police from Friday." Twenty six mobile teams of

police will work. In addition to the uniformed police, the

police in plain clothes will also be stationed at the Mandap

area.

Japan honours Dr Ekhlasur

with Order of the Rising Sun

DHAKA : The government of Japan

Thursday conferred "The Order of the Rising

Sun, Gold and Silver Rays" award to Dr Md

Ekhlasur Rahman, reports UNB.

Dr Ekhlasur, director of Yamagata Dhaka

Friendship General Hospital, received the

award at the official residence of Ito Naoki,

ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, for

supporting Japanese nationals in need of

medical care in Bangladesh and for his

contribution to strengthening Bangladesh-

Japan ties in the medical field.

He is the 14th Bangladeshi national and

the first doctor in the country to receive the

decoration from the government of Japan.

Ambassador Naoki expressed his gratitude

to Dr Ekhlasur forproactively providing

medical service with Japanese standards and

treatment to the country's nationals in

Bangladesh.

"The 300-year-old Japanese Edo period

dictums 'medicine is a curing profession' and

'medical practice is a benevolent act' exactly

describe Dr Rahman," he said.

Dr Ekhlasur completed his PhD at

Yamagata University Graduate School of

Medicine in 1996 and worked as a clinical

fellow at Yamagata Saiseikai Hospital in

Japan.

Inspired by the Japanese medical system,

particularly the methods for treating

patients and educating young physicians, he

opened his hospital in Dhaka in 1997 to

provide Japanese-standard treatment. Also,

his Japanese language skills greatly

benefitted the Japanese community in

Bangladesh.

He has also contributed to improving

medical service and empowering clinical

staff in Bangladesh through exchange

programmes among Japanese and

Bangladeshi physicians as well as training

programmes for young Bangladeshi

physicians.

On April 29, 2022, the government of

Japan decided to confer The Order of the

Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays to Dr

Ekhlasur.

He also received the Foreign Minister's

Commendation from Japan for his

exceptional contributions to Japanese

nationals in need of help in Bangladesh.

The Foreign Minister's Commendations

are awarded to individuals and groups with

outstanding achievements in international

fields, to acknowledge their contributions to

the promotion of friendship between Japan

and other countries and areas.

Naoki also conferred "The

Commendations of Ambassador" to

Kobayashi Reiko, a registered nurse from

Japan in Yamagata Dhaka Friendship

General Hospital, for her support for the

Japanese community in Bangladesh and

efforts to spread the Japanese style of

nursing practices in Bangladesh.

The picture is taken on Friday from Mandap, Noapara, Raozan Upazila.

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Jatiya Konna Shishu Advocacy Forum organized a press conference at National Press Club

yesterday.

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SATuRDAy, OCTOBeR 1, 2022

3

A suicide bomber struck an education centre in a Shiite area of the Afghan capital on Friday, killing 19 people and wounding

27, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kabul police chief said. Photo: AP

Taliban say suicide bombing in

Shiite area of Kabul kills 19

KABUL - A suicide bomber struck an

education center in a Shiite area of the

Afghan capital on Friday, killing 19

people and wounding 27, a Talibanappointed

spokesman for the Kabul

police chief said, reports UNB.

The explosion inside the center in

the Dashti Barchi neighborhood of

Kabul - populated mostly by members

of Afghanistan's minority Shiite

community - took place in the morning

hours, said the spokesman, Khalid

Zadran.

The victims included high school

graduates, both girls and boys, who

were taking a practice university

entrance exam when the blast went off,

Zadran said. The center is known as

the Kaaj Higher Educational Center

and helps students prepare and study

for college entrance exams, among its

activities.

Zadran said education centers in the

area will need to ask the Taliban for

additional security when they host

events with big gatherings, such as the

study prep on Friday.

The suicide bombing was the latest

in a steady stream of violence since the

Taliban seized power. No one

immediately claimed responsibility for

the attack

The Islamic State group - the chief

rival of the Taliban since their takeover

of Afghanistan in August 2021 - has in

the past targeted the Hazara

community, including in Dashti

Barchi.

"Our teams have dispatched at the

site of the blast to find out more

details," Abdul Nafi Takor, a Talibanappointed

spokesman for the Interior

Ministry, said earlier.

The U.S. charge d'affaires for

Afghanistan, Karen Decker,

condemned the attack in a tweet.

"Targeting a room full of students

taking exams is shameful; all students

should be able to pursue an education

in peace and without fear," she said.

"We hope for a swift recovery for the

victims and we grieve with the

families of the deceased."

Afghanistan's Hazaras, who are

mostly Shiite Muslims, have been the

target of a brutal campaign of violence

for the past several years, blamed on

the regional affiliate of the Islamic

State group. Militants have carried out

several deadly attacks in Dashti Barchi,

including a horrific 2020 attack on a

maternity hospital that killed 24

people, including newborn babies and

mothers.

The United Nations children's fund

said it was appalled by Friday's horrific

attack, adding that violence in or

around educational establishments

was never acceptable.

"This heinous act claimed the lives of

dozens of adolescent girls and boys

and severely injured many more,"

UNICEF tweeted. "Children and

adolescents are not, and must never

be, the target of violence."

Damaged homes and businesses are seen in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Thursday, Sep 29, 2022, following

Hurricane Ian.

Photo: AP

Hurricane Ian heads for Carolinas

after pounding Florida

CHARLESTON : A revived Hurricane

Ian set its sights on South Carolina's coast

Friday and the historic city of Charleston,

with forecasters predicting a storm surge

and floods after the megastorm caused

catastrophic damage in Florida and left

people trapped in their homes, reports

UNB.

With all of South Carolina's coast under

a hurricane warning, a steady stream of

vehicles left Charleston on Thursday,

many likely heeding officials' warnings to

seek higher ground. Storefronts were

sandbagged to ward off high water levels

in an area prone to inundation.

On Friday morning in Charleston,

powerful wind gusts bent tree branches

and sent sprays of steadily falling rain

sideways. Streets in the 350-year-old city

were largely empty, an ordinarily packed

morning commute silenced by the

advancing storm.

With winds holding at 85 mph (140

kph), the National Hurricane Center's

update at 8 a.m. Friday placed Ian about

105 miles (175 km) southeast of

Charleston and forecast a "lifethreatening

storm surge" and hurricane

conditions along the Carolina coastal

area later Friday.

The hurricane warning stretched from

the Savannah River to Cape Fear, with

flooding likely across the Carolinas and

southwestern Virginia, the center said.

The forecast predicted a storm surge of

up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) into coastal areas

of the Carolinas, and rainfall of up to 8

inches (20 centimeters).

In Florida, rescue crews piloted boats

and waded through riverine streets

Thursday to save thousands of Floridians

trapped amid flooded homes and

buildings shattered by Hurricane Ian.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at least

700 rescues, mostly by air, were

conducted on Thursday involving the

U.S. Coast Guard, the National Guard

and urban search-and-rescue teams.

Ian had come ashore Wednesday on

Florida's Gulf Coast as a monstrous

Category 4 hurricane, one of the

strongest storms ever to hit the U.S. It

flooded homes on both the state's coasts,

cut off the only road access to a barrier

island, destroyed a historic waterfront

pier and knocked out electricity to 2.6

million Florida homes and businesses -

nearly a quarter of utility customers.

Some 2.1 million of those customers

remained in the dark days afterward.

Climate change added at least 10%

more rain to Hurricane Ian, according to

a study prepared immediately after the

storm, said its co-author, Lawrence

Berkeley National Lab climate scientist

Michael Wehner.

At least six people were confirmed

dead in Florida, including two who died

Thursday afternoon when their car

hydroplaned and overturned in a

water-filled ditch in north Florida's

Putnam County, while three other

people were reported killed in Cuba

after the hurricane struck there on

Tuesday.

In the Fort Myers area, the hurricane

ripped homes from their slabs and

deposited them among shredded

wreckage. Businesses near the beach

were completely razed, leaving twisted

debris. Broken docks floated at odd

angles beside damaged boats. Fires

smoldered on lots where houses once

stood.

Germany warns of

rise in COVID-19

cases going into fall

BERLIN : Germany's health

minister warned Friday that

the country is seeing a

steady rise in COVID-19

cases as it goes into the fall,

and urged older people to

get a second booster shot

tweaked to protect against

new variants, reports UNB.

Other European countries

such as France, Denmark

and the Netherlands are also

recording an increase in

cases, Karl Lauterbach told

reporters in Berlin.

"We are clearly at the start

of a winter wave," he said.

German officials recorded

96,367 new cases in the past

24 hours, about twice as

many as a week ago.

Starting Saturday,

Germany's 16 states can

again impose pandemic

restrictions such as a

requirement to wear masks

indoors.

French Catholic Church

starts compensating sex

abuse victims

PARIS : France's Catholic

Church has paid financial

compensation to 23 victims

of child sexual abuse by

priests or other church

representatives under a

recently launched

reparation process, the body

in charge of compensation

decisions said Friday,

reports UNB.

Representatives of the

Independent National

Authority for Recognition

and Reparation said during

a news conference that over

1,000 victims have come

forward to claim

compensation since the

body was established this

year.

France's Catholic bishops'

conference agreed to

provide reparations after a

report issued last year

revealed a large number of

child sex abuse cases.

Some 60 reparation

decisions have been made,

out of which 45 include

financial compensation that

range from 8,000 to 60,000

euros ($7,806 to 58,548),

the INIRR said. It said 23

people have received the

money.

At the request of victims,

reparations also may

include non-financial

support such as discussion

groups, art therapy and

meeting with local church

representatives, according

to Marie Derain de

Vaucresson, the authority's

president.

The reparation process

requires long discussions

with the applicants and

cases are examined

individually, which is why

it's taking time, she said.

"We need that time to

hear people, to understand

their situation while

respecting what they want

to say and also paying

attention not to reactivate

traumas and expose them to

difficulties, when the goal is

rather to help them heal,"

she said.

Royal Mint unveils

first coins to feature

King Charles III

LONDON : Britain's Royal Mint has

unveiled the first coins to feature the

portrait of King Charles III.

Britons will begin to see Charles' image

in their change from around December,

as 50-pence coins depicting him

gradually enter circulation, reports UNB.

The new monarch's effigy was created

by British sculptor Martin Jennings, and

has been personally approved by Charles,

the Royal Mint said Friday. In keeping

with tradition, the king's portrait faces to

the left - the opposite direction to his

mother's, Queen Elizabeth II.

"Charles has followed that general

tradition that we have in British coinage,

going all the way back to Charles II

actually, that the monarch faces in the

opposite direction to their predecessor,"

said Chris Barker at the Royal Mint

Museum.

Charles is depicted without a crown. A

Latin inscription surrounding the

portrait translates to "King Charles III,

by the Grace of God, Defender of the

Faith."

A separate memorial 5-pound coin

remembering the life and legacy of

Elizabeth will be released Monday. One

side of this coin features Charles, while

the reverse side features two new

portraits of Elizabeth side by side.

Based in south Wales, the Royal Mint

has depicted Britain's royal family on

coins for over 1,100 years, documenting

each monarch since Alfred the Great.

"When first we used to make coins, that

was the only way that people could know

what the monarch actually looked like,

not in the days of social media like now,"

said Anne Jessopp, chief executive of the

Royal Mint. "So the portrait of King

Charles will be on each and every coin as

we move forward."

Jennings, the sculptor, said the portrait

was sculpted from a photo of Charles.

"It is the smallest work I have created,

but it is humbling to know it will be seen

and held by people around the world for

centuries to come," he said.

Charles acceded to the throne Sept. 8

upon the death of his mother, Britain's

longest-reigning monarch, who died at

age 96.

Around 27 billion coins bearing

Elizabeth II's image currently circulate in

the United Kingdom All will remain legal

tender and be in active circulation, to be

replaced over time as they become

damaged or worn.

The official coin effigy of Britain's King Charles III is seen on a 50 pence coin,

unveiled by The Royal Mint, in London, Britain, Sept. 29, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Nobel Prize season arrives amid

war, nuclear fears, hunger

This year's Nobel Prize season approaches as

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shattered

decades of almost uninterrupted peace in

Europe and raised the risks of a nuclear

disaster, reports UNB.

The secretive Nobel committees never hint

who will win the prizes in medicine, physics,

chemistry, literature, economics or peace. It's

anyone's guess who might win the awards

being announced starting Monday.

Yet there's no lack of urgent causes

deserving the attention that comes with

winning the world's most prestigious prize:

Wars in Ukraine and Ethiopia, disruptions to

supplies of energy and food, rising inequality,

the climate crisis, the ongoing fallout from the

COVID-19 pandemic.

The science prizes reward complex

achievements beyond the understanding of

most. But the recipients of the prizes in peace

and literature are often known by a global

audience and the choices - or perceived

omissions - have sometimes stirred emotional

reactions.

Members of the European Parliament have

called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine to be

recognized this year by the Nobel Peace Prize

committee for their resistance to the Russian

invasion.

While that desire is understandable, that

choice is unlikely because the Nobel

committee has a history of honoring figures

who end conflicts, not wartime leaders, said

Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm

International Peace Research Institute.

Smith believes more likely peace prize

candidates would be groups or individuals

fighting climate change or the International

Atomic Energy Agency, a past recipient.

Honoring the IAEA again would recognize

its efforts to prevent a radioactive catastrophe

at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic

power plant at the heart of fighting in Ukraine,

and its work in fighting nuclear proliferation,

Smith said.

"This is really difficult period in world

history and there is not a lot of peace being

made," he said.

Promoting peace isn't always rewarded with

a Nobel. India's Mohandas Gandhi, a

prominent symbol of non-violence in the 20th

century, was never so honored.

But former President Barack Obama was in

2009, sparking criticism from those who said

he had not been president long enough to

have an impact worthy of the Nobel.

In some cases, the winners have not lived

out the values enshrined in the peace prize.

Just this week the Vatican acknowledged

imposing disciplinary sanctions on Nobel

Peace Prize-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes

Belo following allegations he sexually abused

boys in East Timor in the 1990s.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won

in 2019 for making peace with neighboring

Eritrea. A year later a largely ethnic conflict

erupted in the country's Tigray region. Some

accuse Abiy of stoking the tensions, which

have resulted in widespread atrocities. Critics

have called for his Nobel to be revoked and the

Nobel committee has issued a rare

admonition to him.

The Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi

won the peace prize in 1991 while being under

house arrest for her opposition to military

rule. Decades later, she was seen as failing in

a leadership role to stop atrocities committed

by the military against the country's mostly

Muslim Rohingya minority.

The Nobel committee has sometimes not

awarded a peace prize at all. It paused them

during World War I, except to honor the

International Committee of the Red Cross in

1917. It didn't hand out any from 1939 to 1943

due to World War II. In 1948, the year

Gandhi died, the Norwegian Nobel

Committee made no award, citing a lack of a

suitable living candidate.

The peace prize also does not always confer

protection.

Last year journalists Maria Ressa of the

Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia

were awarded "for their courageous fight for

freedom of expression" in the face of

authoritarian governments.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the

Kremlin has cracked down even harder on

independent media, including Muratov's

Novaya Gazeta, Russia's most renowned

independent newspaper. Muratov himself

was attacked on a Russian train by an

assailant who poured red paint over him,

injuring his eyes.

The Philippines government this year

ordered the shutdown of Ressa's news

organization, Rappler.

The literature prize, meanwhile, has been

notoriously unpredictable.

Few had bet on last year's winner,

Zanzibar-born, U.K.-based writer

Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose books explore the

personal and societal impacts of colonialism

and migration.

Gurnah was only the sixth Nobel literature

laureate born in Africa, and the prize has long

faced criticism that it is too focused on

European and North American writers. It is

also male-dominated, with just 16 women

among its 118 laureates.

The list of possible winners includes literary

giants from around the world: Kenyan writer

Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Japan's Haruki

Murakami, Norway's Jon Fosse, Antiguaborn

Jamaica Kincaid and France's Annie

Ernaux.

SaTURdaY, OcTOBER 1, 2022

4

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Concern about

outflow of resources

A

country

will experience inflows

and outflows of resources from it

and these are to be considered as

legitimate activities in many cases. But

when the outflows to a large extent are

the outcome of illegitimate operations,

then the economy of the country stands

threatened. This has been the case in

respect of Bangladesh, one of the

poorest countries in the world which

should normally aspire to keep within its

boundaries as much resources as

possible for its own utilisation when the

realities seem to very different. It is no

more a matter of speculation but a well

known fact that huge resources are

being drained away from Bangladesh by

a class of wastrels and parasites who are

least motivated by ethical or patriotic

feelings.

In the pre independence days, the

entire economic argument for the

establishment of Bangladesh was based

on retention of local resources for the

benefit of the local economy. But to what

extent this principle is being applied

now in the free country ? Any impartial

assessment would show up a substantial

outflow of resources out of the country

through illegal and unethical means.

This flight of resources from the

country, its level and impact on the

economy, calls for an urgent study and if

it is carried out the same would likely

establish that the resource flight is on a

large scale. Specially, one understands

from various allusive media reports

these days that resourceful persons in

the country are in a scramble to pump

out as much resources as they can

outside of Bangladesh. They specially

and allegedly include influential figures

in the corridors of power or from among

the present ruling elites . It is much

speculated that they have been

particularly keen to send their monies

abroad out of a thinking that the days of

their present over lordship over the

country's affairs is numbered because of

the present countrywide volatility. Of

course their ill gotten wealth were

largely obtained from all kinds of

wheeling-deal or corruption under the

incumbents in power in the country.

Thus, it has become imperative to raise

a clamour against such unconscionable

flight of resources from the country. All

conscious people in the country ought to

make it their strong demand so that the

ones in power in the country or the

powers to be, all are obliged to pay heed

to it or suffer people's collective wrath

for the same at some stage.

Some years ago, I was discussing

the largely male-led uprisings of

the so-called Arab Spring with a

Saudi friend. He said to me, that was

nothing: Wait until women realize their

power.

Events in Iran give that thought a

special resonance now. The facts are

straightforward. Members of the

specialized morality police - the Gashte-Ershad

- are tasked with enforcing

strict rules on women's dress in public.

Two weeks ago, a young Kurdish

Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, was

beaten to death after being arrested for

"bad hijab." The Iranian regime tried to

suggest she had died of an existing

condition. No one believed such

nonsense.

Her death has led to widespread

protests throughout Iran and equally

widespread and brutal regime

reprisals. There have been scores of

further deaths, many of them young

women shot by the security forces.

This is only the latest in a long series

of popular protests against the Iranian

government's oppression of its own

people, dating back to the 1990s and

early 2000s. The regime - unlike the

Shah - has always been prepared to kill

enough of its own citizens to regain

control - at least until the next eruption.

Will it be any different this time?

Well, these eruptions are becoming

more frequent. The last major

occurrence was only last year, in the

largely Arab southwest, over water

shortages, a growing problem caused

not simply by climate change but by

wholesale misgovernance. They reflect

a deep and growing popular anger

about the entire revolutionary project

in Iran, whose preservation seems to be

the major concern of Supreme Leader

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Often these disturbances have been

sectoral - farmers, students, the

WITH support from the National

Counter Terrorism Authority, the

Islamic Research Institute (IRI)

of the International Islamic University

launched a 'national narrative' in January

2018, that had the endorsement of

prominent members of the clergy. The

narrative was called 'Paigham-i-Pakistan'.

A prominent feature of that document is

the fatwa, or religious decree, against

terrorism, suicide bombing and any

individual issuing the call for 'jihad'

(considering that such a call is the state's

prerogative), along with many other related

proclamations.

The joint declaration and the decree,

initially signed and endorsed by more than

1,800 ulema, have been acclaimed as a

great step forward to stop terrorism in the

name of jihad and implementation of the

Sharia. So far, diverse communities, in

particular students and youth, have been

engaged in large numbers across the

country for the promotion of Paigham-i-

Pakistan, as claimed by a senior IRI

representative at a recently held seminar in

Islamabad that focused on the 'new

national narrative'.

Earlier, the national narrative had been

one based on certain religious notions and

nurtured during the last many decades

through a range of constitutional, legal and

educational measures. It involved a sort of

state-sponsored process of Islamisation, to

promote some strategic objectives deemed

vital at that time.

A crucial question asked in the Paighami-Pakistan

document is "whether Pakistan

is an Islamic or an un-Islamic state?

Further, can a state be declared un-Islamic

and its government and armed forces as

non-Muslim if the Sharia is not

implemented in its entirety?"

In the absence of long-term measures

with a proper implementation plan, the

narrative on militancy cannot change.

The 35% decline in the yen and 25%

decline in the euro relative to the

dollar, and the US dollar index up

by 25% since 2017, are being

rationalized as a response to the US

Federal Reserve's raising interest rates

to battle inflation. Analysts remind us

that such policy is similar to the one

Paul Volcker pursued in the 1980s to put

an end to inflation.

Volcker's own take is not the only

reminder of what is gravely mistaken in

both the Fed's policies and those of all

central banks now, as well as the above

analyses, but it also shows what would

be the lasting, stable solution - not being

discussed now.

In his 1992 work Changing Fortunes,

Volcker said that between 1980 and

1982, the higher interest rates "attracted

more and more foreign funds to help

finance our deficits and investments."

"The adverse repercussions of this

policy mix on international markets

became obvious - except to members of

the administration who interpreted it as

a vote of confidence in US policy. [But]

the high interest rates and a strongly

rising dollar made it harder to deal with

the debt crisis [and] the competitive

position of our industry; and markets

began to be seriously undermined."

This is similar to the scenario

unfolding now before our eyes, as the

wildly gyrating exchange rates noted

above show. Dollar-indebted countries'

currencies such as India's and Chile

depreciated this year, and Sri Lanka

defaulted on its overseas bonds in May.

Their central banks have been spending

reserves and raising rates to mitigate

frustrated middle class. This time they

seem much more broadly-based both

sociologically and geographically: The

country as a whole has been affected.

But why women? First, women's

issues know no boundaries. Just

breathing while female is enough to

attract the regime's attention. You are

as likely to be arrested or harassed if

you come from a farming community

or the urban poor as you are as a

student or a middle-class professional.

Second, the enforcement of rules on

female dress in Iran has in recent years

been tightened up as the regime feels

revolutionary enthusiasm draining

away. Those Iranian women

committed to the revolution (a

shrinking number) have always worn

full chadors. But during periods of

relative liberalization in the 1990s and

early 2000s, many others would be

seen, especially, with colorful scarves

pushed to the back of the head and

War of narratives

This could be read in several ways. For

instance, one could deduce two points from

the question above. First, it appears to

indicate that to be an Islamic state (the

definition is open to debate) was the very

purpose of the foundation of Pakistan.

Second is the implied acknowledgment that

this objective is still unfulfilled. One

wonders whether the scope of this question

itself can be viewed as providing validity to

the demand for an ideal Islamic state by

any means possible - what, in fact, the

banned TTP claims it wants to achieve.

Moreover, to some it may come across as

somewhat apologetic - as if requesting a

halt in the militants' activities until the

government achieves the objective of

implementing the Sharia. Such phrasing

could come across as the antithesis of what

the document may actually intend.

The simple fact is that no matter how

much and for how long one tries to make or

prove Pakistan an Islamic state, there will

always be groups declaring it 'un-Islamic',

according to their own specific

interpretation of the Muslim faith, thus

'justifying' to themselves a continued

struggle towards a 'real' Islamic state.

For example, as per a common

understanding of religious law, and

especially when it is interpreted by militant

religious groups, a state can hardly be said

to be conforming to religious edicts if it is

not ensuring that it has an interest-free

The Fed in a floating world

their currencies' fall and prevent

defaults without success.

As of August, their reserves had

shrunk by $379 billion this year, and

Pakistan and Ghana have been

negotiating with the International

Monetary Fund after losing some 30% of

their reserves.

Meanwhile the European Central Bank

as well as central banks in Norway,

Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, as well

as Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan

and Turkey, are pursuing tightening.

The fact that an estimated 40% of the

$28.5 trillion in annual global trade is

priced in US dollars and the Bank for

International Settlements estimates

dollar debts owed by borrowers outside

the US at $13 trillion in 2021, all suggest

that a debt crisis looms - as it did during

the 1980s.

Volcker added that though he

anticipated the Mexican debt crisis

before it materialized in 1982, he did not

think that lowering rates by 1-2

percentage points in 1981 would have

prevented it. However, by July 1982 he

RaSHad BUKHaRI

REUVEN BRENNER

loosely draped abayas. The

determination of the authorities to

enforce the rules seemed to vary with

the political temperature.

Many in the West thought this meant

Iran was becoming a more tolerant

place. That was folly. In the last decade,

as the economy has tanked, the nuclear

file become more intractable, the

struggle for succession to the supreme

leader more vicious, and the Islamic

Revolutionary Guard Corps more

central, women have suffered.

After 2005, under President

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, moral

policing was reinforced with a stronger

mandate, and several new programs,

such as the hijab and chastity plan,

were implemented. In 2021, Ayatollah

Khamenei absurdly ruled that even

female animals in cartoon films should

be depicted wearing the hijab. Most

ordinary Iranians doubtless think this

is ridiculous. They yearn for a more

economy, it is not implementing capital

punishment, it is not making the veil

obligatory, it is not strictly segregating

gender roles, it is not banning activities

such as theatre, drama, film and music, it is

not setting up a department to 'stop' vice

and 'spread' virtue, it is not closing barber

shops that shave off men's facial hair, and it

is not cutting off trade and cultural ties with

non-Muslim countries generally, and in

particular those that have majority Hindu

and Jewish populations. The proponents of

such a state also recommend that measures

be taken to ensure the dominance of the

Muslim faith all over the world.

The simple fact is that no matter how much and for

how long one tries to make or prove Pakistan an Islamic

state, there will always be groups declaring it 'un-

Islamic', according to their own specific interpretation

of the Muslim faith, thus 'justifying' to themselves a

continued struggle towards a 'real' Islamic state.

However, can a time frame for fulfilling

such conditions be given, even to

temporarily pacify extremist groups that

want to enforce their strict version of

religion in the country? Would an

assurance based on this make them halt

their 'activities' while waiting for the

desired outcome?

The current upsurge in the terrorist

incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,

including the erstwhile tribal areas,

provides a blunt answer.

Terrorism-related incidents saw an

increase of 42 per cent in September 2022

compared to August 2022. A horizontal

escalation is seen, with a shift in terrorism

from North Waziristan, South Waziristan,

D.I. Khan, Tank, and Bajaur districts to

Lakki Marwat, Khyber, Swat, Peshawar

had changed his mind, and eased

monetary policy.

The weakening of American industry

because of the strong US dollar

contributed to the change in policy,

though Volcker thought it was "strange

and paradoxical" that the dollar

continued rising until 1985. However, he

did anticipate that a "sickening fall in

the dollar would come" - which it indeed

did between 1985 and 1987, the dollar

index plunging 50%.

"The adverse repercussions of this policy mix on

international markets became obvious - except to

members of the administration who interpreted it as a

vote of confidence in US policy. [But] the high interest rates

and a strongly rising dollar made it harder to deal with the

debt crisis [and] the competitive position of our industry;

and markets began to be seriously undermined."

He noted too that to be successful,

central banks' monetary tools were not

enough to lower inflation quickly: To

absorb the liquidity that led to the high

inflation on the late 1970s, early 1980s,

reducing the budget deficit should have

complemented the Fed's policies.

Volcker added that this "would have

relieved the pressures on our own

money and capital markets and our

dependence on foreign capital; effective

effort to restore budget balance could

[have] reinforced what we were trying to

do."

It took time for both the easing of

Deep popular anger at the root of Iran's eruptions

SIR JOHN JENKINS

normal life. The regime does not. In the

absence of an alternative, policing

women's behavior has become the

visible index of domestic revolutionary

purity.

But the revolution is not what it was.

There has been a precipitous decline in

public religiosity inside Iran. One

recent reputable survey suggested that

73 percent of Iranians now believe the

hijab should not be compulsory. And

women have increasingly fought back.

In December 2017, Vida Movahed

became famous (and disappeared)

after being filmed removing her white

hijab and waving it from the top of a

soap box in Enghelab (revolution)

Street, Tehran.

In a project directed by the Dutch

artist, Marinka Masseus, supported by

the defiantly unveiled (and exiled)

Iranian dissident, Masih Alinejad

(whom the Iranian regime has

allegedly sought to kidnap or kill),

and Kurram districts. The Khyber district

remained the most affected, with the

greatest number of terrorist incidents,

followed by Lakki Marwat, South

Waziristan, Swat and Kurram.

A declaration or a fatwa in the absence of

long-term measures with a proper

implementation plan is insufficient to

change the current narrative established

through decades of consistent promotion

and propagation. If anything, it will further

reinforce the problematic objectives of the

existing extremist narrative. A translated

verse from Mir Taqi Mir may explain this:

"Mir is so naïve that he takes medicine from

the son of the same quack who make him ill

in the first place".

Moreover, this is not new either - many

ulema claim to have been saying the same

thing for a long time. Some of them have

even sacrificed their lives for what they had

to say, like Maulana Hassan Jan, Dr Sarfraz

Naeemi and Dr Farooq Khan to name but a

few. In essence, the letter and spirit of the

so-called 'new narrative' are strikingly

similar to what had already existed in our

religious and Pak Studies schoolbooks.

The issue it seems is that of the overpoliticisation

of religion without

differentiating between compulsion and

human freedom. Any misplaced idealism

over pragmatism and appreciation of

universal human rights and moral values

can render us unable to understand the

demands of our belief system.

No positive change can be realistically

expected to come about in our condition

without the willingness to improve our

conception of self and our worldview

realistically.

The writer is a consultant and

researcher working on social issues,

including building resilience and

cohesion in stressed communities.

monetary policy in 1982 and for the

changes in fiscal and regulatory policies

to stabilize the US economy and lower

the inflation rate to 5% in 1984, and to

4% in 1987, the year of Volcker's

departure.

As to the dollar: In 1985, the US dollar

index was at 160, up from 80 in 1980.

This led to his observation that

"increases of 50% and declines of 25% in

the value of the dollar or any important

currency over a relatively brief span of

time … are a symptom of a system in

disarray." The disarray led to the Plaza

and Louvre accords (1985, 1987) - after

which the dollar index dropped from

160 back to 80, its level in 1980.

US industries restored their strength

during these upheavals helped by both

then-US president Ronald Reagan's

fiscal and regulatory policies and the

large increase in hedging instruments

developed in the financial market - by

now standing at hundreds of trillions in

notional value. The latter allowed US

companies to stay in their lines of

business and mitigate the impact of

volatile exchange rates.

However, currency hedging is not just

costly and in some countries

prohibitively so, preventing companies

access to credit and grow, but it brings a

misallocation of talents in a floating

world. Brains and capital are allocated

to an expanding financial sector, and

less so to Main Street.

Reuven Brenner is a governor at

IEDM (Institut Économique de

Montréal). He is professor

emeritus at McGill University.

other Iranian women have been bold

enough to allow themselves to be

photographed or filmed casting the veil

off as a gesture of resistance.

This has often been at high personal

cost. But they have been following a

distinguished regional tradition.

In the late 19th century, debates

about the veil - and female dress more

broadly - became a lightning rod for a

broader range of issues centered on

women's rights and the meaning of

modernity within Islamic societies.

Sir John Jenkins is a senior

fellow at Policy Exchange. Until

December 2017, he was

corresponding director (Middle

East) at the International

Institute for Strategic Studies,

based in Manama, Bahrain, and

was a senior fellow at Yale

University's Jackson Institute

saTuRDaY, OCTObeR 1, 2022

5

JulIa RIes

Though SARS-CoV-2 was originally thought to be a

respiratory virus, it's become increasingly clear that the virus

can have serious consequences on brain health. Many people

have experienced neurological symptoms - like loss of taste

and smell, headache and memory and attention issues- while

infected, and most people who develop long COVID

experience brain fog and cognitive problems like reduced

concentration.

Now, new research suggests that COVID may increase our

risk of developing brain disorders like Alzheimer's disease,

too. The study, which was published this month in the

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, found that older adults who

were infected with COVID had a 50 to 80% higher chance of

developing Alzheimer's compared to people who'd never had

COVID.

Doctors don't think that COVID directly causes Alzheimer's

as much as it unmasks underlying illness or speeds up

disease that's already simmering. Scientists are still learning

about the ways in which COVID can impact our ability to

learn, remember, focus and perceive, but research suggests

that infections, in general, can have a serious impact on our

cognitive function, not only in the short term but in the long

term as well.

"These findings are not surprising to me since there is

increasing understanding that medical stressors, from

surgery to urinary tract infections, can lead to abrupt declines

in cognitive abilities called 'delirium' or 'encephalopathy,'

which is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for

subsequent dementia diagnosis," Dr. Joshua Cahan, an

assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University

Feinberg School of Medicine, told.

The researchers evaluated the health records of 6.2 million

adults age 65 and older who had received medical treatment

between February 2020 and May 2020. At the start of the

study, no one had previously been diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease.

The individuals were split into two groups: people who had

COVID (over 400,000) and people who had not (about 5.8

million). The research team found that that the risk of getting

Alzheimer's doubled, from 0.35% to 0.68%, among those

who had COVID. The risk was greatest in women who were

85 and older.

According to the researchers, it's unclear if COVID directly

contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease or if it

speeds up degenerative changes in the brain that are already

in progress.

"This study shows the patients with dementia may be

detected earlier due to COVID but does not suggest that the

infection itself causes dementia," said Dr. Santosh Kesari, a

neurologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in

Older adults more at risk

for alzheimer’s disease

Researchers are still trying to figure out an effective treatment to reduce the impact COVID may have

on the brain and other areas of the body.

Santa Monica, California and the regional medical director

for the Research Clinical Institute of Providence Southern

California.

The researchers hope that future studies are able to

uncover the specific pathways in which COVID impacts brain

function so that more targeted treatments and prevention

methods can be developed. Historically, it's been difficult for

Photo: Getty

scientists to develop treatments targeting cognition,

according to Cahan.

While researchers are looking into various medications -

like antivirals, stimulants and corticosteroids - the research is

still in the early stages and it's unclear how well these

approaches help enhance cognition. "We have not firmly

established the mechanisms of long COVID or Alzheimer's so

our approach to treatment is limited," Cahan said.

This isn't the first study to find that infectious diseases are

associated with cognitive decline. Past research shows that

pneumonia, urinary tract infections, herpes virus infections,

osteomyelitis and cellulitis have all been linked to a higher

risk of dementia. According to Cahan, we also know that

COVID can lead to major issues with attention and

processing speed in certain patients.

Some experts believe that cognitive decline is caused by the

widespread inflammation that certain infections, including

COVID, trigger throughout the body. Higher levels of

inflammation often go hand-in-hand with cognitive

problems. According to Kesari, all that systemic

inflammation caused by COVID can lead to brain

inflammation - and research shows that brain inflammation

is at the root of Alzheimer's disease.

There's also a possibility that there may be a buildup of the

proteins related to Alzheimer's disease in patients who are

severely ill or hospitalized, according to some research.

"More long-term follow-up is needed to see if these

proteins persist and progress, as would be expected in

Alzheimer's disease," Cahan said. It's unknown what, exactly,

causes Alzheimer's disease, which is one of the major reasons

why it's so hard for scientists to figure out how COVID may

lead to the disease, Cahan added.

Ultimately, while it's clear that COVID and brain health are

connected in some way, it'll take more research - and time -

to get a clearer understanding of how different diseases and

infections impact brain health. "We are currently in the

phase where information is accumulating that COVID-19

leads to cognitive impairment, but the mechanisms are

unclear," Cahan said.

Cahan said when he sees patients seriously struggling with

cognitive decline after recovering from COVID, he often

refers them to occupational and speech therapy to help

strengthen the parts of their brain that were weakened by the

infection. Cognitive therapy, which is currently being

investigated as a treatment for post COVID cognitive

impairment, can also help people develop new strategies to

improve their cognition. Cahan also generally recommends

that people gradually build their cognitive endurance after

COVID, rather than going from zero to 100 right after

recovering. A healthy diet, physical activity, social

connections and stress management are crucial aspects of

maintaining cognitive function as well, Kesari said.

If the cognitive problems persist, it's worth checking in

with a doctor to see if there's anything else going on.

"All patients should undergo a thorough workup to look for

other potential contributors like sleep disturbance,

psychological distress, metabolic disorders, vitamin

deficiencies all of which have specific treatments," Cahan

said.

Can COVID booster and 2022 flu

shot be applied at the same time?

JIllIan WIlsOn

It's that time of year again: flu season.

The exact timing varies, but

generally, cases start to pick up in

October with the peak of the season

happening in December through

February, according to the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention.

And once again, we not only have to

deal with the flu circulating, but we

are also still in the COVID-19

pandemic, which means there's an

increased risk for severe disease from

both viruses as we move into the

colder months. So, it's doubly

important that you make sure you're

up to date on your COVID

vaccinations and your flu shot.

Especially now that there's a new

bivalent COVID shot that protects

against the highly-contagious

omicron variant.

Can you check two things off your

to-do list at once and get these shots

on the same day? Here's what you

need to know about getting the new

COVID booster and the flu shot at the

same time.

"There is no danger in getting the

new COVID booster and the flu shot

at the same time. It is safe to get both

shots in one visit," said Dr. Andy

Anderson, executive vice president

and chief medical and quality officer

at RWJBarnabas Health in New

Jersey.

If you do decide to get your shots on

the same day, it is recommended to

get one shot in each arm, he added.

"By administering them at the same

time, we are more likely to ensure

that people are protected against both

of these diseases," said Dr. Laolu

Fayanju, an Ohio-based family

medicine specialist with Oak Street

Health. "Both influenza and COVID

are circulating."

If you get both vaccines on the same

day, you'll be protected against severe

disease and complications like

hospitalization and death sooner, he

noted. Keep in mind that it takes two

weeks for both vaccines to fully kick

in.

This is important for everyone, but

it is particularly important for those

at high-risk for severe disease, like

older people, people with asthma and

other conditions, who should be

protected against both illnesses as

soon as possible.

"When taken together, [the new

COVID booster and flu shot] show

Getting your flu shot and new COVID booster can protect you

against both illnesses this fall and winter. Photo: Roos Koole

similar reactogenicity, which means

the body's natural response to

vaccines," Fayanju said.

In other words, those vaccine side

effects you likely know all about at

this point (headache, fever, fatigue,

achiness) are known to happen with

both vaccines. If you get the shots on

the same day, you'll only have to deal

with those side effects on one day as

opposed to two.

Anderson added that "the CDC

notes that the way that our bodies

develop protection and possible side

effects are generally similar whether

vaccines are given alone or with other

vaccines."

This means your side effects likely

won't be any worse if you get both

shots on the same day, Anderson

said. That said, it is still possible to

feel pretty crummy after vaccination.

Make sure you hydrate, get your rest

and are prepared to take it easy the

next day in case you wake up feeling

lousy.

Going to a doctor's appointment

isn't normally the most exciting part

of your day, and you likely have many

other things to do, too. But if you can

get both vaccines at the same

appointment, you'll only have to

venture out to the doctor once, not

twice, for these shots.

"If we can save our patients time

and ensure they're getting these

vaccines at the same time... I think

that's to the patient's advantage,"

Fayanju said. And who doesn't want

to save some time when possible?

While both experts say it's OK to get

your shots at the same time, you

should still check with your doctor if

you have any hesitations. There are

some people who may not be eligible

for both shots just yet.

For most people, the recommended

timing for the flu shot is September or

October, Anderson said, but the

recommended timing for the new

COVID booster depends on a few

factors: First, folks who recently got

their COVID booster or their initial

vaccine should wait at least two

months to get this new COVID shot.

Additionally, people who just had

COVID can wait up to three months

to get this booster. Lastly, only those

18 and over can get the Moderna

booster. The new Pfizer shot is

authorized for those 12 and up.

If you fall into one of these

categories, you shouldn't delay your

flu shot just to consolidate

appointments. In this case, you'll

want to get protected against the flu

first.

If you don't fall into these

categories, you're free to get the new

booster shot now. When we were at

the height of the pandemic, flu cases

were low. This likely has to do with

the public health measures - like

masking and social distancing - that

were in effect. Now that those

precautions are gone in most

scenarios, flu cases likely will also

creep up.

Plus, Australia had a bad flu season

this year, and "we can learn a lot from

how our flu seasons here in the

Northern Hemisphere will proceed

based on what's been going on in the

Southern Hemisphere," Fayanju said.

So, it would not be a surprise if we

are faced with a tough flu season, too.

"Flu kills tens of thousands of

people," every year, Fayanju said. The

flu shot is the best way you can

protect yourself and your loved ones

from getting the virus.

Beyond that, COVID has killed

more than 1 million Americans so far

and is continuing to infect people

daily. Being protected against these

contagious COVID strains and the flu

can only benefit you this fall and

winter.

MaRIe HOlMes

If you're one of the many

parents who had to try and

keep track of links, passwords,

headphones and chargers

during those early days of

online learning, you could

probably tell the experiment

wasn't going to go well.

Watching your kids zone out

during Zoom meetings, it

didn't take a master's degree

in education to understand

that they just weren't learning

as much as they did in person

at school.

Now, the results - in terms

of kids' academic achievement

- are coming in, and the news

isn't good.

Nationally, test scores

dropped significantly in math

and reading from 2020 to

2022. Kids who got less inperson

schooling fared worse,

as did Black children and

children who had lower

achievement to begin with.

This year, the National

Assessment of Educational

Progress, or the "Nation's

Report Card," administered

its long-term trend

assessment to 7,400 9-yearolds

in 410 schools. The scores

reveal an average drop of 5

points in reading and 7 points

in math since 2020, the last

time the test was given.

This is the largest drop in

reading scores on the NAEP

since 1990, and it's the first

time math scores have fallen

since the test was first

administered in 1973.

The dip became

progressively steeper the

lower the student scored. In

reading, students scoring in

the top 10% of test takers saw

their scores decline an average

of 2 points, whereas kids

whose scores landed them in

the bottom 10% saw an

average drop of 10 points.

Similarly, in math, kids in the

top 10% saw their scores drop

an average of 3 points, while

the bottom 10% dropped an

average of 12 points.

Not surprisingly, higherscoring

students reported

more access to online learning

resources like laptops and

high-speed internet, as well as

greater confidence in their

ability to learn remotely.

When broken down by race

and ethnicity, Black, white

and Hispanic students all saw

a 6-point dip in reading

scores. But in math, Black

students' scores went down an

average of 13 points,

compared to 5 points for

white students and 8 points

for Hispanic students.

Test scores from individual

states tell a similar story, with

a significant drop in the

Why there is a drop in kids' test

scores during the pandemic

number of students meeting

academic benchmarks.

In an analysis of third-grade

through eighth-grade test

scores from 11 states,

economist and bestselling

parenting writer Emily Oster

and her co-authors found an

average decline of 12.8

percentage points in the pass

rate on math tests, and an

average decline of 6.8

percentage points for English

Language Arts.

Recently released data from

Oregon shows that 43.6% of

students passed ELA exams

this year and 30.4% passed in

math, compared to pass rates

of 53.4% and 39.4% in 2019,

respectively.

It's important to note that

the data vary quite a bit

between states. The data

validate what most parents

suspected: In-person school is

more effective for kids than

remote learning.

Oster and her co-authors

found that the less in-person

learning students had, the

more their test scores

declined.

"These learning losses did

happen, and they were larger

in areas where school was

remote," Oster told HuffPost.

"If parents are unsure about

the value of in-person

schooling for their children,

this shows its value clearly."

In comparing how many

students passed these tests

within small geographical

areas, they found that districts

with fully remote schooling

lost an additional 13 points in

their math exam pass rates

compared to districts that had

in-person schooling. In

reading, there was an

additional 8-point loss in pass

rates.

These results, Oster said,

"highlight the enormous value

of in-person interaction in

schools."

They "may also illustrate the

importance of focus and of

teachers and schools as places

of safety and security," she

said. "It's difficult to know

how much of the issue with

remote school was simply that

children were not there or not

able to be fully present."

With students now back in

their school buildings, there

are already hopeful signs of

reversing this loss. Test scores

are not back to where they

were in 2019, but they are

rising. "Between the end of

2021 and end of 2022 we have

seen - depending on the

dataset - something like a

Yes, kids are behind, and the most vulnerable were hit hardest.

third to two-thirds of the test

score losses recovered," Oster

said. "This is good news, in the

sense of being some

recovery," she added. "It

suggests there is far to go."

Shael Polakow-Suransky

served as New York City

schools' senior deputy

chancellor before becoming

president of the Bank Street

College of Education in 2014.

Of the pandemic dip in test

scores, he said that "if every

institution in our society was

damaged by the pandemic, we

shouldn't be surprised and be

too panicked."

"The things we need to do

are clear," he said. "We need

to reconnect kids and families

to schools."

Some schools are setting up

tutoring programs with

federal aid dollars to help kids

catch up, and these may be

effective, Polakow-Suransky

believes. But "there's no

substitute for the classroom

going well." "If schools are set

up in a way that kids love to be

there and are engaged, they

are going to learn, [and to]

catch up," he said.

A parent might reasonably

assume that if a child is

struggling in reading and

math, they should be

spending more time reading

and doing math, not talking

about their feelings or playing

games with their peers.

But learning doesn't work

like a medicine, where you can

simply increase the dose. The

right conditions must be

Photo: FG Trade

carefully cultivated by a

skilled teacher.

It was these interpersonal

interactions with adults and

peers - what we now all know

as "social-emotional learning"

- that children lacked when

school went online, and it is

these relationships that can

supply the foundation of their

academic growth now.

When we focus on how far

behind kids are, or what they

can't do, we risk losing

perspective, Polakow-

Suransky said.

SATurDAy, OCTOBer 1, 2022

6

Brazil's Neymar Junior endorsed President Jair Bolsonaro's uphill re-election bid.

Arsenal, Spurs seek to prove title

credentials in north London derby

Sports Desk

Arsenal and Tottenham will be fighting

for much more than local bragging

rights on Saturday as the north London

rivals aim to prove they are serious

contenders for the Premier League title,

reports UNB.

As top-flight action returns following

the international break, Arsenal sit top

of the table after an unexpectedly

strong start, while unbeaten

Tottenham are just one point behind in

third place.

With Liverpool, Chelsea and

Manchester United still recovering

their equilibrium after turbulent starts

to the season, a path has opened up for

the north London clubs to gatecrash

the title race.

If a title challenger was expected to

emerge from either end of the Seven

Sisters Road, it was Tottenham who

were the more likely candidates after

snatching a top-four finish from their

bitter rivals and neighbors in dramatic

fashion last term.

Arsenal were in pole position to

qualify for the Champions League

when they moved four points clear of

Tottenham with just three games left.

But Mikel Arteta's side blew their

chance as a disastrous 3-0 defeat at

Tottenham was followed by a

devastating loss against Newcastle,

ruining their hopes of returning to the

Champions League for the first time

since the 2016/17 season.Buoyed by

pipping Arsenal, Tottenham chairman

Daniel Levy bowed to Antonio Conte's

demands, sanctioning a close-season

spending spree that further enhanced

the feelgood factor around the club.

With Conte refusing to let his players

rest on their laurels, Tottenham have

continued to progress in their second

season under the demanding Italian.

Conte showed his ruthless side in

Tottenham's last game when he

dropped Heung-min Son after his

eight-match goalless run and was

rewarded with a hat trick from the

South Korean after sending him on as a

substitute in the 6-2 rout of Leicester.

While Tottenham's rise underlines

Conte's managerial acumen, it is

arguably Arteta who has done the more

impressive work this term.

Arsenal's implosion in the final week

of last season could have been a

hammer blow to Arteta's gradual

rebuild of a club mired in mediocrity

since well before the end of Arsene

Wenger's reign.

The eccentric side to Arteta's

personality was on display during the

"All or Nothing" television

documentary that captured the

Spaniard's fight to steer the club

through troubled waters last season.

But Arteta's quirks should not

obscure the astute way he has infused

Arsenal with energy and enthusiasm by

promoting a group of talented

youngsters, while also shipping out

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang following

disciplinary problems.

Revitalized by the recent signings of

Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr

Zinchenko, as well as the development

of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli,

Arsenal have enjoyed the benefits of a

relatively benign fixture list so far.

Wenger, who led Arsenal to their

most recent title in 2004, believes his

former team should already be

regarded as title contenders.

"I would say they have a good chance

because I don't see any superdominating

team," Wenger told Sky

Sports. "I believe it is a good

opportunity to do it this season."

However, Arsenal's only match

against a top-four rival this season

ended in a 3-1 defeat at Manchester

United.Arteta needs a statement

victory to show there is substance to the

surge that gave Arsenal their best start

to a season since 2004, courtesy of a

five-game winning run.

History is in Arsenal's favor, with

Tottenham on a run of 11 top-flight

visits to the Emirates Stadium without

Australian Adam Scott is looking forward to playing in his home state of Brisbane in November.

Photo: AP

Adam Scott to play Australian PGA

Championship in November

Sports Desk

Former Masters champion Adam

Scott will play the Australian PGA

Championship for the first time

since 2019, organisers said today,

reports UNB.

The tournament, which has a

US$2 million prize pool, will be held

from Nov 24-27 at Royal Queensland

in Scott's home state and is the

opening event of the DP World

Tour's 2022-23 season.

"As a player it's always an honour

to come back and play before your

home crowds," said Scott, who won

the tournament at New South Wales

in 2009.

"For me, that's especially so in

Queensland, I also love playing on

the magnificent courses of the

Melbourne sandbelt, so I can't wait

to get back down there for both

events and hopefully, get a win or

two.

"I'm rapt to be coming back to play

for the first time in three years,"

added Scott, who won the 2013

Masters.

Golfers from the Saudi-backed LIV

Golf Series, such as Cameron Smith,

will be eligible to take part in the

tournament.

The US PGA Tour has torn up the

cards of LIV Series defectors and the

DP World Tour has also threatened

suspensions.

Both of Australia's biggest events,

the Australian Open and PGA

Championship, are now cosanctioned

by the DP World Tour

but officials have said LIV players

will still be welcome to play.

Photo: AP


Neymar backs Bolsonaro

ahead of Sunday vote

Sports Desk


Neymar Junior endorsed

President Jair Bolsonaro's

uphill re-election bid

yesterday, showing his

support in a TikTok video as

he smiled and danced to a

campaign jingle ahead of the

weekend's pivotal election,

reports UNB.

Neymar's public backing

came a day after Bolsonaro

visited a charitable institute

near Sao Paulo belonging to

the global superstar, who

currently

plays

professionally for Paris

Saint-Germain Football

Club.

Neymar appeared in a

separate video greeting

Bolsonaro at the institute

event but stopped short of

endorsing the incumbent,

who trails former leftist

president Luiz Inacio Lula

da Silva, known as Lula, in

opinion polls ahead of the

first-round Oct 2 vote.

In the short TikTok post,

Neymar sings a couple lyrics

from the campaign jingle,

calling out Bolsonaro's

position on the ballot before

imploring votes for the farright

leader.

At the event the day

earlier, Neymar thanked

Bolsonaro for "this

illustrious visit."

In recent days, Neymar

helped Brazil's national

team as they thrashed

Ghana and Tunisia in

friendly games in the run-up

to this year's Qatar World

Cup, set to kick off in late

November.

Serie A's first woman

referee to make debut

this weekend

Sports Desk

Italy's Serie A is set to have

its first match officiated by a

woman after the country's

referee association AIA

confirmed on Wednesday

that Maria Sole Ferrieri

Caputi would take charge of

a game this weekend.,

reports UNB

In July Ferrieri Caputi

was promoted to the top

rung of Italian football's

match officials and on

Wednesday the football

federation assigned her

Sassuolo's home clash with

Salernitana on Sunday

afternoon.

"This isn't any old day, I'm

pretty emotional," said AIA

president Alfredo

Trentalange at a press

conference in Rome.

"Maria Sole will make her

Serie A debut on the basis of

her merit... We don't hand

out privileges, Maria Sole

has earned this, and it's a

success for the whole

refereeing sector."

Ferrieri Caputi refereed in

the third-tier Serie C last

season but she has already

taken charge of a match

featuring a Serie A side,

when Cagliari played

Cittadella in the Italian Cup

in December.

Djokovic, Swiatek among stars to compete

in Dubai's World Tennis League

Sports Desk

Some of the world's top stars, including

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, are

heading to Dubai for the inaugural World

Tennis League set to take place at the Coca

Cola Arena from Dec. 19 to 24, reports UNB.

The new competition will feature many of

the best men and women players in the

world, as well as offer a novel format

featuring two-set battles across both singles

and mixed doubles matches, with a 10-point

tie-breaker set to decide the final outcome if

needed.

After play each evening, ticket holders for

what is being billed as "The Greatest Show

on Court" can attend concerts featuring

artists including Dutch DJ superstars Tiësto

and Armin Van Buuren.

Rajesh Banga, chairman of the

competition, said: "The World Tennis

League will be an event like no other. It

brings a unique and engaging new format to

the game of tennis, offering a spectacular

mix of sport and entertainment together. We

can't wait to welcome fans from around the

globe for this momentous event that hails a

new era for tennis."

Djokovic heads the men's field with world

No. 1 Swiatek leading the women's entry list.

The Serbian former world No. 1 has 21

Grand Slam titles including nine Australian

Opens, two French Opens, seven

Wimbledons and three US Opens to his

name, in addition to five ATP Tour Finals

titles. Swiatek, a WTA fan favorite, comes to

Dubai following her Grand Slam victories at

the French Open and US Open in 2022.

"This new event is exciting, there's no

doubt about it," said Djokovic. I absolutely

love playing in Dubai, I've had a lot of success

there over the years and really enjoy the fans.

This is something different, and it's going to

be great being a part of it."

Swiatek added: "I like it most when tennis

connects people and when it's true

entertainment. When it's combined with a

great show and music, it's even better, so

that's the reason why I'm excited to join this

year's World Tennis League. I'm happy that

together with other top players we'll

introduce tennis as fun to new audiences. I

can't wait."

Joining the men's field are Alexander

Zverev, a rising star who reached a ranking

of two in the world this year, and the

resurgent Nick Kyrgios, one of the most

colorful characters on the ATP Tour. For the

women's field, former world No. 1 Simona

Halep and current Wimbledon champion

Elena Rybakina will also join the lineup.

A player lottery will be held on Nov. 1,

where the 16-player lineup will be split into

four teams of four players each, and a round

robin format for matches across the

tournament. The top two teams will then

face off in a final day of matches to determine

the overall winner of the World Tennis

League in Dubai.

The organizers have confirmed that

additional award-winning international

artists will be announced for the post-match

concerts over the coming weeks.

Novak Djokovic is heading to Dubai for the inaugural World Tennis League

set to take place at the Coca Cola Arena from Dec.

Photo: AP

Gamers to bid farewell to FIFA

franchise after 30 years

Sports Desk

One of the biggest franchises in video game

history is coming to an end on Friday with

the release of FIFA 23, the final installment

of a football game that has entranced

millions of fans for the past three decades,

reports BSS.

US game maker Electronic Arts (EA) and

global football body FIFA spent months

negotiating over the licensing agreement

that has underpinned the game since its

first edition in 1993.

But they confirmed the split in May when

FIFA said it would be seeking other

partners and EA said it would rebrand its

game as "EA Sports FC" from next year.

For the final version, EA has included

women's club teams for the first timethough

only from England and Franceseveral

years after it introduced women

players.

Australian superstar Sam Kerr, who

plays in the English league, is on the

game's cover along with French World Cup

winner Kylian Mbappe.

"It is-and remains-one of the most

popular franchises in all of gaming," said

Tom Wijman of Newzoo, a firm that

analyses data on the industry.

The decoupling is risky for both EA and

FIFA, with neither guaranteed success

from their new ventures.

But analysts say EA is in a stronger

position after spending 30 years

developing and marketing the game.

The firm said last year that FIFA had sold

more than 325 million copies over its three

decades-reportedly generating more than

$20 billion in sales.

'Out on a high' -

Gamers were less bothered about the

corporate fallout and just wanted to play

the latest version of the game.

Professional eSports players-some of

whom earn hundreds of thousands of

dollars for playing the game-queued up to

livestream their first attempts.

"One of my favourite videos ever,"

tweeted Donovan Hunt, one of the most

successful eSports players, linking to a

YouTube video of his first try.

Swedish gamer Olle Arbin livestreamed

his first attempt for 12 hours on

Wednesday.Reviewers have been

impressed by the game's improvements in

graphics since the last edition, and praised

additional features such as a "power shot"

for giving gameplay another dimension.

"FIFA 23 sees the series bow out on a

high, and provides encouraging signs for

the debut of EA Sports FC this time next

year," wrote Ben Wilson on the specialist

site GamesRadar.

'Risky endeavour' -

The video game industry, estimated to be

worth around $300 billion a year, has

become increasingly cutthroat in recent

years with the biggest companies buying

up many of their competitors.

EA had a turnover of $5.6 billion last

year, making it one of the biggest game

makers that remains outside the grasp of

the four giants-Tencent, Sony, Microsoft

and Nintendo.

The end of the deal with FIFA came after

the football body reportedly raised its

licensing fee demand from $150 million a

year to $250 million-bring the total for the

mooted four-year contract to $1 billion.

EA will lose the right to use the FIFA

name and competitions such as the World

Cup, but it can still use player names and

non-FIFA competitions such as the

English Premier League-a key advantage

over its rivals.

However, the firm was already pivoting

increasingly towards club competitions,

both on and off screen.

It is taking on a five-year sponsorship

deal of Spain's top-flight La Liga next year,

for a reported 30 to 40 million euros a

year.

Newzoo's Wijman said "EA Sports FC"

has a good chance of success.

"Losing the FIFA brand may hurt EA's

chances somewhat, but they have the game

engine, development teams, marketing

expertise, and branding expertise," he said.

FIFA could struggle to attract potential

parters after its reported $1 billion

demand, Wijman said.

It would be a "risky endeavour", he said,

"in any circumstance, but especially if you

then have to compete with EA to build the

most popular football game".

SATUrDAy, OCTOBEr 1, 2022

7

Mock-drill on Earthquake and Fire Incident was held at Dhaka University yesterday. DU VC Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman was

present as chief guest.

Photo : Courtesy

240 new Dengue

patients

hospitalised

DHAKA : Another 240

patients were hospitalised

with dengue in 24 hours till

Friday morning.

Of the new patients, 150

were admitted to different

hospitals in Dhaka and 90

outside it,according to the

Directorate General of

Health Services (DGHS),

reports UNB.

A total of 1,916 dengue

patients, including 1,448 in

the capital, are now

receiving treatment at

hospitals across the country.

This year's death toll from

the mosquito-borne disease

in Bangladesh rose to 55 on

Wednesday with another

death reported from

Chattogram.

Of the total deaths, 27

were reported from Dhaka

division, 24 from

Chattogram and four from

Barishal division.

On June 21, the DGHS

reported the first death of

the season from the viral

disease. This year, the

directorate has recorded

16,092 dengue cases and

14,120 recoveries so far.

Bangladesh reports

another Covid death,

708 new cases

DHAKA : Bangladesh

reported another Covidlinked

death with 708 fresh

cases in 24 hours till Friday

morning.

With the new numbers,

country's total fatalities rose

to 29,363 while the total

caseload to 2,025,197,

according to the Directorate

General of Health Services

(DGHS).

The daily case test

positivity rate rose to 14.66

per cent from Thursday's

13.53 per cent as 4,828

samples were tested.

The lasted deceased was a

man from Dhaka division.

The mortality rate

remained unchanged at 1.45

per cent and the recovery

rate at 97.04 per cent

respectively.

ACC sues former National Bank

Jamalpur manager for 'swindling'

Tk3.29 crore from cardholders

DHAKA : The Anti-

Corruption Commission

(ACC) has filed a case

against a former Jamalpur

branch manager of National

Bank for "swindling" 45

cardholders out of Tk3.29

crore, reports UNB.

ACC

Jamalpur

Coordinated Office Deputy

Director Malay Kumar Saha

filed the case against banker

Syed Zahoor Ahmad

Wednesday following an

investigation.

UK's Truss meets with

fiscal watchdog amid

economic crisis

LONDON : British Prime Minister Liz

Truss and her Treasury chief met with the

independent Office of Budget

Responsibility on Friday amid efforts to

ease concerns about unfunded government

tax cuts that have unleashed turmoil on

financial markets.

The meeting was significant because it

was the Conservative government's failure

to publish the OBR's analysis of its taxcutting

plans that spooked investors,

sending the pound to a record low against

the dollar this week and forcing the Bank of

England to intervene in the bond market to

protect pension funds.

The OBR said it would deliver "the first

iteration" of its analysis to Treasury chief

Kwasi Kwarteng on Oct. 7 -although the

Treasury didn't say whether it would be

made public. A Treasury statement

released after the meeting made no

reference to the October date, instead

repeating that the analysis would be

revealed on Nov. 23, when the government

releases more details about its economic

plans.

"The forecast will, as always, be based on

our independent judgment about

economic and fiscal prospects, and the

impact of the government's policies." the

OBR said.

The chairman of the House of Commons'

Treasury committee said the meeting was

an opportunity for the government to

change its course. The talks between Truss

and Kwarteng and the OBR were likely

"difficult" conversations investors want to

see independent analysis showing that the

new prime minister's plans won't push

British government borrowing to

unsustainable levels, said Mel Stride, a

member of Truss' Conservative Party.

"The judgment so far of the markets, and

indeed myself and many others, is that

what was announced last Friday,

unfortunately, doesn't stack up fiscally and

some changes are almost certainly going to

need to be made," Stride told the BBC.

Truss defended her plan Thursday and

shrugged off the market chaos, saying she

was willing to make "controversial and

difficult decisions" to get the U.K. economy

growing. She said the problems facing the

economy - namely high inflation driven by

soaring energy prices - were global and

spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

She got a piece of good news Friday, with

revised figures showing the U.K. economy

grew slightly in the three months through

June, indicating the country isn't

technically in a recession, with two

consecutive quarters of shrinking GDP

being one definition.

Yet her government's economic stimulus

program calls for 45 billion pounds ($48

billion) of tax cuts and no spending

reductions. That means a surge of

borrowing would be used to pay for the cuts

that many see as benefiting the wealthy.

She also has capped energy bills for

households and businesses that are driving

a cost-of-living crisis, but prices are still

going up on Saturday as natural gas prices

soar.

Treasury minister Andrew Griffith had

played down the significance of the meeting

between the government and OBR, but still

described it as a "very good idea."

"Just like the independent Bank of

England, they (the OBR) have got a really

important role to play," Griffith said on Sky

News. "We all want the forecasts to be as

quick as they can, but also as a former

finance director, I also know you want them

to have the right level of detail."

The decision to meet with the OBR also

was welcomed by Conservative lawmakers

and senior party figures, including former

Chancellor George Osborne, who oversaw

the creation of the independent spending

watchdog in 2010.

"Turns out the credibility of the

institution we created 12 years ago to bring

honesty to the public finances is more

enduring than that of its critics," Osborne

said on Twitter.

National Girl Child

Day observed

DHAKA : National Girl Child Day-2022 was

observed yesterday across the country

aiming to create mass awareness for

ensuring empowerment of girl children.

This time the theme of the day is 'Pledge of

Time, Rights of the Girl Child'. On the

occasion of the day, the Ministry of Women

and Child Affairs organised a comprehensive

programme across the country.

The Department of Women Affairs

requested all concerned to take up

programmess to celebrate the Girl Child

Day.

The directorate has requested to take

the programmes of National Girl Child

Day celebration in coordination with the

local administration at the district and

upazila levels and spread the theme

widely.

Besides, the Ministry of Women and

Children Affairs has taken the initiative to

hold various programmes on October 4.

In this regard, Public Relations Officer

of the Ministry Alamgir Hossain told BSS

that the Ministry has a programme on

October 4 on the occasion of the Girl

Child Day. For this, various programmes

including rallies, discussions will be held

on that Day, said a press release.

In 2003, 30 September was declared as

the National Girl Child Day to protect and

establish the rights of the girl child.

As promised by the Prime Minister, the

present government is working for the

development, protection and rights of 40

percent of the total population of the

country.

At least 15 percent of these children are

girls. Due to the increasing deprivation of

the girl child during the Corona period,

initiatives have been taken to observe the

day with special importance.

It should be noted that since 2012, the

International Day of the Girl Child is

celebrated on October 11 every year in the

member states of the United Nations.

Meanwhile, International Children's

Week is observed from September 29 to

October 5 every year. September 30 is

observed as National Girl Child Day.

Benazir to get police

protection during

post-retirement leave

DHAKA : The government

has announced postretirement

leave security

plans for outgoing inspector

general of police (IGP)

Benazir Ahmed, reports

UNB.

Benazir, who went into the

police as an assistant

superintendent in 1988,

formally goes into

retirement Friday.

His security team will

include two armed and

uniformed bodyguards who

will work on a full-time

basis.

Also, plainclothes

personnel will escort Benazir

in a separate vehicle, the

home ministry said. "To

ensure round-the-clock

security for the outgoing

IGP, there will be three

guards at hisresidence."

Two bikers killed

in Magura road

crash

MAGURA : Two youths on

a bike were killed after

being hit by a microbus in

Shalikha upazila of Magura

on Thursday night, reports

UNB.

The deceased were

identified as Jishan, 20,

and Sazid, 20. Meanwhile

another youth riding

pillion, identified as Raju,

22, suffered severe injuries,

said police.

The accident occurred

around 10pm near the

Chaygharia area of

Jashore-Magura Road as

the youths were heading

towards Magura.

Padma erosion disrupts

ferry services in Goalanda

GOALANDA : Ferry services from the third

and fourth terminals in Goalanda upazila

of Rajbari district have been suspended

due to erosion caused by the Padma River.

Besides, a residence ended up

swallowedby the river but four

otherhouses were shifted to a

saferlocation.

Earlier on September 6, the ferry

operations from terminalNo 5wasalso

suspended due to the erosion. Currently 10

ferries areoperating on the Daulatdia-

Paturia Route.

Locals said the erosion started at

terminal 3 on the bank of the river in

Siddique Kazi Para under the upazila

around 2am early Thursday, resulting in

the loss of one Salam Befari's house.

An area of around 100 metres square

went into the gorge of the mighty river

forcing the authorities concerned to

Vote in Ukraine's Russia-held

areas stokes tension with West

KYIV, UKRAINE : The final day of voting

was taking place in Russian-held regions of

Ukraine on Tuesday in referendums that are

expected to serve as a pretext for their

annexation by Moscow and is heightening

tension between the Kremlin and the West

over Russia's warnings it could resort to

nuclear weapons.

Formal annexation of captured chunks of

eastern Ukraine, possibly as soon as Friday,

sets the stage for a dangerous new phase in

the seven-month war, with Russia warning

the West that from then on it will be

defending its own territory - and could

resort to nuclear weapons to protect it.

Faced with recent humiliating battlefield

setbacks for the Kremlin's forces in Ukraine,

Russian President Vladimir Putin is using

the ballot to try and force Ukraine to halt its

counteroffensive. If it doesn't, the Kremlin

has cautioned, Kyiv faces a devastating

escalation of the conflict, all the way up to

the use of its nuclear arsenal.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of

Russia's Security Council chaired by Putin,

spelled out the threat in the bluntest terms

yet Tuesday.

"Let's imagine that Russia is forced to use

the most powerful weapon against the

Ukrainian regime that has committed a

large-scale act of aggression, which is

dangerous for the very existence of our

state," Medvedev wrote on his messaging

app channel. "I believe that NATO will steer

suspend activities of terminals 3 and 4,

they said. Abdus Sattar, assistant general

manager (marine) of Bangladesh Inland

Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) in

Aricha office, said on information he

rushed to the spot around midnight and

ordered suspension of operations at

terminal 3 to avoid danger.

Besides, the operations at the terminal

No 4 were also suspended due to the

erosion on Thursday morning, he said.

Md Jahirul Islam, executive engineer of

BIWTA in the Aricha Office, said they have

already ordered the concerned body to

dump geobags filled with sand in the

erosion-prone areas to avoid any untoward

incident.

He hoped dumping of the geobags at

terminal 3 would be completed within

Thursday night but it would take time to

start operating it.

Derogatory comment on Bangabandhu's killing:

Col Rashid's son-in-law gets 7 years in jail

DHAKA : A Dhaka court on Thursday

sentenced Md Fuad, son-in-law of

Bangabandhu's killer Colonel Rashid seven

year's jail term for his derogatory comment

on Sheikh Mujib's murder.

Dhaka Cyber Tribunal Judge As-Shams

Jaglul Hossain pronounced the order

during a hearing on a case filed under the

ICT act, reports UNB.

The court also imposed a Tk 5,000 fine

on the accused and another month in jail

for failure to pay.

Fuad, a school teacher and husband of

retired Colonel Rashid's daughter Shehnaz

Rashid Khan, was present during the

hearing.

On August 15, 2018, at 7:17 am, Fuad

made a derogatory remark on the killing of

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman on Facebook. He also

publicly supported the convicted killers of

Bangabandhu.

On August 23, 2018, Mohammad

Nazmul Hasan Piyas, a member of

Ahsanullah Science and Technology

University unit of Bangabandhu

Engineering Council, filed a case against

Fuad under the ICT Act at Dhanmondi

Model Police Station.

Fuad was arrested from the capital's

Hatirjheel on September 12 during a drive.

The accused later gave a confessional

statement to the court. A charge sheet was

then filed against him.

On January 6, last year, the court framed

charges against the accused in this case.

During the trial, the court recorded the

testimony of seven people.

clear from direct meddling in the conflict in

that case."

Kyiv and its Western allies have dismissed

the Kremlin's nuclear talk as scare tactics.

Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security

adviser, responded to Putin's nuclear

threats from last week. Sullivan told NBC on

Sunday that Russia would pay a high, if

unspecified, price if Moscow made good on

threats to use nuclear weapons in the war in

Ukraine.

The Ukraine war is still gripping world

attention, as it causes widespread shortages

and rising prices not only for food but for

energy, inflation hitting the cost of living

everywhere, and growing global inequality.

The talk of nuclear war has only deepened

the concern.

Misery and hardship are often the legacy

of Russia's occupation of Ukrainian areas

now recaptured by Kyiv's forces. Some

people have had no gas, electricity, running

water or internet since March.

The war has brought an energy crunch for

much of Western Europe, with German

officials seeing the disruption of Russian

supplies as a power play by the Kremlin to

pressure Europe over its support for

Ukraine.

The referendum in Russian-held areas of

Ukraine, whose outcome is expected to be a

predetermined victory for Moscow, is

rejected as a sham by Ukraine and many

other countries.

Organizing Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League Shakwat Hossain Shafiq inaugurated the

Akboria Dairy Farm and Akboria Doi-Misti Confectionary at Noongola of Bogura district on

Thursday.

Photo : Azahar Ali

Saturday, Dhaka : October 1, 2022; Ashwin 16, 1429 BS; Rabi-ul-Awal 4 , 1444 Hijri

PM invites Saudi

Crown Prince to

visit Bangladesh

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

has invited Saudi Crown Prince and Prime

Minister Mohammed bin Salman to visit

Bangladesh.

Ambassador of Bangladesh to Saudi

Arabia Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary

handed over the invitation letter to the

Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi

Arabia Waleed El Khereiji at his ministry's

office in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi

Arabia, on Thursday, said a press release.

Patwary also conveyed greeting to the

Saudi Prince for becoming prime minister

of the kingdom.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's King

Salman bin Abdulaziz named his son and

heir Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the

kingdom's prime minister.

Trade via Banglabandha

land port to remain

suspended for 10 days

PANCHAGARH : Bangladesh's exportimport

activities with India, Nepal and

Bhutan via the Banglabandha land port will

remain suspended for 10 days, on the occasion

of Durga puja and Eid-e-Miladunnabi,

port authorities said on Friday.

Banglabandha Import-Exporter Group

and Phulbari Exporters and Importers

Welfare Association of India have taken the

decision to keep trading via the land port

shut from Friday to October 9.

Port authorities said that export-import

activities among Bangladesh, India, Nepal

and Bhutan through the Banglabandha

land port will resume on October 10.

However, the movement of travellers

through the land port will continue as

usual, said Banglabandha immigration

checkpost officer-in-charge Nazrul Islam.

Bridge to be built

on Karatoa River

soon: Sujan

PANCHAGARH : Railways Minister M

Nurul Islam Sujan has said a bridge would

be built on the Karatoa River near Aulia

Ghat in the district very soon to meet the

long-cherished demand of the people of

the region.

"Inhabitants of Boda and Debiganj

upazilas were demading for long to build a

bridge on the Karatoa River. We will be

able to fulfill people's demand", he said.

The minister made the announcement

at a function as the chief guest on

Thursday while distributing cash money

and other items among 69 families of a

boat-capsize victims who died in the

Karatoa River near Auliar Gat under Boda

upazila of Panchagarh district on

September 25.

State Minister for Disaster Management

and Relief Dr. Md. Enamur Rahman was

present as the special guest. The function

was held on the premises of Marea

Babonhat union parishad in Boda upazila,

organised by district administration.

The function was addressed, among

others, by Md. Atiqul Huque, director general

of disaster management department,

Rangpur divisional commissioner Md.

Sabirul Islam and DIG of Rangpur range

police Abdul Halim Mahamud with

deputy commissioner of Panchagarh Md.

Johurul Islam in the chair.

Tell the world about BNP's

misrule, brutality: PM urges

expats in Washington

WASHINGTON : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina has called upon the Bangladeshi

diaspora to tell the world about various

irregularities, corruption and brutality

committed during the past rule of the

now-opposition BNP, alongside depicting

the true picture of development done by

her government.

She made the call on Thursday while

exchanging views with expatriate

Bangladeshis in Washington DC, the

United States, said PM's Deputy Press

Secretary K M Shakhawat Moon.

Hasina also asked them to disclose the

crimes committed by those who are

spreading anti-state propaganda abroad.

She said the country is moving forward

for continuation of the democratic system

for a long period.

"Today Bangladesh has attained the status

of a developing country. Everyone will

have to work together to continue this

trend of development," she was quoted as

saying.

The PM said Awami League has

ensured a fair environment for the elections

in the country. The people now can

vote freely, she added.

"Older women themselves are

the best advocates for their own

needs, concerns and rights"

She said BNP destroyed the electoral

system. They (BNP) made fake voters and

snatched away the voting rights of the

common people by sending hooligans and

terrorist forces to the polling booths, she

continued.

Hasina said BNP picked 700 candidates

against 300 constituencies in the last

national election. So, the people didn't vote

for them due to their nomination business,

she said.

Highlighting various opportunities for

investment in the country, she urged the

expatriates to make investments in

Bangladesh.

Reiterating her firm commitment, the

prime minister said not a single person

will remain homeless in Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina went to the USA on

September 19 last to attend the 77th session

of the United Nations General

Assembly in New York.

On way to the the US she went to

London on September 15 and attended the

funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at

Westminster Abbey on September 19.

The PM is expected to return home on

October 4.

DHAKA : Claudia Mahler, Independent

Expert on the enjoyment of all human

rights by older persons, on Friday said

States should ensure that older women are

counted and visible.

"I urge States to identify and integrate the

specific needs of older women into the planning,

response and recovery stages of emergency

and humanitarian action as well as in

climate change, disaster risk reduction

measures and peacebuilding," she said

ahead of the International Day of Older

Persons that falls on October 1.

"States should include older women in all

relevant policy design, implementation and

monitoring and take the necessary steps to

ensure older women have access to information

on legislation, policies and services

that affect their lives in order to be able to

make informed decisions and participate

meaningfully." Her call was endorsed by

Melissa Upreti (Chair), Dorothy Estrada

Tanck (Vice-Chair), Elizabeth Broderick,

Ivana Rada?i?, and Meskerem Geset

Techane, Working Group on discrimination

against women and girls; Reem

Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence

against women, its causes and consequences;

Gerard Quinn, Special

Rapporteur on the rights of persons with

disabilities; and Francisco Cali Tzay, Special

Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.

The cumulative disadvantages of

lower labour force participation, the gender

pay gap, interrupted employment patterns

due to caregiving, and higher prevalence of

part-time and informal work means that

older women often receive lower or no pensions,

said the UN expert. "Additionally,

many older women are excluded from

acquiring, accumulating and controlling

assets and property over their life-course,

including due to discriminatory inheritance

regimes and practices," she said.

Such disadvantages are exacerbated in

crises and emergencies as well, both due to

climate change, conflict or the Covid 19 pandemic,

with the multiple and intersecting

forms of discrimination intensified during

such situations. In emergencies, older

women who might be viewed as a burden,

become even more vulnerable to abuse and

neglect, said Mahler. Despite such disadvantages

and the heightened risks older

women face during emergencies, they often

continue to provide intergenerational support

and caregiving while also contributing

to household income, said the UN expert.

They also play important roles in peacebuilding

and conflict resolution as carriers

of pre-conflict narratives and experiences of

shared living, countering extremist nationalist

tendencies, preventing radicalisation

and acting as repositories of knowledge

about community dynamics, she said. The

intergenerational role of older women, as

well as their extraordinary resilience in supporting

and caring for others while dealing

with economic adversity, is common but

often overlooked.

Indigenous older women in particular are

recognised for the important role they play

as knowledge keepers of the indigenous

communities, as well as on natural and

environmentally sustainable practices that

safeguard ecosystems.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina exchanged views with the leaders and workers of United States

Awami League at the meeting room of Ridge Carlton Hotel in Virginia on Thursday. Star Mail

Hasan slams

Fakhrul for lauding

Pakistani rule

CHATTOGRAM : Information and

Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan

Mahmud yesterday came down heavily

on BNP Secretary General Mirza

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir for his comments

that "Pakistani regime was better".

"BNP secretary general Mirza

Fakhrul's comment in Thakurgaon that

Pakistan (regime) was better and using

national flag on stick and rod in Dhaka

are intertwined," he told journalists after

joining a cheque distributing ceremony

at MA Aziz Stadium here.

He said BNP disregarded national

standard and showed disrespect to the

Liberation War, independence and sovereignty.

BNP created anarchic situation in different

places and beat own activists in

Munshiganj, he said, adding that now

their target is to make an evil effort to

create unrest in the country and if

required, they will beat own activists to

achieve their goal.

Hasan, also Awami League joint general

secretary, said if BNP tries to create

anarchy in the country again in the

name of rally at divisional level, the government

will deal their evil attempt with

iron hand and the people will also resist

them.

It's the government's responsibility to

take action against anarchy makers, he

mentioned.

Earlier, the minister, as the chief

guest, addressed the Prime Minister's

gifts' distribution ceremony for Harijan

community and of Department of Social

Welfare's cheque distribution ceremony

for voluntary organisations. District

administration arranged it.

Asked whether any investigation is

carried out into the incident of removal

of Chattogram deputy commissioner

(DC) from his duty as a returning officer

of Zila Parishad elections for joining a

munajat during the filing of nominations,

Hasan said hundreds of people

joined Munajat there and as a Muslim if

the DC do not join, it many could mark

him as a non-religious person and that is

why the DC might have joined the

munajat. He said who told what during

the munajat, its responsibility cannot go

to the deputy commissioner.

Keen to strengthen relations with

Bangladesh: Indonesian Ambassador

DHAKA : The Embassy of the Republic of

Indonesia in Dhaka celebrated its 77th

Independence Day on Thursday evening

demonstrating an enhanced partnership

between Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Indonesian Ambassador to

Bangladesh Heru Hartanto Subolo welcomed

guests from Bangladesh government,

diplomatic corps, political figures,

nilitary officers, international organizations,

businessmen, and academicians

as well as journalists.

Ambassador Heru highlighted that this

year marks the 50-years of diplomatic

relations between Indonesia and

Bangladesh. He said his country is committed

to strengthening the friendly relations

with Bangladesh in many aspects,

especially in bilateral trade and cooperation

in more comprehensive sectors.

He also touched on Indonesia's roles in

ASEAN and Indonesia's presidency at the

G20. Information and Broadcasting

Hasan Mahmud was present as the guest

of honour at the event.

He applauded the strong bonding and

partnership that goes beyond its current

relations ranging from partners in the

United Nations and various multilateral

organisations, particularly in the

Developing 8 Countries, the Non-Aligned

Movement, the World Trade Organization

and the Organisation of Islamic

Cooperation and other international fora.

He also hoped for Indonesia's bigger

role in supporting efforts in sending

Rohinggyas back to their country.

Hasan also wished that the current ties

will serve as an avenue to elevate the bilateral

relations including people to people

contacts. During the reception, a number

of export-oriented products entitled

"Indonesian Products Showcase" was promoted

to attract the interests of invited

guests on the sidelines of the event.

There were number of food samples

and consumable products, miniatures of

transport vehicles, such as car train from

PT Kereta Api Indonesia and busses

from CV Laksana. The embassy also displayed

miniatures of military vehicles

and equipments, such as miniatures of

CN235-220 Aircraft from PT.

Dirgantara Indonesia and military parachute

from PT. Langit Biru.

Indonesia Cultural Center in Dhaka also

presented traditional dance and music

ensemble.

Australian envoy reflects on Australians',

Bangladeshis' mutual love for cricket

DHAKA : Australian High Commissioner

to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer and a large

group of well-wishers have farewelled the

Men's National Cricket Team before they

departed to compete in the ICC T20

Cricket World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Speaking at the event at his residence on

Thursday, the high commissioner reflected

on Australians' and Bangladeshis' mutual

love of cricket. He said it was fitting the

Bangladesh team was visiting Australia

during the year-long celebrations of 50

years of diplomatic relations between the

two countries.

"I am confident the team will receive a

great welcome In Australia," said the High

Commissioner. "You won't be short of

friends there-especially now that Australia

is home to around 80,000 people with a

Bangladeshi background," he added.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Md

Zahid Ahsan Russel took the opportunity

to wish the best for Bangladesh and

Australian cricket teams in World Cup.

"Now Bangladesh is a glamorous

name in the fields of sports globally.

Football, cricket, hockey, archery, swimming

and many other games are very

popular and promising," he said. "We

have achieved the outstanding glory of

being world champions in the ICC

under-19 World Cup 2020.

Cumilla Quran desecration cases

Probes in final stages, say cops

Monthly seminar on 'Institutional Development and Disaster Mortality in Bangladesh' was held on

Thursday at Dhaka University. Professor of the Department of Geography and Environment of Dhaka

University was the speaker of the seminar while Dean of the Faculty of Earth and Environment Sciences

of Dhaka University Prof Dr. Zillur Rahman was present as the chief guest. Chairperson of the

Department of Geography and Environment Prof Nasreen Rafiq was present as special guest. The

seminar was chaired by the Director of DRTMC of Department of Geography and Environment Prof. Dr

M Shahidul Islam. Md. Jobaer Alam, Associate Professor of the Department of Oceanography was

present at that time among others.

Photo : TBT

CUMILLA : Police are on the verge of wrapping

up investigations into the 12 cases filed

over the alleged desecration of Quran at a

mandap during Durga puja in Cumilla last

year that triggered violence and led to

attacks on the minority Hindus.

On October 13 last year, a man, named

Iqbal Hossain, allegedly placed the Quran

on the lap of an idol at the mandap while

another accused, Ikram, dialled national

emergency helpline 999 to report the "desecration

of the holy scripture".

The incident that went viral on various

social media platforms led to violence and

attacks on temples and vandalisation of

houses and businesses of the Hindu community

in several districts, including

Cumilla, Chandpur, Noakhali, Chattogram

and Rangpur. It left at least eight people

dead and many injured. Of the dead, five

were Muslims rioters who died in police firing.

All the 12 cases were subsequently filed

in Cumilla. They are being probed by different

law enforcement agencies including

police, the Police Bureau of Investigation

(PBI) and the Criminal Investigation

Department (CID).

"Of the six cases under CID, chargesheets

have been already submitted in five while

another is waiting for administrative

approval," said Md Zakir Hossain, superintendent

of Cumilla CID.

"A case filed at the Kotwali police station

under the anti-blasphemy and anti-terrorism

section of CrPC (The Code of Criminal

Procedure, 1898) is awaiting the Home

Ministry's approval to invoke another section

to it. Meanwhile, chargesheets have

been submitted in the cases filed under

counter-terrorism, special powers, digital

security and explosive substance acts."

Out of the four cases under investigation,

PBI has submitted a chargesheet against

one person in one case. PBI officials said

that the investigation in the remaining

three cases are also in the final stages.

District police have investigated two

major cases filed over the temple incident

in Cumilla but they are also waiting for

Home Ministry's approval to file a

chargesheet, said Cumilla Police superintendent

Md Abdul Mannan.

The two cases filed under the anti-terrorism

act and sabotage under CrPC are awaiting

administrative approval, he said.

Durga puja mandap will be established

this year also in the Nanua Dighir Par area

where the incident took place last year, said

Cumilla deputy commissioner

Mohammad Kamrul Hasan.

Security has been tightened this year

considering last year's violence, he said.

Nirmal Paul, general secretary of Cumilla

District Puja Celebration Committee, said

that 794 puja mandaps have been set up

the district this year. "We hope that the puja

will be celebrated smoothly this time with

the help of the administration and the law

enforcement agencies," he said.

01-10-2022

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