09-02-2020

sunday
DhaKa: February 9, 2020; Magh 26, 1426 BS; Jamadi-us Sanni 14,1441 hijri
www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net
Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; No.14; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00
international
Global efforts to combat
novel coronavirus
focus on vaccine dev
>Page 7
art & culture
Kayla Ewell to play
DC villain Nocturna
in Batwoman
>Page 8
sport
NZ win 2nd ODI
against India,
claim series
>Page 9
36 days to go
BIWTA removing
garbage from
Turag River
KERANIGANJ : Bangladesh Inland
Water Transport Authority
(BIWTA) started cleaning the Turag
River on Friday morning to save the
water body, reports UNB.
Abdus Samad, senior secretary of
Shipping Ministry inaugurated the
work in presence of officials from
ministry, BIWTA, Gazipur City
Corporation, river police and Water
Development Board.
The four-hour drive started from
9am.
Samad said waste was being
dumped in the river from Tongi
Bazar in broad daylight. He
requested the locals and the city
corporation not to throw garbage in
the river.
"It has turned into a dead river as
the Gazipur City Corporation did
not take any initiative in the last one
year to save it.
He said the local people should
come forward to save the river for
healthy environment.
Dhaka River Port Joint Director
AKM Arif Uddin said that the water
flow will be restored by removing
the garbage.
Earlier on January 30 last year,
the High Court declared the Turag
River as a legal/juristic person or a
living being to save the river from
illegal encroachment.
Cox's Bazar road
accident kills 4
COX'S BAZAR : A bus plunged into
a roadside ditch on Cox's Bazar-
Chattogram Highway in
Baniarchhora in Chokoria upazila
on Friday night killing four people
and injuring at least 22 others.
The deceased could not be identified
yet, reports UNB.
Md Anisur Rahman, officer-incharge
of Chiringa Highway Police,
said that the accident took place
around 10pm when the 'Star Line
Paribahan' bus fell into a roadside
ditch.
Four people were killed on the
spot.
The injured were taken to the
upazila health complex and other
local clinics.
Police recovered the bodies and
kept them at Harbang Highway
Police outpost.
Road accidents claim thousands
of lives in Bangladesh every year.
Last year, the country saw at least
5,516 road accidents in which 7,855
people were killed, according to
Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.
At least 13,330 others injured in
the accidents.
Zohr
05:20 AM
12:17 PM
04:15 PM
05:53 PM
07:10 PM
6:35 5:50
Screening of all flight
passengers starts at
Dhaka airport
DHAKA : Screening of passengers
of all flights started at
HazratShahjalal International
Airport here as coronavirus cases
weredetected in more than two
dozens of countries including
China.
"Passengers from different
countries have started filling up
health cards and are being fully
screened at the airport before
their departure," said Prof
DrMeerjady Sabrina Flora, director
of the Institute of
Epidemiology, Disease Control
and Research (IEDCR) on
Saturday, reports UNB.
"We've taken decision of
screening all passengers as people
of many countries arebeing
detected with coronavirus," she
said.
Prof Dr Flora also said that
IEDCR sent a letter to the airport
authorities in this regard on
Thursday and the process began
on Friday.
About screening all passengers
at the airport, Dr Shahriar
Sazzad, assistant director of
Directorate General of Health
Services (DGHS) told UNB that
they have started providing declaration
form, health information
card and passenger locator form
among the passengers.
"All passengers will be fully
screened as people from different
countries are entering the country
by 13 flights including four
flights from China," he added.
"We'll have a meeting with all
the airlines in this regard tomorrow
(Sunday)," he added.
Since January 21, they were
screening passengers of four
flights from China only, he
added.
Meanwhile, IEDCR has set up
four hotline numbers for creating
awareness among people about
novel coronavirus.
The hotline numbers are:
01937110011, 01937000011,
01927711784 and 01927711785.
Earlier, on January 21, the
authorities at Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport in the capital
and Shah Amanat
International Airport in
Chattogram startedscreening
passengers coming from China
following the outbreak of coronavirus.
Not possible to bring back Bangladeshis
from China right now : FM
DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK
Abdul Momen has said it is not possible
right now to bring back
Bangladeshi citizens stuck in the
Wuhan city of China, the epicentre of
coronavirus outbreak, as Chinese
authorities are not allowing any international
flight there, reports UNB.
"The government wanted to bring
the Bangladeshis from Wuhan back
through a chartered flight when they
expressed their willingness to return
home. But now chartered flights are
not being allowed by the Chinese
authorities," he said.
While talking to reporters on the
sidelines of a function at Pan Pacific
Sonargaon Hotel in the city on
Saturday, the minister also said China
does not want the spread of this virus
as this is very sensitive.
At present, around 171 Bangladeshi
nationals are staying in Wuhan and
they expressed their willingness to
return home, he said, adding that the
government also wants to bring them
back.
Momen, however, said if the
Bangladeshi nationals can manage any
chartered flight to return home, the
government will bear the cost.
He also dismissed the allegation that
the stranded Bangladeshis are facing a
food crisis, saying the Chinese authorities,
led by a deputy leader of ruling
Chinese Communist Party, are taking
care of them.
The minister said Bangladeshi pilots
are also not willing to travel to Wuhan
as other countries are not allowing
their entry to those with their flights
after their return from the Chinese city.
Earlier, about 312 Bangladeshi
nationals were brought back home
from Wuhan on a special flight by
spending some $130,000, he said.
All the returnees have been kept at the
quarantine centre for 14 days although
no-one of them was found to have infected
with coronavirus, Momen said.
But after their return, the crewmembers
are facing troubles as no country is
willing to receive them as pilots to
operate their flights, he added.
Hundreds of child learners seen in educational tour at Kuakata sea beach.
A destructive fire broke out at the capital's Banani TNT slum early Saturday.
China returnee
admitted to
Rangpur hospital
NILPHAMARI : A Bangladeshi
student who returned home
from China recently was hospitalised
on Saturday with fever
and respiratory problems,
reports UNB.
Tajbid Hossain, 25, son of
businessman Altaf Hossain of
Mirzaganj village in Domar
upazila of Nilphamari district,
was first taken to the upazila
health complex in the morning
where doctors referred him to
Rangpur Medical College
Hospital.
The youth was later sent to the
Rangpur hospital where he was
receiving treatment at an isolation
ward.
"We've sent his blood and
other samples to Dhaka for test
as we don't have such facilities
here," said Dr Mokaddem
Hossain, assistant director of the
hospital.
Schoolteacher Aminur Rahman
Manni, a neighbour, said Tajbid
was taken to the upazila health
complex as he had fever and
breathing complexities.
After learning about the symptoms,
the on-duty doctor
referred him to the Rangpur hospital
for treatment.
Tajbid who studies at a private
university in China returned
home on January 29.
He went home straight after
his medical checkup at the airport,
his family members said.
Photo : Star Mail
Photo : TBT
Resolute Bangladesh eyeing
to lift ICC U19 WC trophy
Emboldened by their recent performance,
Bangladesh Under-19 team is determined
to clinch the ICC Under-19 World Cup as
they take on mighty India in the final at
Senwes Park in Potchefstroom, South
Africa today, reports BSS.
The high-voltage final game begins at
2 PM (Bangladesh Time).
While they won most of the match in
the build up to the Youth World Cup
and defeated almost all teams, they
always have the mental block against
India. Against the mighty neighbouring
country, they lost every knock-out game,
they have played in the last two yearsnotably
the Tri-nation series final in
England and Asia Cup final.
And when the history beckons them,
India again came in their way. So the
burning question is whether they can
break the dreaded trend of losing streak
against India today?
But they are oozing with confidence to
break the Indian hoodoo this time around.
The confidence basically stemmed from
their familiarity with the South African
condition and the vastly improved batting
and bowling attack.
"Because we couldn't arrange a tour of
South Africa in 2018 and 2019, we came
to this country a month before the tournament.
The bounce of the wickets was a bit
high, so we took our time to get used to it.
We played four practice games even
before the warm-ups," Bangladesh
Cricket Board (BCB) game development
chairman Khaled Mahmud Sujon told the
reporters in Potchefstroom.
"In the top five, everyone is among the
runs. Someday Tanzid Hasan will score,
on other days Towhid Hridoy will score.
Mahmudul Hasan had a lean run, but
because we continued to back him, he
delivered with a hundred in the semifinal,"
he added.
"Even as a bowling unit, we have looked
to not be one-dimensional. Fast bowling
and leg-spin have been two key points in
us coming forward. To play the top teams
you need quality and varied bowlers, both
with the new and the old ball.
The boys have worked hard under
Champaka Ramanayake, the Sri Lankan
fast bowling coach at the academy. In
four-five years, you'll see a revolution in
fast bowling." Bangladesh Under-19 team
in fact hardly faced any trouble on the way
to their final-a fact that demonstrated
their determination and power.
In a rain-curtailed first game, they
crushed Zimbabwe by nine wickets
through D/L method before showing
another powerful performance to outclass
Scotland by seven wickets.
They however had a torrid time
against Pakistan and were reduced to
106-9 before rain washed out the game,
which also helped them to be champions
in Group C. Bangladesh's groundbreaking
two performances came
against in the knock-out stage.
Firstly in Super League Quarterfinal,
they whacked hosts South Africa past by
104 runs, frustrating the partisan home
crowd. And then they quite comfortably
beat New Zealand in the semifinal by six
wickets, thanks to a scintillating century
of Mahmudul Hasan Joy.
The victory in semifinal was particularly
overwhelming for the young Tigers given
the fact that normally in the multinational
tournament they crumbled under pressure
in the last four game always.
As they overcame the nervy moment
with two epic performances in quarterfinal
and semifinal, there was high hope
that they also could challenge the India
to make the history.
People complain of unusual
delay in passport delivery
DHAKA : Though the government is
simplifying rules and enhancing the efficiency
of the system for quicker passport
delivery, passport seekers across the
country are not getting their passports in
time, delaying the emergency foreign
tours of many, reports UNB.
Many people, including students,
patients and Bangladeshi expatriates,
alleged that they applied for machine
readable passports (MRPs) long ago but
are yet to receive their passports.
The patients who need emergency
medical service abroad are the worst
sufferers and many migrant workers are
passing days amid anxiety of losing their
jobs abroad.
Admitting the problem, officials at the
Department of Immigration and
Passport (DoIP) said the present problem
will be over within the next three
months.
Now the passport delivery is taking
time due to delay in printing of MRP
booklets as the number of applications
for new passports is higher than their
printing capacity.
Visiting Agargaon passport office in
the capital, the UNB correspondent
found that some expatriate
Bangladeshis who failed to get their
passports timely are in great worry as
the validity of their visas has expired
while the patients intend to take treatment
abroad and their relatives also
expressed frustration due to the present
crisis.
Many other people who need to go
abroad urgently for various purposes
are also in trouble.

NEWS
SUNDAY, FeBRUARY 9, 2020
2
A three-day long 9th International Plant Tissue Culture & Biotechnology Conference has begun on
Saturday at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban Auditorium of Dhaka University (DU).
Vice-Chancellor of DU Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman inaugurated the conference. Photo : Courtesy
Speakers for creating separate fund
to create new entrepreneurs
DHAKA : Speakers at a view-exchange
meeting has underscored the need for
creating separate fund for disbursing
interest-free credit among the new
entrepreneurs for the sake of
industrialisation and country's
economy, reports BSS
They said industrialisation is very
much necessary for attaining desired
economic development and new
entrepreneurs should have to be created
for this.
They came up with such observation
at a view-exchange meeting between
the entrepreneurs and students of
Dhaka School of Economics (DScE) at
the Xclusive Can Limited factory in
Gazipur, said a press release.
The students of Entrepreneur
Economics Department of DScE visited
the factory and later attended the viewexchange
meeting with the
entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneur Economics
Department Professor Dr Muhammad
Mahboob Ali, Assistant Professors
Rehana Parvin and Sarah Tasnim,
managing director of Q Pail Limited
Syed Nasir spoke on the occasion.
Q Pail Limited is one of the leading
plastic package product manufacturing
companies in Bangladesh and it offers
any kind of plastic packaging solution
and metal containers (through Q Pail
Limited's sister concern Xclusive Can
Limited) for any industry like paint,
food, ice-cream, pharmaceuticals etc.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr
Mahboob Ali said the fourth industrial
revolution would be technology-based
and the Bangladeshi entrepreneurs
would also have to apply latest
technology in all of their factories to stay
alive in the global economy.
Citing the non availability of
collateral-free loan to a big extent as the
main barrier for creating new
entrepreneurs, he urged the
government to take necessary measures
so that the new entrepreneurs could get
collateral-free loans.
Echoing with Prof Mahboob,
managing director of Q Pail Limited
Syed Nasir said the new entrepreneurs
often finds it hard to get loans and
suggested the government to form
separate fund to disburse collateralfree
and interest-free loans among the
new entrepreneurs to launch their
ventures.
No alternative to
skilled manpower
to face 4IR: Salman
DHAKA : Prime Minister's
Private Industry and
Investment Adviser Salman F
Rahman on Saturday said
there is no option but to create
skilled manpower in
Bangladesh to face the 4th
Industrial Revolution (4IR),
reports UNB.
He made the remark while
addressing the inaugural
ceremony of the Startup
World Cup 2020, a global
startup pitch competition with
30+ regional events across the
six continents, at a city hotel.
Foreign Ministry, ICT
Division, Venture Capital and
Private Equity Association of
Bangladesh (VCPEAB) and
International Finance
Corporation (IFC) powered by
e-Generation organised the
event in the run-up to the
'Mujib Borsho'.
A view of joint military training exercise of Bangladesh-India in Meghalaya
which is known as Sampriti -IX.
Photo : ISPR
Shajahan Khan MP giving cheque to a woman whose relative/closest one has died in road accident.
Photo : Star Mail
GD-255/20 (7 x 4)
GD-257/20 (15 x 4)

METRO
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020
3
Bangladesh envoy visits ailing freedom
fighters at army hospital in Delhi
NEW DELHI : The newly appointed
Bangladesh High Commissioner to
India, Muhammad Imran yesterday
visited a group of Bangladeshi freedom
fighters, who are undergoing treatment
at the Army Hospital here.
The High Commissioner met the
freedom fighters, mostly in their 60s
and 70s, and enquired about their
wellbeing and the treatment they are
receiving at the health facility,
Bangladesh mission in New Delhi said
in a statement.
A total of 29 ailing freedom fighters
arrived in India last week from Dhaka.
Fifteen of them got admitted at the
specialized Army Hospital in New
Delhi and another 14 are receiving
treatment in the Command Hospital in
Pune.
The Indian government is providing
treatment to the war veterans under a
5-year scheme under which 100
freedom fighters from Bangladesh will
receive treatment in India every year.
The scheme was officially launched
by Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi during the visit of Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina to India in April, 2017.
The gesture came at a 'Sammanona'
programme, where the visiting
Bangladesh Prime Minister personally
honoured the families of Indian
soldiers who sacrificed their lives
during the nine-month long
Bangladesh's War of Independence in
1971.
During the interaction with the High
Commissioner, the freedom fighters
expressed satisfaction at the treatment
and care they have been receiving at the
hospital.
Later, the Bangladesh envoy also met
the Commandant of the Army Hospital
(Research and Referral), Lt. Gen. Rajat
Dutta, who assured the best possible
care for the freedom fighters.
Gen. Dutta appreciated the
achievements of Bangladesh in primary
health care and growth of its
pharmaceutical sector.
Freshers Reception of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering Department of Dhaka University
was held yesterday.
Photo : Courtesy
'Dhaka Travel Mart'
from March 12
DHAKA
DHAKA : The Dhaka
Travel Mart, one of the
pioneer tourism fairs in the
county, will be held on
March 12-14 with
participation of tourism and
hospitality service providers
from home and abroad.
Travel and tourism
fortnightly the Bangladesh
Monitor will organise 17th
edition of the fair while the
US-Bangla airlines, one of
the local private carrier,
came up as the title sponsor,
a press release said.
National Tourism
Organisations (NTOs),
airlines, tour operators,
MANIKGANJ : Health
and Family Welfare
Minister Zahid Maleque has
said an indoor stadium will
soon be set up in Manikganj
, reports BSS.
He said Bangladesh has
achieved tremendous
development in sports and
government has been
immensely patronizing the
sector particularly in the
fields of cricket and football.
" The government under
the dynamic leadership of
Sheikh Hasina is now on the
verge of becoming middle
income country and it
might be developed country
by 2041, " the minister said
this in the prize distribution
ceremony of Colonel
Maleque Memorial
Badminton Tournament
Friday night.
Organized by Manikganj
District Sports Association,
the function was addressed
among others by Advocate
Golam Mohiuddin,
Chairman, Manikganj Zila
Parishad, Rifat Rahman
Shamim, Superintendent of
hotels and from different
countries will showcase their
products and services at over
75 stalls and six pavilions
during the extravaganza
titled "US-Bangla Airlines
Dhaka Travel Mart 2020" at
Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel
in the capital.
US-Bangla Airlines
Deputy Managing Director
Dilruba Parvin and The
Bangladesh Monitor
Managing Editor Tahera
Wahid recently signed a
MoU for their respective
sides regarding the fair.
Speaking on the occasion,
Parvin said US-Bangla has
Police, Manikganj and
Sudeb Saha, Secretary,
Manikganj District Sports
Association.
S M Ferdous, Deputy
Commissioner, Manikganj
presided over the function.
The Minister distributed
prizes among the winners of
constantly been trying to
play its role in the
development
of
Bangladesh's tourism sector.
The Bangladesh Monitor
Editor Kazi Wahidul Alam,
US-Bangla Airlines Head of
Marketing and Sales Md
Shafiqul Islam and General
Manager (PR) Md Kamrul
Islam were present, among
others, on the occasion.
US-Bangla Airlines
recently won Gold award in
'On-time Performance
(Domestic)' category at the
Monitor Airlines of the
Year-2019 gala award
ceremony.
Indoor stadium to be
set up soon in
Manikganj : Maleque
seven groups of competitors
in the function.
Earlier, the health
minister laid the foundation
stones of Handulia
Government Primary
School and Radhanagar
Government Primary
School.
Three trees
burnt inside DU
DHAKA : Fire gutted a years old Albizia (Karoi) tree and two
others inside Dhaka University (DU) campus on early Saturday.
Two fire fighting unit of Palashi barrack doused the blaze after
30 minutes of its massive flame broke out around 3:58am at
Mall Chattar area, said Anoy Ghosh, station officer of the
barrack.
Firefighters initially assumed that the sweepers set fire at the
dry leaves as part of burning waste and later, the fire touched the
almost dry years-old tree, reports BSS.
"Three university students went to our office riding a motor
bike and notified us. We rushed to the spot and found three trees
were burning", said Anoy Ghosh.
"We also doused the fire on dry leaves in nearby scattered
places," Anoy added.
DU proctorial team member Hamidur Rahman said anyone
can set the fire at the dry leaves as part of having fun or taking
heat from the fire but unfortunately the fire broke.
Air Quality
Index: Dhaka
ranks 7th worst
DHAKA : Bangladesh's
capital Dhaka ranked the
seventh worst in the Air
Quality Index (AQI) on Friday
morning, reports UNB.
It had an AQI score of 198 at
08:24am. The air was
classified as 'unhealthy'.
Mongolia's Ulaanbaatar,
Pakistan's Lahore and China's
Shenyang occupied the top
three positions in the list of
cities with worst air with AQI
scores of 458, 239 and 220
respectively.
When the AQI score is
between 151 and 200,
everyone may experience
health effects while members
of sensitive groups may
experience more serious
health effects.
The AQI, an index for
reporting daily air quality,
informs people how clean or
polluted the air of a certain
city is, and what associated
health effects might be a
concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is
based on five criteria
pollutants - Particulate Matter
(PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO,
SO2 and Ozone (O3). The
Department of Environment
has also set national ambient
air quality standards for these
pollutants. These standards
aim to protect against adverse
human health impacts.
Youth held for
spreading PM's
distorted image
CHATTOGRAM : Police
arrested a young man from
Pashchim Gomdondi
Charkhijirpur village in
Boalkhali upazila on Friday
night for distorting image of
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
and uploading it on social
mediaf, reports UNB.
The arrestee is Belal
Hossain, 30, son of late Altaj
Miah.
Mohammad Helal Uddin
Faruqi,
inspector
(investigation) of Boalkhali
Police Station, said Belal
shared distorted photos of the
prime minister and chief
election commissioner along
with derogatory comments on
his Facebook IDs.
Dr. Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Daffodil International University, MMunir
Hasan, General Secretary of Bangladesh Math Olympiad, Jahangir Masud, General Secretary
of Bangladesh Physics Olympiad and Dr. Arshad Momen, Professor, Department of Theoretical
Physics of Dhaka University along with the winners of 10th Dutch Bangla Bank-ProthomAlo
Physics Olympiad-2020 held at Daffodil International University.
Photo : Courtesy
Workshop on public
procurement, e-GP
tender procedure held
: A two-day
workshop on "Public
Procurement and e-GP
Tender Procedure" organised
by the DCCI Business
Institute (DBI) ended
yesterday on its premises in
the capital.
A total of 30 business
professionals nominated by
different prominent
organisations participated in
the workshop. Mohammad
Mizanur Rahman, assistant
registrar, procurement of
Chittagong University of
Engineering and Technology
(CUET) conducted the
workshop as the resource
person.
According to the feedback
from the participants, this
workshop has broadened
their mental horizon and
made them conversant with
very important issues of
public procurement and e-GP
tender procedure.
The closing and certificate
awarding ceremony of the
programme was held
yesterday on the DBI
premises. Mohammad
Bashiruddin, vice-president of
DCCI, graced the programme
as the chief guest.
He said e-GP tendering
system is the most important
part of digital Bangladesh.
"It's carrying out the
procurement activities by the
public agencies, procuring
agencies and procuring
entities (PEs). Every person
who wants to participate in
government tender has to
know about public
procurement and e-GP
system."
DCCI Secretary and
Executive Director of DBI
offered the vote of thanks on
the occasion.
Rural students are getting
higher education: Amu
No dengue
patient
detected in
last 24hrs:
DGHS
DHAKA : No new dengue
case was reported in the last
24 hours until 8am on
Saturday, the Directorate
General of Health Services
(DGHS) said, reports UNB.
According to the daily
update from DGHS, ten
dengue patients, including six
in the capital, are being
treated at hospitals across the
country.
Bangladesh experienced a
massive dengue outbreak last
year.
The government confirmed
that dengue had claimed the
lives of 164 people in 2019.
The Institute of
Epidemiology, Disease
Control and Research
(IEDCR) confirmed the
number after reviewing 263
out of 266 reports of denguerelated
deaths.
Last year, 101,354 people
were hospitalised with dengue
in the country. Of them,
101,037 made full recovery.
Since the beginning of this
year, 219 dengue cases were
reported. Of them, 209 had
been discharged from
hospitals.
Seventh National Youth Conference was held at LGD auditorium, Agargaon, Dhaka. Hunger-
Bangladesh organized the conference.
Photo : Courtesy
International tourism
fair to begin
Wednesday
DHAKA : The international tourism fair titled "US-Bangla
Airlines Dhaka Travel Mart 2020" will begin at Pan Pacific
Sonargaon in the city from Wednesday (March 12-14.
US-Bangla Airlines, the biggest private sector carrier of the
country, joins hands as the title sponsor with the 17th edition
of the Dhaka Travel, reports UNB.
The Bangladesh Monitor, the premier aviation and tourism
publication will organise the popular travel fair.
Dilruba Parvin, deputy managing director, US-Bangla
Airlines and Tahera Wahid, managing editor, Bangladesh
Monitor signed a MoU to this effect recently at the former's
corporate office in the capital.
Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor, The Bangladesh Monitor; Md
Shafiqul Islam, head of marketing and sales; Md Kamrul
Islam, general manager-public relations and Sajia Parvin,
revenue manager, US-Bangla Airlines were also present.
Dilruba Parvin said, "We're proud to be associated with the
biggest tourism extravaganza of the country. US-Bangla has
constantly been trying to play its role in the development of
Bangladesh's tourism sector."
Thanking US-Bangla Airlines for their support, Tahera
Wahid said, "We're expecting more interesting products and
services from the local and foreign participants this year."
National tourism organisations, airlines, tour operators,
hotels, resorts and other tourism related organisations from
home and abroad will showcase their products and services
in over 75 stalls and 6 pavilions during the fair.
JHALOKATI : Awami League Advisory Council Member
Amir Hossain Amu yesterday said the education system of
Bangladesh is now acclaimed internationally as Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina has made a better education policy, reports BSS.
"One private college has been nationalized in every upazila in
the country and digital lab and multimedia have been set up in
each college. As a result, the rural students can receive higher
education," he said at a function to lay the foundation stone of a
10-storey academic building of Jhalokathi Government College.
Local Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md. Johor Ali , Police Super
Fatiha Yeasmin, Zila Parishad Chairman and district Awami
League President Sarder Md.Shah Alam, General Secretary Adv.
Khan Saifullah Ponir and Municipality Mayor Liyakot Ali
Talukder attended the program as special guests.
Jhalokathi Government College Principle Prof. Md. Ansar
Uddin was in the chair. To be constructed by the Education
Engineering Department, the cost of the 10-storied academic
building has been estimated at Taka 1.21 crore.
4 more arrested over attack
on journalist Sumon
DHAKA : Members of Rapid Action Battalion-2 (RAB-2) in
separate drives yesterday arrested four more people from the
city's different areas over the attack on journalist Mustafizur
Rahman Sumon during the Dhaka city corporation elections on
February 1, reports BSS.
The arrestees were identified as Alauddin, 22, Masud Mian,
19, Rasel Hawlader, 34, and Jahirul Islam alias Apu Mia, 24,
Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, assistant director of RAB (legal and
media wing) and senior ASP, confirmed BSS.
Among the arrestees, Apu Mian is brother-in-law of the
councilor of Ward No. 34 of the Dhaka North City Corporation
(DNCC) Sheikh Mohammed Hossain Kokhon, he said.
The total number of arrestees now stands at five as the
members of police, earlier on Wednesday night, detained
another person- Ismail Hossain- over the incident from the
city's Rayerbazar area. Mostafizur Rahman Sumon, a reporter of
online news portal, was attacked allegedly by the supports of the
councilor candidate of the DNCC's Ward No. 34 Sheikh
Mohammed Hossain Kokhon in the city's Rayerbazar area.
Banani slum fire extinguished
DHAKA : A fire that broke out at the capital's Banani TNT
slum early Saturday was extinguished after frantic efforts of
about three and a half hours, reports UNB.
Rasel Shikder, duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense
headquarters, said that the fire broke out at 3:28am.
Twenty-two firefighting units rushed to the spot and
extinguished the fire around 7am. A five-member committee
has been formed to investigate the reason behind fire and
estimate the damage, he said.

EDITORIAL
SUnDAy, FEBrUAry 9, 2020
4
The death of a Chinese whistleblower
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Ensuring progress
in health sector
The health sector of the country as it observed the
World Health Day sometime ago, presents a mixed
picture of significant progress, some unattained
objectives and cases of back sliding. The incumbent
government had promised a great deal in its previous
election manifesto and must be credited for having
worked considerably to keep its promises.
For example, it was stated in the election manifesto of
the Awami League five years ago that in order to expand
and strengthen health services at the grassroots level in
the country, some 18,000 community clinics would be
established at ward level under a new health policy. Some
10,000 of these community clinics have been set up
throughout the country. Some more of these clinics at
upazilla and union levels are being planned to be
integrated under the community clinic framework.
This could be accepted as a very laudable achievement
but for the fact that in most cases these clinics are not
delivering amply health services consistent with their
potentials. A dearth of doctors, nurses, technicians and
medical equipment are noted in these clinics in many
cases. Thus, the challenge remains to provision these
clinics adequately and run them efficiently. The issue of
absentee doctors must be addressed - specially-- through a
proper accountability procedure so that such doctors are
only obligated to discharge their duties with due sincerity
at their due places of posting.
Many doctors on the government's health services in
connivance with unscrupulous officials in the Health
Ministry are usually able to avoid serving in the rural
areas. Many of them remain in Dhaka month after month
and draw their salaries and other benefits without doing
adequate work at their properly designated places while
the health services in the rural areas suffer very seriously
from absence of doctors. Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh
Hasina warned such absentee doctors for their dereliction
of duty time and again.
However, like in all other cases of the taste of the
pudding coming from eating it, the tough words from the
PM will count for something only after the actual taking of
the steps that would be required to ensure that the
doctors do indeed feel obligated to serve in the rural
areas. This is no easy task for on the one hand there are
involved problems of psychology and character and, on
the other, the doctors can point to the disincentives that
keep them away from rural areas. The solution lies in
psychologically curing the doctors of their inordinate
fascination for working in urban areas as much as also
providing them with further incentives, as far as would be
truly justified, to have peace of mind to serve with
dedication in the rural areas. But the greatest stress will
have to be put on strict enforcement of rules and
regulations to make it very difficult for them to go on so
unconscientiously avoiding their duties in rural areas.
The nation makes much sacrifice to produce a doctor
with highly subsidised medical education and then further
pays not unreasonably for his or her upkeep with salaries
and other facilities. In return, the nation should duly
expect to get his or her sincere service. If the same is not
honestly discharged, then the nation should have the right
to apply coercion so that the same is discharged.
The problems complained by the doctors may not be
ignored and steps may be taken to solve them . But the
imperative is keeping up consistent pressure on them as
per their service rules to do their bounden duties at their
work stations.
From 2009, government introduced the so called user
fees in the publicly run medical and health care system.
Under 23 categories, user fees were introduced for 470
types of services in the public hospitals. The public
medical care institutions were obliged, at least in theory,
to extend free medical services or at nominal costs till the
introduction of this fee.
But in the backdrop of such free and nominal payments
leading to poor or even no treatment of patients, it was
decided that users' fees would be applied to bring about
positive changes through users bearing a part of the real
costs of treatment. This would free the government
somewhat from paying huge subsidies ineffectively to the
medical sector while enabling better treatment with
patients bearing a part of their costs.
But the real experience after introduction of the users'
fees is that patients' treatment costs, on average, have
increased compared to the time when they were treated
for free or at nominal costs. Thus, it requires a rethink
whether the user fee system should be given up with
restoration of the previous system of free treatment or
treatment at nominal costs only.
If it is decided to go back to the older system, then it
must be ensured that the free system or nominal payment
system do not make the patients suffer like in the past due
to corruption and neglect. The challenge would be to make
the free or nominal payment system free from corruption
and to make it work ridding inefficiencies. Then, it could
prove to be a blessing.
A major health sector priority ought to be revamping the
family planning programme by bringing all or nearly all
fertile couples under it at the earliest. It is shocking that 45
per cent of potential couples from the standpoint of
procreation abilities, remain unserved by the family
planning programme. They are also bypassed by health
and nutrition programmes. This neglect must be overcome
with targeted policies. Time-bound targets must be
pursued also in the areas of sanitation and helping people
to avoid arsenic poisoning.
Meanwhile people, specially common people, are happy
to see that the big general public hospitals in the cities
such as the DhakaMedicalCollegeHospital, are running
with some efficiency and a sense of a duty of care
compared to the past. Let us hope that this trend would
continue and be further improved.
The Chinese government saw to it
that Dr Li Wenliang suffered before
he died. Li, a physician at Wuhan
Central Hospital in Wuhan, Hebei
province - the epicenter of the now global
infectious coronavirus - succumbed to the
illness on Thursday. We know of Li
because he incurred the wrath of Chinese
authorities by challenging Beijing's initial
upbeat narrative in December of a limited
outbreak that was well under the control
of Chinese authorities.
Li, on the frontlines of the epidemic,
watched as people mobbed Wuhan
hospitals with symptoms of an obviously
much more serious contagion than what
the Chinese government was publicly
disclosing.
On December 30, Li aired his concerns
on social media, warning the public of a
possible "SARS-like" virus spreading in
Wuhan, a reference to the 2002-2003
outbreak of severe acute respiratory
syndrome that authorities covered up for
months. That cover-up allowed SARS to
spill over China's borders and eventually
kill more than 700 people across 26
countries.
Within days of airing his concerns, Li
learned the price that whistleblowers in
China routinely pay: Wuhan police briefly
detained him and made clear that the cost
of his freedom was to sign a statement
that posting an online warning about the
coronavirus constituted "illegal
behavior." The authorities' underlying
threat to Li was as clear as it was brutal:
Stay silent or face the wrath of the
Chinese state.Weeks later, the
coronavirus that Li sought a more
truthful and robust government response
to ended up killing him. Li's name has
now been added to the list of the
hundreds of confirmed coronavirus
fatalities in China, a list that will only
grow, given the more than 31,000 known
cases of the illness in the country. Li's
courageous act of defiance and its tragic
consequence are stark reminders of how
China's authoritarian system is resolutely
antithetical to ensuring the basic health
rights of its citizens and the ability of
doctors to address public health crises
effectively. I documented the official
cover-up of the 2002-2003 SARS
outbreak as a Beijing-based foreign
correspondent, and the tragedy of Li's
death and the unfolding global menace of
the 2019-nCoV coronavirus leaves me
with a grim sense of déjà vu. In those presocial-media
days, my colleagues and I
heard for weeks vague stories of a
mysterious contagious illness, of
emergency wards filled with SARS cases,
of a government that was lying through
its teeth about the severity of the problem.
We chased rumors of "midnight runs"
by hospital ambulances and buses loaded
PhElIm KInE
with SARS cases put on the road to
hoodwink World Health Organizations
investigators who were desperate to get a
fix on the spread of illness. Those rumors
were decisively confirmed only when
another brave Chinese whistleblower, Dr
Jiang Yanyong, exposed the extent of the
government's whitewash and forced it to
cooperate with international authorities
in addressing the outbreak.
In its aftermath, there was widespread
hope that the Chinese government would
learn "the lessons of SARS" and that it
would never again sacrifice public health
for reasons of perceived political
Within days of airing his concerns, li learned the price
that whistleblowers in China routinely pay: Wuhan
police briefly detained him and made clear that the
cost of his freedom was to sign a statement that
posting an online warning about the coronavirus
constituted "illegal behavior." The authorities'
underlying threat to li was as clear as it was brutal:
Stay silent or face the wrath of the Chinese state.
Dr. AzEEm IBrAhIm
expedience. If only. As the coronavirus
spreads across the world, anyone who
still maintains that China learned the
lessons of SARS is either not paying
attention or is parroting a Chinese
government narrative long proved false.
Instead, since SARS, the Chinese
government has repeatedly
demonstrated its willingness to deny,
censor, and suppress any issues it deems
politically "sensitive," regardless of the
public health implications.
Two years after SARS, the government
blocked all domestic media reports of the
massive spill of the toxic chemical
benzene in the Songhua River in
Heilongjiang province until wild rumors
about the disaster prompted disclosure of
what had actually happened.
Later, an official ban on reporting of "all
food-safety issues" in the lead-up to and
during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
stifled domestic media coverage of
revelations that at least 20 dairy firms
were spiking milk products with the
chemical melamine. That cover-up
contributed to the deaths of six children
and illness among 300,000 others.
Adding insult to already grievous injury,
Chinese authorities handed down a twoand-a-half-year
prison term to the father
of one of those child victims, on charges of
"provoking disorder" for drawing
attention to the government's failure to
assist the thousands who became ill.
In 2011, Chinese authorities literally
buried the evidence of a horrific highspeed-rail
crash that killed 38 people and
injured dozens more by dispatching
earth-moving equipment to entomb the
wrecked train at the crash scene.
A vaccine scandal in July 2018 linked to
substandard vaccines distributed to
thousands of infants was one of the most
heavily censored issues in China that
year.
Perhaps the most telling indicator of the
Chinese government's hard-wired
hostility to transparency is its official
reaction to Dr Li Wenliang's demise.
Source : Asia Times
how Africa’s smallest country became a human rights giant
Gambia, known for its pristine beaches,
Atlantic coastline and being the
ancestral home of Kunte Kinte, recently
made global headlines for the most
unexpected of reasons.
After pioneering legal action against
Myanmar at the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) under the genocide
convention, the African nation
managed to secure a unanimous
decision from the usually conservative
17 judges that the Rohingya in
Myanmar face a real and credible threat
of genocide.
The ICJ provisional ruling is not a
determination of genocide, but a clear
warning to Myanmar that the world's
court has them in its sights and they
must do everything possible to protect
the remaining Rohingya in Rakhine
state. For many Africa watchers much of
this is no surprise. Gambia has a strong
history of human rights dating back to
the 1970s when President Dawda
Jawara led efforts to develop a human
rights commission for the whole of
Africa. What emerged after much
politicking between Organization of
African Unity countries was the African
Charter on Human and People's Rights,
with its head office in Banjul, Gambia's
capital. But after Jawara was
overthrown in a military coup in 1994,
Gambia endured decades where human
rights took a back seat to corruption and
abuse of power. The coup architect,
President Yahya Jameh, was eventually
forced into exile in 2017. So Gambia, it
could be argued, is now simply
returning to its roots as a national,
continental and global human rights
defender.
Seen in that light, it is not so surprising
that the ICJ effort was led by Gambia's
Attorney General, Abubacarr Marie
Tambadou, and the Gambian Ministry
of Justice, thus setting a new precedent
in international relations, whereby a
state takes another state before the court
for a breach of the genocide convention.
This is not mere politicking, or
posturing by a random country trying to
elevate its international profile and
reconnect with a long-lost nostalgic
past. Tambadou is a respected
international jurist on questions of
genocide, and has served as special
assistant to the prosecutor at the
International Criminal Tribunal for
Rwanda. Through its action, Gambia, as
a member of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), has bounced the
rest of the OIC into finally speaking up
in defense of their fellow Muslim
Rohingyas. This is a welcome
development and an example for
everyone. Despite having its own
humanitarian issues during its postcolonial
past, with military coups and
decades of despotic rule, Gambia reembraced
the principles and values of
international humanitarianism, and
this firm commitment can be expected
to have meaningful consequences for
the country's political culture.
It is beneficial to the Rohingya that the
This is a welcome development and an example for
everyone. Despite having its own humanitarian
issues during its post-colonial past, with military
coups and decades of despotic rule, Gambia reembraced
the principles and values of international
humanitarianism, and this firm commitment can
be expected to have meaningful consequences for
the country's political culture.
ChEryl rAo
international community is finally
starting to take note of their situation,
just as public opinion toward them in
countries where they sought refuge
(principally Bangladesh) is beginning to
harden. And in a world where the
international rules-based system seems
to be unraveling, the fact that such a
robust defense of international human
rights law is emerging from an
unexpected quarter may yet signify the
dawn of a renaissance of humanitarian
ideals worldwide.
However, the wheels of global justice
move slowly. With Gambia having done
the heavy lifting in securing the ICJ
ruling, the obligation fell on the UN
Security Council to enforce the court's
decision. Unfortunately, as has become
characteristic of the UN, it was unable to
rise to the occasion with both China and
Vietnam objecting to any statement
obligating Myanmar to comply. How
the UN responds after the court's fourmonth
deadline for Myanmar to report
back to the ICJ will show just how far
the UN system has deteriorated.
Nevertheless, we can expect Gambia
to file a full accusation of genocide at the
ICJ, which requires extensive evidence
and can take years to conclude. Groups
such as the Rohingya Legal Forum,
which I lead within the Center for Policy
Research think tank in Washington,
D.C., will have an important role if the
ICJ is to make an actual determination
of genocide.
Members of the forum have extensive
experience in international
humanitarian crises, and most have
been following the Rohingya situation in
Myanmar for years before the "clearing
operations" began in 2017. We knew
then that a genocide was in the making
(I published a book warning of the
impeding disaster), and we knew that if
the international community failed to
intervene to prevent it, we would need to
be there to document what was
happening to the legal standards
required to bring before a court of
international law.
Source : Arab News
Being a lark is not necessarily a plus point
Most of us are conditioned to
believe that early risers, those
larks, get more out of their day
and are to be commended. If we are larks
ourselves and our body clocks have us up
at the crack of dawn, we pat ourselves on
our backs and preen a bit and feel sorry
for the late risers who "miss out on so
much".
In our family, three of us were larks.
Big Brother and I usually woke up early,
like Father, and the thrill of being with
him and participating in his adventures
made us hop out of bed and tiptoe
around the house, determined not to
awaken Mother and Big Sister.
The first item on the agenda was a few
stretches. Father had actually learnt yoga
under the renowned B.K.S. Iyengar but
we didn't know that. We just thought he
was having a bit of fun and standing on
his head and we tried to emulate him -
without much success of course, but
without any accidents given that we were
blessed with the natural flexibility and
agility of youth.
After that, it was straight into the
kitchen because Father, like the two of
us, could not function well on an empty
stomach, and what he produced as an
early morning "snack" or mini-breakfast
was something to look forward to. Father
had "large hands" when it came to using
ingredients and thus those treats we got
before the others were awake were
something we two greedy young things
really looked forward to.
Next on the agenda was an "outing". It
was never a staid morning walk,
although we would probably have
enjoyed that well enough, especially if we
had ventured far enough away from
home to qualify our trip as "into the
wilderness".
But, no, we stayed close to home and
instead, wandered around our enormous
garden. We visited all the animals and
birds Father had collected in his
menagerie, chased down a few strays to
put them back in their pens, spent time
with the ones we preferred, and played
with them and wrestled with each other.
Outside, we didn't worry about
keeping our voices down - but when we
returned to the house to get breakfast
from a mother who was now awake and
at work, we realised that we should have
been less boisterous. "Your noise woke
After that, it was straight into the kitchen because
Father, like the two of us, could not function well on
an empty stomach, and what he produced as an early
morning "snack" or mini-breakfast was something to
look forward to. Father had "large hands" when it
came to using ingredients and thus those treats we got
before the others were awake were something we two
greedy young things really looked forward to.
me up," Mother would say, a trifle
grumpily. "You really ought to get
enough sleep - and let others get enough
sleep too!"
Father would laugh it off. He was sure
that he woke up early only because he
had had enough sleep and he was
confident that he could say the same for
the other two early birds in the family.
"You should try our way," he would say.
"Then you won't be so grumpy when you
wake up!"
We too thought he was right and
believed for the longest time that we
were the lucky ones who got more out of
our day. In later years, even when we fell
asleep on the sofa in the middle of a party
or snored through the entire episode of a
television serial we had been looking
forward to watching, we were convinced
that we had missed nothing …
So now, when I read that perhaps
some of us larks suffer from sleep
deprivation but do not worry about it
because we are up and about and alert
and full of life before the sun comes up, I
realise that there could be something to
it.
Maybe that is why I find myself
clueless about so many things that I
could not possibly have missed had I
been wide awake.
Maybe I was just catching up on sleep
that I didn't even know was muchneeded!
Cheryl Rao is a journalist based
in India.
Source : Gulf News

ACHIEVEMENT
SUNDAY, FeBrUArY 9, 2020
5
Bags caught on a tree along a desert road on the outskirts of Gafsa governorate in western Tunisia.
Photo: Moises Saman
Tunisia to impose ban on ubiquitous
use of plastic bags
Simon Speakman Cordall
Tunisia has announced plans to
stop its supermarkets and
pharmacies from using single-use
plastic bags from next month
before phasing them out
completely in 2021. Plastic
pollution has been a growing
problem in the north African
country in recent years, along with
the challenges presented by its
ancient industrial plants and
barely managed household waste.
Under government plans, major
supermarkets and pharmacies will
stop issuing the bags from 1
March, with all bags banned by
January 2021. Reusable bags -
defined by the government as
having a thickness of 40
micrometres and a capacity of
more than 30 litres - will remain in
circulation.
Discarded plastic bags have
become a common blight on the
Tunisian landscape, blown across
the countryside, enmeshed in
trees and impacting the country's
land and marine ecosystems.
Often used to transport household
waste to local collection areas, they
are commonly piled by the side of
the road, where they lie awaiting
collection by the local
municipality.
An attempt to introduce a ban in
2016 failed following vocal
resistance from industry.
However, it was enough to stop
many of the country's leading
supermarkets issuing free bags.
Instead, the stores started
charging for a smaller number of
more durable bags, resulting in a
dramatic reduction in the overall
number of bags in circulation.
"In Tunisia, more than 4.2bn
single-use plastic bags are
consumed, where 1.2bn bags are
imported informally." Plastic bags
can take anywhere between 400
and 1,000 years to break down
through exposure to light. Once
reduced to tiny particles, they
continue to contaminate the soil
and waterways, endangering local
habitats and polluting seas and
rivers.
Chebli Hedi, the general director
of environment and quality of life
at the ministry of local affairs and
the environment in Tunis,
explained: "Since the revolution
we have had serious difficulty in
different areas and different cities
with plastic bags, which are small
and have been thrown away and
disturb the environment."
Unlike the earlier attempt to ban
their use, Hedi stressed, this latest
initiative came following extensive
consultation with the public and
the commercial Utica union, and
also involved voluntary
participation by most
supermarkets and pharmacies.
Negotiations over the wider ban,
to be introduced next year, are
ongoing.
The move was welcomed by
campaigners in Tunis and the
environmental pressure group
Break free from Plastic. All
cautioned against its introduction
without adequate monitoring and
support. Most vulnerable will be
small shopkeepers who rely on
regularly issuing bags to their
customers.
Even here, however, the
government's proposals found
support, albeit cautious. "This
news definitely makes me happy,"
said Mohammad El Weti, a
shopkeeper in Tunis's ancient
medina. "We're used to politicians
giving vague promises, but I'm
happy they managed to pass an
actual law this time. I hope they
will manage to apply it."
Tunisia faces other significant
environmental challenges. Singleuse
plastics, such as drinking
straws and plastic used in
commercial packaging, remains
commonplace. Elsewhere,
Tunisia's reliance on often
antiquated heavy industry, not
least phosphate production, has
left entire swathes of the country
and coastline unusable.
While the government is making
some headway on limiting
pollution, in a country where
unemployment sits at 15%
nationally any measure that could
be perceived as damaging to
industry, and therefor a danger to
jobs, is likely to prove
controversial.
Hedi nonetheless remains
optimistic. "With the
environment, you cannot say:
'This is very big, so we need to
start with it,' or: 'This is very
small, so I can ignore it.' With the
environment, everything
counts."
Depression takes a heavy toll on Libyans
Up to 5,000 immigrants and refugees are currently held in detention
centres in Libya, according to Médecins Sans Frontières. Photo: MSF
Hazem Badr
A mix of positive feelings had
overwhelmed Mohammed al-Johany
when he awoke to the news that
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
had been toppled in 2011.
Unfortunately, this optimism quickly
came to an end.
Once waking up full of hope, al-
Johany became reluctant to move the
covers, preferring to spend most of
the day sleeping. With eyes shut, he
escapes the view of tattered clothes
and shoes hanging on the walls of the
nearby al-Nageela Centre, in the
north-western city of Janzour, home
to more than 100 immigrants and
refugees.
The chaos that ensued in Libya
after Gaddafi's death provided fertile
ground for the black economy to
flourish. These economic activities
include illegal immigration from
across Africa to Europe, resulting in
the detention of between 3,000 and
5,000 immigrants and refugees,
according to Robert Kingu, medical
coordinator of Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF) in Libya.
Those immigrants live in detention
centres that mostly fall well short of
international standards, where
depression afflicts inhabitants, and
extends to nearby residents like al-
Johany. Many detainees exhibit signs
of social withdrawal, hyper-anxiety,
acute psychosis, aggression and
suicidal behaviour, says Kingu,
adding: "We have seen some men
who look barely alive, with their faces
void of any expressions."
A psychologist in one of Libya's
public hospitals, who declined to be
named for fear of repercussions, said:
"Under Gaddafi's rule, civilians were
subjected to extreme violations that
hit them hard psychologically, and
again they are facing the same
situation, and even worse."
Fighting is raging in the country
between troops from Libya's two rival
governments, undermining a fragile
ceasefire brokered earlier this month.
The Tripoli-based Government of
National Accord, led by Prime
Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and
recognised by the UN, is vying for
control with the rival administration
in the east of the country, allied with
Libyan National Army commander
Khalifa Haftar.
The psychologist says the ongoing
violence and absence of state
authority has led to the torture,
murder and forced disappearance of
many civilians, further increasing the
onset of psychological disorders.
During Gaddafi's rule, he added, his
unit used to receive around seven to
nine patients daily - now they are
admitting up to 25.
An investigative study carried out
by the Danish Institute against
Torture, Dignity, echoes the
psychologist's statements. The study,
conducted with the help of a research
and consulting centre at Benghazi
University in 2013, looked at a
sample of 3,000 Libyan families to
assess their psychological needs. It
concluded that about one third of the
population was suffering from
mental health problems as a result of
the violations they had experienced.
According to the study, one in every
five households said a family
member had disappeared, 11 per cent
reported an arrest within the family,
and 5 per cent said a family member
had been killed. Forty-six per cent
said a family member had been
arrested and beaten, while 20 per
cent had experience of torture,
including suffocation, sexual,
electrical or thermal torture.
The figures seem to be supported
by a study conducted by the World
Health Organization (WHO), and
published in PLOS ONE journal.
UN set to end FGM by 2030
Nimco Ali
I underwent female genital
mutilation at the age of seven, while
on holiday in Djibouti. When I
returned to school in the UK my
teacher told me that this happened to
"girls like me".
Thankfully, this type of reaction is
no longer common, and this country
is much better equipped to protect
girls at risk. FGM is now seen as a
global issue, which we know has
affected more than 200 million
women and girls around the world.
But a further 68 million girls are
estimated to be at risk over the next
10 years, and ending FGM is a huge
challenge. Funding - particularly to
frontline activists - is almost nonexistent.
Yet this is where change
starts; efforts to end FGM are led
from the grassroots, usually by
survivors.
The groundbreaking activism of
Jaha Dukureh, the Nobel peace prize
nominee and founder of Safe Hands
for Girls, has regenerated the African
movement to end FGM. In 2015, she
almost single-handedly got the
country to unite in pressing the
Gambian government to ban the
practice.
In recent years, Safe Hands for
Girls has partnered with the
Gambian education ministry to
launch a vibrant, nationwide pink
bus tour that has reached thousands
of students, firing up their passion to
end FGM in this generation.
The campaign was heavily
supported on social media and the
positive message of changing
Gambian society gained traction very
quickly. The ministry contacted every
school in advance, asking them to
encourage young people to
participate fully. This meant that
activists were able to lead assemblies,
speak to entire classes, and spend a
lot of time in each school talking with
girls, boys and their teachers.
Prevalence statistics due to be
released later this year are expected
to show a decrease in FGM in the
Gambia, where cutting of infants and
very young girls is so common that
any change is likely to become
apparent more quickly than it would
elsewhere. Kenya, meanwhile, where
the practice was banned in 2011, has
led the way globally in terms of
reducing FGM prevalence. Led by Dr
Josephine Kulea, Samburu Girls
Foundation uses education to protect
girls from FGM and promote their
human rights. More than a thousand
young women have been rescued and
given a place to stay in the
organisation's rescue centre. The
institution also does outreach to
Somali, Maasai, Samburu and Pokot
communities by speaking in Swahili
in an effort to unite these diverse
cultural groups against FGM and
child marriage.
This work aside, Samburu Girls
Foundation helps to bring cases
against policymakers who do not
implement the 2011 FGM ban, which
is not applied in certain regions. The
Samburu region, where more than
80% of women and girls are cut, is
one of several where prevalence
remains high.
The foundation has also helped to
defend the case of medical
professional Dr Tatu Kamau, which
is currently being heard at the
Kenyan high court. Kamau is trying
to have FGM legalised for adult
women, which could have severe
consequences not only in Kenya but
around the world.
The UN has set a 2030 deadline to
end FGM. I co-founded the Five
Foundation, a global partnership to
end FGM, with this in mind - and to
fill a gap in the movement. The Five
Foundation partners with large
charities such as ActionAid, Plan
International and Women for
Women International, as well as with
dozens of grassroots groups like
Samburu Girls Foundation and Safe
Hands for Girls. We must all work
together as much as we can.
But we are also calling on
Jaha Dukureh has spearheaded efforts to end FGM in the Gambia.
Photo: Mae ryan
foundations and governments to
change the way we fund efforts to end
FGM. This means finally trusting and
supporting frontline activists like
Dukureh and Kulea, who are the
most credible and effective agents of
change - but who have been left out of
the equation for far too long.
Inspiring journey of an intern
to become a Fedex VP
Chris Winton
I stood in the office of my then boss
at FedEx and told him I wanted his
job one day. There I was, a 22-yearold
recent college graduate, making
a bold claim to a man 20 years my
senior. After rightfully kicking me
out of his office and telling me to get
back to work, he said something that
I will never forget: "You show me
that someone is willing to follow you
- then we'll talk about leadership."
That statement stuck with me, and
for the next several years we met
every month to discuss everything
from technology, to leadership, to
life. His mentorship propelled my
career.
My 16 year professional rise
through FedEx Services began in
Work on your interpersonal skills.
2004, where I was hired as a logistics
operations manager after my
internship. In 2006, I was promoted
to a support manager, and then to a
manager of strategic planning in
2008. In another two years, I was
promoted to director of IT helpdesk
operations, then I became director of
IT operations in 2013, and I was
given the very office where we stood
on my first day. I quickly took on the
responsibilities of director of
workforce strategy and analytics in
2015, and finally was promoted to
my current position as the vice
president of human resources in
2016. To understand my journey
from IT intern to vice president of
human resources, where I lead a
variety of HR functions from
compensation to recruitment, you
must first understand my path. I was
a C student - not from lack of work
ethic or ability - but because I had
other priorities, priorities that
rapidly revealed a career I originally
had no intention of following.
As a senior in high school, I was a
proud member of my family. We
worked hard together: Both my
parents had two full-time jobs, while
my brother and I went to school and
each held down two jobs of our own.
Coming from a blue-collar family, I
understood the necessity of hard
work. Unlike some of my peers, my
parents needed me to take on extra
responsibilities to help our family
succeed. Taking on two jobs caused
Photo: Thomas Barwick
me to skip school. My grades
suffered. It wasn't until the
INROADS scholarship committee,
which is a nonprofit organization
that provides paid internships for
undergraduate students, visited my
school that someone asked why I
had poor grades.
It was the first time anyone had
ever reached out. I never forgot that
simple interaction and that someone
cared. Throughout my career, I
would look back at this moment in
time with admiration. I aspire to
display that same level of passion. It
eventually became one of the main
reasons I made the jump from IT to
HR. Based on my experience, I
discovered that I wanted to help
young people find their own
profession. When my passion,
profession, and purpose fused
together, I realized that my IT skills
could translate into being a
successful human HR manager.
Since the INROADS program is
structured for selected students to
intern every summer during their
undergraduate career at the same
corporation, it allowed me to acquire
the necessary skills for a more
successful post-graduation career in
management. I was given the
opportunity to intern at FedEx
during college, while also helping to
pay for my education. It was an
experience that changed the course
of my life, and would have never
been realized had I not met the
INROADS team that day.
I learned so much during those
four years as an intern, and I was
able to parlay that internship into a
full-time career by following what I
have coined "C-4": consume,
connect, communicate, and coach.
It all starts with a goal. Once you
decide the goal, you consume all the
information necessary to achieve
that goal. Information is in the palm
of your hands - what you know
matters.
Create opportunities to share your
knowledge. Networking becomes a
lot easier when you have something
of value to share. Connect the dots
between what you know and what
others need.
Create a narrative around your
goals and be able to purposefully
communicate. People don't always
remember what you say, but they
will remember how you made them
feel. Learn to galvanize people
through storytelling and they will
follow. As you continue to build
connections, create an environment
that consistently coaches others
forward. Incite service within your
community of peers. By giving back,
you propel yourself forward. I'll
never forget the connection I made
that day in high school. The
INROADS advisor had simply
questioned me on my grades and
attendance, but it showed me that I
had much more to give. Eventually I
was able to leverage C-4, which not
only guided me through my
internship at FedEx, but enabled me
to turn that internship into my
career.

NATIONAL
SunDAY, FeBRuARY 9, 2020 6
Palli Bidyut Samity takes programmes
to celebrate Mujib Year in Gaibandha
Coast Guard members arrested 12 Indian fishermen with fishing trawler FV Sudwip which was illegally
entered into Bangladesh territory at deep sea on Friday.
Photo : Courtesy
GAIBANDHA : Gaibandha
Palli Bidyut Samity (GPBS)
under Bangladesh Rural
Electrification Board
(BREB) has taken up
programmes to celebrate
Mujib Year, officially termed
Mujib Barsho, birth
centenary of Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
successfully.
According to sources, the
government led by Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina has
announced
the
commemoration of 2020-
2021 as the Mujib Year on
the occasion of birth
centenary of the Father of
the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The Mujib Year would be
celebrated at home and
abroad from March 17, 2020
to March 26, 2021 in a
befitting manner through
holding
various
programmes.
To mark the Mujib Year,
government and nongovernment
organizations
including autonomous
bodies of the government
would arrange different
programmes aimed at
helping the young
generation of the country
know the life and works of
Bangabandhu.
The other purpose of the
programmes are to inspire
the young generation so that
they could be able to
contribute to build Golden
Bangla as dreamt by the
greatest Bangali of all times
Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman.
Like other autonomous
bodies GPBS under BREB
here has also chalked out the
elaborate programmes on
the occasion of Mujib Barsho
in the district.
The programmes include
bringing all the seven
upazilas of the district under
100 percent electricity
coverage, continuation of
Alor Feriwala, ensuring
uninterrupted power supply,
and implementing Amar
Gram, Amar Shahor, sources
said.
The programmes also
include taking zero tolerance
policy against corruption,
introducing paperless office
to build digital Bangladesh,
establishing eco-friendly
solar irrigation pumps and
creating skilled technicians
through providing them with
need base trainings, sources
added.
Talking to the BSS, general
manager of GPBS Pana
Ullah said necessary
measures have been taken to
implement the programmes
successfully at the command
areas of the Samity marking
the Mujib Year.
Govt working to protect Boro crops
from flash flood: Jahid Faruk
NETRAKONA : State minister for Water Resources Jahid
Faruk said yesterday the government is pledge bound to
finish the repairing and renovation works of food control
embankments within the stipulated time to protect the
standing Boro crops of the haor areas from flash flood,
reports BSS.
He said the government has taken pragmatic steps and
allocated Taka 8.50 crore to finish the repairing and
renovation works of flood control embankments in the haor
areas in the district. The state minister said this while
exchanging views with local journalists at the conference
room at Circuit House here tonight after visiting the haor
areas of the district. State Minister for Fisheries and
Livestock Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru, Additional Director
General of Water Development Board (WDB) AM Aminul
Islam and Chief Engineer of the WDB Akil Kumar and
district-level officers were present on the occasion.
A farmer organized a press conference at Gaibandha press club yesterday as he is being obstructed
to cultivate the land which was permitted to use by the verdict of Court. Photo : Rafiqul Alam.
Two held
with 30
gold bars
in Jashore
JASHORE : Members of
Border Guards Bangladesh
(BGB) arrested two persons
with 30 gold bars from Benapole
Boro Achra frontier area
on early Saturday, reports BSS.
The arrestees are - Md. Ikbal
Hossain and Md. Omar
Faruque.
On a tip-off, a BGB team of
Benapole BOP conducted a
raid in the area and arrested the
duo with the gold bars, a BGB
official said.
The estimated price of the
seized gold bars is around Taka
2.16 crore, he added.
A case was filed in this connection.
Freedom fighter killed in
Chattogram road crash
CHATTOGRAM : A freedom fighter was killed in a road
accident at Shitolpur Bogula Bazar in Sitakunda upazila on
Saturday, reports UNB.
The deceased was identified as Md Shofi, 75, a resident of
Shitolpur Bogula Bazar area. Chairman of Sonaimuri union
parishad and Awami League leader Monir Ahmed said
freedom fighter Md Shofi was killed being hit by a private car
in the afternoon. Mentioning that the body was sent to the
morgue, Md Alauddin Talukdar, ASI of Chattogram Medical
College Hostipal police outpost, said the doctors declared the
freedom fighter dead after he was brought to the hospital for
treatment.
2 held with 30 gold bars at Benapole
BENAPOLE : Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
arrested two alleged smugglers along with 50 gold bars weighing
3.5kg from Benapole Bazar here on Saturday, reports UNB.
The arrestees are-Iqbal Hossain, 34 and Faruk Rony, 32,
residents of Boro Achra village. Lt Col Selim Reza, commanding
officer of BGB-49 battalion, said tipped off, a team of BGB
conducted a drive in the area at noon and arrested the duo along
with the gold bars worth Tk 2.17crore.
A case was filed.
Central Organizing Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League SM Kamal
Hossain addressing the Bogura district representatives meeting yesterday.
Photo : Star Mail
Re-excavation work of 6 rivers in narsingdi district going on in phages.
Man killed by
'son' in Satkhira
SATKHIRA : A man was
killed allegedly by his son at
Shahpur village in Kaliganj
upazila on Saturday morning,
reports UNB.
The deceased was identified
as Shamsur Rahman Dhali, son
of late Badar Uddin Dhali.
Quoting locals, Delwar
Hossain, officer-in-charge of
Kaliganj Police Station, said a
clash ensued among Shamsur's
children over a land around
10:30am. When Shamsur tried
to stop them his son Mia Raj hit
him with a stick, leaving him
dead on the spot. On
information, police recovered
the body.
Teenage girl
'kills self' in
Magura
MAGURA : A teenage girl
reportedly committed suicide
by hanging herself at Choto
Nawbhanga village in
Mohammadpur upazila on
Saturday morning, reports
UNB.
The deceased was identified
as Anna Khatun, 17, a resident
of the village.
Family members said Anna
had long been suffering from
asthma. She was found
hanging around at her house
around 9:30 am, they said.
Photo : PBA
Over 600 students of Kaliganj upazila under Jhenidah district wrote their dreams and sent
to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday.
Photo : SI Mallick
Farmers of Kurigram being self-dependent by cultivating chili.
4 snatchers held with
police uniforms in
Rajshahi
RAJSHAHI : Police arrested
four youths with police uniforms
and five mobile phones
on charge of their alleged
involvement in criminal activities
on Friday night, reports
BSS.
The arrested persons were
identified as Ruhul Amin, 20,
Niloy, 20, Sagar Hossain, 22,
and Shraban Islam, 20. All are
residents of Katakhali area in
the city.
A patrol police team arrested
them for their suspicious movement
in Shucharan area under
the same Police Station in the
city around 9.30 pm, police
said.
The team recovered five
police jackets and five mobile
phone sets from their possessions.
Quoting their confessional
statements, police sources said
they were involved in terrorists
and snatching activities in disguise
of police for long in the
city.
Two suspected
JMB operatives
held in Rangpur
RANGPUR : Kotwali
Thana police of Rangpur
Metropolitan Police
(RpMP) arrested two suspected
operatives of
banned militant outfit
Jama'atul Mujahedeen
Bangladesh (JMB) from
the metropolis in the early
hours of Friday.
"A special squad of Kotwali
Thana police arrested
the suspected JMB militants
from the northern
side of Rangpur Prime
Medical College area," a
press release of RpMP
issued by its Assistant
Police Commissioner (DB
and Media) Md. Altaf
Hossain said.
The arrestees are Md.
Kawser Nahid, 19, of village
Shalti Gopalpur in
Mithapukur upazila and
Md. Rubel Mian, 25, of
village Binodpur in Rangpur
city.
Police also seized six
placards with wooden
handles, 15 pieces of
paper-made caps, five
pieces of cork-sheets and
five bamboo sticks from
their possession during
the raid.
Police primarily suspected
that the arrested
JMB operatives gathered
there for planning to conduct
subversive activities.
After primary interrogation,
police filed a case
against the arrested persons
under section 15 (3)
of the Special Power Act
of 1974 and handed them
over to the Kotwali Thana
police of RpMP today, the
release added.
Photo : PBA
Garment
worker
found dead
in Savar
SAVAR : Police
recovered the body of a
garment worker from Ulail
area here early Saturday.
The deceased was
identified as Yasmin Akter,
18, daughter of Mukul
Miah, hailing from
Jamalpur village in
Kalukhali of Rajbari
district, reports UNB.
AFM Sayed, officer-incharge
of Savar Model
Police Station, said that
family members found
Yasmin hanging from the
beam of her room. She was
taken to Enam Medical
College Hospital where
doctors declared her dead.
On information, police
recovered the body and
sent it to Shaheed
Suhrawardy Medical
College Hospital for an
autopsy.

INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY,
FEbRUARY 9, 2020
7
Researchers work at a laboratory of the disease prevention and control center in Nanyang, central China's
Henan Province, Feb. 4, 2020.
Photo : Xinhua
Global efforts to combat novel coronavirus
focus on vaccine development
Research institutes and companies
from many countries have been at the
center of a scientific race to combat the
novel coronavirus epidemic by pushing
for the development of a vaccine, as
well as more accurate tests for the virus,
reports UNB.
A research team at Oxford University's
Jenner Institute is preparing to
begin clinical testing of a novel coronavirus
vaccine candidate, the university
said in a statement released Friday.
The vaccine is currently being produced
at the university, and will be
transferred to Italian manufacturer
Advent Srl, which will initially produce
1,000 doses for the first clinical trials.
When developing the vaccine, the
institute used the same approach it
took when developing a vaccine against
another coronavirus that caused the
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
"By using technology that is known to
work well for another coronavirus vaccine,
we are able to reduce the time taken
to prepare for clinical trials," said
Professor Sarah Gilbert of the Jenner
Institute.
A microbiology lab at Imperial College
London's Department of Infectious
Disease is also developing a vaccine
against the novel coronavirus.
The biggest challenge of developing a
vaccine is "the time to make it, show
that it works and making (it) available
New Delhi votes with
Modi's popularity on
the line
Voting began for a crucial
state election in India's capital
on Saturday with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's
Hindu nationalist party trying
to regain power after a
22-year gap and major victories
in a national vote,
reports UNB.
Residents lined up in long
queues across New Delhi
neighborhoods, where a
total of 14.6 million voters
are registered to cast ballots.
Results will be declared on
Tuesday. The polls pit
Modi's Bharatiya Janata
Party against the incumbent
Aam Aadmi Party, or "common
man's" party, whose
pro-poor policies have
focused on fixing state-run
schools and providing free
health care and bus fares for
women during the five years
in power.
The BJP campaign has
reopened old wounds in the
Hindu-Muslim divide and
treats the election as a referendum
on nearly two
months of protests across
India against a new citizenship
law that excludes Muslims.
The law fast-tracks naturalization
for non-Muslim
migrants from neighboring
Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Afghanistan who are living
in the country illegally.
Modi's BJP also hopes to
garner Hindu votes for ending
semi-autonomy of Muslim-majority
Kashmir last
summer and turning the disputed
region into two federally
governed territories
amid security lockdown.
Both of those actions have
won him praise from supporters
but little reward at
the polls. BJP lost two
important state elections last
year. Surveys by television
news channels have predicted
a clear victory for the
Aam Admi Party in the
70-member state assembly.
in sufficient quantities that large populations
can access it," said Robin Shattock,
who is leading the Imperial College
London team, adding that "China
has done a heroic job in trying to contain
the epidemic."
Meanwhile, a group of Chinese institutions
have been stepping up their
efforts for vaccine development. The
Shanghai East Hospital of Tongji University
and biotech company Stermirna
Therapeutics have launched a program
to develop an mRNA vaccine, saying
that vaccine samples would be ready
within 40 days.
Researchers from Fudan University
in Shanghai are also making joint
efforts on virus vaccine development
with their U.S. counterparts from Baylor
College of Medicine, the University
of Texas Medical Branch and the New
York Blood Center.
In Washington D.C., a U.S. health
official said Friday the development of
a vaccine against the novel coronavirus
is going well, with "no glitches."
Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, told a news briefing at
the Department of Health and Human
Services that the U.S. health authority
is working with biotech company Moderna
to develop the vaccine.
Fauci said one of the first steps that
the vaccine development has to go
through proved successful after
researchers inserted the virus gene,
published by their Chinese counterparts
in a database, into Moderna's
messenger RNA platform, allowing it to
express proteins.
The next step is to put those proteins
into a mouse model to induce immunogenicity,
and if that continues, initial
clinical trials to test the vaccine's safety
in a small group of humans would kick
off within two and a half months,
according to Fauci.
Other researchers and companies
have been working to facilitate the rapid
development of test for the novel
coronavirus.
Co-Diagnostics, Inc., a U.S. molecular
diagnostics company based in the
state of Utah, announced Thursday
that its research-use-only test for the
virus is ready to be commercialized.
The test could rapidly identify and
verify the most optimal target on the
virus genome for the polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) assay, the company
said.
The announcement came after two
weeks of design, development, and verification
to ensure the PCR test's performance,
the company said, adding
the test's unique design would provide
enhanced accuracy and efficiency when
detecting the presence of the coronavirus.
Air Force suicides surged last
year to highest in 3 decades
Suicides in the active-duty Air Force surged last year to the highest total in at least three
decades, even as the other military services saw their numbers stabilize or decline, according
to officials and unpublished preliminary data, reports UNB.
The reasons for the Air Force increase are not fully understood, coming after years of effort
by all of the military services to counter a problem that seems to defy solution and that parallels
increases in suicide in the U.S. civilian population. According to preliminary figures, the
Air Force had 84 suicides among active-duty members last year, up from 60 the year before.
The jump followed five years of relative stability, with the service's yearly totals fluctuating
between 60 and 64. Official figures won't be published until later this year and could vary
slightly from preliminary data.
More than 1,000 immigrants rescued by
Libyan Coast Guard this year: UNHCR
The United Nations Higher Commission of
Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said that more
than 1,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued
by the Libyan Coast Guard so far this
year, reports UNB.
As of Feb. 6, some 1,040 refugees and
migrants have been registered as rescued or
intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard
and have disembarked in Libya, an increase
of 121 percent compared to the same period
in 2019, the UNHCR said.
The UNHCR also said it requires more
than 85 million U.S. dollars for its humanitarian
operations to assist refugees, asylumseekers
and internally displaced people in
Libya.
Due to the state of insecurity and chaos following
the 2011 uprising that toppled late
leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Libya
became a preferred point of departure for
many illegal immigrants wanting to cross the
Mediterranean Sea toward European shores.
Shelters in Libya are currently overcrowded
with thousands of immigrants rescued at
sea or arrested by the Libyan authorities,
despite international calls to close them.
The United Nations Higher Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday
said that more than 1,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued by the
Libyan Coast Guard so far this year.
Photo : AP
Autopsy: Nick
Gordon died
from heroin
overdose
Bobbi Kristina Brown's
ex-partner died last month
from a heroin overdose, an
autopsy found.
Nick Gordon, whose legal
name is Nicholas Bouler,
died from an accidental
overdose on New Year's Day,
the medical examiner in
Seminole County, Florida,
found in an autopsy released
Thursday.
Gordon, 30, was found
unresponsive at a Sheraton
hotel in the Orlando-area
suburb of Maitland, police
said. He was taken to a nearby
hospital, where he was
pronounced dead, reports
UNB.
Gordon's death came
nearly five years after
Brown, the daughter of
singers Whitney Houston
and Bobby Brown, was
found face-down and unresponsive
in a bathtub at her
home north of Atlanta,
Georgia. The 22-year-old
died after six months in a
coma. Houston drowned in
a bathtub in 2012.
Investigators weren't able
to determine exactly how
Bobbi Kristina Brown died.
An autopsy showed that she
had morphine, cocaine,
alcohol and prescription
drugs in her body, but the
medical examiner in that
case couldn't determine if
she killed herself, if someone
else killed her or if her death
was accidental.
Her family blamed Gordon,
accusing him in the
lawsuit of giving her a "toxic
cocktail" before putting her
face-down in the water. Gordon
was never charged in
the case, but he was found
responsible in a wrongful
death lawsuit. An Atlanta
judge ordered him to pay
$36 million to Brown's
estate.
IS remains at center of
transnational terrorism
threat: UN
The UN counter-terrorism chief on Friday
said the Islamic State (IS) remains at the
center of the transnational terrorism threat,
despite its defeat in Syria last March and the
death of its longtime leader in October,
reports UNB.
Undersecretary-General of the UN Counter-Terrorism
Office Vladimir Voronkov told
the Security Council that IS has continued to
seek resurgence and global relevance online
and offline, aspiring to re-establish its capacity
for complex international operations.
Moreover, he said IS's regional affiliates
continue to pursue a strategy of entrenchment
in conflict zones by exploiting local
grievances.
Foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) who traveled
to Iraq and Syria are expected to continue
to pose an acute short, medium and longterm
threat due to their high number, with
estimates of those alive ranging from 20,000
to almost 27,000, he added.
Voronkov noted that IS's re-constitution as
a covert network in Syria follows a similar
pattern as in Iraq since 2017. Northeast Syria
has seen a spike in attacks targeting the
international counter-IS coalition as well as
local non-state armed groups.
In addition, the situation of IS fighters and
associated family members in detention and
displacement facilities in Iraq and Syria has
been worsening, he said, adding that their
fate remains a major challenge to the international
community.
While the Islamic State has become
increasingly focused on freeing these
detainees, most UN member states have not
yet assumed responsibility for the repatriation
of their nationals among them, he said.
In this light, he urged UN member states to
regain their primary responsibility for their
nationals in terms of protection, repatriation,
gender-sensitive and age-appropriate
prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration
strategies.
To deal with the issue of FTFs, Voronkov
said that next week, his office will convene
a joint conference with the government of
Switzerland and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe in
Vienna, under the theme "Foreign Terrorist
Fighters-Addressing Current Challenges."
At the same time, he noted preparations
are gaining speed for the second Counter-
Terrorism Week at the UN from June 29 to
July 2 2020, including the 7th biennial
review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy.
The Counter-Terrorism Week, which will
contribute to the commemoration of the
75th anniversary of the UN, will focus on
building social and institutional resilience to
terrorism, he said.
During the week, "we will also hold the
first-ever Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism
and the Second UN High-Level Conference
of Heads of Counter-Terrorism
Agencies of Member States," he said.
18 militants killed in eastern
Afghan province
Eighteen insurgents including a Taliban commander had been killed in operations in the
eastern Laghman province over the past two weeks, an army statement said here Saturday.
Mullah Bradar, commander of the so-called Red Unit of the Taliban outfit, is among those
killed during the operations in the Alishing district of the province, according to the statement,
reports UNB.
More than a dozen others including Qari Merajudin, shadow governor for the Alishing district,
had been wounded, it said, adding that the operations were backed by fighting planes
and several villages were also liberated.
Four soldiers had been wounded during the operations, the statement said.
Taliban militants who are active in parts of the Laghman province with Mehtarlam as its
capital 90 km east of Kabul, have yet to make any comments.
Eighteen insurgents including a Taliban commander had been killed in operations in the eastern
Laghman province over the past two weeks, an army statement said here Saturday. Photo : AP
Russian foreign minister visits
Venezuela, bolstering Maduro
Russia's foreign minister visited
Venezuela on Friday in a show of support
for President Nicolas Maduro as
U.S. vows of more pressure threaten to
cut off the socialist leader from a key
financial ally in Moscow, reports UNB.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's
stop in Caracas follows a trip by
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan
Guaido to Washington, where officials
in the Trump administration say
they're preparing to escalate efforts to
force out Maduro.
The Russian diplomat urged the
international community to back a
"political and diplomatic" solution to
Venezuela's troubles and denounced
the U.S. campaign to oust Maduro with
sanctions and other measures.
"Sadly, Venezuela's crisis is part of a
grand campaign with the end goal of
overthrowing the legitimate government,"
Lavrov said. "We consider this
scenario unacceptable."
Even as Lavrov was in Caracas, the
Trump administration unveiled fresh
sanctions against a fleet of commercial
planes belonging to the Venezuelan
state-owned CONVIASA airlines.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T.
Mnuchin said in a statement that the
"illegitimate Maduro regime" relies on
the airline "to shuttle corrupt regime
officials around the world to fuel support
for its anti-democratic efforts,"
noting countries such as North Korea,
Cuba and Iran.
U.S. o fficials said that the Trump
administration will soon decide
whether to impose penalties on Russia's
powerful state oil company Rosneft,
an important financial lifeline to
Maduro.
Guaido has been embraced in Washington
by Republicans and Democrats.
His international tour also took him to
Colombia, across Europe and to Canada,
where he rallied support among
world leaders.
President Donald Trump reaffirmed
his support for Guaido, recognizing
him this week in the State of the Union
address as Venezuela's "true and legitimate"
leader and calling Maduro a
"tyrant." Trump next welcomed Guaido
to a coveted Oval Office meeting.
The gesture bolstered Guaido as support
back home fades a year after he
rose to the center of Venezuela's
tumultuous political landscape, vowing
to oust Maduro and end the oil-rich
nation's political and financial crisis.
The U.S. and nearly 60 nations back
Guaido, saying Maduro claimed victory
in fraudulent elections in 2018.
Maduro remains in power with backing
from the Venezuelan military and
allies including Cuba, China and
Turkey.
Russia and Venezuela have a political,
military and economic alliance that
was cemented years ago between President
Vladimir Putin and the late-President
Hugo Chavez, Maduro's predecessor.
The Russians have provided the
South American nation with substantial
assistance, including an air defense
system and help circumventing U.S.
sanctions on their oil industry, but
insist the extent of their support has
been exaggerated by American officials.
Lavrov also met with Maduro and
other Venezuelan officials to talk about
cooperation in areas including energy,
mining, agriculture, medicine and military-technical
cooperation.
The Russian diplomat urged the
international community to back a
"political and diplomatic" solution to
Venezuela's troubles and denounced
the U.S. campaign to oust Maduro with
sanctions and other measures.
"Sadly, Venezuela's crisis is part of a
grand campaign with the end goal of
overthrowing the legitimate government,"
Lavrov said. "We consider this
scenario unacceptable."
"It is important to develop our military
technical cooperation to increase
the defense capacity of our friends
against outside threats," said Lavrov,
adding that Maduro will travel to
Moscow in May.

ART & CULTURE
SUnDAy, FEBRUARy 9, 2020
8
A PRIVATE WAR
One of the most celebrated war
correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin is
an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit,
driven to the frontline of conflicts across the
globe to give voice to the voiceless.
Gallery of
the day
Rhea Kapoor, Masaba Gupta on fashion,
flamboyance and feminine grace
The Indian designers bring their new collection to
the UAE this weekend.
Popular theory dictates that it’s never a sound
idea for friends to work together lest they disturb
their bond and ruin something good. But ace
designer Masaba Gupta and celebrity stylist Rhea
Kapoor aren’t from this traditional school of thought
as they joined hands to create their own sartorial
collection that is whimsical, romantic and
splendidly vintage.
Talking about her relationship with Ranbir Kapoor in an interview,
Alia had said, "I’m walking on stars and clouds right now. The best
part is that we’re two individuals, who are living our own professional
lives in its full form right now."
Photo: Varinder Chawla
Think floral printed skirts in wispy organzas to get
an idea behind their creative stock available at
Vesimi boutique in Dubai. Both agree their union
was a seamless one with a fabric built on trust.
There was so much joy and happiness, says Kapoor,
the daughter of actor Anil Kapoor.
“When you are working with your friend, you have
to have respect for each other, their expertise and
craft. This was one of the most rewarding
experiences that I can think of. I have never worked
on a collaboration that saw so little stress,” said
Kapoor, who has styled her sister Sonam Kapoor at
global events, such as the Cannes red carpet where
fashion police can be brutal. Gupta, known for her
quirky prints and affinity for colours, formed her
perfect foil.
While Kapoor doesn’t claim to be a designer, she
feels Gupta has a strong designer gene that makes
her creations stand out. Together these women are
on a mission to create a collection that’s feminine
and body positive.
“We are bold dressers, but the message we want to
give is that women shouldn’t be afraid of dressing
feminine. Don’t think that you won’t be taken
seriously if you are ultra feminine,” said Kapoor.
While they are in command of their independent
fashion labels, they are here to try something new.
Source : gulfnews.com
The films releasing this weekend, Feb 6
Jaanu (Telugu): When a photographer visits his old school, he runs into his old flame at a reuinion
party. As the pair relive their memories, it becomes clear that their’s was not just a childhood
infatuation. Sharwanand and Samantha Akkineni star as leads.
Release Date:
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Taglines:
Genres:
Also known as:
Runtime:
Country:
Language:
Production:
16 November 2018 (USA)
Matthew Heineman
Marie Brenner
Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan,
Stanley Tucci
The Most Powerful Weapon is
the Truth
Biography, Drama, War
Marie Colvin
106 minutes
USA
English
Acacia Filmed Entertainment,
Savvy Media Holdings, Thunder
Road Pictures
Nocturna was introduced in the DC
Comics in 2011 as a vampire and one of
Batwoman’s villains.
Photo: Kayla Ewell/Instagram
Kayla Ewell to play
DC villain nocturna
in Batwoman
Nocturna made its debut in the DC
comics in the '80s as a thief who had pale
skin and light sensitivity after an
accident and eventually became one of
Bruce Wayne's love interests.
Vampire Diaries star Kayla Ewell will
once again play a vampire on screen in
The CW’s Batwoman series.
According to Entertainment Weekly,
Ewell will essay the role of vampiric DC
Comics villain Nocturna in the
superhero drama’s 13th episode titled
Drink Me.
Nocturna made its debut in the DC
comics in the ’80s as a thief who had pale
skin and light sensitivity after an
accident and eventually became one of
Bruce Wayne’s (Batman) love interests.
The character was introduced in the
DC Comics in 2011 as a vampire and one
of Batwoman’s villains.
Batwoman features Ruby Rose as the
titular superhero.
Source : indianexpress.com
SToRylInE :
In a world where journalism is under attack, Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) is
one of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time. Colvin is an utterly
fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontlines of conflicts across the globe
to give voice to the voiceless, while constantly testing the limits between bravery
and bravado. After being hit by a grenade in Sri Lanka, she wears a distinctive eye
patch and is still as comfortable sipping martinis with London's elite as she is
confronting dictators. Colvin sacrifices loving relationships, and over time, her
personal life starts to unravel as the trauma she's witnessed takes its toll. Yet, her
mission to show the true cost of war leads her -- along with renowned war
photographer Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan) -- to embark on the most dangerous
assignment of their lives in the besieged Syrian city of Homs. |Source: IMDb]
nick Gordon died from
heroin overdose,
autopsy finds
Bobbi Kristina Brown’s ex-partner was
found unresponsive at a hotel on New
Year’s Day.
Bobbi Kristina Brown’s ex-partner died
last month from a heroin overdose, an
autopsy found.
Nick Gordon, whose legal name is
Nicholas Bouler, died from an accidental
overdose on New Year’s Day, the medical
examiner in Seminole County, Florida,
found in an autopsy released on Thursday.
Gordon, 30, was found unresponsive at a
Sheraton hotel in the Orlando-area suburb
of Maitland, police said. He was taken to a
nearby hospital, where he was pronounced
dead.
Gordon’s death came nearly five years
after Brown, the daughter of singers
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was
found facedown and unresponsive in a
bathtub at her home north of Atlanta,
Georgia. The 22-year-old died after six
months in a coma. Houston drowned in a
bathtub in 2012.
Investigators weren’t able to determine
exactly how Bobbi Kristina Brown died. An
autopsy showed that she had morphine,
cocaine, alcohol and prescription drugs in
her body, but the medical examiner in that
case couldn’t determine if she killed
herself, if someone else killed her or if her
death was accidental.
Her family blamed Gordon, accusing him in
the lawsuit of giving her a “toxic cocktail” before
putting her facedown in the water. Gordon was
never charged in the case, but he was found
responsible in a wrongful-death lawsuit. An
Atlanta judge ordered him to pay $36 million
(Dh132.2 million) to Brown’s estate.
Source : gulfnews.com
In this Aug. 16, 2012, file photo, Bobbi Kristina Brown, right, and Nick Gordon attend the
Los Angeles premiere of "Sparkle" at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, in Los Angeles.
H o R o S C o P E
ARIES
(March 21 - April 20) : Good decision
making will be a prominent asset
today, Aries. It's an excellent time to
make a list of things that you’ve either put off or
haven't been able to settle on. This doesn't need to
be things that are just related to work or finances.
Consider putting effort into your personal life as
well. If there are issues surrounding friends.
TAURUS
(April 21 - May 21) : Today may bring a
keen sense of empathy and understanding,
Taurus. With this, verbal communication
is also more likely to be effective. Consider seizing this
energy by making a point of talking through any
problems or issues you have with those in your life. If
they don't live with you, see about driving over to visit
them or calling them up to work things out.
GEMInI
(May 22 - June 21): It's time to get up
and get moving, Gemini. If your job or
home life leans toward the sedentary,
your health can suffer if you don't engage in some
physical activity. Not only is your body affected by a
lack of exercise but your mind and emotional
disposition can become depleted over time as well.
Even a daily walk or playing a sport once a week can
make a world of difference. Try something today.
CAnCER
(June 22 - July 23): It's a great day to
explore your creativity, Cancer. This
probably isn’t a new thing for you, since
you’re artistic. Staying focused on one thing can be
another story, though. Today's energy can give you the
extra concentration you need to get a creative project
completed. Make the most of this by either finishing
something you started earlier or tackling a new project.
lEo
(July 24 - Aug. 23): Taking the easy way out
won't tempt you in the least today, Leo.
This isn’t to say that you usually favor this
approach, by any means; yet it's safe to say that everyone
is tempted from time to time. Not so for you, though, as
the planetary aspects are giving you the strength to take all
of the necessary steps, however long they may be. Stand
your ground if a partner tries to convince you otherwise.
VIRGo
(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Practicality and
planning will work well for you today,
Virgo. It's a good time to take a long look
at your financial situation. Are you where you want to
be? Have you got plans in place for down the road?
Do you have sufficient cash flow? Think about what
you'd like to improve and make some plans. You can
include talking with a financial planner or trusted
banker to create more options for yourself.
lIBRA
(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): It's a super day to
make decisions, Libra. You can sit on
the fence for a little too long when it
comes to serious choices. Seize the energy that flows
from today's planetary aspects, make a list of things
that need to be decided in the areas of work,
relationships, and finances, and go down the list one
by one. Don't be afraid of making a mistake.
SCoRPIo
(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): Don't hesitate when it
comes to taking on a project or making
plans today, Scorpio. Extra energy will
complement your organizational skills, making the perfect
combination to handle almost anything. Be sure to write
down your goals and plans to help keep you focused. If you
decide to tackle any cleaning today, get rid of the things
you never use. Consider donating such items to charity.
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Today should go well for
you, Sagittarius. Expect to feel a renewed
energy and perspective on things, especially
those that are work related. Make the most of this by working
toward finishing projects that are waiting for you or by
cleaning and organizing your desk or broom closet. Feel
confident that you'll be able to handle most any task in no
time. When everything you wanted to get done is taken care
of, make some plans for a little recreation. You deserve it.
CAPRICoRn
(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): Settling a dispute may
be on your agenda today, Capricorn. You
may find yourself getting caught smack in
the middle of the stew if you aren’t careful. If this
happens, the wisest thing might be to pull out. When
you're in this position (especially with two people you
care about), the outcome winds up hurting someone,
and it may just be you.
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): You might feel cornered into
doing something you just don't want to do
today, Aquarius. Perhaps you made a promise
to handle a project, or someone close to you has
decided that it's the day to tackle something specific. Either
way, if you're uncomfortable following through, communicate
that to this person. Your ability to express yourself and be
understood is enhanced with this day's energy. Rescheduling
might be far better than any potential resentment.
PISCES
(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20): You might discover that
someone close to you, a family member
perhaps, could use a hand today, Pisces.
Chances are good, too, that he or she won't ask for help out of
pride. Don't let that stop you, though. If you recognize a
situation where you can be of assistance, go for it. Don't wait for
an invitation or request. Simply take hold of the circumstances
and do what you can. Your efforts will be appreciated and you'll
leave feeling terrific that you could make a difference.

SPORTS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020
9
New Zealand players celebrate a wicket during the second ODI against India in Auckland on
February 8, 2020.
Photo : Internet
No sign of engine failure in Kobe
Bryant helicopter crash: NTSB
Sports Desk : Wreckage at the scene
of the helicopter crash that killed NBA
great Kobe Bryant and eight others
showed no evidence of engine failure, a
preliminary report from the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
said Friday.
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter
Gianna were among the nine who
perished when the helicopter crashed
in rugged terrain west of Los Angeles
on January 26.
"All significant components of the
helicopter were located within the
wreckage area," according to the report.
"Examination of the main and tail rotor
assemblies found damage consistent
with powered rotation at the time of
impact.
"Viewable sections of the engines
showed no evidence of an uncontained
or catastrophic internal failure.
"The No. 2 engine first-stage
compressor blades exhibited tip curl in
the direction opposite of rotation,
consistent with powered rotation at the
time of impact."
Friday's report was a summary of
investigators' findings so far. A final
report identifying the cause of the crash
is expected to take at least a year to
complete. Investigators from the NTSB
and other bodies are considering what
role heavy fog that Sunday morning
might have played.
"Our investigators have already
developed a substantial amount of
evidence about the circumstances of
this tragic crash," NTSB Chairman
Robert Sumwalt said in a statement.
"And we are confident that we will be
able to determine its cause as well as
any factors that contributed to it so we
can make safety recommendations to
prevent accidents like this from
occurring again."
In addition to 41-year-old Bryant and
Gianna, those killed in the crash were
her basketball teammates Alyssa
Altobelli and Payton Chester, Alyssa's
parents John and Keri Altobelli,
Payton's mother Sarah Chester,
basketball coach Christina Mauser and
pilot Ara Zobayan.
They were heading to a girls'
basketball tournament at Bryant's
Mamba Sports Academy in suburban
Thousand Oaks having departed from
John Wayne Airport in Orange County.
The deaths rocked the NBA and the
wider sporting world as well as Los
Angeles - where Bryant won five NBA
titles playing for all of his 20-year
career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Memorials sprang up around the city
as fans left flowers, balloons,
basketballs, stuffed animals, jerseys
and other memorabilia in Bryant's
honor at the Lakers' Staples Center
arena, the team training facility in
suburban El Segundo and as close to
the crash site as they could get.
The Lakers honored Bryant with a
pre-game ceremony less than a week
after his death and a public memorial
for Bryant and the other victims has
reportedly been scheduled for February
24 at Staples Center.
The report includes photographs of
the crash area in the Santa Monica
Mountains, including one from a
witness near the site and one from a
security camera that shows the
helicopter flying into clouds.
It also includes comments from a
witness who was on a mountain bike
trail and told investigators he heard the
helicopter approaching.
He said he saw the blue and white
helicopter emerge from the clouds,
travelling forward and down, observing
it for about two seconds before it
crashed.
Wreckage at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed NBA great Kobe Bryant and eight others
showed no evidence of engine failure, a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) said Friday.
Photo : Courtesy
Top Brazilian soccer club struggles
to get past deadly fire
Sports Desk : When Marilia
de Barros Silva heard reports
that the widely popular
Brazilian soccer club
Flamengo was signing a
player for almost 17 million
euros ($18.6 million), she felt
sadness - but also resentment.
For a year, she has been
trying in vain to reach a
settlement with the Rio de
Janeiro club after her teenage
son Arthur Vinicius died in a
fire that engulfed his
dormitory at the team's
academy for young players.
De Barros Silva says she
was incredulous over the
amount being paid for the
team's new star. She says it
dwarfs the amount that she
and the public defender's
office had been trying to get
Flamengo to pay in
compensation for the loss of
her son, a promising defender
who had played for Brazil's
under-17 team.
Saturday is one year since
the fire killed 10 of
Flamengo's academy players,
all between 14 and 16 years
old. It was "the worst tragedy"
in the team's 124-year history,
club president Rodolfo
Landim has repeatedly said
since.
Against that grim backdrop,
Flamengo turned in one of its
best seasons in decades. The
team won the Rio state
championship, its first
Brazilian national league
championship since 2009
and the prestigious Copa
Libertadores in a nail-biting
final against Argentina's River
Plate. Flamengo hadn't won
the South American crown for
38 years. But while its 2019
success helped the club sign
several million-dollar deals
for players, it has reached
compensation agreements
with just four of the 10
victims' families. Negotiations
with the others seem stalled
as the police investigation into
possible homicide charges
concluded Friday.
In a country where one of
every five Brazilians is a
Flamengo fan, de Barros Silva
and other parents wonder
when justice, and peace, will
come. "It's Flamengo's
insensitivity, of turning that
page," she said at her humble
home in Rio de Janeiro state.
She and other parents were
emotionally destroyed by the
club's lack of empathy, she
said. Some didn't even receive
a phone call from top
executives.
"One person came to my
house to bring me a
Flamengo T-shirt, gave me
(Arthur's) passport and the
Flamengo flag, but didn't
even know Arthur's name,"
she recalled.
Documents that emerged
shortly after the fire showed
that for years the club had
flouted city regulations at the
training facility, accumulated
fines and was targeted by
state prosecutors who
questioned the treatment
given to academy players and
the container-like structure in
which they were housed.
Lawyers for the academy
players' families and fire
experts have said that the
polyurethane used in the
construction of the temporary
dorms could have fueled the
fast-moving blaze.
New Zealand
win 2nd ODI
against India,
claim series
Sports Desk : New
Zealand won the second
one-day international
against India by 22 runs in
Auckland on Saturday to
wrap up the series with a
game to spare.
With half centuries from
Martin Guptill (79) and Ross
Taylor (73 not out) and an
unbeaten 76-run stand
between Taylor and Kyle
Jamieson, New Zealand
made 273 for eight.
India were all out for 251
in the penultimate over with
Ravindra Jadeja the last
man out for 55 to go with 52
for Shreyas Iyer.
The final ODI is in Mount
Maunganui on Tuesday.
Popular OF
Hunter Pence
returning to
Giants
Sports Desk : Former fan
favorite Hunter Pence is
returning to the San
Francisco Giants, agreeing
to a contract that will give
the young club a veteran
presence in both the outfield
and clubhouse in a season of
big change ahead.
The Giants announced
Friday night they signed
Pence to a one-year, $3
million deal. He can also
earn up to an additional $2.5
million in various roster and
performance bonuses.
Giants president of
baseball operations Farhan
Zaidi said Thursday he
expected to make roster
additions before early next
week when the team begins
spring training.
Pence will provide some
stability as the Giants move
into 2020 with new
manager Gabe Kapler and a
coaching staff that is entirely
new aside from longtime
coach Ron Wotus working at
third base.
"We're excited to welcome
Hunter back to the
organization", Zaidi said in a
statement announcing the
signing. "He provides our
club with a great veteran
presence and his leadership
will be a big asset for our
younger players. Hunter's
addition creates depth on
our roster and will provide
Gabe with a valuable option
against left-handed
pitching."
The 36-year-old Pence
was part of the Giants' 2012
and '14 World Series
champion teams. After a
more limited role in 2018
with San Francisco as he
worked to retool his hitting
mechanics and rediscover
his swing, he spent 2019
with the Texas Rangers and
resurrected himself. He
batted .297 with 18 homers,
17 doubles and 59 RBIs over
83 games.
San Francisco also
announced Friday it had
signed outfielder Billy
Hamilton and right-hander
Nick Vincent to minor
league contracts with spring
training invitations.
"We're excited to welcome
Hunter back to the
organization", Zaidi said in a
statement announcing the
signing. "He provides our
club with a great veteran
presence and his leadership
will be a big asset for our
younger players. Hunter's
addition creates depth on
our roster and will provide
Gabe with a valuable option
against left-handed
pitching."
The Giants also were
working to finalize a deal
with versatile infielder
Wilmer Flores, which Zaidi
said had not been completed
as of Thursday.
San Francisco has 28
spring training invites.
Players report Tuesday to
Scottsdale Stadium in
Arizona with the first
workout for pitchers and
catchers Wednesday.
Rangpur Group Cup Golf
Tournament concludes in
Rangpur
Sports Desk :The third three-day
"Rangpur Group Cup Golf Tournament-
2020" concluded with a colourful prize
distribution function held at Rangpur Golf
and Country Club (RGCC) auditorium in
Rangpur Cantonment on Friday night.
More than 100 contestants of different
Golf Clubs from across the country
participated in the male, female, junior and
sub-junior groups of the tournament
sponsored by the Rangpur Group, a press
release of RGCC said.
Rangpur Area Commander, General
Officer Commanding (GOC) of 66 Infantry
Division and President of RGCC Major
General Md. Nazrul Islam attended the
concluding function as the chief guest.
In the Male Group, Colonel Jafar secured
the first position while Major Muhit won the
best gross medal.
Brigadier General Shams Alauddin Ahmed
became the runner up while Major Ashraf
won the second best gross award.
Major General Md. Nazrul Islam became
the second runner up while Lieutenant
Colonel Kudrat-E-Khuda came out as the
third runner up and Lieutenant Colonel
Minhaz won the third best gross award.
Enamul Haque Sohel won the maximum
part award and Mr. Shahnewaz secured the
minimum part award.
Besides, Major Ferdous won the longest
drive award while Lieutenant Colonel Md.
Rajibul Abedin secured the conventional-on
medal.
In the Female Group, Mrs. Arina became
the winner.
Rozmita secured the first position in the
Junior Group.
Zarif secured the first position while Saiba
became the runner up in the Sub-junior
Group of the tournament.
Major General Md. Nazrul Islam with
Managing Director of Rangpur Group Md.
Nazmul Ahsan Sarker distributed awards
among the winners in the concluding
function.
High ranking military officials, contestants
in the tournament and other invited civilian
guests were present.
The third three-day "Rangpur Group Cup Golf Tournament-2020" concluded
with a colourful prize distribution function held at Rangpur Golf
and Country Club (RGCC) auditorium in Rangpur Cantonment on Friday
night.
Photo : Courtesy
Administrative ‘chaos’ hastened
Philander's international retirement
Sports Desk : South African fast bowler
Vernon Philander has said that "chaos" in
the country's cricket administration
hastened his decision to retire from
international cricket.
In an interview with the Afrikaans-language
newspaper Rapport, Philander also said that
a controversial decision to select him for the
2015 Cricket World Cup semi-final in New
Zealand had affected him as well as Kyle
Abbott, who was left out of the side despite
being in outstanding form.
Philander, 35, retired from international
cricket after the final Test against England
last month, having announced his decision
before the series started.
He said the problems in Cricket South
Africa's administration, which led to the
suspension of chief executive Thabang
Moroe and calls for the board to resign, had
been a factor in his decision to quit the South
African team and sign a Kolpak deal with
English county Somerset.
"As a player, you get to the point where
you've had enough," he said. "CSA's former
management only started looking after
themselves, the players were the last ones
they worried about. Too many things went
wrong in the last while, I had to decide what
is the best road ahead for me. Then I decided
to retire. "I am 35 now, with a decent career
behind me, but I would have considered
playing longer if not for the chaos in our
cricket administration." He said that recent
changes, which include the appointment of
former captain Graeme Smith as interim
director of cricket, had brought "more
credibility back now at CSA. Hopefully we'll
see a turnaround in fortunes at
administrative level and on the playing
field."
Philander gave his version of one of the
most controversial selection decisions in
South African cricket history, when he was
selected for the 2015 World Cup semi-final
against New Zealand in Auckland.
Philander had been injured during the
tournament and did not play in South
Africa's convincing win over Sri Lanka in the
quarter-finals. The team management
wanted to field an unchanged team but it was
widely reported that on instructions from
South Africa they were forced to pick a fitagain
Philander ahead of the in-form Abbott
because the quarter-final team had included
only three players of colour, instead of the
target of four.
"I blatantly and openly told the coach
(Russell Domingo) that the best player
should play," said Philander. "He told me:
'You are the best player for the day, you're
playing. But they were clearly not open and
honest with me and Kyle. There were
definitely things going on behind closed
doors."
Philander said that although he and Abbott
were good friends, "both of us took a bit of a
knock because of what happened there."
South Africa were beaten in a dramatic
semi-final. Abbott became a high-profile
Kolpak signing when he announced an
agreement to play for Hampshire midway
through a Test series against Sri Lanka in
January 2017.
Canada edges Costa Rica 1-0 to
earn a spot in the Olympics
Sports Desk : With a spot in the Tokyo Olympics secured, Canada has set its sights on the
next step. Jordyn Huitema scored in the 72nd minute and Canada qualified for the Tokyo
Olympics with a 1-0 semifinal victory Friday over Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Women's
Olympic Qualifying tournament. Canada has won the bronze medal at the last two Olympics.
"Ever since we came out of the World Cup, we've been setting new goals," Canada coach
Kenneth Heiner-Moller said. "We definitely looked a little bit beyond the qualifying because
we want to be at the podium again. I think we have the team for it."
The top-ranked U.S. national team was set to play Mexico in the late match to determine
the region's other Olympic berth. A title game is set for Sunday between the two semifinal
winners. Canada has finished as runner-up to the United States in the last three CONCACAF
Olympic qualifiers.
By winning its group handily, eighth-ranked Canada avoided facing the United States in the
semis. Costa Rica, ranked No. 37 in the world, has never made the 12-team field for the
Olympics, although Las Ticas did play in the 2015 World Cup. "We need to remember that
women's football in our country is going through a big change, also we need to remember that
for the past two months we've had good results," Costa Rica coach Amelia Valverde said
through a translator. "But we need to keep having these type of games, we have to keep
competing against big teams and we need to keep believing."

ECONOMY & BUSINESS
SuNDAY, FeBRuARY 9, 2020
10
Town Hall Meeting-2020 with North Bengal Region Branches of SBL was held on 08 February 2020,
Saturdayat Hotel Naz Garden, Bogura. Managing Director & CeO of the bank Khondoker Rashed
Maqsood graced the ceremony as the Chief Guest. Additional Managing Director Md. Tariqul Azam,
Deputy Managing Director Md. Motaleb Hossain, Head of HRD Alkona K Choudhuri, CFO & acting
Group Company Secretary Mr. Ali Reza, Branch Managers along with all employees of SBL North
Bengal Regional branches were present at the conference. Khondoker Rashed Maqsood, Managing
Director and CeO of the Bank, in his address as Chief Guest, delivered guideline to achieve the goals
of the bank.
Photo : Courtesy
Administration ends
antitrust probe of 4
automakers, Calif
The Trump administration has ended its
antitrust probe into a deal between California
and four of the world's biggest automakers,
after failing to find that the companies'
conduct violated the law.
The Justice Department's investigation,
which started last fall, had aimed to
determine whether antitrust laws were
violated by Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and
BMW in reaching the July deal with
California. Under the deal, the automakers
planned to comply with pollution and related
mileage requirements established by
California that are tougher than the federal
standards sought by President Donald
Trump, reports UNB.
The Justice Department didn't find
conduct violating the law and has closed the
investigation, a person familiar with the
matter told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity
because they weren't authorized to speak
publicly.
In September, the administration revoked
California's authority to set auto mileage
standards, asserting that only the federal
government has the power to regulate
greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy.
Top California officials and environmental
groups took legal action to stop the rollback.
Democrats accused the administration of
using antitrust powers to target political
opponents with the investigation. A top
Justice Department official defended the
probe before Congress and denied any
political motivation or influence from the
White House.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a
Democrat, said Friday that the Justice
Department's "trumped-up charges were
always a sham - a blatant attempt by the
Trump administration to prevent more
automakers from joining California and
agreeing to stronger emissions standards."
Newsom called the closing of the probe "a
big loss for the president and his
weaponization of federal agencies."
California's authority to set its own,
tougher emissions standards dates back to a
waiver issued by Congress during passage of
the Clean Air Act in 1970. The state has long
pushed automakers to adopt more fuelefficient
passenger vehicles that emit less
pollution. About a dozen states and the
District of Columbia also follow California's
fuel economy standards.
The deal struck by the state and the
automakers bypassed the administration's
plan to freeze emissions and fuel economy
standards adopted under President Obama
at 2021 levels.
No "Huawei
ban" as
Sweden takes
next step
toward 5G
rollout
The Swedish Post and
Telecom Authority (PTS)
said Friday that there will be
no "Huawei ban," as Sweden
moves forward with plans to
roll out 5G technology in the
country, reports UNB.
Sweden's 5G frequency
licenses will be assigned
following an auction on Oct.
13, Anna Beckius, head of
the spectrum analysis unit at
PTS, told Swedish Television
(SVT) on Friday.
Although Chinese tech
company Huawei will not be
automatically excluded from
the bidding process, any
company that wants to take
part in the auction must first
undergo a review by the
Swedish Armed Forces and
the Swedish Security
Service, according to PTS.
Beckius said that "it will be
up to the mobile operators to
determine whether or not
5G can become a reality."
Next-generation 5G
wireless networks could give
Swedes up to 10 times faster
web speeds than current 4G
technology allows.
Impact of Brexit
on Spain depends
on trade deal,
says expert
The impact of Brexit on
Spain is still very uncertain,
and very much depends on
the trade deal to be negotiated
during the transition period,
an expert said on Friday,
reports UNB.
Britain officially left the
European Union (EU) on Jan.
31, 2020, putting an end to its
47-year-long membership of
the world's largest trading
bloc. The remaining 27 EU
member states have agreed to
negotiate a trade deal with the
UK by the end of 2020.
"If a good agreement is
reached, then the potentially
negative consequences will be
minimized. If a bad
agreement is reached, or even
no agreement, which I
personally think is an unlikely
scenario, then there will be
more severe consequences,"
Just Castillo, professor of
international politics at The
Autonomous University of
Barcelona, told Xinhua.
Spain is home to over
350,000 Britons, the largest
British community among EU
countries. Spain is also one of
Britain's top trading partners
in export sales.
According to Castillo, Brexit
will have a stronger impact on
the British community, the
majority being retirees, who
live in Spain. It will also affect
younger Spaniards who are
looking to move to Britain for
educational or professional
opportunities.
u.S. Fed says current monetary
policy appropriate as
downside risks recede
In its semi-annual monetary policy
report delivered to Congress on Friday, the
U.S. Federal Reserve said that the current
stance of monetary policy was appropriate
as downside risks to the U.S. economy had
receded, reports UNB.
"Downside risks to the U.S. outlook
seem to have receded in the latter part of
the year (2019), as the conflicts over trade
policy diminished somewhat, economic
growth abroad showed signs of stabilizing,
and financial conditions eased," the report
said.
The Fed also noted that "the likelihood of
a recession occurring over the next year
has fallen noticeably in recent months,"
while possible spillovers from the effects of
the novel coronavirus have presented a
new risk to the U.S. economic outlook.
"The FOMC (Federal Open Market
Committee) has continued to emphasize
that the actual path of monetary policy will
depend on the evolution of the economic
outlook and risks to the outlook as
informed by incoming data," the report
said, referring to the Fed's policy making
committee.
The Fed lowered interest rates three
times in 2019, cutting the target range of
the federal funds rate by 75 basis points to
1.5-1.75 percent. After wrapping up its first
monetary policy meeting of 2020 last
week, the Fed left interest rates unchanged
and maintained a wait-and-see stance.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is
scheduled to deliver the report and testify
on Capitol Hill next Tuesday and
Wednesday. At a press conference last
week, Powell told reporters that the
current stance of monetary policy "will
likely remain appropriate" as long as the
U.S. economy stays on track.
"We will be monitoring the effects of the
policy actions we took last year, along with
other information bearing on the outlook,
as we assess the appropriate path of the
target range for the federal funds rate," he
said.
The report also showed that the slump in
U.S. manufacturing last year was
attributable to several factors, including
trade developments, weak global growth,
softer business investment, and the slower
production of Boeing's 737 Max aircraft
due to safety issues.
The Fed estimated that the decline in
manufacturing likely reduced U.S. gross
domestic product (GDP) by less than 0.5
percent last year after accounting for the
impact on the downstream activities such
as transportation and retailing.
"That modest effect partly reflects the
decline in manufacturing's share of the
U.S. economy since the middle of the 20th
century," the report said, adding that's
"not enough" to tip an otherwise
expanding economy into recession.
U.S. economic growth slowed to 2.3
percent in 2019 from 2.9 percent in 2018
amid uncertainty stemming from trade
tensions and weakness in global growth.
About two-thirds of respondents expect
inflation-adjusted U.S. GDP to increase by
1.1 percent to 2 percent over the next four
quarters, according to a recent survey
released by the National Association for
Business Economics (NABE).
National Bank Limited holds Business Conference-2020 at Sikder Resort and Villas, Kuakata on 08
February, 2020, Saturday. Parveen Haque Sikder MP, Director & Chairperson of executive Committee
of National Bank Limited, inaugurated the conference as the chief guest. The Managing Director and
CeO of the bank, Choudhury Moshtaq Ahmed presided over the conference. The conference was
attended by 209 Branch Managers, Regional Managers and Divisional Heads of the Head Office. At the
day-long conference, headed by the Bank's Higher Management. The participants elaborately discussed
about the work plan to expand the business of the bank, recovery from classified loan amount
and meet the target of the year. All the participants wished to work together and with all out effort.
Among the guests, the additional Managing Directors M A Wadud & ASM Bulbul, the Deputy Managing
Directors, Shah Syed Abdul Bari, Syed Rois uddin, Arif Md Shahedul Haque & eqramul Haq were also
present. The conference ended with a cultural program and raffle draw.
Photo : Courtesy
Farm to enrich pure carp
With a commitment to increase the outreach of branches and sub-branches with a view to providing
modern banking facilities NRB Commercial Bank Limited arranged a Town Hall City Meet Business
Conference in Dhaka Zone. The day long conference was held on 08th February 2020, Saturday at
The Radisson Blu, Dhaka . Member of the Parliament Lakshmipur-2, Honorable Vice-Chairman of
NRBC Bank Mohammad Shahid Islam attended the conference as Guest of Honor. The Chairman of
the Bank, S M Parvez Tamal was the keynote speaker. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Risk
Management Committee Chairman A M Saidur Rahman, Director Mohammed Manzurul Islam,
Director AKM Mostafizur Rahman, Shareholder Mohammad Ali Chowdhury were present on the
occasion. Md. Mukhter Hossain, Managing Director and CeO, Kazi Md. Talha, Additional Managing
Director & Head of `Al Amin' NRBC Islamic Banking Window, Md. Rabiul Islam, Deputy Managing
Director, Divisional Head of the Head Office and all Branch of Manager and In-Charge of Sub-branch
& Banking Booth of Dhaka Zone were also present at the conference.
Photo : Courtesy
Owl-right start for eCB's Lagarde in first 100 days
Wearing an owl brooch to her January
press conference, Christine Lagarde
made clear her determination to run the
European Central Bank differently from
her predecessors as it hunts for a way out
of crisis-management mode.
"I'm neither dove nor hawk, and my
ambition is to be this owl that is often
associated with a little bit of wisdom," the
bank's first female president told
reporters the previous month.
Central bank watchers have long
resorted to ornithological categories to
sort policymakers.
Those favouring generous support to
the economy are dubbed "doves" and
those backing tough love "hawks".
The battle lines have been drawn
especially clearly over the ECB's 21-year
history, as the euro single currency brings
together countries with vastly different
economic histories and cultural foibles
around money. Lagarde took over after a
turbulent few months for the Frankfurt
institution and her chief aim for her first
100 days in office - a milestone she
reached Saturday - was to smooth the
divisions and avoid any upsets on her
own account, reports BSS.
By the end of 2019, predecessor Mario
Draghi's repeated salvos of
unprecedented stimulus measures to
buttress the flagging eurozone had
divided members of the ECB's governing
council like never before.
Doves believe the Italian economist's
generous doses of medicine helped the
eurozone survive years of struggles after
the 2008 financial crisis.
Meanwhile, hawks accused him of
having taken the central bank far beyond
the limits of its treaty mandate to
maintain price stability and having
encouraged reckless borrowing by
governments.
Among Lagarde's first acts on taking
office in November was to whisk the
whole governing council to a conciliatory
"retreat" at a plush hotel outside
Frankfurt.
She aims to "show she's listening to
others' arguments, rather than imposing
her own views on them right from the
beginning," said Eric Dor of France's
IESEG business school.
"I would have preferred her to emerge
from her predecessor's shadow more"
rather than maintaining Draghi's policies
for now, said Markus Ferber, a German
conservative in the European Parliament.
With the ECB forecasting a gradual
pickup in growth and inflation, Lagarde
"will be judged on how successfully she is
able to manage what is likely to be a slow
process of monetary policy
normalisation," said Nomura economist
George Buckley.
The bank will eventually have to wind
down its "quantitative easing" bondbuying
programme, which has so far
pumped almost 2.7 trillion euros ($3.0
trillion) into the financial system.
At the same time, Lagarde has
launched a year-long rethink of the ECB's
monetary policy tools and goals.
Observers expect to see the central
bank add flexibility to its just-below-twopercent
inflation target.
fish line stock in Rajshahi
Rajshahi Fish Seed
Multiplication Farm has
taken an initiative of
enriching its brood stocks of
three major carps- silver,
bighead and grass- aims at
boosting fish production
though supplying the pure
line breeds among the
farmers, reports BSS.
The initiative is intended to
reduce the mortality of
fingerlings in farming ponds.
Besides, it will contribute to
mitigate the existing
problems caused by the fish
inbreeding malpractices.
To attain the cherished
goal, the farm authority
released 441 fingerlings of the
pure breed lines weighting
22.5 kilograms in its
experimental pond here
Friday afternoon. Earlier on,
the exotic fingerlings were
procured from Fish Seed
Multiplication Farm in Tongi,
Gazipur.
Divisional Deputy Director
of the Department of
Fisheries Tofazuddin Ahmed,
Manager of the Fish Seed
Multiplication Farm Dr
Jinnat Ara Rokeya
Chowdhury and Additional
Registrar of Rajshahi
University Dr Saad Ahmed
were present on the occasion.
Talking to BSS, Dr Rokeya
Chowdhury gave an overview
of the brood bank initiative,
adding the fingerlings will be
reared with special care and
nurture in mix culture
method. After around two
years of nursing the
fingerlings will be turned into
healthy brood for induced
breeding.
She mentioned that the
inbreeding malpractice has
become the major obstacle
towards boosting fish
production. There is no
alternative to mitigate the
adverse situation through
boosting the production of
pure line of brood and
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab
and his Japanese counterpart agreed
Saturday to seek an "ambitious, high
standard" trade accord matching Japan's
agreement with the EU.
Raab is on a four-nation Asian tour in his
first major overseas trip since Britain left the
European Union on January 31 after 47
years of membership, reports BSS.
He arrived in Tokyo Saturday morning
from Australia on a two-day visit and held
talks with Japanese Foreign Minister
Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo.
"In line with our commitment to free trade,
we will work quickly to make the new
partnership as ambitious, high standard and
subsequently supplying those
to the farmers.
Sharing his expertise on the
issue Tofazuddin Ahmed
defined that inbreeding is the
mating of relatives, or the
mating of fish more closely
related than the population
average which is detrimental
to normal growth of the
culture fish and maintaining
the
species-wise
characteristics.
He said the government has
taken initiative of boosting
production of pure broods of
the three fish lines through
the country's eight fish seed
multiplication farms at
present in order to protect the
species-wise quality of fish.
Ahmed said the Rajshahi
seed multiplication farm has
been playing a vital role
towards boosting fish
production through
supplying quality spawns
among farmers in the region.
After getting healthy spawn
many farmers have attained
success in fish production
field side by side with making
the region self-reliant in fish
production.
Raab seeks 'ambitious'
Japan-Britain trade deal
mutually beneficial as the Japan-EU EPA,"
the two ministers said in a joint statement.
Their planned bilateral trade accord would
"send a very powerful signal of our shared
commitment to free, rules-based trade,"
Raab told reporters.
Motegi said preparations were under way
for formal negotiations on a Japan-Britain
free trade partnership.
"We agreed that we will start and conclude
the negotiations as early as possible," he
added.
In 2018, Japan and the EU struck a trade
deal covering more than 630 million people
and economies that add up to around a third
of global output.

MISCELLANEOUS
SUNdAY, FEBrUArY 9, 2020
11
Miltion Safi's book 'Nibhrite
Nirbashaone' unveiled
Milton Safi's third book titled 'Nibhrite
Nirbashaone' has been unveiled. The
unveiling ceremony was held at Nasrul
Hamid auditorium of Dhaka Reporter's
Unity on friday evening. State Minister for
Cultural Affairs K.M Khalid graced the
occasion as Chief Guest while NRB Global
Bank Managing Director Syed Habib Hasnat
attended the program as guest of honour.
Commerce Bank Securities and Investment
CEO RQM Forkan, Bangladesh Federal
Union of Journalist Secretary General
Shaban Mahmud, writer and child organiser
Lelin Chowdhury, recitation artist and
anondo bhuban Editor Iqbal Khurshed, were
among others spoke at the ceromony as
special guests, says a press release.
Speakers of the programme apreciatd
Milton Safi for his writing and congratulate
him. Miltion Safi has written the book after a
15- year long hiatus for Amr Ekushey book
fair 2020.
His book 'Nibhrite Nirbashaone' is a
collection of poetry which published from
Shikha Publications. Earlier his two books
titled 'Kalopurush and 'Ekti Shapnoshanato
Narir Jonn Prathorna' were published at the
Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2004 and 2005
respectively.
Writer and a brand manager, Miltion Safi
was born in a small village on the bank of the
river Kumar in the district of Fridpur and
bred in Cantonment in Dhaka. After
compleing his MBA with a good score he
joined a private bank as the PR and Brand
professionals in the year 2008.
Hasty Pudding roasts Ben Platt,
youngest Man of the Year
Award-winning actor and musician Ben
Platt took a quick jab at President Donald
Trump late Friday while being honored by
Harvard University's famed Hasty Pudding
Theatricals as its 2020 Man of the Year,
reports UNB.
Students dressed in drag and elaborate
costumes bestowed the golden pudding pot -
and a sparkly bra - on Platt, but not before
Hasty Pudding members poked fun at his
various roles in theater, television and film.
Platt sang Nina Simone's classic "Feeling
Good" and later gave a political speech about
whether a hot dog is also a sandwich.
It was during this speech that Platt
proclaimed "anyone but Trump 2020," as
the celebratory roast neared its end.
"In this day and age, I feel like we should be
really leaning towards connection and
togetherness," Platt quipped, as he
concluded that a hot dog should be
considered a sandwich.
The 26-year-old is the youngest recipient
of the award in its 54-year history, handed
out annually by the troupe that dates to the
late 18th century.
Platt was selected because of his
"incredible impact on Broadway and
Hollywood at such a young age," the oldest
collegiate theatrical organization in the U.S.
said in a statement.
"I'm very honored to be on this list of men
and I hope to do good by it in the future,"
Platt said.
Former winners of the Man of the Year
include Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and
Harrison Ford. Last year's Man of the Year
was Milo Ventimiglia.
Hasty Pudding's 2020 Woman of the Year,
Elizabeth Banks, was honored last week.
Platt won a Tony in 2017 for "Dear Evan
Hansen." He's also known for his role as
Benji Applebaum in the films "Pitch Perfect"
and "Pitch Perfect 2."
He's currently filming the second season of
the Netflix series "The Politician," which
earned him a Golden Globe nomination last
season.
He stars in the film "Run This Town,"
which premiered at last year's SXSW Film
Festival and will be released this spring. Platt
will also star in the film adaptation of the
Stephen Sondheim musical "Merrily We Roll
Along."
Also a musician, Platt's debut album "Sing
To Me Instead" was released last year.
Haitian president
lays out terms
for deal with
opposition
President Jovenel Moise said
Friday that he is optimistic
that negotiations with a
coalition of his political
opponents will succeed in
forging a power-sharing deal
to end months of deadlock
that have left Haiti without a
functioning government,
reports UNB.
In an interview with The
Associated Press, Moise laid
out his bargaining position in
the talks that began last week
in the mission of the papal
envoy to Haiti with political
opponents and some civil
society groups. He said he
would accept an opposition
prime minister and a
shortened term in office, but
only after adoption of a
constitutional reform
strengthening the presidency.
Moise said his efforts to
improve living conditions for
Haiti's 11 million people had
been thwarted during his first
three years in office by the
constitutional requirement
that the National Assembly
must approve virtually all
significant presidential
actions.
He said he would serve only
a single term in office so he
would not personally benefit
from the powers of a stronger
presidency.
"It makes me optimistic to
see my brothers and sisters
from the political opposition,
civil society and religious
groups," he said. "I think
we're at a crossroads."
Moise is a former banana
farmer who won 56% of the
vote against three opponents
in the 2016 election. He made
some progress on rural
infrastructure projects during
his first two years in office.
Then the end of subsidized
Venezuelan oil aid to Haiti
fueled chaos in the Western
Hemisphere's poorest nation.
Chinese UN envoy refutes US accusations
over counter-terrorism in Xinjiang
A Chinese UN envoy on Friday refuted
accusations by the United States over
China's counter-terrorism efforts in its
northwestern region of Xinjiang.
At a Security Council meeting on the
threat posed by the Islamic State, Wu
Haitao, China's deputy permanent
representative to the United Nations,
said the remarks by the U.S.
representative regarding Xinjiang are
"unwarranted."
Senior Policy Advisor for U.S. UN
Mission Michael Barkin, who addressed
the council earlier than Wu, claimed that
"Uighurs" (Uygurs) and other Muslims
have been "detained in internment
camps under the guise of counterterrorism"
in Xinjiang.
He labeled China's counter-terrorism
measure as "confinement that is based
Queen Elizabeth expresses sympathy,
blessings to China on anti-epidemic fight
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II
has conveyed her condolences
to Chinese Ambassador to
Britain Liu Xiaoming for
China's losses, as well as
blessings for the Chinese
people's efforts in the fight
against the novel coronavirus
epidemic, the Chinese
embassy in Britain said
Friday, reports UNB.
The Queen's message was
conveyed by Prince Andrew,
the Duke of York, while he and
his family attended a
celebration for the Chinese
New Year at the ambassador's
official residence on
Thursday. Prince Andrew said
the Queen was very concerned
about China's novel
coronavirus epidemic and
understood that the fight
against it is now at a crucial
stage.
"At the critical time of
fighting coronavirus, I express
my sincere sympathy for
Chinese people, and pray for
the speedy control and victory
and imposed on the basis of ethnicity and
religion." Wu said that Barkin's "attacks"
are "completely baseless, and represent a
wanton interference in China's internal
affairs and a brazen attempt to provoke
confrontation."
In nature, he said, the issues Xinjiang
faces are not about ethnic group or
religion or human rights, but rather they
are about counter-terrorism.
Recalling the past, Wu said that for
some time, Xinjiang suffered frequent
terrorist attacks, which seriously
jeopardized the lives and property of all
ethnic communities and gravely violated
human dignity, reports UNB.
"In response, China has taken resolute,
law-based measures to combat terrorism
and extremism, eliminating to the extent
possible the breeding ground and
over the virus," the Queen said
in her message to Chinese
President Xi Jinping and the
Chinese people.
The Queen also extended
Chinese New Year greetings to
Xi and the Chinese people,
said the prince.
Prince Andrew was
introduced by Liu to the
situation of China's efforts of
prevention and control against
the epidemic.
Liu said that since the
outbreak, the Chinese
president has attached great
importance to making the
safety and health of those in
China the first priority.
The ambassador said that
prevention and control work is
being vigorously carried out
and has achieved positive
results.
Noting the broad support of
the international community,
including the United
Kingdom, Liu said he believed
the battle against the outbreak
would be successful.
conditions for terrorism and extremism,
effectively curbing the trend of rampant
terrorist activities and safeguarding
citizens' basic rights, including the right
to life and development," Wu
expounded.
"Those measures have produced good
results," he said. "At present, the
situation in Xinjiang is largely stable, and
local economy continues to grow. People
of all ethnic groups live in harmony. The
region has been free of terrorist attacks
for over three years." He noted relevant
policies and measures against terrorism
and extremism in Xinjiang constitute a
crucial part of the global counterterrorism
efforts. The Chinese envoy also
rejected the remarks of Britain's
representative, who echoed the U.S.
stance.
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SUNDAy, DHAKA, FEBrUAry 9, 2020, MAGH 26, 1426 BS, JAMADI-US-SANNI 14, 1441 HIJrI
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived on Saturday morning wrapping up her four-day bilateral visit to
Italy.
Photo : Star Mail
54 kidney patients die each day
for lack of donors: Experts
DHAKA : Experts at a conference
here on Saturday stressed the need for
creating public awareness over donation
of kidney and other organs as 54
kidney patients die on average every
day just due to scarcity of donors,
reports UNB.
The imams (clerics) of mosques and
teachers of schools can play a significant
role in motivating people over kidney
donation after death, they said while
addressing the inaugural ceremony of
the 2nd Bangladesh-Korea Conference
on Deceased Donor Organ
Transplantation, 2020.
Kidney Foundation, Bangladesh and
Society of Organ Transplantation,
Bangladesh in cooperation with Korea
University Anam Hospital and Korean
Society of Organ Transplant arranged
the two-day conference at the
Convention Hall of Kidney Foundation
in the city's Mirpur area.
"In Bangladesh, 54 kidney patients
die due to the scarcity of kidney donors
every day...If we can start deceased
donors' transplantation, we can save
more and more lives," said Prof
Harunur Rashid, the founder president
of the Kidney Foundation.
On average, 20 people die every day
while waiting for a donor in the USA,
and 14 people in Europe, he said.
Noting that organ transplantation is
the best form of treatment for patients
with organ failure, he said, "A dead person
can save eight lives by donating two
kidneys, one liver, one heart, two lungs,
one pancreas and part of intestine."
Prof Harun, also the president of
Society of Organ Transplantation,
Bangladesh, said some 10,000-12,000
people die in road accidents every year
in the country who can be the suitable
for donation of the organs if relatives
agree to donate kidneys.
He said some 20 million people are
suffering from kidney-related diseases
in the country and some 40,000 people
develop kidney failure every year in
Bangladesh.
Prof Harun said some 20-30 percent
of kidneys are collected from living
donors, while 70-80 percent from
deceased donors.
Noting that the source of deceased
organ donors is intensive care units
(ICUs), Prof Harun said there are nearly
50 ICUs, and some 500 patients are
kept in the ICUs every day in the country.
"We can at least save 5-6 lives (of kidney
patients) a day, if the ICU patients
are declared death after their brain
death and their kidneys can be collected
by convincing their close relatives," he
said adding that many Islamic scholars
in the world and the OIC accepted the
brain death as death.
Prof AK Azad Khan, President of
Gruner See, Styria: A Park That
Turns Into a Lake in Summer
INTERESTING NEWS DESK
Grüner See, literally “Green Lake”, is a
lake in Styria, Austria, near the town of
Tragoss, located at the foot of the snowcapped
Hochschwab mountains. During
winter, the lake is only 1–2 meter deep
and the surrounding area is used as a
county park. It is a particular favourite
site for hikers. But as the temperature
starts rising in spring, the ice and snow on
the mountaintops begins to melt and runs
down into the basin of land below. The
lake swells up to engulf the entire area
including the park. During summer, the
lake reaches its maximum depth of
around 12 meter and is claimed to look
the most beautiful at this time.
The lake gets its distinctive green
colouring, and the name, from the grass
and foliage beneath, and thanks to the
fresh snow melt, the ice-cold water is
crystal clear clear.
The temperature of the lake is rather
cold at 4 to 8 °C, yet it’s popular among
divers who can observe the green meadows
in the edge zone of the lake particularly
in June when the water is at its highest.
The alpine grasses and flowers of the
meadow are visible in full bloom under
the water. One can even see benches, a
bridge and walking trails.
Starting July, the lake starts to recede
and by winter, the lake is back to its original
size and the park is returned once
more to the hikers.
Bangladesh Diabetic Association, put
emphasis on engaging imams of
mosques in the awareness campaign
over deceased donor organ transplantation.
Addressing the function, Rasheda K
Chowdhury, Executive Director of
Campaign for Popular Education,
echoed Prof Khan saying that it is very
important to go to convince the religious
leaders for raising awareness over
kidney donation.
She also said it is needed to spread the
message-one dead person can save several
lives by donating organs-among the
students by engaging in the school
teachers in this campaign.
Rasheda K Chowdhury, also former
caretaker government adviser, said an
option can be put in all sorts of identity
cards mentioning whether the card
holder wants to donate organs after the
death.
Dr Quazi Deen Mohammad, professor
and director of National Institute of
Neuroscience and Hospital, said the
ultimate treatment of kidney patients is
organ transplantation as the patients
have to suffer a lot and spend huge
money on dialysis.
He also said the Islamic Foundation
can be engaged in the awareness campaign
so that they can engage the
imams in motivating people over kidney
donation.
Anisul urges BNP leaders
to read, understand
newly passed laws
BRAHMANBARIA : Law,
Justice and Parliamentary
Affairs Minister Anisul Huq
yesterday urged the BNP
leaders to read and try to
understand the newly passed
law allowing government to
use surplus fund of
autonomous bodies for development
work, reports BSS.
"Whether they can understand
or not, whichever law
we pass, they term it a black
law. I would like to urge them
to read the law and try to
understand, and then come
up with reactions," he said
while talking to journalists at
Akhaura Rail Station area
yesterday noon.
The law minister reached
here from Dhaka to visit his
home constituency.
He replied questions from
journalists on different issues,
including BNP secretary general
Mirza Fakhrul Islam
Alamgir's reaction on recently
passed 'Deposition of the
Surplus Money of Self-
Governed Agencies including
Autonomous, Semi-
Autonomous, Statutory
Government Authorities and
Public Non-Financial
Corporations into the
Government Exchequer Bill'.
Akhaura Upazila Parishad
chairman Md Abul Kashem
Bhuiyan, Kasba Upazila
Parishad chairman Rashedul
Kawser Bhuiyan Jibon,
Akhaura Upazila Awami
League convener Prof Md
Joynal Abedin and Akhaura
Pourosava Mayor Md Takjil
Khalifa Kazal were present on
the occasion, among others.
PM Hasina
returns home
DHAKA : Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina arrived
here on Saturday morning
wrapping up her four-day
bilateral visit to Italy,
reports UNB.
A flight of Emirates
Airlines carrying the Prime
Minister that departed
Milan Malpensa
International Airport at
1:45pm Italy time reached
Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport in
Dhaka at 8am.
On Tuesday last, the
Prime Minister went to
Rome at the invitation of
Italian counterpart
Giuseppe Conte.
During her stay in Rome,
Sheikh Hasina had talks
with Conte on Wednesday
where both the leaders
agreed to take the relations
of the two countries to a
new height increasing
trade and business.
Besides, the Prime
Minister attended a civic
reception accorded in her
honour, which was
arranged by the Italy chapter
of Awami League on
Tuesday and inaugurated
the Chancery Building of
Bangladesh Embassy in
Rome on Wednesday.
Sheikh Hasina also had
an audience with Pope
Francis, the spiritual
leader of the Catholics of
the world, at the Holy See
(Vatican City) on Thursday
morning.
The Prime Minister later
left Rome by train for
Milan on Thursday.
Celebrating golden jubilee
depriving people just a
farce: Kamal
DHAKA : Jatiya Oikyafront
convener Dr Kamal Hossain
on Saturday said the celebration
of the golden jubilee of
Bangladesh's independence
by the current government
depriving people of their ownership
of the country will be
nothing but a farce, reports
UNB. Speaking at a protest
rally, he also said their
alliance will launch a united
movement to drive out those
grabbed power depriving people
of their rights.
"It's a shame that people are
still deprived of their power
even when the country's 50
years of independence are
going to be completed. We
can't accept it that the government
has usurped power by
force depriving people of their
rights," the Oikyafront chief
said. Kamal, also president of
Gonoforum, said: "The government
is now campaigning
that they'll celebrate this year
and that year in that manner .
It must be celebrated unitedly.
The celebration of 50 years
of independence by depriving
people of their ownership of
the country will just be a
farce."
Jatiya Oikyafront arranged
the programme at Dhaka
Reports Unity (DRU) protesting
the imprisonment of BNP
chairperson Khaleda Zia on
her two years of her jailing.
Kamal said they want to
softly call upon the government
to quit. "There's no
point of calling upon this government
to resign, we must
kick them out."
The Gonoforum president
said people will no longer
accept the current government's
efforts to give autocracy
an institutional shape.
"They won't accept the way
corruption, misrule and
repression are going on."
Dr Kamal demanded the
government immediately
release BNP chief Khaleda Zia
from jail. "It's regrettable that
we still need to seek the
release of a state prisoner
even after 48 years of independence."
He urged people to get united
and take to the streets to
restore their ownership of the
country.
"I think we shouldn't only
hold such meetings. We must
take to the streets to launch a
united movement inspiring
people to play their due role
and drive out those captured
power on the eve of 50 years
of independence," Kamal
added.
A rally was taken out from the police headquarters marking 45th founding anniversary of
Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Photo : TBT
Govt working to ensure
quality of education:
Dipu Moni
TITASH CHAKRABORTHEy,
KHULNA CORRESPONDENT
Education Minister Dr
Dipu Moni yesterday
said the present government
is working relentlessly
to ensure quality of
education for developing
skilled workforce in the
country.
"We have adopted
diversified measures
including infrastructural
development, teachers'
training and recruitment
of quality teachers to
ensure quality of education
for achieving the
sustainable development
goals through taking the
nation forward," she
added.
"We have taken massive
initiatives to
improve standard of
education to fulfill the
target-4 of Sustainable
Development Goals
(SDGs) by 2030," she
told at the closing ceremony
of the three-day
"Glorious 48th founding
anniversary and
reunion" celebration
programme of the Govt
Bangabandhu College
(GBC) on its premises
here.
Chairman of Khulna
Zila Parishad Sheikh
H a r u n - u r - R a s h i d ,
deputy commissioner
Md. Helal Hossain, general
secretary of Khulna
district unit of Awami
League advocate Sujit
Kumar Adhikary, chairman
of Jashore
Education Board Md.
Mollah Amir Hossain
addressed the function
with principle of the college
Sarder Ferdous
Ahmed in the chair.
Dipu Moni said, "We
are promoting knowledge-based
education to
develop skilled human
Street campaign can't be means
to free Begum Zia: Hasan
DHAKA : Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday
reiterated that there is no way of freeing BNP chief Begum
Khaleda Zia through movement or street campaigns, saying
victory in legal way could be the only path to release her from
jail, reports BSS.
"BNP is virtually showing disrespect to the law and the court
as well by repeatedly raising demand to the government for releasing
Begum Zia," he said, addressing a meeting at an auditorium
of Jatiya Press Club here.
Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote (BSJ) organized the meeting
marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation of
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 'Mubib
Borsho' with BSJ president and eminent actress Sarah Begum
Kabori in the chair. Awami League Office Secretary and Prime
Minister's Special Assistance Barrister Biplob Barua addressed
the discussion as the key speaker while BSJ general secretary
Arun Sarker Rana conducted it.
Hasan said BNP called for rallies demanding their chief
Begum Khaleda Zia's release. "The BNP chief is in prison being
convicted in a graft case and only the court can release her. And
the government has no jurisdiction to release her, he added.
resources to turn
Bangladesh into a middle-income
country.
Education without skills
will create a burden for
the family as well as the
nation."
"To maximize the benefit
of using ICT in a
classroom, we need a
bunch of trained, motivated
and technologyfriendly
teachers who
will make the whole
process effective and
successful," the minister
added.
"The government has
taken various ICT programmes
to ensure quality
of education. In a
technology-based globalised
world, quality
education is crucial for
any country. The government
has realised the
fact and executed its
plans accordingly," she
added.
USET to start
academic
activities in March
DHAKA : University of
Skill Enrichment and
Technology (USET), the first
skill enrichment university in
the country, is going to start
its academic activities from
March 1 while its admission
process would begin this
week.
"The university's main objective
is to contribute towards
country's sustainable
development by developing
skilled people and supporting
employment," said eminent
economist and Chief Patron
of USET Dr. Qazi
Kholiquzzaman Ahmad at a
press conference at
Narayanganj Press Club yesterday
He said students of the university
will be able to learn,
think and ask questions
which are the three main
steps of earning knowledge
that ultimately helps people
to apply their knowledge in
their respective fields, reports
BSS.
USET will ensure skillbased
education for the students
from middle class and
lower middle class families of
the country. It will also provide
the opportunity of quality
education for the underprivileged
students of the rural
and urban areas, said a
press release.
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