13-05-2020

wednesday

DHaka: May 13, 2020; Baishakh 30, 1427 BS; Ramadan 19,1441 Hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; No.79; 8 Pages~Tk.8.00

international

China’s Foreign Ministry

underlines one-China

principle on WHO affairs

>Page 3

HealtH

Can our body have

decontaminated?

>Page 5

sport

Mushfiqur’s historical

bat’s price climbs

to Tk. 41 lakh

>Page 6

Dengue : DNCC

operates mobile courts

DHAKA : The Dhaka North City

Corporation (DNCC) operated eight

mobile courts on Tuesday as part of its

anti-mosquito drive to destroy the breeding

grounds of Aedes mosquitoes,

responsible for dengue and Chikungunya,

reports UNB.

A press release from DNCC said the

mobile courts were operated in Uttara,

Mirpur, Badda, Asad Avenue and

Gulshan areas.

During the drive, various establishments

and under-construction buildings

in Mirpur and Gulshan areas were

fined Tk 16,000 as larvae of Aedes mosquitoes

were found there.

Meanwhile, one new dengue case was

reportedin the last 24 hours till 8am on

Tuesday, according to the Directorate

General of Health Services (DGHS).

Since the beginning of this year, 299

dengue cases were reported and of them

298 patients have been discharged.

Ensure adequate

safety for journalists:

Hasan Mahmud

DHAKA : Information Minister Dr.

Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday urged

media owners to ensure adequate

heath safety for the frontline journalists

before sending them to work amid

global coronavirus pandemic, reports

UNB.

The minister came up with the urge

while speaking at a programme

arranged at Jatiya Press Clubfor distributing

safety materials among the

members of DUJ (Dhaka Union for

Journalist). Hasan said that journalists

are frontline heroes in corona war. He

requested media owners for ensuring

their safety during the pandemic.

The minister further said that

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical

University (BSMMU) has implemented

his request for 'fast track' or priority

facility in coronavirus testing for media

personnel. The matter for keeping

reserve bed for journalist following

their request will be also considered, he

said.

Ramadan Iftar Sehri

19 --- 03:48 am

20 06:36 pm 03:48 am

21 06:37 pm 03:47 am

Zohr

03:54 AM

12:10 PM

04:45 PM

06:40 PM

07:56 PM

5:17 6:34

Ongoing power transmission

projects hit snag for

corona shutdown

DHAKA : Field-level work on 25 ongoing

power transmission projects

remained suspended since the coronavirus

outbreak in China, hitting hard

the power sector development.

According to official sources, most of

these projects were either awarded to

Chinese contractors or their equipment

were supposed to come largely from

China, reports UNB.

"Neither the Chinese workers, nor the

equipment are coming from China since

the pandemic hit Wuhan," said a top

official at the Power Grid Company of

Bangladesh (PGCB).

He said many Chinese companies are

working as subcontractors as well in

Bangladesh's power transmission sector.

The PGCB official said although coronavirus

situation in China has improved,

Chinese officials and workers, especially

the technicians, are not coming back as

the situation in Bangladesh is deteriorating.

"As a result, we had to suspend the

field-level works on the transmission

projects," he added.

Official sources said the projects

include construction of Rahanpur to

Monakasha Border 400kV

Transmission Line in Chapainawabganj

to Import Power from India

(Jharkhand) to Bangladesh, Integrated

Capacity Development Project in the

Power Transmission System of

Bangladesh, Southwest Transmission

Grid Expansion Project, Construction of

500 MW HVDC Back-to-Back Station at

DHAKA : With the detection of969new

coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours till

Tuesday, the total number of such cases in

Bangladesh stood at 16,660, according to

the Directorate General of Health Services

(DGHS), reports UNB.

"Besides, 11 more people died from the

virus infection during the period, taking

the death toll in the country to250," said

Additional Director General of DGHS Prof

Dr Nasima Sultana at its daily online briefing.

In the last 24 hours, 37 coronavirus

testing laboratories across the country

tested6,773 samples, she added.

Duringthe period, 245 more patients

recovered from the disease raising the

total recovery number across the country

to 3,147. Of the 11 dead, seven were

men and four women. "Five were residents

of Dhaka city, one hailed

Narayanganj, one from Narsingdi, two

Cumilla North (Bangladesh) for

Transfer of Power through

Surjamaninagar (Tripura, India) -

Comilla North (Bangladesh).

Some of other projects are

Infrastructure Development for Power

Evacuation Facilities of Rooppur

Nuclear Power Plant, Replacement of

Ashuganj Old 132 kV AIS Substation by

New 132 kV GIS Substation Project,

Development of Transmission

Infrastructure at Mirsharai Economic

Zone for Reliable Power Supply,

Construction of Bheramara

(Bangladesh)-Baharampur (India) 2nd

400kV Transmission Line (Bangladesh

Portion), and Construction of Bakerganj-

Barguna 132kV Transmission Line and

Barguna 132/33kV Substation.

Some of the projects were undertaken

as priority ones aiming to facilitate

power transmission from some major

power plants which include Aminbazar-

Maowa-Mongla 400 KV Transmission

Line Project, Matarbari Ultra Super

Critical Coal-Fired Power Project (II)

(PGCB Part: Matarbari-Madunaghat

400 kV Transmission Line), Patuakhali-

Payra 230 kV Transmission Line

Project, Construction of Patuakhali

(Payra)-Gopalganj 400 kV

Transmission Line and Gopalganj 400

kV Grid Substation, Dhaka and Western

Zone Transmission Grid Expansion

Project, Expansion and Strengthening of

Power System Network under

Chattogram Area.

Bangladesh reports 969 new

coronavirus cases, 11 deaths

from Chattogram division and one from

Sylhet division," said Dr Nasima. While

sharing the age-wise analysis of the

deceased, Nasima said there were three

people in the 51-60 age group while five

of 61-70, two of 71- 80 and one of 81-90

age group, she said.

In the last 24 hours, 152 people with

symptoms of coronavirus were taken to

isolation. There are currently 2,361 people

in isolation, Dr Nasima said.

Another 1,666 people were also quarantined

during the period. A new laboratory

for detecting coronavirus has

been set up at Noakhali Science and

Technology University. With this, the

number of laboratories for coronavirus

detection in the country has risen to 38.

Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus

case on March 8 while the first

death on March 18.

Market and shopping centers have been opened in Rajshahi ahead of Eid ul Fitr.

Though there is no symptom of reducing corona infection across the country, people coming out from home

without maintaining any social distance.

Photo : Star Mail

More Malaysian

citizens to leave

Bangladesh

today

DHAKA : More Malaysian citizens

will leave Dhaka for Kuala

Lumpur on Wednesday by a

chartered flight amid the coronavirus

outbreak, reports UNB.

Malaysia Embassy in Dhaka is

arranging the return of 40

nationals from Bangladesh by

Malindo Airlines which is

scheduled to leave Hazrat

Shahjalal International Airport

at 12:55pm, an official at the

embassy said. This is going to

be third chartered flight to

facilitate return of Malaysian

citizens.

On April 22, a total of 130

people, including citizens of

Malaysia and Singapore, left

Dhaka by a special flight

Malaysian High Commission

in Dhaka in cooperation with

Singapore Consulate in Dhaka

facilitated their return. Of the

130 citizens, 60 were Malaysian

while 29 Singapore citizens,

according to Malaysian High

Commission in Dhaka.

Earlier, some 230 Malaysian

returned home from Dhaka by

a special flight of Malaysian

Airlines on March 25.

Photo : Star Mail

Coronavirus

General holidays likely to be

extended again until Eid

DHAKA : As coronavirus cases continues

to soar in Bangladesh, the government

is likely to extend the ongoing

general holidays again until the Eid-ul-

Fitr vacation in a bid to prevent the

transmission of the deadly coronavirus,

reports UNB.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will

take decision in this regard. No decision

has been taken yet. If the Prime

Minister decides on holiday extension,

she'll take the decision considering the

Eid holidays," State Minister for Public

Administration Farhad Hossain told

UNB on Tuesday. Asked when the decision

on the holiday extension will be

announced, he said, "It's expected to be

known by May 13-14."

According to officials at the ministry,

there are only four working days before

the beginning of Eid holidays. Problems

might arise if offices reopen for these

few days. There might be an announcement

of Eid holidays adding these days

to that, they said.

According to the holiday calendar,

May 21 is Shab-e-Qadr holiday, May 22

and 23 are weekly holidays and May 24

to 26 are Eid holidays.

On March 23, the government

declared general holidays from March

26 to April 4, aiming to protect people

from being infected by the fast spreading

virus as elsewhere in the world.

Later, the holidays were extended six

times until April 25 -- first from April 5 to

April 9, then from April 10 to April 14,

later from April 15 to April 16, then again

from April 17 to April 25, from April 25 to

May 5 and finally from May 7-May 16 in a

bid to tackle the worsening coronavirus

situation in the country.

However, a notification, issued on

April 25, also included directive that all

the ministries, divisions and their subordinate

offices involved in providing

emergency services will remain open on

a limited scale during the extended general

holidays.

On the same day, the Public

Administration Ministry, said government

offices at division, district and

upazila levels under 18 ministries and

divisions will remain open on a limited

scale.

Earlier, the government closed all the

educational institutions apart from

shutting down the rail, road, river and

air communications to prevent the

spread of the highly contagious virus.

Zero tolerance against

graft in relief

distribution : ACC

DHAKA : Chairman of the Anti-

Corruption Commission (ACC) Iqbal

Mahmood on Tuesday said the commission

has adopted a zero-tolerance

approach to stop corruption in relief

distribution.

He made the remarks after receiving

a special report on various types

of allegations of corruption,progress

in case investigations and the overall

situation, including the arrest of

accused.

The intelligence unit of the ACC

apprised the chairman about their

month-long activities from April 12 to

May 11 through the report.

The Commission has so far filed 15

cases in different districts on charge

ofmisappropriating government's

relief materials and money from the

government's social security programme.

Several people have also been

arrested in connection with irregularities.

According to the report, 15 cases

were filed against chairmen, members

and secretaries of union

parishads for various irregularities

and corruption in food-friendly activities

under the government's social

security programme from April 12 to

May 11. Investigations into the cases

are underway.

Expressing satisfaction over the

overall activities of the ACC, Iqbal

Mahmood said, "ACC officials are

carrying out their responsibilities

risking their lives which is commendable,

but all those involved in such

crimes must be punished and no one

will be spared."

A special committee or taskforce

will be formed, if necessary, to monitor

activities relating to investigations,

he said.

NEWS

WedneSdAy, MAy 13, 2020

2

President and General Secretary of Bangladesh Photo Journalist

Association Golam Mustafa and Kajal Hazra respectively handing over eid

gifts among the photo journalists in the capital city.

Photo : TBT

Relief worth Tk 1 crore distributed

in one month in Raninagar

Saiful iSlam, RaninagaR CoRReSpondent:

naogaon-6 mp israfil alam has

distributed relief goods worth tk 1 crore in

the last one month. due to the coronavirus

effect a variety of food items, including

vegetables, rice, pulses, oil, soap, semai,

sugar, dates were distributed to the

unemployed from its 'Humanitarian food

assistance Center'.

in addition to the ongoing program, a

special list has been launched by the

special representative of the mp for the

upcoming eid-ul-fitr so that the common

people can celebrate it in a joyous

atmosphere. on the occasion of eid,

special eid items will be distributed from

his personal funds, said the source of

'Humanitarian food assistance Center

Raninagar'.

it has been learnt that on the

instructions of the prime minister, mp

israfil alam opened a "Humanitarian

food assistance Center" in Raninagar to

ensure that no helpless person in his

constituency die in hunger. By launching

these services from march 29, a list was

prepared and and relief was delivered to

about 19,400 families in Raninagar and

atrai upazilas with the help of local awami

league, Jubo league, Chhatra league and

other organizations.

Food items distributed

among helpless people

in Madhukhali

SHaHJaHan Helal, mad-

HukHali CoRReSpondent:

faridpur-1 mp

mohammad manzoor

Hossain Bulbul

inaugurated the

distribution of rice,

pulses, oil, vermicelli,

milk and sugar among

1150 helpless families on

tuesday in madhukhali

which was received from

the prime minister's

Relief fund and funded

by the faridpur district

Council.

He first inaugurated the

food distribution

program of the

government's

humanitarian aid project

among 500 people at the

tower Building premises

of madhukhali Sadar and

at the Bagat Bhabataran

Sangha ground under the

management of Bagat

union parishad. during

the time, food was

distributed among a total

of 1,150 families.

during the time,

madhukhali upazila

Chairman mirza

moniruzzaman Bacchu,

upazila nirbahi officer

md. mostafa monwar,

general secretary of the

awami league Rezaul

Haque Baku, district

Council member and

general Secretary of Jubo

league

mirza

ahsanuzzaman azaul,

upazila Vice Chairman

mohammad

muraduzzaman murad

and Women Vice

Chairman morsheda

akter mina were among

others also present at the

occasion.

GD-724/20 (4 x 3)

GD-726/20 (5 x 4)

GD-725/20 (7 x 4)

GD-723/20 (15 x 4)

INTERNATIONAL

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

3

It is a smooth process for technical experts from the Taiwan region to participate in the World

Health Organization (WHO) technical activities under the one-China principle, a Chinese Foreign

Ministry spokesperson said here on Tuesday.

Photo : AP

China’s Foreign Ministry underlines

one-China principle on WHO affairs

It is a smooth process for technical

experts from the Taiwan region to

participate in the World Health

Organization (WHO) technical activities

under the one-China principle,

a Chinese Foreign Ministry

spokesperson said here on Tuesday,

reports UNB.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's

remarks came after the foreign

affairs department of Taiwan

authorities said Monday that the

Chinese mainland signed a confidential

Memorandum of Understanding

(MOU) with the WHO in 2005 on

GD-717/20 (6 X 4)

affairs related to the Taiwan region's

participation in the WHO activities.

It is no secret about the MOU

signed by the Chinese government

and the WHO in 2005, Zhao told a

routine press briefing, adding that

relevant information could be

reached online.

There is only one China in the

world, and the Taiwan region is an

inalienable part of China's territory,

Zhao stressed, noting that China

does not need to sign an MOU with

any international organization to

"return Taiwan to China." According

to the MOU signed by China and the

WHO, it is a smooth process for

technical experts from the Taiwan

region to participate in the WHO

technical activities under the one-

China principle, said the spokesperson.

He noted that 16 batches of 24

medical and health experts from the

Taiwan region have participated in

the WHO technical activities since

2019. Taiwan authorities' political

manipulation of the COVID-19 pandemic

is totally futile, said the

spokesperson.

Exress burials’ cast doubt on

Nicaragua’s virus figures

Roger Ordonez was hospitalized with

breathing problems last week.

When his son Enrique came to visit the

next morning, the 69-year-old retiree

was already being buried by government

workers in protective white full-body

suits in a cemetery on the outskirts of

Chinandega, a city of 133,000 people in

northwest Nicaragua, reports UNB. The

Roger Ordonez was hospitalized with breathing

problems last week.

Photo :AP

hospital warned the Ordonez family to

self-quarantine for two weeks but said

their patriarch did not have the novel

coronavirus, even though they were

shown no test results.

President Daniel Ortega's government

has stood out for its refusal to impose

measures to halt the coronavirus for

more than two months since the disease

was first diagnosed

in Nicaragua. Now,

doctors and family

members of apparent

victims say, the

government has

gone from denying

the disease's presence

in the country

to actively trying to

conceal its spread.

"I begged the doctor

to tell me what

happened to him,"

Enrique Ordonez

said. "I needed to

know if he was

infected. I have an

18-month-old girl,

my mother has a variety of ailments and

we need to know if it was COVID."

The government says this country of

6.5 million people has seen 16 coronavirus

cases and five deaths since its first

case was diagnosed. Businesses and government

offices remain open and the

government has actively promoted

sporting events and other mass gatherings.

The nongovernmental organization

Citizen Observatory made up of health

workers and activists, said it had identified

1,033 suspected COVID-19 infections

in the country through Saturday.

Nicaraguan epidemiologist Alvaro

Ramirez, currently living in Ireland, said

the number is already far higher and

coming days "will be decisive" for

Nicaragua.

He calculates that in two weeks

Nicaragua could have some 18,000

infections, of which 890 would be serious.

Plainclothes police and government

supporters have detained journalists

outside a hospital in Managua and in a

cemetery in Chinandega in the past

week.

Homophobia threatens to hamper

South Korea’s virus campaign

As South Korea grapples with

a new spike in coronavirus

infections thought to be

linked to nightspots in Seoul,

including several popular

with gay men, it's also seeing

rising homophobia that's

making it difficult for sexual

minorities to come forward

for diagnostic tests, reports

UNB.

The first confirmed patient

in the new coronavirus cluster

was a 29-year-old man

who visited five nightclubs

and bars in Seoul's Itaewon

entertainment neighborhood

in a single night before testing

positive for the virus last

Wednesday. Further investigation

has since found more

than 100 infections that

appear linked to the

nightspots.

A Christian church-founded

newspaper, Kookmin Ilbo,

reported last week that the

'Tale of 2 outbreaks':

Singapore tackles a

costly setback

Weeks after two of his roommates

were diagnosed with

COVID-19, Mohamad Arif

Hassan says he's still waiting

to be tested for the coronavirus.

Quarantined in his

room in a sprawling foreign

workers' dormitory that has

emerged as Singapore's

biggest viral cluster, Arif

says he isn't too worried

because neither he nor his

eight other roommates have

any symptoms, reports

UNB.

Still, the 28-year-old

Bangladeshi construction

worker couldn't be blamed if

he were more than just a bit

concerned.

Infections in Singapore, an

affluent Southeast Asian

city-state of fewer than 6

million people, have jumped

more than a hundredfold in

two months - from 226 in

mid-March to more than

23,800, the most in Asia

after China, India and Pakistan.

Only 20 of the infections

have resulted in

deaths.

About 90% of Singapore's

cases are linked to crowded

foreign workers' dormitories

that were a blind spot in the

government's crisis management.

Arif's dorm complex,

which has 14,000 beds,

accounts for 11% of total

infections, with over 2,500

cases.

This massive second wave

of infections caught Singapore

off guard and exposed

the danger of overlooking

marginalized groups during

a health crisis. Despite warnings

from human rights

activists as early as February

about the dorms' crowded

and often unsanitary living

conditions, no action was

taken until cases spread

rampantly last month.

Singapore's costly oversight

was also an important

lesson to other countries in

the region with large

migrant populations. Neighboring

Malaysia recently

announced mandatory coronavirus

testing for its more

than 2 million foreign workers

after dozens were diagnosed

with COVID-19.

The slip-up highlighted

Singapore's treatment of its

large population of lowwage

foreign workers, who

play an integral part in the

economy but live on the

fringes in conditions where

social distancing is impossible.

The misjudgment was

also an embarrassment for

Prime Minister Lee Hsien

Loong's government ahead

of a general election anticipated

in the next few

months that is expected to

be the last for Lee, who has

led Singapore since 2004

and is planning to retire

soon.

places the man visited in Itaewon

on May 2 included a gay

club. The report was followed

by a flood of anti-gay slurs on

social media that included

blaming the man and those at

the club for endangering the

country's fight against the

pandemic.

Views on sexual minorities

in South Korea have gradually

improved in recent years,

but anti-gay sentiments still

run deep in the conservative

country. Same-sex marriages

aren't legal and there are no

prominent openly gay politicians

or business executives,

though some have risen to

stardom in the entertainment

world.

Activist groups have criticized

the Kookmin Ilbo

report, saying that it was

irrelevant that some of the

nightspots the man went to

were popular with gay people

GD-728/20 (6 X 3)

GD-721/20 (8 X 3)

and the newspaper should

not have disclosed it.

It's not even known how

big role the man played in the

new outbreak, with officials

saying that local infections in

Itaewon may have already

begun before he contracted

the illness. Authorities have

been trying to track down

and test thousands of people

who may have come in con-

As South Korea grapples with a new spike in coronavirus

infections thought to be linked to nightspots in Seoul,

including several popular with gay men, it's also seeing rising

homophobia that's making it difficult for sexual minorities

to come forward for diagnostic tests. Photo :AP

EDITORIAL

WEdNESdAY, MAY 13, 2020

4

The Coronavirus is paralyzing the global economy

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Ensuring access to food

T

hough

the UN has warned that coronavirus protective

measures could jeopardise food security around the

world, experts said Bangladesh is unlikely to face such

a problem if the government can ensure people's access to

food as it has enough food stock.

They also said the government should not be complacent

with its huge food stock as it has a big challenge to ensure

its availability at the doorsteps of the affected people

through various social safety net programmes and food

ratioing system, and keep the prices of the essentials

affordable through proper market intervention in a bid to

ensure food security.

According to the experts, the government's measures to

provide people with food aid are not sufficient when

millions involved in the informal sector have become

temporarily unemployed with the gradual loss of their

buying capacity due to the shutdown of economic

activities.They also warned that food security will not be

ensured even after having adequate volume of food grains

as the system may fail to ensure its availability at every nook

and corner always within the buying capacity of all.

Contacted, Sarwar Mahmud, the Directorate General

(DG) of Food, said the country is unlikely to face any food

crisis even if the coronavirus situation prevails for a long

timed due to adequate stock of food grains, including rice,

wheat, potato and other essential commodities."We're not

worried about food security since Bangladesh is not a fooddeficit

country. We got a bountiful Aman production while

we're expecting an impressive production of Boro paddy as

well," he added.

The DG said they have around 14 lakh metric tonnes of

rice and 3 lakh metric tonnes of wheat while rice traders,

millers, wholesalers and farmers have more food grains

stock than the government has. "Many people also hoarded

food out of their fear of food crisis. So, our food grains stock

is adequate to meet the country's demand for more than a

year."Besides, he said Boro harvest will begin just after a

month which will boost the food grain stock further.

Agriculture Secretary Md Nasiruzzaman said coronavirus

has no impact on Bangladesh's agriculture sector and they

do not think the country's food security will be at stake if the

corona situation prolongs."We've got a bumper production

of Aman and Aush crop. We'll also have had a good

production of Boro. We produced almost all crops and

vegetables this season much more than what we did last

year. So, we won't face any food crisis under any situation,"

he said.

Nasir said farmers produced around 23 lakh metric

tonnes of onion last year while they expect it to be more

than 25 lakh metric tonnes this year. "We got over one crore

metric tonnes of potato last year while the farmers

produced around 1. 09 crore metric tonnes of the crop this

year against the local demand for 70,000 metric tonnes."

Besides, he said, farmers also this year produced over

5,000 metric tonnes of vegetables more than what they did

last year. "Agricultural activities remain unaffected amid

the coronavirus shutdown as farmers usually work

maintaining social distancing. Most of our crops, except

Boro paddy, jute and maize, have already been produced.

So, there's no reason to be worried about any food

crisis."Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi at a recent press

confrere said the government has enough stock of food

grains and daily household items.

"There's no scope for shortage of food since the

government has stockpiled about 40 percent more goods

this year than it had last year," he said.

The minister said 2.6 lakh tonnes of pulses were imported

in 2018-19 financial year, while 2.1 lakh tonnes pulses have

already been imported over the last seven months.

He said they have also imported enough edible oil and

onion to meet the local demand of the items.Talking to

UNB, former caretaker government finance adviser Dr AB

Mirza Azizul Islam said the country may not face any food

crisis as the stock looks enough to deal with the coronavirus

situation. "But the main worries are whether people will

have the access to food or the food will be available for

people at affordable prices."

He said people's buying capacity is declining with the

suspension of most economic activities to prevent the virus.

"Besides, many people have lost their sources of earning

and become temporarily jobless. So, it's the main challenge

to ensure food for them by widening the social safety net

programmes."The noted economists said the government

must strengthen its food aid support mainly for the daylabourers

and those involved in informal sector alongside

the BGF and OMS programmes for the poor to ensure food

safety of all citizens.

He said the government announced a stimulus package of

Tk 5,000 crore for the RMG sector, but it did not spell out

any such package for those engaged in informal sector, the

source of 85 percent of total employment in the

country.Mirza Aziz said the rich should come forward and

corporate houses should use their CSR funds to stand by the

affected people alongside the government to ensure food

security.

Prof Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow at the

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said Bangladesh is in a

better position than may other coronavirus-hit countries in

terms of food production and food stock. "But food security

means not only having adequate food grains. The proper

distribution of food, availability of food and people's

purchasing capacity involves the food security notion."

He said nearly 1 core day-labourers have lost their jobs

while the overwhelming majority of 2.70 crore people in the

informal sector has become temporarily unemployed and

they are gradually losing their purchasing capacity. "The

government should look into this matter so that these huge

number of people can have food."

Besides, Mustafiz said, many people returned to their

village home but they have no income now. "So, the

government must introduce food rationing system

alongside strengthening other programmes under social

safety net. Food security will be ensured when people will

have access to food."

He said the government also must remain alert and

strengthen market monitoring so that unscrupulous

businessmen cannot create artificial food crisis taking

advantage of the situation.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-

19) is an infectious disease

caused by a recently

discovered coronavirus. The virus is

spreading out rapidly in different

parts of Asia and whole over the

world. Experts believe that this has

come from animals. Coronavirus

originates in the city of Wuhan,

China. Not all types of coronavirus

are so dangerous. But viruses that

can be transmitted from animals to

humans are very dangerous. If the

body's immune system is weakened,

or for some other special reason, the

virus can still be transmitted from

animals to humans.

The coronavirus has paralyzed the

wheel of the global economy, which

has also affected Bangladesh. The

COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed

to have spread to Bangladesh on

March 2020. As of 4 May 2020,

there are a total of 10,143 confirmed

cases besides 1,209 recove red &

182 deaths in the country.

On 22 March, Bangladesh declared

a 10-day shut down effective from 26

March to 4 April. This has later

increased to 16 May 2020. Experts

criticized that not enough tests are

conducted in the country that has a

population of over 160 million.

In response to the coronavirus

epidemic, Bangladesh has been on a

general holiday for more than a

month and lockdown in many areas.

So far, 60 districts of the country

have been locked down due to the

spread of the infection across the

country.

The country's economy is facing a

loss of millions of rupees due to the

stagnation across the country, as well

as the benefits of a severe lockdown

to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, it has been seen that in

Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur,

What message will Pompeo deliver

to israel on annexation?

US Secretary of State Mike

Pompeo will travel to Israel

on Wednesday for a one-day

visit, 24 hours before a new twinheaded

government is sworn in,

ending more than a year of political

impasse that produced three

inconclusive elections. This will be

Pompeo's first foreign trip since the

US adopted strict measures to

confront the coronavirus outbreak,

including total lockdowns in some

states. The timing and nature of the

visit are indicative. In addition to

meeting with incumbent Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and

his partner/rival Benny Gantz,

Pompeo, it is now believed, will

deliver an important message

regarding the possible annexation

of parts of the West Bank and

Jordan Valley.

That message, this writer has

learned from multiple sources, calls

for caution and the postponement

of this controversial move. While

Pompeo will reiterate his

administration's staunch support

for Israel, he will also stress the

need to avoid unilateral steps at this

juncture. Whether or not this

position will be made public

remains to be seen. Pompeo will

address the fact that Donald

Trump's Middle East peace vision,

revealed in January, should be dealt

with as a complete package.

This would be the first time that a

clear position on annexation has

been made by the Trump

administration. Last month,

Pompeo said that annexation was a

decision to be taken by Israel alone,

and that his administration would

deliver its position privately to the

Israeli government. That

ambiguous statement was

interpreted as giving a green light to

the new Israeli government to

decide when and how to proceed

with possible annexation.

ShAhzAdA SAliM REzA

Kishoreganj, the infection has

increased during the general holiday

or lockdown.

That is why some people question

the effectiveness of public holidays.

With public transport, offices, courts

and businesses shutting down for

more than a month, keeping the

virus under control and reviving the

economy has become a major

challenge.

The economic downturn is as

multifaceted as the success of an

effective lockdown to prevent the

spread of the coronavirus.

Bangladesh's GDP growth was

expected to be 7.2 percent in the

2019-20 fiscal year, the World Bank

said in a forecast this month, adding

that growth could slow to 2-3

percent.

According to the World Bank

forecast, if the epidemic lasts for a

long time and reaches its worst stage,

the growth will be negative. It may be

up to -5.2 in Bangladesh. Economic

activities in Bangladesh have come to

a complete standstill during the

general holidays.

As the Institute of Health

Economics at Dhaka University, the

amount of financial loss to the

country in a month of general

holidays is approximately 1 lakh 2

Then, US Ambassador to Israel

David Friedman made a number of

contradictory statements on the

subject. While he publicly

supported a unilateral move on the

issue, he was reported to have told

Israeli officials that the Trump

administration considers its vision

to be a peace plan and not an

annexation plan. One unnamed

senior US official was also quoted

by Axios as having said that

annexation is only part of the plan

and that it should be accompanied

by recognition of a Palestinian state

through negotiations between Israel

and the Palestinians.

Netanyahu's deal with Gantz gives

him the right to submit an

annexation proposal to the

government and/or the Knesset as

early as July. Despite Gantz's Blue

and White alliance's reservations

regarding that move, Netanyahu's

proposal is expected to pass without

much objection from lawmakers.

But it is important to note that the

Israeli public remains divided over

the issue. Retired security and army

officials have warned Netanyahu

that annexation would jeopardize

Israel's national security. Israeli

pundits, as well as a number of US

Jewish organizations, have also

warned that annexation would end

Israeli democracy while turning the

country into an apartheid state.

OSAMA Al-ShARif

thousand 3 hundred crore which is at

least 3300 crore rupees daily. Due to

the economic stagnation in the agrofisheries

and livestock sector, a loss

of Tk 200 crore is being incurred

every day, while the estimated loss to

the industry is Tk 1,131 crore.

However, in the service sector, which

suffers the most in the economy, the

daily loss is Rs 2,000 crore. The daily

loss of 57 lakh small and medium

enterprises across the country is

about Tk 1,074 crdaily.

The coronavirus has killed more

than 60,000 people in the United

States, one-third of the world's total

(till 4 May 2020). More Americans

The coronavirus has killed more than 60,000 people in the United

States, one-third of the world's total (till 4 May 2020). More Americans

have died in the last six weeks from an invisible virus than from two

decades of war in Vietnam. And the more deaths, the sharper the language

of attack on China, President Trump and his political allies. Trump has

commented confidently that the coronavirus was made in a Chinese

laboratory. Economic activity of this country has come to a standstill as a

lockdown has been imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

have died in the last six weeks from

an invisible virus than from two

decades of war in Vietnam. And the

more deaths, the sharper the

language of attack on China,

President Trump and his political

allies. Trump has commented

confidently that the coronavirus was

made in a Chinese laboratory.

Economic activity of this country has

come to a standstill as a lockdown

has been imposed to curb the spread

of the coronavirus. According to

government figures, the world's

largest economy has shrunk at an

annual rate of 4.6 percent. This is the

first contraction of the US economy

Arab states have rejected Trump's

peace plan and, along with the EU,

the UN, Russia and China,

maintained that the two-state

solution remains the only path to a

just and lasting peace between

Israel and the Palestinians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud

Abbas has appealed to Trump to

review his position, but refused to

resume contacts with the White

House, which were terminated

when the US recognized Jerusalem

as Israel's capital. The US had called

This would be the first time that a clear position on

annexation has been made by the Trump administration.

last month, Pompeo said that annexation was a decision

to be taken by israel alone, and that his administration

would deliver its position privately to the israeli

government. That ambiguous statement was interpreted

as giving a green light to the new israeli government to

decide when and how to proceed with possible annexation.

on Abbas to submit a counter-offer

to the peace plan.

But, last week, this writer has

learned, the Palestinian Authority

(PA) sent what was described as a

"white paper" to the US, in addition

to the Middle East Quartet,

outlining its position, as well as its

principles, on reaching a peace

settlement with Israel. The

unsigned two-page letter was

written by chief Palestinian

negotiator Saeb Erekat and is

believed to be the first official

contact between the PA and the

White House in more than two

years. Sources tell me that the

White House considered the move

to be a goodwill gesture.

Coinciding with these events, this

writer has learned that Jordan, one

of the most vocal critics of

annexation, has delivered a message

since 2014. More than 26 million

people in the United States have

applied for unemployment benefits.

The corona virus alone will cost

India Rs 9 lakh crore. The agency

Care Ratings says growth in the

fourth quarter of the current fiscal

year could stand at 1.5 to 2.5 percent.

It will have an impact almost

throughout the first quarter of the

2020-21 financial year. The death

toll from the corona rose to 1,064 in

the country. The number of cases of

corona has risen to 33,050.

The number of corona cases in

China is 82,065. However, 6,065 of

them have recovered and 14,663

people have died. China's economy

has collapsed unimaginably.

It is a matter of concern that

proper vaccine hasn't been

discovered today. For this reason,

we should be conscious about

disease. Like other respiratory

illnesses, the virus can cause mild

symptoms, including colds,

coughs, sore throats, and fevers.

Infection with this virus can be

fatal for some people. It can also

lead to pneumonia, shortness of

breath and organ failure. Medical

masks help to limit the spread of

coronavirus and other diseases.

However, its use alone is not

enough to reduce infection. Regular

hand washing and avoiding contact

with a potentially infected person is

the best way to reduce the risk of

contracting the virus. The COVID-19

virus spreads primarily through

droplets of saliva or discharge from

the nose of an infected person

coughs or sneezes. We should sincere

to children because there have been

recent reports of children being

infected in Mongolia at a high rate.

Writer & Journalist

to the UN Security Council that

annexation of the Jordan Valley

would be treated as a violation of

the Jordan-Israel peace treaty.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman

Safadi made it clear that such a

move would violate the delineation

of borders between Jordan and

Israel as stipulated in the treaty. His

argument has not been made public

to date.

It is worth noting that Saudi

Arabia's Cabinet last week also

stressed that the Palestinian cause

remains a "central issue" for Arabs

and Muslims, while referencing the

results of the emergency meeting of

Arab League foreign ministers that

condemned Israel's plans to annex

Palestinian land.

That message, this writer has

learned from multiple sources, calls

for caution and the postponement

of this controversial move. While

Pompeo will reiterate his

administration's staunch support

for Israel, he will also stress the

need to avoid unilateral steps at this

juncture. Whether or not this

position will be made public

remains to be seen. Pompeo will

address the fact that Donald

Trump's Middle East peace vision,

revealed in January, should be dealt

with as a complete package.

The White House is aware that the

unilateral annexation of West Bank

territory will only complicate

matters and will fail to end the

conflict. Renewed contacts between

the Palestinians and the US at this

juncture are of paramount

importance. Efforts must be made

to foil Netanyahu's attempt to

destroy the two-state solution and

prolong the region's most

challenging conflict. The US is the

only power that can stop Netanyahu

from taking this dangerous step.

Source : Arab News

HEALTH

ENVIRONMENT

Skaters wearing personal protective equipment on the seawall at Stanley Park in Vancouver. Photo: Darryl Dyck

Cities dedicate streets over to walkers and cyclists

Laura Laker

Agrowing number of cities around the

world are temporarily reallocating

road space from cars to people on foot

and on cycles to keep key workers

moving and residents in coronavirus

lockdown healthy and active while

socially distancing.

Limited urban park space and leisure

trails are under increasing pressure,

with many closed to prevent the spread

of coronavirus, further limiting urban

dwellers' access to outdoor space.

While traffic has dropped around the

world, and with it nitrogen dioxide

levels, there are widespread concerns

over a rise in speeding drivers

endangering those walking and

cycling.

Evidence suggests air pollution,

including from exhaust fumes,

significantly harms the survival

chances of those with Covid-19. With

pedestrians crammed on to narrow

pavements, and acres of empty asphalt

on roads, lower speed limits, filtering

residential streets to prevent ratrunning,

introducing emergency

cycleways and expanding footpaths are

among potential solutions.

Tabitha Combs, a lecturer at the

University of North Carolina, is

collating examples from around the

world, adding to growing calls for more

such measures."No matter where a city

is on the spectrum of supporting

walking and bicycling, there are actions

that are within their reach, and

precedents of those actions being

implemented in peer cities around the

globe," she says.

In Philadelphia officials closed 4.7

miles of Martin Luther King Jr Drive, a

wide riverside boulevard, to motor

traffic on 20 March following an 1,100-

strong petition, as leisure trails became

overwhelmed by residents seeking

their daily exercise.

Minneapolis has closed part of its

riverfront parkways to motor vehicles.

Denver has introduced pop-up cycling

and walking lanes on 16th and 11th

Avenues and roads around Sloan Lake

to help people socially distance while

exercising. On Thursday, Oakland

officials said they were planning to

close 74 miles of roads - 10% of the

city's total - to motor vehicles.

In Canada, Vancouver's park board

announced that Stanley Park is now

cycling and walking only, as well as the

linked eastbound lane of Beach

Avenue, to relieve congestion and stop

visitors arriving by car and parking

dangerously, amid a 40% increase in

park users. In Winnipeg, four streets

are restricted to cycling and walking

from 8am-8pm daily, and in Calgary

traffic lanes have been reallocated to

cycling. Like many cities, Budapest has

seen a drop in bus use by almost 90%,

with a 50% decrease in road traffic. City

officials have now planned a cycling

network on main roads.

Sydney, Perth and Adelaide in

Australia, Chapel Hill in the US and

Calgary in Canada are among the cities

that have made pedestrian crossings

automatic in some districts so that

people do not have to press a button.

In Berlin, a slew of streets have new,

wide bike lanes in place of some motor

vehicle lanes. Bogotá has ambitiously

replaced 35km of traffic lanes with new

emergency bike lanes using temporary

cones, mirroring the Colombian

capital's TransMilenio bus rapid transit

network, an alternative to people using

public transport. Workers adjust the

lane width depending on usage.

In late March the bicycle mayor of

Mexico City proposed 130km of

temporary bike lanes. In the

meantime, a 1.7km temporary lane,

running 8am-7pm, has been installed

on a major thoroughfare.In the UK,

however, it is a very different picture.

In London, where traffic has dropped

by 63% on main roads, walking and

cycling commissioner Will Norman

says emergency bike routes on the

city's arterial roads would not protect

cyclists without complex junction

improvements.

Why is it a great time to start cycling

Peter Walker

There are many reasons you might

want to think about cycling for

commuting or other transport when

the coronavirus lockdown starts to

ease, particularly if you live in a

city.With physical distancing

remaining in place for some time to

come, capacity on public transport

will be limited. If more people drive it

will create gridlock.

Thus, cities are being encouraged

by the government to do all they can

to promote cycling, as well as

walking, as a way of getting around.

Safer routes are being rolled out in

London and Manchester, with others

likely to follow.

What if you're a cycling newcomer?

Which obstacles, and practicalities,

might you need to think about?

Below is a list of 10 possible ones. It's

by no means exhaustive, so do add

any thoughts in the comments.But it

is meant to be hopeful: reasons to get

on a bike, not reasons to think again.

Covid-19 has been a tragedy for the

UK and countless other nations. But

as it eases, some aspects of life will

change. More bikes on the roads is

one where it could change for the

better.

Safety, and just as importantly,

perceived safety, is perhaps the

biggest barrier to more cycling. And if

you start riding regularly, a scary

incident or two with a motor vehicle

is inevitable at some point. But while

the UK's streets could and should be

much safer for cycling, very serious

incidents remain rare, with a serious

injury or death once every million

miles ridden.

About 100 cyclists are killed a year

in the UK. But how many people die

because of ailments connected to

long-term physical inactivity? About

100,000. Everyday cycling is one of

the best ways to improve your health.

Even a fairly sedate pace counts as

moderate activity, and if you rack up

half an hour of this, five times a week,

you're already past the

recommended minimum for aerobic

The segregated Cycle Superhighway at Kennington in south London.

Photo: Joe Dunckley

activity. Studies have calculated that

even in the UK, the benefit-risk ratio

is about seven to one. This even

includes pollution. A new study has

found that the health gains from both

walking and cycling outweigh the

risks from smog even in cities like

Beijing and New Delhi.

This might not be your primary

motivation, but it all counts. If you

cycle rather than drive, you're

sparing others the associated noise,

danger, climate emissions and

pollution of car use. This last is

particularly relevant given studies

linking high levels of pollution to

worse outcomes from coronavirus.

For most people, commuting is a

chore. Yes, on a train or bus you can

listen to a podcast, and a car might

feel like precious time alone to think.

But your destiny is not in your hands.

Bikes have the near-magical ability

to, 99% of the time, deliver you to

your destination within more or less

a minute of when you expected, often

with a smile on your face. Bike travel

is on a human scale, and at a human

speed. It simultaneously gets you

places fast, but keeps you in touch

with the environment and people

around you. All this can become quite

addictive.

There is nothing wrong with

donning the full 1990s-style Mapei

team colours for your ride to work if

you prefer, and then having a shower

and a change of clothes when you

arrive. But for many people this can

feel like a chore - not least making

sure you have the necessary clean

shoes and jacket at the office. So why

not cycle in your work clothes? If

your commute isn't too long or hilly,

you don't need to arrive a sweaty

mess. If it is long and/or hilly, you

could get an e-bike (see below). The

key is not to carry a bag on your back:

think about panniers or - my

personal choice - a basket or crate at

the front of the bike. You may also

want mudguards, and maybe a chain

guard, but this is all fairly simple

stuff.

t is a long time ago now that bike

shops were intimidating places,

staffed by unsocialised types who - as

in one now reformed London outlet I

shall not name - would sigh heavily if

you couldn't immediately remember

the difference between Presta and

Schrader inner tube valves. They

tend to be very welcoming and happy

to talk about anything from a new

bike to the best puncture-proof tyres.

Most people who run or work in bike

shops tend to love cycling. Bike shops

are permitted to be open even under

the lockdown, as they are considered

essential services. Some are not open,

but even then it's worth giving them a

ring. Electric-assist bikes are

considerably less clunky than they

used to be, but they're just as much

fun. If your commute is long or has

some steep sections, or indeed if

you're taking an increasingly heavy

child to nursery on the way, they

could be the answer.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

5

Can our body have decontaminated?

Dara Mohammadi

Whether it's cucumbers splashing

into water or models sitting smugly

next to a pile of vegetables, it's tough

not to be sucked in by the detox

industry. The idea that you can wash

away your calorific sins is the perfect

antidote to our fast-food lifestyles

and alcohol-lubricated social lives.

But before you dust off that juicer or

take the first tentative steps towards a

colonic irrigation clinic, there's

something you should know:

detoxing - the idea that you can flush

your system of impurities and leave

your organs squeaky clean and raring

to go - is a scam. It's a pseudomedical

concept designed to sell you

things.

"Let's be clear," says Edzard Ernst,

emeritus professor of

complementary medicine at Exeter

University, "there are two types of

detox: one is respectable and the

other isn't." The respectable one, he

says, is the medical treatment of

people with life-threatening drug

addictions. "The other is the word

being hijacked by entrepreneurs,

quacks and charlatans to sell a bogus

treatment that allegedly detoxifies

your body of toxins you're supposed

to have accumulated."

If toxins did build up in a way your

body couldn't excrete, he says, you'd

likely be dead or in need of serious

medical intervention. "The healthy

body has kidneys, a liver, skin, even

lungs that are detoxifying as we

speak," he says. "There is no known

way - certainly not through detox

treatments - to make something that

works perfectly well in a healthy body

work better."

Much of the sales patter revolves

around "toxins": poisonous

substances that you ingest or inhale.

But it's not clear exactly what these

toxins are. If they were named they

could be measured before and after

treatment to test effectiveness. Yet,

much like floaters in your eye, try to

focus on these toxins and they

scamper from view. In 2009, a

network of scientists assembled by

the UK charity Sense about Science

contacted the manufacturers of 15

products sold in pharmacies and

supermarkets that claimed to

detoxify. The products ranged from

dietary supplements to smoothies

and shampoos. When the scientists

asked for evidence behind the claims,

not one of the manufacturers could

define what they meant by

detoxification, let alone name the

toxins.

Yet, inexplicably, the shelves of

health food stores are still packed

with products bearing the word

"detox" - it's the marketing

equivalent of drawing go-faster

stripes on your car. You can buy

detoxifying tablets, tinctures, tea

bags, face masks, bath salts, hair

brushes, shampoos, body gels and

even hair straighteners. Yoga, luxury

retreats, and massages will also all

erroneously promise to detoxify. You

Spinach and broccoli smoothie.

can go on a seven-day detox diet and

you'll probably lose weight, but that's

nothing to do with toxins, it's because

you would have starved yourself for a

week. Then there's colonic irrigation.

Its proponents will tell you that

mischievous plaques of impacted poo

can lurk in your colon for months or

years and pump disease-causing

toxins back into your system. Pay

them a small fee, though, and they'll

insert a hose up your bottom and

wash them all away. Unfortunately

for them - and possibly fortunately

for you - no doctor has ever seen one

of these mythical plaques, and many

warn against having the procedure

done, saying that it can perforate

your bowel.

Other tactics are more insidious.

Some colon-cleansing tablets contain

a polymerising agent that turns your

faeces into something like a plastic,

so that when a massive rubbery poo

snake slithers into your toilet you can

Photo: Frederic J. Brown

stare back at it and feel vindicated in

your purchase. Detoxing foot pads

turn brown overnight with what

manufacturers claim is toxic sludge

drawn from your body. This sludge is

nothing of the sort - a substance in

the pads turns brown when it mixes

with water from your sweat.

A technician injects sperm into an egg cell during IVF. Some women have had their treatment cancelled with

only 45 minutes' notice.

Photo: Phanie

Scores of hopesdie as lockdown

closes IVF facilities

Donna Ferguson

Thousands of couples may have

missed their last chance of conceiving

via IVF as fertility clinics shut their

doors to patients. Some women who

are only just young enough to be

eligible for treatment will be too old in

a few months' time.

The Human Fertilisation and

Embryology Authority (HFEA), which

regulates Britain's fertility industry,

has ordered private and NHS clinics to

stop treating patients who are in the

middle of an IVF cycle by 15 April. All

new treatments have already been

banned, a decision which is likely to

prevent the births of at least 20,000

desperately wanted babies if it

remains in place for 12 months.

Some couples say they have had

scans and treatments cancelled hours

or even minutes before they were due

to take place, and many fear their

chance of conceiving will have

disappeared completely by the time

the lockdown ends.

"You can't rewind your biological

clock," said Dr Catherine Hill, of the

reproductive research charity Progress

Educational Trust. "Time is of the

essence when it comes to fertility

treatment. For some people, this

shutdown means they may never

become parents. This was going to be

their last chance and they're not able

to have it. That is deeply distressing

and traumatising."

The latest figures from the HFEA

show that more than 54,000 patients

underwent 75,000 fertility treatments

in 2017, resulting in 20,500 births. "If

these numbers are similar for 2020 -

and we expect them to have increased

- this pandemic is silently affecting the

lives of many more people than is

immediately obvious," said Gwenda

Burns, chief executive of the charity

Fertility Network UK.

She said women in their late 30s and

early 40s were feeling particularly

anxious, fearing that clinicians may

decide they are too old to continue

their IVF treatment when the

shutdown ends. NHS clinical

commissioning groups do not

generally allow women a second

round of IVF after they hit 40, and

stop offering any treatment at 42;

private clinics typically refuse to treat

women aged 45 or over.

"It would be beneficial if the

government could give assurances

that patients will not be

disadvantaged as a result of treatment

being paused due to Covid-19," said

Burns.Calls to the charity's

counselling helpline have increased

by 50% over the past three weeks,

with psychologists warning that the

coronavirus shutdown is having a

"devastating" impact on the mental

health of IVF patients and putting a

big strain on the marriages of infertile

couples.

"For a lot of people, their hope of a

family life has just been taken away,"

said Christina Fraser, a relationship

counsellor at Coupleworks. The

infertile couples she is counselling are

experiencing the same emotions

people typically suffer when they are

bereaved, she said. "For a lot of

couples it's a secret - they haven't told

people. So they're grieving on their

own. And they can't even go round

the corner to their mum for a hug."

SPORTS

The historical bat of Mushfiqur Rahim, which he used to hit country's maiden double

century in Test cricket, has caught the attention of many in the auction. Photo: BCB

Mushfiqur's historical

bat's price climbs to

Tk. 41 lakh

SportS DeSk:

the historical bat of Mushfiqur rahim, which he used to hit

country's maiden double century in test cricket, has caught

the attention of many in the auction, reports BSS.

With two days remaining to finish the auction, the price of

the bat has already climbed to tk. 41.41 lakh. the base price

of the bat was fixed at tk. 6 lakh. the auction began on

Saturday night and till now it got 53 calls from the aspirants,

as it was shown in the link provided by Mushfiqur rahim in

his facebook page.

earlier Shakib Al Hasan's bat which he used to score

avalanche of runs in World Cup was sold for tk. 20 lakh.

Mushfiqur's SS bat with which he scored exact 200 in a

test match against Sri Lanka at Galle was put up for auction

in the online based commercial website pickaboo.

"the price which is visible, might not be correct.

Sometimes fake person came here and called a price. As a

result, till now, we can't fix the correct price of the price. We'll

judge all the things before making the correct price visible,"

said pickaboo's Chief executive Murin talukdar.

15 Bangladeshi cricketers signed in a cricket bat in a local

shop of Sydney in 2016. the bat was also auctioned through

'Auction for Action', which was finally sold for tk. 3 lakh. the

money will be spent for the Covid-19 affected people through

Shakib Al Hasan Foundation.

Apart from this, the jersey and gloves of Under-19 World

Cup winning captain Akbar Ali, bat of Naim Sheikh and

Mosaddek Hossain, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's signed cap and

a bat singed by the Bangladeshi players who played 2011

World Cup also put up for auction.

the base price of Mashrafe's cap was tk. 1 lakh and till now

the price was climbed to tk. 1.40 lakh. Naim Sheikh's bat

with which he scored 81 against India in a t20 game got price

of tk. 1.28 lakh till now when the base price was tk. 1 lakh.

the base price of the bat signed by the 2011 World Cup

players of Bangladesh was tk. 1.50 lakh, and till now the

price climbed to tk.1.80 lakh.

Mosaddek Hossain's bat which he used to help Bangladesh

win the final of tri-nation series, the only major International

trophy won by the tigers, till now raised a price of tk. 3.1

lakh against the base price of tk. 1 lakh. Akbar Ali's jersey

and gloves till now climbed to tk. 1.30 lakh against the base

price of tk. 1 lakh.

the auction will be finished on May 14.

SportS DeSk:

AC Milan star Zlatan

Ibrahimovic returned to

Italy on Monday after two

months in his native

Sweden, as Serie A

prepares to resume group

training in a week's time,

reports BSS.

Ibrahimovic was

photographed arriving in

Milan wearing a facemask

and gloves before being

WednesdAY, MAY 13, 2020

6

Ibrahimovic

returns to

AC Milan

driven to the team's training

centre at Milanello.

the Swede is expected to

spend two weeks in

quarantine before joining

his teammates who

resumed individual training

last week. Group training is

set to start again on May 18.

the 38-year-old returned

to Sweden on March 12 days

after Serie A was suspended

as the coronavirus

pandemic swept through

Italy and europe.

Ibrahimovic has been

busy training in Sweden

with players at Hammarby,

a first-division club which

he part owns.

Premier League gets green

light for June re-start

GD-720/20 (6 x 3) GD-729/20 (7x 3)

SportS DeSk:

voiced their concerns at the

prospect of being rushed

premier League clubs

back into training and,

received a boost to their

eventually, into playing a

hopes of completing the

contact sport at a time when

season on Monday as the

the rest of the public remain

government published a

encouraged to abide by

"roadmap" that could see

social-distancing guidelines.

the return of elite sport in

the Uk has been one of

england from June 1,

the worst-hit countries in

reports BSS.

the global pandemic, with

As the 20 english topflight

clubs met for further

the government officially

recording nearly 32,000

talks on "project restart",

deaths of people who had

ministers announced plans

tested positive for CoVIDto

ease the coronavirus

19.

lockdown.

"We are just people too,"

Under step two of that

tweeted Norwich midfielder

process, which cannot begin

todd Cantwell on Sunday.

any earlier than June 1,

the premier League's

sporting events would be

desire to overcome so many

allowed "to take place

obstacles to complete the

behind closed doors for

campaign is rooted in

broadcast, while avoiding

economic necessity.

the risk of large-scale social

Clubs stand to lose an

contact".

estimated o1 billion ($1.2

Such events will only be

billion) if the season is not

allowed if sufficient progress

finished, o760 million of

is made in limiting the

which comes from tV

spread of the virus.

contracts that would be

premier League clubs had

satisfied if games were

been planning for a return to

played behind closed doors.

action no earlier than the

Financial worries are also

week beginning June 8.

causing divisions among the

english top-flight clubs

20 top-flight clubs, which

were talking on Monday

could end the chances of a

about a possible resumption

return to action.

despite growing disquiet

A group of clubs near the

among players over safety

bottom of the table are

issues and divisions over

fiercely opposed to plans to

proposals on how to finish

play the remaining 92 games

the season.

at neutral venues.

Before the resumption of

"With all these

matches can be considered,

compromises and health

protocols need to be agreed

on how to return to group

risks we are asked to finish a

training safely and on how

competition that bears no

the premier League would

resemblance to the one we

deal with positive tests.

started," Watford's

Brighton confirmed on

chairman and chief

Sunday that a third member executive Scott Duxbury told

of their squad had tested the club's website.

positive. Cases have also "So is this fair? Does it

been found in squads in have any semblance of

Germany, where the sporting integrity? of course

Bundesliga is due to restart not."

this weekend, as well as executives at Brighton,

Italy, Spain and portugal in West Ham and Aston Villa

recent days.

have also publicly opposed

German second-tier side the neutral-venues plan with

Dynamo Dresden placed the suspicion they will only

their entire squad into a 14- back down if there is an

day quarantine on Saturday agreement to scrap

after discovering two new relegation this season.

cases of the virus.

However, that could cause

However, five La Liga even more financial

players who tested positive hardship to the league as a

have been quarantined at whole.

home, while their Broadcasters are not keen

teammates continue to train on spending hundreds of

in preparation for a return to millions for a series of

action. - 'We are just people glorified friendlies should

GD-716/20 (10 x3) too' -

the jeopardy of relegation be

In england, players have removed.

GD-727/20 (10 x3)

MISCELLANEOUS

WEdnESday, May 13, 2020

7

Ozopadiko inaugurates 100 percent

electrification of Kamargati village

TITAS CHAKRABORTy, FROM KHULNA

On the birth centenary of the

greatest Bengali of all time, the

great architect of independent

Bangladesh, the undisputed

leader of the Bengali Nation,

Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman, Ozopadiko

inaugurated the 100 percent

electrification of Kamargati

village in Barakpur Union

through video conference. Due

to 100% electrification

through construction of power

lines, 150 customers in

Kamargati village will come

under the electrification and

will see light from darkness.

Besides, two mosques,

madrasas and irrigation

pumps will come under new

electricity. At present, the

quality of life of the people will

increase as Kamargati village

will be covered by 100%

electricity. He further said that

every village will be a city in the

light of this reality and as a

result of this electrification

Kamargati village will be the

first village to town in

Bangladesh. Khulna-4 MP

Abdus Salam Murshedy was

the chief guest on Tuesday.

Special Guest Engineer Md.

Shafiq Uddin in his speech

said that Kamargati village was

dark for 30-35 years. The long

30-35 year dark Kamargati

village has been able to show

the face of light. In the midst of

this horrific corona,

Ozopadiko's officials at all

levels are working tirelessly to

provide uninterrupted power,

including carrying out these

activities at the risk of their

lives.

Md. Mostafizur Rahman,

Chief Engineer of Ozopadiko

presided over the function.

Abdus Salam Murshedy MP of

Khulna-4 constituency was

present as the chief guest at the

inauguration ceremony.

Engineer Md. Shafiq Uddin,

Managing Director of

Ozopadiko was also present as

the special guest. President

Gazi Abdur Rauf, District

Awami League member Selim

Mallick.

At the end of the meeting,

the President wished good

health and long life to all.

Rotary initiative for the

helpless "Meals

Everyday Program"

Rotary Governor (2020-

21) M Rubaiyat Hossain has

inaugurated 'Ahar Pratidin'

(Meals Everyday) to provide

foods for helpless people in

the Corona situation. The

purpose of this program is to

make the poor people smile.

Rotarians will not buy new

clotheson Eid & their eid

savings will be spent in this

program, says a press

release.

This program inaugurated

on Monday at ATJ

Industries premises in

Tejgaon. Former Rotary

governors and other leaders

were present.

Helpless, jobless, lowincome

people are now

spending their days on

hunger. They have to go out

on the streets in search of

food, ignoring the threat of

infection due to hunger. To

help them, the Rotary will

distribute protein-rich food

to the needy in different

parts of the capital city every

day till June 30, 2020 in

completely healthy way.

Uncertainty looms over SureCash

Uncertainty looms over financially

strained mobile financial platform

SureCash after it terminated 200

employees last month amid

coronavirus outbreak.

Education Ministry had previously

issued warnings over SureCash for

irregularities in the disbursement of

scholarships. According to sources,

Rupali Bank has been considering

canceling its contract with SureCash

since last year. Rupali Bank DMD

informed that they are concerned

about the operational performance

and financial stability of SureCash. As

a financial institution, we need to have

a reliable partner.

In 2018, SureCash applied for a

payment service provider (PSP)

license to Bangladesh Bank, but failed

to acquire one. In April, Bangladesh

Bank issued a license to Nagad, to

operate as a full-fledged mobile

financial services (MFS) providers like

bKash and Rocket. Between 4th and

19th April, 19.2 lakh new accounts

were opened on bKash, Rocket and

Nagad, following a move by the

government to make salary payment

to readymade garments (RMG)

workers through mobile banking.

SureCash could not able to capture

market share at a time when digital

payments have increased.

The company took tough measures

like terminating employees due to

poor business performance, financial

mismanagement, uncertainty

regarding its contract with Rupali

Bank, and inability to get the license.

Some of the terminated employees

said that the company was in this state

due to financial mismanagement.

It has been alleged that just a few

months before the job cuts, SureCash

relocated its office in an expensive

location, and spent heavily on office

decoration. Shamima Ahsan, the

former Head of Human Resources at

SureCash said that the company will

do another round of cuts in June, and

may shut down operations by the end

of the year if the conditions do not get

better.

It is to be noted that SureCash

started commercial operations in

2015. It is an open payment network in

partnership with four local banks,

including one of the largest stateowned

banks and more than 1,000

payment partners.

The mobile financial platform is

providing technology support to stateowned

Rupali Bank for operating

mobile banking services to provide

stipend for primary education. More

than one crore mobile financial

services (MFS) accounts of Rupali

Bank are being managed by SureCash.

Bangladesh Commercial Bank,

Jamuna Bank and First Security

Islami Bank are also operating MFS

accounts jointly with SureCash.

Recently, National Commerce and

Credit (NCC) Bank ended its

partnership with SureCash.

GD-719/20 (8x 3)

68 coronavirus patients recovered

in Rangpur division

RANGPUR: A total of 68 coronavirus

(COVID-19) patients have already

recovered in Rangpur division where

the number of newly COVID-19

infected people continues rising during

the past couple of weeks, reports BSS.

Health officials said six more

coronavirus patients recovered

yesterday raising their total number to

68 in all eight districts of Rangpur

division.

The numbers of recovered patients as

well as newly infected COVID-19

patients are showing an increasing

trend in recent days as community

transmission of the deadly virus

continues still in limited scale in the

division.

"The total number of coronavirus

patients rose to 357 with detection of 15

more COVID-19 positive cases on

Monday," Focal Person of COVID-19

and Assistant Director (Health) for

Rangpur division Dr. ZA Siddiqui told

BSS yesterday.

Among the newly detected 20

COVID-19 patients, nine are hailing

from Rangpur, two from Nilphamari,

one each from Lalmonirhat, Kurigram,

Dinajpur and Thakurgaon districts.

"The district-wise break up of the

COVID-19 patients now stands at 143

in Rangpur, 13 in Panchagarh, 52 in

Nilphamari, 14 in Lalmonirhat, 34 in

Kurigram, 25 in Thakurgaon, 52 in

Dinajpur and 24 Gaibandha districts in

the division," Dr. Siddiqui added.

Meanwhile, among the total 68

recovered coronavirus patients, 11 are

hailing from Rangpur, four from

Panchagarh, three in Nilphamari, two

from Lalmonirhat, four from

Kurigram, 14 from Thakurgaon, seven

from Dinajpur and 13 of Gaibandha

districts.

"More 267 people were put in

quarantine during the last 24 hours

raising the total number of quarantined

people at home or institutions rose to

30,350 in the division, and of them

23,986 released till 8 am today," Dr

Siddiqui said.

"A total of four COVID-19 infected

patients died so far. They include

two of Nilphamari and one each of

Dinajpur and Gaibandha districts,"

Dr. Siddiqui said.

Talking to BSS, Divisional

Director (Health) Dr. Amin Ahmed

Khan said 2,552 beds are kept ready

at the 25 quarantine and isolation

centres for providing treatments to

the coronavirus (COVID-19)

patients in all eight districts of

Rangpur division.

Fifteen dedicated government

hospitals with 13 beds and 13 ventilator

facilities in the intensive care units

(ICU) are providing treatments to

COVID-19 infected patients at two

government hospitals in Rangpur and

Dinajpur in the division.

"We are now conducting tests of

samples of suspected patients at two

COVID-19 Laboratories at Rangpur

Medical College (RMC) and M Abdur

Rahman Medical College in Dinajpur,"

Dr. Khan added.

GD-730/20 (5x 4)

GD-722/20 (10x 4)

WeDneSDAy, DHAKA, MAy 13, 2020, BAISHAKH 30, 1427 BS, RAMADAn 19, 1441 HIjRI

How corona battle adds to woes

of non-corona patients

Amid corona outbreak, excavation work going on in the capital city.

63% of coastal poor households

have borrowed loan from

local money lenders

DHAKA : A recent survey finds that about

63% of coastal poor households have borrowed

loan from local money lenders at highinterest

rates due to absent of institutional

credit facilities, reports UNB.

The survey also finds 57% of households

are suffering from food crisis because of the

lockdown, and about 46% of households

have experienced increasing violence against

women.

The Monitoring and Research Department

of the COAST Trust, a Bangladeshi NGO,

conducted the survey.

COAST Trust conducted the survey in eight

coastal districts to know the impact on the

livelihoods of poor people of the coastal areas

because of the lockdown announced in the

country to prevent the coronavirus infection.

Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Executive

Director of the COAST Trust, said that a local

moneylender allegedly killed a poor man

recently in Kutubdia of Cox's Bazar as the

man had failed to repay the loan he had

taken.

"We conducted this survey to understand

the plight of low-income people for lockdown.

COAST Trust has so far donated about

TK 20 lakh from its fund to the relief fund of

nine coastal districts and 49 Upazila administrations

to help hapless people," he said.

According to the COAST Trust's

Monitoring and Research Department, the

survey collected data from 240 poor, womenheaded,

and low-income families under 12

branches of the organization in six districts,

including Chattogram, Noakhali, and Barisal.

Around 83% of respondents live in villages

and 17% in cities and 57.3% of respondents

are women-headed families.

According to the survey, 42% families can

get meals for 3 times a day, which is normal.

Some 52% of families are eating twice a day

and 5% of families are taking one time meal

per day. Around 56% of families used to eat

regular protein i.e. fish, meat, or eggs 3-4

days a week which came down to 13%

because of lockdown. Around 87% of households

now consume such protein 1-2 days a

week.

Because of the lockdown, 34% of households

have lost their income completely,

income has come down by one-fourth to

39%, and half for 19% families. This picture is

unique to women-headed families. Some

46% of households have lost their income

completely, income has dropped to onefourth

for 30% of households.

Around 63% of the households have taken

loans from moneylenders at high-interest

rates to cope with the crisis and 18% of households

have borrowed from relatives and 13%

of households have received no loan.

Some 48% of households have broken

down their savings in response to the crisis

caused by the lockdown. Around 35% of the

families sold their cows and goats. Among

women-headed households, 30% of respondents

said there was no way to break their

savings, sell cows or goats or jewelry.

Around 54% of respondents said that the

lockdown has increased the incidence of violence

against women in their families. In 82%

of households, abusive or abusive language

was used. 9% of households have raised their

hands and 9% of households have been pressured

for dowry.

Corona shutdown : Khulna farmers in

distress with bumper yield of watermelon

KHULNA : Despite bumper production of

watermelon in Dakope upazila of Khulna,

frustration has gripped the growers as they are

fearing huge losses for lack of buyers and low

prices due to coronavirus outbreak.

Farmers said watermelons are rotting in the

fields as there is lack of customers at the market

due to the restriction in movement

imposed to stop the transmission of the deadly

virus.

Huge watermelons are likely to be damaged

in the fields as those are not being harvested

for lack of buyers, they said.

According to the agriculture office in the

upazila, watermelons have been cultivated on

1,535 hectares of land in Bajua, Sadar,

Kailashganj, Laudob and Banishanta unions

of the upazila.

Growers said the production cost of watermelon

per bigha was Tk 16,000-18,000 per

bigha and they would have been happy had

they been able to sell it at Tk 45,000-50,000.

They said this is the time for harvesting

watermelon and usually wholesalers from

Dhaka, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Barishal

and other places come here to buy watermelons.

But they could not come from those areas

due to coronavirus infection fear.

The local administration has also imposed

several restrictions on buying and selling

watermelons.

Fani Bhushan Mondol, a watermelon

farmer from West Bajua of the upazila, Bidhan

Mandal from Kocha village, Gaurango

Ghorami from Dacope sadar, Ranjit Mandal

from Harintana and Ashok Roy from

Chunkuri village said this time they have had

bumper yield of watermelon.

The farmers feared that if rainwater inundates

their fields, watermelons will rot over

there.

Kailashganj UP chairman Mihir Mandal

said, "He urged the local administration to

make arrangements for the entry into and exit

from by wholesalers in the upazila by ensuring

health security."

Photo : Star Mail

Coronavirus

Over 3,000

Bangladeshis

return from

India

DHAKA : More than 3,000

Bangladeshi citizens, including

patients and students,

have so far returned

home from a number of

Indian cities by special chartered

flights or roads amid a

countrywide lockdown to

prevent the spread of coronavirus,

reports UNB.

"The process is still continuing,"

Bangladesh High

Commission in New Delhi

said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, 88 more

Bangladeshis, who got

stranded in India due to

lockdown there, returned

home from Mumbai earlier

in the day.

A flight of Biman

Bangladesh Airlines landed

at Hazrat Shahjalal

International Airport from

Mumbai at 5:55pm bringing

back 88 Bangladeshi citizens,

Deputy General

Manager (PR) of Biman

Tahera Khondokar told

UNB.

Planning

Commission finalises

Tk 205,145 cr ADP

DHAKA : The Planning

Commission on Monday finalised

the annual development

programme (ADP) involving

Tk 205,145 crore for

the next 2020-21 fiscal year,

reports UNB.

The draft ADP got its approval

from the extended

meeting of the Planning

Commission held at the conference

room of the National

Economic Council (NEC)

with Planning Minister MA

Mannan in the chair.

The Planning Ministry

sought a date from the

Prime Minister office to

hold the NEC meeting with

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina in the chair to give

the final approval to the

ADP.

According to sources at

the Planning Ministry, there

might not be any NEC meeting

this year due to socialdistancing

issue.

If there is no NEC meeting,

they said, he Planning

Ministry will send a summary

to the Prime Minister for

the final approval and she

can approve it exercising her

executive power. An amount

of Tk 9,466 crore allocation is

expected to be there for autonomous

entities, raising the

total ADP to Tk 214,611 crore,

they added.

GD-718/20 (10x4)

DHAKA : As the country's healthcare system

has turned its main focus on breaking

the tide of coronavirus pandemic, many

patients with non-Covid health problems,

especially those who have comorbidities,

are passing through a harrowing time

being 'deprived of' urgent medical attention

they need, reports UNB.

The ailing people and their worried relatives

are running from one hospital to

another for having access to medical service

while critical patients are embracing

deaths before receiving the treatment as

there is 'no plan' on how to offer treatment

to or conduct diagnoses for non-Covid-19

patients during this corona crisis, some

sufferers told UNB sharing their ordeals.

They said many critical patients are

being turned away by both the public and

private hospitals due to 'mismanagement',

doctors' excessive precaution and

obsession with personal safety, the fear of

infection of the virus and also for lack of

manpower.

Even, patients with underlying health

conditions having no Covid-19 test results

are referred to the hospitals designated for

treating corona patients, putting them in a

precarious position.

Many non-coronavirus patients are also

being deprived of regular checkup and

treatment as many senior doctors are

declining to attend the patients to avoid

the virus transmission while premier hospitals

like Dhaka Medical College

(DMCH), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Medical University (BSMMU), Kurmitola

and Mughdha general hospitals are giving

the main focus on testing corona and dealing

with such patients.

The situation turned so worse that even

additional secretary Gautam Aich Sarker

died at Kurmitola General Hospital with

kidney problem on Saturday after having

failed to get admission after trying at

around a dozen non-Covid public and private

hospitals. Gautam's daughter

Sushmita Aich, a doctor who works at the

government's 333 helpline for medical

advice, said she tried to have her father

admitted to all the most big public and

private hospitals, including BSMMU,

DMCH, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical

College, United, Square, LABAID,

Universal Medical College, and Anwar

Khan Modern Medical College Hospitals,

but they refused to do so showing various

excuses.

Sushmita said, "My father badly needed

ICU support, but we couldn't provide him

it. He died for lack of treatment. Despite

being a doctor, I couldn't do anything for

him." She said all the hospitals wanted to

see her father's test report to be sure that

he had not contarcted the virus. "When I

failed ensure treatment for my father

being a doctor you can assume how difficult

it's for other non-corona patients to

get access to healthcare under the current

situation."

Daughter of a freedom fighter, Almas

Uddin, a resident of the city's Bashabo

area, also shared almost the similar experience

as her father died without treatment

after suffering a brain haemorrhage

at the end of March.

She said they took her father to Anwar

Khan Medical College, Bangladesh

Specialised Hospital, Birdem General

Hospital, Suhrawardy and Popular

Medical College and two Covid hospitals

only to be turned away.

After a long struggle and sincere efforts

by some freedom fighters and local

Awami League leaders, Almas had been

admitted to Mugdha Medical College and

Hospital where he died hours later for lack

of proper treatment.

"I won't forget the sufferings my father

had gone through. He was kept in an

ambulance for long hours being denied

admission to different hospitals. I wish no

one faces such sufferings and dies for lack

of treatment," Almas' daughter said wishing

anonymity.

Aman Ullha, a 70-year-old medicine

shop trader of Kashipur village in

Naryangonj's Fatullah, recently fell sick

with high fever.

"We took my father to a doctor's chamber

in Naryanganj city, and after some

diagnoses it was found that he had lung

infections," Aman's daughter Shormi

Mahmud told UNB.

As per the doctor's advice, she said, they

took her father to Naryanganj General

Hospital and some clinics but they denied

providing him treatment suspecting that

he was infected with coronavirus.

"With the help of a journalist, we

brought him to IEDCR in the capital's

Mohakhali from where he was admitted

to Uttara Kuwait Moitree Hospital as a

corona suspect," Shormi said adding that

her mother was also admitted to the hospital

mainly to look after her septuagenarian

husband.

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Executive Editor : Sheikh Efaz Ahmed, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka.

Editorial and News Office: Bangladesh Timber Building (3rd Floor) 270/B, Tejgaon I/A Dhaka-1208. Tel : +8802-8878026, Cell : 01736786915; Fax: + 880244611604, Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

13-05-2020

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