14-09-2020

MONDAY, SEPTEMbER 14, 2020
4
The small island thinking big in the Med
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Monday, September 14, 2020
Actions against noise
pollution overdue
Noise pollution has become a major health worry
for inhabitants of the capital city Dhaka and
other cities and towns of the country . It is one
of the major menaces that plague the lives of the citizens.
There was a time when residents of Dhaka
could move peacefully from one place to the other in
the city. They did not have to face that much hassle ;
there was no ear-splitting traffic snarl, no traffic congestion
in those days.
With rapid urbanization, Dhaka saw high rise in
population. The city has become a bursting megacity
now with all its attendant evils, noise pollution being a
very major one of them. Honking of horns of vehicles,
sound of breaking bricks and stones by machines during
construction works, use of heavy and noisy equipment
and loudspeakers, sound caused by industrial
units, sound of grill making workshops, welding
shops, sound of generators, high volume of music
from audio video shops and residences of individuals
during wedding ceremonies and religious gatherings
are the main sources of noise pollution in the city in
recent times. There are also vendors who go on selling
their merchandise on the roads, lanes and by-lanes in
vans with loudspeakers describing the qualities of the
merchandise.
According to environmentalists sound decibel in
Dhaka city is in danger level compared to other cities
in the world. According to the World Health
Organisation (WHO), generally 60 decibel sound can
render a person deaf temporarily and 100 decibel can
cause complete deafness. The noise of any busy street
in Dhaka has been estimated at 60 to 80 decibels, with
the sound of hydraulic horns measuring 95 decibels. It
is unfortunate that the authorities could not implement
the Sound Pollution Control Act-2006. It is
gathered that the volume of sound that is one and a
half to two multiplierhigher than the tolerable limit is
noted generally in Dhaka. Save the Environment
Movement, an organisation, has recorded 84-100
decibel sound in the peaceful area at daytime, 84-93
in the residential area, 88-102 in the mixed area, 86-
103 in the commercial area, which are one and a half
to two multiplies higher than the tolerable limit.
According to Bangladesh PoribeshAndolon the
Sound Pollution Law does not allow installation and
use of building construction equipment within a 500-
meter radius of a residential area or dwelling houses.
But the law is hardly followed by the developers.
Similarly, the Noise Pollution (Control) Rules-2006
prohibits honking of horns within a 100-metre radius
of hospitals, educational institutions and offices. The
rules also make mandatory taking prior permission
for using loudspeakers.
But who cares ? Students, particularly examinees,
patients in hospitals and clinics bear the brunt of noise
pollution. Ours is a country with many people devoid
of rationality and common sense. There are people
with macho habits and temperaments. They care a fig
to abide by rules and regulations .Uncaring drivers of
vehicles keep on blaring horns without rhyme or reason.
Wayward youths keep on playing music with high
volumes near roadsides, much to the annoyance of the
pedestrians. Besides, rock musical sessions are
arranged on the rooftops of houses during marriage
ceremonies by the people who have no respect for others'
convenience. This kind of sound pollution mars
the sleeps of the people living in these areas. Peaceloving
neighbours have to endure this silently fearing
reprisals on complaining . Mushroom growth of
workshops and welding shops have also contributed
to noise pollution in the city. Besides, some times high
sound of loudspeakers from religious gatherings on
the roads add to the sound pollution.
According to physicians, noise pollution may cause
physiological and psychological problems, hypertension,
high stress level, obsession, headache, sleeplessness,
neurological disorder and even heart disease.
Noise pollution also can cause decline in learning ability
of children. The rate of dumbness among children
will further increase if the prevailing sound pollution
cannot be stopped or much reduced , said a specialist
physician.
It is high time for relevant authorities to sharpen
mass awareness against noise pollution and rein in the
people and organizations responsible for causing
noise pollution in the interest of public health. The
sooner thisis done, the best will happen in the highest
public interest. In sum, people are keen to see law
enforcement actions at the fastest against sound polluters.
Cyprus' tourist industry suffered a
hammer blow this year because of
the Covid-19 pandemic, but the
disaster has fueled other ambitions on the
island, with many political leaders,
financial experts and corporate players
now seeing the country as an international
hub for small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs).
Brexit uncertainty, changing work
patterns and lifestyle considerations,
coupled with the Cypriot government's
courting of global tech companies, has
resulted in SMEs increasingly looking to
this corner of the Mediterranean to grow
their wealth.
With a corporate tax rate of 12.5%, a
highly developed banking system built on
British standards and practices, and a legal
system based on British law, Cyprus is fast
emerging as a real contender in the
cutthroat arena of international
commerce.
"The Cyprus economy is built on a model
of SMEs," said Marios Christou, who heads
the Center of Economic Studies at the
University of Nicosia (UNIC). "And SMEs
have found a home base in Cyprus where
they can flourish.
"It's an upward trajectory that's likely to
continue in the coming months and years,
further propelling the status of the island
as an international business hub."
More than 90% of the businesses
operating in Cyprus are classed as micro,
small and medium-sized enterprises,
which is indicative of the overall work ethic
of locals and expats on the island according
to Elena Kontou, chief executive of Sepaga,
a Canadian-owned electronic money
institution (EMI) founded in Cyprus in
2015.
"Cyprus offers significant opportunities
to SMEs due to their key role in the local
economy," Kontou said. "They generate
approximately 77.7% of value added, which
is above the EU average of 56.8%.
"There are also many very well-educated,
driven young professionals to recruit, with
a strong work ethic, as well as a market
with grounds to grow and develop.
Especially in the area of technology and
finance, Cypriots are eager to learn and try
new solutions."
Revenue from tourism - which affects
many businesses on the island - suffered a
monumental drop in the first six months of
this year, dropping to €6.7 million (US$7.9
million) in June compared with €350.4
million at the same time last year.
According to statistics released this month
by the Cyprus Statistical Service, it's a
decrease of 98.1%.
However, despite the common
perception that tourism is the lifeblood of
the island, 70% of the Cypriot economy is
actually focused on financial and
professional services including banking,
PITAMbER KAUShIK
investment management, shipping and
real estate.
And prior to the pandemic, the economy
was doing better than predicted.
Over five consecutive years, Cyprus
registered GDP growth rates averaging
4.4%, with unemployment falling to its
lowest level in a decade. Downsizing the
banking sector, reducing the concentration
of high-risk assets and imposing one of the
strictest anti-money-laundering
frameworks in Europe had further
renewed confidence in the banking sector,
leading to new international business and
foreign direct investment (FDI).
Serious investment was also being
plowed into large-scale infrastructure
projects, hospitality, health care, higher
education, technology and renewables.
Georgios Lakkotrypis, the former energy
and commerce minister for Cyprus and an
adviser to the president, said: "In recent
years, Cyprus has transformed its banking
systems, fully aligning it with EU
regulations and the highest international
standards.
"Before temporarily being interrupted by
the pandemic, Cyprus was able to stabilize
MOhAMMED AlMEzEl
its economy and attract investment. With
its careful handling of the health crisis,
Cyprus will soon be in a strong position to
resume its growth trajectory."
One of the sectors the government is
pinning its hopes on to restore the island's
fortunes is future technologies. Theodoros
Loukaidis, the director general of Cyprus
Research and Innovation Foundation, says
interest in future capabilities, in particular,
has witnessed a "rapid evolution" in recent
years.
"The reform of the national
governance system for R&I as well as the
recent establishment of the Deputy
Ministry of Research, Innovation and
Digital Policy reflect the strong
commitment to establish R&I as a
fundamental pillar of a new model for
growth, capable of expanding the
productive base of the Cyprus economy.
"Through collaborative working, our aim
is to bring the ecosystem closer together
and amplify its potential to produce worldclass
research and innovation that results
in tangible benefit for the national
economy and the society."
Among the next-generation technology
companies that have made Cyprus their
base are Pundi X 365 and Borghese
Ventures offering tech solutions in tourism
and hospitality, fintech, edtech and data
analytics.
Joseph Borghese, an Indo-Cypriot
entrepreneur who owns both companies,
said: "Cyprus has many opportunities to
offer businesses seeking to develop within
the EU and beyond.
Source : Asia Times
Why we should be fine in a second COVID-19 wave
Is the coronavirus coming back? Are
we witnessing a much talked about
'second wave'? In all appearances, we
are. The recent numbers indicate that
COVID-19 is sadly back, with a
vengeance. That is bad news. The good
news is that there is no panic the way we
saw in March and April when the world
rushed to close every business and social
activity, which led to unprecedented
economic devastation, leaving millions of
people around the world out in the cold
without jobs.
First, the bad news. In the last 24
hours, the world has registered one of the
highest numbers of new cases - nearly
310,000 new infections on Friday.
Despite the success of most countries in
slowing down the outbreak in the past
three months, there is a substantial
resurgence in new cases in Europe, India,
South America, and the United States.
Some of these countries, such as
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic,
Montenegro, and India, have recorded
higher numbers in August and
September than they did at the peak of
the pandemic in March and April. In
India, for example, there were 97,654
confirmed new cases registered on
Friday. France, a European COVID-19
hotspot earlier in the year, announced
9,843 new cases on Thursday, the
highest number it has recorded.
In the UAE, 931 new cases were
announced on Friday, a big jump from
the average 300-400 we had seen in the
past two months. Experts in the UAE and
around the world say the increased
testing could explain the spike. The
resumption of on-site work and air travel
was followed by the new school year. So
more tests are naturally being conducted
than ever before; subsequently, more
new cases are discovered.
However, Dr Anthony Fauci, the White
House adviser and director of the
National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases in the US told
Americans, on Thursday they should
prepare for "a second wave" of COVID-19
infections as the flu season nears. "We
need to hunker down and get through
this fall and winter because it's not going
to be easy," he said at the Harvard
Medical School.
And there is more bad news -
economically speaking. A second blow is
always more painful than the first. The
first strike comes when they are standing.
When they get the second one,
unfortunately, people are lying down
trying to absorb the pain of the first one
and trying to get up - they are at the most
vulnerable.
World economies have been trying to
recover from the pandemic. The last
three months saw some improvements.
Markets recorded a significant boost as
the containment measure imposed
earlier were lifted, and some sort of
'normal' life began to spring back. But it
wasn't full recovery. Economists say that
we will see full economic recovery only a
year from now, at least. A second wave
In the UAE, 931 new cases were announced on Friday, a
big jump from the average 300-400 we had seen in the
past two months. Experts in the UAE and around the
world say the increased testing could explain the spike.
The resumption of on-site work and air travel was followed
by the new school year.
FAISAl j. AbbAS
means that the global economy will
receive the next blow while licking its
wounds.
What does that mean? Some of the
business that survived the first wave,
because of their ability to withstand the
lockdown with sufficient liquidity, will
likely not be able to survive a second
wave as they have expectedly run out of
cash reserve. Jobs lost to the first wave
might not come back soon. If things get
messy, more people will lose jobs, which
would impact the wider economic cycle.
Governments, especially in Europe and
the US, seem reluctant to disperse more
bailout money, desperately needed to
support the business. That will limit the
ability of their citizens to spend. The
longer the pandemic persists, the deeper
the recession will get.
So, where is the good news? There
actually might be one, even if it sounds
like a flicker, not an outright spotlight, at
the end of the long tunnel.
In his new book, Rage, American
journalist Bob Woodward quotes
President Donald Trump as saying he
intentionally "played down" the threat of
the coronavirus outbreak in January and
February because he didn't want to
"create panic" in the US. "I wanted to
always play it down," Trump told
Woodward in a March taped interview. "I
still like playing it down, because I don't
want to create a panic."
Panic is the key word. In the past two or
three weeks, as the reports of the socalled
second wave began making the
headlines, the reaction of medical
authorities across the world has been
restrained. And that is a good thing.
Medical facilities and staff have
expectedly become experienced in
dealing with new infections. There is a
noticeable decline in the death rate,
which is the most important parameter
for governments to initiate restrictive
measures.
Most governments indicated that new
lockdowns, total or even partial, are out
of the question. Nobody seems willing to
go the painful path of March and April.
Then, there are the vaccine trials, which
seem to be advancing rather fast - experts
believe that a COVID-19 vaccine could be
available by the end of the year or early
next year.
Source : Gulf News
Enough process, what we need is peace
The best analysis of why the Israeli-
Palestinian peace process is so
dysfunctional is that it has always
been plagued by too much process, not
enough peace. If anything is to be learned
from the UAE and Bahrain's
normalization of ties with Israel, it is that
peace can happen quickly and the process
can come later.
Of course, one cannot compare more
than 70 years of occupation and the
legitimate calls to end it, as is the case with
the Palestinians, with almost no hostilities
whatsoever between Israel and Gulf states.
Yes, there are divisions between Fatah
and Hamas. Yes, there is corruption in the
Palestinian Authority. Nevertheless, as US
President Donald Trump's adviser Jared
Kushner has pointed out, the Palestinians
never miss an opportunity to miss an
opportunity. When will they learn that
every time they turn away from the
negotiating table, the pie only gets
smaller? Compare what was offered to
them in 1999 and what is being offered
now - and to this day, every time they are
offered less, the Palestinian leadership
seems to want more. The loss of historical
"The reform of the national governance system for R&I
as well as the recent establishment of the Deputy
Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy
reflect the strong commitment to establish R&I as a fundamental
pillar of a new model for growth, capable of
expanding the productive base of the Cyprus economy.
Palestine is indeed a hard one to bear, but
the Palestinians - indeed all of us - must
put emotions to one side and embrace the
reality.
But the fault is not all on one side. By
expanding illegal settlements and
continually adding insult to injury, Israel
makes it impossible to reach a viable deal.
As the UAE demonstrated when it asked
for freeze on annexation of swaths of the
West Bank, Israel needs to learn that there
are rewards - and worthy ones - for acting
responsibly, in a way that encourages a
peace deal rather than undermines it.
So, will Saudi Arabia follow the UAE and
Bahrain? If I had a few dollars for every
time I've been asked that question, I would
be a wealthy man. The truth is Saudi
Arabia is a sovereign state and it doesn't
really beat about the bush when it comes
to its positions - so should there be a
change in policy, everyone should rest
assured that Riyadh will make it public.
So far, it has made its position clear: It
remains committed to the Arab Peace
Initiative, which Saudi Arabia itself
pioneered in 2002, stipulating a Palestine
state with its capital in East Jerusalem in
exchange for normalization of ties with the
Kingdom (home to Islam's two holy
shrines) and all other Arab states. The best
analysis of why the Israeli-Palestinian
peace process is so dysfunctional is that it
has always been plagued by too much
process, not enough peace.
Despite this position being affirmed
time and time again, many Western
pundits over-analyze it; they are split
between those who think Saudi Arabia
would never recognize or normalize ties
with Israel, and those who seem to believe
Riyadh is secretly rushing to do so.
Much of this confusion, of course, is
deliberately sown on the other side of the
Arabian Gulf. Many people might be led to
think that Saudi Arabia and Iran share the
same views about Israel. That is neither
true nor fair. Iran and its proxies are on
record as wanting to throw Jews into the
sea and wipe Israel off the map. They use
this rhetoric to justify their destabilizing
behavior in the region and their
deployment of armed militias - which, far
from "liberating" Jerusalem, instead
occupy four Arab capitals.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia's
official position has always been
reasonable, and never anti-Semitic.
Simply, Riyadh has always opposed the
illegal occupation of Palestinian territories
as defined by the UN and international
law. For decades, it has advocated peace
and gone out of its way to end Palestinian
divisions.
Of course, nobody denies that there
were elements in Saudi society who were
disgracefully anti-Semitic. But in the past
four years there has been serious reform of
school curriculums, new hate-speech laws,
and unprecedented steps toward dialogue
with and openness to other faiths - a
virtual revolution largely unreported by
Western media.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
himself has met leaders from other
religions, including Judaism, both inside
and outside the Kingdom. The Muslim
World League, led by Sheikh Mohammad
Al-Issa (also a Saudi) has gone far in
unequivocally criticizing Holocaust
deniers and encouraging a more open,
more tolerant interpretation of Islam.
Source : Arab News